Last Updated on December 20, 2023 by Samuel Franklin
This Darkest Dungeon curio guide is your curios cheat sheet of all interactions to remove the unknown factor and help you determine whether or not to trigger them during a hero expedition. Given curio can bestow a wealth of positive effects with a specific provision or seriously harm your heroes knowing the right opportunities to interact with them is pivotal to your long term survival and progression.
While you can memorise these interactions and Darkest Dungeon reveals the effect of provisions on curio once discovered having a curios sheet like this will assist with that initial discovery and importantly help you understand the risks if you lack the required provision. This interactions chart is split into different sections for each game location, includes all curio and provides clear explanations of each potential outcome. In this curio guide I also explore the mechanics of curios in Darkest Dungeon and my personal recommendations for when to activate them without a provision based on my own experiences of overcoming the Bloodmoon difficulty.
Table of Contents:
– Curio Overview
– Common Dungeon Curios
– Ruin Dungeon Curios
– Warren Dungeon Curios
– Weald Dungeon Curios
– Cove Dungeon Curios
– Courtyard Dungeon Curios (DLC)
– Farmstead Dungeon Curios (DLC)
– Unique Dungeon Curios
Darkest Dungeon Curio Overview
Curio come in a range of forms and are interactable objects of curious nature that players encounter while on an expedition within rooms and hallways. These include strange altars, library books, fountains, chests, piles of bones and everything in between that has been left behind by past adventurers or part of the scenario environment. The expedition location you select will impact on the curios you encounter which are randomly spawned although some general ones can be found across all locations. Players have the decision to interact with these curio or not and can select provisions from their inventory that may cleanse the curio for an added bonus. If players select the incorrect provision for a curio it will have no effect and once you have discovered the correct provision it will show an icon in your inventory when interacting with that curio underneath that item. For example the gold icon is shown underneath the shovel in the screenshot below for the shallow grave curio while other provisions show only a question mark.
Most curios can have their outcomes improved by selecting the applicable provision which encourages players to bring specific provisions on their expedition within their limited inventory space. Players also need to be careful of negative hero quirks that may force heroes to activate the curio automatically when in range with certain quirks triggering specific curios. This is particularly dangerous as it removes the option to select an item for the cleansed effect and some of these negative quirks result in complete loss of the items as they are stolen by the recruited Darkest Dungeon hero.
Players should always opt for the cleansed reward if you have the provision available although where you lack the particular provision it will be a judgement call. Given every Darkest Dungeon expedition is different I recommend based on my experience that players consider the following when deciding to interact with a non-cleansed curio:
- How likely the negative outcomes are compared to any positive outcomes.
- The strength of any potential positive outcomes and if the benefit outweighs the potential risk of negative outcomes.
- How permanent the negative outcomes are, for example a negative quirk can be expensive to remove and is more disruptive compared to a bleed or blight status.
- The current status of your expedition and heroes including the expected length remaining, goal of the expedition, health and stress levels.
Darkest Dungeon Curio Guide & Interactions Cheat Sheet Chart
The below section details the interactions you can make with each curio and are presented with the following information for each expedition type. Note that the loot reward is a generic term that includes any lootable item such as gold, gems, food, heirlooms and in some rare cases trinkets.
- Curio: The name and image of the curio.
- Provision To Cleanse: The provision(s) required to activate the cleansed reward.
- Cleansed Reward: The reward for cleansing the curio with one of the required provisions.
- Non-Cleansed Reward: The reward if players do not use a provision with the percentage chance of each outcome.
