Runaway (Darkest Dungeon II)

"Fire and smoke - destruction and concealment."

The Runaway is a Hero in Darkest Dungeon II.

Class Description

 * Front Rank
 * Burn
 * Stealth
 * Support

Combat Skills

 * The Runaway will always start each run equipped with Dd2 ability searingstrike.png Searing Strike, Dd2 ability firefly.png Firefly, Dd2 ability smokescreen.png Smokescreen, Dd2 ability runandhide.png Run and Hide, and Dd2 ability hearthlight.png Hearthlight. All other skills must be unlocked through the Shrine of Reflection, after which they are permanently 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
As a new addition to the Hero's roster in Darkest Dungeon II, the Runaway's skillset has a heavy focus on Burn - a newly-introduced DOT effect. The Runaway is primarily a front-liner, having access to most of her skills when placed on the front Ranks. Furthermore, she can target the back Ranks, provided that she stays on Rank 3 or 4, where she can not use various skills. She is one of the few Heroes that can use Stealth and also among the few that can heal allies.

- Offense: Most of Runaway's offensive skills deal low to average damage, accompanied by Burn effects.


 * In the early progress of the game, the Runaway main attacks are Dd2 ability searingstrike.png Searing Strike, Dd2 ability firefly.png Firefly, and Dd2 ability ransack.png Ransack which can get the Runaway back to the front and pull Rank 3 enemies. If the Runaway finds herself in the back Ranks, she can use Dd2 ability firefly.png Firefly to deal particularly high Burn dd2.png Burn damage to back-Rank enemies. As the Runaway makes her progress through Shrines of Reflection, she will be able to use more effective skills such as Dd2 ability dragonfly.png Dragonfly, which inflicts Burn dd2.png Burn on two targets at once. Dd2 ability searingstrike.png Searing Strike Dd2 ability firefly.png Firefly, Dd2 ability ransack.png Ransack can be upgraded to quickly spread Burn dd2.png Burn effects among enemy Ranks if they hit targets with dd2 token combo.png Combo, which can be either applied via the Runaway's Dd2 ability smokescreen.png Smokescreen or other skills of teammates, particularlyPortraits-jester.pngr.


 * The Runaway does not have to inflict Burn dd2.png Burn via her skills alone. She can use Dd2 ability firestarter.png Firestarter on her teammates to allow their offensive skills to deal Burn dd2.png Burn . Dd2 ability firestarter.png Firestarter is best used Heroes who can hit multiple targets at a time to apply multiple Burn dd2.png Burn effects at once (such as Portraits-hellion.pngon's Dd2 ability breakthrough.png Breakthrough,Portraits-occultist.pngtist's Dd2 ability anamnesis.png Anamnesis orPortraits-plaguedoctor.pnge Doctor's Dd2 ability magnesiumrain.png Magnesium Rain).


 * Dd2 ability controlledburn.png Controlled Burn applies a special Token of same name: Dd2 token controlledburn.png. Uniquely, this Token is fixated on a Rank, instead of an actual enemy. As such, it can cause multiple enemies to receive Burn dd2.png Burn, if they frequently change their positions. To maximize the damage potential of Dd2 token controlledburn.png Controlled Burn , apply the Token to a front Rank (Rank 1 or 2) and use movement skills (particular Pull skills) on back-Rank enemies, as they typically have much higher Icon speed dd2.png SPD compared to the front-Rank ones. Once pulled to the front, they usually act first and may receive Burn dd2.png Burn at their turn, and (in most cases) attempts to retreat to the back, subsequently causing the front enemies to suffer the same fate when they start their turn after their back-Rank fellows.


 * After building a sufficiently large amount of Burn dd2.png Burn on enemies, Dd2 ability backdraft.png Backdraft can be used to deal a considerable amount of damage to a target, based on the Burn dd2.png Burn amount inflicted on an enemy in front of it. Since Dd2 ability backdraft.png Backdraft requires a burning target serving as a "damage source" to inflict damage on another, it will become unusable if there is only one enemy left in a battle, unless said enemy takes up at least 2 Ranks. Be careful when using Dd2 ability backdraft.png Backdraft alongside Dd2 ability causeofdeath.png Cause of Death, as the latter will remove all Burn dd2.png Burn effects on a target and thus effectively removing a damage source needed to use Dd2 ability backdraft.png Backdraft.

