The Castlevania DLC evolution of Alchemy Whip. Fires fireball projectiles alongside the whip swing, summons sunlight to incinerate bosses, gains +2 Base Damage per boss killed, and shares its name with the iconic Belmont family whip from the Castlevania franchise.
Vampire Killer is one of the few weapons in v1.13 that scales infinitely as long as you keep killing bosses.
The mechanic is inherited from its base form. Each boss killed grants the weapon a flat +2 Base Damage increase, and that bonus carries through the evolution. After 50 boss kills, Vampire Killer's effective Base Damage is 180 (80 base plus +100 from boss kills). On stages with high boss density, the scaling never plateaus.
The Castlevania reference is doing real work too. Vampire Killer is the canonical name of the Belmont family whip across the entire Castlevania franchise dating back to 1986. The same words also name the franchise's most recognizable music track. So the weapon arrives in Vampire Survivors carrying nearly four decades of Castlevania lore weight, on top of being mechanically one of the strongest whip evolutions in the Ode to Castlevania DLC.
The catch is the evolution gate: Alchemy Whip plus Tirajisu. Both are accessible mid-run, but the timing matters. Get the evolution online by minute 12, then start farming bosses for the +2 Base Damage stacking, and the run scales beyond what most other Castlevania DLC evolutions can match.
Alchemy Whip at max level paired with max-level 
Tirajisu. Single-passive evolution gateVampire Killer is classified as an Evolution weapon with internal ID `TP_ALCHEMYWHIP2`. Its max level is 1 (standard for evolution forms), with all scaling coming from Limit Break and external sources rather than additional level-ups. The wiki effects block describes the firing pattern: "Supplementing the Alchemy Whip's basic attack, the Vampire Killer also fires fireball projectiles along with each whip attack at fixed directions, which can pierce through several enemies."
That's two attack layers operating simultaneously. The base whip swing keeps Alchemy Whip's horizontal sweep mechanic, and the fireball projectiles add fixed-direction piercing damage on top. Each whip activation triggers both attacks at once, which means Vampire Killer's effective hit count per cast is roughly double what most single-mechanic weapons produce.
Every third activation also fires additional projectiles per the weapon caption. Combined with the 0.2-second projectile interval and the 1.5-second cooldown, Vampire Killer maintains consistent damage output through both wave clearing and boss engagements. After a few runs the firing rhythm becomes routine: whip and fireballs every 1.5 seconds, with the every-third-activation bonus producing a noticeable damage spike.
According to the wiki effects block, "Hitting a boss with these fireballs will summon sunlight to constantly incinerate them." The sunlight is a damage-over-time effect that triggers from any fireball impact on a boss, not from the whip swing itself. So aiming the fireballs at bosses (which fire in fixed directions tied to character facing) is critical for maximizing the boss damage. In practice, the sunlight DoT does meaningful damage on its own, but its real value is keeping pressure on bosses while the whip handles trash mobs.
In our testing, walking past bosses rather than approaching head-on produces the most fireball-on-boss hits. The fixed-direction fireballs fire in the player's facing direction, so a strafing pattern past a boss lands more fireballs on it than a direct walk-toward approach. Vampire Killer pairs well with Wings on this build because the extra Move Speed makes the strafing pattern easier to maintain.
The wiki lists Vampire Killer's evolved-form stats directly. As an evolution, it doesn't level up after triggering, so these are the stable values:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Damage | 80 (plus +2 per boss killed, no cap) |
| Area | 1.6 |
| Speed | 1 |
| Amount | 2 |
| Duration | 1.5 seconds |
| Cooldown | 1.5 seconds |
| Projectile Interval | 0.2 seconds |
| Hitbox Delay | 0.5 seconds |
| Knockback | 6 |
| Crit Chance | 5% (Luck-scaled) |
| Crit Multiplier | 2x base, 4x with Slash (XVI) |
The 80 Base Damage at level 1 is unusually high for an evolution baseline. Combined with the +2 per boss killed inheritance, Vampire Killer can reach effective Base Damage values of 200-300 in long runs with heavy boss density.
