The Occultist: Eldritch Scholar — Darkest Dungeon II Walkthrough

The Occultist: Eldritch Scholar

The Occultist in Darkest Dungeon II is a versatile support hero capable of both potent damage and crucial healing, albeit with a touch of chaotic randomness. Mastering his kit involves understanding when to lean into his eldritch offensive capabilities and when to rely on his unpredictable but powerful healing. This guide will walk you through optimizing the Occultist for your expeditions.

Understanding the Occultist's Core Mechanics

The Occultist's strength lies in his ability to apply various debuffs, deal respectable damage, and provide emergency healing. His unique mechanics revolve around his Eldritch abilities and the inherent risk/reward of his healing skill.

• Wyrd Reconstruction: This is the Occultist's signature healing skill. It heals for a random amount (0-100% of the target's HP) and has a chance to apply a Bleed token. While the potential for a zero heal can be frustrating, the high ceiling makes it invaluable for critical situations. Always weigh the risk; sometimes a small heal is better than a potentially massive one with a Bleed.
• Weakening Curse: A fantastic debuff that applies Weak to a target, reducing their damage output. Crucial for mitigating incoming damage from high-threat enemies.
• Vulnerability Hex: Applies Vulnerable to a target, making them take increased damage from all sources. Excellent for focusing down priority targets.
• Abyssal Artillery: A backline-hitting damage skill that applies Burn. Useful for chipping away at ranged threats.
• Daemon's Pull: Pulls an enemy forward and applies a Weak token. Great for disrupting enemy formations and setting up combo attacks.
• Sacrificial Stab: A melee attack that deals good damage and has a chance to apply Bleed or Blight. Best used when the Occultist is in the front ranks.

Strategic Skill Loadouts and Paths

The Occultist benefits greatly from choosing the right path to amplify his strengths. Each path offers distinct advantages:

Ritualist Path (Default)

The Ritualist path enhances the Occultist's debuff and damage capabilities. This is a solid all-around choice for a balanced Occultist.

• Key Skills:
  • Weakening Curse: Prioritize upgrading this for increased Weak token application.
  • Vulnerability Hex: Essential for amplifying team damage.
  • Abyssal Artillery: Your primary ranged damage and Burn application.
  • Wyrd Reconstruction: Always keep this available for emergency heals.
  • Daemon's Pull: For repositioning and additional Weak.
• Strategy: Focus on debuffing high-priority enemies with Weakening Curse and Vulnerability Hex. Use Abyssal Artillery to clear backline threats. Position the Occultist in ranks 3 or 4 to maximize the effectiveness of his ranged skills.
• Trinkets: Look for trinkets that boost debuff chance, such as the Stygian Shard (increased Debuff Chance) or those that improve Burn damage like the Pyre Stone. Trinkets that increase healing received for the team can also mitigate the risk of Wyrd Reconstruction.

Warlock Path (Damage Focus)

The Warlock path transforms the Occultist into a potent damage dealer, specializing in Burn and Blight. His Wyrd Reconstruction becomes less reliable, so pair him with another healer.

• Key Skills:
  • Abyssal Artillery: Becomes your primary damage skill, dealing significantly more Burn. Upgrade this immediately.
  • Sacrificial Stab: Gains Blight application, making it a strong front-rank attack.
  • Weakening Curse: Still valuable for damage mitigation.
  • Malediction: A Warlock-exclusive skill that applies Blight and reduces Blight resistance. Essential for this path.
• Strategy: Position the Warlock Occultist in ranks 1 or 2 if using Sacrificial Stab frequently, otherwise ranks 3 or 4 for Abyssal Artillery spam. Focus on applying and stacking Burn and Blight tokens on enemies.
• Trinkets: Prioritize trinkets that boost Burn and Blight damage/chance, such as the Igniting Torch (increased Burn chance/damage) or the Blight Charm. The Greater Blight Amulet is also excellent for this path.

Arbiter Path (Support Focus)

The Arbiter path enhances the Occultist's healing and support capabilities, making Wyrd Reconstruction more consistent and powerful. This is ideal when you need a dedicated healer.

