Julia Laforeze's starting wind spell from the Ode to Castlevania DLC. Fires light-hitting projectiles backwards with a 30% base crit chance, the highest base crit on any v1.13 weapon.
The Gale Force is the only weapon in v1.13 that fires its projectiles backwards from the character's facing direction, and it has a 30% base critical hit chance, six times the standard 5% on most other weapons. Per the Vampire Survivors wiki, that combination produces a unique kiting playstyle: you run forward into enemies, and the spell handles the wave behind you while you keep moving. Most player guides classify Gale Force as a niche pick because the damage stat starts at just 3, but the wiki stat block confirms the 2x crit multiplier stacks against the high crit rate to deliver consistent damage that scales sharply through Luck.
The other thing the wiki documents that gets buried is the Belnades' Spellbook pickup variant. Gale Force is classified as a spell rather than a normal weapon, which means any character running Belnades' Spellbook with the Ode to Castlevania DLC installed can roll Gale Force on level-up. From our experience, that opens the weapon up to characters outside Julia Laforeze for hybrid spell builds, especially when paired with the post-evolution slot economy bonus.
Gale Force, a backwards-firing wind spell with a 30% base crit chance
Pneuma Tempestas with max-level Bracer
Julia Laforeze and Luck-stacking passivesAccording to the Vampire Survivors wiki, Gale Force fires light-hitting wind projectiles backwards from the character's facing direction with a 7.0 second base Cooldown, a 1.0 second Duration, and a 0.2 second projectile interval. The projectiles pierce, are not blocked by walls, and apply a knockback value of 0.3, which is unusually low. The crit numbers are where this weapon stands out: a 30% base critical hit chance with a 2x crit multiplier, both scaling with Luck.
The backwards-firing direction is the mechanical hook. Per the wiki, projectiles spawn at the character and travel away from the direction the character is facing, which means kiting forward into enemies puts the spell directly into the wave you just ran past. That makes Gale Force a complement to forward-facing weapons like Whip or Knife rather than a replacement. The most common build pattern is one forward weapon plus Gale Force for behind, plus an aura weapon for the immediate surroundings.
Per the wiki stats panel, Gale Force ignores no stats outright. Every level-up multiplier applies, which is rare for a Castlevania DLC weapon. The damage levers are Might (raw damage), Area (1.0 base scaling 30% per odd level), Speed (1.0 base scaling 50% per even level), Amount (1 base, +1 per odd level to 4 max), and Luck (which scales the already-high 30% crit chance toward the practical ceiling).
Stack 
Clover for Luck on this weapon specifically. Per the wiki, the 30% base crit chance is six times higher than on most weapons, so each Luck percentage point converts crit chance more aggressively than on any other v1.13 weapon. A maxed Clover plus Disco of Gold (XV) can push effective crit rate past the practical breakpoint where almost every projectile crits.
Per the wiki entry, here are the base stats and the level-by-level scaling. The crit chance and crit multiplier are the two most important numbers on the page:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base damage | 3 (scales heavily through level-ups) |
| Max level | 8 |
| Rarity | 60 |
| Starting weapon for | Julia Laforeze |
| Cooldown | 7.0 seconds |
| Duration | 1.0 second |
| Projectile interval | 0.2 seconds |
| Hitbox delay | 0.5 seconds |
| Crit chance | 30% base, scales with Luck |
| Crit multiplier | 2x |
| Knockback | 0.3 (very low) |
| Pool limit | 200 |
| Direction | Backwards from character facing |
| Picked from | Belnades' Spellbook (spell variant) |
| Unlock | Defeat Zephyr at the Clock Tower on Ode to Castlevania (Capra Gate required), or evolve the weapon directly. |
Per the wiki, levels alternate between damage-and-speed bumps and projectile-and-area bumps:
| Level | What it adds |
|---|---|
| 2 | +2 Base Damage, +50% Base Speed |
| 3 | +1 Projectile, +30% Base Area |
| 4 | +2 Base Damage, +50% Base Speed |
| 5 | +1 Projectile, +30% Base Area |
| 6 | +2 Base Damage, +50% Base Speed |
| 7 | +1 Projectile, +30% Base Area |
| 8 | +4 Base Damage (max-level damage spike) |
Per the wiki, level Gale Force to 8 and pick up Bracer 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 max-level Bracer requirement is the catch most players miss because Bracer feels like a utility passive rather than an evolution catalyst.
