Vampire Survivors - Early Access

[TheMix]

F12 doesn't seem to be doing anything. Though I'm in a Window and the Steam overlay doesn't seem to work. That could be a factor.

[rittchard]

Ummm am I so bad at this game I just haven't unlocked additional maps? You guys mention "the forest" and something else but I don't recall seeing any options lol.

Anyway I'm just slowly plowing along, I never get much further than 10 minutes when the horde of skeletons converges. I guess I just stink lmao.

Any recommendations on which power ups (the purchasable ones) are the most useful? I've tried move speed, damage, more HP... I don't have that much total to spend (around 2k I think) so it will be a while before I can get some of the big ones.

I'm using the dude who gets extra projectiles, I seem to do the best with him so far, but also wondering if any of the others are "better."

[TheMix]

To start with? I'd probably avoid the skeleton guy. Since his projectiles are random, it can make things a lot harder initially.

I don't know that there are any power ups that are critical. At least not at the stage you are at.

My personal thoughts regarding character selection:
Antonio (whip) - solid choice. The whip attacks in the direction you are facing. That allows you to aim a bit. And can help with zapping the braziers initially. [Note: if you can get the Duplication power, the whip gets much better - it'll auto attack forward and behind; if you can't get it, then you will want to upgrade it to level 2 asap.]

Imelda (wand) - solid choice. The wand auto-targets. Makes it easier to focus on dodging and picking up XP gems. Makes zapping braziers tough, though, since they aren't targets. But you can stand directly on them. [She also has bonus to XP gain which may help while you are learning the game.]

Pasqualine (I forget what the ability is even called since I never take it) - avoid. Targeting is random. You can waste a lot of time trying to get that first level.

Gennaro (knives) - solid choice. I initially wasn't a fan since the knives only shoot forward. But fully upgraded, the knives become devastating. You will have to do a bit more position-dancing to succeed with him. You have to avoid running into the enemies if they don't die immediately. [Note: He gives you a +1 to projectiles, so if you can grap the whip or wand early, he will be much easier.]

Arca (flame wand) - avoid. Random targeting. Skill is better once it levels, but since you've been struggling getting to level 10, avoid for now.

Porta (lightning bolt) - avoid. See Arca.

Poe (garlic) - solid choice. Garlic will make the first few levels easy. But you'll need it leveled to at least 5 before you get to the 11 minute crush. And you'll want to work on leveling another skill that hits harder. Garlic is terrible for harder targets, but destroys the easy ones.

Clerici (santa water) - avoid. See Arca.

Dommario (bibles) - solid choice. You initially have to play keep-away while waiting for the bibles to cast. Then move in and clear as much as you can. Once you get some levels and they start appearing more frequently, they become a lot easier to use. Can be used to break braziers.

Mortaccio (bones) - avoid. See Arca.

Exdash (ebony birds) - avoid. See Arca. (And other reasons.)


For empowering - I think that Axes and Bibles are the best options. For starter weapons, knives, wand, and bibles are all good. They will all still be viable at the end game.

[TheMix]

The Mad Forest is the first level. I think you have to get to 20 minutes or so in it to unlock the Inlaid Library. Then getting to 20 min in the Inlaid Library opens up Green Acres. Which is really the original Mad Forest (i.e. minus the new trees, etc.) with a cross between enemies from the two former zones.

[paulbaxter]

I got all the achievements done. Might set this aside for a bit, or not. Still could buy more upgrades and or check for other secret stuff. Or just try crazy things.

I'm finding avoiding garlic is helpful for the more advanced game. Runecaster is really nice. I don't know if I like anything as much as I like evolved birds. Seems like you need either the whip or bibles to really make things go, but otherwise lots of things really can work.

[LordMortis]

I think Imelda is the easiest staring character. S/he unlocks early. Their attacks are directed. They get XP boost to boost levels early.

Until you can make it deep in game, get garlic and learn when it can kill and when it can't and use it to your advantage. While doing this experiment with the other equipment to find out what makes sense for you and what makes sense in game. Early in the game you have to find things before you can use them.

Luck is very good skill to rely on at least until you can make it 20+ minutes in. It helps you find stuff and learn the game by finding things.

