Risk Of Rain's Lore, Explained (2024)

As a roguelike game with minimal dialogue, you can still find bits of lore in Risk of Rain and Risk of Rain 2. Through log entries and item descriptions, the world will start to fill in, helping you understand just who the survivors are, and what they are doing.

Of course, it's highly likely that you haven't read all there is in the game, but that's okay. Here, we are going to take a look at the lore of Risk of Rain, explaining what is happening in both games. It's worth noting that although Risk of Rain Returns is a separate game, it's still a remake of the original.

Risk Of Rain Story

Let's first look at the story from the first Risk of Rain game.

The premise is simple; a ship known as the UES Contact Light crashes upon Petrichor V, but a survivor (that's you!) escapes in a little pod, placing them in the first stage of the game. All items on the planet are cargo from the ship; this holds true for the second game as well.

Why did the UES Contact Light crash though? It turns out that a mysterious signal was sent, which lured the ship to the planet, causing Providence to teleport in and destroy it. Throughout the course of the game, you essentially try to reach Providence in order to kill him. Upon defeat, you successfully leave the planet, which ends the game.

Risk Of Rain 2 Story

Risk of Rain 2 has a similar story, with the survivor(s) landing on Petrichor V from their ship UES Safe Travels. Rather than crashing after following a signal, this ship lands in order to save any remaining members from the UES Contact Light, which was present in the first game.

Like the first game, you travel through various stages until you reach Commencement, where the final boss Mithrix stands. After defeating him, you rush back to your ship and escape Petrichor V once again.

Who Are Providence And Mithrix?

Providence and Mithrix are the two final bosses of both Risk of Rain games. Rather than being two unrelated figures, they are brothers.

Prior to Risk of Rain, these two brothers lived on Petrichor V; together, the two created constructs to populate the planet, while Providence also worked to save existing species from extinction. Mithrix would create blueprints for creatures, and Providence would use his power to bring them to life.

With this power though, the brothers developed rather large egos that eventually clashed. In Mithrix's eyes, Providence was using his power frivolously, but he continued to make blueprints for his brother. With Providence's power growing, he ultimately trapped Mithrix on the moon, giving himself the power to rule as he pleased.

So, in the first Risk of Rain game, you fight Providence and Mithrix is not present because he is trapped on the moon, in an area called Commencement.

Commencement

We know that Commencement is where Mithrix is found, but what exactly is it? When you venture to this stage, you will need to complete four pillar events; Mass, Design, Soul, and Blood. Based on these names, we know that these pillars are the four elements that Mithrix used to create blueprints.

With this in mind, it seems that the area used to be a workshop of sorts before Mithrix was trapped.

What Are The Teleporters?

A major part of Risk of Rain is the use of teleporters, but what are they? The teleporters were made by Mithrix and Providence as a way to safely travel while avoiding space. Although it's not overtly stated, the brothers have a space sickness that prevents them from crossing space. With the help of teleporters though, they can travel unharmed.

Teleporter On The UES Contact Light

Earlier, we mentioned that Providence originally got aboard the UES Contact Light via a teleporter that was on the ship. In a lore field note for the first game, we read the monologue of a survivor who successfully killed Providence.

In this note, the survivor writes that Providence had great power, and they feel like they made a mistake killing him. The note ends with the following line.

Lunar Items And Mithrix

Lunar items fit into the Mithrix puzzle as well. While trapped on the moon, Mithrix crafted Lunar items that he spread throughout the planet. The purpose of these items was to grant the user power while turning them into 'puppets' for Mithrix, who can't be down on the planet himself.

Providence attempted to remove these items, but they still remain. This is why the items are present, but not too common in Risk of Rain 2.

Who Are The Survivors?

The survivors in both games are addressed by names that are more like job titles, which is exactly what they are. There is no person named Huntress; instead, this is a title given to this type of person. As such, the Huntresses in both games are two completely different people.

There are, however, a few survivors that aren't part of this crew. This includes Acrid, who is the same being in both the first and second game. Acrid is essentially stolen goods held in the ship; once destroyed, he falls onto Petrichor V.

What Is The Void?

The Void makes its appearance in several ways, such as the Void Fields and the Survivors of the Void DLC. Not much is known about the Void, but it's likely that the Void is a faction with the goal of researching and trapping.

This is evident when you visit the Void Fields. Here, there are cells with specific enemies tied to them. It's possible that after Providence was killed, the Void grew out of control, which led to Void enemies being more present in Risk of Rain 2.

The Void is led by the Voidling, who serves as an alternate boss for the second game. To fight this boss, you will need to venture into The Planetarium, which is accessed through a Void Portal. Interestingly, there is a removed cutscene that shows the Voidling dying, which in turn, 'powers down' all Void beings on the planet.

When you defeat Mithrix in Risk of Rain 2, the Void also begins to take over the moon, furthering the fact that Mithrix and Providence protected Petrichor V and the moon.