Vampire Killer's Limit Break adds Might +0.25% (with footnote: equivalent to +0.25 Base Damage per Might rank), Area +2.5% (max 500%), and Amount +1 (max 20). The Amount cap of 20 matters most for Vampire Killer specifically because each Amount tier adds another fireball projectile, which means each whip activation deals damage from up to 20 separate fireballs plus the whip swing itself. In our testing, hitting Amount 20 in endless runs produces some of the highest single-cast damage in the entire DLC.
Vampire Killer is the evolution of Alchemy Whip paired with max-level Tirajisu. This is a single-passive evolution gate, which is moderately demanding for the Ode to Castlevania DLC (some Castlevania weapons require dual-passive gates, while a few like Shuriken use simpler single-passive recipes).
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1. Equip Alchemy Whip | Starting weapon for several Castlevania DLC characters, or pick from level-up offers |
| 2. Level Alchemy Whip to max | Standard level-up path. Each boss killed during this phase adds +2 Base Damage |
| 3. Pick Tirajisu | From any level-up screen. Tirajisu is the Castlevania DLC passive item required for the evolution |
| 4. Max Tirajisu | Reach the passive's max level |
| 5. Open chest at min 10 or 20 | Standard evolution gate. Vampire Killer replaces Alchemy Whip in the slot, inheriting all accumulated +2 Base Damage stacks |
Tirajisu is poncle's pun on "tiramisu," continuing the Italian-language naming convention that runs throughout the game. According to the wiki, Tirajisu is the only passive that gates the Alchemy Whip evolution into Vampire Killer. The single-passive gate makes the evolution timing flexible compared to dual-passive Operation Guns evolutions. After a few runs, the practical pattern becomes clear: pick Tirajisu around minute 5-7 from level-up offers, max it by minute 9, and the minute 10 chest delivers Vampire Killer with the accumulated boss-kill bonuses intact.
Don't evolve Alchemy Whip until you've already killed a few bosses with it. The +2 Base Damage per boss kill mechanic stacks during the Alchemy Whip phase too, and the bonuses carry into Vampire Killer. Evolving too early (before any bosses spawn) means starting Vampire Killer at the bare 80 Base Damage rather than 90-100. Across multiple runs, waiting until at least 5-10 boss kills before triggering the evolution adds noticeable damage to the early Vampire Killer phase.
Vampire Killer's signature mechanic, inherited from Alchemy Whip, is the +2 Base Damage per boss killed. The wiki states this directly: "As with its base form, each Boss killed grants the Vampire Killer a flat +2 increase to Base Damage." There is no listed cap on this scaling.
| Boss kills | Effective Base Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 bosses | 80 | Fresh evolution, no bonuses accumulated |
| 10 bosses | 100 | Roughly minute 15-20 on standard stages |
| 25 bosses | 130 | Minute 25-30 on standard stages, minute 15-20 on Boss Rash |
| 50 bosses | 180 | Endless mode territory, minute 30+ standard |
| 100 bosses | 280 | Long endless runs with extra boss-spawning arcanas |
The wiki explicitly flags Moonlight Bolero (VI) as a tip for this build: "Moonlight Bolero (VI) will spawn extra Bosses each minute in-game. This allows the Alchemy Whip to gain more damage than normally possible in a run." The same logic applies to Vampire Killer post-evolution. Combining Moonlight Bolero with Boss Rash stage selection produces the highest boss-density runs in v1.13, which directly translates into the highest Vampire Killer effective damage values.
In actual play, this scaling pattern means Vampire Killer outperforms even high-baseline evolutions like Bloody Tear (Whip's evolution) on long runs. Bloody Tear has a higher initial damage value but lacks the per-boss scaling. Across multiple endless runs past minute 30, Vampire Killer's accumulated boss-kill bonuses pull it ahead.
The strongest Vampire Killer build pairs the weapon with characters who naturally engage bosses (rather than kiting them) and stages with high boss density. Castlevania DLC characters who start with Alchemy Whip have an inherent advantage because the +2 Base Damage scaling starts accumulating from minute 0 rather than from whenever the player picks up Alchemy Whip mid-run.
