Vampire Survivors: Character tier list

Despite the persistent danger, and the guarantee of Death at the end, there’s no shortage of willing participants ready to step up and face Vampire Survivors’ endless hordes. As of the latest expansion, Tides of the Foscari, there are 57 of them in fact: an astounding figure, and one that makes it easy to get lost when deciding who to choose for your next run. Fear not, however, as that’s where our Vampire Survivors character tier list comes in. We’ve broken down every character in the game, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, and divided them into five tiers. These range from D (Don’t even bother) to S (Simply Sensational), and hopefully they’ll help you with any pre-run indecision you might be experiencing.

The comprehensive Vampire Survivors tier list

D Tier

Arca Ladonna

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Fire Wand	Weapon cooldown is reduced by 5% every 10 levels (max 15%).

 

Look up the word ‘underwhelming’ in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of Arca Ladonna. A terrible starting weapon, combined with a barely-significant passive Cooldown reduction, make Arca one Survivor you’d rather stub out than light up.

Christine Davain

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Pentagram	Starts with 1 extra level.

 

While the Pentagram looks amazing to a new player, it’s actually a trap, and one that can majorly stunt your growth early on in a run. Factor in huge penalties to Max Health and Might, and not even a free level can save Christine from the bottom of our Vampire Survivors character tier list.

Iguana Gallo Valletto

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Clock Lancet	Starts with 1 extra level. Gains +10% Growth every 5 levels (max +50%).

 

The Clock Lancet is not a real weapon, and Growth is not a big deal until the later stages of a run. Since these are the only things Iguana brings to the table, you’re better off picking a Survivor who can actually kill enemies right away instead.

Babi-Onna

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Mirage Robe	Ignores weapons cooldown. Weapons fire at a fixed interval while moving.

 

One of the most unique Survivors in the game, Babi-Onna unfortunately demands a playstyle in which you’re constantly moving, which clashes with the usual end goal of standing still and watching the hordes melt away. It can also lead to a lot of unnecessary deaths due to contact damage, landing her in D tier.

Exdash Exiviiq

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Ebony Wings	At least they’re lucky. (Gains +10% Luck every 10 levels, max +50%)

 

100% base Luck is nowhere near impactful enough to make up for Exdash’s abysmal stats in every other area, even when it goes up by 50% later on. Ebony wings is a fine starting weapon, but it would be better in the hands of nearly any other Survivor.

Toastie

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Peachone	So much potential. (Gains +20% Luck every 10 levels, max +100%. Gains +9998 Max Health at level 100, and +65520 Armor at level 200)

 

More of an intentional challenge mode than a real playable character, Toastie begins with stat reductions across the board, and just a single point of Max Health to his name. This means that your chances of keeping him alive long enough to see those incredible Health and Armor gains later on are slim to none. Not one to pick unless you’re in a masochistic mood.

Gyorunton

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Bracelet	Gains +1% Curse every level. Can find evolutions in any Treasure Chest.

 

A good character in theory, but even Gyorunton’s great starting stats can’t counterbalance a Curse stat that scales up endlessly without increasing any of your other stats to compensate. Eventually you’ll be overwhelmed, and no amount of early evolved weapons from chests will be able to save you.

 

C Tier

Imelda Belpaese

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Magic Wand	Gains 10% more Experience every 5 levels (max +30%).

 

The Magic Wand isn’t great early on, and even at its peak Imelda’s Growth bonus is barely significant. You’ll find it particularly hard to manage large crowds with her, which all but rules her out once the Charm and Curse power ups come into play.

Pasqualina Belpaese

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Runetracer	Projectiles get 10% faster every 5 levels (max +30%).

 

While things do get better for Pasqualina later on, once her Runetracer evolves and she picks up other weapons to support it, her early game is incredibly rough. There are better choices for projectile builds, armor builds, and really any kind of build you’d want to use her for.

Krochi Freetto

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Cross	Starts with 1 Revival. Gains 1 more Revival at level 33.

 

The Cross is not a good weapon, despite how powerful its Castlevania inspiration was in the past. This makes Krochi hard to use until you hunt down another weapon, and even then his other bonuses only grant two more Revivals, which won’t save a failing run. They work well with Phieraggi and Arcanas, but alone not so much.

Giovanna Grana

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Gatti Amari	Gains +1% Projectile Speed every level.

 

Giovanna’s passive ability, an uncapped Projectile Speed scaling effect, is excellent, and can lead to some crazy late-game runs. It’s balanced out by the Gatti Amari, however, which has a good chance of ending your run prematurely thanks to its accurate portrayal of feline companions, and the damage their constant scratches can deal to you.