Common Dungeon Curios
These common curios can spawn regardless of your Darkest Dungeon location with these generally having limited cleansing provision requirements and fairly reasonable non-cleansed rewards.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | N/A | N/A | Heirloom (75%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (60%) Scouting (20%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Holy Water | Remove negative quirk | +25 Stress (40%) Remove negative quirk (10%) Nothing (50%) |
![]() | Skeleton Key | Heirloom | Heirloom (75%) Bleed (12.5%) Blight (12.5%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (75%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Torch (100%) |
![]() | Torch | Summon Shambler | Nothing (100%) |
![]() | Torch | +100 Stress | +25 Stress (22.2%) Positive quirk (22.2%) Negative quirk (11.1%) -25 Light (11.1%) Journal entry (16.7%) Nothing (16.7%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (75%) Blight (25%) |
Ruin Dungeon Curios
These curios only appear when adventuring in the ruins with holy water, skeleton keys and shovels being a recurring theme for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Torch Medicinal Herbs | 100 Light Loot | Blight (50%) Loot (25%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Holy Water | +30% damage until camp | +20 damage until camp |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Scouting (20%) +15 Stress (20%) |
![]() | Holy Water | -30 Stress | +15 Stress (50%) Loot (25%) Remove negative quirk (25%) |
![]() | Holy Water Shovel | Loot Negative quirk ‘Guilty Conscience’ | Loot (44.4%) Blight (22.2%) Disease ‘Creeping Cough’ (7.4%) Random disease (3.7%) Nothing (22.2%) |
![]() | Holy Water | -20 Stress, cure status effects and +12 HP heal | -10 Stress, cure status effects and +5 HP heal (50%) Loot (50%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (40%) Negative quirk ‘Claustrophobia’ (20%) Disease ‘Tetanus’ (66.7%) Random disease (6.7%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Skeleton Key Shovel | Loot Loot | Bleed (50%) Blight (50%) |
![]() | Skeleton Key Shovel | Loot Loot | Bleed (50%) Blight (50%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (60%) Negative quirk ‘Thanatophobia’ (20%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | +15% Protection and +10 dodge until camp (75%) Positive quirk ‘Ruins Adventurer’ (12.5%) Positive quirk ‘Ruins Tactician’ (12.5%) |
Warren Dungeon Curios
These curios only appear when adventuring in the warrens with holy water and medicinal herbs being a recurring theme for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | N/A | N/A | +15% Damage, +10 accuracy and 5% critical until camp |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (37.5%) Blight (25%) Disease ‘Black Plague’ (12.5%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (25%) Blight (25%) Disease ‘Tapeworm’ (25%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | +30% Damage until camp | Loot (33.3%) Blight (33.3%) Negative quirk ‘Tippler’ (11.1%) Nothing (22.2%) |
![]() | Holy Water | -20% Dodge | Random positive quirk (33.3%) +25 Stress (25%) Random negative quirk (16.7%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Holy Water | Loot | Loot (25%) Random disease (25%) Negative quirk ‘Bloodthirsty’ (25%) |
![]() | Torch | Remove negative quirk | Scout (26.8%) +15 Stress (14.3%) Journal entry (14.3%) Random positive quirk (9.5%) Random negative quirk (4.8%) Nothing (28.6%) |
![]() | Bandage | Loot | Loot (40%) Bleed (40%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | +50 Stress (50%) Remove negative quirk (25%) Positive quirk ‘Warrens Explorer’ (12.5%) Positive quirk ‘Warrens Scrounger’ (12.5%) |
Weald Dungeon Curios
These curios only appear when adventuring in the wealds with holy water, antivenom and bandages being a recurring theme for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (50%) Positive quirk ‘Weald Adventurer’ (8.3%) Positive quirk ‘Weald Explorer’ (8.3%) Nothing (33%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (42.9%) Disease ‘Rabies’ (25%) Random disease (19%) Negative quirk ‘Zoophobia’ (14.3%) Nothing (14.3%) |
![]() | Bandage | Loot | Loot (40%) Negative quirk ‘Slow Reflexes’ (10%) Negative quirk ‘Slowdraw’ (10%) Nothing (40%) |
![]() | Skeleton Key Antivenom | Loot Loot | Loot (50%) Blight (50%) |
![]() | Bandage | Loot | Loot (40%) Blight (40%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Antivenom | Loot | Loot (50%) Blight (25%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Holy Water | -30 Stress | -20 Stress (100%) |
![]() | Shovel | Loot | Blight (50%) Random disease (50%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Loot (37.5%) Scout (37.5%) +25 Stress (12.5%) Nothing (12.5%) |
