Tsunanori Mido's alternate starting weapon. Attacks with two slashes above and below the player, scales damage from Duration (rare among weapons), glimmers the Dual Whirlwind tech, and evolves into Pursuant Blades to unlock Bonnie Blair.
Splashers is the only weapon in v1.13 with damage that scales from Duration.
The wiki effects block flags this directly: "Duration affects damage. Best with: Duration." Most weapons treat Duration as a secondary stat that extends projectile lifespan or freeze windows. Splashers builds Duration directly into its damage formula, which inverts the typical passive-priority order. Spinach and Empty Tome become side picks. Spellbinder, which provides Duration plus the evolution gate, becomes the keystone passive.
Splashers is also the gateway to one of the longest unlock chains in the Emerald Diorama DLC. Fully evolving Splashers into Pursuant Blades unlocks Bonnie Blair as a playable character, which leads to Formina Franklyn (via evolving Bonnie's Kick), which leads to Diva No. 5 (via evolving Formina's Eagle Gun). The chain runs through three character unlocks tied to evolving Emerald Diorama weapons in sequence.
The third hook is the Glimmer mechanic. Emerald Diorama borrowed Glimmer from SaGa: Emerald Beyond, the Square Enix RPG that this free DLC is themed around. Splashers can glimmer the "Dual Whirlwind" tech, which is also half of the Pursuant Blades evolution recipe. So learning to glimmer reliably is functionally a build requirement, not just a flavor mechanic.
Splashers by leveling it to level 6 in any run. It first appears as Tsunanori Mido's alternate starting weapon after fully evolving his 
Fleuret to Espada Ropera
Pursuant Blades with max-level 
Spellbinder AND glimmering the Dual Whirlwind tech in-runSplashers is classified as a Normal weapon in the Emerald Diorama DLC with internal ID `EME_DUAL1`. The wiki describes the firing pattern: "Splashers attacks using two slashes above and below the player. These attack in the faced direction and slightly forward." That's a forward-cone attack centered on the player, with vertical coverage above and below the character sprite.
The "Duration affects damage" effect is the build-defining mechanic. Most weapons in v1.13 treat Duration as a lifespan stat: longer Duration means a fire patch lasts longer or a freeze beam holds longer. Splashers reverses this. Higher Duration translates directly into higher per-slash damage. Spellbinder (the evolution-gating passive) adds Duration. Tsunanori Mido starts with +20% Duration. Both feed Splashers' damage formula before any standard Damage or Might passive is picked.
The forward-cone targeting matters mechanically. After a few runs the practical pattern becomes clear: Splashers wants to face the wave it's killing. Auto-targeting weapons cover the back arc while Splashers handles the forward push. Pure forward-firing builds (Splashers plus Long Gun plus Knife) leave the rear flank exposed and require constant turning. Mixed builds with at least one auto-target weapon ride Splashers' forward damage without the kiting penalty.
In our testing, walking into waves rather than backpedaling produces the highest Splashers damage output. The two-slash forward-cone stacks both attacks on enemies directly in the player's path. Tsunanori's +20% Move Speed and +20% Speed character bonuses make the aggressive engagement viable; combined with Wings or other Move Speed passives, the sweep pattern becomes the build's primary playstyle.
Splashers has 8 levels. The wiki level table mixes Area, Duration, Cooldown, and Damage picks across the scaling, with Duration showing up at every other level:
| Level | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Duration affects damage. Can glimmer the Dual Whirlwind tech |
| Level 2 | Base Area up by 25% |
| Level 3 | Effect lasts 0.5 seconds longer. Cooldown reduced by 0.3 seconds |
| Level 4 | Base Area up by 25%. Base Damage up by 10 |
| Level 5 | Effect lasts 0.5 seconds longer. Cooldown reduced by 0.3 seconds |
| Level 6 | Base Area up by 25%. Base Damage up by 10. Splashers unlocks for all characters at this level |
| Level 7 | Effect lasts 0.5 seconds longer. Cooldown reduced by 0.3 seconds |
| Level 8 | Effect lasts 0.5 seconds longer. Cooldown reduced by 0.3 seconds |
At max level, Splashers gains +75% Area, +20 Base Damage, +2 seconds Duration, and -1.2 seconds Cooldown above level 1. The Duration scaling at levels 3, 5, 7, 8 produces a +2.0-second total Duration gain, which translates directly into damage on this weapon specifically because the wiki effect tags Duration as a damage modifier.
Level 6 is the unlock threshold. The wiki specifies: "It is unlocked by leveling it up to level 6." Once Splashers hits level 6 in any run, it permanently joins the level-up pool and can be picked by any character. After a few runs, this becomes a useful intermediate goal even if you're not chasing the full Pursuant Blades evolution.
