All Risk of Rain 2 Characters: Learn Key Info!

Want a list of all Risk of Rain 2 characters? Well, here you go! We aim to offer some key information about each character so that you know which one to go for. Of course, we'll also teach you how to actually unlock them in the first place!

The character guide for Risk of Rain 2 you're about to scroll through is going to be your one-stop-shop in this regard. Basically an all-you-need-to-know buffet, now that we think of it! While we're at it, are you interested in a full Artifact Patterns guide? We've got one of those, as well as a general overview of how Items work in Risk of Rain 2. Checking all of these articles out guarantees a pretty clear picture of the game's gameplay loop, so do give them a whirl.

• Commando Guide
• Huntress Guide
• MUL-T Guide
• Engineer Guide
• Artificer Guide
• Mercenary Guide
• REX Guide
• Loader Guide
• Acrid Guide

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READ MORE: Risk of Rain 2 Best Mods: New Characters, Items, FPS Mode and more!

All Risk of Rain 2 characters:

Commando

A trusty returnee from the first game, Commando is the easiest character to play and a great workhorse character for those who aren't yet familiar with Risk of Rain 2's finer mechanics. The skillset is almost 1:1 to the character's first rendition, too, which makes Commando a great choice for those who are only just now transitioning from one game to the other. As you probably suspect, Commando is unlocked by default. No need to worry about this one!

What is Commando's skillset?

The Commando's skillset focuses on deploying considerable firepower to launch random critical strikes against a moderate number of targets. You'll be using twin auto-guns as Commando, so expect a decent amount of crowd control. Whether through saturation fire or projectiles with punch-through, you'll almost always have access to the right tool for dealing massive damage. We're particularly fond of the Commando's Tactical Dive ability. This evasive skill will allow you to quickly and efficiently reposition yourself. Not to mention the added aerial maneuverability.

What are the Commando Challenges and Alternative Skills?

At the moment of writing, there are three alternate unlockable skills for Commando!

Phase Blast - Phase Round replacement

• as Commando, land the killing blow on an Overloading Worm

Getting Phase Blast depends almost entirely on your perseverance. Since the Overloading Worm is a random boss, you'll just have to keep playing the game as solo Commando until you take the bastard down. As a reward, your punch-through Phase Round will morph into a twin-action shotgun blast dealing 8 x 200% damage. Badass!

Frag Grenade - Suppressive Fire replacement

• as Commando, clear 20 stages in a single run while ignoring all Lunar items

Pretty straight-forward, but also arguably rather difficult, we think. Good luck! The Frag 'nade is a great tool to have, in any case, and it will afford you up to two explosive rounds to dish out up to 4x damage with!

Tactical Slide - Tactical Dive replacement

• as Commando, clear the first stage in 5 minutes or less

Tactical Slide is a very flavorful ability: it's pretty damn cool to be able to slide towards enemies and gun them down at the same time! Better still, getting this one done shouldn't be too difficult. Try to locate the Teleporter as soon as possible, and trigger it right away. Chances are that you'll wrap up the fight within 5 minutes even if you've got little in the way of items.

What are the Commando Skins?

There's currently only one alternate skin for the Commando, though it's quite neat.

Commando Hornet Skin

• commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

Rather straightforward, but you will have to fight on the highest difficulty, locate a randomly-appearing Obelisk, and then sacrifice your entire run. Worth it!

Huntress

Another character making a comeback from the first Risk of Rain is the Huntress. This powerful ranged combatant is as devious as she is speedy, and will allow you to zip around the battlefield with impeccable precision and grace. The catch with the Huntress is that she's a bit of a glass cannon, and you're really going to want to steer clear from most melee combat. To that end, her skillset is designed to keep enemies at bay.

Of particular note is the Huntress's auto-aim capability. Arrows from her hard-light bow seek out the targeted enemy, and the Huntress can shoot even while sprinting. This means positioning is absolutely crucial for long-term survival, and you're going to want to invest in items that bolster your fire-rate and movement speed to stay alive at higher difficulties.

How to unlock Huntress in Risk of Rain 2?

