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Quick Stats
Patch 1.1.6 · March 2026
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| Category | Top Pick |
|---|---|
| Weapons | |
| Best overall |  Double Barrel Shotgun - Aros 182% runs. Best pierce + single target. Beats SMG at T4. |
| Best explosive |  Nuclear Launcher - community vote #1 S-tier. AoE wipes waves. Artificer = game over. |
| Most underrated |  Flamethrower - Aros: "2nd or 3rd strongest weapon." Burns 99 enemies. Buffed in 1.1. |
| Characters | |
| Easiest D5 win |  Masochist - auto-win. Stacks damage from taking hits. Multiple community posts confirm. |
| Most OP for wave 20 |  Loud - community "#1 for wave 20." Beyond broken. Banned in co-op. Thief Dagger start. |
| Best beginner D5 |  Doctor - "easiest most straightforward S tier, beginner character for first D5 win." |
| Items | |
| Best universal item |  Grind's Magical Leaf - +3 Max HP, +1 HP Regen, +1% Life Steal per wave. No downside. |
| Most underrated item |  Lure - "instapick, HP Regen + 2 free items, no downsides" (Reggiardito, all D5 in 75h). |
| Best damage item |  Bloody Hand - +10% Life Steal, +2% Damage per 1% Life Steal. Scales with itself. |
| Tier | Weapon | Why It Ranks Here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S |  | Chain Gun Ranged · Legendary, Gun | Legendary ranged powerhouse. 4110% combined Ranged + Engineering scaling at the fastest viable cooldown. Pierces 1 enemy. The definitive endgame weapon for Cyborg and Engineer builds. |
| S |  | Gatling Laser Ranged · Legendary, Heavy | 1370% Ranged scaling, pierces 3 enemies. Sustained DPS king among legendaries. No special conditions - pure damage output. |
| S |  | Excalibur Melee · Legendary, Blade | King-exclusive unlock. 266% dual Melee + Max HP scaling. The HP scaling means Chunky and Bull builds scale into absurd damage. Only downside: -3 Armor per weapon you hold. |
| S |  | Scythe Melee · Legendary, Ethereal | 100% lifesteal, 208% Melee + Life Steal scaling. Deals 3 damage/second to self but constant healing more than compensates. Sick and Lich builds become nearly unkillable with this. |
| S |  | Drill Melee · Legendary, Precise | 50% crit chance, 222% dual scaling. Gains +10% Attack Speed every 5s until wave end (stacks high). Earns materials on crit kills - combat and economy weapon in one. |
| S |  | Chainsaw Melee · Blade, Tool | Deals 10-20% of an enemy's current health as bonus damage. Combined 179% baseline scaling. Melts high-HP enemies and scales automatically as enemy HP grows. Cooldown refreshes every 30-40 shots. |
| S | | Double Barrel Shotgun Ranged · Gun | S-tier consensus in 835-upvote Aros_Rising tier list. Scales extremely well with Ranged Damage. T4 deals higher single-target damage than SMG while the piercing decimates hordes simultaneously. Aros used Shotgun for 182% Soldier runs. |
| S |  | Knife Melee · Precise | Aros: "Knife has insanely higher DPS than Thief Dagger via 4x crit multiplier at 50% crit chance." 80% Melee scaling, fast cooldown, best Precise weapon from T1 through T4. |
| S | | Nuclear Launcher Ranged · Heavy, Explosive | Community vote #1 most S-tier voted weapon in 2025 community poll. T3+ explosive AoE devastates entire waves instantly. Artificer with this and Explosive Shells essentially cannot lose waves. |
| S |  | Jousting Lance Melee · Medieval | Maxxarp (top community expert): "strongest starting weapon in the game, criminal not S tier." Speed stat stacks into massive damage via Power Generator. Hiker with lances is one of the easiest D5 clears possible. |
| S | | Flamethrower Ranged · Elemental, Heavy | Massively underrated. Aros_Rising (350+ hours, 182% clears) and Maxxarp both rate it "second or third strongest weapon in the game." Burns 99 enemies simultaneously. Buffed in patch 1.1 with better hitbox and burn spread at T3-T4. Essential in elemental builds. |
| A |  | SMG Ranged · Gun | Fastest fire rate in game (0.15-0.17s). Aros_Rising: "A tier for most characters, S tier for some specific ones." Excellent and reliable but lacks the ceiling of Shotgun, Chainsaw, or Flamethrower at their peak. |
| A |  | Revolver Ranged · Gun | Strong consistent ranged DPS but community settled around A-B. The 6th-shot pause and no pierce hold it out of S tier. Best-in-slot pickup in Gun builds. |
| A |  | DEX-troyer Melee · Legendary, Explosive | T4 only. 50% explode-on-hit plus a 5-bounce lightning projectile on every hit dealing Elemental damage. Excellent area clear. Pairs with Explosive Shells and Artificer builds. |
| A |  | Minigun Ranged · Heavy, Gun | T3+. Rapid-fire 0.073-0.09s, 555-1027% effective scaling, pierces 1-2 enemies. Arrives late but dominates sustained DPS once available. |
| A |  | Medical Gun Ranged · Medical, Gun | 40-60% lifesteal plus 115-189% Ranged scaling. Fast (0.53-0.87s). Doctor becomes nearly unkillable with this. Medical class bonus stacks HP Regen per weapon count on top of the lifesteal. |
| A |  | Circular Saw Melee · Blade, Medical | T2+. 138-161% Melee scaling with 45-60% lifesteal. Passive constant healing with no conditions. Medical class gives extra HP Regen per weapon count making this double-dipping sustain. |
| A |  | Hatchet Melee · Primitive | 147-161% Melee + Attack Speed scaling at 0.58-0.68s. High DPS Primitive weapon. Wildling unlock and benefits from their 30% Primitive lifesteal making it a must-have in that build. |
| A |  | Plasma Sledge Melee · Elemental, Explosive | T3+, Knight-locked. 96-134% dual Melee + Elemental scaling with 25-50% explode chance. Excellent for Artificer and elemental builds. Explosion damage stacks with Elemental Damage items. |
| A |  | Hammer Melee · Blunt, Heavy | T2+. 89-133% Melee scaling with massive knockback (30-50). Keeps dangerous enemies away while dealing solid damage. Heavy class stacks +5-25% Damage per weapon count. |
| A |  | Pistol Ranged · Gun | Fast (0.87-1.2s), 83-114% Ranged scaling, pierces 1, 5-20% crit. Highly accessible T1 that scales well. Great filler in any Gun build for the +10-50 Range class bonus. |
| A |  | Crossbow Ranged · Precise, Medieval | 1.13s fixed cooldown. Pierces up to 4 times on crit at T4. 44% Ranged + Range scaling, 30-45% crit. Excellent for Hunter. Medieval class also gives +Armor and +Dodge per weapon count. |
| A |  | Laser Gun Ranged · Gun | 202-364% Ranged scaling, pierces 1. Slow at T1, excellent at T3-T4. Cost-effective high-damage ranged option in the mid-late game. |
| A |  | Fist Melee · Unarmed | 128-169% Melee scaling, 0.59-0.78s. Brawler starts with this and gains +50% Attack Speed with Unarmed. Stacking Unarmed class bonuses adds +3-15% Dodge. |
