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Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide

After a really, really, really long turn as the Gloomhaven Scoundrel in a convoluted, drawn-out search (see: Personal Quest #529), the Scoundrel is more than a member of our party- she’s a family member! Read this ultimate Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide to learn more about who the Scoundrel is, why you should play her, what her abilities and hidden skills are, and how her battle and build strategy should unfold. You’ll also learn about the best Gloomhaven Scoundrel Cards. We’ll even tell you which party members work well alongside the Human Scoundrel! 

A disclaimer: you won’t find unlockable classes here. We’re committed to keeping character pairings for all starting level character guides spoiler-free!

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Master Scoundrel Image

The first thing to remember about the Human Scoundrel is that she’s out for herself. As a human, her personality is shaped by her intense curiosity and her relentless, dogged nature. The world outlook of the Scoundrel is best expressed by her prerogative to take everything that she comes across as hers, through any means necessary. The Scoundrel makes a terrific ninja, focusing on single targets through a hit-and-run approach.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Scoundrel Coat of Arms

Base Stats

Health

Level123456789
HP8911121415171820
The Scoundrel’s Health Situation

The Scoundrel’s health begins at a low 8 points, and maxes out at 20 on level 9. Since health is a vague concern, you should pick up a Minor or Major Healing Potion for use when you need perking up.

Stamina

The Scoundrel Guide: With only nine cards in her hand, the Scoundrel has to be smart!

The Scoundrel’s hand size of 9 is definitely on the smaller side. In Gloomhaven, every card counts, and even more so when it comes to the Scoundrel! You’ll be able to last 20 rounds before exhaustion without any Stamina Potion use if you manage your cards well. Don’t lose too many cards in the first few rounds- for the Scoundrel, that could translate into a fatal mistake. Use Minor and Major Stamina Potions and your Scoundrel will go the distance.

Experience

While not the fastest to level up, the Scoundrel does all right in this respect with several cards that dole out Experience points. You might even find yourself in a situation where you’ve maxed out your Scoundrel and aren’t close to achieving your Personal Quest (like we did). Don’t go crazy picking up XP if you have a lengthy Personal Quest- take your time and enjoy the journey. A lot of the fun in Gloomhaven is leveling up and retiring your characters, so the Scoundrel is less fun to play as a maxed-out character.

Movement 

The Scoundrel has excellent movement abilities. She can travel 6 hexes in the early scenarios, thanks to her long-range movement cards. Pick up the Boots of Striding if the Scoundrel is your party’s primary looter, and she’ll clean the place out for you (helpful when you have mission-critical chests to loot, not so helpful if you don’t get any loot)! Our Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide has great equipment choices here, perfect for your adventures!

Initiative

You’ll have plenty of low initiative cards sprinkled throughout, giving you flexibility to either go first or allow your other party members to go first (if you have any high initiative cards left). 

Battle and Build Strategy

As the Gloomhaven Scoundrel, you have one strategy. You are a stealthy ninja, with the ability to weave in and out of battle at will. 

As a Ninja… you run in, attack, and then disappear. You attack single enemies with cunning and precision. 

If you’re just starting out with the Scoundrel, you’ll discover her strengths and weaknesses quickly. 

Her ability to get the kills you need really leans on other party members’ attacks and movements. It’s just the nature of her game- she’s not a melee attacker. The Scoundrel’s early cards lend themselves to quick finishes after her friends have whittled away at enemies’ health points.

Character Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses
Solutions

Early advantage (low initiative cards)

Poison

Good movement

Stealth (ability to become invisible)

Flexible attacks (ranged + single target attacks)

Low stamina

 

Low initial HP

Hand management + Stamina Potion

 

Healing Potion

She can run in, stab an enemy with a poisonous blade and instantly become invisible. This is why you need to think of the Scoundrel as an effective finisher.

Her cards include many low-initiative cards, so use that to your advantage as you dart from place to place. The Scoundrel deck includes several ways to inflict Poison, which you can incorporate into your strategy as you poison all nearby enemies one by one, setting them up for your fellow party members. 

The Scoundrel is an effective assassin. 

Card Combinations

Card management is of utmost importance when you play as the Scoundrel. While she can go 20 rounds, that’s only achievable through strategic card management. When you add Healing and Stamina Potions into the mix, they’re super helpful. They’ll stave off exhaustion by a few rounds. The Scoundrel has a tiny hand size, so every card has to serve more than one purpose. You’re looking for flexibility as you put together your ideal deck.

