Death (Darkest Dungeon II)

Death

Stats [Compare Stats] [View/Edit Data]
HP	80
Speed	6
Death Armor	3
Resistances
Bleed	75%
Blight	30%
Burn	20%
Stun	50%
Move	20%
Debuff	30%
Low ▪ Medium ▪ High
Other Attributes
Types	None
Size	2
Turns per Round	2
Permanent Condition(s)
On Spawn: , x2 On Turn Start: If HP < 75%: If Target : +25% DMG If HP < 50%: If Target : +25% DMG If HP < 25%: If Target : +25% DMG

“	Death is manifest, and will suffer no abnegation.	„
	~ The Academic

Death is a boss hunting the Flagellant in Darkest Dungeon II.

Behaviour

Whenever the Flagellant is present, Death has a 6% chance to appear at the end of a Resistance Encounter or Road Battle with regional enemies (that is, enemies that are not Pillagers, Cultists, Gaunts, or Military).

She spawns with two indestructible, untargetable Gravestones. A number of her skills will cause her to move backwards through the Gravestones, and when she is in the back ranks she will use Trample, a devastating ability that applies Shuffle, Bleed, and Stress to the entire party.

Not only do many of her skills apply Bleed, but she also has a permanent buff that boosts her damage against bleeding targets. On the other hand, she is relatively less resistant against Blight and Burn.

Skills

Skill Name	DMG	CRIT	Self	Effects
Memento Mori	-	-	-	Free Action, Only Used at Combat Start Only Targets Flagellant Ignores , , , • Add • Add • : -50% RES Debuff Cannot Be Resisted Stun Can Be Resisted
Shadow of Death	4-8	5%	• Back 1	• Add • 2
Soul Reaver Cooldown 1	8-12	10%	-	• 4 • +1 , +1 (50%) • If Target : Transfers all DOTS
Waning Crescent	4-7	15%	• Add x2 • Back 3 Allows usage of Trample	-
Trample*	4-7	5%	• Forward 3	Can only be used After Waning Crescent • 2 • +1 , +1 (25%) • Shuffle

Notes

Similar to the Implication's BOOOOOOOM!, Trample hits fewer targets the closer Death is to rank 1.

Rewards

In addition to the usual Relics and Baubles, defeating Death will also reward Mastery Points along with one of the following Death's Head trinkets:

Image	Trinket	Description
	Death's Head Indelible	On Entering Death's Door: Remove All Negative Tokens, Remove +100% RES while on Death's Door
	Death's Head Indelible	On Entering Death's Door: , , -2 On Leaving Death's Door: , , -2
	Death's Head Indelible	+100% DMG while on Death's Door +25% CRIT while on Death's Door
	Death's Head Indelible	On Leaving Death's Door: Heal 100%
	Death's Head Indelible	On Entering Death's Door: , , -2 On Leaving Death's Door: , , -2

Strategy

Due to her possibly appearing at the end of any Resistance Encounter or Road Battle against regional enemies, the best preparation is to go into these battles assuming that she'll always appear, and plan accordingly: once combat starts, it will no longer be possible to swap skills or Combat Items.
Death spawns upon the death of the last enemy, but does not take actions until the next round. Thus if the last enemy is killed early in the round (by a fast hero or damage over time), then the party will get a few free turns to attack Death before she can act.
Death will always use Memento Mori as a free action in her first turn, exclusively targeting Flagellant with a Stun, Horror and a to his RES for the remainder of the battle. Having a fast hero with an item or skill that can clear can the first turn much less punishing.
Her most devastating attacks are Soul Reaver and Trample. Both require some setup before they can be used, and can be anticipated accordingly.
- Soul Reaver applies heavy damage and Bleed and inflicts Stress on a hero. The damage becomes especially devastating given Death's damage bonus against bleeding targets, and her party-wide from Trample. Her ability to transfer Damage over Time effects also makes her especially resilient to them—when fighting her, it is best to have some way of removing and , or redirecting her attacks towards another hero.
- Trample, which can only be used after Waning Crescent, will Shuffle the entire party while dealing Stress and Bleed. The further back Death is, the more heroes Trample will target. Since Death only has average RES, one way to mitigate the skill's effects is to Pull her to the front, where the skill will only hit the front two heroes. Alternatively, Immobilize can also be used preemptively.

Trivia

The design of Death seems to take inspiration from the Bible verse that describes one of the four horsemen. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him."
The move "Trample" is very similar to the move "Trample" used by the Plow Horse in The Color of Madness. They both are used from the back ranks and shuffle your party.
The "Deathblow" icon and text does not show up when a Deathblow is dealt to Death. Instead, she is blown away in the wind, indicating that she is unable to be stopped or killed.