Soma Cruz's starting weapon from the Ode to Castlevania DLC. Tosses a skull bomb at a random enemy, generating a continuously exploding zone scaled by Area and Duration.
Hand Grenade is one of the only weapons in v1.13 that explicitly ignores the Amount stat, and it is also one of the only weapons that uses random-enemy targeting instead of nearest-enemy. Per the Vampire Survivors wiki, the weapon throws a skull-marked bomb at a random enemy within range, then leaves a continuously exploding damage zone that scales with Area and Duration rather than Amount or Speed. That makes Spinach and Bracer marginal picks for Hand Grenade while making Candelabrador and Spellbinder the actual damage levers, which is the opposite of how most v1.13 weapons work.
The other thing the wiki documents that most player guides skip is the Coat of Arms pickup variant. Hand Grenade is classified as a "vampire-killing tool" rather than a normal weapon, and any character running Coat of Arms with the Ode to Castlevania DLC installed can roll Hand Grenade on a level-up. From our experience, that opens up Jonathan Morris builds that double down on Hand Grenade plus other Coat of Arms tools, since his Charge ability triggers all equipped Coat of Arms weapons at once.
Hand Grenade, a random-target skull bomb that creates continuous explosion zones
The RPG with max-level Candelabrador
Soma Cruz and Area-and-Duration stackingAccording to the Vampire Survivors wiki, Hand Grenade tosses a bomb decorated with a skull at a random enemy within the weapon's range, with a 3.3 second base Cooldown, a 1.0 second Duration, and a 0.2 second projectile interval. On impact the bomb generates a continuously exploding damage zone that scales with both Area and Duration. The zone deals damage over its full Duration window rather than as a single instant burst, which is why long-Duration arcanas and passives interact unusually well with this weapon.
The random-enemy targeting is the other mechanical hook. Per the wiki, Hand Grenade does not target the nearest enemy or the player's facing direction. Instead, it picks a random target from any enemy currently within the weapon's range. From our experience, that produces unpredictable coverage that scales naturally as enemy density rises in late-run waves, since more enemies on screen means more potential targets per cooldown trigger.
Per the wiki stats panel, Hand Grenade ignores Amount entirely. Duplicator does nothing for the weapon. The damage levers are Might (raw damage), Area (extends the explosion zone radius), Duration (extends the damage zone window), and Speed (reduces cooldown so more bombs land per minute). Spinach is still useful for Might scaling, but Bracer's Speed bonus has a smaller effect than on a typical weapon because the 3.3 second cooldown is already short by v1.13 standards.
Stack 
Candelabrador and 
Spellbinder simultaneously on this weapon. Per the wiki, the explosion zone scales with both Area (Candelabrador) and Duration (Spellbinder). Both stat lines compound on the same explosion, doubling the effective coverage of each cast. Most weapons benefit from one or the other, but Hand Grenade benefits from both equally.
Per the wiki entry, here are the base stats. Notice the unusually low cooldown of 3.3 seconds and the explicit Amount ignore:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base damage | 10 (scales heavily through level-ups) |
| Max level | 8 |
| Rarity | 50 |
| Starting weapon for | Soma Cruz |
| Cooldown | 3.3 seconds (low for a DLC weapon) |
| Duration | 1.0 second base (extends the explosion zone) |
| Projectile interval | 0.2 seconds |
| Pierce | 1 |
| Knockback | 2 |
| Pool limit | 100 |
| Targeting | Random enemy within range |
| Ignores | Amount (Duplicator does nothing) |
| Picked from | Coat of Arms (vampire-killing tool variant) |
| Unlock | Get Hand Grenade to level 7 in any run. |
Per the wiki, level-ups distribute damage and cooldown reductions across the eight levels. The Limit Break table beyond level 8 includes Might +2.5%, Area +2.5%, and Duration +100ms multipliers, which directly compound the Area-and-Duration scaling that defines this weapon's damage profile.
