Jester (Darkest Dungeon II)

"Unchained melodies, played feverishly with lute and blade."

The Jester is a Hero in Darkest Dungeon II.

Class Description

 * Any Rank
 * Bleed
 * Stress Heal
 * Support

Combat Skills

 * The Jester will always start each run equipped with Dd2 ability razorswit.png Razor's Wit, Dd2 ability fadetoblack.png Fade to Black, Dd2 ability sliceoff.png Slice Off, Dd2 ability battleballad.png Battle Ballad, and Dd2 ability inspiringtune.png Inspiring Tune. All other skills must be unlocked through the Shrine of Reflection, after which they are permanently unlocked and available for subsequent playthroughs.

Unique Trinkets

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

Strategy
The Jester is a particularly mobile Hero, as most offensive skills of his skillset require him to change position around the team composition to unleash his full potential. Due to his rather erratic movements, the Jester may present risk when fit into a team who requires Rank consistency or lacks flexibility in movement. Notably, the Jester excels at applying Combo, possessing 4 skills that can inflict said Token in total, more than any other Heroes. Due to his highly flexible skillset with a good target reach, the Jester can reliably perform on any Rank, especially on middle Ranks. Jester has a more supporting role on Rank 3 where he can effectively Stress heal, buff his team or Pull targets, while on Rank 2 he can use  Finale to deal a strong blow on resilient targets.

- Offense: The Jester's skillset mainly revolves around movement, and as such, it it better to pair him with Heroes with high Rank flexibility to adapt to allies' movement (Highwayman,Grave Robber, etc.). While theLeper, who is severely lacking in terms of mobility, may seem like a bad companion for the Jester, he can use Bash to apply  Immobilize on himself to avoiding being moved by Jester's said skills. At the same time, if used in a right way; Bash, as well as similar skills that apply  Immobilize (Hellion's  Toe to Toe orMan-at-Arms'  Hold the Line), can also lock the Jester in his place and give him extra chances to use certain movement skills. For example, if theLeper has Immobilize on Rank 1, the Jester can use  Razor's Wit on Rank 2 without losing access to it.


 * One of the Jester's primary offensive moves is the combination of Dd2 ability razorswit.png Razor's Wit and Dd2 ability fadetoblack.png Fade to Black, both of which move the Jester back and forth and reduce enemies' accuracy, potentially forcing them miss highly damaging attacks. When upgraded, both skills apply dd2 token combo.png Combo on enemies, which enable additional effects of allies' skills (Stun dd2.png Stun fromPortraits-manatarms.png-at-Arms or higher CRIT chance forPortraits-graverobber.png Robber).


 * If the player wants to maintain the Jester's position, use either Dd2 ability sliceoff.png Slice Off or Dd2 ability harvest.png Harvest to assault mid-Rank targets and apply Bleed dd2.png Bleed to them. While Dd2 ability sliceoff.png Slice Off does not apply dd2 token combo.png Combo like Dd2 ability razorswit.png Razor's Wit and Dd2 ability fadetoblack.png Fade to Black, it applies a Dd2 token vulnerable.png Vulnerable Token for a harder subsequent hit. Dd2 ability harvest.png Harvest can simultaneously apply dd2 token combo.png Combo on multiple targets, albeit with a significantly reduced chance (33%).


 * Jester can utilize a combo of upgraded Dd2 ability solo.png Solo and Dd2 ability finale.png Finale to quickly take down tough enemies (especially large-sized ones). Dd2 ability solo.png Solo will be the prime move to inflict dd2 token combo.png Combo and apply Dd2 token dodgeplus.png Dodge+ on the Jester for defense, then followed by Dd2 ability finale.png Finale, which deals double damage to targets with dd2 token combo.png Combo . If Dd2 ability solo.png Solo is not available, use upgraded Dd2 ability razorswit.png Razor's Wit or Dd2 ability fadetoblack.png Fade to Black. To avoid spending turn for Dd2 ability solo.png Solo, the player may want to bring Heroes with Combo -inflicting skills (Portraits-highwayman.pngayman,Portraits-manatarms.png-at-Arms, etc.). Notably,Portraits-highwayman.pngayman's upgraded Dd2 ability trackingshot.png Tracking Shot can both apply dd2 token combo.png Combo and remove all Dd2 token dodge.png Dodge and Dd2 token dodgeplus.png Dodge+ from Jester's targets, guaranteeing his destructive Dd2 ability finale.png Finale hit.

- Survivability: As the Jester has a particularly low HP, he mainly depends on his Dodge and  Dodge+ Tokens gained from  Razor's Wit and  Solo to avoid taking too much damage.

- Support: The Jester can be considered to be among the most effective Stress healers. Inspiring Tune can be used on Jester himself and his teammates alike, healing up to 3 Stress and removing  Horror. However, the Stress heal only apply if targets have at least 5  Stress, a typical drawback of most Stress -healing skills.


