Risk Of Rain 2 Bandit Guide: From Unlock To Endgame

The Bandit’s abilities

As with most other characters in Risk of Rain 2, the Bandit has two sets of skills: one available on unlock, the other behind a set of challenges.

The Bandit starter abilities

Once unlocked, the Bandit has access to five abilities, to begin with, one of which is passive.

Backstab: All attacks from behind are critical strikes. You’ll want to keep this skill in mind, as it works well with the Bandit’s other abilities that focus on mobility.

Burst: Fire a shotgun burst for 5 x 100% damage. Can hold up to 4 shells. This should be used as your opener, softening up the enemy. Other skills are where you’ll deal your damage.

Serrated Dagger: Lunge and slash for 360% damage. Critical strikes also cause hemorrhaging. This skill is especially useful against bosses, elites, or general enemies with high HP. Aim to use it behind an enemy for a guaranteed bleed thanks to Backstab.

Smoke Bomb: Stunning. Deal 200% damage, becoming invisible, then deal 200% damage again. Smoke bomb is your main repositioning skill and can be a lifesaver when surrounded. It is often the lead-up to dealing some serious damage.

Lights Out: Slayer. Fire a revolver shot for 600% damage. Kills reset all your cooldowns. The coup de grace. When used correctly, Lights Out can create a procession of death, acting as the lethal end to a skill chain.

The Bandit’s unlockable abilities

Three of the Bandit’s abilities are locked behind challenge walls. They’re all useful, but one in particular is a must-have.

Blast: Fire a rifle blast for 330% damage. Can hold up to 4 bullets. Blast or burst is a matter of personal choice Burst gives you significantly greater crowd control, while blast is more of a surgical strike.

You can unlock Blast by completing the Bandit: Classic Man challenge. To do so, you’ll need to use Lights Out to reset your cooldowns 15 times in a row.

Serrated Shiv: Throw a hidden blade for 240% damage. Critical strikes also cause hemorrhaging. This is essentially the ranged version of Serrated Dagger, trading damage for range. Which is best is again up to your playstyle, though I’d lean more toward the Shiv. While you’ll deal less base damage, being able to apply hemorrhage to an enemy without getting close is difficult to pass up, and it works as a well-aimed strike that complements Burst’s crowd control.

You can unlock Serrated Shiv by completing the Bandit: Sadist challenge. This involves killing a monster with 20 stacks of hemorrhage. This is tricky to do passively, though you can accomplish it much easier by using the Command artifact. You’ll want to prioritize picking up items that boost your crit rate, such as the Lens-Maker’s Glasses, so you can pull off the bleed without having to backstab. Next, you’ll need a fair few Backup Magazines, which allow for consecutive uses of the Dagger. Any items that reduce skill cooldowns are a good call also. With these items obtained, you have a few options to choose from. First, you could target the main boss, which can complete this challenge and the next one at once. Alternatively, you could go for the Alloy Worship Unit, which is tanky enough to hold over 20 hemorrhages. The last good target is an elite of your choice, given their high HP pools.

Desperado: Slayer. Fire a revolver shot for 600% damage. Kills grant stacking tokens for 10% more Desperado damage. The other two skills are fine, but Desperado is an absolute must-have. It isn’t a tradeoff, but rather a direct upgrade of Lights Out. Kills will grant you tokens that give you 10% more damage, but that is easily misunderstood. Rather than 10% extra, it gives you 10% of Desperado’s damage, making for an increase of 60%. Additionally, Desperado, like Lights Out, deals triple damage against enemies under half health, making it seriously lethal. Note that your tokens disappear once you leave the stage.

You can unlock Desperado by completing the Bandit: B&E challenge. This requires you to kill the final boss with Lights Out, which can be completed alongside the Bandit: Sadist challenge. Once you bag this skill, you’ll have obtained all the Bandit’s skills.

Also Read: Risk of Rain 2 Huntress Guide

The Bandit playstyle