| A |  | Grenade Launcher Ranged · Heavy, Explosive | DLC T2+. 49-105% Ranged scaling, bounces once, explodes. Burst pattern between shots. Excellent in Gangster and Artificer builds. Benefits from the same explosion items as Rocket Launcher. |
| A |  | Slingshot Ranged · Primitive | Severely underrated. Aros_Rising used Slingshot for two separate 182% runs. "DPS is high, auto bounces clear the map, +15 Max HP is great early." Community: "primitive weapons all S tier except Torch." One of the safest most consistent weapons. |
| A |  | Blunderbuss Ranged · Naval, Gun | Maxxarp: "clear S-tier weapon." The cooldown-reset-on-material-pickup with Buccaneer turns this into near-continuous fire. Naval class and pierce-2 give strong wave clear outside Buccaneer too. |
| B |  | Obliterator Ranged · Gun, Heavy | Aros: "falls behind SMG and Shotgun on single target DPS. Super slow during normal waves, shot often targets offscreen." Excellent for boss waves but poor wave-clear. B tier for versatility. |
| B |  | Scissors Melee · Medical, Precise | Fast (0.86-1.01s), 79-93% Melee scaling, 40-60% lifesteal, escalating crit to x2.5. Medical class synergy gives extra HP regen. Reliable sustain in almost any build. |
| B |  | Sword Melee · Blade, Medieval | T2+. 78-102% Melee scaling, alternates thrust/sweep. Solid consistent Blade benefiting from two class bonuses. Not flashy but reliable through T4. |
| B |  | Vorpal Sword Melee · Blade, Medieval | T2+. 90-105% Melee scaling, alternates attacks, 1-3% one-shot chance. Slight DPS edge over Sword with the occasional instant elite kill. |
| B |  | Claw Melee · Unarmed, Precise | 19-49% Attack Speed + 64-82% Melee scaling. Fast (0.61-0.78s), crit to x2.5. Excellent for Brawler. Precise class adds +3-15% Crit Chance per weapon count. |
| B |  | Cacti Club Melee · Primitive, Heavy | Spawns 3-6 projectiles on hit dealing 50-80% Ranged Damage each. Melee swing also deals 48-74% Melee scaling. Effectively a dual-type weapon scaling both Melee and Ranged Damage. |
| B |  | Ghost Scepter Ranged · Ethereal | 102-120% Ranged scaling. Gains +1 Max HP every 12-20 kills per wave. Passive HP stacking compounds over a full run. Ethereal class adds +6-30% Dodge. |
| B |  | Rocket Launcher Ranged · Heavy, Explosive | T2+. 56-97% Ranged scaling, AoE explosion on impact. Scales enormously with Explosion Damage and Size items. Core weapon for Artificer builds. |
| B |  | Wand Ranged · Elemental | 57-189% Elemental scaling with burning at every tier. Fast (0.53-0.87s). Core Mage weapon. Pure Elemental means every Elemental Damage item directly improves it. |
| B |  | Wrench Melee · Tool | 58-67% Melee scaling. Spawns a Turret (T1) through Explosive Turret (T4). Tool class gives +1-5 Engineering per weapon count. Core for Engineer and Technomage. |
| B |  | Fireball Ranged · Explosive, Elemental | T2+. 22-86% Elemental scaling plus burning DoT plus explosion. Triple-dipping: explosion damage, burn, and base hit each scale separately. Excellent for Artificer + Mage builds. |
| B |  | Screwdriver Melee · Tool | 47-57% dual Melee + Engineering scaling. Spawns landmines every 3-12s dealing Engineering-scaling AoE damage. Strong passive output for Engineer. |
| B |  | Harpoon Gun Ranged · Naval, Gun | DLC T2+. 122-154% dual Ranged + Melee scaling, slows enemies, pierces 3-5. Negative knockback pulls enemies in. Diver's signature weapon - excellent for that character, decent elsewhere. |
| B |  | Rock Melee · Primitive, Blunt | 59-68% Melee scaling, grants +1-2 Armor and +2 Max HP per tier. Dual class (Primitive + Blunt) means two class bonus stacks from one weapon slot. |
| B |  | Icicle Ranged · Precise, Elemental | 97-143% Elemental scaling, pierces 1, crit to x3/20%. Solid elemental ranged but usually outshone by Fireball in pure elemental builds. Better in crit-focused builds using both Precise and Elemental class bonuses. |
| B |  | Javelin Ranged · Primitive | Community repeatedly calls underrated. 83-105% Melee scaling, pierce 2-5, every 2nd-5th shot has +100% crit. jak1900 and Particular-Most list it among top picks. Works well in hybrid Primitive builds. |
| B |  | Thief Dagger Melee · Precise | 49-68% Melee scaling, 50-80% material gain on crit kills. 20-40% crit. Economy utility is real but low damage scaling limits combat effectiveness. |
| B |  | Stick Melee · Primitive | 8-12 base damage plus +4-10 per additional Stick owned. Weak with one, gimmicky with many. Crowded out by better Primitive options at any tier. |
| B |  | Lute Melee · Musical, Support | DLC. Low base damage but applies +10-100% damage amplification debuff to enemies for 3s. The debuff amplifies all other weapons. Musical class gives Luck. Niche support piece - valuable only if you have high damage to amplify. |
| C |  | Taser Ranged · Support, Elemental | 84-210% effective Elemental scaling (multi-hit), slows enemies. CC is useful but Support class gives Harvesting not damage bonuses. Niche control tool in elemental builds. |
| C |  | Shuriken Ranged · Precise | 28-71% Melee scaling (unusual). 35-45% crit, crits bounce 1-4 times. Low damage without heavy crit investment. Can work in a maximum Precise class-stacking build. |
| C |  | Ghost Axe Melee · Ethereal | Slow (1.51-1.73s), 57-66% Melee scaling. Gains +1% damage per 12-20 kills per wave. The kill-stacking bonus requires wave density to shine. Useful for Ghost stacking Ethereal class bonus. |
| C |  | Ghost Flint Melee · Ethereal | 81-96% Melee scaling, gains +1% Attack Speed per kills per wave. Builds momentum in dense waves. Ethereal class (Dodge) is the main draw for Ghost character. |
| C |  | Torch Melee · Primitive, Elemental | 1 base damage but applies 3-12 multi-hit burn stacks dealing 100% Elemental damage each. Zero value without Elemental investment, potentially strong with it. Core Mage burning piece. |
| C |  | Plank Melee · Explosive, Elemental | 41-82% triple-scaling (Melee + Elemental + Engineering), 25-40% explode chance. Diluted scaling across three stats means rarely excellent at any single thing but passable in hybrid builds. |
| C |  | Lightning Shiv Melee · Precise, Elemental | 79-102% Melee scaling plus bouncing lightning projectile per hit dealing Elemental damage. Works in Precise + Elemental hybrid builds for both class bonuses. Below-average standalone damage. |
| C |  | Spear Melee · Primitive | Long range (350-500), 65-80% Melee scaling. Best-range Primitive melee. Solid damage but slow cooldown limits DPS compared to Hatchet or Claw. |
| C |  | Spiky Shield Melee · Medieval, Blunt | 86-198% Armor scaling. Masochist-locked unlock. Devastating in Armor-heavy builds (Knight, Masochist) - irrelevant without significant Armor investment. |
| D |  | Chopper Melee · Blade | 51-56% Melee + Max HP scaling. Gives +1-2 consumable healing. Blade class is heavily contested by superior options. Only relevant if specifically building consumable healing. |