 * Beside Dd2 token stress.png Stress heals, the Jester's arsenal offers skills that either move teammates forward or backward if they are displaced by enemies. Dd2 ability playout.png Play Out is primarily used to protect back-Rank Heroes, providing them with Dd2 token block.png Block or Dd2 token blockplus.png Block+, while also pushing them back if they are pulled to the front. Dd2 ability playout.png Play Out will have more use if the Heroes' party encounters enemies that tend to target back-Rank Heroes and deal a huge amount of damage to them, such as Arbalist. In contrast to Dd2 ability playout.png Play Out, Dd2 ability battleballad.png Battle Ballad pushes a Hero the front and applies a Dd2 token strength.png Strength Token for a stronger attack. It is preferably used on front-liners with limited mobility (Portraits-leper.png) or with skills that have strict Rank requirement but deals great damage (Portraits-highwayman.pngayman,Portraits-manatarms.png-at-Arms, and Portraits-hellion.pngon).


 * Dd2 ability echoingmarch.png Echoing March, unlike other similar skills, does not only pull enemies to the front, but also applies on them an additional Pull effect that triggers every time they begin their turns. As such, Dd2 ability echoingmarch.png Echoing March is highly effective against troublesome back-Rank enemies that always attempts to move away from the front if given the chance, particularly Cherubs. Furthermore, the constant Pull effect from the skill may disrupt enemy Ranks, preventing them from using certain effective skills.


 * Dd2 ability encore.png Encore is a quite unique skill among Heroes, being the only one that can grant extra actions. Dd2 ability encore.png Encore allows teammates to perform demanding skill combos within just a single turn. For example, thePortraits-leper.png can use Dd2 ability ruin.png Ruin and Dd2 ability withstand.png Withstand (or Dd2 ability intimidate.png Intimidate) to prepare for a lethal hit. Similarly, the Portraits-hellion.pngon can use Dd2 ability bleedout.png Bleed Out and Dd2 ability bloodlust.png Bloodlust for extra damage onBleed dd2.png Bleed targets in the next turn. ThePortraits-manatarms.png-at-Arms can gain Dd2 token block.png Block and Dd2 token blockplus.png Block+ through various skills (Dd2 ability standfast.png Stand Fast, Dd2 ability holdtheline.png Hold the Line, Dd2 ability defender.png Defender, etc.) and immediately use Dd2 ability courageousabandon.png Courageous Abandon for massive damage against Rank 1.

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

Chapter One: Some Strange Melody
"The accursed melody was a trap beyond all cunning"
 * Unlocks dd2 ability playout.png Play Out

- The Jester

"He was a layabout without aspiration or purpose, content to loiter on street corners languidly busking for passersby. Roughly ushered from the bustling commercial blocks, he wandered the forgotten corners of the city. An intoxicating melody drifted over a nearby cemetery wall, and he stumbled deliriously amongst the tombstones in search of the performer..."

- The Academic

Chapter Two: Music of the Night
Hint: This is the order by which the player should use their skills to complete this Hero Shrine:
 * Objective: Win The Duel
 * Unlocks dd2 ability harvest.png Harvest

"The song found ambition buried dead in my heart and made it dance..."
 * Round 1: Violinist (Intro), Jester (Verse)
 * Round 2: Violinist (Chorus), Jester (Verse)
 * Round 3: Violinist (Chorus), Jester (Bridge)
 * Round 4: Violinist (Missteps), Jester (Solo)
 * Round 5: Violinist (Verse), Jester (Chorus)
 * Round 6: Violinist (Verse), Jester (Chorus)
 * Round 7: Violinist (Solo), Jester (Finale)

- The Jester

"He could learn this unearthly hymn... and claim it as his own!"

- The Academic

"Ambition, so long dormant within him, had been roused. He delighted in fantasies of fame, renown... and respect."

- The Academic

Chapter Three: Play to the Crowd
"And so the trap snapped shut on me."
 * Unlocks dd2 ability echoingmarch.png Echoing March

- The Jester

"When word of his uncommon talent reached the palace, he was summoned to entertain King and Court. Anticipating an historic performance and enthused adulation, he was stunned to find himself instead the object of their debased ridicule. While his noble audience dined drunkenly, he was mocked, tortured, and subjected to an obscene array of decadent humiliations..."

- The Academic

Chapter Four: A Dark Song
"Just as it was meant to, the song loosed the leash of my inhibitions..."
 * Objective: Play 3 Melodies
 * Unlocks dd2 ability finale.png Finale

- The Jester

"He unleashed his resentment upon instrument and crowd, playing the demoniac melody with unrestrained fury!"

- The Academic

"This was the song of the dead - and it had exacted a fitting tribute."

- The Academic

Chapter Five: Finale
"Ask any animal if it was worth it to gnaw off a limb for freedom."
 * Unlocks dd2 ability solo.png Solo and dd2 ability encore.png Encore

- The Jester

"Bowing low, he basked in the echoing applause of dripping blood. The scene of wholesale dismemberment drove him to fits of mirthless hysterics. He was laughing still as he placed the blade against his own hand, severing his connection to whatever twisted talent he had so fleetingly enjoyed. Aimlessly, he drifted from the hall, humming broken bars of a discordant melody he could not quite remember..."

- The Academic

Trivia

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