Risk of Rain Returns Wiki: Your Ultimate Guide to Survivors, Items, and More!

Are you diving into the chaotic world of *Risk of Rain Returns* and finding yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of challenges, characters, and cryptic item descriptions? Perhaps you’re a seasoned survivor of the original *Risk of Rain*, eager to adapt to the updated gameplay and new features in this reimagining. Either way, this wiki-style guide is designed to be your constant companion, providing you with the essential information you need to conquer the perils of Petrichor V and emerge victorious.

This article serves as a comprehensive resource, much like a dedicated wiki, covering all the key elements that make *Risk of Rain Returns* so addictive. From understanding the unique abilities of each Survivor to deciphering the synergistic effects of powerful items, we’ll delve into every facet of the game to equip you with the knowledge necessary to thrive. We aim to keep this guide updated regularly, reflecting the evolving strategies and discoveries made by the dedicated *Risk of Rain Returns* community.

*Risk of Rain Returns* is a thrilling roguelike platformer where you, as a survivor marooned on a hostile alien planet, must fight your way through hordes of increasingly difficult enemies. As you progress, you collect items that grant you powerful abilities and enhance your combat prowess. The core gameplay loop revolves around exploration, combat, and strategic item acquisition, making each run a unique and unpredictable experience. Understanding the intricate details of Survivors, Items, and Enemies is crucial for survival. This guide provides the framework for your journey to mastery.

Survivors: Mastering the Roster

The heart of *Risk of Rain Returns* lies in its diverse cast of Survivors, each possessing a unique set of skills and playstyles. Choosing the right Survivor for your preferred approach is paramount to your success. Let’s explore each one in detail:

Commando

Overview: The Commando is often considered the “default” character, and for good reason. He’s a versatile and relatively beginner-friendly choice, focusing on consistent damage output and tactical mobility. His kit is balanced, allowing him to adapt to various situations and item builds.

Skills and Abilities: The Commando’s skillset is straightforward but effective. “Double Tap” is his primary fire, a rapid-fire attack that deals consistent damage. “Phase Round” allows him to fire a piercing shot that can hit multiple enemies, great for clearing out crowds. “Suppressive Fire” unleashes a barrage of bullets that stuns enemies, giving you breathing room. Finally, “Tactical Slide” grants him a quick burst of movement, allowing him to dodge attacks and reposition strategically.

Tips and Strategies: The Commando excels at sustained damage. Focus on acquiring items that boost your attack speed and critical hit chance. Mobility items are also valuable, as they allow you to capitalize on his Tactical Slide and avoid taking unnecessary damage. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different item combinations to find what works best for you.

Unlock Condition: Available from the start.

Huntress

Overview: The Huntress is a highly mobile character who excels at dealing damage from a distance. Her abilities allow her to quickly traverse the battlefield and maintain a safe distance from enemies.

Skills and Abilities: Her primary attack, “Strafe,” allows her to fire while moving. “Laser Glaive” throws a glaive that bounces between enemies. “Blink” grants her a short-range teleport. “Arrow Rain” fires a volley of arrows at a targeted location.

Tips and Strategies: Focus on mobility and positioning. Items that increase your movement speed and attack speed are crucial.

Unlock Condition: Beat the third teleporter event.

Engineer

Overview: The Engineer is a defensive character who relies on his turrets to deal damage and control the battlefield.

Skills and Abilities: “Bouncing Grenades” are his primary attack. He can deploy two “Turrets” that automatically attack enemies. “Bubble Shield” creates a protective barrier. “Pressure Mines” are proximity mines that explode when enemies get close.

Tips and Strategies: Prioritize turret placement and defense. Items that increase turret damage and survivability are essential.

Unlock Condition: Repair all drones.

Bandit

Overview: The Bandit is a high-risk, high-reward character who thrives in close combat.

Skills and Abilities: “Sling Shot” is his primary attack. “Smokescreen” grants him temporary invisibility and a movement speed boost. “Lights Out” is a powerful melee attack that deals massive damage. “Blast” is a short-range area-of-effect attack.

Tips and Strategies: Master the Smokescreen to avoid damage and position yourself for critical attacks.

Unlock Condition: Kill the Magma Worm.

Drifter

Overview: The Drifter is a unique character focused on buffing allies and dishing out damage in melee combat.

Skills and Abilities: “Passives” create scrap when picking up items. “Salvage” consumes scrap to boost damage and attack speed. “Shield” grants the drifter a large shield at the cost of movement. “Charge” is a devastating blow with a long charge time.

