Every Risk of Rain 2 run reaches the same fork at stage 5: take the Primordial Teleporter to the moon and fight Mithrix, or turn it toward the planet and loop back to stage 1 with everything you own. Most guides explain how the rings work. This one starts with when each choice is right, then covers what you need to know to make it: every stage and its variants, the hidden realms worth a detour, what actually changes after a loop, how hard the game gets in real numbers, and what each ending requires.
Facts come from the Risk of Rain 2 wiki (wiki.gg) and cover the base game with Survivors of the Void, Seekers of the Storm and Alloyed Collective. Stage, boss and item names are in English as they appear in game. For the basics of a stage (Teleporter, chests, the difficulty clock), see the Beginner Guide.
Loop or go to the moon? The short answer
| Your situation at stage 5 | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have never beaten Mithrix | Go to the moon | Bank the win and the 10 Lunar Coins first. A loop only makes the next 5 stages harder. |
| The stage 5 Teleporter boss took a long time to kill | Go to the moon | Stage 6 adds Tier 2 elites with 18x health. If a normal boss was slow, those will be slower. |
| Your build relies on healing to survive | Go to the moon, or loop only with other defense | Malachite elites (stage 6 onward) disable healing for 8 seconds on hit. |
| Crowds die instantly and you hold several defensive items | Loop once | This is the build looping is for. Stacking items keep scaling while flat ones fall behind. |
| You want the Obelisk ending or Mercenary | Loop | The Celestial Portal only appears on the third stage of each loop after the first. |
| You want the Voidling | No loop needed | Clear the Void Fields from the Bazaar, or beat Mithrix and pet the Glass Frog 10 times. |
| You want False Son | No loop needed | Take a green portal from a Halcyon Shrine on stages 1 to 3 (Seekers of the Storm). |
| You are chasing a record | Keep looping | Expect enemy level to hit the cap of 99 while the coefficient keeps rising. Defense decides the end. |
The one-line rule: loop when your build is already ahead, never to catch up. If you are asking whether the build is ready, Mithrix is the safer place to find out.
How a run is laid out
A standard run is five stages and then Commencement, the moon. Each stage number has its own pool of environments, and the game picks one per stage at random; you never see two environments of the same stage number in one loop. After stage 5 you either go to Commencement or loop back to stage 1, where some environments are replaced by loop-only variants.
Hidden realms such as the Bazaar Between Time sit between stages, and two expansions add alternative routes: the Path of the Colossus (Seekers of the Storm) and the Access Node route (Alloyed Collective).
Every stage and its variants
| Stage | Environments | Loop-only variant | Route stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distant Roost, Titanic Plains, Verdant Falls, Siphoned Forest (SotV), Shattered Abodes (SotS) | Viscous Falls (replaces Verdant Falls), Disturbed Impact (replaces Shattered Abodes) | — |
| 2 | Abandoned Aqueduct, Wetland Aspect, Aphelian Sanctuary (SotV), Pretender's Precipice (AC) | — | Reformed Altar (SotS, Path of the Colossus) |
| 3 | Rallypoint Delta, Scorched Acres, Sulfur Pools (SotV), Iron Alluvium (AC) | Iron Auroras (replaces Iron Alluvium) | Treeborn Colony, loop variant Golden Dieback (SotS) |
| 4 | Abyssal Depths, Siren's Call, Sundered Grove, Repurposed Crater (AC) | — | Prime Meridian (SotS), Conduit Canyon (AC) |
| 5 | Sky Meadow, Helminth Hatchery (SotS) | — | Solutional Haunt (AC) |
| Final | Commencement | — | — |
SotV = Survivors of the Void, SotS = Seekers of the Storm, AC = Alloyed Collective. DLC stages appear only if that expansion is enabled when the run starts. Loop variants are mostly the same map at night with their own name and spawn pool, though some open new areas: in Disturbed Impact some normally closed houses open up with extra Large Chests.
What is special on each stage
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1
Stage 1
Halcyon Shrines (Seekers of the Storm) are most common on stage 1 environments. Feeding a shrine gold and killing the Halcyonite it summons gives an Aurelionite Fragment, and on stages 1 to 3 it also opens a green portal to the Path of the Colossus.
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2
Stage 2
Abandoned Aqueduct hides an Ancient Gate opened by holding down two pressure plates at once. Behind it are the Elder Lemurians Kjaro and Runald, which start with 3000% health and 20 copies of 57 Leaf Clover and drop Kjaro's Band and Runald's Band. Green and boss printers can appear from stage 2.
