How to not be awful to your teammates.

ROR2 multiplayer is one of the most enjoyable things on the planet! But sometimes, you just get that one player, that one huntress with the bungies, or that damn artificer stacking focus crystals that makes you want to drown yourself in a bathtub.

ROR2 multiplayer is fun, but...

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Multiplayer means multiple players, which means more people, which means dealing with other human beings. This is bad for many reasons, some of which I'll list below, and how to fix it if you happen to be the awful human being!

WARNING!

This guide is EXTREMELY LONG (like oh my god i've been writing for 2 hours straight) and I explain a lot of things in-depth, like percentages and how certain items work, so if you're a ROR2 veteran, then I'm sorry - there's gonna be a lot of talking about stuff you already know. But for new players, especially new to multiplayer, I promise this is gonna be really helpful.

Also I tell jokes :)

But that's boring, give me the TL;DR

Well alright then, it's just 3 simple words!:

Respect, Cooperation and Fun!

What does this mean?

1. Respect your teammates! You aren't the only player who matters, I don't care how useless you think Commando is, someone is playing him because they find him fun, and that is okay! Respect their decision and play with them! If you don't want to play with "noobs" or people who aren't super serious about winning, find a group that is. Join a different lobby, find a discord server with people like you.

2. Cooperate with your teammates! It's a terrible, awful, no-good, very bad decision to be selfish and take every item on the map, not communicate ever, and fight like you're playing solo. Multiplayer is very different for a reason, you have to play differently.

Don't take every item you come across - share! If you notice someone has 2 items while everyone else has 6, offer them your chest, or item from said chest! If you notice you have 2 while everyone else has 6, then don't be afraid to snag it. But CHECK first, it only takes a quick glance using [TAB].

Don't do things without asking your teammates! Ask if it's okay to pop the portal, ask if it's okay to activate a shrine, ask if it's okay to take a certain rare item, and don't be afraid to ask for an item if someone is offering it!

Don't just go into battles without your teammates! You have less items in multiplayer because you have to share, that's just fact. That means you won't be as strong as you normally are, and if you go blasting those elite lemurians at stage 6 alone, you'll probably die, very fast in fact. Very fast and very fiery. The biggest advantage of having teammates is splitting aggro and being able to PELT EVERYTHING WITH A BULLET BARRAGE!!! Don't miss out on the bullet barrage! It's okay to run away from enemies you KNOW you can't deal with to go find your teammates!

3. Have fun with your teammates! I know plenty of people play games competitively, or professionally, or just get REALLY into it, but there are plenty of casual gamers out there just tryna have a good time.
Let people pick the characters they want! Don't go trashing someone for picking Commando.
Let people do the dumb crap they want! Don't get mad at them for being ridiculous and having everyone choose REX, it's fun!
Let people have a break sometimes! Don't start assuming they're an idiot because they made a bad decision or died. There's a good chance they were distracted by something in real life, or simply didn't notice the flaming crab chucking rocks at them from halfway across the map.

Remember: While some games are very competitive, ALL games are made with one purpose in mind: Entertainment and fun. If someone's not having fun, something is extremely wrong.

Misconceptions: Every item is good for every class!

haha

No! They aren't! They really, really aren't! Here's some examples!

- Bungies, or Bustling Fungi, are VERY VERY bad on every character except for the Engineer! Why? Bungies only begin, and continue to heal you, when you are standing still. (For 1 second, exactly.) This is terrible because in ROR2, and especially on the later stages, if you stand still for any longer than 0.6 seconds you can and will be murdered very swiftly and very suddenly. The Engineer doesn't benefit from bungies, but his TURRETS do! Engineer's turrets are stationary, and they take on any item the Engineer gets, meaning even if the Engineer is moving, his turrets will not, and they will act as stationary healing beacons for any hurting Huntress or Mercenary. If you get any, PLEASE give them to your Engineer! You'll thank yourself later, and the player for picking a dope class.

- Soldier's syringes are typically good on any character, but Artificer doesn't benefit from them nearly as much as everyone else. Artificer is the only class that doesn't have infinite ammo, and once she runs out, she has to recharge. Giving her faster attack speed doesn't help her recharge faster, it just makes her go through her bullets faster, which she only has 4 of. It's not useless, but Commando and Mercenary can benefit MUCH more from stacking syringes than Artificer.

