Posted January 13, 2025
Skipper’s/Foucter’s Pclass Upgrade for Darkstone
The history of Darkstone is a short one. The game was released in 1999 with the QuestEditor following in 2000. Skipper and I (Foucter) were there from the beginning; first, as a group of players, and then as QEers, as we called ourselves. And though DSI ceased to be, along with the official website, Agora, I think it was called, the community moved on to new websites and sought to work together to keep the game alive through the QuestEditor.
It was in those early years that Skipper sent me his updated Pclass file, which I have been using since 2002—yeah, twenty-two years ago. What is surprising in this internet age is that there is little record about this little text file. I found only one article that mentions it. And though it is “only” a text file, some care was required to upgrade the character routines.
This Pclass Upgrade is neither a hack nor a trainer. It doesn’t add anything to your character other than the ability to develop them more fully in two ways – Stats and Skills.
Let’s go over the Stats first. Straight up, Darkstone was a Diablo clone. So, like that game, DSI put a limit on how high each stat could grow. When you picked a class, like Warrior, Strength was the only one you could build over 150, which was Vitality’s max, and because Magic is capped at 50, only the first level of basic spells was available. So, no higher levels of Berserker, which is one of the best spells in the game. Here are the base game maxes:
Warriors – Strength 999, Magic 50, Dexterity 100, Vitality 150
Wizards - Strength 50, Magic 999, Dexterity 150, Vitality 100
Thieves - Strength 150, Magic 100, Dexterity 999, Vitality 50
Priests - Strength 100, Magic 150, Dexterity 50, Vitality 999
Simply, the Pclass Upgrade sets all Stat Maxes to 999, so you are free to multiclass your character however you like. I always play a Thief/Wizard, utilizing my Bow with Berserker, Reflections, etc.
The second adjustment is Skills. Darkstone had several Skills that were worthless, like Languages for the Wizards that would decode secret messages in Multiplayer, or the Warriors Forester skill for finding food? Break barrels and crates, and you’ll have more food than you can carry. What’s more, learn the Food spell and feed yourself with a little mana.
Skipper had originally unlocked more skills for all classes, giving everyone Identification, Master of Arms, Repair, and some others. As I said above, I always played Thief, so I had never seen what skills the other classes had on their lists. But as I made one of each class to check their available skills, I found some trouble – there were too many skills unlocked, which made Master Dalsin’s display do strange things.
This began my part, as I parred back the skills to finally nine for each class, keeping their useful niche skills, like the Warrior’s Concentration and Orientation, and the Sorcerer’s all-special Lycanthropy. In this shifting of skills, I noted that the Assassin and Thief were less “niche” because everyone now uses their ID, Perception, and Theft, so I gave them the only Detection in the group. They are thieves, of course.
Here is the full skill list for all classes. The Wizards are split, the Wizard getting Repair, while the Sorcerer gets her Lycanthropy.
Warriors – 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Concentration - 8) Orientation
9) Master of Arms
Wizard - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Meditation - 8) Master of Arms
9) Communion
Sorcerer - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Perception - 4) Learning - 5) Theft - 6) Meditation - 7) Master of Arms
8) Communion - 9) Lycanthropy
Thieves - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Defusing - 6) Learning - 7) Theft - 8) Detection
9) Master of Arms
Priests - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Prayer - 8) Master of Arms
9) Communion
About using the Updated Pclass file with old characters, I did a simple test with the Warrior’s Forester skill. All previously purchased skills are retained, and will continue to appear on your character’s skill list. They just can’t be leveled further.
Now, to get this file to all Darkstone players, I will be using an Onedrive shared folder with a direct hyperlink to the file. Microsoft should not ask you to log in. The folder should open, and you can right-click on the file to download a copy.
IMPORTANT: The game's original Pclass file is located in C:\GOG Games\Darkstone\data\Pclass. I recommend moving your original file to another folder if you wish to revert to the original. Once you have cleared the Pclass folder, you can download the upgraded file here:
https://1drv.ms/f/c/92db1e82b8e6b9d4/EhCuIyOV9yJPoaPspS6aejcByjO0MRJQYNtpuneDrdSKEA
I hope this small upgrade gives you much fun in the times ahead. I can’t see playing any other way.
