With 15 unique characters in Risk of Rain Returns and many Builds, it is hard to know the best. For that, I’ve tried and tested characters and found some exciting builds for you. These include zero cooldown (almost) builds or high attack speed builds.
- Players can build numerous builds in Risk of Rain Returns out of the 15 characters.
- The Chef’s build gives him high attack speed while increasing his attack.
- For Enforcer, you can get movement speed and durability items.
- Miner requires high crit chance items to maximize his basic attack on top of durability items.
- Lastly, the Mercenary’s build involves items that reduce CD and increase his damage.
- Author’s Note: After going through Risk Of Rain Returns for over 25 hours on Steam, I feel confident going into the topic with thorough experience.
Best Builds In Risk of Rain Returns
The vast possibilities of builds in Risk of Rain Returns make it hard for players to know which one to go with. Here is an overview of characters and the items for their best builds.
| Serial No | Name | Best For | Health | Damage | Attack Speed | Armor | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chef | Best Build For Optimized Damage And Survivability. | 115 HP [+35 HP/LVL] | 12 [+3/LVL] | 120 | 0 [+3/LVL] | Dice Sear Glaze Second Helping |
| 2 | Enforcer | Best Build For Crowd Control. | 119 [+34 HP/LVL] | 12 [+3/LVL] | 70 | 0 [+2/LVL] | Riot Shotgun Shield Slam Protect and Serve Crowd Control |
| 3 | Miner | Best Build For Hit And Run Tactic. | 118 HP [+36 HP/LVL] | 12 [+3.2/LVL] | 110 | 0 [+3/LVL] | Crush Drill Charge Backblast To The Stars |
| 4 | Mercenary | Best Build For Enhanced Survivability. | 122 HP [+36 HP/LVL] | 12 [+3/LVL] | 100 | 0 [+3/LVL] | Laser Sword Whirlwind Blinding Assault Eviscerate |
1. Chef – Master Chef Build
The Chef is a unique character in Risk of Rain Returns. He utilizes his Cleavers to deal double damage on a single hit. His unique playstyle makes the game much more interesting while allowing you to deal fast damage. You can fire a few Cleavers and then run away. The Cleavers will deal double damage to all enemies in the way while returning.
The Chef’s build is of high attack speed and damage. [Image by the Author]
- Why I Chose This: The ability to deal double damage with cleavers on top of the optimized survivability.
Best Items
Here’s what I recommend when building the best CHEF build:
- Soldier’s Syringe
- Lens Maker’s Glasses
- Rusty Knife
- Hopoo Feather
- Wicked Ring
- Brilliant Behemoth
- Ancient Specter
In the early game, your goal should be to keep yourself alive and at a distance from the enemies. If there are tougher enemies, use Second Helping and the upgraded basic attack ‘Minced.’ That will even dent the Boss’s health. Later on, combine Glaze and Blaze to deal high damage. Keep using Minced whenever possible.
- High attack speed.
- Can enhance all skills.
- Slow early game.
2. Enforcer – The Best Tank Build
Arguably one of the strongest characters in Risk of Rain Returns is the Enforcer. Even though he seems weak, that is only because of his low mobility, which a few Paul’s Goat Hoofs will fix. And as for the damage received, he is the best tank, as long as you can make enemies hit you from the front while using Protect and Serve.
- Why I Chose This: The way it mitigates damage and allows for great crowd control capabilities.
Best Items
These items would go great with the Enforcer:
- Paul’s Goat Hoof
- Monster Tooth
- Medkit
- Tough Times
- Repulsion Armor
- Frost Relic
For the Enforcer, I recommend one strategy. Look for a wall and position yourself on it. Then use Protect and Serve and shoot at anything that comes in front of you. With the Protect and Serve, the Enforcer will block all damage coming in front of him. If things go South, run away quickly with the help of Paul’s Goat Hoofs and reposition yourself to the next wall.
- Can block all damage from the front
- Powerful basic attack
- Low mobility
3. Miner – Deadly Pickaxes Build
One of the most underrated characters in Risk of Rain Returns is the Miner. Most players avoid him because of his melee damage, but that is one of his biggest advantages. He can deal 140% damage on a single hit. His abilities give him high mobility and allow him to move around a lot.
- Why I Chose This: The high mobility and the potent melee damage it provides.
Best Items
For the Risk of Rain Returns Best Build for Miner, I’d recommend the following items.
- Alien Head
- Medkit
- Repulsive Armor
- Rusty Jetpack
- Toxic Worm
- Tesla Coil
- Wicked Ring
While playing with the Miner, don’t invest too much into attacking enemies. Your strategy should be Hit and run, hit and run. Before you jump to the first teleporter, try to look for a few items, which scale him up. While playing with Miner, I always recommend that you use an ability, use a basic attack, and then use another ability.
- High basic attack damage
- Great mobility
- Scales up pretty well with items
- Isn’t durable
4. Mercenary – The Flying Ninja Build
The Mercenary is another Melee basic attack character. Although he is hard to master, with different cooldowns and chain combos, once you do so, the reward is quite high. The high mobility skills allow you to deal high damage while avoiding attacks.
- Why I Chose This: The unique gameplay experience it provides and the exceptional mobility and damage potential.
Best Items
Here are the items that you can put in your Best Build of Mercenary in Risk of Rain Returns:
- Barbed Wire
- Brilliant Behemoth
- Tesla Coil
- Toxic Worm
- Sticky Bomb
- The Hit List
- Wicked Ring
While playing with the Mercenary, don’t dive into enemies mindlessly. He is squishy in the early stages, and if you’re on cooldown with no way to escape, your runs will end quickly. Try to save either one of the third and fourth skills to save yourself. In the late game, you will have enough cooldown to spam your second ability to deal high damage or use the third ability to dash around enemies.
- Low CD builds make him invincible
- High damage
- Hard to master
My Thoughts
Some of the Characters that I use are a bit harder to master, but once you do so, you will enjoy using them. These are different characters with different playstyles. The Enforcer can stay in between the enemies while blocking most damage, while the Mercenary flies in between enemies, evading damage. They both achieve the same thing with a different playstyle.
As for the Miner, he has to use the hit-and-run strategy because he isn’t as durable as the enforcer. But he deals the highest damage, making each hit worth it. Lastly, the CHEF allows you to stay away from enemies while utilizing his boomerang attacks. They all will give you a unique experience.
If you can’t seem to find the best items, you might want to read the How to Unlock Artifact of Command in the Risk of Rain Returns guide. The Artifact of Command will let you choose what item to take from a chest. It will give you all of the items except for the Bitter Root. For that, you need 650 HP.
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