Getting the Huntress is pretty simple, actually. Especially compared to a few other late-game characters. All you need to do is complete the Warrior Challenge which requires you to reach and complete the 3rd Teleporter Event in a row without dying. So, basically, get to level 4 with any other character. Chances are that Huntress will be the first unlockable character you get in Risk of Rain 2, so work on those Commando skills first!

Huntress Challenges and Alternative Skills

Far as her Alternates go, the Huntress can unlock an alternative mobility skill, an alternative "super", and an alternative secondary!

Flurry - Laser Glave Replacement

• as Huntress, land 6 killing bounces with the Laser Glaive

Unlocking Flurry isn't difficult if you position and damage your enemies correctly. See to it that you have a substantial enough group of foes huddled together, and that their health is low enough for the Glaive to cut through them.

Phase Blink - Blink Replacement

• as Huntress, collect and carry 12 Crowbars at once

This is about as straightforward as unlocks get, we think. It's going to take a fair bit of luck to find as many Crowbars, though, and not to mention the skill required to keep going at higher difficulty levels. Tricky, but definitely doable! As a reward, Phase Blink will let you blink up to three times while sprinting. Neat! But keep in mind that Phase Blink can't teleport upwards, unlike the baseline Blink skill.

Ballista - Arrow Rain Replacement

• as Huntress, complete the Rallypoint Delta level without falling below 100% health to get the Arrow Rain replacement

Oof. That's all we're going to say. Just... oof. Arrow Rain is cool though, especially if you Arrow Rain Teleport into the sky!

On the flip side, Ballista is a very powerful skill that combines mild evasive elements with a shotgun-like burst of damage. Very helpful in close-quarters combat.

What are the Huntress Skins?

Huntress Arctic Skin

•  commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

The Huntress's Arctic skin is unlocked precisely the same way as Commando's first skin, Hornet! Good luck, because you'll need it when the going gets tough.

MUL-T

 

A very powerful "multitool" character, MUL-T can be tuned to fulfill a variety of niches, depending on the exact loadout you end up going with. This alone makes him a great top Risk of Rain 2 characters contender. Right off the bat, MUL-T can equip either a flak-cannon or a marksman rifle equivalent, and can even hold two pieces of Equipment to switch between.

One of our favorite synergies is between MUL-T's marksman Rebar Puncher weapon and the Crowbar item. Since the Crowbar greatly increases damage dealt to healthy enemies, and Rebar Puncher is a powerful single-shot weapon, you'll be able to one-shot heaps of mobs if you manage to stack Crowbar quickly. Be on the lookout for this loadout!

How to unlock MUL-T in Risk of Rain 2?

Pure grind, this one. All you need to do is complete Warrior Challenge to complete the first Teleporter Event 5 times. So, keep playing the game, and you'll have MUL-T in short order.

MUL-T Challenges and Alternative Skills

Interestingly, MUL-T has two primary weapons right off the bat. As we said, you can spec either for the Auto-Nailgun, or the Rebar Puncher weapon. Both are great, but you're going to want to try them both out before settling for a particular primary. MUL-T's two additional unlockable loadout items are no less interesting!

Scrap Launcher - Primary Option

• as MUL-T, defeat two Beetle Queens without leaving the Teleporter zone

So, you're going to want to get two Beetle Queen boss enemies during the Teleporter Event, and then you need to not leave the said zone at all. Trickier than it might sound, for a variety of reasons. The good news is that Scrap Launcher is great, and that it deals 360% damage without any additional items. A useful tip for unlocking it would be to use the Challenge of the Mountain shrines to double your boss spawns!

Power-Saw - Primary Option

• as MUL-T, land the killing blow on an Imp Overlord with the Preon Accumulator Equipment

Again, a tricky business for a phenomenal reward: a friggin chainsaw primary! You're going to have to luck out in two regards here. First, you need to find the Preon Accumulator item, and then you need to get the Imp Overlord boss encounter. Even then, you need to time your Preon shot right to actually final-blow the boss to smithereens. But hey, if dealing massive damage is your thing then it's worth it!

What are the MUL-T Skins?

Janitor

• commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

Engineer

 

The Engineer is a dream come true for those who enjoy high-explosives and automated weaponry. This character wields twin-firing shoulder-mounted grenade launchers, support shielding, and a wide variety of mines. It's an equation that always necessarily ends with an explosion, and the Engineer will be a great pick if you enjoy dishing out damage in large area-of-effect zones!