| D |  | Sharp Tooth Melee · Primitive, Precise | 44-108% Melee + Life Steal scaling, gains Life Steal at low HP. The near-death synergy is niche - better sustain options exist in Circular Saw and Scissors. |
| D |  | Quarterstaff Melee · Primitive, Medieval | 52-136% Level + Melee scaling, gives +2-15% XP gain. Starts very weak. Niche value in Captain and Apprentice XP builds only. |
| D |  | Hand Melee · Unarmed, Support | 1 base damage. Gives +3-18 Harvesting. Pure economy weapon with zero combat value. For Unarmed class count only. |
| D |  | Mace Melee · Heavy, Medieval | DLC T2+. 72-82% Melee scaling but permanently reduces Attack Speed by 3-10% per tier. The attack speed tax compounds into a serious hindrance. |
| D |  | Flute Ranged · Musical | DLC. 42-53% Ranged + Luck scaling, charm chance on low-HP enemies. Musical class gives +5-25 Luck. Charm is situational. Romantic character synergy is the only reason to specifically build around this. |
| D |  | Pruner Melee · Support | 43-112% Melee scaling, spawns a fruit garden. Support class gives Harvesting. The garden is decent utility for Cryptid and Farmer but rarely out-damages other melee options. |
| D |  | Hiking Pole Melee · Support | DLC. 35-43% Melee + Range scaling, gains +1 Range per 40-70 steps. Only relevant for Hiker where step count generates meaningful Range. Weak in all other hands. |
| D |  | Particle Accelerator Ranged · Heavy, Elemental | T3+, Technomage-locked. Burns and slows by Engineering%, pierces all. Transformatively powerful in Technomage - completely irrelevant on every other character. |
| D |  | Potato Thrower Ranged · Support | T2+, Chunky-locked. 55-100% Ranged + Max HP scaling, strong knockback. An excellent Chunky weapon scaling with their giant HP pool. Zero value for any other character. |
| D |  | Sniper Gun Ranged · Gun, Precise | T3+, Hunter-locked. 41% Ranged + Range scaling, spawns 5-8 secondary projectiles per hit. Hunter turns this into a dominant weapon. Weak on every other character. |
| Tier | Character | Why They Rank Here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S |  | Demon Win a run on Danger 5 | Materials convert to Max HP at wave end (13 materials = 1 Max HP). You buy items using Max HP instead of materials. Once this loop starts snowballing you gain enormous Max HP and unlocks Obliterator. High Danger-level specialist. |
| S |  | King Win a run on Danger 4 | +25% Damage AND +25% Attack Speed for every T4 weapon. +5 Max HP for every different T4 item. Penalises T1 weapons. The T4 synergy creates an exponential power ramp in the late game that few characters can match. |
| S |  | Mutant Kill 2000 enemies | -66% XP required to level up. You level at nearly triple the speed of other characters, gaining more stat upgrade choices. Higher level = more stats = more damage. The item price increase is an easy offset against the raw power of faster levelling. |
| S | | Masochist Win a run on Danger 3 | +5% Damage when you take damage, stacking until wave end. +20 HP Regen and +8 Armor. -100% base Damage is offset by the stacking bonus the moment enemies start hitting you. Exceptional on high-enemy-density runs where the stacks build fast. |
| S |  | Jack Kill a boss/elite in under 15s | +125% damage against bosses and elites, +200% materials. -70% enemies but +175% HP and +35% damage for those that do spawn. A high-risk high-reward specialist that turns boss waves into loot piñatas. |
| S | | Doctor Heal 200 HP in a single wave | Multiple community posts: "easiest most straightforward S tier", "beginner character for first D5 win." Medical Gun + Scissors + Circular Saw creates a nearly unkillable run. +200% Attack Speed with Medical weapons. |
| S |  | Lucky Collect 300 materials | +100 Luck. With 6 Lutes "basically an auto win" per whodeyanprophet. Old_Possibility: "one of the easiest D5, the char basically plays itself." S tier with DLC Lute access. Baby Gecko feedback loop auto-clears waves by mid-run. |
| S | | Loud Kill 5000 enemies | #1 community pick for wave 20. "Beyond broken with New Dawn update." Banned in co-op. By wave 5-7 the snowball makes the run feel unlosable. Thief Dagger start is popular. One of the easiest D5 clears. |
| A |  | One Armed Default unlock - win Danger 0 | Powerful in theory but Aros_Rising: "really easy to die, hard to get a good enough run." A tier: rewards experienced players who pick the right weapon and survive the fragile early game. Best paired with a Legendary weapon found early. |
| A |  | Soldier Win a run on Danger 2 | +50% Damage and +50% Attack Speed while standing still. +200% pickup range. Cannot attack while moving. Stationary turret playstyle with Nuclear Launcher unlock. The standing-still bonus enables full DPS immediately if you position well. |
| A |  | Vampire Reach +40% Life Steal | +2% Damage for every 1% missing health. +1% Life Steal for every 3% missing health. +1 Armor for every 5% missing health. The lower your HP, the more damage you deal. Extremely powerful when played at low health deliberately. |
| A |  | Knight Win a run on Danger 4 | +2 Melee Damage per 1 Armor. +3 Armor baseline. No ranged weapons, T2+ only. Plasma Sledge unlock. The Melee from Armor stacking reaches absurd levels with Armor-focused items. Knight with Spiky Shield and Armor items is a dominant melee build. |
| A |  | Brawler Default unlock | +50% Attack Speed with Unarmed weapons. -50 Range. Starts with Fist. Unarmed class stacks Dodge with multiple weapons. The Attack Speed bonus turns Fist and Claw into relentless damage machines. Claw unlock is exceptional on this character. |
| A |  | Ranger Default unlock | +50 Range. Ranged Damage modifications increased by 50%. Cannot equip melee. Starts with Pistol. The Ranged Damage modifier multiplier means every Ranged Damage item is 50% more effective. Night Goggles unlock benefits directly. |
| A |  | Crazy Default unlock | +100 Range with Precise weapons. +25% Attack Speed. Starts with Knife. -30% Dodge. Fast, aggressive crit build. The Precise class bonus stacks Crit Chance per weapon count making this a top crit character from the start. |
| A |  | Artificer Kill 15 enemies with single explosion | +175% Explosion Damage. +4% Explosion Size per Elemental Damage. +100% Damage with Tool weapons. The explosion multiplier is absurd - Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, and Fireball each become dramatically stronger instantly. |
| A |  | Engineer Get 5 turrets simultaneously | +10 Engineering. Engineering mods increased by 25%. Structures spawn close together. Damage mods reduced by 50%. The turret damage output scales with Engineering and the clustering makes AOE turrets (Explosive Turret) more effective. |
