Risk of Rain Returns Bitter Root: How To Unlock + Tips

Learn everything about the Risk of Rain Returns Bitter Root, how to unlock it, the effects it has, and how to use it.

The Bitter Root is one of the countless items present in Risk of Rain Returns. In addition to being very useful when it comes to survival, it is an essential item if you want to unlock the character “Chef” in Risk of Rain Returns. Here are the item’s effects as well as instructions on how to obtain it.

Key Takeaways
  • The Bitter Root can be obtained by reaching 650 HP with any character.
  • The HP target can be achieved by using items such as Infusion which increases your HP per enemy you kill.  
  • By using items such as the Colossal Knurl and stacking them, you can also reach the HP goal.
  • It is one of the four key items you need to unlock the character Chef, in addition to Meat Nugget, Bustling Fungus, and Sprouting Egg.

What Is Bitter Root?

risk of rain returns bitter root
Bitter Root inside the Logs and Unlockables. [Screenshot by me]

Bitter Root is a healing item in Risk of Rain Returns

It is a simple healing item of common rarity that can be obtained during your runs. The effects of this item include giving the player 8% of their max HP. It is worth noting that this effect is indeed stackable. The maximum number of stacks for the Bitter Root is 38. This means that you can gain up to 300% of your maximum HP with the help of this item. 

How To Unlock Bitter Root

This item is not at your disposal right from the get-go.  Instead, you have to unlock it by fulfilling certain conditions. In order to get access to the Bitter Root, you need to obtain 650 HP during a single run. This can be done through a variety of different ways.

Using The Artifact of Command

risk of rain returns bitter root
Infusion inside the Logs and Unlockables. [Image by me]

The Artifact of Command is a powerful object that can alter the course of your runs. If you do not have access to this item, there is a guide covering how to unlock the Artifact of Command. Once you have access to the Artifact of Command, you manipulate the first healing item you get. So, all you have to do is to make it to be the item “Infusion”. 

Infusion is another powerful healing item that permanently raises your max HP by 1 each time you kill an enemy. This is especially useful in order to unlock the Bitter Root of Risk of Rain Returns. Since you can easily kill around 500 enemies by the time you reach the last stage. Once your HP reaches the 650 mark, you will receive an achievement informing you that the Bitter Root has been unlocked. 

Using Items With Flat HP Boost

Colossal Knurl inside the Logs and Unlockables. [Screenshot by me]

The other method to reach the 650 HP mark is by using and stacking items that give you a flat increase in your maximum HP. This includes stacking items like Colossal Knurl, which grants you 40 HP in addition to its OP healing properties. Although the Colossus Boss drops it, the chances of getting it are pretty slim. 

My Thoughts On The Bitter Root 

Risk of Rain Returns does not hold back when it comes to item variety, and the Bitter Root is one such item that is very useful. Unlocking it not only improves your chances of survival in subsequent runs but is also a key item if you want to unlock one of the characters. That gives you plenty of reason to go out of your way to hit the absurd 650 HP mark just so you can obtain this item. 

Consider reading Risk of Rain Returns Bandit: Best Items, Abilities & Unlock and Risk of Rain Returns Acrid: Unlock, Abilities & Best Items so you can be prepared to face the challenge of unlocking the Bitter Root. If you are not sure of which character to bring to your run, check out Risk of Rain Returns: Top 4 Best Characters so you can handle whatever is thrown your way. 

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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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