Risk Of Rain Returns: 12 Best Items [Expert Picks]

The latest installment in the Risk of Rain franchise by Hopoo Games features a ton of items, just like its predecessors. The item variety is what makes a roguelike fun, and each run is unique. But the plethora of items can almost be a deterrent. That is why I have compiled the Risk of Rain Returns best items, so you know which items are worth grabbing whenever you come across them.

Our Picks For Best Items

Following is a summary of the best items:

Best Items

12. Soldier’s Syringe

• Increases your attack speed by 12% per stack.
• Attack speed is just as important as damage to increase the overall amount of damage you deal.
• I chose this item due to its availability and the much-needed buff it grants. 

11. Red Whip

• The Red Whip increases your movement by 60%.
• The effect only gets activated when you have been out of combat for at least 2 seconds. 
• Movement speed is an often overlooked stat, but it is essential for clearing stages in a reasonable time. 
• I chose this item due to its ability to influence your clear rates directly.

10. Topaz Brooch

• Killing an enemy grants you 15 barrier (+15 per stack).
• The Topaz Brooch improves your survivability by granting you shields for kills. 
• I chose this item due to its availability and the much-needed defense buff it grants. 

9. Crowbar

• The Crowbar is a simple item and it deals +50% damage (+30% per stack) to enemies that have more than 80% health. 
• This item helps you during the start of combat when enemies have full HP and allows you to deal bonus damage. 
• I chose this item due to its common availability and potential to stack up. 

8. Meat Nugget

• The Meat Nugget has an 8% chance on hit to drop 2 meat nuggets that heal for 2*8 health. 
• The chance to drop nuggets may seem low, but when hordes of enemies surround you, it happens more often than you’d think. 
• I chose this item due to its healing ability and common drop rate. 

7. Hopoo Feather

• The Hopoo Feather grants you +1 jump count (+1 per stack)
• Mobility is often underappreciated, and the Hopoo Feather lets you get to inaccessible areas in less time.
• I chose this item since it grants you irreplaceable mobility and is also relatively common to find. 

6. Burning Witness

• The Burning Witness gives you a fire trail that deals damage whenever you kill an enemy. 
• In addition to that, you get a 30% increase in movement speed for 6 seconds (+2 per stack). 
• This item is especially powerful for melee characters, as the damage over time stacks up pretty quickly.
• I chose this item since it deals collateral damage and also grants you a movement buff during combat, unlike some other items. 

5. Jar of Souls

• The Jar of Souls duplicates every enemy as a ghost and turns them into your allies.
• The ghosts have 70% damage and last for 15 seconds. 
• I chose this item due to its ability to clear the screen with the press of a button.

4. Tesla Coil

• The Tesla Coil passively shocks the nearby enemies for 120% damage (+60 per stack). 
• Passive damage is extremely important in Risk of Rain Returns, as you cannot target all the enemies at all times. 
• I chose this item due to its extremely high passive damage and synergy with other items. 

3. Brilliant Behemoth

• The Brilliant Behemoth makes all your attacks explode for a bonus of 20% total damage (+20% per stack) to nearby enemies. 
• I chose this item due to its ability to dish out destructive AOE damage and clear large waves of enemies. 

2. Happiest Mask

• The Happiest Mask spawns ghosts from the enemies you kill in the last 15 seconds with 100% health (+20 per stack) and 70% damage (+30% per stack).
• The increased firepower helps you get through opposition in a much more efficient way. 
• I chose this item due to its ability to turn your enemies into weapons of destruction. 

1. Dio’s Best Friend

• Dio’s Best Friend is, without a doubt, one of the best items in Risk of Rain Returns.
• It grants you an additional life.
• Once you die, you are revived with 40% health and 2 seconds of invulnerability. 
• I chose this item because it grants you an additional chance to survive in the run. 

My Thoughts On These Items

After spending more than 26 hours so far in Risk of Rain Returns, the items that I would recommend are Dio’s Best Friend for that invaluable extra life and Happiest Mask along with Brilliant Behemoth for the damage. Both of these items provide combat enhancement in one way or another and certainly make your build strong enough to shred through waves of enemies. 

It is worth noting that the items that I have chosen are not a definitive way to look at the best items in Risk of Rain Returns. These are the items that I think are the best and would depend on for winning a run. But that isn’t to say that other items cannot perform at this level or more. Most of the time, item synergy is more important when it comes to builds, as compared to the quality of each individual item.

Next:

• Risk of Rain Returns Drifter
• Risk of Rain Returns Bandit
• Risk of Rain Returns: Engineer 
• Risk of Rain Returns: Lynx Totem
• Risk of Rain Returns: Complete Scavenger Hunt