Poppea Pecorina

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Song of Mana	Gains +1% Duration every level.

 

Duration isn’t a hugely impactful stat, even on weapons like the King Bible that really care about it, so Poppea’s passive ability is negligible at best. Throw in the Song of Mana, a weapon rarely used outside of the Tower of Gallo stage, and you have a character you probably forgot existed until now.

Yatta Cavallo

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Cherry Bomb	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +3).

 

One of the near-identical characters unlocked by killing a large number of a specific enemy, Yata Cavallo is a solid choice for a projectile-based build. Thanks to his underwhelming Cherry Bomb weapon, however, he falls short of the competition in this arena.

Bianca Ramba

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Carréllo	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +3).

 

Bianca Ramba feels very unique, thanks to the Carréllo, which sends horizontal mine carts across the screen in an attack that’s unlike any other weapon in the game. This pairs nicely with Ramba’s Amount bonus, but still isn’t enough for the big leagues.

O’Sole Meeo

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Celestial Dusting	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +3).

 

While he gets bonus points for being a very good boy indeed, O’Sole Meeo also loses a lot due to the god-awful Celestial Dusting weapon, landing him in the C tier of our Vampire Survivors character tier list despite his Amount-scaling passive effect.

Miang Moonspell

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Silver Wind	Recovery also multiplies all healing sources. Over-healing slightly increases Max Health.

 

Miang Moonspell sounds like a powerful and interesting character on paper, but unfortunately the extra Max Health she gains through her ability feels massively undertuned, failing to impress even after a run’s worth of over-healing. If you want to tank damage, you’re better off choosing an Armor-based character instead.

McCoy-Oni

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
108 Bocce	Area temporarily increases at fixed intervals.

 

Starting with a weapon that can’t evolve, and an ability that barely impacts gameplay at all, McCoy-Oni unfortunately doesn’t live up to his excellent visual design when it comes to his mechanics. You can try a Luck or Curse build with him, but it won’t be as effective as other options.

Eleanor Uziron

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
SpellString	Receives SpellStream at level 10 and SpellStrike at level 20. Receives Academy Badge at level 30.

 

Is a bunch of free stuff enough to balance out a complete lack of passive abilities? Not in Eleanor Uziron’s case. While SpellStrom is very powerful, and you get all the ingredients for it as guaranteed drops when playing as Eleanor, it’s not enough to define a run by itself, relegating her to the lower tiers.

Genevieve Gruyère

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Shadow Servant	Triggers a Vacuum when levelling up. Once per life, triggers World Eater after receiving fatal damage.

 

Getting a free Vacuum effect every level is incredibly handy, but in practice it doesn’t change the dynamics of a run much at all, particularly later on. The fact that Genevieve’s other, more powerful ability only triggers when she dies makes it more of a last resort than a reliable build-around.

Keitha Muort

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Flash Arrow	Gains +1% Luck every level. Receives Academy Badge at level 30.

 

Luck is one of the least impactful stats in Vampire Survivors, so the ability to scale it up infinitely isn’t as useful as it sounds. Despite this, reliable access to both the Academy Badge and Flash Arrow makes Keitha a solid choice for a projectile build.

Random

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Any random base weapon	Random. (Starts with randomly-generated base stats. Gains stats at randomly-generated rates)

 

A character that could easily slot into any of our five tiers depending on how the RNG gods are feeling when you start a run with them, Random can start with any weapon, and any mix of stats and stat growth rates. Try them out if you’re feeling bored, but stick to more reliable characters for your serious runs.

Boon Marrabbio

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Thousand Edge	None. Notably low base Projectile Speed at -110%, however.

 

An incredibly unique character, Boon Marrabio’s base Projectile Speed of -110% causes his weapons to fire backwards, and very slowly. You can get this up to -100% with one point in the Projectile Speed power up, which will cause all your projectiles to remain static. An interesting approach, especially with his starting Thousand Edge.

Peppino

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Soul Eater	Starts with temporarily reduced Area (-60%, fully restored by level 21). Notably low MoveSpeed of -100%, which prevents any kind of movement without passive items or power ups.

 

A character seemingly designed to encourage the kinds of no-movement challenge runs streamers have attempted in the game, Peppino can’t move at all if you’re working with his base stats. He also starts with very low Area, which greatly limits your options and makes his early survival a matter of luck rather than skill.

