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Without a doubt, there have been many changes to the game we all knew asDarkest Dungeonin the release of its sequel. One of these changes was the removal of the Bounty Hunter class from hero selection at the Crossroads. Now, the Bounty Hunter is a special hero that can only be hired at an Inn when his poster appears.
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When hired, the Bounty Hunter will replace a hero in your party of your choosing. However, he will not replace them forever. For better or for worse, the Bounty Hunter only sticks around until you reach the next Inn. He is then replaced by the hero he originally substituted.
Bounty Hunter Skills
The differences between the Bounty Hunter and other heroes don’t stop at how he’s employed. Unlike other heroes, the Bounty Hunterhas no hero paths. Instead, he comes with a passive called"Professional.“This passive makes it so thatthere’s always a 50 percent chance that he reapplies a combo token whenever he uses an ability that consumes one. Naturally, this makes the Bounty Hunter best alongside heroes capable of both applying and consuming combo tokens.
Heroes you’ll find provide the most bang for your buck alongside the Bounty Hunter include thePlague Doctor, theRunaway, theOccultist, and theGrave Robber. Each of these heroes has abilities that both apply and consume combo tokens, allowing them to make the most out of the Bounty Hunter’s passive combo token generator.
You can only hire the Bounty Hunter once per run. If you choose not tohire the Bounty Hunter at an Innwhere you find him, there’s a chance you may be able to hire him later. It’s not guaranteed, though.
1, 2, or 3
1 or 2
3 or 4
2, 3, or 4
Any
As you may notice, the Bounty Hunter’s abilities packan absolute wallop. He is capable of both applying Combo tokens and taking advantage of them with ruthless efficiency, allowing you toinsert the Bounty Hunter into any party of your choosing. However,he’s especially effectiveina party that’s already goodat applying and using Combo tokens.
No EscapeandUppercutare arguablythe Bounty Hunter’s best abilitiesas each applies a Stun token to the target, setting them back a turn. However, you can also get a Stun out ofFlashbangif you manage to use it on a target that already has a Combo token.StaredownandBodyguardare useful for protecting your other party members if one of your heroes happens to find themselves near death’s door.
Caltrops, Mark For Death,andCome Hitherare greatcombat openerswhen used on theright targetas they can largely disable an opponent that would otherwise be a nuisance. Lastly,Collect Bounty, Hurlbat,andFinish Himall make for outrageously good finishers assuming you can manage to trigger their extra damage bonuses.Hurlbatin particular should only be used with a party that’s adept at applying Burn tokens, but it’s very effective in these scenarios.
Thanks to the Bounty Hunter’s other abilities, triggeringCollect Bounty and Finish Himshouldn’t be a problem.
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Best Bounty Hunter Builds
As previously mentioned, the Bounty Hunter does not have build paths like other heroes. Thankfully, his “Professional” passive more than makes up for this difference, as Combo tokens unlock some absolutely devasting abilities for many heroes in the game. Consequently,the best Bounty Hunter builds involve making use of his passiveto trigger combo abilities again and again.
The Bounty Hunter can remove an enemy of your choice from a battle entirely if you manage to set them up properly, as detailed below.
The Bounty Hunter is unique in thathe is the only hero capable of applying a Stun token to a target or targets repeatedly. Start by hitting an enemy withNo Escapein order to Stun the target and apply a Combo token. On the following turn,Flashbangthe target to stun them again, thanks to the Stun token already applied to them. Finally, most targets should be low enough at this point for aFinish Himto take them out entirely.
While this is a great generic use of the Bounty Hunter,the skills you want to use on your hero may differbased on whattrinkethe comes with. When hired, the Bounty Hunter spawns equipped with anunlocked Trinketthat you have, butthere’s a chance he will spawn with his own Indelible trinketsif you’ve already unlocked them at the Altar of Hope. If you’re lucky enough to see your Bounty Hunter spawn with an Inedlible trinket,you may want to consider changing his playstyle.
TheCrime Lord’s Molarstrinket works quite well with the strategy outlined above while also buffing the effectiveness of yourCome HitherandUppercutabilities thanks to50 percent Move resist piercing.
TheVengeful Kill Listmakes your Bounty Hunter into an outright assassin thanks to anadded 20 percent Death blow resist piercingand astacking plus three percent damage buffeach time the Bounty Hunterlands a killing blow. Needless to say, this damage increase can quickly get out of control.
Finally, theUtility Belttrinket makes yourCaltrops, Flashbang,andHurlbatskills more effective as they each applyadditional debuffsto the target. Due to its sheer power, theBounty Hunter is one of the most useful and enjoyable heroes to playin Darkest Dungeon 2. Should you be lucky enough to come across him in your travels, we highly recommend paying this professional on the spot.
