The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts free update adds six unlockable skills for existing survivors, even if you haven’t purchased the DLC. Commando, Huntress, Acrid, Artificer, Engineer and REX each have a fresh loadout option to pursue.
These are distinct from the paid expansion’s two new survivors and Curio systems. Here’s the full list, what belongs to the free patch and where to check each survivor’s locked ability.
Which new abilities are free?
The October 8, 2026 update brought paid Hallowed Concepts expansion content and a separate set of improvements available to players without the expansion. The biggest gameplay addition on the free side is a new unlockable ability for six existing survivors. You don’t need to buy Hallowed Concepts merely to access these new survivor skill challenges, which makes them worth looking at even if you’re sticking with the base game.
Commando: Sabotage
Commando gains Sabotage as an alternate Special. The skill throws three explosives that attach to surfaces, and those explosives zap enemies for 400% damage when attacked. That creates a different setup from simply firing a straightforward burst. It’s particularly interesting for positioning around areas enemies must cross, but it isn’t a passive benefit: you need to deliberately place and activate the explosives. It has an unlock condition of its own, so don’t expect it to appear as already selected after patching.
Huntress: Laser Cyclone
Huntress receives Laser Cyclone as a new unlockable skill. It’s another option to check in the survivor’s loadout screen alongside existing abilities, rather than an automatic replacement for the skill you were using before the update. Huntress’s strengths have always involved staying mobile while dealing damage; try the new option in a manageable run before building an entire late-game strategy around it. The game tracks its own unlock challenge separately from any Hallowed Concepts DLC progression.
Acrid: Cloying Breath
Acrid’s addition is Cloying Breath, an alternate ability included with the free update. That means an Acrid player who doesn’t own Hallowed Concepts still has a fresh unlock to work towards. As with the other new skills, the appropriate challenge must be completed on your account before you can equip it in the loadout. Don’t mistake the ability’s availability in patch notes for a guarantee that it’s already unlocked in your survivor selection screen.
Artificer: Tectonic Blast
Artificer gains Tectonic Blast. It’s the new skill to look for when comparing the survivor’s alternate loadout choices after the October update. The unlock is independent of buying the DLC, although actually earning the ability still involves its particular challenge. If you’re returning to the game after a break, inspect the survivor challenges first instead of assuming something has disappeared because it isn’t selectable yet.
Engineer: Laser Cutter
Laser Cutter is Engineer’s new unlockable ability. It expands Engineer’s available loadout choices, not the paid DLC survivor roster. With Engineer especially, it’s worth comparing how a new skill fits alongside the rest of the build and turret playstyle rather than swapping abilities without testing. Any requirement shown in the survivor’s challenge list is an unlock objective, not a paid-store requirement.
REX: Proliferation
REX receives Proliferation, completing the six new-skill additions. It is part of the same free October update. REX’s usual mechanics reward careful balancing of offence and survival, so test the new skill alongside whichever healing and damage choices you’re comfortable using. If the skill is greyed out, focus on its named challenge before adjusting your DLC settings.
Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts: All six unlocks at a glance
| Survivor | Skill | Required challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Commando | Sabotage | Beat Mithrix with 8 Karma |
| Huntress | Laser Cyclone | Obtain an Artifact from Bulwark’s Ambry within 25 minutes |
| Engineer | Laser Cutter | Repair Equipment Drone using a Fuel Array |
| Artificer | Tectonic Blast | Reach Mithrix without charging Moon pillars |
| REX | Proliferation | Win with five distinct Lunar items |
| Acrid | Cloying Breath | Win after personally using a Shrine of Order |
Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts: Commando’s Sabotage
Enable Karma in the lobby as Commando and build it to eight before fighting Mithrix. You must land the final blow in Mithrix’s last phase yourself. In the Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts challenge, Karma cannot be disabled, and a teammate or drone taking the kill can prevent it counting. Our Karma guide explains how to build up all eight levels.
Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts: Huntress’s Laser Cyclone
Reach the Artifact portal below Sky Meadow and open Bulwark’s Ambry using its nine-symbol grid. Collect Artifact Keys to beat the Reliquary and take the Artifact. The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts Huntress challenge checks that you arrived before the 25-minute mark; the game timer pauses inside the realm, so you can complete the fight at your own pace once you’re there.
Engineer and the Fuel Array
The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts Engineer challenge requires repairing a broken Equipment Drone using the Fuel Array from the back of your Escape Pod. Other drone repairs don’t count. Engineer must personally perform the repair, and you should keep away from your own turrets while holding the unstable Array because they inherit equipment.
Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts: Artificer’s pillar skip
Reach Commencement and enter Mithrix’s arena without charging any pillars. Movement equipment can bypass the normal route. The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts challenge unlocks Tectonic Blast as soon as the boss encounter starts, so you don’t need to win. Charging even one pillar during the visit, including by a co-op partner, blocks the unlock.
Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts: REX Proliferation
Win as REX with five different Lunar items still held in your inventory. Lunar Equipment counts, but identical stacks count as one type. The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts REX challenge checks your inventory when the victory is recorded, so don’t exchange one of your five different items before the ending.
Acrid and the Shrine of Order
Personally activate a Shrine of Order as Acrid, then complete a winning run. Another player activating the shrine doesn’t count for you. The Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts Acrid unlock requires using the shrine in the same successful run, and its item sequencing can leave you with unusual stacks to manage.
When a Risk of Rain 2 Hallowed Concepts challenge completes, return to the survivor’s loadout and equip the corresponding new skill. All six challenges are included in the free patch, so you don’t need to buy the expansion just to use Sabotage, Laser Cyclone, Laser Cutter, Tectonic Blast, Proliferation or Cloying Breath.
How to find the skills and their challenges
Update Risk of Rain 2 to the October 8 version, select the relevant survivor and inspect their loadout and locked ability entries. The table and walkthroughs above give the exact conditions for each new skill. Once you’ve met the requirement, return to the same survivor’s loadout to select the ability.
What stays exclusive to Hallowed Concepts?
The paid expansion adds Enforcer and Acolyte, new stages and bosses, N’kuhana Trials, the N’tormat, Hexes and Hallowed items. Enforcer starts unlocked for DLC owners; Acolyte must be rescued. In co-op, one person owning the expansion enables its stages, enemies and items for everyone, although non-owners can’t select those new survivors or permanently unlock the DLC content. The six free survivor abilities belong in the separate base-game update category.
Related Guides
Official source: 2K’s October 8, 2026 Risk of Rain 2 patch notes.
