Risk Of Rain Returns: Every Boss, Ranked (2024)

There are many varying and unique bosses that you'll encounter in Risk of Rain Returns. These bosses all have great designs behind them and are a real pleasure to go toe to toe with. The majority of the bosses are remastered versions from the original Risk of Rain, with one being entirely new.

The bosses featured on the list are the main bosses you'll encounter during your quest to leave the planet. They are ranked by how adept they are at squashing survivors once the teleporter has been activated.

11 Colossus

First up is the Colossus. This early-game boss is a behemoth that slowly lumbers toward survivors while occasionally spawning Golems. Its main attack is a stomp that deals heavy damage.

The Colossus finds itself at the bottom of the list due to its lack of speed and offensive prowess. While a giant, the Colossus is incapable of traversing gaps between platforms. This can be easily exploited to safely deal damage to the boss while it watches helplessly from its platform. It's similarly vulnerable to platforms that are above the Colossus' feet. The lack of movement and limited attack patterns often make the Colossus a sigh of relief when sighted.

10 Wandering Vagrant

The Wandering Vagrant is another early-game boss that doesn't pose much of a threat on its own. The oversized jellyfish continuously floats toward survivors while periodically shooting out nematocysts, which are multicolored orbs that track and attempt to explode near survivors.

While a beautiful boss with a serene feeling attached to it, the Wandering Vagrant is a simple boss to dispatch. The nematocysts are the only major threat when facing the Wandering Vagrant. Saving your utility skill for the nematocysts will avoid all the damage the boss can deal.

9 Ifrit

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Ifrit is a fiery boss who relies on other monsters to take out survivors. This beast only spawns in the Ancient Valley - Frozen Tundra stage. While capable of a few short-range attacks, the real threat is the inescapable pillars the boss summons to trap survivors. Enemies can pass through the pillars and can quickly overwhelm survivors if they're not careful.

It's terrifying to face Ifrit for the first time when movement is often a survivor's lifeline. Panic is natural when unexpectedly trapped, but the best tactic to survive the sudden pillars is to save utility for as long as possible. The pillars naturally disappear after a short time, so there'll usually only be one instance of heavy incoming damage that you'll need to dodge. Keeping a healthy distance from Ifrit also prevents the pillars from spawning as the attack has a limited range. Ultimately, Ifrit is only a dangerous boss in specific situations once you've faced it a few times.

8 Toxic Beast

The Toxic Beast is a massive and scarred pig that wildly runs across the stage. Its primary method of attack is summoning smaller pig enemies near survivors, earning it the title of "Mother of Many."

This boss has a very straightforward approach: overwhelm survivors. It can be an effective tactic against an unskilled or immobile survivor, but is largely ineffective if you're a knowledgeable player. Maintaining distance and whittling down enemies until the Toxic Beast is the last one remaining makes the boss fight quite easy. The summoned little pigs have a small health bar and can actually benefit survivors that have on-kill effect items, such as Monster Tooth that heals after kills. While the boss sounds simple, it has deceptively high damage when trampling and can be tricky for melee survivors to take down.

7 Ancient Wisp

The larger and more intimidating version of wisp enemies, the Ancient Wisp is a menacing pillar of purple flames. Its only attack is a series of lightning columns that spring from the ground after a brief moment. This boss sounds simple with its one attack, but it's a formidable weapon.

The lighting columns have considerable range and leave little room between them for you to use for safety. Precise movement is required to dodge the Ancient Wisp's attack if you don't have an ability with invulnerability ready. The Ancient Wisp demands attention as it's very easy to miss the attack's wind-up during the chaos of the teleporter charging. Additionally, the boss spawns two Wisps and two Greater Wisps upon death that are dangerous in their own right. The Ancient Wisp thrives in chaos and is more than capable of taking down survivors that don't give it the focus it requires.

6 Lynx Totem

The Lynx Totem is the newest boss addition to the Risk of Rain series. This boss employs a similar strategy to the Toxic Beast that attempts to overwhelm survivors. The Lynx Totem continuously spawns Lynx Tribe monsters while avoiding damage from survivors. The threat of this boss comes from the Lynx Tribe enemies it spawns. These enemies are capable of melee and ranged attacks that arc and pass through terrain.

