Necrodancer Item Tier List (Amplified V2.59)

Lists every item, ranks them based on how useful and valuable they are, and tries to explain how they got their rankings.

Introduction

This guide is a useful list of items and how good they are! This guide intends to present practical use of items over different scenarios that you may encounter during the game. This isn't intended to be an introduction to Crypt of the Necrodancer, as we won't be going through every detail of every item and assumes you're familiar with each.

If you just need a more in-depth presentation of items stats, refer to the wiki for a more complete comparison of stats: Crypt of the Necrodancer Wiki[crypt-of-the-necrodancer.fandom.com]

This guide goes over most of the game's content, that includes the DLC! And if you're wondering if the DLC is worth it, I strongly recommend it.

Of course, one person's playstyle and experience can never fully measure an items usability, so helping and actually pointing out things I've missed will be greatly appreciated!

Weapon Materials

Tier	Materials	Notes
S	Obsidian	Obsidian - Due to the ease of maximizing the groove chain (even after just losing it), Obsidian items tend to perform better average-wise especially to more experienced players. Synergizes with other Obsidian items and the Ballet Shoes.
A	Blood	Blood - Gives 0.5 health per ten kills, and does 999 dmg at 0.5 player health. The healing alone makes this material great, and may even outclass Obsidian ones depending on the circumstance. Synergizes with Crown of Thorns.
B	Titanium Gold	Titanium - A +1 increase in damage is an always welcomed upgrade. Gold - Does 999 dmg whenever gold is picked up, but due to the limit of how much gold piles there are, along with them needing to be adjacent next to monsters makes this material barely better than Normal ones. Also gives +1 base gold per kill (unsurprisingly good for Score runs).
C	Glass Normal	Glass - The 4 dmg may seem worth the risk, but needing TWO beats to re-equip shattered items are often run-enders since players usually get hit most in messy vulnerable scenarios and you can't pickup items in enemy occupied spaces. Glass items offer no recovery and only punishes the player. They can't even utilize the throwing mechanic! Best used with protection items such as the Glass Armors, Crown of Teleportation, Ring of Shielding, or Frost Charm. Normal - Nothing good, but nothing bad either.

Weapons

Weapons are ranked with their base material in mind. Always consider the weapon's material before switching as an Obsidian Spear may outclass a Normal Bow. Additionally, when picking items consider its range; >3 range weapons may lock you in place rather than letting you move or flee (snag). Lastly, the throwing mechanic may look daunting, but for more experienced players the mechanic is worth using especially with its 'Piercing' dmg.

Tier	Weapons	Notes
S	Warhammer Rifle	War Hammer - Very few weapons have reliable range or splash dmg, but this weapon has both. With its 6-tile attack range it easily clears out a path for the player to move or escape to. Unlike its alternative the Blunderbuss (the only other weapon with consistent range and splash dmg), this weapon deals no self-knockback, requires no reloading, and its range is concentrated on 3x2 in front of the player. This weapon removes any cardinally or diagonally positioned enemy that would attack the player within a chosen direction and gives a wide window for the player to focus on other directions. Rifle - An upgrade to the Bow and Staff with a buffed 3 dmg, this weapon allows enemy sniping up to 20 tiles away, virtually removes close combat kiting, and effectively guarantees player safety at long range. Also deals 'Piercing' dmg which are useful for problem enemies (Blademasters, Armored Skeletons, Armadillos, Beetles, Knights, Orcs, and Devils) which are normally a problem for most other weapons. All 'range' weapons can also function as a makeshift Dagger during close emergency encounters. Unlike other range weapons, this one is less susceptible to snag. Be careful around Warlocks and Shopkeepers.
A	Cutlass Bow	Cutlass - A better alternative to the Longsword due to its parry abilities. When attacking, parrying gives invulnerability and can be used to chain-spam attacks without taking dmg. Even hard counters all but one miniboss (Red Dragon Fireball). Bow - Functionally similar to the Longsword, but trades one one tile of range (total of 3) for the loss of the Longsword's ability to double hit. Mildly prone to snag, but still very reliable.
B	Longsword Spear Flail	Longsword - An alternative to the Spear; hits both opponents at once in its two range tiles. Possibly outclassed by the bow, due to how situational enemies line up in front of you at the same time. Spear - A direct upgrade to the Dagger range-wise; trades the Longswords's double hit for the throwing mechanic. Flai l - An upgrade over the Broadsword and is great for crowd control due to its natural knockback and better AOE range. Can also bypass enemy shields and can stun-lock enemies (even minibosses) when used correctly. The only thing lacking about this weapon is its short forward reach.
C	Broadsword Whip	Broadsword - Alternative to the Whip; can hit three enemies at once. Whip - An alternative to the Broadsword with a larger range but with no multi-hit. Being able to hits enemies at the far sides can be used to hit enemies in front just by reorienting, but that might be trickier since other weapons can just directly hit those in front of the player. Prone to snag.
D	Frost Electric	Frost Dagger - Identical to the Jeweled Dagger, but requires two hits on 5- or lower health enemies when the Jeweled version requires one. The upside is that this weapon deals 'Piercing' dmg. Extremely synergizes with Frost items (Familiar, Dagger, Spell, Charm) and deals 999 per hit . Electric Dagger - Think of it as using a buffed Titainum Harp bred with a Staff; a good 2 dmg crowd control weapon, but with an infinite arcing range . However, the splash dmg this weapon does is dependent on enemy positioning. Perfect for conga lines and chess pieces, and synergizes with Zone 5 conduit tiles.
E	Harp Staff Jeweled	Harp - A weapon with an 8-tile range around the player. The Harp is just basically just a glorified Dagger but its effect outclasses the Broadsword by attacking like the Broadsword, but in all directions at once . Staff - Another glorified Dagger, but its effect is similar to the Rifle's; it hits all opponents in its lane. Jeweled Dagger - A direct upgrade to the Dagger with a 5 dmg stat. Notably, since no enemy nor boss has greater than 10 hearts, this weapon will always kill everything (other than invulnerable/shielded enemies) in two hits or less. Outclassed by the Dagger of Frost only due to this weapon's lack of any synergy or 'Piercing'.
F	Dagger	Dagger - You'll always want to replace this. However, the throwing mechanic shouldn't be discounted; throwable weapons are best used for one target enemies and some bosses can even be quick-killed this way (Deep Blues and Coral Riff).

