Some amount of stress will be reduced after performing a critical strike, receiving a critical heal, disarming a trap or interacting with certain curio. Or you can choose specific skills to reduce the stress of all heroes such as Anger Management of the Abomination or Zealous Speech of the Crusader. You may use Encourage with all heroes to cure stress of a single character. You can reduce stress with camping skills of different heroes. Unquiet Mind, Witness, and Faithless quirks prevent heroes to visit these locations. Enlightened, God Fearing and Flagellant quirks allow heroes to reduce stress only in the Cloister, Transept and Penance Hall respectively. The resolution, Known Cheat and Deviant Tastes quirks prevent heroes to visit these locations. Tippler, Gambler and Love Interest quirks allow heroes to reduce stress only in the Bar, Gambling Hall, and Brothel respectively. You also can just leave a hero in the Hamlet, but he will cure only 5 points of stress per week. Note that some quirks don’t allow heroes to visit specific rooms in the Tavern or in the Abbey as well as a force to visit only one room. You will reduce stress significantly and remove all afflictions in that way. Simply put one or more stressed heroes there, pay some gold and wait for a week. You can cure stress of your heroes in the Tavern and in the Abbey. All ways are divided into two big groups: There are a lot of ways to increase stress in the game, but not so many possibilities to reduce it. Virtues can seriously help you in the battle, but they appear much less often than afflictions with negative features. Upon receiving 100 points of stress heroes most likely will get an affliction or a virtue. After that mark, they will enter the Death’s Door or just die. Heroes can withstand stress up to 200 points.

Trinkets and quirks also can increase stress.

Stress is highly increased by moving backward in the dungeon, by receiving critical strikes or special stress attacks, by hitting traps and by interacting with curios. Heroes accumulate stress in dungeons by entering and traveling there. Stress is one of the main parameters in the game along with health.

Darkest dungeon cure affliction