Darkest Dungeon 2: Best Man-At-Arms Builds

Darkest Dungeon 2 is finally here and it’s just as unforgiving as the first game. That’s why you need to know some good builds for each character. The Man-At-Arms is the best tank character in the game, not only that but it’s good at Stress healing as well. If you want to have a Man-At-Arms in your team, then you should know the different viable builds you can do.

In this guide, we’ll show you 3 of the best Man-At-Arms builds in the game. Now let’s dive in and see what those builds are.

Best Man-At-Arms Builds

The Man-At-Arms is a character that can have a number of different builds. The builds we’ll be focusing on is a Vanguard build that deals some good damage, a Bulwark build that specializes in tanking as well as a Sergeant build that’s more of a mix between that first two.

Vanguard Build

Choosing the Vanguard for your Man-At-Arms will increase its already high health pool as well as buffing a couple of the attacks. The downside is that they have a lower resistance to damage-over-time effects like Bleed.

Here are the skills that you should get:

Bolster – Probably the strongest Man-At-Arms skill in the game. It’s your main stress heal.
Retribution – You main taunt and riposte skill.
Crush – A strong attack that you should always have, it even heals you.
Defender or Rampart – Defender is a safe pick if you’re not sure since it gives you block and protection to an ally. Ramapart is great to fix positioning and if upgraded can stun.
Strategic Withdrawal – Great to use in a pinch and has some good damage as well.

This build is best placed at the second slot to the right of the party. It can tank a lot using Defender, can deal good damage with Crush and Retribution and can heal stress as well with Bolster. An overall great addition to almost every line-up.

Bulwark Build

When choosing Bulwark this character will excell in tanking. It reduces the damage of crush and riposte but increases shield attack skills. Not only that but Stand Fast gains taunt when choosing Bulwark.

Here are the skills you should get for Bulwark:

Bolster – It’s a must have skil since it’s a stress heal for the bulwark and its allies.
Retribution – Even if the damage for riposte is lower you still get taunt.
Stand Fast – Adds a ton of block and keeps on adding it. Also it gets taunt due to being a Bulwark.
Rampart – Boosted damage since it’s a shield attack but also an increased chance for stun.
Defender or Strategic Withdrawal – Defender is again a safe choice to just add to the tank capabilities of this build. Strategic Withdrawal is great in combination with Rampart.

The Bulwark needs to be at the front but can do well in the same position as Vanguard. You should always aim to upgrade Bolster first then go with either Stand Fast or Rampart. This build is a bit needy in terms of mastery but it’s tanking potential is the best in the game.

Sergeant Build

For this build it’s more of a utility build that can be good for any party composition. The Sergeant reduces all the damage of the character but has 100% movement resistance. It also buffs an ally each turn to resist damage-over-time effects.

Here are the skills you’ll need to take for this Sergeant build:

Bolster – Still the best skill for the Man-At-Arms and a must have for stress healing.
Retribution – Despite the damage debuff it’s still good for taunting.
Defender – Can be used in any position which is great.
Command or Rampart – Removes blindness, great for certain bosses. Rampart is also great if you want more damage and repositioning.
Bellow or Strategic Withdrawal – The choice depends on what you’re fighting with bellow being the norm. Strategic Withdrawal is great paired with Rampart.

A somewhat weird build that strangely works in any position in the team. It’s a great utility build that can help a better team but also can act as a combination between Bulwark and Vanguard. You can build this as tanky or damaging as possible depending on the skill choices.

Those are the 3 best Man-At-Arms builds for Darkest Dungeon 2. Be sure to try out all of these builds and see what best suits your play style! If you want another tanky character, then the Leper is for you. Make sure to check our guide on the Leper so that you can have another tank in your team!

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