Farmstead

One of the loading screens for the Farmstead

“	Some blazing malevolence from beyond the stars has crashed upon the Miller’s farm. Lands that have, in past years, yielded rich harvests are now sown with a new and terrifying seed—an unrelenting crystalline consumption that inches outward from the mill with each passing season.	„
	~ Red Hook Studios

The Farmstead is a location introduced the The Color of Madness DLC. Uniquely amongst locations, the Farmstead is focused almost entirely on combat with no exploration whatsoever.

Overview

Farmstead expeditions consist of combat encounters (or waves) with rooms in between. Combat functions slightly differently than in other areas; notably, new enemies will respawn to replace dead enemies, up to a limit of around ten enemies per wave. Once this number of enemies has been killed, a Sleeper's Dream will spawn, which will teleport the party to the next room.

Rooms in between waves contain Curios which may heal the party or reward shards or other loot.

Waves are organised into wave groups. Most wave groups consists of two to three waves followed by a boss encounter. A meter at the top right of the screen indicates the current wave, wave group, and number of enemies killed. Notably, for balance reasons, limited-use skills only refresh their uses after a wave group, not a wave, meaning that the party cannot rely on skills like Bolster for every single battle. The only exception is the Abomination's Transform, which is refreshed every wave.

There are three expeditions to the Farmstead. The first two, at Apprentice- and Veteran-level, respectively, are a tutorial to the Farmstead's core mechanics:

• The Apprentice-level mission ends after a single wave with no boss encounter. This wave is slightly longer, ending after around twenty kills instead of ten.
• The Veteran-level mission consists of a single wave group, ending with a boss battle with The Miller.

Completing the first two missions unlocks the Champion-level Endless Harvest, a repeatable expedition in which the party fights endless waves of enemies until they are defeated or flee. The Endless Harvest has the following wave structure:

• The first wave group has no boss.
• The second wave group ends with a boss battle against The Miller.
• The third group ends with a boss battle against Fracture / The Sleeper.
• Subsequent groups will end with an encounter with a random boss, chosen from the section below.

In the Farmstead, heroes may only camp at the Miller's Hearth Curio.

Combat

Combat in the Farmstead differs from the other areas of the game in several notable ways:

• When an enemy is killed, another enemy will spawn two rounds later.
• An enemy corpse, if not destroyed, will become a Crystalline Aberration at the end of the turn. If the Crystalline Aberration is not destroyed at the end of the next turn, it will explode, dealing HP and stress damage.
• Skills with per-battle use limits are only refreshed at the end of a wave group, with the exception of the Abomination's Transform, which gets refreshed every wave.
• The torch does not fade over time but instead has a variety of different effects.
• In the Endless Harvest, death is temporary. If a character suffers a deathblow in combat, they do not die permanently but instead become "Lost in Time and Space" and will reappear in the Hamlet after a week or two - this is functionally identical to how adventurers can go missing after participating in Stress Relief activities.
  • Note that characters can still die in the Apprentice- and Veteran-level Farmstead missions.
  • Losing all characters due to a party wipe will cause all trinkets and inventory items to be lost as well. Trinkets may be recovered from The Shrieker, but inventory items are lost forever.
  • Heroes that die will lose their Prismatic Quirks. These quirks will be added back to the Thing from the Stars' quirk pool.
• There are no negative consequences to fleeing, aside from losing out on the loot for completing the wave group.

Lighting Effects

Heroes will travel through a multitude of dimensions, past, present, or future, with specific enemies from each region, even the last one. Each fight will bring an alternation between dimensions. When in the Farmstead, the lighting will be the Farmstead's Miasma, and when between dimensions, the light will be randomly selected at the beginning of a wave.

For trinkets and quirks, like the courtyard, the light level is considered to be 100.

Lighting Effects
Lighting Name	Hero Effects	Monster Effects
Farmstead Miasma	-10% Healing Received +10% Stress	None
Blazing	+20% DMG vs Marked +20% Debuff Skill Chance	+3 SPD +10% PROT
Haunting	+15% Blight Skill Chance +10% Stress	+15% Blight Skill Chance +10 DODGE
Gleaming	+15% Bleed Skill Chance +15% Healing Skills	+15% Bleed Skill Chance +5% CRT
Splendorous	+5% Virtue Chance +20% Stress Skills	-10% Bleed Resist -10% Blight Resist

Reflections

Once the player has progressed beyond 200 kills, the shimmering space-time of the corrupted Farmstead takes on an endgame condition, called a "Reflection". These are mutators that increase the difficulty of the quest in different ways from that point onward. These conditions stack on top of any other light conditions that are already present in the Farmstead or in space and time.

