MM2 roles: Murderer, Sheriff, Innocent and Hero in one minute
Murder Mystery 2 hands out one Murderer, one Sheriff and up to ten Innocents each round. The Murderer wins by killing everyone before time runs out, the Sheriff wins by shooting the Murderer, and Innocents win by surviving. If the Sheriff dies, any Innocent who picks up the dropped gun becomes a Hero and takes over the Sheriff's job.
That is the whole game in four sentences. The rest of this guide covers how each role works, how you actually throw the knife, where the gun goes when the Sheriff dies, the tips the Murder Mystery 2 wiki gives for each side, and which powers fit the role that can use them. Everything comes from the Fandom wiki. We do not claim in-game testing here, and where wiki pages disagree, both versions are listed.
If you are brand new, start in the Murder Mystery 2 hub for the map and weapon lists, then come back for the role detail.
How a round works
Rounds start when more than one player is in a public server. Before each round, players vote between three randomly chosen maps, and the map with the most votes wins. With no votes, one of the three is picked at random. Then roles are assigned.
| Role | How many | Starts with | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murderer | 1 | Knife | Kill everyone and avoid being shot |
| Sheriff | 1 | Gun | Find and shoot the Murderer |
| Innocent | Up to 10 | Nothing | Survive and help find the Murderer |
| Hero | Not assigned | Nothing, then the dropped gun | Shoot the Murderer with the Sheriff's gun |
Hero is the odd one out. You never get it as a starting role; you earn it mid-round by claiming a gun.
Rounds end when the Murderer is shot, when the Murderer has killed everyone, or when time runs out. For Innocents the clock is three minutes, which the wiki equates to 900 experience points at 5 per second.
How roles are picked
The three main roles are random, but the odds are not equal.
- Murderer: the chance starts low and rises each game you don't get the role. The Murderer page phrases it as an increase "with each game that you don't become a Murderer," while the Roles page says it grows "the longer you play." Both describe the same idea: waiting raises your odds.
- Sheriff: the chance depends on how many players are in the round, not on a rising meter.
- Innocent: whatever is left, which is why it is the most common role. The number of Innocents is the player count minus two, capped at ten. With only two players, the Innocent role is left out.
The wiki also says you can land Murderer twice in a row, but rarely. A common assumption is that the Murderer becomes an Innocent or Sheriff next round, and the wiki notes that a small chance of repeating exists, so don't rely on it.
Murderer
The Murderer's job is to kill every other player before the timer ends, without being shot by the Sheriff or a Hero. Among the four main roles, you are the only one that spawns with a knife.
One timing detail: the Murderer page says your knife is given to you 10 seconds after the round starts. The Roles page just says the Murderer "spawns with a knife." Plan for a short delay before you can stab.
Murderer controls, including knife throwing
Murderers have two attacks: stab up close, or throw the knife. Throwing is how you reach players you can't run down.
| Platform | Equip | Stab | Throw |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | Press 1 | Left-click | Press E, hold left-click, or right-click |
| Mobile | Equip button, or tap the knife in your inventory | Tap the screen, or run up to a player to auto-stab | Press the throw button, then tap a player once it is fully loaded |
| Xbox controller | LB | RT | LT |
The mobile note matters most: throwing only works if a green icon appears over a player once the throw has loaded. If you tap and nothing happens, you did not have a target locked. The wiki says the Xbox layout also works on PC with a Bluetooth Xbox controller but not with a PS4 Bluetooth controller.
The Innocent tips on the wiki warn that some Murderers guess where you will run next and throw that way, which is a good reason to change direction instead of sprinting in a straight line.
Murderer tips from the wiki
- Deceive the Sheriff. Following the Sheriff tends to raise suspicion, but following from behind lowers the chance of being seen.
- Act casual. When someone is near, run to them, take out the knife and stab.
- Camping after you kill the Sheriff or Hero is not recommended. The point is to eliminate everyone, not to survive the whole round, so camping ends with you losing the round.
- On some maps you can hide behind a wall to bait the Sheriff close enough to stab.
- Dance-party bait: saying things like "party party" and dancing can gather players around you, and then you start stabbing. The wiki warns the Sheriff may find it suspicious and shoot you without proof.
- The "peaceful murderer" style: don't reveal yourself until innocents have filled their coin bags, then start killing. Some secret kills early are fine.
- Don't wear a burning effect if you are the only one with it on. Burning bodies everywhere tell the Sheriff or Hero who you are.
- Maps that tend to favor the Murderer, per the wiki: Office 3, Hotel 2 and Mansion 2.
