Updated January 30th, 2026
Risk of Rain 2’s second DLC, Seekers of the Storm, released to a controversial start. This was the first DLC released by Gearbox Studios, and didn’t stick the landing when it came to initial impressions. There was plenty of imbalance amongst the items, enemies, and boss fight. All of that paired with generic bugs in the game, people were upset with the quality of this expansion.
After release, the developers published a timeline that would aim to fix the issues presented in the expansion, and throughout those updates each item has gone through several iterations, each of which is listed below, alongside some of my thoughts on the item.
Items
Elusive Antlers
Rarity: Common
Version: 4.0
Spawns orbs of energy nearby every 10 seconds (-10% per stack), granting 12% movement speed up to 3 (+3 per stack) times for 12 seconds.
Details
Upon initial release, this item was considered to be one of the worst items, due to it being a less powerful Razorwire that only activated upon being hit by an enemy. Upon being reworked for the first time, it became a great movement speed item, so much that it outshined other items like Goat Hoof and Energy Drink. This resulted in the base movement speed being removed, and only coming from the orbs that spawn.
Version: 3.0
Base speed benefit of Elusive Antlers is removed; movement speed is only granted via orbs.
Version: 2.0
Antler Shield is renamed to Elusive Antlers, increases movement speed by 7% and spawns energy orbs nearby every 10 seconds, granting 12% movement speed up to 3 times.
Version: 1.0
55% chance to reflect 10% damage back to the attacker on hit.
Bolstering Lantern
Rarity: Common
Version: 4.0
Increase your attack speed by 10% (+3.5% per stack) for up to 3 (+1 per stack) enemies and allies within 20 meters.
Details
The original version of this item functioned somewhat opposite to the Delicate Watch, where the player was rewarded for being at lower health with extra damage. The only issue is, you don't have one shot protection at lower health, so it was simply a Delicate Watch clone that was harder to activate, maintain, and risky to get the bonus. The second iteration of this item was really strong, as it scaled in both attack speed and radius, and is now still somewhat decent with the current scaling of attack speed and buff stack count.
Version: 3.0
Attack speed bonus reduced from 10% to 7.5% per enemy within 20 meters.
Version: 2.0
Increase your attack speed by 10% for up to 4 enemies and allies within 20 meters; scales in attack speed and meters.
Version: 1.0
When below 50% health, receive a damage increase of 20%.
Chronic Expansion
Rarity: Common
Version: 2.0
Killing an enemy increases your damage by 3.5% (+1% per stack), up to 10 (+5 per stack), for 7 seconds. Dealing damage refreshes the timer.
Details
While this item didn't change much numerically, it made it easier to maintain stacks of the Chronic Expansion buff. Before, you had to kill enemies to maintain the buff, which became much harder to do in unique boss fights. Now, attacking an enemy can maintain those damage stacks, which is a really nice change.
Version: 1.0
Every 5 enemies slain grants a damage bonus increasing the player's damage by 10%, lasting as long as the player is in combat.
Warped Echo
Rarity: Common
Version: 4.0
The next source of damage is reduced by 10% and spread into 3 (+1 per stack) hits. All echoed damage is not lethal except the final hit. Recharges every 15 seconds.
Details
Initially, the use of this item seemed fairly strange, and potentially dangerous if it cancels the player's one shot protection, and that it did. While it allows items like Medkit to activate in-between instances of damage, it could very well not be enough to be useful. Upon being reworked, this item was extremely powerful, especially in Eclipse, given the 30% damage reduction. The iteration we have now is still good, but nothing like it used to be, as synergies with Razorwire and Planula are no longer possible.
Version: 3.0
Warped Echo first-hit damage reduction lowered to 20%, and delayed damage ticks benefit from items like Planula and Razorwire.
Version: 2.0
The next source of damage is reduced by 30% and spread into 3 hits. All echoed damage is non-lethal except the last hit. Recharges every 15 seconds.
Version: 1.0
On damage taken 50% of the damage is dealt immediately while the other 50% is delayed for 3 seconds. Recharges after 10 seconds.
Breaching Fin
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 3.0
Grounded enemies hit with any skill are launched and stunned. Enemies hit while airborne are launched again up to 2 times (+1 per stack). Launched enemies take increased damage by 10% from all sources per launch.
Details
What was originally a mediocre white item with a strange effect, is now a fairly good damage source and utility for players. The stun can apply to bosses like False Son and Mithrix, which can prove to be extra useful given the damage increase per launch. One downside can be activating the launches and an area of effect item like Kjaro's Band at the same time, as the launches will take the target away from the damage source.
