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Providence Wants You Dead - Talking about Risk of Rain Returns
- Thread starter ShakeWell
- Start date
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- Tags
- lovecraft be like:
madhair60
Video games
Yeah, on and off. I'm not sure if it's me misremembering the original, but it's... really similar, isn't it? I'm not sure why I'm surprised that a remake of a game is the same as the game. But then, I'm fairly sure you couldn't move and shoot quite so easily in the original.
I'd be interested in seeing a list of what exactly is new here.
Shit's cash. It's Risk of Rain! How could it not be.
I'd be interested in seeing a list of what exactly is new here.
Shit's cash. It's Risk of Rain! How could it not be.
I'm enjoying the new characters as someone who got into the series with 2, but it's very strange coming back(ish) to this game after playing, say, Loader or Bandit and looking at how much worse they feel to play.
At least Commando feels more fun. That's a plus.
At least Commando feels more fun. That's a plus.
I played a whole bunch of the original RoR on Switch several years back. I passed on RoR2 and basically took a few years off from even thinking about this game. Then this comes out and terms like 'Hopoo Feather' and 'Paul's Goat Hoof' light up parts of my brain and next thing I know I'm playing RoRR on Switch.
So far I've only unlocked a few characters and artifacts but I'm having a blast despite not successfully clearing a run yet.
So far I've only unlocked a few characters and artifacts but I'm having a blast despite not successfully clearing a run yet.
I've unlocked roughly half the roster, getting clears on Drizzle is pretty easy, but I haven't cleared higher difficulties (I haven't played Monsoon at all yet, I want to unlock at least every survivor before doing that). Also, unlocking alternate abilities is done with little trial things which is WAY easier than how it goes in RoR2. Unlocking Commando's entire alternate slate took about ten minutes vs. hours in RoR2.
So yeah, it's good. I don't think I'll drop the same 300 hours into it as I did RoR2, but that's 99% of videogames, it's still really good.
So yeah, it's good. I don't think I'll drop the same 300 hours into it as I did RoR2, but that's 99% of videogames, it's still really good.
Is that one of the Providence challenges?
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Yep. I love these challenges, nice change of pace from the base game.
Hi I wanted to write about all the unlockable moves in this game so here it is. I think they're all viable, and more importantly, they open up some really interesting changes of playstyle to the characters. There's very few duds like, say, Bandit's Blast vs. Burst in 2.
Commando
Huntress
Enforcer
Bandit
HAN-D
Engineer
Miner
Sniper
Acrid
Mercenary
Loader
CHEF
Pilot
Artificer
Drifter
Commando
Combat Knife
Close-range attack that hits above, below, and behind for 150% damage. Wounds any targets hit, adding 50% extra damage from all sources for 4 seconds.
Commando has to play a very cautious game with enemies most of the time, keeping his distance and using Full Metal Jacket and/or Suppressive Fire to deal with crowds. Combat Knife gives him a quick and decent melee move that has a high payoff if you hit with it. The damage for the knife itself isn't especially high, so you'll usually need to get out with your utility move immediately after (or at the very least use a heavy burst option like Point-Blank or equipment like the Mace Replica). Naturally, this is a lot worse at dealing with big crowds at range, but most abilities are worse than Full Metal Jacket for that.
Unlock: Either clear "Brave Heart, Steady Hand" or complete 25 stages.
Close-range attack that hits above, below, and behind for 150% damage. Wounds any targets hit, adding 50% extra damage from all sources for 4 seconds.
Commando has to play a very cautious game with enemies most of the time, keeping his distance and using Full Metal Jacket and/or Suppressive Fire to deal with crowds. Combat Knife gives him a quick and decent melee move that has a high payoff if you hit with it. The damage for the knife itself isn't especially high, so you'll usually need to get out with your utility move immediately after (or at the very least use a heavy burst option like Point-Blank or equipment like the Mace Replica). Naturally, this is a lot worse at dealing with big crowds at range, but most abilities are worse than Full Metal Jacket for that.
Unlock: Either clear "Brave Heart, Steady Hand" or complete 25 stages.
Tactical Slide
Quickly moves in either horizontal direction. Does not prevent or interrupt Double Tap. No longer provides iframes.
A riskier option compared to the safety button that is Tactical Dive, but it does go further and it doesn't interrupt your DPS at all. Better used as a repositioning tool than a purely defensive measure owing to the range you can get, but that extra distance can make it harder to use on stages with tricky platforming issues, like Damp Caverns or Ancient Valley. Not a lot to say here, it's mostly a choice of how aggressive and risky you want to play here.
Unlock: Either clear "Slide to the Finish!" or kill 3000 enemies.
Quickly moves in either horizontal direction. Does not prevent or interrupt Double Tap. No longer provides iframes.
A riskier option compared to the safety button that is Tactical Dive, but it does go further and it doesn't interrupt your DPS at all. Better used as a repositioning tool than a purely defensive measure owing to the range you can get, but that extra distance can make it harder to use on stages with tricky platforming issues, like Damp Caverns or Ancient Valley. Not a lot to say here, it's mostly a choice of how aggressive and risky you want to play here.
Unlock: Either clear "Slide to the Finish!" or kill 3000 enemies.
Point-Blank
Fires a shotgun straight ahead, dealing 6x100% damage to all enemies in range. Has some damage falloff.
In exchange for lower range and losing stun capability, Point-Blank offers the best burst damage Commando can get (especially if you first hit with a Combat Knife). It also comes out and resolves much faster than Suppressive Fire does, keeping you from being animation-locked in a poor spot. Best used as a hit-and-run option, because while the damage is excellent (and that's an instant 6 rolls for hit procs) you're still a fairly fragile survivor on the whole. Make plenty of use of your utility to get in and out of optimal range for this move.
Unlock: Either clear "A Colossal Feat" or obtain 300 items.
Fires a shotgun straight ahead, dealing 6x100% damage to all enemies in range. Has some damage falloff.
In exchange for lower range and losing stun capability, Point-Blank offers the best burst damage Commando can get (especially if you first hit with a Combat Knife). It also comes out and resolves much faster than Suppressive Fire does, keeping you from being animation-locked in a poor spot. Best used as a hit-and-run option, because while the damage is excellent (and that's an instant 6 rolls for hit procs) you're still a fairly fragile survivor on the whole. Make plenty of use of your utility to get in and out of optimal range for this move.
Unlock: Either clear "A Colossal Feat" or obtain 300 items.
Pierce
Hold the button to charge a shot that pierces enemies for up to 1000% damage. Moves slower while charging. Charge speed improves with attack speed. Does not autoaim. At full charge, also pierces terrain, but gains some recoil.
Hey look, Huntress wants to be Sniper! That's cute. Pierce requires a lot more paying attention to where you're going and what you're doing than Strafe does, but in exchange for that, you've basically got a Full Metal Jacket that has to charge up rather than having a cooldown. Spamming uncharged shots can still work for picking enemies off, but it's not as effective as the full charge, of course. The terrain-piercing aspect can be handy on some stages, especially early on, but the recoil is harsh, because Huntress lives and dies based on whether she's able to move around freely.
Unlock: Defeat 3 unique event bosses in one run. Eligible bosses include Acrid, Direseeker, Providence, the shirt-wearing boar, and the golem guarding the Artifact of Cognation.
Hold the button to charge a shot that pierces enemies for up to 1000% damage. Moves slower while charging. Charge speed improves with attack speed. Does not autoaim. At full charge, also pierces terrain, but gains some recoil.
Hey look, Huntress wants to be Sniper! That's cute. Pierce requires a lot more paying attention to where you're going and what you're doing than Strafe does, but in exchange for that, you've basically got a Full Metal Jacket that has to charge up rather than having a cooldown. Spamming uncharged shots can still work for picking enemies off, but it's not as effective as the full charge, of course. The terrain-piercing aspect can be handy on some stages, especially early on, but the recoil is harsh, because Huntress lives and dies based on whether she's able to move around freely.
Unlock: Defeat 3 unique event bosses in one run. Eligible bosses include Acrid, Direseeker, Providence, the shirt-wearing boar, and the golem guarding the Artifact of Cognation.
Laser Cyclone
Throws a large, slow-moving glaive that deals 50% damage over time to enemies it overlaps. Slowly returns to the user. Does not recharge until it returns.