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3
Stage 3
Rallypoint Delta holds the Timed Security Chest, which always contains the Preon Accumulator and locks once the run timer reaches 10 minutes. With Alloyed Collective, an Access Node can spawn on stage 3 environments (not Treeborn Colony) and starts the Solus route.
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4
Stage 4
A Legendary Chest is guaranteed on Abyssal Depths, Sundered Grove, Repurposed Crater and Conduit Canyon. On Siren's Call, destroying 6 egg nests summons the Alloy Worship Unit, which drops the same legendary item for every player. Abyssal Depths is also where a carried Fuel Array unlocks REX.
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5
Stage 5
Sky Meadow and Helminth Hatchery hold the Primordial Teleporter that decides moon or loop. Both have a Compound Generator that opens a portal to Bulwark's Ambry for artifact codes. Red printers can appear from stage 5. Helminth Hatchery's glassy worm tunnels add +4 base movement speed.
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6
Commencement
No ordinary chests. Instead there are 5 Cauldrons, up to 7 Lunar Pods and a guaranteed Shrine of Order. Charge 4 pillars to activate the launch pads to Mithrix's arena.
Hidden realms and detours worth knowing
| Place | How to get there | What it gives | Counts as a stage? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bazaar Between Time | Pay 1 Lunar Coin at a Newt Altar before the Teleporter event ends; a blue portal opens when it completes | Lunar items (2 coins each), Lunar Seers (choose the next environment for 3 coins), Cauldrons, Cleansing Pool, Artificer unlock, the way to the Void Fields | No, and the clock is paused |
| Gilded Coast | Buy an Altar of Gold (base $200, any stage except the first) and finish the Teleporter event; later Halcyon Shrines can also open gold portals | Aurelionite fight; one Halcyon Seed per player | Yes, but the clock is paused there |
| Void Fields | The Null Portal in a hidden cave below the Bazaar's blue portal, once per run | 9 cells: white rewards for cells 1-4, green for 5-8, a red for 9 | No |
| Void Locus (SotV) | Complete all 9 Void Fields cells, or a Void portal with a 10% chance after Teleporter events from stage 7 | Void Cradles and Potentials instead of chests; 4 Deep Void Signals lead to The Planetarium | — |
| A Moment, Fractured | The Celestial Portal on the third stage of each loop after the first | The Obelisk: obliterate to end the run for 5 Lunar Coins | Yes |
| Bulwark's Ambry | Compound Generator on Sky Meadow or Helminth Hatchery with an artifact code | Artifact trials that unlock artifacts | — |
Newt Altars are the key to most of this. Each costs 1 Lunar Coin, only one per stage can be used, and donating after the Teleporter event finishes does nothing. They are usually tucked away in hard-to-reach spots, so look for them while you loot rather than after.
Any portal on stage 5 loops you. Whatever the Primordial Teleporter's alignment, going through a blue, gold or artifact portal on stage 5 sends you back to stage 1 afterwards. If you want the moon, skip the Newt Altar on stage 5.
The Void Fields reward patience, not speed. Each cell takes a minute to charge while you stay inside its 20 m radius, and the Void Fog outside drains health that defensive items cannot block (about 37 seconds to death with no items). Enemies gain items on even-numbered cells. You can leave at any time, but not come back that run.
The Simulacrum (Survivors of the Void) is a separate wave-based mode, not part of a normal run. You fight inside a moving safe bubble in Void Fog, and the environment changes every 10 waves. Its level cap is 9999 instead of 99, so it is the place to test a build past the normal limit.
How looping works
On stage 5 the Primordial Teleporter is aligned to the moon by default. Interact with the rectangular spires on its outer ring before starting the event to switch it to the planet; when aligned to the planet, the spires form two large clumps like the horns of a normal Teleporter. Once the event starts the alignment is locked. Charge it as usual and you arrive at stage 1 with all items, drones and the clock intact.
