Simondo Belmont is the only Operation Guns character with no starting weapon, a Contra: Hard Corps boss parody of Simon Belmont himself, and the only viable no-weapons build in Vampire Survivors. This guide covers the Diver Mines unlock chain via Newt Plissken, Simondo's pickup-spawning passive that fires Rapid Fire / Barrier / Grenade on a Cooldown timer, the HP-Critical 12-pickup burst trigger, and the +1 Amount per 20 levels scaling that caps at level 80.
Simondo is exclusive to the Operation Guns (Contra crossover) DLC. His unlock is a 3-step chain: find enough Grenades to unlock Newt Plissken, then survive 15 minutes with Newt to unlock Diver Mines, then evolve Diver Mines into Atmo-Torpedo.
Cast honouringmasato in the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane (Secrets menu) to unlock Simondo instantly. This bypasses the entire Newt Plissken + Diver Mines evolution chain. The spell is a tribute to Japanese singer Masato Shimon, whose song "Swim, Taiyaki-kun!" was the basis of Simondo's Contra: Hard Corps projectile attack.
Simondo is a boss from Contra: Hard Corps (1994), designed as a parody of Simon Belmont from Castlevania. His Hard Corps theme "Simon 1994RD" is itself a remix of Castlevania's Vampire Killer. Including him in the Contra DLC before Ode to Castlevania released may have been foreshadowing, since his Hard Corps theme was notably excluded from the Operation Guns soundtrack.
Simondo's defining mechanic is his automatic pickup generation. This is what makes him the only character who can realistically run weaponless builds in Vampire Survivors.
| Pickup | Effect | Spawn Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid Fire | Temporary cooldown reduction for all weapons | Spawns far from player |
| Barrier | Brief invulnerability buffer | Spawns close to player |
| Grenade | Deals 1000 damage to all visible enemies | Spawns far from player |
Grenade pickups deal a flat 1000 damage to every visible enemy on screen, not affected by any stats. At higher Curse levels and against bosses, this flat damage becomes weaker relatively, but during a standard horde run, a single spawn cycle can clear the screen multiple times over.
When Simondo's HP drops below 20% of his max, the passive immediately fires off a 12-pickup emergency burst. This is a guaranteed maximum spawn regardless of Amount stat. Key rules:
Combined with Pummarola or Sarabande of Healing (VI) for fast HP recovery, the HP-Critical burst can fire multiple times per run as a built-in panic button.
On top of his spawn-rate mechanic, Simondo gains +1 Amount stat every 20 levels, capping at +4 Amount at level 80. This directly scales his pickup-spawn quantity on top of passive items and arcanas.
| Level Range | Passive Amount | Spawn Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Levels 1-19 | +0 Amount | Baseline, 1 pickup per spawn (before player Amount bonuses) |
| Levels 20-39 | +1 Amount | First Amount milestone, pickup spawns increase |
| Levels 40-59 | +2 Amount | Consistent multi-pickup bursts |
| Levels 60-79 | +3 Amount | Screen begins to flood with pickups |
| Levels 80+ | +4 Amount | Max passive Amount, caps at 12 pickups per spawn total |
Simondo's passive Amount stacks with external sources. To reach the 12-pickup spawn cap consistently, combine:
| Source | Amount Bonus | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Level 80 passive | +4 Amount | Baseline after full leveling |
| Candelabrador | +1 per level (max +5) | Core passive item slot |
| Attractorb | Pickup collection range | Pairs with spawns |
| Beginning (X) arcana | +3 Amount per spawn burst | Strongest Simondo arcana |
| Duplicator (stat) | +1 Projectile | Via stage items and PowerUps |
The level 80 breakpoint for max Amount scaling requires sustained XP farming. Neo Galuga is the home stage for this because Operation Guns enemies drop consistent XP gems, and Simondo's Grenade pickups clear waves efficiently enough to keep leveling without taking damage.
Simondo is the only character who can realistically complete standard Vampire Survivors stages without equipping any weapons. His Grenade pickup spawns do enough flat damage to clear regular enemy waves, and the Silent Old Sanctuary (XX) arcana rewards empty weapon slots with extra Cooldown reduction.
While Silent Old Sanctuary gives cooldown-per-empty-slot, Beginning (X) grants +3 Amount per spawn burst. The Amount bonus directly scales pickup quantity, which is Simondo's core output. In tight decisions, Beginning (X) wins as the first arcana pick; take Silent Old Sanctuary second.
Each Grenade pickup deals 1000 damage to every visible enemy. With max Cooldown reduction + max Amount scaling, Simondo fires 12-pickup bursts every ~2 seconds, which typically includes 4-5 Grenades per burst. That's 4,000-5,000 flat AoE damage per burst, every 2 seconds, cleared from picking up items that automatically spawn beside you. No weapon setup required.
