Lords of the Fallen is an action RPG with Soulslike elements where players battle dark forces across the realms of the dead and the living in the dark fantasy world of Mournstead. Players weighing the benefits of each edition of Lords of the Fallen may be eager to know more about one of its unlockable starting classes, the Dark Crusader, and what it includes.
Some players wondering which edition of the game to buy may also be keen to know to how tounlock the Dark Crusader and whether it's possible to access it in-game. While each starting class has advantages and possible drawbacks, some players might find the Dark Crusader's starting build, equipment, and stats particularly appealing when considering the overall benefits it offers.
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What Is The Dark Crusader Class In Lords Of The Fallen?
Players are likely to recognize the Dark Crusader from Lords of the Fallen's trailer content, and it's one of 10 possible starting classes in the game, not counting three additional unlockable secret classes in-game. In terms of lore, the game describes the Dark Crusaders as an elite military order.
The Dark Crusader is a strength-focused Paladin class with gear focused on long sword-based playstyles and Radiance. It also comes with a Strength and Vitality-focused stats specification and includes the following weapons, armor, and quick-access items:
Dark Crusader Weapons
The weapons belonging to the Dark Crusader class include Paladin Isaac's Sword, a Long Sword once wielded by the Paladin Isaac of the Dark Crusaders. Players can also equip Radiantburst Parchment, a scripture-adorned parchment that acts as throwable ammunition that explodes upon impact, inflicting holy damage and healing allies. It costs 3 ammunition to use and dishes out 115 attack power. Dark Crusaders also have a Throwing Hand, enabling them to equip ranged and throwable items in Lords of the Fallen.
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Dark Crusader Armor
The Dark Crusader's armor is essentially a bunch of Heavy Paladin gear that focuses on increasing Radiance plus offering protection. It's comprised of Heavy Legs armor called Paladin Leggings, a Heavy Torso Paladin Armor piece, Paladin Gauntlets as Heavy Arm wearables, a Heavy headpiece called the Helm of the Paladin, and the Paladin's Pendant, which increases the Strength and Endurance attributes.
Dark Crusader Quick-Access Items
Like the other starting classes, the Dark Crusader also gets the Umbral Lamp that lets players travel between the realms of the living (Axiom) and the dead (Umbral) and to resurrect upon death. However, Dark Crusaders also get the Lords of the Fallen's upgradeable Sanguinarix, a quick-access item used to administer Pieta's healing blood. This is a consumable that essentially acts as the primary way to store health.
It's also worth mentioning Dark Crusaders also start with Lampbearer's Rosary, provided by the Exacter Dunmire of the Dark Crusaders.
Dark Crusader Starting Stats
The Dark Crusader's main beneficial starting stats in Lords of the Fallen are its increased Vitality, which many might find helpful overall for surviving and beating tougher enemies. While the Endurance level isn't as high as other classes, it's still strong and necessary for wielding its heavier, powerful equipment, albeit making it less agile. That said, its overall manoevability is still pretty nimble and quick considering it's heavy load-bearing equipment. The Dark Crusader's basic starting stats are:
- Strength - 12
- Agility - 8
- Endurance - 14
- Vitality - 14
- Radiance - 11
- Inferno - 8
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How To Unlock The Dark Crusader Class In Lords Of The Fallen
The Dark Crusader class is only available immediately to those players who purchase the Deluxe Edition of Lords of Fallen as the quickest way to unlock the Dark Crusader. Fortunately, players who buy the standard edition can still access it, but only as a late-game unlockable class. In fact, all players can find all starting class gear and spells throughout the game, but the developers stated that some are unlockable earlier than others.
Players who don't buy the Deluxe upgrade can unlock the Dark Crusader class in-game by completing Lords of the Fallen during their first playthrough as a late-game activity bycompleting a series of steps related to theIsaac story quest line and finding some key items, including the Flayed Skin and four Umbral Stigmas to retrieve the complete armor set.
Those players who prefer to start a Soulslike game experience with less may decide to wait and unlock the Dark Crusader class in-game, particularly for those who plan to play the game more than once. However, beginning with the Dark Crusader does have some benefits that newer Soulslike players might want to take advantage of, such as higher Vitality and a long sword to maintain distance, in addition to its weighty, tank-like powerful armor.
Lords of the Fallen is now available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.