Risk of Rain 2 Tier List — Every Survivor Ranked for 2026
Definitive Risk of Rain 2 tier list ranking every survivor from S to D tier. Covers base game, Survivors of the Void, and Seekers of the Storm DLC.
By the Choost Games team, indie game developers behind Granny's Rampage and Granny's Gambit. We play what we recommend.
Railgunner, Huntress, and Loader sit at S-tier for Risk of Rain 2 in 2026, followed closely by Void Fiend and Captain. This ranking covers all survivors from the base game, Survivors of the Void, and the Seekers of the Storm DLC, evaluated on scaling potential, safety, build flexibility, and contribution to late-game Eclipse runs.
What is the full Risk of Rain 2 survivor tier list?
Railgunner, Huntress, and Loader rank S-tier in Risk of Rain 2 for 2026. Void Fiend, Captain, Bandit, and Engineer fill A-tier. Commando, MUL-T, Artificer, and REX land in B-tier. Acrid, Heretic, and Seeker sit at C-tier, while Chirr occupies D-tier alone. This ranking covers all base game and DLC survivors.
| Tier | Survivors | Why They're Here |
|---|---|---|
| S | Railgunner, Huntress, Loader | Dominant scaling, safe at all stages, flexible builds |
| A | Void Fiend, Captain, Bandit, Engineer | Strong kits with one clear strength that carries runs |
| B | Commando, MUL-T, Artificer, REX | Viable but require specific items to feel good late |
| C | Acrid, Heretic, Seeker | Niche kits that work in specific setups but struggle generally |
| D | Chirr | Fun concept, inconsistent execution |
Which survivors are S-tier in Risk of Rain 2?
Railgunner, Huntress, and Loader are the three S-tier survivors in Risk of Rain 2. Railgunner dominates with massive scoped crits requiring no item dependency. Huntress is the safest survivor thanks to auto-aim and devastating proc chains. Loader deals the highest melee damage with built-in invincibility during her Charged Gauntlet dash.
| Survivor | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Railgunner | Scoped shot crits for massive damage with no item dependency, infinite attack speed scaling | Limited close-range options |
| Huntress | Auto-aim lets you never stop moving, Flurry turns every proc item into screen-clearing damage | Lower raw damage without proc items |
| Loader | Highest melee damage, invincible during Charged Gauntlet, passive shield prevents one-shots | Must close distance, riskier on Eclipse 8 |
Railgunner dominates because of one mechanic: her scoped shot crits for massive damage with no item dependency. She one-shots most bosses through stage 5 with just a few damage items, and her Supercharge ability scales infinitely with attack speed. The downside, limited close-range options, barely matters when everything dies before it reaches you.
Huntress is the safest survivor in the game. Her auto-aim means you never stop moving, and her Flurry alternate ability turns every proc item (Ukulele, ATG, Brilliant Behemoth) into a screen-clearing machine. She's the best survivor for learning Eclipse difficulty because she forgives positioning mistakes that would kill anyone else.
Loader hits harder in melee than any other survivor and is functionally invincible during her Charged Gauntlet dash. Her Thunderslam ability gives her mobility that other melee characters lack, and her passive shield prevents one-shot deaths. The only reason she's not the clear number one is that her kit requires closing distance, which gets riskier on Eclipse 8.
Which Risk of Rain 2 survivors are A-tier?
Void Fiend, Captain, Bandit, and Engineer are A-tier survivors in Risk of Rain 2. Each excels in one specific area: Void Fiend's corrupted form deals massive damage, Captain provides unmatched team utility, Bandit chains cooldown resets for burst kills, and Engineer's Bungus turrets create unkillable healing zones.
| Survivor | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Void Fiend | Devastatingly powerful corrupted form | Transformation meter management requires practice |
| Captain | Orbital Probes and Hacking Beacons, best team utility | Lacks innate scaling for solo Eclipse runs |
| Bandit | Highest single-target burst via Lights Out cooldown resets | Weak crowd-clearing without specific items |
| Engineer | Bungus turret healing zones create unkillable death fields | Stationary playstyle, depends on turret placement |
Void Fiend is a risk-reward character. His corrupted form is devastatingly powerful, but managing the transformation meter requires practice. In the right hands, he's S-tier. In average hands, he's B-tier. We split the difference.
Captain brings team utility that no one else can match, his Orbital Probes and Hacking Beacons make early stages trivial. He falls off compared to S-tiers in solo Eclipse runs because he lacks innate scaling, but in multiplayer he's arguably the best pick.
Bandit has the highest single-target burst damage of any survivor thanks to Lights Out resetting all cooldowns on kill. Against bosses with add phases (most of them), he chains resets indefinitely. His weakness is crowd-clearing without specific items.
Engineer with Bungus turrets is a meme for a reason, it works. Stationary turrets with healing zones create unkillable death fields. It's cheesy, it's boring to watch, and it wins runs consistently.
Which Risk of Rain 2 survivors are B-tier?
Commando, MUL-T, Artificer, and REX are B-tier survivors in Risk of Rain 2. All four are viable but depend heavily on finding the right items early. Without specific item combinations, they struggle to keep up in late-game Eclipse stages where S-tier and A-tier survivors pull ahead.
| Survivor | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Commando | Solid baseline, attack speed scaling, Phase Round invincibility | Nothing exceptional without very specific items |
| MUL-T | Highest theoretical DPS with Rebar Puncher procs | Large hitbox makes him a damage magnet |
| Artificer | Most raw damage in base kit | Worst mobility in the roster, dies to stray hits |
| REX | Self-healing on every attack | Self-damage on best abilities, item-dependent tightrope |
Commando is the baseline. He does everything okay and nothing exceptionally. His double-tap scales with attack speed items, and Phase Round gives him brief invincibility, but he never feels powerful the way S-tiers do without very specific item combinations.
