Remnant 2: BEST Challenger Build [Ultimate Guide]

Players can utilize the Challenger Archetype in solo as well as Co-op gameplay. The character in this class wears heavy armor while focusing on its melee attacks. Moreover, players give high damage to their opponents, while resisting their hits through a thick armor set.

This Archetype will unleash its full potential when enemies start to push. The melee attacks will give significant damage and hit multiple targets in a single blow. Furthermore, Challenger can absorb enemy damage while dealing damage back at them to clear any region.

Due to heavy resistance to opponent attacks, the Challenger Archetype possesses the qualities of a tanky character. Furthermore, using the correct traits and abilities will save your health and stamina during intense fights.

Challenger Archetype Build

Here is a table that summarizes the best Remnant 2 Challenger Archetype build.

Archetype	Challenger
Long Gun	Blackmaw AR-47
Handgun	Enigma
Melee Weapon	Stonebreaker
Armor	Void Armor set
Amulet	Ankh of Power
Rings	Ring of Flawed Beauty, Probability Chord, Zania’s Malice, Berserker’s Crest
Trait	Strong Back
Skills	Juggernaut
Perks	Die Hard, Close Quarters, Intimidating Presence, Powerlifter
Secondary Archetype	Engineer

How To Unlock The Challenger Archetype?

There will be two instances during your gameplay where you will be allowed to gain access to Challenger Archetype.

• At the start of the game, players have five different Archetype choices to choose from. Challenger is one in them. Hence, you can pick it to start playing.

If you choose any other class at the start, you can unlock the Challenger class in the secondary slot and swap it with the primary if you wish.

• Go to Ward 13 using the World Stone if you currently in any other world.
• Pay a visit to Reggie Malone, an NPC sitting close to Mudtooth.

• Players can use the map to track him; one of the blue symbols will display his name.
• Browse his items to find Old Metal Tool.
• This item goes for 1500 Scrap and it is required to access the Challenger Archetype. After purchasing, go to Wallace and craft the Challenger engram, Steel Enswell.
• Open your archetype showcase window and equip the engram in one of the open slots to get Challenger Archetype.

If you wish, you can place it as your Primary Archetype, granting you double the XP it got as a secondary. Moreover, proceed to make this swap if your other Archetype is already at level 10, so it won’t consume more XP.

Best Archetype Weapon Loadout

The table below displays all weapon statistics we used in our Challenger build. They provide maximum support and dominate the opponents if aimed at the weak spots.

Description	Blackmaw AR-47	Enigma	Stonebreaker
Damage	17	22	103
RPS	7.3	4	–
Magazine	38	30	–
Ideal Range	20m	12m	–
Falloff Range	60m	12m	–
Critical Hit Chance	190	120	–
Weak Spot Damage Bonus	10%	-10%	4%
Max Ammo	100%	–	+95%
Stagger Modifier	0%	-15%	10%
Upgrade Peak	20	10	10
Weapon Mod Attachments	Hot Shot, Corrosive Rounds	Chaos Driver	Faultline
Mutator Attachment	Momentum	Battery Slayer	Shieldbreaker

Long Gun: Blackmaw AR-47

For the Long Gun, our suggestion is the Blackmaw AR-47. This provides automatic bullets while eliminating enemies at medium or long range. 

• The long gun has a big magazine with a large ammo reserve. 
• Blackmaw AR-47 does not lack accuracy and is capable of melting tough bosses with its bullets that give you a laser effect.
• If you target the weak spots, it will deal more damage, and there is a higher chance of you eliminating them quickly.
• Players can purchase the gun from Brabus for 1000 Scrap.
• There are two optimal choices for weapon mods.
• Attaching the Hot Shot weapon mod can introduce a burning effect on enemies, combined with an increased fire rate.
• On the other hand, the Corrosive Rounds mod can introduce Corrosive Damage to your enemies, which keeps on draining their health even after you stop shooting.
  
• For the Mutator, we suggest you keep Momentum.

Handgun: Enigma

The Handgun recommendation from our side is Enigma.

