How to Complete Every Character and Solve Their Secrets

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Risk of Rain 2 offers a lot of replay value with many characters to choose from. Not all of them are available from the start. When you begin, you have the Commando and Huntress unlocked. The rest of the characters are unlocked by completing specific challenges, such as finishing certain levels or defeating certain enemies.

Each character has a unique play style that adds to the game’s appeal. With their special abilities, there are nearly endless ways to play. Here’s how you unlock each playable survivor in Risk of Rain 2.

Updated November 11, 2025: This guide now includes details on unlocking the three characters introduced in the second DLC, Seekers of the Storm.

Commando

Unlock requirement: Starting character, available immediately.
Description: The Commando is the default hero and is quite simple to learn, making him a good choice for beginners. Despite being straightforward, he’s still powerful—be sure to check our tips on how to play effectively as Commando.

Huntress

Unlock requirement: Available by default.
Description: The Huntress was once locked behind a challenge, but now she is free to play from the start. If you’re familiar with the game, you might remember that unlocking her involved surviving three levels without dying. Her skills make her a fragile but fast and damaging character, known as a glass cannon. For advanced strategies, see our guide for mastering Huntress.

Bandit

Unlock requirement: Complete the Warrior challenge — finish the first three zones without dying. This can be done on any difficulty with any artifacts enabled.
Tips: For new players, balance looting with speed to avoid overextending. Make quick decisions when looting chests and defeating enemies to keep your run going strong. Lower the difficulty if needed to get comfortable with enemy behaviors and map layouts.

MUL-T

Unlock requirement: Finish five teleporter events. The total is cumulative across all game sessions, so you don’t need to do all in one run.
Tips: Focus on completing teleporter events, especially on easier settings, to unlock MUL-T faster. Once unlocked, study how to play this adaptable Survivor.

Engineer

Unlock requirement: Complete 30 stages across all your games.
Tips: Play on Drizzle difficulty and aim to reach teleporters quickly to speed up unlocking. Exploring less and rushing to teleporters can help you finish faster.

Artificer

Unlock requirement: Purchase her from the Bazaar merchant using 11 Lunar Coins (one to open the portal and ten to buy her outright).
Tips: Lunar Coins are rare, often gained by defeating the Obelisk boss in the third stage’s obliteration mode. Using Artificer’s high-damage abilities makes her worth the effort to unlock.

Mercenary

Unlock requirement: Obliterate yourself at an Obelisk, which appears in the third stage after completing one full cycle.
Tips: Find an Obelisk in the game world, then use it to destroy your character and end the run. You’ll also earn Lunar Coins that can be used to unlock other characters.

Rex

Unlock requirement: During the Abyssal Depths stage, escort a Fuel Array from your drop pod to power Rex. This will cause your character to explode at below 50% health.
Tips: Play cautiously with Rex, as carrying the Fuel Array halves your health. Play carefully to ensure you reach the stage where Rex is powered up.

Loader

Unlock requirement: Defeat the Alloy Worship Unit in the Siren’s Call stage by destroying five egg nests to spawn it.
Tips: The boss is difficult, but upon defeating it for the first time, you unlock Loader. The fight rewards you with a rare item as well.

Rex

Unlock requirement: Escort a Fuel Array through the Abyssal Depths, similar to Rex’s unlock. The Fuel Array is behind your drop pod and explodes if your health drops too low.
Tips: Be cautious—play on easier modes if needed, and avoid fall damage.

Loader

Unlock requirement: Destroy the Alloy Worship Unit during the Siren’s Call stage by destroying egg nests to spawn it.
Tips: Be prepared for a tough fight; success unlocks this powerful character.

Void Fiend

Unlock requirement: Reach the Void Locus—an inaccessible area accessed through a portal in the Void Fields after completing all nine cells—then defeat the Deep Void Signals to unlock the planetarium, or complete wave 50 in the Simulacrum mode.
Tips: In the Void Locus, you’ll need to defeat the Void Signals to advance. Alternatively, the wave-based challenge in the Simulacrum mode also grants this unlock.

Seeker

Unlock requirement: Available immediately after purchasing the Seekers of the Storm DLC.
Description: The Seeker is a support character that can heal and revive allies using her unique buff, Tranquility. She excels in group play but is also highly capable solo.

False Son

Unlock requirement: Use the Purified Freedom challenge involving defeating the boss Aurelionite in the Gilded Coast with a Halcyon Seed, which then summons the boss during a subsequent fight.
Tips: You’ll need to complete the challenge and defeat the boss with the seed to unlock this powerful boss character.

Chef

Unlock requirement: Collect and deliver specific items to his wok during the first stage on the Path of the Colossus in the Reformed Altar: Cautious Slug, Bison Steak, and Infusion. Completing the recipe unlocks him.
Tips: You can craft the recipe across multiple runs, and using the Artifact of Command can help gather the needed items faster.

The Heretic

Unlock requirement: Collect four specific Lunar items—Visions of Heresy, Hooks of Heresy, Essence of Heresy, and Strides of Heresy—and transform into the Heretic in the game.
Play through a run; after collecting all four items, you turn into the Heretic with a new set of abilities. Each new run requires collecting these items again to play as him.

Note: Some characters like the Heretic need to be re-unlocked every time you start a new run, as they do not have a permanent unlock status.

This covers all characters available in Risk of Rain 2, including the newest additions from the DLCs.