Darkest Dungeon: Hound Master Darkest Dungeon Guide
Last update: 20 April 2023
Hound Master is one of the most unique classes in the game, especially due to the fact that this is not a single figure and the character is always accompanied by his dog that performs the lion's share of the job. Hound Master is a combination of damage dealer and support class - he is quite self-sufficient because he can heal his wounds, as well as his own stress and the party's. He has quite a few health points, decent speed and quite high chances of critical hit, however his Resistances and "regular" Damage are average, at best.
When it comes to offensive abilities, the greatest advantage of Hound Master is his ability to impose Bleed. His Hound's Rush, apart from dealing massive damage to Marked opponents (up to 100%!) and to beast-type opponents, also has a high chance of causing bleeding. Hound's Harry is the only ability in the game that allows you to place a DoT effect over the entire enemy party, and although the regular damage that it deals is negligible, the Bleeding effect can quickly stack to reach sky-high values.
Hound Master's Guard Dog is similar to one of Man-At Arms's skills. After you select an ally, the ability allows him to absorb damage dealt to the target. Additionally, for the duration of the ability, the character receives a high bonus to dodge, which makes it more difficult to reach him. This is an excellent ability to use for the less resistant targets. Remember, however, that if the enemy reaches you even though, you receive full damage and not decreased - this may not end well.
One of the best abilities of Hound Master is Cry Havoc - this is the only ability in the game that lets you decrease stress levels of the entire party, at a time. This comes at a price of low success rate (65%), but with a bit of luck and persistence, you will be able to keep your party's stress at a non-existent level.
Also, his Blackjack is worth mentioning - this is a quite standard ability that deals negligible damage, but it has one of the highest chances of Stunning in the game. Also, you should remember about Whistle, which Marks the Target and decreases the target's defense by a percentage value (which depends on the level) - it works perfectly against armored opponents and some bosses.
Hound Master is a class that you can deploy in virtually any position, depending on what you want to achieve. In the 2nd position, he will be capable of using all of his offensive abilities, but if you want to use the ability that heals stress (Cry Havoc), you will have to move him to the 3rd or the 4th position, where you can use virtually any ability, with the exception of Blackjack.
Statistics
Level | Health | Dodge | Protection | Speed | Accuracy | Critical | Damage |
1 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 6 | +0 | 5% | 4-7 |
2 | 28 | 15 | 0 | 6 | +0 | 5,5% | 5-8 |
3 | 35 | 20 | 0 | 7 | +0 | 6% | 6-10 |
4 | 42 | 25 | 0 | 7 | +0 | 6,5% | 6-11 |
5 | 49 | 30 | 0 | 8 | +0 | 7% | 7-13 |
Resistances
Stun | Blight | Disease | Death Blow | Move | Bleed | Debuff | Trap |
40% | 40% | 30% | 67% | 40% | 40% | 30% | 10% |
Hints for this class:
The best position for this class is 3rd and 4th, where he can use virtually any of his abilities (with the exception of Blackjack), while remaining out of reach of the majority of opponents.
He is perfect against opponents that are vulnerable to bleeding, but you need to stay away from those that are resistant to this effect (e.g. Undead).
Thanks to Whistle, he works perfectly in a party that focuses on marking enemies and dealing damage to them - this ability is also effective against armored targets with high defense.
Unarguably, the best stress-healing class in the game - even though his Cry Havoc can be whimsical, due to its low chance of success.
Remember that each Hound Master goes to the mission with two pieces of hound snack. Activating this provides you with a bonus to effectiveness and damage dealt, for the duration of 3 successive turns - use it well.
Upsides | Downsides |
+ A highly versatile class - he can be used both for dealing damage, support and as a tank, to some extent. Effective in any position. + He can cause bleeding in the entire enemy party, in one take. + The stunning Blackjack, with high success chance + Cry Havoc allows him to heal stress in the entire party + Self-sufficient - he can heal wounds and stress on his own + Whistle allows him to Mark targets, while decreasing their protection - thanks to this Hound's Rush can deal up to 100% damage to the marked target + Guard Dog lets him protect the target | - Average regular Damage and Resistances - Guard Dog increases chance of dodge, but it does not decrease damage, as a result of which using it may end bad - Ineffective against enemies resistant to bleeding - He cannot attack in the 4th position - Hound Snacks, although highly effective, take up space in the inventory |
Combat abilities
Name | Icon | Position | Target | Description (successive tiers) |
Hound's Rush |  |  |
| Type: ranged ACC base: 85 / 90 / 95 / 100 / 105 CRIT mod: 2 / 3 / 4 / 4 / 4% Bleed: (100 / 110 / 119 / 129 / 139% base) Damage from Bleed: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 3 pkt. / round (3 rounds) On self: Additional Damage against beasts: +15 / +20 / +25 / +30 / +35% Additional Damage against Marked targets: +60 / +70 / +80 / +90 / +100% |
Hound's Harry |  |  |
| Type: ranged ACC base: 90 / 90 / 95 / 100 / 105 CRIT mod: 0 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 2% DMG mod: -80 / -80 / -80 / -80 / -80% Bleed: (100 / 110 / 119 / 129 / 139% base) Damage from Bleed: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 3 pkt. / round (3 rounds) |
Whistle |  |  |
| Type: ranged ACC base: 100 / 105 / 110 / 115 / 120 DMG mod: -100 / -100 / -100 / -100 / -100% Against enemy: Mark the enemy Decrease protection: -20 / -22 / -25 / -27 / -30% |
Cry Havoc |  |  |
| Type: healing On the party: Heal stress: +3 / +4 / +5 / +6 / +7 (65% chance) |
Guard Dog |  |  |
| Type: buff On self: increase DODGE by 15 / 18 / 20 / 22 / 25 On an ally: protect the ally (absorb his damage) |
Lick Wounds |  |  | On self | Type: healing On self: Healing: 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 health points |
Blackjack |  |  |
| Type: melee ACC base: 95 / 100 / 105 / 110 / 115 CRIT mod: 1 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 3% DMG mod: -50 / -50 / -50 / -50 / -50% Stun: (124 / 134 / 144 /154 /165% base) |
Camping skills
Name | Icon | Time cost | Target | Effect |
Encourage |  | 2 | 1 companion | Reduce stress by 15 |
Wound Care |  | 2 | 1 companion | Heals 15% health points Remove target bleeding Remove target blight |
Pep Talk |  | 2 | 1 companion | +15% to stress resistance |
Hound's Watch |  | 4 | On self | -20% to chance of surprising the party +20% to chance of surprising monsters Prevents nighttime traps |
Therapy Dog |  | 2 | All companions | Reduce stress by 10 -10% do damage from stress |
Man's Best Friend |  | 3 | On self | Reduce stress by 20 |
Release the Hound |  | 4 | On self | +50% do chance of Scouting |