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Unlike the other heroes in the game, the Runaway doesn’t appear in Darkest Dungeon 1, making her a unique character toDarkest Dungeon 2. She lives up to the old adage “jack-of-all trades, master of none” in that she does a little bit of everything, but she doesn’t particularly excel in any niche.
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With her skills, the Runaway is able to dance between ranks, deal damage through Burn stacks, heal other heroes, and cleanse teammates of debuffs. Tailoring her build toward performing a little bit of each of these roles is important for the Runaway, otherwise you’ll end up with a weak hero that does nothing well. This guide is here to help you make the best Runaway you can, and to show you what pieces to look out for.
Runaway Summary
+ Applies Burn
- Almost no defensive token generation
- Movement abilities to fix positioning
- Little upfront damage
- Can play in almost every rank
- Compared to other heroes, doesn’t really have strong niche
- Niche, but useful heal
- May consume combo tokens from allies who need it more
- Can place combo tokens for teammates
- She has a rough time against enemies with high Burn res
- Benefits from combo tokens
- Skills are extremely situational, so her builds have very little change between them
Runaway Stats
Resistances
Death blow
The Runaway has an amazing resistance to Burn - being affected by it only50% of the time. But her resistances to the other status effects in the game are rather lacking.
The Runaway is able to move backward up to 2 Ranks, and forward 1 Rank. This is useful if you need to reshuffle your team for any reason.
Runaway Skills
Effects gained from upgrading a skill are noted in the parentheses.
How To Unlock
Searing Strike (Melee)
Unlocked by default
Firefly (Ranged)
Smokescreen (Ranged)
Run and Hide
Hearthlight (Ranged)
Ransack (Melee)
Complete Chapter 1 of the Runaway’s story
Complete Chapter 2 of the Runaway’s story
Controlled Burn (Ranged)
Complete Chapter 3 of the Runaway’s story
Dragonfly (Ranged)
Complete Chapter 4 of the Runaway’s story
Backdraft (Ranged)
Complete Chapter 5 of the Runaway’s story
Firestarter
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Runaway Paths
The Runaway has four paths - the Wanderer, the Arsonist, the Survivor, and the Orphan.
The Wanderer is usually outperformed by the other paths, with its closest competition being the Arsonist. However, since the Runaway has some distinct weaknesses in each Path, the Wanderer becomes a useful option if you don’t mind trading consistent burn application for a little more damage. .
The Best Rank For The Runaway
Before jumping into the Paths themselves, an important point to keep in mind with the Runaway is that her Rank will be determined by what attack you want deal damage with. Here are the options and their corresponding Ranks:
Searing Strike, Dragonfly
Ransack can be used from any Rank. As a result, all you need is ahero or skill to move her back into placeso she can keep using it.
Front Line vs Back Line
Regardless of what Path you choose, there are only two builds that work well with the Runaway - Front line vs Back line.
The reason for this is that the Runaway’s skills are extremely situational and the skills you keep around will usually remain the same across the paths. Since the general skills are the same, the question you need to answer is what rank you want the Runaway to perform well in.
On that note, despite their differences, each Path except the Survivor has a similar strategy. Each one relies on Burn applications for their damage and uses the same skills for their utility options. As a result, the paths will play out identically to one another despite minor differences in how to build them. The biggest difference is what kind of trinkets each Path wants to support either their front line or back line strategy.
Front Line Runaway
The best skills for a Frontline Runaway are the following:
This skill set will optimize applying Burn and dancing in the front ranks.Ransack and Dragonfly will move the Runaway between Ranks 1 and 2 while applying Burn to enemies. Since Dragonfly hits the first two ranks, you’ll quickly melt through those enemies in almost every map that isn’t the Sprawl.If you have heroes that can move the Runaway back to Rank 1 or 2, then you can replace Ransack with Searing Strike. This way you’ll apply Burn each time the Runaway attacks.
Alternatively, Firestarter is another option to replace Dragonfly with.With this change, the Runaway will want to start in Rank 2 and rarely move. From there, cast Searing Strike and Controlled Burn to apply Burn stacks. Use Firestarter when one of your teammates wants to hit the entire enemy party with an attack, or if a hero is using a skill that grants Riposte.
Cauterize and Controlled Burn are going to be consistent tools in both front line and back line skill sets.Cauterize is a useful heal because Bleed appears in every single stage and having a backup healer to keep your team healthy allows your Vestal, Plague Doctor, or Occultist to use other skills that might help the fight sooner.
Controlled Burn is best used against bosses or if there’s a large enemy that won’t move very much.It’s a good way to continue applying Burn even when your Runaway has to take time to heal someone through Cauterize.