Weapons (Others)

These are weapons that offer a very unique playstyle and cannot be comparatively measured with other weapons.

Weapon

Notes

Axe Rapier Cattails Crossbow Blunderbuss Mystery Phasing

Axe - A more situational version of the Broadsword. But unlike the similarly situational Rapier, this weapon offers no 2x dmg. Rapier - A situational alternative to the Spear or its upgrades. Can do 2x dmg when lunging. Trades double dmg for the similarly functioning Axe's wider range. Cat o' Nine Tails - Requires practice, but does the job well. Acts like a pseudo-Lute. Crossbow - Functionally just a Bow with +1 range, but requires frequent reloading to compensate. Deals 'Piercing' dmg. Blunderbuss - The only weapon with a 'cone' range. Reloads and does self-knockback. Mystery Weapon - RNG but guaranteed Obsidian or Titanium material. Dagger of Phasing - Has 2 dmg and is the only weapon with 'Phasing' dmg which allows to hit all enemies without fail . Includes ghosts and ghoul variants, all mimics, underground moles, all problem enemies, and even the normally untouchable Dead Ringer and throned King Conga. This item's viability and playstyle plummeted due to the spawn removal of the Ring of Phasing in the DLC.

Character-specific Weapons

Weapon

Notes

Lute Flower Prosthetic

Golden Lute - The game's plot item. Notable for being able to hit enemies around you as you approach them. This weapon doesn't require an additional beat to attack like most weapons, and covers six surrounding tiles at once; meaning, simply moving forward kills nearby enemies . A Tier if this weapon wasn't limited to specific story characters. Flower - Peace was always an option. F Tier. Eli's Prosthetic Shovel - Has knockback and can dismount Knights; good for tossing enemies into a bomb's blast radius.

Tools

Since most common walls need at least a Dig Level (Tier) of 2 or lower, Tier 3 shovels tend to be overkill. Shop walls, the only other relevant wall, are at Tier 4 which only one shovel can normally dig through.

All shovels are Tier 2 unless otherwise stated.

Tier	Tools	Notes
S	Strength	Shovel of Strength - By having a Tier of 2, a 3x3 area dig, and a +1 dmg this shovel offers the best attributes value-wise. Notable to be the most relevant shovel in boss battles due to its +1 dmg.
A	Crystal Battle	Crystal Shovel - The only Tier 3 starter shovel. However, having only one character (Dove) to ever use this outside of Urns hampers this shovel's use. Battle Shovel - This shovel doubles as a gold weapon but for dug tiles instead of gold. The 999 dmg it offers after digging is easily exploitable as dig tiles are by far more abundant than gold piles, which is the only thing restricting gold weapons from high tier. Note that this additional effect has no impact on boss fights (except Fortissimole) since they lack any dig tiles. Synergizes with Earth spell.
B	Obsidian Pickaxe Glass	Obsidian Shovel - The downside of this shovel almost doesn't exist, as the game incentives staying on the rhythm (i.e. groove chain) anyway; even so, re-killing enemies (even static ones like Zone 2 Shrooms or Zone 3 Cauldrons) bumps your DL back to the ideal value of 2. Additionally, this shovel's DL can rise to 3, giving more dig options if the player would choose so. Pickaxe - On par with the Obsidian Shovel, but trades dig consistency over Obsidian's ease of not needing multiple hits. A great alternative. Glass Shovel - Risky, but does the job well. Degrades to a dropped makeshift Shovel upon shattering or being used for its one time shop wall dig. Always buy and use this when the Glass Shop has a Secret Shop.
C	Titanium Blood Courage	Titanium Shovel - An always welcomed shovel upgrade. Blood Shovel - The only shovel to normally dig through the coveted shop walls! However, this shovel has an extremely nasty downside of dealing 0.5 hearts per dig on anything BUT dirt. Also has a 3x3 dig on non-dirt tiles. Hazardous when used with Miner's Cap. Shovel of Courage - Allows dig-dashing (moving immediately to the dug tile) and gives invincibility given during the dig-dash. Quite valuable for speeding through the level. Makes tile buffering harder.
F	Normal	Shovel - You'll always want to replace this.