Glimmer is the Emerald Diorama DLC's signature mechanic, borrowed from SaGa: Emerald Beyond. The wiki describes it directly: when an Emerald Diorama weapon attacks, there's a Luck-based chance for a lightbulb to appear above the character's head, signaling that a Glimmer has triggered. The weapon then fires a flashy special technique alongside its standard attack.
Splashers can glimmer the "Dual Whirlwind" tech specifically. Each Splashers cast has a Luck-scaled probability to fire the Dual Whirlwind alongside the normal two-slash attack. The Dual Whirlwind is also the evolution gate: a Splashers run that hasn't successfully glimmered Dual Whirlwind cannot evolve into Pursuant Blades, even if Spellbinder is at max level.
| Glimmer mechanic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Random chance per attack, scales with Luck |
| Visual signal | Lightbulb appears above character's head before the attack |
| First-time effect | Tech name displays with a 1-3 star rating |
| Showstopper override | At critical HP, all glimmers fire from every weapon activation |
| Splashers tech | Dual Whirlwind |
| Pursuant Blades tech | Dual Torrent (evolved form glimmers a different tech) |
According to the wiki, Showstopper activates when an Emerald Diorama character drops to critical HP. The state grants bonus Might, decreased Cooldown, and extra Luck for a brief duration. Critically, "All Glimmer Attacks will trigger from every weapon activation during Showstopper." That means dropping to critical HP forces Dual Whirlwind to fire on every Splashers cast, which can complete the evolution-gate requirement in a single Showstopper window even on low-Luck builds.
Stack Clover early on Splashers builds. The wiki effects block confirms Glimmer triggers scale with Luck. Tsunanori has no Luck character bonus by default, so passive picks have to fill that gap. Clover plus Showstopper triggers (intentional or accidental) shorten the average time-to-Dual-Whirlwind-glimmer significantly.
Splashers evolves into Pursuant Blades when paired with max-level Spellbinder AND a successful Dual Whirlwind glimmer in the same run. This is a hybrid passive-plus-tech evolution gate, which is unique to Emerald Diorama weapons and rare across the broader v1.13 weapon set.
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1. Equip Splashers | Play Tsunanori with the Dual Swordsman skin (after evolving Fleuret first), or pick from level-up offers if Splashers is unlocked |
| 2. Level Splashers to 8 | Standard level-up path. None of the eight levels are safe to skip |
| 3. Pick Spellbinder | From any level-up screen. Spellbinder provides Duration, which scales Splashers' damage |
| 4. Max Spellbinder | Reach the passive's max level |
| 5. Glimmer Dual Whirlwind | Random chance per attack, scales with Luck. Also fires reliably during Showstopper at critical HP |
| 6. Open chest at min 10 or 20 | Standard evolution gate. Pursuant Blades replaces Splashers in the slot |
Pursuant Blades is the evolved form. It glimmers a different tech: "Dual Torrent" instead of Splashers' Dual Whirlwind. The wiki notes evolved weapons retain access to their base form's glimmer tech, so Pursuant Blades can glimmer both Dual Whirlwind AND Dual Torrent. Per-level scaling adds Area, Speed, additional projectiles, and Damage:
| Pursuant Blades level | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Evolved Splashers. Glimmers Dual Torrent |
| Level 2 | Base Area up by 25% |
| Level 3 | Base Speed up by 25% |
| Level 4 | Fires 1 more projectile |
| Level 5 | Base Damage up by 10 |
| Level 6 | Base Area up by 25% |
| Level 7 | Base Speed up by 25% |
| Level 8 | Fires 1 more projectile |
Fully evolving Splashers into Pursuant Blades unlocks Bonnie Blair as a playable character. Bonnie Blair sits in the middle of one of the longest character unlock chains in the Emerald Diorama DLC, where each character requires evolving the previous character's alternate weapon.
| Step | Action | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find and open the first coffin in Emerald Diorama (Miyako City) | Tsunanori Mido |
| 2 | Fully evolve Fleuret into Espada Ropera as Tsunanori | Splashers as Tsunanori's alternate starting weapon |
| 3 | Level Splashers to 6 (in any character's run) | Splashers added to global level-up pool |
| 4 | Fully evolve Splashers into Pursuant Blades | Bonnie Blair |
| 5 | Fully evolve Bonnie's Kick with Pummarola | Formina Franklyn |
| 6 | Fully evolve Formina's Eagle Gun with Spinach | Diva No. 5 (Retro Pod base form) |
Diva No. 5 has six body-form variants, each unlocked through separate Emerald Diorama achievements. Reaching Diva No. 5 in the first place requires the Tsunanori-Splashers-Bonnie-Formina-Eagle Gun chain, which makes Splashers' Pursuant Blades evolution the second-most-important unlock gate in the entire Emerald Diorama character roster (only the Tsunanori unlock itself is more upstream).
