The enemies that players encounter in Darkest Dungeon 2 are frustrating in their own right but the "lair bosses" can be downright devastating should gamers face them unprepared. Thankfully, these bosses are rooted in specialized areas and players will only encounter them should they seek them out. But even with the ability to prepare and stock up on items, the bosses can be a handful.
A great example is The Dreaming General, a grotesque flora-infused corpse that is capable of completely immobilizing a party and striking them down with powerful attacks. It's a mechanic-based fight (similar to the other bosses found in Darkest Dungeon 2) but more than manageable for a mentally-prepared player.
Updated on May 10th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: This guide was first released when the game was in beta and the stats of The Dreaming General have been altered. The strategy remains similar, yet the statistics have changed just enough that certain builds and skills must be reanalyzed. In addition to this update, there are several unique debuffs that were lightly touched on but have been specified. Finally, while The Dreaming General had its moves discussed generally, its exact novelist has been added to this guide. With all of these elements specified, players can use the strategy indicated here or choose a strategy of their own with these buff, debuff, and skills in mind.
The Dreaming General Location
The Dreaming General can only be found in The Tangle, in a specialized Lair called The General's Keep. Players unfamiliar with this area should get a feel for the enemies sprinkled throughout the zone before taking the fight to the boss itself.
Like any other Lair, players should be stocked up heavily on potions and trinkets that boost damage as many of the enemies in this area feature higher HP and come equipped with defense-boosting abilities. Ordainment has an increased chance of appearing in these zones, so be prepared.
The Dreaming General Fight
The strategy for fighting this boss requires understanding The Dreaming General and the Tap Root, an invincible minion that hangs out behind The Dreaming General. When players gather how the boss works, they'll know which upgraded skills to invest in and what angles might be the most successful.
Unique Tokens
- Taproot: A buff that appears on the Tap Root when the Tap Root is attacked. At two stacks, The Soil Stirs debuff token will appear on two random party members. At three stacks, The Dreaming General will use The Waking Dead.
- The Soil Stirs: A debuff that means the target will be attacked when The Dreaming General uses The Waking Dead. Being attacked will clear the debuff.
- Tangled Growth: A debuff placed by Creeping Growth. At three stacks, becomes Strangle. A stack is removed on a random party member every time the Tap Root is attacked.
- Strangle: A debuff that forces the hero to use Whispering Darkness.
Because the Tap Root can't be killed, knowing these status effects will matter for the entire fight. Having a squad with positive relationships via the Affinity system will mitigate the danger.
Stats & Moves For The Dreaming General
Stat | Number/Effect |
Health | 185 |
Speed | 3 |
Bleed Resistance | 50% |
Blight Resistance | 30% |
Burn Resistance | 20% |
Stun Resistance | 200% |
Move Resistance | 200% |
Debuff Resistance | 40% |
Size | 3 |
Turns Per Round | 1 |
Permanent Effect | Immobilized |
Ability | Target | Damage | Crit Chance | Target Effect |
Unsettling Whisper | One random hero | 6-10 | 5% | 2 stress stacks on target, 50% chance of 1 stress stack on other targets. |
The Waking Dead | Any hero with The Soil Stirs debuff | 10-20 | 10% | (This move is only used when the Tap Root has three stacks of Taproot) Clears The Soil Stirs debuff, adds 4 Bleed stacks, ignores Blind and Stealth. |
Nightmare | All heroes | 10-20 | 10% | (This move is only used when all heroes have three stacks of Tangled Growth) Clears Tangled Growth debuff, ignores Dodge and Blind. |
Whispering Darkness | A hero of the player's choice | None | None | (This move is only used when a hero has the Strangle debuff and it is used by the hero with the debuff) 75% chance of a stress stack. |
Players can avoid Nightmare completely so long as the team does not get three stacks of Tangled Growth on them. The Waking Dead happens when players hit three stacks of Taproot. Unfortunately, because players will have to attack the Tap Root to avoid death, this attack is not as easy to avoid but can be mitigated to every other round or fewer. The best heroes can heal the damage back or block it.
Strategy
The key to this battle is "time management" in a sense, making sure players are constantly keeping pressure on the Tap Root and timing their attacks to ensure that they don't become entombed completely by the creeping vines. Here are some other tips to help players down this mighty boss:
- Hit the Tap Root twice during each turn. By doing this, players will never have to deal with Strangle, Nightmare, or Whispering Darkness since Tangled Growth will stay at a net of one stack, never hitting three.
- When Taproot gets to two stacks, use Blocks or Taunts to defend the targeted characters in anticipation of The Waking Dead. The best Man-At-War build will absorb these hits well, but any character that can defend others will do.
- Bring combat items that reduce stress. The one attack that cannot be avoided is Unsettling Whisper and it will add two stacks of stress to one character and possibly more stacks to the rest of the party.
- Blights and Burns work well on this boss and are recommended to help take down its massive health bar faster. Also, any attack that targets enemies in rank four and any other is extremely valuable. Attacks the Taproot and the boss simultaneously make this fight much shorter.
- Trinkets that provide extra damage, specifically melee, can make this fight a bit faster. Dreaming General has a large health pool so it can take a while for "weaker" teams to bring him down.
- With so much unavoidable damage, one healer is a good idea. The best Plague Doctor build is a solid choice, especially since the character can also rack up debuffs on The Dreaming General.
Darkest Dungeon 2 is available now for PC.