Jester

The Jester is one of the playable Character Classes in Darkest Dungeon.

Description
"In the darkest depths of these twisted lands few things are as welcomed as a good laugh, a merry song, and razor sharp blade. The Jester brings all of these in spades. Armed with a sickle and lute, this maniacal minstrel is a versatile class that has several tricks up his sleeves. With his oddly shaped blade he can slice the 2nd and 3rd positions of the opposition to ribbons, causing them to bleed out. With his lute he can provide in-battle comfort for his companions, playing songs that inspire greatness or relieve tension. Regardless of his position in your party, he is able to dance elegantly around those pesky party shufflers and set up opportunities to single out an enemy and bring about its utter, almost laughable demise. As an entertainer, he can make a stressful night of camping turn into a night of merriment and wit. The melodious riffs of his lute will make any party member's mind quiet as he encourages them to strike quickly and precisely like a tiger. Beware though, not all find the Jester's antics amusing as mockery and cynicism is only funny until it happens to you. All who dare to confront the Darkest Dungeon know that it might mean their end, but with the Jester in tow he will make sure that it is at least a heroic end."

Combat Skills
"Combat is a power ballad - a slow build up, and a grand finale! On the offense, the Jester leaps to and fro in a bloody cacophony, positioning himself for a glorious end in the front ranks! Alternatively, he can hang back, delivering chilling melodies and unsettling riffs that terrorize his foes, and give strength to his allies."

- Guild

Camping Skills
"The Jester shines in the flickering light of the campfire, bringing his lute and unerring wit to bear against the fears and stress his companions suffer. He can inspire greater combat prowess, or raise the group's spirits at the cost of singling out a target for his acrimonious scandalizing."

- Survivalist

Tactical Analysis
The Jester is an unusual hero who has a unique combination of skills. His primary advantage is his ability to heal the stress of allies - both in battle and during camps.

His damage output can be tailored towards a fairly reliable bleed skillset, or by rapidly moving forwards and backwards in the party to deliver a Finale.

You ideally want the rest of your party to be reasonably comfortable with being moved from their preferred spots - some skills like Holy Lance and Point Blank Shot can synergise well with this, but unfortunately you can often find yourself unable to use a key ability (such as a heal) if you get this wrong.

The Jester has a high dodge chance, but low hit points, so runs of partly good or bad luck can often come into play.

He synergizes well with the Abomination, as he can heal the stress caused, and they move around each other well.

Equipment
"Clad only in mildewed cloth, the Jester makes a mockery of battle. Only a fool would underestimate the vicious bloodletting power of his sharpened sickle, or the discordant throng of his lute."

- Blacksmith

Each Hero has trinkets unique to them that only they can equip. The Jester has seven; 2 common, 2 Crimson Court and 1 uncommon, rare and very rare. In the base game, his lower level trinkets are dice and his high level trinkets are tambourines. The Crimson Court DLC adds a necklace made from a finger bone and poisoned goblet.


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District Bonus
The Crimson Court DLC adds Districts to the Hamlet, some of which confer passive benefits to heroes.


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Customisation
As for every hero, the Jester has four different colour palettes to choose from: red, purple, green and black.

Barks
"Truly amusing..."

- Jester

"At last, the greatest joke of all..."

- Jester

"What's the deal with pinapple...I am right?"

- Jester

"If we are going to die, let's at least enjoy it."

- Jester

"Lose not your grip on the dreams of the past, you must just fight to keep them alive!"

- The Jester

"Look at this fool, this imbecile! Playing the hero, are you?! Ha-HAA."

- The Jester

"I've lived in the court. Poison does not affect me anymore."

- The Jester

"Oh, you like knives? Me too... Heh."

- The Jester

"Hah! The jokes's on me then...?"

- The Jester

Trivia

 * Jester's unique camping skills, Tiger's Eye, Turn Back Time, and Every Rose Has Its Thorn are references to famous songs of the same names by music artists Survivor, Cher, and Poison respectively. He also quotes a verse from a song when he activates one of them.
 * Jester's final weapon upgrade, Slash and Solo, is also a reference to Slash, the guitarist of Guns and Roses and his revered solos.
 * The predetermined name of the Jester is Jingles.
 * The Crimson Court DLC trinkets Tyrant's Tasting Cup and Tyrant's Fingerbone implies that the Jester did indeed work in a court (although probably not the Crimson Court), and that he murdered his way out of it.