Your party order is one of the most important things to keep in mind in Darkest Dungeon 2. This is because every hero (depending on their selected skills) can only be efficient in certain positions.
Hellion, for example, is best to have in the front or starting ranks. Pushing her to the backlines means that you will not be able to use her main skills to attack enemies.
Highwayman, if being used as a ranged shooter, needs to be on the backlines, not on the front. Jester similarly thrives on the backlines as well.
In the first DD1 game, changing your party order was pretty straight forward. The new design direction of DD2 makes it a little confusing as to just how to rearrange your heroes.
Worry not. The process is still easy. You just need to know where and how to shift your heroes around in Darkest Dungeon 2.
How to change your party order in Darkest Dungeon 2
There are two ways in which you can change the party order of your heroes in Darkest Dungeon 2. The first is when you are selecting heroes for your party at the Crossroads.
Take note that you can only visit the Crossroads at the start of a new chapter run. You will keep the same party of heroes until you either clear the chapter or replace a dead hero at an Inn.
At the Crossroads, you can choose which hero you want in which rank or order in your party. Simply click on a position (4-3-2-1) and select a hero for that rank.
Thankfully, this is not going to be permanent. You can still change your Darkest Dungeon 2 party order after entering the Valley but only when you are traveling in your Stagecoach. You cannot change your party order at the Inn or after reaching any other location nodes on the map.
While moving in your Stagecoach, or even if it is stationary, notice the icons of your heroes at the bottom of the screen. To change your party order, all you have to do is click and drag your heroes’ icons to rearrange them in any order you want.
Remember that you can always open your character sheets by pressing “C” to check which positions are the best for your heroes. Head into Combat Skills and see which ranks are fully colored.
In the example below, the selected Plage Doctor’s skills show that he is best suited at ranks 4 or 5 to reach all four enemy ranks.
You can still “Move” your heroes to different ranks during an enemy encounter. However, that will count as an action skill and take up your turn.
Some heroes like Jester and Runaway have certain skills that allow them to move forward or backward. Changing your party order during a fight, however, is not permanent in Darkest Dungeon 2. You will return to your original party order after the fight has concluded.