If you're chasing the full Diva No. 5 collection, prioritize getting Splashers to Pursuant Blades early in your Emerald Diorama playthrough. The chain back-propagates: every later unlock depends on Bonnie Blair, which depends on Pursuant Blades, which depends on glimmering Dual Whirlwind. A single solid run with Spellbinder, Splashers, and intentional low-HP Showstopper triggers handles the whole gate.
Tsunanori Mido is the natural carrier for Splashers because the weapon is his alternate starting weapon and his character bonuses align with the Duration-as-damage mechanic. The wiki lists his stats: 100 Max Health, +20% Speed, +20% Move Speed, +20% Duration. Triggers Showstopper at critical health. Obtains a Kugutsu follower every 20 levels (max 4). The +20% Duration bonus directly scales Splashers' damage formula from minute zero.
Tsunanori Mido (Dual Swordsman skin, after evolving Fleuret to Espada Ropera)Splashers+Spellbinder + Dual Whirlwind glimmer→Pursuant BladesSpellbinder (evolution gate, plus Duration scales damage)
Clover (Luck drives Glimmer trigger rate)
Empty Tome (Cooldown reduction tightens cast cycle)
Spinach (Might multiplier on the Duration-scaled damage)
Candelabrador (Area widens the two-slash hitbox, more enemies hit per cast)
Wings (Move Speed enables aggressive forward engagement)Clover deserves a callout. On most weapon builds, Clover is a niche pickup-roll passive. On Splashers specifically, Luck directly drives the Glimmer trigger rate, which means Clover doubles as the build's evolution-acceleration passive. Across multiple runs, Clover-enabled Splashers builds glimmer Dual Whirlwind 2-3x faster than no-Clover builds, which closes the evolution gate before the minute 10 chest opens rather than after.
Pummarola is intentionally excluded. Two reasons: Tsunanori's 100 Max Health and Showstopper trigger together produce enough sustain on their own, and Pummarola's HP regen actively works against the Showstopper-as-forced-glimmer strategy by pulling HP back above the critical threshold. After a few attempts the math becomes obvious: skipping Pummarola lets Showstopper fire more often, which forces more Dual Whirlwind glimmers, which speeds the evolution.
Wicked Season (XIII) ramps Curse upward over time, increasing enemy density and HP. On Splashers specifically, higher enemy density means more attacks per minute, which means more Glimmer roll attempts, which means faster Dual Whirlwind triggers. The Curse-driven enemy HP scaling also creates a longer late-game runway where Splashers' Duration-scaled damage stays relevant.
Disco of Gold (XV) drops gold pickups that grant XP. On the Splashers build, this accelerates the Splashers and Spellbinder leveling pace, which closes the evolution-gate timing earlier. Combined with the Bonnie Blair unlock urgency (chained to Formina Franklyn and Diva No. 5), Disco of Gold is a quality-of-life pick for unlock-focused runs.
Run Splashers with auto-targeting weapons that cover the back arc Splashers' forward cone misses. Bracelet chains hit random enemies regardless of facing, which fills the rear-flank coverage gap. Pentagram evolved into Gorgeous Moon clears the screen periodically. Within the Emerald Diorama DLC specifically, pair Splashers with Tsunanori's other starting weapon Fleuret (evolved into Espada Ropera), since both share Duration-scaling and Spellbinder-friendly passive priorities.
Emerald Diorama is Vampire Survivors' sixth expansion and the first free DLC, released 10 April 2025. The expansion is themed around SaGa: Emerald Beyond, the 2024 Square Enix RPG that's the latest entry in the long-running SaGa series. According to the wiki, the DLC adds 16 new playable characters, 40 new weapons including base, evolution, and Glimmer-attack variants, and the Glimmer mechanic borrowed directly from SaGa: Emerald Beyond.
Tsunanori Mido is one of the SaGa: Emerald Beyond protagonists. In the source RPG, he's a fate-forged master of Kugutsu puppets, and the Vampire Survivors port preserves that identity: Tsunanori obtains a Kugutsu follower every 20 levels in-run, with up to 4 puppet followers in fixed cardinal positions. The Showstopper mechanic, where critical HP triggers a brief burst of bonus stats and forces all Glimmer Attacks to fire, also comes directly from SaGa: Emerald Beyond's combat system.
