---
title: "Risk of Rain Returns: Complete Guide"
game: "Risk of Rain Returns"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/risk-of-rain-returns"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Co-op"]
summary: "A guide to Risk of Rain Returns, Hopoo Games' 2023 remake of the original Risk of Rain: how runs work, beating the difficulty timer, item priorities, survivor picks, artifacts, co-op, and what the 1.1.0 update changed.…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/risk-of-rain-returns-complete-guide-881076d7"
published: "2026-09-27T21:02:12.115Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T21:02:12.115Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Risk of Rain Returns: Complete Guide

A guide to Risk of Rain Returns, Hopoo Games' 2023 remake of the original Risk of Rain: how runs work, beating the difficulty timer, item priorities, survivor picks, artifacts, co-op, and what the 1.1.0 update changed.

*Researched September 2026. Current as of Version 1.1.0 (August 29, 2025). The 1.0.5 legacy build is still available as a Steam beta branch. Check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **Time is difficulty.** The difficulty meter rises as the run goes on, and newly spawned monsters get stronger. Loot efficiently, then move on.
2. **Find the teleporter, then prepare.** Activating it starts a timed event with a boss and waves of enemies. Loot the stage *before* you activate it, but don't dawdle.
3. **Open everything you can afford early.** Chests are cheapest on the early stages. Gold scales with time too, so spend it rather than hoarding.
4. **Stacking items is the point.** Copies stack. Five Soldier's Syringes means much faster attacks.
5. **Commando is a good first pick.** He's easy to learn. Huntress (auto-aim, attacks while moving) is also beginner-friendly.
6. **Unlock survivors through challenges.** Check the challenge log. Each survivor, skill and skin has an unlock condition, and many unlock naturally (for example, some are tied to finishing stage 3).
7. **Play Drizzle if you're new.** It's the easiest difficulty. Monsoon is the hardest standard mode.
8. **Use the ping/emote system in co-op** (added in 1.1.0) to call out chests, the teleporter and dangers.

## How a Run Works

1. **Drop in** on a stage chosen from a small pool for that stage number.
2. **Loot:** spend gold on chests, shrines, drones and interactables.
3. **Find the teleporter:** it's randomly placed. Activate it to start the countdown.
4. **Survive and kill the boss:** the teleporter charges while bosses and swarms attack.
5. **Advance** to the next stage. After several stages the loop repeats with harder variants, and eventually you can go for the ending.

### Difficulty

| Difficulty | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Drizzle | New players. Slower scaling and more forgiving. |
| Rainstorm | The standard experience |
| Monsoon | Veterans. Faster scaling and nastier enemies. |

The difficulty bar at the top of the screen shows the current difficulty level. The core decision in every run is the time-versus-loot trade-off: each extra minute on a stage gives you more items but stronger enemies.

## Items

Items come in rarity tiers: **Common** (white), **Uncommon** (green), **Rare** (red), plus **Use/Equipment** items that you activate, and special boss items. Many stack. Tiers below follow the original game's item list, which Returns carries over; exact percentages were rebalanced in places, so check the in-game logbook for current numbers.

### Common items worth taking every time

| Item | Effect (general) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Soldier's Syringe | Attack speed | Raw DPS. Stacks well. |
| Lens-Maker's Glasses | Crit chance | More damage, and helps crit-based synergies |
| Paul's Goat Hoof | Movement speed | Dodging is survival |
| Meat Nugget | Chance to drop healing nuggets | Sustain |
| Bustling Fungus | Heals you while standing still | Great for stationary survivors like Sniper or Engineer |
| Rusty Knife | Chance to cause bleed | Damage over time that stacks |
| Headstompers | Damage when landing on enemies | Situational fun |

### Uncommon and Rare highlights

| Item | Tier | Why it's great |
|---|---|---|
| AtG Missile Mk. 1 | Uncommon | Free homing missiles on hit |
| Hopoo Feather | Uncommon | Extra jump. Mobility and escape. |
| Ukulele | Uncommon | Chance to fire chain lightning on hit (the store page's example) |
| Will-o'-the-wisp | Uncommon | Chance on kill to create a lava pillar |
| 56 Leaf Clover | Uncommon | Elites have a chance to drop items |
| Brilliant Behemoth | Rare | Every attack explodes. Transforms most survivors. |
| Ceremonial Dagger | Rare | Homing daggers on kill. Clears crowds. |
| Tesla Coil | Rare | Passive lightning around you |
| Alien Head | Rare | Lower cooldowns |
| Ancient Scepter | Rare | Upgrades your special skill |

**Rules of thumb:**
- **Attack speed plus on-hit effects** (Syringe with Ukulele or AtG) scales very well.
- **Mobility is underrated.** Goat Hoof and Hopoo Feather stacks prevent most deaths.
- **Healing:** take at least one sustain item (Nugget, Fungus, or similar) by the midgame.
- **Use items:** always keep one equipped. Many save runs or clear bosses.