Powers: the Murderer's toolbox
Powers (called perks before Season 1) give the Murderer a special ability, and the wiki describes them as a Murderer feature. Everyone owns Footsteps by default. The rest are bought in the shop. Browse them on our powers page.
| Power | What the wiki says it does | Style it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Footsteps | Shows footprints and direction of Innocents and the Sheriff; free for everyone | Tracking |
| Sleight | Throw and regenerate the knife faster; faster knives | Ranged play, countering loops |
| Ninja | Silent stabs and silent coin pickups with the knife out | Stealth, secret kills |
| Fake Gun | A fake gun for the entire round to pose as the Sheriff | Trickery |
| Haste | 10% faster while holding the knife out | Chasing; called one of the best powers |
| Sprint | 50% faster for 5 seconds, 27 second cooldown | Bursts of speed |
| Trap | Place 4 traps; a victim freezes for 4 seconds | Controlling the map |
| Decoy | Place 3 clones that block a shot | Surviving a Sheriff |
| Ghost | Invisible for 5 seconds; stops if you swing the knife | Ambushes |
| X-Ray | See through walls for 4 seconds, 26 second cooldown | Finding hiders |
A few wiki-confirmed details: Sleight and Ninja are the cheapest paid powers at 1,000 coins or 100 diamonds. Sprint, Fake Gun, Haste, Trap and Decoy cost 3,000 coins or 400 diamonds. Ghost and X-Ray cost 6,000 coins or 800 diamonds. Footsteps was buffed in the March 2020 Update and again in the Christmas Event 2025, which also buffed Fake Gun, Sprint, Trap and Decoy.
Two disagreements to note. The Ghost power page gives a 30-second cooldown (changed from 20 in the Summer Event 2024), but the Powers list still shows 20 seconds. And X-Ray's in-game text reportedly still says 30 seconds although the wiki gives 26.
The wiki calls Fake Gun the least used power, yet says it can work because nobody expects it. Using it with the real Sheriff in the room is a dead giveaway.
Sheriff
The Sheriff starts with a gun and a clear job: find the Murderer and shoot them. The role is random, based on server size, and the wiki calls it the second hardest role to get.
Sheriff controls
| Platform | Equip | Shoot |
|---|---|---|
| PC | Press 1 | Aim with the mouse, left-click |
| Mobile phone | Equip button, or tap the gun | Tap a person |
| Mobile tablet | Equip button, or tap the gun | Third person: tap someone. First person: swipe the crosshair onto them, let go, then tap |
| Xbox controller | LB | Move the right stick to aim, RT to fire |
What the gun does
The gun has to reload after every shot, and the wiki calls it quite inaccurate, so it is best at mid or close range. Shoot an Innocent by mistake and both of you die, so aim only when you are sure.
Sheriff tips
- Keep your identity secret. The Murderer is more likely to go after a Sheriff who looks like a threat.
- Stay in open areas with many players, but don't stand too close to the crowd. If the Murderer is in it and kills someone, you can shoot.
- Don't trust anyone. If someone walks up to you and you can't tell who they are, walking away is the safest answer.
- Larger maps like Mil-Base, Bio Lab and Factory tend to be easier for the Sheriff.
- Be wary of Innocents using the Key Toy: a "Scary Key" can look like a knife and trick you.
If the Sheriff leaves or dies
If the Sheriff leaves mid-round, the gun spawns somewhere on the map. The wiki says it used to vanish completely, which made rounds much easier for the Murderer. If the Sheriff dies, the gun drops where they fell, and that is where Heroes come from.
Innocent
Innocents are the most common role. You start without a weapon and the goal is to avoid the Murderer, collect coins and help the Sheriff work out who is hunting. The longer you survive, the more experience you earn.
Innocents win if at least one Innocent is left and any of these is true: the Sheriff shot the Murderer, the Murderer left mid-round, or three minutes pass.
Innocent tips
- If you hear a stab, peek out of your hiding spot to find the Murderer. But if you see a body and heard no stab, be on alert: the Murderer may be using Ninja.
- Stay away from groups right after the round starts if you don't know who the Murderer is.
- Don't use pets in tight hiding spots. They are large and easy to spot.
- Don't use a Radio during a round if you aren't the Murderer, because the sound gives away where you are.
- Watch for a Murderer with X-Ray, which shows hiders through walls.
- Avoid obvious hiding spots. The wiki says the Murderer will always check them, and moving around makes you hard to track.
- If the Murderer is camping the gun, don't risk picking it up unless you are completely sure they aren't near.
