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Sarah loves RPGs, sandboxes, and sims. She's played every expansion of World of Warcraft and WoW Classic and spent hundreds of hours modding and playing Bethesda games.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Hsu
One of the challenges you will face on expeditions in Darkest Dungeon is how to handle any curios you come across. Curios are interactive objects that can be found in rooms and corridors that can have positive or negative effects on your heroes, depending upon how you choose to interact with them.
It’s important to know what kind of curios to expect in each dungeon and what to use on each curio, so you can plan ahead when purchasing your supplies. In this Darkest Dungeon guide, we’ll tell you the best item to use on each curio and what the effect will be.
But first, a few notes about how curios work!
Interacting With Curios
Unlike obstacles and traps, which must be dealt with before you can pass them, you can usually opt to ignore a curio altogether. However, heroes with certain traits will sometimes take the decision out of your hands. For example, a hero with the Kleptomaniac quirk may decide to steal an item from a curio before you get a chance to interact with it.
On the other hand, if you have an Antiquarian in your party, you should always use them to interact with curios as they will be able to loot extra treasure from them. Keep in mind that any effects of the curio – positive or negative – will apply to the hero who does the interacting.
Forced Curio Interactions
Below is a table of quirks, diseases, and afflictions that force curio interactions. Any curio of the associated type will have a chance to trigger the quirk, causing the hero to interact with the curio without your prompting. Doing so will trigger the default effect of the curio, and you will not be able to interact with it again. The hero may also steal any loot for themself, leaving nothing for you to keep.
Some default curio interactions are always negative, so it may be prudent to remove certain obsessions from your characters as soon as possible.
| Name | Type | Curios | Chance | Steal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ablutomania | Quirk | Fountain | 40% | No |
| Bloodthirsty | Quirk | Torture | 35% | No |
| Corvid’s Appetite | Quirk | Body | 33% | No |
| Corvid’s Curiosity | Quirk | All | 27.5% | No |
| Compulsive | Quirk | All | 20% | No |
| Crimson Curse | Disease | Crave | 10%/25% | No |
| Curious | Quirk | All | 20% | No |
| Dacnomania | Quirk | Torture | 40% | No |
| Dark Temptation | Quirk | Unholy | 40% | No |
| Demonomania | Quirk | Unholy | 40% | No |
| Dipsomania | Quirk | Drink | 40% | No |
| Egomania | Quirk | Reflective | 40% | Yes |
| Fearful | Affliction | Worship | 50% | No |
| Guilty Conscience | Quirk | Worship | 35% | No |
| Hagiomania | Quirk | Worship | 40% | No |
| Hieromania | Quirk | Worship | 35% | No |
| Hylomania | Quirk | Treasure | 40% | No |
| Irrational | Affliction | All | 7.5% | No |
| Kleptomaniac | Quirk | Treasure | 35% | Yes |
| Masochistic | Affliction | Torture | 50% | No |
| Necromania | Quirk | Body | 40% | No |
| Panormania | Quirk | Haunted | 40% | No |
| Plutomania | Quirk | Treasure | 40% | No |
| Selfish | Affliction | Treasure | 50% | Yes |
| Sitiomania | Quirk | Food | 40% | No |
| Tape Worm | Disease | Food | 60% | Yes |
Curios by Dungeon/Region
Now let’s go through all the curios in Darkest Dungeon! We’ve divided them up by the dungeon(s) they appear in.
Common Curios (Everywhere)
There are some curios that can appear in any dungeon in the game. You should always plan to have some supplies on hand to deal with these – a few extra Torches, some Skeleton Keys, and a Holy Water or two.
Heirloom Chest comes in two different versions that look identical. A Skeleton Key will open either one.