[TheMix]

Speaking of Luck... I unintentionally ran with the ghost (I wasn't paying attention to what character I had selected). But it ended up being one of my best games. Got all the skills that I wanted. I swapped out Santa Water for the Fire Wand. That let me grab Spinach (which boosts damage).



I got careless at the end and wasn't paying attention to my health. I easily could have survived the next 2 minutes if I'd paid attention. I would have definitely passed the 7k gold mark too.

[TheMix]

And you can see what Luck does.

110 coins
58 food (and there were a bunch that I didn't bother collecting)
5 of the 3-reward chests
1 of the 5-reward chests

Live was good. Until it wasn't.

[LordMortis]

I don't see a ghost or that name on my achievements. How did you unlock it?

[TheMix]

I looked it up.

I actually unlocked him on the itch.io version. But they changed the requirements. He's not unlockable now except using a code.

https://www.fanbyte.com/guides/vampire- ... to-unlock/

[LordMortis]

I'm not going to use codes, so he's out until they introduce him. I like this actual summary though cause I never knew exactly what luck does

Enables the chance to get a 4th item option when leveling up.
Lowers the chance of negative events (such as bat swarms and flower walls).
Improves the chance of getting good items when destroying braziers.
Improves the chance of getting a Treasure Chest that is different than usual.
Raises chances of dealing critical damage (for weapons with critical capabilities).
A not-so-helpful endnote that says “Luck affects many things” — such as real life, I guess.

[TheMix]

It didn't bother me since I'd already unlocked him in the itch.io version and played him some. I felt it was actually kind of lame that they removed him. So I felt justified.

[TheMix]

New patch. 3 more achievements. Including a new evolve and a new character.

I also discovered that in the Library it's possible to get more than 12 skills. Wait until you've maxed everything and then grab the Mask (and presumably would also let you get the Book).

Almost 8k gold in the last run. And I would have easily gotten it if I'd realized that I could get the Mask.

[infinitelurker]

Just tried the new patch - I tried what you mentioned and was able to get the mask after maxing all skills... I should've held off to try getting the book too, but was worried if it didn't work I might not make it without the evolved wand. I also got the new evolved Santa Water which ended up being my highest damage weapon.

I played hyper library with Imelda and got over 11K gold, mostly due to the 1.5 gold on hyper and her ability for extra experience. Ending up at level 114, and all those extra gold bags for each level towards the end...

[Lassr]

This game reminds me a bit of Robotron : 2084

Well, this sold me. That was my game back in high school. And I just played it yesterday at the local brewery/arcade (Pints N Pixels).

[TheMix]

Confirmed it is possible in the Library to get both the extra skills.

Also that you can use Krochi's Revive when killed by Death. Not that it gets you much.

[LordMortis]

Where it the book?

[infinitelurker]

Similar top area to the stone mask, just to the left rather than the right in the library.

[TheMix]

Similar top area to the stone mask, just to the left rather than the right in the library.

This.

Also, if you keep going left, there is often a second book you can get. And once I even got a third book. Though I've only ever gotten one mask.

[rittchard]

I've had slightly better progress after reading tips here and from a nice guide on Steam. Finally got a run where I passed 20 minutes and unlocked the Library. The new scenery was nice for a few minutes but I didn't get very far, spent most of the time running away lol. The Steam guide is pretty interesting, he says ALL the defense improvements are more or less worthless, so focus only on the offensive ones, and then he ranks which he thinks are the best. Using that philosophy hasn't really helped me that much, but at least it makes for some interesting guidelines.

Basically I don't feel like I am doing anything wrong, or like I am so horrible at the game's fairly simple mechanics, but I'm nowhere near as far as you guys are getting, and getting the gold for upgrades is slow going. One thing I don't like is how much random luck (actual luck not gameplay luck) factors in. I've had multiple runs where I never find a food or get a chest, so I end up after 6-7 minutes getting overwhelmed and end with like 6 coins. It's just sad. But then other runs I'll get 2 or 3 chests, once with 5 bonuses, and then other things like the fire blaster drop a couple of times. While I appreciate the random factors making the game interesting, I also don't like that getting a bunch of early "bad" upgrade choices pretty much kills a run, and you can end up with almost nothing to show for it. They should give at least a few coins or something per minute you survive for beginners.

