Summary

  • Void Items in Risk of Rain 2 are a unique 'corrupted' twist on regular items, expanding the game's item pool with alternative effects.
  • Each Void Item has a specific effect that 'corrupts' all copies of a corresponding default item, impacting gameplay significantly.
  • Understanding each Void Item's unique effect and how they interact with builds is crucial for maximizing their positive impact on your run.

Void Items in Risk of Rain 2 are something that was added in the Survivors of the Void DLC update back in March of 2022. These items essentially function as an 'alternative' to certain Common, Uncommon, Legendary, and even Boss Items where the general effect is 'similar' to the default item, but twisted or 'corrupted' in some way.

There are 14 of them in total, and it can take a bit to know which item is which and what each one does at a glance. To help with that process, let's go over each and every Void Item in Risk of Rain 2 and what they do.

Updated October 14th, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: The release of the Seekers of the Storm DLC for Risk of Rain 2 introduced a whole host of new content, including 3 new Survivors, new stages, new Artifacts, a new final boss, and a bunch of new items. Sadly, however, the game didn't introduce more Void Items or items similar to them that are designed not to bloat the item pool. Instead of throwing too much shade at the SotS DLC items, however, let's instead focus on how amazing Void Items are conceptually. With that in mind, how about we break every Void Item down, what it does, what it corrupts, and what it's typically used for?

Void Item Overview

And Their Logbook Entries

First up, let's go over how Void Items work in Risk of Rain 2. Void Items are one of the 7 Rarity types in RoR2 alongside:

  • Common Items (White)
  • Uncommon Items (Green)
  • Legendary Items (Red)
  • Boss Items (Yellow)
  • Equipment (Orange)
  • Lunar Items (Blue)

Void Items were first introduced in the Survivors of the Void expansion for Risk of Rain 2 and they're basically a way to expand the item pool even more in this game without also oversaturating it. Each Void Item has a unique effect, and they also have the effect of 'corrupting' all copies of a specific other item whether you're currently holding it or not.

For example, say you pick up a Plasma Shrimp, then if you have any AtG Missiles in your inventory currently, those will be 'corrupted' and will become additional Plasma Shrimp on top of the one you just picked up. Additionally, after picking up one Plasma Shrimp, any future AtGs you pick up will immediately turn into a Plasma Shrimp. The only unique variant of this is the Newly Hatched Zoea, as this corrupts all Boss Items at once instead of just one specific item.

Next, let's talk about the Logbook Entries for Void Items. When you find them for the first time in a run, that Void Item and its associated Logbook Entry will then be accessible in the Logbook on the main menu. For the most part, these Logbook Entries aren't really focused on any one topic, but most of their contents are at least a bit related to the Void Item they're attached to. For example, Safer Spaces' Logbook Entry is about how you can't hurt it, Lost Seer's Lenses is about the concept of sight, and so on. Still, there are some nice nuggets of actually important lore hidden in these interesting entries, at least compared to a lot of the Seekers of the Storm DLC in where a lot of the new item descriptions are a bit more comedy-focused.

Benthic Bloom

The Item Upgrader

Risk of Rain 2 - Benthic Bloom

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Benthic Bloom

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Benthic Bloom

Legendary

Upgrades 3 random items to items of the next higher rarity at the start of each stage.

+3 more random items upgraded

57 Leaf Clover

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for 57 Leaf Clover

First up is Benthic Bloom, and it's a 'Legendary' Item. In all actuality, the Rarity of Void Items doesn't really matter, it only applies to stuff like the Recycler or the Void Cache and so on. In any case, Benthic Bloom is a fantastic Void Item to find early in a run, but it can absolutely throw a run if a player picks it up 6+ Stages in. In almost every circumstance, it's better not to Corrupt the 57 Leaf Clover.

Encrusted Key

The Void-Build Enabler

Risk of Rain 2 - Encrusted Key

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Encrusted Key

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Encrusted Key

Common

A hidden Void Cache containing a Void Potential of the Common (41.66 percent), Uncommon (41.66 percent), or Legendary (16.66 percent) variety will appear in a random location on each stage. Opening the Void Cache consumes the Encrusted Key.

1 more Encrusted Key to use

Rusted Key

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Rusted Key

The Encrusted Key is probably the Void Item closest to its not-corrupted counterpart. Both items put a Cache of some sort on each stage somewhere, and both are consumed when you open said Cache. However, the fact that players get a Void Potential from the Encrusted Cache instead of just a base item is huge, as it gives them a bit of agency over their choice of the three items (which is rare for a roguelike). Plus, the Encrusted Key is much better for finding more Void Items in general.

Lost Seer's Lenses

The Insta-Kill Machine Maker

Risk of Rain 2 - Lost Seer's Lenses

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Lost Seer's Lenses

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Lost Seer's Lenses

Common

Your attacks have a 0.5 percent chance of instantly killing any non-boss enemy on hit.