| A |  | Lich Reach +100 Max HP | +10 HP Regen. +10% Life Steal. Deals 10 (Max HP) damage to a random enemy on heal. The on-heal damage turns Max HP into an offensive stat. Extremely powerful with high HP Regen and Scythe which constantly triggers the heal damage. |
| A |  | Ghost Reach +60% Dodge | "Scepter Ghost one of the easiest D5 clears there is", "first D5 win for many." Ghost Scepter + dodge build with 200+ HP is practically unkillable. +10 Damage with all Ethereal weapons + 90% Dodge cap. |
| A |  | Sick Reach -5% HP Regen | Dabod12900 lists Sick alongside Masochist as "some of the best." +25% Life Steal with 1 damage/tick. Sick with Scythe or Circular Saw becomes nearly unkillable. A tier confirmed by multiple experienced players. |
| A |  | Pacifist Collect 10000 materials | eggynack (top commenter): "absurdly strong, often feels unlosable. I would have it in one of the top two tiers." By wave 15 the living-enemy economy becomes a massive resource flood. A tier power, annoying execution. |
| A |  | Buccaneer Reach +100% Pickup Range | Community: "S tier", "wave 6-7 max attack speed from material resets." Cooldown-reset-on-material-pickup turns any weapon into rapid-fire. Screwdrivers + Buccaneer is a noted easy D5 strategy. |
| A |  | Cryptid Finish a wave with 10+ living trees | ProfessionalShower: "auto-win. Consumables get more luck, luck gets more consumables. Snowballs very early." +3 HP Regen per living tree means 10+ trees = 30+ HP/second passive regeneration. A tier. |
| B |  | Hunter Reach +300 Range | Community mixed. Interesting_Tackle: "cannot play around his downsides - scales on a bad stat, economy is trash." Most wins rely on Crossbow or Icicle carrying the run. B tier with specific weapon synergy. |
| B |  | Cyborg 10 Ranged Dmg + 3 structures simultaneously | Ranged Damage mods increased by 200%. Mid-wave converts all Ranged Damage to Engineering (1 = 2 Engineering). Starts with Minigun. The Ranged/Engineering flip mid-wave means structures explode with power in the second half. |
| B |  | Gladiator Kill 20000 enemies | +20% Attack Speed per different weapon. +5 Melee Damage. No ranged weapons. -40% Attack Speed. Spider unlock. The different-weapon bonus rewards variety - with 6 different melee weapons that's +120% Attack Speed to offset the base penalty. |
| B |  | Generalist Collect 2000 materials | +2 Melee Damage per 1 Ranged Damage and +1 Ranged Damage per 2 Melee Damage. Limited to 3 melee + 3 ranged weapons. Big Arms unlock. Cross-scaling between damage types rewards building both simultaneously. |
| B |  | Multitasker Collect 5000 materials | +20% Damage. Can equip 12 weapons. -5% Damage per weapon. The 12-weapon cap lets you stack extreme class bonuses. At 12 weapons of the same class the bonus is 2x the 6-weapon version. Chopper unlock. |
| B |  | Chunky Die for the first time | Max HP mods increased by 25%. +1% Damage per 3 Max HP. +3 HP from consumables. -100% Life Steal. -50% Regen mods. Potato Thrower unlock. The Max HP to Damage conversion means HP stacking is also DPS. Works well with Chunky's exclusive weapon. |
| B |  | Arms Dealer Recycle 12 weapons in one run | -95% Weapon Price. +30 Harvesting. Damage mods increased by 33%. All weapons destroyed entering a shop. Shop always sells at least 1 weapon. The destroyed-on-shop mechanic is harsh but weapons being nearly free means constant T4 availability. |
| B |  | Saver Collect 20000 materials | +15 Harvesting. +1% Damage per 25 Materials held. Starts with Piggy Bank. +50% item price. The material accumulation synergy means keeping materials rather than spending them builds your damage naturally. |
| B |  | Technomage 10 Elemental Dmg + 3 structures | Starts with 2 Turrets. +5% Structure attack speed per Elemental Damage. +2 Elemental Damage per Structure. Particle Accelerator unlock. The Elemental + Structure feedback loop builds tremendous turret damage. |
| B |  | Streamer Reach -20% Speed | "Insane once going, 2k+ materials by round 5", banned in co-op. By wave 6-8 it is tricky but by the first elite you have bought your way out of any setback. B tier reflects the rough early waves. |
| B |  | Fisherman Get 2 Bait in one run | "Insanely strong late game." Once Lampreys die mid-charge the run becomes near-AFK farm. +2 Harvesting per Bait means 6 baits = +12 Harvesting passively. Hard early, one of the highest-economy characters once snowballing. |
| B |  | Vagabond Have 6 different weapons simultaneously | Equipped weapons contribute to class bonuses of ALL held weapons. With 6 diverse weapons all class bonuses stack simultaneously. Community: "should be higher, very good." Jelly unlock compounds HP stacking. |
| C |  | Wildling Kill 10000 enemies | +30% Life Steal with Primitive weapons. Starts with Stick. Cannot equip above T2 weapons. Hatchet unlock. The T2 cap is a major limitation but Primitive life steal and Hatchet at T2 can still sustain well at lower Danger levels. |
| C |  | Speedy Reach +50% Speed | +30% Speed. +1 Melee Damage per 2% Speed. -100 Armor while standing still. The Speed to Melee Damage conversion scales well and Jousting Lance synergy is here. Fin unlock. The no-armor-while-still penalty requires constant movement. |
| C |  | Mage Default unlock | Elemental Damage mods increased by 25%. Starts with Snake and Scared Sausage. Melee, Ranged, and Engineering mods heavily reduced. Pure elemental specialist. Thunder Sword unlock. Only pick if fully committing to elemental weapons and items. |
| C |  | Old Kill 300 enemies | -25% Enemy speed. +10 Harvesting. -33% Map size. -10% Enemies. -10% Speed. Snail unlock. The enemy slow is a powerful defensive tool. Better for defensive playstyles at lower Danger where slower enemies give more time to farm. |
| C |  | Apprentice Reach level 20 | +2 Melee, +1 Ranged, +1 Elemental, +1 Engineering at every level up. -2 Max HP at level up. Quarterstaff unlock. The per-level stat gains compound over a full run into strong totals. Fragile early due to the HP loss per level. |
| C |  | Farmer Reach +200 Harvesting | +20 Harvesting. Harvesting increases 3% more per wave end. +1 Harvesting per consumable at full health. -50% materials dropped. Wheat unlock. Excellent Harvesting scaling but the material penalty limits buying power. |
| C |  | Glutton Pick up 20 consumables in a run | +50 Luck. +1% Explosion Damage per consumable at max health. Consumables have 100% chance to explode (10 + 500% Melee damage) on pickup. +25% item price. The consumable explosion damage is interesting but chaotic. |
| C |  | Renegade Get 10 different T1 items in one run | +2 projectiles. Projectiles pierce 1 additional target. +10% Damage per different T1 item. No melee weapons. -400% Damage base. -50% accuracy. The T1 item bonus compensates the base penalty but requires wide item variety. |