![]() | Holy Water | Random positive quirk | Random positive quirk (18.8%) Random negative quirk (18.8%) Bleed (18.8%) Blight (9.4%) +15 Stress (9.4%) Nothing (25%) |
Cove Dungeon Curios
These curios only appear when adventuring in the coves with medicinal herbs and shovels being a recurring theme for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Shovel | Loot | Loot (50%) Bleed (25%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Shovel | +100 Stress | Random positive quirk (66.7%) Random negative quirk (33.3%) |
![]() | Antivenom | +5 HP heal (50%) -6 Stress (50%) | +33% Debuff resistances (75%) Random disease (25%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Remove negative quirk | -10 Stress (50%) +25 Stress (25%) Nothing (25%) |
![]() | Holy Water | +18% Damage until camp | -25% Damage and -10 accuracy until camp (50%) -12 Dodge until camp (50%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (16.7%) Disease ‘Red Plague’ (16.7%) Blight (11.1%) Bleed (5.6%) Nothing (50%) |
![]() | Shovel Dog Treats | Loot +25 Dodge | Loot (40%) Bleed (40%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | -25-30 Stress (66.7%) +20% Damage and 4 speed until camp (33.3%) |
Courtyard Dungeon Curios (Crimson Court DLC)
These curios only appear when adventuring in the courtyard with the blood, holy water, torches and shovels being a recurring theme for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | The Blood Holy Water Shovel | Nothing +15 Stress Loot | +15 Stress (38.5%) Scout (23.1%) Loot (15.3%) Disease ‘Tetanus’ (5.3%) Random disease (2.5%) Nothing (15.3%) |
![]() | Holy Water Torch | -30 Stress +5 Stress | Bleed (60%) Disease ‘Crimson Curse’ (20%) Loot (20%) |
![]() | Shovel | Loot | +25 Stress (40%) Random positive quirk (15%) Random negative quirk (15%) Loot (10%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Medicinal Herbs | Loot | Loot (20%) Negative quirk ‘Stress Eater’ (20%) Blight (20%) Disease ‘Crimson Curse’ (13.3%) Random disease (6.7%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | The Blood | Loot | +15 Stress (42.8%) Loot (28.5%) Random disease (7.6% Nothing (14.2%) |
![]() | The Blood | Loot | Random disease (7.6%) Scout (50%) Nothing (58.3%) |
![]() | Bandage The Blood | Loot (50%) / The Blood (50%) Summon a Supplicant, Sycophant and Esquire | Bleed (50%) Loot (20%) Disease ‘Crimson Curse’ (10%) Nothing (20%) |
![]() | Torch | -30 Stress (Courtyard only) | Summon a Supplicant, Sycophant and Esquire (75%) Loot (12.5%) Nothing (12.5%) |
![]() | Torch | Loot | Loot (75%) Blood (25%) |
![]() | Antivenom Shovel | -30 Stress Firewood | Loot (41.7%) Negative quirk ‘Tippler’ (16.7%) Disease ‘Crimson Curse’ (16.7%) Scout (8.3%) Bleed (8.3%) Nothing (8.3%) |
Farmstead Dungeon Curios (Colour of Madness DLC)
These curios only appear when adventuring in the farmstead with only the skeleton key used for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | N/A | N/A | Shards |
![]() | N/A | N/A | +90% HP heal |
![]() | Skeleton Key | Loot | Loot (66%) Nothing (33%) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | -100 Stress |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Activate camping |
![]() | N/A | N/A | -60 Stress (party) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | +65% HP heal (party) |
![]() | N/A | N/A | Mildred’s Locket trinket or trinket/shards after initial encounter |
Unique Dungeon Curios
These curios only appear during unique situations with only the skeleton key used for cleansing.
Curio | Provision To Cleanse | Cleansed Reward | Non-Cleansed Reward |
---|---|---|---|
Ancestor’s Knapsack (Darkest Dungeon or Wolves at the Door) | N/A | N/A | Loot |
Trinket Chest (Boss Quest Courtyard) | Skeleton Key | Loot | Loot |
Forgotten Strongbox (Boss Quest Courtyard) | N/A | N/A | Coloured key |
Ancient Artefact (Secret Rooms) | Skeleton Key | Loot | Loot |
Written by
Samuel Franklin
Samuel Franklin is the founder and lead editor of the Games Finder team and enjoys video games across all genres and platforms.
Darkest Dungeon is the most played roguelike game in Sam’s gaming library as he regularly returns for the dark atmosphere, hero party mechanics and brutal difficulty that it offers. The Crimson Court holds no secrets for Sam as he has plundered every corner through countless expeditions full of twisting corners and eldritch horrors. He favours a team of safety through healing, stuns and stress management where his stalwart hero choices use calculated strategies during their expedition. His achievements include fully upgrading Hamlets in normal mode to defeating the Darkest Dungeon terrors in the terrifyingly difficult Bloodmoon mode.