Surviving has always been the player’s perennial goal in Risk of Rain 2.
As a newcomer, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content the game throws at you. Hordes of enemies, chaotic battles, and tons of items are only some of the things to worry about.
One of the first choices you need to make is which survivor to use. Mastering one early on will help you out in the long run, as learning the game’s mechanics can be easier with the right character.
To this end, we’ve created a list that ranks all survivors in Risk of Rain 2 from best to worst. With this as your guide, you can be a step closer to conquering everything the game throws at you.
Note: The survivors are ranked based on how they perform in both solo and cooperative play.
Table of ContentsShow
S-Tier
The best survivors in the game. They have the best tools to deal with most situations and are relatively safe to use. Putting the time to learn them early will yield fruitful rewards down the line.
| Survivor | Description |
|---|---|
| Captain | The Captain is an offensive powerhouse who can rush through waves of enemies with ease. While he only has a few options defensively, they work well with his kit. His microbots, for instance, shoot down enemy projectiles coming your way – allowing for a safe approach towards an enemy mob with only a few risks. The Captain’s primary weapon is a shotgun. While this may seem to appeal to only players who prefer close ranges, it’s actually versatile even from afar. You can charge it up to massively reduce the spread of the shots. This mechanic allows you to hit foes from a distance with decent accuracy. Lastly, this survivor adds to his versatile kit with a taser that can hold opponents down in place and an orbital shot that deals significant damage as well as stun enemies on an area. These tools will give the Captain much-needed space from enemies when he needs it. |
| Loader | The Loader has excellent offensive potential when she gets the right items to complement her play. While there may be fluctuations to her offense per run, her mobility is the one trait that is consistently reliable. She attacks mainly with her fists. Connecting a basic attack creates a scrap barrier that protects her from enemy attacks for a short time. This means she can close in and punch enemies with little risk. What makes the Loader a stellar choice is her grappling fists. Using these launches her knuckles, latch on to a target, and pull them to you (or you to them for heavier enemies). A variation of the grapple can also stun enemies. You can also use these to “slingshot” the Loader across far distances or to gain height. Overall, the Loader may not be as consistent as the Captain. When she gets access to the necessary items, however, the Loader will cut through the entire run without any hiccups. |
A-Tier
These survivors are excellent at their specialized roles, with added utility for different scenarios. They’re not as OP as S-tiers except if you get lucky with the essential items during a run.
| Survivor | Description |
|---|---|
| Huntress | While the Loader focuses on covering great distances, the Huntress defines her mobility by being shifty. Her strafe and blink abilities essentially force her to clear enemy waves while always moving. This playstyle is the bulwark of her defense, as she can dart in and out of danger with ease. In terms of damage and crowd control, her glaives are her strongest bet. They bounce around multiple foes, dealing increased damage per bounce. She also has arrow rain, which is an AoE skill that slows opponents while dealing damage. The Huntress’ playstyle is straightforward, but it leaves some wiggle room for the player’s skill to dictate the flow of a run. Since evading and hitting your shots is an important factor with this survivor, a lot of beginners may have a hard time adjusting to her at first. |
| Mercenary | The Mercenary is a fun survivor to use. His toolkit consists of melee attacks, quick movement, and versatile skills. Being a melee may seem like a handicap in this game, but the mercenary has enough in his arsenal to balance this out. For starters, he immediately has access to a double jump passive. This adds to his mobility and is way better than the Artificer’s hover. He also has good HP regeneration to compensate for his melee style. He may always be at risk when he gets close to enemies, but if you know what you’re doing, you won’t get hit as much. On the offensive side, the Mercenary has good attacks with high damage and decent utility. It’s always worth trying this survivor out. |
| MUL-T | With the highest base HP, HP growth, and armor stat in the game, MUL-T is set up to be a primary tank survivor. If you can’t be bothered as much with evading and positioning, then MUL-T just might be the character for you. His offensive output is decent because of his nail gun and rebar. If you’d like to have fun with it, using the double rebar strategy also ups his damage potential, but this would likely be patched out soon. MUL-T can shift into transport mode to gain additional speed and armor. This is perfect for those hairy situations where you need to quickly reposition and regroup. From a retreating position, MUL-T can also launch some blast canisters to damage and disable enemy waves. MUL-T is a safe survivor for beginners because of its sheer bulk. You don’t need to worry too much about minor enemies hitting you, so you can focus on offense. It may not hit as hard as others, in terms of survivability and ease-of-use, MUL-T is your best bet. |
B-Tier
These survivors are always viable but have minor flaws that need to be addressed.
