Risk of Rain Best Character - Who To Choose?

A Titan Approaches.

You know the Risk of Rain 2 characters, but do you know which ones are the best?

There are about 14 characters and every single one of them has a unique playstyle. Regardless of which one is the strongest, you’ll be able to sweep through Petrichor V with not too much difficulty. But if you want to have a much easier time fighting through countless mobs, here’s the tier list!

I won’t be going over the Heretic as it’s a transformation you gain and not a character that is always available to you.
 

13.  Commando 

Now not going to lie to you, Commando is definitely the weakest out of the roster. Not because there’s anything really bad about him, more there’s nothing particularly good.
Now saying that his M1 has one of the highest damage potentials in the game, it’s just a problem of if that potential can ever be realized. 

Commando does have mobility and damage in his kit, but being as weak as it is you will likely get overwhelmed by enemies. You should still be able to make use of his fast and high proccing skills. If you can struggle through the early game, he does pick up power later, though the same can be said of every hero.

Choose Character Commando if…

• You want a simple character to learn.
• You like a run and gun playstyle 
• You dislike long-skill cooldowns.

Commando details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Commando

12.  REX

Despite REX’s high damage due to their passive Natural Toxins and strong life steal on all of their abilities, what puts them so low on the list is the hp cost of said abilities. In a game where enemies build up enough power to 1 shot you if you’re not careful, lowering your hp as you’re fighting them usually doesn’t have a happy ending.

Although you’ll always be able to gain hp from all sources, you’re in constant danger of going too low if you’re not careful. Another concern is that an item like transcendence which replaces health with a shield severely weakens all of their abilities as you can no longer heal.

Choose Character REX if…

• You like a glass cannon playstyle.
• You like to heal from the brink of death.
• Deal a ton of damage to bosses early game.

REX details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/REX

11.  Artificer

Artificer is very reminiscent of mage characters that can use powerful spells but lack the survivability to tackle enemies completely on their own. With skills like Snapfreeze that can execute enemies below 30% health, and debuffs and heavy damage on her primary and secondary skills. You can even get much-needed mobility from her Ion Surge special. Sadly characters like Void Fiend and Sharpshooter can do what Artificer can do, and they do it better. 

Choose Artificer if... 

• You’re looking for a high-skill cap character. 
• You want a lot of burst damage.
• You want someone who specializes in AOE.

Artificer details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Artificer

10.  Acrid

The poison doggo is a melee damage dealer that doesn’t exactly feel great in melee range. Although your poison can potentially kill any enemy in 100 seconds if you’re using your poison passive, you’ll definitely have a hard time surviving until then.

With a lot of your skills not doing too much damage, and not offering much in the way of sustainability. You’ll end up playing a game of chicken in every fight on who will die first. As fun as poisoning your enemies can be, it’s going to get a bit dull slowly waiting for them to die.

Choose Acrid if... 

• You’re looking to jump around enemies dealing DOT damage.
• You want a character with a lot of crowd control.
• You like inflicting enemies with many effects.

Acrid details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Acrid

9.  Mercenary

A personal favorite of mine, Mercenary has a lot of things going for him. Being as highly mobile as he is, and the invincibility in his kit allows him to stay alive in even the most helpless situations. He even has a ranged option in his alternate special.

Sadly with his stats being similar in growth to ranged characters, and with no healing in his kit. He is very dependent on some items to get you through runs, as he won’t survive long without them. Aside from the drawbacks, if you take the time to learn Mercenary and master his invincibility you’ll be unkillable. 

Choose Mercenary if... 

• You’re looking for an extremely mobile hero.
• You like characters that are hard but rewarding to learn.
• You like surviving hopeless situations.

Mercenary details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Mercenary

8.  Huntress

Huntress being one of the first characters you’ll unlock is a great ranged all-rounder option. She has high mobility, decent damage, and AOE through her secondary skill and special. With the item Backup Magazine, you can destroy herds of enemies with just Lazer Glaive. 

She has homing attacks which can be sometimes annoying when you’re trying to hit a specific enemy, and it keeps homing in on a different one. And she is the squishiest character on the roster. Overall not a bad choice if you’re looking for someone simple.

Choose Huntress if... 

• You like quick evasive ranged characters.
• You prefer quick homing attacks.
• You don’t mind dodging and strafing. 