| C |  | Captain Default DLC unlock (Abyssal Terrors) | +60% XP per free weapon slot. +100% stats from level upgrades. +200% XP required to level up. +2% enemy health and damage per wave. The stats-per-level bonus doubles all upgrade value - if you can handle the slower levelling. |
| C |  | Curious Default DLC unlock (Abyssal Terrors) | Starts with Spyglass. 2 extra loot aliens per wave. All loot aliens strengthen when you kill one. +2% XP per different item. -10% Damage per duplicate. Rewards item diversity and loot alien farming. |
| C |  | Sailor Default DLC unlock (Abyssal Terrors) | +200% damage with Naval weapons against cursed enemies. +25 Curse. Naval weapon specialist (Anchor, Trident, Harpoon Gun, Captain's Sword, Blunderbuss). Curse amplifies Naval damage but the class is weapon-limited. |
| C |  | Creature Default DLC unlock (Abyssal Terrors) | Weapon damage scales with 35% Curse. +1 Curse per level up. Starts with cursed Fish Hook. The Curse-based weapon scaling compounds as Curse grows. Works with Naval weapons and Curse items for strong damage. |
| C |  | Explorer Kill 50 trees | +10% Speed, +50% pickup range, +33% map size. More trees spawn. -50% materials from enemies. -40% Damage. Trees as a material source require Lumberjack Shirt. The movement and pickup range are genuinely useful utility stats. |
| C |  | Ogre Deal 1000 damage to an enemy in one hit | Enemies taking double their Max HP as damage explode for bonus damage. +10 Melee Damage. No ranged weapons. -50% Attack Speed. Mace unlock. The explosion trigger creates additional wave clear but requires extremely high single-hit damage to activate. |
| C |  | Well Rounded Default unlock | The default starter with no downsides. ProfessionalShower: "above average, no downsides is why." Potato unlock rewards completing a run. C tier - outclassed by characters with multipliers but a solid learning character. |
| C |  | Entrepreneur Hold 3000 Materials | Community: "annoying", "hell after wave 20." The -100% materials at wave start creates a severe feast-or-famine dynamic. C tier reflects that Saver and Streamer achieve similar economy without the painful mechanic. |
| C |  | Golem Finish a wave with 1 HP | Cannot heal but ProfessionalShower: "auto-win. You only need Harvesting, Armor and Max HP so all decisions are made for you." Extreme Armor stacking creates a different kind of invincibility. C tier reflects skill dependency. |
| D |  | Diver Kill 1000 enemies over 700 range away | Brunosrog: "easily the worst character in the game." Starting Harpoon Gun with -100 Ranged Damage and +250% Enemy health is brutal. Many recommend discarding the Harpoon and playing as a regular character. D tier. |
| D |  | Baby Reach level 10 before wave 6 | Gains a weapon slot per level instead of a stat upgrade (up to 24 weapons). +12 Harvesting. Shops always sell a weapon. +130% XP required. The 24-weapon potential is a build fantasy - in practice slower levelling means fewer stats and weaker combat early. |
| D |  | Bull Win a run on Danger 1 | +20 Max HP. +15 HP Regen. +10 Armor. Explodes for damage when taking damage. Cannot equip weapons. Gnome unlock. Pure reactive damage - explosion scales with Melee, Ranged, and Elemental damage stats but you need damage stats without weapons. |
| D |  | Hiker Walk 20000 total steps | Earns 5 materials per 10 steps and +1 Max HP per 80 steps. Speed mods increased by 10%. -50% materials from enemies. The step count rewards work only if you walk constantly - passive on many playstyles and irrelevant if you prefer to stand still. |
| D |  | Druid Collect 250 consumables by wave 20 | Enemies drop fruits more often. 33% chance for +1 Luck per fruit. 33% of fruits are poisoned and hurt you. -100 Regen. -100% Life Steal. The poison fruit RNG is dangerously punishing. Cauldron unlock. Very high variance run quality. |
| D |  | Romantic Finish a run with 0 Curse | Hitting low-HP enemies has a 5% chance to charm them. +50 Range with melee. -3% Damage per 5 Curse. +1 Curse at wave end. The charm mechanic is fun but unreliable, and the self-imposed Curse growth competes with Naval weapon synergies. Flute unlock. |
| D |  | Gangster Reroll 10 times in one shop | Can steal 1 item per shop. Stealing can spawn an elite. All future elites and bosses strengthen when you kill one. +20% item price. The scaling enemies become a threat that builds throughout the run. Grenade Launcher unlock. High risk of overwhelming elite HP. |
| Tier | Item | Why It Ranks Here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | | Bloody Hand T4 · Life Steal | +10% Life Steal. +2% Damage for every 1% Life Steal you have. The damage multiplier converts Life Steal into a scaling damage stat. With 20% Life Steal total you get +40% Damage from this item alone. Sick, Lich, and Vampire builds hit absurd damage floors with this. |
| S |  | Greek Fire T4 · Elemental Damage | Burning deals an additional 10% of current enemy HP as damage (1% vs bosses/elites). Every burning tick becomes an HP-percentage nuke. With Flamethrower or Torch spreading burns this item multiplies damage output across entire waves. |
| S |  | Giant Belt T4 · Crit Chance | Critical hits deal 10% of an enemy's current health as bonus damage (1% vs bosses). Jack-locked unlock. The HP% bonus on crits scales automatically with enemy HP as waves progress. High Crit Chance builds become wave-clearing machines with this. |
| S |  | Explosive Shells T4 · Explosive | +60% Explosion Damage. +15% Explosion Size. Artificer-locked unlock. The flat +60% multiplies every explosion in your build simultaneously. With Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, and Fireball all firing, this item is essentially a +60% damage bonus to your entire explosive arsenal. |
| S |  | Retromation's Hoodie T4 · Dodge | +2% Attack Speed for every 1% Dodge you have. -80 Range. The Dodge to Attack Speed conversion turns Ghost and Crazy Dodge-stacking builds into rapid-fire machines. At 60% Dodge you get +120% Attack Speed from this item alone. |
| S |  | Potato T4 · Universal | +3 Max HP, +2 HP Regen, +1% Life Steal, +5% Damage, +5% Attack Speed, +3% Speed, +3% Dodge, +1 Armor, +5 Luck. Well Rounded-locked. The single most stat-efficient item in the game. Every single stat in one item with no downsides. |
| S | | Grind's Magical Leaf T4 · Scaling | +3 Max HP, +1 HP Regen, and +1% Life Steal at the end of every wave. Over 20 waves that's +60 Max HP, +20 HP Regen, and +20% Life Steal with no other items. One of the best scaling items in the game for survivability builds. |
