Gloomhaven: Best Characters Guide (Tips & Tricks)

Gloomhaven mixes dungeon crawling and tabletop mechanics with tactical RPG elements. This guide will help players figure out who the best characters are.

Gloomhaven digital is based on the tabletop game of the same name and was released to Steam Early Access in mid-2019. It was developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and published by Asmodee Digital, the publisher behind other digital versions of tabletop games. Gloomhaven currently features seven playable characters. Adventure Mode includes the core gameplay of a tabletop RPG edition but with procedurally generated scenarios and an alternate approach to the party’s items and abilities.

Currently, Gloomhaven digital is in an Alpha phase. When the game initially launched, it did so with four available characters. As of the time of writing, there are seven playable characters. The developers aim to provide a complete board game campaign experience and a multiplayer cooperative game mode. By the time the game leaves Steam Early Access, there should be 17 characters to pick as potential party members.

What are the best characters in Gloomhaven digital?

The Brute is part of a barbaric and primitive race called the Inox. The Inox make up for their lack of sophistication and intelligence with their size and strength. The Brute is a class of Inox, which uses those attributes to brandish a shield and sword. Brutes abandoned life with their people to earn a living by lending their skills to the highest bidder.

The Brute is a go-to as a tank and starts with a Health of 10. Brutes deal damage. Push abilities let them move enemies into traps. Retaliation abilities let them take damage to then dish it back out. They start with 13 Mastered Ability cards and may have ten equipped at any time. Their Mastered ability cards include Provoking Roar, Overwhelming Assault, Trample, Eye for an Eye, Sweeping Blow, Shield Bash, Leaping Cleave, Grab and Go, Warding Strength, Spare Dagger, Skewer, Wall of Doom, and Balanced Measure.

The Scoundrel in Gloomhaven digital is an opportunistic human that always looks out for number one and makes sure whatever they fancy comes into their ownership, through whatever means necessary. The Scoundrel is able to go invisible, poison enemies, and deal lots of damage under specific conditions. They start with a Health of 8.

Scoundrels start with 12 Mastered Ability cards and may have nine equipped at any time. Their Mastered Ability Cards include Single Out, Special Mixture, Swift Bow, Flanking Strike, Smoke Bomb, Trickster’s Reversal, Backstab, Thief’s Knack, Quick Hands, Sinister Opportunity, Venom Shiv, and Throwing Knives.

The Cragheart is a player favorite who is versatile and fits well in any party. The Savvas are a harsh and exclusionary race. The Cragheart were members of that society who were banished for not being able to master an element. For their failure to conform, they were marked for life by the Savvas, who shattered their cores.

The Cragheart in Gloomhaven digital is good with both melee and ranged attacks, does area damage, can crowd control, has minor healing abilities, and starts with a Health of 10. It has 14 Mastered Ability cards and can have 11 equipped at any time. Their Mastered Abilities include Opposing Strike, Crushing Grasp, Avalanche, Rumbling Advance, Massive Boulder, Backup Ammunition, Rock Tunnel, Unstable Upheaval, Crater, Dirt Tornado, Earthen Clod, Forceful Storm, Heaving Swing, and Nature’s Lift.

Tinkerers are of the Quartyl race, masters of crafting gadgets, and elixirs. They use these tools to explore and discover ancient oddities and are better used as a support class for their buffs and heals. They can do damage by using potions, items, and gadgets, and the Tinkerer has a Health of 8. It has 15 Mastered Ability cards at the start of the game and can have 12 equipped at any time. Their Mastered Abilities include Proximity Mine, Energizing Tonic, Enhancement Field, Hook Gun, Ink Bomb, Net Shooter, Stun Shot, Reinvigorating Elixir, Potent Potables, Volatile Concoction, Flamethrower, Restorative Mist, Reviving Shock, Toxic Bolt, and Harmless Contraption.

The Spellweavers are Orchid sages that are able to call down powerful natural forces that they then use as focused attacks. The Spellweaver can use elemental magic to attack monsters. The character starts with a Health of 6. It has 11 Mastered Ability cards at the start of the game and can equip eight of them at any time. Their Mastered Abilities include Fire Orbs, Freezing Nova, Mana Bolt, Frost Armor, Flame Strike, Impaling Eruption, Reviving Ether, Crackling Air, Aid from the Ether, Hardened Spikes and Ride the Wind.

The Mindthief uses psychic attacks, sharp blades, and their tiny teeth of death to attack. This melee character is better suited to more experienced players and can weaken enemies with mind control, buff allies, and summon a melee ally. The Mindthief has a Health of 6. It has 13 Mastered Ability cards at the start of the game and can equip 10 of them at any time. Their Mastered Ability cards include Fearsome Blade, Feedback Loop, Submissive Affliction, Into the Night, Gnawing Horde, Perverse Edge, Empathetic Assault, Withering Claw, The Mind’s Weakness, Parasitic Influence, Scurry, Frigid Apparition and Possession.

Unlike the Cragheart, an Elementalist is a Savvas that has gained the mastery of multiple elements. It is capable of manipulating elements, dealing heavy damage and healing. This character might be better suited for more experienced players. The Elementalist has a Health of 6. It has 13 Mastered Ability cards at the start of the game and can equip 10 of them at any time. Its Mastered Abilities include Formless Power, Shaping the Ether, Malleable Evocation, Brilliant Flash, Raw Enhancement, Pure Augmentation, Ice Spikes, Frigid Torrent, Stoking Hail, Tremulant Cyclone, Infernal Vortex, Lava Eruption, and Encompassing Shadow.

When playing Gloomhaven on Steam, the player’s party composition will be more important than any individual character they may choose. Players should pick complimentary mercenaries. It is a good idea to choose one mercenary as the tank and the other for the support. The Brute and Spellweaver, for instance, are better together than the Scoundrel and Spellweaver. Some other combinations players like using are Brute and Cragheart, Brute and Scoundrel, Cragheart and Spellweaver, Spellweaver and Tinkerer, and Tinkerer and Mindthief.

In Gloomhaven, which mixes tabletop mechanics with tactical RPG elements, players should experiment with different combinations and see which ones are fun for them. The player should keep an eye on how many cards each character has in total and in their hand. A party that runs out of cards or movement before the end of the scenario will not survive.

Gloomhaven digital is in Steam Early Access with more content to release prior to its launch later in 2020. Players can’t wait to see how the developers will find the balance between the digital and tabletop editions to make the best version of their favorite game.

Gloomhaven is available on PC via Steam.

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