Shambler’s Altar will summon a boss when you use a Torch on it. The Shambler is one of the toughest enemies in the game and you should not activate this curio if you aren’t confident you can defeat it.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Artifact | Treasure | Skeleton Key: Collector Trinket/Puzzling Trapezohedron x3 | Gold/Gems x3 (100%) |
| Crate | Treasure | – | Heirloom x1 (75%) Nothing (25%) |
| Discarded Pack | Scrounging Treasure | – | Supplies x1 + Gold/Gems x2 + Journal Entry (60%) Scouting (20%) Nothing (20%) |
| Eldritch Altar | Haunted Unholy | Holy Water: Purge Negative Quirk | Nothing (50%) Stress +25 (40%) Purge Negative Quirk (10%) |
| Heirloom Chest | Treasure | Skeleton Key: Heirloom x4 Antivenom: Heirloom x3 | Heirloom x2 (75%) Bleed (12.5%) Blight (12.5%) |
| Heirloom Chest | Treasure | Skeleton Key: Any Loot x3 Shovel: Any Loot x2 (66.6%) / Nothing (33.3%) | Any Loot x2 50% Blight 25% Bleed 25% |
| Sack | Scrounging | – | Gold (75%) Nothing (25%) |
| Sconce | Scrounging | – | Torch x1 (100%) |
| Shambler’s Altar | – | Torch: Summon Shambler | Nothing (100%) |
| Stack of Books | Knowledge | Torch: Stress +100 | Nothing (16.7%) Journal Entry (16.7%) Random Negative Quirk (11.1%) Light -25 (11.1%) |
| Throbbing Coccoons | – | – | Battle a Gatekeeper and a Manservant, Supplicant, or Sycophant |
| Unlocked Strongbox | Treasure | – | Any Loot x2 (75%) Blight (25%) |
Old Road Curios
There are a few curios that only appear in the Old Road (the tutorial level). We’ve listed them here for completion’s sake, but you will only see them once at the very start of a new game.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandit’s Trapped Chest | – | Skeleton Key: Trinket x2 | Blight (100%) |
| Brigand’s Tent | Scrounging | – | Any Loot x2 (100%) |
| Transcendent Terror | – | – | Stress +100 (100%) |
Ruins Curios
When venturing into the Ruins, it’s usually wise to bring some extra Holy Water. Medicinal Herbs and Skeleton Keys will also see plenty of use.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alchemy Table | Knowledge | Torch: Light +100 Medicinal Herbs: Gold/Gems x2 | Blight (50%) Gold/Gems x1 (25%) Nothing (25%) |
| Altar of Light | Worship | Holy Water: DMG +30% Until Camp | DMG +20% Until Camp |
| Bookshelf | Knowledge | – | Nothing (20%) Journal Entry (20%) Scouting (20%) Stress +15 (20%) Positive Quirk (13.3%) Negative Quirk (6.7%) |
| Confession Booth | Worship Reflective | Holy Water: Stress -30 | Stress +15 (50%) Gold/Trinket x6 + Journal Entry (25%) Purge Negative Quirk (25%) |
| Corrupted Altar | (Quest) | Consecrated Essence: Quest Progress | – |
| Decorative Urn | Haunted Scrounging | Holy Water: Gems/Trinket x2 Shovel: Guilty Conscience Negative Quirk | Gems/Trinket x1 + Gems x2 (44.4%) Nothing (22.2%) Blight (22.2%) Creeping Cough Disease (7.4%) Random Disease (3.7%) |
| Holy Fountain | Fountain Worship | Holy Water: Stress -20 + Cure Status Effects + Health +12 | Stress -10 + Cure Status Effects + Health +5 (50%) Gold/Gems x2 (50%) |
