How to Unlock Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2: Master This Agile Survivor

Learning how to unlock Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2 can feel confusing when you’re new to the game. I remember my first run on Risk of Rain 2: I looped the stages, fought giant bosses, and still had no clue how to get the sword‑wielding Mercenary on my roster. After several attempts and lots of reading, I finally figured out the steps. 

In this article, I’ll lay out the process, share some personal insights about playing this high‑skill melee survivor, and highlight why the Mercenary is such a standout character. No matter if you’re a newcomer or a veteran looking for a refresher, this guide is structured so you can skim the essentials or dive deeper into his abilities, strategies and item builds.

Risk of Rain 2 How to Unlock Mercenary: Essential Steps

The most important thing to know about unlocking the Mercenary is that you don’t find him hidden in an environment like some other survivors. Instead, you must complete the True Respite challenge, which involves intentionally ending your run. Here’s a quick breakdown of the steps:

• Play through your run until a Celestial Portal appears. On your first loop, this portal can spawn after you clear the teleporter event on a third‑stage environment like Rallypoint Delta or Scorched Acres. You’ll see the message “A celestial orb has appeared” when it’s active. Kill the boss, ignore the teleporter and walk into the portal.
  
• Enter “A Moment, Fractured”. The Celestial Portal leads to this serene zone full of floating platforms. Take your time navigating; falling will send you back to the start of the section.
  
• Reach the Obelisk. At the end of the platforms stands a large monument. Interact with it and choose the option to “Obliterate yourself from existence.” Confirming this ends your run immediately.
  
• Unlock the Mercenary. When the credits roll, you’ll receive a message awarding the Mercenary as a playable survivor. You also earn five Lunar Coins as a bonus.

The whole process is counterintuitive because you’re effectively sacrificing a promising run. To avoid frustration, do this challenge on Drizzle difficulty so enemies hit less hard. Carry movement items – Wax Quail, Hopoo Feather or Energy Drink – and practice jumping and dashing across the platforms. 

If you want a refresher on what makes this game shine, our list of the best roguelite games notes why Risk of Rain 2 excels at replayable chaos and why each survivor feels unique. Getting the Mercenary only adds to that variety.

True Respite Challenge and Mercenary Unlock Requirements

While the quick list above covers the basics, understanding the challenge itself can help you plan your run. The True Respite challenge is unlocked from the start and doesn’t require DLC. Here are a few details that tripped me up when I first attempted it:

Reaching a Celestial Portal

The Celestial Portal is not guaranteed to appear on every loop. It has specific conditions:

1. Complete your first loop. A loop consists of stages 1–4. After stage 4 you return to a stage 1 biome with higher difficulty and item costs. On this loop, the portal can spawn on stage 3.
   
2. Look for the chat message. When you hear “A celestial orb has appeared” after killing a teleporter boss, you’re safe to search for the portal. It appears as a blue vortex separate from the teleporter.
   
3. Ignore the teleporter. If you activate the teleporter and finish charging it, it will send you to the next stage and the portal will vanish. Instead, walk directly into the Celestial Portal to travel to the challenge zone.

Missing any of these steps will mean restarting your run, so pay attention to the messages on screen. Don’t worry about losing progress – looping helps you farm items anyway, and the Mercenary unlock is permanent once completed.

Navigating “A Moment, Fractured”

This serene realm is beautiful yet dangerous. The floating platforms vary in size and distance, and falling means you’ll respawn at the beginning of the zone. Use double jumps and dashes to maintain momentum. If you’re uncomfortable with platforming, select another survivor like Huntress or Engineer who have mobility skills, then unlock the Mercenary for future runs. I discovered that practicing the platforming in this area improved my overall movement skills in the main stages.

Obliterating at the Obelisk

When you reach the Obelisk, you’ll see two prompts: one to obliterate yourself and one to cancel. Choosing obliteration ends the run and completes the challenge. The wording feels ominous, but this is the intended way to unlock the character. Once you confirm, the game ends, and the Mercenary is available when you return to the menu. 

You’ll also receive a handful of Lunar Coins, which can be spent in the Bazaar Between Time to purchase rare items. After this challenge, pick up our Risk of Rain 2 key if you’re playing on another platform or gifting it to a friend – owning multiple copies lets you enjoy co‑op on different systems.

