Risk of Rain 2 is in a league of its own when it comes to roguelike third person shooters. The developers have continued to add new characters to the game since its initial release. Now that the game is out of early access, lets go over all the playable characters, their specialties and how to unlock them.
There are a total of nine playable characters in the game but only one of them is available in the beginning of the game and you have to work your way up to unlock the rest of the eight.
Commando:
Commando is the default character that is available in the beginning of the game. He is a relatively well rounded character with a basic attack that is fast and accurate and a secondary ability to pierce through enemies. In addition to that, he also owns a dodge to stay safe and a rapid fire ability to make quick work of his enemies. Furthermore, he has three unique abilities. Phase Round can be used to effectively target multiple enemies while Tactical dive gives you the ability to traverse each level. Suppressive fire can interrupt enemy attacks such as Golems’ eye blasts.
How to Unlock: Although unlocked by default, you do need to complete challenges to get access to his alternate skins and skills.
MUL-T:
MUL-T has two basic attacks. A long range attack that uses a sniper rifle for hunting airborne enemies and a short range nail gun effective for ground work. What makes MUL-T unique is his ability to switch between these attacks swiftly. Swapping your basic attack additionally swaps your equipment too, allowing him to be the only character to be able to use two equipment items simultaneously. He also has a speedy dash ability and a horde of grenades which he can use to target crowds.
How to Unlock: You need to clear the first level five times in order to unlock this fun robot.
Huntress:
Huntress is a master when it comes to melting groups. With a wide AoE, she can wreak havoc on enemy hordes and with a Ricocheting glaive, she can bounce between 6 different enemies. Her primary attacks Strafe and Laser Glaive are however relatively benign. Additionally, Huntress has an Arrow rain ability that shoots her in the sky to rain arrows on the enemies. Holding the charge mid air also lets her stay out of range from many enemies. She also has a blink ability that lets her teleport to different areas in the battlefield.
How to Unlock: The Huntress can be unlocked by completing the Challenge “Warrior” at the end of the third Teleporter event. Don’t enter a blue portal at the end of stage 3 or you wont be able to unlock her.
The Artificer:
She is a true blue mage that can manipulate ice, fire and lightning. Her primary attack is an incredibly strong fireball that operates on a charge system.
Her other abilities include ice wall and lightning orb. Lightning orb lets her deal heavy damage to target enemy while zapping nearby enemies as it flies through the air. Ice walls freezes enemies and kills them instantly if they are below 20% health. Additionally she has a flame thrower which if combined with a mobility enhancing item can be very destructive.
How to Unlock: Enemies drop Lunar Coins every once in a while. You need to collect 10 of these Lunar coins to free the artificer from the Newt Shop. You can get to the Newt shop using the blue portal that appears randomly in between stages. Alternatively, you can spend one Lunar Coin at a Newt Altar to get to the shop.
Engineer:
This character has a primary attack that lets him shoot volleys out of bouncy grenades. Additionally, he has a bubble shield that blocks all external attacks.
The engineer also plays a key role in placing and defending turrets. These turrets automatically attack nearby enemies and benefit from all items in your inventory. Any upgrade you apply is automatically applied to all of your turrets and this significantly changes the dynamics of the game.
How to Unlock: The engineer is unlocked after you complete 30 levels in the game.
Loader
The loader is a slow but powerful bruiser who uses her grappling hook to navigate the environment. She is one of the harder characters to unlock but is definitely worth it. She is able to deal a lot of damage using slow, methodical attacks. She carries a few brutal tricks up her sleeves which include the Scrap Barrier allowing her to become invincible, the Thunder Gauntlet and the Knuckleboom.
How to Unlock: Loader is unlocked upon completing the challenge “Guidance Offline”. You have to defeat the secret boss in Siren’s call which is a fourth stage environment. Once there, you will find eggs scattered throughout the environment, If you destroy one of them, a chat box will appear and read “you hear a distant whirring”. You have to keep destroying the eggs until the chat box reads “the whirring grows loud”. When it does, head over to the center of the map to meet the Alloy Worship unit boss. Defeating this boss will unlock Loader.
Mercenary:
Mercenary’s basic attack is a close range sword swipe. His secondary ability is a vertical sword spin mid air and a horizontal sword spin on the ground. His low cooldown allows you to chain together all his abilities indefinitely. Another handy ability is Eviscerate which allows him to teleport to the nearest enemies and launch attacks while being invincible. Currently the only high skill melee survivor in the game, Mercenary boasts a range of abilities that make him one of the most sought after characters in the game.
How to Unlock: After completing the seventh level in the game, a Celestial Portal will open. You will be taken to a Celestial Realm with a floating path inside. There is an Obelisk at the end of the floating path. Go to the Obelisk and choose to “Obliterate” yourself when asked. This will unlock Mercenary.
Rex:
Rex is a cross between a robot and a plant. Boasting the best damage per second stats, Rex’s main attack is Natural toxins which weakens enemy’s attacks and reduce their movement. Additionally, it has Seed Barrage and Bramble Volley which deal AoE damage to the enemies.
How to Unlock: Right after you drop in your first environment, examine the back of your escape pod to find the Fuel Array. You need to pop the panel off to grab it. You now need to carry this Fuel Array in one of your usable items slots all the way to the fourth stage where you will enter the Abyssal Depths. Once there, find Rex and plug in the battery to power him on. The whole adventure can be completed using all characters except Acrid and MUL-T since they don’t start from an intact escape pod. Remember to keep your health above 50% at all times as the battery pack explodes and kills you if you have less than half health.
Acrid:
Acrid is the most difficult character to unlock in the game. Its primary attack is a poison attack that deals some damage but doesn’t kill enemies. That job is done by Vicious Wounds. In addition to that, acrid has a neurotoxin and Frenzied and caustic leaps which allows him to hop around the environment.
How to Unlock: To unlock Acrid, you need to travel the Bazaar between Time. You will find a hidden cave there represented by a greenish glow. Jump in the cave and use dash right before landing. After landing, walk forward to find the Null Portal. The portal will spawn you next to a Void Cell in the Void Fields. You need to activate this cell and eight additional Void cells in the field. Stick close to the cells while they are charging to avoid taking damage. After a cell has been activated, the next cell will shoot a beam of light to the sky and you can go activate that one. Successfully activating all nine Void cells will unlock the Acrid.