Megalo Syuuto Moonspell's starting weapon. Slashes the closest enemies, retaliates with six slashes when struck, scales retaliatory damage from Greed above 100%, and evolves into Muramasa with max-level Stone Mask for a 50,000 gold first-time reward.
Night Sword's damage scales from Greed.
The wiki effects block defines the formula directly: "Night Sword's retaliatory damage is multiplied by 2 x Greed above 100% and cannot go negative." So at 100% Greed, retaliation does base damage. At 200% Greed, retaliation does 2x base damage. At 300% Greed, retaliation does 3x base damage. Greed is normally a gold-pickup stat; Night Sword turns it into a damage multiplier on the retaliation slashes specifically.
The evolution gate lines up perfectly with this. Night Sword evolves into Muramasa with max-level Stone Mask. Stone Mask provides +10% Greed per level, +50% at max. Megalo Syuuto Moonspell, the natural carrier character, starts with another +50% Greed baked in. Two Greed sources stacking to +100% pushes the player past the 100% threshold where retaliation damage doubles.
Stone Mask is the evolution gate, the Greed source, and the most-grabbed pickup of the run. After a few attempts the build flow becomes clear: this is one of the few cases in v1.13 where the evolution-gate passive is also the build's primary scaling stat, which compresses passive priority into a single decision.
The Muramasa first-time evolution drops 50,000 gold as a reward, matching the Ophion evolution as one of the largest single-evolution gold drops in the entire game.
Night Sword by finding it in Mt. Moonspell stage. Auto-equipped on Megalo Syuuto Moonspell as a starter
Muramasa at max level paired with max-level 
Stone Mask. First-time evolution rewards 50,000 gold
Megalo Syuuto Moonspell: 250 HP, +50% Might/Greed/Curse, +1% Might per level (no cap)Night Sword is classified as a Normal weapon in the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC with internal ID `NIGHTSWORD`. The wiki effects block describes two distinct firing modes: "Night Sword creates a series of slashes at the closest enemies. When retaliating, it slashes six times around the character and can retaliate every 0.6 seconds."
The default mode is auto-targeted slashes at the closest enemies, similar to how Knife or Whip auto-targets work. The retaliation mode triggers when the player takes damage, producing six slashes radially around the character with a 0.6-second cooldown between retaliation procs. So aggressive play that attracts enemy hits actively powers up the weapon's damage output.
The third mechanic is the heart-drop chance. Per the wiki, "Night Sword has a 1% chance to generate little hearts that heal 1 point of health upon killing an enemy. This chance is affected by Luck." Each enemy killed by Night Sword rolls a 1% Luck-scaled chance to drop a healing heart. Combined with high-density runs, this creates a passive sustain layer that doesn't require Pummarola or Sarabande arcanas.
In our testing, Night Sword rewards aggressive engagement. Most weapons want the player to kite at range; Night Sword wants the player to take controlled hits, since each successful retaliation triggers six high-Greed-multiplied slashes. Megalo Syuuto's 250 Max Health and +2 Armor make the trade favorable, since the player can absorb a few hits per minute and convert each into a six-slash burst that dwarfs the standard auto-target damage output.
Night Sword has 8 levels. The level-up structure mixes Damage, Amount, and Area picks across the scaling, with Damage as the dominant stat:
| Level | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Retaliates with bonus damage affected by Greed. Might steal hearts |
| Level 2 | Fires 1 more projectile (+1 Amount) |
| Level 3 | Base Area up by 20%. Base Damage up by 5 |
| Level 4 | Fires 1 more projectile (+1 Amount) |
| Level 5 | Base Area up by 20%. Base Damage up by 10 |
| Level 6 | Fires 1 more projectile (+1 Amount) |
| Level 7 | Base Area up by 20%. Base Damage up by 10 |
| Level 8 | Base Damage up by 10 |
At max level, Night Sword gains +35 Base Damage, +60% Area, and +3 Amount above level 1. The Damage scaling sits in the upper-mid tier of v1.13 weapons. The +3 Amount adds three more parallel slash arcs to the auto-target mode, and Area widens the slash radius for both auto-target and retaliation slashes.
