So you just started playing Vampires Survivors and want to know what character to play? As you probably know, every character has its pros and cons, but some are much better than others for a beginner. On this page, I have listed the 5 best Vampire Survivors early characters. What sets these early characters apart from the rest is mostly their starting weapons and passive bonuses.
You might not have lots of free time to test all the beginner characters like I did. On the other hand, You probably want to jump in and start beating stages.
The Vampire Survivors early characters detailed in this article will keep you alive at the beginning of the stage, and allow you to level up relatively easily. If you combine this with good weapon choices, you should end up with a finished stage.
Last update: September 2023
1. Lama Ladonna
How to unlock: Lama is unlocked upon surviving 20 minutes with at least 10% Curse active. Curse makes the game spawn more enemies and makes them tougher to beat. However, if you choose the right weapons and passive items, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Lama starts with +10 max Health, +10% Might, +10% Move Speed, and +10% Curse. She also gains +5% Might, Move Speed, and Curse every 10 levels (max +20%).
Starting weapon: Lama starts with the Axe weapon, which is not the easiest to start with for beginners, but not too bad.
Evolution weapon: Axe + Candelabrador = Death Spiral.
Candelabrador is a very good passive item and a staple for beginners. It increments the area of effect and/or size of most of your weapons.
With a movement speed of +30% at level 40 (excluding power ups), plus the Candelabrador passive item for its Axe evolution, I have Lama as No.1 among the best Vampire Survivors early characters. Movement speed is great for picking up Experience Gems (they give your character experience), evading enemies, exploring a stage, etc… More Might means Lama will do more damage than normal.
Tip: Stay below bosses and launch Axes upwards into them. Alternatively, you can drop Axes from above onto your enemies.
2. Best Vampire Survivors Early Characters: Krochi Freetto
How to unlock: Defeat a total of 100,000 enemies in the game to unlock Krochi.
Krochi has the fastest movement speed (+30% excluding power ups) out of all the early characters. This is why I have this character as No.2 on my list. The revivals he adds to your runs can be useful too.
You can create the best build in the game, but without a way to quickly pick up the Experience Gems, your run could end prematurely. You could wait for a vacuum pickup item (picks up all dropped experience gems in the stage) to drop, but who knows how long that will take?
For this and other reasons, I like to have some extra movement speed on my characters. It’s also more fun to play a fast character, in my opinion.
Starting weapon: Krochi starts with the Cross weapon. This weapon will rebound and eliminate mobs far away from your character, but you can easily go pick up the Experience Gems with Krochi´s movement speed.
Evolution weapon: Cross + Clover = Heaven Sword.
Tips: Try running Attractorb (attracts pickups towards you) for even faster levelling! Also, remember to use Krochi’s movement speed to your advantage by picking up the best stage items lying on the ground. For example, Silver Ring, Metaglio Left, etc…(after you have filled all your passive item slots).
3. Gennaro Belpaese
How to unlock: Gennaro is unlocked by default, you just need the gold to buy him.
This character starts with +1 Amount/projectile on all weapons and +20 Health. The +1 Amount is very helpful when you are just starting a stage.
Starting weapon: Krochi starts with the Knife weapon. This is the best early weapon for focusing damage and defeating bosses. Basically, you can run away a bit, then quickly turn around and attack the boss from a distance for best results. Your other weapons should protect you from the regular mobs while you do this.
Although not the best damage dealer per second (DPS), Knife can cut an opening in a wall of enemies for you to escape through.
Evolution weapon: Knife + Bracer = Thousand Edge. Bracer also works well with King Bible.
Tip: Try running Candelabrador for bigger knives and a greater damage area!
4. Best Vampire Survivors Early Characters: Imelda Belpaese
How to unlock: Imelda is unlocked by default, you just need some gold to buy her.
Imelda starts with +60% Magnet (pulls pick-ups towards her) and gains 10% more experience every 5 levels (up to +30%). If you have some basic power-ups, you should be able to survive the first waves and be able to finish a stage. On the other hand, without any power-ups, you might have a hard time staying alive.
Starting weapon: Imelda starts with the Magic Wand weapon, which is the easiest to use for a beginner. Magic Wand targets the nearest enemy, making it good for defeating the early bosses as well as keeping the pesky regular critters away. Magic Wand’s damage falls off in the late game, so you should add stronger weapons to complement Imelda’s build.
Evolution weapon: Magic Wand + Empty Tome = Holy Wand.
Her evolution, Holy Wand is not that great, but its corresponding passive item Empty Tome is one of the best for beginners, so you might as well go ahead and evolve it.
Tip: You can run close circles around the bosses and groups of enemies to eliminate them, or just keep out of reach while you run away.
5. Best Vampire Survivors Early Characters: Porta Ladonna
How to unlock: You can unlock this character by getting the Lightning Ring to level 4. After that, you can purchase Porta from the character screen for gold.
Porta has a permanent +30% Area of effect, and starts with a temporary cooldown bonus for quick early damage.
Starting weapon: Porta starts with the Lightning Ring weapon. This weapon is very good early in a stage, but not that great for eliminating bosses.
Evolution weapon: Lightning Ring + Duplicator = Thunder Loop.
Lightning Ring’s evolution, Thunder Loop is not the worst out there, and its corresponding passive item, Duplicator is not bad either. Duplicator buffs most of the other weapons by giving them more projectiles.
Tip: Try running Candelabrador for even larger lightning damage areas.