| Survivor | Description |
|---|---|
| Rex | If Rex is more accessible to players of all skill levels, he would be in the top tier for sure. He has incredible potential, especially on offense, but you always gamble on a run if you’re not accustomed to using him. Rex is risky because he relies on consuming his own HP to deal massive damage to enemies. Finding the right balance of offense and survival is key when using this survivor. Luckily, Rex isn’t without his tools. His basic inject attack can restore HP equal to a portion of the damage he dealt. Seed Mortar is the highlight of his offensive toolkit because it causes strong damage. Tangling Growth costs HP to use as well, but it will likely make up for that because it heals Rex per target hit. Rex is for players who feel like they have a grip on the game’s system. He can be difficult to work with, especially at the start of a run – but he quickly snowballs into a destructive machine as you gain more items. |
| Acrid | Acrid’s damage potential is elevated because its poison provides a steady stream of damage ticks on top of its attacks. You probably won’t notice this at first, but when built up, it constitutes most of the heavy lifting on your runs. You might be tempted to play Acrid as a melee character, but it’s actually best utilized as a poke survivor. Hit enemies with poison, move to a different mob, finish off opponents with low health. Rinse and repeat. This playstyle is vital since the Acrid does not have the necessary defensive tools to face enemy waves head-on. Nonetheless, it’s still a relatively straightforward survivor that can consistently help you in runs. |
| Engineer | The Engineer’s playstyle revolves around the proper use of his turrets to control the map. He can run-and-gun like the Huntress, so it’s a good idea to move while shooting and placing down turrets to watch your flank. The Engineer benefits from great defensive options – the best being his Bubble Shield that protects everything inside it from projectiles. In your earlier runs, hunkering down inside the bubble while shooting down enemies is a viable strategy. On higher levels, however, you’d do best to just leave your turrets in the bubble while you roam outside it and pick enemies from there. This is because stronger enemies will have no problem rushing you inside the bubble – which would lead to an early end to the run. The Engineer is a fun character to use. He’s not as straightforward as other survivors, so we recommend using him once you have gained a true sense of the challenges the game has to offer. |
C-Tier
These are average survivors with flaws that are not too bad. Unfortunately, their best traits are not as impressive as those in the higher tiers.
| Survivor | Description |
|---|---|
| Artificer | The Artificer follows the “mage” archetype in Risk of Rain 2. She has an arsenal of mid to long-ranged abilities that are perfect for kiting several mobs of enemies. She can use her flamethrower to deal sustained damage (for those who like more space between them and opponents. While the Artificer is a safe survivor to use, she’s not exactly consistent when it comes to runs. Her offense isn’t overwhelming if you can’t find the right items. Her mobility isn’t that impressive either. Yes, she can hover to reduce fall damage, but most times this works against you because enemies can hit you easier in the air. |
D-Tier
The worst survivor in the game. He is still viable but is outclassed by every other character.
| Survivor | Description |
|---|---|
| Commando | It probably won’t come as a surprise that the Commando sits alone in this tier. He is the character you start out with after all. The Commando’s playstyle revolves around the basic shoot-and-move tactic. His guns hit enemies from a decent range. When said enemies surround him, he uses his movement to reposition and get away from danger. He has a couple of utility skills that add damage and debilitation to mobs, but none are that impressive. |
