All Orbs and How good they are. (Outdated and mostly abandoned)

This is a guide that will help out new players by telling them the upsides and downsides to each orb and when/if they should choose them for the best bet at winning. I will update the guide and if I am missing any orbs, please tell me and I will add them.

I am sorry I am not updating this further

I just don't like Peglin anymore, and I haven't for the past like 2 years or whatever. This still might be the most useful tool for someone to see all the orbs (to a certain point) but if someone could please take the information I gathered and better it and make their own guide and actually have all the orbs.... please.
Then I could stop receiving comments on why this guide is out of date an incorrect when I made it pretty clear that it is such.

Why Should You Care about my opinion?

[Jakkson K: most of the guide]
I have a good amount of playtime and I am dedicated to giving valid information. However, I do not play this game often enough to keep the guide updated by myself anymore.

I am currently working my way up Cruciball levels (currently on cruciball 3 because when the game updated and/or when I changed computers, i lost my peglin progress. Only got to cruciball 7 previously.)

I also care about what you have to say. If you think my rankings are unfair you can refute them and try to change my mind on some of them.

There are also currently 3 other people who have contacted me about working on the guide and their notes and opinions are also being considered and added to the guide as contributors.
Currently this list is: akhan61391, hungry_womble, and jbroom.

Together we have almost 100% percent completion of the game with multiple different perspectives.

Ranking System Explained

Because of the complexity of everything in this game, giving each orb a strict single letter grade to define it is difficult. Skip this section if you don't care about how this guide is written.

So, to start off, I should probably define how the tiers exist in my head and how I think about tier rankings.

F tier is reserved for any orb/relic/character that actively makes the game harder or works against the player in any way. It doesn't have to necessarily be useless in a black hole, and can be quite good, but the downsides of using it strongly out way the benefits of avoiding it. Alternatively, if the choice is bad/useless 80% of the time, but there is a way to maximize its value and have it be a good choice, but you need to have an understanding of how the game works to do so, I will put it here as it is far to complicated to properly assess.

D tier is the baseline, as in the bare minimum. These orbs/relics/characters are just bad or decent without anything exciting. Technically better than having nothing in SOME cases, but they should really be thought about before choosing.

Everything in D and F tiers are hard to discern because they all shouldn't be taken, so I judge based on niche applications. If there is a niche application they probably land in D tier, if not they probably land in F tier.

C tier is where I draw the average power line. These choices aren't bad, but also aren't good. They sit at neutrality with adding very little to the game and can be used as a balancer. The other option is a bad choice that you can lean into and make it a great choice.

B tier is where the choices start giving you some form of consistency and dependability. Either it is a C tier choice with their special thing being better than the rest, or it is the basis of a very easy synergy that isn't broken, but still good.

A tier is just the GOOD choices. They must be fun and add to the experience while still being good picks roughly 80% of the time.

S tier is where the game-breaking choices lay. They may just be a choice so good that not picking it is shooting yourself in the foot, or something that straight up breaks the fabric of balance in the game. Or they are just an A tier pick that is way too boring for how good it is.

Now, not a lot of orbs fit neatly into one of these categories (not that they are very well-fined in the first place), so I try to think of the best and worst case scenarios for these orbs and average them. However, if the worst case scenario is SO much better than the best case or vice versa I will lean into that side of the argument.

This is not the be-all-end-all. You can lose a game with multiples of every S tier orb. You can find value out of an F tier orb. However, these are outliers with other factors taking into consideration, like how good you are at the game, how lucky you are, when you take heals, and what paths you took.

Pebball

Pebball is the most basic orb type in the game. Every run starts off with 3 of these bad boys, 4 in cruciball, and you can get more in orb selection or through events. They can also be offered in certain events specifically, so keeping them around can be good.

Their stats are:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
No special abilities. Generally you want to remove most of them from your deck unless you are running Orbelisk. Surprisingly not the worst orb to have on you.
Tier: D

Daggorb

This is the other orb you start with. Each run you get a single daggorb and it is seemingly rarer to obtain more through orb selection.

Their stats are:
1/7 > 1/10 > 1/13
No additional abilities.

Their high crit damage and potential is good, but their useless performance without a crit and tendency to overkill makes them less useful in my eyes then pebballs. Also Daggorbs lack any synergies or special events to my knowledge. Might be lighter than pebballs, but not very noticeable.

Even though it has anti-synergies any +x/+x buff, and most -x/-y debuffs, AND works worse in cruciball where there are less crits, AND has other alternatives for crit damage, it shouldn't be in F tier as building around it doesn't make your deck actively worse. Crit items seem to be rare, but making them work and makes a perfectly good deck, however for the average run, Daggorb is worse than Pebball in my eyes.

Now with the added orbs in the new update, there are actually combo pieces for Daggorb, like Critiball, which means it solidly deserves a C tier spot.

Tier: C

Activatorb

This orb is bad.

The Stats:
01 > 0/1 > 1/2
The next orb when drawn/fired gets bonus stats that equal this orbs current stats.

The idea behind this orb is that if you get relic buffs or muscircle/spinesse you can double the buffs onto the next orb. Level 1 is inconsistent and Level 2 only gives you a bit of freedom in deciding who gets the buff. Level 3 is a joke.

If I wanted to spend a turn buffing my future turns, I would just use a muscircle or spinesse gathering orb. This orb is basically pointless. It has niche uses, but I wouldn't pick it over basically any other orb for those synergies.

IF you can get into a situation where this is the only orb in your deck, it becomes infinite through scaling... Kinda. +1/+2 every time you fire an orb is pretty excellent scaling. This I think is very niche. If you get an early activatorb you can try to build around it. In higher cruciball where your starting deck includes 4 pebballs, 1 terriball and 1 daggorb, this is VERY difficult to pull off.

