Operator is one of the two characters who survived the events of Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective. While Drifter focuses on collecting items, Operator plays more like a traditional ranged fighter. What makes Operator unique is his ability to use drones effectively – he’s the only character who can fully maximize their potential, making him ideal for players who enjoy drone-focused builds. Below is a build designed to showcase Operator’s strengths with drones.
Best Operator Skills in Risk of Rain 2
Okay, so before we get into the really good stuff – like what items I should build on Operator – let’s quickly go over what he can do. Here’s what he starts with, his basic kit:
- Drone Tech (Passive): Operator starts with 2 custom drones.
- H3-11 OCR Custom (Primary Skill): Fire a blast of energy that deals 150-600% damage and ricochets on kill. Shots are stronger based on charges consumed, and charges are replenished over time while not firing.
- ADMIN-OVERRIDE (Secondary Skill): Order a drone to unleash a special skill. A charge is stored for every drone you own.
- Ascent Protocol (Utility Skill): Command a drone to lift you into the air and start a controlled fall. Can be reactivated to leap to another drone.
- Ejection Core (Special Skill): Launch a drone that knocks enemies up into the air, damaging for 300% and inflicting them with Nano-Bugged, which amplifies the damage they take from Operator’s skills.
Okay, so the Operator is way easier to pick up than the Drifter. Honestly, I think you’re best off just using the Operator’s starting skills – they’re a really good mix of strength and how fast you can move. Seriously, don’t skip Ascent Protocol! It’s super important because it’s the only way the Operator can get around quickly. Playing as the Operator kinda reminds me of the Commando, and I’ll explain why a bit later.
We suggest changing his starting drones. The game normally gives you a Gunner and a Healing Drone at the beginning (with a Transport Drone available through a challenge). However, to get a stronger start, we recommend taking two Gunner drones instead of one of each. This will significantly increase your early damage output, allowing you to earn money faster and keep up with the game’s increasing difficulty.
Best Items for Operator in Risk of Rain 2
| Core Items for Operator in ROR 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item | Rarity | Effect |
| Crowbar | Common | Deal more damage to enemies with over 90% health. |
| Hiker’s Boots/Lens-Maker’s Glasses | Common | Both items provide bonus crit chance. |
| Backup Magazine | Common | Adds an extra charge to your Secondary Skill. |
| Sticky Bomb | Common | Has a chance to attach a bomb to enemies that deals 180% of your total damage. |
| Box of Dynamite | Uncommon | Gain Lt. Droneboy as an extra drone. All drones periodically drop dynamite when in combat. |
| Kjaro/Runald’s Band | Uncommon | Create a ring of fire/ice when you hit for at least 400% of your damage. |
| Spare Drone Parts | Legendary | Gain Col. Droneman. All drones fire faster, have a chance to shoot missiles, and gain a chaingun. |
| Symbiotic Scorpion | Legendary | Every hit is guaranteed to reduce your target’s armor permanently. |
| Empathy Cores | Boss Item | Gain two Solus Core buddies that attack enemies. Their damage increases for every ally you have. |
| The Backup | Equipment | Summon a swarm of Strike Drones |
Always take at least one defensive and mobility item regardless of who you’re playing as in ROR 2.
Because Risk of Rain 2 is a very unpredictable game, the only way to consistently get specific items is by using the Artifact of Command. Otherwise, you’ll rely on chance – hoping for good item drops, finding printers with what you need, and similar random events.
As a big fan of drone builds, I’ve found that the stuff listed earlier really makes a difference – it’s the core of what makes a drone Operator strong. But honestly, those aren’t the only things you should grab. There are other great options out there too, like…
| Luxury Items for Operator | |
|---|---|
| Category | Items |
| Movement | Paul’s Goat Hoof Energy Drink Hopoo Feather Elusive Antlers |
| Damage | Soldier’s Syringe Laser Scope AtG Missile Mk. I Ukulele |
| Defense | Unstable Transmitter Power Elixir Kinetic Dampener Infusion First Aid Kit Weeping Fungus |
| Sale Star | Sale Star (my beloved) |
Try to collect at least one of each of these items during your playthrough. Feel free to organize them however you like, but if you can choose, focus on getting the items listed as “Core Items” first.
The Death Mark Combo
Death Mark is a rare item that significantly increases the damage you deal to enemies already suffering from four or more negative effects. While useful for most characters in Risk of Rain 2, it’s particularly powerful for survivors like Operator who can easily apply multiple debuffs. The Nano-Bugged status effect from the Ejection Core counts as one of these debuffs, so you only need to find three additional ways to hinder enemies to fully benefit from Death Mark.
The usual debuff items for Death Mark builds include:
- Tri-Tip Dagger (Bleed)
- Chronobauble (Slow)
- Runald’s Band (Slow)
- Gasoline (Ignite)
- Symbiotic Scorpion (Permanent Armor Reduction)
- Shattering Justice (Pulverized)
Playstyle
Okay, so playing as Operator feels a lot like Commando, honestly. Basically, you just want to keep hitting those damage buttons, and Ascent Protocol keeps you floating around, which is awesome. If you load up with two Gunner drones, it’s kinda like a toned-down version of Commando’s Suppressive Fire. I can’t stun enemies with the drones like Commando can, but I can just keep the damage coming as long as I’ve got enough Gunner Drones to keep things going.
We highly recommend purchasing as many Gunner Drones as possible during each playthrough. This offers two key benefits:
- ADMIN-OVERRIDE becomes more reliable as a DPS skill.
- You’ll be able to trigger on-hit effects more rapidly.
One of the best parts of building drones is having a whole group supporting you constantly. While one drone alone isn’t very powerful, a team of 10 can deal significant damage, and that damage is even greater when you upgrade them with Spare Drone Parts.
Gunner Drones fire a rapid stream of bullets when you activate ADMIN-OVERRIDE, and each bullet can activate on-hit effects from your gear. You gain one use of this ability for each drone you control, plus two automatically at the beginning of each round. Essentially, the more drones you have, the more you can use this skill – so buy drones, use the skill often, and enjoy the visual spectacle!
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2025-11-21 18:36