MUL-T has the highest theoretical DPS in the game if you get Rebar Puncher with the right procs, but his large hitbox makes him a damage magnet. Runs live or die based on whether you find defensive items early.
Artificer has the most raw damage in her base kit but the worst mobility. She can one-phase teleporter bosses in early stages, then dies to a stray wisp on stage 4 because she can't dodge. Ion Surge helps, but it's a bandaid on a fundamental problem.
REX heals himself with every attack, which sounds great until you realize he damages himself to use his best abilities. He's a tightrope walk, incredible when items support the health-cost playstyle, frustrating when they don't.
Which Risk of Rain 2 survivors are C-tier or D-tier?
Acrid, Heretic, and Seeker sit at C-tier, while Chirr lands in D-tier in Risk of Rain 2. These survivors have niche or inconsistent kits that work in specific setups but are outperformed in most runs. They are best treated as fun variety picks rather than competitive choices.
| Survivor | Tier | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrid | C | Consistent poison damage across the whole stage | Slow damage, melee forces dangerous range |
| Heretic | C | Glass cannon with unique transformation mechanic | No defensive options, abilities drain health |
| Seeker | C | Interesting chi and meditation kit | Clunky execution compared to polished survivors |
| Chirr | D | Can convert enemies into allies | Inconsistent results, outperformed across the board |
Acrid poisons everything on the stage, then waits. His damage is consistent but slow, and his melee abilities force him into dangerous range without the tools to survive there. Best used as a "break glass in case of boredom" pick.
Heretic is a transformation, not a character, you become her by collecting four Lunar Heresy items. She's a glass cannon with no defensive options and abilities that actively drain health. A style pick for experienced players, not a competitive choice.
Seeker from the Seekers of the Storm DLC has an interesting kit centered around chi and meditation mechanics, but the execution feels clunky compared to the polished survivors above. Likely to improve with patches.
Chirr can convert enemies into allies, which is a wild concept that doesn't consistently produce useful results. Fun for a few runs, then you realize Huntress just kills everything faster.
Does item RNG matter more than survivor choice in Risk of Rain 2?
Item RNG matters more than survivor choice in Risk of Rain 2. A low-tier survivor with strong early items will outperform an S-tier pick with bad drops. The tier list reflects ceiling potential assuming average luck. Top-tier survivors rank highest because they perform well even without perfect items.
Honestly, item RNG matters more than survivor choice in Risk of Rain 2. A Commando who finds Soldier's Syringe, Predatory Instincts, and Harvester's Scythe in the first three stages will outperform a Railgunner who gets three Cautious Slugs. The tier list reflects ceiling potential with average luck, not guaranteed outcomes.
The survivors at the top are there because they perform well without perfect items and become absurd with them. That's the real metric.
What we make at Choost
Choost Games is a small indie studio behind two roguelike titles. Granny's Rampage is a bullet heaven shooter available for $2.99 on Steam and itch.io, and free on Google Play. Granny's Gambit is a Victorian deckbuilder roguelike, pay-what-you-want on itch.io. Both feature chaotic power-scaling gameplay.
We're a small indie studio. Our games: Granny's Rampage, a bullet heaven where grandma grabs a minigun and fights through hell, and Granny's Gambit, a Victorian deckbuilder roguelike starring a card-slinging nan with a chip on her shoulder. Granny's Rampage is $2.99 on itch (Windows) and free on Google Play (Android), and on Steam since June 22 (also $2.99). Granny's Gambit is pay-what-you-want on itch.
More Roguelike Content from Choost
Choost Games covers more roguelike and roguelite content beyond this tier list. Related guides include a dedicated list of games like Risk of Rain 2, a roundup of the best roguelite games overall, and the studio's own bullet heaven Granny's Rampage, which delivers the same chaotic power-scaling that defines the genre.
If you're into the kind of chaotic power-scaling that makes Risk of Rain 2 special, check out our guide to games like Risk of Rain 2, the best roguelite games, and our own bullet heaven Granny's Rampage where the power curve gets equally ridiculous.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best survivor in Risk of Rain 2 in 2026?
Railgunner, Huntress, and Loader are the three S-tier survivors in Risk of Rain 2 for 2026. Railgunner leads with massive scoped crits that need no item dependency, Huntress is the safest pick thanks to auto-aim and proc chains, and Loader hits harder in melee than anyone else with built-in invincibility during her Charged Gauntlet.
Is Huntress or Railgunner better in Risk of Rain 2?
Both are S-tier. Railgunner has higher single-target damage and can one-shot most bosses through stage 5 with minimal items. Huntress is safer overall because auto-aim lets you never stop moving, and her Flurry alternate ability turns every proc item into a screen-clear. Pick Railgunner for boss damage, Huntress for survivability and learning Eclipse.
Does survivor choice or item RNG matter more in Risk of Rain 2?
Item RNG matters more. A Commando who finds Soldier's Syringe, Predatory Instincts, and Harvester's Scythe in the first three stages will outperform a Railgunner stuck with three Cautious Slugs. S-tier survivors rank highest because they perform well without perfect items and become absurd with them, but drops still drive most run outcomes.
Which Risk of Rain 2 survivors are worst in 2026?
Chirr is the only D-tier survivor, with an inconsistent enemy-conversion gimmick that rarely produces useful results. C-tier survivors Acrid, Heretic, and Seeker have niche kits that can work in specific setups but struggle in most runs compared to higher-tier picks. They are best treated as fun variety choices rather than competitive selections.