Tier: D or C

Allorbnothing

This orb is like a better Daggorb, but even more punishing. I prefer it over the daggorb and think it's a bit more niche, as it still struggles in all the same ways daggorb does, but now has even higher boss-slaying potential.

Their stats:
0/9 > 0/12 > 0/15
Level 3: Any bonuses to basic damage instead apply to crit damage.
This orb will not do any damage unless it hits a crit.

Despite literally being a more extreme Daggorb, I find it more usable and I like that there are different options for different builds and I hope giving slightly different options to all builds happens in the future.

All buffing relics do not apply the normal damage buff. Surprisingly, orb upgrades through Glorius SuffeRing or Swoltorb allow this orb to do damage without a crit. Currently reaches the highest unmodified damage in the game.

Tier: C

Angry Tomahawk

I don't know the specifics of how this orb works, so I am not really gonna try to quantify it and just slap it with a B tier. Looks maybe decent if the scaling is balanced.

The Stat:
Stats increase the lower your health is, with a multiplying dependent on orb level (Reaches about 2/3 at half health at level 1).

Good in self-harm builds.

Tier: C

Arccentuate

Seems like a very powerful orb for a anti-crit build, which are strong in higher cruciball.

The stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Grants 1/2/3 Muscircle when fired. Deals 4 self-damage when fired.

This orb is part of two already pretty good strategies, being self-damage and anti-crit. This orb seems like a no brainer B tier at least.
Weird thing though, its crit damage is very high for an anti-crit orb.

Tier: B+

Ballad

Seems pretty weak but has decent potential

The Stats:
1/2
Grants 1/2/3 Spinesse when fired.

Crit builds are pretty weak and they generally don't lack in burst damage so I think this orb isn't too great. However, it does let you punch even larger dents into boss hp bars. Pretty bad outside of bossfights unless your deck is tiny. Maybe B tier.

Tier: B

Ballanx

Splash damage good.

The stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/5
Deals damage to the left and right of the hit enemy.
Can target any enemy (not listed in the in-game orb description).

So this orb has splash damage on both the left and right. I haven't used this orb, but it seems good. Ability to hit 3 targets potentially is pretty solid and it does so with consistency.

Tier: A

Ballestra

This is a very powerful orb that forces you to play a dangerous game.

The stats:
4/6 > 5/7 > 7/9
Grants you and all enemies 1 muscircle when fired.

This seems like a very good orb in a muscircle build and a pretty solid orb in every build except self-harm. Risky, but strong.

Tier: A

Ball Lightning

Really Fun. Really Good. Obtained through orb selection or by embracing the lightning in the one event.

Their Stats:
1/2
Can hit any enemy. On crit, hits all in column. When this hits a peg it hits 1 > 2 > 3 additional nearby peg(s).

Super high scaling potential with relics, after buffs it is now slightly better than Orbsium with the special abilities. It can hit crits and refreshes easier than most orbs. Also can hit more than one enemy on occasion.

Good crit/refresh AND bomb synergy. Also opens up the board to allow you to hit those orbs if you get unlucky and the ball lightning doesn't do it itself.

I feel like this orb is almost at S tier, but it does have weaknesses and better options. Definitely got power crept by the introduction of new orbs that do some of its niches but better and more specialized.

Tier: A+

Best Orbfence

Imagine the Irresponsiball, but it only hits a single peg.

The stats:
1/2 > 2/4 > 2/4
Deals +1 > +2 > +3 damage for every ballwark you have.

This orb trades viable damage stats for a slight damage boost. For a good ballwark build, you'll usually have about 25 ballwark after firing a ballwark orb. Even at level 3, 75 extra damage does not pull its weight when it comes to this orb's bad stats. Especially seeing as how you can choose the Irresponsiball instead, and shoot a 25/50 orb. Even with a ballwark build, I'd say don't pick this orb.

Tier: F

Bob-orb

Bob-orb is one of the most interesting orbs in the game. Completely useless unless you have bomb synergy. Obtained through orb selection

Stats:
0/0
Turns every 8th peg into a bomb.
Level 2: First peg hit becomes a bomb.
Level 3: Turns every 6th peg into a bomb instead of 8th.

This orb has the best synergy with Multiball in the entire game, however what it really needs is bomb synergy relics and some base damage to really win a run. Quirky and fun, but not great.

Tier: C++

Bouldorb

Like a pebball, but bigger. Now hits all enemies and requires a level 2 orbelisk to benefit from having this in your deck. Only obtainable from orb selection.

Their stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Pierces all enemies. Can only hit grounded enemies. It is big and heavy.

Now, flying enemies aren't that big of a deal currently. There are a couple in Act 1, none in Act 2, and only a few in Act 3. This means this is almost a hit everyone at pretty good damage. But Icircle is better is almost every way. Bouldorb is too heavy to shoot very far and the magnet doesn't apply as heavily to it. And it being big doesn't change much. In act 2, this orb becomes a godsend as it pierces through the annoying shields.

Tier: A

Bramball

Do not take it unless you are lacking other options. This might be the most underwhelming orb in the game. Obtained through orb selection or for ten hp by reaching into the nook on the tree event.

Their Stats:
3/5 > 4/7 > 5/9
Applies Bramble 2 > 3 > 4 on hit.
Brambles deal 6 > 8 > 10 per bramble level to passing enemies.
Deals 2 self damage when fired
Level 3: Overflow

Brambles deal no damage, locking an enemy in place isn't helpful all that much as they can still attack you. With the added overflow on level 3, it isn't useless, but spending the time and upgrades on this orb isn't the best idea overall, but if you pick one up it can be helpful. Still C tier though.

Tier: C

Bucklorb

A ballwark pebball.

The Stats:
2/4 > 3/5 > 4/6
Grants 3 ballwark every 14 > 12 > 10 pegs hit.