| Iron Maiden | Haunted Torture | Medicinal Herbs: Any Loot x2 | Any Loot x2 (40%) Nothing (20%) Claustrophobia Negative Quirk (20%) Tetanus Disease (13.3%) Random Disease (6.7%) |
| Locked Display Cabinet | Treasure Scrounging | Skeleton Key: Gold/Heirlooms x3 + Gold/Gems x2 Shovel: Gold/Heirlooms x2 + Gold/Gems x2 | Bleed (50%) Blight (50%) |
| Locked Sarcophagus | Haunted Reflective | Skeleton Key: Gold/Heirlooms x2 + Gold/Trinket x1 Shovel: Gold/Heirlooms x1 + Gold/Trinket x1 | Bleed (50%) Blight (50%) |
| Reliquary | (Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
| Sarcophagus | Haunted Reflective Body | – | Gold/Heirlooms x2 (60%) Nothing (20%) Thanatophobia Negative Quirk (20%) |
| Suit of Armor | Haunted Reflective | – | PROT +15% + DODGE +10 Until Camp (75%) Ruins Adventurer Positive Quirk (12.5%) Ruins Tactician Positive Quirk (12.5%) |
Warrens Curios
Your expeditions into the Warrens would benefit mostly from some extra Medicinal Herbs.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animalistic Shrine | (Quest) | Pick-Axe: Quest Progress | – |
| Bone Altar | Unholy Worship | – | DMG +15% ACC +10 CRT +5% Until Camp + Cure Status Effects (100%) |
| Dinner Cart | Body Drink Food | Medicinal Herbs: Food x3 + Gold/Trinket x1 | Food x1 + Gold/Trinket x1 (37.5%) Nothing (25%) Blight (25%) The Black Plague Disease (12.5%) |
| Foodstuff Crate | (Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
| Makeshift Dining Table | Drink Food | Medicinal Herbs: Food x2 + Gold/Supplies x1 | Food x1 + Gold Supplies x1 (25%) Nothing (25%) Blight (25%) Tapeworm Disease (25%) |
| Moonshine Barrel | Drink Treasure | Medicinal Herbs: DMG +30% Until Camp | Food x1 + Gold/Supplies x1 (33.3%) Blight (33.3%) Nothing (22.2%) Tippler Negative Quirk (11.1%) |
| Occult Scrawlings | Unholy Knowledge | Holy Water: DODGE -20% | Random Positive Quirk (33.3%) Nothing (25%) Stress +25 (25%) Random Negative Quirk (16.7%) |
| Pile of Bones | Body Haunted Unholy | Holy Water: Any Loot x2 | Any Loot x2 (25%) Nothing (25%) Random Disease (25%) Bloodthirsty Negative Quirk (25%) |
| Pile of Scrolls | Knowledge | Torch: Purge Negative Quirk | Scouting (28.6%) Nothing (28.6%) Journal Entry (14.3%) Stress +15 (14.3%) Random Positive Quirk (9.5%) Random Negative Quirk (4.8%) |
| Rack of Blades | Scrounging | Bandage: Golf/Gems x2 + Food x1 | Gold/Gems x1 + Food x1 (40%) Bleed (40%) Nothing (20%) |
| Sacrificial Stone | Unholy Worship | – | Stress +50 (50%) Purge Negative Quirk (25%) Warrens Explorer Positive Quirk (12.5%) Warrens Scrounger Positive Quirk (12.5%) |
Weald Curios
Parties sent into the Weald would do well to bring plenty of Antivenom and maybe a couple Holy Waters.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Coffin | Haunted Body | – | Gold/Heirloom x2 (50%) Nothing (33.3%) Weald Adventurer Positive Quirk (8.3%) Weald Explorer Positive Quirk (8.3%) |
