Grave Robber (Darkest Dungeon II)

Regular = Upgraded (Altar of Hope) =

"Avarice slips unseen into the catacombs of the mind."

- The Academic

The Grave Robber is one of 9 Heroes in Darkest Dungeon II.

Class Description

 * ANY RANK
 * STEALTH
 * DODGE
 * HIGH CRIT

Combat Skills

 * Skills available by default:
 * Dd2 ability picktotheface.png Pick to the Face
 * Dd2 ability throwndagger.png Thrown Dagger
 * Dd2 ability flashingdaggers.png Flashing Daggers
 * Dd2 ability poisondart.png Poison Dart
 * Dd2 ability absinthe.png Absinthe.
 * Permanently unlock more Skills in the Shrine of Reflection.























Unique Trinkets
🔸Each Hero has their own 3 unique Trinkets, exclusive only to them. All unique Trinkets for Heroes have Indelible rarity, Bauble cost of 70 and stack limit of 1.

Hero Paths
🔸 All Heroes Start The Game with No Hero Path. Each Hero has access to 3 unique Paths available only to them once they Invest into The Living City. Wanderer serves as the default path for every character and gives a candle reward. The following Paths are unique to the Grave Robber.

Strategy
🔸The Grave Robber has some of the most flexible targeting and positioning amongst the Heroes. Combined with her fantastic self-sustain, with plentiful access to Dodge, Dodge+ ,  Stealth and Self Heals, she suffers very little from enemy disruption and can certainly hold her own defensively, despite her low HP. This comes at a cost, however; due to her very low base damage and high damage ranges, she is incapable of dealing consistent damage without significant help, as her highly variable damage output necessitates hitting criticals in order to deal respectable damage. Her ability to gain +50% chance to crit against targets with Combo and her high base CRIT on some of her moves helps with this, but still isn't very consistent, since it's not guaranteed. Furthermore, she doesn't have any way to apply Combo on her own - though one of her Trinkets, Foreclosure Notice, can do so.

She can apply Taunt to herself through Repartee, but this is not recommended, as  Stealth is required and removed upon usage, and it is better spent on other moves. Even though her self-sustain is reliable, her inherent 'squishiness' does not lend her to regularly tanking.

Some of her more powerful skills, such as Lunge and Pirouette, drastically change her position, which should be taken into account when creating your team. She may not work well with heroes that wish to be static in their positioning. She also doesn't work great with heroes that also enjoy employing Combo to enhance their moves, since a lot of her moves will 'steal' it.

Generally, using the Grave Robber is a bit of a gamble offensively, unless significantly building around it, and as such, she is considered one of, if not the, weakest hero in Darkest Dungeon II. Despite this, her reliable and significant self-sustain is an asset that can fit into any team, and her only obtrusiveness stems from her couple dancing moves and Combo stealing. If you do manage to find a team and build where the Grave Robber can shine, she can hit incredibly hard, and her constant crits will constantly help with stress, so do not shy away from putting her in your team if you can.


 * Dd2 ability picktotheface.pngPick to the Face is Grave Robber's Melee option to deal with frontliners. Since it pierces Dd2 token block.pngBlock, it helps against enemies like the Ghoul, and means its' high critical chance can shine. Unfortunately, it has a low 4-7 damage range and the mastered version only increases the maximum range of the move, which makes it typically - for Grave Robber - crit-dependant, though this is somewhat mitigated by the dd2 token combo.png Combo effect. While gaining +50% CRIT is nice, it doesn't guarantee it, which adds inconsistency. Regarding the paths, this move is largely forgotten by all three: Deadeye nerfs its' damage; Venomdrop doesn't interact with it at all, and Nightsworn only does so if Stealth'd. One of her Trinkets, Stiff Drink, does buff Pick however, and combined with Nightsworn, can pack a rather nasty punch. Otherwise, the move is largely underwhelming, like much of her kit.


 * Dd2 ability throwndagger.pngThrown dagger is Grave Robber's Ranged option to deal with backliners. Its' positioning and targeting lends itself to backline usage, and it has several notable effects. It can bypass both Dd2 token guarded.pngGuard and Dd2 token dodge.pngDodge when Grave Robber has Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth, which while situational, can be very strong in certain scenarios, especially as Dodge is very common among all enemies. It also shares the two common Graverobber problems of damage range and dd2 token combo.png Combo effect. Unlike Dd2 ability picktotheface.pngPick to the Face however, it has a higher CRIT, which makes the dd2 token combo.png Combo effect slightly more consistent. Deadeye is the only path that particularly helps, as it buffs its' damage and crit, somewhat helping its' two weakest points. Nightsworn doesn't affect the move at all - unless in Stealth, of course - and Venomdrop decreases it's damage with no useful benefit.


 * Dd2 ability flashingdaggers.pngFlashing Daggers is Grave Robber's Ranged cleave. It barely does any damage and serves a token-clearing purpose, allowing Grave Robber to set up other moves by clearing enemy tokens. Deadeye increases the offensive on-hit power of the move, but doesn't do a whole lot due to Dd2 ability flashingdaggers.pngFlashing Daggers low base damage. Venomdrop on the other hand gives it quite a big buff, since it adds a 2 Point Blight dd2.png Blight to it (4 Points on upgrade). This increase to damage allows the move to put out quite a decent amount of damage due to the Blight dd2.png Blight in addition to the token-clearing capabilities.


