The Fighter in Dark in Darker is basically the Mario-type character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate of this game if that makes sense. It's the class option players pick to learn the game before moving on to the more mechanically unique classes. Or, alternatively, they end up sticking with it and discovering the character or class' inner complexities. It's the Ryu from Street Fighter or the Sol Badguy of Guilty Gear, just to give a few other examples.
But, as anyone who has 'main'ed' any of these characters in fighting games will say, just because it's the 'starter' character doesn't mean that it's bad, simple, or easy to master. So, let's break down the Fighter in Dark and Darker and go over its general build.
Where Is The Fighter At Their Best & Worst?
The Fighter is the frontline character in Dark and Darker that players pick if they want to tank for their squad, be in the thick of battle, or wear classic plate armor that knights are iconically seen in. It's a sword and shield class (by default) that has plenty of options to make it tankier, give it more weapon choices, or any variety of other options. But, where exactly does the Fighter excel, and what are its shortcomings? Let's look at their pros and cons:
Pros
- The Fighter has an option for every situation, at least if the player in control of them has prepared for it. They can use ranged weapons, two-handed weapons, daggers, one-handed weapons, and more.
- They're the only character with a quick-cooldown movement speed ability, AKA Sprint.
- It has one of the best healing Skills with Second Wind.
- The Fighter is one of the tankiest characters, second only to the Barbarian, and can even beat their defense depending on the armor worn.
- Is good if not great in most areas.
Cons
- Because the Fighter is at least 'good' at everything, it's not the 'best' in any department.
- Their Skills are useful but pretty boring to use overall, which makes the class feel a bit flat.
- Is unable to use Spells of any kind.
- With the way blocking works in the current state of Dark and Darker, using a Shield isn't always a surefire defensive option.
- When covered in armor the Fighter is one of the slowest classes in movement speed and one of the loudest so their stealth potential is pretty low.
- Has one of the weakest default weapons in the game, and basically needs a constant supply of better weapons from looting or from the Weaponsmith merchant.
The Fighter's Best Skill Options
As mentioned in the Fighter's cons, this class doesn't have a ton of amazing Skill options. It has 6 choices, and only two of them are universally helpful, while the rest are pretty situational. Those two recommended choices are Second Wind and Sprint, and this is why:
- Second Wind is a 50 percent HP Heal and also cancels out the side effects from Adrenaline Rush. The only downside is it is a one-time use per match.
- Sprint increases the Fighter's movement speed by 50 percent for about 5 seconds or so. The Fighter is almost as slow as the Barbarian when wearing armor, so having this option actually gives them the chance to close in on enemies.
Now some players will swear by Adrenaline Rush over Sprint or Victory Strike over Second Wind. And, while those are good options, they're a bit too specific to work as total replacements.
Best Perk Options For The Fighter
Now the Perks are where the Fighter really shines. Each of the Fighter's Perks, of which there are 9, are absolutely viable to use, with only a couple of them being noticeably better than the rest. Additionally, a lot of these Perks add new mechanics to the Fighter, which is nice to see in comparison to other Classes that have a bunch of very minute +5 percent-type Perks. In general, however, these seem to be the best options for these reasons:
- Combo Attack: Each enemy is going to take at least 3 or so hits with any weapons below Epic rarity from the Fighter, so this Perk is constantly triggered.
- Defense Expert: A 10 percent increase might not seem like much, but when the Fighter is equipping sets of Plate Armor that exceed 200, it's actually quite the buff.
- Swift: In full armor especially, the Fighter is pretty slow, so this Perk helps counter that on top of using Sprint.
- Weapon Mastery: This is by far the Perk that players use the most, as it makes the Fighter so much fun to play. When equipped, the Fighter can use every single primary or secondary weapon in the game, including Bows, Crystal Swords, or even Daggers.
The Best Armor The Fighter Can Wear
In regards to armor, it's sort of common sense for the Fighter. The closer it is to plate armor, the better, and players should only choose leather over plate when there is a large difference in item rarity or the leather item gives some big benefit to a specific attribute.
The more armor a Fighter has, the more they can feel confident in the thick of Dark and Darker's unique combat, and the better they'll likely do. In regards to what stat bonuses to look out for, the Fighter tends to benefit the most from anything that buffs True Damage, Max Health, Strength, or Agility.
The Fighter's Best Weapon Options
Now in comparison to weapon recommendations for any other class, the Fighter has the most options when considering the Weapon Mastery Perk. Yes, many of these weapons will see a 20 percent reduction in physical damage when used by the Fighter that has this Perk equipped, but they're still so useful in spite of that they're worth mentioning:
- Longbow: Really this could be any bow, but the Longbow seems to have the best damage for draw time and so on. A fighter with a bow on their secondary slot is always prepared for any situation.
- Halberd: The moveset for the Halberd, its damage, and the overall swing speed are all pretty fantastic. And, since this is a Fighter weapon, it doesn't suffer from damage reduction from Weapon Mastery either.
- Falchion: The Falchion is the replacement players should always be on the lookout for in terms of replacing their default sword. It functions the same and has a very similar moveset, but the damage per swing is way higher.
- Spear: The Spear is one of the lesser-seen choices, but is absolutely a good option for Fighter players that like to poke from safety. The Spear will almost never hit the sides of any hallway, has a long reach, and is pretty dependable overall.
- Felling Axe: When someone hits with the Felling Axe, the time it takes for them to be able to swing again is incredibly short. But, if they miss, there's a long wind-up until the next swing. So, this is an option for Fighters who are confident in their PvP skills.
- Zweihander: Last up is the Zwei, one of the other fantastic weapon options players can use. Whereas a lot of weapons on here are good but suffer from the 20 percent Weapon Mastery debuff, the Zweihander doesn't. Additionally, the fact that it has an innate two-hit combo with the right-click attack means that it's very good at taking opponents by surprise.
Closing Thoughts & General Tips
And that's about all players need to know about the Fighter. This is a class that is perfect for beginners to start with, and once they figure out what aspects of the Fighter they enjoy the most, they can play any of the other classes that are more in line with that aspect. As a sort of final note, here are a few more 'general' tips for people playing Fighter.
- Use Bows with Weapon Mastery: Was stated earlier and is a bit obvious, but the usefulness of bows on the Fighter can't be overstated.
- Save Second Wind for Those Scary PvP Encounters: While Second Wind is a big heal, the Fighter only has one use per match. So, unless it's in a tense combat scenario, players should try to hold off on using it and rely on Bandages, Healing Potions, Shrines, or their Cleric instead. Or, worst case scenario, save it for after reviving a teammate to regain that lost health.
- Learning How Block Works Is Important: While blocking attacks in Dark and Darker isn't an exact science (and doesn't work as it should sometimes), it's really the only other defensive option players have other than running away.
- Thrown Weapons Are Great Too: By this point, Dark and Darker players are more than familiar with Fighters who can use bows. But, Fighters that use throwing weapons such as Throwing Knives and Axes will still take most people by surprise.