The second campaign of Critical Role, following the adventures of the Mighty Nein this time, was as good, if not better, than the first campaign, according to many fans. While definitely less heroic than Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein had their charm.
As the second campaign began, we saw the players pick up more outlandish, unique, and wild characters than their previous ones. This obviously led to tons of fun interactions, interesting and more diversity. Mighty Nein might not be your typical fantasy RPG heroes, but they'll keep your eyes glued to the screen for sure.
Warning: Contains spoilers for content as late as episode 141.
10 Essek Thelyss
Essek is a Drow wizard played by the one and only Matt Mercer. This already makes Essek a unique character, bing a sort of DM PC. Essek helped the Mighty Nein on several occasions early on before becoming an honorary member of the party.
His demeanor and obviously his amazing roleplay done by Matt himself adds a lot to the character. He even had a romantic relationship with Caleb for a brief time. The one thing keeping him at the bottom of this list is not being a real *player* character. Other than that though, Essek is an awesome character without a doubt.
9 Mollymauk Tealeaf
Mollymauk Tealeaf is a Tiefling Blood Hunter, played by Taliesin Jaffe. Being only one third of the characters inhabiting the same body, Molly is a unique person for sure. He is also a gender-fluid tiefling which is awesome, as representation matters in all forms.
Molly's body was once inhabited by Lucien, after which his soul was shattered, only to reawaken as Mollymauk. The character was interesting and things got even crazier with the introduction of the third inhabitant of the same b ody Kingsley. However, Molly almost feels like the innerworkings outshine the character himself.
8 Kingsley Tealeaf
Kingsley Tealeaf is a Tiefling Blood Hunter, played by Taliesin Jaffe. Kingsley is a unique character, being one of the three inhabitants of this tiefling body, and only the second player character inhabiting it. Kingsley was born after the death and attempted resurrection of Mollymauk, rising a new personality in the same body.
It's a cool concept and was played beautifully by Taliesin, being a sort of reincarnation of an old team member in the same body. His blood hunter abilities are as cool as ever thanks to the one and only Matt Mercer and results in a very memorable character.
7 Beauregard Lionett
Beaurefard Lionett is a Human monk of the cobalt soul, portrayed by Marisha Ray. Having a bit of a tragic background, Beau has become the unsung backbone of the Mighty Nein throughout the sessions. She has a bit of a grating character but that's easy to overlook as her better moments are bigger and more frequent.
She acts as sort of a big sister to the group members, which is thematic with her background and gives of the vibe of that one person who's always got your back. She is also pretty dangerous in combat with her unarmed strikes and amazing movement capabilities.
6 Yasha Nydoorin
Yasha Nydoorin is a Protector Aasimar Barbarian played by the lovely Ashley Johnson. And yes that is every bit as cool as it sounds. What makes Yasha so memorable is the juxtaposition however. She may look the most frightful, but is a huge softie.
This massive barbarian with skeletal wings sprouting from her back, reigning from Xhorhas, is axctually a loving and friendly gal. While not as tragic or comedic as some other characters, Yasha is a really loveable and dependable character that's been through some rough stuff. Since Ashley became a full time player to and acts Yasha out perfectly, that adds to the enjoyment quite a lot.
5 Caduceus Clay
Caduceus Clay is a Firbolg Cleric of the Wildmother, played by Taliesing Jaffe. He is the late addition to the party that makes you question how the party ever managed to get by without him. He is extremely helpful in combat and his cleric skills are quite frequently very impactful.
Caduceus also shines as a bit of an oddball when compared to the rest of the party. His unique outlook and insight is very interesting to watch when so clearly contradicting the overall party decisions. Caduceus is definetely a memorable addition and a strong asset to the party, despite his later inclusion.
4 Fjord
Fjord is a Half-Orc Warlock/Paladin played by the hilarious Travis Willingham. After such a cartonish character in Grog, Fjord might seem a bit understated at first. He is unsure of his own power, calm and caring. It would be fair to say Fjord feels like the most like a real person in the Might Nein.
However, Fjord is a beast in battle. Having one of the best multiclasses in the game with Warlock and Paladin, he is an immediate threat. He also breaks the stereotype of a brainless brute of a Half-Orc, which is nice because we already kinda saw that with Grog. Travis' amazing roleplay and eagerness to be a team player definetely elevated Fjord as well.
3 Veth Brenatto, Aka Nott The Brave
Veth, aka Nott is a Goblin Rogue who was once a Halfling, played by the comedic genius Sam Riegel. She has a unique story, having been transformed into a Goblin as a form of torture. Despite this, Nott was always a somewhat comic relief, thanks to Sam's playstyle in huge part.
Being a small goblin for most of the campaign, Nott was mischievous and hilarious. Yes, her arc was tragic and came to a beautiful close, but Nott will always be remembered as that naughty little Goblin Rogue.
2 Caleb Widogast
Caleb Widogast is a Human Wizard, portrayed by the great Liam O'Brien. Caleb is as close as you get to having a protagonist in Critical Role's second campaign. He is oozing with plot and Liam plays him beautifully to drive home the stakes. His custom spell names are also a treat!
Being just a regular human wizard may seem not too interesting at first. But Caleb is easily the deepest and most complex character in the party. Having a tragic background, being restricted by it but redeemable through trial, Caleb is a special one. Liam has crafted one of the most interesting characters in Critical Role history and deserves all the praise he gets.
1 Jester Lavore
Jester Lavore is a Tiefling Cleric of the Traveler, played by the amazing Laura Bailey. Jester is that little sister who's mischievous but also has the purest heart and intentions that you wish you had. She's innocent, naive and that creates some of the best interactions throughout the campaign.
Laura Bailey is the one to praise for such an amazing and lovable character, with incredible voice work and great comedic timing. If Caleb carries the drama, Jester definetely carries the fun and chaos. To get a sense of why Jester is special, you should just watch the infamous cupcake bargain scene with the hag.