Per the wiki, level Hand Grenade to 8 and pick up Candelabrador at max level (level 5). Open any standard chest from minute 10 onward and the evolution triggers, with a first-time 500 gold reward. The Candelabrador requirement is thematically appropriate, since Candelabrador scales Area and Hand Grenade's explosion zone is already Area-dependent.
| Base weapon | Passive needed | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Grenade (Lv 8) | Candelabrador (Lv 5, max) | The RPG |
Per the wiki, The RPG fires a warhead projectile at a random enemy when the character is standing still, or in the faced direction when the character is moving. That dual-mode targeting mirrors how Glass Fandango fires forward while moving and radially while still. Upon impact the warhead detonates and creates a cluster of pillar-shaped explosions that form a cone, dealing damage in a large area pattern similar to Silver Revolver and Jewel Gun.
The cone-shaped pillar pattern is the visual hook. Where the base Hand Grenade drops a single explosion zone on a single random target, The RPG carpets a cone-shaped section of the screen with multiple pillar explosions. Heart of Fire (XIX) is the standout arcana for the evolution per the wiki, increasing explosive damage across all the pillars at once. Combined with stacked Candelabrador for Area, the cone covers most of the screen at once.
Per the Hand Grenade wiki entry, evolving the weapon into The RPG unlocks 
Jonathan Morris as a playable character. He costs 2,000 gold and starts with a Javelin weapon plus +30 Max Health and +20% Might. His Charge ability is affected by Speed and triggers all equipped weapons from his Coat of Arms simultaneously, which makes him a natural choice for any build that uses Coat of Arms vampire-killing tools.
Pre-stack max-level Candelabrador BEFORE opening any post-minute-10 chest. The evolution requires Candelabrador at level 5 specifically. Take Candelabrador on every level-up screen between weapon level 1 and 8, then commit to a chest only when both weapon and passive are capped.
Per the Soma Cruz wiki entry, Soma costs 1,000 gold (unlocked by defeating Gergoth with Julius Belmont, a cross-character requirement). He starts with 100 Max Health, +20% Move Speed, +50% Greed, and +5 to Reroll, Skip, and Banish. His passive bonuses are what make him the standout pick for Hand Grenade: he gains +1% Might every character level, he is immune to health drain effects, and once per life he triggers a Soul Steal heal after taking fatal damage. The Might-per-level scaling produces a damage curve that grows with the run rather than spiking at evolution, which suits Hand Grenade's explosion-zone math.
Hand GrenadetoThe RPG
Coat of Armscoverssecondary vampire-killing-tool rotationCandelabradorrequiredat max level for evolution and AreaSpellbinderscalesDuration for the explosion zone window
SpinachscalesMight on top of Soma's per-level scaling
Empty TomescalesCooldown for more bomb tosses
CrownscalesGrowth for Soma's Might-per-level passive
Hollow HeartscalesHP pool for the Soul Steal procThe build's clock is set by minute 10 like most v1.13 evolutions. The pacing trap with this specific weapon is forgetting to push Crown for Growth scaling. Soma's +1% Might per character level passive directly benefits from Growth, so each character level adds more Might than on any non-Soma character. Crown adds Growth to that pipeline, which means level-ups produce more damage on Soma than on any other Castlevania DLC character running the same weapon.
According to the wiki, Heart of Fire (XIX) is the run-defining arcana for The RPG, increasing explosive damage across the cluster of pillar explosions. That arcana stacks the entire pillar pattern at once rather than buffing a single projectile. For the base Hand Grenade, no single arcana stands out as run-defining, but any arcana that boosts Area or Duration multipliers indirectly buffs the explosion zone.
For passives outside the core build, 
Duplicator is a hard skip on this weapon. Per the wiki, Hand Grenade ignores Amount entirely, so Duplicator does nothing. 
Bracer is a marginal pick because the 3.3 second cooldown is already short, so each Speed point produces less value than on a slower weapon like Pentagram or Santa Javelin. 
Clover is a marginal pick since Hand Grenade does not have a base crit chance the way Gale Force or Raging Fire do. Spend those slots on Spellbinder, Candelabrador, or Pummarola instead.