Reflections
Reflection Name	Hero Effects	Monster Effects
Unbearable Reflection	+33% Stress -33% Stress Skills	+4 SPD
Reflection of Decay	-50% Healing	+15% PROT +25% Stun Resist +25% Debuff Resist
Sanguine Reflection	-8% Deathblow Resist	+7.5% CRT +3 SPD
Reflection Obscura	-20% Stress -20% Healing	+10% PROT +25% DMG

List of Farmstead Monsters

Enemies found within the Farmstead
Enemy	HP	DODGE	PROT	SPD	Type	Resistances	Abilities
Farmhand	12	8	0%	2	Husk Human	Stun - 20% Blight - 50% Bleed - 20% Debuff - 20% Move - 10%	Ceaseless Labor Sow the Seeds Pause From Labor
Foreman	26	0	15%	3	Husk Human	Stun - 20% Blight - 50% Bleed - 20% Debuff - 20% Move - 20%	Stir the Rabble No Trespassers Many Hands
Scarecrow	12	15	0%	6	Husk	Stun - 60% Blight - 25% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 40% Move - 10%	Haunting Revelation Flail the Crops
Plow Horse	20	5	15%	7	Husk Beast	Stun - 50% Blight - 20% Bleed - 20% Debuff - 40% Move - 60%	Trample Rearing Strike Paw the Ground Bestial Scream
Crystalline Aberration	5	0	0%	-4	Husk	Stun - 200% Blight - 0% Bleed - 100% Debuff - 200% Move - 0%	Unstable Resonance Explosive Undoing
Sleeper's Herald	11	20	45%	3	Husk	Stun - 140% Blight - 140% Bleed - 140% Debuff - 100% Move - 60%	Reality Bend Passive:
Sleeper's Dream					Husk	Stun - Blight - Bleed - Debuff - Move -	Beyond Space and Time
Miller	181	6	20%	6	Poor Soul	Stun - 115% Blight - 80% Bleed - 240% Debuff - 80% Move - 90%	The Harvest The Reaping Winter's Breath The Master Beckons Immortal Beloved
Frozen Farmhand	35	0	35%	3	Husk Human	Stun - 90% Blight - 40% Bleed - 90% Debuff - 40% Move - 40%	Hollow Keening Passive:
Fracture	115	20	0%	6	Husk	Stun - 140% Blight - 120% Bleed - 240% Debuff - 90% Move - 140%	Seeds of Despair Vile Focusing Befouling Tint Ceaseless Expansion Blooming Chaos
Focus Point					Husk	Stun - Blight - Bleed - Debuff - Move -	None
Unfinished Aberration					Husk	Stun - Blight - Bleed - Debuff - Move -	None
Finished Aberration					Husk	Stun - Blight - Bleed - Debuff - Move -	Eternal Blossom: Traumatic Aberration: Pestilential Aberration: Temporal Aberration: Unstable Aberration: Adamantite Aberration: None, guards Fracture
The Sleeper					Husk	Stun - Blight - Bleed - Debuff - Move -	The Sleeper Awakens The Sleeper Stirs