Did you guys "master" the game pretty quickly or did you do a lot of runs to get minor amounts of gold for a while first? Possibly my old man reflexes just stink and I'm not willing to accept it yet

[TheMix]

I'd say it took a number of runs. Though I don't know what that number is.

Question, are you using the mouse to control your character, or keys (arrow/WASD)? I only briefly tried using the mouse. It sucked. I do much better using the keyboard.

[rittchard]

I'd say it took a number of runs. Though I don't know what that number is.

Question, are you using the mouse to control your character, or keys (arrow/WASD)? I only briefly tried using the mouse. It sucked. I do much better using the keyboard.

I'm using a controller, I thought keyboard would be too painful but maybe it gives better precision?

[TheMix]

Once you get in the groove, it's really easy. Especially with the diagonal movement. At least for me. Let's me thread the needle a lot of the time. I don't know how sensitive the controller is, but this game is VERY unforgiving. You really need to be able to move precisely. Especially when trying to escape from a press.

Also, at least early on, I would not dismiss the shield. While I was still learning, it definitely saved me more than once. Though I agree that armor seems completely useless. (Actually, did they pull the shield? I can't recall seeing it for a while now.) Not sure what else is considered "defensive". Things like bonus move? I skip that now. I discovered that sometimes it's really bad to move quickly. Especially when running with the bibles. You want to give them time to do their work. Move too quickly and the mobs end up inside the spinning ring. Bonus health might not be worthwhile by itself, but the whip is really good if you are struggling to learn because the empowered whip gives excellent knockback, decent damage, and health regen. And you need the hollow heart to empower the whip.

[Sudy]

Did you guys "master" the game pretty quickly or did you do a lot of runs to get minor amounts of gold for a while first? Possibly my old man reflexes just stink and I'm not willing to accept it yet

Similar to what TheMix said, on many good runs things just snowball. The first time I evolved a weapon was the first time I made it past 20 minutes. And even after I'd beaten the library, it took me many runs to win Mad Forest. To unlock all achievements took me 10+ hours (though they keep releasing new ones). A lot of them were bad runs where little came together and I bombed out before 10 minutes. The only resource I've used was a list of weapon evolutions so I could plan to get as many as possible each run.

I pick garlic whenever I see it, except for maybe later in runs when I already have dominant close-range weapons. It's definitely better in the library, but I love it in the forest too. It lets you be a little sloppier movement-wise and really changes the way you plan and play in terms of dancing in and out of range.

I also put a print-out of this on my wall to motivate myself.

I don't know how keyboard is in contrast to controller, but playing on a mechanical keyboard feels really good to me. But if the game registers 8+ directional inputs you're likely going to have an advantage on a controller.

[rittchard]

Once you get in the groove, it's really easy. Especially with the diagonal movement. At least for me. Let's me thread the needle a lot of the time. I don't know how sensitive the controller is, but this game is VERY unforgiving. You really need to be able to move precisely. Especially when trying to escape from a press.

Also, at least early on, I would not dismiss the shield. While I was still learning, it definitely saved me more than once. Though I agree that armor seems completely useless. (Actually, did they pull the shield? I can't recall seeing it for a while now.) Not sure what else is considered "defensive". Things like bonus move? I skip that now. I discovered that sometimes it's really bad to move quickly. Especially when running with the bibles. You want to give them time to do their work. Move too quickly and the mobs end up inside the spinning ring. Bonus health might not be worthwhile by itself, but the whip is really good if you are struggling to learn because the empowered whip gives excellent knockback, decent damage, and health regen. And you need the hollow heart to empower the whip.

You can move diagonally with keyboard? Is that a single key or you have to press two at once? I guess I will find out soon enough!

The guide considered anything non-offense as lowest priority for in-game upgrades, but for beginners he still suggested 1 pt in speed and 1 pt in Magnet, then max Greed to gain more gold. So basically he discounted health, regen, shield, etc. - he also dumped on the freezing lancet which I thought was pretty cool and has saved me in a pinch. I don't necessarily think his guide is the last word in how to play, but it's definitely an interesting approach. He also said the Bone guy was the best champ, but I found him difficult to play - I think the guide sometimes assumes you have all the stuff unlocked already, so maybe the Bone guy excels later on. Currently I like the +projectile guy the most, but I've had the most success with the +exp lady.