Splashers itself is the in-RPG signature weapon of the dual-swordsman fighting style associated with Tsunanori. The "Dual Whirlwind" tech name continues the SaGa franchise's tradition of attack technique names rooted in martial-arts and elemental imagery. Pursuant Blades' evolved tech "Dual Torrent" follows the same pattern, suggesting a water-elemental progression theme. Bonnie Blair and Formina Franklyn, who unlock through the Splashers evolution chain, are also SaGa: Emerald Beyond protagonists, ported with their original "duo of detectives" identity into the Vampire Survivors crossover.
Level Splashers to level 6 in any run and the weapon is permanently unlocked. The wiki specifies this unlock condition directly. Splashers first appears as Tsunanori Mido's alternate starting weapon after fully evolving his Fleuret into Espada Ropera, which is the most efficient way to access Splashers in the first place.
Splashers evolves into Pursuant Blades. The wiki specifies the recipe requires max-level Spellbinder plus a successful Dual Whirlwind glimmer in the same run. Pursuant Blades replaces Splashers in the weapon slot and gains a different glimmer tech, the Dual Torrent, while retaining access to the Dual Whirlwind from its base form.
Dual Whirlwind is the Glimmer Attack that Splashers can fire alongside its standard two-slash attack. The wiki states Glimmers are random Luck-based triggers that show a lightbulb above the character's head before firing the special technique. Glimmering Dual Whirlwind once is required for the Pursuant Blades evolution. Showstopper mode (triggered at critical HP) forces Dual Whirlwind to fire on every Splashers cast for its duration.
It's a unique design element specific to Splashers. The wiki effects block tags Splashers as 'Best with: Duration' because Duration directly scales the weapon's damage rather than just extending hitbox lifespan. Spellbinder (the evolution-gating passive) adds Duration, and Tsunanori Mido's character bonus includes +20% Duration. Both feed Splashers' damage before any standard Damage or Might passive contributes.
Bonnie Blair as a playable character. The wiki confirms 'Fully evolving it unlocks Bonnie Blair as playable character.' Bonnie sits in the middle of an unlock chain: evolving her Kick with Pummarola unlocks Formina Franklyn, and evolving Formina's Eagle Gun with Spinach unlocks Diva No. 5. So Pursuant Blades is functionally the gateway to three character unlocks across the Emerald Diorama DLC.
Showstopper is the Emerald Diorama character mechanic that activates at critical HP. The wiki describes it as 'a brief burst of bonus Might, decreased Cooldown, and a little extra Luck.' Critically, all Glimmer Attacks trigger from every weapon activation during Showstopper. On Splashers builds, intentionally dropping into Showstopper forces continuous Dual Whirlwind glimmers, which can complete the evolution-gate requirement in a single Showstopper window.
Wicked Season (XIII) is the priority pick because it ramps Curse over time, which increases enemy density and feeds the Glimmer trigger frequency. Disco of Gold (XV) accelerates leveling, which closes the evolution-gate timing earlier. Both arcanas support the unlock-focused playstyle that Splashers builds typically pursue, since Pursuant Blades is the gate to Bonnie Blair, Formina Franklyn, and Diva No. 5.
SaGa: Emerald Beyond is the 2024 Square Enix RPG that the Emerald Diorama DLC is themed around. Vampire Survivors borrowed the Glimmer mechanic from this game. Several characters in Emerald Diorama, including Tsunanori Mido, Bonnie Blair, Formina Franklyn, and Diva No. 5, are ported from the SaGa: Emerald Beyond cast. The DLC released 10 April 2025 as Vampire Survivors' first free expansion.
For other base game evolution guides, see our Glass Fandango guide, our Victory Sword guide, our Pako Battiliar guide, our Crimson Shroud guide, our Infinite Corridor guide, and our Gaze of Gaea guide. For Castlevania DLC weapons, see our Raging Fire guide, our Ice Fang guide, our Gale Force guide, our Rock Riot guide, our Alchemy Whip guide, our Shuriken guide, our Tyrfing guide, our Vampire Killer guide, and our Coat of Arms guide. For Operation Guns DLC weapons, see our Long Gun guide, our Short Gun guide, our Spread Shot guide, our Metal Claw guide, and our Prism Lass guide. For thrown-projectile and grenade comparisons, see our Javelin guide, our Hand Grenade guide, and our Arma Dio guide. The weapon tier list ranks every weapon in v1.13 and the weapon evolution chart covers every recipe including Pursuant Blades. The passive items guide walks through Spellbinder, Clover, Empty Tome, Spinach, Candelabrador, and Wings. 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.