It can become exceedingly difficult to dodge the bombardment of ranged attacks from the Lynx Tribe when they've had time to spawn a swarm. Killing the Lynx Totem quickly before it can summon an insurmountable Lynx Tribe is the best approach against this boss, but this is easier said than done when playing a survivor with low burst damage such as Acrid. The Lynx Totem is a great addition to the game and feels fair while potentially challenging.

5 Imp Overlord

Powerful and demonic, the Imp Overlord is a ferocious boss who likes to blitz survivors. The Imp Overlord can and will often teleport next to survivors, then perform its melee attack, which is a series of damaging swipes that pushes it forward. It also has a ranged attack where it'll shoot flames after a brief moment.

The Imp Overlord separates itself from the others with its speed. This boss needs to stay close to survivors and is adept at doing so thanks to its teleport. Immobile survivors will have difficulty dealing with the boss' oppressiveness. It's possible to use the Imp Overlord's need to stay on top of you against it by tricking it to fall off the map, though you won't be able to collect the item it drops. The fiend-like boss has a different approach to combat than any other boss and provides a unique yet entertaining encounter.

4 Cremator

The Cremator is a giant turtle-like creature that resides in magma. The Magma Barracks stage is the only place that this boss will spawn, specifically in one of the pools of magma. Once it has spawned, the Cremator will immediately begin launching artillery-like attacks at survivors. These attacks have unlimited range and have a wide range that's denoted by small white circles showing where they'll land.

Like many other bosses, continuous movement is the best way to dodge the Cremator's attacks. There's no easy way to deal with the Cremator since it'll often spawn a good distance away from the teleporter, its attacks make approaching it difficult, its shell reduces damage when hit, and falling into the magma surrounding it is often a death sentence. This can be a truly challenging boss later into runs whose presence is felt throughout the entire stage.

3 Scavenger

Scavengers are brutal bosses that spawn late into runs once the difficulty meter is approximately 75 percent filled and even earlier on Monsoon difficulty. These bosses flip the script and use the same items available to survivors against them. Specifically, they use the Disposable Missile Launcher to attack with missile barrages, an explosive attack from their Brilliant Behemoth, and an electric ball from their Ukulele.

It's laborsome to battle a Scavenger. Their attacks have a large area of effect and dodging missiles is always difficult with their strong tracking. Range and consistent movement will be your bread and butter when up against these tough opponents, but you'll need to consistently apply damage, as they also have innate health regeneration. And just as you think you're getting close to dealing the final blow, the Scavenger's attack speed dramatically increases for a final stand. Scavengers are lethal and show survivors what it's like to be on the receiving end of their items.

2 Magma Worm

Easily the most difficult boss in the early game, the Magma Worm is a menace that tears through the ground to attack survivors. It only has one attack, which consists of the worm burrowing through the terrain below the survivors then falling back down to try to hit the survivors again. The worm repeats this attack the entire fight.

The Magma Worm finds itself so high on this list due to how drastically its difficulty increases when multiple spawn, like when a Trial of the Mountain is used, or if it spawns as an Overloading Magma Worm, the elite variation that deals electrical damage by simply being near survivors. Its attack leaves it vulnerable to damage, but it can be difficult to do so while being swarmed by enemies as the teleporter charges. When the boss reaches low health, it'll go into a frenzy and attack much faster. Straightforward yet difficult, the Magma Worm is a formidable opponent in each run.

1 Providence

Providence, the final boss, is unsurprisingly the most dynamic and difficult boss in Risk of Rain Returns. With a total of four stages, Providence is just as much a battle of endurance as it is skill.

The first is relatively simple with Providence attacking primarily with his sword. The second phase is against his two Gilded Worms that'll attempt to bite and shoot lasers at survivors. In the third phase, Providence returns with two Sanctuary Guards and will now use shadow-like attacks in addition to his regular moves. Finally, the fourth phase has Providence firing giant green beams that deal heavy, heavy damage to divide the stage into smaller sections where he'll rapidly attack with his shadow attacks.

The battle sounds much more tame in writing. All of Providence's attacks are quick and hit like a truck. He can close distance instantaneously by teleporting and his ranged attacks are like a bullet hell game as the fight progresses. One mistake can cost everything when fighting this deity. He'll put your build and skills to the ultimate test before he allows you to leave the planet. Providence is undoubtedly the ultimate boss in Risk of Rain Returns and earns his spot as the final encounter with each survivor he cuts down.

NEXT: Risk Of Rain Returns: The Best Survivors