- If you know who the Murderer is, describe their look in chat. Chat from dead players or the lobby is not visible to players in the round.
- On a map like Mansion 2, the microwave spot behind the house is better with a small avatar and no tall hair accessories.
Hero
The Hero is not assigned. It is an Innocent who picks up the gun after the Sheriff or a previous Hero loses it. The wiki lists three ways the gun gets dropped: the holder is killed, shoots an Innocent, or resets.
How the gun passes
- 1The Sheriff (or earlier Hero) dies, and the gun drops.
- 2Any Innocent can walk over and take it. They keep the same job as the Sheriff: shoot the Murderer.
- 3If that Hero is killed or shoots an Innocent, the gun drops again for the next Innocent.
The wiki says there can be as many Heroes as there are Innocents, but the Hero and Sheriff can't be on the map at the same time, because the Sheriff has to die for an Innocent to become a Hero. If the Sheriff resets or dies during the first 10 seconds of the round, the dropped gun can be picked up and used before the 10-second cooldown ends.
A Hero uses the same controls as the Sheriff. A Hero who shoots an Innocent kills both of them. A Hero who shoots the Murderer wins, and it counts toward their Innocent survivals.
One known glitch from both the Sheriff and Hero pages: if the Murderer is shot while the Sheriff or Hero is stabbed at the same moment, the results screen puts an X on both players but marks the Sheriff or Hero as the winner. In that case the Murderer gets no XP for the kill.
Which powers suit which role
The wiki's Powers page says the feature gives the Murderer a special ability, so there are no powers for the other three roles. What it does give Innocents and Sheriffs is a list of powers and habits to expect from a Murderer:
- Ninja: silent kills, so a body without a stab sound is a warning.
- X-Ray: hiding behind a wall won't hide you.
- Fake Gun: the player holding a gun may not be the Sheriff.
- Footsteps and Haste: you are being tracked and can be outrun.
- Trap and Decoy: traps are visible only to the Murderer, and a Decoy can block a shot; the wiki notes decoys can be spotted because players can't collide with them.
Other game modes and event roles
Standard is the default mode and uses all four roles. Disguises, formerly Hardcore, plays the same way but gives players NATO phonetic names and matching avatars, and bans Radios and pets. Assassin only has the Murderer role: everyone gets a knife and a target. The Gamemodes page says powers are not allowed in Assassin, while the Assassin page lists Haste, Ninja and Sleight as usable in rounds, so the wiki disagrees with itself.
The Roles page also lists four event roles. Runner and Freezer came with freeze tag in the Christmas Event 2023: Runners avoid getting frozen and unfreeze teammates, Freezers can't throw the knife or equip powers. Survivor and Zombies came with the Infection mode in the Halloween Event 2022, played on the Barn map. The first Zombie is an NPC and Survivors who get infected lose their gun and get a knife. The Roles page lists Survivors under "Gun," yet says they "spawn without a weapon," so check the in-game description. The Halloween maps are covered on our Halloween Event 2026 page.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Murder Mystery 2?
Join a public server, vote for a map and get a random role. Murderers kill everyone, Sheriffs shoot the Murderer, and Innocents survive for three minutes or pick up a fallen gun.
How do you throw the knife in MM2?
On PC, equip the knife with 1, then press E, hold left-click or right-click. On mobile, press the throw button and tap a player once a green icon appears over them. On an Xbox controller, press LT.
What are the roles in MM2?
There are four: Murderer, Sheriff, Innocent and Hero. Event modes add Runner, Freezer, Survivor and Zombies.
How does someone become the Hero?
Pick up the gun the Sheriff or a previous Hero dropped after dying, resetting or shooting an Innocent, then shoot the Murderer.
What are the best Murderer tips?
Act casual and approach players quietly. Follow the Sheriff from behind to avoid being seen. Don't camp after killing the Sheriff. Pick a power that matches your style, such as Ninja for stealth or Haste for chasing.
How are roles chosen?
Murderer odds rise each round you don't get the role. Sheriff depends on player count. Innocent is what remains.
Sources
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Roles
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Murderer
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Sheriff
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Innocent
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Hero
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Murder_Mystery_2
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Powers
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Footsteps
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Sleight
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Ninja
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Fake_Gun
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Haste
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Sprint
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Trap
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Decoy
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_(Power)
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/X-Ray
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Gamemodes
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Standard
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Disguises
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Assassin
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Runner
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Freezer
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Survivor
- https://murder-mystery-2.fandom.com/wiki/Zombies