Tips and Strategies: Try to conserve scrap in earlier stages to have a large burst. This can also be used to buff allies.

Unlock Condition: Complete “The Survivors” challenge

Pilot

Overview: The Pilot is a mobile character who relies on his ability to evade enemies and deal damage with his special abilities.

Skills and Abilities: “Charge Shot” deals a small amount of damage to enemies. “Backup” can call down airstrikes for damage. “Emergency Recall” boosts speed and grants a defensive barrier. “Rapid Fire” can shoot an enemy at 100% speed.

Tips and Strategies: Learn the maps and predict where enemies will appear to be the most effective.

Unlock Condition: Find all equipment drones.

Enforcer

Overview: The Enforcer is a tanky character focused on soaking up damage and protecting allies.

Skills and Abilities: “Shield” makes the Enforcer slow, but is defensive. “Shotgun” is the main damage dealer for the enforcer. “Protect and Serve” buffs all allies with armor and health regen. “Stun Grenade” stuns enemies for a small period of time.

Tips and Strategies: Utilize shields and protect and serve to buff yourself and all members on your team.

Unlock Condition: Beat the game.

Loader

Overview: The Loader is a character that can grab things and smash them.

Skills and Abilities: “Punch” deals a small amount of damage. “Grapple Fist” grants the Loader the ability to move around. “Thunder Glove” deals increased damage to enemies. “M551” crushes enemies in a large area.

Tips and Strategies: Learn to use M551 to clear waves of enemies, and grapple fist to move around quickly.

Unlock Condition: Clear 10 waves.

Mercenary

Overview: The Mercenary is an all-around character.

Skills and Abilities: “Sword” deals a small amount of damage. “Whirlwind” grants invulnerability to all incoming damage. “Eviscerate” hits an enemy a few times for large damage. “Rising Wind” jumps into the air and hits an enemy down.

Tips and Strategies: Try to optimize the invulnerability on whirlwind to take less damage.

Unlock Condition: Prismatic trial

Chef

Overview: The Chef is a very unique character focused on cooking.

Skills and Abilities: “Batter” deal melee damage to all enemies in front. “Sear” deals damage to all enemies in front. “Sauté” heals allies. “Serve” sets up a large plate that you can sauté onto to heal allies.

Tips and Strategies: Heal is very important. Make sure to heal as many allies as possible.

Unlock Condition: Cook several different items.

Miner

Overview: The Miner is a high damage close range character.

Skills and Abilities: “Pickaxe” deals close range damage. “Drill” deals heavy damage and is an escape option. “Backpack” buffs the Miner with several stacks of power. “C4” places C4 on an enemy to deal heavy damage.

Tips and Strategies: Drill out of danger, then c4 when you can.

Unlock Condition: Mine a large mountain.

Acrid

Overview: Acrid is a poison based character focused on dealing high damage over time.

Skills and Abilities: “Acid Spit” places poison over an area. “Neurotoxin” can hit enemies for damage and poison. “Bite” deals high damage at close range. “Leap” grants mobility.

Tips and Strategies: Apply as much poison as possible to maximize damage.

Unlock Condition: Reach the final stage.

HAN-D

Overview: HAN-D is a robot with high damage.

Skills and Abilities: “Overclock” buffs HAN-D’s attack speed. “Laser” fires a laser beam. “Drone” sets up a drone. “Forcefield” grants a force field.

Tips and Strategies: Laser is a high damage skill. Don’t forget to use it!

Unlock Condition: Activate all robots.

Sniper

Overview: Sniper is a character focused on long range high damage combat.

Skills and Abilities: “Snipe” will snipe enemies from a distance. “Target Down” will debuff a specific enemy. “Homing” grants a homing shot with low damage. “Smoke” grants temporary invisibility.

Tips and Strategies: Snipe high priority enemies to gain more success.

Unlock Condition: Purchase 5 drones in one round.

The optimal character depends on your playstyle, but experimenting with each one is vital to finding a survivor that suits you.

Items: Power-Ups and Synergies

Items are the lifeblood of *Risk of Rain Returns*. They provide a constant stream of power-ups that can dramatically alter your character’s abilities and survivability. Understanding the various item tiers and their effects is essential for building a strong and adaptable loadout.

Items are categorized into tiers based on their rarity and power: Common, Uncommon, Legendary, and Boss. Generally, the rarer the item, the more impactful its effect. However, even common items can be incredibly powerful when combined strategically.

Common Items

Common items are the most frequently found items and provide subtle but useful buffs.