Alchemy Whip+Tirajisu→Vampire KillerTirajisu (evolution gate, plus Curse + Might bonuses)
Spinach (Might multiplier amplifies the boss-kill scaling)
Candelabrador (Area widens fireball reach and sunlight DoT zone)
Clover (Luck = crit chance for Slash XVI runs)
Wings (Move Speed for the strafing pattern that maximizes fireball-on-boss hits)
Duplicator (more Amount = more fireballs per swing, hits Amount cap of 20 faster)Spinach deserves a callout. The +2 Base Damage per boss kill mechanic produces a high raw damage number, and Spinach's Might multiplier scales that raw damage further. By minute 25-30 on a high-boss-density run, Spinach plus the boss-kill scaling produces effective damage values that Hollow Heart or Pummarola simply cannot match for build priority.
Pummarola and Hollow Heart are intentionally excluded. Vampire Killer's pierce mechanic and 80 Base Damage already provide damage uptime that handles most survival pressure, and the Wings pick adds Move Speed for kiting between boss engagements. Sustain passives compete with offensive picks for slots that the build doesn't have to spare.
According to the wiki effects block, Slash (XVI) "allows the Vampire Killer to critical hit. Its critical hits deal 4x damage and have a 5% chance to occur. This chance is affected by Luck." That's a 4x crit multiplier, doubling Vampire Killer's base 2x crit. Combined with the +2 per boss kill scaling, Slash (XVI) crits in late-game runs produce some of the highest single-hit damage values in the entire game.
Twilight Requiem (II) makes Vampire Killer's fireball projectiles "explode once upon initial contact with an enemy. Damage is based on Curse." This is the Curse-stacking alternative to the Slash (XVI) crit path. After a few attempts the choice becomes clear: Slash (XVI) is better for boss-focused builds where crits land on high-HP targets, while Twilight Requiem is better for wave-clearing builds where Curse ramping plus explosion AoE produces consistent screen-saturation damage.
The wiki's Tips section flags Moonlight Bolero (VI) directly: "Moonlight Bolero (VI) will spawn extra Bosses each minute in-game. This allows the Alchemy Whip to gain more damage than normally possible in a run." The same applies post-evolution. Moonlight Bolero is effectively a Vampire Killer-specific damage scaling arcana, since extra bosses translate directly into more +2 Base Damage stacks.
Run Vampire Killer with other Castlevania DLC weapons that benefit from boss engagements. Tyrfing on Reinhardt Schneider provides the 8x crit damage stack that complements Vampire Killer's Slash (XVI) crits. Shuriken covers the spread-cone wave-clearing role while Vampire Killer focuses on boss damage. Raging Fire shares the fire-damage theme and Castlevania DLC stage compatibility.
Vampire Killer is the canonical name of the Belmont family whip in the Castlevania franchise, dating back to the original Castlevania (1986). In Castlevania lore, Vampire Killer is a sacred whip created with mystical properties specifically for hunting Dracula and his minions. The whip is passed down through the Belmont family across generations and serves as the signature weapon for nearly every protagonist Belmont in the series, including Simon Belmont, Trevor Belmont, Christopher Belmont, Richter Belmont, and Juste Belmont.
The same words also name the iconic title music of Castlevania (1986), composed by Kinuyo Yamashita. "Vampire Killer" the music track is one of the most recognizable themes in video game history and has been remixed and re-arranged in nearly every subsequent Castlevania title. Vampire Survivors' Ode to Castlevania DLC includes its own version of the theme as part of the soundtrack, which plays during specific stages and boss encounters.
The Vampire Survivors weapon's mechanical design honors the Castlevania source material directly. The boss-killing sunlight effect mirrors Castlevania lore where holy weapons inflict ongoing damage on undead and vampire enemies. The +2 Base Damage per boss kill scaling reflects the Belmont weapon's mythology of growing stronger with each defeated foe, paralleled in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse where Vampire Killer power-ups stack across the campaign. Tirajisu, the gating passive, continues poncle's Italian-language naming theme: it's a pun on "tiramisu," the Italian dessert. The Ode to Castlevania DLC name itself signals the entire content pack as a tribute album to the franchise that launched the Castlevania series.