Bosses

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Random Bosses Pool
Enemy	HP	DODGE	PROT	SPD	Type	Resistances	Abilities
Thing From The Stars	106	5	0%	2	Eldritch	Stun - 85% Blight - 40% Bleed - 33% Debuff - 40% Move - 25%	Phase Gnaw Return to the Stars Vorpal Strike Paralysing Shard Weakening Shard Transfixing Shard
Shambler	77	0%	33%	0	Eldritch	Stun - 100% Blight - 40% Bleed - 40% Debuff - 40% Move - 50%	Obdurous Advancement Undulating Withdrawal Stentorious Lament
Shambler Tentacle	8	17.5%	0%	10	Eldritch	Stun - 50% Blight - 40% Bleed - 40% Debuff - 40% Move - 40%	Clapperclaw
The Collector	70	0%	0%	5	Human Eldritch	Stun - 50% Blight - 20% Bleed - 20% Debuff - 20% Move - 25%	Show Collection Collect Call Life Steal
Collected Highwayman	16	7.5%	0%	3	Eldritch	Stun - 25% Blight - 40% Bleed - 40% Debuff - 15% Move - 10%	Headhunt
Collected Man-at-Arms	16	7.5%	0%	7	Eldritch	Stun - 25% Blight - 40% Bleed - 40% Debuff - 15% Move - 10%	Head Games Head Knocker
Collected Vestal	16	7.5%	0%	5	Eldritch	Stun - 25% Blight - 40% Bleed - 40% Debuff - 15% Move - 10%	Headstrong Headache Head Rush
Prophet	105	5%	0%	0	Unholy	Stun - 100% Blight - 0% Bleed - 0% Debuff - 20% Move - 300%	Calamitous Prognostication Rubble of Ruin Eye on You Fulminate
Small Pew	25	0%	0%	0	Carpentry	Stun - 200% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 300%	None
Medium Pew	40	0%	0%	0	Carpentry	Stun - 200% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 300%	None
Large Pew	55	0%	0%	0	Carpentry	Stun - 200% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 300%	None
Swine Prince	132	0%	0%	0	Beast	Stun - 100% Blight - 0% Bleed - 0% Debuff - 20% Move - 100%	Obliterate Body Obliterate Masses Enraged Destruction Wild Flailing
Wilbur	17	15%	0%	20	Beast	Stun - 50% Blight - 0% Bleed - 0% Debuff - 0% Move - 0%	Bit 'o Squeal End This One End These Two Squeal
Brigand Vvulf	160	25%	0%	4	HUMAN	Stun - 100% Blight - 75% Bleed - 75% Debuff - 60% Move - 300%	Bombs Away Time's Up! Get Them! Tower Shield Warcry
Barrel O' Bombs	25	0%	0%	0	CARPENTRY	Stun - 200% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 300%	None, but always has Riposte active.
Shrieker	75	40%	0%	7	ELDRITCH BEAST	Stun - 55% Blight - 200% Bleed - 55% Debuff - 30% Move - 55%	Peck Caw Call the Murder Regurgitate Shrieking Flight
Shrieker's Nest	60	0%	0%	0	THATCHERY	Stun - 200% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 20%	None
Crocodilian	118	10	10	7	BLOODSUCKER	Stun - 50% Blight - 80% Bleed - 50% Debuff - 75% Move - 35%	Swarming Corruption Teeth Rake Submerge Lurking Fear Apex Predator
Bulrush	100	200	80%	0	VEGETATION	Stun - 215% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 200%	None.
Cattail	100	200	80%	0	VEGETATION	Stun - 215% Blight - 200% Bleed - 200% Debuff - 200% Move - 200%	None.

Curios

Farmstead Curios

Curios found within the Farmstead
Curio & type	Description	Cleansing	Without cleansing
Gleaming Shards	"Glittering crystals spill onto the ground." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Shards x5-15.
Fresh Harvest	"Tantalizing provisions to renew a body. (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Heal 90% of MAX HP.
Stockpile	"Useful supplies for this harrowing journey." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)	Skeleton Key. Opens a hidden compartment! Food x6-12 + Any Supplies + Trinket	66% Laudanum/Medicinal Herbs/Food. 33% Nothing.
Rotted Fare	"Take up the hatchet. Blow off some steam." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Stress Heal 100.
Miller's Hearth	"The fireplace is slowly coming apart but looks functional." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Camp.
Corrupted Harvest	Take up the axe. Blow off some steam. (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Stress Heal 60 (Party).
Plentiful Bounty	"Tantalizing provisions to renew our energies." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Heal 65% of MAX HP (Party).
Mildred	"This anguished creature does not seem hostile, yet." (This curio can only appear inside rooms.)		Trinket Mildred's Locket (First encounter only). Any Trinket/Shards (Subsequent encounters).

Strategy

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General

The Farmstead works in waves: you'll need to fight a specific amount of monsters in order to spawn the Sleeper's Dream and end the fight. Note that there must be an open enemy slot for the Sleeper's Dream to spawn. It always acts first in the round and always uses "Beyond Time and Space" to teleport the party to a room. The safe rooms will prioritize your team's biggest needs (though not always the one you want) during the first three full sections by either reducing stress or healing. Before The Miller fight is your first chance at a Camp. After The Fracture/The Sleeper fight curios become much rarer to encounter.

When you kill a monster and remove the corpse, 2 turns later others will replace it. This will be triggered on the first kill, if you kill any others after this one, whether next turn or not, all open slots will be filled at the same time. Again and again, until the next kill threshold is reached. Corpses that remain standing will be replaced by a Crystalline Aberration on the next turn. Large corpses will be replaced by two.

This is why you shouldn't rush for kills, it's better to move forward by killing two enemies at a time in order to contain the fight. You should prioritize killing stress dealers, as stress will be harder, in the long run, to deal with than raw damage. Damage dealer enemies should be Stunned or Debuffed and killed last if possible, doing the opposite works if one hero is on the verge of death. Stack bleed/s and blight/s and heal yourself as often as possible. when you are near the kill quota, you can rush for kills. Once you reach the threshold (and there is an open slot for the Sleeper's Dream to spawn), there is no need to kill the remaining enemies as you will be teleported away. Therefore, it's not important to attack enemies past this point (unless you are in real danger of taking a deathblow or stress damage), and now would be the time for buffing and healing your heroes until the Sleeper's Dream appears.