| Base weapon | Passive needed | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Gale Force (Lv 8) |  Bracer (Lv 5, max) | Pneuma Tempestas |
Per the wiki, Pneuma Tempestas summons a magic circle under the character (the same way Gale Force does) and then fires a charged cluster of piercing projectiles upwards in a spinning pattern that returns to the character. That is a fundamental shift from the base weapon's backwards-fire behavior. Where Gale Force covers the rear, Pneuma Tempestas creates a swirling ascending swarm that returns to your position, hitting the same enemies twice on the way up and on the way back.
The other thing the wiki documents about the evolution is the slot economy bonus. Evolving Gale Force into Pneuma Tempestas keeps the base Gale Force as a hidden weapon. Effectively you get two weapons in one slot, with the hidden Gale Force continuing to fire backwards while Pneuma Tempestas handles the upward spinning pattern. That makes Pneuma Tempestas one of the only evolutions in v1.13 that actively frees a weapon slot rather than just upgrading the existing weapon.
Pre-stack max-level Bracer before opening any post-minute-10 chest. Per the wiki, the evolution requires Bracer at level 5 specifically. Take Bracer on every level-up screen between weapon level 1 and 8, then commit to a chest only when both weapon and Bracer are capped. Players who open chests early on this build commonly find no evolution fires because Bracer is sitting at level 3 or 4.
Per the Julia Laforeze wiki entry, Julia is one of the cheapest character unlocks in v1.13 at 7 gold (unlocked by evolving Globus). She starts with +8 Max Health (108 total), +3 Recovery, +20% Move Speed, +50% Luck, and +10 to Reroll, Banish, and Skip. The +50% Luck opener is the standout because it directly scales Gale Force's already-high 30% crit chance, and her +20% Move Speed makes the kiting pattern that maximizes the backwards-fire direction feel natural from minute 1.
Julia also starts with the Sarabande of Healing (VI) arcana baked into her loadout, and a Heart Refresh spawns above her every 2 character levels. That sustain frees up passive slots that would normally go to Pummarola or Hollow Heart, letting the build push damage and crit stacking instead.
Gale ForcetoPneuma Tempestas
Belnades' Spellbookcoverssecondary spell rotationBracerrequiredat max level for evolution and SpeedCloverscalesLuck for crit chance
SpinachscalesMight multiplier on crits
Empty TomescalesCooldown for the 7s base
CandelabradorscalesArea for projectile footprint
DuplicatorscalesAmount on top of level scalingThe build's clock is set by minute 10 like most v1.13 evolutions. The pacing trap with this weapon is the level-3 Bracer threshold. Players who pick up Bracer once at level 1 and switch to other passives often arrive at minute 10 with Bracer still at level 2 or 3, which blocks the evolution. Cap Bracer first and then push Clover and Spinach for the post-evolution scaling.
According to the wiki, two arcanas stand out for this weapon. Gemini (I) creates a counterpart Gale Force that levels up alongside the base weapon, doubling the backwards-fire coverage. Waltz of Pearls (XI) bounces projectiles, which works particularly well with the backwards-fire pattern because each bounce extends the rear coverage and the high base crit rate means more bounces convert into critical hits.
For passives outside the core build, 
Crown is a strong pick because it speeds up the weapon level path to 8 and Bracer to 5, which is the longest evolution checklist in the Castlevania DLC pool. 