+0.5 percentage chance

Lens Maker's Glasses

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Lens Maker's Glasses

Next up are Lost Seer's Lenses, and these ones are a pretty tough choice between them or the Lens Maker's Glasses. If the Survivor in question really benefits from Critical Chance, then it's almost always better to keep Lens Maker's Glasses free of corruption. However, if players are in control of a Survivor that unloads a lot of shots such as Mul-T, or one who doesn't care about Crit Chance at all like Acrid, this Void Item can be a huge help. It especially makes looping a lot easier, that's for sure.

Lysate Cell

The Special Skill Doubler

Risk of Rain 2 - Lysate Cell

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Lysate Cell

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Lysate Cell

Uncommon

Adds +1 charge to your Special Skill. Also reduces Special Skill cooldown by 33 percent

+1 more Special Skill charge

Fuel Cell

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Fuel Cell

The next Void Item in question is the Lysate Cell, and it's entirely a toss-up if the Fuel Cell or Lysate Cell is better. It's completely dependent on what Survivor you're playing, as ones that don't get a lot out of their Special Skill such as the Void Fiend or Captain, are much better off keeping Fuel Cells instead. However characters like Huntress, Acrid, or Mercenary get a whole lot out of Lysate Cell and should almost always pick it up when they see it.

Needletick

The Collapser

Risk of Rain 2 - Needletick

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Needletick

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Needletick

Common

10 percent chance on hit to inflict the Collapse debuff on an enemy for 400 percent base damage.

+10 percent more Collapse chance

Tri-Tip Dagger

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Tri Tip Dagger

For Needletick, the choice of whether to take it or not depends on how much the Survivor benefits from Bleed, how their build is currently going, and if they'd rather have a big-damage low-stack Debuff rather than a high-stack low-damage one. Out of all the Void Items, Needletick might be the one closest to being an equally useful counterpart to it's default item.

Newly Hatched Zoea

The Void Friendmaker

Risk of Rain 2 - Newly Hatche Zoea

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Newly Hatched Zoea

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Newly Hatched Zoa

Boss

Every 60 seconds, gain a random ally of the Void-type. You can have up to 1 ally (or allies) at a time.

-50 percent to the 60-second cooldown & +1 more ally available at a time.

N/A (Corrupts all Boss-Rarity Items in your possession)

The Newly Hatched Zoea is by far the most difficult Void Item to find, as it requires getting lucky with the 2 percent drop chance, or getting even luckier and having the Void Devastator as the Teleporter Boss. Still, if players happen to find the Zoea, it's almost always worth picking up, save for maybe a build that has a lot of Shatterspleens or Charged Perforators. The allies it can spawn are the Void Devastator, Void Jailer, and Void Reaver, all of which are very powerful.

Plasma Shrimp

The Shield-Enabling Missile Launcher

Risk of Rain 2 - Plasma Shrimp

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Plasma Shrimp

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Plasma Shrimp

Uncommon

Gain a shield equal to 10 percent of your Maximum Health. Whenever you have any shield 'up', hitting any enemy will also fire a missile that deals 40 percent of your total damage.

+40 percent more total damage for missile

AtG Missile Mk 1

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for ATG Missile MK 1

The Plasma Shrimp is very likely the Void Item that's furthest from how its Un-Corrupted variant works, though it's still similar enough. As long as players can keep their Shield up (or if they have Transcendence), Plasma Shrimp is one of the strongest items out there. The damage these missiles inflict is less than an AtG missile, for sure, but they trigger 100 percent of the time instead of 10 percent.

Pluripotent Larva

The 'One-Time-Use' Reviver & Corrupter

Risk of Rain 2 - Pluripotent Larva

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Pluripotent Larva

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Pluripotent Larva

Legendary

On death, Pluripotent Larva will be consumed and you'll instantly revive with 3 seconds of invulnerability. Additionally, when revived, all items that have a Void Variant will be Corrupted to said Void Variant.

+1 extra revive

Dio's Best Friend

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Dio's Best Friend

While it may seem like it'll be more difficult to find Pluripotent Larva than the other Void Items, it's not all that difficult at all. With the use of Encrusted Keys, players will find that it's actually more reliable to use the Larva as a respawn item than it is to find Dio's Best Friend. Additionally, turning all applicable items into their Void-Corrupted variants is huge, as long as the players know which items are going to be Corrupted ahead of time. If they forget or grab it in a hurry by mistake, they could end up with useless Void Items for their Survivor such as Lysate Cells on Mul-T or Benthic Bloom on a late-run Survivor.

Polylute

The Lightning Bringer

Risk of Rain 2 - Polylute

Name

Icon

Rarity

Effect

Bonus Per Stack

Un-Corrupted Version

Un-Corrupted Icon

Polylute

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Polylute

Uncommon

25 percent chance on hit to fire lightning for 60 percent of your total damage that will strike the same enemy up to 3 times.

+3 more lightning strikes

Ukulele

Risk of Rain 2 - Icon for Ukulele

The sheer creativity of Void Items in Risk of Rain 2 is pretty staggering. They're such ingenious alternatives to well-established items, and the slight twists their effects have are very well thought out. Take Polylute for example, it changes Ukulele's amazing AoE features into an incredible single-target damage item, all while keeping the core 'idea' of the item intact.