Huntress details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Huntress

7.  MUL-T

MUL-T is a robot that lives up to its name, giving you quite a lot of versatility in your runs with them. Their first primary Nail Gun is the fastest attack in the game, but if you find it being too weak Rebar Puncher is a high damaging second option.

MUL-T has both the highest health of all the characters and is the only ranged character to start with armor making it surprisingly tanky. You can also use your special to switch between your options, allowing you to play this robot however you want.

Choose MUL-T if... 

• You want a character with a lot of variety.
• A ranged character with a lot of survivability.
• A character with no strong weaknesses. 

MUL-T details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/MUL-T

6.  Loader

Have you ever wanted to be the combination of Spider-Man and One Punch Man, well this is the character for you. Loader is the melee equivalent of Rail Gunner, one-shotting your enemies up close and personal rather than from far away.

With her being one of the tankiest characters in the game, Loader specializes in jumping into a mob of enemies with her ult and punching them to a pulp. Or, you can use your Charged Gauntlet and Grapple Fist skill to take them down in one hit from afar. This character is worth using if only for the ability to swing around the map.

Choose Loader if…

• You want to destroy enemies in one hit. 
• You like to move quickly around the map.
• You like surviving in the middle of enemies. 

Loader details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Loader

5.  Bandit

Bandit is a character that benefits not so much from his entire kit, but rather his passive and special. His passive is essentially a ranged backstab ability, allowing you to crit whenever you hit an enemy from behind. And his special scales whenever it kills an enemy. When these two abilities are combined, it allows you to deal crazy damage in the early game.

The only negative to the ultimate is that stacks do not carry on to the next stage. But, the ultimate is good for making you strong in the early game, so you will no longer need it in the late game. So despite his other abilities being a bit weak comparatively, Bandit’s damage is sure to surprise you in your runs. 

Choose Bandit if... 

• You like skills that stack for more damage.
• You like kits that allow you to deal double damage.
• You’re used to reloading mechanics.

Bandit details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Bandit

4.  Captain

Although the Captain takes a little bit of getting used to, with his low mobility and his utility-based abilities. He happens to be one of the best characters in the game, allowing you to sweep through runs fairly quickly.

His primary being one of, if not the best M1 in the game. And his utility skill which can nuke a select area is the strongest ability in the game. His special even allows you to open chests for free, allowing you to proceed to the next stage a lot quicker. Not to mention his passive Defensive Microbots which protect you from nearly any projectile.

Choose Captain if... 

• You like utility-based characters.
• You want an extremely high damage ability.
• You dislike getting hit by projectiles.

Captain details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Captain

3.  Engineer

Engineer is another utility character that will change how you play through the game. With his turrets that copy whatever relics you find, you go through runs considering how to best optimize relics between yourself and your turrets.

Engineer is also the only character that can make full use of Bustling Fungus. Although Engineer does have low mobility and an awkward primary attack, his utility and split aggro from turrets more than makes up for it. And Engineer offers a lot of flexibility on how you’ll build him, given that all items go to your turrets.

Choose Engineer if... 

• You want a character with utility options.
• You want to survive using strategy instead of brute force.
• You like a unique playstyle of working alongside your turrets.

Engineer details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Engineer

2.  Railgunner

Railgunner is the ranged equivalent to Loader and one of the most recent characters coming alongside Void Fiend. With the highest damage of any other character, giving you the ability to one-shot things from the first stage.

Once you get used to aiming her secondary skill and timing the reload you’ll have no trouble getting through the early stages. Her only weakness is low mobility which is still decent compared to other survivors. And with mobility items and creativity on how you maneuver between enemies, there’s not much bad to say about Railgunner. 

Choose Railgunner if... 

• You like one-shotting enemies from afar. 
• You want to deal immense damage.
• You don’t mind learning a high-skill character. 

Railgunner details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Railgunner

1.  Void Fiend

Void Fiend is in my opinion the best character in Risk of Rain 2. With built-in healing and a built-in debuff cleanser, a primary attack that his infinite range and aim assist, and a transformation form that makes the Void Fiend stronger as a whole.

And since you can choose which form you want to be in, you can choose to play as a burst damage dealer if you want. With good mobility to go along with his kit, he has no real drawbacks. If you’re looking for a character you’ll have the easiest time going through runs with, look no further. 

Choose Void Fiend if... 

• You want a character with no downsides.
• You want to switch between different forms.
• You want to have sustainability as a ranged character. 

Void Fiend details: https://riskofrain2.fandom.com/wiki/Void_Fiend

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