Risk Of Rain 2 Tier List 2026: The Ultimate Survivor Ranking

Navigating the alien world of Risk of Rain 2 can be a daunting challenge. Your choice of survivor is one of the most critical decisions you make. This Risk of Rain 2 tier list for 2026 provides a clear ranking of every character. Our guide helps you identify the strongest survivors to maximize your chances of success. We have evaluated each character based on their damage output, mobility, and survivability on the greater difficulties.

This tier list is designed to give you a competitive edge. You will learn which characters can dominate a run with minimal items and which require specific builds to excel. Understanding these tiers will help you plan your strategies and unlock priorities. Now, let’s explore the rankings and find your next main.

In the meantime, you can check Tier Lists of other games, including Shape of Dreams and Anime Reborn.

The Complete Risk of Rain 2 Survivor Tier List

The following table ranks all the base game and DLC survivors available in Risk of Rain 2. These rankings are based on community consensus and performance on Monsoon difficulty. They consider how easily a character can handle various in-game situations.

Tier	Survivors
S Tier	Captain, Loader, MUL-T
A Tier	Huntress, Mercenary, Engineer
B Tier	REX, Acrid
C Tier	Artificer
D Tier	Commando

It is important to remember that tier lists are subjective. Your personal skill and preferred playstyle significantly impact your success with any character. However, this list serves as an excellent starting point for understanding the game’s meta.

S Tier Survivors: The Best of the Best

S-tier survivors are the most powerful and consistent characters in the game. They possess most of the tools needed to handle any situation and are relatively safe to use.

• Captain: The Captain offers immense utility and damage. His unique strength comes from his defensive microbots. These automatically shoot down enemy projectiles. This provides a safe approach in most fights. His Orbital skills provide fantastic offensive and supportive power. He can easily run through waves of enemies with the right strategy .
• Loader: If you enjoy high mobility and powerful punches, Loader is your character. She is a powerful bruiser who uses a grappling hook to navigate. Her attacks generate a temporary barrier. This protects her from incoming damage. She proves her excellent potential once equipped with the right items .
• MUL-T: MUL-T is an incredibly versatile survivor. He has the highest base health and can adapt to any situation. His ability to carry two primary weapons makes him very flexible. You can customize his loadout for a specific role. He has many different build options for players to explore .

A Tier Survivors: Excellent and Reliable

A-tier survivors are excellent characters in their specialized roles. They perform well with a good build and have strong utility.

• Huntress: The Huntress is a highly mobile and shifty character. She can fire while sprinting. Her abilities allow her to clear enemy waves while constantly moving. Her Laser Glaive is a powerful tool. It bounces between enemies and deals great damage. However, she starts with the lowest base health. This makes her vulnerable to one-shot kills early on .
• Mercenary: The Mercenary is a high-skill, melee-range character. He is very fun to play. His kit includes multiple dashes and plenty of invincibility frames. These allow him to weave in and out of combat safely. His abilities provide serious damage. This makes him a potent threat in the hands of a skilled player .
• Engineer: The Engineer is a unique, strategic class. He relies on careful placement of his Tactical Nuke and walking turrets. His turrets can inherit all of his items. This makes him scale incredibly well into the late game. He excels at holding down a position during teleporter events .

B Tier Survivors: Strong but Situational

B-tier survivors are not the best, but are far from bad. They can be valuable assets, but often require more patience and specific builds to shine.

• REX: REX is a high-risk, high-reward survivor. He uses his own health to fuel his damaging abilities. This gives him incredible damage potential and crowd control. However, constantly spending health is very dangerous. It often disables his one-shot protection. He is a gamble for players who are still learning his mechanics .
• Acrid: Acrid is a melee and ranged hybrid. He uses powerful poisons to melt tough enemies. His poison provides a steady stream of damage over time. This does the majority of the heavy lifting in longer fights. He is often best played as a poke survivor. He can whittle down enemies from a distance .