It deals damage and grants ballwark. It doesn't really satisfy the market on either of those things, but it gets better in the later game. Ballwark sources were also buffed, so this orb now has decent defensive ability.

Tier: C

Bullyball

One of the most interesting synergies.

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
Gets a +1/+1 per time you have dealt self damage this battle.

This is a very interesting orb and very good with Infernorbs and Nosorbatus, and so many more orbs, especially now with half of the muscircle build being self-damage. Otherwise just skip.

Tier: C

Cauldron Bubball

Seems like a good way to get spinfection going after an upgrade.

The stats:
1/2 > 1/2 > 2/4
Applies 1/2/3 Spinfection. Hits all enemies.

Very good orb, hitting all enemies is nice, especially with synergies. And deals the confirmed 30 damage with the level three orb all all enemies and then 20 damage next turn and 10 damage the next turn really helps clear out pesky low health enemies in acts 1 and 2. Without spinfection this orb helps clean up the early game, and with spinfection it can help set up on bosses.

Too weak to really do much for the majority of act 3.

Tier: A

Concentrication

Amazing orb that can fix a bad deck and gets SO important in higher cruciball. Obtained in orb selection.

Their Stats:
3/5 > 4/7 > 5/9
Only hits refreshes, crits and bombs. Pierces through all other, popping them.
Can target any enemy.

This is just a solid good orb that can save your run by getting that clutch refresh.

Tier: A+

Countorb Attack

I have no idea how this orb works.

The Stats:
Base damage increases the more damage you have taken this battle, based also on this orbs level.

After tests, it performs a lot better than Angry Tomahawk at similar hp values, however you do need more healing for Countorb Attack as its damage resets each fight.

Damage done to Ballwark or Healed from healing orbs still counts towards this orb's damage. That is what makes this orb so good.

Tier: A

Critiball

An interesting orb that makes the the synergy of Dagger and Allorbnothing and crit items not crumble as badly. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
0/4 > 0/5 > 0/6
Every attack is a crit.
This orb treats crits as if they were durable (doesn't activate them).
Level 1: Convert every 8 pegs hit to a crit.
Level 2: Convert the first peg hit to a crit.
Level 3: Convert every 6 pegs hit to a crit, instead of every 8.

Honestly, this orb single-handedly raised daggorb's viability by quite a large margin, however it itself is nothing more than a combo piece. It can be helpful, but not always immediately beneficial to have. Do not use this orb in conjunction for Extraorbinary.

Surprisingly, I think this is slightly better than its bomb-making counterpart. It even gets more helpful to have around in higher cruciball modes.

Critiball is the key to making spinesse builds work. Sure Ballad is needed to get spinesse, but this will make your build actually work.

Literally the only downsides are no pierce, and it needs its combo pieces.

Tier: A

Darkness Eterball

This orb is just a pebball that gives the only useful debuff in the game. Obtained during orb selection.

Their stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Gives Blind 5 > 10 > 15 to enemy hit.

After bug fixes and balance changes to blind, it is usable. Blind now stacks until the enemy misses, where it resets. I don't think there is much of a point to only using a bit of blind as 15% chance to miss will not save you.

Honestly, I do not know how good this orb actually is. I have used it and my response was, "meh".
Pairs nicely with blinding relics and nothing else really.

Tier: C-

Doctorb

This is the healing orb, however its healing is less beneficial than nosforbatu, despite this one only being able to be used sparingly. Obtained through orb selection. Take if you don't like the other options, can save a run later.

Their stats:
1/2
Deals no damage, instead heals you based on how much damage this would've done.
Level 1: removed from deck after use.
Level 2: can used once per battle.
Level 3: persist 2.

This orb basically acts like a full heal, and is almost always better than just taking the hp.

Tier: A

Douball Douball

We have all played Slay the Spire. We all know how good doubling poison is.

The Stats:
0/0 > 2/4 > 4/8
Doubles the spinfection amount on target enemy.

Literally no drawbacks on a spinfection build. Otherwise stay the hell away. Also there is very little reason to upgrade orb as the doubling doesn't change between levels.

Tier: B

Double Trouball

Like 2 daggorbs for the price of one.

The Stats:
1/4 > 1/5 > 1/6
Multiball 1

Now, the high crit damage + Multiball for easier time landing crits is a good synergy... However I feel like the fact that the multiball never increases is a bit of a killer for the orb. Sure the effective 1/12 is better in theory than the daggorb, but it needs twice as many pegs on the board to be effective.

Consistent, but worse upper limit.

Tier: C

Double Edged Sworb

The Stats speak for themselves.

The Stats:
5/9 > 7/10 > 8/12
When Drawn refresh the board. For each peg that got refreshed, deal 1 self damage.
Level 2: Reduce self-damage by 25%
Level 3: Reduce self-damage by 50%

At level 3, you are probably not gonna kill yourself with the orb and it is a mostly free refresh and then you get to use the insane statline of 8/12 on a newly refreshed board.

Tier: S

Echorb

An orb that I don't have much experience with, however the later on in the game you are, the better it becomes. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
0/1
Hits all enemies. Echo: 30% > 60% > 100%

All in all, a good pierce option, especially when paired with orbs that can deal insane damage but lack pierce. Honestly, this might be stronger poltorbgeist and people are sleeping on it. Though it is seemingly rarer. Definitely take it if it is offered. In act 2, this orb becomes a godsend as it pierces through the annoying shields.

After further testing, Echorb is equal to Poltorbgeist. It can outpace Poltorbgeist in the right setting, like with Ring of Reuse and Echo Chamber, but in an inconsistent deck, you are likely to start off with a weaker multiplier on Echorb.

Holy Hell did they buff this into the stratosphere. Easily the best orb in the game, hands down. It needs a small amount of set-up, but any consistent deck wins with all.

Tier: SSS+++

Egg

I have never gotten this orb. But it is from the "Shake a Tree Event". Take it if you don't have a level 2 doctorb or a nosforbatu.