| A |  | Focus T4 · Damage | +30% Damage, -3% Attack Speed per different weapon. One Armed-locked. On One Armed penalty is zero. PM_ME_IBUKI_SUIKA (wave 1011): bans in endless as "30% damage is underwhelming for a Red." A tier for standard D5. |
| A |  | Spider T4 · Damage/Attack Speed | +12% Damage, +6% Attack Speed per different weapon. Gladiator-locked. Excellent on Gladiator/Vagabond. PM_ME_IBUKI_SUIKA: "pathetic for a Red item" in endless. A tier for standard D5 play. |
| A |  | Ball and Chain T3 · Damage/Armor | +15% Damage, +3 Armor, +5 Knockback. Weapons have a minimum 0.75s cooldown. Limit 1. The damage and armor are excellent. The minimum cooldown only affects the fastest-firing weapons (SMG, Chain Gun) - rarely a real penalty in most builds. |
| A |  | Heavy Bullets T4 · Ranged Damage | +5 Ranged Damage, +10% Damage, +10 Range. -5% Attack Speed, -5% Crit Chance. A dense stat package for ranged builds. Three different offensive stats in one item with minor speed and crit penalties. Strong in any ranged build. |
| A |  | Mammoth T4 · Melee/HP Regen | +20 Melee Damage, +5 HP Regen, +5 Knockback. -8% Damage, -3% Speed. The flat Melee Damage is massive. HP Regen adds sustain. The percentage Damage penalty matters less at high flat-damage values. Core item for melee builds. |
| A |  | Night Goggles T4 · Crit/Range | +15% Crit Chance, +50 Range. -3 Max HP, -1 Armor. Ranger-locked unlock. The +15% Crit Chance is the single highest crit item in the game and +50 Range is a huge bonus for Hunter and Ranger. Worth the minor defensive costs in any crit build. |
| A |  | Octopus T4 · Max HP/Sustain | +12 Max HP, +5 HP Regen, +3% Life Steal. -8% Crit Chance. Mutant-locked. Comprehensive survival package. Three sustain stats in one T4 item. The Crit Chance loss is rarely significant against the HP, Regen, and Lifesteal gains. |
| A |  | Diploma T4 · Engineering/XP | +10 Engineering, +50% XP Gain. -3 Max HP. Excellent in two specific builds: Engineer/Cyborg for the Engineering, and Captain/Mutant for the XP Gain. Even outside those builds +50% XP Gain is an extremely strong levelling accelerant. |
| A |  | Lucky Coin T4 · Luck/Crit | +2 Luck per 1% Crit Chance you have. -2 Armor. With 30% Crit Chance that's +60 Luck from one item. Lucky and Hunter builds scale this exponentially. Luck scaling becomes damage with the right supporting items. |
| A |  | Coil T3 · Knockback/Damage | +5 Knockback. +1% Damage per 1 Knockback you have. Limit 3. The damage scaling converts Knockback into a legitimate offensive stat. With Hammer, Harpoon Gun, or Knockback items this can reach +20-30% Damage. |
| A |  | Exoskeleton T4 · Multi-stat | +3 Armor, +5% Crit Chance, +5 Engineering, +5% Speed. -2 HP Regen, -2% Life Steal. Five positive stats on one item. The minor sustain penalties are easily offset. Strong versatile pickup in almost any build. |
| A |  | Robot Arm T4 · Melee/Engineering | +3 Melee Damage and +3 Engineering at every wave end. -1 Max HP per wave. Over 20 waves that's +60 Melee and +60 Engineering with a modest HP tax. Engineer-locked. The per-wave scaling makes it better the longer you survive. |
| A |  | Esty's Couch T4 · HP Regen/Speed | +2 HP Regen for every permanent -1% Speed you have. -20% Speed. Limit 1. This item provides the -20% Speed itself, and then gives +40 HP Regen for that Speed loss. Combined with other HP Regen items this can reach absurd regeneration values. |
| A |  | Wisdom T3 · Damage | +5% Damage every 5 seconds until wave end. -15% Damage to start. Limit 1. By 30 seconds you have broken even. By wave end (60-90s typically) you have stacked +30-45% Damage from this item. Strong in any build that reaches long waves. |
| A |  | Clover T3 · Luck/Dodge | +20 Luck, +6% Dodge. -2% Life Steal. Excellent combined offense (Luck scaling items) and defense (Dodge) in one T3 slot. Lucky, Crazy, and crit-focused builds love the +20 Luck as it interacts with multiple damage-dealing item effects. |
| A |  | Frozen Heart T3 · Elemental | +8 Elemental Damage, +5% Crit Chance. Weapon damage scales with additional 10% Elemental Damage. Burning activates 100% slower. The extra Elemental Damage scaling on all weapons is the key line - it makes every weapon slightly Elemental. Limit 1. |
| A |  | Stone Skin T3 · Armor/Max HP | +1 Max HP for every permanent 1 Armor you have. -6% Attack Speed. Golem-locked. With 20 Armor from items that's +20 Max HP from this one item. Compounds with further Armor pickups. Excellent in defensive builds. |
| A | | Lure T2 · HP Regen/Loot | "Instapick. HP Regen and 2 free items, no downsides." (Reggiardito, all D5 in 75h). Two loot aliens = free economy. One of the most underrated items consistently called out by experienced players. |
| B |  | Triangle of Power T3 · Damage | +20% Damage. +1 Armor. -2% Damage when you take damage until wave end. The base bonus is excellent. The taking-damage penalty is rarely severe enough to negate the +20% starting value. One of the most reliable T3 damage items. |
| B |  | Alloy T3 · Multi-damage | +3 Melee, +3 Ranged, +3 Elemental, +3 Engineering, +5% Crit. -6% Dodge. Hits every major damage stat at once. Generalist and Arms Dealer love picking this up regardless of build direction. The Dodge loss is the only meaningful cost. |
| B |  | Power Generator T3 · Speed/Damage | +1% Damage per permanent 1% Speed you have. -5% Damage. Limit 1. With 30% Speed that's +30% Damage from a T3 item. Speedy and Hiker builds turn their Speed investment into damage multiplicatively. |
| B |  | Vigilante Ring T3 · Damage | +3% Damage at every wave end. Over 20 waves that's +60% Damage with no downside. Slow start but the compound growth is excellent. Strong pickup in the early waves when the gains have the most rounds to accumulate. |
| B |  | Sad Tomato T3 · HP Regen | +8 HP Regen. Start waves with -50% HP. Limit 1. The HP Regen pays back the health deficit quickly in most builds. Bull, Masochist, and Doctor with high Regen turn this into a net positive within 10-15 seconds of each wave. Mediocre otherwise. |
| B |  | Tardigrade T3 · Survival | Nullifies the damage of one hit per wave. Pure defensive value - completely prevents one potentially lethal hit each wave. Especially valuable on high-Danger runs where early hits can be fatal. No offensive stats but the survival insurance is real. |
| B |  | Candle T3 · Elemental/Regen | +4 Elemental, +1 HP Regen, -10% Enemies, -5% Damage. Limit 1. The -10% Enemies is a hidden defensive benefit - fewer enemies means safer waves. Elemental builds value the stat and Mage appreciates the enemy reduction. |
| B |  | Medikit T4 · HP Regen | +10 HP Regen. +2 HP Regen every 5 seconds until wave end. Doctor-locked. The stacking per-5-second HP Regen becomes enormous over a long wave. By 60 seconds that's +10+12=+22 additional HP Regen on top of the base +10. |
