Best and Worst Weapons - Vampire Survivors Guide - IGN (2024)

Best and Worst Weapons to Use

With so many different factors and resources, every weapon in Vampire Survivors can be forged into a tool of destruction. So while this guide will provide suggestions, don't discount any weapon and consider identifying what their Evolutions are so you can learn what these weapons can become with a few more upgrades.

Best Weapons

A few of the most consistent weapons in Vampire Survivors include:

• King's Bible
• Runetracer
• Clock Lancet
• Santa Water

King's Bible

Though its initial cooldown is underwhelming, the King's Bible packs a punch from start to finish. Once you begin upgrading the King's Bible it'll create a ring of protection around you that will decimate weak enemies and knockback stronger ones. When evolved, the King's Bible becomes the Unholy Vespers which eliminates the weapon's cooldown, and not only will you be protected, but you'll also become a death ball capable of taking on just about any horde.

Runetracer

Of the four weapons mentioned, the Runetracer has the most subtle impact as its greatest strength is its ability to pierce through enemies both near and far. The Runetracer will ricochet all over the screen wreaking havoc and while you may not be able to see its impact during your run, the damage output will be undeniable in your end-of-match summary.

Clock Lancet

Of all the weapons listed, the Clock Lancet sees the greatest leap in value from Level 1 to its evolution, Infinite Corridor. Early on, the Clock Lancet provides all utility and no damage. The Clock Lancet is capable of freezing nearly all enemies which allows you to shred through stagnant targets or to relocate to a safe position without taking any damage. Still, while these freezing effects can be handy, the Clock Lancet pales in comparison to its Infinite Corridor evolution. Infinite Corridor easily provides the most damage per second in Vampire Survivors since it cuts all the enemies on screen to half health. When you take into account the damage provided by the other weapons in your inventory, obtaining the Infinite Corridor can all but guarantee a stage completion.

Santa Water

Santa Water drops holy water from the sky and the resulting puddle deals damage to any enemies that walk over it. While perhaps not the most effective starting weapon, Santa Water will quickly make up for its slow start once the horde starts to overwhelm the screen. By increasing this weapon's Cooldown and pairing it with a weapon with high knockback such as the King's Bible, you can output consistent damage and enemies will find it difficult to get near you. Remember that, if ever in a jam, you should stand in the Santa Water pools so any enemies hunting you down will at least get weakened while attacking. Santa Water's evolution, La Borra is also a fearsome evolution that will quickly wipe out your enemies.

Worst Weapons

Conversely, you'll want to avoid weapons such as Garlic and Pentagram. Garlic is fairly potent in the early game but because of its low damage, you should rarely upgrade it over more punishing weaponry. Garlic's evolution Soul Eater is pretty effective but unfortunately, the mid-level Garlic is often too much of a liability to justify using several Level Ups to unlock Soul Eater.

Meanwhile, the Pentagram seems insanely strong on the surface since it can act as a get-out-of-jail-free card. However, the Pentagram is the most high-risk high-reward weapon in Vampire Survivors. To start, the Pentagram will wipe all of the enemies on screen and remove all of the XP-gems and floor loot in sight. While you may be relieved by the immediate life-saving measure, removing all of your valuable loot will limit your options and leave you under-leveled in the endgame.

Still, as mentioned above, all weapons can be made viable with the proper investment, so if you use enough Level Ups the Pentagram will continue to wipe enemies but the loot will survive at an increasing frequency. If you evolve the Pentagram its evolution, Gorgeous Moon, will wipe all enemies and collect all of the Experience Gems in sight like a Vacuum. While this is amongst the most valuable weapons in the game, you must determine whether Gorgeous Moon is worth the time spent under-leveled due to the Pentagram.

Honorable Mentions

Though they may not stand out as the most powerful weapons in the game, directional weapons such as the Knife, Phiera Der Tuphello, Eight the Sparrow, and Shadow Pinion have predictable firing paths that you can target at the enemy of your choosing. Directional weapons should rarely be your number one option because their damage output can struggle to keep up with the strength of the horde.

But with so many weapons in Vampire Survivors relying on RNG, consider selecting at least one directional weapon so they can help you focus fire a boss-level enemy, create an escape path or so you can shoot down a light source when a Floor Chicken is desperately needed.

If you're searching for even stronger weapons take a look at our Evolved Weapons guide to learn how to obtain the most overpowered weapons in Vampire Survivors!