It's not the instant high power you've come to know and love from Laser Glaive, but Laser Cyclone is honestly a perfect fit for Huntress' playstyle. Think about it: most enemies will usually favor moving towards you rather than attacking, right? So if you move away and that blender you threw out stays on them, that's just economical! For best results, use it on larger targets so you have an easier time keeping it on them. Note that while you can have multiple glaives out with Backup Magazine, you can't regain any charges as long as even a single glaive is still out and active.
Unlock: Either clear "Blades in the Wind" or kill 3000 enemies.
Throws a large, slow-moving glaive that deals 50% damage over time to enemies it overlaps. Slowly returns to the user. Does not recharge until it returns.
It's not the instant high power you've come to know and love from Laser Glaive, but Laser Cyclone is honestly a perfect fit for Huntress' playstyle. Think about it: most enemies will usually favor moving towards you rather than attacking, right? So if you move away and that blender you threw out stays on them, that's just economical! For best results, use it on larger targets so you have an easier time keeping it on them. Note that while you can have multiple glaives out with Backup Magazine, you can't regain any charges as long as even a single glaive is still out and active.
Unlock: Either clear "Blades in the Wind" or kill 3000 enemies.
Warp Dart
Fires a dart affected by gravity that deals 200% damage. Teleports the user to it upon landing. Hold the button to aim the angle.
Everyone loves instant teleportation, true. But honestly, if you have even half a degree of foresight, Warp Dart is just Blink but better. In exchange for the ability to instantly go ZOOP, you can now cover huge amounts of distance to get to a guaranteed safe spot, especially since you deal damage at the impact point. You're almost guaranteed to get enough distance to start kiting enemies again if you get cornered, even against massive foes like Ifrit or Cremator. Do mind the trajectory on more wide-open maps like Damp Caverns or Ancient Valley, though; you won't take fall damage, but you are still going to end up very far away.
Unlock: Either clear "Piercing Space and Time" or obtain 300 items.
Fires a dart affected by gravity that deals 200% damage. Teleports the user to it upon landing. Hold the button to aim the angle.
Everyone loves instant teleportation, true. But honestly, if you have even half a degree of foresight, Warp Dart is just Blink but better. In exchange for the ability to instantly go ZOOP, you can now cover huge amounts of distance to get to a guaranteed safe spot, especially since you deal damage at the impact point. You're almost guaranteed to get enough distance to start kiting enemies again if you get cornered, even against massive foes like Ifrit or Cremator. Do mind the trajectory on more wide-open maps like Damp Caverns or Ancient Valley, though; you won't take fall damage, but you are still going to end up very far away.
Unlock: Either clear "Piercing Space and Time" or obtain 300 items.
Shrapnel Grenade
Fires a grenade that deals 3x60% damage in a small area. After four shots, weapon must be reloaded. Grenades have a similar arc to Crowd Control's shot but move slower and do not bounce.
Better for dealing with single targets than crowds, especially once you factor in the multiple hit procs the grenades can afford. It also doesn't provide anywhere near as much knockback, so without lots of those on-hit effects from items, Shrapnel Grenade will fall off compared to Riot Shotgun pretty quickly. Still, there's no denying that stronger damage output is something Enforcer definitely wants to consider.
Unlock: Either clear "Scavenger Hunt" or obtain 300 items.
Fires a grenade that deals 3x60% damage in a small area. After four shots, weapon must be reloaded. Grenades have a similar arc to Crowd Control's shot but move slower and do not bounce.
Better for dealing with single targets than crowds, especially once you factor in the multiple hit procs the grenades can afford. It also doesn't provide anywhere near as much knockback, so without lots of those on-hit effects from items, Shrapnel Grenade will fall off compared to Riot Shotgun pretty quickly. Still, there's no denying that stronger damage output is something Enforcer definitely wants to consider.
Unlock: Either clear "Scavenger Hunt" or obtain 300 items.
Shield Charge
Charges forward, dealing up to 5x100% damage to enemies in your path while stunning and pushing them. Has iframes. Can be canceled with Protect and Serve. May change the facing of Protect and Serve after the move ends.
It's generally understood that Enforcer wants to get to an optimal position, bunker up with Protect and Serve, and then stay perfectly still, unleashing while enjoying the protection of their shield. Shield Charge laughs at this concept. You get to enjoy the same kind of freedom as Miner does with your movement (at least on the ground) and you have a lot more control over where, when, and for how long you get to be in shield stance. The damage also leaves Shield Bash in the dust. However, the positioning is almost strictly worse, with you having just charged out of your ideal spot and not having created nearly as much space between you and the enemies.
Unlock: Either clear "Specimen Sampling" or clear 25 stages.
Charges forward, dealing up to 5x100% damage to enemies in your path while stunning and pushing them. Has iframes. Can be canceled with Protect and Serve. May change the facing of Protect and Serve after the move ends.
It's generally understood that Enforcer wants to get to an optimal position, bunker up with Protect and Serve, and then stay perfectly still, unleashing while enjoying the protection of their shield. Shield Charge laughs at this concept. You get to enjoy the same kind of freedom as Miner does with your movement (at least on the ground) and you have a lot more control over where, when, and for how long you get to be in shield stance. The damage also leaves Shield Bash in the dust. However, the positioning is almost strictly worse, with you having just charged out of your ideal spot and not having created nearly as much space between you and the enemies.
Unlock: Either clear "Specimen Sampling" or clear 25 stages.
Disperse
Fires three shotgun blasts for 3x300% damage in a 90 degree sweep. Angles upwards if grounded, and angles downward and provides slight lift if in the air. Enemies can be hit multiple times.
There's a lot of ways you can use Disperse, which individually wouldn't complete with the massive stun of Crowd Control, but which together make for a compelling package. The ability to boost your jumps lets you navigate stages a lot more easily, and large enemies that you can easily hit with all three blasts definitely won't like taking that kind of damage. It also provides some nice anti-air coverage while you're turtling up with Protect and Serve. Hell, if you jump just right, you can even hit small fries with all the blasts. Again, none of these things individually outpaces Crowd Control, but bundled up into one move? Yeah, I like Disperse.
Unlock: Either clear "Go On Without Me" or kill 3000 enemies.
Fires three shotgun blasts for 3x300% damage in a 90 degree sweep. Angles upwards if grounded, and angles downward and provides slight lift if in the air. Enemies can be hit multiple times.
There's a lot of ways you can use Disperse, which individually wouldn't complete with the massive stun of Crowd Control, but which together make for a compelling package. The ability to boost your jumps lets you navigate stages a lot more easily, and large enemies that you can easily hit with all three blasts definitely won't like taking that kind of damage. It also provides some nice anti-air coverage while you're turtling up with Protect and Serve. Hell, if you jump just right, you can even hit small fries with all the blasts. Again, none of these things individually outpaces Crowd Control, but bundled up into one move? Yeah, I like Disperse.
Unlock: Either clear "Go On Without Me" or kill 3000 enemies.
Whip
Cracks a whip that deals 200% damage to all enemies in a short range ahead and knocks them back.
I think my problem with Whip is that if I want to deal significant damage to multiple enemies in front of me, which Whip definitely does, I already have Dynamite Toss, y'know? Don't get me wrong, hitting multiple enemies consistently, forcing them back and giving you more space and chances for your special to get a kill? That's very good, and Whip doesn't need you to turn on assist option or get carpal tunnel to maximize your DPS. I'd just rather have the range and quick hits, the whip attack is pretty slow.
Unlock: Either clear "Castle of Memories" or kill 3000 enemies.
Cracks a whip that deals 200% damage to all enemies in a short range ahead and knocks them back.
I think my problem with Whip is that if I want to deal significant damage to multiple enemies in front of me, which Whip definitely does, I already have Dynamite Toss, y'know? Don't get me wrong, hitting multiple enemies consistently, forcing them back and giving you more space and chances for your special to get a kill? That's very good, and Whip doesn't need you to turn on assist option or get carpal tunnel to maximize your DPS. I'd just rather have the range and quick hits, the whip attack is pretty slow.
Unlock: Either clear "Castle of Memories" or kill 3000 enemies.
Flashbang
Throws a grenade that explodes in a wide radius, stunning enemies it hits and blinding enemies in the created zone. Blinded enemies cannot attack, are slowed, and take 25% extra damage from all sources.
