Man-at-Arms

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This article is about the hero in Darkest Dungeon. For other appearances, see Man-at-Arms (disambiguation).

Man-at-Arms
Stats [Compare]
Armor	1	2	3	4	5
MAX HP	31	37	43	49	55
DODGE	5	10	15	20	25
Weapons	1	2	3	4	5
SPD	3	3	4	4	5
CRIT	2%	3%	4%	5%	6%
DMG	5-9	6-10	7-12	7-13	8-14
Base Resistances
Stun		40%	Move		40%
Blight		30%	Bleed		40%
Disease		30%	Debuff		30%
Death Blow		67%	Trap		10%
Other information
Movement		2 forwards, 2 backwards.
Crit Buff Bonus		-33% Stress
Religious		No
Provisions		None

“	The raw strength of youth may be spent, but his eyes hold the secrets of a hundred campaigns.	„
	~ The Ancestor

The Man-at-Arms is one of the playable Character Classes in Darkest Dungeon.

Description

“

An old, battle-scarred veteran, the Man-at-Arms has seen enough war and bloodshed to last more than a dozen lifetimes. While he can no longer swing his great mace with the force he once could, you should not stand where he swings his mighty weapon. However it is not offense, but his defense, that makes the Man-at-Arms such a vital member of any team. His ability to read the enemy's movements allows him to draw fire to himself to defend his allies and then retaliate with surprising force. The battlefield is a chaotic place, and the Man-at-Arms knows how to make himself heard. With his vociferous shouting he can issue vital commands to his men or let out a terrible bellow to strike fear into the enemy's heart. At camp, the Man-at-Arms can take time to instruct and practice with others, giving efficient information and life saving instruction. As long as the Man-at-Arms stands, he will never allow the line to break.

„

Combat Skills

“	The Man-at-Arms is a seasoned veteran of combat, and has been rewarded for his toil with haunting guilt and stoic resilience in equal measure. Immovable, commanding, and focused, the Man-at-Arms breaks down enemy lines with his mace, buckler, and furious battle cries.	„
	~ Guild

Note: New Men-at-Arms will always come with the Crush skill.

(All buffs and debuffs last for 3 rounds unless otherwise specified.)

Crush
	Range	Rank	Target	Damage	Accuracy	Crit mod	Effect	Self
	Melee			+0%	85	5%
Further levels Level 2 +0% 90 6% Level 3 +0% 95 7% Level 4 +0% 100 8% Level 5 +0% 105 9% Sound

Rampart
	Range	Rank	Target	Damage	Accuracy	Crit mod	Effect	Self
	Melee			-60%	90	5%	Knockback 1 (100% base) Stun (100% base)	Forward 1
Further levels Level 2 -60% 95 6% Knockback 1 (110% base) Stun (110% base) Forward 1 Level 3 -60% 100 7% Knockback 1 (120% base) Stun (120% base) Forward 1 Level 4 -60% 105 8% Knockback 1 (130% base) Stun (130% base) Forward 1 Level 5 -60% 110 9% Knockback 1 (140% base) Stun (140% base) Forward 1 Sound

Bellow
	Range	Rank	Target	Damage	Accuracy	Crit mod	Effect	Self
	Ranged			-100%	90		-5 DODGE (100% base) -5 SPD (100% base) +5% Crits Received while Marked (100% base) (3 rds)
Further levels Level 2 -100% 95 -6 DODGE (110% base) -5 SPD (110% base) +5% Crits Received while Marked (110% base) (3 rds) Level 3 -100% 100 -7 DODGE (120% base) -6 SPD (120% base) +5% Crits Received while Marked (120% base) (3 rds) Level 4 -100% 105 -8 DODGE (130% base) -6 SPD (130% base) +5% Crits Received while Marked (130% base) (3 rds) Level 5 -100% 110 -10 DODGE (140% base) -7 SPD (140% base) +5% Crits Received while Marked (140% base) (3 rds) Sound

Defender
	Rank	Target	Effect	Self
			Guard Ally (3 rds)	+15% PROT (4 rds)
Further levels Level 2 Guard Ally (3 rds) +18% PROT (4 rds) Level 3 Guard Ally (3 rds) +22% PROT (4 rds) Level 4 Guard Ally (3 rds) +26% PROT (4 rds) Level 5 Guard Ally (3 rds) +30% PROT (4 rds) Sound