Their Stats:
5/10
Unupgradable. Shatters on the first hit against a solid peg and is removed from your deck.

This is only useful in niche circumstances or if you need clutch healing. Can be traded to the chef for the Cake, which increases your max hp by 50. Probably better than obtaining the bramball which is the other option in the event.

Tier: D

Electorbmagnet

Magnet relic the orb!

The Stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Has Magnet effect for 3/6 > 4/8 > 5/10 seconds. Unclear whether it stacks with magnet relic.

This flavour of pebball but something different has magnet properties. It sucks. The reason the magnet was broken was because of Multiball. This doesn't have Multiball. It is a bad orb.

However, if you struggle to hit refreshes on upper cruciball levels, it is useful.

Tier: D+ / A (if in cruciball 5+)

Etherwheel

I honestly don't know how to feel on this one.

The Stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Refreshes the board when this orb leaves the pegboard.

Slightly more consistent than refreshorb, worse overall. The best part about it is that if the next orb you fire is a power orb in your deck, firing Etherwheel perfectly sets up for it no matter what. I would prefer Refreshorb, but I do enjoy the higher stats of this orb.

I wouldn't upgrade this as the refresh ability doesn't change and it isn't a damage orb.

Tier: C+

Extra-Orbinary

This is one of the weirdest orbs in the game right now, taking a mechanic that seemed to be an oversight/bug and making it the main feature. Obtained during orb selection.

Their Stats:
5/2 > 7/2 > 7/2. Crit damage cannot be increased.
Level 3: Modifiers to crit damage modify regular damage instead. (+x/+y = +x+y/+0)

Honestly, this is a very powerful orb, and as Daggorb and Allorbnothing gets worse with Cruciball, this gets better. Still not great due to a lack of utility and it is easier to land a crit intentionally than intentionally avoid a crit. If you avoid crit based relics this can be great.

Tier: C+

Forbification

I sense a synergy being hinted at here.

The Stats:
1/2
Turn every 5 > 4 > 3 pegs hit into shield pegs and gain 1 ballwark.

This orb seems to scream "Synergy with Ballpeen Hammer and Fiery Furnace" (shield peg creation/destruction ballwark relics). With those relics, this orb utterly outclasses all the ballwark orbs, bar none. Without those relics, this orb is pretty alright. The creation of shield pegs doesn't actually make it worse, actually quite the opposite because shield pegs can be contacted by your orb more, meaning you get more ballwark. This orb is worth picking up most of the time.

Tier: B+

Highway Orbbery

If you have a lot of money....

The Stats:
2/4 > +1/+2
Can be upgraded an infinite amount of times.

This orb gets better and better than more and more money you have. It is kinda insane honestly. However unless you are gonna pump it don't bother taking it.

Tier: B+

Icircle

Icircle is honestly my favourite orb, and one of the only natural pierce options, but lacks any downside. Only obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Gets to pierce through the first peg hit. Pierces 1 enemy, but all enemies on a crit.

Like Daggorb, this is only really good on a crit, but that naturally damage is great and the only good, "Pebball stats but has something else". Never skip an Icircle unless your deck is already too big. Having pierce in a deck is something you will never take for granted and never not need. In act 2, this orb becomes a godsend as it pierces through the annoying shields.

Tier: A

Go For the Icircle

I think this orb has a dumb name and too much going on with it for too little reward.
(not in alpha order as it is just a modifier icircle.)

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
Regular attack pierces one enemy, crits pierce all. Orb pierces first peg. Applies 2/3/4 blind.

An Icircle with a slight damage nerf for some weak defensive potential. Not amazing, but still solid since Icircle is solid.

Tier: B+

Infernorb

Infernorb is a decent all around orb with benefits and slightly outweigh the negatives. Obtained through orb selection or through the fireball event at the cost of 10 hp. Generally speaking take this orb if you are wanting to do a bomb build or if you are severely lacking in pierce damage and NEED bombs.

Their stats:
3/5 > 4/7 > 5/9
Very light. Detonates bombs in one hit. Destroy [Shield Symbol] in one hit. Deals 2 self damage when used.

The two self damage is honestly meaningless and can actually be helpful, the fact it is light is good to balance decks with heavy orbs, and the slightly above average stats are good. Short Fuse makes the bomb benefit actually worthless, but if you don't have Short Fuse take at least one.

Tier: B

Irresponsiball

Turns a defensive build into an aggressive build.

The Stats:
0/0
Gains +0.3/+0.6 > +0.6/+1.3 > +1/+2 for every ballwark you have when fired, then consumes all your ballwark.

Without upgrades, this orb needs upgrades. With upgrades, a remotely functioning ballwark build hands this orb immense power. Use it wisely. Otherwise don't touch this orb.

Tier: A

Jack-Orb-Lantern

This is a really good orb if you have tons of refreshes. The gimmick is the least consistent in the game. Obtained in orb selection.

Their Stats:
1/2 > 2/4 > 3/6
When it falls down, it teleports to the top on the screen in the same horizontal position as it fell. Happens a number of times equal to its level. Hits targetted enemy.

I feel like this orb should be better. Maybe if it went back up to the top in a random position it might be better. As right now, the orb often times doesn't hit anything on the second trip down and onwards. Overall I don't like it, but the increased stats make it better is some ways than ball lightning/matryorbshka. A tier with gift that keeps on giving.

Tier: B

Kobanorb

This greedy orb isn't as good as you may think.

The Stats:
1/2 > 3/5 > 4/6
Creates money pegs every 9 > 8 > 7 pegs hit
Level 1: Cannot activate Money pegs.
Level 2: Doesn't break money pegs, but still gains damage from them.
Level 3: Creates a money peg on the first peg hit.

