Risk of Rain 2 update version 1.0 finally gave the game a proper finale. Now, instead of simply ending a run whenever you get bored, you have the option to face off with a final boss and watch a special end-game cutscene. However, this new ending is just one of several different ways to beat Risk of Rain 2. Here’s how to earn all endings, both official and unofficial.
Risk of Rain 2 | How to beat the game
There are two official ways to beat Risk of Rain 2. The first requires you to beat the final boss Mithrix on the Moon of Petrichor V. The second method requires you to obliterate yourself at the obelisk, leaving your fate unknown.
Each of these two endings can have two different conclusions. However, the game’s true ending only occurs after you beat Mithrix and escape on the drop ship.
Defeat the Final Boss Mithrix
The proper way to beat Risk of Rain 2 is to defeat Mithrix, the King of Nothing. Mithrix was added following update version 1.0, and defeating him is the only way to unlock the game’s proper ending.
In order to reach Mithrix, you need to find a Primordial Teleporter. The first one will appear in Sky Meadow on Stage 5. They look similar to other teleporters, except instead of two horn-like shapes, they feature a ring of angular protrusions.
Once you activate the Primordial Teleporter and complete the teleporter event, you’ll be transported to the Moon of Petrichor V. This environment is named Commencement, and it’s filled with powerful enemies known as Lunar Chimera.
Commencement is unique in that it’s relatively barren. You won’t find any treasure chests here, but you will find Item Cauldrons similar to those seen in the Bazaar Between Time. If you decide to take one of the items, remember that the cauldron will claim five randomly chosen items from your inventory — that is, unless you picked up Item Scrap from a Scrap Machine.
At the end of the stage you’ll encounter a large circular arena with a dark portal in the middle. Mithrix will emerge from the portal, and you’ll have to beat him in a fight comprised of four rounds. Succeed, and you’ll be given just a few minutes to escape the moon’s surface.
If you fail to reach the drop ship in time, you’ll die, and the game will end. However, if you arrive before the timer runs out, the ending cutscene will play, and the credits will roll. Congratulations, you just beat Risk of Rain 2.
Obliterate Yourself at the Obelisk
Prior to update version 1.0, the only official way to beat Risk of Rain 2 was to obliterate yourself at the obelisk. This ending is still available, but it’s kind of a non-ending in the sense that nothing of note happens. The screen fades to black, and the end-game message states that your fate is unknown.
To get this ending, you need to find a Celestial Portal. These appear on the third Stage after your first loop — Stage 8, Stage 13, Stage 18, and so on. At the end of one of those stages, complete the teleporter event, then step through the Celestial Portal.
You’ll reappear in an area known as A Moment, Fractured. Off in the distance you’ll be able to see an obelisk. To get there, you have to jump down a series of floating rocks that will appear as you approach. Reach the portal, then interact with it twice to obliterate yourself. Your run will end, and you’ll be kicked back to the main menu.
Alternative Obliteration
While this seems like a boring way to beat Risk of Rain 2, there’s a different approach that allows you to fight a secret boss. It requires you to pick up the Lunar Item known as Beads of Fealty. If you interact with the obelisk with the Beads of Fealty in your inventory, you’ll be transported to the area known as A Moment, Whole.
A Moment, Whole is a pale, barren wasteland containing one of four different Twisted Scavengers. These include Kipkip the Gentle, Guragura the Lucky, Wipwip the Wild, and Twiptwip the Devotee. These foes have huge pools of health, and each one carries up to 30 different items.
Make no mistake, these bosses are tough. However, if you manage to take them out, you’ll be rewarded with a Scavenger’s Sack filled with ten Lunar Coins. You won’t get to see the game’s proper ending, but you’ll at least be given a nice prize for your effort.
How to get the unofficial Risk of Rain 2 ending
Depending on who you ask, there’s also an unofficial third way to beat Risk of Rain 2. It involves creating a build so ridiculous that the game crashes. It’s not any sort of official ending; it’s more like a sort of meta-ending. You “beat” the game in the sense that you became so powerful that the software itself crumbled under your might.
Getting to this point requires a fair amount of work. You’ve probably already seen how chaotic battles can be when you have huge stacks of items. The goal with this ending is to make those battles as chaotic as possible. That means building item stacks that instantly kill enemies, fill the screen with explosives, or create the need for such immense calculations that the game simply can’t keep up.
Yeah, it might be a little silly. But that’s kind of the point. Runs in roguelikes aren’t meant to last forever; something has to give at some point. This is why dedicated fans prefer this unofficial ending: It shows they built up so much strength that the game itself bent to their will. Now that’s meta.
With all this said, the only proper way to beat Risk of Rain 2 is to defeat Mithrix. Doing so unlocks the true ending, which shows the final cutscene and credits. Obliterating yourself at the obelisk is a decent way to end your run, but if you really want to go for broke, create a build so intense that the game crashes.