 * Dd2 ability poisondart.pngPoison Dart is Grave Robber's source of Blight dd2.png Blight . Compared to her other Single-Target Ranged option, Dd2 ability throwndagger.pngThrown dagger, Dd2 ability poisondart.pngPoison Dart has more flexible targeting and a much bigger payoff on crit due to being able to extend the duration and stick chance of Blight dd2.png Blight . The tradeoff is a lower base crit chance and reliance on chance to have the Blight dd2.png Blight stick. Both Deadeye and Venomdrop make this move quite a bit better. Deadeye increases the on-hit damage a bit, which is a nice plus, but the extra crit is really good. Critting more often means the Blight dd2.png Blight will stick more often and will have an extended duration. Venomdrop gives it extra Blight dd2.png Blight dealt when in Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth . Using a Movement skill also increase the Blight dd2.png Blight chance, which makes the Blight dd2.png Blight damage more consistent. Dd2 ability shadowfade.pngShadow Fade does a particularily good job at setting up both of these conditions, since it's both a Movement skill and allows Grave Robber to enter Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth.


 * Dd2 ability absinthe.pngAbsinthe is Grave Robbers primary panic button. It allows her to both heal a big portion of her Icon HP dd2.pngHP and applies a large amount of Dd2 token dodge.png Dodge and Dd2 token speed dd2.pngSpeed . Having this move equipped as a safety net can help on basically every Grave Robber playstyle.


 * Dd2 ability deadofnight.pngDead of Night is the second party of Grave Robbers recovery kit. It can be used either offensively to remove a corpse to either disrupt enemy position and set up Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth for secondary effects. It can also be used defensively to recover some Icon HP dd2.pngHP and Dd2 token stress.pngStress when upgraded towards the end of the fight. Another great tool for any Grave Robber playstyle. However it is recommended to take off this move for important fights without corpses to equip another move.


 * Dd2 ability glintinthedark.pngGlint in the Dark is the only Ranged move Grave Robber has out of Rank 1. It deals a respectable damage and manages to avoid the common Grave Robber problems by having a fairly consistent damage range and no dd2 token combo.png Combo effect to speak of. Instead it ignores 20% of the enemies' Deathsdoor dd2.png Deathblow resist and ignoring it alltogether when she is in Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth . This allows her to be very effective against specific enemies with high Deathsdoor dd2.png Deathblow resist, finishing them very effectively. The other part about the move is it's Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth ignore and clear. This can be effective against specific enemies and specific fights, where an enemy going into Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth can quickly spiral out of control. Grave Robber can use her very high base Speed to go ahead of the party to remove Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth and open up opportunities for the rest of the team. Deadeye helps this move a lot by making it deal a bit more damage. Venomdrop hurts this move a lot though, since both the damage cut and the speed cut hurt it quite a bit.


 * Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge was Grave Robber's primary option during Darkest Dungeon 1. In the second game it suffers greatly from a common Grave Robber problem, the terrible damage range. The secondary effect of ignoring Dd2 token dodge.png Dodge while in Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth also doesn't help a lot. Upgrading the move helps a bit by allowing the secondary effect to ignore Dd2 token block.pngBlock in addition to Dd2 token dodge.png Dodge while also increasing the maximum damage by quite a bit. The base crit of this move is good, but not nearly high enough to take advantage of the high maximum damage range. Nightsworm helps this somewhat, but doesn't address the main issue of lacking crit, instead increase damage even more. This makes Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge extremely highroll-y on Nightsworn, since it gets a huge maximum damage range but doesn't get any good way to take advantage of it while being bogged down by the low minimum range. However, if the player manages to find a consistent way to get Grave Robber to crit with Trinkets, Quirks or Inn Items, Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge can start dealing large chunks of damage. The movement is obviously something the player has to plan around when building a party. The party should be able to deal with Graverobber jumping around the place with skills such as Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge or Dd2 ability pirouette.pngPirouette.


 * Dd2 ability pirouette.pngPirouette is the damage counterpart to Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge. It has a very similar damage range unupgradedm but gets a much more consistent one once upgraded compared to Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge, but loses a lot of potential power in comparison. However, Dd2 ability pirouette.pngPirouette hits both enemy frontliners instead of just a single target like Dd2 ability lunge.pngLunge. It also gets a bonus in the form of a Dd2 token dodge.png, which adds a small layer of defense. However, it also applies Dd2 token daze.pngDaze , which slows down Grave Robber's next turn. When this move gets upgradedm it takes a huge leap in basically every category. Gaining a Dd2 token dodgeplus.png <span style="color:#cc9933;"Dodge+ is amazing and the damage range gets a lot better. This is especially noticable with Nightsworn due to the large +damage buff it gives, making Dd2 ability pirouette.pngPirouette a respectable frontline cleave with defensive utility added onto it.