| Stage | Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Neo Galuga | S-tier | Simondo's home stage. Attractorb and Weapon Power-Up spawn as stage items. Operation Guns enemy density fuels rapid XP farming toward the level 80 breakpoint. |
| Dairy Plant | A-tier | Every chest evolves a weapon, giving Simondo multiple evolution opportunities if he goes hybrid (some weapons + pickup spawns). |
| Cappella Magna | A-tier | High gem spawn rate accelerates leveling. Rosary pickups pair with Simondo's HP-Critical trigger for multi-rotation panic bursts. |
| Moongolow | B-tier | Passive item spawns help round out Amount and Cooldown stacking. Good general stage for Simondo builds. |
| Boss Rash | B-tier | Constant bosses trigger HP-Critical Rosary and HP-Critical pickup bursts frequently. Decent for Grenade-damage burst testing. |
| Arcana | Priority | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
 Beginning (X) | Must have | +3 Amount per spawn burst directly scales Simondo's core output. Single most impactful arcana for any Simondo build. |
 Silent Old Sanctuary (XX) | High | -8% Cooldown per empty weapon slot. Stacks to -48% if you run weaponless. Core of the no-weapons build. |
 Mad Groove (VIII) | High | Pulls all stage items every 2 minutes, including Rapid Fire / Barrier / Grenade pickups that Simondo generates. Forces them all onto Simondo instantly. |
 Sarabande of Healing (VI) | Medium | Periodic HP recovery resets the HP-Critical cooldown faster. Lets the 12-pickup burst trigger repeatedly through a run. |
| Item | Priority | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
 Empty Tome | Must have | Max Cooldown reduction. Drops Simondo's pickup spawn cycle from 30 seconds toward 1-2 seconds. |
 Candelabrador | Must have | +1 Area per level AND increases the Amount stat indirectly. Pairs with Beginning (X) for stacking pickup output. |
 Clock Lancet | High | Freezes enemies AND acts as a passive effective Cooldown item. Useful during HP-Critical recovery windows. |
 Hollow Heart | High | Doubles Max Health. Extends the 20% HP-Critical threshold window so Simondo has more recovery time between bursts. |
 Pummarola | Medium | Recovery stat resets the HP-Critical cooldown by bringing Simondo back to full HP faster. Key for repeat panic triggers. |
Simondo shines in co-op because his pickup spawns benefit ALL teammates. Rapid Fire boosts the party's weapon cooldowns, Barriers protect teammates, and Grenades clear the screen for everyone. Pair Simondo with a damage-focused character like Queen Sigma or Julius Belmont for a duo that covers both pure output and utility.
Simondo Belmont is a playable character from the Operation Guns DLC (the Contra crossover). He is a parody of both Simon Belmont from Castlevania (his namesake) and a specific Contra: Hard Corps boss. His Hard Corps theme song was "Simon 1994RD," itself a remix of Castlevania's Vampire Killer track, making Simondo a double-layered homage years before the Ode to Castlevania DLC arrived.
Evolve Diver Mines into Atmo-Torpedo. Diver Mines is Newt Plissken's starting weapon, so you need to unlock Newt first (find 28 Grenade pickups across runs). The evolution requires Diver Mines at level 8 + Weapon Power-Up + Attractorb. Alternatively, cast honouringmasato in the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane to unlock him instantly.
The spell honors Japanese singer Masato Shimon, whose song "Swim, Taiyaki-kun!" was the basis of Simondo's projectile attack in Contra: Hard Corps. Simondo is canonically based on Shimon's likeness, and the spell name is a direct tribute. Shimon also sang the theme song for Konami's arcade game Monster Maulers (Kyuukyoku Sentai Dadandarn in Japan), explaining the Konami crossover connection.
Simondo is one of the only characters in Vampire Survivors with no starting weapon at all. His entire design revolves around his pickup-spawning passive: he generates Rapid Fire, Barrier, and Grenade pickups on a 30-second base cooldown, with quantity scaling off his Amount stat. This makes him the only character who can realistically complete runs without equipping ANY weapon, relying purely on Grenade pickups dealing 1000 damage to all visible enemies.
Every 30 seconds (base), Simondo automatically spawns Rapid Fire, Barrier, and Grenade pickups on the field, visually exploding them into existence. The Cooldown stat speeds up this spawn timer. The Amount stat controls how many pickups spawn per cycle, up to a maximum of 12 at a time. The base ability starts at 0 Amount and requires the player to have +2 Amount from other sources before multi-spawns begin.
When Simondo's HP drops below 20% of his max, the passive immediately fires off a burst of 12 pickup spawns. This typically includes multiple Grenade pickups (1000 damage to all on-screen enemies), Barriers (brief invulnerability), and Rapid Fires (cooldown reset). The skill recharges only after Simondo returns to full HP. Fatal damage that drops Simondo below 0 HP does NOT trigger it in time to save him.
Yes. Due to Simondo's constant Grenade pickup spawns, it is possible to survive Vampire Survivors stages without equipping any weapon. Grenade pickups deal 1000 flat damage to all visible enemies regardless of stats, so they clear screens naturally. The Silent Old Sanctuary (XX) arcana gives an additional -8% Cooldown per empty weapon slot, stacking up to -48% with all 6 slots empty. However, he performs significantly better with weapons equipped.
Simondo gains +1 Amount every 20 levels, up to +4 Amount at level 80. This Amount bonus directly scales his pickup-spawn quantity per cycle. Additional Amount from Candelabrador, Attractorb, and the Beginning (X) arcana (+3 Amount per spawn burst) stack on top. At max Amount with all sources, Simondo spawns the 12-pickup cap on every cycle.
Stack Cooldown first (Empty Tome, Clock Lancet, Silent Old Sanctuary arcana) to accelerate pickup spawn rate. Then stack Amount (Candelabrador, Beginning X arcana) to maximize pickups per cycle. Take Silent Old Sanctuary (XX) for additional empty-slot cooldown if going weaponless. Take Beginning (X) for +3 Amount per spawn as a starting arcana. The result: dozens of Grenade pickups flooding the field, each wiping enemies on pickup.
Simondo is the most expensive non-secret character to unlock in the game. His utility lies in three areas: (1) novelty builds where he clears with no weapons, (2) support in co-op where his pickups buff teammates, and (3) Darkasso challenge runs where pickup-based strategies shine. If you want a pure optimization character he's not the strongest, but for creative build variety and the Contra/Castlevania crossover novelty, he earns the gold.
Image sprites and screenshots sourced from the Vampire Survivors Wiki (vampire.survivors.wiki) under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.