Torches

All torches have a Visibility of 1 unless otherwise stated. Higher Visibility (including natural wall lights) means greater enemy aggro, so always take that into account.

Tier	Torches	Notes
S	Strength	Torch of Strength - Visibility AND +1 dmg. The only torch to be relevant in boss battles due to its +1 dmg.
A	Walls Luminous	Torch of Walls - A great alternative for when the Map isn't obtained. Easily displays the outline of the entire floor, which is the goal of having a torch in the first place. Gets redundant when the Map is acquired, however. Luminous Torch - A jacked up version of the Obsidian Torch without the requirement of maxing out the groove chain. One of the three torches to have the maximum Visibility of 3.
B	Obsidian Glass	Obsidian Torch - Starts out at 1 Visibility, but can easily go up to 3. This is the only torch to not reflect its aggro level; most torches increase in aggro as its visibility rises, but this torch can increase its visibility w/o increasing its aggro. Glass Torch - Unlike other Glass items, losing your Glass Torch isn't as punishing, so finding a free Glass Torch is always appreciated due to its maximum Visibility of 3 and its additional effect similar to the Circlet of Telepathy. HIghest aggro of all the torches due to the additional effect.
C	Infernal Foresight Bright	Infernal Torch - Digging torch walls cause Greater Fireball spells (8 dmg). The situationality of the torch wall placement and the fact that torch walls are easy to exhaust (by player or enemy digging, or by the Shrine of Darkness) lowers this torch viability. Torch of Foresight - This torch gives a somewhat sense of the floor layout. Bright Torch - Torch with 2 Visibility. A normally consistent alternative to the Obsidian Torch, but due to the Obsidian torch's aggro-visibility quirks, this torch gets outclassed.
D	Normal	Torch - Better than stumbling around with nothing. You'll always want to replace this.

Rings

Tier	Rings	Notes
S	Wonder	Ring of Wonder - Gives a Heart Container (Ring of Peace), has +2 dmg ( two Rings of Might), spells have quadruple cooldown (Ring of Mana), has 0.5 protection (Ring of Protection), heals one heart per floor (Ring of Regeneration), and halves shop costs (Ring of Charisma). Seven ring effects for one ring . Extremely hard to get, however.
A	Peace Regen Piercing	Ring of Peace - Mainly used for the extra Heart Container and for turning mini-bosses to their weakest variant, notably Dragons. Ring of Regeneration - Heals 1 heart for the end of the level. Frees the other slots of healing items (Blood weapons, Crown of Thorns, or Heal spell) if one needs less healing. Completely outclassed by the Ring of Wonder. Ring of Piercing - Unlike the Ring of Pain, War, or Might, this gives weapons 'Piercing' rather than outright +1 dmg. Although additional dmg is more consistent, sources of additional dmg are far more abundant than sources of 'Piercing' dmg. Enables weapons that are normally troubled by problem enemies to be able to deal with them. Redundant with 'Piercing' or 'Phasing' weapons.
B	Might Frost Shadows	Ring of Might - A +1 increase in damage is an always welcomed upgrade. Ring of Frost - Freezes and makes enemies die in no more than two hits . Possibly redundant with dmg increases, but extremely synergizes with Frost items (Familiar, Dagger, Spell, Charm) with a 999 dmg per hit . Ring of Shadows - Virtually does what the Ring of Charisma achieves by making all shops free , and allows taking of all items from a 'choose one' effect from a shop or shrine. Best acquired for free at Shrines of Darkness, along with a Map and Compass that alleviates this ring's downside. Extremely good with the Conjurer and Transmogrifier and the ring is easily swappable once it has done its job.
C	War Pain Courage	Ring of War - Alternative to the Ring of Might, except with the addition of player weapons gaining knockback in exchange for stronger mini-bosses. Particularly troublesome against Dragons. Ring of Pain - Basically a splash version of Ring of Might or War, but has an initial cost of dealing 0.5 hearts to the player upon equipping. May offer no benefit for long ranged weapons since the the ring's effect is only applied to enemies directly around the player. Ring of Courage - Allows dashing forward when attacking, and gives valuable invulnerability during the dash. Is fine on its own (hence why it was nerfed in the DLC), but you may need to get used to this ring first. One of the few items that can dupe gold .
D	Shield Charisma Gold	Ring of Shielding - Notable to be able to prevent Glass items from shattering once. Destroyed upon use. This ring isn't bad on its own but with so many better rings available, using this ring incurs a great opportunity cost for its one-time use. A more reliable protection item. Ring of Charisma - An alternative to what the Ring of Gold achieves monetarily-wise, but also includes discounts for pawnbrokers and blood shops. Ring of Gold - Gives +1 base gold per kill to help with gold expenses, and synergizes with Gold items by picking up gold and constantly activating their effects for them. Makes the Luck Charm unobtainable and prevents use of the Shopkeeper Familiar when equipped.
E	Protection Luck	Ring of Protection - A +0.5 def isn't a substantially relevant stat increase to merit a ring slot especially if the player already has decent armor. Ring of Luck - Only usable if you have nothing good. Possibly redundant with the more reliable and consistent Luck Charm.
F	Becoming	Ring of Becoming - You'll always want to transmute this. Synergizes with protection items.