MissingNo

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Axe or Death Spiral	Base stats are randomly generated every run.

 

Much like Random, MissingNo can vary wildly in terms of effectiveness, from invincible scythe god to fragile Axe thrower. He’s a fun unlockable curio, but not a reliable character to jump into runs with.

Big Trouser

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Candybox	Gains +1% Greed every level. Gold Fever lasts longer.

 

A character designed purely for the purpose of farming Gold, Big Trouser has little to offer in terms of actually clearing runs. Getting to choose any base weapon to start with is nice, but his passive abilities only help your Gold gain, making them useless in regular combat.

 

B Tier

Antonio Belpaese

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Whip	Gains +10% Might every 10 levels (max +50%).

 

The definition of a solid character, Antonio starts with extra Health and Armor, and gains a sizable Might boost over time too. This makes him ideal for bulky Armor-based builds, where his evolved Whip can provide valuable extra healing.

Porta Ladonna

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Lightning Ring	Permanent +30% Area. Starts with temporary Cooldown bonus (-90%, decreasing by 30% every level before being removed completely by level 4)

 

Porta is an unexciting character if you play fair, but if you’re willing to game the system a bit she can perform very well indeed. By waiting until you’ve wiped out a few waves of enemies with her rapid-fire lightning bolts, you can boost your level quickly and avoid the drawback of her losing her Cooldown bonus so early.

Suor Clerici

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Santa Water	Permanent +0.5 Recovery and +50 Max Health. Starts with temporary Area bonus (+400%, decreasing by 100% per level before being removed completely by level 5)

 

Similar to Porta, Suor Clerici can do very well if you deliberately avoid leveling up for a while at the start of your run. This will let you make the most use of her huge Holy Water splashes, and set you up nicely for a run built around the powerful La Borra evolution.

Concetta Caciotta

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Shadow Pinion	Gains +1% Area every level.

 

The Shadow Pinion is a tricky weapon to master, and even when you do it isn’t particularly effective. Thankfully, Concetta’s passive ability is excellent, scaling up your Area with every level gained, leading to immensely powerful Garlic/Santa Water builds.

Sir Ambrojoe

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
La Robba	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +3). Starts with temporary Amount bonus (+10, decreasing by 2 per level before being removed completely by level 6)

 

An interesting outlier among the base game’s ‘kill 3000 of X enemy’ characters, Sir Ambrojoe starts off with an absurd Amount stat of 10. This quickly dwindles as he levels up, before rising to 3 at around level 80. He ranks higher than his peers on our Vampire Survivors character tier list due to his strong start, and the fact that his starting weapon drops furniture on your enemies.

Zi’Assunta Belpaese

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Vento Sacro	Gains +0.5% Might, Projectile Speed, Duration, and Area every level.

 

An incredibly well-rounded character, Zi’Assunta grows steadily in four key areas as she levels up. Her passive ability is one of the best in the game, but she’s let down by the Vento Sacro, which is a weak starting weapon, especially early on in a run.

Syuuto Moonspell

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Summon Night	Starts with hidden Night Sword. Morphs into a stronger version when his base weapon evolves.

 

Starting with two weapons is great, but Syuuto Moonspell doesn’t have the best base stats, particularly when it comes to MoveSpeed. This makes it hard to evade damage early on, but if you can ride things out until your Summon Night evolves, you’ll unlock his second, much more powerful form.

Gav’Et-Oni

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Mille Bolle Blu	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +4)

 

Gav’Et-Oni is one of the best ‘unlockable enemy’ characters in Vampire Survivors, owing to his higher Amount cap of +4, and the fact that his Mille Bolle Blu weapon is actually capable of evolving. These factors combine to make him a reliable choice for a projectile-focused build.

Maruto Cuts

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Eskizzibur	Gains a temporary Armor bonus after taking damage (+1 for 10 seconds). Receives Academy Badge at level 30.

 

An excellent character for tapping into the retaliatory damage mechanic, Maruto gains additional Armor when damaged, and starts with the powerful Eskizzibur sword. He also has access to the Academy Badge, which is surprisingly effective alongside weapons like the Night and Victory Swords.

Rottin’Ghoul

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Party Popper	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +4)

 

While Rottin’Ghoul’s unique Party Popper weapon is certainly interesting, it unfortunately can’t evolve. He does still match Gav’Et-Oni in terms of potential Amount, however, making him a comparable character and a decent projectile-slinger.

Sammy

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Vicious Hunger	Gains Experience when picking up Gold Coins and Coin Bags. Starts with temporarily reduced Might (-60%, reduced by 10% at fixed levels before being removed completely by level 21).