Hollow Heart is generally a skip on Julia because her Heart Refresh proc every 2 levels handles sustain without it. Avoid stacking Spellbinder unless you are running another Duration-scaling weapon, since Gale Force does not get extra value from Duration the way Santa Javelin or King Bible do.
Per the wiki entries, Julia Laforeze is a direct reference to the Castlevania character of the same name from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008, Nintendo DS), where she serves as the merchant Albus's adopted sister and lives in the village of Wygol. The Belnades' Spellbook callback ties to Sypha Belnades from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and the broader Belnades clan of vampire hunters who specialize in elemental magic. The wind-element spell theme, which Gale Force represents in the DLC weapon pool, fits with the Belnades family's recurring association with elemental magic across the Castlevania timeline.
The Pneuma Tempestas evolution name pulls from Greek and Latin: pneuma meaning breath or spirit and tempestas meaning storm or tempest. That naming pattern matches the way the evolved weapon shifts from a localized backwards-fire spell into a full charged storm of ascending projectiles. The Capra Gate unlock requirement is also a deep cut, referencing the Capra Demon enemy archetype that recurs across Castlevania titles, gated to the middle of the Clock Tower stage where Zephyr (the wind elemental enemy) drops the weapon as an alternate unlock path.
Per the wiki, there are two unlock paths. Either evolve Gale Force into Pneuma Tempestas (which requires already having access to it through Julia Laforeze), or defeat Zephyr at the Clock Tower in the middle of the Ode to Castlevania stage with the Capra Gate unlocked. Both paths require the Ode to Castlevania DLC.
It evolves into Pneuma Tempestas when held at level 8 alongside max-level (level 5) Bracer. The chest must spawn after minute 10. Evolution rewards 500 gold the first time and crucially keeps Gale Force as a hidden weapon, freeing the slot for another active weapon.
Per the wiki, this is the weapon's defining mechanic. Projectiles spawn at the character and travel away from the direction the character is facing, providing rear coverage during forward kiting. It is the only weapon in v1.13 with this firing direction by default.
Yes. Per the wiki, most weapons in v1.13 have a 5% base crit chance. Gale Force's 30% is six times higher. Combined with the 2x crit multiplier and Luck scaling, the weapon's effective damage output far exceeds what the base damage of 3 suggests.
Yes. Per the wiki, Gale Force can be picked from Belnades' Spellbook as a spell variant. Any character running Belnades' Spellbook with the Ode to Castlevania DLC installed can roll Gale Force on a level-up. Outside Julia Laforeze you lose the +50% Luck opener, but the kiting pattern still works on any mobile character.
Per the Julia Laforeze wiki entry, evolve Globus first, then she becomes available for purchase at 7 gold. That is one of the cheapest unlock costs in the game, especially for a character with +50% Luck and an extra arcana built into her loadout.
Every stat in the game applies. Per the wiki, the weapon does not ignore any stat outright. The biggest levers are Luck (for the 30% crit chance), Might (raw damage), and Amount (more projectiles per cast). Speed, Area, and Duration all also have positive interactions.
Pre-evolution it is a strong rear-coverage pick on mobile characters with high Luck. Post-evolution into Pneuma Tempestas with the slot-economy bonus, it is one of the best Castlevania DLC weapon slots because you effectively run eight weapons in seven slots. See our weapon tier list for the full ranking.
For other Castlevania DLC weapons, see our Alchemy Whip guide covering Leon Belmont's starter and our Rock Riot guide covering Carrie Fernandez. For base-game weapons, the Pentagram guide covers the screen-clear archetype, the Glass Fandango guide covers the freeze-build archetype, and the Gaze of Gaea guide covers the EXTRA weapon pool. The weapon tier list ranks every weapon in v1.13 and the weapon evolution chart covers every recipe. Our arcanas guide walks through Gemini (I) and Waltz of Pearls (XI), and the passive items guide covers Bracer, Clover, and the supporting passives in detail. For other Castlevania character builds see our Leon Belmont, Richter Belmont, and Sypha guides. 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.