Version: 2.0
Grounded enemies hit with any skill are launched and stunned. Enemies hit while airborne are launched up to 2 more times. Launched enemeis take 20% more damage from all sources per launch. Renamed from Knockback Fin to Breaching Fin.
Version: 1.0
7.5% chance on hit to knock enemies in the air
Chance Doll
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 1.0
40% (+10% per stack) chance to get higher rarity items from chance shrines on success.
Details
Remaining unchanged from release, Chance Doll is surprisingly useful, and can allow players to even get yellow items from Shrines of Chance. This is one of the new items that promotes 'Macro Gameplay', as players can wait to activate any chance shrines until they have cleared the stage for any potential Chance Dolls.
Luminous Shot
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 2.0
Activating your Secondary skill stores up to 5 charges (+1 per stack). Requires 3 charges for your Primary skill to fire lightning strikes, dealing 175% TOTAL damage (+50% per stack) each. Reduces Secondary skill cooldown by 20%.
Details
The functionality of this item remains the same from its initial version, but is more consistent with its damage, given the requirement of 3 charges to activate, rather than activating at any amount of charges.
Version: 1.0
Using the secondary skill charges the next primary attack, dealing 150% more damage per charge up to 5 times.
Noxious Thorn
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 2.0
Gain 10% chance to bleed an enemy. Killing an enemy transfers 33% of every debuff stack to 1 enemy (+1 per stack) in a 20 meter radius (+5 meters per stack).
Details
What started as a worse Razorwire (I'm starting to see a theme here...) with bleed being applied to enemies turned into one of the greatest area of effect items to exist in the game. A 20 meter radius is a surprisingly large area to cover, and given that the Noxious Thorn will always transfer a debuff, only 33% of the stacks, this can be extremely useful and transfer hard-to-get debuffs like Deathmark.
Version: 1.0
25% chance on being hit to inflict nearby enemies with 2 stacks of bleed. Enemies with other debuffs have a stack added to those instead.
Prayer Beads
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 1.0
Grows by gaining experience, storing 20% (+5% per stack) bonus stats. On removal, gain all stored stats.
Details
This item only got some visual polish throughout the updates for Seeker's of the Storm, but also received an unintentional bug fix. Upon release, 3D printers could contain Prayer Beads, and given that the item grants additional stats once removed, players could infinitely increase their stats when seeing this printer present. There are also some interesting ways to activate the Prayer Beads effect, including having the item stolen by a Solus Extractor.
Sale Star
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 1.0
Gain an extra item on the first chest opened per stage. Each stack increases the chance of getting more items by 5%.
Details
Another unchanged item from initial release, Sale Star is another macro item, if not the strongest one out of the bunch. The effect allows players to choose what chest they want to receive multiple items from, and can be useful on stages where legendary chests are present. Not to mention, using the Sale Star consumes it, so if a player already has a consumed one in their inventory, picking up another one will guarantee the extra item drop, rather than the 5% chance increase for an additional item.
Unstable Transmitter
Rarity: Uncommon
Version: 4.0
Falling below 25% max health grants 60% of your max health as barrier. Gain an aura for 8 seconds that bleeds and teleports away enemies. Enemies killed by the aura extend the duration by 1 second. Consumed on use, regenerates at the beginning of each stage, and is used before Power Elixir and Delicate Watch.
Details
Unstable Transmitter was probably the item that saw the lowest of the lows, and the highest highs throughout its iterations. Initially, it was considered a hazard to have, as it frequently teleported players into monsters and got them killed. When being reworked, it acted as an extra life on a 45 second cooldown, that could stack. It also takes priority over other health threshold items, which can be extremely useful. It then got a reality check and had the one shot protection removed along with some changes to its barrier.
Version: 3.0
Unstable Transmitter can only be activated once per stage, barrier gain reduced to 35% of max health. Regenerates at the start of each stage. One shot protection removed.
Version: 2.0
Falling below 25% health gives you 75% of your maximum health as a temporary barrier. Gain a dimensional aura for 8s that bleeds and teleports away enemies. Enemies killed by the aura extend the duration by 1 second. Recharges every 45 seconds.
Version: 1.0
When reaching below 25% health the Survivor explodes, dealing 350% damage to nearby enemies and teleporting to a random location. This effect has a cooldown of 2 minutes.
Electric Boomerang
Rarity: Legendary
Version: 2.0
15% chance to fire a boomerang that travels a distance before returning, dealing 120% damage (+120% per stack) and stunning all enemies. Deals an additional 42% (+42% per stack) per second. Can strike enemies on the way back.
Details
The Electric Boomerang didn't receive any gameplay changes throughout updates, but did have an issue where it always applied bleed to enemies while the player had the Sawmerang equipment. Given the higher fire rate of this item, it is surprisingly strong, especially with the ability to hit enemies on the return trip back.