 

Starting with a powerful evolved weapon and gaining extra Experience from Gold, Sammy is a powerful choice, especially if you pair him with the Disco of Gold Arcana. The fact that he’s a caterpillar cake is just the icing on top.

Minnah Mannarah

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Bloody Tear	Might, Projectile Speed, Duration, Area, and Cooldown change every minute.

 

Using stat fluctuation as a metaphor for the ever-changing state of a werewolf, Minnah is mechanically and creatively interesting. You’ll need to adjust to her changing stats, but that’s easy enough to do with the help of the excellent Bloody Tear as a starting weapon.

Gains Boros

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Heaven Sword	Gains +2% Growth every level.

 

Boasting untapped Growth potential, Gains Boros has the ability to climb to staggering heights as things ramp up exponentially over a run. The Heaven Sword isn’t a great starting weapon, but you can add a lot of bite to his scaling through the use of Arcana and Limit Breaks.

 

A Tier

Gennaro Belpaese

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Knife	Permanent +1 Amount.

 

A great character you can access right from the start, Gennaro Belpaese outdoes the other projectile-based characters in the game by virtue of his Amount bonus being frontloaded, even if he doesn’t scale as well into the late game. The Knife is also a great starting weapon, particularly once it evolves into the devastating Thousand Edge.

Lama Ladonna

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Axe	Gains +5% Might, MoveSpeed, and Curse every 10 levels (max +20%).

 

Lama gets some solid multi-stat scaling, as well as immediate access to the Axe, one of the better weapons once evolved. Might and MoveSpeed are always useful, and a small Curse boost is handy for upping your Experience gain.

Poe Ratcho

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Garlic	Permanent +25% Magnet and -30 Max Health.

 

While not as good later on, the Garlic is one of the best early-game weapons in all of Vampire Survivors, ideal for clearing out large crowds of weak enemies. Poe gets a lot of points for starting off with it, and more for his extra Magnet, which pairs nicely with Attractorb and Blood Astronomia.

Dommario

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
King Bible	Permanent +40% Duration and Projectile Speed, as well as -40% MoveSpeed.

 

Another great early weapon, and one of the best weapons overall, the King Bible is as good as it gets when it comes to starting weapons, particularly when paired with Dommario’s extra Duration and Projectile Speed. Once you pick up a few more weapons, his low MoveSpeed won’t matter.

Mortaccio

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Bone	Gains +1 Amount every 20 levels (max +3). Can evolve at level 80 if you have the Chaos Malachite Relic.

 

While the Bone is mediocre, and his Amount-scaling ability would ordinarily land him in C tier, Mortaccio stands above his peers by virtue of his evolution ability, added in the 1.3.0 Chaos Update. With the Chaos Malachite Relic, he can morph into an incredibly powerful new form at level 80, granting him a lot of late-game viability.

Divano Thelma

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Laurel	Starts with 1 extra level. Gains +1 Armor every 5 levels (max +5).

 

One of the tankiest characters in the game, Divano Thelma starts with the protective Laurel weapon, and also gains extra Armor every few levels. These combine to ensure that any damage they take will be minimal, if it isn’t blocked by the Laurel first, setting the scene for a sturdy retaliatory damage build.

Menya Moonspell

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Four Seasons	Becomes stronger and invincible for a fixed interval after defeating a large amount of enemies.

 

The Four Seasons is the best weapon from Legacy of the Moonspell by far, and Menya makes great use of it, particularly when she shifts into her invincible Megalo form after a lot of kills. She does shift back, but her sheer speed and power in this form can allow you to rack up enough kills to immediately trigger it again.

Megalo Syuuto Moonspell

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Night Sword	Gains +1% Might every level.

 

Skipping right to the good part, Megalo Syuuto starts where the original Syuuto ends up: in a faster and stronger form. He also gets a full-on Night Sword, and an uncapped Might scaling passive, making him a strong choice for any kind of build.

Luminaire Foscari

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Prismatic Missile	Triggers a Rosary when levelling up. Gets a temporary Might, Cooldown, and MoveSpeed bonus after reviving.

 

Clearing the screen of enemies after every level up is a powerful effect, and one that can lead to a chain reaction of growth and destruction, particularly when combined with the Experience-boosting Luminaire, the evolved form of the Prismatic Missile. The Revival bonuses are the icing on the cake.

