Only the toughest and bravest heroes survive in the brutal world of Darkest Dungeon II. Among these heroes, the Crusader stands out as a great ally to have on your journey to the Mountain. This guide will go over the Crusader’s skills, Paths, and optimal trinkets to ensure that he’s up to the task for the harrowing journey ahead.
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The Knight Needs Saving First!
Before you can go on your holy crusade, however, you have to take note that the Crusader isn’t included in the initial roster of heroes. He is only available to players that have the Binding Blade DLC. This DLC will contain the Lost Crusade quest, which will unlock the Crusader at the Crossroads upon finishing.
The Crusader has a wide range of skills that allow him to act as a damage dealer, tank, or support. Most parties will be able to fit him as he is a great generalist unity. He’s also great against enemies susceptible to Burn as his skills synergize greatly with it.
But like all heroes in Darkest Dungeon II, the Crusader isn’t perfect. His main drawback is that he gets outshone by more specialized units for their respective roles. A Man-at-Arms will be a better tank, many other heroes can output more damage, etc. The Crusader also has a base Speed of 2, so expect him to be one of the last units in the combat turn order.
Skills
Here is a table of the Crusader’s base unupgraded skills and their effects:
Offensive Skills
| Name | Type | Rank | Target | Damage | Crit | Additional Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smite | Melee | 1-2 | 1-2 | 5-7 | 5% | Deals +50% DMG to targets afflicted with Combo |
| Stunning Blow | Melee | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3-5 | 5% | Stuns target afflicted with Combo |
| Zealous Accusation | Ranged | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 5% | Apply 2 Burn, 25% chance to also apply Combo |
| Reap | Melee | 1-2 | 1-2 | 4-5 | 5% | Decrease healing received by 20% |
| Holy Lance | Ranged | 3-4 | 2-4 | 4-7 | 10% | Apply 2 Burn and move forward 1 |
Defensive Skills
| Name | Rank | Target | Cooldown | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspiring Cry | 1-4 | 1-4 | 1 | If an ally has 5+ Stress, heal 2 Stress |
| Rallying Cry | 1-4 | 1-4 | 1 | Remove Daze and Weak from an ally |
| Battle Heal | 1-2 | 1-4 | 2 (3 uses) | Heal 20% of an ally’s health if they are below half health |
| Bulwark of Faith | 1-2 | Self | 2 | Give Self 2 Block, 2 Taunt, and 2 Regen |
| Radiance | 1-4 | Self | 4 | Give Self 2 Regen and add 20% Burn RES piercing to ranged skills |
| Tenacity | 1-4 | 1-4 | 2 | Give an ally 2 Block |
Paths
Heroes in Darkest Dungeon II can take on Paths that tweak their skills in certain ways. Each hero has a base Wanderer class and three unique Paths. The Crusader’s unique Paths are as follows:
Aggressor
The Aggressor is the Crusader’s offensive Burn-oriented Path. The Crusader’s skills gain various additional effects on their attacks if enemies are inflicted with Burn or Combo.
- Reap can now execute enemies that have Burn.
- Smite also executes burning enemies and heals Stress on a killing blow.
- Tenacity will buff the Crusader to heal upon melee attacking burning enemies.
Due to the additional effects of healing health and Stress, the Aggressor can somewhat sustain himself while also dealing damage. The Runaway is one of the best teammates for the Aggressor Path, as she not only applies Burn to enemies but also Combo.
Templar
The Templar is a great Path if you want to run the Crusader as a tank. Some skills are adjusted so that he’s great at regaining health and defending allies.
- Rallying Cry now makes the Crusader guard an ally, passes on his Regen, and increases the healing that ally receives.
- He now self-casts Tenacity, which increases his healing.
- Smite now heals stress when used on targets afflicted with Combo.
When paired with a healer such as a Plague Doctor or Vestal, a Crusader buffed by Tenacity can heal back up a large amount of health, while Rallying Cry allows him to guard fragile units from enemy hits, making him a viable tank for the front lines.
Banneret
The Banneret significantly changes the Crusader’s support skills and allows placing the Crusader in any rank in the party.
- Zealous Accusation can now be used in the party’s backline to hit the enemy’s backline.
- Rallying Cry becomes an AoE skill that immobilizes the party, preventing enemies from pushing them around.
- Tenacity becomes an AoE buff that gives allies Block.
- Battle Heal gains one additional use.
Banneret allows the Crusader to buff and heal the party from any rank. This can make way for other units to take up space at the front of the party such as a tank with the Man-at-Arms or a damage dealer like the Leper.
Trinkets
Here is a list of Trinkets that can work well on the Crusader:
Crusader Exclusive Trinkets
Each hero in Darkest Dungeon has 3 trinkets that they can exclusively wear. Enemies may randomly drop them, or you can find them in shops.
| Trinket | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Fieldstone | 66% chance to apply 1 Burn on an attacker when hit, Radiance will additionally buff Burn damage dealt by 1 | If ending the turn afflicted by combo, gain 2 Stress |
| Pilfered Wealth | Crusader gains 10% CRIT if there are less than 10 Relics in the inventory, Reap now also steals Positive Tokens from enemies | When using Reap, 33% chance to subtract 2 Relics from the inventory |
| Signed Indenture | Allies behind the Crusader gain Block whenever he moves, Rallying Cry will additionally give 20% Debuff RES | If ending the turn at the back in Rank 4, gain Weakness |
Sprawl Trinkets
You can also find some trinkets in specific regions. The Sprawl contains enemies that have high resistance to Burn so the Crusader may be less effective in this area. However, this may be worth the effort as the exclusive trinkets here work well with the Crusader.
| Trinket | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Enlightening Element | 25% chance of applying 3 Burn on hit, gain Dodge if Speed is 8 or higher | N/A |
| Sacred Scribblings | Add 2 to Burn duration dealt | If Speed is 2 or lower, gain Vulnerable. |
| Snappy Swig | Increases Burn damage dealt by 1, 50% chance to gain a Crit token if Speed is 10 or higher | N/A |
General Trinkets
You can also find other trinkets in any region. These trinkets increase in potency with their corresponding increases in rarity.
| Trinket | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Bouncer’s Belt | Increases healing received from healing skills by 15%/20%/25% | Lowers resistance to being moved by 15% |
| Hale Draught | Increases Max HP by 10%/15%/20% | Lowers CRIT by 3%/5% |
| Protectorate | Increase healing given from skills by 10%/15%/20% | Decrease DMG by 10%/15% |
The optimum trinkets you want to go for will depend on the Path or playstyle that you want:
- Aggressors might want Sacred Scribblings and any of the Sprawl trinkets as their Burn bonus effects synergize really well.
- Templars can equip the Fieldstone to passively apply Burn on enemies whilst they tank. You can also bolster the Templar’s health and healing by equipping The Hale Draught or Bouncer’s Belt.
- Bannerets may want to use the Signed Indenture. The Protectorate is also great for healing units as its drawback doesn’t matter much to support units.
