A melee-range hybrid who poisons enemies to melt their HP regardless of item build. Acrid's Poison scales with enemy max HP rather than his own damage, making him uniquely effective against high-HP bosses and elites at any stage of a run. His Epidemic lets him tag entire rooms from range before closing in.
Acrid has two passive options that define his playstyle completely. Poison is the default - powerful against bosses but cannot kill. Blight replaces Poison with a stacking DoT that can kill, better against groups. All of his other skills apply whichever passive is equipped.
Acrid is unlocked by completing the ...To Be Left Alone challenge, which requires completing the Void Fields hidden realm. The unlock is not tied to any specific character or item - any survivor can attempt it.
From any stage, travel to the Bazaar Between Time by using a lunar coin at a blue portal.
In the Bazaar, drop down from the main area into the cave below. Find and enter the Null Portal hidden there.
You will be transported to the Void Fields hidden realm.
Complete all 9 Cell Vents by standing in each vent until it fully charges. Each vent introduces a new enemy type or effect. Difficulty escalates with each vent.
Surviving all 9 vents completes the ...To Be Left Alone challenge and permanently unlocks Acrid.
The Void Fields get significantly harder with each vent completed. Bring a tanky, self-sustaining build. Engineer with turrets, MUL-T, or Loader all work well. Acrid's Poison cannot kill enemies, so avoid using Acrid for this challenge since the Void enemies need to be killed to progress.
Acrid's item build centers on amplifying his DoT damage and chaining AoE kills. On-hit proc items are his strongest category since Epidemic's 1.0 proc coefficient and spread to 20 targets gives every on-hit item maximum uptime. Death Mark synergizes well because Acrid naturally applies multiple debuffs simultaneously.
Killing a poisoned enemy triggers Gasoline, igniting nearby enemies. Acrid's DoT means most enemies are already debuffed when they die, creating chain-reaction fire kills across entire groups.
Stacks Bleed on hit. Bleed stacks independently from Poison and Blight, giving Acrid a third DoT layer. At 10 stacks enemies bleed on every hit for guaranteed constant damage.
25% chance to chain lightning to nearby enemies on hit. Acrid's Epidemic has a 1.0 proc coefficient and spreads fast - each chain hit can proc Ukulele again, cascading through crowds.
10% chance to fire a missile on hit dealing 300% damage. Epidemic's high proc coefficient and spread speed means AtG procs frequently across multiple targets simultaneously.
Kills trigger a delayed explosion to nearby enemies. Acrid's poison softens groups and Gasoline/Will-o'-the-wisp finish them with chain AoE kills across the group.
Enemies with 4 or more debuffs take 50% more damage for 7 seconds. Acrid applies Poison, Blight (if unlocked), and Bleed easily. Death Mark turns debuff stacking into a massive damage amplifier.
On hit: reduce enemy armor by 60 for 8 seconds. Armor reduction makes Poison tick for more damage per tick since Poison respects armor. Strong on bosses with high armor values.
Rerolls all random effects for favorable outcomes. Acrid's Poison proc chance, Blight application, and all on-hit item procs all benefit from the luck reroll.
At 10 stacks: 100% crit chance. Acrid's Poison and Blight do not crit, but Vicious Wounds, Caustic Leap, and Epidemic all do. Critical hits double direct damage and proc on-hit items more effectively.
Acrid's core loop is to apply Poison or Blight to as many enemies as possible using Epidemic, let the DoT work, then close in with Vicious Wounds or Caustic Leap to finish weakened targets. His Regenerative buff on the third Vicious Wounds hit and on Ravenous Bite means he sustains well in melee despite a moderate HP pool.
Passive: Blight once unlocked for stackable kills against groups. Secondary: Ravenous Bite for the Slayer bonus and self-heal over Neurotoxin. Utility: Frenzied Leap once unlocked for the cooldown reduction on multi-hit landings. Special: Epidemic - keep the default, there is no alternate.
Poison vs Blight: Poison is stronger against bosses and high-HP targets because it scales with their max HP. Blight is stronger in groups since it stacks and can kill. If you frequently struggle with groups, run Blight. If you need consistent boss damage, run Poison.
Epidemic aim tip: Shoot Epidemic at the floor or any surface near flying enemies. It bounces on impact and spreads to nearby targets, meaning you can reliably hit Lesser Wisps and other airborne enemies even with indirect shots.
No fall damage: Both Caustic Leap and Frenzied Leap prevent fall damage when used during a fall. If you drop off a ledge, activate either leap mid-air to cancel all fall damage on landing.
Death Mark timing: Acrid naturally applies Poison (or Blight), Burn from Gasoline, and Bleed from Tri-Tip Dagger. With three debuffs, one more from any source activates Death Mark for 50% increased damage. Stack debuff items deliberately to keep Death Mark active on bosses.
Complete the ...To Be Left Alone challenge by finishing all 9 Cell Vents in the Void Fields. Access the Void Fields by finding the Null Portal in the cave below the Bazaar Between Time. Any survivor can attempt the unlock - you do not need to be playing as Acrid.
No. Poison reduces enemies to 1 HP and stops. It cannot deliver the killing blow. You must finish enemies with direct damage after Poison brings them low. This is intentional - it is why Ravenous Bite has the Slayer tag to deal bonus damage to low-HP enemies, and why Blight is the preferred alternative for players who want DoT kills.
Poison deals 10% of the target's max HP or 1000% of Acrid's base damage over time, whichever is higher. It cannot kill and cannot stack. Blight deals 60% damage per second, stacks with multiple applications, and can kill. Poison is better against bosses and elites. Blight is better against groups of weaker enemies.
Acrid is strong in the early and mid-game thanks to Poison scaling with enemy HP rather than item damage. He falls off slightly in very late loops when enemies become so large that direct damage items scale faster than percentage HP damage. He excels in boss fights at any stage, and his Epidemic makes early group clearing very comfortable.
Gasoline and Will-o'-the-wisp for AoE chain kills. Ukulele and AtG Missile for on-hit procs from Epidemic. Death Mark for amplifying damage on debuffed targets. Tri-Tip Dagger to add Bleed as a third DoT layer. Shattering Justice reduces armor to make Poison tick harder against armored enemies.