Loader

Loader is a playable character in Risk of Rain 2.

Tips

 * Items that increase damage or attack speed are invaluable on Loader, especially on-hit items which deal bonus total damage. In combination with her Charged Gauntlet, items such as and  substantially increase her damage output.
 * While higher attack speed is useful for filling up Scrap Barrier quickly and dealing damage with procs, be mindful that Knuckleboom knocks smaller enemies away with every hit. With higher attack speed values, her may suffer simply because enemies are constantly being pushed out of reach. This is a non-issue against larger enemies or bosses.
 * Knuckleboom briefly stuns and knocks back lighter enemies such as, , , and.
 * Grapple Fist & Spiked Fist only go on cooldown if the attack connects with an enemy or terrain; if not, it reels back in and is immediately ready for re-use. (Possibly a bug: hitting an enemy at the very limit of Spiked Fist's range will not proc the grappling effect or start the cooldown, but will still deal damage.)
 * It is possible to charge up Charged Gauntlet while attached to something by Grapple Fist or Spiked Fist. Use this to gain damage when using Charged Gauntlet, as its damage is increased by Loader's movement speed. On top of dealing massive amounts of damage, it can also allow her to cover great distances very quickly.
 * Release Charged Gauntlet at the apex of Grapple Fist's trajectory (right when Loader starts going upwards) to maintain maximum momentum when trying to go far.
 * When attached to something with Grapple Fist or Spiked Fist, repeatedly toggling sprint can both rapidly increase Loader's movement speed and/or swinging radius (distance between Loader and what she's attached to). The swinging radius can extend infinitely, being limited only by the boundaries of the map.
 * Like, Loader can sprint while charging up Charged Gauntlet by toggling sprint after beginning the charge.
 * Loader can move faster while using Knuckleboom by pressing the sprint key between attacks.
 * Scrap Barrier will apply to Knuckleboom, Charged Gauntlet, and Thunder Gauntlet, but not M551 Pylon, as it is not considered Loader's "fist" in the game code.
 * Loader pairs well with as she is more than capable of meeting the height requirement for its max damage, and she can use the fall speed increase in order to gain more velocity for the Heavy attribute on both Charged Gauntlet and Thunder Gauntlet.
 * While Thunder Gauntlet technically is stronger than Charged Gauntlet early on (2100%+1000% compared to 2700%), the lightning doesn't scale very well, leading to Charged Gauntlet being able to outdamage and hit more targets than Thunder Gauntlet quickly thanks to its piercing property.
 * Thunder Gauntlet works well with Thunderslam, as the ricochet from hitting a target can be used to follow up with a slam, though Charged Gauntlet can work as well since it can be used to pierce through an enemy.

Trivia

 * Loader was one of the two post-launch playable characters in the first Risk of Rain.
 * The Loader's "Classic" skin is a reference to Risk of Rain 1. It has the same color scheme as the original Loader. It may also be a reference to the Power Loader suit in the movie, Alien.
 * The Loader in Risk of Rain 2 is female, while the Loader in Risk of Rain 1 is male.
 * Due to being immune to fall damage, the has no effect on Loader.
 * Contrary to her game description, Loader is one of the most mobile survivors in the game.
 * Loader is often considered the most powerful character in game due to her tankiness, sustain, burst power, mobility, and low reliance on items.