Per the wiki entries, Soma Cruz is a direct reference to the Castlevania character of the same name from Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003, Game Boy Advance) and its sequel Dawn of Sorrow (2005, Nintendo DS). In the original games, Soma is revealed to be the reincarnation of Dracula in 2035, with the Power of Dominance ability that lets him absorb souls from defeated enemies. The Soul Steal proc that triggers in Vampire Survivors after fatal damage is a direct callback to that mechanic, and his Dark Lord skin (released October 28, 2025, with 666 Max Health) reinforces the Dracula-reincarnation lore.
Jonathan Morris, who unlocks when Hand Grenade evolves into The RPG, is the protagonist of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006, Nintendo DS), which Charlotte Aulin (the Raging Fire starter) co-stars in. The Coat of Arms callback ties Jonathan to his iconic Castlevania weapons including the Vampire Killer whip he inherits during Portrait of Ruin's story. Per the Jonathan Morris wiki entry, his "morissson" Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane unlock spell is a phonetic spelling of his surname, mirroring the way Charlotte's "notachild" spell references her age and Santa Ladonna's "shesawit" references her secret-keeping flavor.
Per the wiki, get Hand Grenade to level 7 in any run. The weapon then becomes available in the standard level-up pool for any character that can roll Coat of Arms tools. Both paths require the Ode to Castlevania DLC.
It evolves into The RPG when held at level 8 alongside max-level (level 5) Candelabrador. The chest must spawn after minute 10. Evolution rewards 500 gold the first time and unlocks Jonathan Morris as a playable character.
Per the wiki, the weapon explicitly ignores the Amount stat. The explosion zone is a single damage area scaled by Area and Duration rather than a per-projectile multiplier. Duplicator does nothing for this weapon, which is unusual for a v1.13 weapon and a common mistake on first-time Soma Cruz runs.
Per the wiki, The RPG fires a warhead at a random enemy when the character is standing still, or in the faced direction when the character is moving. Upon impact the warhead creates a cluster of pillar-shaped explosions in a cone shape. The dual-mode targeting is similar to Glass Fandango's moving-vs-stationary attack patterns.
Yes. Per the wiki, Hand Grenade can be picked from Coat of Arms as a vampire-killing tool variant. Any character running Coat of Arms with the Ode to Castlevania DLC installed can roll Hand Grenade on a level-up. Outside Soma Cruz you lose the +1% Might per level passive and the Soul Steal revival, but the random-target explosion zone still works.
Per the Soma Cruz wiki entry, defeat Gergoth with Julius Belmont. Soma then becomes available for purchase at 1,000 gold. The unlock requires already having Julius Belmont unlocked and means working through one Castlevania DLC character to get to another.
Per the wiki, once per life Soma Cruz triggers Soul Steal after taking fatal damage, restoring health to keep him alive. It functions like a Tirajisu Revival proc but is built into the character rather than requiring a passive item. Combined with his Hand Grenade starter, the Soul Steal acts as a safety net for late-run boss waves where the random-target bomb might miss the priority threat.
On Soma Cruz with Area-and-Duration stacking it is a strong mid-tier pick. Post-evolution into The RPG with Heart of Fire (XIX), it climbs into top-tier territory because of the cone-shaped pillar explosion pattern. See our weapon tier list for the full ranking against other Castlevania DLC weapons.
For other Castlevania DLC weapons, see our Raging Fire guide covering Charlotte Aulin's starter, our Gale Force guide covering Julia Laforeze, our Alchemy Whip guide covering Leon Belmont, and our Rock Riot guide covering Carrie Fernandez. For Castlevania character builds beyond Soma, see our Soma Cruz guide, Leon Belmont guide, and Richter Belmont guide. For base-game weapons, the Pentagram guide covers the screen-clear archetype and the Glass Fandango guide covers the dual-mode targeting pattern that The RPG uses. The weapon tier list ranks every weapon in v1.13 and the weapon evolution chart covers every recipe. Our arcanas guide walks through Heart of Fire (XIX), and the passive items guide covers Candelabrador, Spellbinder, and the supporting passives. The main Vampire Survivors guide is the hub for everything else.
Image sprites and screenshots sourced from the Vampire Survivors Wiki (vampire.survivors.wiki) under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.