The Railgunner has several abilities that fundamentally change how she plays, but her core items for the best build remain the same for the most part. Players playing with the Artifact of Command will be able to make the perfect Railgunner build via choosing their items. For those playing without, this guide serves as a baseline to focus on when picking up random items in the world. Risk of Rain 2 has a ton of items, but these are the best for the ideal Railgunner build!
Avoid Backup Magazines
Most characters in Risk of Rain 2 benefit greatly from Backup Magazines. Normally, having an extra stack of a secondary ability raises the DPS or crowd control of a character but with the Railgunner, Backup Magazines aren’t as good. This is because her secondary ability is to use her sniper scope, i.e. she aims down her sights.
Well, when using her default beginning sniper scope (M99 Sniper) she will have to reload after each shot. The Backup Magazine will allow extra shots before a reload, though they will be rather slow. When using the Marksman variant however, Backup Magazines do nothing! This is because the Marksman variant doesn’t have a reload, and thus the Railgunner can just keep firing whilst scoped in.
Stock Up On Movement Items
Movement speed and mobility become huge factors when more and more enemies begin to spawn per level. The Railgunner is a sluggish class overall thanks to her distinct lack of reliable mobility. Her Concussion Device can act as a quick escape from combat, but it is hard to master the direction and velocity of jumping with it. It also doesn’t negate fall damage, so a strong Concussion Device jump can actually damage the Railgunner more than it helps her. As a result, it’s a good idea to pickup basic movement speed items. These include:
Energy Drink Paul’s Goat Hoof Wax Quail Hunter’s Harpoon Red Whip
Having a mix of these items will greatly increase the Railgunner’s mobility and allow her to be a much more effective combatant. The only way she can deal continuous effective damage is when she’s scoped in using her abilities, and that isn’t going to be a great option when she’s swarmed.
Buff The Reload Skill
For players just starting out on the Railgunner, a slower active reload might be a good thing. It allows them to learn the basic timing and how to use it in active combat. After learning the pacing of the reload though, it’s good to buff it! The active reload can be made faster with items like Soldier’s Syringe and Predatory Instincts and this greatly boosts the Railgunner’s already great DPS.
Speeding up the active reload makes the skill check a little harder to hit, but it makes reloading a lot faster. This leads to more damage output which can be great for dealing with particularly tanky foes. Just remember the new timing!
Avoid The Hooks Of Heresy & Essence Of Heresy
As many players know, Lunar items are already a bit of a gamble in Risk of Rain 2. They often have strong upsides with equally disadvantageous downsides. This makes using them fun for meme builds but certainly not optimal for a regular playthrough. Some of the worst Lunar items in the game for the Railgunner are the Hooks and Essence of Heresy.
The Hooks of Heresy replace the character’s secondary ability. In the Railgunner’s case, this replaces her aim down sight skill, whether it be the Marksman variant or the Sniper variant. Removing this ability removes her ability to critically hit foes, which is the core of her entire character. The Essence of Heresy replaces the special ability, removing Railgunner’s devastating Supercharge or Cryocharge attack. These are both very detrimental to building a good Railgunner for a long run, so be wary of these items!
Grab A Few Armor-Piercing Rounds
Normally, the Railgunner is best suited for dealing with hordes of foes and elite enemies on screen. Her weakspot attacks can chunk through even the toughest elites, clearing the way for other party members to deal with the boss. If someone is playing solo though, it’s definitely worthwhile to grab Armor-Piercing Rounds. This common item increases damage dealt to bosses.
The Railgunner already does massive damage, but a few Armor-Piercing Rounds can go a long way during the later stages when a solo Railgunner might be switching focus between mobs and the boss. Armor-Piercing Rounds aren’t the primary common item players should be building, especially if they’re playing with a group. In long runs though, they can certainly help bring the increasingly tanky bosses down. Just remember that the Railgunner’s bread and butter is clearing out tons of enemies on screen!
Get The Royal Capacitor
The Royal Capacitor is one of the best equipment items in the entire game. It works well with nearly every class in the game and is a safe fallback for players who are unsure what to use in their equipment slot. This equipment is even better on the Railgunner than on other classes. This is primarily because she can use it while scoped into her rifle.
This item can be especially useful when using the Cryocharger ability. After freezing a strong foe, the player can get off a sniper shot, then quickly use the Royal Capacitor to finish the job. This combo of attacks can quickly bring down even the strongest enemy thanks to the Cryocharger lowering the damage threshold needed to kill a foe and the Royal Capacitor’s quick use time.
Build Damage Focused Uncommon Items
There are tons of uncommon items in Risk of Rain 2. Uncommon items are marked by their green glow and act as some of the best items in the game for damage focused Railgunner builds. Many of these items are good for high damage builds, like Artificer builds. The following items are a must for the best Railgunner builds:
Runald’s Band Kjaro’s Band Will-O-Wisp Predatory Instincts Ukulele Old Guillotine Harvester’s Scythe
These items are all important to getting the best Railgunner build thanks to their damage related values. Each element band will trigger with nearly every weakspot snipe attack, the Will-O-Wisp will proc and easily destroy crowds of foes along the Ukulele, and Predatory Instincts will give the Railgunner much needed mobility. Perhaps the most important item on this list is the Old Guillotine. This item will instantly kill elite enemies who have hit a certain health threshold. Alongside the other AOE damage sources and the Railgunner’s base damage, elites will be taking a lot of damage. The Old Guillotine ensures they never have a chance to really make an impact on the fight.
Get Lots & Lots Of Crowbars
The final key to the best Railgunner build is to try and focus on grabbing Crowbars. They are a common item, so they should be fairly available. The Railgunner benefits from this item tremendously. Because she is a fantastic initiator in combat thanks to her high single shot damage output, she should often be getting the first hits on most foes. Enemies above 90% of their maximum health will receive 75% increased damage with a Crowbar, with scaling values based on the amount of Crowbars in possession.
This is so good on the Railgunner because it will effectively transform her into a one-hit machine. Most basic enemies will fall in one well-placed sniper shot, and if they survive, they will be a much lower health than before. This leads to her uncommon items triggering or just a blast from the Royal Capacitor to finish the job. While this won’t make her a boss slaying build, it will certainly guarantee that she is plowing through the hordes that spawn in later stages with ease. With the right items, the Railgunner can effectively wipe out all the mobs before they can even attack.
more: Risk Of Rain 2: Insane Builds You Have To Try