• This Handgun works wonders at close and mid-range.
• It can hit multiple targets in a single instance. Therefore, you can clear crowded areas at a faster pace.
• Enigma deals shock damage with High DPS, causing trouble for your enemies.
• You can secure this Handgun on Fractured Ingress, the main location of the Labyrinth world.
• When paired with the Chaos Driver weapon mod, players will be able to shoot rods filled with electricity that create an electrocuting AOE, killing enemies caught in it.
• For the Mutator, use Battery or Slayer as they increase your Mod Power and damage output, which are equally important for the Challenger build.

Melee: Stonebreaker

A Melee weapon is the most important choice of this build as you need one that can wipe the enemies with fewer swings. Hence, Stonebreaker is the optimal choice.

• Stonebreaker is included in one of the few melee weapons in Remnant 2 that deal high damage.
• It is huge so swinging will be slow.
• This melee weapon comes with a built-in mod, Faultline, that deals shock damage, to all nearby enemies. 
• Players can acquire it during the final boss fights with Corruptor on Yaesha. 
• Refrain from killing the robot with flying hands and kill the boss at the corner to secure this weapon.
• The shock damage is a huge benefit as you intend to hit a single target but end up giving damage to everyone in the surroundings.

Best Challenger Armor

Challenger Archetype is known for its heavy armor selection, which provides high resistance to any incoming damage. However, note that we must provide a choice that lies between heavy and lightweight so we can support the tanky feature and also dodge incoming attacks.

Stats	Body: Void Carapace	Glove: Void Wraps	Head: Void Skull	Leg: Void Greaves	Heavy Armor Set
Armor	55	8	15	26	104
Weight	28	6	8	15	57
Bleed	0	0	0	0	0
Burn	3	1	1	2	7
Shock	4	1	2	2	9
Blight	0	0	0	0	0
Toxin	4	1	1	3	9

• Our best recommendation is to keep the Void Armor Set as it has high armor statistics and can support swift dodging. 
• This armor provides resistance to Fire, Shock, and Toxin while being vulnerable to bleed and blight damage.
• The complete Void Armor set contains Void Carapace, Void Wraps, Void Skull, and Void Greaves.
• This set is relatively heavy so you will notice a 50% stamina reduction every time you perform a dodge.
• If you are looking for a second opinion, you can go with the Fae Royal Set, which has a light effect and can support dodging better than the Void set.
• However, the Fae Royal set will violate the tanky condition, so your movement skills should be top-notch.

Amulet And Rings

• Recommended Ring: Ring of Flawed Beauty, Probability Chord, Zania’s Malice, Berserker’s Crest.
• Recommended Amulet: Ankh of Power.

The recommended Amulet and Rings enhance Challenger’s damage output, coming from all weapons and melee. Moreover, you will boost the damage if you land your shots on the enemy’s weak spots, all thanks to the appropriate ring selection.

• At the cost of reducing ranged damage, Ring of Flawed Beauty will increase weak spot damage caused by all weaponry. This supports the Challenger Archetype build as it primarily concentrates on this feature.
• If you are continuously targeting the weak spot, Zania’s Malice ring will boost the weak spot damage by 30%, which can turn the tide of battle to your side.
• Berserker’s Crest is the essential part of the Challenger build as it allows you to swing your melee faster while consuming less stamina. Combine this with a high stamina bar from upgrading traits, you hurt your opponent with extended melee hits.

Recommended Trait: Strong Back

When discussing the Challenger Archetype, a crucial aspect is its heavy armor. While heavy armor offers benefits, it can hinder mobility and dodging. To address this, the Strong Back trait is essential, the primary trait unlocked with the Challenger Archetype.

Strong Back specializes in reducing armor Encumbrance, allowing swift movement and efficient dodging in heavy armor. This trait has 10 upgrade levels, reducing up to 10 points of Encumbrance.

Note that the trait doesn’t affect Amulets and Rings separately. Investing in upgrading the Strong Back Trait enables effective use of heavy armor for better damage resistance.

