Comprehensive Risk of Rain 2 Survivor Tier Lists
Risk of Rain 2 has a lot of different ways to play the game. You can be a cool engineer where your turrets copy your items (awesome and amazing) or a pea shooter survivor like Commando (weak and cringe).
Here is my personal tier list. It’s not necessarily objective, but whatever.
Here is a detailed breakdown of several tier lists covering multiple gameplay facets, including looping potential, Eclipse 8 runs, fun factor, and beginner-friendliness.
Video form if you prefer that way:
Most Fun Survivors (Personal Opinion)
So you know where there might be some bias.
Ranked from most to least fun:
- Engineer
- Bandit
- Acrid
- Captain
- Mercenary
- False Son
- Rex
- Void Fiend
- Railgunner
- Huntress
- Heretic
- Artificer
- Loader
- MUL-T
- Seeker
- Chef
- Commando
I love Engineer. And, um, I tolerate Commando.
Looping Tier List
S-Tier: Engineer, Heretic, Seeker, False Son, Railgunner, Void Fiend, Bandit, Captain
These survivors have abilities or gimmicks highly suited to extended looping runs, such as Engineer’s superior item utilization or Seeker’s pseudo-invincibility.
A-Tier: Acrid, Loader, Huntress, Mercenary, Artificer
Solid choices, though melee characters like Loader and Mercenary face greater risks when looping due to enemy scaling.
B-Tier: MUL-T, Rex, Commando, Chef
Weaker looping options: Commando and Chef are just plain bad. Maybe Chef won’t be bad after the rework, but….
Eclipse 8 Tier List
S-Tier: Railgunner, Loader, Mercenary, Artificer, Engineer, Heretic, Void Fiend, Bandit
Characters with robust abilities to easily handle the demanding Eclipse 8 difficulty. Railgunner excels with damage output and Mithrix-skipping techniques; Loader dominates through rapid clearing and high damage.
A-Tier: False Son, Seeker, Huntress, Acrid, Captain, MUL-T
Competent but face challenges like melee limitations, lack of mobility, or the drawbacks of specific abilities (e.g., Seeker’s Sojourn).
B-Tier: Rex, Commando, Chef
Not ideal due to self-damaging mechanics (Rex) or weaker abilities and reliance on extensive item synergy (Commando, Chef).
Final Thoughts
Honestly, if you like Commando, you won’t like this list—long live Engineer.
But, to be serious, all survivors in Risk of Rain 2 are viable. Some are just way stronger than others. Play whatever you have fun with!