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// guide · risk of rain 2

Artificer guide, skills and build.

A mage with huge burst and area damage, and the only one who can hover.

// at a glance

At a glance.

Artificer
Health110 (+33 per level)
Base damage12 (+2.4 per level)
Armour0
Speed7 m/s
DifficultyMedium
TierA · Very good, with a weak spot (health, mobility or item dependence).

On victory: «..and so she left, in love with a new passion: to explore.»

// unlock

How to unlock Artificer.

Challenge «Pause.»: Free the survivor suspended in time. (53.4% of Steam players have it).

// skills

Artificer skills.

Damage is a percentage of your normal damage: 100% is a normal hit; 300% is triple.

ENV Suit passivealways on

Hold jump to hover in the air.

Flame Bolt primaryleft click

A 280% fire bolt that burns. You hold up to 4 and they recharge.

Plasma Bolt primary alternative

A 280% bolt that explodes in a small area. Better against groups. Up to 4.

To get it: As Artificer, perform a multikill of 20 enemies (18.6% of Steam players have it).

Charged Nano-Bomb secondaryright click

A charged bomb: 400% to 2000% and stuns. The longer you charge, the harder it hits.

Cast Nano-Spear secondary alternative

A charged ice spear that goes through enemies and freezes them: 400% to 1200%.

To get it: As Artificer, fully defeat the teleporter boss in a one-second burst of damage (14.7% of Steam players have it).

Snapfreeze utilityShift

You raise a wall of ice that freezes whatever touches it (100%). Frozen enemies with low health die instantly.

Tectonic Blast utility alternative

A burst of 8 rock shards of 100% that covers enemies in oil.

To get it: As Artificer, reach the final boss on the moon without activating a pillar (0.8% of Steam players have it).

Flamethrower specialR

A flamethrower that burns everything in front of you: 2000% in total.

Ion Surge special alternative

You shoot upward with an 800% stunning blast. Good for escaping.

To get it: As Artificer, kill 15 enemies before touching the ground (22.4% of Steam players have it).

// loadout

Recommended loadout.

Flame Bolt+Charged Nano-Bomb+Snapfreeze+Flamethrower

// items

Best items for Artificer.

Kjaro's Band

Her Nano-Bomb and Nano-Spear easily pass the 400% hit threshold.

When you land a very big hit (over 4 times your damage), a fire tornado also comes out. Once every 10 s. Each extra band, more damage.

Stacking: Each copy adds the same, no cap.

Watch out: The hit itself must deal 400%: crits and Armor-Piercing Rounds do not count. It always fires with Runald's and they share the cooldown.

Runald's Band

Same, and it freezes.

When you land a very big hit (over 4 times your damage), an ice blast also hits that slows enemies a lot. Once every 10 s. Each extra band, more damage and a longer slow.

Stacking: Each copy adds the same, no cap.

Watch out: The hit itself must deal 400%: crits and Armor-Piercing Rounds do not count. It always fires with Kjaro's and they share the cooldown.

Soldier's Syringe

Speeds up her animations, secondary charge and Flamethrower ticks.

You attack 15% faster: more shots and hits per second. Each extra syringe adds another 15%.

Stacking: Each copy adds the same, no cap.

Watch out: Only speeds up attacks and animations: it does not lower skill cooldowns. Bandit does not shoot faster, he only reloads faster.

Backup Magazine

With Nano-Spear, it can freeze Mithrix over and over.

Your secondary skill (right click) gets one more use before its cooldown. Each extra magazine, one more.

Stacking: Each copy adds the same, no cap.

Watch out: More uses, but it does not lower the secondary cooldown. Lets Engineer place more mines.

Lens-Maker's Glasses

One of the best early picks for her.

10% of your hits are critical and do double damage. Each extra pair adds 10%; with ten, every hit is a crit.

Stacking: Capped at 10: with ten, every hit crits. The eleventh does nothing, unless you plan to turn them into Lost Seer's Lenses.

Watch out: On Railgunner they give no crits: each pair adds 10% crit damage instead. Crit chance does not depend on the hit's proc coefficient.

// tips

Tips.

// faq

FAQ.

How do you unlock Artificer in Risk of Rain 2?

Challenge «Pause.»: Free the survivor suspended in time. (53.4% of Steam players have it).

What is the best Artificer loadout?

We recommend Flame Bolt, Charged Nano-Bomb, Snapfreeze, Flamethrower.

What are the best items for Artificer?

Kjaro's Band, Runald's Band, Soldier's Syringe, Backup Magazine, Lens-Maker's Glasses.

// more guides

Other survivors.

Character tier list · Items · Lunar items

Sources: Risk of Rain 2 game names and challenges, the Risk of Rain 2 wiki (stats, cooldowns and tips); the explanations are our own and public Steam statistics, as of 31 October 2026. The tier is our own. Icons: Risk of Rain 2 (Hopoo Games / Gearbox).