How to Trade With Jack O' Lantern in Dark and Darker: Candy Corn Explained

Despite the grim atmosphere of Ironmace's dark fantasy extraction shooter, the developers are not afraid to have a little festive fun. Hotfix #14 saw a seasonal update for Dark and Darkerwith the return of the pumpkin-headed merchant, Jack O' Lantern. Here's everything you need to know about doing business with this ghostly gent.

Who is Jack O' Lantern in Dark and Darker?

Dark and Darker is forming a bit of an annual tradition. Following on from his appearance last year, Jack O' Lantern has rejoined the game's roster of merchants. With his skeletal frame and giant orange noggin, he's pretty hard to miss.

It's certainly worth giving him a visit. Unlike standard merchants, Jack can stock gear all the way up to epic rarity. His prices aren't listed in gold, however. Jack has wares, but he's not particularly interested in your coin. Instead, candy corn is his currency of choice. 

How to Get Candy Corn in Dark and Darker

Thankfully, building up a reserve of candy corn isn't too complicated. You'll come across the sweets through normal gameplay.

For as long as Jack O' Lantern stays in the merchants and traders tab, any enemy you defeat in a dungeon has a chance of dropping candy corn. Opening chests gives a far more remote chance of getting candy corn, so just being on the offensive is your best bet.

Particularly for new players, getting and spending candy corn is one of the most feasible ways to add high-level gear to your loadout. Unfortunately, this won't last forever. As a result of how Halloween-centric this NPC is, he'll probably be gone by November. Make it rain candy corn while you can.

Will Nicholas or Valentine return to Dark and Darker?

Jack O' Lantern isn't Dark and Darker's only holiday-themed trader. In December 2022, (Saint) Nicholas made an appearance. Instead of candy corn, this jolly fella wanted candy canes. Meanwhile, February 2023 brought Valentine, a romance-themed seller who accepted candy hearts as payment.

There hasn't been any official confirmation whether these special merchants will make a comeback. But judging by Jack's return, the chances are pretty good!

For more dungeon-crawling content, check out our guide on how to level up XP fast in Dark and Darker or how to get the Old Rusty Key in Dark and Darker.