Hero Paths in Darkest Dungeon II: Stats and Tips

Parameters for each path show the difference between the current path and the Wanderer.

• +25% Max HP
• Melee Skills: +50% Damage
• Healing Skills: +33% Healing Given
• -33% Blight Chance
  

Surgeon is great at positions 2-3. Her only melee skill now will one-shot weakest enemies or leave them to bleed. With 33% healing buff, she is the most reliable healer in the game.

Alchemist is almost guaranteed to poison enemies, including ones that are hard-to-reach. Her biggest drawback is low HP, so rank 4 is the best position for her. Having some tank in the party to taunt enemies will also negate that problem.

• Bleed: -2 Damage
• Blight: -2 Damage
• Disorienting Blast: +20% Stun Chance, +1 Vulnerable
• Ounce of Prevention: +15% Stress Resistance
• Emboldening Vapours: +1 Strength
  

Physician is a path with enhanced buffing and controlling skills.

• Melee Skills: -25% Damage
• Ranged Skills: +25% Damage, +5% Crit Chance
• -33% Move Resistance
  

Deadeye is a reliable range damage dealer. Her chances to Critical hit a Combo mark are almost guaranteed (90%). The downsides are easy to deal with - you just don't use melee skills and when pulled to position 1, use Pirouette, which is a ranged skill.

• Ranged Skills: -25% Damage
• -3 Speed
• +2 Blight Damage when Self Stealth
• Flashing Daggers: +2 Blight (+4 if Upgraded)
• Movement Skills: +30% Blight Chance on the Next Turn
  

Venomdrop path of Grave Robber implies a player to combine her Moving and Poisoning skills. You'll have to try hard to get most of her path benefits.

• -20% Max HP
• If Stealth: +50% Damage
• Lunge and Pirouette: +25% Damage
  

Nightsworn is a huge damage dealing path. To get most of her, "Dancing" party is recommended to use (to use Lunge more often). But even without it, you can switch from position 4 to 2 and back again without disrupting most of the team.

• If Rank 1: +25% Damage
• If Rank 3: -25% Damage
• If Rank 4: -50% Damage
• Point Blank Shot: Adds Riposte on Self
  

Rogue is a little trickier path, because the most beneficial Point Blank Shot skill moves him to rank 2. Having Jester to move him back would be great, otherwise consider to use Duelist's Advance on the next turn.

• Ranged Skills: +25% Damage
• Melee Skills: -25% Damage
• +3 Speed
• Grapeshot Blast: Adds Strength on Self
  

Sharpshot Highwayman is flexible and easy-to-use range damage dealer. He is great at positions 2-3-4, but even starting from position 1 isn't a bad choice because of Point Blank Shot damage.

• +15% Max HP
• Apply on Hit: -10% Bleed Resistance
• Ranged Skills: -75% Damage
• Highway Robbery: Steal Positive Token
• Double Cross: Remove Shield
  

Yellowhand shines at controlling and bleeding enemies.

• -20% Damage
• +100% Move Resistance
• Bolster: Remove Vulnerable, Weakness from Self
• 20% chance to give +50% Blight, Bleed, Burn Resistance for 3 turns to each ally
  

Sergeant is Man-at-Arms' even more supportive path. In most battles, his buffs are redundant, but he excels in specific fights (such as the Leviathan boss fight). Even with decreased damage, his Retribution skill remains valuable for taunting enemies and removing positive tokens.

• Riposte and Crush: -25% Damage
• Shield Attack Skills: +50% Damage, +10% Stun Chance
• Stand Fast: Adds x2 Taunt on Self
  

Bulwark is great at handling shields - both for damage and defense.

• +20% Max HP
• Riposte: +25% Damage
• Crush: +50% Damage
• -20% Bight Resistance
• -20% Bleed Resistance
• -20% Burn Resistance
  

Vanguard is undisputed leader among the Darkest Dungeon 2 heroes. His parrying Retribution is a reasonable choice against almost all foes, including final bosses. This path was nerfed several times in early access, but still is very powerful.

