Game Modes

Darkest Dungeon features different game modes to allow players to customize their playing experience.

Features of Darkest Mode
The "Normal" mode of Darkest Dungeon. Not as difficult as Stygian Mode but takes more time to complete than Radiant Mode. It is recommended for players who want a prolonged experience.

Features of Radiant Mode
Radiant Mode is meant for players who want to keep their playtime low, but it is still designed to give the player just as much challenge as Darkest Mode.

It is intended to take less time overall to complete than normal (“Darkest”) mode. The mode is still challenging—monsters have the same stats and nothing about permadeath has changed. But some gameplay rules have been flexed or altered in ways that reduce some of the more time consuming mid and late game elements.

Features of Stygian Mode
Stygian is a game mode which gives you a more difficult and more challenging campaign. Unlike other modes, Stygian has instant failure condition that when met will result in a "Game Over" and permanently delete your save.

Trivia
Stygian Mode was originally New game+ and could only be unlocked after the first time you finish the game.