Untiered

• Ring of Uncertainty - RNG.
  
• Ring of Phasing - Non-DLC exclusive.
  
• Ring of Mana - (ive never used this with all the spells). Requires Spells to function and requires OP spells to be worth a slot.

Headwear

Tier	Headwear	Notes
S	Monocle Thorns	Monocle - Great for finding more valuable items, hidden gold piles, runes, and identifies items inside shrines, boss chests, crates, barrels, and the ring on the Shrine of Uncertainty. Gets obsolete once the player has a complete set of good equipment however, albeit that rarely happens. Crown of Thorns - Heals 0.5 hearts for every 10 kills. Synergizes with Blood weapons.
A	Blast Helm Sunglasses	Blast Helm - This item always gives a net positive due to providing 3 bombs along with it. The helmet isn't much use (bomb dmg is rare) so simply swap and reswap headwear or transmute the helm. Due to how shop walls and bombs interact, this item always gives 150 gold, if the player chooses to. Sunglasses - Gives +1 increase in damage. This item has a downside of making the enemy hard to identify from its variants, but the increased dmg is usually able to take care of them before they become a problem. Better for more experienced players, or players with longer ranged weapons.
B	Spiked Ears Teleportation	Spiked Ears - A +2 dmg increase is massive, but this item breaks if the beat is missed. A welcomed item if the head slot has nothing good in it. Synergizes with Ballet Shoes. Crown of Teleportation - Protects the player from dmg once (by teleporting them to the shop) then breaks. Protects Glass items and cheeses the Shriner when destroying shrines.
C	Telepathy Miner's Cap	Circlet of Telepathy - This item is only good for scouting out the floor layout. Enemies also tend to move your way anyway, so they tend to be naturally seen eventually. However, unlike the Visibility that Torches offer, this is the only item not to increase aggro. Redundant with Glass Torch. Miner's Cap - Allows dig-dashing, automatically digs adjacent tiles, and increases DL by 1 (capped at 3) and functions as a Torch if no torch is available. Good for navigating the level, but mining too much or too fast can make enemies swarm towards you. Redundant with Shovel of Courage and Torch items and makes tile buffering harder. Hazardous when used with Blood Shovel.
D	Helmet	Helmet - A +0.5 def isn't a substantially relevant stat increase to merit a headwear slot especially if the player already has decent armor.
F	Crown of Greed Glass Jaw	Crown of Greed - This item's effect of doubled money is good on paper, however, the process of acquiring this item counters what the item tends to achieve. This can only be obtained by killing the shopkeeper, but with no shopkeeper to spend gold on, this item becomes obsolete other than for score, or for some shrines or runes. Glass Jaw - Doubles all play dealt dmg, but causes instant death upon hit. Instant. Death . This item is a worse version of the Karate Gi, where dmg received on both sides are only doubled. The Glass Jaw is by far the most punishing item in the game. There are by far better items such as the Spiked Ears or even the high-dmg Glass weapons that offer similar dmg boosts with more palatable downsides. The Glass Jaw extremely necessitates the use of protection items (excluding the Crown of Teleportation since the item is also a similar headwear).

