Of all the bosses in Darkest Dungeon 2, the Deacon is the one that players have the greatest number of opportunities to face. While battling the monstrous cult leader is entirely optional, players who conserve their resources and reach the end of a region in fighting shape have an opportunity to reap significant rewards by defeating him.

Related: Darkest Dungeon 2: Shambler Boss Fight Guide

Of course, nothing is guaranteed in Darkest Dungeon 2, so facing the Deacon will always carry risk. With this guide, however, you'll have a better chance of taking him down and claiming the loot he guards for your own.

Where To Find The Deacon

darkest dungeon 2 inn guardian lair

The final node in every region, which the Stagecoach must pass through before reaching the Inn, contains a Lair called Oblivion's Rampart. Filled with cultists dedicated to finding and extinguishing the Flame, the heroes must fight at least one round in the Rampart before they can continue.

Related: Darkest Dungeon 2: How Do Lairs Work?

Daring players can continue to the second and third floors of Oblivion's Rampart, collecting more rewards the further they get. If you reach the third floor and decide to press onward, you'll come face-to-face with the Lair's boss, the Deacon.

Like any other Lair, you can choose to leave with your loot after completing each floor. If your team isn't in good enough shape to handle a boss fight, retreat between battles. You can try again in the next region.

How To Defeat The Deacon

Darkest Dungeon 2 Deacon Boss Fight

The Deacon is supported by a pair of Cherubim hovering behind him. You'll likely have fought Cherubim on the earlier floors, so you already know what a pain they can be. Not only can they deal significant Stress to your heroes, but they also apply Weak and Blind with their attacks. Between the Cherubim and the Deacon's attacks, you'll be waist-deep in debuffs quickly. Equip Trinkets that increase your Debuff Resistance and look over your heroes' arsenals for Skills that remove negative effects before entering battle.

The Deacon and his team also make heavy use of Dodge, so abilities like the Highwayman's Tracking Shot which ignores or removes Dodge Tokens will make the fight go much more smoothly.

The Deacon's Attacks

Attack

Effect

Exultation

  • Damages a single hero.
  • The Deacon and his allies each gain a Dodge token.

The Flesh Warps

  • The Deacon takes half damage from melee attacks for the remainder of the fight.

Sundering Steel

  • Deals heavy damage to a single hero.
  • The target loses any Block tokens they have.

Weight of Worlds

  • Damages and inflicts Immobilize and/or Blind on all heroes.

The Deacon's single-target attacks are constrained to heroes in the front of the party, so expect your melee characters to take most of the damage in this fight. That said, once the Deacon activates The Flesh Warps, your melee fighters will be at a significant disadvantage. The buff the Deacon gains from this ability is not a token, so it can't be removed and doesn't expire when it takes effect. Once The Flesh Warps is active, have your melee characters shift to tanking and support, or in the case of flexible heroes like the Highwayman or the Graverobber, make sure they have ranged attacks equipped so that they can bypass the Deacon's damage reduction.

The Man-At-Arms and the Leper will both see their usual tanking tactics weakened by the Deacon's ability to remove Block tokens. Consider using the Graverobber's Repartee to put her in a dodge-tank role once the Cherubim are dispatched, possibly paired with Absinthe so that she can heal herself without the aid of the Plague Doctor.

Getting around the Deacon and Cherubim's Dodges are key. Try using attacks that target multiple foes, like the Plague Doctor's Plague Grenade, to clear off tokens from multiple foes simultaneously. Since Dodge isn't a guaranteed miss, this can also inflict Blight on the Cherubim, which will consistently damage them regardless of their defenses.

Ultimately, defeating the Deacon requires staying cool despite the number of buffs and debuffs being thrown around. Darkest Dungeon 2 doesn't have turn timers, so carefully consider each hero's action and stay focused on the task at hand - eliminating the Cherubim as quickly as possible, then rushing down the Deacon himself.

Next: Darkest Dungeon 2: Complete Character Guide