Mercenary Abilities and Playstyle in Risk of Rain 2

Mercenary is a melee survivor with a kit built around mobility, invincibility frames, and exploiting his Expose debuff. He’s one of the only survivors who can chain attacks indefinitely if you master his timing. Here’s an overview of his skills:

Passive: Cybernetic Enhancements

The Mercenary can double jump by default. His second jump is slightly shorter than the first, but it enables aerial combos and lets you reposition in midair. Extra jumps from Hopoo Feathers stack with his passive, giving you even more vertical control.

Primary: Laser Sword

Your main attack swings a blade for 130 % damage. Every third hit has a wider arc and inflicts Expose, a debuff that causes exposed enemies to take 350 % additional damage and reduces Mercenary’s cooldowns by a second when you hit them again. The third swing triggers automatically and cannot be stored, so plan your combos around it.

Secondary: Whirlwind and Rising Thunder

Mercenary has two options for his secondary slot. Whirlwind performs two quick horizontal slashes (or vertical if airborne), dealing 2 × 200 % damage. It’s smooth and easy to combo into other skills. Rising Thunder, unlocked by staying off the ground for 30 seconds as Mercenary, delivers an uppercut for 550 % damage and launches you into the air. Rising Thunder hits harder than Whirlwind but requires precise timing.

Utility: Blinding Assault and Focused Assault

His default utility, Blinding Assault, dashes forward for 300 % damage and lets you chain up to three dashes as long as you hit an enemy each time. It also grants brief invulnerability during the dash. The alternate utility, Focused Assault, deals 700 % damage, exposes enemies on hit and stuns them. It has fewer dashes but hits harder and pairs well with cooldown reduction builds.

Special: Eviscerate and Slicing Winds

Eviscerate targets the nearest enemy, striking them seven times for 110 % damage per hit. During its short animation you are invincible, making it a valuable panic button. The alternative special, Slicing Winds, throws blades that can hit up to three enemies and applies Expose at the end. Slicing Winds deals up to 1,150 % damage per target and allows you to move freely while it’s active, so it’s often preferred once you unlock it by defeating 500 elites.

How It Feels to Play Mercenary

Playing Mercenary is like juggling knives while sprinting. You weave between enemies, chain jumps and dashes, and rely on invulnerability frames to survive. Keeping your Expose stacks rolling is critical; each time you hit an exposed enemy you shorten your skill cooldowns, letting you dash and slash nonstop. Because of his melee range, you need to stay aware of enemy patterns – standing still means death on higher difficulties. 

His kit rewards practice, so don’t be discouraged if you struggle at first. If you’re craving more chaotic co‑op action, our roundup of best PS5 roguelike games includes Risk of Rain 2 at the top for its frantic fights and makes a good starting point for exploring similar titles.

Tips for Playing Mercenary: Items, Combos and Survivability

Mastering Mercenary goes beyond unlocking him. His ceiling is high because small optimisations – attack timing, item selection, positioning – pay huge dividends. These tips come from my own experience and community wisdom:

Chain Your Abilities

Mercenary’s kit revolves around staying mobile. Use Laser Sword’s third strike to apply Expose, then immediately follow up with Whirlwind or Rising Thunder. Dash with Blinding Assault to reposition or dodge projectiles. Eviscerate provides invincibility; weave it into combos when surrounded. Because Expose reduces cooldowns, hitting an exposed target resets your kit faster, enabling an endless loop of slashes and dashes.

Manage Your Attack Speed

Attack speed items like Soldier’s Syringe reduce the time between swings and shorten recovery animations. However, too much attack speed can shrink the window where Laser Sword’s third swing procs and reduce the distance of your dashes. I found a moderate stack – three or four syringes – balances damage and control. Items like Bandolier, Brainstalks or Purity (which lowers skill cooldowns) synergise with Mercenary because they let you spam skills without waiting.

Prioritise Mobility and Healing Items

Because you’re in melee range, staying alive hinges on movement and sustain. Some recommended items include:

• Rose Buckler: Grants 30 armor while sprinting, allowing you to soak hits when repositioning.
  
• Paul’s Goat Hoof: Increases movement speed by 14 % per stack. More speed means more distance covered during dashes and better dodging.
  
• Harvester’s Scythe and Leeching Seed: Provide healing on critical hits or damage dealt. Sustaining health while attacking lets you stay in the fray.
  
• Monster Tooth: Drops healing orbs when you kill enemies. They’re easy to grab as you move and provide a quick health boost.

Equipment like the Foreign Fruit or Recycler can also be helpful. Avoid items that require you to stand still – turrets or stationary damage sources – as they don’t suit Mercenary’s hit‑and‑run playstyle.