Core Card Choices

For Level 1, we can choose a nine-card deck from both Level X and Level 1 cards. We’re looking for flexibility in both top and bottom abilities. For ultimate flexibility at all player counts, we recommend a healthy mix of low-initiative and high-initiative cards. 

Level 1

Level 1 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Backstab
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 1 / X Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Backstab / Throwing Knives / Smoke Bomb / Thief’s Knack / Special Mixture / Venom Shiv / Quick Hands / Sinister Opportunity

This Level 1 hand makes good use of flexible Level 1 and Level X cards that give you the ability to move great distances, make effective attacks (including one ranged attack) and take advantage of the position of your party members. Feel free to swap out cards based on your scenario and the needs of your group.

Notable Level 1 Cards

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike

Flanking Strike [04]

The Scoundrel has plenty of proximity attack boosts. A great card for that is Flanking Strike, as it allows you to gain +2 Attack when an enemy you target is next to any of your allies. Flanking Strike also allows you a +5 Move, which is useful when you have a scenario that requires you to reach an end point or specific location. Incorporate this into your deck and play it with another card with a high initiative, so you can move into place after your allies have positioned themselves.

Recommended: Yes

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Backstab

Backstab [06]

Another excellent example of proximity attack boosts, the Backstab is such a good card all round that it’s impossible not to choose this one. If Smoke Bomb is played prior to Backstab, you can get a nice kill with fourteen points of damage in one round. Alternatively, you can Move six hexes! The only downer about this card is that you’ll lose it when you play the top ability, so save it for larger bosses in the later rounds of combat if you’re concerned about your Scoundrel making it to the end of a scenario.

Recommended: Yes

Throwing Knives [10]

One of two ranged attacks available at Level 1, Throwing Knives allows your Scoundrel to deal +2 Damage to two separate targets, excellent for finishing off heavily damaged enemies or surprising them as you enter a room. You’ll also have the ability to loot everything within two hexes of you- perfect for close spaces with lots of monsters. You do lose the card when you loot, so be precise about your position!

Recommended: Yes

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Smoke Bomb [12]

In Level 1, there aren’t that many complicated cards. Smoke Bomb is such a fun card to play, because it perfectly matches the Scoundrel’s personality! You become invisible, activate the Dark Element, and on your next attack while Invisible, the value of your attack is instantly doubled. Plus, if you’re three hexes away from a target, you can pull a target 2 hexes! That’s perfect for setting up an attack for one of your allies. The caveat? You lose the card for the rest of the scenario when you activate the top ability, unless you use a Stamina Potion to recover it. Our advice? Use this attack wisely.

Recommended: Yes

Thief’s Knack [23]

Using the top ability of Thief’s Knack allows you to gain experience when disarming traps. This is super helpful in a two-player scenario where traps are blocking potential exits or rooms, as you’ll be able to open the way for others to pass through unscathed. Traps are sometimes more useful for dealing damage to enemies, but this is such a quick way to gain experience. You’ll also gain experience with the bottom ability, which gives you a +3 Attack! The coolest thing about that is it is a bottom ability so you CAN pack a rare one-two punch when you pair this puppy with another Attack card.

Recommended: Yes

Special Mixture [33]

Primarily a heal card, Special Mixture allows you to heal yourself +3. This is useful, especially in a small party where you don’t have a designated healer. If you have a Healing Potion, though, this card is less beneficial. The Move +3 action is nothing to write home about, but the ability to poison an adjacent enemy is helpful when you use this card first and follow it up with an attack.

Recommended: Yes

Venom Shiv [60]

The best thing about this card is the Attack +3 ability. If you enhance this card, you can boost that to +4, still have the side effect of Poisoning your target and gain experience doing so! The Move +5 bottom ability is useful in a pinch, especially when covering long distances.

Recommended: Yes

Quick Hands [64]

You’ve probably noticed that the Scoundrel doesn’t have many Move and Attack abilities. That’s why Quick Hands is so valuable- the ability to Move +2 and Attack +2 is helpful when you and your party members goof with positioning. You’re able to slide in and attack with one top ability, which is excellent when paired with Thief’s Knack. Quick Hands gives you a ranged Loot ability with less range than Throwing Knives, but you don’t lose this card when you use the Loot ability.

