The journey to defeat evil in Darkest Dungeon II seems to be as much an interior battle as an exterior one. You not only need to fight off hideous cosmic horrors, but keep the minds of your heroes from breaking as they succumb to the horror and dispair all around them. The metaphor of fighting internal evil starts with the name of Act 1, Denial, and ends with its final boss: a giant brain literally covered in chains.

Defeating the boss--or rather, the four evil, magical padlocks covering it--is tough, mostly because of the special abilities the locks bring to bear against your team. They also have big health pools that can make whittling them down pretty difficult. Knowing where to focus your efforts and with what attacks, however, can go a long way, as can managing your team's Stress levels to keep them in fighting shape.

Here's everything you need to know to defeat the Brain and complete Act 1. If you want more on how to survive your runs, check out our Darkest Dungeon II beginner's guide.