Armor

All enemy dmg is in increments of 0.5 starting from 0.5 hearts. The player always receives a minimum of 0.5 dmg regardless of how much defense they have. No enemy and miniboss (boss dmg WIP) has an attack of more than 3 dmg; so everything normally deals a maximum of 3 dmg or less to the player (dmg received is increased by Karate Gi, Glass Jaw, Ring of Becoming and ooze tiles). The only normal exceptions include the shopkeepers' 10 dmg and their ghost's 5 dmg. (See Enemy Damage Reduction Tables for further comparisons)

Tier	Armor	Notes
S	H. Plate	Heavy Plate Armor - Gives the max value of 2 def out of all armors. Gives the player the 'Heavy' attribute which prevents movement that isn't player or Shove monster input. A direct upgrade to the Plate Armor.
A	Plate Dorian's Quartz	Plate Armor - A direct upgrade to the Chainmail with 1.5 def. Dorian's Plate Armor - A clone of the Plate Armor for Dorian. Quartz Armor - Is a slightly weaker alternative to the Plate Armor. Doesn't reduce much dmg from repeated low dmg enemy attacks, but is able to deal with high dmg enemies better than the Plate Armor and the Heavy Plate Armor. See tables below for comparisons .
B	Obsidian Chainmail H. Glass	Obsidian Armor - Unlike other Obsidian items which follow a 1 / 2 / 3 ratio depending on the groove chain, this item follows a 0.5 / 1.0 / 1.5 ratio instead. Defaults to the Leather Armor with 0.5 def, but can go up to Plate Armor's 1.5 def. Since the groove chain resets upon being hit, the player can only take a single hit before this item degrades to a Leather Armor. The worst Obsidian item. Chainmail - A direct upgrade to the Leather armor with 1 def. A more consistent alternative to the Obsidian Armor. Heavy Glass Armor - A direct upgrade to the Glass armor. Protects Glass items from shattering three times and gives the player the 'Heavy' attribute.
C	Glass Karate Gi	Glass Armor - Protects the player from dmg once then breaks. Not suitable for longterm due to how a single weak attack can negate this item. Protects Glass items. Karate Gi - Doubles dmg dealt and dmg taken. Best used with long range weapons.
D	Leather	Leather Armor - Gives 0.5 def. You'll always want to replace this.

Enemy Damage Reduction Table Reference

The lesser the dmg taken the better.

	Heavy Plate	Plate	Chainmail	Leather	Quartz
Enemy Damage	Dmg taken after Reduction(-2.0)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-1.5)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-1.0)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-0.5)	Dmg taken after Reduction( ->1)
3.0	1.0	1.5	2.0	2.5	1.0
2.5	0.5	1.0	1.5	2.0	1.0
2.0	0.0 - > 0.5	0.5	1.0	1.5	1.0
1.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.5	1.0	1.0
1.0	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.5	1.0
0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.0 - > 0.5	0.5
Avg Dmg Taken	~0.58	0.75	1.0	~1.33	~0.91

Technically some rows don't actually result in zero (0.0), but anything zero or below is set back to a minimum 0.5 damage anyway, so the same result is achieved.

Shopkeeper and their Ghosts

Enemy Damage	Dmg taken after Reduction(-2.0)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-1.5)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-1.0)	Dmg taken after Reduction(-0.5)	Dmg taken after Reduction(->1)
10.0	8.0	8.5	9.0	9.5	1.0
5.0	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.5	1.0
Total Dmg Taken	5.5	6.0	6.5	7.0	1.0

Footwear

Tier	Footwear	Notes
S	Winged	Winged Boots - Combines the immunity effects of the Lead and Explorer's Boots, as well as an immunity to all traps. Doesn't make use of Zone 5 Conduit tiles, however.
A	Lead Explorer's Strength	Lead Boots - The player becomes immune to Ice and Ooze, as well as spike traps. One of the few things to give the player the Heavy attribute. A preferential alternative to the Explorer's Boots. Explorer's Boots - The player becomes immune to Water, Tar, Hot coals and Ooze. A preferential alternative to the Lead Boots. Boots of Strength - A +1 increase in damage is an always welcomed upgrade.
B	Ballet Slippers	Ballet Shoes - Prevents the groove chain from resetting. Synergizes with Obsidian Items and Spiked Ears. Glass Slippers - Combines the immunity effects of the Lead and Explorer's Boots (except spikes immunity and being 'heavy') and makes full use of conduit tiles. Shatters when the player is hit. Best used with protection items.
C	Leaping Hargreaves Pain	Boots of Leaping - Only good for level navigation and outrunning enemies, or maybe for water and tar movement. Hargreaves - A +0.5 def isn't a substantially relevant stat increase to merit a footwear slot especially if the player already has decent armor. Boots of Pain - Basically a 3 dmg version of Boots of Strength when moving towards enemies (or crates), but has a nasty initial cost of dealing a significant 1.5 hearts to the player upon every pickup . Since range weapons attack from afar and lock the player in place rather than moving them forward, most range items receive no effect from the Boots of Pain.