Recommended: Yes

Single Out [86]

Another proximity attack boost card, Single Out has another trick up its sleeve. On four attacks where you target enemies that are by their lonesome, you add +2 Attack. There’s a catch, though. You’ll lose this card the minute you complete all four attacks, but you gain +1 Experience for every two attacks. Is it worth it for this use? Not especially. We recommend going with Flanking Strike instead, unless you need the high initiative here.

Recommended: No

Notable Level X cards

Trickster’s Reversal [09]

With Trickster’s Reversal, the Scoundrel can “Pierce” an enemy’s shield, but the big catch here is you will lose this card for the rest of the scenario (unless you have a Stamina Potion). In the early levels before you have the Stamina Potions, losing a card can be devastating. It’s better to use this card to mitigate the first damage you take from an enemy, but honestly that’s not that great either. This card is only good to take with you into a scenario if lots of enemies have shields.

Recommended: No

 

 

Swift Bow [36]

Swift Bow gives you one of two long-range attacks available in Level 1. This is a good card when you’re dealing with monsters from afar, but utilizing this card will be largely dependent on where your allies are. You can Move 2 and loot every hex you pass through, which is a good perk if you have multiple treasure chests.

Recommended: No

Sinister Opportunity [93]

Sinister Opportunity allows you to use the Dark Element. Create a great one-two punch by using this card with Smoke Bomb to activate the Dark Element. If you have an ally that can create Dark for you, then even better! The bottom ability allows you to move an enemy, useful in tight situations when you need to dodge their attacks.

Recommended: Yes

Level 2

Level 2 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Backstab
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 2 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Backstab / Throwing Knives / Open Wound / Smoke Bomb / Thief’s Knack / Venom Shiv / Quick Hands / Sinister Opportunity

As soon as you level up and have enough gold to spare, pick up a Healing Potion in town. You’ll find it more helpful than the Special Mixture card. Replace that card with the super-flexible Open Wound, and you’ll have a Scoundrel ninja ready for battle.

Level 2 Notable Cards

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound

Open Wound [11]

With a low initiative and a high bang-for-your-buck factor, you’ve got the ability to Attack +4. This is great all on its own, but you also get a bonus! With a bit of careful planning, you can wound the target (and gain experience!) just by putting yourself next to a target that’s also next to one of your trusty allies. Your alternative choice to move five hexes is handy as well- this card is one of the all-around winners you want in your deck. 

Recommended: Yes

Flintlock [90]

At first glance, the Flintlock card looks tempting. Sure, you can loot within a range of one hex- nifty and all that. Look at the bottom and you’ll see that you can inflict +5 damage with one single Attack, and a ranged one at that! Not only that, you also gain experience doing so. Quite the sharp shooter, aren’t you? You’ll lose the card the instant you use that ability, though. Like we said, tempting.

Recommended: No

Level 3

Level 3 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Backstab
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 3 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Backstab / Throwing Knives / Open Wound / Smoke Bomb / Thief’s Knack / Duelist’s Advance / Venom Shiv / Sinister Opportunity

Your hand just keeps getting better! The decisions become more difficult as you level up- we know how it feels. As a Level 3 Scoundrel in Gloomhaven, you have a tough call to make here between two powerful attacks. Switch out Quick Hands for Duelist’s Advance. You’ll lose the high initiative for Quick Hands, but let’s be honest- you probably weren’t using it anyway. You’ve got a limited hand size, so you have to choose flexibility over aplomb.

If you have the money, pick up a Stamina Potion in town to give yourself more breathing room (and more incentive) to use your more powerful combos without fear of becoming exhausted too quickly. You may have to pick between healing yourself or increasing your stamina. Choices, choices!

Level 3 Notable Cards

Duelist’s Advance [16]

The Duelist’s Advance allows you to swap out Quick Hands for a more powerful Move/Attack combo. If you remember, the Level 1 Quick Hands only allows for a +2 Move and a +2 Attack, so you’re looking at a slightly more powerful carbon copy of that card. The +2 Attack bonus you get for attacking enemies not next to one of their buddies is great, too.