Retribution
	Range	Rank	Target	Damage	Accuracy	Crit mod	Effect	Self
	Melee			-75%	85	2.5%		Mark Self (2 rds) Activates Riposte* (3 rds) Riposte: -40% DMG
Further levels Level 2 -75% 90 3.5% Mark Self (2 rds) Activates Riposte (3 rds) Riposte: -35% DMG, +1% CRIT Level 3 -75% 95 4.5% Mark Self (2 rds) Activates Riposte (3 rds) Riposte: -30% DMG, +2% CRIT Level 4 -75% 100 5.5% Mark Self (2 rds) Activates Riposte (3 rds) Riposte: -25% DMG, +3% CRIT Level 5 -75% 105 6.5% Mark Self (2 rds) Activates Riposte (3 rds) Riposte: -20% DMG, +4% CRIT Sound

Command
	Rank	Target	Effect	Self
			+5 ACC +4% CRT +15% DMG while Guarded (3 rds)
Further levels Level 2 +6 ACC +5% CRT +17% DMG while Guarded (3 rds) Level 3 +7 ACC +6% CRT +20% DMG while Guarded (3 rds) Level 4 +8 ACC +7% CRT +22% DMG while Guarded (3 rds) Level 5 +10 ACC +8% CRT +25% DMG while Guarded (3 rds) Sound

Bolster
	Rank	Target	Effect	Self
			+5 DODGE (1 Battle) -10% Stress (1 Battle)
Further levels Level 2 +6 DODGE (1 Battle) -10% Stress (1 Battle) Level 3 +7 DODGE (1 Battle) -15% Stress (1 Battle) Level 4 +8 DODGE (1 Battle) -15% Stress (1 Battle) Level 5 +10 DODGE (1 Battle) -20% Stress (1 Battle) Sound
Limit:	1 Use per Battle

* _{Man-at-Arms' Riposte has a base ACC of 90, and no CRIT mod.}

Camping Skills

“	The Man-at-Arms seeks to either practice his strict training regimen himself, or teach it to his companions. Dexterity, damage and unerring accuracy await those fortified enough to endure his lessons.	„
	~ Survivalist

Camping skills are special skills heroes can use while they are camping. They take a certain number of "respite" points to use, and can only be used once per camp (unless the skill says otherwise). Most heroes have three shared camping skills and all heroes have 4 unique camping skills (with the Flagellant being the exception, having only unique camping skills). Only 4 of these can be equipped at one time. Any Buffs or lasting effects given from a camping skill lasts for 4 battles.

Being a military veteran, the Man-at-Arms makes sure that training isn't overlooked even when resting. He can buff himself, one other hero, or even the entire party for almost any stat, including DODGE, CRIT, ACC, and DMG.

Maintain Equipment
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	4	Self	+15% PROT (4 Battles) +15% DMG (4 Battles)
	Bark	"Keep your harness polished, and it will not fail you."
Tactics
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	4	Party	+10 DODGE (4 Battles) +5% CRIT (4 Battles)
	Bark	"The key to a continued heartbeat is to MOVE YOUR FEET."
Instruction
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	3	One Companion	+10 ACC (4 Battles) +3 SPD (4 Battles)
	Bark	"Skill always trumps raw strength. Strike like so..."
Weapons Practice
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	4	All Companions	+10% DMG (4 Battles) +8% CRIT (75% chance) (4 Battles)
	Bark	"A lifetime of practice still leaves more to learn."

Encourage
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	2	One Companion	-15 Stress
	Bark	"This formation, yes!" "To the line! TO THE LINE!" "Remember the drills and we will see this through!"
Wound Care
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	2	One Companion	Heal 15% HP Removes Bleeding Removes Blight
	Bark	"It isn't much but you should pull through." "Take this, works a charm." "I'm no physician but this should steady you."
Pep Talk
	Time Cost	Target	Description
	2	One Companion	-15% Stress (4 Battles)
	Bark	"We are strong together, hold fast!" "You execute maneuvers well!" "Stick to the plan and we will survive."

Equipment

“	Clad in the heaviest plate, the Man-at-Arms is a mace-wielding heavy hitter. Quick to react and adapt, he is most effective leading the charge, protecting his companions with his unbreakable shield.	„
	~ Blacksmith

Unlike other games, equipment upgrades in Darkest Dungeon are linear, all bought at the Blacksmith.

Mace
Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Level 4			Level 5
	Footman's Mace			Private's Mace			Seargent Major's Mace			Master Seargent's Mace			Bludgeon
	DMG base:	5-9		DMG base:	6-10		DMG base:	7-12		DMG base:	7-13		DMG base:	8-14
	CRT base:	2.0%		CRT base:	3.0%		CRT base:	4.0%		CRT base:	5.0%		CRT base:	6.0%
	SPD base:	3		SPD base:	3		SPD base:	4		SPD base:	4		SPD base:	5
Plated Mail
Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Level 4			Level 5
	Shoddy Splint			Military-Issue Armor			Sergeant Major's Plate			Master Sergeant's Plate			The Bulwark
	DODGE base:	5		DODGE base:	10		DODGE base:	15		DODGE base:	20		DODGE base:	25
	HP base:	31		HP base:	37		HP base:	43		HP base:	49		HP base:	55

Each Hero has Trinkets unique to them that only they can equip. The Man-at-Arms has seven; 2 common, 2 Crimson Court and 1 uncommon, rare and very rare. In the base game, his lower level trinkets are eye-patches and his high level trinkets are shields. The Crimson Court DLC adds a banner and toy soldier.