Untiered

• Boots of Speed - Level Editor exclusive.
  
• Boots of Lunging - (ive never used this)

Spells, Scrolls, and Tomes

Spells are renewable items that are regenerated when a set amount of enemies are killed, while scrolls (single-use greater spells) and tomes (stackable, spammable spells) function virtually the same as spells but with limited uses. The table below only shows the spell's icon, but the item placement includes their corresponding consumable scroll and tome for simplicity's sake.

Tier	Spell	Notes
S	Freeze Shield	Freeze - Freezes enemies (and liquids) to allow a brief window of safety to the player. Excels in crowd-control and makes boss fights exceptionally easier. Also counters Blademasters and prevent bosses (King Conga, Death Metal, Deep Blues, and especially Coral Riff) from teleporting. Shield - Allows a brief window of invulnerability to the player. An alternative to the Freeze spell.
A	Heal Earth	Heal - This spell has more use cases than what it first seems. Heals for 0.5 hearts every 15 kills. Turns Sarcophagi or other summoning enemies into infinite healing sources. Can spam i-frames to negate dmg. Reduces dmg to 0.5 by abusing i-frames and blood magic (when used with the Ring of Mana gives no penalty whatsoever). Performs a free 'stair heal'. Earth - Despite its abysmal range, this spell offers both utility and offense all packaged up in one slot. This is the only one out of two items to deal the notoriously powerful ‘Phasing’ dmg, and comes with infinite dmg! Due to this it instakills cornered enemies and can even quick kill bosses (including the intangible Dead Ringer, burrowed Fortissimole, or throned King Conga). Also safely moves shopkeepers out of their stores, smash crates and barrels, and synergizes with the Battle Shovel. However, enemies capable of digging tiles can make this spell ineffective defensively, but not with proper play.
B	Pulse Transmute	Pulse - A stronger alternative to the Fire spell, but requires some practice. Excels in covering all four corners when dropping down floors where minibosses are skipped. Transmute - Rerolls item spawns in the player's favor and is the only way to get the best ring, the Ring of Wonder. Additionally, if the Ring of Becoming isn't found, this spell can transmute other items into that ring by chance, making the ring more accessible. Best used on shops for maximum chances, and low cost trash items even retain their low prices even if the transmuted item turns into something more valuable. Excels in lengthier runs.
C	Fireball Bomb	Fireball - Similar usage to the Bomb spell, but trades the ability to destroy shrines and shop walls for longer crowd control range. Easier to use, but is outclassed by the Pulse spell and even the harder Earth spell. Bomb - Renewable source of Bombs for shop walls, crates, and the only spell to destroy shrines, or can be used for general crowd control. Bombing bosses (King Conga's throne and Coral Riff) forces them immediately to be in their damageable, last stage. Held back by its lengthy cooldown.
D	Transform	Transform - A toggable spell that allows 0.5 healing every 5 kills when transformed, but does not make use of any equipped items while the spell is active (even prevents Glass items from breaking, and the Ring of Becoming from activating). Always prevents death when not already in bat form similar to a renewable Potion. Low tier due to it permanently occupying a spell slot and limited character usage. Best used with more Heart Containers.

Scroll Exclusive

These are scrolls with no tome or spell counterparts. Scrolls tend to be outclassed by spells, and the consumable slot is often prioritized with healing items. It's usually hard to justify carrying a scroll if there are other consumables.

Usable Tier

Scroll

Notes

Enchant Need Riches

Scroll of Enchant - Turns weapons with their Titanium, Glass, or Obsidian counterparts. Daggers are turned into special daggers. Best acquired after activating and destroying a Shrine of Peace, which turns the Dagger given for a Heart Container into its special variant if the player chooses so. Scroll of Need - Great for players lacking an item in an weapon, shovel, torch, or amor slot, or when at 0.5 player health for a Potion. Caution should be exercised when using this item, since this scroll can turn all of your equipment to Glass if the four equipment slots (mentioned above) already have items . Riches Scroll - Gives 50 base gold. Activates Gold weapons 999 dmg once.

Situational Tier

Scroll

Notes

Fear Earthquake Gigantism

Fear Scroll - Unlike the Shield or Freeze spell which allows you to deal dmg to enemies alongside being given a window of safety, this scroll just gives the player some breathing time without actually resolving the amount of enemies you still need to deal with. However , always buy this cheap item from the shop when you need another item to purchase; shops with absent, fleeing Shopkeepers means free stuff. Earthquake Scroll - Removes most Walls in a 10 tile radius around the player. Also deals 1 damage to enemies but may cause surviving enemies to swarm and reach you, however. Best used on bosses such as Deep Blues, King Conga, or Necrodancer 2. Scroll of Gigantism - Acts as a pseudo-shield spell which allows the player to tank enemy dmg while dealing double dmg back. The complete invulnerability offered by the Shield spell may be more desirable, however. Also increases DL by 1, however this is mostly irrelevant.