Recommended: Yes

Hidden Daggers [85]

Whoa! A powerful long-range Scoundrel attack with a +4 Attack for not one, but two targets? The Invisible bottom ability is pretty awesome, too! See that tiny Loss symbol, though? Ach. This one definitely brings the party, but it peters out quickly. In the end, it’s just not worth losing the card for the rest of the scenario. If only you had a larger hand size…

Recommended: We wish

Level 4

Level 4 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 4 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Throwing Knives / Open Wound / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Venom Shiv / Gruesome Advantage / Sinister Opportunity

At Level 4, your Scoundrel can finally breathe. If you’ve picked up the Cloak of Pockets, you probably have a couple of Healing or Stamina Potions in your arsenal during each scenario. That translates into the ability to lose a few cards earlier in the scenario than you normally would, because you can pick the lost cards right back up with one of your Stamina potions. Add Gruesome Advantage to your hand and you’ve got yourself a nice attack. Toss Backstab– it’s outlived its usefulness, and Gruesome Advantage is essentially a direct upgrade anyhow.

Level 4 Notable Cards

Flurry of Blades [03]

The first thing you’ll notice about this Level 4 card is its loooooow initiative. The odds are in your favor when you play this card- it’s going to almost 100% ensure you make the first move. The second coolest thing is the name of the card itself- Flurry of Blades! Whoo! Unfortunately, this card doesn’t offer you a whole lot of advantages (despite the bottom action saying it does). You have a light ranged attack or you gain advantage on all your attacks this round. Eh. Take it or leave it.

Recommended: No

Gruesome Advantage [62]

Now this is what we’re talking about. If you take the vanilla approach to the top action, you get a +3 Attack. If you position yourself smartly (which of course you do, you ninja, you), you have two terrific options. Attack a target next to one of your allies? That’s +3 on top of the original attack for you (for +6 potential damage). If you spy an enemy way out there on the horizon, all alone and vulnerable, you’re in luck- that’s a +3 Attack bonus. And to boot, moving SEVEN HEXES on the bottom is fire. Even though you lose this card when you play it with the top ability, its usefulness and your ability to enhance it even further is too hard to pass up.

Recommended: Wholeheartedly

Level 5

Level 5 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 5 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Open Wound / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Venom Shiv / Gruesome Advantage / Visage of the Inevitable / Sinister Opportunity

You feel the power coursing through the veins as you dodge, stab and run. You’re getting the hang of all Gloomhaven has to offer. What’s your next move as a Scoundrel? It’s gotta be an INSTANT DEATH ability! There’s not even a real competition between your two Level 5 cards. It’s Visage of the Inevitable all the way. It’s the end of the road for your Throwing Knives card.

Level 5 Notable Cards

Cull the Weak [16]

Cull the Weak is an interesting card. It has two diametrically opposed actions, none of which are powerful enough for you to choose over Visage of the Inevitable. First, there’s a good Attack ability, but you’ve already got a bunch of other cards for that. The ability to add +2 Attack to any disarmed, immobilized or stunned enemies is nice, but it’s rare that you’ll come across that in a two or three player scenario. This card is just too fiddly.  

Recommended: No

 

 

 

 

Visage of the Inevitable [88]

Instant death. Without losing the card. Enough said.

Recommended: Yes

Level 6

Level 6 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide -Open Wound
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 6 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Open Wound / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Gruesome Advantage / Visage of the Inevitable / Sinister Opportunity / Burning Oil

At this level, you’re burning the midnight oil for all of Gloomhaven. You and your allies have defeated some seriously formidable opponents, and you’ve looted tons of treasure chests in your personal quest for glory. As a ninja, what’s next? Ah, yes! Burning Oil is the prize. It’s time to say goodbye to Venom Shiv, since Burning Oil gives you a better attack and you already have Flanking Strike for the same Move bottom ability.

Level 6 Notable Cards

Crippling Poison [30]

On paper, this card seems like a great pick. We’re not looking at an exclusive Poison strategy, though. When you play the top action, you’re looking at a Loss and it just isn’t worth it. The bottom is where all the action is- +2 Attack, plus the ability to poison and immobilize your enemies, while also gaining experience! Pretty nice, but the Loss element of the top action is the major negative here. Plus you have the Thief’s Knack for a bottom Attack, so you don’t need this card.