Flashbang strikes me as a support move for escape. Smokebomb is a real quick "get the hell outta there" move you can instantly pull after getting a kill to reset momentum and get out of a hairy situation, and Flashbang simply doesn't have the instant activation to compete there. That said, it does cover an absolutely massive area, and there's a lot to be said for turning off the ability for even bosses to attack. I think if I was playing Bandit in multiplayer, I'd run Flashbang, and for singleplayer I'd run Smokebomb.
Unlock: Either clear "Highway Robbery" or obtain 300 items.
Throws a grenade that explodes in a wide radius, stunning enemies it hits and blinding enemies in the created zone. Blinded enemies cannot attack, are slowed, and take 25% extra damage from all sources.
Flashbang strikes me as a support move for escape. Smokebomb is a real quick "get the hell outta there" move you can instantly pull after getting a kill to reset momentum and get out of a hairy situation, and Flashbang simply doesn't have the instant activation to compete there. That said, it does cover an absolutely massive area, and there's a lot to be said for turning off the ability for even bosses to attack. I think if I was playing Bandit in multiplayer, I'd run Flashbang, and for singleplayer I'd run Smokebomb.
Unlock: Either clear "Highway Robbery" or obtain 300 items.
Standoff
Fires a shot for 500% damage. On kill, gains 1 stack of Standoff, improving all damage dealt by the user by 50% for 15 seconds. Can gain up to 5 stacks, and gaining a stack resets the duration.
There's a lot of fun to spamming Lights Out to get kill after kill after kill, but it's not always sustainable, and if you mess up, you're stuck with your relatively weak kit to escape in the meantime. Standoff has some of the same issues, but it trades the ability to chain shots and instantly GTFO when you land a hit for ramping up damage with all your abilities, turning a weaker kit to a stronger one. They're both good benefits of course, it's more of whether you value damage or utility more. I'm still not sure which one of the two I prefer here.
Unlock: Either clear "Endless Stand-Off" or clear 25 stages.
Fires a shot for 500% damage. On kill, gains 1 stack of Standoff, improving all damage dealt by the user by 50% for 15 seconds. Can gain up to 5 stacks, and gaining a stack resets the duration.
There's a lot of fun to spamming Lights Out to get kill after kill after kill, but it's not always sustainable, and if you mess up, you're stuck with your relatively weak kit to escape in the meantime. Standoff has some of the same issues, but it trades the ability to chain shots and instantly GTFO when you land a hit for ramping up damage with all your abilities, turning a weaker kit to a stronger one. They're both good benefits of course, it's more of whether you value damage or utility more. I'm still not sure which one of the two I prefer here.
Unlock: Either clear "Endless Stand-Off" or clear 25 stages.
DRONE - SPEED
Drones apply a temporary attack speed boost instead of a heal. Duration and effect are both increased with successive uses of the skill.
Taking away the heal engine that forms the core of HAN-D's sustain is scary, sure. You still really can't oversell just how powerful being able to hijack the speed of HURT or your special can be (especially since DISASSEMBLE scales hits to attack speed, hint hint). Since the duration of the buff is fully refreshed every time you retrieve a used drone, carefully spacing out drones can get you some monstrously high uptime of the attack speed buff, letting you reach heights you'd normally only see once you start looping, especially once you add OVERHEAT to the mix.
Unlock: Either clear "Routine Maintenance" or kill 3000 enemies.
Drones apply a temporary attack speed boost instead of a heal. Duration and effect are both increased with successive uses of the skill.
Taking away the heal engine that forms the core of HAN-D's sustain is scary, sure. You still really can't oversell just how powerful being able to hijack the speed of HURT or your special can be (especially since DISASSEMBLE scales hits to attack speed, hint hint). Since the duration of the buff is fully refreshed every time you retrieve a used drone, carefully spacing out drones can get you some monstrously high uptime of the attack speed buff, letting you reach heights you'd normally only see once you start looping, especially once you add OVERHEAT to the mix.
Unlock: Either clear "Routine Maintenance" or kill 3000 enemies.
DRONE - BLAST
Fires a drone straight ahead at incredibly high speed, exploding for 500% damage. Extends OVERCLOCK duration. Has some slight recoil and warmup with each shot.
Giving up both healing AND the ability to send homing shots to hit enemies all over the map is a VERY scary proposition. In exchange, HAN-D gets the ability to fire a serious amount of hammerblows at targets. Like, imagine if Commando had a rocket launcher but still basically had the same rate of fire with it. DRONE - BLAST is more than capable of bursting down teleporter bosses once you get enough drones to work with. But, again, you gotta be sure you're accommodating for losing homing AND healing here, because HAN-D's combat kit is extremely limited without them.
Unlock: Obtain a golden drone. This is best done by combining three Assault or Emergency drones.
Fires a drone straight ahead at incredibly high speed, exploding for 500% damage. Extends OVERCLOCK duration. Has some slight recoil and warmup with each shot.
Giving up both healing AND the ability to send homing shots to hit enemies all over the map is a VERY scary proposition. In exchange, HAN-D gets the ability to fire a serious amount of hammerblows at targets. Like, imagine if Commando had a rocket launcher but still basically had the same rate of fire with it. DRONE - BLAST is more than capable of bursting down teleporter bosses once you get enough drones to work with. But, again, you gotta be sure you're accommodating for losing homing AND healing here, because HAN-D's combat kit is extremely limited without them.
Unlock: Obtain a golden drone. This is best done by combining three Assault or Emergency drones.
DISASSEMBLE
Attacks with a circular saw for 5x90% damage. Additional hits are gained with higher attack speed. Can slowly move while active.
Hey you like on-hit items? This is the best melee in the game for proccing a ton of those in a single swing. The base damage isn't as good as FORCED_REASSEMBLY, and losing the bop that chucks enemies into the air makes it a lot harder to do safely, so you need to be careful and precise with using it, but if you scale it up far enough (especially with attack speed boosts, including OVERHEAT and DRONE - SPEED) DISASSEMBLE can chew enemies up in record time.
Unlock: Kill 15 enemies with one shot of Sawmerang.
Attacks with a circular saw for 5x90% damage. Additional hits are gained with higher attack speed. Can slowly move while active.
Hey you like on-hit items? This is the best melee in the game for proccing a ton of those in a single swing. The base damage isn't as good as FORCED_REASSEMBLY, and losing the bop that chucks enemies into the air makes it a lot harder to do safely, so you need to be careful and precise with using it, but if you scale it up far enough (especially with attack speed boosts, including OVERHEAT and DRONE - SPEED) DISASSEMBLE can chew enemies up in record time.
Unlock: Kill 15 enemies with one shot of Sawmerang.
Mortar Barrage
Fires a shell in an arc for 80% damage. Higher fire rate and movement while firing than Tri-nade.
It's a good deal harder to hit with than Tri-nade, but part of that is Tri-nade is a very indiscriminate weapon that prioritizes covering areas over doing sustained damage. Mortar Barrage can focus its shots on a single target far more efficiently, and you'll control the arc of your shots a lot more as well. Plus, you can keep your spacing a lot more easily with Mortar Barrage, so it's less of a commitment to fire shots on the go with this.
Unlock: Either clear "Drowning in Research" or kill 3000 enemies.
Fires a shell in an arc for 80% damage. Higher fire rate and movement while firing than Tri-nade.
It's a good deal harder to hit with than Tri-nade, but part of that is Tri-nade is a very indiscriminate weapon that prioritizes covering areas over doing sustained damage. Mortar Barrage can focus its shots on a single target far more efficiently, and you'll control the arc of your shots a lot more as well. Plus, you can keep your spacing a lot more easily with Mortar Barrage, so it's less of a commitment to fire shots on the go with this.
Unlock: Either clear "Drowning in Research" or kill 3000 enemies.
Shockwave Mine
Mines explode for 120% damage and knock enemies back a large distance, and can trigger up to 3 times. Holds up to 3 mines.
Normally, you just kind of either deploy mines as you rove a stage to get some free damage when enemies spawn in, or save up a huge stack to deploy right before activating the teleporter. Shockwave Mines reward an Engineer who instead places them more carefully, as while the damage is significantly weaker, the heavy knockback can keep you and/or your turrets safe from threats for a large amount of time. The repeated detonations also mean your carefully set web of traps doesn't get instantly invalidated by a single Lemurian spawning in, that's nice.
Unlock: Either clear "From All Angles" or clear 25 stages.
Mines explode for 120% damage and knock enemies back a large distance, and can trigger up to 3 times. Holds up to 3 mines.