Smith IV

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Vandalier (Hidden)	The quirky white bear. (Gains +0.01 Recovery, +0.7% Might, Area, Speed, and Duration, -0.25% Cooldown, and +1% Luck every level)

 

The most successful of the three ghost brothers by a wide margin, Smith IV starts with a hidden union weapon, meaning he’s great out the gate, and can add six full weapons on top of that. He also scales up nearly all of his stats as he levels up, making him a good all-rounder.

Leda

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Holy Wand	None. Starts with a notable +100% Might, however.

 

Simple yet highly effective, Leda combines the stellar Holy Wand with a 100% Might bonus to decimate the early hordes with ease. While she has no other effects, that’s all she really needs to be an A-tier Survivor.

Cosmo Pavone

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Peachone and Ebony Wings (Both Hidden)	Gains +1 Recovery and +1% Luck every level. Gains +1 Revival every 100 levels.

 

With uncapped Recovery growth, Cosmo Pavone has the potential to be unkillable when paired with the Laurel, Armor, and Max Health boosters like the Hollow Heart. He also starts out with two bird friends, neither of which count toward his six weapon total, making him powerful in combat too.

 

S Tier

Pugnala Provola

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Phiera Der Tuphello and Eight The Sparrow.	Gains +1% Might every level.

 

One of the earliest characters you can unlock, and also one of the best, Pugnala Provola is undoubtedly a favorite for many beginner players. Starting out with two weapons with great coverage, and uncapped Might scaling, you can’t go wrong with her.

Queen Sigma

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Victory Sword	She owns everything. (Gains +1% Might and Growth every level. Can choose additional Arcana cards at level 2, 3, 77, and 108. Starts with a notably high 108 Skip, Reroll, and Banish)

 

Still the best and most flexible character in the game, even after two DLC packs, Queen Sigma can be anything you want her to be. This is due to her extra Arcana capacity, obscene number of Skips, Rerolls and Banishes, and her uncapped Might and Growth scaling. She also starts with the Victory Sword, one of the best weapons in the game later on.

Megalo Menya Moonspell

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
108 Bocce (Hidden)	Cannot be damaged, but disappears after reaching the time limit.

 

As a completely invincible character, there’s a very good argument that Megalo Menya is the best Survivor in the game. With no threat of death comes no limit on her capabilities, though you can’t use her to defeat Red Death, which is a minor downside.

Je-Ne-Viv

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Shadow Servant. Insatiable (Hidden)	It will literally eat the world. (Gains +1% Might and +0.5% Curse every level. Triggers a Vacuum when levelling up. Once per life, triggers World Eater after receiving fatal damage. Also triggers World Eater every 6 levels. Receives SpellString at level 10, SpellStream at level 20, and SpellStrike at level 30)

 

Boasting one of the longest ability lists in the game, Je-Ne-Viv feels like three characters mashed together (and may literally be, based on the lore). She does so much that it’s likely harder to fail a run with her than succeed.

Avatar Infernas

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Flames of Misspell	Starts with extra Arcana XIX – Heart of Fire. Grows stronger with every level, but also loses control (+0.5% Curse, +0.5% Might, +2% MoveSpeed, and -0.25% Cooldown every level)

 

Getting a free bonus Arcana is a unique passive ability, and Infernas also comes with the unique Flames of Misspell weapon as well. These combine with uncapped stat scaling in four areas to make him a fun and powerful choice for any run, once you’ve completed his convoluted unlock process.

Mask of the Red Death

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Death Spiral	None. Starts with a notable +100% MoveSpeed, however.

 

The simplest and weakest of the S-tier characters, Mask of the Red Death is nevertheless highly effective. A huge starting MoveSpeed allows him to quickly navigate Stages, while his Death Spiral weapon is one of the best in the game, skipping the awkward early Axe stage to get right to the good stuff.

Scorej-Oni

Starting Weapon	Passive Abilities
Lightning Ring (Hidden)	Gains a hidden Lightning Ring every 8 levels (max 6) that also fires when losing health.

 

Unlike Eleanor, Scorej-Oni is an example of free stuff alone making a character viable in the big leagues. He starts with a hidden Lightning Ring, then gains five more as he levels up, resulting in an obscene screen-filling storm. The additional rings also fire when Scorej-Oni takes damage, making him great in a retaliatory damage-based build.

 

And with that, our Vampire Survivors character tier list is at an end! We’ve covered every character in the game, separated the Survivors from the suckers, and given you all the information you need to plan out your next run. Whether you want a challenging experience or an easy win, the wisdom from this list will serve you well.