Recommended: No

 

Burning Oil [95]

Check and check. Burning Oil neatly checks all of the checkboxes you need- a strong ranged Attack that also wounds and sets off the Fire element, which is always fun for a Scoundrel. Thus far, the only element you’ve been able to control is the Dark element, so helping others in your party take advantage of the Fire element is a terrific idea. Plus you gain +1 Experience. The bottom action isn’t much to write home about, but it does net you +1 Experience each time you do a ranged Loot from two hexes away. 

Recommended: Yes

Level 7

Level 7 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Duelist's Advance
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Thief's Knack
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Stick to the Shadows

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Burning Oil

Level 7 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Stick to the Shadows / Gruesome Advantage / Visage of the Inevitable / Sinister Opportunity / Burning Oil

You’ve made it to Level 7. Your battle-scarred Scoundrel is chomping at the bit. A decision needs to be made. Do you dump one of your cards for Spring the Trap or Stick to the Shadows? The ninja that you are, you know a shadowy existence is gonna benefit you more, so you decide to switch out Open Wound with Stick to the Shadows for your next scenario. If you have enough gold, enhance the top action for a more powerful attack. Gloomhaven will thank you!

Level 7 Notable Cards

Spring the Trap [13]

The top ability of this card is complex. You choose a monster within three hexes of you to suffer the effects of a disarmed trap next to you… after you’ve already disarmed it! Gain +2 Experience here. The bottom activity is, again, all about positioning. Choose an enemy without any of its allies next to it, make sure that it’s next to one of your buddies, and double the value of your attack! The low initiative here allows you to move into a good position before any of your party members move first, so plan ahead based on where your buddies ended up last turn.

Recommended: No, Stick to the Shadows is the better choice

Stick to the Shadows [26]

Whoooooa-hey-ho! Start with +4 Attack (which can be enhanced twice), then if the Dark element is in play, increase the power of your Attack by another 4 points. Just make sure your target is next to any of your party members, and you’re golden. The +2 Experience doesn’t hurt one bit, either. The bottom ability is just a regular Move +2, but you don the Cloak of Invisibility and ta-da, you’re set up for your next attack! 

Recommended: Yes

Level 8

Level 8 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Flanking Strike
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb

Level 8 Hand Recommendation


Flanking Strike / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Stick to the Shadows / Gruesome Advantage / Stiletto Storm / Visage of the Inevitable / Burning Oil

Comfortable in your own skin, are you? As a stealthy assassin, you’d better be! Your deck and your card pool should be serving you well as you make your way through the scenarios of Gloomhaven. If you’re playing in a larger party, add Stiletto Storm to your deck pool, as it’ll allow you to target four enemies at once. If you’re playing in a smaller party without a healer and you find yourself constantly watching your HP, add Pain’s End to your deck pool. Sub either card with Sinister Opportunity when needed. The hand above shows Stiletto Storm as your choice, but at this point you should finesse your hand every time you analyze a scenario you’re about to enter.

Level 8 Notable Cards

Pain’s End [38]

The best Heal card you’ve gotten so far in the game. Imagine being able to heal yourself +10 with two (very expensive) enhancements! It is a Loss top ability, so you’ve gotta think ahead here. Do you have a healer in the group? If so, you don’t need this. The bottom ability is only useful for mopping up one single enemy with less than 3 HP. You have other priorities.

Recommended: No

 

 

Stiletto Storm [80]

Another ranged attack, this time with the ability to hit four enemies at once. Compared with the bottom ability of Pain’s End, this one allows you to potentially mop up four poisoned enemies if they have 3 HP or less. With a strong Modifier, you’ll be able to do some decent damage. The bottom Move / Retaliate ability isn’t a selling point, but overall this card offers you decent options.