This seems like, 'Oh Free Money', but the amount of money you will conceivably get is maybe 4 per round if you collect the money it leaves behind because unlike Critiball and Bob-orb it can't break the pegs it makes at all. Money isn't even all that useful to stock pile anyways. Most of the board is already money.

Tier: D

Matryorbshka

This is the most talked about orb from what I can gather. Don't get me wrong, it is very fun and very easy to make gamebreaking, but also easy to make less than useless. Only obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
1/2
Multiball 1 > 2 > 3.

This is the only orb currently to naturally have multiball, but oddly enough has anti-synergy with the multiball relic. The very low stats tend to become 0/0 with powerful boss relics, but even still the insane damage potential is ludicrous. However, dealing 37,950 damage to an enemy with a bit over 200 hp is kinda sad. (this actually happened to me)

Also, with coin in pegs now, Matryorbshka is one of if not the best orb to clean up and gather money.

Because it lacks the ability to hit multiple enemies and can trigger Red Bombs you may not want to activate, I am ONLY putting it in S tier.

Tier: S

Memorb

This is an interesting orb that is solid in almost every build, but never game changing. Obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
Gains 0.34 bonus damage per peg hit this battle. Can target enemy enemy. Can only be used once per battle.
Level 2: bonus damage increases to 0.5 per peg hit.
Level 3: Can be used as many times per battle as needed.

This orb scales wildly in Matryorbshka and Orbsium/Ball Lightning builds, as the peg does not need to 'pop' to gain the bonus damage. That being said, it is a back-up orb. It is almost always better to have one of those two orbs than to use the Memorb. But take a Memorb if you need consistency.

Tier: B

Mirrorb

This is another rare event orb. This time it is really the only option, you take the nearest orb (mirrorb) or sacrifice your orbs. It is only of the only ones I have used, although I forgot it existed.

Their Stats:
0/0
Unupgradeable. Turns into a random orb in your deck each reload.

So this is a good orb to have, you can get extra times to fire the good orbs in your deck, however it could also turn into a stone. If it turns into a stone, Orbelisk may get an increase that reload, though this is uncomfirmed.

Tier: A

Morbidorb

A quirky orb that honestly isn't amazing. Obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
1/2 > 2/4 > 3/6
Popped pegs it passes through count for damage.

In terms of orbs that can hit pegs more than others, this is one of the weakest options. However, it does fire straight on, which is a mixed bag when compared to Ball Lightning or Orbsium. The fact that the upgrade doesn't improve its extra peg hitting potential and only its base damage means that it works less well with buffs, but slightly better with -x/-x modifiers.

However, hitting popped pegs is less consistent than the other options.

Tier: A-

Necrorbmancer

This is the most interesting orb in the entire game. Not great, but super interesting. Obtained in orb selection.

Their Stats:
5/10 > 6/12 > 7/14
Can only hit popped pegs and bombs. Popped pegs hit refresh. Hits targeted enemy. Upgrades each peg hit like a Swoltorb.

Holy cow, this is an insanely weird orb that requires specific cases to be good. Stats are great, it gives consistency, but I can't figure out how to use it correctly. It should be really good, but it is too hard to use.

It is REALLY good at hitting bombs.

Tier: C

Nosforbatu

The best healing option in the game, and sadly the least consistent damaging option. Good for self-damage synergies, the few that exist. Obtaining through orb selection. Always take one.

Their Stats:
1/2
Deals 15 self damage when fired, +7 per use this combat. Like Doctorb it heals instead of doing damage. And then deals damage based on the amount of missing hp you gained back.
Level 1: deals 1x healed to targeted enemy.
Level 2: deals 2x healed.
Level 3: deals 2x healed to all enemies.

This is great for consistent healing and inconsistent damage. At least it is almost always a full heal, unless your skill is bad like Aliensrock.

Tier: S

OffeRing

I don't really understand this orb.

The Stats:
1/2 > 3/5 > 5/8
Pierces all enemies, however the distance the projectile travels in dependent on the amount of pegs hit. Higher levels means more pegs per distance unit.
Deals 2/3/4 self damage per enemy hit.

I feel like the orb is only good at level 3, which is a pretty good investment. Before that Poltorbgeist is better and more consistent. Self damage also doesn't help this orb.

It is a very bad orb in act 1, a decent orb in act 2, and a very good orb in act 3. Averaging a low B tier placement, as not being able to be taken in act 1 is a huge deal.

Tier: B-

Omegorb

Now this is a fun orb. Honestly, I think it gets worse as it upgrades, but it is really quite good. I say take it unless you are using a matryorbshka without glorious suffering. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
5/9 > 7/11 > 9/13
Downgrades each peg it hits by 1 > 2 > 2 damage. Overflow.

This orb has anti-synergy with nearly everything, but it is very good still, at least at level one. Level two is actually legitimately worse than level 1, and level 3 is maybe worse? And it becomes bad if you get the relic that gives all orbs Overflow.

Tier: B

Omygorb!

By far the riskiest orb in the game. Great damage that hits everyone. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
5/9 > 7/11 > 9/13
Destroys any pegs hit. Permanently.
Attack hit all enemies.

This is basically a cracked Poltorbgheist with a heavy downside. If you use only this orb at tier 3 against any boss, this orb should out-damage itself and the boss should die. I think. However, it could be possible to end up in a situation with no pegs on the board and enemies that can still hurt you.

This orb is the ultimate risk/reward orb and especially with the right buffs this could easily solo a run, however with the wrong buffs it can heavily weaken you. Take at your own risk, but know that it is a solid pick.

Tier: B

Orbelisk

Orbelisk is a pure synergy orb that can cause you to rethink discarding all of your pebballs, or just realize the orbelisk is gimmicky at best. Obtained from the Obelisk event and orb selection.

