The Mad Forest is the first stage most players will try when playingVampire Survivorsfor the first time. That doesn’t mean it’s easier than the other stages; actually, this can be one of the most difficult stages to survive for thirty minutes. In the middle minutes, ten to fifteen minutes into the stage, the enemies become fairly strong; strong enough that with the wrong build it’s unlikely the player will get to the twenty-minute mark.
RELATED:The Best Indie Games of 2021
Below is a character build that will get the player to the thirty-minute mark - at which point Death appears and kills the player. Yes, you can kill Death, and unlock the playable Red Death character in the process, but that is a topic that requires its own article.
10Character
Picking a specific character isn’t necessary for completing the Mad Forest. Some characters, like Red Death,are obviously and noticeably better than the others, but any character will do for this build. That being stated, this build uses either Poe, Dommario, or Lama.
Lama’s increased movement speed and might (damage) are nice, plus her Curse penalty isn’t as big a factor in the Mad Forest. Krochi is also a good pick; his starting weapon (Cross) is part of this build and his multiple Revives really help the player survive for thirty minutes.
9Primary Weapon 1 - King Bible
TheKing Bible is a fantastic weapon. It summons books that rotate around the character. These books do quite a bit of damage and provide the character some protection against enemy rushes. As the King Bible rises in level it does more damage, lasts longer, gets additional books, and has a shorter cooldown time.
At a certain point, usually around level six or seven, the King Bible’s duration begins to match its cooldown time - so it stays continuously active. The player should select the Spellbinder accessory to evolve the King Bible when able, but upgrading the King Bible to the Unholy Vespers isn’t necessary for this build.
8Primary Weapon 2 - Garlic
The forums dedicated to Vampire Survivorsare full of arguments about the Garlic weapon. This weapon surrounds the player and creates a barrier that damages enemies that enter. The downside is that this weapon doesn’t do a lot of damage when compared to the others.
RELATED:The Best Survival Games For Newcomers To The Genre
The player will want to have the Garlic weapon at around level 3 by the five minutes mark, and level five or six by the twelve-minute mark. It still helps if it’s a lower level by these time marks; however, enemies will start shrugging off the damage of the Garlic if it’s not occasionally leveled up. Fortunately, the accessory required to evolve the Garlic into the Soul Eater, the Pummarola, is one of the bonus accessories in the Mad Forest.
7Primary Weapon 3 - Cross
The Garlic and King Bible are indirect weapons; they only hit enemies that come within their range and don’t target a specific enemy. Adding the Cross gives the player a direct fire weapon that targets the nearest enemy. The Cross works well in tandem with the King Bible, because it targets the enemies that manage to slip by the King Bible, and pushes them back into the rotating books.
If the three primary weapons are consistently leveled-up throughout the stage they provide the player with enough firepower to survive the full thirty minutes. The player can choose the Magic Wand as their direct-fire weapon, but the Cross does more damage. The Cross weapon is also better at hitting enemies at the edge of the screen that have yet to reach the King Bible-Garlic combo. Lastly,the Clover accessoryis one of the bonus accessories in the Mad Forest; it’s needed to evolve the Cross.
6Primary Accessory 1 - Candelabrador
The Candelabrador increases the area of effect of the character’s weapons. At level five this accessory increases the Garlic’s area to the point it takes up a large portion of the screen. Enemies will start taking damage long before they ever reach the character.
This accessory also increases the radius of the rotating King Bible weapon and makes the Cross weapon much larger. Since the Candelabrador is part of this build it makes sense to select the Axe as a secondary weapon. The Axe’s evolved form, the Death Spiral, works well with the primary weapons.
5Primary Accessory 2 - Empty Tome
The Empty Tome reduces the cooldown time of all weapons. Some weapons are unaffected by some bonuses. The Cross, for example, ignores any duration bonus. TheEmpty Tome works with all weapons. This will make the King Bible, Garlic, and Cross much more efficient - as well as any secondary weapons the player picks.
Because the Empty Tome is a required part of this build, it makes sense to select the Magic Wand. A character with the evolved versions of the Magic Wand, Cross, Garlic, and King Bible in the Mad Forest can kill the enemies at the 29-minute mark with ease.
4Primary Accessory 3 - Attractorb
This build is built to kill enemies at a closer range. This helps the player collect the experience gems faster, but it always gets to the point where there are gems scattered everywhere. It seems like this happens with more frequency in the Mad Forest; perhaps due to weaker enemies continuing to show up around the ten-minute mark.
RELATED:The Best Underrated Survival Games
The Cross weapon, and the openness of the Mad Forest, also contribute to scattered gems andpick-ups. The Attractorb removes this problem. It also helps the player level up faster and more efficiently. Having the Attractorb in this build makes the Santa Water an excellent choice for a secondary weapon.
3Secondary Weapons
As mentioned above, the Magic Wand and Axe synergize well with the overall meta of this build; which is massive wide-area indirect fire with a direct-fire support weapon. The Magic Wand and Axe adds a boost to both types of damage; direct and indirect. The Song of Mana is another good secondary weapon. It’s a powerful weapon, and the accessory that evolves it, the Skull O’Maniac, is a bonus accessory in the Mad Forest.
Because the Spinach is abonus accessoryin the Mad Forest, the Fire Wand is a good choice for a secondary weapon. The Runetracer, Bone, and Cherry Bomb are all excellent secondary weapons. They don’t require the player to sacrifice an accessory slot, and they all have a high damage-per-second.
2Secondary Accessories
The difference between the level eight King Bible and the Unholy Vespers isn’t that much; especially if the character has the Empty Tome. The Unholy Vespersisbetter though, so getting the Spellbinder isn’t a bad idea. Just keep in mind it won’t improve the Cross, Garlic, or Magic Wand.
The bonus accessories are spaced far apart in the Mad Forest. Getting the Wings will make the journey between bonus accessories less of a chore, and ensure the player gets them while they can still make a difference. The Wings also make the La Borra (evolved Santa Water) a much better weapon. The Duplicator will improve the King Bible, Cross, Magic Wand, and Axe; making it a great choice for one of the secondary accessories. If the player picks the Duplicator, they should make the Lightning Ring their sixth weapon choice.
1Final Thoughts
The Laurel is always a tempting weapon choice. Whodoesn’twant a personal shield? The evolved Garlic, the Soul Eater, heals the character as it damages the enemy. The Pummarola and Hollow Heart are bonus accessories in the Mad Forest - these increase the player’s max health and healing rate.
With the Soul Eater, Hollow Heart, and Pummarola the player doesn’t need the extra protection of the Laurel. Use that weapon slot on the Runetracer, Lightning Ring, or Santa Water instead. One last tip; at around minute three start heading toward the Clover bonus accessory. After the accessory slots have been filled get the Clover, then the Pummarola, then the Spinach and Hollow Heart last.
Vampire Survivorswas released on June 23, 2025, for the PC and MacOS on Steam.