The wiki lists Night Sword's Limit Break stats: Might +0.5%, Area +2.5% (max 1000%), and Amount +1 (max 20). The Amount cap of 20 is the build's late-game scaling axis; each Limit Break Amount tier adds another slash to the cast cycle, eventually producing 20+ parallel slashes per auto-target tick at max stacks.
Night Sword's retaliation damage scales from Greed in an unusual way. The damage formula is "Night Sword's retaliatory damage is multiplied by 2 x Greed above 100% and cannot go negative." So Greed is functioning as a damage multiplier specifically on the retaliation slashes (not the auto-target slashes).
| Greed total | Above 100% | Retaliation multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Greed | 0% | 1x base | No bonus active. Retaliation does default damage |
| 150% Greed | 50% | 2x base | Reachable with Megalo Syuuto base (+50%) alone |
| 200% Greed | 100% | 3x base | Megalo Syuuto plus level 5 Stone Mask (+50%) |
| 250% Greed | 150% | 4x base | Adding additional Greed sources (DLC items, arcanas) |
| 300% Greed | 200% | 5x base | Endgame stack with full Greed-investment build |
Most evolution-gate passives provide a stat that's tangentially useful for the weapon. Stone Mask is different. Stone Mask increases Greed by 10% per level (+50% at max), which means the gate passive directly multiplies the retaliation damage formula. After a few attempts the math becomes obvious: max-leveling Stone Mask isn't just an evolution requirement, it's the highest-priority damage scaling pick for the build.
The formula clause "cannot go negative" matters because Greed below 100% would mathematically produce negative damage. The wiki guards against this by clamping the multiplier at 1x base when Greed is at or below 100%. So the Greed scaling only kicks in past the 100% threshold, which means low-Greed builds (without Stone Mask, on characters with no Greed bonus) get no multiplier at all.
Stack Megalo Syuuto's +50% Greed character bonus with max-level Stone Mask (+50%) for a starting +100% Greed bonus before any other source. Adding Sarabande of Healing's Heart-Reaper synergy or Wandering the Jet Black arcana pushes Greed further. Each additional 50% Greed adds another 1x damage multiplier on retaliation slashes, which scales linearly without diminishing returns.
Night Sword evolves into Muramasa when paired with max-level Stone Mask. The recipe requires Stone Mask at MAX level (5), not just present in inventory. Per the wiki, "Evolving it for the first time will unlock 50,000 as reward."
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1. Equip Night Sword | Auto-equipped on Megalo Syuuto Moonspell. Pick from level-up offers if unlocked on other characters |
| 2. Level Night Sword to 8 | Standard level-up path. Prioritize Amount picks for the auto-target slash count |
| 3. Find Stone Mask | Stage item only. Spawns in Inlaid Library, Moongolow, Boss Rash, Mt. Moonspell, or Abyss Foscari |
| 4. Max Stone Mask (level 5) | Reach the passive's max level. Provides +50% Greed at max |
| 5. Open chest at min 10 or 20 | Standard evolution gate. Muramasa replaces Night Sword in the slot |
| 6. First-time reward | 50,000 gold drops directly into the player's account |
Muramasa retains the Night Sword combat mechanic. From the wiki: "Muramasa creates a series of slashes at the closest enemies. When retaliating, it slashes six times around the character and can retaliate every 0.6 seconds." So the auto-target plus six-slash retaliation pattern continues unchanged. The differences are in raw stats; Muramasa has higher base damage and more aggressive scaling per level than Night Sword.
