There’s a ton of power-ups to find during a run in Heroes of Hammerwatch 2, and while trinkets, blessings, and skill upgrades are fairly straightforward, Shadow Curse is not. The latter is a double-edged sword that gives almost as much as it takes, and if managed properly, it can be very powerful.
While it may sound intimidating, the Shadow Curse can be a very useful thing to have for any of the character classes in Heroes of Hammerwatch 2. If you’re wondering what this curse does, here’s a brief overview of what it is and what you can do with it.
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Heroes of Hammerwatch 2’s Shadow Curse Debuff
As its name implies, the Shadow Curse is a debuff that reduces your armor. You can get it from the swirling mass of shadow energy that spawn on maps (most commonly found in the Dungeons). If you take any of the items offered by the swirling mass, you’ll get inflicted with stacks of Shadow Curse.
The good thing about the Shadow Curse is the same blob of darkness that gives it to you also offers items that scale with Shadow Curse stacks. For example, Decaying Hand increases your Weapon Damage by +3 for each curse stack you have. If you’re using a Rogue or Ranger, this can be a very strong power-up to have since both classes have ways to mitigate damage without relying on armor.
Also, the curse blob might also offer you an item that can round up your current build, a typical choice seen in other roguelike games. Its offerings change with every run, and you might get lucky and get that perfect trinket that can increase your power massively. However, since the number of Shadow Curse stacks you get increases based on an item’s value, it’ll be up to you to decide if the risk is worth the reward.
If your curse stacks become too high, it will start to have an effect on your character’s vision. You won’t be able to see enemies from behind corners, and the screen will become desaturated as well.
How to Cleanse Shadow Curse Stacks
You can get rid of any Shadow Curse stacks you’ve collected by finding a Pyre. You can find these in the Dark Citadel — look for rooms lit by purple candle lights. Interact with the pyre in the middle of this room, and you’ll lose a random number of Shadow Curse Stacks.
Pyres spawn randomly within the Dark Citadel, but if you’ve unlocked the Architect, you can pay him to guarantee at least one Pyre spawn. You’ll be able to find said Pyre more easily if you purchase the modifier that reveals the entire Dark Citadel map for you.
- Franchise
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Hammerwatch
- Released
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January 14, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Crackshell
- Publisher(s)
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Crackshell
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op