So, it finally happened. After years of modders keeping the dream alive, Hopoo Games and Gearbox officially brought back the cleaver-slinging robot in the Seekers of the Storm expansion. If you played the first Risk of Rain, you remember the Chef. He was a beast. He was a monster of crowd control and burst damage. But in the transition to 3D, things changed. A lot. Honestly, if you try to play the Risk of Rain 2 Chef exactly like you played him in 2D, you’re going to have a bad time. He’s clunky. He’s weird. He’s also potentially one of the highest DPS characters in the game if you stop treating him like a standard survivor and start treating him like a mobile kitchen nightmare.
The Reality of the Cleaver
Let’s talk about those Primary attacks. Dice. You throw a cleaver, it flies out, it hangs in the air for a second, and then it recalls back to you. This is where most people mess up. They treat it like a pistol. It isn't. The real damage happens on the return trip. If you aren't positioning yourself to catch the "boomerang" effect through the enemy's hitbox, you're basically cutting your damage in half. It feels a bit like Sivir from League of Legends or even Huntress’s glaive, but with a lot more manual aiming required.
The hitbox is generous, but the travel time is slow. That's the trade-off. You've got to lead your shots. Against flying enemies like Lesser Wisps or those annoying Vagrants, Chef can feel like a total chore. But against a grounded boss? You can stack those cleavers so deep that the health bar just melts.
Why Searing Fist Is Your Best Friend (And Worst Enemy)
Then there’s the Secondary. Searing Fist. It’s a charge-up punch that ignites enemies. It’s great for mobility, kinda like Loader’s punch but with less "oomph" and more "burn." You can use it to close gaps or escape a sticky situation with a Stone Titan. However, the wind-up is a killer. In Risk of Rain 2, standing still or moving in a predictable straight line for more than two seconds is usually a death sentence, especially on Monsoon or Eclipse runs.
The Gimmick: Glaze and Flambe
Chef’s whole identity revolves around the "Glaze" and "Flambe" mechanic. You hit them with the oil (the Utility skill), you slow them down, and then you ignite them for massive bonus damage. It sounds simple. In practice? It’s a lot of buttons to press while a Mithrix-level threat is trying to stomp your head into the lunar dust.
The Roll skill is actually pretty decent for repositioning. You turn into a little rolling pin of death. It’s not just for movement; it actually knocks enemies back. If you’re cornered by a pack of Beetles, don't just jump. Roll through them. It applies a debuff that makes your next few attacks hit way harder. Most players forget the Utility skill does damage—don't be that guy.
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The Special: Yes, Chef!
The "Chef's Special" is where the original game’s DNA really shines. It boosts your next ability.
- Boosted Cleavers? You throw a whole circle of them.
- Boosted Sear? Huge explosion.
- Boosted Glaze? You're basically a pressure washer of oil.
The cooldown is the problem. You can’t just spam this. You have to save it for the "Oh crap" moments or the Teleporter boss. If you waste your Special on a couple of Lemurians, you’re going to regret it when the Wandering Vagrant starts its big blue explosion and you have no burst damage to finish it off.
Items That Make or Break the Run
You can't talk about the Risk of Rain 2 Chef without talking about the build. Because he’s so reliant on multi-hit return trips with the cleavers, Soldier’s Syringe is vital. More attack speed means the cleavers come back faster. It sounds counter-intuitive—you’d think you want them out there longer—but you actually want to cycle through your throws as fast as possible.
Mocha is even better. You need the movement speed. Chef is a big, chunky target. He doesn't have the natural verticality of Artificer or the raw speed of Mercenary. If you don't get some movement items early, the late-game scaling will absolutely crush you.
Backups Mags are a non-negotiable. Having multiple charges of your Searing Fist or your oil spray completely changes the flow of combat. It allows you to stay in the "Glaze and Flambe" loop indefinitely. Without them, you’re just a robot standing around waiting for a timer to tick down while a Magma Worm ruins your afternoon.
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The "Secret" Synergies
Have you tried Ignition Tank? If you haven't, stop what you're doing and find one. Since Chef is built around fire damage, Ignition Tank (an uncommon green item) triples your burn damage. It turns your mediocre "Sear" into a boss-killing nuke. Pair that with a Gasoline or a Will-o'-the-wisp, and you've got a screen-clearing cookout.
Don't sleep on Bandolier either. Chef’s cooldowns are his biggest weakness. Picking up those little ammo packs to reset your Special is a game-changer. It lets you keep the "Chef's Special" active almost constantly if you're killing mobs fast enough.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Chef is a melee survivor. He looks like one. He’s got cleavers and a punch. But he’s really a mid-range zoner. If you get right in the face of a Clay Templar, you’re going to die. You need to stay at a distance where your cleavers reach their maximum distance right behind the enemy. That way, the "hang time" of the blade happens inside the enemy's model.
Also, stop trying to use the Roll as a primary damage source. It’s a repositioning tool that happens to do damage. Using it to initiate a fight against a heavy hitter is a great way to end your run at the 15-minute mark. Use it to get out, not just to get in.
How to Unlock Him (The Legit Way)
In the Seekers of the Storm DLC, you aren't just handed the Chef. You have to work for it. You need to collect three specific items in a single run: the Bison Steak, the Weeping Fungus (or regular Bustling Fungus), and an Infusion.
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Once you have those "ingredients," you have to find the secret area in the new stages. Specifically, look for the green-lit cave area in the Reformed Altar map. There’s a giant pot. Throw the items in, fight the mini-encounter, and boom—Chef is yours. It’s a cool little nod to his "cooking" theme, but it can be a pain if RNG doesn't give you the right items. Pro tip: use the Artifact of Command if you're struggling to get the specific drops. No shame in it.
The Verdict on the DLC Version
Is the Risk of Rain 2 Chef as good as the original? It depends on who you ask. Some veteran players think he feels "heavy." And he does. The 3D environment makes aiming the return-path of the cleavers much harder than the 2D plane of the first game. But the sheer satisfaction of landing a "Chef's Special" boosted Sear on a crowd of thirty enemies is unmatched.
He requires more "brain" than someone like Commando or Void Fiend. You’re constantly managing your "Special" charge and tracking the position of your returning blades. It's high-effort, high-reward. If you like survivors that feel like a puzzle to solve, you'll love him. If you want to just hold down M1 and win, maybe stick to the Railgunner.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Run
To actually win with Chef on high difficulty, follow this priority list:
- Prioritize attack speed and burn modifiers. Look for Soldier's Syringes and Ignition Tanks immediately.
- Abuse the verticality of the Roll. You can actually "jump" off small inclines with the Roll to get surprising height. Use this to dodge ground-based attacks from Golems.
- Position for the return. Always strafe so that your cleavers pass through the largest part of the enemy on their way back to your hand.
- Save the Special for Glaze. Unless you desperately need the burst from a boosted Sear, using the Special on your Utility (the oil) provides massive crowd control that keeps you alive longer.
- Get a Hopoo Feather. Chef desperately needs a double jump to survive the chaos of Stage 4 and 5.
Check your items, grab some spice, and get back into the Petrichor V kitchen. The robot needs to cook.
Next Steps for Mastery:
Focus on your movement patterns during the first stage. Practice throwing cleavers past a Lemurian and then moving to the side so the return path hits a second enemy. Mastering this "curving" return path is the difference between a mediocre Chef and a legendary one. Once you nail the movement, try a run focusing entirely on Gasoline and Ignition Tank to see how the burn scaling works in your favor.