- Focus Crystals are for melee, not ranged! Don't be the REX with the 3 stacked Focus Crystals, they just aren't going to work for you. Melee classes need them, as stacking them basically just doubles their damage at a certain point. Like having 10 Lens-Maker's Glasses! Mercenary, Acrid, Loader, MUL-Ts with a rotating saw, and Captain to an extent all benefit from Focus Crystals MUCH more than every single other class, by a HUGE amount!

- Literally anything that's an on-hit effect is usually bad for MUL-Ts with the nail gun. This means items like Tri-Tip Daggers, Stun Grenades, and Sticky Bombs should never be given to MUL-Ts!
His nail gun doesn't proc effects NEARLY as often as any other character (it's like 0.6x or something, every other character has 1.0) so it's usually very unhelpful if he's getting lots of them, since they'll be useless like 70% of the time. Unless you're feeling particularly lucky, give 'em to Commando, or REX, or anyone with a fast firing speed! They'll proc more often and absolutely slam those debuffs.
- Alright, alright, I get it, MUL-T isn't that bad with proc items. He procs less often than other characters with the nail gun, that's just a fact, sorry. But if you get him enough syringes, I suppose the proc rate doesn't matter, since he'll be shooting faster than a sub machine gun on drugs.

This isn't to say you should NEVER grab certain items if there's an item-specific class in the lobby! If everyone else already has a bunch of syringes, or their damage output is fine without them, don't be afraid to snag the syringe as Artificer if everyone else is vibing. Captain doesn't need Focus Crystals nearly as much as some other classes, but if you don't have any melee or they've already got hella supply, just take it, he still gets good use out of it with his shotgun!
But there are some items you should just never take if there's someone else who can benefit more.

It'll work out better for everyone if you don't have a stash of bungies on your Huntress because you "found them first".

Misconceptions: I have to RUN, I have to be fast, I have to be SO fast.

While ROR2 does increase in difficulty the more time you spend doing nothing, DO NOT go around activating shrines, stealing chests, and popping portals without asking your teammates first! This is horrible and bad and if you do this you are horrible and bad.

YES, please do be speedy about your item-grabbing and portal locating! Ping shrines you see along your way and find that portal! Hell yeah! But don't activate it yet!

When a portal is activated, all shrines and chests outside of its range are locked, and cannot be opened or interacted with. This means someone could be right next to a chest, about to get an item they might need, when suddenly OH NO the red tentacles have said no good my dude, you'll have to wait 'till the portal is charged, because some wit-mit decided he wanted to fight the portal boss right that second. (Plus usually when the portal is charged, they won't have time to go back to their chest, because someone will absolutely just go through the portal immediately, taking everyone with them.)

This shouldn't happen if you're being fair with items, but if someone is particularly weak with either bad items or only like, 4 items total, they probably don't want things to be even harder. This means they probably don't want to fight a shrine of the mountain-powered portal boss! This means you probably shouldn't activate a shrine of the mountain without asking your teammates! I know you want a challenge, but someone else might be really struggling with those lemurians right now, and giving them a harder time is going to ruin the experience for everybody.

It's totally fine to open chests without asking first, but don't steal the item immediately! Wait to see if it's something you need! If it is, great! Snatch it and be on your way. If not, put a quick "bungie", "nkuha", "dagger", etc. in chat, and ping the item for everyone to see. Then you can continue on your way, and someone who needs it will swing by and pick it up. If you're worried about no one needing it and it getting left in the dust like an orphan, make your message a question! "bungie?" "nkuha?" "dagger?", then usually people are more inclined to say "ye" or "no".

"Wait but, how do I talk to my teammates in ROR2? It's so fast paced, if I stop to chat I'll get ruined by a crab!" It's pretty easy, just learn short-hand! That's the next part by the way. Short hand.

Misconceptions: I am a mute and cannot physically communicate with my teammates.

No you aren't you have a keyboard. Sure, you can't type whole messages into chat because if you do you'll get totally ganked by a flaming lemurian, but you CAN kill the enemies near you and then stop for like 2 seconds to send some short-hand. I don't know the ROR2 dictionary, but I do know good short-hand for some longer ROR2 related messages!

