Unleashing the Ultimate Co-Op Arsenal: Uniting the Most Powerful Vampire Survivors

Highlights

Vampire Survivors introduced a couch co-op mode in 2023, allowing four players to tackle the game's wall-to-wall monsters on one screen.

In co-op mode, effective teamwork is crucial as level-ups are distributed randomly, posing a challenge for weaker characters to progress. However, players have the option to pass weapons to those in need, facilitating their advancement.

The key to success in co-op is selecting the appropriate characters, as some have distinct abilities that complement each other, whereas others are better equipped to support weaker teammates.

Poncle released a couch co-op mode for their popular game, Vampire Survivors, in 2023. This mode allows up to four players to join forces and take on hordes of monsters on a single screen. The multiplayer version of Vampire Survivors introduces fresh challenges, such as scattered treasure chests that require teammates to work together and limited weapon slots when playing in co-op.

Level-ups occur less frequently and are randomly distributed among players in co-op, which makes it tougher for weaker characters who rely on quick progression. However, players can still collaborate by unlocking the ability to pass weapons directly to friends who are in greater need. Having a team with diverse character builds becomes crucial for success in Vampire Survivors' co-op mode, especially when playing alongside knowledgeable gamer friends.

6 Beginners - Antonio, Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro Belpaese

When assembling a co-op team in Vampire Survivors, the character selection is initially limited. Like in single-player mode, all characters must be unlocked one by one in multiplayer. At the beginning, four characters are available by default, but the rest of the roster must be manually discovered. Currently, it is not possible to have four Antonios in the team, so each co-op player must choose their own character. Thankfully, Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro are a powerful trio with the potential to improve throughout the gameplay.

Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro all possess starting and evolved weapons that shoot projectiles effectively against mid-range enemies. Imelda and Pasqualina are a great combination because their projectiles can freeze enemies when using the Arcana Jail of Crystal (14). This is particularly useful for new players as they can work together to defeat swarms in a co-op team. Gennaro's evolved weapon, Thousand Edge, becomes deadly when paired with Slash (16) and Iron Blue Will (7) arcanas. These allow the projectiles to deliver critical hits, fire in all directions, and bounce against enemies multiple times. On the other hand, Antonio's Whip is a short-range handheld weapon suited for dealing with incredibly close enemies. This makes him an excellent defensive support character while Pasqualina, Gennaro, or Imelda handle a wider circle of enemies with their projectiles.

5 Carrying - missingN, Toastie, Gyorunton, and Iguana Gallo Valletto

In Vampire Survivors, the multiplayer experience is defined by either carrying a team or being carried. This can be achieved by strategically combining characters like Toastie or missingN with Gyorunton or Gallo Valletto. When beginners team up with seasoned gamers, they can take advantage of being carried as they learn the ropes. On the other hand, skilled players may choose to handicap themselves by playing as an unpredictable, low-health character and relying on their teammates to carry them. The co-op mode in Vampire Survivors introduces a unique resurrection system where all players can be revived indefinitely as long as at least one player remains alive. This means that characters with weak health can benefit greatly from having high-health teammates.

Toastie is a particularly challenging character for new players, as his starting Max Health is only 1, and he instantly dies upon contact with enemies. To overcome this, Toastie needs to avoid enemy swarms or rely on consistent resurrection from other players until his Max Health is leveled up through passive items like Laurel and arcanas like Divine Bloodline (9). Conversely, missingN is a wildcard character whose abilities and traits are randomized at each level, resulting in a chaotic gameplay experience for first-timers. These players will require support from more stable and experienced teammates. Gallo Valetto possesses the Clock Lancet as their starting weapon, which fires a freezing ray in a clockwise direction, effectively immobilizing enemies and giving inexperienced players time to deal with swarms. Similarly, Gyorunton's high Max Health makes them an excellent choice for protecting carried teammates, especially with the Bracelet's 25% chance of freezing enemies using the Jail of Crystal (14) arcana. Hence, Gallo Valetto and Gyorunton serve as valuable carries for missingN or Toastie during cooperative runs.

4 Gold Farming - Big Trouser, Giovanna, and Queen Sigma

In co-op mode, players may be wondering how gold farming translates without the use of golden eggs. While golden eggs are not available in co-op, gold farming still holds importance as it is necessary for purchasing valuable Powerups and accelerating the slower leveling-up process.

For effective gold farming in co-op, Big Trouser is a popular choice due to his ability to gain 1% Greed per level and his longer-lasting gold fevers. Another favored character is Giovanna, especially when her starting weapon, Gatti Amari, evolves into Vicious Hunger. This weapon has the potential to turn enemies into gold and extend gold fevers.

