How perks work
Perks are permanent bonuses for the current save. They appear on the Dusty Path screen and are earned either through repeated actions or through random events. A new game resets them, so plan a run around the perks you actually need.
Combat perks
Six perks improve fighting. Three come from throwing punches, and three come from the Wandering Master event. The punch perks are cumulative across every fight in the save, so they are worth farming early if you plan to fight unarmed.
| Perk | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| boxer | Land 50 unarmed punches. Punches do more damage. |
| martial artist | Land 150 unarmed punches. Punches do even more damage. |
| unarmed master | Land 300 unarmed punches. Punch twice as fast and harder. |
| barbarian | The Master event: choose 'force'. Melee weapons do more damage. |
| evasive | The Master event: choose 'evasion'. Dodge attacks more effectively. |
| precise | The Master event: choose 'precision'. Land blows more often (+10% hit chance). |
Survival and utility perks
The other five perks reduce the cost of exploration or open up the map. Two require repeated deaths, one requires a rare charm, one comes from sparing a thief, and one is bought from the Scout.
| Perk | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| slow metabolism | Die of starvation 10 times. Go twice as far without eating. |
| desert rat | Die of dehydration 10 times. Go twice as far without drinking. |
| gastronome | Swamp event: give 1 charm to the wanderer. Restore more health when eating. |
| stealthy | Thief event: spare the thief. Better at avoiding conflict. |
| scout | The Scout event: pay 1000 fur, 50 scales, and 20 teeth. See farther on the map. |
Farming the punch perks
Every unarmed attack counts as a punch, including attacks that miss. Fight weak enemies with your fists and let the counter climb. Fifty punches unlocks boxer, 150 unlocks martial artist, and 300 unlocks unarmed master. Use a nearby landmark so you can retreat to the village, and keep healing items in your bag so a bad fight does not cost you the run.
- →Equip fists, not a weapon. Weapon attacks do not count as punches.
- →Fight low-damage enemies such as wildlife near the village.
- →Keep cured meat or medicine ready; the counter only matters if you survive.
- →The counter persists across fights and across expeditions in the same save.
Getting the three Master perks
The Wandering Master event asks for 100 cured meat, 100 fur, and 1 torch. Accept him for the night and choose evasion, precision, or force. The event can appear again while you are still missing one of the three, so you can collect all of them over multiple visits. Precision is the strongest of the three because it raises your hit chance; evasion is the best defensive pick.
- →Keep 100 cured meat, 100 fur, and a torch in the village so you can accept the event when it appears.
- →Choose precision first if you use ranged weapons; evasive first if you fight in melee.
- →The event can repeat, so do not worry about picking the wrong one permanently.
Getting the rare perks
Scout is the only perk you can buy outright: the Scout event requires the world map and costs 1000 fur, 50 scales, and 20 teeth. Gastronome needs a charm, which is a 0.5% trap drop; save one instead of selling it. Stealthy comes from sparing the thief who steals from your stores. Slow metabolism and desert rat require ten starvation or dehydration deaths, so treat them as long-term projects rather than something to grind in one sitting.
- →Charms come from traps at roughly 0.5%. Check your stores before the Swamp.
- →The Scout event only appears after you have the world map.
- →For starvation and dehydration deaths, carry a small outfit so you lose little.
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Start playing →Frequently asked questions
How many perks are in A Dark Room?+
There are 11 perks: boxer, martial artist, unarmed master, barbarian, evasive, precise, slow metabolism, desert rat, gastronome, stealthy, and scout.
How do I get the boxer perk?+
Land 50 unarmed punches.
How do I get the martial artist perk?+
Land 150 unarmed punches.
How do I get the unarmed master perk?+
Land 300 unarmed punches.
How do I get the scout perk?+
Buy it from the Scout event for 1000 fur, 50 scales, and 20 teeth.
How do I get the gastronome perk?+
Give a charm to the wanderer in the Swamp event.
Do perks carry over to a new game?+
No. Perks reset when you start a new game.
Can I get all three Master perks in one run?+
Yes. The event can appear again while you are missing one, so you can collect evasion, precision, and force over multiple visits.