Loader is one of the strongest and sturdiest Survivors in Risk Of Rain 2. Her playstyle is extremely consistent, Furthermore, most items positively benefit your Loader build in Risk of Rain 2. Even more, she is extremely mobile, fast, and hard-hitting – the only real downside is that she doesn’t have range.
Loader has the innate strengths to take on any boss in hand-to-hand combat due to her passive and grappling capabilities. If you are looking for a consistent and hyper-mobile character, Loader in Risk of Rain 2 is the choice for you!
How To Unlock Loader in Risk of Rain 2
Loader – Guidance Offline
To unlock Loader in Risk of Rain 2 via the Guidance Offline achievement, you must challenge and defeat the Alloy Worship Unit hidden Boss in Siren’s Call. The Alloy Worship Unit Boss spawns once you destroy four eggs in nests at Siren’s Call. The eggs are scattered around the map in different areas and might be hard to find if you’re not used to looking for them.
Once four are destroyed, the Alloy Worship Unit Boss spawns with the added effect of getting a temporary shield when using their large AOE ability at low health.
Not only will you unlock Loader for killing an Alloy Worship Unit, but you will also obtain a free random Legendary Item, spawning in the same location from which the Alloy Worship Unit appears.
How Do Loader’s Abilities in Risk of Rain 2 Work?
Passive – Scrap Barrier
Loader’s passive makes her immune to fall damage. Furthermore, it provides her with a barrier every time she hits someone with her gauntlets. The barrier stacks and scales off 5% maximum health, plus any shielding.
Although many of Loader’s abilities cleave and hit multiple targets, she doesn’t get an extra barrier unless she hits targets individually. This means Charged Gauntlet can grant Loader numerous barriers per target pierced, but Knuckleboom only provides one barrier per swing.
Primary
Knuckleboom – Loader’s Default Primary Ability in RoR2
Kncklebloom is Loader’s first and only primary ability in Risk of Rain 2. Loader swings at nearby enemies in a short cone in front of her, dealing 320% base damage with a proc coefficient of 1.0. Since this ability has the expected result of cleaving through multiple enemies, Knucklebloom can quickly cut down hordes of enemies.
Yet, her passive only grants her a barrier per each swing. Knucklebloom has no cooldown and instead has a short delay between attacks which becomes lessened as she collects Attack Speed items.
Related Survivor Guide: How to Build Mul T in Risk of Rain 2
Secondaries
Grapple Fist – Default Secondary Ability on Loader
Grapple Fist is Loader’s default secondary ability, which fires out her gauntlet and pulls you to almost anything. Loader can use Grapple Fist to stick herself to enemies, allies, or structures, and the ability lasts nearly indefinitely. While Grapple Fist deals no damage, it’s often used to give Loader high amounts of mobility and allows her to grapple onto swarms of flying units as well.
Spiked Fist
Spiked Fist is Loader’s alternate secondary option, which gives her a slightly modified Grapple Fist. In Risk of Rain 2, Loader’s Spiked Fist stuns and deals 320% damage to whoever you grapple onto. Furthermore, it pulls small enemies to you or still pulls yourself to larger enemies or structures.
To unlock Spiked Fist, you must complete the Swing By challenge. Finishing this challenge requires you to reach and proceed through the Celestial Portal in 25 minutes or less. The Celestial Portal is the platform that takes you to the final boss of the game, which means you must speedrun to the final boss in under 25 minutes.
Loader’s Utility Skills
Charged Gauntlet – The Fedault Utility Ability for RoR2 Loader Hero
Charged Gauntlet is Loader’s first Utility skill, which allows her to charge up a punch that deals between 600%-2700% base damage. This ability scales off of momentum or velocity, which roughly adds 30% base damage for 1m/s of Loader’s current speed.
Starting the charge of this ability will stop Loader from sprinting in Risk of Rain 2, but you can sprint again while your fist is charging. Charged Gauntlet also charges faster with more attack speed and pierces through enemies.
Loader’s Unlockable Special Ability – Thunder Gauntlet
Thunder Gauntlet is Loader’s alternate Utility ability, similar to Charged Gauntlet. Thunder Gauntlet functions nearly identical to the Charged Gauntlet. Yet, instead of dealing damage in a line and piercing enemies, its damage comes in the form of an AOE. Charged Gauntlet’s punch deals 2100% damage to a single target and shocks enemies in a cone nearby for 1000% damage.
Thunder Gauntlet’s charge is automatically fired when it reaches full charge and charges faster than the Charged Gauntlet. The Thunder Gauntlet also scales off Loader’s current velocity like the Charged Gauntlet, but the lightning cone doesn’t scale off the velocity gain.
