Risk of Rain Returns: How to Unlock Miner

Risk of Rain Returns brings back the familiar characters from the original Risk of Rain (2013), with updated abilities and better sprites. One such character is the Miner, a fast-moving melee powerhouse.  In this article, we’ll quickly go over what the Miner does and then give you a step-by-step guide on unlocking him. 

How to Unlock the Miner

Even though the Miner is easy to unlock once you know what to do, the unlock is a bit dependent on luck, since stage variants in Risk of Rain Returns are randomized. 

To get the Miner, you need to first get to the Magma Barracks environment, which is a possible Fourth Level.

On some layouts of this map, you can go to the bottom right corner and find a little tunnel filled with lava that leads into a new room. Check the image below if you feel lost. 

To get past the lava safely, we recommend stacking up on HP and mobility items, such as Infusion and Bitter Root for HP or Paul’s Goat Hoof for mobility.

Hopoo Feather is also an option because that way you can just spam your jump key and stay in the lava for as little as possible. 

Once you get to the other side, you’ll have to fight the Direseeker, a miniboss that’s basically just a stronger and scarier Elder Lemurian.

If you kill the miniboss, you will get a notification that you’ve completed the challenge and unlocked the Miner. 

If you have extra mobility like a few Hopoo Feathers, you can also climb up to the area on the right and get an Environment Log for the stage. 

Overview of the Miner

Miner is an aggressive high mobility melee character. As his in-game description says, he “clears a path for the survivors”, meaning he’s a kind of frontline character. 

His abilities generate Heat, which at max level puts him into Scorching mode, a state that enhances his abilities. These are his abilities: 

1. First Ability
   • Crush: Hits nearby enemies for 160% damage. While Scorching, deals an additional 45% damage. 
   • Throwing Axe: Miner tosses a pickaxe forward for 125% damage. While Scorching, the pickaxes become piercing and get thrown faster. 
2. Second Ability
   • Drill Charge: Hold the key to dash through enemies for 150% damage while invulnerable. 
   • Drill Dash: Dash through the air in the direction you’re facing. When you hit an enemy, you drill them for 150% damage. 
3. Third Ability
   • Backblast: Blasts backwards dealing 200% damage and stunning all enemies. 
   • Burnout: Explodes in an area for 500% while simultaneously stunning all enemies. Damages you for 25% of max health. 
4. Fourth Ability
   • To the Stars: Allows you to leap into the air, hitting enemies on the ground for 3*180% damage. 

The Miner has 6 skins, 4 of which are unlocked by default, and 2 which are separate unlocks – from the trials “Gup Sorting?” and “Judgment”. 

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