Risk of Rain Returns: How to Unlock ALL Characters -

Risk of Rain is back and better than ever, with plenty of characters to unlock. And in today’s guide, I will tell you how to unlock all the characters in the game.

This iconic roguelike brings new survivors, as well as content from Risk of Rain 2 – for a total of 15 characters that you can unlock in the game. Some are easier to get than others, but with this guide you’ll know how to unlock them all.

So without further ado, let’s see how to unlock all characters in Risk of Rain Returns!

Guide to Unlocking all Survivors in Risk of Rain Returns

Note: There are some minor spoilers when it comes to unlocking all the characters in the game. Be warned (although they’re not very big spoilers).

Acrid – Unlock Acrid by finding and freeing this survivor during a run. Not sure how random Acrid pops up, but the likely location is in the Sunken tombs map in the top right corner area. (Other locations might be possible)

Artificer – To unlock the Artificer, you need to visit 10 unique stages in total (so not in a single run).

Bandit – Unlock Bandit by completing the teleporter event on Stage 3.

Chef – To unlock Chef, you must get these items in a single run: Meat Nugget, Bustling Fungus, Bitter Root, and Foreign Fruit.

Commando – Commando is available from the start.

Related reading: If you’re into roguelikes, you must check out the previous article sharing the tier list for Beneath Oresa.

Drifter – Unlock Drifter by recycling 6 drones in a single playthrough.

Enforcer – To unlock Enforcer, defeat the Magma Worm, Wandering Vagrant, and Colossus at least once. This does not need to be achieved in a single run.

HAN-D – Find HAN-D on the final level in the “Cargo 2” area of the map. Interact with what appears to be a grey door to unlock this character.

Huntress – Like Commando, Huntress is unlocked and available immediately upon launching the game.

Loader – Unlock Loader by obtaining 30 unique items in one playthrough.

Mechanic – To unlock Mechanic, purchase a total of 40 drones. This task can be spread across multiple runs.

Mercenary – Unlock Mercenary by beating the game five times.

Miner – To unlock Miner, go to Stage 4 Magma Barracks and find a tunnel in the bottom-right corner leading to Elder Lemurian “Direseeker”.

Defeat this enemy to unlock Miner. Note that this tunnel is not always accessible – not sure what makes it accessible (or not). Wait for a new playthrough if you don’t get it during a run.

Pilot – Unlock Pilot by collecting 15 different Monster Logs. These logs are sometimes dropped after defeating a monster for which you do not already have a log.

Sniper – Unlock Sniper by beating the game once.

Final words

Now you know how to unlock all characters in Risk of Rain Returns. If there’s a different way to unlock them – or if I forgot to mention an important detail for unlocking each character, let me know by commenting below.

And if you’re into roguelikes, until I publish more guides for this game, you can check out the previous guide sharing how to hire a sea crew in Sea of Survivors, or how to get any class in Lost Chapter.

Common Sense Gamer’s founder and current Editor in Chief. Having a bachelor’s degree in journalism since 2007, Calin’s entire career revolves around writing about video games – something he’s been doing since 2008.