[Sudy]

Bone-dude is great when his bones have enemies to bounce off, which sucks early in the forest (though is pretty great in the library). As such, starting with him is always going to be tough until you pick up some close-range weapons.

I might find a good starting target loudout (in general) to be garlic, whip, and wand. Lots of close-range control. But sometimes you have to take what you can get, and it seems most weapons can succeed in the right circumstances.

[TheMix]

You can move diagonally with keyboard? Is that a single key or you have to press two at once? I guess I will find out soon enough!

Just combine the keys. W+D will move diagonally to the upper right. S+A will move lower left. And since you are always moving, it's just a matter of tapping another key to modify the direction. Get handy at running loops around groups, and you can really use the bibles effectively.

Also, one warning. I've noticed that sometimes right after clicking Okay on a chest reward, that my W/S (up/down) won't work. Just left and right. I have to actually stop moving for a moment and then click the key again to get it to start working properly. Once you know to expect it, it's not that bad.

[coopasonic]

Controller is 10x better than kb. So much smoother.

[LordMortis]

Three more achievements up. So reason to play once or twice more this week.

[TheMix]

And got it on the first try. Though I was pretty worried for the last ~5 minutes that I wouldn't be able to pull through.

[Sudy]

I don't think I've gotten past 15 minutes in Green Acres, what are your tricks?

Thunder loop seems strong though. I had my most dominating game yet, with Mortaccio in the hyper library. Evolved wand, axe, whip, garlic, and of course lightning ring. From about 15:00 to until 25:00 nothing could touch me. Even beyond that it was rare. Finished at level 105 with 6954 gold. It was honestly quite boring as I just scrolled up and down the screen gathering all the gems I could. Levelling up is also very boring once it gets to the 25 gold/floor chicken threshold.

I don't understand how the levelling bursts work sometimes. I know the attract orbs will draw all gems to you. But sometimes I get the effect of successive level-ups without one. I think I was only at level 79 at 25:00 when I magically got a ton of levels. Does a boss or some timed event grant huge XP or also gather gems, or something?

Twice I also had pointers for chests way off to the left even though I'd been travelling right exclusively. I followed them, and they were far to the rear. Do some projectiles fly endlessly? I didn't think enemies buffered that far off screen.

[LordMortis]

I don't think I've gotten past 15 minutes in Green Acres, what are your tricks?

I only got through once. I used Imelda. I like the experience boost without taking an equipment slot. I had jacked up boosts going in. I don't use garlic in Green Acres. I look for area clearing skills at least in part.

I don't understand how the levelling bursts work sometimes. I know the attract orbs will draw all gems to you. But sometimes I get the effect of successive level-ups without one. I think I was only at level 79 at 25:00 when I magically got a ton of levels. Does a boss or some timed event grant

Me either. I assume some red gems are more potent than others. I also assume blue/green/red is based on thethe thing you kill and are not associated to a static value.

[TheMix]

Lots of questions.

Not sure I have the answers.

Some projectiles can travel a long ways, I think. Also, if you are running with Santa Water and moving, it's going to kill things behind you.

I don't really understand the burst leveling either. I've read that when there are lots of gems, they basically merge. So you are in effect getting way more than you see. So if you kill a lot of mobs in an area, the number of gems may be deceptive.

I've started to move away from single-target/aimed type attacks to the random ones. Based on the stats, those are the big hitters.

My "go-to"/"must have" skills are:
1. Santa Water + Attractorb > this one seems to ALWAYS be the most damage; plus you get more pickups/levels with the attraction going on. For the last 5 minutes, or so, I pretty much stop moving around and stick to running in a circle - moving to best use the Santa Water circles for best effect.

2. Bibles + Spellbinder > great at keeping some breathing room. Again, constant small circles will help here. Be careful about charging forward. They only damage at the radius of the circle. If you advance too quickly, you will end up with mobs inside the ring. That's dangerous.

3. Axe + Candelabrador > Apparently does lots of damage. But I mostly take it for the frequent push back. Helps keep that circle inside the bibles clear.

4. Lightning Ring + Duplicator > The lightning is nice, but the "must" here is the duplicator. It helps significantly ramp up the damage on the above.


The last two spots tend to get mixed up a bit.

For a little while I was using the birds. They do a lot of damage when merged. But it can really slow down your leveling of skills. I think that makes it a bit riskier.

