It’s been nearly two years since the unstoppable rogue-lite hit Vampire Survivors dropped on Steam and nearly a year since its surprise release for mobile and developer Poncle just keeps making it better. Sure, some of the updates are paid DLC, but the amount of free content updates to the game is mind-boggling at this point. There’s a reason why it’s on our list of the best Android games. Oh, did we mention that the base game is free and doesn’t force you to watch ads? You really don’t have a good excuse not to download this onto your favorite Android gaming phone.
How to play Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a progressive rogue-lite bullet hell game. The aim is to survive waves of monsters that attempt to drop your health down to zero for 30 minutes (or 15 minutes, depending on the stage); most failed attempts will leave you with some currency (Gold) that’s used to purchase new characters and power-ups.
The bullet hell portion of the game is derived from how enemies spawn in, whether through a flying swarm of bats or an enclosed ring of plant monsters traveling toward you. The waves spawn more aggressively the longer you survive, so it’s best to effectively prepare for this ongoing onslaught.
Controlling the movement
An early priority for getting acquainted with Vampire Survivors on Android is learning how to get comfortable with the movement; note that this version operates natively through touch controls by default, but thankfully, there’s full controller support included. In addition, some character’s projectile attacks and in-game upgrades for projectile weaponry depend on the direction your character faces to aim the projectile(s).
![Vampire-survivors-move-1](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-move-1.jpg)
![Vampire-survivors-move-2](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-move-2.jpg)
You can turn off the displayed joystick from the main menu and tap Options > Visible joystick (page 3). Sometimes the on-screen joystick obscures the vision around the character, so turning this off may improve your experience if you choose to play with the native touch controls.
![Vampire-survivors-menu-1](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-menu-1.jpg)
![Vampire-survivors-menu-2](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-menu-2.jpg)
Selecting a character in Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors offers 41 characters, but it’ll take a large chunk of your time to unlock them all. Each character offers a starting weapon, close-range or long-range based, and a unique passive. The starting character is Antonio, who is more than capable and will help you grab that early bank of Gold. But after that, you want to unlock Imelda Belpaese (one of the best characters in Vampire Survivor); her Magic Wand is a beginner-friendly projectile weapon, and her passive provides a sweet XP boost to jump you through those beginner levels.
Avoid playing Arca, as his Fire Wand takes time to upgrade, and the projectile speed is sluggish. He’s also expensive to purchase during your first few attempts.
Level up in Vampire Survivors
The key to success is leveling up your character as fast as possible so that you’re prepared to demolish enemies before they become obstacles. Collecting blue orbs provides experience points for your character; patience is crucial in picking up the orbs within the 5-minute mark. Otherwise, you take unnecessary damage on contact if you don’t plan your pathing carefully.
Levels add weapons and upgrades. Always select damage upgrades and weapons to add to the projectile. For example, try using the Axe and the Whip and then upgrading your Whip (especially if you’re using Antonio) to fire off a second projectile.
![Vampire-survivors-leveling-1](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-leveling-1.jpg)
![Vampire-survivors-leveling-2](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-leveling-2.jpg)
It’s tempting to make a beefy (more HP and defense) unit with these upgrades. Still, Vampire Survivors is a DPS (damage per second) check first and foremost, so you’re going to want all your points for extra damaging weapons added field coverage. Though, using Garlic puts a ring around your character, immensely helpful on a slower projectile-dependent character like Arca.
Learning weapon evolutions
The key to growing stronger is dipping your feet in weapon evolutions. Combining level 8 weapons with catalysts will transform your weapon into a more powerful version. See below for some examples:
- Firewand + Spinach = Hellfire
- Axe + Candelabrador = Death Spiral
- King Bible + Spellbinder = Unholy Vespers
In retrospect, finding the best weapon combinations can bring your build to the next level for faster and easier clear times.
Getting power-ups
Collecting treasure chests and watching ads to collect more Gold is the best way to pay for power-ups. Power-ups are bought in the main menu and are carried to all your unlocked characters; some upgrades are more expensive than others, but you should aim to buy Might, Magnet, and Growth for your early power-ups.
![Vampire-survivors-power-1](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-power-1.jpg)
![Vampire-survivors-power-2](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/vampire-survivors-power-2.jpg)
Overall, don’t forget that working toward power-ups, trying new characters, creating builds on the fly, and discovering the secret unlockables is the ultimate strategy for outlasting the night-filled horror in Vampire Survivors.
Unlocking the Arcana system in Vampire Survivors
Arcana introduces another way to power up your gameplay using a card-modifier system. To unlock Arcana, you must find the relic, Randomazzo in the Gallo Tower stage (level 60).
You select Arcanas before every run, and once you’ve reached 11 minutes in a stage, you defeat an elite enemy to drop a chest containing selectable Arcanas; rinse and repeat for the 21-minute mark for collecting the final Arcana.
Prepare for upcoming Vampire Survivors updates
You could be forgiven for thinking that the Vampire Survivors hype train was out of steam, but nothing could be further from the truth. In addition to the recently released co-op mode, there’s another free update on the way that Poncle has been teasing for weeks which could be out by the time you read this. This guide won’t tell you how to kill Death, but it will get you well on your way.