Tier B Medium Multiplication/Swarm

The Cohabitants

Multiplication specialist with unique twin-shot mechanic. Volume over individual damage.

Starting Ball

Brood Mother

Passive Ability

Every ball fire is mirrored in opposite direction, but deals half damage

Unlock Requirement

Build Cozy Home Blueprint (unlocked by clearing Bone x Yard biome)

Playstyle Guide

The Cohabitants sacrifice individual damage for double projectiles via mirrored shots in opposite directions. Every shot fires twice (forward + mirrored backward) with 50% damage each, creating full battlefield coverage. Brood Mother starting ball compounds multiplication strategy through baby balls. Build toward high-volume evolutions like Maggot (Cell + Brood Mother) for exponential ball counts or Bomb for compensating reduced firepower. Screen fills with projectiles, overwhelming enemies through sheer numbers. Pairs exceptionally with The Shieldbearer for wall-bounce damage doubling.

Recommended Evolutions

These evolutions synergize best with The Cohabitants's abilities and playstyle:

Soul Sucker

View evolution details →

Bomb

View evolution details →

Maggot

View evolution details →

Hemorrhage

View evolution details →

Strategy Tips

Role: Multiplication/Swarm

Passive Ability Analysis

**Mirrored Fire: Double Shots, Half Damage** creates unique dual-coverage mechanics: (1) **Mirrored Projectiles** - Every ball you fire creates TWO projectiles: one forward, one backward (mirrored 180 degrees). This happens automatically with every shot. (2) **50% Damage Penalty** - Each mirrored ball deals 50% damage. Forward ball = 50% damage, backward ball = 50% damage. Total = 100% damage IF both balls hit enemies. (3) **Full Battlefield Coverage** - Forward balls handle front enemies, backward balls handle rear/flanking enemies. This creates 360-degree coverage unique to The Cohabitants. The key insight: **positioning determines efficiency**. Center positioning = both directions hit enemies = 100% effective damage. Edge positioning = one direction wasted = 50% effective damage. Brood Mother starting ball synergizes perfectly - baby balls ALSO mirror, creating 4 baby balls per spawned pair (2 forward, 2 backward). Late-game with 20-30 primary balls = 40-60 mirrored balls + 80-120 baby balls = screen-filling swarm.

Early Game Strategy (Waves 1-10)

**Waves 1-10: Multiplication Foundation + Center Positioning** The Cohabitants' early game focuses on maximizing ball count and optimal positioning: **Wave 1-3 (Brood Mother + Mirror Foundation):** - Starting Brood Mother ball spawns 1-2 baby balls on hit - **Every shot creates 2 balls** (forward + backward mirror) - Brood Mother spawn triggers on BOTH mirrored balls = 2-4 baby balls per shot - **Positioning key:** Stand CENTER of screen so both directions hit enemies - Target: 8-12 total balls by wave 3 (4-6 primary + baby balls) **Wave 3-5 (First Evolution - Maggot):** - **Primary: Create Maggot (Cell + Brood Mother)** - Uses starting Brood Mother, spawns baby balls on enemy death - Maggot + mirrored fire + Brood Mother passive = exponential ball multiplication - Each enemy killed spawns 1-2 baby balls, mirrored = 2-4 baby balls per kill - Alternative: Bomb (Iron + Burn) for high damage to compensate for 50% penalty - Wave 5 target: Maggot created, 15-20 total balls (mirrors + babies) **Wave 5-10 (Volume Scaling):** - Add Mosquito King (Vampire + Brood Mother) for more baby ball generation + lifesteal - **Volume breakpoint:** 20-30 balls by wave 10 (10-15 primary × 2 mirrors + babies) - Each wave increases ball count exponentially (babies spawn more babies) - Wave 10 target: Maggot + Mosquito King, 30-40 total balls on screen **Gold Priority:** 60% Cell/Vampire balls (Maggot/Mosquito King path), 30% ball levels, 10% Brood Mother balls **Positioning:** CENTER positioning (middle of screen) ensures both mirrored directions hit enemies = 100% damage efficiency.

