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Acrid is a bit of a weird character. He plays unlike any of the otherRisk of Rain 2characters simply due to how passive his kit is. Instead of duking it out in a head-on fight, Acrid prefers to hit an enemy once and run away, leaving his damage-over-time effects to deal all the damage for him.
While Acrid may pale in comparison to someotherRisk of Rain 2survivors, it’s hard to deny that he can be extremely powerful in the right hands. If you’re looking to get a basic grasp of how this character is played, here’s a simple but effective build using Acrid’s default abilities to help you get started.
Updated May 30, 2025 by Marc Santos:Acrid is a unique character that feels completely different from the rest of the Risk of Rain 2 cast. His penchant for DoT effects makes him appear weak at first glance, but he can reach the same ludicrous power levels of other Survivors with the right items and skills. We’ve updated this guide to include a section that goes over Acrid’s Poison and Blight passives, including important things that players need to know about how each skill works.
Orange (Equipment)
Believe it or not,Acrid doesn’t really need that many items to be effective. Most of his damage comes from his Poison DoTs, which are applied by abilities with the Poisonous tag. This effect deals whichever is the greater value between 1% of an enemy’s max HP per second or 100% base damage per second. Poison damage can be increased by items such as Armor-Piercing Rounds and Focus Crystal. However, Poison damage is non-lethal and cannot directly kill enemies.
As such, don’t expect to play Acrid like you would theRailgunner inRisk of Rain 2. Hit-and-run is the name of the game here, and Acrid works best when he can set up chain reactions.
Get as many defensive and mobility items as you can before you stack damage items.
Risk Of Rain 2 - Key Acrid Items
Acrid can deal tons of damage with these items alone.Gasoline causes killed enemies to explode and ignite other enemies. Meanwhile,Ignition Tank quadruples all burning damage you deal. These effects stack with your Poison — use Neurotoxin or Epidemic to spread the status effect, and once one enemy is weak, hit them with literally anything to set off a chain reaction that can clear rooms and kill bosses alike.
There are plenty of other items you’re able to get to amplify Acrid’s damage.Death Mark, for example, increases the damage enemies take from all sources if they are affected by four or more debuffs. Get Chronobauble and Tri-Tip Dagger so you can stack Slow and Bleed with Poison and Burn.
Acrid Luxury Items
Some ofthe best red items inROR 2aren’t quite as good on Acrid, butSymbiotic Scorpionis great for one reason:Poison is affected by armor. However, keep in mind that Poison ticks themselves do not apply the scorpion’s armor reduction debuff.
Spare Drone PartsandLittle Disciplefill the same role, which is to finish off any low-health enemies. The former works best if you have other combat drones with you, as it gives them a major buff to their damage output. Meanwhile, the latter automatically shoots out target-seeking missiles when you’re sprinting.
Acrid Building Tips
Should You Use Blight Or Poison on Acrid?
Acrid’s playstyle can vary depending on which passive players pick.Poisonencourages passive play— it deals either 1% of the enemy’s max HP or 100% of Acrid’s base damage per second (whichever is greater), though it can’t outright kill targets. This means players can focus ongetting mobility and defensive itemswithout sacrificing DPS. It’s worth noting that Poison damage is affected by things like Delicate Watch, Focus Crystal, and armor-reduction effects from Shattering Justice and Symbiotic Scorpion.
Meanwhile,Blight deals 60% of Acrid’s damage per second while being lethal, making it a better choice for offense-focused players. If you want to use Acrid as an aggressive melee character with items that directly boost his personal damage output, then Blight is the superior option.
Both passives are good, and picking one over the other is purely up to player preference.
