As promised, we won't be forgetting about Risk of Rain 2 even tho we are not playing it as much as we used too. A couple months ago when I finished my Void Fiend run I made a tier list that I have not shared yet but replaying Bandit today reminded me how fun he is so I've decided to publish it now.
Now this is my tier list based on fun, not OP-ness (because eventually everyone can become OP with the right items/ set up). No, this tier list is based on who I consider the most fun especially early game when the survivors' strengths shine the most.
Coming in dead last in the C tier is the Heretic. In all honesty, the Hectic is very low because you can not pick her from the start of the game. She is a special character you need to unlock piece by piece and whilst she is pretty strong and has a triple jump, I really did not think I enjoyed playing her that much. Sure she has some unique mechanics like using Ruin after stacking tons of debuffs on folks or holding them in place with her Slicing Maelstrom ability but the early micro management of her perma health debuff and no way to change up your abilities (which every other Survivor can do) makes her a decent character but definitely a last pick for me.
The lowest rank of the B tier begins with the Artificer sadly. When I first started RoR 2 I actually thought I would have fun with the Artificer and her unique movement/ floating mechanic. I actually picked her up third after Commando and Huntress but as I played her more, I found her rather restricting and you need to do a lot of on the fly play. Placing her Snapfreeze ice wall correctly, making sure you do not dash when casting her flamethrower cause it'll cancel it, making sure you keep an eye on your primary because you can't rapid fire with it (unlike the rest of the cast). Now unlike the Heretic I think I might re-visit the Artificer and see if I can find a build that'll make her more enjoyable to play esp with the buff to fire attacks and fire centric items included in the DLC. I also played her early in my RoR 2 runs so I was not used to the mechanics and nuances of the game yet.
Right after her is MUL-T. MUL-T is a strange one, whilst I did not connect with Artificer's mechanics for MUL-T it is the general aesthetics I can not connect with. Sure he has one of the most versatile tool kits (pun intended) for their primary attack and a unique ability to carry multiple equipment which definitely comes in handy, I did not like his movement options nor his secondary. On top of that, I only enjoyed playing him once I download a character mod that turned him into a robo dinosaur because before that both his skins are very lacking. Whilst the Artificer will get a revisit soon, MUL-T may stay at the bottom of the scrap heap.
Also to no surprise, the Engineer comes up next. The Engineer unique turret based/ protect a spot playstyle was always a hard sell to me. One of the things I enjoy most of RoR 2 is how mobile you can be and how you can just traverse big areas with some simple speed items. However Engineer's playstyle is the opposite of that and in the end I enjoyed him but not enough to keep using him. One thing I'll say tho is with the 'Command' artifact that lets you pick your items, you can make the Engineer OP very quickly and the game becomes a breeze. I recall my Monsoon run with him being super easy even despite playing on the hardest difficulty.
The highest in the B tier is Acrid. Whilst I like the 'Poison doggo' memes as much as the next person, Acrid's fun playstyle for me really falls apart in the later game when enemies are less affected by his poison and getting up and close with some enemies in the later game as a melee Survivor can be a suicide mission. Sure you can leap from spot to spot like the Hulk but that is also a bit hard to control sometimes and you can leap over things you need. Fun to play just to muck around with not fun enough to rise above B tier.
Last in the A tier aka fun for occasional runs but not main is the ubiquitous Commando. One of the starting characters and easiest to pick up and the character I played for the longest time whilst getting used to the game. For a long time I thought I would only used Commando until I started unlocking the other Survivors. Commando is amazing when you just want to point and shoot and he is perfect for that. His skill complement this playstyle very well and some of his unlockable skills like his Tactical Slide and Phase Blast make him even more fun to play. Also it is something about hitting folks with his Suppressive Fire special and stacking debuffs on them which is so satisfying. The only reason why he is not higher is his simplicity is also his curse. After awhile you want to do more and the game has so much freedom that playing with a straight line when you can make angles and circles feel restricting. Amazing starting character tho so kudos to Hopoo for a perfect entry point into the game and to teach us the mechanics.
Ironically, the next A tier Survivor is the Void Fiend which a lot people say is a corrupted by the Void commando. Much like the Commando, the Void Fiend has a very simple game plan but their ability to go from a non-corrupted state to a corrupted state and completely change their abilities is what makes them shine above the ones below them. Sure you got to micro manage something again but unlike Heretic's micro management of her health, you can easily control Void Fiend's corruption and really unleash it when you need it. To go from a distance specialist where it's primary Drown has infinite range to an almost blaster effect when it changes into Corrupted Drown. Also their traversal abilities are amazing for getting to hard to reach places and makes them a threat all the time. The Void Fiend was the last Survivor I played and its a real testament to it's design that I instantly enjoyed using them.
REX is up next and well I can say I was pleasantly surprised by him. Definitely not the most aesthetic pleasing character but unlike MUL-T whom I feel does not have a unique personality REX has a strange charm to them that make me like him more. I can not even describe it but the first time I saw them tunnel through the ground and push things away with their secondary ability DIRECTIVE: Disperse or its alternate Bramble Volley I loved it. Combine with one of the funniest interactions by using Tangling Growth ability to draw people into things (including slamming the hidden Alloy Worship Unit boss into a pillar for hella damage) makes REX a pick I would do for fun more often then not. Also again the micro managing of health is so much easier cause he has many ways to get it back. REX is a great example of changing the gameplay loop in a way where you are not just pointing and shooting and instead using terrain to your advantage. Heck one of the ways to unlock their alternate skill was to push a Dune Strider boss into a hole. It was an amazing feeling.
Just falling outside of the S tier is traversal queen the Loader. Remember when I mentioned earlier I love movement in this game? My God, the feeling you get when you swing from place to place at break neck speed with the Loader is a rush like no other. Combining that with a powered up punch that decimates life bars and you have a real fun time. Whilst I definitely lack in the skill department to use the Loader to her maximum potential I still enjoyed using her. I also love how the developers knew you'll be flying off things are being rocketed out of bounds so much that she does not have a fall damage penalty. Loader also can get into the thick of things and swing 'dez hands' with impunity because she also gets a mini shield as she smacks them. I believe if I spent more time getting down the nuances of speedy travelling with them she would definitely join the S tier.
Speaking of S tier this list is getting long so we will doing a part 2 with the S tier and my explanations why they belong their in a couple days. Please stay tuned for it.
AV
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