In co-op, the limitation of not having golden eggs no longer affects the powerful gold farming character, Queen Sigma. With her starting weapon, Victory Sword, she can defeat formidable enemies and make them drop treasure chests, making Sigma an extremely effective gold farmer, particularly when paired with Big Trouser or Giovanna.

3 Fixer-Uppers - Syuuto Moonspell and Christine Davain

Co-op Vampire Survivors poses a major challenge in terms of character progression. Instead of focusing on leveling up one character, level-ups are randomly and equally distributed among all players in multiplayer mode. This means that individual characters level up at a significantly slower pace compared to single-player gameplay. However, if players are committed for the long run, building up Syuuto and Christine can be highly rewarding.

In the case of Christine, her initial weapon, Pentagram, proves to be immensely powerful early on. It has the ability to decimate all enemies on the screen in a single blast and purge every treasure chest and Pickup simultaneously. By evolving Pentagram into Gorgeous Moon, Christine transforms from being a hindrance to becoming a formidable teammate. With Gorgeous Moon, she can effortlessly slaughter enemies without losing valuable coins, gems, and other resources. Additionally, when paired with the Blood Astronomia (21) arcana, Gorgeous Moon can create multiple damage zones that instantly kill any trespassing enemies.

Syuuto, on the other hand, may seem unremarkable at first glance, with average stats and a decent starting weapon called Summon Night. However, evolving to Echo Night not only provides him with a stronger weapon, but it also dramatically enhances his stats. This includes a boost in max health, improved movement, increased projectile speed, and various other benefits. These upgrades make Syuuto a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

2 Roaming Wanderers - Luminaire Foscari, McCoy-Oni, and Suor Clerici

In Vampire Survivors co-op, teams must share one screen and move together in the same direction. However, there are some gamers who cannot resist the urge to wander. For those who are curious or adventurous and prefer to go solo instead of sticking with the team, there are certain characters that excel at surviving swarms alone in multiplayer.

One such character is Luminaire, who is perfect for players who like to rush ahead and grab chests or prefer to take on bosses by themselves without worrying about dying. When resurrected, Luminaire becomes temporarily invincible and gains a significant boost of 200 Might and 300 Movement Speed. This allows her to survive as a lone wolf within a team.

Independently advantageous, Divano and Dommario start with weapons that provide both defensive protection and offensive damage against a wide variety of enemies. Babi-Onna's weapon has the ability to freeze surrounding opponents.

McCoy-Oni and Clerici are excellent choices for players who prefer long-range attacks. McCoy-Oni's Area increases by 150% per second, making it a powerful tool for supporting teammates from a distance. Clerici's Santa Water has an initial 400% Area bonus and rotates outward, offering great support abilities to teammates without the need to be physically close.

Of course, multiplayer gaming wouldn't be the same without some chaos and laughter among friends or the occasional dose of frustration for easily bored wanderers. Characters like Toastie, missingN, or Porta Ladonna (with her randomized lightning strikes) add an extra level of entertainment to co-op gameplay.

1 Powerhouses - Genevieve Gruyere, Je-Ne-Viv, Queen Sigma, Mask of the Red Death, and Menya Moonspell

To achieve an unbeatable build through co-op and overcome challenges, players can aim for unlocking Je-Ne-Viv and Genevieve from the Tides of the Foscari DLC. These two characters possess the remarkable ability to activate World Eater upon sustaining fatal damage. This grants them temporary invincibility, enabling them to swiftly eliminate all enemies on screen while also replenishing their health with hearts. While Genevieve and Je-Ne-Viv excel individually, their combined strength as a supreme duo effortlessly conquers stages.

On the other hand, Queen Sigma, Mask of the Red Death, and Menya Moonspell are renowned characters that stand unmatched in annihilating hordes of monsters. Red Death, with its impressive maximum health of 255 and exceptional movement speed, becomes even more formidable when equipped with passive items. Menya, after eliminating a specific number of enemies, unleashes devastating attacks that eradicate all foes and subsequently evolves to a heightened state, possessing a might of 200 and an astounding 300% increase in movement speed. Unlocking any of these five immensely powerful characters is a decision that gamers won't regret, as it paves the way for dominating Vampire Survivors co-op.

Vampire Survivors

Platform(s) PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, MobileReleased December 17, 2021Developer(s) Luca GalanteGenre(s) Roguelike