Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
This guide to Gloomhaven best starting party recommends several compositions in a new Gloomhaven campaign across 2, 3 and 4 player party combinations. These detailed recommendations are bsaed on my experience complting the Gloomhaven digital campaign and guildmaster mode on deadly difficulty.
Table of Contents:
– Best Starting Parties
– Best 2 Player Party Detail
– Best 3 Player Party Detail
– Best 4 Player Party Detail
– General Party Composition Tips
Best Starting Parties Overview
| Party Size | Best Parties | Good Parties |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| 4 |
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N/A |
Gloomhaven Best 2 Player Party
The best 2 player starting classes require flexible mercenaries that can deal sufficient damage for the campaign requirements. Generally at this party size you should avoid a mercenary focused solely on healing like the Tinkerer. Other potential traps to avoid at this size are having the Scoundrel or Mindthief as the only melee character as they thrive with other melee mercenaries.
I recommend the following combinations as the best starting classes for 2 player party setups:
- Cragheart & Spellweaver: The Cragheart often deals damage around themselves to both allies and enemies that make them the ideal Spellweaver partner as they will rarely be in range of this friendly fire. The Cragheart balance of damage, tanking and healing abilities are also ideal for the Spellweaver as it allows them to focus on Spellweaver damage output.
- Brute & Scoundrel/Mindthief/Spellweaver: The Brute is the most flexible starting party member and pairs well with a number of allies as he is a self sufficient character with a blend of damage and tanking. The Brute is the best tank from your starting options and when paired with the Scoundrel it allows you to maximise her damage output as it is often reliant on having an ally next to an enemy for maximum damage. Similarly the Brute allows the Mindthief to focus on their high damage and control playstyle while soaking up the damage. Alternatively when paired with the Spellweaver you can provide a reliable defensive shield that allows the Spellweaver to stand back and blast enemies with their large damaging spells.
- Scoundrel & Mindthief: Similar to some of the above combinations the Mindthief’s melee focus gives the Scoundrel a reliable ally to utilise for damage maximisation. The Scoundrel also benefits from the Mindthief control abilities and the high damage output that results in a control and damage focused party although needs careful strategy planning at this party size.
Gloomhaven Best 3 Player Party
Like many in the Gloomhaven community I find the 3 player party size is the best player count due to the pace of play and game balance. This size has a number of flexible options but also additional threats from increased enemy count which makes it important for a party to have some reliable tanking through either the Brute or a combination of characters sharing the role.
I recommend the following combinations as the best starting classes for 3 player party setups:
- Brute, Spellweaver & Cragheart: Building further on the strongest 2 player party this option adds some extra durability and damage through the Brute to ensure that the higher enemy count is kept away from your damage focused Spellweaver. While the Cragheart needs to be careful of not hurting the Brute too much this is generally easier at the 3 party level due to the number of enemies that give you alternative targets to avoid friendly fire.
- Brute, Spellweaver & Mindthief: Another powerful combination that leans towards damage and control abilities with a well rounded team. The Brute once again provides safety for both characters to focus on their strengths while the Spellweaver and Mindthief kill or control enemies at a fast enough pace that the Brute is never in serious danger.
- Brute, Scoundrel/Mindthief & Tinkerer: For those that want to include the Tinkerer in their party this would be the best combination as players are bringing the Brute and a high damage party member for the Tinkerer to support them. While not as strong this combination provides enough damage through the Scoundrel or Mindthief to support the Brute in taking out enemies while the Tinkerer can focus on healing the wounds the team suffers and the occasional attack. If players want a 3 player party option without a Brute you could swap them with a Cragheart in this team although expect a more difficult experience.
Gloomhaven Best 4 Player Party
The 4 party size presents its own challenges with the high number of enemies meaning players will always want to ensure they have at least 2 classes that are comfortable spreading the damage received between them. The value of area of effect damage goes up significantly at this party size that make Spellweaver and Cragheart useful additions with healing also becoming attractive allowing the Tinkerer to shine. Ultimately I think you can make any combination work at this level with proper play so finding the best 4 player party is less of a consideration.
I recommend the following combinations as the best starting classes for 4 player party setups:
- Brute, Spellweaver/Cragheart, Scoundrel/Mindthief & Tinkerer: For the best party of 4 I would use the Brute once again for flexibility, either the Spellweaver or Cragheart providing ranged attacks, healing and area of effect damage and the Scoundrel or Mindthief bringing a high damage frontline fighter to sit with the Brute while the Tinkerer is available to heal the team. While I would consider the Brute almost mandatory at the four player size the Tinkerer isn’t necessarily mandatory and could be shuffled out for something else based on player preferences.
Gloomhaven Party General Tips
When designing your ideal starting party it is important that players understand how the number of party members changes the Gloomhaven experience and the key considerations when designing your best party composition. With this understanding players can take the concepts here beyond just a starting party as you unlock new mercenary options with retirements to ensure you maintain a balanced party that can defeat the various Gloomhaven scenario challenges.
In terms of the changes players can expect at different player counts the most obvious one is an increasing number of enemies as additional mercenaries are added to the group along with potentially upgrading a portion of enemies to their elite variant. Players can also expect for modifications to boss health values although this is only applicable to a small pool of the total campaign levels. While this sounds like it may make the scenarios harder on the surface this is not always the case as players have an additional mercenary.
For party building in Gloomhaven the core principles revolve around a familiar RPG formula that balances damage, support and tanking. For Gloomhaven I recommend players skew slightly towards damage given the nature of Gloomhaven encourages killing enemies to prevent incoming damage.
Additional nice to have utility in a Gloomhaven party include the ability to counter shielded opponents, inflict various status effects and looting to ensure a steady stream of gold is available to grow your power level over the course of a campaign through items or enhancements.