Muramasa's first-time evolution drops 50,000 gold, matching the Ophion (Shadow Servant) reward as one of the highest single-evolution gold rewards in v1.13. For comparison, most evolutions give a Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane spell or a small gold drop. Both Muramasa and Ophion sit in DLC content with stage-item-only gate passives (Stone Mask and Skull O'Maniac respectively), and both produce a 50,000 gold payoff that incentivizes players to push through the gate-passive limitation at least once.
Megalo Syuuto Moonspell is the build-defining character for Night Sword. The wiki lists his stats: 250 Max Health, +2 Armor, +20% Move Speed, +50% Might, +50% Greed, and +50% Curse. He gains +1% Might every level, with no cap on the bonus. The +50% Greed baseline is the foundation of the Night Sword build because it stacks directly with Stone Mask to push past the 100% Greed threshold where retaliation damage starts multiplying.
Megalo Syuuto unlocks by defeating 100,000 enemies in a single run with regular Syuuto Moonspell. The kill counter is per-run, so it requires a long endless-mode push on a high-density stage rather than cumulative grinding.
Megalo Syuuto Moonspell+Night SwordNight Sword+Max Stone Mask→MuramasaStone Mask (evolution gate, plus +50% Greed for retaliation damage)
Spinach (Might multiplies all damage including retaliation)
Duplicator (Amount adds parallel slashes on auto-target casts)
Candelabrador (Area widens slash radius on both modes)
Clover (Luck scales the 1% heart-drop chance for passive sustain)
Hollow Heart (Max Health buffer for absorbing intentional retaliation hits)Stone Mask deserves a callout. It's both the evolution gate AND the build's primary damage-scaling passive. Most evolution-gate passives provide tangential utility; Stone Mask provides direct retaliation-damage multiplication via its Greed scaling. Across multiple runs, max-level Stone Mask combined with Megalo Syuuto's +50% baseline pushes Greed to 100% past the threshold, which doubles all retaliation damage from that point forward.
Pummarola is intentionally excluded. Night Sword's 1% heart-drop chance plus Hollow Heart's Max Health buffer plus Megalo Syuuto's 250 base Max Health provide enough sustain for the intentional-hit playstyle. Pummarola's HP regen reduces the practical urgency of triggering retaliation, which slows down the build's damage output. Across multiple runs, no-Pummarola builds produce more retaliation procs per minute than Pummarola-equipped builds because the player engages more aggressively when sustain is just-in-time rather than constant.
Wandering the Jet Black (XXI) provides additional Greed scaling, which directly multiplies Night Sword's retaliation damage formula. Combined with Stone Mask and Megalo Syuuto's character bonus, this arcana pushes Greed past 200% reliably, which translates to 3x base retaliation damage minimum. After a few attempts the pattern becomes clear: this is the keystone arcana for damage-focused Night Sword builds.
Wicked Season (XIII) ramps Curse over time, which scales enemy density and HP. On Night Sword specifically, more enemies on screen means more incoming hits, which means more retaliation procs. The 0.6-second retaliation cooldown caps the proc rate, but high-density Wicked Season runs ensure the cooldown is the only ceiling rather than enemy availability.
Run Night Sword alongside Whip-family weapons or directional cone weapons that cover the front arc while Night Sword handles the closest-enemy auto-target plus retaliation. Within the broader Legacy of the Moonspell DLC, Night Sword pairs with other Moonspell weapons that share the high-density stage compatibility (Mt. Moonspell as the stage base). Avoid pairing with weapons that require precise positioning, since Megalo Syuuto's intentional-hit playstyle conflicts with positioning-dependent loadouts.
Night Sword is part of the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC, the first paid expansion for Vampire Survivors, released 15 December 2022. The DLC is themed around Japanese folklore and Edo-era yokai mythology, introducing Mt. Moonspell as the stage base and characters from a fictional Moonspell clan including Syuuto Moonspell, Menya Moonspell, and Megalo Syuuto Moonspell as the elite-tier evolved character.
