Risk of Rain 2 is one of the most supremely exciting rogue-like games to come out in the last decade. Risk of Rain 2 has a huge variety of weapons, playstyles, enemies, and its progression systems are the envy of other games in the randomly generated genre – plus, it's an upgrade in every way from its predecessor.
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Even experienced players haven't tried every combo in the game, and some are a little more out of the way than others. It's hard to find rare items sometimes, and other times it's difficult to get a good number of stacks on items that benefit from stacking. However, if you do get to run with one of these Risk of Rain 2 builds, you'll feel unstoppable.
Updated May 11, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: One of the most important things to consider when it comes to making one of these Risk of Rain 2 builds is how they affect each survivor's playstyle. The way each character operates can be heavily affected by the player's choice of Risk of Rain 2 build - for example, taking either the Razorwire or the Soldier's Syringe means staying in the middle of combat more often, so it's important to keep a closer eye on health totals. Additionally, some items required for RoR2 builds must be unlocked via special methods, so knowing how to unlock them in the first place is just as important as knowing how to use them.
7 Huntress + Harvester's Scythe and Ukulele
- Harvester's Scythe: 5 percent Critical Chance, heals player upon Critical Hit for 12 health. Only healing is stackable, not Critical Chance.
- Ukulele: 25 percent chance to create chain lightning on hit, which damages nearby enemies for 80 percent damage. Stacks increase the range and number of targets.
One of the most engaging survivors to play in Risk of Rain 2 is the Huntress. She is great at controlling enemy movements, shutting down attacks, and dealing damage to many enemies at once. Where she falters, though, is in overall damage output compared to the game's other survivors.
This Risk of Rain 2 build is more focused on countering the weaknesses of the class rather than building something broken. Look out for the Harvester's Scythe, which increases Critical Strike chance, and the Ukulele, which has a chance to create chain lightning between a number of enemies based on distance and the number of Ukuleles currently stacked.
Playstyle
When playing as the Huntress, it's important to keep an eye out for any items that flat out increase DPS for the survivor. While the Huntress is great at dodging and thus is one of the most maneuverable choices, she has a hard time taking down single targets like bosses. Keep an eye out for both the Harvester's Scythe and the Ukulele as they both stack (though the Harvester's Scythe only stacks the healing received, not Critical Chance). After getting enough, you can shift your attention away from weak waves of enemies and towards stronger single foes.
6 Stacking Razorwire On Any Character
- Razorwire: Five nearby targets are hit with razors for 160 percent damage when the player is hit. Stacks increase the number of enemies hit and range.
Razorwire is one of the most powerful and most easily breakable items available in Risk of Rain 2, so much so that it synergizes with every character no matter what – especially when players get a few stacks of them. The item automatically shoots out razors to five enemies in a 25-meter radius when the player is damaged, with the number of enemies and the range increasing for each stack.
It's an item that pairs especially well with two other drops: the Harvester's Scythe and the Hellfire Tincture. The Harvester's Scythe gives a huge boost to critical strike chance and heals the player for a small amount with each critical hit – getting damaged suddenly turns into healing, with enough crits. The Hellfire Tincture damages the player for one percent of their health five times each second, while damaging enemies for 24 percent of the user's health five times each second too. Then player damage triggers Razorwire, effectively doubling revenge damage.
Playstyle
The Razorwire-stacking build is not one of the best Risk of Rain 2 builds, as it only procs on taking damage, which is something you should typically avoid. However, its ridiculously powerful revenge damage at high stacks is hard to pass up. A build solely dedicated towards dishing out as much revenge damage is risky, so be sure to keep an eye on your health and be able to manage it when taking lots of hits all at once.
5 Mercenary + Soldier's Syringe
- Soldier's Syringe: Increases Attack Speed by 15 percent, which stacks fully with each picked up. If someone has five of these, it's a whopping 75 percent increase.
The Soldier's Syringe is a simple item that increases the player's attack speed by 15 percent. It seems underwhelming, but the potential for more consistent procs related to hits is a game-changer. When it comes to Risk of Rain builds, this one is less complicated but still well worth it when reaching higher stacks.
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Dodging attacks and getting back into the fray quickly are the main tools in the Mercenary's arsenal, and having a few stacks of the Soldier's Syringe quickly turns this character into an unstoppable sword-swinging menace, especially when paired with items that proc based on attacks.
Playstyle
The Mercenary is a melee character in Risk of Rain 2, which makes them very open to close attacks from the swarms of enemies players are sure to encounter. To make full use of this build players must plan to be constantly attacking, as you sacrifice damage-enhancing pickups for increased firing speed. Look for pickups that increase your health to stay in the fray longer, and don't be afraid to back off to recover if you find yourself overwhelmed.
