Dark Ages


 * For the Chinese version, see Dark Ages (Chinese version).

Dark Ages is the seventh world in Plants vs. Zombies 2. It is the first world in Plants vs. Zombies 2 to be in a night time setting, similar to Night from Plants vs. Zombies. The mushrooms make their debut here. Sun does not fall from the sky in Dark Ages as it is set during the night.

As it namesake says, Dark Ages takes during the tenth century where culture and economy slowly deteriorates mankind that follows the decline of the Roman Empire. Also, the use of Black Magic like Necromancy became the center of usage for evil purposes.

Like in Ancient Egypt, tombstones appear in Dark Ages. However, they can now occasionally spawn by themselves and summon zombies through an ambush called "Necromancy!". Certain tombstones marked with a sun or Plant Food icon reward players with 100 sun and one Plant Food when destroyed respectively. If a grave spawns where there is a plant, that plant and all plants in front or behind it will move forward one column. All sun producing plants still do produce sun in these levels, but it is still recommended to use Sun-shrooms or Gold Blooms due to their lower costs.

Game description
''Bring out your undead to the year 948! Harvest mushrooms in the dark of knight and get medieval on zombies from the days of yore!''

Order of events
The player requires a World Key, which is obtainable by completing Ancient Egypt - Day 8, giving them access to the Dark Ages.

When the player defeats Night 9's wave, a medieval scroll is shown, saying "By decree of Lord Zomboss: Please leave thoust brain on thine stoop". On the tenth night, Dr. Zomboss writes a note before the huge wave attacks. The wave with the Dark Ages Gargantuar is defeated.

On the twentieth night, Zomboss claims that Plant Food is made out of zombies before attacking the player in his Zombot Dark Dragon. When the Zombot is destroyed, Penny reveals that Plant Food contains no zombies or zombie byproducts. Zomboss then retreats.

Levels
There is a total of 19 levels and 1 boss battle to play as well as introducing five new plants (four which return from the first game) and eleven new zombies.

Difficulty
Hence its four Jalapeno difficulty, this world is a hard world. It contains eight somewhat hard-hard nights: 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20, and three very hard nights: 13, 17, and 18. Thus, it is much harder than the previous world, Far Future.
 * Easiest level: Dark Ages - Night 1
 * Hardest level: Dark Ages - Night 13

Main levels
+ The plant next to it is boosted, even if the player does not have it boosted.

Dark Alchemy
Dark Alchemy is Dark Ages' exclusive Brain Buster. These levels' layouts are exactly the same as the normal levels, but potions will rise from the ground over time and boost zombies if they are stepped on. The potions will bring different effects to the zombies such as increasing their health and speed. While they are being vested by speed and strength boost, the zombies also grow big.

Arthur's Challenge
Arthur's Challenge is Dark Ages' Endless Zone. Grave Buster is exclusive to this and Pyramid of Doom. This Endless Zone is very difficult as Winter Melons and other strong plants will be useless against Gargantuars because of Jester Zombies. The former combined with Zombie Kings, Knight Zombies, and Wizard Zombies further add to this Endless Zone's difficulty.

Zombot Dark Dragon
Zombot Dark Dragon is the boss of Dark Ages and is encountered at the final level. It can shoot fireballs that can hatch Imp Dragon Zombies and those fireballs can also damage plants and zombies. The fireballs also create scorched tiles that cannot be planted on. Fortunately, they only last for a few seconds.

Walkthrough

 * See Dark Ages/Walkthrough.