## Survivors

Risk of Rain Returns has 15 survivors (plus a hidden one). Veterans of the original will recognize most. **Pilot** and **Artificer** are new to Returns, and **The Drifter** is a new support/brawler.

| Survivor | Style | Beginner rating |
|---|---|---|
| Commando | All-rounder with guns | Easy |
| Huntress | Mobile, auto-aiming archer | Easy |
| Enforcer | Shield tank that holds the front line | Medium |
| Bandit | Burst gunslinger with cooldown resets | Medium |
| HAN-D | Melee robot with drones | Medium |
| Engineer | Turrets and mines, stationary | Easy to medium |
| Miner | Fast melee diver | Medium |
| Sniper | Long-range precision | Medium to hard |
| Acrid | Poison melee | Medium |
| Mercenary | Melee with invulnerable dashes | Hard |
| Loader | Grapple fists, huge melee hits | Medium |
| CHEF | Melee with food-themed skills | Medium |
| Pilot | New to Returns. Aerial gunner with a parachute. | Medium |
| Artificer | New to Returns. Elemental caster. | Medium |
| The Drifter | Collects scrap and spawns temporary items for her team, or keeps them for a big area attack | Medium |

**Unlocking:** each survivor has a challenge (see the challenge log). Some come from progression (for example, finishing stage 3). Others need specific actions. The achievement "Divine Intervention" pops the first time you unlock a survivor.

**Alternate skills and skins:** Returns adds alternate skills per survivor and **Providence Trials**, challenge scenarios that unlock extras. Try the trials once you're comfortable with a survivor.

## Artifacts

Artifacts are optional modifiers you find hidden in the world and then toggle before a run. Each has an achievement named after where you find it:

| Achievement | Artifact | Hint in the name |
|---|---|---|
| In the Forest | Honor | A forest stage |
| In the Hive | Command | A hive stage |
| Drowned Below | Enigma | Underwater/sunken area |
| Beneath the Temple | Spirit | A temple stage |
| In the Meadow | Spite | A meadow stage |
| Entropy | Tempus | Not location-named |
| Somewhere Dry | Kin | A dry stage |
| Among the Mushrooms | Distortion | A fungal area |
| Near the Core | Sacrifice | Deep, hot stage |
| Below the Bridge | Glass | Under a bridge |
| Seeing Ghosts | Cognation | Not location-named |
| Kaleidoscope | Origin | Not location-named |

Two related secret achievements: **Sight-Seeing** (find the 4 hidden Artifact Shards) and **Altered Genome** (find the illegal shipment).

Notable artifacts:
- **Command:** lets you choose items from crates instead of getting random drops. Great for testing builds.
- **Sacrifice:** monsters drop items and chests are removed. A different, fast-paced loop.
- **Glass:** much more damage but much less health.
- **Honor:** all enemies are elites.

## Co-op

- Up to 4 players online or couch co-op. Version 1.1.0 added an experimental host option to raise the **Player Limit up to 32**, with an in-game warning that more than 4 isn't properly supported.
- The host can **ban the hidden survivor** from the lobby (1.1.0).
- **Ping and emotes** (1.1.0) make calling out loot and bosses much easier.
- Share items fairly and put healers and drones where the team needs them. Drifter's temporary items are made for teammates.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Fully clearing every stage on Monsoon.** The timer punishes you. Loot what's efficient and move on.
- **Activating the teleporter at low item count.** Loot the stage first, especially early on.
- **Ignoring mobility.** Most runs end because you couldn't dodge.
- **Standing in fire and puddles.** Elite modifiers leave hazards. Move off them.
- **Not using your use item.** It's a free cooldown. Press it.
- **Playing only Commando.** Other survivors unlock new challenges and skills.

## Advanced Tips

- **Speed loop early.** Clearing stage 1 fast with a few good items beats a slow full clear.
- **Crit plus on-crit items** scale explosively. Lens-Maker's Glasses stacks enable a lot of synergies.
- **Brilliant Behemoth with fast-hitting survivors** (Commando, Huntress) turns every shot into an explosion.
- **Horizontal mouse aim** (added in 1.0.4) lets you shoot left or right independent of movement. Try the "Risk of Rain 2" control scheme on keyboard and mouse.
- **Downpatching:** if you prefer the old balance or mods, use the Steam beta branch "1.0.5 Legacy post-release build" with password themacrobesdidnothingwrong.
- **Steam Deck:** 1.1.0 improved the Deck experience (1280x800 default, per-resolution display settings, larger chat scale).

## FAQ

**Is Risk of Rain Returns the same as Risk of Rain 1?**
It's a remake with new survivors (Pilot, Artificer, Drifter), items, Providence Trials, new modes, and much better networking and multiplayer.

**How many players can play?**
4 by default, with an experimental option up to 32 since 1.1.0.

**Is it still being updated?**
Version 1.1.0 arrived in August 2025 after a long gap. Gearbox's main Risk of Rain focus is Risk of Rain 2 and its third DLC, Alloyed Collective.

**How do I unlock survivors?**
Through challenges listed in the game's challenge log. Several unlock from normal progression.

**What's the easiest survivor?**
Commando or Huntress. Engineer is also forgiving, thanks to turrets.

**Can I roll back to the old version?**
Yes. Opt into the "1.0.5 Legacy post-release build" beta branch in Steam properties with the password from the 1.1.0 announcement.

## Sources

- [Risk of Rain Returns on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1337520/Risk_of_Rain_Returns/)
- [Risk of Rain Returns Steam achievements](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1337520/achievements)
- [Steam news: Risk of Rain Returns... returns! (V1.1.0) and Patch Notes 1.0.3 to 1.1.0](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1337520)
- [Risk of Rain on Wikipedia (original game and Returns remake)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_of_Rain_Returns)