Acrid

Acrid is an unlockable character in Risk of Rain.

It can be unlocked by finding and defeating it in "Sunken Tombs", where the crate containing it is sometimes located, in the top right corner of the map.

Tactics

 * The poison applied in is stackable.
 * has a 17 second Cooldown, but the trail itself will last for nearly 15 seconds, meaning that by the time it dissipates, Acrid will be ready to spread another trail shortly. Spam it as often as possible, as it slows enemies down and speeds allies up, making it great not only for combat but for escaping as well.
 * Try to spread in as wide an area as possible, avoiding bumpy, uneven terrain as much as possible.
 * Hanging on a rope after spreading is a safe way to kill a big group of enemies, as this will keep them grouped and most of them can not reach the character.
 * The can easily take out a group of imps holding a reward, as Acrid can spray the ground directly next to the statue, summon them, and they'll die easily and quickly, granting an easy and painless reward.
 * will spread on contact with other mobs, as well as attempt to jump to others close enough on the screen. It can multiply itself and do devastating damage to groups and can go through walls. Note that it won't return to a previously infected enemy.
 * As with any melee user, Acrid is a little flimsy and should make use of items such as the, , , , , , and for the sake of survivability.
 * Also, as with any melee user, Acrid is always in the thick of the fight whenever it wishes to do damage. Thus, it benefits from passive damage items like, , , , , and . With all of these together, the bulk of his damage will come simply from proximity.
 * Items that add status effects or damage over time stack well with Acrid's inherent abilities in this regard, such as, , , and.
 * Due to the stacking nature of, it's a good idea to get s and s whenever possible. To synergize with this, melee users like Acrid may find the , , and  to all be of use with his high attack speed, and any on-hit effects for that matter can only help.
 * Stun items help Acrid maintain momentum, avoid damage and keep enemies in his . To bolster this, gather s, s,, , and.
 * As a class that must move around in the fray, and works well with hit-and-run strategies, items such as the, , , , and can help him quite a lot. Items that increase movement speed can help him spread  much further, and jetpacks and hopoo feathers can allow the player to repeatedly hop above a placed area of sludge to lure enemies into it without putting themself in harm's way.
 * Acrid benefits from on-death effects like, , and  as, within an area of sludge, they can help him gain very fast momentum and eliminate a large group quickly, bolstering his ,  and  in turn.
 * ,, and can be helpful as they drop buffs or heals in the sludge while the player is fighting large groups, allowing them to stay in their sludged area longer.
 * The is very good for doing large amounts of damage to bosses.
 * At low health, it is a smart strategy to try to get on one enemy and flee.
 * can pass through the terrain, both on its initial attack and as it spreads. The initial attack also has an unlimited range.
 * 's first hit on mobs (as well when it passes to another enemies) is treated as a hit, allowing on hit items a chance to proc.
 * As with other melee characters,  gives unlimited range to Acrid's basic attack when it procs. However,  is not applied to enemies hit by it.
 * The poison damage from is based on the damage of the initial hit, while the poison damage from  does not, this means that  and critical hit items will increase the poison damage on Festering Wounds, but not Epidemic.
 * deals a total of 7 hits, the initial damage, a tick of poison damage at the same time as the hit, and then 5 more over ~2.5 seconds, for a total of 464% damage.
 * deals a total of 6 hits, the initial damage, and 5 ticks of poison damage over ~2.5 seconds, for a total of 600% damage.
 * The damage from does not apply on-hit effects, but oddly does seem to benefit from critical hit chance, dealing double the damage but notapplying on-crit effects.

Trivia

 * Acrid is still the only playable class that can be fought in-game by the player.
 * Acrid’s name is synonymous with acid, harshness, and sharpness, linking in with his nature and acidic abilities.

History
Acrid