• Key Skills:
  • Wyrd Reconstruction: Becomes much more reliable with increased minimum heal and reduced Bleed chance. Upgrade this first.
  • Weakening Curse: Still a strong debuff.
  • Vulnerability Hex: For team damage amplification.
  • The Burning Stars: An Arbiter-exclusive skill that deals damage and applies Burn, but also provides a small heal to the Occultist.
• Strategy: Position the Arbiter Occultist in ranks 3 or 4. Your main role is to keep your team healthy with Wyrd Reconstruction while still providing crucial debuffs and occasional damage.
• Trinkets: Focus on trinkets that boost healing, like the Healing Incense (increased healing done) or the Convalescing Charm (increased healing received). Trinkets that reduce stress for the team, such as the Stress Relieving Incense, can also be beneficial.

Combat Tactics and Synergies

The Occultist excels in parties that can capitalize on his debuffs and manage the randomness of his healing.

• Debuff Synergy:
  • Pair with heroes who deal high single-target damage, like the Highwayman (Point Blank Shot, Duelist's Advance) or Leper (Chop, Hew), to exploit Vulnerable tokens.
  • Use Weakening Curse on powerful enemies like the Dreaming General or Leviathan to significantly reduce incoming damage.
• Healing Management:
  • Always have a backup plan for healing. The Plague Doctor (Battlefield Medicine) or Flagellant (Redeem) can provide consistent healing to complement Wyrd Reconstruction.
  • Use Combat Items like Healing Salve or Bandages to counteract Bleed tokens from Wyrd Reconstruction or to provide a guaranteed small heal when needed.
  • Consider using Laudanum to manage stress if the Occultist's chaotic nature causes stress damage to the team.
• Token Management:
  • The Occultist is excellent at applying Weak and Vulnerable. Ensure your other heroes are aware of these tokens and can exploit them.
  • If playing the Warlock path, coordinate with other Blight/Burn heroes like the Plague Doctor or Runaway to stack damage over time.

Recommended Trinkets and Items

• Trinkets:
  • Stygian Shard: +Debuff Chance, making your Weakening Curse and Vulnerability Hex more reliable.
  • Pyre Stone: +Burn Damage, excellent for Ritualist and Warlock paths.
  • Blight Charm / Greater Blight Amulet: +Blight Chance/Damage, crucial for Warlock's Sacrificial Stab and Malediction.
  • Healing Incense: +Healing Done, for Arbiter path's Wyrd Reconstruction.
  • Convalescing Charm: +Healing Received, helps mitigate the risk of Wyrd Reconstruction's Bleed.
  • Whispering Idol: +Max HP, +Stress Resistance, good for general survivability.
• Combat Items:
  • Healing Salve: Essential for guaranteed small heals and removing Bleed.
  • Bandages: Specifically for removing Bleed tokens.
  • Laudanum: For stress management, especially if Wyrd Reconstruction's randomness causes stress.
  • Controlled Burn: Enhances Burn damage, great for Warlock.
  • Toxic Ichor: Enhances Blight damage, also great for Warlock.

Mastery and General Tips

• Skill Prioritization: Always upgrade Wyrd Reconstruction first on the Arbiter path. For Ritualist, prioritize Weakening Curse and Vulnerability Hex. For Warlock, Abyssal Artillery and Malediction are key.
• Positioning: The Occultist is most effective in ranks 3 or 4 for his ranged skills. If you plan to use Sacrificial Stab frequently (especially as Warlock), he can move to ranks 1 or 2, but be mindful of his lower HP.
• Flame Management: The Occultist can be a good choice for expeditions where you aim to keep the Flame high, as his debuffs reduce incoming damage, making encounters safer.
• Relationship Management: A stressed Occultist can be a liability. Keep his stress low with items or other heroes' stress-healing abilities.

By understanding the Occultist's unique blend of chaos and power, you can transform this Eldritch Scholar into an indispensable asset for your journey through the Darkest Dungeon II.