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Paper that I will need: none, this is a write-up of my thoughts
Introduction: risk of rain has just been released on steam and players everywhere are scrambling to figure out the best order to play its levels. This paper aims at determining which characters are the most viable going forward. It also examines some strategies for playing each character. Finally, it offers up an opinionated tier list with explanations as well as player opinions from twitch chat! The following assumptions were made when making these rankings: only one version of each character was considered (so if two versions exist they will both be in place #32), all items have a base price cost of $500 except those noted otherwise, every level has four slots available unless otherwise noted, and each slot has a maximum value of $250.
This list is not exhaustive but it does cover the vast majority of viable characters in risk of rain! Along with this list we have included some tips for playing these lucrative operators.
Tier List: Tier one includes those who are on top when it comes to their ability across all levels while tier two players offer up strategies that make them useful even if they are particularly good at only one level or strategy (often due to an item). The abilities listed next to the character name represent what they’re best at overall; however, a player may find success using any of the strategies listed below as long as their team comp allows for it. Finally, tier three contains characters which will take a lot of work to be useful in higher levels, but can make it happen with the right strategy.
– Tier One: Cpt McPain, Skree, Clunk – Tier Two: Piper Nade King Fuzzy Wuzzies Deezil Ponce – Tier Three: Penny Fox Oompa Black Mage
Level One (The Sewers): The character that really stands out at this level is Tungsten because he has what seems like infinite grenades and you’re guaranteed to get plenty of items from these early enemies while they drop so many.
There are also some nerfs which makes playing as other characters a little more difficult.
Level Two (The Caves): The character that stands out most at this level is Tungsten because he has what seems like infinite grenades and you’re guaranteed to get plenty of items from these early enemies while they drop so many. There are also some nerfs which makes playing as other characters a little more difficult. Some people have found success when using Piper for the first time in the caves, but it’s really hard to say how well she fares past this point without having played her fully leveled up yet.
Level Three (The Sewers Again): A lot depends on your team comp by now and whether or not you want to take any risks with those higher-level fights coming down the line soon. If you have a team comp where everyone is very strong, then there’s less of an issue with this level. The biggest concern for me at this point in the game is that it takes forever and ever to get enough items to be able to upgrade your weapon so that when those higher-level fights come up later on, you will be ready.
Level Four (The Under): This can be really difficult or not depending on what type of character build you’re going for. The only characters I’ve had success with are Pogo Joe since he just jumps over everything which feels like cheating sometimes but also still makes him pretty powerful because he doesn’t take any damage from enemies if they can’t hit his position while he’s jumping; and Tofu Boy, who has a pretty strong shield but doesn’t do much more.
Level Five (The Mid): This is where the game really starts to get hectic and difficult. The only character I’ve had any success with so far in this tier are Robo Queen because she can just shoot her way out of anything that’s thrown at you or spawn drones for distraction purposes; and also Metalman since his lasers never miss.
Level Six (The Top): There are few characters that work well in this tier – Dr. Fetus because he seems to have infinite ammo, Omega Man from what limited experience I’ve had playing him, but Splash Woman too if you’re willing to spend time grinding for coins which will provide you with different weapons to make your life easier.
Level Seven (The Boss): This is where the game stops being about skill and starts becoming a matter of luck, which isn’t always fun when it comes to competitive games – Santa because he’s got one powerful attack but if you don’t have any presents around for him, then all he can do is jump at you; Grasshopper Man from what I’ve seen so far since his movement makes me feel really nauseous sometimes. If these two characters are anything like how they were in Risk of Rain though, then expect them to be pretty formidable foes against most opponents even on this high tier!
Explain Character Tier: As we move up each level of difficulty, the game changes more and more to become about luck, so these characters are much more likely to be balanced against one another.
Level Five (Boss): This is where it starts becoming obvious that some enemies have advantages over others – Robot Master from what I’ve seen because of her ridiculous range; Parasite Queen who can just fly away when you come close enough for a hit! You’ll also find bosses with different attacks on this tier like Boogerman whose projectiles will follow your character around if they’re not careful!
Explain Character Tier: At this point in difficulty levels, there seem to be definite weaknesses by each enemy type. From what we know at least so far based off experience in Risk of Rain though, it seems that robots are easy to go through early on and later bosses can be a bit more difficult.
Level Four: Enemy types seem like they have definite strengths from what we’ve seen so far, with the exception of those pesky humans! If you’re not careful when fighting them, you’ll find yourself having to fight off ranged foes while your character is at point-blank range. Robots know their limits though – as long as you stay out of reach or destroy their shots before they come close enough for contact, it seems that these enemies will only slow down your progress instead of actually stoping it altogether.
Level Three (Major): Enemies in this tier pose an interesting challenge because if one type has an advantage over another then there’s usually a way to turn that advantage around. For example, if you find yourself being attacked by a tough melee enemy then it’s probably best to switch over and take on ranged foes instead since they won’t be able to get too close without getting an arrow in the eye. Level Two: Enemies in this tier often have one or two “niche” strategies for defeat, but only against certain character types (for instance humans might fall prey to your trusty shotgun). When fighting these enemies with any other type of character then their strategy is vastly different so don’t expect much success unless everyone else dies first. Level One: This tier contains all those pesky little critters like zombies who are really only dangerous when there’s more than one
