Rogue Legacy 2 Class Guide: Pirate

If you thought the Gunslinger would be the only firearm-wielding combatant in Rogue Legacy 2, the Pirate is here to blow those assumptions away in a burst of black powder. Armed with a cannon, a ship and a devil-may-care attitude, playing the Pirate is like no other experience in Rogue Legacy 2. Their health is among the highest in the game, and their mana total is no slouch either. This allows the Pirate to serve as a robust up-close brawler, as well as supplementing their attacks with magic whenever the situation calls for it. But where the class really shines is in the interplay between their unpredictable attacks, interesting talent and passive mechanics  

The pirate is a highly idiosyncratic class, but one that is both rewarding and fun to use with proper mastery. We’ll walk you through its gameplay and help you on your way to becoming a master of the seas, skies and everything in-between, with our Rogue Legacy 2 class guide. 

Rogue Legacy 2 Pirate Weapon

While it may look unwieldy, the Cannon is in fact an extremely versatile in Rogue Legacy 2. It grants the pirate both a close-up weapon, bludgeoning enemies with its steel heft, and a ranged option, pelting them with cannonballs after a swing. 

A basic button press causes the pirate to swing the cannon, which deals significant damage and knockback to any foe it connects with. But if the same button is held, after the initial swing, the pirate will aim and fire the cannon once the button is released.  

It is almost always worth it to follow up a swing by firing the cannon. The knockback that the weapon’s basic attack inflicts will cab foes in a prime position for the follow-up blast. And the cannonball projectile itself does more damage than the initial weapon swing, exploding in an AOE effect, allowing you to catch multiple enemies in a single blast. 

In addition, dash attacks with the cannon become automatic skill crits. And what’s more, if you manage to fire the cannon while dashing, these shots also become skill crits! This property synergies incredibly well with the crit damage boost afforded by the pirate’s class passive. 

Rogue Legacy 2 Pirate Talent

The Pirate’s talent is Pirate Ship, which does just as the name suggests. Activating this talent summons a miniature pirate ship, which has a variety of powerful uses.  

As it appears, the Pirate Ship will begin firing cannonballs ahead. This is in itself extremely useful, as it creates an additional source of damage, allowing you to quickly overwhelm powerful enemies and bosses, as well as splitting their focus. 

The ship can also be moved around while you are inside it, allowing you to position yourself in just the right spot to deal the most damage to your enemies. And you can still utilise your cannon and spells while helming the ship, meaning that there is no reduction in damage while you get it into position.  

The Pirate Ship cannot serve as a sniper’s perch to quite the same degree as the Ranger’s Ivy Canopy however. This is because, eight seconds after activation, the Pirate Ship flies forward and detonates on contact, dealing damage and applying burn. Thankfully, you can retain a degree of control over this chaos, as pressing the Talent button again whilst the ship is active triggers this detonation early. As such, you can choose exactly when the Pirate Ship transforms from a useful platform to an incendiary weapon! 

Pirate Class Passive

The Pirate’s class passive in Rogue Legacy 2 is called Cheap Shot. This increases the damage dealt by both their physical and magic crits by 10% overall. This definitely adds to the wildcard feel of the pirate overall, dealing huge damage when the wind is fair and your luck holds, but it is also a potent tool in your arsenal. Being able to force skill crits under specific conditions means that your Pirate will frequently be under the effects of this damage boost, incentivising setting up the right circumstances for skill crits to occur. The adds a level of tactical depth to the Pirate’s gameplay, preventing them from being all flash and no substance. 

That does it for our Rogue Legacy 2 Pirate class guide. For more Rogue Legacy 2 content, including further in-depth guides to classes, bosses, relics and biomes, be sure to check out our Rogue Legacy 2 hub!