"Gain a shield equal to 10% of your maximum health. While you have a shield, hitting an enemy fires a missile that deals 40% (+40% per stack) TOTAL damage. Corrupts all AtG Missile Mk. 1s." Void green item from SotV DLC. Fires a homing missile on every hit as long as you have any shield. In-game description says 50% damage per stack - the actual value is 40%. First stack gives 10% HP as shield. Additional stacks only increase missile damage. Shield bar turns pink when active. Pocket ICBM triples the missiles to 3 per hit.
Trigger
Every hit (with shield)
Missile Damage
40% (not 50%)
Shield (1st stack)
+10% max HP
Extra Stacks
+40% dmg only
How Plasma Shrimp Works
Fires a missile on every hit as long as any shield exists. No proc roll. No randomness. If you have shield and you hit an enemy, a homing missile fires. This is the core difference from AtG Missile Mk. 1 which has a 10% chance to fire. Plasma Shrimp is 100% consistent - the tradeoff is lower damage per missile (40% vs 300%) and lower proc coefficient (0.2 vs 1.0).
In-game description says 50% damage - the actual value is 40%. This is a known discrepancy. Each missile deals 40% total damage, not 50%. Additional stacks add another +40% per stack. At 2 stacks each missile deals 80% total damage, at 3 stacks 120%, and so on. Plan stacking math around 40% not 50%.
Only the first stack grants shield. The first Plasma Shrimp gives 10% of your max HP as a shield bar. Additional stacks increase missile damage only - they do not expand the shield pool. To get more shield, use Personal Shield Generator or Transcendence. Shield bar turns pink when any Plasma Shrimp is held.
Proc coefficient of 0.2 - missiles can trigger on-hit effects at 20% rate. The missile itself can proc items like Ukulele, bleed, and AtG Missile at 20% of their normal chance. This is lower than AtG's 1.0 coefficient but because missiles fire on every hit rather than 10% of hits, the total on-hit proc rate from missiles is comparable. High attack speed survivors generate enough missiles to maintain proc chains.
The missile is rapid-homing and ignores other enemies. Unlike most missiles that can path toward nearby targets, Plasma Shrimp missiles aggressively home on the specific target that was hit. They are harder to "waste" on unintended targets and more reliable for single-target burst.
Plasma Shrimp vs AtG Missile Mk. 1
Plasma Shrimp
+100% trigger rate (every hit with shield)
+Consistent - no RNG per hit
+Better for low proc coefficient attacks
+More total procs per second on fast attackers
-Only 40% damage per missile
-0.2 proc coefficient (vs 1.0 for AtG)
-Requires shield to be active
-Corrupts all AtG Mk. 1s permanently
AtG Missile Mk. 1
+300% damage per missile
+1.0 proc coefficient (full procs)
+No shield requirement
+Better for high proc coefficient attacks
-Only 10% trigger chance per hit
-Inconsistent burst - RNG dependent
-Less effective for low proc coefficient builds
Bottom line: Plasma Shrimp is better for high attack speed and low proc coefficient builds. AtG is better for high damage single-hit builds with high proc coefficient. With 1 Clover, AtG wins for attacks with proc coefficient 0.7+. Without Clover, Plasma Shrimp matches or beats AtG for most survivors at high attack speed. Once you pick up Plasma Shrimp, all AtG Mk. 1s are permanently corrupted - choose deliberately.
Best Survivors
Huntress
S Tier
Fastest attack speed in the game. Plasma Shrimp fires on every single hit, turning Huntress into a missile barrage with Transcendence providing permanent shield. Arrow Rain hits many times per cast, generating a massive missile burst. The defining survivor for the Plasma Shrimp + Transcendence + ICBM build.
Artificer
S Tier
Flamethrower ticks multiple times per second, each generating a missile with Plasma Shrimp. With Transcendence for permanent shield and Brainstalks for near-infinite Flamethrower during elite fights, Artificer becomes a missile machine. Visions of Heresy shards also fire missiles on both initial and delayed damage hits.
Commando
A Tier
Suppressive Fire fires multiple bullets per cast at 1.0 proc coefficient, each generating a missile. Double Tap is a reliable missile generator too. Commando's sustained rapid fire naturally chains Plasma Shrimp missiles with Transcendence keeping shield topped up between hits.
Mercenary
A Tier
Eviscerate hits many times per cast. Every tick fires a missile at melee range - essentially a point-blank missile volley on top of already high melee damage. The missiles home back to the target even at short range. Strong sustained DPS amplifier that doesn't require changing playstyle.
Railgunner
B Tier
Low fire rate means fewer missiles per second than fast survivors. Each shot fires exactly one missile with Plasma Shrimp (or three with ICBM), which is respectable but not as impactful as on rapid-fire survivors. AtG Missile Mk. 1 is generally a better choice for Railgunner since each high-damage shot has a 10% chance at 300% missile damage.
