Risk of Rain Returns has some tough boss fights. Here they are, ranked by how hard they are.
In Risk of Rain Returns, you’ll face a lot of different and interesting bosses. All of these bosses are well thought out and fun to fight. Most of the bosses are updated versions of ones from the first Risk of Rain game, but one is brand new.
According to the list, these are the main bosses you’ll face on your way to leaving the world. They are ranked by how well they can dispose of people after the teleporter has been turned on.
Colossus
The Colossus is the first one up. This early-game boss is a huge monster that slowly moves toward survivors and sometimes summons Golems. Its main move is a stomp that does a lot of damage.
It’s at the bottom of the list because the Colossus is slow and can’t attack very well. Even though it is very big, the Colossus can’t get from one level to another. It is easy to use this to your advantage to safely hurt the boss while it stands there and watches hopelessly. Platforms that are higher than the Colossus’ feet can also hurt it. The Colossus often breathes a sigh of relief when it sees that it can’t move or fight in many ways.
Wandering Vagrant
The Wandering Vagrant is another early-game boss that isn’t very dangerous by itself. As the big jellyfish keeps floating toward the survivors, it fires nematocysts, which are colorful balls that follow the survivors and try to explode near them.
Even though it’s a beautiful boss that makes you feel calm, the Wandering Vagrant is easy to beat. When you fight the Wandering Vagrant, the only real danger comes from the nematocysts. You will not take any damage from the boss if you save your utility skill for the nematocysts.
Ifrit
As a boss, Ifrit is very angry and needs other monsters to kill the survivors. The only place this beast can appear is in the Ancient Valley – Frozen Tundra stage. They can do a few short-range strikes, but the real danger is the pillars the boss calls up to trap people. Attackers can get through the pillars and quickly attack and kill people who aren’t careful.
When movement is often the only way to stay alive, facing Ifrit for the first time is very scary. It’s normal to feel scared when you get stuck out of the blue, but the best way to survive the quick pillars is to save utility for as long as you can. Usually, there will only be one heavy attack that you need to avoid because the pillars will go away on their own after a short time. The towers won’t appear if you stay far away from Ifrit, since the weapon only hits things within a certain range. In the end, Ifrit is only a scary boss in certain settings after you’ve fought it a few times.
Toxic Beast
The Toxic Beast is a huge, badly scarred pig that runs around the stage in a crazy way. Its main move is to call up smaller pig enemies near survivors, which is how it got the name “Mother of Many.”
This boss’s strategy is very simple: crush the survivors. If the survivor isn’t skilled or can’t move, this strategy might work, but if you’re an experienced player, it probably won’t. The boss fight is pretty easy if you stay away from enemies as you eliminate them one by one until only the Toxic Beast is left. The little pigs that are called have a small life bar and can help people who have things that heal after fighting monsters, like the Monster Tooth. The boss sounds easy, but it does a lot of damage when it steps on you, and it can be hard for physical survivors to eliminate it.
Ancient Wisp
The Ancient Wisp is a scary tower of purple flames that is bigger and scarier than other wisp enemies. Its only move is a wave of lightning that pops up from the ground for a short time. Even though this boss only has one attack, it’s a very powerful one.
You can’t use the space between the lights poles for safety because they are so far apart. If you don’t have an ability that makes you immune to attacks ready, you’ll need to move very carefully to avoid the Ancient Wisp’s attack. When the teleporter is charging, it’s easy to miss the Ancient Wisp’s attack wind-up because of all the noise. If you destroy the boss, two Wisps and two Greater Wisps will appear. These are all dangerous on their own. Chaos is great for the Ancient Wisp, and it is capable of eliminating survivors who don’t pay attention to it.
Lynx Totem
The newest boss in the Risk of Rain series is the Lynx Totem. This boss tries to exhaust survivors in a way that is similar to the Toxic Beast’s. The Lynx Totem keeps making Lynx Tribe monsters while staying safe from damage from survivors. The Lynx Tribe enemies that this boss makes are what make it dangerous. These enemies can hit close up and far away, and their strikes can arc and go through obstacles.