| B |  | Extra Stomach T4 · Max HP | +1 Max HP per consumable pickup at max health (max +8 per wave). Limit 1. Over 20 waves with consistent full-health consumable collection that's +160 Max HP. Strong in Farmer and Glutton builds where consumable density is high. |
| B |  | Strange Book T3 · Engineering | +1 Engineering per permanent 1 Elemental Damage you have. Limit 1. -1 Melee, -1 Ranged. With 20 Elemental Damage that's +20 Engineering from a single item. Technomage and Mage hybrid builds use this to double-dip on both damage types. |
| B |  | Pile of Books T3 · Structure/Crit | +3% Crit Chance, +3 Engineering. Your structures can crit. The crit-enabling for structures is the unique effect - with Explosive Turrets critting for double damage the DPS output increases significantly. Strong for Engineer and Technomage. |
| B |  | Snowball T2 · Elemental | +1 Elemental Damage every time you get an item that increases Elemental Damage. Limit 1. Each subsequent Elemental item grants double the Elemental Damage (once for the item, once for the Snowball). Early pickup maximizes its compound benefit. |
| B |  | Ricochet T4 · Ranged | +1 bounce to all projectiles. -25% Damage. Ranged builds with multi-projectile weapons (Double Barrel Shotgun, SMG, Taser) hit significantly more enemies per shot. The damage penalty is real but the target coverage increase typically compensates. |
| B |  | Crown T3 · Harvesting | Harvesting increases by an additional 8% at every wave end. Limit 1. The 8% compounds on top of existing percentage gains. Farmer and Entrepreneur builds benefit most but the Harvesting snowball helps any economy-focused run. |
| B |  | Black Belt T2 · Melee/XP | +25% XP Gain, +3 Melee Damage, +3 Knockback. -8 Luck. Good for Apprentice, Captain, and Mutant who want XP. The +3 Melee Damage is also genuinely useful. Luck cost is rarely significant enough to matter. |
| B |  | Jet Pack T4 · Speed/Dodge | +15% Speed, +10% Dodge, -5 Max HP, -1 Armor. Fast, agile, minimal cost. Works in any build that values mobility. Ghost and Speedy particularly love the Dodge stacking. |
| B |  | Panda T4 · Max HP/Luck | +12 Max HP, +25 Luck, -5% Damage. Pacifist-locked. The +25 Luck is the draw here - Luck scales numerous item effects and the damage penalty is minor against 12 Max HP and Luck gains. Strong in Lucky builds. |
| B |  | Mouse T3 · Life Steal/Enemies | +5% Life Steal, +10% Enemies, -5 Harvesting. Limit 5. At 3 copies gives +15% Life Steal at the cost of 30% more enemies. The extra enemies feed into lifesteal procs, partially offsetting the threat. Niche in lifesteal builds with high kill speed. |
| C |  | Shackles T3 · Range/Engineering/HP Regen | +8 HP Regen, +8 Engineering, +80 Range. Speed capped at current value. The +80 Range is enormous for Hunter and Ranger. The triple positive stats offset the Speed cap in most builds. Strong versatile item. |
| C |  | Alien Eyes T2 · Max HP | Shoots 6 alien eyes every 3 seconds dealing 6 + 50% Max HP damage each. The Max HP scaling makes this a combat item in Chunky and Golem builds. Mediocre in low-HP builds but potentially excellent in Max HP-stacking runs. |
| C |  | Coupon T1 · Economy | -5% Item Price. Limit 5. Up to -25% total item price reduction. Pure economy item - excellent value for shop-buying characters (Saver, Entrepreneur) but provides zero combat benefit. |
| C |  | Goblet T3 · HP Regen | +15% chance to heal 1 HP when killing an enemy. Limit 3. -3 HP Regen. Three copies give 45% chance per kill. In high-kill builds (SMG, Chainsaw) this generates meaningful HP recovery. The HP Regen reduction costs some of the gain. |
| C |  | Sunken Bell T3 · Explosive/Survival | Once per wave, explodes for massive damage (100 + 500% of all four damage stats) when you fall below 40% health. Limit 1. The on-low-HP explosion triggers precisely when you need emergency damage. Decent reactive defensive tool. |
| C |  | Handcuffs T3 · Multi-damage | +8 each of Melee, Ranged, and Elemental. Max HP capped at current value. Limit 1. The flat damage across all three types is substantial. The Max HP cap is painful on any build trying to grow HP - take early when the cap is less restrictive. |
| C |  | Metal Detector T2 · Economy/Luck | +5% chance to double material value, +6 Luck, +2 Engineering, -5% Damage. The material doubling, Luck, and Engineering are all useful minor bonuses. Economy item with light combat value. Works in Fisherman and Cryptid builds. |
| C |  | Sifd's Relic T4 · Armor/Pickup | +3 Armor, +100% chance to instantly attract dropped materials. Limit 1. The instant material attraction is the key effect - no more running to pick up drops. Pairs well with Hiker, Buccaneer, and any character that benefits from consistent material flow. |
| C |  | Cape T4 · Life Steal/Dodge | +5% Life Steal, +20% Dodge. -2 each of Melee, Ranged, Elemental. The defensive stats are good. The flat damage losses are usually worth the survivability. Strong in Ghost and evasion builds. |
| C |  | Ice Cube T2 · Elemental | Enemies take 10% more damage for 3 seconds when first hit by Elemental damage. Limit 1. The 10% amplification applies to all sources of damage, not just elemental. The one-shot window is short but the bonus is meaningful in burst-damage elemental builds. |
| C |  | Leather Vest T2 · Armor/Dodge | +2 Armor, +6% Dodge, -3 Max HP. Reliable defensive T2 item. Armor and Dodge together make runs more survivable at a small HP cost. Solid pickup at any stage. |
| C |  | Regeneration Potion T4 · HP Regen | HP Regen is doubled when below 50% health. +3 HP Regen. Limit 1. The doubling triggers in dangerous situations making it a reactive defensive item. Doctor and Lich who already have high HP Regen get the most value from the doubling effect. |
| C |  | Bean Teacher T3 · XP Gain | +50% XP Gain. -2% Life Steal. Excellent for XP-scaling characters (Captain, Mutant, Apprentice). On others, the +50% XP Gain provides faster levelling for more stat choices at a minor Life Steal cost. |
| C |  | Dangerous Bunny T2 · Economy | +1 free reroll per shop visit. Limit 3. Three copies give 3 free rerolls per shop. Strong for builds that need to find specific items. Arms Dealer starts with this and uses it to chain-reroll for ideal weapons. |
| C |  | Fruit Basket T2 · Elemental | Enemies drop fruits more often. -3 HP Regen. Limit 4. Increases consumable density for Druid and Farmer. The Elemental tag means it appears more for Mage as well, though the effect itself doesn't help Mage directly. |
| C |  | Peacock T3 · XP Gain | +25% XP Gain. +100% XP Gain during the next wave. +50% Enemy Damage during the next wave. Trading the next wave's safety for a massive XP burst is high risk, high reward. Good for Mutant who can absorb the danger with high kill speed. |
