While we don’t yet know what all the characters in Risk of Rain 2 will be, we can talk about the ones we have. We can argue about which is best, and then all just agree it is the Engineer.
One of the best parts of Risk of Rain 2 is the character variety. The Huntress does substantial single target damage and can work over a boss like it owes her money. Mul-T can put out some impressive damage of his own, while also being versatile. The Mercenary is great for people who prefer a bit more hack-and-slash in their game. But the Engineer? The Engineer is the best at being the best. I have had good runs with all of them, but the Engineer’s power simply cannot be denied.
He Is Accessible
The first point in favor of the Engineer being the best character is that he is highly accessible. You place turrets, you place mines. They kill things. You have a little grenade launcher that can be charged up to throw out bomb clusters, and you have a nice dome shield. Easy to get to grips with, easy to play. If you struggle with the game when things get busy, the Engineer is always damaging something, thanks to those useful turrets.
Every Item Works On Him
Okay, so mild exaggeration, but it is so easy to get a good build going with the Engineer, even in a game where items are entirely random. Critical hits and attack speed? Sure, I love when my turrets absolutely destroy everything on screen. An item that heals you when you stand still? Absolutely! I love when my turrets become tiny, violent healing stations for my team. Tanky items work, damage items work, even some of the weird items like the ones that slow enemies, or set them on fire, work extremely well. You also get triple value from items, as everything affects you and both the turrets.
That Bubble Doesn’t Pop
His bubble shield stops all damage and has no ceiling as to how much damage it can stop. Instead, it just sits there absorbing damage until the time runs out, then you can instantly pop it again when the cooldown is done. Get yourself a couple of cooldown reduction items, and you can basically have the shield all the time. This makes it very hard to die as an Engineer.
He Has Good Team Utility
Being able to use your shield, and potential healing turrets, to help your teammates is really important. Boss fights in the late game at high difficulty can be tough to handle, and having a small, protected island of healing can be a massive advantage to your teammates.
Hopefully, this gives you all the reason you need to explore the Engineer character! He really is a powerful and versatile character, and his potentially insane healing and damage output make him incredibly strong.
Now, things change a bit at Monsoon difficulty. If you want a proper Tier list for the most difficult challenge in the game, you can find it here. While there are a couple of clearly superior characters when it comes to getting good runs going at Monsoon difficulty, you really need to play each one a few times to understand their strengths and weaknesses! Best of luck on your next run!