List of Common Items:

• Soldier’s Syringe: Increases attack speed.
• Tougher Times: Grants a chance to block incoming damage.
• Paul’s Goat Hoof: Increases movement speed.
• Medkit: Heals a small amount of health over time after taking damage.
• Rusty Key: Opens a hidden cache on each stage.
• Crowdfunder: Spend gold to deal damage, but gold is lost on hit.
• Monster Tooth: Summons a Leech to heal you when you kill enemies.

Synergy Spotlight: The Soldier’s Syringe combined with the War Horn grants a massive attack speed boost, turning any character into a damage-dealing machine. The combination of Tougher Times and Medkit makes you a much more durable character able to soak up damage while healing.

Uncommon Items

Uncommon items offer more significant power boosts and can dramatically alter your playstyle.

Legendary Items

Legendary items are the rarest and most powerful items in the game. They can completely transform your character’s capabilities and allow you to overcome even the most challenging obstacles.

Boss Items

Boss items are obtained by defeating bosses and offer unique and powerful effects.

Item Stacking

Many items in *Risk of Rain Returns* stack, meaning that their effects are amplified with each additional copy you acquire. However, some items exhibit diminishing returns, where the benefits of stacking decrease with each subsequent item. Experimentation is key to finding the optimal balance.

Must-Have Items

While item selection depends on your character and playstyle, some items are generally considered essential for most runs: Soldier’s Syringe for damage, Paul’s Goat Hoof for mobility, and Tougher Times for survivability are excellent picks. Energy Cell greatly enhances the utility of your skills, and the AtG Missile provides supplemental damage.

Enemies and Bosses: Know Your Foes

Survival in *Risk of Rain Returns* demands a thorough understanding of your enemies. Each enemy type possesses unique attack patterns, strengths, and weaknesses. Learning how to exploit these vulnerabilities is crucial for minimizing damage and maximizing your chances of survival.

Golems

Description: Golems are hulking, slow-moving enemies with high armor, making them resistant to most forms of damage.

Attack Pattern: They primarily rely on slow melee attacks and can also hurl rocks at long range.

Weaknesses: Their slow movement speed makes them vulnerable to ranged attacks. Focus fire on their weak points (usually the glowing cracks in their armor) to deal increased damage.

Location: Commonly found in stages like the Ancient Valley and the Damp Caverns.

Environments: Mastering Each Stage

Each stage in *Risk of Rain Returns* presents unique challenges and opportunities. Learning the layout of each environment and understanding the enemy spawn patterns is essential for maximizing your efficiency.

Ancient Valley

Description: A lush, green valley with winding paths and hidden areas. This stage is characterized by its open spaces and numerous elevated platforms.

Enemy Types: Golems, Lemurians, and Jellyfish are commonly found in this stage.

Key Features: The Ancient Valley features several hidden areas that can be accessed by using mobility skills or finding secret passages.

Tips and Tricks: Use the elevated platforms to your advantage, raining down attacks on enemies below.

Teleporter Spawns: Teleporter spawns are generally located in the center of the map or near the large rock formations.

Challenges and Unlocks: Completing the Game

*Risk of Rain Returns* offers a variety of challenges that reward players with unlockable content. Completing these challenges can unlock new Survivors, items, and skills.

Completing the various challenges will require some perseverance, but unlocks can make the game more enjoyable.

Tips and Tricks: General Gameplay Advice

• Early Game Survival: Focus on looting chests and acquiring items as quickly as possible. Prioritize mobility and survivability items in the early game.
• Economy Management: Spend your money wisely. Don’t be afraid to skip chests if they’re too expensive.
• Teleporter Event Strategies: Activate the Teleporter event as soon as you’re ready. Focus on eliminating the most dangerous enemies first.
• Movement and Dodging: Master movement mechanics to avoid enemy attacks. Use your skills to reposition yourself strategically.
• Prioritizing Targets: Eliminate Lesser Wisps and other ranged enemies first.

Conclusion

This guide is designed to be your ultimate companion in *Risk of Rain Returns*. By understanding the nuances of Survivors, Items, Enemies, and Environments, you can dramatically improve your chances of survival and conquer the challenges of Petrichor V. Use this guide as a reference point, experiment with different strategies, and most importantly, have fun!

We invite you to explore *Risk of Rain Returns* and discover the secrets that await. Please feel free to contribute your own tips and strategies, helping us to create a truly comprehensive resource for the community.

Official Resources: Be sure to check out the official *Risk of Rain Returns* website and Steam page for the latest news and updates. Follow the developers on social media for behind-the-scenes glimpses and community highlights. Good luck, survivor!