Normally, you just kind of either deploy mines as you rove a stage to get some free damage when enemies spawn in, or save up a huge stack to deploy right before activating the teleporter. Shockwave Mines reward an Engineer who instead places them more carefully, as while the damage is significantly weaker, the heavy knockback can keep you and/or your turrets safe from threats for a large amount of time. The repeated detonations also mean your carefully set web of traps doesn't get instantly invalidated by a single Lemurian spawning in, that's nice.
Unlock: Either clear "From All Angles" or clear 25 stages.
V.0.2 Prototype Laser Turret
Deploys a single turret that inherits all of your items. It charges up over 8 seconds, then fires for 1200% per hit, damaging itself while firing. Does not change angle or wait for targets before firing.
The V.0.2 Prototype Laser Turret requires a lot more prep to pull off than the default Auto Turret, as its uptime is strictly linked to its ability to survive the heavy damage of both its own firing and any enemies chewing on it before it fires. It's also dependent on good positioning, much like Enforcer using Protect and Serve. For best results, use items that let it avoid fixed damage, such as Hermit's Scarf, Prophet's Cape, or if you are so lucky, an Umbrella. Even small boosts to the survivability mean massive surges in uptime and damage that can put even the best boss-crushers to shame.
Unlock: Acquire a Beam drone. They can usually be purchased on Risk of Rain, or you can combine three Laser drones.
Deploys a single turret that inherits all of your items. It charges up over 8 seconds, then fires for 1200% per hit, damaging itself while firing. Does not change angle or wait for targets before firing.
The V.0.2 Prototype Laser Turret requires a lot more prep to pull off than the default Auto Turret, as its uptime is strictly linked to its ability to survive the heavy damage of both its own firing and any enemies chewing on it before it fires. It's also dependent on good positioning, much like Enforcer using Protect and Serve. For best results, use items that let it avoid fixed damage, such as Hermit's Scarf, Prophet's Cape, or if you are so lucky, an Umbrella. Even small boosts to the survivability mean massive surges in uptime and damage that can put even the best boss-crushers to shame.
Unlock: Acquire a Beam drone. They can usually be purchased on Risk of Rain, or you can combine three Laser drones.
Throwing Axe
Throws a pickaxe for 125% damage, gaining heat on hit. Pickaxes inherit momentum of the user and pierce terrain while ascending. While Scorching, pickaxes pierce through enemies and fire faster.
The only real ranged option available to Miner, and that's definitely worth something. It's also able to hit some pretty wide ranges if you move right while throwing them, giving Miner a much-needed way to handle flying enemies. That said, the damage goes down a lot for this one, especially when not Scorching. You need to be more careful than ever to maintain Scorching while in extended fights like teleporters, especially if you don't have good ways to protect you from enemies that get under your throwing arc.
Unlock: Either clear "Break the Targets!" or clear 25 stages.
Throws a pickaxe for 125% damage, gaining heat on hit. Pickaxes inherit momentum of the user and pierce terrain while ascending. While Scorching, pickaxes pierce through enemies and fire faster.
The only real ranged option available to Miner, and that's definitely worth something. It's also able to hit some pretty wide ranges if you move right while throwing them, giving Miner a much-needed way to handle flying enemies. That said, the damage goes down a lot for this one, especially when not Scorching. You need to be more careful than ever to maintain Scorching while in extended fights like teleporters, especially if you don't have good ways to protect you from enemies that get under your throwing arc.
Unlock: Either clear "Break the Targets!" or clear 25 stages.
Drill Dash
Dashes in any direction. Upon connecting with an enemy, gain iframes and deal 150% damage. May spend heat to repeat the damage and iframes. Dashes can curve, but do not have iframes until they connect.
What's that? You don't have enough mobility as Miner? Well, screw you anyway. Drill Dash may be omnidirectional and that rules, but it has a cooldown while Scorching unlike Drill Charge, and you can't extend the dash duration by spending heat, just the hits. Additionally, Drill Dash doesn't have the ridiculous levels of knockback Drill Charge does, which is a double-edged sword: it's worse for scattering groups of enemies to the winds so you don't get hit as much, but you keep yourself in place invincibly while dishing out damage so who cares? It's also less dependent on Scorching than most of Miner's moves.
Unlock: Kill 8 Elder Lemurians without losing Scorching. For best results, avoid using drones or items with knockback like Boxing Glove.
Dashes in any direction. Upon connecting with an enemy, gain iframes and deal 150% damage. May spend heat to repeat the damage and iframes. Dashes can curve, but do not have iframes until they connect.
What's that? You don't have enough mobility as Miner? Well, screw you anyway. Drill Dash may be omnidirectional and that rules, but it has a cooldown while Scorching unlike Drill Charge, and you can't extend the dash duration by spending heat, just the hits. Additionally, Drill Dash doesn't have the ridiculous levels of knockback Drill Charge does, which is a double-edged sword: it's worse for scattering groups of enemies to the winds so you don't get hit as much, but you keep yourself in place invincibly while dishing out damage so who cares? It's also less dependent on Scorching than most of Miner's moves.
Unlock: Kill 8 Elder Lemurians without losing Scorching. For best results, avoid using drones or items with knockback like Boxing Glove.
Burnout
Explodes for 500% damage, stunning all enemies in a large radius around the user. Gains 25% heat, but spends 25% of your max HP. Cannot kill the user.
And by that, I mean it can't be directly responsible for killing the user. As a panic button while surrounded, Burnout is great if you have the items needed to take the pressure, and guaranteed to get your ass killed if you don't. Remember, elites still get their passive abilities while stunned! And enemies that aren't in the (pretty decent) stun radius are still going for you and will likely get to you if you don't immediately book it afterwards. To make it scarier, it replaces your best existing panic button... but at the same time, you're Miner. You can get iframes at will from your secondary. Use Burnout as a finisher after those, or save one for getting out right after, and you'll find it a little bit safer to work with.
Unlock: Either clear "Scorching Heat" or obtain 300 items.
Explodes for 500% damage, stunning all enemies in a large radius around the user. Gains 25% heat, but spends 25% of your max HP. Cannot kill the user.
And by that, I mean it can't be directly responsible for killing the user. As a panic button while surrounded, Burnout is great if you have the items needed to take the pressure, and guaranteed to get your ass killed if you don't. Remember, elites still get their passive abilities while stunned! And enemies that aren't in the (pretty decent) stun radius are still going for you and will likely get to you if you don't immediately book it afterwards. To make it scarier, it replaces your best existing panic button... but at the same time, you're Miner. You can get iframes at will from your secondary. Use Burnout as a finisher after those, or save one for getting out right after, and you'll find it a little bit safer to work with.
Unlock: Either clear "Scorching Heat" or obtain 300 items.
Improvise
Swings the rifle for 120% damage, knocking enemies back. Does not expend or prompt a reload.
By far Sniper's biggest weakness is that they can very easily get overwhelmed by enemies, and if they're still reloading or have their utility on cooldown, tough, you're unable to verb until you deal with it! Getting the timing of early perfect reloads certainly helps, but y'know what's more helpful? Getting a decent-sized melee attack that pushes enemies away. On its own, Improvise won't be getting much done as far as kills go, it's effectively a half-speed Crush, but as an emergency low-cost option to clear some space, you could certainly do worse. It does mean you become even more dependent on your secondary for kills, since you lose the long-range hitscan of Snipe.
Unlock: Clear the third stage without any players collecting items or equipment. Drones are allowed.
Swings the rifle for 120% damage, knocking enemies back. Does not expend or prompt a reload.
By far Sniper's biggest weakness is that they can very easily get overwhelmed by enemies, and if they're still reloading or have their utility on cooldown, tough, you're unable to verb until you deal with it! Getting the timing of early perfect reloads certainly helps, but y'know what's more helpful? Getting a decent-sized melee attack that pushes enemies away. On its own, Improvise won't be getting much done as far as kills go, it's effectively a half-speed Crush, but as an emergency low-cost option to clear some space, you could certainly do worse. It does mean you become even more dependent on your secondary for kills, since you lose the long-range hitscan of Snipe.
Unlock: Clear the third stage without any players collecting items or equipment. Drones are allowed.
Quickscope
Hold the button to send an aiming reticle forward, through walls and enemies. Release to fire for 600% damage to all targeted enemies.
