The deeper you get into Risk of Rain 2, the more you realize that survival isn’t just about getting lucky with items or finding the teleporter fast. It’s about mastering a balanced mindset, moving with intent, and refining your gameplay philosophy. Below is a series of ten advanced tips designed to anchor your runs with consistency, clarity, and control—especially if you’re aiming to improve.

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1. Time Doesn’t Matter—Efficiency Does

There’s a lot of noise around how long you should spend on each stage. Three minutes? Seven? The real answer is: time doesn’t matter, as long as you spend it efficiently. That means actively scouting, looting, and progressing—not idly wandering. If you’re making progress by grabbing chests, prepping for the teleporter, and staying mobile, you’re doing it right. Whether that takes three or eight minutes doesn’t matter. Focus on action density, not the stopwatch.

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2. Full Loot Every Stage

Say this out loud: Items make you stronger faster than time makes enemies stronger. That’s your mantra. Get everything you can. One efficient approach is to loot roughly 70% of the stage first, trigger the teleporter, and then finish looting the rest after the event. This pattern gives you a strong foothold without compromising pace. Looting isn’t optional—it’s the backbone of your scaling.

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3. Use Particle Effects to Find the Teleporter

Can’t find the teleporter? Look up. It emits glowing yellow particles that rise into the sky and can be seen from a distance. Spot them once, and you’ll never unsee them. The exception is Stage 5, where—for some unknown reason—they’re blue. Still, they’re there. Use them. Save time, save your run.

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4. Kill Before 99%—Enemies Stop Spawning at the End

Enemies stop spawning when the teleporter reaches 99%. That means if you’re trying to farm for that one last chest, you’d better do it before then. Not only that, but enemies during the teleporter event give less gold than pre-event enemies. So if you’re scraping for money, you’ll get more value out of farming before starting the teleporter than after it’s nearly done. Plan accordingly.

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5. Dodging Beats Healing Every Time

Healing is nice. Dodging is better. In Risk of Rain 2, the best healing is not getting hit. That’s not just cute advice—it’s a reality. Sure, pick up a few Slugs or Fungus here and there, but don’t overcommit. Prioritize movement items—Energy Drink, Hopoo Feather, Paul’s Goat Hoof—over stacks of healing. If you’re moving correctly, you’ll need healing far less often.

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6. Multiplicative Damage Is the Secret Sauce

It took over a thousand hours to realize this one for some players, but here it is: damage from different sources is multiplicative, not additive. One Tri-Tip Dagger, one Crowbar, and one Armor-Piercing Round together do far more than three of the same item. Variety amplifies damage in a way stacking doesn’t. Build combinations, not copies.

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7. Balance Your Build With Four Core Elements

Every strong build has a balance of four pillars:

• Mobility
• Damage
• Damage Reduction
• Healing

If you’re stacked on damage, grab some defense. If you’ve got healing covered, focus on movement. Think of your build as a system of gears—when one gets too big, the whole thing can grind to a halt. Play toward balance, and you’ll notice how much smoother your runs feel.

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8. Always Be Sprinting

Seriously. After every action—open chest, shoot, activate a skill—you should be sprinting. Make it instinct. Certain survivors like Captain or Engineer can charge their primary while sprinting, so there’s no excuse. The moment you make sprinting your base state, your dodging, survivability, and pace skyrocket. It’s the ultimate habit. Practice it. Drill it. Live it.

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9. Learn From Every Death

You will die. A lot. That’s Risk of Rain 2. But it’s also your greatest teacher. Don’t rage-quit or blame the game. Instead, ask: Why did I die? Was I too slow? Did I take a Shrine of the Mountain I couldn’t handle? Was I underpowered or too greedy? These are the questions that turn casual players into masters. Every run ends. It’s what you take from it that matters.

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10. Learn From Others

No one knows everything about this game—and that’s fine. The best way to improve is to watch other players who are better than you. You’ll pick up habits, see new strategies, and develop an instinct for what works. Whether it’s YouTube, Twitch, or Discord, surrounding yourself with smarter play accelerates your own growth. The community is full of knowledge—tap into it.

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Bonus: Play How You Want—Just Know the Trade-Offs

If you like standing still with 100 Bustling Fungus on Drizzle mode, go for it. Play however you enjoy. But if you’re here to improve, these ten tips are your foundation. They’ll keep you on the path of steady growth, better consistency, and deeper understanding of the game’s systems. And who knows? Your next favorite build or strategy might come from something you never expected—so keep learning, keep dying, and above all, keep playing.

See you in part two.