Our favorite tidbit of info about the Engineer: his Turret skills inherit all of his item effects! This means you can quickly double or, in the case of an alternate, even triple your DPS if you're smart about things and build your character sheet properly. Really fun stuff, we think!

How to unlock the Engineer in Risk of Rain 2?

If you thought getting MUL-T was a bother, wait until you hear the requirements for the Engineer! Jokes aside, Risk of Rain 2 is all about chasing one playthrough after another, so it's only a matter of time before you have virtually everything there is to have. In any case, complete 30 stages/levels to unlock the Engineer.

Engineer Challenges and Alternative Skills

Spider Mines - Pressure Mines Replacement

• as Engineer, defeat the Teleporter Event boss within 5 seconds of it spawning

We won't lie - it's not an easy feat to defeat the Teleporter Event boss within 5 seconds and replace the Spider Mines with the Pressure Mines. If you've been keeping track of things, you may have an idea of how the Engineer might best accomplish this. We advise you to anticipate the boss spawn location as best you can, and position all of your DPS sources accordingly. Naturally, a substantial number of upgrades will also be required.

TR58 Carbonizer Turret - TR12 Gauss Auto-Turret Replacement

• as Engineer, recruit 12 minions at the same time

Far easier than the Spider Mines unlock, we feel. All you need to do is invest in each and every fallen Drone you come across, and then hope you survive until you've got a veritable fleet in tow. The Carbonizer Turret is well worth the time investment, though. You can place up to two of these beasties, and they'll oftentimes clear entire levels all on their own!

What are the Engineer Skins?

As it stands, the Engineer has no available skins for you to unlock!

Artificer

 

The uncanny Artificer is a new addition to the franchise, and she's a proper powerhouse right from the start. This battlemage-looking entity uses nano-magic to cast various types of missiles at her enemies, as well as detonate nano-bombs and literal spears made of millions of nano-bots. Top Risk of Rain 2 characters material? We think so! For the most part, these attacks manifest in a variety of elemental forms, and those who enjoy loadout tweaking will be happy to hear that there's lots to tweak in the Artificer's arsenal.

How to unlock the Artificer in Risk of Rain 2?

Surely you've noticed by now that there's a wide variety of altars present across Risk of Rain 2's biomes. One of those altars looks like a frog, or a newt, if you will. These Newt Altars are your way to the Bazaar Between Time, which is where the Artificer is stuck between timelines. To set this powerful character free, you'll need to do a couple of things:

• farm 11 Lunar Coins (or more)
• locate a Newt Altar and spend 1 Lunar Coin
• successfully finish a Teleporter Event on that same level, during that same playthrough
• go through the Blue Portal instead of the Teleporter Shrine
• carefully navigate the bizarre level geometry towards the Newt
• spend 10 Lunar Coins to set the Artificer free

That's it! On the next run, the Artificer will be available via the selection screen.

Artificer Challenges and Alternative Skills

Plasma Bolt - Flame Bolt Replacement

• as Artificer, perform a 20-enemy multi-kill

No joke, this one's no easy feat. Make good use of the Crowbar item and attempt to herd as many small enemies across the level as possible, then unleash everything you've got in short order. Eventually, you'll get it done. Probably. Whereas the default Flame Bolt ignites your enemies, Plasma Bolt dishes out small AoEs wherever they hit.

Cast Nano-Spear - Charged Nano-Bomb Replacement

• as Artificer, kill the Teleporter Boss in a one-second burst of damage

Even tougher, isn't it? The Artificer's unlocks in Risk of Rain 2 are no laughing matter. This is doable, but don't expect to get it done early in a run. You'll need lots of planning and a fair bit of luck to get the items required to pull this off. Good luck!

Ion Surge - Flamethrower Replacement

• as Artificer, kill 15 enemies before touching the ground

Stack Hopoo Feathers and perhaps even go for the Milky Chrysalis Equipment Item. This one is, in our experience, the easiest one to unlock of all of Artificer's alternates!

What are the Artificer Skins?

