Poison

Poison is a sustained-damage ball that builds stacks on each hit. Each stack independently deals 1–4 damage per second for 6 seconds. At maximum 5 stacks, a target takes up to 20 damage per second continuously — excellent against high-HP bosses and elites that don't die to burst.

Solo tier is B: the stacking ramp-up means Poison underperforms early, but once attack tempo is established in mid-game, maintaining 5 stacks becomes routine. The real strength is the evolution breadth — seven different evolutions span multiple archetypes, letting Poison fit into bleed builds (Venom), cell builds (Virus), earthquake builds (Swamp), and standalone DoT builds (Nuclear Bomb). Pick up Poison early and decide which path to commit to.

• Buy Poison when you see it — it has one of the widest evolution networks in the game
• Identify your evolution target immediately: Virus needs Cell; Venom needs Freeze; Swamp needs Earthquake
• Two Poison balls? Virus + Venom or Nuclear Bomb + Swamp are strong dual-evolution targets

Virus = Poison + Cell [S-tier · Infection Spread]

The premier Poison evolution. Hits spread Poison stacks to all nearby enemies instead of just the target — a single hit in a dense group infects the entire screen. Combines the apex evolutions of both the Poison and Cell archetypes. Top S-tier.

Nuclear Bomb [S-tier · Explosive DoT]

Converts accumulated Poison stacks into an explosive burst of area damage. Stacks are consumed to trigger a large-radius explosion with massive damage output. Ideal for boss fights where ramp-up time is available and the payoff matters.

Swamp = Poison + Earthquake [A-tier · Area Poison Field]

Merges Poison's DoT with Earthquake's area-hit. Creates a persistent poisoned ground zone that stacks multiple enemies simultaneously. Strong in crowd-heavy waves where the AoE footprint covers many targets at once.

Venom = Poison + Freeze [A-tier · Freeze + DoT]

Adds Freeze stacks to Poison's DoT. Enemies simultaneously slow down from freeze while taking sustained poison damage. Excellent combo setup — frozen targets are easier to back-stab with Assassin and easier to keep on-screen for stack maintenance.

Noxious = Poison + Wind + Ghost [B-tier · Pierce Poison]

Triple-ball evolution. Pierces through all enemies while spreading Poison. Strong effect, but the three-ball cost makes it expensive to achieve. B-tier due to resource investment.

Brimstone [B-tier · Fire + Poison]

Dual DoT combining Poison and Burn effects. The damage is split between two status types which reduces the peak of either, keeping this at B-tier.

Radiation Beam [B-tier · Beam DoT]

Fires a Poison-infused beam. Niche use in specific builds; B-tier in general Poison builds.

• Sisyphus — 4× AoE × Virus spread = entire-screen infection from one hit
• The Ascetic — right-angle bounces hit repeatedly; stacks to 5 very quickly
• The Tunneller — wall wrap keeps hits coming; Poison stacks ramp fast

• Five stacks per enemy is the target — below 5 you're leaving damage on the table
• In boss fights, keep a separate single-target ball to maintain stacks while Poison handles DoT
• After evolving Virus, aim at clustered groups — one hit infects the whole mob
• Venom's freeze doesn't prevent Poison stacks from dealing damage; the DoT runs while the enemy is frozen

Poison is B-tier solo but has the widest evolution network in the game: two S-tier evolutions (Virus, Nuclear Bomb) and five more at A/B-tier. Its sustained DoT excels in late-game where high-HP enemies can't be burst down. Pick Poison early, choose your evolution target, and collect the required materials before mid-game.