Recommended: Yes

 

Level 9

Level 9 Hand Recommendation

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Smoke Bomb
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Duelist's Advance
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Thief's Knack
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Stick to the Shadows
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Gruesome Advantage
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Stiletto Storm
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Visage of the Inevitable
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Burning Oil

Level 9 Hand Recommendation


Long Con / Smoke Bomb / Duelist’s Advance / Thief’s Knack / Stick to the Shadows / Gruesome Advantage / Stiletto Storm / Visage of the Inevitable / Burning Oil

You are a total boss. You’ve made it all the way to the top and maxed out your Gloomhaven Scoundrel. Very impressive, when you consider her tiny hand size. Phew! Dealing with only nine cards is beyond exhausting, but you’ve done it. You deserve the Long Con. Toss the Flanking Strike. Watch it Burn is intriguing, but it requires you darting from enemy to enemy to Poison and Wound them. That’s not your modus operandi- you prefer to inflict more damage with your attacks.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Long Con Level 9 CardLong Con [02]

Imagine swirling a longsword round you in a full circle, disarming every single monster you encounter with a +4 Attack. Pretty good, no? The bottom ability is even better, if you can believe it. You’re a con artist at heart. Through the bottom ability, you mind-control one normal or elite enemy to see all of their allies as enemies, attacking them instead. You even get to control the enemy’s actions. At this level, you’re capable of vaporizing your enemies by puppeteering one single enemy. Fun!

Recommended: Yes

 

 

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Watch It Burn Level 9 Card

Watch It Burn [98]

Simple. Add Poison and Wound to all of your attacks, and gain experience doing so. It’s a Persistent Bonus without a specified end, so yeah. Play this card early in a scenario and all of your attacks will totally benefit with a +1 Damage to any attacks and a recurring Wound damage at the beginning of each monster’s turn. The bottom ability is just a regular Move +5, but you do get to wound any enemies chilling next to you. 

Recommended: No

 

 

Scoundrel Card Combos

  • Combos: [Smoke Bomb, Backstab] / [Any card – Smoke Bomb / Sinister Opportunity – Any card]
  • Combos: [Quick Hands, Thief’s Knack]
  • Level 7 and above Combo: [Smoke Bomb top – Any card (non-attack) / Stick to the Shadows top – Any card] 
  • Level 9 and above Combo: [Visage of the Inevitable – Long Con]

If you’ve scrolled down here just to see what’s up with the Scoundrel Card Combos, here’s a TL:DR version for you! 

Smoke Bomb / Backstab

Start up an attack using the Smoke Bomb, and finish it off with a Backstab. With this combo, you can get a nice kill with fourteen points of damage in one round. The only negative about Backstab and Smoke Bomb is that you can lose them, so save this combo for larger bosses in the later rounds of combat. 

 

Two turn combo: Any card / Smoke Bomb followed by Sinister Opportunity / any card

Move into position with any card, then follow it up with Smoke Bomb. That’s a decent chunk of damage all by itself, but now you’re Invisible and have the Dark Element at the ready! On your next turn, whip out Sinister Opportunity and follow up with any card. Niiiiiice.

 

Quick Hands / Thief’s Knack

The Scoundrel doesn’t have many Move and Attack abilities. With Quick Hands, you have the ability to Move +2 and Attack +2. You’re able to slide in and attack with one top ability, which is excellent when paired with Thief’s Knack. You’ll also gain experience with the Thief’s Knack bottom ability, along with a +3 Attack! Remember- that option is a bottom ability. Paired with Quick Hands, you have a rare one-two Attack punch.

 

Level 7 and above: 

Smoke Bomb top / any card followed by Stick to the Shadows top / any card

You lose Smoke Bomb for the rest of the scenario when you activate the top ability, unless you use a Stamina Potion to recover it. That’s par for the course, ain’t it? Then follow that up with Stick to the Shadows and get +4 Attack (which can be enhanced twice), then because you put the Dark element in play as part of the Smoke Bomb, you increase the power of your Attack by another 4 points. Remember to target an enemy adjacent to any of your party members, and you’re off to the races!

 

Level 9 and above:

Visage of the Inevitable – Long Con

Visage of the Inevitable gives you instant death without losing the card, but use the bottom action here and you can Move 2 and Poison all adjacent monsters. If you use the 4 Damage from the top action of Long Con, you also target all adjacent enemies, damage ‘em and Disarm them! Think of this as a massive 360 degree spin attack- if you have six enemies surrounding you, you can deal a lot of damage (and even more if you decide to pick up Crippling Poison). All in one single turn. Zounds! 

Scoundrel Equipment Choices

Here are some equipment and item suggestions for your Scoundrel build. Make increasing your Stamina, arming yourself with Healing potions and boosting single-target attacks your top three priorities. We’ve included a couple of surprise equipment items here you might come across in your travels, so if you don’t want to learn more, skip this section!

