The Crusader is one of the most versatile classes in Darkest Dungeon. He's also a fan favorite due to his zealous ideals which burn brightly in stark contrast to the game world's bleakness. Too bad you don't get to have favorites in Darkest Dungeon since chances are, your favorite class might die no matter how careful you pamper them by slating them for safe missions only.
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Still, that doesn't mean your crusaders deserve less than optimal gear and treatment. Give them the right trinkets in the game and they might just take the whole blundering party to the treacherous maws of the darkest dungeon. Much like other classes, the Crusader will need these items in order to be at their best which is always a tall order in Darkest Dungeon.
Ancestor's Pen
- +10% DMG Melee Skills
- +8% CRIT Melee Skills
- +10% Stress
Ancestor trinkets are generally good in Darkest Dungeon. It's great to have several of them at the ready in your inventory. For the Crusader, the Ancestor's Pen is most fitting due to his melee discipline. Most of his attacks require him at the frontline.
Moreover, the high damage output means a better chance of dealing critical damage that can end fights before they become too dangerous. All in all, it's a perfect trinket for any melee class. It's worth risking that Crusader in Champion-level dungeons for that Ancestor trinket roulette which hopefully drops this item.
Ancestor's Candle
- +15% DMG if Torch above 50
- +2 SPD if Torch above 50
- +5 DODGE if Torch above 50
- +10% Stress
This is another Ancestor trinket that synergizes well with the Crusader's abilities. Plenty of them provide some holy radiance to encounters, ensuring that the Torch's light gets topped off periodically. In order to maximize this brightness, the Ancestor's Candle is very much recommended.
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It rewards careful planning with spare Torches and also some tactical skill usage. The bonuses are also simply too great to ignore. The extra damage is there to speed up the fights. The speed bonus is ideal for getting lucky in the turn order and the dodge is also always welcome for any class.
Sun Ring
- +10% DMG if Torch above 75
- +5 ACC if Torch above 75
- +10% Stress
Think of the Sun Ring as the perfect trinket companion for the Ancestor's Candle. It doesn't even have to be on the same character. The Sun Ring further rewards players relating to dungeon brightness.
It is, however, more expensive to reap the bonuses of the Sun Ring as Torches run out fast. In any case, the damage boost is worth it. You'll be grateful you brought extra Torches to a run, especially if you can save a turn or two when dealing with encounters.
Paralyzer's Crest
- +20% Stun Skill Chance
- -2 DODGE
Another role that the Crusader excels in apart from frontline damage dealing is crowd control. He has a powerful Stun ability that he can perform from a range and affects multiple enemies. Most of the time, they succumb to the Crusader's mighty consecrated pamphlet but higher difficulty enemies in later dungeons can prove to be challenging.
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That's why bringing a Paralyzer's Crest is a good countermeasure against such escalating threats. It's a straightforward increase to the Crusader's Stun skill efficiency. The drawback of reduced Dodge chance is mitigated enough assuming enemies can't attack since they're stunned.
Swordsman's Crest
- +10% DMG Melee Skills
- -50% Healing Skills
You can consider the Swordsman's Crest a poor man's version of the Ancestor's Pen. It's a common item so it's easy enough to find. The damage increase is simple and it is good enough for a common trinket. Not quite Ancestor-level but that's to be expected.
The downside can be a little problematic, especially if you're relying on your Crusader as a tank. That Healing decrease likely also applies to camping. But most of the time, you won't feel its negative effect. Just bring an Occultist for big healing.
Holy Orders
- +15% Virtue Chance
- -20% Stress
- +12% Death Blow Resist
- -20% Blight Resist
- -20% Bleed Resist
Several years ago, you probably would have grimaced at the thought of using this tailor-made trinket for the Crusader. It's supposed to be his best in the base game but the drawbacks were simply too much. Since then, the game has been re-balanced and the Holy Orders trinket became more decent.
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Now, it's a somewhat viable item for a late-game Crusader. Holy Orders can turn your Crusader into a fully-fledged tank for both Stress and Health. The Death Blow Resist ensures they don't outright die and the Virtue Chance increase makes them resilient against Stress. Meanwhile, the downsides are more manageable this time.
Legendary Bracer
- +20% DMG
- -1 SPD
- +10% Stress
For Crusaders who like to play it close to the chest, the Legendary Bracer might be a more fitting trinket. The 20 percent damage increase is permanent and is huge since it also applies to normal attacks, not just the skills.
Meanwhile, the drawbacks are considerable enough. Less Speed means Crusaders don't get to maximize that damage boost immediately. The Stress increase is pretty standard as far as trinkets go so that's negligible.
Crescendo Box
- +2 SPD
- +15% DMG
- +10% Stress
Want to offset the Legendary Bracer's negative effects? Then maybe grab a Crescendo Box for your Crusader. It's a lovely item that's only slightly weaker than the Legendary Bracer when it comes to boosting damage.
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What's even better is the Speed increase. You still get a spare bonus if you pair it with the bracer. For some players, this trinket might even be better. The Stress increase piling up might quickly become a problem though. But you can always pair a more defensive item with this one.
Glittering Spaulders
- +15% PROT
- +35% Move Resist
- -15% Stress
- -2 SPD
The Crimson Court is about as wild as DLCs go for Darkest Dungeon but it does balance out all that grueling difficulty with generous trinkets. For anyone intent on making a tank out of their Crusaders, then the Glittering Spaulders set item from the Crimson Court is a robust option.
Actually, scratch that, it's more than a strong contender. It's one of the best defensive items for the Crusader. It ruins enemy manipulation and provides lots of toughness for the Crusader. Added armor makes them slower though but it's a fair trade-off.
Non-Euclidean Hilt
- +15% MAX HP
- +5% Random Target Chance
- +25% Stun Skill Chance if Holy Water in inventory
- On Attack Hit: Blight (120% base) 2 pts/rd for 2 rds
For an all-around Crusader trinket that is also highly sought-after, you can't go wrong with the Non-Euclidean Hilt. This odd and probably slimy sword accessory gives the Crusdader a chance to deal Blight damage which scales impressively well into the late game.
Meanwhile, the Stun chance increase is just massive. The only downside is that the Crusader can sometimes go over the top with it and might attack a different target. It's all good though since any enemy is indiscriminately a heretic to the Crusader.
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