Cultist Acolyte

Cultist Acolyte

Enemy Type	Human
Size	Average (1)
Drops	Loot Table A x1
Actions per round
Stats
Variation	Cultist Acolyte	Cultist Enchantress	Cultist Witch
HP	13	18	25
HP (Stygian/Bloodmoon)	16	22	30
Dodge	12.5	21.25	33.75
Protection	0	0	0
Speed	7	8	9
Stealth	None	None	None
Resistances
Stun	25%	45%	65%
Blight	20%	40%	60%
Bleed	20%	40%	60%
Debuff	40%	60%	80%
Move	10%	30%	50%

Devoted and fanatical followers of the Old Gods, they were drawn to the Estate by either witnessing visions of or hearing rumors about the thing that sleeps within the depths of the Darkest Dungeon. Up until recently, these heretics used to practice their dark and blasphemous religion in secret; far away from the ever watchful eye of the Church of Light. However, now that their ranks have grown substantially in both number and strength, they have begun to conduct their unholy rituals and human sacrifices openly; all in the hopes of awakening the god that lays slumbering below and joining it in glorious ascension.

Acolytes are the dark priestesses of their religion and are typically assisted and protected by Cultist Brawlers. While Acolytes lack the raw physical strength of their male counterparts, they more make up for it by using their unholy and arcane incantations to ravage the minds of those who cross their path. With these incantations, they can summon forth vestiges of unnameable beings from the void to aid them in battle. They patrol the various areas of the Estate, searching for new sacrifices and to destroy any who would oppose them. Periodically, they also offer their services to the various evil factions that plague the land.

Behavior[]

The Cultist Acolyte is a Human enemy that can be encountered in any area, usually with Cultist Brawlers and always in the third and fourth ranks. While unable to inflict the same physical damage as their counterparts, the Acolyte assaults the mind instead, dealing high stress damage with their unholy incantations, which also mark targets from Veteran Level onward to enhance the damage of the Brawler's Rend for the Old Gods. They can also sow confusion by altering the party's formation with Eldritch Push and Eldritch Pull.

Cultist Acolytes have 3 abilities, Stressful Incantation, Eldritch Pull, and Eldritch Push. All of their abilities deal stress on Veteran level onward, and Stressful Incantation marks heroes to synergize with the Cultist Brawlers' Rend for the Old Gods. Overall it has a 2x chance to use Stressful Incantation over Eldritch Pull and Push, except on the Acolyte's first turn, where it has a 7x chance. Interestingly, Acolytes will never use Stressful Incantation if all 4 heroes have a Virtue.

In terms of target priority, it will tend to use Stressful Incantation to focus heroes who are already stressed, with an effective 2x/3x/4x chance depending on difficulty.

Strategy[]

Cultist Acolytes are the prototypical stress dealer—fast, high dodge, but otherwise weak in survivability. Like most stress dealers, they should be focused as a priority target, especially with fast heroes who can take them out before they deal stress damage, as stress typically is harder to deal with than health damage. However, their abilities are not influenced at all by position, and they have no frontline attack like the Bone Courtier's Knife in the Dark, so the only reason to move them is to get them into range of damage dealers.

Apprentice Level
Skill Name	Range	Rank	Target	Accuracy	Crit Chance	Damage	Effect (Target)	Effect (Self)	Notes
Stressful Incantation	Ranged	1,2,3,4	1,2,3,4	82.5%	0%	1	Stress +15 Torch -10
Eldritch Pull	Ranged	2,3,4	3,4	82.5%	6%	1	100% Pull 2
Eldritch Push	Ranged	1,2,3,4	1,2	82.5%	6%	1	100% Knockback 2

Cultist Acolyte

Behavior[]

Strategy[]

Abilities[]

Gallery[]