Pay attention to which kind of light is active and which area you appear in, act accordingly. For example, when you reach the yellow light (Splendorous), it can be worth letting heroes cross the Affliction limit, as you have a 5% increased chance to get a virtuous hero. This does not guarantee one, however, and bear in mind that virtues are cleared by reaching 200 stress.

Because skills with limited uses only refresh after a wave group, it is necessary to prioritise when to use them. It may be prudent to reserve these skills for boss battles or refresh them with the Shard Dust, although it comes at the cost of stress and irremovable debuffs.

Even if you have The Crimson Court (DLC), you will not see any enemies from the Courtyard (except Crocodilian). However, enemies from the Darkest Dungeon itself may sometimes appear.

Provisions

Main article: Provisions

There is no need to bring Torches, or Shovels here. Food is required for camping at the Miller's Hearth curio on Veteran and Champion missions; camping is not available during the Apprentice mission.

Bring any combat items (Bandage, Antivenom, Medicinal Herb, Skeleton Key, Holy Water and Laudanum) you think you will need—with the new buildings, many of these items now provide significant resistance buffs as well.

You will never receive The Blood as a reward from any fight or curio, making it more dangerous to bring heroes affected by the Crimson Curse, at least if you intend to continue beyond The Sleeper.

Party Composition

The choice of party compositions is affected by the overall goal of the expedition. If the goal is merely to kill The Sleeper to farm Memories, then many easily accessible compositions will work. However, surviving beyond 500-1000 kills will require more planning.

The Endless Harvest is a matter of endurance, meaning that maintaining your party's overall health and stress will be paramount for a long run.

• Firstly, you'll need a good healer. A good Vestal will do the job, Divine Comfort being a great counter to the Miller's Reaping. Although the Occultist can heal an enormous amount, he is a far riskier choice as a primary healer.
• Secondly, heroes with stress heal skills are very helpful. For example, the Jester with Inspiring Tune and the Flagellant with Endure have an incredible synergy. With the Dirge For The Devoured on the Jester and the Aria Box on the Flagellant, you can easily heal over 30 stress per turn.
• Limited-use skills such as the Jester's Finale or Flagellant's Exsanguinate will not be refreshed until the end of the entire group of waves - that is, after reaching the crystal at the end of the wave meter (a boss at all except the first time) and not the brief rest rooms between. Parties which rely on these skills for normal progression will be difficult to manage.
• Lastly Accuracy should be prioritized on damage dealers (Bleed/Blight/Stun) to avoid a miss that would otherwise end your run as many times monsters will repeatedly focus fire one hero putting your team in danger.
• As in the rest of the game, DODGE comps are a slow, but highly effective composition, able to survive almost indefinitely (with tens of thousands of kills) in the Farmstead.
• An easily accessible early-game composition would be Vestal / Jester / Shieldbreaker / Shieldbreaker. The Shieldbreakers' flexibility, along with the support from Jester and Vestal, can handle waves up to the Sleeper, but may run into issues afterwards.
• In the endless mode, stress is a bigger threat than HP damage. Therefore, it is advised to use heroes with - stress% quirks, equip - stress% trinkets, or kill your enemies fast.
• Highwayman's Crimson Court trinkets effect can turn stress damage into your advantage if his virtue can proc. (basic 25% + 45% from trinkets = 70%)

Any corpses left will become a Crystalline Aberration on the next turn. While you will receive a minor healing effect for destroying them, it is important to destroy them quickly or remove corpses before they can turn in order to avoid their explosive attacks. A good solution is to use bleed skills (Blight can be an alternative, but you will encounter many Farmstead monsters on this quest that all have very high Blight resistance). This will allow you to quickly remove the corpse, and it's an excellent way to neutralize enemies in order to heal yourself. Nevertheless, keep in mind that you will likely encounter Ruins enemies during the quest who are incredibly resistant to bleed. Balance your strengths, (2xBlight, 1xBleed, 1xHealer), (2xBleed, 1xBlight, 1xHealer) or (1xBlight, 1xBleed, 1xRaw Damage/1x CC support, 1xHealer) for example.

It's important to have well-chosen camping skills. Since fights last very long, combat buffs are welcome. As you can quickly contract diseases (especially against Warrens and Cove monsters), skills that can remove them (like the Grave Robber's Snuff Box) are perfect. As mortality debuffs from the Death Door recovery stack, skills which remove them are particularly useful here.

You will not need scouting or ambush prevention skills, you cannot be ambushed on Farmstead quests.