Laser (Vertical) Ball Guide
Quick Reference
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Effect | Fires a full vertical laser beam down the entire column on landing |
| Attack Range | Full vertical line at impact column (screen-tall) |
| Category | Area Attack / Laser |
| Solo Tier | A |
| Evolution Tier | S |
Rating
Laser (Vertical) is the column-axis counterpart to Laser (Horizontal). Every landing fires a beam that hits every enemy in the same vertical column, regardless of how many there are. Against enemies arranged in vertical columns, it delivers the same screen-sweeping efficiency as the horizontal version does against row formations.
The critical synergy is with Laser (Horizontal): combining the two creates Laser Cross (S), which fires both beams simultaneously on every impact — a cross-shaped attack covering the entire grid.
When to Pick
Pick Laser (Vertical) whenever you already have or can soon acquire Laser (Horizontal). The Laser Cross evolution is one of the strongest area balls in the game and makes both pieces significantly more valuable together than apart.
Solo, it's A-tier and strong against any wave with vertically-aligned enemies (common in column-march formations).
Evolutions
Laser Cross (S)
- Recipe: Laser (Vertical) + Laser (Horizontal)
- Effect: Fires both horizontal and vertical beams simultaneously — cross-shaped full-field coverage
- Notes: The primary reason to pick Laser (Vertical). The cross-beam hits every enemy in both the same row and column of the impact. With bounce, this fires multiple times per round, rapidly clearing entire screens.
Laser Cutter (S)
- Recipe: Evolution (Laser line upgrade)
- Effect: Focused high-damage cutting beam
- Notes: Single-target specialist. Against bosses or isolated high-HP enemies, Laser Cutter's concentrated beam outperforms Cross on per-target damage.
Best Characters
- Column-sweep builds: Characters fighting vertically-arranged waves get maximum value from the vertical beam.
- Laser Cross builds: Characters that can hold both Horizontal and Vertical Laser early unlock the cross-beam fastest.
- Bounce-heavy builds: More bounces = more vertical laser beams per round.
Recommended Passives
| Passive | Effect | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Damage Up | Base damage increase | Multiplied across every laser hit in the column |
| Range Expansion | Increased attack coverage | Widens the column beam's effective area |
| Extra Bounces | More bounces per ball | Each bounce fires another vertical beam |
Tips
- Column targeting: Aim for vertically clustered enemies. The vertical beam clears an entire column simultaneously.
- Combine immediately: If you have both Horizontal and Vertical Laser, evolve to Laser Cross the moment you can. There's almost no scenario where holding both separately beats the Cross.
- Bounce synergy: Bounce passives are exceptionally good with either laser ball. Each additional bounce is a free extra full-column beam.
- Complementary to Horizontal: If enemies shift from row formation to column formation mid-wave, Vertical covers what Horizontal doesn't.
TL;DR
Laser (Vertical) fires a screen-tall beam down the full column on each landing. A-tier solo, S-tier through Laser Cross (Vertical + Horizontal). Immediately combine with Laser (Horizontal) for the full cross-beam — it's one of the best area attacks in the game.