Obviously, trading away the massive unrivaled power of Steady Aim is a scary prospect for most players, and those that have had practice with Sniper getting into position for perfect shots probably won't even attempt to bother. That said, I've never found boss-killing to be the hard part of the game, compared to the threat of being swarmed, and this is something Quickscope absolutely excels at. Tapping the button just instantly does respectable spike damage to enemies right next to you, and even hitting midrange targets is pretty quick, allowing you to immediately get back to repositioning. Being able to fire through walls is nice too.
Unlock: Either clear "Bullseyes Only" or clear 25 stages.
Hold the button to send an aiming reticle forward, through walls and enemies. Release to fire for 600% damage to all targeted enemies.
Obviously, trading away the massive unrivaled power of Steady Aim is a scary prospect for most players, and those that have had practice with Sniper getting into position for perfect shots probably won't even attempt to bother. That said, I've never found boss-killing to be the hard part of the game, compared to the threat of being swarmed, and this is something Quickscope absolutely excels at. Tapping the button just instantly does respectable spike damage to enemies right next to you, and even hitting midrange targets is pretty quick, allowing you to immediately get back to repositioning. Being able to fire through walls is nice too.
Unlock: Either clear "Bullseyes Only" or clear 25 stages.
Heavy Recoil
Fires diagonally downward for 200% damage. Launches the user up and backwards a decent distance. Expends and prompts a reload. Does not grant iframes.
Military Training is definitely a powerful GTFO tool, but the huge distance you cover with it can sometimes be a drawback, especially since it can be hard to aim your secondary right after it since you'll still have a fair amount of momentum. Heavy Recoil loses in distance (although it gains verticality) and safety, and it's not usable if you need to reload which is definitely scary. All that said, it provides an angle of attack Sniper normally doesn't get, and it's still not BAD as an escape option. Far from it, the shot actually impacts a pretty large area, so you can hit multiple enemies with this!
Unlock: Kill Providence while backflipping. Any method will do, including equipment and drones, provided you're using Military Training when he dies.
Fires diagonally downward for 200% damage. Launches the user up and backwards a decent distance. Expends and prompts a reload. Does not grant iframes.
Military Training is definitely a powerful GTFO tool, but the huge distance you cover with it can sometimes be a drawback, especially since it can be hard to aim your secondary right after it since you'll still have a fair amount of momentum. Heavy Recoil loses in distance (although it gains verticality) and safety, and it's not usable if you need to reload which is definitely scary. All that said, it provides an angle of attack Sniper normally doesn't get, and it's still not BAD as an escape option. Far from it, the shot actually impacts a pretty large area, so you can hit multiple enemies with this!
Unlock: Kill Providence while backflipping. Any method will do, including equipment and drones, provided you're using Military Training when he dies.
Corrosive Wounds
Mauls enemies for 80% damage, and corrodes them, adding 10% extra damage per stack from all sources.
Pretty straightforward change, this. Does less damage on its own compared to the stacking poisons and higher base damage of Festering Wounds, in exchange for amplifying all the other sources of damage you intend to do. Both primary options for Acrid reward landing consecutive hits in different ways, it's more about whether you want that to be your main source of damage (Festering Wounds) or a way to support your other methods of dealing damage (Corrosive Wounds).
Unlock: Kill the caged Acrid in under 15 seconds. Remember that you can set up before spawning Acrid by using Toxic Bubble, either utility, or equipment to get heavy damage right out of the gate.
Mauls enemies for 80% damage, and corrodes them, adding 10% extra damage per stack from all sources.
Pretty straightforward change, this. Does less damage on its own compared to the stacking poisons and higher base damage of Festering Wounds, in exchange for amplifying all the other sources of damage you intend to do. Both primary options for Acrid reward landing consecutive hits in different ways, it's more about whether you want that to be your main source of damage (Festering Wounds) or a way to support your other methods of dealing damage (Corrosive Wounds).
Unlock: Kill the caged Acrid in under 15 seconds. Remember that you can set up before spawning Acrid by using Toxic Bubble, either utility, or equipment to get heavy damage right out of the gate.
Toxic Bubble
Spits a bubble that deals 60% damage over time and slows any enemies it overlaps. Explodes for 600% damage after 5 seconds. Can be pushed with attacks, or jumped on to bounce higher.
Trading away the quick shotgun blast of Neurotoxin that keeps them safe up close for a bubble that's easy to shove out of the way and only slows enemies down isn't a very enticing prospect at first, but for a clever player, Toxic Bubble offers a ton of utility. The blast, properly timed, allows you to supplement your damage over time effects with big spike damage, and you can get a lot more verticality by bouncing on the bubble. You can, of course, stack the bubble's slow effect with that of your utility's slime, which works well as a way to catch more enemies in the bubble's blast.
Unlock: Either clear "Caustic Climb" or obtain 300 items.
Spits a bubble that deals 60% damage over time and slows any enemies it overlaps. Explodes for 600% damage after 5 seconds. Can be pushed with attacks, or jumped on to bounce higher.
Trading away the quick shotgun blast of Neurotoxin that keeps them safe up close for a bubble that's easy to shove out of the way and only slows enemies down isn't a very enticing prospect at first, but for a clever player, Toxic Bubble offers a ton of utility. The blast, properly timed, allows you to supplement your damage over time effects with big spike damage, and you can get a lot more verticality by bouncing on the bubble. You can, of course, stack the bubble's slow effect with that of your utility's slime, which works well as a way to catch more enemies in the bubble's blast.
Unlock: Either clear "Caustic Climb" or obtain 300 items.
Dissolving Ambush
Spits acid that forms a puddle, slowing enemies and dealing 100% damage to them over time. If a puddle is already out, instead warp to it (on landing if used in midair), dealing 400% damage on arrival. Has iframes both when spitting and warping.
Hell yes I love this ability. I mean, I play Orcane in Rivals of Aether, how could I not? This allows you to get some very creative repositioning no other character can really do, and is a great way to control what enemies you fight and where. The damage is pretty good from the warp, but the puddle also has an indefinite duration, so you can wait for just the right time to strike. That said, if you have a puddle out, you can't spit another one until you warp, and doing either uses a charge of the skill, so Hardlight Afterburner is weaker when using this instead of Caustic Sludge.
Unlock: Either clear "Uncontrolled Experiment" or kill 3000 enemies.
Spits acid that forms a puddle, slowing enemies and dealing 100% damage to them over time. If a puddle is already out, instead warp to it (on landing if used in midair), dealing 400% damage on arrival. Has iframes both when spitting and warping.
Hell yes I love this ability. I mean, I play Orcane in Rivals of Aether, how could I not? This allows you to get some very creative repositioning no other character can really do, and is a great way to control what enemies you fight and where. The damage is pretty good from the warp, but the puddle also has an indefinite duration, so you can wait for just the right time to strike. That said, if you have a puddle out, you can't spit another one until you warp, and doing either uses a charge of the skill, so Hardlight Afterburner is weaker when using this instead of Caustic Sludge.
Unlock: Either clear "Uncontrolled Experiment" or kill 3000 enemies.
Focused Strike
Hold the button to sheathe your weapon and prepare a parry. Release to attack for 500% damage, or 1000% damage if released just before you would take damage, gaining iframes while the attack resolves if timed correctly.
It takes a lot to compete with Zero Mega Man X's favorite circle spin slash move, but here we are, they've done it. Focused Strike is equal parts get-out-of-jail-free card and huge damage spike with a surprisingly large range. The only issue is that it requires you to time it for when an enemy would attack you, but uh... you're playing Risk of Rain Returns. There are fewer frames where enemies aren't attacking you than frames where they are. Oh, and yeah, you do lose the airstalling from Whirlwind you would ordinarily use as a defensive maneuver, and Whirlwind comes out instantly, does 2 hits for extra proc chances, and doesn't need timing, but come on! Parry attacks, in a swarm survival game! You tell me that's not good with a straight face, do it, I dare you.
Unlock: Either clear "Don't Think, Feel" or clear 25 stages.
Hold the button to sheathe your weapon and prepare a parry. Release to attack for 500% damage, or 1000% damage if released just before you would take damage, gaining iframes while the attack resolves if timed correctly.