| Beast Carcass | Body Food | Medicinal Herbs: Food x2 | Food x1 (42.9%) Random Disease (19%) Nothing (14.3%) Zoophobia Negative Quirk (14.3%) Rabies Disease (9.5%) |
| Chirurgeon’s Satchel | (Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
| Eerie Spiderweb | – | Bandage: Gold/Gems x2 + Gems/Trinket x1 | Gold/Gems x1 + Gems/Trinket x1 (40%) Nothing (40%) Slow Reflexes Negative Quirk (10%) Slowdraw Negative Quirk (10%) |
| Infected Corpse | (Quest) | Potent Salve: Quest Progress | – |
| Left Luggage | Treasure Scrounging | Skeleton Key: Any Loot x3 Antivenom: Any Loot x3 | Any Loot x4 + Journal Entry (50%) Blight (50%) |
| Mummified Remains | Body Haunted Unholy | Bandage: Gold/Trinkets x2 | Gold/Trinkets x1 (40%) Blight (40%) Nothing (20%) |
| Old Tree | Scrounging | Antivenom: Any Loot x3 | Any Loot x2 (50%) Nothing (25%) Blight (25%) |
| Pristine Fountain | Fountain | Holy Water: Stress -30 | Stress -20 (100%) |
| Shallow Grave | Body Haunted Scrounging | Shovel: Gems/Heirlooms x3 | Blight (50%) Random Disease (50%) |
| Traveler’s Tent | Scrounging | – | Gold/Supplies x4 + Gold/Heirlooms x4 + Journal Entry (37.5%) Scouting (37.5%) Nothing (12.5%) Stress +25 (12.5%) |
| Troubling Effigy | Unholy Worship | Holy Water: Random Positive Quirk | Nothing (25%) Random Positive Quirk (18.8%) Random Negative Quirk (18.8%) Bleed (18.8%) Blight (9.4%) Stress +15 (9.4%) |
Cove Curios
When delving into the Cove, you’ll definitely want to bring along some extra Shovels and Medicinal Herbs.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnacle Crusted Chest | Treasure | Shovel: Any Loot x3 | Any Loot x2 (50%) Nothing (25%) Bleed (25%) |
| Bas-Relief | Knowledge Worship | Shovel: Stress +100 | Random Positive Quirk (66.7%) Random Negative Quirk (22.2%) Random Disease (11.1%) |
| Brackish Tide Pool | Drink Fountain | Antivenom: Health +5 OR Stress -6 | +33% Blight, Bleed, Disease, Debuff Resistances Until Camp (75%) Random Disease (25%) |
| Eerie Coral | Knowledge | Medicinal Herbs: Purge Negative Quirk | Stress -10 (50%) Nothing (25%) Stress +25 (25%) |
| Fish Idol | Unholy Worship | Holy Water: DMG +19% Until Camp | DMG -25% ACC -10 Until Camp (50%) DODGE -12 Until Camp (50%) |
| Fish Carcass | Food | Medicinal Herbs: Gem/Trinkets x2 + Gem/Gold x1 + Supplies x2 | Nothing (50%) Gem/Trinkets x1 + Gold/Gem x1 + Supply x1 (16.7%) The Red Plague Disease (16.7%) Blight (11.1%) Bleed (5.6%) |
| Giant Oyster | Treasure Scrounging | Shovel: Gold/Trinkets x3 Dog Treats: DODGE +25 | Gold/Trinkets x2 (40%) Bleed (40%) Nothing (20%) |
| Protective Ward | (Quest) | Pineal Gland: Quest Progress | – |
| Shipment Crate | (Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
| Ship’s Figurehead | Reflective | – | Stress -25 (66.7%) DMG +20% SPD +4 (33.3%) |
Courtyard Curios
The Courtyard was added to the game with the Crimson Court DLC. The most useful supply item in this area is The Blood, followed by Shovels.
Some of the curios in the Courtyard have a chance to give The Blood along with any loot you find.
