Risk of Rain Returns Loader [How To Unlock, Abilities, Items]

Here is all that you need to know about Loader, how to unlock him, his abilities and items!

Loader is one of the melee characters in Risk of Rain Returns. He can be a bit difficult to unlock but can be a useful asset later on. Loader is useful when up against a lot of enemies at once because of his abilities. He can also be used to escape hordes of enemies too. 

Key Takeaways
  • Loader is a melee character that can knock away enemies with his regular attacks.
  • He can be unlocked by getting 30 items in one single run.
  • All of his abilities are great, but Debris Shield is what makes him truly amazing. 
  • The following are all the best items for Loader:
    1. Permafrost
    2. Warbanner
    3. Ukelele
    4. Wicked Ring
    5. Alien’s Head

How To Unlock Loader

unlock
Unlocking Loader Achievement [Image by me]
To unlock Loader, you need to get thirty unique items in one single playthrough. 

Items can be obtained by either buying them or by unlocking chests. You need a lot of money to be able to get every single one of the chests in one of the stages. The hard part is that you need 30 items in one single playthrough. There are a few ways you can get the items, and one of them does not require as much gold. 

You can use the following items to get even more items:

  • Skeleton Key: The Skeleton Key is a useable item that unlocks all chests in the viewing range. If there is more than one chest in your viewing range, then using the key will unlock all of them without any money. 
  • Life Savings: It gives you a flying pig that produces 1 dollar per 3 seconds. If you get more than one Life Saving, it will increase the rate by 1. Now you can make money a lot faster to get more items.

Loader’s Abilities

First of all, here are all the stats of the Loader:

CHARACTER NAME Loader
BASE HP 115 (+42 per level)

Drizzle: 165 (+42 per level)

DAMAGE 10 (+3 per level)
ATTACK SPEED 180
HP REGEN 0.6 HP/sec  (+0.18 HP per level)

2.4 HP/sec (+0.18 HP per level)

ARMOR 0 (+2 per level)

As mentioned earlier, Loader is a melee character that can deal damage using his fists. He is very useful because of how good his abilities are. They can be used to your advantage against hordes of enemies if you get all the right items. 

The following are the four base abilities of the Loader:

  • Knuckleboom
  • Debris Shield
  • Hydraulic Gauntlet 
  • M440 Conduit 

Knuckleboom

loader attack
Loader’s Knuckleboom attack [Image by me]
It is the base attack of Loader. It is a melee attack where Loader uses his fists to damage. Knuckleboom can be chained to three hits. The first two hits will do 120% damage, but the third one will do 240% damage. Furthermore, the third hit is special, as it has the ability to knock away enemies. It makes it very useful when fighting a lot of enemies as this gives you a chance to run away. 

Debris Shield

risk of rain returns loader
Debris Shield for Loader [Image by me]
The Debris Shield is a shield that makes Loader completely invincible to any attack. The shield gives you a full two seconds of invincibility. It also gives you a speed boost as well. The Loader can use the Debris Shield as a way to run away from enemies. It can be very useful when you are being cornered by enemies from two sides.

Hydraulic Gauntlet 

gauntlet
Hydraulic Gauntlet of the Loader [Image by me]
The Hydraulic Gauntlet shoots the fist forward and then launches the Loader toward any enemy it hits. It is useful in case you need to run away from enemies. But it can also be used to do platforming and can be used to reach places you can’t normally. It can also be angled upwards. The Hydraulic Gauntlet can do 210% damage and can also stun the enemy that is hit by it.

M440 Conduit

lightning
Loader’s M440 Conduit [Image by me]
The M440 Conduit allows the Loader to place a lightning rod on the ground. When you place two rods, a lightning bolt will start surging between them. The lightning will deal 80% damage for a total of 9 seconds. It can be useful during boss battles when there are a lot of enemies. You can place the two rods at a fairly large distance and still get the lightning bolt. That is why it is very useful to use it against a pack of enemies.

Best Items For Loader

risk of rain returns loader
Permafrost in Risk of Rain Returns [Image by me]
As mentioned earlier, the Loader is a melee character which makes him susceptible to damage. He can be killed very easily if he is not well-equipped. One of the reasons Loader is considered one of the best characters in the original Risk of Rain is Debris Shield. But it was because of the 3-second invincibility. Now in the remaster, that has been reduced to 2. But you can still use it more often than you would normally by using the right items. 

The following are the best items you can find for the Loader:

  • Ukelele 
  • Permafrost
  • Wicked Ring
  • Alien’s Head
  • Warbanner

Important: Beware while using items like Rusty Knife or Leeching Seed, as the M440 Conduit ability does not activate their effects.

My Thoughts On The Loader

The Loader can be a bit hard to control, but he is definitely one of the best characters in Risk of Rain Returns. He was broken in the original because you could use Alien’s Head and Wicked Ring to cut short his cooldown. Then, you can spam Debris Shield on very small intervals. In this way, you can be invincible for most of the you play as the Loader. Plus, the speed boost it provides makes it easier for you to spam Knuckleboom. 

Short-range characters like Acrid, Miner, and Loader work really well in Risk of Rain Returns. They are great against bosses and can be even better if you pair them up with the right artifacts

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Moiz Banoori is the brains behind eXputer. Having worked at various Video Game sites, with 8 years of Content Writing Experience and a Journalism Degree at hand, he presently monitors teams, creates strategies, and publishes qualified pieces through his aptitude at eXputer. Feel free to get in touch with him through his gaming profile on Steam and PSN.

Experience: 8+ Years || Manages Teams, Creates Strategies, and Publishes Guides on eXputer || Education: Bachelors in Journalism.

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