Their stats:
0/0
Gets +1/+2 for each Pebball in your deck. Hits all targets in a column.
Level 2: Gets +1/+2 for each Bouldorb in your deck.
Level 3: Gets +1/+2 for each Orbelisk in your deck.

Shop Update really nerfed Orbelisk by making it a rare orb that costs 45 gold in the shop for the first level. Geez...

This is actually a pretty interesting build idea, but it is so top heavy and requires deck bloat that it is terrible. Now you definitely can use Orbelisk is a winning run, but it can't be the main focus, just extra coverage.

The Bouldorbs in a Orbelisk deck are likely better than your Orbelisks because they can hit multiple enemies with around the same average damage.

In my opinion, Orbelisk actively makes your deck worse, as going for the highest number on a single target is rarely helpful. Orbelisk requires you to not only commit to a single strategy to be good, but doesn't help you in any fights before the FINAL BOSS. Sure a really high power Orbelisk can be crazy against the final boss, as long as you have proper discards and were lucky enough to have more bouldorbs than pebballs.

However, having the Orbelisk takes the generally speaking net neutral 'Copy all orbs' event and turns it into a net positive... but that is very niche.

Lastly, Orbelisk's power is a parabolic function that maxes when your orbelisk is roughly a 6/12, after that point it paradoxically gets worse and worse because you can't throw your orbelisk as often leaving your average turn's damage to be lower.

For scaling potential, it is better than any other orb and can get to some ludicrous damage numbers like 10/20, but that isn't even THAT good.

I do not recommend ever building into it. If you try to get the most out of your orbelisk, you will get less out of it then someone who just picked it and moved on.

Tier: F. Just for the reason that it is the only orb in the game with the potential to slowly sap all of the life from your run.

I have officially talked too long about a single orb, but really, no other orb in the game really is as big of a mixed bad to honestly talk about for 6+ paragraphs

Orblation

This is just a better way to do a high damage orb than Omegorb or Ohmygorb!

The Stats:
5/10 > 7/12 > 9/14
Can target any enemy. Deals 6 > 5 > 4 unblockable self-damage when fired.

So instead of overflow we get deck consistency. I do love overflow and it is the only thing making omegorb viable, but this has comparable stats for single target damage at least. Hard to justify if you already have a lot of single target damage and don't have a self-damage build.

Tier: B

Orboros

This is good. Straight up good, if you can get it early enough and really work on it being the glue of your run, you can win. Obtained by giving all your orbs to the purple mirror at a cost of 5 hp.

Their Stats:
1/2
Persist 3 > 4 > 5. Echo: 40% > 60% > 80%.

This has the potential to be the best orb in the game, however it is held back by a few things. One: no piercing. Two: You have to give up all orbs you have, which is a good thing early on. Three: Echo isn't great on it's own, it needs a more powerful orb to help it start the damage train easier.

New update nerfed hard to D tier.

Tier: D

Orbrasion

I am not too sure how I like this high risk/high reward orb.

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/4 > 3/6
Grants 1 muscircle for every 20 > 16 > 12 pegs hit
Deals 3 > 4 > 5 self-damage for every 20 > 16 > 12 pegs hit

I don't like that the self damage increase as you upgrade it... But is has really high potential in a muscircle build.
I feel like self-harm is holding back this orb a bit too much.

Tier: B

Orbsium

This is a fun orb I don't see too many people talking about. It is only obtained through orb selection, but it is SOO GOOD. Always take it if you can.

Their stats:
1/2
It is heavy and gets heavier the more you upgrade. Hits pegs a number of additional times equal to its level.

Orbsium might actually be stronger than Matryorbshka, it has the same stats, similar scaling potential, better synergies, and hits any enemy selected, rather than just the first enemy. It is also helpful in bomb synergies as it explodes bombs in one hit due to technically hitting the bombs 2-4 times.

The main gimmick here is that it hits pegs multiple times, which is instant rewards with Glorious SuffeRing, rather than needing refreshes like most orbs. Still there is the issue of single target damage, and the damage can't even be put through as overkill.

Tier: S

Orbust

This orb fuses Muscircle and Ballwark builds.

The Stats:
1/1 > 2/2 > 3/3
Grants 1 Muscircle when fired.
Grants 2/4/6 ballwark when fired.

This orb is a very good way to fuse both builds together and can be a help even if you only are doing one of the two builds. however, it won't be great at either build.

Tier: B

Oreb (REMOVED FROM NEWEST VERSION)

The only thing I know about this orb is that it exists. I never got the event that gives it to you and it just seems like an unupgradeable stone. Please tell me that this actually does.

Their Stats:
2/4.
Does not upgrade. Bounces differently.

Honestly unless there is some big secret about this, never take this. It is worthless.

Tier: F

Polterorbgeist

This is probably the most powerful orb in the game right now. Honestly I have been sleeping on it before now. Obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/5
Passes through pegs while moving up (still hits them). Hits ALL enemies.

If you think Matryorbshka is broken, look at Polterobgeist. It has the same stats but instead of having multiball it hits all enemies, which is SOO useful. Now it isn't an auto-win, you need support for it damagewise, but HOLY it is good. Too bad it is mostly outclassed by Echorb. In act 2, this orb becomes a godsend as it pierces through the annoying shields.

Tier: S+

Protectorb

Removes damage for more defense. Best offense is a good defense.

The stats:
0/0
Deals no damage. Grants 3 ballwark every 8 > 6 > 4 pegs hit.

Gives real levels of ballwark, with good consistency. This orb is the best kickstarter to a ballwark build. Not much else to say.

Tier: A

Refreshorb

This orb is an oddity. It has the potential of near unlimited damage potential on certain levels, but generally will be near worthless. Funny though it may seem. Obtained through orb selection.

Their stats:
1/2
Refresh the board every 6 pegs hit. (limit 10 refreshes)
Level 2: Refreshes the board on discard.
Level 3: Refreshes the board on first peg hit.