 * Dd2 ability repartee.pngRepartee is the key to unlocking a Grave Robber which focuses more on Tanking, being the only in-kit option for her to generate Dd2 token taunt.png Taunt . As a Dd2 token taunt.png Taunt move, it gives the largest amout of defensive tokens out of any move that applies Dd2 token taunt.png Taunt at 3 Dd2 token dodge.png Dodge . Due to this, it's also the hardest one to actually use. Needing Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth, it can't be used on Turn 1 without Combat Items, Quirks or some other source. When there is a consistent way to get into Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth , however, Tank Grave Robber becomes very powerful, dodging hits and recovering with either Dd2 ability absinthe.pngAbsinthe or Dd2 ability deadofnight.pngDead of Night when needed. Nightsworn hurts this move the move the most due to the Icon HP dd2.pngHP cut and the immense offensive power gained from Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth . Definitely not a move to equip when there's no good way to enter Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth , but if the opportunity presents itself to make Tank Graver Robber work, the player should try to capitalize and switch gears to use Tank Grave Robber.


 * Dd2 ability shadowfade.pngShadow Fade is probably the move that lost the most compared to the first game. The base version only adds Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth, which doesn't do anything except make Grave Robber harder to hit. The secondary effects gained from Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth are usually not enough to justify using Dd2 ability shadowfade.pngShadow Fade over simply attacking multiple times. Even with the +50% damage increase from Nightsworn it's really hard to justify not attacking for a full turn. Moving back also isn't great since Dd2 ability pirouette.pngPirouette covers that basis very well. On Upgrade this becomes slightly better, also giving a Dd2 token speed dd2.pngSpeed token in addition. Most playstyles can't get value from this move due to it's extremely slow nature.

Shrine of Reflection
🔸The Grave Robber gains access to 6 skills over 5 Chapters through accessing memories in the Shrine of Reflection.

Chapter One: Luxury's Lap

Chapter Two: Night Cap

Chapter Three: Embarrassment of Riches

Chapter Four: Filthy Rich

Chapter Five: The Afterparty



Shrine Bullet Point.png Chapter One: Luxury's Lap
🔸Unlocks Dead of Night "Tradition drove us into each other's arms. Or estates, rather."

- The Grave Robber

"Born into money, and married into more, she spent her days on horseback and her evenings in the ballroom. She was the object of her husband's boorish lust and drunken temper, placating his worst tendencies with a veneer of gracious deference. All the while, indulging murderous fantasies of freedom... and the fortune that would soon be hers."

- The Academic



Shrine Bullet Point.png Chapter Two: Night Cap
🔸Objective: Enough Is Enough! 🔸Unlocks Repartee "What did Fate expect as She flogged me towards a vindictive action?"

- The Grave Robber

"Night after night of disrespect and abuse - enough was enough."

- The Academic

"She listened, smirking, as his empty apologies came in desperate, choking gags..."

- The Academic



Shrine Bullet Point.png Chapter Three: Embarrassment of Riches
🔸Unlocks Lunge "I cannot say I recommend impulsive murder. Always make a plan, love."

- The Grave Robber

"Years of decadence and financial mismanagement had left the estate in staggering debt. Humiliated and facing eviction, she wandered the empty halls, hurling inebriated indignities at the portrait of the deceased, whose hand had rested so possessively upon her shoulder. A gleam of gold on that painted paw reminded her that his rings were unaccounted for... and must have been buried with him."

- The Academic



Shrine Bullet Point.png Chapter Four: Filthy Rich
🔸Objective: Loot Your Husband's Tomb 🔸Unlocks Shadow Fade "He meant to leave me as a pauper or a corpse eventually. I'm certain."

- The Grave Robber

"To preserve her social standing, she would pilfer the rings from his fingers - the gold from his teeth!"

- The Academic

"She was awash in exhilaration, the glint in her eyes outshining the fistful of ill-gotten gains."

- The Academic



Shrine Bullet Point.png Chapter Five: The Afterparty
🔸Unlocks Pirouette and  Glint in the Dark "What use have the dead for such trinkets and baubles?"

- The Grave Robber

"Armed officials dispatched to oversee the eviction were shocked to find the front doors of the manor listlessly ajar. The lavish carpets were lousy with dirt and leaves. A heap of heirlooms gleamed on the ballroom floor - rings and broaches in a careless pile. The lady of the manor, however... was nowhere to be found."

- The Academic

Trivia

 * The Grave Robber is one of eight Heroes returning from Darkest Dungeon, and one of the first nine Heroes to be available in the sequel.


 * The Grave Robber is the only Hero so far that has a skill which can kill an enemy outright with Deathsdoor dd2.png Death Blow Resistance, similar to Jester's Finale from The Butcher's Circus DLC of the first Darkest Dungeon.


 * In the game files, the skill Dd2 ability absinthe.png Absinthe is referred to as "artemisia", which is a genus of plant species. One of these species is mildly toxic and is used as a main ingredient to make absinthe in real life.


 * Aubrey, the default Grave Robber name, is French version of a Germanic name. The dress from the Grave Robber's origin comic and the popularity of absinth are also French. It's also a reference to the wife of the game's creative director and artist, Chris Bourassa.