Risk Of Rain 2 Tier List: Find Your Best Characters Ranked

Risk of Rain 2, a popular third-person shooter, continues to captivate players even years after its release. With Gearbox acquiring Hopoo Games, fans expressed concern about the game’s future. 

However, they can look forward to the upcoming DLC, Seekers of the Storm, following Survivors of the Void. Despite ongoing updates and additions, players remain undecided on which Survivor is the most dominant.

Each playable Survivor in Risk of Rain 2 becomes very powerful with the right items or skilled players. Yet, some Survivors are chosen more often, not just by chance or because of specific mods.

Updated on April 18th, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: Recently, news about the upcoming Seekers of the Storm DLC has sparked renewed interest in Risk of Rain 2. The announcement detailed stage variations and teased the upcoming Dead Cells Mercenary Skin. 

With the DLC’s release imminent, player numbers are expected to surge for at least a week. Let’s revisit the Survivors in the game and compare their strengths.

Risk of Rain 2 Tier List [2024 Updated]

The Railgunner

Unlock: Default Availability (Requires Survivors of the Void DLC)

Let’s be honest here. Every Survivor in this game can be great, and there aren’t any ‘bad’ ones. However, the two Survivors added in the Survivors of the Void DLC are just stronger than the rest by default.

Railgunner is a perfect example. Her base stats are average, but using any of her Abilities quickly shows they’re deceptive.

With good aim and her active reload system, Railgunner can spawn in the first stage on any difficulty, start the Teleporter with no items, and defeat the boss in under 2 minutes.

She has a guaranteed Crit system like Bandit, can freeze enemies like Artificer, and moves easily around the map with Concussion Devices similar to Acrid or the Mercenary.

She has everything, including un-scoped homing shots and the ability to convert Crit Chance to Crit Damage.

The Engineer

Unlock ‘Engineering Perfection’ Challenge by Completion

The creator of the ‘Bungus’ meme, Engineer, is a powerful character. Playing as Engineer feels like a tower defense game rather than a roguelike, mainly due to his turrets.

Engineer’s turrets inherit his items, making items that might be average on other survivors incredibly effective on Engineer.

For instance, items like Bustling Fungus or Genesis Loop, which benefit from standing still or being close to death, are especially useful for Engineer’s turrets.

It takes time to learn how to play Engineer well. Many players who master Engineer prefer not to switch to other characters, especially in multiplayer.

Initially, players might struggle with Engineer’s lack of mobility and less reliable main attack. However, once players get past this learning curve, Engineer becomes one of the game’s strongest and easiest characters to use in Risk of Rain 2.

The Bandit

Unlocked: Mastering the ‘Warrior’ Challenge

Bandit was initially available through mods during Risk of Rain 2’s early access phase. He officially joined the game with the Anniversary Update.

Often seen as a gunslinger, similar to how Artificer embodies a mage, Bandit attracts players who enjoy precise shooting and high damage output.

Bandit lacks mobility at first, relying on short bursts from Smoke Bomb and Serrated Dagger until acquiring a Hopoo Feather.

His ability to consistently Critical Strike enemies from behind is exceptionally powerful. While beginners may find him average, skilled players can exploit his strengths to make him overwhelmingly effective.

Acrid

Unlock ‘To Be Left Alone’ Challenge by Completion

Keep in mind, we’re biased towards Acrid, but this unique survivor stands out in both Risk of Rain games. Acrid remains unchanged between the two games and has settled well into Petrichor V.

Acrid’s gameplay focuses on poisoning enemies to weaken them slowly. Players can choose between a poison-centric strategy, a Blight setup, or a melee tank approach with Ravenous Bite.

Though the poison tactic may seem less exciting than other survivors’, Acrid faces fewer challenges with enemy scaling. His poison consistently deals 10% of an enemy’s maximum health over 10 seconds, ensuring reliable damage regardless of the foe’s strength.

The Huntress

Unlockable Content: Unlocked by Default

Huntress, like Mercenary, is highly mobile with multiple dashes and attacks enemies from a distance. She starts with the lowest health and lower damage at the beginning.

Despite this, fans love Huntress because with Backup Mags and Crit Chance, she becomes much stronger. Her Primary auto-locks onto enemies, making gameplay easier.

REX

Unlock the ‘Power Plant’ Challenge Achievement

Unlocking REX in Risk of Rain 2 requires effort, but its ranking isn’t higher as expected. REX has strong damage potential and unique abilities, but using health as a resource makes it risky.

Players must constantly monitor their health due to REX’s abilities, often leaving them vulnerable to enemies.

REX lacks consistent protection from one-shot attacks, which limits its effectiveness despite its unique features. Achieving high damage with REX is possible with the right strategy, but it’s challenging to maintain consistently.

Commando

Unlockable Content: Initially Accessible

Commando in Risk of Rain 2 is like the game’s Mario, unlocked from the beginning with simple mechanics for new players. Many overlook Commando because they have to play as him at first, but this is a mistake.

Commando can showcase incredible item scaling when equipped properly. Starting off weak, Commando gains significant power with on-hit items over time.