Risk of Rain Returns: How to Ping Items and Use Emotes in Co-op

Start with the PC communication-system update

The ping system described here belongs to the PC 1.1.0 update. It lets you communicate about objects or locations without typing an explanation during a fight. The same update adds an emote system with different selection controls depending on whether you use mouse aiming. [1]

The publisher’s 1.1.0 notes explicitly excluded the Nintendo Switch release at that time. This guide is scoped to PC, including the Steam Deck version; those patch notes alone do not prove that the Switch controls or features match. [1]

Choose the object or location to mark

Activate the Ping input to display a marker to the other players. The input can mark an object, and if it finds no object to highlight it marks a location instead. A location marker is therefore expected behaviour when nothing suitable is selected. [1]

Steps

1. With mouse control, place the cursor near the object you want to identify, then activate Ping. Targeting uses proximity to the mouse position. [1]
2. Without mouse control, face or aim toward the intended object before activating Ping. The directional method has object priorities, so it may not always select the nearest-looking object. [1]

Read the ping’s message and clear old markers

Items, equipment, monsters and interactables are valid targets. Their markers are more informative than an unexplained location ping: the chat message can include relevant contents or a purchase cost, helping the group decide what the marked object offers. [1]

Steps

1. Ping the same object or location again to retract that marker when it is no longer useful. [1]
2. Ping a different object to replace your previous marker. Plan around one current ping from your character instead of trying to leave a chain of simultaneous markers. [1]

Select an emote with your current input method

With mouse control, opening the emote selector produces a radial menu. This selects an expression rather than identifying a world object; use Ping for the latter. [1]

Steps

1. Point to the desired emote and left-click to choose it. Right-click closes the mouse selector without choosing. [1]
2. Without mouse control, use movement inputs in the selector displayed beside the character. [1]
3. Keyboard players can use the numbers 1–4 for quick access to the four emotes. [1]