Highlights
- The Crowbar is a valuable offensive item that grants players more damage against high-health enemies, making it effective against bosses in later stages of Risk of Rain Returns.
- Lens Maker's Glasses increase the chance of critical strikes, allowing players to deal double damage to enemies and greatly enhance their damage output.
- The Soldier's Syringe increases attack speed, synergizing with other offensive items and helping Survivors defeat enemies more efficiently in their runs.
Each run’s success rate in Risk of Rain Returns revolves around which items Survivors can acquire as they activate the Teleporter on each stage. On the offensive side of the item list, there is a myriad of options that players can attain to keep their damage output at optimal levels and keep the hordes of hostile enemies at bay.
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Since each item players will encounter per run is random, which ones are the best offensive items to look for? Here are some of the best options to prioritize when going through the gauntlet in either a solo run or with teammates in Risk of Rain Returns.
10 Crowbar
50% More Damage to Enemies Above 80% Health
One of the best starting offensive items players can get is the Crowbar. Once acquired, this item grants players more damage against enemies whose health is above 80%. This allows players to mow down enemies with high health pools, especially bosses in the latter stages where they have large HP pools.
Each run allows players to have more than one Crowbar, and stacking them increases their potency against enemies. Getting subsequent Crowbars during a run adds 30% more bonus damage per stack, further empowering the Survivors’ arsenal to quickly take down enemies.
9 Lens Maker’s Glasses
10% Increased Chance to Inflict Double Damage on Enemies
Critical Strikes in Risk of Rain Returns grant Survivors a chance to deal double damage to their targets. One of the best items to give Survivors that ability are the Lens Maker’s Glasses. They grant the Survivor a 10% increased chance of getting a Critical Strike on enemies for twice their Attack Damage, with subsequent Glasses adding 7% per stack.
Given that most of the time, players will be holding down the primary weapon fire of their respective Survivor during their runs, getting a chance to deal twice the amount of damage is always welcome.
8 Soldier’s Syringe
Increases Attack Speed by 12%
While Attack Damage is a must-have in Risk of Rain Returns, Attack Speed is just as vital an upgrade for Survivors to get during the course of their runs. The Soldier’s Syringe amps up the damage per second of Survivors to drastically help them defeat enemies and clear stages.
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Each additional Soldier’s Syringe the player gets adds another 12% to their Attack Speed. Every Survivor will greatly benefit from Attack Speed since it will synergize with other offensive item pickups they will acquire during their runs.
7 Warbanner
Buffs Survivors’ Attack and Movement Speed by 30%, Attack Damage by 4, and Heals 1% of Health Per Second
The Warbanner is a great item to have since it provides so many benefits for Survivors. When a Survivor levels up or activates the Teleporter, a Warbanner appears and buffs any player who is within its vicinity. Its bonus Attack Speed gives Survivors a significant spike in their damage output, which is great since activating Teleporters usually means facing a tough boss.
Getting more Warbanners enhances its area of effect: when enemies become harder to kill and players begin to corral them on platforms, leveling up at the right moment and having a Warbanner placed on a player’s route boosts their killing potential against enemies.
6 Boxing Gloves
6% Chance of Knocking Enemies Back and Dealing 100% Total Damage
Once players get deep into their runs, enemies begin to gang up and can overwhelm Survivors quickly. This makes getting Boxing Gloves ideal: each time Survivors attack enemies, they get the chance to knock them back while dealing good damage. Imps, in particular, get countered by this item since they tend to teleport behind Survivors and lash out.
The Enforcer also greatly benefits from this item since it synergizes well with his overall kit. Having the ability to knock enemies back, especially in the later stages, often means living through and eventually beating that stage or else dying and starting all over again.
5 Thallium
10% Chance to Deal 2 x 500% Damage to Enemies Per Second and 150% Reduced Movement Speed
Enemies in Risk of Rain Returns make a beeline towards Survivors to attack them as fast as they can. This is why getting items that can slow them down is essential to help players herd enemies and deal with them at their leisure. This is where Thallium comes in: once acquired, it not only slows down enemies, but it also deals damage over time.
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Thallium is a rare drop, but it more than makes up for its rarity in potency. As players equip their Survivors with items that bolster their damage output, Thallium further increases their deadliness against enemies.
4 Tesla Coil
Shocks Nearby Enemies for 120% Damage
Risk of Rain Returns is no stranger when it comes to adding elemental damage to Survivors’ weaponry. The Tesla Coil is one such item that passively grants players a lightning attack that zaps enemies who come too close.
During stages where enemies begin popping up and clustering around Survivors, having a Tesla Coil item is handy to further whittle down the horde without perpetually holding the Primary or Secondary attacks. This item is particularly helpful for Survivors whose attacks do not pierce through enemies.
3 Happiest Mask
Spawn Ghosts From Slain Enemies That Last for 15 Seconds
For players who want to become a summoner of sorts in Risk of Rain Returns, the Happiest Mask is their must-have item. Enemies that Survivors take down will respawn as ghosts that attack other enemies for a short time. Their damage is only 70% of their original attacks, but it is still a welcome addition to a player’s arsenal.
In later stages, killing enemies and having them fight on the side of the Survivors is crucial, since their damage output can help cut down the relentless and boosted enemies and prevent them from reaching and taking out the player.
2 Brilliant Behemoth
Survivors’ Attacks Explode for 20% Bonus Damage to Enemies
Area-of-effect attacks come in all shapes and sizes in most modern roguelikes, and this is also evident in Risk of Rain Returns. Among the items that add this buff, Brilliant Behemoth is an excellent option for Survivors. The explosive buff for attacks makes them more potent, especially when enemies start to cluster.
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To balance out this amazing item, it is a Rare drop: even having two of these stacked greatly increases the potency of Survivors’ attacks and allows players to conduct much-needed crowd control, especially in later levels and when the difficulty increases dramatically..
1 The Ol’ Chopper
Bonus 60% Damage to Enemies With Lower Health
Taking down enemies can get challenging once the difficulty increases, even when Survivors have stocked up on offensive and defensive items. On top of this, enemies spawn more often and are usually elite versions during harder difficulties.
To help even the odds, The Ol’ Chopper is an excellent pickup due to its increased damage to enemies with lower health. Combining this with other offensive items significantly bolsters Survivors’ offensive prowess. Getting this item to spawn, however, is equally challenging: players need to survive a single run for 40 minutes to unlock this amazing item.
