The Void Fiend is one of two characters available with the Survivors of the Void DLC for Risk of Rain 2. His playstyle revolves primarily around a unique corruption mechanic, which grants the Void Fiend access to two different states. His normal state features slower movement and longer range but lower damage attacks; meanwhile, in his corrupted state, the Void Fiend uses short-range, high-damage attacks and faster movement.
Much of the Void Fiend revolves around how players manage their corruption. The huge selection of items available in Risk of Rain 2 means there are multiple ways to build a powerful run with Void Fiend, but one of the best and most fun is to focus on a build that maximizes time spent in corrupted mode. This relies on an intense, aggressive playstyle to help the player do as much damage as possible to compensate for a lack of survivability, so don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with enemies.
8 Pick Up Most Void Items
Void items are crucial to this build, as each one will increase the Void Fiend’s minimum corruption by 2%. This means that the time spent in the normal state will be gradually decreased, and the player will transform into the corrupted state more often. Keep in mind that this also means that the Void Fiend transforms back into his normal state faster, but generally, more time will still be spent in the corrupted state.
Void items drastically change how their normal counterparts work, but most are worth picking up. That being said, there are some which should be avoided, like the Weeping Fungus. This item will decrease corruption through healing, or the Lost Seer’s Lenses, which takes away a major source of the player's crit chance.
7 Avoid Healing Items
Whenever the Void Fiend directly receives healing, his corruption meter is decreased. This means that should the player pick up too many healing items, entering the corrupted state becomes impossible. Though this is a viable strategy for some Void Fiend runs, for the best build, healing items must be avoided, as illogical as it may sound by typical video game standards.
There is some leeway, and a few healing items won’t necessarily ruin the build. For example, one or two Harvester Scythes, which heal the player on critical hits, can be helpful. However, generally it is probably best to simply not pick up any healing items, which is why this build can be challenging to play, but rewarding if successful. Keep in mind that the Void Fiend can exchange some corruption to heal 25% of his health with the Suppress ability, which is helpful in emergencies.
6 Get Defensive Items That Don’t Heal
To mitigate the lack of healing, it is vital to pick up defensive items which protect the player from damage rather than heal them. This includes items like the Topaz Brooch (temporary barrier on kill), Tougher Times (chance to block damage), and Repulsion Armor Plate (damage reduction).
Most defensive items are common tier rarity, so they shouldn’t be hard to find. Stacking as many of these as possible together is the best option here, so make good use of item scrappers and 3D printers. There are diminishing returns the more items are stacked, but that being said, it is worth stacking at least 10-20 of each item. For example, 20 Tougher Times will grant the player a 75% chance to block incoming damage.
5 Use Shields and Consider Transcendence
Another way to make up for this build’s lack of healing is to use more shields. Shields are separate from health entirely, so when they recharge, the corruption meter isn’t affected at all.
This can be done with the Personal Shield Generator, or with Transcendence, a lunar item which converts all health into shields. Though this isn’t particularly useful on most characters, it can be a good option on this Void Fiend build to compensate for healing and make things a little easier.
4 Improve Crit Chance
As healing decreases corruption, doing crit damage does the opposite and increases it. This means that crits are crucial to increasing time spent in the corrupted mode. With a high enough crit chance, it is easy to stay in the corrupted state permanently when fighting bosses, while also increasing damage output significantly.
The best way to do this is with the Lens-Maker’s Glasses, which increase crit chance by 10%. The Glasses stack linearly, so players only need 10 to achieve a 100% crit chance, at which point corruption is very easy to maintain with a consistent flow of enemies. This item is common tier rarity, so it shouldn’t be hard to find enough to get a decent crit chance.
3 Prioritize Items That Do AoE Damage
Items that do AoE damage are important on most characters, but they’re especially vital for the Void Fiend, which needs them to compensate for his less versatile attacks. His normal primary attack is fairly weak, and though the corrupted version is an incredible damage-dealer, it is inflexible and has a short range, making groups of flying or fast-moving enemies tricky.
For this reason, AoE items like Gasoline or Will-o-the-wisp are extremely helpful for this Void Fiend build. They make corrupted attacks a little more versatile.
2 Get Better Mobility
The Void Fiend’s mobility isn’t necessarily bad, and there are certainly slower characters in the game. His Trespass ability is useful for escaping danger, and its corrupted version provides a good speed boos.
That being said, more movement items are necessary because the lack of healing means speed is crucial to survivability. In essence, damage must be avoided almost entirely, and as such items like Paul’s Goat Hoof or the Hoopoo Feather are invaluable. The corrupted state also relies on an aggressive short-range playstyle, so being able to outmaneuver enemies is core to utilizing the corruption mechanic.
1 Get Backup Magazines and Hardlight Afterburner
Backup Magazines allow more uses of the secondary skill. In this case, that skill is a plasma bomb which can be charged up or the corrupted version which fires instantly but has a shorter range. The Void Fiend’s secondary skill is a good damage dealer and useful for triggering as many hit chance items as possible, so being able to fire it more often is always useful.
The Hardlight Afterburner gives the player two extra charges of their utility skill and decreases the cooldown. In this case, that applies to the Void Fiend’s movement abilities, which are vital for his survivability as they make him invulnerable while they are active. Keep in mind that the Hardlight Afterburner is a legendary tier item, so it will likely be hard to find and probably not available until the later stages of a run without the Command artifact. If it is found, the Afterburner completes the Void Fiend, transforming him into a truly deadly character able to deal massive bursts of damage from short-range while also easily dodging enemy attacks.