Vampire Survivors Best Weapons — Every Weapon and Evolution Ranked
Complete Vampire Survivors weapon ranking covering base weapons, evolved forms, and union combos. Which weapons to prioritize in every run.
By the Choost Games team — indie game developers behind Granny's Rampage and Granny's Gambit. We play what we recommend.
The strongest weapons in Vampire Survivors are La Borra (evolved Santa Water), Unholy Vespers (evolved King Bible), and Vandalier (Peachone + Ebony Wings union). These three provide the screen coverage and sustained damage that carry runs past the 25-minute mark when enemy density makes single-target weapons irrelevant.
Weapon Tier List
| Tier | Weapon (Evolved Form) | Why It's Ranked Here |
|---|---|---|
| S | La Borra, Unholy Vespers, Vandalier | Full screen coverage, passive damage, scale into late game |
| A | Hellfire, Death Spiral, Thousand Edge, NO FUTURE | High damage output, cover large areas |
| A | Gorgeous Moon, Mannajja, Phieraggi | Strong burst or unique mechanics |
| B | Holy Wand, Bloody Tear, Thunder Loop, Soul Eater | Solid single-target or area damage, reliable |
| C | Heaven Sword, Cherry Bomb, Crimson Shroud | Niche uses or require specific conditions |
| D | Infinite Corridor, Fuwalafuwaloo | Utility tools, not damage weapons |
S-Tier: The Weapons That Win Runs
La Borra (Santa Water + Attractorb) creates pools of damage on the ground that persist and stack. In the late game, the entire floor becomes a damage zone. Enemies walk into your La Borra and melt before they reach you. It's the closest thing to passive play Vampire Survivors offers — you barely need other weapons once La Borra is online.
Unholy Vespers (King Bible + Spellbinder) creates an orbiting ring of damage that's always active. It handles everything within melee range automatically, freeing you to focus on positioning and gem collection. The extended duration from Spellbinder means the ring rarely has downtime.
Vandalier (Peachone + Ebony Wings union) fires homing projectiles that seek enemies across the entire screen. Unlike most weapons that require you to walk toward enemies, Vandalier goes to them. In a game where positioning is your primary survival tool, a weapon that doesn't care about your position is invaluable.
A-Tier: Build-Defining Weapons
Hellfire (Fire Wand + Spinach) has the highest single-projectile damage in the game. It fires slow but each hit removes large chunks of health. Against bosses and elite enemies, Hellfire does work that area weapons can't.
Death Spiral (Axe + Candelabrador) throws massive spinning axes that orbit outward, hitting everything in a growing circle. The area coverage is second only to S-tier weapons, and the individual hit damage is higher than most area options.
Thousand Edge (Knife + Bracer) fires a continuous stream of projectiles in your facing direction. It's the highest sustained DPS weapon in the game if enemies are clumped in front of you, which they often are when you kite them.
NO FUTURE (Runetracer + Armor) bounces projectiles that grow faster and deal more damage with each bounce. In enclosed areas or against dense crowds, each projectile hits dozens of times before expiring.
B-Tier: Reliable Picks
Holy Wand (Magic Wand + Empty Tome) fires rapid homing projectiles that auto-target the nearest enemy. It's not flashy, but it never misses and it never stops firing. The quintessential "set and forget" weapon.
Bloody Tear (Whip + Hollow Heart) adds lifesteal to an already solid area weapon. The healing keeps you alive when other builds would fail, making it the best defensive weapon evolution.
Thunder Loop (Lightning Ring + Duplicator) strikes random enemies on screen. The randomness is both its strength (it hits enemies you can't reach) and weakness (it can waste hits on weak enemies while ignoring dangerous ones).
Weapons That Don't Rank for Damage (But Still Matter)
Infinite Corridor (Clock Lancet + Silver Ring + Gold Ring) doesn't deal damage. It freezes time for all enemies on screen. You take this weapon for one reason: surviving the Reaper at minute 30. No other weapon can do that.
Crimson Shroud (Laurel + Metaglio Left + Metaglio Right) makes you immune to damage for a duration. Same purpose as Infinite Corridor — it's a survival tool, not a damage tool.
Both are essential for endgame content and Reaper-killing strategies, even though they contribute zero to your damage output.
Build Principles for Weapon Selection
Pick two S-tier weapons, one A-tier weapon for boss damage, and use remaining slots for whatever evolves with passives you already need. The most common error is taking six damage weapons and no defensive tools. La Borra + Unholy Vespers + one A-tier carry covers your damage needs. Use remaining slots for utility evolutions or weapons whose passives serve your core three.
See our Vampire Survivors Evolution Chart for the exact passive pairings, and the character tier list for which characters start with these weapons. For more in the genre, explore the best bullet heaven games.