Risk of Rain Returns Best Builds: Tank, Pickaxe, Ninja, Chef

Getting the Best Builds is quite hard, so here is a guide on some of the Builds you can use.

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.

Key Takeaways
  • 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 NoNameBest ForHealthDamageAttack SpeedArmorAbilities
1ChefBest Build For Optimized Damage And Survivability.115 HP [+35 HP/LVL]12 [+3/LVL]1200 [+3/LVL]Dice
Sear
Glaze
Second Helping
2EnforcerBest Build For Crowd Control.119 [+34 HP/LVL]12 [+3/LVL]700 [+2/LVL]Riot Shotgun
Shield Slam
Protect and Serve
Crowd Control
3MinerBest Build For Hit And Run Tactic.118 HP [+36 HP/LVL]12 [+3.2/LVL]1100 [+3/LVL]Crush
Drill Charge
Backblast
To The Stars
4MercenaryBest Build For Enhanced Survivability.122 HP [+36 HP/LVL]12 [+3/LVL]1000 [+3/LVL]Laser Sword
Whirlwind
Blinding Assault
Eviscerate

1. Chef – Master Chef Build

Best Build For Optimized Damage And Survivability.

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.Risk of Rain Returns chef build best

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

Best Build For Crowd Control.

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.

Enforcer
The Enforcer’s build gives him durability and mobility. [Image by the Author]
  • 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

Best Build For Hit And Run Tactic.

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.

Best build risk of rain returns miner
The Miner’s Build gives him high damage. [Image by the Author]
  • 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

Best Build For Enhanced Survivability.

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.

The Mercenary
The Mercenary’s Build gives him CD reduction. [Image by the Author]
  • 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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Roaim is a Guides Writer at eXputer. He is an avid fan of RPG titles and fighting games. Roaim's love for games, which has been running strong for 15+ years, led him to write about them through detailed, top-notch guides. His gaming expertise is further solidified by his game time of 3,000+ hours on Monster Hunter: World. Apart from that, you can also find him dominating players on Tekken! You can follow Roaim's gaming activities on his Steam profile.

Experience: 1+ Years || Mainly Covers Guides On eXputer || Education: Bachelor's in Computer Science.

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