Long version: Can I activate the portal?
Short versions: ready?, r?, portal?, pop?

Long version: Can I activate this Shrine of the Mountain?
Short versions: shrine M?, SHM?, SM?, SH Mt?, Mt?
(You can do this with any shrine, except for the Shrine of Chance and Shrine of Combat, since they both start with C. You can however, use SHCH?, gamble?, and chance? for the former, and SHCO?, and comb? for the latter.)

Long version: Does anyone need this item?
Short versions: bungie?, syringe?, nkuha? (Do this while pinging the item in question.)

Long version: Can I have this item?
Short versions: bungie, syringe, nkuha (Usually say it while near the item in question.)

Long version: Yes, I would like that item!
Short versions: ye, y

Long version: No, I don't need that item.
Short versions: no, n

Long version: HELP I'M BEING CHASED BY 14 FLAMING LEMURIANS AND 1 CRAB I'M GOING TO DIE MUL-T PLEASE I BEG OF YOU
Short version: Don't type, just run away to your nearest teammate for backup. or for comedic value and at risk of your own life, you can type "A" and then run away.

There's only so much you can say in ROR2, which is why I highly recommend being on-call with your teammates! But if you don't have friends and have to resort to randoms, short-hand can make your experience infinitely easier.

Misconceptions: I need every item because I am a small weak goblin.

No you don't, you're a perfectly capable REX with perfectly functioning healing bullets and a perfectly overpowered healing system.

This ties back to the "communicate" section! Don't just take every item, because you DON'T NEED IT! It's not solo ROR2! You have friends now, and they need items too, otherwise they will die and then it'll be back to a solo game, but with very disappointed spectators probably yelling at you in chat for having a smooth brain.

Share! It's okay to just take an item if you know you need it, or know no one else needs it, but if you get a bungi and you have an Engineer on your team, ping the bungi and let him have it. He needs it more than you do. Everyone needs to have as close to equal items as possible, for maximum player efficiency and fun! If everyone has stacks of items and the Bandit only has 2 fresh meats and a single monster tooth necklace, he's going to be dead weight and it's going to suck for everybody.

I'm not a ROR2 legend, I don't know exactly what items are good for every character, but I do know of some basic ones.

Bungies/Bustling Fungi: These should ALWAYS go to an Engineer. If you don't have an Engineer on your team, scrap it. They're useless on everyone but Engie.
Soldier's Syringes: These are good on every character except Artificer. She CAN still benefit from them, but it's a very small benefit and it's just better overall to give them to rapid-fire characters.
Rose Bucklers: Okay for everyone, but the bucklers really show their potential with Huntress and MUL-T.
Fuel Cells: Again, good for everyone, but MUL-T basically doubles its value since he can hold 2 equipment.
Leeching Seeds: Good for rapid-fire characters, not so good for slower attackers like Artificer, Engineer himself, Loader, etc.
N'kuhana's Opinion: REX or an Engineer with bungies, with everyone else it's kind of worthless.
Rejuvenation Rack: Please god give it to your REX he will become JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.
Any on-hit effect item: MUL-T should never have more than 1 of these, and that 1 should have been picked up by accident. Everyone can use these pretty well, but rapid-fire characters like Commando and REX are top-tier.
Any on-hit effect item: I'm still of the opinion MUL-Ts shouldn't take these if they have the nail gun, but if they can get enough syringes they turn into bleed factories, so if that's the case, snatch away!
Dio's Best Friend: SPLIT THEM, because if you take multiple I will personally find you and shove that teddy bear inside your gas stove and burn your house down.

Misconceptions: Oh no my leg has been broke and I cannot move

Unless your keyboard suddenly stopped responding or you were stabbed by a mountain goat, you shouldn't stop moving, like ever. If you stop moving in ROR2, for any length of time, you can and will die very fast and you will become an embarrassment to whoever saw fit to let you play video games.

It's okay to take a second to chill if you have the Artifact of Command on and forgot what you need, but DON'T do this on the later stages, and absolutely don't try to pick in the middle of a fight! Wait until all the enemies are dead and your teammates are there to protect you, then pull up the menu and start window shopping.

