Risk of Rain 2 Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

Risk of Rain 2 is Hopoo Games' roguelike third-person shooter where difficulty scales continuously with time — the longer you play, the harder it gets. Each run starts with basic stats and escalates through random item pickups that stack for absurd synergies. With 12 playable survivors, 110+ items, and the choice between fighting the final boss or looping for infinite scaling, every run creates unique power fantasies. The game's musical score by Chris Christodoulou is legendary, perfectly matching the escalating chaos.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — Titanic Plains

One of two possible Stage 1 areas. Open terrain with moderate enemy density. Contains the Teleporter, Newt Altar (for Bazaar access), and various chests. Time spent here sets your difficulty scaling for the run — be quick.

Level/Difficulty: Stage 1 Key Rewards: Early items, Teleporter boss kill, setting run pace

What to Do in Titanic Plains

1. Learn item stacking. Items stack infinitely and multiplicatively. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Loader as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. Speed is everything — don't linger on stages. The difficulty timer runs constantly. Each minute spent exploring makes every future enemy harder. Complete stages in 5-7 minutes ideally.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Soldier's Syringe or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand item stacking fundamentals
• Loader selected and functional
• Titanic Plains main content cleared
• Ready for Distant Roost

Phase 2: Early Game — Distant Roost

The other Stage 1 option with vertical cliffside terrain. More confined than Titanic Plains with elevation changes. Contains the same loot opportunities. Learn to navigate its verticality quickly.

Level/Difficulty: Stage 1 Key Rewards: Same as Titanic Plains — early item foundation

What to Do in Distant Roost

1. Work on teleporter events. Each stage has a Teleporter that summons a boss when activated. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Soldier's Syringe if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Printer gambles can snowball a run — 3D Printers convert random items of the same tier into a specific item. If the printer offers a great item, dump your weak items into it.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Scorched Acres.
5. Consider whether Huntress might suit your playstyle better than Loader.

Phase 2 Checklist

• teleporter events integrated into gameplay
• Soldier's Syringe acquired
• Distant Roost fully cleared
• Ready for Scorched Acres

Phase 3: Mid Game — Scorched Acres

A Stage 3 area with wide-open fields and flying enemies. The openness makes it easy to find the Teleporter but hard to avoid enemies. Grovetender boss can be challenging without mobility items.

Level/Difficulty: Stage 3 Key Rewards: Mid-run items, potential Printer gambling

What to Do in Scorched Acres

1. Master hidden realms. Secret areas accessible through specific actions: Bazaar Between Time (blue portal from Newt Altar), Void Fields (Void Portal in Bazaar), Gilded Coast (Altar of Gold), A Moment Fractured (Celestial Portal), and Commencement (final stage). This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Crowbar. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. Tri-Tip Dagger stacks bleed for massive DPS — at 10+ daggers, every attack applies 2400%+ damage in bleed. Pair with Shatterspleen (crits apply bleed) for even more.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in character unlocks for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• hidden realms mastered
• Crowbar acquired or in progress
• Scorched Acres fully cleared
• Ready for Abyssal Depths

Phase 4: Late Game — Abyssal Depths

A Stage 4 cave area with lava, Magma Worms, and tight corridors. Contains the Legendary Chest — one guaranteed red item per visit. Worth the danger for a legendary drop.

Level/Difficulty: Stage 4 Key Rewards: Guaranteed Legendary item from Legendary Chest

What to Do in Abyssal Depths

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Huntress or Loader with optimized gear.
2. Crowbar should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Unlock characters via specific challenges listed in the Logbook. Some are easy (MUL-T: beat stage 1 five times), others are hard (Loader: complete a unique challenge on Siren's Call).
4. looping optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Commencement.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Crowbar upgraded to max
• Abyssal Depths fully cleared
• Ready for Commencement

Phase 5: Endgame — Commencement

The final stage containing Mithrix, the final boss. Accessible after Stage 5 via the Primordial Teleporter. Mithrix has 4 phases including one where he steals all your items. Defeating him ends the run (victory).

Level/Difficulty: Stage 5+ (final boss) Key Rewards: Victory, Mithrix-specific unlocks, run completion

What to Do in Commencement

1. Commencement tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. Shaped Glass doubles damage but halves health — stacking 3 gives 8x damage at 12.5% health. Powerful but one-shot kills you. Use only if you're confident in dodging.
3. The endgame loop: run Commencement, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Mercenary for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where looping mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Commencement fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Spending too long on early stages — every minute on the clock increases difficulty. A 'perfect clear' of Stage 1 at 3 minutes is better than 10 minutes of collecting every chest.
• Ignoring the Teleporter to explore — find and activate the Teleporter first, then loot during/after the boss fight. You can continue looting while the Teleporter charges.
• Picking up Lunar items without understanding drawbacks — Shaped Glass halves HP, Gesture removes equipment control, Transcendence replaces all HP with shields. Read descriptions carefully.
• Not learning character-specific unlock challenges — some of the best characters (Loader, Rex, Acrid) have specific unlock conditions. Check the Logbook and target them.
• Ignoring Shrines of Chance — spending money at Shrines has a chance to drop items. On early stages, the money-to-item-value ratio makes Shrines often more efficient than chests.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. Speed is everything — don't linger on stages. The difficulty timer runs constantly. Each minute spent exploring makes every future enemy harder. Complete stages in 5-7 minutes ideally.
2. Printer gambles can snowball a run — 3D Printers convert random items of the same tier into a specific item. If the printer offers a great item, dump your weak items into it.
3. Tri-Tip Dagger stacks bleed for massive DPS — at 10+ daggers, every attack applies 2400%+ damage in bleed. Pair with Shatterspleen (crits apply bleed) for even more.
4. Unlock characters via specific challenges listed in the Logbook. Some are easy (MUL-T: beat stage 1 five times), others are hard (Loader: complete a unique challenge on Siren's Call).
5. Shaped Glass doubles damage but halves health — stacking 3 gives 8x damage at 12.5% health. Powerful but one-shot kills you. Use only if you're confident in dodging.

For detailed build optimization, see Risk of Rain 2 builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.