Chrome

• commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

Mercenary

 

A teenage edge lord's wet dream, the Mercenary is an incredibly powerful melee combatant and one of the top Risk of Rain 2 characters. Not only is the Mercenary very agile and fast, but he also wields a laser sword that will make short work of just about any regular enemy he comes across. With the right loadout, nothing is impossible for the Mercenary, and the good news is that he also has access to a substantial number of alternate skills for further customization.

It's worth pointing out that, by default, Mercenary also packs a heftier health regen module. This makes him a prime candidate for solo playthroughs, and for those players who do not wish to rely on RNG for healing purposes.

How to unlock the Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2

Hey, you know that special skin-unlocking Obelisk suicide feature? The first time you do that on any difficulty, you'll unlock the Mercenary. Rather straightforward, even if - again- it requires a sacrifice of your entire playthrough of Risk of Rain 2.

Mercenary Challenges and Alternative Skills

Rising Thunder - Whirlwind Replacement

• as Mercenary, don't touch the ground for 30 seconds

This one is rather easy as long as you manage to stack a fair few Hopoo Feathers, the Milky Chrysalis Equipment item, and use the Mercenary's innate mobility skills to good effect. Shouldn't be too big of a bother when you come to grips with the character. When unlocked and equipped, Rising Thunder lets you perform a vicious uppercut attack that deals 450% damage and sends you airborne.

Slicing Winds - Eviscerate Replacement

• as Mercenary, complete a Prismatic Trial without falling below 100% health

Let us tell you right away that the Prismatic Trials in Risk of Rain 2 are no joke. These are dedicated solo runs where players compete with others online to get the fastest possible time in a single playthrough. So, a high-risk activity that requires speed and precision, but now you also can't take virtually any damage at all. Thankfully, Slicing Winds is appropriately powerful, as it allows you to unleash a literal monsoon of blades dealing 8 x 100% damage.

What are the Mercenary Skins?

Oni

• commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

REX

REX is a robot-plant hybrid that's one of the all-new characters created for Risk of Rain 2. Its main gimmick is that it uses its own health points to dish out punishment. Naturally, this means your main order of business while playing REX should be to stack as many healing items as possible. Rejuvenation Rack will be particularly useful, as it makes any healing item you've got twice as potent as it is by default!

Being mostly a ranged combatant, REX will be a good fit for those who wish to support others from a respectable distance. Or simply wish to steer clear from the truly powerful late-game mobs, as they can really ruin your day. Do keep in mind that you need to be particularly attentive to your health levels while playing REX. After all, you don't want to dish out your own killing blow.

How to unlock REX in Risk of Rain 2?

Getting the REX as a playable character in Risk of Rain 2 is a rather involved process. First, right after spawning, you need to circle back around your escape pod and take the Fuel Array there. Right away, you'll notice a new debuff, which says that dropping below 50% health will cause the Fuel Array to blow up and insta-kill you. As you may suspect, this is not a desirable outcome.

Once that's done, make your way into the Abyssal Depths level and locate an odd plant-robot hybrid that's stuck in the upper portion of the biome. Insert the Fuel Array into its frame, and you'll unlock REX for your next run!

REX Challenges and Alternative Skills

DIRECTIVE: Drill - Seed Barrage Replacement

• as REX, complete an entire Teleporter Event with your health never going above 50%

This one's all about your micromanaging of REX's health bar. If you're lucky, you're going to finish this one easily, but if not, we can only wish you all the best. Try to be able to maintain a flat health curve in any given run, and decide on which boss you feel most comfortable dealing with. When these are ticked, it's all about trial-and-error until you nail it. DIRECTIVE: Drill is quite similar to Huntress's default super, and it will dish out 450% damage per second on all afflicted enemies.

What are the REX Skins?

Hopoo Games continue their tradition of adding awesome Mastery skins to each and every character of Risk of Rain 2. REX is the latest in line to get one.

Smoothie

• commit suicide at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

Loader

The Loader is a relatively slow albeit immensely powerful melee combatant that specializes in tanking damage and dishing it out in very close quarters. Basically, if the Mercenary deals damage, the Loader tanks it. Now, we understand if moving slowly doesn't sound too enticing in Risk of Rain 2. The levels are large and sprawling, and mobility is a serious consideration to keep in mind. Thankfully, the Loader does have a gimmick or two to rely on!

