Loader

Escaped : ..and so she left, heart still racing.
Vanished : ..and so she vanished, her momentum halted forever.

The **Loader** is a playable character in Risk of Rain 2.

An incredibly mobile and heavy cargo loader, the Loader is capable of delivering some of the hardest-hitting attacks in the game. When utilizing velocity to her advantage, she is able to topple many powerful monsters in just a single punch.

Completing the Guidance Offline challenge will unlock Loader as a playable survivor.

## Skills

Passive

 Description
 * The barrier gained is 5% of the maximum amount (5% of Loader's maximum health and current shields).
	+ Hitting multiple enemies with Knuckleboom or Thunder Gauntlet does not grant additional barrier, but hitting multiple enemies with Charged Gauntlet does.

Primary

 Proc Coefficient
 Description

Secondary

 Cooldown
 Description
 * Deals no damage.

 Cooldown
 Proc Coefficient
 Description
 * Unlocked via the Loader: Swing By Challenge. *(As Loader, reach and proceed through the Celestial Portal in 25 minutes or less.)*

Utility

 Cooldown
 Proc Coefficient
 Description
 * Beginning to charge Charged Gauntlet will stop Loader from sprinting, but the player can begin sprinting again while charging.
* The punch deals an extra +30% base damage per 1m/s of Loader's current velocity.
* Can hold the charge.
* Charges faster with more attack speed.

 Cooldown
 Proc Coefficient
 Description
 * Unlocked via the Loader: Earthshatter Challenge. *(As Loader, land a Charged Gauntlet hit at 300mph or higher.)*
* Charges considerably faster than Charged Gauntlet.
* Fires automatically when fully charged.
* Correction: The lightning cone deals 900% damage, not 1000%.
* Like Charged Gauntlet, the punch deals an extra +30% base damage per 1m/s of Loader's current velocity.
	+ However, the damage from the lightning cone does *not* receive the  damage bonus.

Special

 Cooldown
 Proc Coefficient
 Description
 * It is possible to create multiple pylons with enough cooldown reduction items (e.g. , , or stacking ) or stacking , but only up to 3 pylons can be active at a time. If the skill is used again while there are 3 pylons active, the oldest one despawns.
* The pylon is initially inactive for 1.65 seconds. After this, it zaps a total of 14 times (once every second), and it can hit up to 6 enemies per zap.
* Critical strikes are rolled when the pylon spawns; if the roll succeeds, all zaps over the pylon's lifespan will be critical strikes.
* Does not attack faster with bonus attack speed.

 Cooldown
 Proc Coefficient
 Description
 * Unlocked via the Loader: The Thunderdome Challenge. *(As Loader, kill three other Loaders in the Bulwark's Ambry.)*
* The blast radius is about 15m.

## Behaviors

*For an explanation of how these behaviors are implemented read about Enemy AI. This section only applies when the character is controlled by AI.*

1. **Use special**: Loader must be within 25m from the target and be aiming at it.
2. **Use primary and strafe**: Loader must be within 2m from the target. Loader will sprint, a new behavior will be selected after this, and it cannot be chosen twice in a row.
3. **Use primary and chase**: Loader must be within 6m from the target. Loader will sprint, a new behavior will be selected after this, and it cannot be chosen twice in a row. Due to the previous behavior, this will only be selectable for the 2-6m distance range.
4. **Use secondary and strafe**: Loader must be within 60m from the target and be aiming at it. This behavior is active for 2 seconds and it cannot be selected twice in a row. Loader will sprint for its duration.
5. **Use utility**: Loader must be within 12-20m from the target, have line of sight, and be aiming at it. This behavior is active for 2 seconds and it cannot be selected twice in a row. Loader will sprint for its duration.
6. **Chase**: no requirements.

## Tips

* Items that increase damage or attack speed are invaluable on Loader, especially total damage items. In combination with her Charged Gauntlet, items such as  and  substantially increase her damage output.
	+ While higher attack speed is useful for filling up Scrap Barrier quickly and dealing damage with procs, be mindful that Knuckleboom knocks smaller enemies away with every hit. With higher attack speed values, its damage may suffer simply because enemies are constantly being pushed out of reach. This is a non-issue against larger enemies or bosses.
* Knuckleboom briefly stuns and knocks back lighter enemies such as , , , and .
* Grapple Fist & Spiked Fist only go on cooldown if the attack connects with an enemy or terrain; if not, it reels back in and is immediately ready for re-use.
	+ However, hitting an enemy at the very limit of Spiked Fist's range will not trigger the grappling effect or put the skill on cooldown, but will still deal damage. This may be a bug.
* It is possible to charge up Charged Gauntlet while attached to something by Grapple Fist or Spiked Fist. Use this to gain damage when using Charged Gauntlet, as its damage is increased by Loader's movement speed. On top of dealing massive amounts of damage, it can also allow her to cover great distances very quickly.
* Release Charged Gauntlet at the apex of Grapple Fist's trajectory (right when Loader starts going upwards) to maintain maximum momentum when trying to go far.
* When attached to something with Grapple Fist or Spiked Fist, repeatedly toggling sprint can rapidly increase Loader's movement speed and/or swinging radius (distance between Loader and what she's attached to). The swinging radius can extend infinitely, being limited only by the boundaries of the map.
* Loader can move faster while using Knuckleboom by pressing the sprint key between attacks.
* Scrap Barrier gives Loader barriers when hitting enemies with Knuckleboom, Charged Gauntlet, and Thunder Gauntlet, but not M551 Pylon or Thunderslam.
* Loader makes exceptional use of the , as she is more than capable of meeting the height requirement for its max damage. Additionally, she can use the fall speed increase to gain more velocity for Charged Gauntlet and Thunder Gauntlet.
* Loader pairs well with the , as a large chunk of her damage comes from her utility skill.
	+ This also significantly augments her mobility, allowing her to use Charged and Thunder Gauntlet to move around even more easily.
* While Thunder Gauntlet technically is stronger than Charged Gauntlet early on (2100%+1000% compared to 2700%), Charged Gauntlet eventually eclipses it thanks to its piercing property, and because the extra 1000% from Thunder Gauntlet does not benefit from the  damage bonus. As enemies become more plentiful, Charged Gauntlet can plow through them and deal its full damage to each, as opposed to Thunder Gauntlet only dealing its full damage to a single enemy.
* Thunder Gauntlet works well with Thunderslam, as the ricochet from hitting a target can be used to follow up with a slam, though Charged Gauntlet can work as well since it can be used to pierce through an enemy.
* Using Bandolier works well with Charged Gauntlet, as you collect the pickup drop when going through the enemy.
* The equipment , allows for the unlock of Thunderslam by killing the clone it summons three times. This can be easily done through the use of crowbars and a fully charged Charged Gauntlet