An Interesting Read: Remnant 2: Blood Moon Essence

Best Challenger Skills

Like every other Archetype, Challenger has three skills out of which, you can use one at a time. As this specific Archetype is popular in close-range, our suggestion for the best skill is Juggernaut. As important as this skill is, Challenger archetype attacks become inevitable when melee movement and speed are boosted.

• Juggernaut’s ability boosts:
  • Movement and melee swing by 15%
  • Melee damage by 50%
• Skill effect lasts for 25 seconds.
• Use when surrounded by enemies with draining health for a powerful escape.
• Stack layers on your Rage ability for instant weapon reload.
• Moderate cooldown period, can be reduced with Trait card upgrades.
• Rampage alternative skill:
  • Enhances fire rate, reload, and movement speeds by 15%, 20%, and 10%.
• Best for using Long Gun and handgun.
• Juggernaut preferred due to lower cooldown compared to Rampage.

Best Challenger Perks

An Archetype‘s perks are essential stat buffs that are activated at all times. Five are given to the Challenger archetype, out of which the first one is the Prime Perk, which has the highest importance. We will explain all of them individually, so you understand their importance and uses.

Note that in your progression from level 0 to level 10, the perks unlock in the first half and upgrade in the second one.

Die Hard

Die Hard is the Prime Perk obtained upon unlocking the Archetype, with upgrades at levels 5 and 10. When continuously taking damage, it triggers a two-second invisible state where no damage is taken, and health is restored. However, it has a 10-second recharge time.

Recharging happens automatically when you die or save your game at a Worldstone. The duration of the invisible state and health regeneration percentage increase with each upgrade stage.

Close Quarters

This is a Damage Perk as players receive a 3.5% buff to all weapon damage under the 10-meter range. However, if your bullets hit beyond the 20-meter line, the enemy receives less damage. Close Quarters Perk will upgrade at Challenger level 6 where all stats stay the same but critical hit chance increases up to 10%.

Intimidating Presence

This one is a Team Perk as it reduces enemy damage under 10 meter radius for roughly 15 seconds. This is very helpful as closer enemies will not highly damage you so your health will start draining at a slower rate. Moreover, this gives you a chance to prepare a counterattack, either with melee or other weaponry. Note that as we are discussing nearby targets, it is preferable to attack with melee.

Powerlifter

This Utility Perk is relevant to stamina as you will regeneration rate will enhance. With this, players can dodge more times in lesser windows as their stamina regains quickly. Moreover, players can utilize the Powerlifter perk against tough bosses that perform two to three attacks continuously.

Face Of Danger

This Relic perk activates after you consume any relic that you have assigned in your build. After consuming, the Challenger Archetype will receive a double Bulwark layer that stays for 10 seconds. The bulwark effect reduces the damage that you receive from enemies. A single Bulwark layer reduces 5% damage, so the double layer takes this up to 10%.

Secondary Archetype Choice

After you take your primary Challenger Archetype to level 10, choose the Engineer as the Secondary Archetype. This build is known as High Tech Sentinel as the close combat popularity of Challenger is combined with the long-range assistance of Engineer, making an Overkill duo.

Engineer Archetype can summon turrets any time that are displaced on the ground and have significant range. They target the faraway enemies while you clear the close ones through melee usage. Moreover, you will have access to Engineer’s Prime Perk High Tech which lasts for 25 seconds and gives you endless ammo supply, high fire rate, and improved damage.

Challenger’s Tanky features support Engineer’s turret assistance, so they can survive for longer periods on the battlefield. This overkill combination is perfect for tough boss fights, as you will hold your ground and dominate them.

Ending Remarks

Here, we conclude our guide on the ultimate Challenger Build. We hope that you used the knowledge to design your build and found it helpful during gameplay. Ensure you choose the correct traits and accessories so you can unleash their full potential. Moreover, give us feedback by writing in the comments down below.

Up Next:

• Remnant 2: Engrams [All 11 Locations]
• Remnant 2: Best Invader Build [Ultimate Guide]
• Remnant 2: Top 10 Best Amulets With Locations
• Remnant 2: Best Mutators [Type, Effect, And Location]
• Remnant 2: All Armor Sets And How To Get Them