

This is even more pronounced when the battle is going really well and he can spend the last few turns topping up health bars and making sure the party will be prepared for the next encounter. Since he shouldn't be the main damage dealer, he can quite easily pivot to providing backup healing and torch management. It's important to remember the Crusader's brilliant support options.

When using a Crusader, definitely team him up with classes who can reliably hit the back ranks of the enemy party, such as the Highwayman. He's great for thinning out the enemy front-ranks. While other classes can deal more damage (like the Leper and the Abomination), the Crusader's damage output is by no means terrible. The Crusader really excels at being a meatshield in the front ranks while supporting the teammates he has behind him. It's a fantastic skill to use early on in a run to stave off as much stress as possible. Not only that, but it gives them a buff against stress gain for four battles, much like Unshakable Leader. The Crusader's most time-costly skill is Zealous Speech, which reduces the stress of the entire party. These occur whenever a party member has healed away from Death's Door, so this skill is great for salvaging tricky runs. Not only will it reduce one companion's stress by 15 points, but it will remove any mortality debuffs they have accrued. Stand Tall is great skill for parties who have already suffered. This is best used when anticipating a boss fight that could prove quite stressful, such as the Miller. Unshakable Leader is a passive buff that makes the Crusader take 25 percent less stress for four battles. Zealous Vigil is a 25 point stress reduction that also has the benefit of preventing nighttime ambushes, so it's never bad to equip. They can make a significant difference to a player's survival chances, and the Crusader happens to possess some neat unique camping skills perfect for reducing stress - something important in Lovecraftian horror. Crusaders have two useful self-target camping skills. Picking the right skills for camping is very important in Darkest Dungeon. This is a great skill to have in any situation, except perhaps zero torch runs where the player is hoping to get a ton of loot. Their final skill is Inspiring Cry, which not only heals a very small amount, but improves the torch level and even reduces the target's stress. It will also Mark him, making him more of a target - which is a boon for tanky builds, but less useful if the Crusader is low on health. However, it can only target the Crusader. The first is Bulwark of Faith which acts as a useful defensive buff while restoring a large amount of light. The final two skills in the Crusaders' toolbox both restore a party's torch level. Rather, it's better used to keep allies out of dangerous health ranges, topping up HP before finishing a battle off and for saving a fallen teammate from Death's Door.

Battle Heal shouldn't be considered a main source of healing - this is a task better left to the Vestals and Occultists. They focus on survivability and really shine in moments of trouble. The Crusader's non-offensive skills available are definitely supportive in nature. RELATED: Why Horror Games Are More Effective In First-Person Knowing this will help players plan out a Crusader's skill setup if they know what types of enemies they'll be up against. While it seems like a simple and boring offensive skill, it has the neat effect of dealing extra damage to unholy enemies, firmly establishing the Crusader as a holy warrior. Every Crusader starts out with Smite, meaning they will never have to pay to unlock it. Stunning Blow has a chance to Stun enemies, so it's great to have for putting strong or annoying enemies out of commission for a while. They can all target the first two ranks of the enemy team, with the latter targeting both at the same time. The standard skills available to the Crusader are Smite, Stunning Blow and Zealous Accusation. Balancing offense and support is a good strategy to start with. What skills a Crusader picks will depend on the rest of the team, but there aren't many ways that a player can get it wrong. This is a great skill to have if the player is expecting to go up against any enemies that shuffle the party around. Not only are most of their offensive skills only available on the frontlines, but they even have the Holy Lance skill that lets them leap forwards a rank. At a glance, it's clear that Crusaders enjoy being in the front ranks.
