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Out of all the items inDarkest Dungeon 2, Candles of Hope are one of the most important ones you can stockpile. These Candles are the key to increasing your party’s power and making each run a more pleasant experience.
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Getting any amount of Candles is fairly straight forward - you’ll get 2 just for finishing the first battle - but unless you plan on repeating that first fight 672 times to complete the Altar of Hope, you should look into more efficient ways to horde your favorite gothic glow sticks. This guide will help break down how to get Candles and give you the best way to farm them too.
What Are Candles Of Hope?
Candles of Hope are the “out-of-run” currency that are spent at the Altar of Hope to unlock more options in your future runs. This meansCandles are the only currency that stick with you between each run, and they are the onlyway to unlock Heroes, items, Hero upgrades,and Hero Paths.
Candles will take up your inventory slots as you collect them. Each stack is made of 4 candles, and if you plan on maximizing the number of candles you gain in each run, be prepared to aggressively manage your inventory to make space for all the Candles you collect.
How Do You Get Candles?
Here are the actions to perform to get candles:
Reaching a Marked Node
Some nodes on the map will have a Candle icon underneath them. Moving to that node will collect that Candle.
Completing Hero Goals
Heroes will have specific goals during a run. If these goals are completed they will award you with Candles, so be sure to check them next to the Map tab while traveling.
Completing Region Goals
Each region has a bonus reward if you perform a specific action and complete the region. While it won’t always award you with Candles, it’s still useful to check before you travel to an area.
Reaching the Mountain
Reaching the final stage will award you with candles.
Reaching the Act Boss
Getting to the Act Boss will reward you with Candles; you don’t have to defeat it to fulfill this condition.
End of Run Bonuses
At the end of a run, you will be awarded extra Candles for completing specific objectives.
What Are The End Of Run Bonuses?
These are all the possible bonuses that will award you with Candles of Hope:
Be aware that hiring the Bounty Hunter during a run will cost you 4 Candles.
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Flames and Candles
The amount of candles you can get will be affected by what Flame you mount on your stage coach.The Radiant Flame will decrease the number of Candles you gain, but it will also make your run much easier.
Infernal Flames will make your runs more difficult, but each one will increase the amount of Candles you gain.
Here are all the Flames and their effects. If you want to maximize Candle gain, be sure to choose an Infernal Flame that sounds tolerable.
Effect On Candles
The Radiant Flame
-15% Candles of Hope
The Despairing Flare
+10% Candles of Hope
The Corpse Light
+15% Candles of Hope
The Doom Candle
+20% Candles of Hope
The Hateful Pyre
+25% Candles of Hope
The Stygian Blaze
+33% Candles of Hope
Efficient Paths
The most efficient way to farm candles is by completing runs with an Infernal Flame equipped.If you’re not comfortable with the game’s mechanics just yet, repeat the first act as many times as you want, but make sure you avoid using The Radiant Flame unless you’re truly struggling.
Once you get more comfortable with how to build your Heroes and what Hero compositions you enjoy using,take a look into the Infernal Flames and plan which ones you’re confident with playing around.Acts 1, 2, and 4 are fairly forgiving when it comes to their final bosses, so farming them are the easiest. If you’re confident with your team’s combat prowess and don’t mind taking repeated fights,choose the Doom Candle and any of the mentioned acts.From there, get into Resistance Battles and Cultist battles to reduce Loathing. Feel free to consultour guide for managing Loathingto increase your chances of completing a run with the Doom Candle equipped.
During your run, be sure to clear out every single Lair since each one is 4 Candles.
During your run, make sure to visit the Sluice because it doesn’t count toward the total number of regions you need to reach the Mountain. This means, by paying the underground Pig-men a visit, you’ll get an entire Region’s worth of Candles in addition to your regular run. While the Sluice will lack a region goal and a Lair Boss, just visiting it will give you 4 Candles on top of any bonus Candles you pick up along the way. If you’re having trouble navigating through the Sluice,check out our guideto surviving its treacherous tunnels.