Key Synergies
Transcendence is the defining Plasma Shrimp enabler. Transcendence converts nearly all HP to regenerating shields. With any shield at all times, Plasma Shrimp fires on every single hit with zero maintenance required. No need to manage shield depletion or find shield recharge sources. This is the core of every serious Plasma Shrimp build.
Pocket ICBM triples every Plasma Shrimp missile to 3 per hit. With Transcendence providing permanent shield, every hit fires 3 homing missiles. On a survivor like Huntress with high attack speed, this generates hundreds of missiles per second in dense combat. One of the highest raw DPS combinations in the game.
Visions of Heresy shards fire missiles twice - on hit and on delayed detonation. Each Heresy shard applies damage on initial contact AND a separate delayed damage instance. Both trigger Plasma Shrimp independently. A single shard throw generates 2 missiles per shard (6 shards = 12 missiles per cast), or 6 missiles per shard with ICBM (36 per cast).
Ukulele and Polylute each hit multiple times per proc, generating multiple missiles. When Ukulele fires chain lightning hitting 3+ targets, each lightning arc is a separate hit. Each arc fires a missile. Polylute strikes the same target 3 times per proc - each strike fires a missile. Multi-hit proc items compound dramatically with Plasma Shrimp's every-hit trigger.
Personal Shield Generator and Aegis extend shield uptime without Transcendence. If you don't want to take Transcendence, Personal Shield Generator adds more shield capacity that recharges between hits. Aegis converts barrier into shields, keeping the shield pool topped up during combat. These maintain Plasma Shrimp activation without fully committing HP to shields.
Picking up Plasma Shrimp permanently corrupts all your AtG Mk. 1s. This is irreversible for that run. If you have 5 AtG Missile stacks and pick up one Plasma Shrimp, all 5 become Plasma Shrimps. The corruption also applies going forward - any AtG you pick up after holding a Plasma Shrimp immediately converts. Think carefully before accepting the first one if you have multiple AtG stacks.
Stacking Plasma Shrimp
1 Stack
40% dmg + 10% HP shield
Every hit fires 1 missile for 40% total damage. You gain a shield worth 10% of max HP. This is when the item comes online.
2 Stacks
80% dmg, same shield
Missile damage doubles. No additional shield. Each hit still fires 1 missile, now for 80% total damage.
5 Stacks
200% dmg, same shield
Every hit fires a 200% total damage homing missile. Competitive with AtG's 300% on a per-missile basis, but fires on every hit vs 10% chance.
5 Stacks + ICBM
3x 200% = 600% per hit
Three 200% missiles per hit. With Transcendence and a fast survivor this fires on every attack, producing over 600% bonus damage per attack from missiles alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Plasma Shrimp do in Risk of Rain 2?
Plasma Shrimp is a void green item from the Survivors of the Void DLC that corrupts AtG Missile Mk. 1. The first stack gives a shield equal to 10% of your max HP and causes every hit to fire a homing missile dealing 40% total damage while shielded. Additional stacks add +40% missile damage. The in-game description incorrectly states 50% - the real value is 40%.
Does Plasma Shrimp fire on every hit?
Yes, as long as you have any shield. Every hit registers one missile with no proc roll required. This is the key advantage over AtG Missile Mk. 1 which has a 10% chance to fire. Transcendence converts your HP to permanent shields, making every hit fire a missile for the entire run.
Is Plasma Shrimp better than AtG Missile?
It depends on your build. Plasma Shrimp is better for high attack speed survivors, low proc coefficient skills, and when paired with Transcendence for permanent activation. AtG is better for high damage single-target builds with high proc coefficient attacks (like Railgunner). With one 57 Leaf Clover, AtG wins for proc coefficients of 0.7 or higher. Once you pick up Plasma Shrimp, all AtG Mk. 1s are permanently corrupted for that run, so choose deliberately.
What is the proc coefficient of Plasma Shrimp missiles?
The missiles have a proc coefficient of 0.2. This means they can trigger on-hit effects at 20% of their normal chance. Ukulele, bleed from Tri-Tip Dagger, and further AtG-style items can all be procced by the missiles, but at 1/5 the normal rate. Because missiles fire on every hit rather than 10% of hits, the overall proc contribution from missiles is still meaningful on fast survivors.
Does Pocket ICBM work with Plasma Shrimp?
Yes. Pocket ICBM triples all missile items including Plasma Shrimp. With ICBM, each shielded hit fires 3 homing missiles instead of 1. Combined with Transcendence for permanent shield and a high attack speed survivor, this is one of the strongest raw DPS setups in Risk of Rain 2.
Does stacking Plasma Shrimp increase the shield?
No. Only the first Plasma Shrimp grants the 10% max HP shield. Additional stacks increase missile damage by +40% each but add no more shield. To expand your shield pool use Personal Shield Generator or Transcendence.
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