Risk of Rain 2 Bandit: [Expert’s Opinion + Experience]

Bandit is one of the newest characters to get added to Risk of Rain 2. He arrived through the Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update which went live back in March. The thing that I love about Bandit is that he is a fast-paced character. In addition to this, he specializes in taking his enemies down from far away.

How To Unlock Bandit In Risk Of Rain 2?

Before I begin, let’s first check out Bandit’s stats in Risk of Rain 2:

Unlocking Bandit in Risk of Rain 2 is a simple and easy task. If you already have the Huntress character, then Bandit will automatically become available when you load the game after installing the Anniversary Update.

However, if you don’t have the said character unlocked, then you’ll need to complete a challenge called “Warrior”. In this, you will need to reach and complete the 3rd Temeporter event without dying. Upon completing it, you’ll unlock Bandit.

Bandit Abilities

Here is a brief preview of all the abilities you can make use of with Bandit:

Passive – Backstab

First off, I have his passive called Backstab. Thanks to this passive, whenever Bandit attacks his enemies from Behind, they are automatically converted into Critical Strikes. Although you will be able to easily tell where the back of the enemy is, some will leave you confused, such as Vagrants. You should see where they are looking while attacking you for such enemies as that will be their front.

Primary – Burst

This ability allows Bandit to take out a shotgun and fire a burst of 5 pellets with each one dealing 100% damage. The shotgun carries four rounds and offers a good reload speed. In addition to this, the fire rate will depend upon your attack speed, meaning that you will shoot as fast as you can click. I will suggest that you double-tap your shots. 

Secondary – Serrated Dagger

Serrated Dagger lets Bandit perform a melee slash that deals 360% damage. However, the area it covers is small. It has a cooldown of 4 seconds and also applies Hemorrhage on a Critical Strike. For those who don’t know, Hemorrhage deals 2000% base damage for a total of 15 seconds. In other words, it can help you take down powerful enemies within seconds; that is if you accurately land your attacks on them.

Utility –  Smoke Bomb

This ability grants Bandit invisibility for around three seconds and stuns things within a small area. In addition to this, it also boosts the amount of damage he deals by 200%. Thus, this ability is useful for times when you need a quick escape or want to walk past an enemy unnoticed. However, there are some hidden benefits of it as well. For instance, your movement speed is increased by 30% when you’re invisible.

In addition to this, whenever you use and get out of the ability, there is a small hop effect. Although it is barely noticeable when you’re on the ground, it can help you a lot when you’re in the air. It can work as a double-jump feature and can help you reach high places that you normally can’t.

Special – Lights Out

Bandit fires a revolver shot upon using this ability which deals 600% damage. This is something that can take down a powerful monster in an instant. The best part is that if you manage to deal a killing blow, your ability cooldowns are reset.

Alternate Abilities

Bandit has a couple of alternate abilities as well that can be unlocked by completing various challenges.

Blast

His Primary Alternate ability is called “Blast,” and it fires a rifle blast that deals 330% damage. This ability can be unlocked by completing the Bandit: Classic Man Challenge, which requires you to reset your abilities cooldowns 15 times in a row by using the Lights Out special ability.

Serrated Shiv

Bandit’s Secondary Alternate ability is “Serrated Shiv” which throws a hidden blade that deals 240% damage. Just like Serrated Dagger, it also causes Hemorrhaging with Critical Strikes. This ability can be unlocked by completing the Bandit: Sadist Challenge which requires you to kill a monster with 20 stacks of Hemorrhage.

Desperado

His Special Alternate ability is “Desperado.” Just like Lights Out, it fires a revolver shot that deals 600% damage. However, it grants you stacking tokens for 10% more damage if you eliminate an enemy through it.

Best Items For Bandit In Risk Of Rain 2

At the moment, there are a lot of items in Risk of Rain 2 that you can choose from. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is that not all items will work perfectly with Bandit. Therefore, you must choose the ones that can take Bandit to the next level. 

Shatterspleen

This is one of the most amazing items in Risk of Rain 2. This ability grants you a 5% chance to land a Critical Strike and inflicts a bleeding effect for 240% damage. Furthermore, a bleeding enemy will also explode on death while dealing 400% base damage and an additional 15% of their maximum health.

Soldier’s Syringe

Soldier’s Syringe will transform Bandit’s into a killing machine by increasing his attack speed by 15%. This means that you will spend less time reloading and more time shooting. This can prove to be useful when you’re taking down a group of enemies.

Crowbar

The Crowbar deals 75% damage to enemies who have 90% or above health. In addition to this, after you stack two or more Crowbars, you’ll start dealing more damage than a critical hit. This means that the more Crowbars you stack, the higher the damage will be.

Paul’s Goat Hoof

Movement speed is important for every character in Risk of Rain 2. But for Bandit, it holds even more importance. This is because you need to be quick in order to successfully perform Backstab on enemies. For this purpose, you can use Paul’s Goat Hoof that will increase Bandit’s movement speed by 14%. This will allow you to reach the back of the enemy before they even get the chance to make a move.

Hardlight Afterburner

The final item I want to mention in my guide is Hardlight Afterburner. As I discussed above, Bandit’s Utility skill allows him to become invisible for up to 3 seconds. As for Hardlight Afterburner helps you remain invisible most of the time as it reduces the Utility Skill cooldown by 33%. This means that you’ll be able to use Bandit’s Smoke Bomb ability more often thanks to this item.

Conclusion

This was all regarding our Risk of Rain 2’s Bandit guide. Keep in mind that the list of items is based on personal choice and you might find some other items that go well with Bandit’s style. Overall, he is a good character and can help you take down enemies quickly. If you manage to learn his abilities properly, then you can even take down powerful opponents in an instant.

More Risk of Rain 2 Guides: Risk of Rain 2 Tier List – Ranking All Survivors In The Game