Familiars

Familiars

Notes

Rat Ice Shop Dove

Rat Familiar - Deals 1 'Piercing' dmg. Capable with dealing with problem enemies and Spiders by just moving the familiar into their tile. S Tier, but be careful around Pixies. Ice Spirit Familiar - Freezes enemies in place for 3 beats (stackable). Does this on the turn it occupies the same tile as the enemy and instantly cancels enemy action. Also good against Blademasters. S Tier. Shopkeeper Familiar - Heals 0.5 hearts once for every stack of >25 gold pile it touches. Just collects them for you otherwise. In other words, collects but does nothing on lower value gold piles, and never heals for more than 0.5 hearts even on bigger value gold piles. Guaranteed heal after boss fights. A Tier. Dove Familiar - Teleports enemies away from you. Makes it mildly difficult to hit enemies, but always frees a tile to move to. B Tier

Miscellaneous Items

Pickups (Charms, Map, Compass, Coupon, Monkey Paw and Potion)

Since the player can amass any number of pickups, collecting everything or as much as you can is the main objective here.

Packs

• Backpack - Great for holding onto an extra healing item, tome, or scroll.
  
• Pack of Holding - Basically an upgrade to the Backpack. Infinite storage. Single-handedly makes tomes and scrolls viable, and limits the RNG of not having the scroll when you need them.
  
  
• Holster - Swapping two weapons mid- or pre-fight is unconventional, and having a Holster means having no additional consumable slot for later. However, just switching weapons makes an alternative to dig-buffering.

Bombs and Heart Containers

You'll always want these when possible, even cursed Heart Containers.

Health Consumables

Has magic variants which should always be immediately eaten when full. Note that eating healing consumables gives i-frames.

• Apple - Heals for 1 heart.
  
• Cheese - Heals for 2 hearts.
  
• Drumstick - Heals for 3 hearts.
  
• Ham - Heals for 4 hearts.
  
• Carrot - A better Apple. Reveals the layout of the current floor entirely.
  
• Cookies - Heals as much as the Drumstick, but the amount healed can be in controlled amounts. Stacks, and each cookie can be used for i-frames.

Other Consumables

• Heart Transplant - Grants the player 20 seconds of free movement out of beat with the music. Enemies move after the player's movements.
  
• Holy Water - Acts similar to a Bomb but with no self-recoil, has insta-use, and doesn't affect tiles. Heals a heart for every enemy hit.
  
• Cursed Potion - Fully restores health, but curses all Heart Containers. A fully cursed heal is always better than dying.
  
• Throwing Stars - Similar to throwing Daggers but with 3 'Piecing' dmg. Stacks.

Non-consumables

• War Drum - Not technically a consumable. Using this will allow the player to stay still while on beat. Boosts dmg and acts as an alternative to dig-buffering.
  
• Blood Drum - Similar to the War Drum but for the price of 0.5 hearts per use. Allows the player to deal 999 dmg and grants the highest DL. A high risk, high reward item.

Shrines

Due to the nature of shrines, having spare bombs on hand at all times are highly recommended. Do note that shrines can give atleast one out of its possible three items; the shrine's effect itself, and when destroying the shrine in its Active or Inactive states. Be sure to differentiate which items drop from which states.

