One of the main draws to playing Risk of Rain Returns is the ability to play different Survivors per run. Each Survivor has their own unique skills and weaponry which players need to understand and master to maximize their playstyles. This makes each run both a challenge and enjoyable, once players get the hang of their Survivors’ respective kits.
However, some Survivors are harder to unlock than the rest. From acquiring items in specific locations to finishing the game a number of times, these Survivors serve as rewards for players who dare to test their skills and luck against the RNG of Risk of Rain Returns.
7 Drifter
Survivor Who Uses Scrap to Attack Enemies
The Drifter is one of the newer Survivors in Risk of Rain Returns and provides amazing utility in both solo and multiplayer runs. He has a unique playstyle that involves generating Scrap that he uses to create temporary items as well as weapons to hit enemies.
Getting the Drifter requires players to recycle six drones in a single run. This can prove to be challenging and a bit counterintuitive since drones are generally good to have especially once the difficulty meter gets above Hard to deal with the increasing enemy spawns. Each drone acquired costs more the deeper players get into their runs, and their offensive or defensive abilities become invaluable down the stretch.
Adding to this, having the Drone Recycler console to spawn after activating six drones solely relies on RNG. Players might need one run to get the Drifter, while others might need hours of playthroughs while keeping in mind to use the console once it does appear.
6 Chef
Serving Up Scrumptious Courses
The Chef makes his return in Risk of Rain Returns. As his name suggests, his attacks are themed after cooking and kitchen terms: he uses his assortment of kitchenware to prepare enemies as delectable dish items that provide various buffs once they have been cooked for a short time.
Getting the Chef onto the roster requires players to obtain four specific food ingredients during one run: the Meat Nugget, Bustling Fungus, Sprouting Egg, Bitter Root, and Foreign Fruit. In normal runs, players will have to rely on their luck to get these items from the chests.
However, there is a workaround to this: players can look for the Artifact of Command. Once players nab this useful item, they can activate it in subsequent runs. This artifact enables players to choose what item comes out of the chest, thus making it easier to look for the necessary items to unlock Chef.
5 HAN-D
An Old Automaton Built for War
Most of the runs in Risk of Rain Returns are dictated by how lucky or unlucky a player is when it comes to getting the right items or locations to unlock Survivors. HAN-D is not one of them since it is located at the final stage of a player’s run, aptly named Risk of Rain.
To unlock HAN-D, players need to reach the left-most side of the sixth stage. There they will find a couple of crates, with one of them slightly cracked open. After interacting with it, players will activate HAN-D, and it can be chosen in subsequent runs.
Depending on how well or how fast players clear the other five stages, chances are they will reach the final stage with their difficulty meter at the Hard level. The sixth and final stage is no cakewalk as well: it is littered with hardy enemies on top of spawning elite ones, all of which will take out players with a couple of hits.
4 Miner
Pickaxe-Wielding Berserker
The Miner is one of the melee-based Survivors in Risk of Rain Returns. He has a Heat mechanic that players need to manage to maximize his damage output during runs. If players overexert Miner’s attacks, he can overheat—this further enhances his attacks. Using empowered abilities consumes the Heat, so players have to make those attacks count.
Unlocking the Miner needs players to get the correct Magma Barracks stage. The right stage allows players to navigate through the lower right portion of the level where they will have to wade through lava. It is worth noting that before slogging through the lava, players need to make sure they have acquired health regeneration items to keep them from succumbing to lava damage.
Eventually, they will see an elite enemy, the Direseeker, who has held the Miner captive. Players need to beat the Direseeker to free the Miner: after doing so, the Miner will become a playable character.
3 Sniper
Long-Range Killing Machine
Getting the Sniper Survivor is a decent reward for finishing one run. He is exceptional at gunning down enemies from afar, with his bullets having the ability to pierce through multiple targets or deal increased damage to a particularly strong enemy.
However, finishing a run in Risk of Rain Returns is challenging due to the fact that having a good RNG will either make or break a player’s success rate. For example, players might get great offensive and defensive items in the early levels, or they manage to quickly locate the Teleporter to get more time, either explore for more chests, or straight up activate it to get to the next level and maintain a low difficulty meter.
Though such instances do not line up consistently, oftentimes the odds are stacked against the player and their quest to finish their run.
2 Mercenary
Sword-Wielding Combatant
Finishing a successful run in Risk of Rain Returns is a great achievement due to its difficulty. Players will have to adapt to multiple factors such as the current items they are running with, and adjust their game plans according to the current difficulty and level they are exploring on top of the exceedingly tough bosses they need to take down.
For those who want to unlock all available Survivors, one of the criteria to unlock one of them is to finish a run 5 times. This in itself is a tough task to undertake, but doable. After completing a run 5 times, players are rewarded with the Mercenary—a master swordsman who can cut down enemies with his deadly blade and deadlier skills.
Like other melee Survivors, the Mercenary’s gameplay might deter players since he is a high-risk, high-reward character. But darting around the map while slicing and dicing enemies is enjoyable and fulfilling.
1 Robomando
The Secret Survivor
The Robomando is hands-down the hardest Survivor to unlock in the game. He requires two complete runs and has players interacting at specific times in various levels: take note that RNG is still in effect, and getting the correct level in those two runs will be up to chance.
The Risk of Rain games are known for their weird yet highly rewarding conditions when discovering and unlocking new characters, and the Robomando is no exception. Once unlocked, the Robomando is also one of the best Survivors in terms of overall skills and playstyle.
The Robomando essentially plays similar to Commando and is considerably smaller in stature, but has a more useful skill that allows it to interact and unlock drones and items without needing to pay their cost.