Very useful to have one of these in a run, especially level 2+, but there are better orbs. It is like a safety net if your refreshes are impossible to hit.

Tier: B

Renewed Vigorb

One of the best muscircle orbs.

The Stats:
1/2
Adds 1 muscircle every 3/2/1 times the board is refreshed while this orb is in flight.

All you need are the refresh relics and this orb can easily gain you 3-4 pieces of muscircle in act 2 or 3. With matryorbshka shell, make it more than 10 pieces in a single throw in certain arenas.

This orbs only downside is the slightly low stats, but that is made up for by generating better stats on future orbs.

Tier: A+

Reorbanizer

The weirdest and hardest to utilize orb. Completely rng. Take it if you lack refreshorb or refresh relics. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
2/5 > 3/7 > 4/9
Shuffle crits and refreshs every 5 > 4 > 3 pegs hit. Shuffles crits and refresh when discarded. (Max 10 shuffles)

In my mind this is just a worse version of refreshorb. Although the higher than normal damage is appreciated, although for some unknown reason it got nerfed. Out of every orb in the game this one got a damage nerf, used to be a 2/6 i think.

Tier: C-

Restorb

This fairly weak way of both healing and damaging seems like a step back from Nosforbatu and Doctorb.

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
Heal 4 > 6 > 6 when fired
Can only be used one per battle.
At Level 3 you gain 2 max hp per use.

Overall, I think you shouldn't pick this. If you need healing there are better options. Not the worst thing that could possibly exist, but I don't really see any benefit of having this in your deck at all. Probably makes your deck less consistent. Max HP is nice but throwing 75 coins into a single orb which gives you 2 max HP per battle is only good early game if you have a way to kill enemies consistently.

Tier: F

Round a Bout

This is an immediately interesting although not that appealing orb.

The Stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Critical hits attack the enemies from behind.

This stone flavor has just a couple niche uses.
1. Getting past shields
2. Getting rid of ranged enemies with chip damage.

However neither of these is all that necessary and pierce is better for both AND the attacking from behind only happens sometimes... Not really worth it.

Tier: D

Rubborb

What this orb lacks in gimmicks, special flair, or any zing, it makes up for in technical utility. Don't pick it, it is only an ever so slightly better stone. Obtained in Orb Selection.

Their Stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Extra bouncy!

Bouncing more than normal can be helpful. Other than that it is literally just a stone without the benefits of literally being a stone.

Tier: D-

Shock Orbsorber

One of only a couple orbs that contain a double 'Orb' pun in their name, and bomb synergy.

The Stats:
0/0
Gets +1/+1 for each bomb detonated.
Level 2: Gets +2/+2 instead for Red Bombs
Level 3: Self-damage from Red bombs decreases by 2.

This is nothing more than a combo piece. Great if you have Bob-orb or plan to use bob-orb. Otherwise skip. However bomb strats are about turning the pegs necessary to deal damage from orbs into bombs.

Tier: C-

Signal Boostorb

This is a very good combo piece.

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
This orb is affected by Muscircle, Spinesse and Ballance 2 > 3 > 4 times.

This orb single handedly saves Muscircle and Spinesse builds by absolutely destroying in the scaling department.

Tier: A+

Sphear

Seemingly just a weaker Icircle. Found in orb selection.

Their stats:
2/4 > 3/5 > 4/6
Pierces 1 > 2 > 3 enemies.

Seems to be a slightly worse but more consistent Icircle. Enough said. Pierce is incredibly helpful still.

Tier: B+

Splatorb

Splatorb is an interesting orb. Not too great, but does a lot of stuff right. Take it if you don't have any light/bouncy orbs already. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
2/4 > 3/6 > 4/8
Applies rubber slime to every 5 > 4 > 3 pegs hit. Rubber slimed pegs are durable and extra bouncy. I am pretty sure multiple sources of durable do not stack.

I love having a splatorb and I think it is very helpful in the longhaul. Not great on its own but can help other orbs out just a tad. Later on in the game it isn't great.

After more thought, this is worse than I previously thought. The main issue being that The Gift That Keeps Giving basically removes all viability from this orb, and the extra bouncy only really matters on a couple maps. Sure it is good with Swoltorb or Glorius SuffeRing, but I think this deserves a spot in C tier instead of B as I see myself skipping over it now in my runs. I think it either deserves a small damage buff as it levels up, like having it a 4/9 or 4/10 max level, or making it so multiple sources of durable stack.

Tier: C

Spinfectious Sting

This looks like the easiest way to apply spinfection and it works.

The Stats:
1/2
Applies 2/4/6 spinfection.

Solid choice if you have a build for spinfection. Otherwise try to avoid. (haven't used spinfection enough to form an opinion on the build itself.)

Tier: C+

Swashbucklorb

This very interesting weapon-type orb is probably one you should skip...

The Stats:
2/4
Gold acquired from Money Pegs contribute an additional 1x > 2x > 3x damage. Can target any enemy.

This is very good if it is one of the first orbs you fire... IF it is one of the first orbs you fire. Otherwise any other orb will be the same or better. Nothing else to say other than potential synergy with Kobanorb.

Tier: D

Swoltorb

This is a decent option. Honestly, not my go to choice but can be helpful. Take it if you have orbsium or matryorbshka. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
2/4
Upgrades each peg it hits by 1 > 2 > 3 damage.

This works really nicely with Gift That Keeps Giving or Glorious SuffeRing. Synergizes with most top-tier orbs. Itself is fairly weak and slow however.

Tier: B

Sworb

I do not understand this orb. Obtained through orb selection.

Their Stats:
3/5 > 4/7 > 5/9

It is just a stone+1? Minus the stone synergies.

Tier: F

Terriball

Now I know what you're thinking: Easy F.