## Lore

```
A lot of people would say that loading cargo is a dull job. The Loader could not disagree more.

Other jobs don’t supply their employees with a fully articulate titanium exoskeleton capable of lifting 250 tons.

Other jobs don’t allow their employees to meet the crews of countless starships from across the galaxy.

Other jobs don’t let you use your exoskeleton for your own entertainment, much less outfit it with custom-built grappling hooks powered by a winch capable of hauling up to 100 tons.

Other jobs don’t involve being approached by a legend among the UES work force, and asked to embark on a classified mission to the Uncharted Territories.

Other jobs don’t involve fighting exotic and strange alien creatures, and exploring mystical ruins on another planet.

A lot of people would say that loading cargo is a dull job. The Loader could not disagree more.
```

## Version History

PC Patch v1.1.1.2
* Bug Fixes
	+ Fixed Loader’s  not working in conjunction with

Anniversary Update
* Major Content
	+ Added New Skill Variant:
		- . Slam your fists down, dealing 2000% damage on impact.
	+ Added New Class Challenge:
	+ Added New Lore Entry: Loader
* Quality of Life
	+ Updated skin visuals
* Bug Fixes
	+ Fixed some animation issues on the Loader

PC Patch v1.0.1.1 (Build ID No.5440050)
* Bug Fixes
	+ Fix Loader  not bouncing

Early Access Content Update 5
* (Undocumented) Updated description for , , and  to include keywords

Early Access Hidden Realms Content Update
* Major Content
	+ Added New Skill Variant:
		- Charge up a single punch for 2100% damage that shocks enemies in a cone for 1000% damage. Deals more damage at higher speeds.
	+ Added New Class Challenge:
* Gameplay Changes
	+ - Add small forward lunge
		- Extend size of hurtbox and effect
	+ **/**
		- Minimum Length: 5m ⇒ 1m
			* This just means that the tether won’t break as easily from being really close to the grapple point
* Quality of Life
	+ 🌧Add collider on Loader’s  to trigger pressure plates

PC Early Access Patch (Build ID No.4233443)
* Bug Fixes
	+ Fix Loader disappearing when ragdolling
	+ Fix Loader's wrists spinning around during certain animations

Early Access 'Skills 2.0' Content Update
* Major Content and Changes
	+ Added Survivor: Loader
		- The Loader is a slow but powerful bruiser that can use her grappling hook to uniquely navigate the environment.
	+ Added New Skill Variant:
		- Fire your gauntlet forward, dealing 320% damage and stunning. Pulls you to heavy targets. Light targets are pulled to YOU instead.
	+ Added New Skin:   Loader
	+ Added New Class Challenge:
	+ Added New Class Challenge:   Loader: Mastery

## Gallery

* Default
* Classic

## Trivia

* **Loader** was one of the two post-launch playable characters in the first Risk of Rain.
* The Loader's "Classic" skin is a reference to Risk of Rain 1, as it has the same color scheme as the original Loader. It may also be a reference to the Power Loader suit in the movie *Aliens*.
* The Loader in Risk of Rain 2 is female, while the Loader in Risk of Rain 1 is male.
* Due to being immune to fall damage, the Artifact of Frailty has no effect on Loader.
* Contrary to her game description, Loader is one of the most mobile survivors in the game.
* Loader is often considered the most powerful early-game and overall character in game due to her survivability, burst power, mobility, and low reliance on items.
* Loader’s lore entry states that her suit is capable of lifting 250 tons, equivalent to the weight of 71 elephants or 125 cars.
	+ Moving at 300mph (the requirements to complete Loader: Earthshatter) would be the equivalent of being hit by a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. Using a special calculator, moving at 300 mph whilst using Charged Gauntlet would amount to 2000 tons of force, equivalent to 13 whales or 2 football stadiums. However, that answer was reached using the weight of the average adult female (170 pounds) and not the weight of the Loader gear itself. If using the Loader Gear for measurement instead, punches at 300mph would be the equivalent to 5,729,489 tons of force!