The Operator stands as one of the most unique and versatile survivors introduced in Risk of Rain 2’s Alloyed Collective DLC, offering players an unprecedented level of drone control and aerial mobility. This comprehensive build guide will walk you through the optimal Operator setup, from skill selection to item prioritization, ensuring you can harness the full potential of this drone-commanding specialist. Whether you’re new to the Operator or looking to refine your playstyle, this guide will provide you with everything needed to dominate even the most challenging runs.
Understanding the Operator: Drone Commander Extraordinaire
The Operator is fundamentally different from other survivors in Risk of Rain 2 due to his unique relationship with drones. While other characters might pick up drone items as supplements, the Operator’s entire kit revolves around maximizing drone effectiveness and using them as force multipliers on the battlefield. His passive ability, Drone Tech, ensures you start each stage with two custom drones, immediately establishing your role as a drone commander.
What sets the Operator apart is his ability to directly command drones through his ADMIN-OVERRIDE ability, transforming these typically autonomous allies into precision weapons under your control. This direct command interface, combined with his exceptional aerial mobility through Ascent Protocol, creates a playstyle that’s both highly mobile and strategically deep.
Core Playstyle Philosophy
The best Operator build focuses on three key pillars:
- Drone maximization – Enhancing drone damage, survivability, and utility
- Aerial dominance – Leveraging Ascent Protocol for battlefield control and survivability
- Debuff stacking – Utilizing Nano-Bugged effects for devastating damage amplification
By mastering these three aspects, you’ll create an Operator build that can handle any situation Risk of Rain 2 throws at you, from early game clearing to late game boss melting.
Optimal Skill Loadout: Maximizing Drone Synergy
Choosing the right skills is crucial for the best Operator build. While some skills offer flexibility, others are essential for maximizing your drone army’s effectiveness.
Primary Skill: H3-11 OCR Custom (Default)
The H3-11 OCR Custom is your only primary option, but it’s an excellent one that scales beautifully with proper itemization. This pistol shot deals 150-600% damage and ricochets on kill, with damage scaling based on consumed charges. The charge restoration over time creates a natural rhythm to your combat – burst down high-priority targets with fully charged shots, then let your recharge while drones handle cleanup.
Pro tip: Time your charged shots for elite enemies or bosses, while using weaker shots for clearing trash mobs. The ricochet on kill makes this exceptional for crowd control when combined with area damage items.
Secondary Skill: ADMIN-OVERRIDE (Recommended)
ADMIN-OVERRIDE is the heart of any serious Operator build, allowing you to command drones to activate their special skills. Each drone type has a unique attack when commanded:
- Gunner Drone: Unleashes a devastating burst of bullets
- Healing Drone: Provides a burst of area healing
- Transport Drone: Creates a vacuum effect that pulls enemies together
The ability to store charges for each drone you control makes this skill incredibly versatile. More drones mean more charges, creating a snowball effect as your drone army grows.
Advanced strategy: Save your ADMIN-OVERRIDE charges for critical moments – elite packs, boss fights, or when you’re overwhelmed. The burst damage from multiple Gunner Drones can instantly delete priority targets.
Utility Skill: Ascent Protocol (Essential)
Ascent Protocol is non-negotiable for the best Operator build. This ability commands a drone to lift you into the air for a controlled fall, with the option to reactivate and leap to another drone. This skill provides:
- Near-constant aerial mobility: Making you extremely difficult to hit
- ** battlefield positioning**: Allowing you to reach advantageous positions
- Synergy with other skills: All other skills can be used while airborne
Expert technique: Chain Ascent Protocol jumps between multiple drones to stay airborne indefinitely. This makes you virtually immune to ground-based attacks and provides excellent positioning for your primary fire.
Special Skill: Ejection Core (Optimal)
Ejection Core launches a drone that knocks enemies airborne for 300% damage while inflicting the Nano-Bugged debuff. This debuff is crucial as it amplifies damage taken from Operator’s skills, creating incredible synergy with certain items and abilities.
Key interaction: The Nano-Bugged debuff counts toward Death Mark stacks, making this essential for debuff-focused builds. The knock-up effect also provides excellent crowd control and sets up devastating aerial combos.
Starting Drone Configuration: Setting the Foundation
Your initial drone choice significantly impacts your early game performance. While you start with a Gunner and Healing Drone by default, the optimal Operator build focuses on offensive capabilities.
