A Beginners Guide For Risk of Rain Returns

Risk of Rain Returns not only brings back old-school aesthetics but also brings back old-school challenges. This month marks the decade anniversary of Risk of Rain and developer Hopoo Games surprised players with a remaster of the original game. My experience with the roguelike megahit riled up all kinds of emotions from wanting to chuck my controller into my monitor to shrieking with joy once my team and I brought down a world boss. One look at this game and some people might view it as a simple loot and shoot game but it’s tough, it is tough. Those new to the game may need a couple of tips whilst getting started with it and I am here to provide you with a few beginner tips for Risk of Rain Returns. 

Explore the characters: When starting this game for the first time you will notice that you only get to pick one of two characters, a commando and a huntress. After spending some time with the mercenary and getting comfortable with that character's abilities I switched over to the huntress and realised I enjoyed her skillset more. As you play the game more you can unlock up to 14 additional characters. Each character has their own skill set with different abilities. Play around and find out who suits your play style best!

Do not activate the teleporter right away: After completing the tutorial I was set to go on my adventures. I’ll be honest I was not completely sure what the appropriate way to play the games was but typically I would rush to the teleporter of the level. Activate it and kill the boss. Then jump to the next level. After multiple playthroughs, I realised this wasn’t the best approach to the game. Killing enemies gives you money and with that money you can unlock chests, pay shrines to give you items, or buy companion drones to help fight by your side. Items and drones will carry through to the next level but money will not. So even if you stumble across the teleporter sometimes it is best to bypass it and collect more items or after you’ve activated it and killed the boss you can still run around freely to collect items before you decide to teleport.

Team communication: When playing multiplayer in Risk of Rain Returns I found myself utilising the text box quite a bit, not just to warn teammates that I was new to the game and I was accepting any tips, but also to let them know that there was loot to be picked up near me. At times other squad mates would type “R” in chat asking if the rest of us were ready to activate the teleporter or if we were ready to teleport to the next level. During a few instances, I found myself running to a chest and right as I reached it I had been teleported to the next level which was frustrating. So quickly I learned that communication is key when playing with other people. Utilise your keyboard and text box!

Play the Providence Trials: After putting a few rounds in with friends and by myself, I decided to browse the menus and I realised there is a challenge mode called “Providence Trials”. These mini-games not only unlock new skills for certain characters but they help sharpen your skills and get comfortable using different abilities. It is noteworthy that these trials allow you to set new records which adds to the replayability of the game. Also, it is noteworthy that some of these trials are the most rage-inducing challenges that I have played in the game. But being able it was notable how much more comfortable I was playing multiplayer with other people as I felt like I knew my character's skills and abilities even better than I had before.