How to install and play MW2 x Risk of Rain 2 (the MW2 Soldier as a RoR2 survivor)

Install the MW2 Soldier with r2modman or by hand, point it at your own MW2, then set up Create-a-Class and killstreaks. Controls, settings, getting unstuck and logs.

MW2 x Risk of Rain 2 adds the MW2 Soldier to Risk of Rain 2, built from your own copy of Modern Warfare 2: its movement, guns, HUD, menus and killstreaks, with RoR2’s items and enemies. This guide follows v0.4.3 from buhhrad/MW2xRoR2. New to mods? Read Start here first.

The project calls it experimental. Solo is tested on RoR2’s October 8, 2026 update. Co-op was tested with 2 players before that update and not since; 3 and 4 player lobbies, other mods, Linux and Steam Deck haven’t been tested.

1. What you need

Risk of Rain 2 on Steam (PC). v0.4.3 is for the October 8, 2026 update (Steam build 25475991).
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) on Steam, with its multiplayer content installed. Tested on MW2 Multiplayer Steam build 25374019. No game files come with the mod; it reads your install and finds it in your Steam libraries by itself.
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. No extra runtimes.
BepInExPack by bbepis.
In co-op, everyone needs the same mod version. The lobby tells you if they don’t match.

2. Install

The Thunderstore listing is waiting for review. Until it’s up, use one of these. Both zips are on the Releases page, and the release lists their SHA-256.

r2modman or Thunderstore Mod Manager

Pick Risk of Rain 2 and a profile (a new one is fine).
Go to Online, search for BepInExPack (by bbepis) and click Download. A local mod doesn’t bring its dependencies, so this comes first.
Download MW2xRoR2-v0.4.3-thunderstore.zip. Go to Settings → Profile tab → Import local mod, and pick the zip.

Manual (no mod manager)

In Steam, right-click Risk of Rain 2 → Manage → Browse local files.
Get BepInExPack with Manual Download. Extract what’s inside its BepInExPack folder into the game folder, so winhttp.dll sits next to Risk of Rain 2.exe.
Extract MW2xRoR2-v0.4.3-manual.zip into the same folder. The mod ends up in BepInEx\plugins\MW2xRoR2.

Gale users: wait for the Thunderstore listing, or use the manual install.

3. First launch

With a mod manager, click Start modded. For a manual install, start the game from Steam as usual.
Pick the MW2 Soldier on character select.
On the Soldier’s Loadout tab, choose a skin, a class and your three killstreaks. Rank has Unlock everything, which switches to a separate profile with everything unlocked and keeps your own progress apart.

On the first stage you get MW2’s match start: Choose Class, the countdown and the spawn music, with no drop pod.

4. Controls

Input	Does
RoR2 primary / secondary (left / right mouse)	Fire / aim down sights
R	Reload
Your MW2 sprint key (or RoR2’s)	Sprint, and hold your breath while aiming
Left Ctrl / Z	Crouch / prone
1 / 2	Primary / secondary weapon
G (hold to cook) / F	Lethal / tactical
V	Knife
3	Underbarrel attachment
5	Use killstreak
X	Tactical Insertion
F3 / F5	Create-a-Class / Create-a-Streak (character select)
F4	Change class
F7	First / third person (you spawn in third person)
F6	MW2 mode off / on, to get unstuck

The mod reads your MW2 (or IW4x) config and uses your own binds. The keys above are only the fallback for players without an MW2 config.

F4 follows MW2’s rule: right after you spawn, a new class is yours on the spot. Once you’ve fought, it comes with your next spawn. One Man Army, the Soldier’s utility skill, is the mid-fight change.

5. Settings

RoR2’s Settings → Gameplay has MW2 First-Person FOV (65–90) and MW2 Third Person Only. Everything else is in com.buhhrad.mw2ror2.cfg, in BepInEx\config\ or your mod manager’s config editor. Edit it with the game closed. Some useful ones:

Setting	Default	Does
`[Ammo] RoR2Ammo`	true	Guns never run out of reserve; launchers, grenades and tacticals recharge
`[Killstreaks] KillScale`	4	Kills a streak needs, times MW2’s. 1 = MW2’s
`[Balance] DamageMultiplier`	1.25	Damage of every MW2 round
`[Balance] MoveSpeedBoost`	1.45	How much faster than MW2 you move
`[Balance] RegenDelay`	0	MW2 health regen after this many seconds. 0 = off
`[MW2] WeaponVolume`	0.35	Volume of MW2’s gun sounds
`[MW2] CommonMpPath`	found through Steam	Where your MW2 is, if it’s not in a Steam library

6. Known problems / fixes

No MW2 Soldier on character select: the game started without mods. Launch with Start modded (or Launch modded in Gale), not from Steam. If it still happens, fully exit Steam and try again.
Stuck in the level: press F6 to turn MW2 mode off, walk out, then press F6 again.
“MW2 not found” or “No MW2 weapons loaded” in the log: check MW2’s multiplayer is installed, or set CommonMpPath to your MW2 folder’s zone\<language>\common_mp.ff.
Anything else: close the game and attach BepInEx\LogOutput.log to an issue. With a mod manager it’s in the profile’s folder. If you run other mods, include your mod list.
Balance is still being tuned.

7. Update or uninstall

Update: in a mod manager, import the new -thunderstore.zip the same way (or update from installed mods once it’s on Thunderstore). Manual: extract the new zip over the old one. Your settings and rank are kept.
Play without mods (manual install): rename winhttp.dll in the game folder, for example to winhttp.dll.off. Rename it back to play with them.
The mod only writes inside the BepInEx folder and never changes your MW2 files.