The Stats:
1/2
Small hitbox. Unupgradeable

[Jbroom] It is intended to actively work against your runs. But many times, it can be of more value, with its small hitbox able to squeeze through areas and hit refreshes more easily. It's also not as easily deflected by moving pegs. It's actually saved my run on more than one occasion. I was playing on a lower cruciball level and found myself thinking "Man, I could go for a terriball right now" (that actually happened). Now, I'm not saying this orb is great. But, in my opinion, if this orb wasn't a 1/2, it would be be better than the stones you start with on the same cruciball.

[Jakkson] Now while Terriball is terrible, there are niche applications for it, especially in act 1 where bombs are often times hard to orbs to hit as they are mostly guarded. Terriball can squeeze throw the gaps in certain maps to hit bombs really well. I think there could be a solid orb with the upside of a smaller hitbox if it did have other stuff going for it. Often times I would remove most of my stones before removing terriball. However, I would never want to add/duplicate a terriball.

Tier: F+

Toil and Trouball

At first glance looks like a superior version to Spinfectious Sting. Seems very worth it for spinfection build.

The Stats:
2/3
Applies 2/4/6 spinfection. Can target any enemy.

Very solid orb. Almost always a good choice if you get it early enough to not have a build yet and definitely a good choice to synergize with other spinfection. (current ranking not affected by the usefulness of spinfection, as I haven't fully tested it out.)

Tier: B

WorbHammer

So to complete the orbs that are literally just weapon we have the Warhammer.

The Stats:
4/6 > 5/7 > 6/8
Dense. Overflow.
Level 2: Destroys Shields in one hit.
Level 3: Attacks deal full damage to enemy shields.

This is completely broken. It makes me ask why Sworb exists yet again. This is a Sworb+1 with overflow, the ability to break shields, and the ONLY downside it that it is heavy. Considering how good Orbsium is despite getting heavier whereas this doesn't, it is safe to say this is a top five orbs.

Tier: S

Ending

I am willing to keep updating this when new info is learned and presented to me and when new updates happen. If this has helped you in any way please give it a thumbs up. I only got this guide out so quickly because I saw there weren't any, so there might be a bit of misinformation, but I want to clear all that up as soon as possible.

Orbs listed beyond this haven't had their sections finalized.

Eviscorbate

Like a targettable in-between of the All-orb-nothing and the Daggorb.

The stats:
1/7 > 1/10 > 1/13
Can target any enemy.

Not great, but can target.

Tier: C-

Exacorbate

A very tricky orb that is useful in some builds, but its jack of all trades nature leaves a lot to be desired.

The Stats:
2/5 > 3/6 > 4/7
Increases hit enemy's debuffs by 1/2/3
Can target any enemy.

Pretty good for spinfection if you need extra orbs. Otherwise I would say don't bother.

Tier: C

Spinterest Payment

A Gold build orb...

The Stats:
0/0
Gains +1/+2 for every 25/15/10 gold held when fired.

I can see the power of reasonably keeping around 125 gold in act 3 with this as a level 3 orb give it the stats of a 12/24. Pretty good. Pretty bad early game though. Only pick up in act 3 if you need a high damage orb.

Tier: B+ or A-

Circcae

Yet another orb that just has Multiball 1...

The Stats:
1/2 > 2/3 > 3/4
Multiball 1

Still decent has it can get some decent base damage, but I would still prefer other bonuses. Multiball 1 does effectively double damage increases for improved scaling in Muscircle/Spinesse... but not really that effectively...

Tier: B

Rubberizorb

Stop making orbs that directly buff other orbs...

Stats:
1/2 > 2/4 > 3/6
The next orb fired becomes extra bouncy.
Level 3: This orb itself is also extra bouncy.

This is only useful if you are using multiple heavy orbs that could benefit from the extra bounce power to hit more orbs. Good if you have Orbsiums and Worbhammers but otherwise it feels like a waste of a turn.

Even if you have direct synergy, I am not sure it is worth it.

Tier: C-

[Jakkson K]

Bakaba, to answer you, I created this guide during the game's initial release period, when cruciball was a toggle of yes or no, and I completed it. So I did the hardest thing the game had to offer, and the only thing to do to make it worth playing more of is to try to document all the orbs.
And I was able to give advice to new players as someone who had 'endgame' experience at the time.

Metas changed as the game did. Orbs that once were really strong aren't usable anymore even if their stats didn't change. At the very least, you can look at the older orb sections to understand what the meta was like in the earliest versions of the game.

[ValiantBlade]

One thing I really don't agree with is the new Orboros ranking, it needs more effort to build, sure, but because the echo gets really high, and persist gets really high, and if built properly, you can get 300+ echo damage easily.

[Bakaba]

Jakkson K: Well, we need a new guide made by a true "veteran" I think. Yes, people come here because guides are lacking, but this is a very bad guide from an endgame point of view (and it's not updated of course).

The fact you have so little hours in it and tried only a few combinations/strategies made me wondering why you created a guide to begin with. BUT this is the first stone of something bigger and, if you don't mind, I might take over this format and make it a bit nicer.

[Bakaba]

Rubborb ranking didn't age well. S++ Finished Cruciball 16 with it

[Ott]

:/

[SomeMaster]

win a run with alien's rock

[Lsz]

how can i get Aliensrock

[Jakkson K]

Bakaba, not only have we not touched this guide since like august, did you not read my section on Critiball?
I just don't find crit build to be as good of a build as anti-crit. I used to have things ranked differently when Critiball was actually the single best single damage orb in the game.

I have no idea of any new content, I really lost interest in this game when the inventor character got created.

The only reason why this guide is so popular is that nobody else has even gotten close to documenting all the orbs in the game, at least when I was still working on this guide.

[Bakaba]

I like how "veteran"(lol) players doesn't know about crit strat

[goober]

dawg i was reading the nosforbatu section while watching an Aliensrock video