When the Lynx Tribe has time to make a swarm, it can be very hard to avoid their constant long attacks. The best way to beat this boss is to swiftly eliminate the Lynx Totem before it can call up an unbeatable Lynx Tribe. However, this is easier said than done if you are playing as an Acrid, a survivor with low burst damage. The Lynx Totem is a great addition to Drift Boss. It feels fair and could be hard at the same time.
Imp Overlord
The Imp Overlord is a fierce boss who likes to hit people hard. He is strong and evil. Many times, the Imp Overlord will teleport right next to survivors and then use its striking attack, which is a number of damage swipes that move it forward. It can also fight from far away by shooting fire for a short time.
The Imp Overlord stands out from the others because it is fast. This boss can move right next to survivors, which helps it stay close to them. Being immobile survivors will find it hard to deal with how controlling the boss is. The Imp Overlord wants to stay on top of you, but you can trick it into falling off the map instead. You won’t be able to get the thing it drops, though. The boss that looks like a fiend fights differently than all the other bosses, making for a unique and fun experience.
Cremator
The Cremator lives in lava and is a huge monster that looks like a turtle. The only place this boss will appear is on the Magma Barracks stage, in one of the magma pools. As soon as it spawns, the Cremator will start attacking survivors like an artillery piece. These strikes can go as far as they want, and small white dots on the ground show where they’ll land.
The best way to avoid the Cremator’s strikes, as with many other bosses, is to keep moving. The Cremator is hard to eliminate because it usually spawns far from the teleporter, its weapons make it hard to get close, its shell doesn’t do much damage when hit, and falling into the magma around it usually destroys you. Later in runs, this boss can be really tough, and their impact can be felt all over the stage.
Scavenger
Scavengers are tough bosses that appear late in runs, when the difficulty meter is about 75% full, or even earlier on Monsoon level. When these bosses fight, they use the same things that survivors can use to hurt them. To be more specific, they use the Disposable Missile Launcher to fight with waves of missiles, their Brilliant Behemoth to set off an explosion, and their Ukulele to launch an electric ball.
Getting rid of a Scavenger is hard work. Their strikes cover a big area, and it’s always hard to avoid rockets because they track them so well. When you’re up against these tough opponents, you’ll need to focus on range and steady movement. You’ll also need to keep dealing damage, since they naturally heal themselves. And just when you think you’re about to land the decisive blow, the Scavenger’s attack speed speeds up a lot for one last fight. Skavengers are dangerous, and they let survivors know what it’s like to get their things.
Magma Worm
The Magma Worm is the hardest boss in the early game. It creeps through the ground to attack people who are still alive. The worm only has one attack, which is to dig through the ground below the survivors and then fall back down to try to hit them again. During the whole fight, the worm keeps using this attack.
The Magma Worm is so high on this list because it becomes much harder when multiple of them spawn, like when Trial of the Mountain is used, or when they spawn as the elite Overloading Magma Worm, which does electrical damage just by being near survivors. Because of its attack, it can be hurt, but it can be hard to do so when enemies are rush at it as the teleporter charges. As soon as the boss’s health drops, it will attack much more quickly. The Magma Worm is a tough opponent in every run because it is simple but hard.
Providence
It’s no surprise that Providence, the last boss, is the most tough and exciting boss in Risk of Rain Returns. Because there are four stages, Providence is as much a test of stamina as it is of skill.
In the first one, Providence mostly uses his sword to hit, so it’s pretty easy. In the second part, you’ll be up against his two Gilded Worms, which will try to bite and shoot lasers at people who are still alive. Providence comes back with two Sanctuary Guards in the third phase. He will also use shadow-like attacks along with his normal moves. Providence finally fires huge green beams in the fourth phase. These do a lot of damage and split the stage into smaller areas where he can quickly attack with his shadow attacks.
Writing about the fight makes it sound a lot less scary. Every move Providence makes is quick and hard. By teleporting, he can get closer in an instant, and as the fight goes on, his long attacks become more like those in the game Bullet Hell. When you fight this god, one mistake can cost you everything. He will test your strength and skills to the fullest before letting you leave the world. Providence is without a question the final boss in Risk of Rain Returns. Each victim he dispatches gets his place as the last boss.