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Tutorial districts

Districts are a special kind of town building available only in The Crimson Court and The Color of Madness DLCs.

Districts introduce a new layer to the depth of late-game planning for the player, as the available buildings are generally immensely expensive, but do offer substantial buffs if a player was so inclined to rebuild them. The benefits vary from exclusively utilitarian or financial incentives to direct combat benefits to the adventurers under the player's control. However, due to the immense cost of erecting District buildings, it becomes prudent for the player to plan long in advance, as a lot of these buildings will be especially useful if built as early as possible (e.g. Bank, Granary, Puppet Theatre, etc), while other buildings serve more of a final stepping stone to forming a perfect expedition into the depths of the Darkest Dungeon, offering powerful buffs to your combatants and improving their stats and abilities (and other gameplay aspects) beyond conventional means of training, equipment, and trinkets.

It is important to note that Districts will be significantly easier to build if the player plays on a Difficulty setting without time limitations or other restrictions, because a speed-run scenario or a run on Stygian difficulty will demand a lot more planning and prioritization to utilize Districts to their utmost potential.

To build one, you must have gotten the Town Event which can occur as early as week 7, a Blueprint (one of which is obtained for free from the event), and many, many Heirlooms. You are guaranteed to get the event in week 10 (or the first week after installing the DLC that doesn't conflict with other DLC town events), if you fail to meet the requirements to get it earlier, making it a reliable and consistent method of acquisition. Further acquisition of blueprints will require the player to hunt down veteran and champion Bosses, who will drop a Blueprint upon death. Mini-bosses, such as The Collector, The Shambler, or The Fanatic, will not drop a Blueprint when defeated.

Since each new building in Districts requires a Blueprint, the player must choose very carefully which building he or she wants to erect next, as the acquisition of Blueprints can be quite an ordeal at the earlier stages of the game. It is important to note, however, that building Districts is not a prerequisite to winning the game; thus, they can be completely neglected if so desired.

Some of the more unorthodox strategies involve building certain District buildings as soon as possible, to utilize their unique benefits.

For example, rushing the Bank will completely change the tempo of your game, making it very important to have a large capital at hand (as 5% of it will be returned to you as interest each week, making it an excellent source of income that can partially or completely push out other sources of income. Having 100,000 Gold will yield an extra 5000 gold weekly, while having 200.000 Gold to spare (returning 10.000 Gold/Week) will make it so that your expeditions are essentially financed by the interest rate received purely from your financial activities.

Focusing on building your Cartographer's Camp as early as possible will dramatically change the usefulness of maintaining a high Light level, making it a powerful alternative to playing in utter Darkness. Doing so can significantly change the types of expeditions you are willing to send out, as playing with a high Light level is significantly more forgiving, but typically offers worse rewards, while Cartographer's Camp makes it a viable and profitable alternative to riskier darkness-centric gameplay.

Districts[]

Districts
Name Effect Cost
The Red Hook
A monument, with no purpose except proclamation of one's dedication.
50000 (25000)
750
1
Bank
Interest gained on saved gold: 5% per week.
15000 (0)
50
1
Cartographer's Camp
All levels of Torchlight are more beneficial.

Note: adds the following effects:
  • +50% Loot Chance
  • +1% CRIT
  • +2.5% Scouting Chance
  • +5% Chance Monsters Surprised
  • -5% Chance Party Surprised
5000 (1000)
300
1
Granary
+15% Healing when Eating.

Receive a small amount of free food every week.

Note: This food cannot be stockpiled for future use, but is instead added to your expedition inventory while in the Provision screen, effectively exceeding the normally available number of food supplies.The amount can be anywhere from 4-10.

2500 (0)
60
1
Puppet Theater
Idle Stress relief in town increased by 10 per week.

Note: Default Idle Stress relief is 5, so this district makes it 15.
5000 (1000)
200
1
Sanguine Vintners
The Crimson Court DLC
2 bottles of The Blood brewed each week.

Note: Only becomes available if the Crimson Court DLC is also activated, not just Districts.
80
1
House of the Yellow Hand
Bounty Hunter, Grave Robber, and Highwayman receive:
  • +4% CRIT
  • +5% Scouting Chance
5000 (1000)
100
1
Altar of Light
Crusader, Vestal, and Flagellant receive:
  • +10% Stun Resist
  • +10% Healing Skills
5000 (100)
200
1
Training Ring
Arbalest, Houndmaster, Man-at-Arms, Shieldbreaker, and Musketeer receive:
  • +4 ACC
  • +10% MAX HP
5000 (1000)
300
1
Athenaeum
Antiquarian, Occultist, and Plague Doctor receive:
  • +15% Blight Skill Chance
  • +15% Debuff Skill Chance
  • Interacting with Knowledge Curios heals 15 Stress. (Stack of Books, Bookshelf, Pile of Scrolls, Alchemy Table, Occult Scrawlings, Eerie Coral, Bas-Relief, Bloodflowers, Pile of Strange Bones, Throbbing Coccoons, Throbbing Hive)

    Note: this Stress heal only works for the three classes mentioned, and will not replace negative Stress effects from Knowledge Curios, such as the "The Hero Reads a Most Unsettling Passage..." event from A Stack Of Books.
2500 (1000)
110
1
'Performance Hall
Jester receives:
  • -10% Stress
  • +2 SPD
  • Finale: +20% DMG
2500 (500)
75
1
Outsiders Bonfire
2 additional Respite Points if you have at least one Abomination, Hellion, or Leper in your party.

Note: the stated bonus is granted as long as the party contains at least one hero that meets the criteria; the party will not receive extra respite points for bringing more such heroes.
1000 (1000)
300
1
The Mill
Exclusive to The Color of Madness DLC
Heroes will no longer suffer from random hunger checks

Note: Memories can be dropped by The Sleeper in Endless Mode and rarely by the Thing from the Stars.
Memories
Memories
10
Geological Studyhall
Exclusive to The Color of Madness DLC
Gem inventory stacking increased by 1
Comet Shards
Comet Shards
125
Tainted Well
Exclusive to The Color of Madness DLC
Holy Water: Increases buff amount from +33% to +45%

Laudanum: Adds a -40% Stress buff

Comet Shards
Comet Shards
99
Miasmal Orchard
Exclusive to The Color of Madness DLC
Medicinal Herbs: Adds a +25% Disease Resist buff
Antivenom: Adds a +33% Blight Resist buff
Comet Shards
Comet Shards
99

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The only District to not change prices between modes is the Outsiders Bonfire.
  • The Red Hook is named after the development team behind Darkest Dungeon.
    • It is also the only District that doesn't give any direct benefits to the player.


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Buildings  Abbey Blacksmith Guild Nomad Wagon Sanitarium Stage Coach Survivalist Tavern
Special  Ancestor's Memoirs Graveyard Town Events DistrictsThe Crimson Court DLC


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DLC for Darkest Dungeon
Expansions The Crimson Court The Color of Madness The Butcher's Circus
Heroes Shieldbreaker Musketeer