Tier	Shrine	Notes
S	Peace Space	Shrine of Peace - The downside of losing your weapon for a default Dagger is easily bypassable as long as you have a spare weapon on the floor, or if you can throw your weapon. Additionally, the shrine itself drops very useful items when destroyed (Activated, for an Enchant Scroll to alleviate the weapon loss or even upgrade the spare the player has; or Inactivated, for Ring of Peace to simulate the additional Heart Container the shrine provides plus a miniboss nerf). Shrine of Space - The shrine offers either a free Shovel upgrade with no significant downside (Zones 1,2, and 3 are given one extra room), or allows the player to destroy an Inactivated shrine for an easy Map. Destroying an Activated one for a Miner's Cap may not be worth an extra bomb, however.
A	Sacrifice Risk	Shrine of Sacrifice - The only issue is luring enemies to the shrine, which isn’t hard just time consuming. When the number of sacrifices are met, it gives a choice between three items with ‘current level+3 value’. Always bomb this shrine for an extra Heart Container. Shrine of Risk - Gives a Pack of Holding for infinite consumable item storage, a choice between three random items, and two Apples. Activating the shrine costs a cumulative 2 hearts per Zone, so this is best activated when the player has ways to regenerate the 0.5 health loss per floor and hasn't killed the Conjurer for its Pack yet. However, if the player destroys the Activated shrine and saves the Scroll of Need (doable due to the infinite storage space) at 0.5 health, they can redeem a free Potion to offset all the dmg done prior. The Karate Gi given when destroying the Inactivated shrine may be situational.
B	Blood Darkness	Shrine of Blood - Best used when at low health for Blood Weapons and Shovels. This shrine's effect may not be beneficial for all runs, but the drops from destroying the shrine (Activated, for Crown of Thorns; or Inactivated, for Ring of Regen) are very useful. Be careful when picking up the Crown of Thorns at 0.5 health. Shrine of Darkness - If the player has no good torch nor ring and is confident enough, this shrine should always be a pick whenever the Map is still not found. The Ring of Darkness given can be useful for shops ( extremely especially for the Conjurer and Transmogrifier), and the ring can easily be swapped later on. Destroying the Activated shrine also gives one of the best torches and since activating the shrine always gives an extra bomb this is always an option.
C	Chance Uncertain Pain	Shrine of Chance - Due to how easy and consistent it is to acquire a Lucky Charm, this shrine is always worth a few low-priced tries due to how the Lucky Charm forces item spawns. Destroying the shrine with the Charm will also drop a random item. Shrine of Uncertainty - A shrine with no downsides since you can always pick up your old item back if needed. It is always good to try your luck on getting your choice of either a free (or better) weapon or ring. Shrine of Pain - Possibly an oversight, this shrine actually gives four free items if used correctly. Simply lure a 0.5 dmg dealing enemy and tank exactly four hits and destroy the still inactivated shrine for an easy Cheese to offset all dmg. Doesn't work with a Glass setup, but the inactivated Cheese drop is still usable.
D	Boss	Boss Shrine - Only activate this if the player is confident in their equipment (or Ring of Peace). Offers very good items when destroyed (Activated, for Strength Charm; or Inactivated, for Cheese).
E	Rhythm Glass	Shrine of Rhythm - Obsidian items are good, but having irregular rhythm and varying beat consistencies over different runs may prove difficult long-term. Activating it also drops you immediately to the next floor. Destroying the Inactivated shrine for a Heart Transplant may be beneficial. Shrine of Glass - Rarely use this shrine as it can remove usable items such as the Strength Shovel or Torch, the Crown of Thorns or Monocle, or Lunging Boots. The shrine is more trouble than what its worth due to how punishing Glass items are, but the Crown of Protection (when destroying the Activated shrine) or Glass Armor (when Inactivated) somewhat alleviates this downside.
F	War	Shrine of War - Forces all enemies to be their strongest variants. This is difficult in practice as enemies can now more easily swarm and overwhelm you. This even includes Boss-level enemies (Deep Blue chess pieces, Coral Riff tentacles). The activated drops are not ideal either; a 50 / 50 chance between either the Monocle or Circlet of Telepathy, and the Gigantism Scroll has very niche use cases. Destroying the shrine drops the Protection Charm (Activated); or the Ring of War (Inactivated) which are both situational at best.

Untiered

• Shrine of Pace - Non-DLC exclusive.
  
• Shrine of Phasing- Non-DLC exclusive.
  
• Shrine of No Return- Non-DLC exclusive.

Character + Item Synergy

*Moved and made this guide for this instead; refer to each Character's All Zones Section
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2799119116

Closing

This is my first attempt at making a guide, so mistakes are bound to be made! Sorry in advance! Once I've been notified that I've missed something, I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Thanks for reading and ratings are much appreciated!


I hope this guide helped you in any way and I hope you have fun playing Crypt of the Necrodancer!

[Adamas, God of Prominence Poker]

Fairly outdated because of all of the things the new DLC added, but still nice.

[XiriLuvsGames]

I'd probably say that the strategies on certain achievements would be useful here. Especially since some of the achievements (like, "get killed by a green slime," or, "Kill 8 enemies with one bomb" require some prep and/or luck. And some require a lot of skill but have general meta behind them (Coda+Phasing Ring, for example)

[Falmingkitter]

Can't get hit if you kill first :P

[pesialg]

Tbh sure, some parts of the guide are a bit outdated/ can be worked on (but i dont wanna work on it lol) but your outlook assumes youre NOT ever gonna be hit. Additionally, Glass is also terrible for speed, score, and all char runs (all the highest levels of play), so its still low tier bc of the risk. And thats from me who uses glass jaw often btw

[Falmingkitter]

This entire guide assumes you are going to get hit. Glass, C tier? lul

[pesialg]

@aaronfergie Thanks for the feedback! I just recently knew about the one-time glass shovel and shop wall interaction too. Also the freeze spell is way underrated in this list; it makes bosses exceptionally easier and even hard counters coral riff! Ill update the list soon when im done taking down notes. And similarly lastly, I thought reconsidering including character specifics, but doing so I need to include all fourteen of them, in every item, which makes things messy! But I might make a section for that instead. Thanks again!