Risk of Rain – Tips and Tricks for Getting Started

Before you Play the Risk of Rain game, you will definitely want to know these simple but useful tips and tricks. If you have any tips feel free to share with us!

Things to Know Before Playing

• Commando is one of the best solo classes in the game, so don’t be surprised if you have trouble with other characters, like enforcer.
• The modus operandi of the game is to finish levels fast enough so the difficulty stays as low as possible, but slowly enough so you collect as many items as possible. Try not to spend more than 10 minutes on a given level.
• I’m pretty sure the difficulty follows a power function, meaning the first few difficulty changes aren’t too bad, but once you get to Insane-onward enemies become very difficult.
• The layouts of each level are semi-randomly generated, insofar as you’ll be able to tell exactly where you are on a map after a few plays. This can help you route your way around the map. For example, There are some one-way passages on Damp Caverns and Sunken Tomb, so you might want to go down those and make your way around, to minimize backtracking.

Shrines

Cash Shrines should only be used after you beat a level since they’re random whether or not you get an item. Health Shrines disappear once you summon the boss, so you may not be able to use them to exhaustion because of enemy spawns slowly whittling you away. Only use Imp Shrines when

• A) you’re not nearby a cliff and
• B) you have an infinite-range attack (Enforcer), but they’re the most cost-effective way of getting items otherwise.

Items

Generally you’ll want defensive items, but there are a handful of offensive items that you’ll want. Late-game gameplay is generally kiting enemies everywhere, so items that give you AoE capability are wonderful, even minor buffs like Gasoline or Will-o’-the-Wisp.

• Drones give you a lot of bang for your buck. Past level 3 or so, they’re almost always a better investment than a chest.
• Look up how to unlock the other characters instead of trying to figure it out on your own. You’ll get a few of them incidentally (Enforcer, Bandit, Sniper) but a few of them are more obscure (HAN-D, Acrid, Miner)
• I usually will get Life Savings, Smart Shopper, or Explorer’s Key if I can on the first level, since they pay for themselves very quickly. Life Savings is $1/3sec, Smart Shopper causes enemies to drop 25% more gold, and Explorer’s Key automatically opens all chests on-screen plus a bit.
• For roulettes, don’t look for an item and instead just look at their outline and stop it on Red if you can. Red-outline (‘High Priority’) items are almost invariably game-changers, or are at least very useful.
• Play with friends! The game is fun solo but multiplayer is a blast. Just look out for desync.