01Why this game rewards an install order
Risk of Rain 2 r2modman profiles tend to involve longer dependency chains than most communities, because many packages build on shared libraries that other packages also declare. The manager resolves that for you if you let it: install the package carrying the blue Pinned tag on the Online tab first — for Risk of Rain 2 that is BepInEx-BepInExPack, which the rest of the community builds on — and Download with dependencies brings in what a package requires. What it cannot judge is whether a library version still matches the current game build. Install the loader, launch once with Start modded to prove the runtime works, add shared libraries next, and put content packages last, launching between batches so a break has a bounded cause.
02Read the loader log from the top down
When a heavily modded Risk of Rain 2 profile fails, the log usually shows a cascade: one plugin throws, and everything depending on it reports its own error afterwards. Treat the first exception as the actionable line and the rest as consequences. Look for a missing assembly or a version mismatch naming a shared library, then check whether that dependency is present and enabled in Installed. Reproduce with only the loader and the package named in the first error. Sharing the first twenty lines and the exact package versions helps far more than sending an entire log.
03Point the manager at the copy you actually launch
Risk of Rain 2 is sold through more than one storefront, and each installs to its own folder, so the manager has to be told which installation to use. Open Settings → Directories and compare the ⟨game⟩ folder row with the folder your launcher opens — in Steam that is right-click the game → Manage → Browse local files. On Linux and macOS the Debugging section adds Change launch behaviour, which decides whether a Steam install is treated as native or as running under Proton; the modal offers Auto, Native and Proton, and Auto is right unless you have forced one Proton version through the game’s compatibility settings. A profile can be complete and correct and still do nothing when the path points at a second copy of the game or an old installation on another drive.
04Keep a run-safe profile for multiplayer
Survivor, item, and networking packages change what every player sees, so a group run normally needs matching package versions on every machine. Keep two profiles: the one your group plays in, and a separate profile for experiments. Update the run profile only between sessions and never mid-run, because swapping packages while a run is in progress produces behaviour nobody can attribute to a single change. When someone joins late, send them the exported profile rather than a list of mod names, since the export carries exact versions instead of whatever is current on the community page that day.
05Roll back a broken pack in one step
Export the working profile from Settings → Profile → Export profile before you change anything, import it into a second profile, and update that one. If it fails to launch or a run misbehaves, delete it, export the working profile again, and retry with a smaller change. For a failure inside an otherwise stable profile, disable the most recently changed package in Installed and launch again; one disabled package is a reversible test, while uninstalling several at once destroys the comparison. Record the package versions of any state you intend to return to, since community pages show only what is current.
06Update the loader before the packages
After a Risk of Rain 2 patch, the loader and shared libraries usually need to move before content packages make sense. Update the loader in the second profile first and launch, then update dependencies in a small batch and launch again, and update content last. If a package has not been updated for the current build, leave it disabled rather than forcing a launch with it. Freezing versions deliberately and keeping the profile export as the group's reference point makes a long-running setup far easier to keep stable, and it means a rollback is a re-import rather than an investigation.
✦ Frequently asked questions
Common questions, answered directly.
Why do Risk of Rain 2 mods break after a game update?
The game patch, the loader, shared libraries, and plugin APIs are separate layers, and any of them can fall out of step. Update the loader in a separate test profile first, then the dependencies, and leave packages that have not been updated for the current build disabled until they are.
Where do I start when the game closes immediately?
Read the first exception in the loader log rather than the last line. Missing assemblies and version mismatches are named there. Then reproduce with a profile containing only the loader and the package named in that first error, which separates a dependency problem from a genuine conflict.
Can I share my Risk of Rain 2 modpack?
Yes. Settings → Profile → Export profile gives you a code or a .r2z file that carries package names and versions. Manually installed and locally imported mods are not included, and each recipient should verify Settings → Directories before their first modded launch.
Do all players in a run need the same mods?
Usually yes for anything touching survivors, items, or networking, and versions should match rather than merely being present. Client-side interface packages are the common exception, so check each README before assuming a mod is optional for the rest of the group.
Is it safe to install a large pack at once?
It works, but a first-run failure is much harder to read. Installing the loader, then libraries, then content in batches gives you a launch that either succeeds or points at a specific batch, which is faster than bisecting a hundred packages after the fact.
r2modman manages a game once its Thunderstore community and a compatible loader exist, so the supported list grows with Thunderstore. Packages install per profile, which keeps two different mod sets for the same game apart.
Next: open the Online tab, install the community's loader pack with Pinned beside its name, then add the packages tagged for the game version you are on.