• +20% Max HP
• If Rank 1: +25% Damage
• -33% Bleed Chance
• Turn Start: Bleed 3 (25%) (can be resisted)
  

In early access, meeting Ravager on the Crossroad was a sign of a victorious quest. Now, you can unlock this path to always have the highest first-turn damage dealer in your team. Rank 4 reach with Iron Swan makes her great for Act 2 boss fight, Guardian fights and many other encounters.

• -20% Max HP
• +10% Deathblow Resistance
• +33% Bleed Chance
• Bleed-causing Skills: +10% Crit Chance
  

While Berserker excels at bleeding foes, raw damage skills aren't forbidden with the path. She is flexible and can do the variety of actions depending on priority. For the frontal ranks, her health pool is relatively low - some support for her is recommended.

• Gains When Crit Hit: -1 Stress (50%) or -2 Stress (25%)
• Barbaric YAWP: Adds 2Taunt on Self
• Wicked Hack: Removes Shield
• Turn Start: Adds Winded on Self
• Turn End: Adds Shield (75%) per Winded
  

Hellion Carcass is meant for taunting enemies and tanking the incoming damage. It seems that she likes pain like Flagellant, but lack of the damage against bosses may be a cause of failure.

• +33% Burn Chance
• Burn-causing skills: +10% Crit Chance
• -25% Damage
• Turn Start: Burn 3 (25%) (can be resisted)
  

Arsonist is consistent at setting enemies on fire. For the quest in the Sprawl, it's recommended to replace her with Bounty Hunter.

• Healing Skills: +50% Healing Given
• +50% Healing-Over-Time Given
• Combat Start: x2 Dodge, Speed
• -20% Burn Сhance
  

Survivor path encourages a player to use non-fire Runaway skills. Her survivability is much higher when the team has friendly bleed-causing skills.

• -20% Max HP
• If Rank 1: -2 Burn Dealt
• If Rank 2: -1 Burn Dealt
• If Rank 3: +1 Burn Dealt
• If Rank 4: +2 Burn Dealt
• If Rank 1: +40% Damage
• If Rank 2: +20% Damage
• If Rank 3: -20% Damage
• If Rank 4: -40% Damage
• Firestarter: Adds Crit on self
  

Orphan path may outshine Arsonist by the damage she makes, but her output is less consistent.

• +20% Max HP
• +3 Speed
• -20% Bight Resistance
• -20% Bleed Resistance
• -20% Burn Resistance
• To All Allies on Turn Start: +15% Stress Resistance
  

Virtuoso is good at what you expect Jester to be. His high speed allows him to outrun most of the enemies, and higher Health makes him more durable to incoming damage.

• -20% Max HP
• +20% Damage
• +33% Bleed Chance
• Bleed-causing Skills: +10% Crit Chance
• -3Speed
  

Soloist is an offensive path in which the Jester does a better job at dealing damage instead of cheering up the others. His Solo and Finale skills are the best way to quickly dispatch enemies. The low health drawback is negated by farming Dodge tokens.

• Song skills: +2 Bleed
• Inspiring Tune: +15 Horror Resistance
• Echoing March: +2 Bleed when Moving
• Battle Ballad and Play Out: Adds Crit (10%) or Dodge+ (20%) or Strength (35%) or Shield (35%)
  

Intermezzo is the path that improves several supportive skills. Ally bleed drawback could be negated by increased bleed resistance or having Runaway in a party.

• Chop: +33% Damage
• +33% Debuff Resistance
• +100% Disease Resistance
• -25% Max HP
• -3 Speed
  

Templest replicates the role Leper played in Darkest Dungeon 1 - dealing huge damage and using only one skill to do that. Debuff resistance is especially useful because it prevents blindness.

• Self-Healing Skills: +50% Healing Given
• +50% Stun Resistance
• +50% Move Resistance
• -25% Damage
  

Poet is an impenetrable wall to absorb all the damage because of Solemnity restoring full health. The worst scenario that could happen to Leper is to end up at position 4, but with Poet, that's usually not the case.

• -30% Max HP
• Chop: -75% Damage
• Purge and Intimidate: Adds Vulnurable
• Against Cosmic: +50% Max HP, +2 Speed, +100% Chop Damage
  

Monarch is a path that encourages a player to use skills other than Chop. His Purge and Intimidate skills got buffs, but for dealing damage, you can still use Hew or Break Shield. Monarch Leper is most impressive in Guardian fight and against final bosses.