Evolve Alchemy Whip at max level paired with max-level Tirajisu when a chest opens. Both items are accessible mid-run on Castlevania DLC stages. The wiki specifies this is a single-passive evolution gate, which makes Vampire Killer one of the more accessible Ode to Castlevania DLC evolutions compared to dual-passive recipes.
Vampire Killer fires fireball projectiles alongside Alchemy Whip's basic whip swing. The fireballs travel in fixed directions and pierce through enemies. Hitting a boss with the fireballs summons sunlight that deals damage-over-time to that boss. Each boss killed grants the weapon +2 permanent Base Damage with no listed cap, allowing infinite scaling on long endless runs.
The wiki states 'each Boss killed grants the Vampire Killer a flat +2 increase to Base Damage.' This bonus is permanent for the run and stacks with no cap. The mechanic is inherited from Alchemy Whip, so boss kills during the pre-evolution phase also count. After 50 boss kills, Vampire Killer's effective Base Damage reaches 180 (80 base plus 100 from kills). The scaling is uncapped, which makes Vampire Killer one of the strongest endless-mode weapons in the Castlevania DLC.
The wiki effects block names two arcana synergies. Slash (XVI) allows critical hits at 4x damage with 5% Luck-scaled chance, which doubles Vampire Killer's base 2x crit multiplier. Twilight Requiem (II) makes the fireball projectiles explode on initial enemy contact, with damage based on Curse. Moonlight Bolero (VI) is also flagged in the Tips section because it spawns extra bosses each minute, directly feeding the +2 Base Damage scaling.
Vampire Killer is the canonical name of the Belmont family whip in the Castlevania franchise, dating back to Castlevania (1986). It's the signature weapon used by every major Belmont protagonist (Simon, Trevor, Richter, Juste). The same words also name the iconic Castlevania title music composed by Kinuyo Yamashita. The Vampire Survivors weapon honors both the in-game weapon legacy and the music track.
Tirajisu is a Castlevania DLC passive item that gates the Alchemy Whip-to-Vampire Killer evolution. The name is poncle's pun on 'tiramisu' (the Italian dessert), continuing the Italian-language naming theme that runs throughout Vampire Survivors weapon and item names. Tirajisu provides Curse and Might bonuses on its own, plus the evolution-gating function.
Boss Rash is the optimal stage because it spawns bosses constantly, which feeds the +2 Base Damage per boss kill scaling at maximum density. On Boss Rash, Vampire Killer reaches effective Base Damage values of 200+ by minute 15-20. Standard stages don't hit those numbers until minute 30+. For non-Boss Rash runs, pair Vampire Killer with Moonlight Bolero (VI) which spawns extra bosses each minute on any stage.
Slash (XVI) is better for boss-focused builds. The 4x crit multiplier lands on high-HP targets where the per-hit damage matters most, and Luck-scaled crit chance pairs naturally with Clover. Twilight Requiem (II) is better for wave-clearing builds. Curse ramping plus explosion AoE produces consistent screen-saturation damage that Slash (XVI) crits don't replicate. After a few runs you'll see which playstyle suits your build, but the Slash (XVI) path is the higher-ceiling endless option.
For other Castlevania DLC weapon spokes, see our Gale Force guide, our Rock Riot guide, our Ice Fang guide, and our Coat of Arms guide. For Operation Guns DLC weapons, see 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. For base game evolution comparisons, see our Glass Fandango guide, our Pentagram guide, our Bracelet guide, our Crimson Shroud guide, our Victory Sword guide, and our Gaze of Gaea guide. The weapon tier list ranks every weapon in v1.13 and the weapon evolution chart covers every recipe including Vampire Killer. The passive items guide walks through Tirajisu, Spinach, Candelabrador, Clover, Wings, and Duplicator. 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.