Dark and Darker: Everything to Know About the Extraction Dungeon Crawler

Dark and Darker can feel brutally unfair, but that's part of its charm. This medieval fantasy dungeon crawler, wrapped in the mechanics of an extraction shooter, is coming soon to the Epic Games Store and is currently playable via the official Dark and Darker site. I recently spent some time with it—here's what it's like to dive into the depths while monsters and other players are out to get you.

After spawning into the map with nothing but lint and hope, I stumbled upon a room filled with chests and loot. There were helmets, armor, Dark And Darker Gold, and other valuable items all over the place—so much so that I didn't have room to take it all. Finding so many valuable items early in the run got me off to a great start, but I still needed to make it out alive.

Seconds after leaving the room, valuables in hand, I spotted another player at the bottom of a set of stairs. Adrenaline pumping from my massive loot haul, I battered him, only to realize they were as poorly equipped as I was when I entered. But I was still alive, even if only just, and could continue looking for a way out through one of the portals that randomly spawn on the map. My health continued to dwindle as I took occasional hits from monsters until eventually, I was very close to death.

Then I heard the noise of safety—the sound of a portal spawning. As I rounded a corner, there it was: the headstone I needed to interact with to open up a portal and escape with my loot. In my excitement, I ran toward it, failing to notice the floor spikes. Mere steps from safety, the clank of metal spelled my doom, and my big barbarian tumbled to the ground, his legs shattered from the massive spikes. My loot haul was gone, and the only slight positive was that another adventurer might fall victim to the same trap when trying to loot my body.

This is the crushing reality of Dark and Darker, a game that can cause frustration and anger but always with the allure of one more run through the dungeons in hopes of finding and escaping with incredible loot. After a minute to cool off, I went right back in, rifling through chests and battering goblins.

When Dark and Darker first arrived on the scene last year, the early demo proved massively popular. Its medieval fantasy setting was a new spin on the popular extraction genre, and despite the demo being relatively barebones, it was fun from the get-go. A few legal issues caused it to go dark for a bit, but now it's coming back with a ton of new content and a level of polish that makes it play a lot better than before.

The core of Dark and Darker remains the same. You pick a class from a list recognizable to fantasy fans—ranging from big barbarians to wizards and even bards—and then get dropped into one of the many dungeons filled with loot. Here, you'll fight past an assortment of AI mobs, who can hold some decent loot themselves, to get to the goodies or go hunting for other players to fight and take whatever's on their person. Whether it's loot they've already found or items they brought into the dungeon, once you're satisfied with your haul, you need to find an exit portal and get out. Simple stuff on paper.

Dark and Darker has expanded significantly. It features a variety of skills and spells, which add depth even to the most basic classes. For example, the Wizard has 13 different spells to choose from, ranging from the useful light orb to see where you're going to an explosion that acts like a sticky bomb—and even a spell that can lock doors to keep enemies at bay.

The Warlock has a vastly different kit that focuses on seeking out enemies, weakening them before a fight, and then summoning minions to finish them off. It's a very different style of play, adding to Dark and Darker's variety and replayability. The weapon options further enhance this variety once you've chosen a class. There are far more options than just a big dude with a sword, an archer, or a mage shooting fireballs.

There's also more variety in the maps, plus quests that provide proper objectives and more to do with your precious loot. But it's not just about having more of everything. What was originally in Dark and Darker has been refined. Combat is smoother, and the overall package is much improved.

As you get more confident, you can venture to deeper levels of the dungeon in hopes of meeting stronger foes and getting even better loot. This is where Dark and Darker really comes into its own, with battles becoming more about positioning, smart play, and clever ability usage rather than the wild swings you can get away with against weaker players and AI enemies.

It can take a long time before you finally feel strong enough to try this and find success—but when you do, Dark and Darker transforms from a frustrating experience into an exhilarating high-stakes medieval combat game. It remains punishing but also incredibly satisfying.

With overarching quests giving you more reason to delve into the dungeons, aside from finding better loot, Dark and Darker becomes incredibly addictive. You never quite know what's around the next corner, and that's reason enough to keep playing. The lure of Dark and Darker Gold and rare Dark And Darker Items keeps you coming back for more, each run offering a new chance at glory.