• Healing Skills: +33% Healing Given
• Cursing Skills: +10% Debuff Chance
• Cursing Skills: Adds Strength (15%), Crit (15%), Dodge+ (15%) on Self
• Turn start: Vulnerable (33%)
  

Ritualist works better at cursing foes and healing allies.

• -20% Max HP
• Ranged Skills: +25% Damage
• Turn Start: Unchecked Power (33%)
  

With ranged damage buff, Abyssal Artillery and Shining Starts are high-priority skills for Warlock.

• +25% Max HP
• Melee Skills: +25% Damage
• Anamnesis: +125% Damage
• Cursing Skills: -15% Debuff Chance
• -15% Debuff Resistance
• Combat Start: Adds Shield+ on Self
  

Aspirant at the front is a decent close-combat fighter.

• +1 Conviction on the Turn Start
• Conviction increases Debuff chance

Hand of Light:

• 1-2 damage instead of 2-4
• Weakness on 2 enemies instead of Shield on Self and Strength on Ally

Illumination:

• Removes 2-3 Positive tokens instead of Dodge

Judgement:

• If 2 Conviction: 1-2 Weakness instead of +100% Damage
• If 3 Conviction: 1-2 Vulnerable instead of 3-4 Burn

Mantra:

• If 3 Conviction: Removes all Negative tokens instead of triggering Consecration effect

Confessor Vestal weakens the enemy team instead of dealing high direct damage.

• +1 Conviction when enemy hits her
• Conviction increases Stun and Move resistance

Hand of Light:

• 1-2 Damage instead of 2-4 Damage
• Shield on Adjacent Ally instead of Strength

Mantra:

• If 2 Conviction: Heals 15% of Ally HP instead of 20%, Heals 25% of Self HP instead of 0
• If 3 Conviction: Restores Stress instead of triggering Consecration effect

Sanctuary:

• On Self: 1 Shield 1 Shield+ instead of 2 Shield
• On Ally: 3 Guarded instead of 3 Guarded

The Vestal on the path of the Chaplain takes on the role of Defender for their allies.

• +1 Conviction when Consecration effect triggers
• Consecration of Fortitude and Consecration of Light last 5 rounds and have 5 round cooldowns

Mantra:

• Restores 30%-50% HP instead of 20%
• Removes all Consecration tokens instead of triggering Consecration effect

Seraphim Vestal strengthens and fortifies friendly positions with longer Consecration and heals allies better than other of her paths.

Punish:

• Knockbacks 1-2 ranks, less Damage dealt by Blight
• Upgraded Punish adds Combo

Acid Rain:

• Weakens enemies instead of Blighting
• Upgraded Acid Rain adds Combo (33%)

Lash's Gift:

• Heals 20%-30% HP instead of 25%-35%
• Steals all Negarive marks instead of adding Positive ones and removing Stun and Daze
• Upgraded Lash's Gift steals Combo
  

Sepsis:

• Transfers all Negarive marks instead of Blighting
• Upgraded Sepsis transfers Combo
  

Punish:

• +1 Blight if HP is less than 50%
• -1 Blight if HP is more than 50%

Acid rain:

• +2 Blight if HP is less than 50%

Lash's Gift:

• Uses on Self instead of Ally
• Heals 10% HP instead of 25%-35%
• Removes Combo and all Negative marks instead of adding Positive marks on Ally
• Adds Strength, Crit, Dodge+

Sepsis:

• Heals to 45% HP instead of 35%-50%
• Deals 75%-100% of remaining Blights as Damage
• Removes Blight

Deathless:

• Self Heals 35%-50% HP instead of losing 20%
• 2 round cooldown instead of 1
• 3 uses per combat instead of limitless

Suffer:

• Steals Horror

Lash's Gift:

• Removes all DOT effects instead of healing 25%-35% HP
• Increases DOT resistance by 20%
• Adds Horror

Sepsis:

• Doesn't heal
• Deals 50%-100% of remaining Blight as Damage
• Doesn't remove Blight if enemy has Combo