Effect: Automatically fires bursts of energy orbs at nearby enemies. Orbs scale with player level and Damage stat. Orbs can crit and proc other items.
Unlock: Defeat the Final Boss 2 times (across separate runs)
Energy Core is a Legendary item that automatically fires bursts of energy orbs at nearby enemies. The orbs fire independently of your weapons - they target nearby enemies on their own and fire in a burst pattern with a short delay between each orb. After a burst completes there is a fixed cooldown before the next burst fires. Orbs can critically hit and have a proc coefficient of 1.0, meaning they can trigger other on-hit items at full chance.
The item functions as a completely passive damage source that runs in parallel with your weapons. It contributes meaningful damage in any build without requiring you to aim or position for it, making it particularly valuable in AFK-style builds and on characters who need supplemental damage output beyond their starter weapon.
This is the most important mechanic to understand about stacking Energy Core. Each copy adds 2 more orbs per burst and makes each burst fire faster - but orb damage itself does not increase with additional copies. A single orb from 1 copy hits for the same amount as a single orb from 5 copies. What scales is volume: more copies means more orbs per burst, and each orb has an independent chance to crit and proc items like Snek or Ice Cube.
Per community testing at megabonkinfo.org, orb damage is calculated as: (2 x (8 + playerLevel) + 8.0) x Damage Multiplier. This means each orb scales with your current level and your overall Damage stat. At level 30 with no Damage bonuses that is (2 x 38 + 8) = 84 damage per orb. Investing in Damage Tome increases this directly.
| Copies | Orbs per Burst | Cooldown per Orb | Orb Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | ~0.214s | Scales with level + Damage stat |
| 2 | 9 | ~0.167s | Same per orb - more orbs total |
| 3 | 11 | ~0.136s | Same per orb - more orbs total |
| 5 | 15 | 0.100s | Same per orb - more orbs total |
| 10 | 25 | 0.060s | Same per orb - more orbs total |
Energy Core orbs have a full proc coefficient of 1.0, confirmed by community testing. Items confirmed to proc from Energy Core orbs include: Lightning Orb, Ice Cube, Big Bonk, and Snek. Each orb rolls independently for on-hit effects at full chance, so stacking more copies produces more orbs which means more proc opportunities per burst cycle.
The Overpowered Lamp gives each hit an extra proc roll for qualifying on-hit items. Since Energy Core orbs have a 1.0 proc coefficient, each orb that lands while Overpowered Lamp is active rolls items like Ice Cube and Snek twice per orb instead of once. In a build stacking both items, each burst from Energy Core becomes a significant source of freeze, poison, and other on-hit effects.
Defeat the Final Boss 2 times across any runs. The two defeats do not need to be consecutive or on the same map. The Final Boss appears in Tier 3 runs. To reach the Final Boss, you need to complete Stages 1, 2, and 3 of a Tier 3 run and then enter the final boss area. Once you defeat the Final Boss a second time in any subsequent run, Energy Core is added to your unlock shop and can be purchased with Silver.
Megachad - Megachad's AFK playstyle means he stays planted in dense swarms, which is exactly where Energy Core's automatic targeting thrives. Energy Core fires at nearby enemies regardless of what Megachad's weapons are doing, adding a continuous burst layer on top of Aura's tick damage. His Flex passive also periodically stuns nearby enemies, creating windows where enemies are briefly stationary and easier for Energy Core's orbs to hit. Multiple AFK build guides note Energy Core as a strong item for Megachad specifically because he plants in swarms rather than kiting.
Sir Oofie - Sir Oofie is noted in Destructoid's best builds guide as the ideal character for Idle Juice builds that stand still for double damage. Energy Core fires automatically regardless of movement - it does not require you to stay stationary - but in a Sir Oofie Idle Juice build where you are already standing still for the damage bonus, Energy Core contributes a passive damage layer that is unaffected by the stationary requirement. Orb damage scales with your Damage stat directly, and Sir Oofie's armor investment keeps him alive long enough for Energy Core to accumulate significant burst damage over extended swarms.
CL4NK - CL4NK's Crit Happens passive adds +1% Crit Chance per level. Energy Core orbs can crit, meaning CL4NK's rising Crit Chance applies to every orb in every burst. At level 50 CL4NK has 50% Crit Chance from his passive alone before any items - at that point roughly half of all Energy Core orbs are critting, doubling their damage and feeding Overcrit as Crit Chance continues to climb. The combination turns Energy Core from a passive chip-damage source into a consistent burst contributor that benefits directly from CL4NK's core scaling mechanic.
It automatically fires bursts of energy orbs at nearby enemies. Orb damage scales with player level and Damage stat using the formula: (2 x (8 + playerLevel) + 8.0) x Damage Multiplier. Orbs can crit and proc on-hit items at a 1.0 coefficient. Additional copies add 2 more orbs per burst and speed up burst firing, but do not increase per-orb damage. Confirmed procs: Lightning Orb, Ice Cube, Big Bonk, Snek.
Defeat the Final Boss 2 times across any runs. The defeats do not need to be consecutive or on the same map. The Final Boss is reached in Tier 3 runs after completing all three stages. After the second kill, purchase Energy Core from the Unlocks shop with Silver.
No. Per-orb damage does not change with additional copies. Each copy adds 2 more orbs per burst and reduces the delay between orbs in a burst, but the damage each individual orb deals remains the same. The benefit of multiple copies is more proc opportunities per burst cycle and higher sustained DPS through volume, not individual hit strength.
Yes. Energy Core orbs have a 1.0 proc coefficient, meaning they can trigger on-hit items. Overpowered Lamp gives each hit an extra proc roll, which applies to Energy Core orbs the same as weapon hits. Each orb with Overpowered Lamp active generates two independent rolls for qualifying on-hit items like Ice Cube and Snek.