Randall “Foucter” Rutherford
Creator of “The Avenger” for Darkstone
The history of Darkstone is a short one. The game was released in 1999 with the QuestEditor following in 2000. Skipper and I (Foucter) were there from the beginning; first, as a group of players, and then as QEers, as we called ourselves. And though DSI ceased to be, along with the official website, Agora, I think it was called, the community moved on to new websites and sought to work together to keep the game alive through the QuestEditor.
It was in those early years that Skipper sent me his updated Pclass file, which I have been using since 2002—yeah, twenty-two years ago. What is surprising in this internet age is that there is little record about this little text file. I found only one article that mentions it. And though it is “only” a text file, some care was required to upgrade the character routines.
This Pclass Upgrade is neither a hack nor a trainer. It doesn’t add anything to your character other than the ability to develop them more fully in two ways – Stats and Skills.
Let’s go over the Stats first. Straight up, Darkstone was a Diablo clone. So, like that game, DSI put a limit on how high each stat could grow. When you picked a class, like Warrior, Strength was the only one you could build over 150, which was Vitality’s max, and because Magic is capped at 50, only the first level of basic spells was available. So, no higher levels of Berserker, which is one of the best spells in the game. Here are the base game maxes:
Warriors – Strength 999, Magic 50, Dexterity 100, Vitality 150
Wizards - Strength 50, Magic 999, Dexterity 150, Vitality 100
Thieves - Strength 150, Magic 100, Dexterity 999, Vitality 50
Priests - Strength 100, Magic 150, Dexterity 50, Vitality 999
Simply, the Pclass Upgrade sets all Stat Maxes to 999, so you are free to multiclass your character however you like. I always play a Thief/Wizard, utilizing my Bow with Berserker, Reflections, etc.
The second adjustment is Skills. Darkstone had several Skills that were worthless, like Languages for the Wizards that would decode secret messages in Multiplayer, or the Warriors Forester skill for finding food? Break barrels and crates, and you’ll have more food than you can carry. What’s more, learn the Food spell and feed yourself with a little mana.
Skipper had originally unlocked more skills for all classes, giving everyone Identification, Master of Arms, Repair, and some others. As I said above, I always played Thief, so I had never seen what skills the other classes had on their lists. But as I made one of each class to check their available skills, I found some trouble – there were too many skills unlocked, which made Master Dalsin’s display do strange things.
This began my part, as I parred back the skills to finally nine for each class, keeping their useful niche skills, like the Warrior’s Concentration and Orientation, and the Sorcerer’s all-special Lycanthropy. In this shifting of skills, I noted that the Assassin and Thief were less “niche” because everyone now uses their ID, Perception, and Theft, so I gave them the only Detection in the group. They are thieves, of course.
Here is the full skill list for all classes. The Wizards are split, the Wizard getting Repair, while the Sorcerer gets her Lycanthropy.
Warriors – 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Concentration - 8) Orientation
9) Master of Arms
Wizard - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Meditation - 8) Master of Arms
9) Communion
Sorcerer - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Perception - 4) Learning - 5) Theft - 6) Meditation - 7) Master of Arms
8) Communion - 9) Lycanthropy
Thieves - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Defusing - 6) Learning - 7) Theft - 8) Detection
9) Master of Arms
Priests - 1) ID - 2) Trade - 3) Repair - 4) Perception - 5) Learning - 6) Theft - 7) Prayer - 8) Master of Arms
9) Communion
About using the Updated Pclass file with old characters, I did a simple test with the Warrior’s Forester skill. All previously purchased skills are retained, and will continue to appear on your character’s skill list. They just can’t be leveled further.
Now, to get this file to all Darkstone players, I will be using an Onedrive shared folder with a direct hyperlink to the file. Microsoft should not ask you to log in. The folder should open, and you can right-click on the file to download a copy.
IMPORTANT: The game's original Pclass file is located in C:\GOG Games\Darkstone\data\Pclass. I recommend moving your original file to another folder if you wish to revert to the original. Once you have cleared the Pclass folder, you can download the upgraded file here:
https://1drv.ms/f/c/92db1e82b8e6b9d4/EhCuIyOV9yJPoaPspS6aejcByjO0MRJQYNtpuneDrdSKEA
I hope this small upgrade gives you much fun in the times ahead. I can’t see playing any other way.
Randall “Foucter” Rutherford
Creator of “The Avenger” for Darkstone
Post edited January 13, 2025 by Foucter