Risk of Rain 2 items tier list by how loot plays: stack through the loop, chase combos, and treat lunar and Hex items as tradeoffs, not free power.
A Risk of Rain 2 items tier list is a stacking order, not a locked letter grade. The base game has 110+ items, combos matter more than any single pickup, and DLC keeps adding new types. Stack loot that fits the survivor you are playing, and treat lunar items and Hexes as tradeoffs. The same pickup changes value with the Artifact and how long the loop runs.
If another site locks a red item in S tier, that is a community snapshot, not a fact we can verify. Patch, survivor, and Artifact all flip the same item's value. Official copy describes endless item and character combos for a reason.
Families, not scores
Inside what the source supports, items are easier to remember by family than by grade:
- Base pool: 110+ items, stacking combos, lore in logs.
- Lunar / Heresy: a player lore video ties Heresy to Kur-skan. Lunar shop rules stay unverified.
- Void: Survivors of the Void. The void ID table stays unverified.
- Alloyed Collective: new items, drones, boss tools. Shipped 18 Nov 2025.
- Hallowed Concepts (unreleased): 10 Hex, 11 Hallowed, plus Curio. Hex has no upside. Hallowed is converted from Hex.
Use those families as the practical tier list: what kind of loot you are holding, and whether it helps this survivor. Ranking Hex of Strife or Infernal Mark as S-tier would mislead: one is a pure downside, the other is a showcase piece from an unreleased expansion.
Why official copy does not rank loot
Scaling is two-sided. Late-run you and the boss are both climbing, so an item's worth depends on whether it speeds the early loop or holds the late fight. Prismatic Trials are seeded races; infinite loops are not. The source has no damage samples, so this wiki will not publish a "best in every mode" table.