Trinket Image	Trinket Name	Rarity	Class Restriction	Origin Dungeon	Effect	Additional Notes
	Cleansing Eyepatch	Common	Man-at-Arms	Weald	+30% Blight Resist +20% Disease Resist -2 DODGE
	Sly Eyepatch	Common	Man-at-Arms		+4 DODGE -10% Stun Resist -10% Move Resist
	Longevity Eyepatch	Uncommon	Man-at-Arms		+15% MAX HP -2 SPD
	Rampart Shield	Rare	Man-at-Arms		+40% Move Skill Chance +30% Stun Skill Chance -15% DMG
	Guardian's Shield	Very Rare	Man-at-Arms		+10% PROT if in position 4 +50% Healing Received if in position 4 +10 DODGE if in position 4

The Crimson Court DLC added special Trinket Sets, two for each hero. They confer powerful bonuses to the hero equipped with them, and having both equipped at once yields an additional bonus, which is shown greyed out at the bottom. The origin dungeon for all Trinket Sets is the Courtyard and they all have the rarity Crimson Court. The Shieldbreaker Trinket Set, however, is only obtainable through her final 6th and 7th nightmare encounters and won't be dropped or given as a reward in the Courtyard. Trinkets you already have will stop dropping, so there's value in not selling the ones you don't like until you get the ones you want.

Trinket Image	Trinket Name	Class Restriction	Effect	Set Effect	Quote	Additional Notes
	Old Unit Standard	Man-at-Arms	+15% Stun Skill Chance +20% Debuff Skill Chance +15% Death Blow Resist +10% Stress	Riposte: +25% DMG Riposte: +10 ACC	"Glory days? Hmph."
	Toy Soldier		+10% PROT +5% CRIT

The Color of Madness DLC added trinkets with a new rarity, Crystalline. Each hero has their own unique crystalline trinket which can be bought from Jeweler inside the Nomad Wagon with Crystal Shards found within the Farmstead.

Trinket Image	Trinket Name	Rarity	Class Restriction	Shard Cost	Effect	Additional Notes
	Mirror Shield	Crystalline	Man-at-Arms	75 Shards	+10 DODGE 30% Damage Reflection +20% Stun Resist	When attacked, will deal damage to the attacking enemy equal to 30% of the damage taken by the trinket holder. Reflected damage only occurs after the attack. This damage does not count as an attack from the equipped hero and is not affected by hero buffs nor enemy PROT and DODGE. Kills from this damage do not count for kill effects such as from the Miller's Pipe or Coat of Many Colors.

District Bonus

The Crimson Court DLC adds Districts to the Hamlet, some of which confer passive benefits to heroes.

The gold cost of most Districts in Radiant mode is significantly reduced. The price in Radiant mode is shown in parentheses.

Districts
Name	Image	Effect	Cost
Training Ring		Arbalest, Houndmaster, Man-at-Arms, Shieldbreaker, and Musketeer receive: +4 ACC +10% MAX HP	5000 (1000)
			300
			1

Trivia

• Both the Man-at-Arms' and Vestal's weapon are called "Mace," despite both the artwork and stats of the weapons being entirely different. The Man-at-Arms' Mace's round head and spikes qualify it more specifically as a morning-star.
• The Man-at-Arms introduced two new mechanics to the game when he was added: guarding and ripostes.
• The predetermined name of the Man-at-Arms is Barristan, a reference to Barristan the Bold, a character from the book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Barristan the Bold is a famed knight, now well past his glory days, and sometimes called Barristan the Old, similar to how the Man-at-Arms is past his glory days.
• The guild text refers to Man-at-Arms' shield as a buckler, but it is actually a heater shield.
• The level 3 mace and plated mail are named "Sergeant Major's" while the level 4 ones are named "Master Sergeant's", despite Sergeant Major being a higher rank in real life than Master Sergeant.
• One of the Man-at-Arms' names is 'Pipin'. This could be a reference to the Berserk character of the same name.
• Another possible name is 'Chatwood'. This is likely after Stuart Chatwood, composer of Darkest Dungeon's soundtrack.