Vampire Survivors Arcana Tier List 2026

Evaluation Criteria

Versatility: Works across multiple builds and characters
Damage Contribution: How much it raises a build's damage ceiling
Unlock Difficulty: Cost of obtaining
Timing Flexibility: Strong at 0:00, 11:00, or 21:00

S Tier — Auto-Pick (6)

Arcana	Why
I Gemini	Doubles listed weapon damage at completion
VI Sarabande of Healing	Foundation of regen builds — offense + defense in one
VI Moonlight Bolero (Darkana)	Doubles chest spawns — accelerates every build
VIII Mad Groove	Pulls all stage items — unique for unlocks and evolution rushes
XIII Wicked Season	Breaks stat ceiling — uncapped scaling in long runs
XIX Heart of Fire	Damage + emergency clear in one slot

A Tier — Build-Defining (13)

Arcana	Build
0 Game Killer	Chest economy build
I Sapphire Mist (Darkana)	Active weapon spam
II Twilight Requiem	Curse explosion build
III Hidden Anathema (Darkana)	Long food-heavy runs
IV Awake	Aggressive character insurance
V Pale (Darkana)	Homing-focused builds
VII Iron Blue Will	Linear-projectile builds
X Beginning	Starter-weapon focus
X Hail from the Future (Darkana)	High-leveling characters
XII Out of Bounds	Freeze explosion build
XII Crystal Cries (Darkana)	Freeze build polish
XIV Jail of Crystal	Freeze build foundation
XVI Slash	Crit builds
XVIII Victorian Horror (Darkana)	Magnet/chest builds
XX Silent Old Sanctuary	Minimalist weapon builds

B Tier — Niche but Strong (10)

Arcana	Build
III Tragic Princess	Mobility build
V Chaos in the Dark Night	Speed-scaling weapons
IX Divine Bloodline	Armor-focused characters
XI Waltz of Pearls	Magic-weapon build
XIII Call of a Mad Moon (Darkana)	Stat-skewed build
XV Disco of Gold	Greed builds
XVII Lost & Found Painting	Duration-scaling weapons
XVIII Boogaloo of Illusions	AoE-scaling weapons
XXI Blood Astronomia	Amount/Magnet build
XXI Wandering the Jet Black (Darkana)	Regen build offshoot

Tier Trends

S Tier Patterns

Universal "raw strength" — viable in nearly every build. VI Sarabande, VIII Mad Groove, and XIII Wicked Season are the three foundation picks; when in doubt, take any of these.

A Tier Patterns

Conditional powerhouses — explode in specific compositions. Two-Arcana stacks like XII+XIV (freeze), II+XIII (curse), or XVI+XIII (crit) define their value.

B Tier Patterns

Strong niches with low versatility. Reserved for advanced players intentionally building around the effect.

Pick-Order Heuristic

0:00 slot: Take cumulative or foundation Arcanas (XIII Wicked Season, VIII Mad Groove, etc.)
11:00 slot: After your build crystallizes, add a damage booster (XII Out of Bounds, II Twilight Requiem, etc.)
21:00 slot: Finishing piece or insurance (IV Awake, XIX Heart of Fire, 0 Game Killer)

Related Guides

For freeze builds, see Freeze & Explode Guide
For evolution rushes, see Evolution Rush Guide
For regen tanks, see Regen Tank Guide

Vampire Survivors Arcana Tier List 2026 — All 31 Ranked