Updated January 14th, 2026
As of recent, Risk of Rain 2 has released their third DLC, The Alloyed Collective, and has proven to be one of, if not the best DLCs they have released for the game. There has been plenty of content added in this expansion, and this article will focus on the items, along with my opinions on each item and notes on synergies.
Items
Eclipse Lite
When a skill comes off cooldown, gain a temporary barrier for 1% [+0.25% per stack] of your max health per second of the skill’s base cooldown
Notes:
This is more useful on skills with longer cooldowns, or skills with multiple charges built into it already. It also allows players to almost have a continuous source of barrier. Items like bandolier and backup magazines can be used to produce barrier more often.
Hiker’s Boots
Striking enemies from a higher elevation grants +1% critical strike chance & damage [+1% per stack], up to 10 times. Lasts 10 seconds.
Notes:
This item works differently than originally thought, where the crit effects are a buff that lasts for 10 seconds, and is refreshed when dealing damage to any enemy. With this second reliable source of crit, Lost Seer’s Lenses become more viable and less detrimental to crit builds.
Box of Dynamite
Gain Lt. Droneboy. While in combat, drones drop sticks of dynamite that detonate for 240% damage [+85% per stack], stunning enemies. Recharges after 10 seconds.
Notes:
All mechanical minions are given dynamite sticks, not just drones, so Best Buddy would also drop sticks of dynamite while rolling around.
Faraday Spur
Moving around builds up movement speed and jump height. At 25% or higher, jumping triggers an electric explosion for 400% damage [+280% per stack] in a radius depending on percentage charged, from 5 meters to 32.3 meters [+7.5 meters per stack].
Notes:
Faraday spur can act as a pillar skip on Commencement if the player has enough movement speed already, given the increased jump height at high enough charges. Charging the spur also doesn’t require sprinting, but movement of any kind.
Kinetic Dampener
Increases armor by 30 [+30 per stack] while having shield; when all of your shields is depleted, release a pulse that stuns nearby enemies. Deals more damage with higher max shield.
Notes:
Items like personal shield generator and transcendence are much more useful, given that ability to deal more damage with higher max shields. The pulse released also has a proc coefficient of 1.0, meaning items like ukulele, the perforators, and ATG missiles can activate on hit.
Collector’s Compulsion
Pickups and barrel opens grants an increase to all stats by 3% for 20 seconds. Maximum of 3 [+2 per stack] buff stacks at once.
Notes:
Items that produce pickups are now much more useful given that ability to increase all stats, such as monster tooth, elusive antlers, bandolier, ghor’s tome, etc. The stat increases are multiplicative and is calculated after other items stats are added
Orphaned Core
Gain a friendly Solus buddy that launches itself at enemies dealing 400% [+400% per stack] damage, and inherits all of the player’s movement speed items. Deals more damage the faster it moves. Petting the buddy cleans negative effects.
Notes:
Best Buddy can sprint while attacking, dealing 1000% damage rather than 400%, and is shown when there is a purple aura around it. Cleansing debuffs from Best Buddy can also be useful as it counts as an interaction for fireworks and squid turrets, along with allowing the elemental bands to have their cooldown reset.
Substandard Duplicator
Picking up an item gives a temporary copy of it. Temporary items last 10 [+10 per stack] seconds longer.
Notes:
While stacking this item doesn’t give much more use out of stacking other items, this can be especially useful in combination with junk drones, as those temporary items will be duplicated.
Networked Suffering
Inflict up to 4 [+2 per stack] enemies with a computer virus that duplicates a portion of all damage done to a damage pool. Every few seconds, all inflicted enemies receive the damage in the pool.
Notes:
The computer virus counts as a debuff, allowing death mark to be used achieved with this item. This can also prove to be very useful on single target enemies, such as boss fights, as it will still duplicate a portion of the damage dealt to the boss and deal it again.
Neutronium Weight
Reduces damage, speed, and attack speed by 30% [+10% per stack], and armor by 35 [+15 per stack]. Send this to an enemy on hit, and on death, this item will be sent to the holder’s killer.