Version: 1.0
A bug existed that allowed Electric Boomerang to apply bleed while holding the Sawmerang equipment item
Growth Nectar
Rarity: Legendary
Version: 3.0
Grants 4% increase to all stats for each buff, for a maximum of 4 buffs (+4 per stack).
Details
Similar to Chronic Expansion, this item was 'balanced', by being hard to maintain / achieve, but providing a strong buff. With additional stacks increasing the buff increase, this item became very strong very quickly, but heavily depended on the player's items. Now, it is a bit more balanced, but the stat increase is not as great as it seems, as it applies multiplicatively, and not additively.
Version: 2.0
Grants 7% increase to all stats for each buff, up to 4 per stack.
Version: 1.0
Having 5+ unique buffs grants 20% increased stats for 5 seconds.
Runic Lens
Rarity: Legendary
Version: 2.0
3% chance on hit to call a meteor, dealing 2000% base damage. Every 100% damage dealt increases activation chance by 3% (+3% per stack) and damage by 150% (+50% per stack).
Details
While the stats on this item were fairly similar in both versions, the description was a bit confusing as to what the item actually did, and there was little to no visual effect upon the meteor triggering. That has since been changed, and Runic Lens is one of the stronger burst damage items, given the lowest damage it can do is 2000% base damage.
Version: 1.0
Overspill. 5% chance (+1% per 100% done on initial hit) on hit to summon a meteor on the target, dealing 2000% damage (+50% damage per 100% damage done on initial hit).
Sonorous Whispers
Rarity: Legendary
Version: 2.0
Large monsters drop an item upon death. All elites have a 5% (+1% per stack) chance to drop an item.
Details
Arguably one of the strongest items in the game, Sonorous Whispers allows players to gather large amounts of items, especially later in the game, just by killing enemies. The 15% drop chance for elites was way to high given the quantity of elites, so it was rightfully reduced to 5%, and the scaling of this item is so terrible, it is only worth it to have 1.
Version: 1.0
Large monsters will always drop an item upon being killed, elites have a 15% chance to drop an item on death.
War Bonds
Rarity: Legendary
Version: 4.0
During boss events, 5 missiles strike the boss, dealing 2.5% (+2.5% per stack) of the boss' maximum health as damage. Gold gained before the boss event increases missile count up to 20 (+5 per stack). Gold requirement scales over time.
Details
Upon release, this was a contender for worst red item in the game, even worse than Aegis. The 75 gold it granted wasn't correct, and was usually less than that, providing about 2 small chest's worth of gold. It got a very big makeover in the first update for this DLC, and turned into a quite powerful, but situational damage item. It's strength also comes in the form of being useful in boss fights, including final boss fights.
Version: 3.0
War Bonds proc chance reduced to 0. Missile gold cost increased to 50 gold from 25 gold.
Version: 2.0
During boss events, 5 missiles bombard the area, dealing 2.5% of the bosses Max Health in damage. Before the boss event, gain additional missiles, up to a maximum of 20 per 25 gold gained. Gold requirement scales over time.
Version: 1.0
Yields 75 gold based on current difficulty level and the survivor's level at the start of every stage.
Longstanding Solitude
Rarity: Lunar
Version: 2.0
Leveling up grants a free unlock for the next purchase (+1 per stack), but all gold is converted to experience. Gold costs are increased by 50% (+50% per stack)
Details
While I don't have much experience with this item, it seems fairly strong paired with some of the new economy items in this DLC. Stacking it seems to be the best way to use this item, especially since there is a level cap of 99 in Risk of Rain 2.
Version: 1.0
The "free unlock" buff provided to the player would disappear between stages, and gold costs in multiplayer were increased by 100%.
Seed of Life
Rarity: Equipment
Version: 1.0
Revive survivors upon activation. Dying while holding this equipment revives you. Upon revival, receive 3 seconds of invulnerability and consume the equipment
Details
Fairly self explanatory, this item is like Dio's Best Friend if it were an equipment. It can be useful on Engineer with his turrets, and can be a good filler spot in case of emergencies. Upon use, it turns into the Seed of Life (Consumed), where it drops healing orbs on the ground, healing the player, which is more useful than most of the other consumable equipment items in the game.
Conclusion
Given some time, these items are much better for the game, and contribute a lot better than the previous versions did. As more content and DLCs release for the game, the issue of item dilution comes up, and it can be harder to increase basic stats like movement speed or attack damage. I think the developers did a good job with the item reworks, and I’m excited to see what they produce next for Risk of Rain 2.
