Safer Spaces

Stat
 Recharge

**Safer Spaces** is a void item in Risk of Rain 2, added in the *Survivors of the Void* expansion, and the corruption of .

When the holder would take damage, if this item is charged, the damage is completely negated, displaying "Blocked!" instead of a damage number. After blocking damage, the item must recharge for 15 seconds (*-10% per stack*) before another hit can be negated.

## Notes

* The  status effect above the health bar will indicate whether it is charged or not, and a circular shield appears around the player's Survivor. The effect changes to  while it is recharging, but unlike  and , the recharge period is not indicated with multiple stacks.
* Safer Spaces cannot block damage inflicted by the  debuff.
	+ It can, however, block damage inflicted by opening a Void Cradle.
* If this item is on cooldown when the  steals it, it will grant instant cooldown restoration on every frame when it is given back, making the player virtually immune to damage for the rest of the stage. This bug can also be triggered by  and killing a Voidtouched enemy (more details and a technical explanation can be found in that item's page).
	+ Keep in mind that upon defeating the third phase, it takes 6 seconds before Mithrix starts stealing items and he does so every 0.21666666 seconds. For 9 stacks of more of this item, the shield cooldown will always expire before Mithrix has a chance to steal it. For fewer stacks, it depends on how many items he has to steal before he steals this.
	+ can trigger the cooldown on demand with any of its skills that cost HP, which can be timed right before the item is stolen, bypassing any stack requirements.
	+ The same applies for .
	+ Any survivor can trigger the cooldown on demand by intentionally taking damage from any lingering sources of damage, i.e., the  blasing pools, and the blue flame pillars created by phase 3 Mithrix.
	+ Taking fall damage can be relied upon, but the player must be near the ramps at the edge of the arena before killing the third phase in anticipation of this. Having items or equipment that give enough height boost is another alternative. However, playing as  or holding  makes the player immune to fall damage, making this not a viable method.
	+ Equipment and skills that can hit the player, i.e., , , and  can also be used. Note that Diablo Strike may require precise planning if timing is of the essence.
	+ With the Artifact of Chaos survivors can harm themselves. Some allied monsters will also return friendly fire upon being hit, but the player should be mindful they will remain aggressive and pose complications for the last phase of the boss.

## Tips

* Activating the  recharges Safer Spaces immediately.
* The  is not capable of using the effects of Tougher Times, but he *can* use Safer Spaces. Players who have high stacks of this item should avoid finishing a run in this way, as when the final boss steals all items in the final phase of the fight, he will be nigh-invincible.

## Math

The charge cooldown is determined by the formula

f
(
x
# )
15
∙

0.9

x

{\displaystyle f(x)=15\bullet 0.9^{x}}

, with *x* being the amount of Safer Spaces.

* Voidtouched enemies gain the shield recharge behavior without any item stacks, therefore their cooldown is 15 seconds.
* The minimum cooldown is 1 frame (0.0167 seconds), achieved with at least 65 stacks of Safer Spaces.

## Lore

```
"You can't shoot me.

You can't taze me.

You can't gas me.

You can't even knock me down.

Not without something very precious going squish."
```

## Version History

Survivors of the Void
* (Undocumented) Added New Item: Safer Spaces

## Trivia

* This item appears to be a tardigrade, a microscopic animal sometimes known as a "water bear". Tardigrades are known for their incredible survivability and resilience, being found in locations that would kill almost any other animal.
* The name "Safer Spaces" is a reversal of Tougher Times, as "safe" can be thought of as an opposite of "tough" and space is the opposite of time, as well as both names being alliterations.
* When a hit is blocked, a deeper version of the squeaky toy sound effect that Tougher Times uses is played.
* The lore quote is a direct reference to the comic *Insufferable* issue #6, where it is spoken by a character who is wearing makeshift armor made from multiple babies taped onto his clothing.