Muramasa, the evolved form, is a direct reference to the Sengoku-era Japanese swordsmith Muramasa Sengo (active in the 16th century) and his cursed katanas. Historical lore around Muramasa blades describes them as bloodthirsty weapons that compelled their wielders to violent acts; this matches the Vampire Survivors implementation where the weapon's damage scales from taking damage and triggering retaliation. The cursed-blade folklore is preserved through the gameplay loop where the player must actively engage in combat to power up the weapon.
Megalo Syuuto Moonspell, the natural carrier character, is unlocked by defeating 100,000 enemies in a single run with regular Syuuto Moonspell. His theme song is "Hell Night," which fits the Japanese-folklore-themed DLC's emphasis on yokai and supernatural combat. His +1% Might per level with no cap is one of the most generous character bonuses in the game, and combined with the Greed-scaling Night Sword, late-game endless runs can push damage output well beyond what most other DLC characters produce.
Night Sword is unlocked by finding it as a stage pickup in Mt. Moonspell, the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC stage. The weapon also auto-equips as Megalo Syuuto Moonspell's starting weapon, so playing Megalo Syuuto unlocks Night Sword for the global level-up pool on the first run.
Evolve Night Sword at max level (level 8) when paired with max-level Stone Mask (level 5). Stone Mask must be at MAX level for the evolution to trigger. Stone Mask is a stage-item-only passive found in Inlaid Library, Moongolow, Boss Rash, Mt. Moonspell, or Abyss Foscari. Open any chest at minute 10 or later with both at max level to receive Muramasa.
The retaliation damage formula is base x (2 x Greed above 100%). At 100% Greed, retaliation does base damage. At 200% Greed, retaliation does 3x base damage. At 300% Greed, retaliation does 5x base damage. The formula clamps at 1x when Greed is below or equal to 100%, so low-Greed builds get no scaling benefit. Megalo Syuuto's +50% Greed plus max Stone Mask's +50% Greed pushes the player to +100% Greed past the threshold.
Per the wiki, evolving Night Sword into Muramasa for the first time unlocks 50,000 gold as a reward. The reward drops directly into the player's gold account when the evolution completes. This matches the Ophion (Shadow Servant evolution) reward as one of the highest single-evolution gold drops in v1.13. Both rewards trigger only on the first-ever evolution; subsequent runs do not produce the gold drop.
Night Sword has two firing modes. The default mode creates auto-targeted slashes at the closest enemies, similar to Knife or Whip auto-targets. The retaliation mode triggers when the player takes damage, producing six slashes radially around the character with a 0.6-second cooldown. The retaliation damage is multiplied by Greed above 100%. Additionally, Night Sword has a 1% Luck-scaled chance to drop a healing heart on each kill.
Megalo Syuuto Moonspell is unlocked by defeating 100,000 enemies in a single run with regular Syuuto Moonspell. The kill counter is per-run, not cumulative across runs. After unlocking, Megalo Syuuto can be purchased for 5,000 gold. He starts with 250 Max Health, +2 Armor, +20% Move Speed, +50% Might, +50% Greed, and +50% Curse, plus a +1% Might per level scaling with no cap.
Damage, Amount, Cooldown, Area, Might, Greed, and Luck. Greed is the unusual one; it acts as a damage multiplier specifically on retaliation slashes via the formula base x (2 x Greed above 100%). Luck scales the 1% heart-drop chance on kills. Speed (which affects projectile travel) does not impact slash damage on Night Sword, so Bracer is a low-value passive pick on this weapon.
Muramasa is the evolved form of Night Sword, requiring max-level Stone Mask. Muramasa retains the auto-target plus six-slash retaliation mechanic from Night Sword. The name is a reference to Sengo Muramasa, a 16th-century Japanese swordsmith whose blades were considered cursed in folklore. The Vampire Survivors implementation preserves the cursed-blade theme via the take-damage-to-power-up gameplay loop.
Browse other weapon and item guides grouped by DLC.
Image sprites and screenshots sourced from the Vampire Survivors Wiki (vampire.survivors.wiki) under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.