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

With 15 unique characters in Risk of Rain Returns and a ton of Builds, it is hard to know which is the best. For that, I’ve tried and tested characters and found some interesting builds for you to try out. These include zero cooldown (almost) builds, or high attack speed builds.

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 overlook of Characters and the items for their Best Builds.

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 a lot 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 of the enemies in the way while returning.

The Chef’s build is of high attack speed and damage. [Image by the Author]

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 some tougher enemies, use Second Helping and then the upgraded basic attack ‘Minced’. That will put a dent even in the Boss’s health. Later on, combine Glaze and Blaze to deal high damage. Keep using Minced whenever possible.

Pros

• High attack speed
• Can enhance all skills

Cons

• 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.

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.

Pros

• Can block all damage from front
• Powerful basic attack

Cons

• 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.

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.

Pros

• High basic attack damage
• Great mobility
• Scales up pretty well with items

Cons

• 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.

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.

Pros

• Low CD builds make him invincible
• High damage

Cons

• 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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