Providence
| This article is about Providence. You may have been looking for Providence Trials. |
SPOILER WARNING! This page or following category contains major spoilers for either story beats or secrets within the game. Tread with caution! 
"I had to kill him... so why do I feel like I made a terrible mistake?"
– The Survivor
Description
Providence is a boss found in the level Risk of Rain and the final boss of the game, appearing when the player first attempts to relaunch the UES Contact Light. Upon defeat, the player will be prompted to "Leave the planet", triggering the ending cutscene and credits.
Appearance
Providence is a member of the Cyclops[1], a race of one-eyed humanoid beings. He dons a large crown and a long red robe with gold and cyan accents, resembling royalty. He wears gold bands around both wrists and elbows. Providence wields a large sword with a black handle and a cyan blade.
Providence in the Risk of Rain Returns Cinematic.
Providence in the Seekers of the Storm cinematic.
Lore
Prior to the events of Risk of Rain, Providence and Mithrix lived on Petrichor V creating constructs and modifying the planets physical structure. Mithrix usually lead the two in terms of what to build and how, with Mithrix creating the rest of the constructs ever since Providence put too much soul into Aurelionite, creating the first ever thing that could threaten the brothers lives. The two could not enter space itself, as it caused an illness, so they created a teleporter that would allow them to leave the planet. As Mithrix crossed to the moon, Providence put a lock onto the planet-side teleporter, trapping Mithrix for eternity. After an undefined but large amount of time later, Providence saw the UES: Contact Light orbiting Petrichor V trying to find a matching pair to the teleporters they had onboard, and after 30 minutes teleported onto the ship via said teleporters and crashed it.
Behavior
Phase 1
Providence attacks the player with a simple set of attacks.
- Providence swings his sword toward the player.
- Providence teleports above the player and strikes down.
- Providence strikes the ground, spawning shockwaves on both sides that explode into pillars of energy.
- Providence summons two white projectiles which hover in the air before rushing toward the player.
- Targets appear near the player. Providence summons shadow clones that move towards the targets then attack.
Once his health is depleted, Providence will exit the arena and summon the Gilded Wurms.
Phase 2
The Gilded Wurms behave similarly to Magma Worms but are able to fly through the air. The blue Wurm regularly sparks electricity around itself. The red Wurm ignites any ground it touches.
They use the following attacks:
- The Wurm's head flashes red and charges at the player, dealing damage on contact. Both Wurms possess this ability.
- A white reticle appears on the player. The red Wurm shoots a continuous red beam at the Player from its mouth, dealing damage in the point of impact and everything between it.
- The blue Wurm shoots multiple white projectiles that behave similarly to Providence's.
Once both Wurms are killed, Providence will return to the arena to begin Phase 3.
Phase 3
Providence initiates Phase 3 by executing a downward slash at the middle of the arena, spawning two Sanctuary Guards.
Providence uses a similar set of attacks to Phase 1, with key differences:
- Providence spawns 3 or 6 shadow clones above the player. They slash downwards at the ground with their swords.
- Some targets are colored red and always reduce the player to 1HP on hit, bypassing all health-boosting and damage-reduction items.
- When executing his shockwave attack, Providence leaves a trail of fire.
- More targets summoning shadow clones appear than in the first stage.
Once half of Providence's health is depleted, a shadow clone appears which mirrors his movements. He may swap positions with the clone.
Once Providence's health is depleted for the second time, he will vanish. After a brief pause, Providence drops to the middle of the arena to initiate Phase 4. The background changes to a storm.
Phase 4
Providence will always begin this phase by summoning six slowly-rotating lasers from the center of the arena, along with 2 lasers on the left and right sides of the arena.
Afterward, he will rotate between a selection of several attacks:
- Six rotating lasers spawn around a point, similar to his initial attack.
- Only one can exist at a time.
- A massive laser appears horizontally or vertically depending on the player's position.
Note: Time-stopping items such as 
Time Keeper's Secret
Time Keeper's Secret
Falling to low health stops time.
Falling below 25% health stops time for 3 (+1 per stack) seconds. Recharges after 7 minutes. and 
Unstable Watch
Unstable Watch67s CD
Pause time for 7 seconds.
Stop time for 7 seconds. DO NOT PREVENT DAMAGE FROM THE LASERS.
- Targets appear in a randomly-predetermined path.
- A large target appears at the player's position, which will inflict heavy damage.
- 4 projectiles spawn which move towards the player quickly.
- Only one can exist at a time. If Providence has less than ~33% health, one can spawn both horizontally and vertically.
- Repeatedly teleporting toward and slashing at the player several times.
- This move is followed up by Providence summoning several red targets at once in a vertical arc.
Dialogue
Third phase start:
- Ah.. you are stronger than you look..
- Hmm..
- A challenge..!
Fourth phase start:
- Die..!
- You thought me defeated..?!
Fourth phase defeat:
- What.. are you..?
- You.. monster...
- How...?
Monster Log
I recognized him from the security footage... he was the one who blew the cargo hatches open. He was the one who killed everyone.
Providence, as I came to call him, moved faster and with more purpose than anything else I've seen on this planet. He must command great power, for he seemed to easily control two great gilded wurms of a species similar to the Magma Worm. Is he able to command everyone on this planet? I don't know his purpose, or his reasoning, but he did not give me a choice. I had to kill him... so why do I feel like I made a terrible mistake?
...Why did we have a teleporter from this planet in our cargo hold?
Trivia
- Providence's name is beamed into the author of the in-game logs head (presumably Commando). Providence's true name is unknown, but throughout multiple logs in Risk of Rain 2 (such as Beads of Fealty, Predatory Instincts, and Heretic's logs) his name is stated. This is most likely for consistency.
- Providence is simply referred to as "The Hero" by his followers and "Brother" by Mithrix in the Risk of Rain 2 logs.
- As of the events of Risk of Rain and Risk of Rain Returns, Providence is deceased.[2]
- Providence's fourth phase was introduced in Risk of Rain Returns.
- Providence is affected by space sickness, a phenomenon that seems to only affect members of his species and prevents them from crossing space. Not much is known about space sickness outside of the fact that teleporters can be used to avoid it.[3]
Sources
| Risk of Rain Returns Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Main | Artifacts • Challenges • Monsters • Drones • Items • Interactables • Providence Trials • Difficulty • Game Rules |
| Survivors |  Commando •  Huntress •  Enforcer •  Bandit •  HAN-D •  Engineer •  Miner •  Sniper •  Acrid •  Mercenary •  Loader •  CHEF •  Pilot •  Artificer •  Drifter
|
| Stages | Desolate Forest • Dried Lake • Damp Caverns • Sky Meadow • Ancient Valley • Boar Beach • Sunken Tomb • Magma Barracks • Hive Cluster • Temple of the Elders • Risk of Rain |
| Other | Soundtrack • Version History |