Use the Environment

Mercenary’s double jump and dashes let him cling to vertical terrain. Against bosses, jump on their heads or high platforms to strike from above. Strafe around enemies to attack their backs; most foes have limited rear coverage. When things get risky, retreat, regroup and come back when your cooldowns return. Remember that Mercenary’s invulnerability windows are short – dodging attacks entirely is safer than tanking hits.

Practice Makes Perfect

Even after dozens of runs, I still learn new nuances. Try him on lower difficulties to get comfortable with his range. Experiment with both secondary and special skills to see which suits your style. If you enjoy melee characters and fast‑paced action, Mercenary might become your favourite survivor. For fans of loot‑heavy shooters, our guide to looter‑shooter chaos highlights games like Risk of Rain 2 that scratch the same itch.

Why Mercenary Stands Out Among Risk of Rain 2 Survivors

With a roster that includes gunners, engineers, plant‑robots and more, Risk of Rain 2 offers diverse playstyles. Mercenary is the lone melee‑focused survivor in the base game, and his design encourages aggressive positioning and skill mastery. Here’s why he’s a standout:

• High skill ceiling: Unlike survivors who rely on aim or turrets, Mercenary’s performance scales with your ability to string together moves. Chaining Expose effectively can make you feel unstoppable.
  
• Built‑in mobility: Double jumps and dashes let him avoid damage and reposition constantly. This mobility also makes him fun to watch – combat feels like a dance.
  
• Invulnerability frames: Both Blinding Assault and Eviscerate give brief periods where damage can’t touch you. Learning to time these windows during boss attacks adds depth.
  
• Versatility through alternate skills: Rising Thunder, Focused Assault and Slicing Winds dramatically change his flow. You can tailor him to high damage or crowd control depending on your unlocks.
  
• Synergy with items: Items that reduce cooldowns, increase movement speed or grant on‑hit healing feel tailor‑made for him. A good run can turn the Mercenary into a blur of blades.

On top of these qualities, Mercenary fits beautifully into co‑op runs. While other survivors deal ranged damage or crowd control, he focuses on deleting priority targets up close. The interplay between roles is part of why Risk of Rain 2 appears in our best co‑op games roundup. Whether you coordinate with friends or go solo, unlocking and learning the Mercenary brings a fresh dimension to the game.

Final Thoughts and Power Up Your Run

Unlocking the Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2 requires a deliberate sacrifice, but the payoff is worth it. By following the steps outlined – waiting for a Celestial Portal, navigating “A Moment, Fractured”, and choosing to obliterate yourself – you’ll add one of the most dynamic survivors to your roster. Once unlocked, the Mercenary’s agile moveset, double jumps and invulnerability skills offer a fast, satisfying playstyle. He rewards practice and clever item choices, making every run feel different.

If this guide has inspired you to sharpen your skills or dive back into Risk of Rain 2, consider grabbing our Risk of Rain 2 Steam key from Eneba’s store. With the Mercenary unlocked and a fresh key in hand, you’re ready to slice through hordes of aliens, chase record‑breaking runs, and maybe even help a friend unlock this agile survivor too.

FAQs

How do you unlock the Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2?

To unlock the Mercenary in Risk of Rain 2, you must enter a Celestial Portal, reach the area called “A Moment, Fractured”, and obliterate yourself at the Obelisk. Doing so ends your run and awards the Mercenary as a playable character along with five Lunar Coins.

What are the requirements to unlock the Mercenary?

The requirements to unlock the Mercenary include completing your first loop, triggering a Celestial Portal on stage 3 of that loop, navigating the floating platforms of “A Moment, Fractured”, and choosing to obliterate yourself at the Obelisk. There are no DLC or character prerequisites.

What does it mean to obliterate yourself at the Obelisk?

To obliterate yourself at the Obelisk means interacting with the monument in “A Moment, Fractured” and selecting the option to end your run. Confirming this choice instantly ends the current session and unlocks the Mercenary survivor with no penalty to future runs.

What abilities does the Mercenary have in Risk of Rain 2?

The Mercenary has a double jump passive and uses Laser Sword, Whirlwind or Rising Thunder, Blinding Assault or Focused Assault, and either Eviscerate or Slicing Winds. These abilities focus on mobility, invulnerability, and applying the Expose debuff.

Is the Mercenary a good character in Risk of Rain 2?

Yes, the Mercenary is a strong character in Risk of Rain 2, especially when played skillfully. His high mobility, invulnerability frames, and cooldown‑reducing Expose mechanic make him deadly at close range, though he demands practice to master.