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.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowbar | S | Loader, Railgunner — burst damage | Deals +75% damage to enemies above 90% health. |
| Soldier's Syringe | A | Every survivor — universal DPS increase | +15% attack speed per stack. |
| Shaped Glass | A | One-shot builds, experienced players only | Doubles your base damage but halves your max health. |
| 57 Leaf Clover | B | Proc-based builds, Huntress, on-hit builds | A legendary item that rolls item proc chances twice, using the better result. |
| Brilliant Behemoth | B | Single-target characters (Railgunner, Loader) | All attacks explode for 60% base damage in an AoE. |
S-Tier: Crowbar
Deals +75% damage to enemies above 90% health. Stacks multiplicatively with itself. The best opening-shot item for boss damage. Multiple Crowbars mean your first hit obliterates. Synergizes with any high-per-hit damage character.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Loader, Railgunner — burst damage |
| Key Mechanic | item stacking |
| Recommended Build | Huntress |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Crowbar: Pairs naturally with Huntress thanks to stat scaling synergies.
A-Tier: Soldier's Syringe
+15% attack speed per stack. The most universally useful white item. Every character benefits from faster attacks. 10 Syringes more than double your DPS. Always pick these up.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Every survivor — universal DPS increase |
| Key Mechanic | teleporter events |
| Recommended Build | Loader |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Soldier's Syringe: Pairs naturally with Loader thanks to stat scaling synergies.
A-Tier: Shaped Glass
Doubles your base damage but halves your max health. Stacking multiple Shaped Glass creates glass cannon builds doing 4x-16x damage. Extremely risky — one mistake kills you. The ultimate risk/reward item.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | One-shot builds, experienced players only |
| Key Mechanic | hidden realms |
| Recommended Build | Railgunner |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Shaped Glass: Pairs naturally with Railgunner thanks to stat scaling synergies.
B-Tier: 57 Leaf Clover
A legendary item that rolls item proc chances twice, using the better result. Effectively doubles your luck for all proc-based items (Tri-Tip Dagger, ATG Missile, etc.). One of the strongest legendaries for proc builds.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Proc-based builds, Huntress, on-hit builds |
| Key Mechanic | character unlocks |
| Recommended Build | Void Fiend |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using 57 Leaf Clover: Pairs naturally with Void Fiend thanks to stat scaling synergies.
B-Tier: Brilliant Behemoth
All attacks explode for 60% base damage in an AoE. Turns single-target attacks into AoE. Multiple Behemoths increase explosion radius. Transforms any character into an AoE powerhouse.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Single-target characters (Railgunner, Loader) |
| Key Mechanic | looping |
| Recommended Build | Mercenary |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Brilliant Behemoth: Pairs naturally with Mercenary thanks to stat scaling synergies.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Titanic Plains
- Soldier's Syringe → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Shaped Glass → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Crowbar → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying — one strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- 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.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Risk of Rain 2 Guides
- Risk of Rain 2 Risk of Rain 2 Overview
- Risk of Rain 2 Best Builds
- Risk of Rain 2 Tier List
- Risk of Rain 2 Walkthrough
- Risk of Rain 2 Beginner's Guide
- Risk of Rain 2 Tips & Tricks
- Risk of Rain 2 Combat Guide
- Risk of Rain 2 Boss Guide
- Risk of Rain 2 Maps & Locations
- Risk of Rain 2 Crafting Guide
- Risk of Rain 2 Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Risk of Rain 2, check out these related guides:
- Hades Weapons Guide — roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Weapons Guide — roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Dead Cells Weapons Guide — roguelike game with similar mechanics