I think you could run either the Wand or the Knives. I've started to lean towards the Knives. They aren't targeted, but seem to do more damage. And they help early on when you are trying to hit the braziers/candlesticks.

I've started dabbling with the Runetracers. They are pretty damn good. I suspect that once they add evolving for those, they will probably become a "must". I do think that Runetracer shines in the Library though. I don't think I'd use it in the open maps.

I have tried Fire Wand and Spinach. Mostly for the +50% damage from Spinach. Again, that's going to really help with the top skills. But it can be helpful in the last crush being able to follow the fireballs. Except when they are in the wrong direction.

Personally, I'm not sold on Cross + Clover. I find that Luck is way more useful in the first 20 minutes. By the end it's irrelevant.

Whip + Hollow Heart. Meh. Great while learning. But I think it struggles at the end. And is easily passed by the other options. And the healing becomes useless at a certain point. At the end, I just use the level-up choices to keep my health up.

And Garlic + Pummarola simply doesn't cut it after 20 minutes. It's nice that it's radius fits inside the bibles, but you can find much better choices.

[TheMix]

Personal bests* (I think) for gold obtained and number of kills. Finally cracked the elusive 50k kills.


* At least since I've been paying attention.

[LordMortis]

And Garlic + Pummarola simply doesn't cut it after 20 minutes. It's nice that it's radius fits inside the bibles, but you can find much better choices.

I like it in the Library because you can pick up a ton of levels early that essentially boost the rest of your game. It's useless at that end but by then I'm leaning on my other skills.

It's harder to leverage in the first map and it's useless for my effort in green acres.


I only like the wand because Imeldas XP boost. I find the wand gives me direction for exit, so it's acceptable.

I tend to

Imelda

Wand + book
bird + bird
santa water + orb
...
then usually if possible
Axe + Candleabra (I like expanding area of projectile)
clover and then cross if it comes up and I want evolve
Bible + whatever it's called though lately I'm moving toward lighting + duplicator

Then I'll fill in with the leaf or stone mask or experience depending on what comes up or what my goal is.

[TheMix]

Garlic is great. At early levels and while learning. I leaned on it HEAVILY.

But I've mostly stopped using it because I don't want a relatively useless weapon skill for the last 20 minutes. Sure, you can rely on the other weapons. But substituting something else for the garlic (once you are practiced at surviving without it), gives you more firepower for the end game.

Though I do love it in the Library early game. When you can just hit each new group of mobs at the top/bottom and just run down/up the stack. That never gets old.

Don't sell the Bibles short. They are useful beyond their damage. They are worth the price of admission for their knock-back ability alone. Especially in the Library where the red ghosts(?) spawn that blow up next to you. Once you have the bibles going, they stop being an issue. In addition, the spellbinder makes things last longer - bibles, axes, runetracers, santa water, etc. I assume that includes things like the flame breath. That said, I find they work extremely well with the lightning + duplicator. Primarily for the latter. Duplicator will give you enough bibles to basically have a solid wall of spinning death. Throw in the bracers for faster spinning, and it's hard to go wrong.

[Sudy]

Gah, finally got Green Acres with Santa Water, Axe, Garlic, King Bible, Magic Wand, and Lightning Ring (not upgraded). Duplicator was only offered to me once.

It was a fairly defensive run though; I only hit level 67 and gained 3042 gold.

Eventually you're just following the trail of La Borra to stay alive. It was some frantic stuff. I actually died with two minutes remaining before making a dash for it with my revive.

[TheMix]

Gah, finally got Green Acres with Santa Water, Axe, Garlic, King Bible, Magic Wand, and Lightning Ring (not upgraded). Duplicator was only offered to me once.

It was a fairly defensive run though; I only hit level 67 and gained 3042 gold.

Eventually you're just following the trail of La Borra to stay alive. It was some frantic stuff. I actually died with two minutes remaining before making a dash for it with my revive.

A win is a win! Grats!

[LordMortis]

Basketball sloth is an insane money maker




Also there are apparently two new items I haven't found. Hmmm

[TheMix]

Guess the tweaks make a difference. I thought that 50k kills was a good milestone.

Just knocked out 81000+ kills in the Library. Level 173. ~13000 gold.