C Tier Survivor: The Technical Pick

This tier contains a survivor who is average and has noticeable flaws. They require significant practice and the right items to perform consistently.

• Artificer: The Artificer follows the classic mage archetype. She has high burst damage with her mid to long-range spells. She can hover to avoid ground threats. However, her mobility is not impressive. She struggles without the right items. Reaching her overpowered potential takes a lot of practice and a good understanding of her kit .

D Tier Survivor: The Underdog

The D-tier survivor is considered the worst in the game. They are viable but are outclassed by every character in the tiers above.

• Commando: The Commando is the default starting character. He is pretty basic in his design. His gameplay focuses on shooting and moving. He has a couple of utility skills. Unfortunately, none of them is particularly impressive. He is very weak at the beginning of a run. However, he has one of the highest damage potentials with the right on-hit items later on .

How to Unlock the Survivors

Knowing how to unlock each survivor is key to expanding your roster. Here is a quick guide to getting some of the top-tier characters.

• Captain: Unlock the Captain by escaping the planet. This means defeating the final boss of the base game .
• Loader: Unlock the Loader by defeating the unique guardian on the Siren’s Call stage. You must find and break the ancient eggs scattered around the map. This will summon the Alloy Worship Unit boss .
• MUL-T: Unlock MUL-T by completing the first teleporter event five times. You can achieve this across multiple runs .
• Artificer: Unlock the Artificer by freeing the survivor suspended in time. This requires paying 10 Lunar Coins at the Newt Altar in the Bazaar Between Time .
• Mercenary: Unlock the Mercenary by obliterating yourself at the Obelisk. This requires looping back to the first stage and finding the Celestial Portal. You must then interact with the Obelisk on the A Moment, Fractured stage .

Pro Tips for Climbing the Ranks

To truly excel in Risk of Rain 2, you need more than just a good character. Keep these expert tips in mind during your runs.

• Master Movement: Never stop moving. Strafing and jumping make you a harder target to hit. This is especially crucial in greater difficulties.
• Value Mobility Items: Do not underestimate items like Paul’s Goat Hoof and Energy Drink. Increased movement speed is often more valuable than raw damage. It allows you to control the pace of the fight.
• Manage Your Time: Time is the primary difficulty scaler in Risk of Rain 2. Try to limit your time on each stage to about five minutes. Loot quickly but efficiently to keep up with the enemy scaling.
• Learn Proc Coefficients: Every character’s skill has a hidden proc coefficient. This determines how effectively it triggers on-hit items. Characters with high proc coefficients, like the Commando, can become devastating with the right build.

Final Thoughts

This Risk of Rain 2 tier list should serve as a strong foundation for your future runs. Remember that personal skill and preference are the most important factors. A character you enjoy playing will always perform better than one you feel forced to use. Use this guide to inform your decisions, but do not be afraid to experiment with different survivors and item combinations. The true joy of Risk of Rain 2 comes from discovering your own overpowered builds. We have compiled community rankings and expert analysis to create this definitive guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest character to play in Risk of Rain 2?

The Huntress is often considered the easiest character for beginners. Her ability to sprint while attacking and her auto-aiming primary fire let new players focus on movement and positioning without worrying about precise aiming.

Which Risk of Rain 2 character has the most serious damage?

Loader and Captain are often cited for their immense damage potential. Loader can one-shot bosses with her charged punches, while Captain’s Orbital Strikes and shotgun can delete enemies.

Is the Commando really that bad in Risk of Rain 2?

While Commando is often ranked lowest, he is not useless. His strength comes from his high proc coefficients, meaning he triggers on-hit items very effectively. With the right items, he can become incredibly powerful in the late game.

How does the game’s difficulty affect the tier list?

This list is primarily based on performance on Monsoon difficulty, the game’s hardest standard mode. On easier difficulties like Drizzle, the tier list matters less, as most characters can perform well.

Who is the best melee character in Risk of Rain 2?

Loader is generally considered the best melee character. She combines high damage, incredible mobility with her grappling hook, and survivability through barriers generated by her attacks.