In The War Within Season 2, Brann Bronzebeard is more than a sidekick - his Curio loadout decides whether a Tier 8+ Delve melts or wipes you. Curios are passive enhancements you slot into Brann from the curio tab, and at Tier 8 and above the right combination keeps your companion alive, scaling his damage or healing to match the brutal scaling of Bountiful Delves. This guide breaks down the best Brann curios by role, explains how curio rarity and stacking work, and gives you a copy-ready loadout for high keys.
How the Brann Curio System Works
Each curio occupies one of Brann's curio slots and grants a passive effect that triggers during combat. You collect curios as drops from Delves, and they come in escalating rarities - Lesser, Greater, and Coffer Key-tier versions - with higher rarities granting larger numbers on the same effect. The core rules to remember at Tier 8+:
- Brann's role matters first. Set Brann to DPS if you are a tank or healer, and to Healer if you are pure DPS. His role changes which curios actually do anything for your run.
- Higher rarity always wins on a like-for-like effect - replace a Lesser curio with its Greater version the moment one drops.
- Curios stack with Brann's level. Brann scales to level 80 over a season; a fully leveled Brann amplifies every curio's output, so leveling him is as important as the curio choice itself.
- Anti-death curios are mandatory in Tier 8+. A dead Brann is zero DPS and zero healing, and his death timer ramps up fast under elite damage.
Best DPS Brann Curios (Brann set to DPS)
If you play a tank or healer spec, Brann fills the damage gap. Prioritize curios that boost his uptime and burst:
- Throw Knives / ranged proc curios - add consistent baseline damage that scales with his level, your single most reliable DPS gain.
- Critical and execute-style curios - extra damage to low-health and elite targets clears the dangerous final-room mobs faster.
- Bomb and AoE curios - shine on the trash-heavy floors of Underkeep, Earthcrawl Mines, and similar layouts.
- Resource-generation curios - keep Brann's special abilities firing more often instead of auto-attacking.
Why DPS Brann is the default for non-DPS players
Tanks and healers self-sustain, so Brann's healing is largely wasted on them. Switching him to DPS roughly doubles your effective clear speed in a solo Tier 8+, shortening the window in which mechanics can punish you.
Best Healer Brann Curios (Brann set to Healer)
Pure DPS specs without strong self-healing - many casters and ranged classes - lean on Brann to keep them upright. The standout healing curios:
- Direct heal and emergency-heal curios - trigger a burst heal when your health drops below a threshold, the single most important survival tool against one-shot-adjacent hits.
- Heal-over-time curios - smooth out chip damage between his big casts so you are never caught at low health.
- Shield / absorb curios - pre-empt incoming damage spikes, especially valuable against telegraphed boss slams.
- Cooldown-reduction curios - let Brann re-cast his strongest heal sooner, raising his effective throughput.
Survivability Curios Every Loadout Needs
Regardless of Brann's role, slot at least one curio that protects Brann himself at Tier 8+:
- Self-revive / death-prevention curios - let Brann shrug off a lethal hit or rez mid-fight, preventing a cascading wipe.
- Brann damage-reduction curios - cut the elite and boss damage he soaks while tanking adds off you.
- Threat-shedding curios - if you need Brann to stop pulling aggro and focus on his role.
Recommended Curio Loadout by Your Role
| Your Role | Set Brann To | Priority Curio Types |
|---|---|---|
| Tank | DPS | Damage procs, execute, AoE, 1x Brann survivability |
| Healer | DPS | Damage procs, resource generation, 1x Brann survivability |
| Pure DPS (no self-heal) | Healer | Emergency heal, HoT, shield, cooldown reduction |
| DPS (strong self-heal) | DPS | Damage procs, execute, 1x self-revive curio |
Curio Rarity Upgrade Priorities
| Rarity Tier | Typical Source | When to Equip |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser | Tier 1-4 Delves | Early leveling only; replace ASAP |
| Greater | Tier 5-7 Delves | Solid for Tier 8 pushes |
| Highest tier (Coffer Key drops) | Tier 8+ Bountiful Delves | End-game; keep these slotted permanently |
Always upgrade the curio you keep slotted first - a higher-rarity version of an effect you already use beats a brand-new lower-rarity curio nearly every time.
Pro Tips for Tier 8+ Delves
- Level Brann to 80 before pushing. Curio numbers scale with his level; an under-leveled Brann undercuts even perfect curio choices.
- Re-spec his loadout per Delve. AoE-heavy layouts reward bomb curios; single-boss Delves reward execute and burst curios.
- Spend Restored Coffer Keys on Bountiful Delves to farm the highest-rarity curios and Gilded gear in the same run.
- Keep one survivability curio locked in no matter your role - a living Brann always out-values a slightly higher-damage dead one.
Grinding Brann to max level and farming top-rarity curios across dozens of Tier 8+ runs is a real time sink. If you would rather skip straight to the rewards, PewPewShop offers a Delves and Brann boost that levels your companion, farms curios, and pushes high tiers for you while you log back in to a ready-to-go loadout.
FAQ
What is the single best Brann curio for Tier 8+ Delves?
There is no universal best - it depends on Brann's role. For a DPS Brann, a reliable damage proc curio at the highest rarity you own is the top pick; for a Healer Brann, an emergency below-threshold heal curio is the most run-saving choice.
Should I set Brann to DPS or Healer in Tier 8 Delves?
Set Brann to DPS if you are a tank or have strong self-healing, since his heals are wasted on you. Set him to Healer if you are a pure DPS spec with little self-sustain - his healing becomes your lifeline against burst damage.
Do Brann curios stack with each other?
Different curios stack because each occupies its own slot, but you should not run two versions of the same effect at different rarities - always equip the highest-rarity version of any given effect and fill remaining slots with complementary curios.
How do I get the best Brann curios fast?
Farm Tier 8+ Bountiful Delves using Restored Coffer Keys, which drop the highest-rarity curios. Leveling Brann to 80 first ensures those curios scale to their full power on every run.