To unlock the Thunder Gauntlet, you must complete the Earthshatter challenge. This challenge requires you to land a CHarged Gauntlet hit at 300mph or higher. The easiest way to complete this challenge is to stack movement speed items, use the Grapple Fist for some additional velocity while charging, and then punch downwards while in the air.
Loader’s Specials in Risk of Rain 2
M551 Pylon – Default Special
Loader’s first special ability is the M551 Pylon. Loader launches a floating pylon that zaps up to six nearby enemies for 100% damage. This Pylon has a lengthy cooldown of 20 seconds but gives Loader her only ranged ability, giving her an easier potion to deal with flying units. The Pylon can also be grappled; if it rolls a crit when it spawns, all of its damage will critically strike.
Thunderslam
Thunderslam is Loader’s alternate special skill in Risk of Rain 2. It causes her to slam her fists down, dealing 2000% damage in a radius of 15m and stunning enemies. This ability works great with her passive since Loader cannot take fall damage, which makes this ability always useful no matter the height.
To unlock Thunderslam, you must finish The Thunderdome challenge. Completing this challenge requires killing three other Loaders in the Bulwark’s Ambry while playing as Loader. The Bulwark’s Ambry is a small arena that summons exact copies of your Survivor with all of your currently equipped items. The easiest way to complete this challenge is to be aware of the items you are gathering during your run, not to turn yourself into an unkillable machine.
Related Guide: How to Beat Every Possible Ending in Risk of Rain 2 (Updated 2022)
What Should Your Loader Build Include in Risk of Rain 2?
Since Loader can synergize off any build type in Risk of Rain 2, it would be easier to explain what items synergize best with her. Movement speed items such as Paul’s Goat Hoof and Energy Drink allow her to hit harder with her Utilities due to their ability to deal more damage based on speed.
Attack Speed items such as Mocha and Soldier’s Syringe lower the charge time of her Utility and the wait between Knuckleboom procs. Cooldown-Reduction or Multiple-Charge items allow Loader to use her powerful abilities more frequently. Focus Crystal benefits Loader the most due to her melee prowess.
Anything that grants Loader Healing in Risk of Rain 2 helps her drastically because she constantly negates damage with her passive.
Why You Should Choose Charged Gauntlet for Your Risk of Rain 2 Loader Build
All of Loader’s unlocks are especially good for her to use. Yet, there can be a discussion about which Utility to take. There are two downsides that Thunder Gauntlet has that make Charged Gauntlet a potentially better option while having faster charging time and more damage.
The first downside is that Thunder Gauntlet doesn’t pierce, meaning that Loader will only damage the targets behind the first person she comes in contact with and nobody else. This makes it harder for Loader to perform AOE on flying targets because Thunderslam doesn’t do the best job providing removal for Wisps and other enemies and because Spiked Fist makes it hard to bring Loader towards flying menaces.
The other downside that Thunder Gauntlet provides is being unable to hold the charge. While Charged Gauntlet allows on-the-spot decision-making, Thunder Gauntlet makes it incredibly difficult due to having to release the channel every .5 seconds, waiting 5 seconds between casts. The Charged Gauntlet provides RoR2 Loader with more options and mobility, which could save her in a pinch if she finds herself in a situation where she must retreat.
Nonetheless, the charge time and damage aren’t anything to scoff at, and the decision is based on whatever you deem more important.
Related Guide: How to Play and Build Bandit in Risk of Rain 2
Tips & Tricks to Playing with Loader in Risk of Rain 2
- After fully charging Loader’s Utility, you can sprint or swing before releasing it, allowing you to amp up the additional speed damage.
- Grapple Fist and Spiked Fist only go on cooldown if the attack connects with an enemy or terrain.
- Release the charge from Charged Gauntlet as Grapply Fists begins to lift Loader upwards to main maximum velocity damage bonus.
- Hardlight Afterburner is a must-have item on Loader since most of her damage comes from her utility skill.
- High attack speed allows Loader in Risk of Rain 2 to build her passive barrier quickly with Knucklebloom and increases the charge rate of both Charged Gauntlet and Thunder Gauntlet.
Wrapping Up our Risk of Rain 2 Loader Build and Player Guide
Loader is a powerhouse who swings and punches her way in and out of combat while dealing insane amounts of damage. Loader is also one of the few characters in Risk of Rain 2 who takes just a few items to start scaling up and snowball into the late game. If you enjoy throwing high-speed punches that chunk bosses for over a quarter of their HP bar, then Loader is the Risk of Rain 2 Survivor for you.
For more great Risk of Rain 2 survivor guides, check out our guide on when Transcendence in Risk of Rain 2 is useful and when you should avoid it. Good luck out there, Survivor! Feel free to leave a comment or a question below. We love to hear from our engaged readers!