Back Line Runaway
The best skills for a back line Runaway are the following:
Firefly is one of the best skills the Runaway has.It has amazing reach, consistent Burn application, and it applies the highest amount of Burn stacks without the need for Combo tokens. On top of that, a 10% crit rate allows Firefly to reach 20% crit when taken with the Arsonist Path.
Smokescreen is a powerful tool that should rarely leave your Runaway’s skill bar.It’s 2x Blind application can save your team from heavy hits, Vulnerable will help big damage Heroes do even more damage, and it’s the only skill the Runaway has that will consistently apply Combo.
Cauterize and Controlled Burn make a return for their utility.Out of these two, Controlled Burn gets a special mention here because a back line Runaway will already be in a good position to use it, while the front line Runaway either has to move to or start in Rank 2. However, be aware that Controlled Burn will not work in Rank 4, so you have to start your back line Runaway in Rank 3. If you plan to start her in Rank 4 because of the Orphan path, then swap Controlled Burn for Firestarter instead.
The final skill should be something that can move the Runaway back to Rank 3 or 4 if she gets dragged out of position. Dragonfly and Run and Hide are great options to accomplish that goal. Ransack adds further utlity and can be useful if you’re pairing her with a Jester or another character that would like to keep trading spaces.
you may start a Backline Runaway in Rank 2, and open each battle up with Dragonfly.
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The Arsonist
The Arsonist specializes in consistently applying Burn from any Rank.However, this comes at the cost of dealing less damage, which isn’t too bad since the Runaway wasn’t doing that much upfront damage anyway.
This path works well with either the back line or front line build.If you have someone who can apply Combo tokens to enemies, then the front line build will eventually outpace the back line build through Searing Strike. Otherwise, if you want a safe and consistent means to apply Burn, then use the back line version of the Arsonist.
Best Trinkets For The Arsonist
The Survivor
The Survivor has the best benefits for healing her teammates.However, this Path struggles with how situational Cauterize is. While Bleed might be a threat on every level, there will be times when your Heroes will be brought low from just enemy attacks, and you need someone to heal them. In those situations, the Survivor will be a lackluster healer.
However, if you’re looking to make the most of the Survivor, then consider using her as a pure support Hero.
Best Skills For The Survivor
The front line and back line builds can work for this Path, but the Survivor will be more efficiently used as a pure support Hero.
Since the Survivor will be focusing on supporting her teammates,start her in Rank 3 or 4.
Smokescreen is used for its amazing debuffs, while Firestarter lets your teammates do more of the heavy lifting for damage. Cauterize helps heal anyone afflicted by Bleed and get them back into fighting shape, and Hearthlight removes Stealth and Blind, which can ruin your damage-Hero’s day.
The final slot is flexible based on what your team needs.Run and Hide is useful here because of the additional Heal-over-time stacks the Survivor gets. Plus it helps her reposition herself if she is ever dragged out of position. Dragonfly fulfills the same role, but if you need more Burn stacks then this is the better skill to use. Firefly is just for situations where the Survivor has nothing better to do than to roll the dice and see if she can apply a Burn.
Best Trinkets For The Survivor
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The Orphan
The Orphan trades the consistency of the Arsonist for raw firepower. She either gains more damage or she applies more burn.
Realistically, you’ll use the Orphan in either Rank 1 or Rank 4. Based on where she is, you’ll want to use the front line or back line build respectively. Between the two, the back line build will perform better on average because it keeps her out of harm’s way (which is more important since she has 26 max HP now) and Firefly becomes insanely powerful in Rank 4, applying 7x Burn each time you use it.
ensure touse Inn Itemsto help make up for the Orphan’s low HP.
Best Trinkets for the Orphan
Trinkets for the Orphan will vary based on whether you’re playing the Orphan in Rank 1 or Rank 4. Rank 1 Orphans will want more damage increasing Trinkets, while Rank 4 Orphans will want similar Trinkets to the Arsonist.
First Skill To Upgrade For The Runaway
The first skill to upgrade for the Runaway is either Firefly or Smokescreen.
you’re able to never go wrong with upgrading Firefly because of just how flexible it is. There is a rare time where it isn’t the right move for the Runaway to perform in any given situation.
Alternatively, an early upgraded Smokescreen is invaluable for teams that need the combo marker or big damage dealers like the Hellion or Leper, who will appreciate the Vulnerable debuff on their targets.
Best Team Compositions For The Runaway
The best team compositions for the Runaway will be made up of heroes who will appreciate Cauterize’s healing, and Smokescreen’s effects.Heroes who also add more damage-over-time effects will also appreciate the Runaway’s Burn applications. Here are some of the best heroes to use with the Runaway:
