Risk of Rain 2's 'Equilibrium of All Things' DLC has once again achieved critical acclaim. As a benchmark title in the roguelike genre, the game is entering a new phase of development. Gearbox's performance was uneven in the early stages after taking over, but their management of the title has now improved significantly.
Gearbox, the creator of the Borderlands series, acquired Risk of Rain 2 in 2022, at a time when many original development team members had moved to Valve, leaving this beloved roguelike game in a precarious position. After the acquisition, Gearbox's first major update, 'Storm Seeker,' received mixed reactions from series fans; however, with last year's 'Alloy Mind' and this week's launch of 'Equilibrium of All Things,' the publisher has gradually turned around its reputational decline.
Risk of Rain 2's latest expansion pack has performed impressively since launching on Steam, with 84% of user reviews on the platform being positive.
"The quality of 'Equilibrium of All Things' far surpasses all other DLCs," wrote a positive review. "This DLC feels incredibly fresh, greatly revitalizing the late-game experience. It feels like the developers truly understood what players wanted... The new systems are cleverly and thoughtfully designed, integrating seamlessly with the core gameplay. Much of the new content is built around enhancing the value of late-game play... The experience is truly fantastic."
Another review stated: "This is absolutely the best DLC crafted by the new team. 'Storm Seeker' managed to salvage its reputation through subsequent patches, and 'Alloy Collective' performed decently, but this one's quality leaves both of them in the dust. I'd say it's on par with the 'Void' DLC. What's more, the free update released alongside it offers substantial content, adding 4 new skills and corresponding challenge stages—although the Poison Dog.exe challenge is ridiculously difficult. Well done."
However, 'Equilibrium of All Things' is not without its imperfections. A few negative reviews pointed out bugs in the expansion pack—and no, not referring to the reptilian monsters in the game. One negative review stated: "The expansion itself is excellent, with interesting items and bosses, but I failed two runs in one day because a boss spawned outside the map and became unattackable. I can't recommend it until this issue is fixed, but otherwise, it's stunning."
Despite some minor flaws, this remains a solid step forward for this benchmark title in the roguelike genre.