It takes a lot to compete with Zero Mega Man X's favorite circle spin slash move, but here we are, they've done it. Focused Strike is equal parts get-out-of-jail-free card and huge damage spike with a surprisingly large range. The only issue is that it requires you to time it for when an enemy would attack you, but uh... you're playing Risk of Rain Returns. There are fewer frames where enemies aren't attacking you than frames where they are. Oh, and yeah, you do lose the airstalling from Whirlwind you would ordinarily use as a defensive maneuver, and Whirlwind comes out instantly, does 2 hits for extra proc chances, and doesn't need timing, but come on! Parry attacks, in a swarm survival game! You tell me that's not good with a straight face, do it, I dare you.
Unlock: Either clear "Don't Think, Feel" or clear 25 stages.
Skyward Assault
Dash forwards and diagonally upwards for 200% damage. Pressing the button again during the dash instantly dives to the ground for a 400% damage area slam. Does not provide iframes.
We love our vertical mobility, yes we do. Trading iframes to get it though... that's a bit of a tall ask. Still, you get some air movement AND better damage, and the best defense in this game is usually a good offense. This one supports a riskier kind of Mercenary playstyle, where rather than maximizing iframe uptime with Blinding Assault to get your licks in here and there, you instead rely on spacing and damage to carve out spots where you can get your bearings. Both good, really, and they do a lot of the same kind of thing without being clearly better or worse than the other.
Unlock: Either clear "Assassination Contract" or obtain 300 items.
Dash forwards and diagonally upwards for 200% damage. Pressing the button again during the dash instantly dives to the ground for a 400% damage area slam. Does not provide iframes.
We love our vertical mobility, yes we do. Trading iframes to get it though... that's a bit of a tall ask. Still, you get some air movement AND better damage, and the best defense in this game is usually a good offense. This one supports a riskier kind of Mercenary playstyle, where rather than maximizing iframe uptime with Blinding Assault to get your licks in here and there, you instead rely on spacing and damage to carve out spots where you can get your bearings. Both good, really, and they do a lot of the same kind of thing without being clearly better or worse than the other.
Unlock: Either clear "Assassination Contract" or obtain 300 items.
After-Image
Generates an after-image that doubles all attacks used for 3 seconds. Can stack twice.
Hi! Do you like Shattered Mirror? Do you wish you could start every game with it? Here, have it as a cooldown ability! You do have to give up the very good panic button Eviscerate for it, but consider: you can add extra hits to ANY other move you're doing. And Mercenary can get a lot of strong hits in during a 3 second window. Best used just before arriving in melee range, where your Laser Sword and other skills can instantly get some damage done without worrying about closing the distance, and provide you with the iframes needed to safely push that advantage. Not a lot to say here, push button for burst damage.
Unlock: Either clear "Shadows of the Past" or kill 3000 enemies.
Generates an after-image that doubles all attacks used for 3 seconds. Can stack twice.
Hi! Do you like Shattered Mirror? Do you wish you could start every game with it? Here, have it as a cooldown ability! You do have to give up the very good panic button Eviscerate for it, but consider: you can add extra hits to ANY other move you're doing. And Mercenary can get a lot of strong hits in during a 3 second window. Best used just before arriving in melee range, where your Laser Sword and other skills can instantly get some damage done without worrying about closing the distance, and provide you with the iframes needed to safely push that advantage. Not a lot to say here, push button for burst damage.
Unlock: Either clear "Shadows of the Past" or kill 3000 enemies.
Bullet Punch
Hold the button to charge up a punch. Release to deal up to 1000% damage, shoving enemies back. Charge speed improves with attack speed.
If you're like me, and played Risk of Rain 2 before the original, you probably picked up Loader with a feeling of disappointment that he doesn't come with a brokenly strong charge punch that one-shots bosses. Well, this is the next best thing. You have lower sustained damage than Knuckleboom this way and obviously can't get as many hit procs, but you also punch really dang hard. It doesn't take more than a few fully-charged punches to put down a stage 1 boss, and you have Debris Shield to keep you nice and safe while you charge, unlike Sniper.
Unlock: Either clear "Ruins of the Future" or obtain 300 items.
Hold the button to charge up a punch. Release to deal up to 1000% damage, shoving enemies back. Charge speed improves with attack speed.
If you're like me, and played Risk of Rain 2 before the original, you probably picked up Loader with a feeling of disappointment that he doesn't come with a brokenly strong charge punch that one-shots bosses. Well, this is the next best thing. You have lower sustained damage than Knuckleboom this way and obviously can't get as many hit procs, but you also punch really dang hard. It doesn't take more than a few fully-charged punches to put down a stage 1 boss, and you have Debris Shield to keep you nice and safe while you charge, unlike Sniper.
Unlock: Either clear "Ruins of the Future" or obtain 300 items.
Short Circuit
Dive diagonally downward, dealing 350% damage and stunning enemies. Has a blast radius on impact.
Hydraulic Gauntlet is a really strong mobility tool, but unless you're getting cheeky with the M440 Conduit placements, Loader doesn't have a lot of ways to really use that aside from just getting into melee range. Short Circuit provides you with an alternate opener, blasting in for solid damage and stun that you can then follow up on. Of course, you're playing without the free invincibility of Debris Shield and the Hydraulic Gauntlet isn't great at getting you OUT of danger, so make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew when you dive.
Unlock: Either clear "Crash Landing" or kill 3000 enemies.
Dive diagonally downward, dealing 350% damage and stunning enemies. Has a blast radius on impact.
Hydraulic Gauntlet is a really strong mobility tool, but unless you're getting cheeky with the M440 Conduit placements, Loader doesn't have a lot of ways to really use that aside from just getting into melee range. Short Circuit provides you with an alternate opener, blasting in for solid damage and stun that you can then follow up on. Of course, you're playing without the free invincibility of Debris Shield and the Hydraulic Gauntlet isn't great at getting you OUT of danger, so make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew when you dive.
Unlock: Either clear "Crash Landing" or kill 3000 enemies.
S260 Conduit
Places a beacon that creates a lightning arc to all allies within range, dealing 80% damage per second and heavily boosting attack speed. Eligible for grappling to with Hydraulic Gauntlet.
With the default M440, you mostly want higher mobility options, so you can set up a big arc that covers large areas of the stage at once. The S260 instead supports any Loader that happens to get allies of any stripe, whether that's drones, ghosts, or other human players. The lightning arc is much smaller than that of the M440, but still just as capable of doing damage, so for best results, park it just behind your target and stand at the edge of the radius. It's effectively a more concentrated, powerful version of the M440.
Unlock: Either clear "Colossal Lift" or clear 25 stages.
Places a beacon that creates a lightning arc to all allies within range, dealing 80% damage per second and heavily boosting attack speed. Eligible for grappling to with Hydraulic Gauntlet.
With the default M440, you mostly want higher mobility options, so you can set up a big arc that covers large areas of the stage at once. The S260 instead supports any Loader that happens to get allies of any stripe, whether that's drones, ghosts, or other human players. The lightning arc is much smaller than that of the M440, but still just as capable of doing damage, so for best results, park it just behind your target and stand at the edge of the radius. It's effectively a more concentrated, powerful version of the M440.
Unlock: Either clear "Colossal Lift" or clear 25 stages.
SLICE/BUTCHER
Swings a mid-range knife for 120% damage. If boosted, instead chops for 625% damage and covers a larger area.
It takes a LOT to complete with CHEF's beloved cleaverangs, and SLICE is... kind of underwhelming as an option at first. It's competitive with other melee options, maybe having a bit better range, but CHEF's moveset tends to want to keep enemies at a distance with the GLAZE and SEAR combo. This skill gets made by your special: either for big ugly spike damage with the upgrade from SECOND HELPING, or more effective softening of enemies to finish off with COOK. But at the same time: wouldn't you rather have piercing, boomeraging cleavers that deal nearly as much damage? May just be the weakest unlockable skill, sad to say, but only because DICE is so good.
Unlock: Either clear "A Fresh Harvest" or obtain 300 items.
Swings a mid-range knife for 120% damage. If boosted, instead chops for 625% damage and covers a larger area.
It takes a LOT to complete with CHEF's beloved cleaverangs, and SLICE is... kind of underwhelming as an option at first. It's competitive with other melee options, maybe having a bit better range, but CHEF's moveset tends to want to keep enemies at a distance with the GLAZE and SEAR combo. This skill gets made by your special: either for big ugly spike damage with the upgrade from SECOND HELPING, or more effective softening of enemies to finish off with COOK. But at the same time: wouldn't you rather have piercing, boomeraging cleavers that deal nearly as much damage? May just be the weakest unlockable skill, sad to say, but only because DICE is so good.