Be aware that interacting with Throbbing Coccoons will initiate a fight with some Bloodsucker enemies.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodflowers | Scrounging Knowledge | Shovel: Gems/Heirlooms x2 (66.7%) / Any Loot x1 (33.3%) The Blood: Nothing Holy Water: Stress +15 | Stress +15 (38.5%) Scouting (23.1%) Any Loot x2 + The Blood (15.3%) Nothing (15.3%) Tetanus Disease (5.1%) Random Disease (2.5%) |
| Damned Fountain | Drink Fountain Crave Unholy Haunted | Holy Water: Stress -30 Torch: Stress +5 | Bleed (60%) Crimson Curse Disease (20%) Any Loot x2 + Bleed (20%) |
| Disturbing Diversion | Unholy Haunted Scrounging Torture Reflective | Shovel: Heirlooms x3 | Stress +25 (40%) Nothing (20%) Random Positive Quirk (15%) Random Negative Quirk (15%) Any Loot x2 + The Blood x2 (10%) |
| Forgotten Delicacies | Body Food Haunted Unholy Crave | Medicinal Herbs: Food x2 + Gold/Supplies x1 | Gold/Supplies x5 + The Blood (20%) Nothing (20%) Stress Eater Negative Quirk (20%) Blight (20%) Crimson Curse Disease (13.3%) Random Disease (6.7%) |
| Forgotten Strongbox | (Boss Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
| Hooded Shrew | Haunted Unholy | The Blood: Trinket x2 | Stress +15 (42.8%) Any Loot x1 (28.5%) Nothing (14.2%) Random Disease (7.6%) |
| Wizened Shrew | Haunted Unholy | The Blood: Trinket x3 | Nothing (58.3%) Scouting (50%) Random Disease (7.6%) |
| Pile of Strange Bones | Unholy Scrounging Haunted Knowledge | Bandage: Any Loot x1 (50%) / The Blood (50%) / Summon a Supplicant, Sycophant, & Esquire | Bleed (50%) Nothing (20%) Any Loot x2 + The Blood (20%) Crimson Curse Disease (10%) |
| Throbbing Coccoons | Knowledge Scrounging Crave | Torch: Stress -30 | Summon a Supplicant, Sycophant, & Esquire (75%) Nothing (12.5%) Any Loot x3 + The Blood (12.5%) |
| Thronging Hive | Knowledge Scrounging Crave (Quest) | Pitch-Soaked Torch: Quest Progress/Any Loot x3 + The Blood | Any Loot x2 + The Blood (75%) Bleed (25%) |
| Trinket Chest | (Boss Quest) | Skeleton Key: Any Loot x2 | Trinket Set x1 (100%) |
| Wine Crate | Drink Crave Treasure | Antivenom: Stress -30 Shovel: Firewood | The Blood x2 + Any Loot x1 + Gold/Supplies x4 (41.7%) Tippler Negative Quirk (16.7%) Crimson Curse Disease (16.7%) Scouting (8.3%) Bleed (8.3%) Nothing (8.3%) |
| Winemaker’s Reserve | (Quest) | – | The Blood x3-5 (100%) |
Farmstead Curios
The Farmstead was added to the game by the Color of Madness DLC. There are no corridors here, just room after endless room. This dungeon is also the only place where you can find Comet Shards.
The only item you may need to interact with curios here is Skeleton Keys. There are no negative effects from curios here – every single one offers a buff or loot with no downside.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gleaming Shards | – | – | Comet Shards x5-15 (100%) |
| Fresh Harvest | – | – | Health +90% (100%) |
| Stockpile | – | Skeleton Key: Food x6-12 + Any Supplies + Trinket | Laudanum/Medicinal Herbs/Food (66%) Nothing (33%) |
| Rotted Fare | – | – | Stress -100 (100%) |
| Miller’s Hearth | – | – | Camp (100%) |
| Corrupted Harvest | – | – | Party Stress -60 (100%) |
| Plentiful Bounty | – | – | Party Health +65% (100%) |
| Mildred | – | – | Mildred’s Locket Trinket (100% first time only) Any Trinket/Comet Shards (100% after first time) |
The Darkest Dungeon Curios
There are a few special curios that only appear in The Darkest Dungeon. Two of them are quest curios.
Ancestor’s Knapsack can also appear during the Wolves at the Door event. It doesn’t require any items to loot it.
| Curio | Type | Item Effects | Default Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancestor’s Knapsack | Treasure Scrounging Haunted | – | Gold/Gems x5 + Ancestral Trinket x1 (100%) |
| Iron Crown | (Quest) | Hand of Glory: Quest Progress | – |
| Locus Beacon | (Quest) | – | Quest Progress (100%) |
Join the High Ground
Thanks for reading! Hopefully this curios guide has helped you plan and succeed in your Darkest Dungeon expeditions. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and be sure to subscribe to High Ground for more useful guides!
Happy gaming!
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