Dual Gunner Drone Strategy
For maximum early game damage output, configure your starting drones to be two Gunner Drones. This provides:
- Double the firepower: More consistent damage output
- Faster elite clearing: Additional burst damage from ADMIN-OVERRIDE
- Better on-hit effect application: More chances to trigger item effects
Early game priority: Focus on acquiring additional Gunner Drones from drone shops as soon as possible. Each Gunner Drone adds another ADMIN-OVERRIDE charge and increases your overall damage output significantly.
Transport Drone Consideration
While less optimal for pure damage, the Transport Drone offers unique utility:
- Chest manipulation: Can pick up and drop chests on enemies or bring them to you
- Enemy grouping: Vacuum effect groups enemies for area damage
- Accessibility: Can reach otherwise inaccessible items and areas
Consider swapping one Gunner Drone for a Transport Drone once you have established your core damage setup, especially if you’re running item-dependent builds.
Essential Items: The Core of Your Operator Build
Item selection is where the best Operator build truly comes together. Focus on items that enhance drone performance, provide mobility, and capitalize on debuff synergies.
Legendary Tier: Must-Have Items
Spare Drone Parts – This is arguably the single most important item for any Operator build. It provides:
- +50% attack speed for all drones per stack
- 50% cooldown reduction for drone abilities
- 10% chance for drones to fire missiles dealing 300% damage
- Automatic chain gun dealing 6×100% damage, bouncing to 2 enemies
Why it’s essential: Spare Drone Parts transforms your drones from supplemental damage into your primary damage source. The attack speed and cooldown reduction scale incredibly well, and the additional missile and chain gun damage provide substantial AoE coverage.
Death Mark – While good on any character, Death Mark is exceptional on Operator due to his built-in debuff capabilities:
- Amplifies damage against targets with 4+ debuffs
- Nano-Bugged from Ejection Core counts as one debuff
- Only need 3 additional debuff sources to activate
Synergy strategy: Combine with Tri-Tip Dagger (Bleed), Chronobauble (Slow), and Gasoline (Ignite) for consistent Death Mark activation against all enemies.
Uncommon Tier: Damage Amplifiers
Soldier’s Syringe – Increases attack speed by 15% per stack. This benefits both your primary fire and your drones’ attack speed, creating a multiplicative effect with Spare Drone Parts.
Ukulele – 25% chance to chain lightning for 80% damage. More drones mean more chains, creating devastating area damage coverage.
AtG Missile Mk. I – 10% chance to fire a missile dealing 300% damage. Stacks additively with the missile chance from Spare Drone Parts, creating a constant barrage of explosive damage.
Common Tier: Foundation Items
Crowbar – Increases damage against enemies above 80% health by 75%. Excellent for bursting down elites and bosses early in fights.
Paul’s Goat Hoof – +25% movement speed. Essential for maintaining positioning and chaining Ascent Protocol jumps effectively.
Tougher Times – 15% chance to block incoming damage. While you’ll be spending most of your time airborne, this provides crucial protection against ranged attacks and aerial enemies.
Advanced Item Synergies: Scaling Into Late Game
As your run progresses, focus on items that scale well with your drone-focused playstyle and provide additional utility for surviving the increasing difficulty.
On-Hit Effect Stacking
Your drones and primary fire both benefit from on-hit effects, making these items incredibly valuable:
Harvester’s Scythe – 5% chance on hit to heal for 8 (+4 per stack) health. With multiple drones firing constantly, this provides substantial sustain.
Predatory Instincts – 10% chance on hit to crit for +200% damage. Critical strikes scale exceptionally well with your high attack speed from drones and Soldier’s Syringe.
Sentient’s Meat Hook – 0.5% chance on hit to fire a homing missile for 300% damage. Another source of homing projectiles that complements your missile-focused build.
Mobility and Positioning
Hopoo Feather – Gain an extra jump. Essential for extending your aerial mobility and creating more Ascent Protocol opportunities.
Hiker’s Boots – Increases jump height by 25%. This allows you to reach higher positions with Ascent Protocol and makes chaining between drones easier.
Energy Drink – +20% movement speed and +1 jump. Stacks with other movement items for unparalleled battlefield control.
Defensive Options
Personal Shield Generator – Gain a shield that blocks one hit every 30 seconds. Perfect for surviving the occasional hit that gets through your aerial positioning.
Transcendence – Convert all health into shields. While controversial, this can be excellent for Operator since you’ll be spending most of your time airborne and difficult to hit consistently.
Bustling Fungus – While standing still, heal for 4.5% (+2.25% per stack) health per second. Useful during brief moments when you land to reposition or use equipment.
