Risk of Rain 2: How to Unlock All Characters (Rex, Mercenary & More)

The chaotic third-person shooter, rogue-like multiplayer action has returned in Risk of Rain 2, which has just hit Steam Early Access. Players will explore a new dimension, fighting their way through hordes of monsters, grabbing loot as they go, and ultimately looking for a way off the planet. Here’s how to unlock all characters in Risk of Rain 2.

Unlocking characters in Risk of Rain 2 requires you to meet certain criteria, many of which are hinted at within the game’s Log Page. However, if you’re looking for a list you can quickly flick through without having to figure out the hints, look no further, we’ve got you covered.

How to Unlock All Characters in Risk of Rain 2

Commando

The Commando character is available as soon as you boot up Risk of Rain 2. There’s nothing more to it.

Engineer

The first of the true unlockable characters in Risk of Rain 2 is the Engineer. You’ll need to beat 30 levels in total during your time playing the game. These don’t have to be completed in a single run, though, so take your time and enjoy yourself. Over time, you’ll unlock Engineer naturally.

Huntress

For this one, you’ll need to beat the first level three times in a row without dying in Risk of Rain 2. This is pretty simple to do, particularly if you’ve got a few friends playing alongside you in co-op. If you’re struggling try playing Risk of Rain 2 in co-op.

Artificer

To unlock the Artificer in Risk of Rain 2, you’ll need to start racking up Lunar Coins. Specifically, you’ll need 10. Once you’ve got 10 Lunar Coins, look out for Newt Statues. These are those shiny blue rocks you’ve probably seen along your adventure through the different levels.

Activate one of these, which will cost you one Lunar Coin and you’ll be given a blue orb. Continue playing through the level and beat the boss. Don’t go through the teleporter at this point as you normally would, though. Instead, you’ll want to look for a blue portal that takes you to the Bazaar.

You can then use your remaining 10 Lunar Coins to buy the Mage from here. It’s worth noting that it has no defense, no utility, and no mobility, but a high damage output and a flamethrower ultimate.

Mercenary

The next of the unlockable characters in Risk of Rain 2 appears to be at the hands of the RNG gods, and honestly, there’s a little confusion on how to unlock them. You’ll first need to wait until a Celestial Portal appears, which players believe spawns in after one loop at the end of the third wave, though this could also just be RNG.

Once it appears, head through the teleporter and you’ll come across an Obelisk. You’ll have two choices here: destroy yourself at an obelisk or enter the portal. Either choice will result in you unlocking Mercenary, but if you choose to ‘Obliterate’ yourself, you’ll unlock Mercenary immediately.

Mul-T

Mul-T is actually straightforward to unlock in Risk of Rain 2, it’s just a case of grinding out the first level boss. You’ll need to beat the first level’s teleport boss five times in five separate matches. Upon doing so, you’ll be awarded with Mul-T. Some sources have claimed that this character can also be unlocked by getting to the third area in less than 10 minutes and opening the box. We have not been able to verify this ourselves as of yet.

Rex

This weird mesh of robot and plant is the latest character to arrive in the game as part of the Scorched Acres update. At the start of the game, walk around to the back of the escape pod and press E to remove the Fuel Array out of it. Head to the Abyssal Depths and keep an eye out for Rex.

You’ll likely need to use the various vents to blast you up onto the higher levels, and you’ll also need to keep an eye out for Rex’s red-colored back as its collapsed on the floor. Walk on over to it and use E again to insert the Fuel Array into this plant-bot and you’ll unlock Rex as a playable character.

What If a Character Isn’t Unlocking?

With Risk of Rain 2 being in early access, there is a chance that some of the characters may not unlock on your first try. For example, some players have claimed that Engineer didn’t unlock upon beating 30 levels, some of which may have been completed in co-op. If this is the case, we suggest just continuing to try and meet the requirements for each character as listed above.

If any of the unlockable characters are bugged or not tracking correctly in Risk of Rain 2, with a bit of luck it won’t be too long until developer Hopoo Games gets an update rolled out with a fix.

That’s all you need to know on how to unlock all characters in Risk of Rain 2. For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to search for Twinfinite.