Unlock: Either clear "A Fresh Harvest" or obtain 300 items.
OIL JAR/MARINATE
Throws a bottle that breaks into four oil globs that coat the ground. Enemies in the oil are slowed. User has decreased friction while in the oil. If boosted, oil globs split into four a second time.
Trading away your sole speedboosting move as CHEF is a scary proposition. Being able to chain boosted SEAR/FLAMBE hits on enemies is a scary proposition but in the other direction. And that doesn't even get into the funny slip-n-slide movement tech you can do with the oiled ground. You can retreat while throwing DICE cleavers at full speed, letting you pretend to be Huntress for a bit. You can initiate your melee moves early and carry their hitboxes safely into the enemies. Just be careful not to slide off of any high ledges, and make sure you get the angle of the thrown bottle down.
Unlock: Kill 15 oiled enemies with a single SEAR/FLAMBE. For this and any other multikill achievements, I recommend letting them build up at low difficulty levels where you can still kite them and keep their health levels close.
Throws a bottle that breaks into four oil globs that coat the ground. Enemies in the oil are slowed. User has decreased friction while in the oil. If boosted, oil globs split into four a second time.
Trading away your sole speedboosting move as CHEF is a scary proposition. Being able to chain boosted SEAR/FLAMBE hits on enemies is a scary proposition but in the other direction. And that doesn't even get into the funny slip-n-slide movement tech you can do with the oiled ground. You can retreat while throwing DICE cleavers at full speed, letting you pretend to be Huntress for a bit. You can initiate your melee moves early and carry their hitboxes safely into the enemies. Just be careful not to slide off of any high ledges, and make sure you get the angle of the thrown bottle down.
Unlock: Kill 15 oiled enemies with a single SEAR/FLAMBE. For this and any other multikill achievements, I recommend letting them build up at low difficulty levels where you can still kite them and keep their health levels close.
COOK
Slice nearby enemies in a decent radius for 6x80% damage. Enemies killed by this skill are cooked into temporary food items. Cannot crit.
Can't believe we couldn't make food out of enemies until the remake, honestly. Anyway, COOK trades the bursty effects of SECOND HELPING for more prolonged statboosts from unique items. Do note that items procured by COOK don't work on the usual rules for temporary items: when the timer for that stack expires, you lose ALL items of that stack, not just one. And, of course, you need to get up close to hit with a melee move that can't crit, on a character whose default plan involves knocking enemies back to pepper with piercing shots, and secure kills with it. This move strongly rewards players who have a good feel for how quickly they can damage enemies.
Unlock: Either clear "The Right Ingredients" or kill 3000 enemies.
Slice nearby enemies in a decent radius for 6x80% damage. Enemies killed by this skill are cooked into temporary food items. Cannot crit.
Can't believe we couldn't make food out of enemies until the remake, honestly. Anyway, COOK trades the bursty effects of SECOND HELPING for more prolonged statboosts from unique items. Do note that items procured by COOK don't work on the usual rules for temporary items: when the timer for that stack expires, you lose ALL items of that stack, not just one. And, of course, you need to get up close to hit with a melee move that can't crit, on a character whose default plan involves knocking enemies back to pepper with piercing shots, and secure kills with it. This move strongly rewards players who have a good feel for how quickly they can damage enemies.
Unlock: Either clear "The Right Ingredients" or kill 3000 enemies.
Rapid Fire
Fires rapidly for 75% damage.
Was packaging Commando's range on Double Tap and Full Metal Jacket together on a primary not enough? Is range and fire rate that important to you? Well, if you're playing as the incredibly squishy Pilot and really want faster hit procs... maybe? Personally I'd miss the piercing third shot from Clusterfire too much, and it's not like Pilot's range or fire rate is bad, especially with Target Acquired! when it's lined up. Still, if all you want is speedy long-range shots, Rapid Fire is there.
Unlock: Kill 30 enemies after launching them with Airstrike. Given that this is Pilot's bread and butter damage combo, this should be trivial.
Fires rapidly for 75% damage.
Was packaging Commando's range on Double Tap and Full Metal Jacket together on a primary not enough? Is range and fire rate that important to you? Well, if you're playing as the incredibly squishy Pilot and really want faster hit procs... maybe? Personally I'd miss the piercing third shot from Clusterfire too much, and it's not like Pilot's range or fire rate is bad, especially with Target Acquired! when it's lined up. Still, if all you want is speedy long-range shots, Rapid Fire is there.
Unlock: Kill 30 enemies after launching them with Airstrike. Given that this is Pilot's bread and butter damage combo, this should be trivial.
Aerobatics
Dashes a short distance ahead, gaining iframes and optionally angling diagonally up or down. If the user touches a wall while dashing, grabs onto the wall, and can climb up or down it freely. All abilities' aerial versions may be used while climbing, although you will drop with sustained primary fire. Slide down the wall after some time.
Given that Pilot's entire appeal is being in the air, Aerobatics as an alternate move might be a very scary proposition. Honestly though, Aerobatics is mostly about the same in efficacy, just favoring different situations. It excels in exactly the kind of tight, enclosed spaces Rapid Deployment falters in, such as Magma Barracks' lower floors. Hell, if you have a wall at the right spot, you can pretty much keep Target Acquired! firing on cooldown to your heart's content. It's also possible to dash into the ground and then immediately jump to preserve your momentum for a massive speed boost. Give it a try for sure, this is one of the most preference-based choices of abilities I've seen, Aerobatics and Rapid Deployment are both very cool.
Unlock: Either clear "Race to the Finish!" or obtain 300 items.
Dashes a short distance ahead, gaining iframes and optionally angling diagonally up or down. If the user touches a wall while dashing, grabs onto the wall, and can climb up or down it freely. All abilities' aerial versions may be used while climbing, although you will drop with sustained primary fire. Slide down the wall after some time.
Given that Pilot's entire appeal is being in the air, Aerobatics as an alternate move might be a very scary proposition. Honestly though, Aerobatics is mostly about the same in efficacy, just favoring different situations. It excels in exactly the kind of tight, enclosed spaces Rapid Deployment falters in, such as Magma Barracks' lower floors. Hell, if you have a wall at the right spot, you can pretty much keep Target Acquired! firing on cooldown to your heart's content. It's also possible to dash into the ground and then immediately jump to preserve your momentum for a massive speed boost. Give it a try for sure, this is one of the most preference-based choices of abilities I've seen, Aerobatics and Rapid Deployment are both very cool.
Unlock: Either clear "Race to the Finish!" or obtain 300 items.
Aerial Support
Marks an enemy straight ahead, airstriking them for 10x120% damage over time. Aerial version is identical to grounded.
Like CHEF's SLICE ability, Aerial Support is a very strong ability, some of the best damage over time outside of Acrid, that I just can't find myself liking because of how much it has to compete with Airstrike. Without Airstrike, you're wholly dependent on either items or your utility to set up shots with Target Acquired!, and that's by far your best damaging ability. Plus, even if you don't airshot enemies, Airstrike can still keep enemies from approaching purely by popping them into the air. Is losing all of that, which you have two charges of, really worth a single damage over time effect?
Unlock: Kill 10 enemies without touching the ground or geysers. Simply get in the air, stay there with your utility, and pepper foes below you with Target Acquired! and/or equipment. Add items to taste.
Marks an enemy straight ahead, airstriking them for 10x120% damage over time. Aerial version is identical to grounded.
Like CHEF's SLICE ability, Aerial Support is a very strong ability, some of the best damage over time outside of Acrid, that I just can't find myself liking because of how much it has to compete with Airstrike. Without Airstrike, you're wholly dependent on either items or your utility to set up shots with Target Acquired!, and that's by far your best damaging ability. Plus, even if you don't airshot enemies, Airstrike can still keep enemies from approaching purely by popping them into the air. Is losing all of that, which you have two charges of, really worth a single damage over time effect?
Unlock: Kill 10 enemies without touching the ground or geysers. Simply get in the air, stay there with your utility, and pepper foes below you with Target Acquired! and/or equipment. Add items to taste.
Pulse Spear
Throws a spear that deals 300% damage. Press the button again to pulse all active spears, allowing them to briefly pierce through enemies. Successful pulses can be repeated.
