Summary
In 2023, Poncle released a couch co-op mode for their debut hit game,Vampire Survivors, to allow four players to share the chaos of wall-to-wall monsters on one screen. The multiplayer version ofVampire Survivorspresents new challenges, including treasure chests divided sporadically between teammates and fewer weapon slots when more players join a co-op run.
Level-ups are less frequent and randomly distributed among players in co-op, making runs harder for weaker characters in need of quick progression. However, teamwork is possible by unlocking the ability to pass weapons directly to friends who need them most. For those lucky enough to have gamer friends, strategically creating a team of unique character builds is crucial to succeeding as a group inVampire Survivor’s great co-op.
6Beginners - Antonio, Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro Belpaese
When first assembling a co-op team inVampire Survivors, character choice is limited. Just like in single-player mode,all characters have to be unlockedone by one in multiplayer; four early-game characters are accessible by default, with the expectation that the full roster of characters will be manually discovered. Currently, there is no option to play with four Antonios at once, so every co-op player must pick their own character. Luckily, Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro are a strong set of characters with potential to improve throughout gameplay.
Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro’s starting and evolved weapons all fire projectiles that are effective at handling mid-range enemies. Imelda and Pasqualina pair well together because their projectiles have a chance of freezing enemies when using the Arcana Jail of Crystal (14). This is useful for helping new players cope with defeating the swarms together in a co-op team. Gennaro’s evolved weapon, Thousand Edge, is deadly when paired with Slash (16) and Iron Blue Will (7) arcanas that allow projectiles to be critical hits that fire in all directions and bounce against enemies multiple times. Antonio’s Whip is a short-range, hand-held weapon for dealing with incredibly close enemies, making him a great defensive support character while Pasqualina, Gennaro or Imelda’s projectiles fight off a wider circle of enemies.
5Carrying - missingN, Toastie, Gyorunton, and Iguana Gallo Valletto
The quintessential multiplayer experience is carrying a team or being carried. This dynamic can be created artificially by combining Toastie or missingN with Gyorunton or Gallo Valletto.Vampire Survivorsbeginnersteaming up with seasoned gamers may want to maximize the benefits of being carried while they are still learning. Alternatively, a pro may want a voluntary handicap by playing an unpredictable, low-health character and being carried instead. Co-op inVampire Survivorshas a unique resurrection scheme where all players will be revived limitlessly when they die as long as one player stays alive, meaning that characters with weak health can benefit from high-health-capable teammates.
Toastie can be almost impossible for a new gamer and is the epitome of a carriable character because his Max Health starting value is 1, and he dies instantly when touched by an enemy. This means that Toastie would need to avoid the swarms of enemies or else be consistently resurrected by other players until his Max Health is leveled up with a combination of passive items like Laurel and arcanas like Divine Bloodline (9). Alternatively, missingN is a wildcard character whose qualities are randomized at every level, causing a chaotic experience for first-timers inVampire Survivorswho will need support from more stable players. Gallo Valetto’s starting weapon, Clock Lancet, fires a freezing ray clockwise that immobilizes enemies, buying time for inexperienced players to tackle the swarms. Similarly, Gyorunton’s high Max Health makes the character a great option for protecting carried teammates, and Gyorunton’s Bracelet has a 25% chance of freezing enemies with the Jail of Crystal (14) arcana. As such, Gallo Valetto and Gyorunton can effectively carry missingN or Toastie during co-op runs.
4Gold Farming - Big Trouser, Giovanna, and Queen Sigma
After mastering thebest ways to farm gold inVampire Survivorsin single-player mode, gamers might wonder how gold farming translates to co-op. Golden eggs are not enabled in co-op, eliminating one major reason players were originally so eager to farm gold. However, gold farming is not entirely pointless in co-op, as harvesting gold coins is essential forpurchasing the best Powerupsand speeding up the significantly slower leveling-up process.
