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Risk of Rain 2 has 12 Survivors, but none as complicated as the Artificer.
She is considered the weakest link in Risk of Rain 2, which isn’t entirely true. She is weak, but she is also insanely powerful – provided you know how to master her.
And because the Risk of Rain 2 Artificer is hard to master, nobody really wants to put in the effort.
But, after the developers recently beefed up the Artificer in RoR2, we decided to give her another go.
Risk of Rain 2 – Artificer Guide
The thing with Artificer is that she has some of the best attacks in Risk of Rain 2, but she also has the worst survivability in the game. So, unless you are capable of killing your enemies first, you’ll find the Artificer very annoying.
Luckily, we have found ways for you to kill before you die using RoR2 Artificer. We’ve some build ideas, some items to equip, and some playing tips to help you make the best use of Artificer in Risk of Rain 2.
But first, you’ll have to unlock Risk of Rain 2 Artificer, and there are 3 ways of doing that.
How to Unlock Artificer in Risk of Rain 2?
Directions given in the game to unlock Artificer is Risk of Rain 2 are, let’s just say, insufficient. You only get a one-liner saying, ‘Free the Survivor suspended in time,’ which honestly sounds like a line from a Christopher Nolan film.
In other words, there is no clear answer on how to unlock Artificer in Risk of Rain 2 within the game.
We have the answer, as well as a 3-step guide so you can unlock and enjoy this interesting RoR2 character.
Step 1: Gather 11 Lunar Coins
In case you don’t know about Lunar Coins, these are giant blue-colored coins you can collect as a reward for defeating an enemy. You won’t get one after every kill because these are a rare item in RoR2 but stay on the lookout after killing a boss.
If you look at your RoR2 screen, you’ll see two rows with dollar signs- one in gold and the other in white. The white one represents the number of Lunar Coins you have.
And, to free the “Survivor suspended in time,” you need to gather 11 Lunar Coins.
Why 11? Keep reading.
Step 2: Find a Newt Altar
Once you have the 11 Lunar Coins, it’s time to go shopping in the ‘Bazaar Between Time.’ If you don’t know the location of a Newt Altar, this Risk of Rain 2 wiki page can be a big help.
When you find a Newt Altar, you’ll have to interact with it and donate 1 Lunar Coin. Doing so will generate a Blue Orb besides the Teleporter.
That Blue Orb will charge the Teleporter, and once the Teleporter reaches a full charge, a Blue Portal will appear. Just walk into the Blue Portal, and you shall reach the ‘Bazaar Between Time.’
Step 3: Buy the Artificer from the Crystal Giant
Entering the Blue Portal will lead you to a shop in the ‘Bazaar Between Time’ where you can see plenty of rare items. If you have enough Lunar Coins, buy whatever you want but keep 10 Lunar Coins on the side to unlock Artificer.
All you have to do is interact with the Crystal Giant, and he’ll give you the option of unlocking the Artificer. Pay him the price and enjoy the RoR2 Artificer.
Risk of Rain 2 – Artificer Best Skills
Artificer has about 8 unique skills, which aren’t the best, to be honest, but you can improve them by using the right items. Let’s take a look at the skills, so you can decide which ones to focus on for an effective Risk of Rain 2 Artificer build.
1. ENV Suit – Artificer’s Passive Skill
Other characters in RoR2 have better Passive skills, but Artificer’s ENV suit proves to be the perfect fit. The suit gives her the ability to hover in the air which is great for two reasons- it helps avoid fall damage and is the best way to escape lethal enemies.
Artificer isn’t the most mobile character in Risk of Rain 2, but the ENV suit amps up the speed to some extent.
2. Flame Bolt & Plasma Bolt – Artificer’s Primary Skills
Artificer has 2 primary skills, one to deal a lethal blow to a single enemy the other one to explode a small area (best for group battles.)
Moreover, the Flame Bolt is better for killing enemies closer to you, and for a long-range kill, use the Plasma Bolt.
The Flame Bolt can cause 220% damage by igniting an enemy while the Plasma Bolt also causes 220% damage by exploding a radius.
The one thing that no one likes, including us, is that both Primaries have a 1.3 seconds cooldown. So, you better deliver the final blow before you get killed during the cooldown.
3. Charged Nano Bomb & Cast Nano Spear – Artificer’s Secondary Skills
Artificer’s true strength lies in her Secondary skills. Both the Nano Bomb and the Nano Spear deal excessive damage, with Nano Bomb going as high as 2000% and the Nano Spear going up to 1200%.
The Nano Bomb will charge as you walk around and takes 2 seconds for a full charge. It does have an impressive 14m blast radius but there’s the 5s cooldown too.
On the other hand, the Nano Spear is considered the Artificer’s best offense. It will freeze up your enemies and if the enemy’s health is below 35%, they’ll die instantly. While they are frozen, you can prepare other skills like the Flame Bolt or a Nano Bomb to finish them off.
4. Flamethrower & Iron Surge – Artificer’s Special Skills
Artificer’s Special skills are right up there with the very best. We are a massive fan of the Flamethrower because of its 4000%+ damage dealing and because it can reduce anyone to smoke. Plus, it’s a crowd killer.
With multiple enemies in front of you, the Flamethrower is your best bet. But, it’s got a 5s cooldown, so use it carefully.
The second Special of Artificer is as boring as the first one is exciting. All Iron Surge will do is stun any nearby enemies and toss you up in the air. It’s more of a defensive skill that still manages to deal 800% damage. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is plain boring.
5. Snapfreeze – Artificer’s Utility
Artificer’s Utility is something we find very useful in Team Battles and final boss battles because this will freeze your enemies. While they are frozen, you can regroup, prepare the Primary or Secondary skills and finish them off with ease. The Snapfreeze comes in handy for blocking narrow pathways and corridors to shake-off lethal enemies.
Related Read: Best Risk Of Rain 2 Mods
Risk of Rain 2 Artificer Challenges
There are a total of 4 Risk of Rain 2 Artificer Challenges that players need to complete to unlock new skills, skins, and vanity items. Not to spoil these challenges for you, we’re just letting you know what each challenge requires.
1. Chunked
Many players call Chunked the toughest RoR2 Artificer challenge, and frankly, we won’t disagree. Killing a final boss at the end of a long run with a 1-second damage burst seems too difficult, or is it?
The Risk of Rain 2 wiki page for Chunked has some nice tips to get it done.
2. Massacre
The name of this challenge is pretty self-explanatory. You need to carry out a massacre, which in Risk of Rain 2 means killing at least 20 enemies at once.
This is where the Artificer’s Charged Nano Bombo proves its worth. Gather 20 enemies – we’re confident you can do it – and set off the Nano Bomb.
We threw in a few grenades too, just to be sure.
3. Orbital Bombardment
To complete this challenge, you have to kill 15 enemies with Artificer while you are in the air. The Artificer already has a decent jump on her, and when paired with the ENV Suit, this challenge seems pretty easy to tackle.
4. Mastery
It isn’t as tough as Chunked, but it takes a lot of time and effort because you’ll have to complete 7 Risk of Rain 2 stages on Monsoon difficulty.
Once you do that, use a Celestial Portal to visit Obelisk and hit the obliterate option. It’s way tougher than it sounds.
And that’s pretty much it for a Risk of Rain 2 Artificer guide – for now. As the new content updates bring additional items for the Artificer, we’ll be scaling them up and then bringing you the best of the lot.