For example, her Grapple Fist ability will easily close significant distances quickly, and Charged Gauntlet will send her flying smack-dab at the target. Not to mention the bonus 2700% damage it dishes out! In Risk of Rain 2, not even tanky characters are quite as one-dimensional as they first might seem...

How to unlock Loader in Risk of Rain 2

To unlock the Loader in Risk of Rain 2, you're going to have to get to Siren's Call and destroy 4 of the eggs that are randomly strewn across the level. Doing so will - of course - spawn the Guardian boss that you'll have to kill. Taking down the Guardian will afford you the Loader for your next playthrough!

Loader Challenges and Alternative Skills

Spiked Fist - Grapple Fist Replacement

• as Loader, reach and enter the Celestial Portal within 25 minutes

Did we just say 'speedrun'? You bet! To successfully unlock the awesome Spiked Fist augment, you'll have to clear seven full stages of ROR2 in no more than 25 minutes, including entering the Celestial Portal. If this sounds overwhelmingly difficult, don't worry too much. All it takes is a tiny bit of practice!

Thunder Gauntlet - Charged Gauntlet Replacement

• as Loader, land a Charged Gauntlet hit at 300 mp/h or higher

Since the Charged Gauntlet launches you towards your target at absolutely insane speeds, you're going to have to abuse your items, level geometry, gravity, and physics to reach some truly insane velocity. It's quite doable, though, long as you put your mind to it!

What are the Loader Skins?

Classic

• obliterate yourself at the Obelisk on Monsoon difficulty

Acrid

One of the most vicious melee combatants in the Risk of Rain franchise, Acrid is an extraterrestrial predator that will easily carry you into the endgame. Definitely a contender for the top Risk of Rain 2 characters title! Provided, of course, that you know how to use its skillset properly. Here, we've got a caustic beast that's dedicated specifically to dishing out heavy poison damage. Its lightweight ranged attack will make short work of flyers, while virtually everything else will be straight-up terrified of you in close-combat.

If mobility is a concern, Acrid can - much like the Loader - leap significant distances to dish out punishment wherever it might be necessary. Here, we'd also like to recommend making ample use of the game's various drones: repair them, and your Acrid will thank you for your patronage!

How to unlock Acrid in Risk of Rain 2?

Getting Acrid is going to require a lot of preparation and a bit of luck! What you need to do is get to the Bazaar Between Time and leap down into the abyss. Try to land on one of the massive horizontal beams on your way down! When you're safely tucked down there, keep making your way deeper still until you come across a green shimmering fog. This will lead you to the Null Portal, which contains the challenge which rewards you with Acrid.

This challenge - Void Fields - tasks you with completing a series of riveting objectives one after another. Nine of them in total. For each completion, you'll get an item drop, but the catch is that enemies will get items too! You can see where this is going, we bet...

Mercenary is the easiest character to complete this challenge with, because mobility and evasive abilities will give you the most mileage here. Good luck!

Acrid Challenges and Alternative Skills

Frenzied Leap - Caustic Leap Replacement

• as Acrid, inflict Poison for a total of 1,000 times

Truth be told, it's really only a matter of time before this one is done and wrapped up. Acrid dishes out Poison debuff left and right, and simply using it properly for a few runs will unlock Frenzied Leap for you. Now, this skill completely changes how Acrid's Leap works. Instead of poisoning the enemy, the AoE will deal 550% damage and stun affected enemies. Most importantly, the ability's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds for each enemy it hits. Neat!

What are Acrid Skins?

There are no Acrid skins to unlock at the time of writing.

Conclusion

We hope you find our top Risk of Rain 2 characters guide handy! We've tried to streamline only the most important information for your consideration, but let's be real: it's still heaps of stuff to keep in mind. To tackle that issue and stay on top of all future key Character unlocks in ROR2, try bookmarking this page!

Similarly, if you're wondering about the Risk of Rain 2 Formula Puzzle, and would like to learn how the obscure Risk of Rain submit formula process works, we've got just the thing for that. Happy hunting.

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CHECK OUT: Risk of Rain 2 Patch Notes: Full Update Summary