Darkest Dungeon 2 Hellion guide - Best Skills and Shrine Battle Tips

Boudica the Hellion is a returning hero in Darkest Dungeon 2. She’ll become available once you reach Profile Rank 3. Here’s our Darkest Dungeon 2 Hellion guide to help you unlock the best skills and complete the Shrine battles.

Boudica the Hellion Skills | Darkest Dungeon 2

Skill Name	Effect	Unlock Method
Wicked Hack	A single-target attack against either of the two enemies in front	Available by default
Iron Swan	A single-target attack against the enemy that’s furthest away	Available by default
Barbaric YAWP!	Afflicts two enemies in front with weak and removes stealth; the Hellion becomes winded; if the skill is upgraded, then the targets are also stunned as long as they have a combo token	Available by default
If It Bleeds	A weak attack against either of the two enemies in the middle; inflicts bleed; ignores bleed resistance partially if the target has a combo token	Available by default
Toe To Toe	Can damage either of the two enemies in front; moves the Hellion forward; makes her immovable; causes her to taunt two enemy attacks	Available by default
Bleed Out	Can damage the enemy in front; causes bleed; partially ignores bleed resistance if there’s a combo token; makes the Hellion winded	First visit to a Shrine (narration) - The Eve of Glory
Bloodlust	Self-buff; removes winded; all attacks deal +30% damage to a target that’s already bleeding	Second visit to a Shrine (battle) - The Brave
Raucous Revelry	Self-cast; heals 3 Stress; adds +10% resistance; removes horror; makes you winded; if below 33% HP, you’re healed for 25% HP; will also Stress heal all allies for a single Stress pip	Third visit to a Shrine (narration) - Night in the Woods
Breakthrough	A weak attack, but it hits the first three targets in the enemy row; ignores and removes guard tokens; makes the Hellion winded	Fourth visit to a Shrine (battle) - Shame and Exile
Adrenaline Rush	Self-healing if below 33% HP; heal 25% of your HP; remove burn, bleed, blight, and winded; heal 20% of the damage dealt with an attack	Fifth visit to a Shrine (narration) - The Great Emptiness
Howling End	High damage to a single target; ignores block and guard; makes the Hellion winded	Fifth visit to a Shrine (narration) - The Great Emptiness

DD2 Hellion Great Emptiness — She was a famed warrior until an unfortunate mishap caused the deaths of her kinsmen.

Shrine Battle: The Brave - How to Prove Yourself in Battle

You have offensive abilities like Howling End and War Cry. Likewise, there’s a skill called Rally which lets you summon clanmates. You’re going to need it, because your barbarian allies will get trounced easily by the soldiers. In fact, they won’t focus on a single target, leading to major losses.

As far as we know, you’re not actually required to win this battle. After so many of your kinsmen have died, you’ll get the Cower action. Use it to end the battle and receive the Bloodlust skill.

DD2 Hellion Guide The Brave — This is an unwinnable battle. Thankfully, you still receive the skill reward as long as you can finish the encounter by using the Cower action.

Shrine Battle: Shame and Exile - Apologizing to 10 Widows

Conceding Cower is an action that gives you a free dodge against the next ranged attack. Pleading Apology, meanwhile, reduces Stress pips. You’ll use it often since the Grieving Widow mobs here will keep increasing your Stress.

Again, as far as we know, this battle can be completed even if you didn’t complete the objective. We still received the Breakthrough skill even after Boudica’s Stress reached the limit.

DD2 Hellion Shame and Exile Shrine Battle — This, too, seems to be an unwinnable battle. It’s also possible that it might be bugged, since we still received the skill reward despite not being able to apologize to the 10 widows.

The Best Hellion Skills | Darkest Dungeon 2

The Hellion is predominantly about causing bleed effects on hostiles. Like other tanking characters, she can hold her own, and she’s got nifty tricks to help with her survivability, too. The only downside is that several abilities cause her to get winded, thus lowering her attack unless that debuff token is removed.

Here are our picks for the Hellion’s best skills in Darkest Dungeon 2:

If It Bleeds or Bleed Out - You need these to cause the bleed effect on your target. Otherwise, you might need to rely on another party member.
Bloodlust - Buff yourself and strike foes that are already bleeding.
Raucous Revelry - This is an extremely powerful support skill. It heals HP and Stress (and it even lowers Stress for all teammates).
Adrenaline Rush - This is another great support skill if you want to tank the hits.
Howling End - This is a high-damage attack that ignores defensive buffs. Just try to remove the winded effect afterward.
Toe To Toe - Take this only if the Hellion is the only tanky character in your party. If you have the Man-at-arms or Leper, then there’s no need for this.