Big Trouser is a staple character for gold farming because he gains 1% Greed per level, and his gold fevers last longer. Giovanna is another favorite farmer when her starting weapon, Gatti Amari, is evolved into Vicious Hunger, which has a chance of turning enemies into gold and extending gold fevers. Without Golden eggs in co-op, the limit that made the ultra-powerful Queen Sigma an ironically flawed gold farmer disappears. Her starting weapon, Victory Sword, can defeat formidable enemies and cause them to drop treasure chests, making Sigma a hugely effective gold farmer, especially when paired with Big Trouser or Giovanna.
3Fixer-Uppers - Syuuto Moonspell and Christine Davain
One of the biggest challenges of co-opVampire Survivorsis that instead of leveling up one character, level-ups are divided randomly and equally in multiplayer mode; each individual character levels up between 2-4 times slower than regular single-player gameplay. Certain characters require a great deal of work to construct the ideal build, but if friends are in it for the long haul, Syuuto and Christine are two great characters to build up across a playthrough. Christine’s starting weapon, Pentagram, can be catastrophic in early gameplay because it decimates every enemy on screen in one blast and purges every treasure chest and Pickup simultaneously.
Evolving Pentagram into Gorgeous Moonconverts Christine from a hindrance to a formidable teammate, as she can eviscerate every enemy in sight without losing hundreds of coins, gems, and other valuables in the process. Paired with the Blood Astronomia (21) arcana, Gorgeous Moon can also set down multiple damage zones that insta-kill trespassing enemies. At first sight, Syuuto has unremarkably average stats and a decent starting weapon, Summon Night. However, evolving to Echo Night not only provides a stronger weapon, but it drastically improves Syuuto’s stats, giving him 100 Max Health, increased Movement, and Projectile Speed, among other benefits.
2Roaming Wanderers - Luminaire Foscari, McCoy-Oni, and Suor Clerici
Although teams inVampire Survivorsco-op must share one screen and move in a similar direction, some gamers can’t help wandering. For the curious or adventurous who can’t keep still or huddle with the team for safety, these are the characters that can survive while moving through swarms alone in multiplayer. Luminaire is perfect for players who rush ahead to get a chest or don’t want to wait for the team to tackle a boss solo without worrying about dying; after being resurrected, Luminaire is temporarily invincible and gains 200 Might and 300 Movement Speed, allowing her to survive as a lone wolf in a team.
Independently advantageous, Divano and Dommario’s starting weapons provide defensive protection and offensive damage against a wide range of enemies, and Babi-Onna’s weapon can freeze surrounding opponents. McCoy-Oni and Clerici have fantastic long-range attacks, with McCoy-Oni’s Area increasing +150% per second and Clerici’s Santa Water rotating outward with an initial 400% Area bonus, both of which are fantastic tools for supporting teammates without being physically nearby. Multiplayer isn’t the same without some chaos and laughter among friends or some healthy frustration, so characters like Toastie, missingN, or Porta Ladonna (for her randomized lightning strikes) also spice up co-op for the easily bored wanderers.
1Powerhouses - Genevieve Gruyere, Je-Ne-Viv, Queen Sigma, Mask of the Red Death, and Menya Moonspell
For those willing to put in the hard work in co-op and create an unstoppable build, players can set their sights high byunlocking Je-Ne-Vivandunlocking Genevieve from the Tides of the Foscari DLC. These two each share the ability to trigger World Eater after receiving fatal damage, meaning that they become momentarily invincible, massacring every enemy on screen and producing hearts to heal themselves. Individually, Genevieve and Je-Ne-Viv are unstoppable, but together, this supreme duo can conquer stages effortlessly.
Alternatively, the infamous Queen Sigma, Mask of the Red Death, and Menya Moonspell are all formidable, unmatched characters for annihilating swarms of monsters. Red Death is known for a 255 Max Health and one of the highest Movement Speeds, especially when boosted with passive items. After killing a set amount of enemies, Menya exterminates all enemies and evolves to an enhanced state with a 200 Might and 300% Movement Speed. Gamers won’t regret putting in the effort to unlock any of these five hard-hitting powerhouses in order to dominateVampire Survivorsco-op.