Here is what is different on the next pass:
| Change | From when | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Loop-only stage variants | Stage 6 onward | Viscous Falls, Disturbed Impact, Iron Auroras and Golden Dieback replace their originals. |
| Tier 2 elites: Malachite, Celestine, Twisted | Stage 6 onward | 18x health and 6x damage, against 3-5x health and 2x damage for normal elites. |
| Malachite | Stage 6 onward | Hits disable your healing for 8 seconds and it throws spiked balls. |
| Celestine | Stage 6 onward | Turns nearby non-Celestine enemies invisible; its attacks slow heavily. |
| Celestial Portal | Third stage of each loop after the first | Leads to A Moment, Fractured and the Obelisk. |
| 10% Void portal | After Teleporter events from stage 7 | A shortcut to the Void Locus and the Voidling. |
| Scavengers | After looping | Sundered Grove is the only map where one can spawn before a loop (after 32 minutes on Monsoon). |
| Timed Security Chest | Effectively gone | The run timer is far past 10 minutes by the time you see Rallypoint Delta again. |
How difficulty scales across loops
The difficulty coefficient grows every minute and is multiplied by 1.15 for every stage completed. Enemy level is 1 + (coefficient - 1) / 0.33 in solo play, and most monsters gain 30% of their base health per level (an Elder Lemurian has 900 health plus 270 per level). Prices follow the coefficient to the power 1.25. Here is what that means solo on Rainstorm, computed from the wiki's formulas for example arrival times:
| Arrive at | Coefficient | Enemy level | Small Chest | Legendary Chest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 5 at 25 minutes | about 6.2 | about 17 | about $243 | about $3,900 |
| Stage 6 at 30 minutes | about 8.1 | about 23 | about $343 | about $5,500 |
| Stage 8 at 40 minutes | about 13.4 | about 39 | about $643 | about $10,300 |
| Stage 11 at 60 minutes | about 28.6 | about 85 | about $1,650 | about $26,500 |
| Stage 16 at 90 minutes | about 82 | 99 (capped) | about $6,200 | about $99,000 |
Three things stand out. The first loop is not a special jump: it is the same 1.15 as every stage, compounded five times by stage 6. The level cap is not a ceiling: past level 99 the coefficient still decides how many enemies, and which kinds, can spawn. And since gold per kill grows only in proportion to the coefficient while prices grow faster, each loop buys fewer chests per kill. Looping rewards items that multiply, not items you hope to find more of.
The Bazaar Between Time and the Void Fields do not count as stages, and the clock stops in the Bazaar and on the Gilded Coast. The Gilded Coast and A Moment, Fractured do count, so each adds a 1.15 step.
The final routes and what each requires
| Ending | Expansion | How to reach it | Needs a loop? | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mithrix (Commencement) | Base game | Leave the stage 5 Primordial Teleporter aligned to the moon | No | 10 Lunar Coins after escaping |
| Voidling (The Planetarium) | Survivors of the Void | Void Locus via the Void Fields or the 10% portal from stage 7, then 4 Deep Void Signals; or the Glass Frog on Commencement | No | 10 Lunar Coins |
| False Son (Prime Meridian) | Seekers of the Storm | Green portal from a Halcyon Shrine on stages 1-3, then Reformed Altar, Treeborn Colony and Prime Meridian | No | Offer an item at the Shrine of Rebirth |
| Obliteration (A Moment, Fractured) | Base game | Celestial Portal on the third stage of a loop, then the Obelisk | Yes | 5 Lunar Coins |
| Solus Heart (Neural Sanctum) | Alloyed Collective | Access Node route through Conduit Canyon and Solutional Haunt, then the Computational Exchange | No | Accepting its offer ends the run as a win |
Commencement and Mithrix
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1
Charge 4 pillars
Between 4 and 7 pillars spawn. Mass takes 60 seconds; Design 30 seconds and pushes you with shockwaves that cripple; Soul 30 seconds in a shrinking zone that loses 10% charge per second while empty; Blood 10 seconds but drains 10% of your health per second inside. Four charged pillars activate the launch pads.
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2
Phases 1 to 3
Phase 1 is Mithrix with hammer smashes, needle barrages and dashes. In phase 2 he leaves and 2 Lunar Chimera Golems and 4 Wisps arrive, with more lunar enemies over time. In phase 3 he returns with a glowing hammer whose smashes leave extra shockwaves and blue flame pillars.
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3
Phase 4: the item steal
He steals your items and is invulnerable while he does it. Damage brings them back in proportion: at 50% health you have 50% of your items, returned in the order you picked them up. Every remaining item comes back when he dies.
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4
Escape
The moon starts to detonate. Reach the Rescue Ship within 3 minutes and hold its 40 m zone for 1 minute against Void Reavers and Lunar Chimeras.
Phase 4 is where long runs feel the difference. Items come back in the order you picked them up, so the pieces you found last, often the ones that made a looped build work, return last. Early movement and defensive items come back first, which is one more reason to take them even when damage feels more urgent.