Once you're past stage 4, you shouldn't be still for any length of time literally ever. I'm- like I'm genuinely telling you that you can't tank those hits and you will ragdoll across the floor and fall into the void like a hopeless loser if you idle for more than a second.

Misconceptions: In the Binding of Isaac you have one life, therefore ROR2 is the same.

lmao no

If you die in ROR2, you revive when the teleporter event is completed and the next stage is loaded. You don't die for good. You can come back. You have a second chance..

If you die, you can just say "darn" and go downstairs to make a quick sandwich and come back up to watch your teammates fight like the cool little demons they are. There's plenty you can do while you're waiting, so don't just leave. You aren't playing solo, you have friends to carry you when you get killed by a really pissed off crab.

Misconceptions: Teammates are a figment of my imagination.

No, those are people, you gamer nerd, yes, people. Actual human beings. It doesn't hurt to pay attention to what them.

No- no seriously. You gotta pay attention to what your teammates are doing, it will REALLY help you make better choices, faster. Here's some examples!

- When you spawn in, watch which direction your teammates go, and then go in the direction they didn't go! The best part of multiplayer ROR2 is that you can cover more ground.

- If you see someone's nametag change direction to run directly at you, there's a good chance they're bringing either a miniboss or a horde of flaming elites with them, so prepare yourself and get out of any disadvantageous position you might be in.

- Watch the chat for any messages your teammates might send! Communication is key to a golden ROR2 run!

- Pay attention to any pings that might pop up! Pinging is like, the best way to talk to your teammates without wasting time standing still and getting pelted by lemurians.

- Watch your teammates' health! If you see them running from the teleporter zone and notice they're on 4 hp, give them a break. Go take the aggro off them by smacking the horde of enemies they riled up, and even better, kill 'em.

- If you end up being the one overwhelmed by a horde of enemies, look at where your teammates are, and if you can, figure out what they're doing. If you can see one fighting a dunestrider in the distance, maybe don't bring your horde over to them? If you see someone peacefully gambling on a shrine of chance, introduce them to the real world by dragging 20 whisps and a golem with you to say hi.

So I know how to not be a waste of space - what now?

Now you go out and be the best ROR2 player you can be!

Try to be nice to the people you meet. If they're rude first, well tell them to eat a whole raw squid and then leave that lobby. If they're chill, be chill back! People are a lot nicer than we give them credit for.
If you mess up and accidentally steal an item without asking, or activate the portal too soon, that's okay! We're all learning, and we make mistakes. Just apologize after and you'll be fine.

None of what I said here is directed at any specific person, just a generalized group of people I see being the absolute worst teammates out there. If you disagree with something I said, that's cool, everyone's got their own opinions. If you're rude about it though, I don't really care because you're obviously not who this was targeted at and you enjoy being mad at people.

Now! Be the greatest teammate the world has ever seen and prove your parents wrong!

[deathsickle.warrior]

ok but chattin on steamdeck is super painful and twice the risk, it aint no WT chattin'

[BoiledTeaBag]

Or you know just play solo, but if you are playing with those kinds of people then acrid is a safe pick since acrid is basically just an item trash bag since ANY item works on acrid and you seem to be ok no matter what you take.

Even taking purity on acrid is a no brainer.

[FrostyFoxDrake]

abungus

[Reaper Lord]

mul-t usually is actually pretty good with nothing but proc items with nailgun cuz it fires faster that u'd think

[pennesloppy]

still disagree with MUL-T not taking proc items, 0.6 proc coefficient on 12 nails/sec is better than 1 proc coefficient with any other character's base fire rate (maybe not for bandit with his shotgun)

[Magicoal]

What if I have bad wifi and lag?

[Choris]

Commando OP

[Fox Milk]

this is the best ror2 guide to ever exist

[LEVIATHAN]

additional tips: for Artificer stack x2 visions of heresy (only 2! anything above that and you're gonna have a bad time!) THEN (and only then) can you stack soldiers syringe. Get an alien head or behemoth and become an AC130 that goes brrrr. AND RESPECT THE ENGINEERS BUNGUS IT WILL CARRY YOU NOOBS ACROSS THE PLANET. And Veterans know how to chat. We talk like cave man. Short, simple, done.

[Banana in Ceiling]

I think this guy might like commando.