Trivia

 * Dark Ages was the first world to be released in parts.
 * Dark Ages, Pirate Seas, Big Wave Beach, and Frostbite Caves are the only worlds that contain zombies that do not move, which are Zombie King, Imp Cannon, Fisherman Zombie, and Zombot Tuskmaster 10,000 BC.
 * If you count the Zombot Multi-stage Masher as a zombie, then Neon Mixtape Tour is the fourth world that contains non-moving zombies.
 * It is the only area in the whole series that introduces two sun-producing plants.
 * The only sun-producing plants available on Dark Ages - Night 14 are Sun Bean and Solar Tomato. However, Sun Bean is pre-chosen.
 * The Necromancy ambush is a reference to the magic of communicating with the dead, coming from the Greek words nekros meaning "dead body," and manteia meaning "prophecy."
 * Dark Alchemy refers to how alchemy was used for evil purposes.
 * On the little river in front of the zombies' castle, there is an array of Lily Pads.
 * Left to the zombies' castle, there is a sword that is stuck in a rock. It is a reference to Arthur's Challenge and Excalibur, a legendary sword with mystic powers. It would proclaim the one who pulled it out of the rock the king of England.
 * In the front of Dark Ages Player's House, there is a present-day mailbox.
 * The drawbridge on the castle is opening into nothing.
 * It is the second world to have a background that is always animated, the first being Pirate Seas.
 * The trailers references various famous legends and stories about this era:
 * A Pea Pod shooting an apple off the head of a Monk Imp is a reference to "William Tell";
 * Two Monk Imps trying to pull out a sword from a stone is a reference to "The Sword in the Stone";
 * The Wizard Zombie who makes appear various zombies and a sheep, but is accidentally transformed into a Zombie Chicken is a reference to "Merlin".
 * The Imp crashing coconuts together is a reference to Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
 * The player's house in this world has a weather vane with a Peashooter's head.
 * Dark Ages' main theme music is similar to Moongrains and Zen Garden, the Brainiac Maniac (demonstration mini-game) and Ultimate Battle has slight touch to Ancient Egypt and Pirate Seas with Medieval-styled drumbeats and effects remix along with Tambourines and Epic Soundfont.
 * The instrument used to represent Dark Ages in Modern Day's themes is the kazoo.
 * Dark Ages zombies' growls have Ancient Egypt and Pirate Seas mashed up growls.
 * Like Weapon Stands from Kongfu World, tombstones grow from the ground at times, even on squares occupied by plants. If this happens, the plant will be tossed away or forward one square, but unlike the Weapon Stands, they cannot make the plants fly off-screen upon doing so. Sometimes, When the tombstones rise, the plants will disappear.
 * The world description makes a pun on the word night with the phrase "in the dark of knight."
 * Before Part 2 was released, the Imps on the logs over Night 11 seemed to be loafing, slacking, and playing around. One of them is even lunching a sandwich with brains. The other just holds a wrench.
 * The same Imps appeared for all worlds following Dark Ages before their respective second parts were released.
 * The sky on the world map is a purple color compared to the faded blue of daytime maps. However, a glitch in the update makes the map sky turn blue when loading up the game. To fix this, just leave and come back.
 * It is currently the shortest world in the game with only 20 levels, unless Player's House is included.
 * Penny states that a plague recently swept the area, a reference to the black plague. The Wizard Zombie also alludes the plague, since its legs are bandaged.
 * After Dark Ages - Night 10, the map changes to a castle design, but the lawn does not. All worlds after Dark Ages share the trait of changing the map design to something different.
 * It is the first world in the international version of the game to introduce two new Imp variations: the Imp Monk Zombie and Imp Dragon Zombie. However, if counting the Announcer Imp, that makes three variations.
 * Kongfu World and Lost City also share this similarity.
 * There is a moon in the background of the castle with a face possibly referencing the moon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
 * While not originally present in the world selection screen, said moon has been later added into the world selection screen as of 3.6.1 update.
 * Because of that, Lost City and Modern Day are currently the only world that has no zombie face in the world selection screen.
 * The torch near the castle started burning after the 2.7.1 update.
 * In the preview screen, the player can see the Zombot Dark Dragon coming out of the castle door. This is the only time when a player can see an extended part of its body that is not usually visible during the fight.
 * This and Neon Mixtape Tour are the only two part worlds to not have two plants only in Part 2.
 * Neon Mixtape Tour and Dark Ages are the only worlds that are set in nighttime. However, Dark Ages is the only world to be completely set in nighttime, as Neon Mixtape Tour's levels still be called days and suns still fall from the sky.
 * This is the only world to introduce a new zombie (Imp Dragon Zombie) solely in a boss level and Endless Zone.
 * Before the 5.3.1 version, it was the fifth world on the world map order.
 * After the Zomboss podium is remodeled, the new Zomboss podium looks very similar to the old Gargantuar podium. The only difference is there is no bridge and the Gargantuar statue and the level icon is located to where the Gargantuar statue is.
 * Kazoos were invented in 1840, but it plays as one of the main instruments of the Dark Ages' music.
 * The tiles shown in the Almanac are less saturated than the ones in-game.

Developer diaries
What's your favorite Dark Ages plant? Puff-shroom Sun-shroom Fume-shroom Sun Bean Magnet-shroom Тёмные_Века