Faster and better base damage than Charged Nanobomb, at the expense of requiring you to pay close attention to what the spear is doing midflight. Attention is an especially valuable resource in Risk of Rain Returns, especially with a character bearing no real emergency tools like Artificer. Furthermore, casting a spear to pulse will throw a second one if you have Backup Magazines, so this skill is much harder to bank multiples of without diluting their efficacy. Still, nobody can deny the power that is piercing shots. Full Metal Jacket as a higher damage projectile is nothing to sneeze at.
Unlock: Either clear "Lightning Strikes Twice" or clear 25 stages.
Throws a spear that deals 300% damage. Press the button again to pulse all active spears, allowing them to briefly pierce through enemies. Successful pulses can be repeated.
Faster and better base damage than Charged Nanobomb, at the expense of requiring you to pay close attention to what the spear is doing midflight. Attention is an especially valuable resource in Risk of Rain Returns, especially with a character bearing no real emergency tools like Artificer. Furthermore, casting a spear to pulse will throw a second one if you have Backup Magazines, so this skill is much harder to bank multiples of without diluting their efficacy. Still, nobody can deny the power that is piercing shots. Full Metal Jacket as a higher damage projectile is nothing to sneeze at.
Unlock: Either clear "Lightning Strikes Twice" or clear 25 stages.
Tectonic Surge
Launches into the air, stunning adjacent enemies briefly. Angles forward if moving, and goes straight up if not moving. Creates a platform to stand on if used in midair. Lowers gravity briefly after usage or until you land.
This is your only movement ability as Artificer (excluding Flamethrower if you squint), and for what it is, it's not bad. Excellent vertical mobility, especially with a Hopoo Feather to put that lowered gravity to use, and being able to generate platforms wherever you like can create safe spots for you or allies to safely barrage enemies with your best options risk-free. However, you no longer have the relative safety of Frost Barrier's deployable distraction wall to work with, requiring you to play smartly with that platform to really get good damage out of your Flame Chakrams.
Unlock: Either clear "In The Clouds" or obtain 300 items.
Launches into the air, stunning adjacent enemies briefly. Angles forward if moving, and goes straight up if not moving. Creates a platform to stand on if used in midair. Lowers gravity briefly after usage or until you land.
This is your only movement ability as Artificer (excluding Flamethrower if you squint), and for what it is, it's not bad. Excellent vertical mobility, especially with a Hopoo Feather to put that lowered gravity to use, and being able to generate platforms wherever you like can create safe spots for you or allies to safely barrage enemies with your best options risk-free. However, you no longer have the relative safety of Frost Barrier's deployable distraction wall to work with, requiring you to play smartly with that platform to really get good damage out of your Flame Chakrams.
Unlock: Either clear "In The Clouds" or obtain 300 items.
Localized Sun
Summons a miniature star that mimics your movement, dealing 120% damage over time. Explodes for 1000% damage after 5 seconds.
Again, attention is a valuable currency in Risk of Rain Returns, and spending that on controlling two characters with vastly different goals in combat is just asking to get bodied. That said, Localized Sun can do a lot of damage if played well, and as anyone who's done a "two games with one set of inputs" challenge can tell you, there's techniques you can use. Remember that Artificer has to respect walls and ladders while the star does not, and use that to curb her position while you get the star in place for peak damage. Naturally, losing on the easy damage and airstalling of Flamethrower makes close-range encounters even scarier than they already were. This skill is for masters only.
Unlock: Either clear "Danger Orbits" or kill 3000 enemies.
Summons a miniature star that mimics your movement, dealing 120% damage over time. Explodes for 1000% damage after 5 seconds.
Again, attention is a valuable currency in Risk of Rain Returns, and spending that on controlling two characters with vastly different goals in combat is just asking to get bodied. That said, Localized Sun can do a lot of damage if played well, and as anyone who's done a "two games with one set of inputs" challenge can tell you, there's techniques you can use. Remember that Artificer has to respect walls and ladders while the star does not, and use that to curb her position while you get the star in place for peak damage. Naturally, losing on the easy damage and airstalling of Flamethrower makes close-range encounters even scarier than they already were. This skill is for masters only.
Unlock: Either clear "Danger Orbits" or kill 3000 enemies.
Scrap Cube
Spends some scrap to throw a compacted trash cube, dealing 150% damage. The cube can be pushed with further attacks, or destroyed by enemy attacks or Suffocate. Can stand on the cube. Enemies will be distracted by the cube.
One might think that Scrap Cube's main attraction as an alternative to Cleanup's piercing multi-hitting spam is as more of a utility option to provide better places to stand, and that's definitely part of the appeal. You really can't underestimate Scrap Cube as a damage dealing option though, considering it does that 150% damage each and every time it's pushed. Blunt Force effectively can use Scrap Cubes as a massive force multiplier that can tear through crowds or big baddies alike. You won't get as many hit procs as you would with Cleanup, but nothing beats Cleanup for that except maybe DISASSEMBLE.
Unlock: Either clear "Perilous Descent" or obtain 300 items.
Spends some scrap to throw a compacted trash cube, dealing 150% damage. The cube can be pushed with further attacks, or destroyed by enemy attacks or Suffocate. Can stand on the cube. Enemies will be distracted by the cube.
One might think that Scrap Cube's main attraction as an alternative to Cleanup's piercing multi-hitting spam is as more of a utility option to provide better places to stand, and that's definitely part of the appeal. You really can't underestimate Scrap Cube as a damage dealing option though, considering it does that 150% damage each and every time it's pushed. Blunt Force effectively can use Scrap Cubes as a massive force multiplier that can tear through crowds or big baddies alike. You won't get as many hit procs as you would with Cleanup, but nothing beats Cleanup for that except maybe DISASSEMBLE.
Unlock: Either clear "Perilous Descent" or obtain 300 items.
Tornado Slam
Spins the bag around for 100% damage per hit. Increases move speed and lowers gravity while active.
Drifter's only real mobility option (unless you count temporary items). It's pretty good, it can cover a lot of distance and gets even better with items, and the damage is pretty solid for a mobility option. You do, of course, lose out on both the scrap generation and the quick lethal finishers from Suffocate, so you'll have to play with your scrap-consuming secondaries and utilities a lot more conservatively and smartly than usual if you want to spin to the skies.
Unlock: Obtain 20 temporary items at once. Two tips here: remember that gaining a new stack of an existing temporary item refreshes the timer, and remember that cooldowns for skills refresh between stages but you also get to keep scrap between stages.
Spins the bag around for 100% damage per hit. Increases move speed and lowers gravity while active.
Drifter's only real mobility option (unless you count temporary items). It's pretty good, it can cover a lot of distance and gets even better with items, and the damage is pretty solid for a mobility option. You do, of course, lose out on both the scrap generation and the quick lethal finishers from Suffocate, so you'll have to play with your scrap-consuming secondaries and utilities a lot more conservatively and smartly than usual if you want to spin to the skies.
Unlock: Obtain 20 temporary items at once. Two tips here: remember that gaining a new stack of an existing temporary item refreshes the timer, and remember that cooldowns for skills refresh between stages but you also get to keep scrap between stages.
Recycle
Spends a large amount of scrap to reroll an item, generating one of the same rarity.
In Risk of Rain 2, which has scrappers, printers, and plenty of items that can be situational or even detrimental for some survivors, rerolling is a very useful option that keeps them finely tuned for any threats they'd face. Risk of Rain Returns does not follow the same rules, and there are few, if any, items one would avoid taking to such an extent that they give up the ability to generate temporary items to reroll them. It does keep your runs more even over time by ensuring you don't waste time with subpar pickups or get screwed by a lack of a vital resource, but frankly, if you ask me, just gimme the temporary items, every run gets broken if you have enough stuff.
Unlock: Either clear "Equivalent Exchange" or clear 25 stages.
Spends a large amount of scrap to reroll an item, generating one of the same rarity.
In Risk of Rain 2, which has scrappers, printers, and plenty of items that can be situational or even detrimental for some survivors, rerolling is a very useful option that keeps them finely tuned for any threats they'd face. Risk of Rain Returns does not follow the same rules, and there are few, if any, items one would avoid taking to such an extent that they give up the ability to generate temporary items to reroll them. It does keep your runs more even over time by ensuring you don't waste time with subpar pickups or get screwed by a lack of a vital resource, but frankly, if you ask me, just gimme the temporary items, every run gets broken if you have enough stuff.
Unlock: Either clear "Equivalent Exchange" or clear 25 stages.