4 Kjaro's Band + Runald's Band
- Kjaro's Band: Deals 300 percent damage to enemies with a Flame Tornado upon dealing 400 percent damage to enemies.
- Runald's Band: Enemy movement speed is reduced by 80 percent for three seconds, also taking 250 percent damage when the player deals 400 percent damage to an enemy.
This Risk of Rain 2 build features Kjaro's Band and Runald's Band, two specialty items only unlocked by finding them in the Abandoned Aqueduct; however, their abilities make them well worth a detour. It's considered quite the OP Combination in the base game in part because they proc at the same time, laying waste to enemies quickly and with little effort on the player's end.
Kjaro's Band deals a huge wave of AOE damage when attacks that do over 400 percent damage connect, while Runald's Band slows an enemy by 80 percent for a few seconds then deals massive damage following an attack that does over 400 percent damage.
How To Unlock Kjaro's and Runald's Band in Risk of Rain 2
In the desert hills of the Abandoned Aqueduct area look for what appears to be a large hole in a cliff with a gate on it. There are two pressure plates on the map that players must find, and they and somebody else must step on them at the same time to open a secret area. It can take a while to find both, so only attempt this if you have a powerful build that can catch up quickly. Go into the secret area, and you will unlock Kjaro's Band and Runald's Band for future runs.
3 Any Ranged Survivor + Paul's Goat Hoof
- Paul's Goat Hoof: Simply increases movement speed by 14 percent, which doubles for each stack equipped.
Paul's Goat Hoof is one of the best speed-based items in Risk of Rain 2, and players will see it a lot in their runs. As a ranged character, though, look to pick up as many of these as you possibly can. Paul's Goat Hoof is a good overall item for any build, but the more stacks someone has as a ranged class, the more maneuverable (and more deadly) they will be.
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A strict 14 percent speed boost is fine, but a 140 percent speed boost with 10 of these is unmatched. Moving around at the speed of light certainly makes for one of the more fun Risk of Rain 2 builds, but it can be hard to control your character precisely at such velocities.
Playstyle
Getting into a good ranged spot and out of the way of ranged attacks against you are essential skills to master to get to later waves. Speed is the name of the game, especially for Ranged survivors, as one can't spend too long in the middle of a fight. Before you have a good amount of speed boost, stay away from combat and deal damage from as far as possible to stay alive. After picking up enough of Paul's Goat Hoof, you can move from the ranged spot and start dancing around your targets instead.
2 Artificer + Alien Head + Extra Clips
- Alien Head: Reduces the cooldown on just about everything in the game by 25 percent, or one-quarter less time.
The Alien Head in Risk of Rain 2 is a legendary item that reduces all cooldowns by 25 percent for the player. it's an absolute must-have for the Artificer. Vastly increased spellcasting speeds for the Artificer make for a strong survivor that's hard to take down.
The Artificer is a ranged spell master, but their best abilities are on long cooldowns. This item makes this class ridiculously powerful with just one equipped, and when paired with other speed-increasing items like the Soldier Syringe and Extra Clips it can make the Artificer flat-out broken.
Playstyle
Stacking these is not recommended, as it offers extremely diminishing returns even with just two stacked – the 25 percent reduction is raised to a mere 30 percent. It's a bit of a less common item to find but you can nearly always get one at some point in a playthrough. It's really as simple as getting one of these then continuing to play as normal as the Artificer.
1 MUL-T + Preon Accumulator +Fuel Cells
- Preon Accumulator: Zaps enemies within 35 meters for 600 percent damage, increased to 4000 percent damage if an enemy touches the player.
MUL-T is a bot character in Risk of Rain 2 who has synergies with different items than most. The Preon Accumulator zaps enemies within 35 meters for 600 percent of the player's damage per second. If an enemy touches the player they instantly explode for up to 4000 percent damage.
MUL-T is the natural choice for this item for his ability to hold two pieces of equipment at once, making the long cooldown time more manageable with a temporary replacement. Fuel Cells decrease the item's heavy cooldown even further, and MUL-T players with the Preon Accumulator should seek out these as much as possible.
Playstyle
Make sure to keep comboable items equipped in both slots with MUL-T. This Risk of Rain 2 build pairs well with other similar proccing items, like Razorwire which shoots out razors when the player is damaged. Because it only triggers when enemies touch you, keep an eye on your health and duck in and out of combat rather than taking every enemy face-on.
Risk of Rain 2 is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
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