Risk of Rain 2has a varied cast of 13 different playable Survivors, each with unique kits, playstyles, and item synergies. But what makes a character in Risk of Rain 2 good?
As time is so important, damage and mobility are the most valuable stats that contribute to the success of a Survivor. The constant race against the clock means speed is the name of the game. Target selection is also vital, as not all enemies are equally dangerous. Identifying and killing the most threatening enemy quickly is crucial for survival, and having the damage to take them out quickly saves time and health. Mobility helps with finding the Teleporter, traversing the map, and avoiding death. Here’s how all the game’s Survivors stack up, with these attributes in mind.
Void Fiend
A Survivor corrupted by the Void, the Void Fiend is a DLC survivor that is unlocked byEscaping The Planetarium. Void Fiend is a Survivor who switches between two forms. Managing the Corruption meter is all about being in the appropriate form for the current situation.
The Corrupted form is very strong and is great for dealing huge amounts of damage to multiple threats. Starting the Teleporter right at the start of the Corrupted form can melt the boss. Void Fiend’s Controlled form has great range and can take out flying enemies better, even boasting a built-in heal. The Controlled form is limited by mostly single-target damage. The character’s mobility in either form also cleanses debuffs, which can be life-saving to get rid of bleed or fire damage. A powerful and versatile Survivor, Void Fiend may be the very best, though is quite technical and requires careful play.
Loader is one of the strongest Survivors in the game. Her damage and mobility are unmatched. She gains a passive shield on hit, which enables close-range aggression with much less risk than other melee survivors. Her charge punch and grappling hook combo deals tons of damage and provides amazing mobility that is enjoyable to use.
Durability, tremendous damage output and great mobility make Loader one of the best picks all-around. She suffers slightly without a ranged attack, but her Scrap Barrier makes her the most viable of all the melee characters. It’s important to note that killing the final boss can be tricky without a ranged attack, since Mythrix hits very hard.
Rail Gunner
Railgunner is also included in theSurvivors of the Void DLC, and has a very aim-focused kit. Focused on single target damage, she can kill most things in one hit from very far away. Unfortunately, tons of single-target damage on its own does not prevent her from being swarmed by weaker enemies. Railgunner’s mobility option is also clunky, and often causes fall damage (but it is better than nothing).
Railgunner is reliant on her damage and ability to burst down elite enemies and bosses. Her lack of good mobility and AOE, unfortunately, means she can be heavily punished if she can’t make every shot count.
Rex is a plant robot that constantly plays chicken with its health bar. Its primary fire heals it and weakens enemies, but Rex’s damage potential lies in other skills which drain the player’s health. Rex is great at staying alive in chaotic situations by leeching off enemies, but has quite the learning curve and can take a bit to get used to.
Rex’s ability to innately heal makes the early game very safe and powerful. This Survivor may lack mobility, but can root and heal from a whole swarm of enemies. This robot boasts great damage, crowd control, and passable mobility that can boop bosses off ledges, and knock flying enemies into walls. It’s just unfortunate that Rex can be inconsistent.
Huntress has some of the best mobility in the game, but very little health. Fragile yet agile, she outputs damage while dodging enemy attacks better than any other survivor. Her ability to fire while sprinting not only helps her stay alive but opens the door for some excellent item synergies.
Being fragile, however, means that she needs items to kill big threats in the late game. Targets dying slowly deep into a run can spell death for the fragile Huntress, and it can be difficult to escape a horde of foes alive.
Captain boasts excellent early and mid-game damage with his powerful primary fire. What he lacks in mobility he makes up for in utility, with time-saving hack beacons and powerful airstrikes. Being able to call in two orbital supply beacons at every stage is very powerful. Hack beacons are huge time savers by hacking anything that costs money. This can be a huge time saver and even hacks the mythic chest for free in the Abyssal Depths.
Additionally, his defensive microbots shoot down enemy projectiles, and this applies to all bought drones. This starting item helps with his lack of mobility immensely. Being immobile is Captain’s biggest weakness, but he has lots of tools that make him strong despite that fact. Fail to implement them correctly, however, and you’ll be a sitting duck.
Scoring high in fun factor, Bandit has tons of burst damage and utility but mediocre mobility. Heneeds to be unlocked, but is very satisfying to play. His passive ability to always critically strike when hitting enemies in the back carries a lot of his early game damage, while his ability to reset his cooldowns with Lights Out makes for some exciting combos while weaving in and out of stealth.
He does fall off in the late game, though, since his primary fire only has four shots and lacks range. His kit requires close-range combat, which is much harder late game. Since his mobility option is mostly simply stealth and not a dash, he can still die in the chaos of a late-game run.
