Now two years after Risk of Rain 2 entered early access, it is set to release its first large expansion, Survivors of the Void. The expansion promises to revitalize the game and add all sorts of void-related elements to shake up the roguelike. This may just be the thing that pulls old players back or brings new players in.
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New Playable Survivors in Risk of Rain 2
Currently, Risk of Rain 2 has 10 different survivors with their own unique playstyles. Survivors of the Void promises to increase that number by two with the addition of the Railgunner and an unannounced survivor. The Railgunner is a long-range single-target specialist, so players will have to be careful not to take too many monsters on at a time, or they may get overwhelmed quickly.
Utilizing her trusty M99 Sniper, players can activate the long-range scope, highlighting weak points and delivering massive piercing damage. Once a shot has been fired using the scope there will be a cooldown, but that’s where her XQR Smart Round System comes into play. While it will not deliver the same amount of damage as the scoped mode, it will send off rapid-fire rounds that make it perfect for close-range attacks. Along with the M99 Sniper comes a concussion device that has two different uses. The Railgunner can use it along with a well-timed jump to propel her high up in the air, or it can be used to knock back encroaching enemies.
The Railgunner’s special ability is Supercharge, which overloads her railgun and allows it to fire one huge piercing round that will one-shot almost anything, which will definitely help players attempting to beat the final boss Mithrix. The big drawback, however, is that the player can only use the concussion device for five seconds.
New Game Mode in Risk of Rain 2
Along with the Railgunner, Survivors of the Void will introduce a brand-new game mode called simulacrum, which will be a wave-based arena mode. There are an endless number of waves, it only ends when the last survivor dies. Each wave will be worse than the last and every fifth wave a random difficult boss will spawn.
Monsters will spawn inside a safe zone that will move to a new location after every boss wave. Traversing outside the safe zone is dangerous but doing so may reward the player with more items. The occasional wave will also have a mutator attached that will either help or hinder the player. Once a wave is successfully completed, each player will be able to select one of three items to increase their power.
New Environments and Monsters to Fight
Players will be able to explore brand-new environments filled with brand-new difficult dangers when the expansion releases, but only two have been revealed so far. The first is known as the Snowy Forest. Inside this new land, the player may encounter an invader from the void known as the Void Jailer. Its main attack will slow down the player and its secondary attack will lock them in place. Once it is killed, the Void Jailer will release a large void explosion that will damage anything in its vicinity.
Another new environment is the Aphelian Sanctuary which looks to be a desert region dotted with ruins. Look to the skies as one of the new monsters roaming this land is The Blind Pest, a furry flying mouth with a giant green tongue. Not much is known about their moveset, but they will likely prove to be a menace.
New Items in Risk of Rain 2
One of the biggest things to come with this expansion is the introduction of Void Items. They are copies of existing items, like the Lost Seer’s Lenses, that when collected will absorb any versions of the original item the player has already collected increasing its own power. Each Void Item has warped effects that are similar but different from their non-void versions.
Risk of Rain 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One. The Survivors of the Void expansion launches on March 1, 2022.
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