| D |  | Weird Ghost T1 · Max HP | +3 Max HP. Start the next wave with 1 HP. The next-wave penalty is dangerous at higher Danger levels. The +3 Max HP rarely compensates for starting a wave nearly dead. Avoid unless you have high burst healing from the very start of waves. |
| D |  | Hourglass T4 · Utility | Turns back time, decreasing the current wave count by 1. Starts the next wave with 1 HP. Limit 1. Extremely niche - mainly useful for farming specific wave-count milestones or recovering from a catastrophic wave. Essentially never worth buying for damage. |
| D |  | Gobbler's Hat T4 · Materials | +70% materials dropped. -15% Speed, -10% Dodge. Requires killing the Gobbler 5 times to unlock. The material bonus is significant for economy but the Speed and Dodge losses hurt survivability noticeably. Only worth it in pure economy runs. |
| D |  | Bait T2 · Damage | +8% Damage. Special enemies appear next wave. The +8% Damage is real but special enemies are substantially harder than normal enemies. The damage bonus rarely justifies the threat increase at high Danger. |
| D |  | Black Flag T3 · Curse | DLC. +1 material per cursed enemy kill, +10% enemies, +10% enemy health, +10% enemy damage, +5 Curse. Limit 1. The enemy buffs are severe. Only worth it in dedicated Naval/Curse builds with Sailor or Creature where the Curse stat has value. |
| D |  | Knot T3 · Damage/Max HP | +15% Damage, +15 Max HP. Weapons can no longer be upgraded or recycled. Limit 1. The upgrade lock is severely punishing - you lose the ability to combine weapons to higher tiers for the rest of the run. Only take in very early waves when your weapons are already at T4. |
| D |  | Axolotl T4 · Gimmick | Your highest and lowest positive primary stats are swapped. Limit 1. Purely a randomizer with no guaranteed benefit. Can occasionally be useful for swapping a maxed stat into another pool but typically does more harm than good. |
| D |  | Ashes T4 · Combat/DLC | +20% Damage, +20% Attack Speed, +100 Range, -1 Armor at wave end. The -1 Armor per wave compounds - by wave 20 you have lost 20 Armor. In builds that rely on Armor (Knight, Masochist) this is a direct DPS loss from the Armor-scaling weapons. |
| D |  | Whistle T1 · DLC/Economy | +50% chance for loot aliens to appear, +20% movement speed for loot aliens. Limit 1. Loot aliens carry items but they can hit you. This item makes those encounters both more frequent and faster. Niche utility - relevant only if specifically farming loot aliens. |
Meta Notes Patch 1.1.6 · March 2026 · Rogue Ranker | |
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| How Weapons Work | |
| Rarity tiers | Weapons come in T1 (Common) through T4 (Legendary). Two identical weapons of the same tier can be combined into one of the next tier. Many strong weapons only start appearing at T2 or T3. |
| Stat scaling | Every weapon shows its scaling as a percentage next to each stat. A weapon with 80% Melee Damage gains 0.8 bonus damage per point of Melee Damage you own. Stacking the matched stat is always more efficient than generic Damage for low-base weapons. |
| Weapon classes | Every weapon belongs to 1-2 classes (Blade, Gun, Precise, etc). Holding 2-6 weapons of the same class gives stacking bonuses. Blade gives Melee Damage + Life Steal, Gun gives Range, Precise gives Crit Chance, Heavy gives Damage, and so on. Class stacking is a core part of build design. |
| Melee vs Ranged | Melee weapons hit all enemies in their path and return after attack. Ranged weapons fire projectiles that hit one enemy by default. Ranged weapons typically have higher single-target DPS and faster fire rates. Melee handles wave clear better at lower investment. |
| Legendary class cost | The Legendary weapon class reduces Max HP by 20-100 per weapon count (2-6). Stacking multiple legendary weapons comes with a significant HP tax - weigh this carefully against the damage gains. |
| Build Principles | |
| Stack one class | Mixing too many weapon classes dilutes all class bonuses. 4-6 weapons of the same class (e.g. all Gun, all Precise) maximises the class stacking bonus. Characters with class preferences (Ranger for Gun, Crazy for Precise) lean into this naturally. |
| Character weapon locks | Several strong weapons are character-locked: Excalibur (King), Obliterator (Demon), Plasma Sledge (Knight), Sniper Gun (Hunter), Particle Accelerator (Technomage), Potato Thrower (Chunky), Grenade Launcher (Gangster). Check unlock requirements before building around them. |
| Explosion builds | Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Fireball, and Nuclear Launcher all benefit from Explosive Shells, Dynamite, Plastic Explosive, and Honey. Artificer amplifies Explosion Damage by 175%. Stack these items with even one explosion weapon for disproportionate wave clear. |
| More Brotato guides | For character builds and stats see our Brotato review. Looking for similar games? See our games like Brotato list and our best bullet heaven games roundup. For more roguelikes check our best roguelike games guide. |
Meta Notes Patch 1.1.6 · March 2026 · Rogue Ranker | |
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| How Items Work | |
| Rarity tiers | Items come in T1 (Common) through T4 (Legendary). Higher tier items are more powerful but appear less frequently in shops. Luck increases the chance of seeing higher rarity items. Some items are locked to specific tiers and cannot appear below that tier. |
| Item limits | Many items have a purchase limit (shown in the sub-label). Once you reach the limit you cannot buy more copies. Plan around limits for items like Coupon (max 5), Mouse (max 5), and Dangerous Bunny (max 3). Some items are limit 1 making them first-purchase priorities. |
| Character unlocks | Many of the strongest items unlock by winning a run with a specific character: Potato (Well Rounded), Spider (Gladiator), Explosive Shells (Artificer), Giant Belt (Jack), Focus (One Armed), Medikit (Doctor), Robot Arm (Engineer), Night Goggles (Ranger), and more. Progression through characters builds your item pool. |
| Flat vs percentage stats | Flat damage stats (Melee Damage, Ranged Damage, Elemental Damage) add directly to weapon damage as a multiplier against scaling. Percentage Damage multiplies the total output. For low-base weapons (SMG, Wand) flat stats matter more early. For high-base weapons (Hammer, Obliterator) percentage Damage scales the already-large number. Stack both for maximum output. |
| More Brotato guides | See our complete Brotato review for tips on all game systems. For similar games try our games like Brotato list and best bullet heaven games roundup. For the wider genre see our best roguelike games guide. |