- Survivability: Because the Runaway lacks any kind of defenses ( Block, Dodge , etc.), she mainly relies on the  Stealth effect from  Run and Hide to avoid harm when her HP is critically low. Run and Hide can be upgraded to apply a small Restoration effect on the Runaway, which can save her from  Death's Door state. While Cauterize can heal a decent amount of HP, it is somewhat unreliable, only becoming usable on the Runaway or other teammates when they are affected by  Bleed. However, among other healing skills, Cauterize is unique in a way that it does not require a certain HP threshold to work. Cauterize is a valuable asset when the Hero's party suffers from copious Bleed effects inflicted by enemies such as Pillager Hatchetman, Evengelist or Knight.

- Support: The Runaway's upgraded Smokescreen can apply  Blind and  Vulnerable, causing enemies to miss and suffer more damage from attacks. In addition, the Combo Token from  Smokescreen can enhance certain skills of other Heroes.


 * When facing enemies that primarily utilize Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth to protect themselves (Urchin and Swine Skulker), the Runaway can use Dd2 ability hearthlight.png Hearthlight to remove their Dd2 token stealth.png Stealth, exposing them to normal attacks. The upgraded version of Dd2 ability hearthlight.png Hearthlight additionally remove Dd2 token blind.png Blind , which can be effective against the Fanatics in the Sprawl region, as many of them can inflict Dd2 token blind.png Blind . The Dd2 token blind.png Blind removal is particularly useful for thePortraits-leper.png as he is extremely susceptible to Dd2 token blind.png Blind Tokens. As the Runaway Icon speed dd2.png SPD is higher thanPortraits-leper.png's, she will most likely be able to clear all Dd2 token blind.png Blind effects from him, before he starts his turn to attack.

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

Chapter One: The Pigs of Saint Martha's
"I only felt the pain from the brand the first time."
 * Objective: Steal The 3 Keys And Escape
 * Unlocks dd2 ability ransack.png Ransack

- The Runaway

"Her pious caretakers had marked her for the last time... Tonight, she would escape their cruelty at last."

- The Academic

"She ran blindly into the rain, the squeals of the pursuing Sisters lost in the howling wind."

- The Academic

Chapter Two: Beloved
"My painful memories hid from the warmth of their love."
 * Unlocks dd2 ability cauterize.png Cauterize

- The Runaway

"Good fortune is a rare and wondrous thing. She straggled from place to place, drenched and hungry, until a kindly woodsman and his wife happened upon her. Childless themselves, they welcomed her into their home, where she warmed herself in the glow of their hearth and hearts."

- The Academic

Chapter Three: Drawn to the Flame
"How could this thing that warmed us on cold nights be terrible?"
 * Unlocks dd2 ability controlledburn.png Controlled Burn

- The Runaway

"She would stay up long into the night, tending the fire. Captivated by its shifting hues, she thrilled to the eerie dance of spark and ember, running her fingers absentmindedly over the scars that patterned her arm. The hearthlight seemed somehow alive, and in these private moments, she yearned to reach out and be touched once against by its searing embrace."

- The Academic

Chapter Four: Burnt Offering
"If I made the fire my friend, it couldn't hurt me anymore."
 * Objective: Play With Fire
 * Unlocks dd2 ability dragonfly.png Dragonfly

- The Runaway

"An accident, but surely there was time to contain the flames!"

- The Academic

"The walls were alight! There was no stopping it now..."

- The Academic

Chapter Five: Ashes
"Fire itself is not evil. It can't choose what it devours..."
 * Unlocks dd2 ability firestarter.png Firestarter and dd2 ability backdraft.png Backdraft

- The Runaway

"She stood in the center of the inferno, transfixed by its swirling, kaleidoscopic beauty... Her rapturous fixation was cut short by a heavy beam falling from the ceiling, blocking the door. Panicked, she dove headlong through a window as the cabin bloomed into a pyre. Heaped upon the wet grass, she heard the screams of her adoptive parents... trapped and burning in their bedroom."

- The Academic

Trivia

 * The Runaway is the first new Hero to be introduced in Darkest Dungeon II, and one of the first nine Heroes to be available in the sequel.


 * The Runaway's father is likely the inspiration for the Gaunt-type enemy, the Woodcutter, found in almost all regions of the game. There's even a trinket named Runaway-carved-toy.png Carved Toy that is reflected in the Woodcutter's skill Carve the Toy.