Mid Game Strategy (Waves 11-25)

**Waves 11-25: Swarm Optimization + Damage Compensation** Mid-game focuses on maximizing swarm and compensating for damage penalty: **Wave 11-15 (Swarm Peak):** - Maggot + Mosquito King create 40-60 balls on screen by wave 15 - **Performance consideration:** High ball count may cause frame rate drops on lower-end systems - Each mirrored ball × 2 directions × baby balls = 80-120 total projectiles - Add Gracious Impaler passive (pierce + range increase) for better coverage - Wave 15 difficulty spike: Swarm volume handles this easily **Wave 16-20 (Damage Compensation):** - **Critical addition: Bomb (Iron + Burn)** - High base damage (2.0x) compensates for 50% penalty - Bomb with mirror = 2 explosions (forward + backward) with 1.0x damage each - Add Soul Sucker (Ghost + Vampire) for lifesteal sustain across massive swarm - **Optimal build:** Maggot + Mosquito King + Bomb (volume + damage) - Wave 20 boss: Swarm surrounds boss, 60-80 balls apply constant damage **Wave 21-25 (Sustain Loop):** - Soul Sucker provides lifesteal - 60-80 balls hitting = massive healing - Add Soul Reaver passive (amplifies lifesteal) for near-immortal sustain - Add Phantom Regalia passive (pierce + ghost synergy) - Wave 25 target: Maggot + Mosquito King + Bomb + Soul Sucker, 60-80 balls **Gold Management:** 40% Iron/Burn balls (Bomb path), 40% ball levels (scale Maggot/Mosquito King), 20% passive items (Gracious Impaler, Soul Reaver) **Character Pairing:** The Shieldbearer pairs exceptionally well - shield reflects balls with +100% damage, compensates for 50% penalty perfectly.

Late Game Strategy (Waves 26-40+)

**Waves 26-40+: Maximum Swarm with Damage Scaling** Late-game The Cohabitants become a screen-filling swarm: **Wave 26-30 (Peak Swarm):** - 80-100 balls on screen (40-50 primary × 2 mirrors + babies) - **Effective DPS:** 80-100 balls × 0.5 damage each × evolution multipliers = competitive with A-tier characters - Optimal build: Maggot + Mosquito King + Bomb + Soul Sucker - Wave 30 boss: Swarm surrounds boss + adds, constant 100-ball barrage **Wave 31-40 (Wave 40 Push):** - **Damage scaling challenge:** Wave 30+ enemies have high HP, 50% damage penalty becomes limiting - Solution: Stack high-damage evolutions (Bomb, Hemorrhage if using bleed) - Add Hemorrhage (Bleed + Iron) for burst detonation across swarm - Wave 40 target: Maggot + Mosquito King + Bomb + Hemorrhage, 80-100 balls **Wave 41-50+ (Endgame Limitations):** - The Cohabitants struggle at wave 50 (50% damage penalty too punishing at high enemy HP) - **Viable wave 50 build:** Bomb + Hemorrhage + Soul Sucker + Maggot + sustain passives - Success rate: 40-50% for expert players (lower than other B-tier characters) - The Cohabitants' wave 50 limitation: Damage penalty + directional inefficiency - Mitigation: Character pairing with The Shieldbearer (reflection doubles damage = negates penalty) **Gold Management:** 20% new balls (complete builds), 50% ball levels (max Bomb/Hemorrhage), 30% passive items (Soul Reaver, Gracious Impaler) **Swarm Record:** Expert players achieve 100-120 balls on screen (waves 35-40) but frame rate drops significantly on most systems.

