Dark and Darker best solo classes and tips

Picking the right solo class in Dark and Darker is an important part of staying alive on your own.

Solo play is a step up in difficulty, an “all-for-none” situation in this extraction RPG, where you have no friends to watch your back, and everything is a threat.

The latest Dark and Darker beta includes a map designed only for solo play, but you can enter any of the available maps for a solo round if you’re brave enough.

• Dark and Darker solo classes
• Solo tips

Best solo classes in Dark and Darker

Speed and longevity are the most important factors in solo play. Attacks must be quick, and you should be hard to find and harder to kill once monsters and other players close in. That rules out slow-casting classes such as the Wizard – who can’t even defend themselves – and the Cleric, whose mace is powerful, but casting times leave them vulnerable.

Fighter

The best all-around class for solo play is the Fighter. Fighter is your standard melee class, with a strong attack, a shield for blocking, and even a skill for self-healing. Fighters are tanky, able to wear heavy armor and bolster their defenses, so it’s a safe bet for learning the ins and outs of a dungeon map before swapping to another, riskier class.

The best Fighter skills to focus on for solo play are:

• Combo Attack
• Shield Expert
• Swift
• Adrenaline Rush
• Second Wind

Combo attack buffs your strength after each successive hit, while shield expert and swift increase movement spend when you’re blocking with a shield or wearing heavy armor, respectively.

Rogue

The Rogue is quickly becoming a popular choice for solo play, and for good reason. They can move invisibly, poison foes, and attack more quickly than most classes. The best Rogule skills and abilities to focus on are:

• Hide
• Rupture
• Poisoned Weapon

Backstab is popular, but not necessary unless you end up being very good at ambushing enemies from behind. You could also opt for a more aggressive style with Stealth and Ambush. Stealth keeps you hidden for 10 steps, and Ambush boosts your first attack’s damage after Stealth by 50 percent.

Rogues have the lowest HP pool of any class, though, so even though it’s a hot pick among dedicated players, it still takes some learning and practice to use effectively.

Ranger

The Ranger is another strong choice, since it lets you fight at a distance – very important for PvE crowd control and also for taking advantage of enemy players without putting yourself in danger. Headshots deal extra damage – something you can’t get with regular melee weapons – and Rangers even have an ability that lets them fire three arrows in quick succession.

If that wasn’t enough, they can also set traps for unwitting players. Shrines and other points of interest where you know players will visit or gather are good places for setting traps.

The Ranger skills and abilities worth your time are:

• Nimble Hands
• Ranged Weapons Expert
• Field Ration
• Quick Fire

If your aim is particularly good, you may want to try Sharpshooter as well, since it raises headshot damage by 15 percent. Bear in mind that Field Ration takes several seconds to restore HP, during which time you’re vulnerable to attack.

Dark and Darker solo tips

Picking the right class is only half the battle. Solo mode requires a different approach to spelunking and extracting, but it also offers a few unique advantages you don’t get playing on a team.

Take advantage of the situation

If you see enemies battling monsters or other players, be a horrible person and pick off the weaker player. It’s an easy win – but just remember others will do the same to you.

Walk quietly in the dark

You don’t have to be a stealthy Rogue to hide yourself. Extinguish nearby torches to hide yourself in the darkness, and remove your shoes to help silence your footsteps. You can also hold the “Shift” key to reduce noise by walking more slowly.

Don't fear death

The Death Swarm won’t kill you right away. You can make a quick escape into it, then pop back out elsewhere and heal if an enemy is harassing you. Most players end up avoiding it, rather like the storm in Fortnite, so unless a very dedicated foe is pursuing you, you can almost always get away.

If you do die here or elsewhere in the dungeon, it’s okay! You still gain experience in that class.

Play different maps

The new Goblin Cave map is designed for single-player play, but you can often make faster progress by taking risks in the other two maps. The Forgotten Castle usually has more exit points and enemies to get experience from, so if you’re daring, you could try there and see how it goes.

Do a stakeout

If you find a healing shrine or some other point of interest, you can guarantee others are going to stop there at some point. Find a cozy hiding place and wait for some poor soul to come by, then leap out and finish them quickly.

Keep your distance

In situations where stealth isn’t feasible, try to keep your distance as much as you can Ranged attacks and traps are excellent options, but if all else fails, but you can also get into a groove of attacking, blocking, and retreating once you know your enemy’s attack patterns.

If you're lookig for more help in Dark and Darker, check out our tips for how to extract safely, how to heal and revive, and how to cast spells if you've got a hankering for some fireballs.