The Shieldbreaker joins Darkest Dungeon later this week

A new hero class called the Shieldbreaker will arrive in Darkest Dungeon later this week, and like her fellow digital dungeoneers she is a formidable but deeply flawed adventurer: "Deadly as a viper, her iron will has been forged in the heat of the blazing desert sun. Though outwardly demure, her emancipation from the barren wastes came at a price so terrible, it haunts her dreams even now."

The Shieldbreaker brings new combat mechanics to the fight including Armor Piercing, Guard Break, and Stealth, and also has class-specific trinkets. She's "a highly tactical hero with solid damage-dealing capability," who "excels when countering monsters with high protection and those who guard their allies."

What she doesn't have is an abundance of health. Instead, she relies on her Aegis shield to be "highly survivable in short bursts."

The Shieldbreaker expansion will also include three new monsters and a new consumable, Aegis Scale, "providing a last bastion of protection for when a hero truly needs it." It goes live on Steam on October 26 (other platforms to follow) and will set you back $4.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.