Best Evolutions for The Cohabitants

**Top 5 Evolutions for The Cohabitants:** **1. Maggot (A-tier for Cohabitants, 1.3x damage + multiplication)** - Recipe: Cell + Brood Mother - Why it works: Uses starting Brood Mother, spawns baby balls on enemy death - Mirrored fire + Maggot spawns = 4-6 baby balls per kill (2-3 per direction) - Synergy: Core evolution, exponential ball multiplication - **Essential evolution - defines swarm strategy** **2. Bomb (A-tier, 2.0x damage + explosive AoE)** - Recipe: Iron + Burn - Why it works: High base damage compensates for 50% penalty (2.0x × 0.5 = 1.0x per bomb) - Mirrored explosions cover forward + backward simultaneously - Synergy: Damage compensation evolution **3. Soul Sucker (A-tier, 2.1x damage + lifesteal)** - Recipe: Ghost + Vampire - Why it works: Lifesteal across 60-80 balls = massive healing - Ghost phase-through + swarm volume = hits all enemies consistently - Synergy: Sustain evolution for survival **4. Mosquito King (A-tier, 2.2x damage + baby balls)** - Recipe: Vampire + Brood Mother - Why it works: Uses starting Brood Mother, adds more baby ball generation + lifesteal - Doubles down on multiplication strategy - Synergy: Complements Maggot for maximum swarm **5. Hemorrhage (B-tier normally, A-tier for Cohabitants, 1.8x damage + bleed detonation)** - Recipe: Iron + Bleed (note: need to acquire Bleed balls) - Why it works: 60-80 balls applying bleed = massive stack count, Hemorrhage detonates all stacks - Mirrored Hemorrhage = double detonations (forward + backward) - Synergy: Burst finisher for swarm builds **Evolutions to Avoid:** - **Holy Laser/Black Hole** - Single high-damage evolution doesn't benefit from mirroring (just gets split damage) - **Single-target evolutions** - The Cohabitants' strength is volume, not single-target focus

How to Unlock The Cohabitants

**Unlocking The Cohabitants: Build Cozy Home Blueprint** **Recommended Character:** The Pitling (fast progression) **Strategy (30-45 minutes):** **Phase 1: Reach Bone x Yard Biome** - Bone x Yard is a mid-game biome (wave 12-18 range) - Play The Pitling with strong evolution build - Bone x Yard unlocks after completing 3-4 earlier biome combinations - Undead enemies - bring burst damage evolutions (Bomb, Holy Laser) **Phase 2: Clear Bone x Yard Boss** - Complete full biome run (typically 10-15 waves to reach boss) - Boss drops Cozy Home Blueprint upon defeat - Blueprint is guaranteed first-time clear drop - Collect blueprint from boss loot **Phase 3: Build Cozy Home in New Ballbylon** - Return to New Ballbylon hub - Access Housing tab in build menu - Select Cozy Home Blueprint - **Resources required:** Unknown (likely 10-30 Stone based on B-tier unlock) - Place building, send workers to construct - Once complete → The Cohabitants unlock **Time Investment:** 30-45 minutes total **Common Mistakes:** - Underestimating Bone x Yard undead enemies (high HP, bring burst damage) - Not preparing for swarm playstyle (very different from other characters) **Priority Ranking:** Unlock The Cohabitants mid-tier (after S-tier + A-tier characters) - unique playstyle for variety.

Advanced Tips & Tricks

**1. Center Positioning Mastery:** Always stand CENTER of screen. Both mirrored directions hit enemies = 100% damage efficiency. Edge positioning wastes 50% of your shots. **2. Baby Ball Inheritance:** Baby balls from Brood Mother/Maggot/Mosquito King also get mirrored. 1 baby ball spawned = 2 mirrored babies = exponential multiplication. **3. Swarm Sustain Loop:** Soul Sucker + Soul Reaver + 80-100 balls = heal 80-100 HP per wave. Near-immortal sustain with high ball counts. **4. The Shieldbearer Synergy:** The Cohabitants + The Shieldbearer = broken combo. Shieldbearer reflects balls for +100% damage, perfectly compensates for 50% penalty. This pairing is A-tier performance. **5. Performance Management:** High ball counts (80-100+) cause frame rate drops. Lower graphics settings if experiencing lag. **6. Directional Awareness:** Backward-mirrored balls handle rear enemies automatically. Don't worry about flanking enemies - backward shots cover them. **7. Volume > Individual Damage:** Focus on ball count, not individual ball damage. 100 balls × 0.5 damage > 20 balls × 1.0 damage (50 total vs 20 total). **8. Gracious Impaler Priority:** Gracious Impaler passive (pierce + range) is #1 priority. Lets all 80-100 balls hit more enemies = massive DPS increase.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

