Best Jester build in Darkest Dungeon 2

One of the playable characters in Darkest Dungeon 2 is Sarmenti the Jester, who becomes available once your Profile Rank reaches 9. Proper positioning is crucial in Darkest Dungeon 2, and the Jester is unparalleled when adjusting the party's formation. He is highly mobile and can contribute to the party's success from any position. While he can handle strong melee attacks, the Jester's true strength lies in inspiring his comrades with his lute.

However, managing the Jester requires more strategy than the game's less mobile heroes. Experienced players of Darkest Dungeon 2 often favor the Jester because he is a worthwhile investment. His ability to generate combo tokens is unmatched by any other character, and he also offers valuable damage and utility skills.

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Best Jester skills for Darkest Dungeon 2

In Darkest Dungeon 2, the Jester is regarded as one of the best support heroes, particularly in helping his teammates maximize their effectiveness. While he lacks healing abilities, the right combat items can supplement this weakness. The Jester relies on his agility and the creation of combo tokens to achieve his playstyle. These tokens are handy for setting up your or your allies' procs.

Solo: When there is no immediate need to alleviate stress or reposition the party, the Jester can prepare for a potent assault by utilizing Solo. This ability thrusts him to the forefront of the party, granting him two stacks of Evasion and one stack of Speed. The increased Evasion enhances his survivability while occupying the front position, and the boosted Speed ensures that he will have the first turn in the subsequent round.

Finale: True to its name, Finale serves as the Jester's ultimate move. Its damage output is remarkably high and doubles when directed at an enemy with a Combo Token. Strengthening the Jester with abilities like the Plague Doctor's Emboldening Vapors amplifies this damage even more. Utilizing Finale is most effective after preparing with Solo, allowing the Jester to either deal significant damage to a formidable foe or swiftly bring weaker enemies perilously close to Death's Door.

Encore: This particular ability is a support skill that can be employed on any hero within the party, regardless of their position, as long as the Jester is stationed in team ranks 3 or 4. Activating this skill bestows an additional action upon the targeted hero, albeit with the consequence of the Jester receiving the Dazed and Weak Tokens in return.

Harvest: Harvest, a valuable melee attack within the Jester's arsenal, inflicts damage and applies the Bleed Damage over Time effect to two adjacent enemies located in the enemy ranks 2-3. This skill allows the Jester to effectively address two foes simultaneously, achieving multiple objectives with a single action. The Jester must be positioned in team ranks 2 or 3 to utilize Harvest.

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Trinkets

The Indelible Bucker's Haul has the drawback of reducing damage by 25% when the player has less than 25 relics. However, this effect can be easily avoided by holding onto some wealth. The benefits of this trinket include the occasional positive tokens when in either rank four or one, which will apply to the Jester's position for most of the battle when using our recommended build.

On the other hand, the Indelible Befuddling Sundial is considered one of the best trinkets available. It has a 90% chance of healing the wearer and only a 10% chance of adding stress. Since the Jester can already negate stress, this trinket only provides benefits without drawbacks.

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Our preferred Jester build utilizes Solo and Finale to deal significant damage when the battle is going well. However, if the situation becomes precarious, the Jester can quickly transition into his supportive role and provide buffs to his allies to turn the tide. If you have not yet unlocked all of the Jester's skills, we recommend taking him on a few runs to the Shrine of Reflection to complete his backstory and unlock his full potential.