Among the many unique survivors in Risk of Rain 2, Acrid stands out as one of the most polarizing. With a hybrid playstyle that combines melee and ranged attacks, Acrid delivers high damage over time through poison and blight. But the big question for many players especially newcomers is: is Acrid good in ROR2? To answer that properly, it’s important to explore his strengths, weaknesses, item synergy, and how well he performs in both solo and multiplayer runs. Acrid isn’t always the easiest to master, but with the right strategy, he can be a powerful addition to any team.
Understanding Acrid’s Playstyle
Acrid is a poison-based melee-ranged hybrid character. He relies on applying status effects to deal consistent damage over time. Unlike some survivors who rely on rapid-fire attacks or burst damage, Acrid excels at sustained engagement, especially against groups of enemies. His toxic abilities allow him to hit and run while slowly draining enemy health.
His skill set makes him excellent at crowd control and boss melting especially with the right items. However, he also comes with a steep learning curve. His melee-centric playstyle exposes him to danger, and players must manage cooldowns carefully to avoid being overwhelmed.
Acrid’s Abilities
- Vicious Wounds (Primary): A fast melee attack that increases in damage if landed in a three-hit combo.
- Neurotoxin (Alternate Primary): A ranged projectile that applies poison, useful for a safer ranged option.
- Caustic Leap (Utility): A leap that deals AoE damage and applies poison or blight on landing.
- Epidemic (Secondary): A spreading poison attack that jumps between nearby enemies, great for clearing mobs.
- Frenzied Leap (Alternate Utility): A more aggressive leap with better mobility and damage output.
The Strengths of Acrid
Once you understand how Acrid functions, his strengths become clear. He may not dish out the fastest damage in the game, but his poison status can melt even the tankiest foes over time. The fact that his poison damage is based on a percentage of enemy health makes him uniquely powerful against bosses and elite monsters.
Key Advantages
- Percentage-based Poison: Acrid’s poison ignores armor and scales with enemy health, which makes it very effective against bosses and high-HP enemies.
- Sustained AoE Damage: Epidemic and Caustic Leap let Acrid clear groups of enemies with ease, especially when kiting.
- Durability: Acrid has a decent health pool and passive healing when damaging enemies, allowing him to survive longer than glass cannon characters.
- Mobility: His leap skills give him great map traversal and escape tools.
The Weaknesses of Acrid
Despite his powerful damage-over-time mechanics, Acrid isn’t without his flaws. He lacks the immediate burst damage that some survivors bring to the table, which can make him feel underwhelming in fast-paced lobbies or late-game scaling.
Notable Limitations
- No Instant Damage: Poison and blight take time to kill enemies, which can be problematic when quick kills are necessary.
- Limited Utility in Late Game: As enemies scale, the percentage damage becomes less impressive unless properly supported by items.
- Melee Risk: Using his primary ability forces players into close combat, increasing the chance of taking damage.
- Scaling Issues: Acrid relies heavily on the right items to maintain his usefulness beyond the early stages.
Item Synergy for Acrid
To make the most out of Acrid in *Risk of Rain 2*, players need to build around his unique mechanics. Since his damage scales well with certain effects, it’s crucial to pick up items that either enhance his poison, boost his survivability, or increase overall DPS through synergy with his attacks.
Recommended Items
- Will-o’-the-wisp: Works beautifully with Acrid’s AoE kit, helping him clear groups quickly.
- Gasoline: Triggers on-kill effects that spread fire, which complements his poison for dealing with mobs.
- Ukulele: Adds chain lightning to attacks, further improving mob control.
- Infusion: Grants extra max health per kill, useful for keeping Acrid tanky.
- Harvester’s Scythe: Critical hits restore health, helping Acrid sustain during melee engagements.
- Shatterspleen (Bleed on Crit): Combines well with Acrid’s DoT build and creates devastating chain explosions.
- Focus Crystal: Increases damage to nearby enemies, perfect for his melee setup.
Solo vs Multiplayer Performance
Acrid’s viability varies depending on whether you’re playing solo or in a group. In solo play, Acrid shines when you learn to balance aggression with movement. You can take your time, apply poison, retreat, and repeat. There’s more room to kite and strategize, making him easier to use effectively.
In multiplayer, however, Acrid’s slow burn damage can feel outpaced by survivors who deal high burst or AoE damage. This doesn’t make him useless, but it does mean that Acrid players may struggle to secure kills and stack items unless they act aggressively or get an early item advantage.
Best Contexts for Acrid
- Ideal for players who prefer tactical, damage-over-time playstyles.
- Works well in solo runs where pacing can be controlled.
- Strong against elite enemies and bosses due to percentage damage.
Skill Customization and Loadout
Acrid benefits from having alternate skills that adapt his playstyle. Choosing between melee or ranged primaries, or between crowd control versus mobility, affects how you should approach a run. For safer, more tactical gameplay, the ranged primary (Neurotoxin) is a good pick. For more aggressive or skilled players, Vicious Wounds allows for greater close-quarters power.
Similarly, the choice between Caustic Leap and Frenzied Leap can change Acrid’s role. Frenzied Leap adds more burst damage and lets him function better in chaotic multiplayer fights, while Caustic Leap is safer and more consistent in solo gameplay.
Is Acrid Good in Risk of Rain 2?
Yes, Acrid is good in *Risk of Rain 2*, but he’s not for everyone. His damage-over-time mechanics make him unique and powerful in the right hands. He performs best when players understand how to leverage his poison and movement skills to control the battlefield. He excels in solo runs and scales well with the right item build. However, his lack of burst and dependency on proper positioning can limit his effectiveness in some team compositions or late-game scenarios.
Ultimately, Acrid rewards a methodical and cautious playstyle. If you enjoy applying status effects, managing space, and watching enemies melt over time, then Acrid might just be your go-to survivor. With proper items and skill mastery, he can hold his own among the best in *Risk of Rain 2*.