**1. Edge Positioning:** - Mistake: Standing at left/right edges (habit from ranged characters) - Why it's bad: One mirrored direction shoots into empty space = 50% damage wasted - Fix: CENTER positioning always - both directions must hit enemies **2. Building Single High-Damage Evolutions:** - Mistake: Creating Holy Laser, Black Hole (single powerful evolution) - Why it's bad: High damage gets halved by mirror penalty, doesn't synergize with volume strategy - Fix: Build volume evolutions (Maggot, Mosquito King) + damage compensation (Bomb) **3. Not Building Bomb:** - Mistake: Skipping Bomb evolution - Why it's bad: Bomb is THE damage compensation evolution - without it, 50% penalty is too punishing late-game - Fix: Create Bomb by wave 12-15 minimum **4. Ignoring Baby Ball Evolutions:** - Mistake: Not prioritizing Maggot/Mosquito King - Why it's bad: The Cohabitants' power IS ball volume - skipping multiplication = underpowered - Fix: Create Maggot + Mosquito King by wave 10-15 **5. Playing Like Other Characters:** - Mistake: Using standard positioning and build strategies - Why it's bad: The Cohabitants require unique playstyle (center positioning, volume focus) - Fix: Embrace the swarm - position center, build multiplication, accept performance drops **6. Not Pairing with The Shieldbearer:** - Mistake: Not using The Shieldbearer character pairing - Why it's bad: The Shieldbearer's reflection perfectly compensates for 50% penalty - one of strongest combos in game - Fix: Always pair with The Shieldbearer when available **7. Expecting Wave 50 Performance:** - Mistake: Attempting wave 50 with The Cohabitants - Why it's bad: 50% damage penalty + high enemy HP = struggle (40-50% success rate) - Fix: Use The Cohabitants for wave 20-30 farming, switch to S/A-tier for wave 40+ attempts

Frequently Asked Questions

Can The Cohabitants beat wave 50?

Technically yes, but success rate is low (40-50% for expert players). The 50% damage penalty becomes too punishing at wave 50 enemy HP levels. Viable wave 50 build: Bomb + Hemorrhage + Soul Sucker + Maggot + sustain passives. Better characters exist for wave 50 attempts (S/A-tier have 80-95% success rates).

Why is The Cohabitants B-tier with mirrored fire?

Mirrored fire doubles projectile count BUT each projectile deals 50% damage. Net result = same total damage as other characters IF both directions hit enemies. Center positioning achieves 100% efficiency, but edge positioning wastes 50% shots. B-tier reflects conditional power + damage penalty trade-offs. Strong (swarm coverage) but not exceptional (damage penalty limits scaling).

What's the maximum ball count achievable?

Theoretical maximum: 120-150 balls on screen (wave 35-40, perfect Maggot + Mosquito King stacking). Practical maximum: 80-100 balls before frame rate drops significantly. Each primary ball × 2 mirrors + baby balls from Maggot/Mosquito King/Brood Mother = exponential multiplication. Performance limits ball count more than game mechanics.

Should I unlock The Cohabitants early or late?

Mid-tier unlock (after S-tier + The Shade/The Repentant, before The Embedded/The Shieldbearer). The Cohabitants offer unique swarm playstyle for variety but aren't essential for progression. Recommended order: The Pitling → Iron Fool → Lantern Knight → The Repentant → The Cohabitants.

What's the best character pairing for The Cohabitants?

The Shieldbearer (reflection +100% damage). Shieldbearer reflects balls for double damage, perfectly compensating for 50% mirror penalty. This combo achieves A-tier performance (mirrored balls × reflection multiplier = 2x effective damage). Alternative: The Empty Nester (ball multiplication) for even more swarm volume.