Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors

Weapon Tiers & Rankings

Vampire Survivors weapon tiers guide. Learn which firearms like Santa Water and Garlic excel against endless enemies and build the strongest loadout.

·Multi-source verified (129/129)

Weapon Tiers & Rankings

Welcome, fellow survivors! Navigating the hordes of the night requires more than just quick reflexes; it demands a keen understanding of your arsenal. This section delves deep into the effectiveness of each weapon in Vampire Survivors, providing actionable strategies to maximize their potential and guide you toward ultimate victory. While personal preference plays a role, these rankings are based on overall damage output, area coverage, utility, and evolutionary potential.

Understanding Weapon Tiers

Our tier list categorizes weapons into four main groups: S-Tier (Godly), A-Tier (Excellent), B-Tier (Good), and C-Tier (Situational). Remember, even a C-Tier weapon can shine in the right build or early game, but these rankings reflect their general power ceiling.

  • S-Tier: Godly - These weapons are game-changers. Prioritize them whenever possible, as they offer unparalleled crowd control, damage, or utility, especially once evolved.
  • A-Tier: Excellent - Strong contenders that form the backbone of many successful runs. They provide reliable damage and often have fantastic evolutions.
  • B-Tier: Good - Solid choices that can carry you through the mid-game and contribute well to a diverse build. They might require more specific synergies to truly excel.
  • C-Tier: Situational - These weapons often struggle to keep up with later waves or require very specific builds to be effective. Consider them if you have no better options or are experimenting.

S-Tier: The Harbingers of Annihilation

Holy Bible (Evolves into Unholy Vespers)

  • Base Weapon: The Holy Bible circles your character, dealing damage to enemies it touches. Its strength lies in its consistent, rotating area of effect.
  • Evolution Item: Spellbinder. This passive item increases the duration of weapon effects. Max out Spellbinder to evolve the Holy Bible into Unholy Vespers.
  • Strategy: Prioritize upgrading the Holy Bible early. Its defensive perimeter is invaluable for keeping enemies at bay. With Unholy Vespers, the Bibles become a constant, overlapping shield of death, making you nearly untouchable in close quarters. Focus on movement speed to kite enemies into its path.

Garlic (Evolves into Soul Eater)

  • Base Weapon: Garlic creates a damaging aura around your character, pushing back and damaging nearby enemies. Crucial for early-game survival and gold farming.
  • Evolution Item: Pummarola. This passive item increases your health regeneration. Max out Pummarola to evolve Garlic into Soul Eater.
  • Strategy: Garlic is a must-pick for almost any build, especially for new players. Its early-game crowd control is unmatched. Soul Eater not only expands the aura and increases damage but also provides health regeneration on hit, making you incredibly tanky. Combine with the Crown passive for experience gain, as Soul Eater's constant hits will generate many experience gems.

Magic Wand (Evolves into Holy Wand)

  • Base Weapon: The Magic Wand fires a projectile at the nearest enemy. Simple, but effective for single-target damage and clearing stragglers.
  • Evolution Item: Empty Tome. This passive item reduces weapon cooldown. Max out Empty Tome to evolve the Magic Wand into Holy Wand.
  • Strategy: The Magic Wand's evolution is one of the most powerful in the game. Holy Wand transforms it into a rapid-fire, multi-projectile assault that melts bosses and elite enemies. Focus on getting Empty Tome early and maxing it out. This weapon scales incredibly well with projectile speed and amount bonuses.

A-Tier: Excellent Arsenal Choices

Axe (Evolves into Death Axe)

  • Base Weapon: The Axe is a high-damage projectile that arcs upwards and then falls, hitting enemies on its descent. Great for hitting enemies in lines or those above you.
  • Evolution Item: Candelabrador. This passive item increases your area of effect. Max out Candelabrador to evolve the Axe into Death Axe.
  • Strategy: The Axe can be tricky to aim initially, but its raw damage potential is immense. Death Axe, with its increased size and piercing capabilities, becomes a screen-clearing powerhouse. Pair it with other area-of-effect weapons for maximum destruction.

Cross (Evolves into Heaven Sword)

  • Base Weapon: The Cross flies outwards from your character, bounces off the screen edges, and returns. It's a fantastic weapon for hitting multiple enemies across the screen.
  • Evolution Item: Clover. This passive item increases your luck. Max out Clover to evolve the Cross into Heaven Sword.
  • Strategy: The Cross is excellent for clearing distant threats and dealing with enemies that try to flank you. Heaven Sword adds critical hit chance and an explosion on hit, making it devastating. Luck also benefits other aspects of the game, like item drops, so Clover is a generally good pick.

King Bible (Evolves into Unholy Vespers)

  • Base Weapon: Similar to the Holy Bible, the King Bible offers a defensive perimeter. It's a strong alternative if you don't find the Holy Bible early.
  • Evolution Item: Spellbinder. Max out Spellbinder to evolve the King Bible into Unholy Vespers.
  • Strategy: The King Bible functions almost identically to the Holy Bible. The key difference is often which character starts with it. If you're playing a character like Poe, who starts with Garlic, picking up the King Bible can provide an early defensive layer.

B-Tier: Good and Reliable Options

Fire Wand (Evolves into Hellfire)

  • Base Weapon: The Fire Wand shoots a fireball in a straight line, piercing through enemies. Good for clearing lines of weaker foes.
  • Evolution Item: Spinach. This passive item increases your damage. Max out Spinach to evolve the Fire Wand into Hellfire.
  • Strategy: Fire Wand is decent for early-game clear, but its single projectile can struggle against dense packs. Hellfire, however, becomes a much wider, more damaging flame wave, making it a solid mid-game damage dealer. Spinach is a universal damage boost, so it's always a good pick.

Knife (Evolves into Thousand Edge)

  • Base Weapon: The Knife fires a rapid stream of small projectiles in the direction your character is facing. Good for focused damage.
  • Evolution Item: Bracer. This passive item increases projectile speed. Max out Bracer to evolve the Knife into Thousand Edge.
  • Strategy: The Knife's main drawback is its narrow firing arc, requiring precise positioning. Thousand Edge transforms it into a constant, high-speed barrage that can shred single targets and bosses. It pairs exceptionally well with characters who have innate projectile speed bonuses.

C-Tier: Situational Choices

Whip (Evolves into Bloody Tear)

  • Base Weapon: The Whip strikes horizontally in front of your character, dealing damage. Its range is limited, making it risky.
  • Evolution Item: Hollow Heart. This passive item increases your maximum health. Max out Hollow Heart to evolve the Whip into Bloody Tear.
  • Strategy: The Whip is often considered a weaker starting weapon due to its short range and limited area. Bloody Tear adds lifesteal and increased damage, making it more viable, but it still requires you to be in close proximity to enemies. Only pick if you need the health from Hollow Heart or are specifically building for a melee-focused character.

Bone (Evolves into Celestial Dusting)

  • Base Weapon: The Bone bounces around the screen, dealing damage. Its trajectory is unpredictable.
  • Evolution Item: N/A (Requires specific character, Mortaccio, to evolve).
  • Strategy: The Bone's random bounces make it unreliable for consistent damage or crowd control. While it can hit many enemies, it's hard to direct. Its evolution, Celestial Dusting, is exclusive to Mortaccio and significantly improves its performance, but without that character, it remains a niche pick.