Risk of Rain 2is one of the most addicting and unique roguelikes on the market, and developer Hopoo Games has worked hard to keep it that way. With newly-released DLCSurvivors of the Void, the first major expansion since coming out of Early Access, the devs had to go to great lengths to prove that they could continue to meaningfully support the game after its release.
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Thankfully, Hopoo Games continues to earn its stellar reputation and delivered a heap of new content that is completely in keeping with the spirit of the series. At the same time, there are lots of little things hidden within the big additions that turn the whole game on its head.
Spoiler alert: This article will touch on the new ending and final encounter added with Risk of Rain 2’s Survivors of the Void expansion.
10Items That Will Change The Meta
Survivors of the Voidadds 41 items toRisk of Rain 2,and with them come big changes to the way the game is played. The adorably named Ben’s Raincoat, for instance, protects players from all status effects. In terms of balancing, this is a very big deal.
Elites inflicting status effects were (and remain) incredibly lethal. With a Raincoat, the player is protected from the leading cause of death inRisk of Rain 2: Fire. Burn damage has ended more runs than the final boss, and it’s only one status effect that can kill. Others include losing the ability to heal, slowing the player down, and so on. Such items may be little things, but they change everything.
9Void Items Flip Have A Profound Effect On Power-Ups
Taking the corruption theme of the expansion and integrating it into gameplay, Void Items are an invention unique to the series. As corrupted versions of regular items, they deal opposite effects to their counterparts. It brings lots of flavor to the world and the game’s lore, but the gameplay changes are fundamental.
Void Items convert all normal items to their Void versions. Grabbing one means that players can’t utilize the non-corrupted form of that item. This class of items provides an entirely separate avenue for power scaling that players can engage with, on top of the ones in the base game.
8Railgunner’s Playstyle Requires A New Approach
Of course, the new survivors are the biggest draw. Hopoo Games have consistently provided distinct playstyles for every character, and the new kids on the block are no exception. Starting with the Railgunner, she prioritizes single target damage but has a weakness to small groups.
Unlike other characters, the Railgunner cannot randomly crit. InRisk of Rain 2,critical hits can be increased to 100% and will deal massive damage. How can Railgunner compete? She has guaranteed critical hits using her sniper ability, letting her see weak points on enemies. If her aim is true, she hits the critical, guaranteed. No other character works like this, and while it seems small, it drastically changes how she functions.
7Void Fiend’s Form-Switching Is Also Unique
Now Railgunner may have a unique playstyle, but compared to the rest of the roster, Void Fiend is a new beast entirely. A shadowy hybrid that swaps between two forms throughout the run, their abilities reflect the form they are in. This survivor is unlike any before in the series.
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All other characters have alternate abilities to choose from before a run, but the Void Fiend doesn’t. Instead, they use two sets of abilities at once. Their corruption meter is constantly filling, changing their form when it reaches max capacity. One form focuses on dependable slow damage and safe maneuverability, while the other is a speedy powerhouse. The corruption meter will probably never be used again, making Void Fiend a unique addition.Risk of Rain 2’stalented modding sceneadds more well-polished characters too.
6The Returning Gup Enemies Force Even Experts To Adapt
Repetition is the key to all roguelikes, and havingstrong variety in gameplay is a hallmark of the roguelike greats.Survivors of the Void’s list of new enemies not only provide even more variables to throw at the player during a run, they contrast the design and intention of enemies in the base game.
Enter, Gup. Returning from the firstRisk of Rain, they’re big balls of slime that (apparently) smell like strawberries. Killing a Gup makes it break into multiple smaller Gups, and each of those can separate too. Fighting one Gup means a player could be overrun, but several Gups make swarms. Gups are threatening enemies not because of their damage or high health, but because killing them is dangerous.
5New Stages, New Secrets
Five new stages have been created to mix things up, all with their own quirks and secrets. Every stage plays out differently, so adding more variety makescreating a buildmuch more interesting.
Just one stage would have presented players with a host of new decisions to make, but the random nature of roguelikes combined with this level of variety creates hundreds of tiny choices every run. Hopoo’s habit of hiding things makes exploring even more enticing. Only three of those stages have been added to the random pool, though. The other two are far more special.
4A Potentially Lore-Shattering New Ending
The final two stages added are unlike the others, being tied to the DLC’s biggest upset: a new ending. Expanding the game’s lore and scope as a whole is a challenge in itself, and it’s quite a feat just to get there.
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The game may randomly reward players with a purple portal after finishing a stage, letting them take the plunge if they so choose. These stages are set in the titular Void, an uncanny dimension reminiscent of an ocean with no water. Think lots of purple and flying whales, with strange lobster-like enemies. Once inside, however, players are locked in. The only way out is to defeat the secret boss.
3The Ultimate Final Encounter
After solving puzzles and surviving the Void’s dangerous denizens, players must defeat a massive new threat. If the added characters made Hopoo look ambitious, this final encounter is awe-inspiring. The scale of the final fight is unlike any other boss in the game thus far.
It feels like Hopoo used every lesson they learned fromRisk of Rain’sEarly Access period. In this fight, spectacle and gameplay perfectly align with thatRisk of Rainseal of quality players have come to expect. If that sounds too hard, then bring a friend.Risk of Rainwas released with co-op, a featureother roguelikes are adding post-launchthat adds to the fun.
2More Modes Leading To Even More Modes
Risk of Rain 2has two alternate modes, Eclipse mode, and the randomly generated Prismatic Trials. These are not the main attraction, though, and the Simulacrum aims to fill the gap.Adding a new mode implicitly sets upRisk of Rain 2as a platform for Hopoo, opening the door foreven more modes in the future.
It feels very much in line with what has come before, yet it’s easy to jump into.Risk of Rain 2is a stressful, high-speed experience,full of tricky challenges, and having a mode with no clear end is a casual way to experience the intensity in smaller sittings.
1More Of That Wonderful Music
Risk of Rain 2is multifaceted; there’s more to enjoy than just gameplay. Composer Chris Christodoulou consistently makes beautifully ethereal tracks that sellRisk of Rain’saesthetic. Leaning into the brooding theme, Christodoulou’s new tracks have an off-kilter sound that defies genres and sets the bar going forward for the series.
The album is now fully available, but they were first gradually drip-fed up until the DLC’s release. Like thePersona 5 Royalsoundtrack, the music was recently added to Spotify too. Clearly, Christodoulou’s name alone is enough to get players hyped, and the dramatic reveal of his music worked. This willingness to provide for the community is welcome in the gaming world.
Risk of Rain 2was released on Jul 08, 2025, and is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.Risk of Rain 2’sSurvivors of the Void DLC is now available on PC.