Notes:
Given that this can only be used on one target, this can prove to be useful on bosses, as they will retain the stat debuffs for the majority of the fight. While this item may be detrimental early game, while enemies are sparse, it can become more useful in later stages and loops, where there is almost a consistent amount of enemies.
Deus Ex Machina
Briefly enter a counter stance that allows the user to parry an instance of damage. If a successful parry occurs, nullify the incoming damage, reduce equipment cooldown by 75%, and causes your next attack to always activate on-hit effects.
Notes:
Deus Ex Machina can be used on ALL sources of damage, including blood shrines, fall damage, and void cradles / potentials. Without any equipment cooldown items, this can act as a second Safer Spaces that runs on it’s own timer, but this one is more powerful with the on-hit effect ability.
Functional Coupler
Hold an additional equipment [+1 per stack].
Notes:
This is dropped from the Solus Amalgamator, and can prove to be extremely useful given the versatility of some equipment items, like the recycler, executive card, etc.
Faulty Conductor
Release a wave of electricity every 15 [-20% per stack] seconds that energizes nearby allies for 7 seconds. Energized allies gain 30% attack speed & movement speed, and always critically strike when dealing damage with electric items.
Notes:
This item is dropped from the Alloy Hunter, which only spawns on Conduit Canyon. In terms of electric items, there’s quite a bit this item works with, such as the ukulele, tesla coil, little disciple, charged perforator, and much more. 5 stacks of the item allows for permanent uptime on the energized buff.
Sentry Key
Gain 15% movement speed.
Notes:
These are dropped by collective elites on Conduit Canyon, and are used in Sentry Terminals to progress through the stage.
Prison Matrix
Gain 50% armor
Notes:
Two of these can be found per run, after defeating the Solus Wing in Solutional Haunt. This can be used on a Matrix Terminal to unlock additional rooms in the stage.
Encrypted Cerebellum & Exposed Cerebellum
Encrypted:
Does nothing, dropped by the Solus Wing.
Exposed:
Can be given to SPEX in the Computational Exchange to access the Solus Heart boss fight.
Notes:
The encrypted cerebellum can be exposed by using the wandering chef interactable in Computational Exchange, by crafting a specific set of items with the encrypted cerebellum.
Quick Fix
Increases bonus health and regeneration by 50% [+15% per stack]. Doesn’t apply to leveling up bonuses.
Notes:
Can only be obtained from the Wandering Chef via crafting in Computational Exchange.
Seared Steak
Increases maximum health by 50 [+50 per stack], plus 5% [+5% per stack] of your maximum health.
Notes:
Can only be obtained from the Wandering Chef via crafting in Computational Exchange. This item can be seen as a direct upgrade to the Bison Steak, and can be especially useful on False Son, as he does get growth stacks from this item.
Hearty Stew
Increases health regeneration by 2.5 [+2.5 per stack] HP/s. At full health, regeneration is added to your base damage.
Notes:
Can only be obtained from the Wandering Chef via crafting in Computational Exchange. This item can make other items like Cautious Slug very useful, and encourages the player to play cautiously and remain at full health for extra damage.
Ultimate Meal
At full health, all random effects are rolled 2 [+2 per stack] extra times for a better outcome.
Notes:
Can only be obtained from the Wandering Chef via crafting in Computational Exchange. Acts as a better version of the 57-Leaf Clover, as it provides twice the value with the requirement of being full health, ignoring shields. This, once again, encourages playing at full health, and can be very beneficial, as items like ATG missiles have a 27% chance to proc compared to 10% with one stack.
Sauteed Worms
Have a 10% chance to summon a spectral wyrm that damages and ignites enemies for 500% [+500% per stack] total damage per second for 10 seconds.
Notes:
Can only be obtained from the Wandering Chef via crafting in Computational Exchange. Due to the item using total damage, this can pack quite a punch as it takes things like crits into account. The effects of the item can also be buffed with ignition tank and faulty conductor, making it even stronger.
Images taken from the Risk Of Rain 2 Wiki page here.
While the notes for each item cover some use cases, there are plenty of new item synergies and interactions present in this DLC that weren’t covered. Even though this is one of the smaller sets of items that came with a DLC, the design of these items fits well with the existing functions of the game.