Gameplay Strategy: Mastering the Operator
Having the right items is only half the battle. The best Operator build requires specific gameplay strategies to maximize effectiveness.
Early Game: Establishing Your Drone Army
Stage 1-2 Strategy:
- Focus on acquiring gold and opening chests
- Prioritize Gunner Drones from drone shops
- Build toward your first Spare Drone Parts
- Use Ascent Protocol to avoid early game damage
Key objectives: Get at least 2-3 Gunner Drones and your first Spare Drone Parts before the first teleporter event. This establishes your damage foundation for the rest of the run.
Mid Game: Scaling and Synergy
Stage 3-5 Strategy:
- Focus on completing your core item build
- Begin stacking on-hit effects and utility items
- Use ADMIN-OVERRIDE more aggressively for elite clearing
- Maintain aerial positioning during teleporter events
Combat flow: Use Ascent Protocol to gain height → charge primary shot for elites → use ADMIN-OVERRIDE for burst → reposition with drone leaps → repeat
Late Game: God Tier Operator
Stage 6+ Strategy:
- Stack multiple Spare Drone Parts for exponential drone scaling
- Focus on survivability and burst damage
- Use Ejection Core for consistent Death Mark activation
- Maintain constant aerial mobility to avoid overwhelming enemy fire
Boss fighting technique: Stay airborne using Ascent Protocol chains → apply Nano-Bugged with Ejection Core → burst with charged primary shots and ADMIN-OVERRIDE → reposition as needed
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with the best Operator build, certain playstyle mistakes can significantly reduce your effectiveness:
Overcommitting to Ground Combat
The Operator’s greatest strength is his aerial mobility. Spending too much time on the ground makes you vulnerable and wastes your most powerful tool. Always prioritize using Ascent Protocol, even for minor repositioning.
Neglecting Drone Management
Your drones are your primary damage source, especially with Spare Drone Parts. Keep track of their positions, health, and availability for ADMIN-OVERRIDE. Don’t hesitate to reposition them strategically around the battlefield.
Poor ADMIN-OVERRIDE Timing
It’s tempting to use ADMIN-OVERRIDE as soon as it’s available, but saving charges for critical moments (elite packs, bosses, dangerous situations) is often more effective. Think of it as your panic button and burst damage tool, not your primary damage source.
Ignoring Debuff Synergies
The Nano-Bugged debuff from Ejection Core is incredibly powerful when combined with Death Mark. Don’t overlook this synergy, as it can significantly increase your damage output against high-priority targets.
Alternative Build Variations
While the drone-focused build is generally considered the best Operator build, there are alternative approaches worth considering:
Mobility-Focused Build
This variation emphasizes extreme aerial mobility and hit-and-run tactics:
- Core items: Multiple Hopoo Feathers, Energy Drinks, Hiker’s Boots
- Playstyle: Constant movement, using terrain and drone positioning to avoid damage entirely
- Strengths: Exceptional survivability, excellent for high-difficulty runs
- Weaknesses: Lower sustained damage, more skill-intensive
Debuff Stack Build
Focuses on maximizing the Nano-Bugged and Death Mark synergy:
- Core items: Death Mark, multiple debuff sources (Tri-Tip Dagger, Chronobauble, etc.)
- Playstyle: Apply debuffs quickly, then burst down affected targets
- Strengths: Incredible single-target damage, excellent for boss killing
- Weaknesses: Weaker crowd control, more item-dependent
Conclusion: Mastering the Best Operator Build
The best Operator build in Risk of Rain 2 represents a perfect blend of drone mastery, aerial mobility, and strategic debuff application. By focusing on Spare Drone Parts to amplify your drone army, utilizing Ascent Protocol for constant battlefield control, and leveraging the Nano-Bugged/Death Mark synergy for devastating damage amplification, you create a survivor capable of handling any challenge the game throws at you.
Remember that the Operator’s strength lies in his versatility and the exponential scaling of his drone army. Each additional drone and each stack of Spare Drone Parts dramatically increases your combat effectiveness, creating a snowball effect that can carry you through even the most demanding Monsoon runs.
Practice the aerial mobility techniques, master the timing of your ADMIN-OVERRIDE charges, and always be mindful of your drone positioning. With time and experience, you’ll find that the Operator offers one of the most rewarding and powerful playstyles in Risk of Rain 2’s Alloyed Collective DLC.
Whether you’re clearing hordes of lesser enemies or taking down towering bosses, the best Operator build ensures you’ll always have the tools needed for victory. Now get out there, command your drone army, and show those alien worlds what a true drone commander can do!