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Minor Stamina Potion
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Major Stamina Potion

 

Minor & Major Stamina Potion:

Must-have items for the Scoundrel due to her limited hand size. The ability to Recover discarded cards is irreplaceable.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Minor Healing Potion
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Major Healing Potion

Minor & Major Healing Potion:

 In the early levels, the Scoundrel can struggle with her HP if a Healer isn’t in the party. Having those two potions will help her last just a bit longer.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Boots of Striding
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Boots of Dashing
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Boots of Sprinting

 Boots of Striding & Dashing & Sprinting:

Direct upgrades to each other, all of those cards increase the Scoundrel’s movement. Excellent when combined with the Horned Helm.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Cloak of Pockets

 Cloak of Pockets:

Super important for Stamina purposes. The ability to carry two additional small items will help the Scoundrel last longer.

Horned Helm:

Movement is important to the Scoundrel- she can travel great distances. The Horned Helm is a terrific complement to your attack after you’ve moved several hexes.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Horned Helm
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Moon Earring

Moon Earring:

If you find this item, it’s worth keeping in your regular rotation. Allows you to Refresh all of your spent items once.

Long Spear:

Excellent for the single-target Scoundrel. Move yourself into a line with two enemies and attack both! Great when doubled with the Smoke Bomb attack.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Long Spear

Scoundrel Perks

 

The greatest danger facing the Scoundrel in her Modifier deck is the potential of completely missing or decreasing the strength of an attack that you spent two or even four cards setting up. The disappointment that seeps through your bones when that happens is palpable.

The single best thing you can do is to remove all of the Scoundrel’s negative Modifier cards. Here are the first five things you should hit on your list of Perks, in order of importance: 

  1. Replace one -2 card with one +0 card
  2. Remove two -1 cards
  3. Replace one -1 card with one +1 card
  4. Remove four +0 cards
  5. Replace one +0 card with one +2 card
Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Scoundrel Perks

Just those five changes (which require 7 Perks in total) will completely transform your luck.

Gloomhaven Scoundrel Guide - Scoundrel Coat of Arms

Scoundrel Character Pairings

If you’re playing in a small party, pair your Scoundrel ninja with a damage-dealer and/or tank character like the Brute. Other characters with more abstract or ethereal abilities (read: Spellweaver) won’t team up well with the Scoundrel in smaller parties, but work just fine in larger parties. Avoid playing alongside the Cragheart, as some of his attacks affect all adjacent hexes, thus harming the Scoundrel, who benefits from being adjacent to the enemies she targets.

A reminder: you won’t find unlockable classes here. We’re committed to keeping character pairings for all starting level character guides spoiler-free! 

Two Player Scenario: 

Brute + Scoundrel 

With several complementary adjacency attacks, the Brute and the Scoundrel work well together. The Scoundrel will clean up any nearly-dead enemies the Brute leaves behind, while also significantly decreasing the health of any major baddies before the slower Brute gets within range.

Three Player Scenario: 

Brute + Mindthief + Scoundrel

The addition of the Mindthief allows the team to focus on more discrete tasks, allowing the Scoundrel to move ahead and unlock rooms faster. The Mindthief will mete out significant damage while also scooping up experience points left and right. 

Four Player Scenario: 

Brute + Mindthief + Spellweaver + Scoundrel

The Spellweaver isn’t a great fit for the Scoundrel in a two-player game, but in a four-player game, watch out! The Spellweaver will add decent long-range attacks to the team repertoire. In turn, the Scoundrel can do what she does best- dart in for an attack, then slink away to a more lucrative tile. 

Conclusion

With a few clever card combos and the right sort of equipment, the Scoundrel is a formidable character. We’ve set her up as a strong, flexible single-target assassin with ranged attacks that also inflict a good deal of damage. Being the Scoundrel requires thinking quickly on your feet. She’s a whole lot of fun! 

Read more about Gloomhaven in our Best Legacy Games write up, or pore over our Best Dungeon Crawlers guide. 

There’s a whole lot to love in our Gloomhaven starting class guides. Check out our: 

Gloomhaven Brute ultimate guide,

Gloomhaven Cragheart ultimate guide,

Gloomhaven Mindthief ultimate guide,

Gloomhaven Spellweaver ultimate guide

and our

Gloomhaven Tinkerer ultimate guide

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