Skip to main content

Getting Started in Risk of Rain Returns

By ScotPublished Updated Sources checked

Tactical Quick Answer

Every run in Risk of Rain Returns follows the same loop: find the teleporter on a stage, survive the boss event, and advance. Difficulty scales with elapsed time and nothing else, so every second you spend on a stage costs you. Loot along your path, trigger the teleporter as soon as you find it, and keep looting during the 90-second charge.

You crash onto Petrichor V with nothing but your base abilities and a timer ticking in the top right corner. The goal is simple: find the teleporter on each stage, survive the boss event, and advance. The reality is a brutal race against escalating difficulty that punishes hesitation.

The Core Loop​

Every run follows the same structure. You spawn into a stage and begin searching for the teleporter. Along the way, you kill enemies to earn gold. You spend that gold opening chests to acquire items that stack and synergize. Once you activate the teleporter, a boss spawns and the teleporter starts charging. On the default Modern rules the charge takes a minimum of 90 seconds and you only need to kill the boss. On Classic rules it takes 120 seconds and you must clear every enemy on the stage. The charge also gets longer with each additional player alive, so co-op events run past 90 seconds.

If you die, the run ends. You lose all your items and start over from stage one. However, specific achievements unlock new survivors, alternate abilities, and new items that will drop in future runs. This meta-progression makes sure that even failed runs contribute to your overall power.

The New Player Trap​

The most common mistake new players make is treating a stage as something to clear before moving on. Difficulty in Risk of Rain Returns is driven by the run timer and by nothing else. Advancing a stage does not add difficulty, and the game's own tutorial says so directly: difficulty increases with time. Every extra minute you spend hunting one more chest makes every remaining stage harder, and you get nothing back for it.

The game tells you what pace it expects. There is a Steam achievement called Never Look Back for clearing the first stage in under five minutes, and about two thirds of all players hold it. Four to five minutes per stage is the pace Returns is built around. Find the teleporter early, grab what sits on your path to it, and activate it. You can keep looting while it charges.

Do not confuse this with backtracking. Crossing the whole map for a single chest is still a loss. The point is that the clock, not the teleporter, is the thing punishing you.

Health and Healing​

Unlike many roguelikes, healing is scarce and not guaranteed. Every survivor regenerates health passively, though slowly, and the base rate is not shared. Commando and Huntress start at 0.6 health per second, while Enforcer and Miner start at 1.2. The per-level gain differs too, at +0.12 for those three and +0.15 for Miner. Check your own survivor before assuming the number. Taking damage in combat is still risky, so prioritize dodging attacks over trading blows with enemies. Jump constantly. Use your mobility skills defensively to escape being cornered by mobs.

Look for healing items like the Sprouting Egg or Bustling Fungus early in a run to sustain yourself. The Sprouting Egg raises your regeneration after you avoid damage for seven seconds. The Bustling Fungus heals you and nearby allies once you stand still for two seconds, and it stops working the moment you enter combat.

Drones are worth the gold. You buy a drone at the drone itself and not at a separate repair station, and when one is destroyed it drops back into a purchasable interactable you can buy again to restore it. A Healing Drone treats you in bursts when you are injured instead of providing a steady trickle, so it is at its best across a long boss fight and it can be destroyed mid-fight.

Progression​

Do not expect to beat the game on your first attempt. Your early runs are scouting missions. Learn enemy attack patterns. Identify what different items do. Focus on completing the specific challenges listed in the game menu to unlock new survivors and items. You start with the Commando and Huntress already unlocked. The Pilot, for example, is unlocked by collecting 15 monster logs, which drop randomly from defeated enemies. Focus on unlocking options so you have the right tools when you make a serious attempt at a full run.

Frequently Asked Questions​

How long should you spend on each stage in Risk of Rain Returns?

Four to five minutes. Difficulty scales with elapsed time and nothing else, so extra time on a stage buys you loot at the cost of making every later stage harder. Grab what is on your path to the teleporter, activate it, and keep looting during the charge.

Does the Five Minute Rule work in Risk of Rain Returns?

Roughly, yes. The idea comes from Risk of Rain 2, but Returns rewards the same pace. The game ships an achievement called Never Look Back for clearing stage one in under five minutes, and about two thirds of players have it.

How long is the teleporter event in Risk of Rain Returns?

On the default Modern rules the teleporter needs at least 90 seconds to charge and you only have to kill the boss. Classic rules raise it to 120 seconds and require you to clear every enemy. Each extra player alive lengthens the charge.

Do you keep anything when you die in Risk of Rain Returns?

You lose your items and start over from stage one. Achievements you completed still count, and they unlock new survivors, alternate abilities, and new items that drop in future runs. Equipment you place in a Rift Chest also carries into your next run.

How do you heal in Risk of Rain Returns?

Healing is scarce and not guaranteed. Every survivor regenerates passively, but the base rate varies by survivor: 0.6 health per second for Commando and Huntress, 1.2 for Enforcer and Miner. Grab items like the Sprouting Egg or Bustling Fungus early either way. Buying a Healing Drone gives you burst heals when you are hurt, though the drone itself can be destroyed.