The Man At Arms is one of the default characters that you’ll have unlocked at the beginning of your campaign in Darkest Dungeon 2. He is a frontline fighter with plenty of moves that revolve around protecting your allies while also being able to smash up your enemies.

He is a great boon in the early stages of the game while you are still getting to grips with how the game works – his extra HP and defensive abilities will serve you incredible well if you use them correctly, and he only becomes stronger once you have unlocked more of his abilities.

This guide was written during the Early Access release of Darkest Dungeon 2. These details are subject to changes as a result.

Man At Arms Abilities

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The Man At Arms is the quintessential tank and physical fighter and will be until you unlock other offensive characters such as the Leper. He can defend his allies while also pumping out a very decent amount of damage amongst the front ranks of the enemy party. The table below details all of the Man At Arms’ abilities.

Some of these abilities are unlocked by visiting Shrines of Reflection.

Bellow is gained on the first visit to a Shrine.
Stand Fast is gained after beating the second visit’s associated battle.
Retribution is gained on the third visit.
Courageous Abandon is gained after beating the battle at the fourth Shrine visit.
Command and Strategic Withdrawal are gained from the fifth visit to a Shrine.

Understanding the various buffs that the Man At Arms deals with regularly is important to figure out how to use him in battle. Here’s a quick cheat sheet.

Block will reduce the next attack’s damage by 50 percent.
Block+ will instead reduce the next attack’s damage by 75 percent.
Guarded is a buff bestowed upon an ally – when that ally is targeted, the Man At Arms will take the hit for them.
Riposte is a counter-attack stance – when attacked, the Man At Arms will strike back.

It is plain to see that the Man At Arms shines when he is right at the front of the party and is taking attacks. Rampart is decent for making sure he gets to the front while also contributing to the party’s damage, but Hold the Line is the best utility ability for movement. Not only does it move him forwards three ranks but it’ll give him Immobilize, which is a great boon to have against annoying enemies who like to shuffle your ranks around.

While the Man At Arms shines as a defensive tank, he isn’t entirely a slouch in the offense department. Crush will be a staple of your first few hours of gameplay before you’ve unlocked more characters and more abilities – and it’s a reliable attack. Courageous Abandon also ends up being a great trick to pull out in the later stages of a fight to finish it quickly.

Truly where the Man At Arms suffers most is in his lack of ability slots. He just has so many useful skills. Using him effectively is a case of learning how to specialize him into the role you want – tank, hybrid damage dealer, or party buffer?

Man At Arms Shrine Battles

The Man At Arms currently has two Shrine of Reflection battles that he must complete alone to unlock some skills, and they reflect his muddled past.

Second Shrine Visit: A Leader Of Men

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This battle shows the Man At Arms’ initial difficulties in being a leader. This encounter has you buffing your soldiers and sending them to their deaths against an army of soldiers who won’t actually try to attack you. Simply play out the turns as best you can to appreciate the dramatic moments.

Once your Stress meter is maxed out, the battle should end in some sort of victory. For you, that is, not the Man At Arms.

Fourth Shrine Visit: Ghosts Of The Past

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This is where things get a little grim and a little more complex. This battle involves putting to rest both the spirits of your fallen comrades and your guilt at leading them to their deaths.

Every round, one of the spectral soldiers will buff themselves – you must remove this buff with Pour One Out. This will Stun them. Prioritize this – the Crits they buff themselves with will kill you.

Use Rest In Peace to deal a large amount of damage to an enemy, but watch your Stress – use Honor the Dead to heal up to avoid losing the fight.

Once you have defeated every ghost, you will win the battle.

Man At Arms Tips

Every party composition is different, but there are patterns that you’ll notice when it comes to using the Man At Arms.

Just keep him at the front at all times. This is where his skills work and where he will excel as a tank – his primary purpose. He competes with other front-liners such as the Leper as a result of this, so consider using only one or the other.
- Keeping that in mind, Command is a fantastic ability to pair with the Leper, as it both increases damage output while removing Blind – which can be the Leper’s main drawback. This is a potent pairing.
Defensive trinkets are the best for the Man At Arms. Get health increases and status resists to shore up his defenses, and then swap them out for any of his unique trinkets if you happen to come across any. Standard of the Ninth is a fantastic one that will grant him extra stacks of Block rather consistently.
Choose between Defender and Riposte.
- Defender is a better choice when you have low-health allies and survival is key.
- Riposte is a better choice when the party is largely healthy and you simply wish to increase your damage output.
- Remember that you can change your ability loadout at any point outside of combat, so you can adapt on the fly within an area.
Bolster is always a decent ability choice thanks to its Stress healing capabilities. In a game where Stress will be the ender of most runs, this can be crucial to success.

Keeping that in mind, Command is a fantastic ability to pair with the Leper, as it both increases damage output while removing Blind – which can be the Leper’s main drawback. This is a potent pairing.

Defender is a better choice when you have low-health allies and survival is key.
Riposte is a better choice when the party is largely healthy and you simply wish to increase your damage output.
Remember that you can change your ability loadout at any point outside of combat, so you can adapt on the fly within an area.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/darkest-dungeon-2-overpowered-man-at-arms-build/

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