The sniper Railgunner, a fresh new Survivor coming to Risk of Rain 2 in the upcoming Survivors of the Void expansion pack, has been revealed by Hopoo Games and Gearbox Publishing. Risk of Rain 2 is the third-person sequel to Risk of Rain, a 2D platformer with randomised features that brought giant animals and loot to the 3D plane.
The sequel has subsequently established itself as one of the best roguelike games in recent memory, with an overwhelmingly favourable review average on Steam and successful releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Risk of Rain 2 has been in Early Access since March of 2019 and will be released in August of 2020. However, the developers have not done much to grow the game since then, with the majority of updates consisting of bug patches and small changes.
The first big expansion has been teased for almost a year now, with an initial release date of the fourth quarter of 2021. The expansion was projected to be two to three content updates in size, which would be larger than the content update given to the game during its official launch. In March 2021, Risk of Rain 2 released an Anniversary Update, which included the Bandit Survivor, five new items, and five skill variants, among other things. Hopoo Games debuted the sharpshooter Railgunner, the first of two new survivors in Risk of Rain 2: Survivors of the Void, in a press release to Screen Rant.
The first-ever DLC update for the co-op roguelike shooter will be available on Steam on March 1, 2022, and, according to Hopoo Games co-founder Paul Morse, “will go further than anything [the devs] have done before.” Railgunner is a fast-paced Survivor equipped with the M99 Sniper, which allows players to aim down sights and do massive Critical Strike damage to enemy Weak Points. The Railgunner in Risk of Rain 2 possesses an XQR Smart Round System and Concussion Devices that keep close attackers away by creating space and providing fast damage to opponents in range.
Railgunner’s special ability appears to be highly powerful, similar to The Captain’s in Risk of Rain 2. Her railgun sharpshooter is supercharged, dealing 4,000% damage and generating an explosive burst to deal with several foes at once. Last year’s Anniversary Update for Risk of Rain 2 featured new Survivors, including The Bandit and the mysterious The Heretic, which can only be unlocked by completing a challenging set of activities. While Bandit is a high-skill combo character who finishes off vulnerable adversaries, The Heretic mows down opponents with exceptionally high base health, a triple jump, a faster movement rate, and a higher starting damage stat.
The Bandit was a playable character when the Anniversary Update first became available, but The Heretic can only be unlocked by carrying all four Heresy items at the same time. Railgunner is likely to be available without secret assignments when the first official DLC drops in March, however, the expansion’s second Survivor remains a mystery. Railgunner adds an FPS element to Risk of Rain 2 via the scope, giving fans a new way to play the game. The rest of Survivors of the Void is intended to include new elements that alter how Risk of Rain 2 is played, but fans will have to wait a bit longer to see what Hopoo Games has in store.