The Voidling
The Planetarium fight has three phases. Between them you cross platforming sections in Void Fog, and in phase 2 the Voidling gains a black hole attack that kills instantly and ignores invulnerability and extra lives. In phase 3 you must stay inside its 150 m bubble. Mobility (Hopoo Feather, Wax Quail) and long-range damage matter more than raw health here. The Glass Frog shortcut needs Survivors of the Void enabled: after beating Mithrix, pet it 10 times for 1 Lunar Coin each.
False Son and the Path of the Colossus
The Path of the Colossus replaces stages 2 to 4: Reformed Altar, then Treeborn Colony (Golden Dieback after a loop), then Prime Meridian, where False Son waits under constant lightning. After he dies a Shrine of Rebirth appears. Offering an item ends the run, and with the Artifact of Rebirth enabled you start your next run with that item. The Destination Portal lets you continue instead. Using one green portal turns later Halcyon Shrines in that run into gold portals to the Gilded Coast.
The Obelisk
The only ending that requires a loop. On the last island of A Moment, Fractured, the Obelisk ends the run for everyone and pays 5 Lunar Coins; this is also how Mercenary is unlocked. If anyone carries Beads of Fealty, the run continues into A Moment, Whole and its Twisted Scavenger instead, worth 10 more Lunar Coins.
Solus Heart (Alloyed Collective)
The newest route is the longest. An Access Node on stage 3 opens an Encrypted Portal to Conduit Canyon, and another leads on to Solutional Haunt, where Solus Wing drops an Encrypted Cerebellum. Through the Computational Exchange, an Exposed Cerebellum opens the way to Neural Sanctum and the Solus Heart. Rejecting its offer opens a Void Portal to the Void Locus if Survivors of the Void is enabled.
Item priorities for looping
The Item Strategy guide ranks every rarity; this is what changes when you plan to loop.
| Need | Why loops demand it | Take |
|---|---|---|
| Not being one-shot | Tier 2 elites deal 6x damage at levels where every hit is already large | Stacked Tougher Times, movement items, a defensive equipment |
| Clearing crowds of elites | Spawns keep growing after the level cap | Old Guillotine, Ceremonial Dagger, Brilliant Behemoth, Sentient Meat Hook, Ukulele |
| Scaling that never flattens | Hyperbolic items slow down; exponential ones do not | 57 Leaf Clover, Alien Head, Shaped Glass only with real defense |
| Something other than healing | Malachite hits disable healing for 8 seconds | Block, movement and barrier sources alongside your healing |
Scrap flat-value items before you loop. Repulsion Armor Plate's flat reduction and Topaz Brooch's flat barrier are sized for early enemies, and the item guide lists them among the things that can wait. A scrapper on stage 5 turns them into printer fuel for items that keep working at level 50.
Common mistakes
- Looping to catch up. A weak build gets weaker relative to the game with every stage, and stage 6 adds Tier 2 elites.
- Interacting with the rings after starting the event. The alignment locks once the event starts.
- Taking the Bazaar portal on stage 5 and expecting the moon. Any portal on stage 5 loops you.
- Relying on healing into stage 6. Malachite elites shut it off for 8 seconds per hit.
- Looping for the Voidling. The Void Fields route through the Bazaar does not need a loop.
- Ignoring the order of pickups before Mithrix. Phase 4 returns items in the order you got them.
- Visiting the Gilded Coast just to stall. The clock pauses there, but it still counts as a stage and adds a 1.15 step.
Related guides
- The difficulty clock, Teleporter rules and first-run basics: Beginner Guide
- Which items to keep, print and scrap, and how stacking works: Item Strategy
- Which survivors handle loops, Monsoon and Eclipse: Survivor Tier List
- Our verdict on the whole game and its expansions: Risk of Rain 2 review
★Honest Take: the loop is the best part, and the game hides how it works
Looping is where Risk of Rain 2 becomes the game people talk about: a stacked build turns the screen into lightning and missiles, and the tug of war against a coefficient that never stops climbing is unlike anything else in the genre. The weakness is how little the game tells you. Nothing explains that the moon is the default, that a Bazaar trip on stage 5 cancels it, that stage 6 quietly adds elites with 18 times the health, or that the level cap is not a ceiling on difficulty. The expansions have also made the map of routes genuinely confusing: four endings branch from places as different as a frog on the moon and a shrine on stage 1. Once you know the rules, the decision is simple. Win on the moon first, loop when your build is ahead, and treat deep loops as a test of defense rather than damage.
