Risk of Rain 2 has various characters available for players to choose from, each with their distinct set of abilities and strengths. One of the characters, the Artificer, is a powerful spellcaster who wields an arsenal of elemental attacks.
However, the Artificer’s abilities also come with significant risks, making the character a challenging yet rewarding choice for players. To give you an overview of this character, we will explore the Artificer’s strengths, abilities, weaknesses, and strategies for playing effectively in Risk of Rain 2.
How To Unlock Artificer
To unlock Artificer in Risk of Rain 2, players need to complete the Pause Challenge by collecting 10 Lunar Coins and heading to the Bazaar Between Time shop.
By paying 10 Lunar Coins, players can unlock Artificer and gain access to a powerful spellcasting character, adding more variety to their gameplay [1].
How Does Artificer Play
Artificer, similar to Loader, is a burst class survivor in Risk of Rain 2. However, unlike Risk of Rain 2’s Loader, every ability in Artificer’s kit has a cooldown, including her primary attack. She lacks survivability but has many damage abilities to eliminate enemies quickly.
While Artificer is highly effective at dealing early-game burst damage and excels at boss killing, players must use her abilities strategically to avoid danger while maximizing their damage output.
Artificer's Abilities
Artificer is particularly skilled at performing long-range magical attacks, which can be launched swiftly while she floats above the battle. Below are her default abilities:
ENV Suit (Passive)
This provides her with the ability to hover in the air by holding down the Jump key. This feature is particularly useful in combat scenarios where the Artificer needs to gain a higher vantage point or avoid enemy attacks.
By utilizing the ENV Suit, the Artificer can float above the battlefield, providing her with a clear line of sight to enemies and allowing her to launch long-range magical attacks.
Flame Bolt (Primary)
The Artificer launches a fiery bolt at enemies for 220% damage. The attack also ignites enemies, causing them to take additional damage over time. She can hold up to four Flame Bolts.
Charged Nano-Bomb (Secondary)
This ability charges up an explosive nano-bomb that deals a devastating 400%-2000% damage to enemies upon detonation. The bomb can also stun enemies in its radius.
Snapfreeze (Utility)
This ability creates a barrier that damages enemies for 100% damage and freezes them in place, making them vulnerable to further attacks.
Flamethrower (Special)
The Artificer unleashes a stream of fire that burns all enemies in front of her for a massive 1700% damage. This ability is ideal for taking out large groups of enemies or dealing significant damage to bosses.
Overall, the Artificer’s abilities are highly focused on dealing damage from a distance, and her lack of survivability means that players must use her abilities strategically to avoid getting overwhelmed by enemies.
Alternate Abilities
The Artificer has three additional abilities that can be unlocked by completing special challenges. These abilities replace her Primary, Secondary, and Special abilities and offer unique benefits in combat. Here’s an overview of each of these abilities:
Plasma Bolt (Primary)
This ability replaces the Flame Bolt and launches a bolt for 220% damage that explodes in a small area. Like the Flame Bolt, the Artificer can hold up to four Plasma Bolts. This ability is particularly useful for dealing damage to groups of enemies or taking out clustered enemies.
Cast Nano-Spear (Secondary)
This ability, called Cast Nano-Spear, replaces Charged Nano-Bomb and charges up a piercing spear that deals 400%-1200% damage. The nano-spear can also freeze enemies in its path, making them vulnerable to further attacks. This ability is ideal for dealing with tougher enemies, such as bosses, or taking out enemies in a line.
Ion Surge (Special)
This ability replaces the Flamethrower and causes the Artificer to burst into the sky, dealing 800% damage to enemies in the area. This ability is particularly useful for dealing with airborne enemies or escaping from dangerous situations quickly.
Best Items for Artificer
Artificer, who lacks mobility in her abilities. Combining Hopoo Feather with other movement items like Paul’s Goat Hoof or Energy Drink can help the Artificer move more quickly and avoid danger.
Alien Head or Brainstalks
These items can reduce the Artificer’s reliance on cooldowns, allowing her to use her abilities more frequently in combat. This can be a game-changer in difficult scenarios where the Artificer needs to unleash her full arsenal.
Bandolier
Similar to Alien Head and Brainstalks, this item can remove the Artificer’s cooldowns entirely. However, players will need multiple Bandoliers to see the full benefits of this item.
Armor-Piercing Rounds
This item can be highly effective when fighting bosses or enemies with high health, as it boosts the Artificer’s damage against tougher foes.
Rose Buckler
This item can be helpful in scenarios where the Artificer’s floating passive ability makes dodging certain attacks more difficult. Rose Buckler provides extra defense when sprinting, making it easier to avoid damage.
Primordial Cube
This item can be highly effective for grouping up enemies for the Artificer’s Charged Nano-Bomb. Adding a Fuel Cell or two can make this item even more effective.
Soldier's Syringe
This item increases attack speed, which can help the Artificer charge her Secondary ability more quickly. However, it should be noted that this item has no effect on her Primary ability.
Leeching Seed or Harvester's Scythe
These items can provide a significant healing effect when using Flamethrower, but players should be cautious not to rely too heavily on them, as the Artificer’s other abilities don’t benefit from these items.
Backup Magazine
This item is particularly useful for boosting the Artificer’s damage output with her Charged Nano-Bomb. Having multiple uses of her Secondary ability can help the Artificer take down enemies more quickly.
AtG Missile Mk. 1
When triggered, the AtG Missile will launch a missile that deals a significant amount of damage. This can result in some insane damage output, making it one of the best items for the Artificer.
Wax Quail
This item provides a much-needed boost to Artificer’s mobility.
Tips And Tricks
- Artificer can be challenging to play due to her cooldown management and lack of survivability. To make the most of Artificer's Primary ability, use it strategically by spacing out shots and ensuring that at least one use is always on cooldown.
- Artificer's Utility ability, Snapfreeze, can be utilized defensively to freeze opponents and kill low-health enemies instantly.
- Invest in movement items like Paul's Goat Hoof and Wax Quail to improve Artificer's mobility.
- Charged Nano-Bomb is Artificer's highest damaging ability, capable of dealing up to 2000% damage when fully charged.
- Plasma Bolt is much more convenient for ground enemies while Flame Bolt is more versatile due to its Ignite effect.
- Cast Nano-Spear provides a defensive option by freezing enemies, whereas Charged Nano-Bomb is better suited for nuking enemies.
- Flamethrower deals more damage but is short-ranged, while Ion Surge offers mobility but is harder to use efficiently.
Rotation
- The best rotation for Artificer is to spam Flame Bolt, use Nano-Spear and Snapfreeze, and repeat the cycle.
- Finally, use Flamethrower on all foes frozen by Snapfreeze and repeat the rotation.
- This rotation maximizes Artificer's damage output by using abilities during the downtime of others.
See Also: Best Risk of Rain Mods
Wrapping Up
Artificer is definitely worth playing in Risk of Rain 2. While she may have some weaknesses in terms of mobility and survivability, her high burst damage potential and boss-killing abilities make her a valuable addition to any team.
Additionally, playing as Artificer can be a fun and rewarding challenge for those who enjoy mastering complex characters.
