Tier A Medium Control/DPS

The Repentant

Scales damage through extended ball bounces. Rewards strategic positioning.

Starting Ball

Freeze

Passive Ability

+5% damage per bounce, balls return after hitting back wall

Unlock Requirement

Build Haunted House Blueprint (unlocked by clearing Snowy x Shores biome)

Playstyle Guide

The Repentant's damage scales with bounce count, rewarding positioning that maximizes ball travel. Freeze starting ball provides excellent crowd control while setting up long bounce chains. Balls return after hitting back wall, damaging all enemies they pass through. Build toward Blizzard (Freeze + Wind) for area control or Frozen Flame (Freeze + Burn) for damage amplification. The scaling passive means late-game damage can become extreme if you engineer long bounce sequences. Control-heavy playstyle that rewards patience and setup.

Recommended Evolutions

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

Blizzard

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Frozen Flame

View evolution details →

Assassin

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Radiation Beam

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Strategy Tips

Role: Control/DPS

Maximize damage output through optimal positioning and evolution timing. Target priority enemies first. Use crowd control evolutions to lock down enemies. Positioning and zoning are key to success.

Passive Ability Analysis

**+5% Damage Per Bounce + Return Mechanic** creates a unique damage scaling system: (1) **Bounce Stacking** - Each time a ball bounces off a wall or enemy, it gains +5% damage. This stacks multiplicatively - 10 bounces = +50% damage, 20 bounces = +100% damage (double damage). Maximum theoretical bounces: 30-40 in optimal setups. (2) **Return Damage** - After balls hit the back wall, they return to the player position, damaging every enemy they cross. This effectively creates a "second hit" on all enemies in the ball's path. Combined effect: Properly positioned balls can hit the same enemy 3-4 times (initial pass + bounces + return pass) with escalating damage each time. The key insight: **positioning is everything**. Wide arena positioning (left/right edges) creates longer ball travel = more bounces. Center positioning reduces bounce count. Freeze starting ball synergizes perfectly - frozen enemies stay in place, making bounce path prediction consistent. The passive rewards patience - waiting for maximum bounces before releasing volleys generates higher damage than rapid fire low-bounce volleys.

Early Game Strategy (Waves 1-10)

**Waves 1-10: Bounce Path Mastery** The Repentant's early game focuses on learning bounce mechanics and positioning: **Wave 1-3 (Freeze Control Foundation):** - Starting Freeze ball slows enemies 50% for 2 seconds - use this to control enemy positioning - **Positioning key:** Stand at left or right edge of screen (not center) for maximum ball travel distance - Freeze enemies in lanes, shoot balls to maximize bounces before hitting back wall - Practice identifying high-bounce paths (diagonal shots bounce more than straight shots) - Target: 5-10 bounces per ball by wave 3, understand return mechanic timing **Wave 3-5 (First Evolution - Blizzard):** - **Primary: Create Blizzard (Freeze + Wind)** - AoE freeze for crowd control - Blizzard freezes enemy groups, setting up consistent bounce paths - Wind ball slows enemies 30% (adds to Freeze's 50% slow) for extreme control - Alternative: Frozen Flame (Freeze + Burn) for hybrid damage/control - Avoid: Pure damage evolutions without control - bounce scaling needs predictable enemy positions - Wave 5 target: Blizzard created, 8-12 bounces per ball average **Wave 5-10 (Bounce Optimization):** - Add second control evolution: Frozen Flame or Glacier (Freeze + Earthquake) - **Bounce technique:** Shoot from edges, aim diagonally for maximum wall bounces - Return mechanic becomes powerful - balls travel back through frozen enemy groups for double-hits - Wave 10 target: Blizzard + Frozen Flame, 12-15 bounces per ball, 15-20 total balls **Gold Priority:** 60% Wind/Burn balls (Blizzard/Frozen Flame path), 30% ball levels, 10% new ball types **Positioning:** Always position at left/right edges, never center. Maximum distance from back wall = maximum bounces.

Mid Game Strategy (Waves 11-25)

**Waves 11-25: Scaling Bounce Damage** Mid-game focuses on maximizing bounce counts and damage scaling: **Wave 11-15 (Control Stacking):** - Blizzard + Frozen Flame create double control (freeze + slow) - Enemies essentially frozen in place - bounce paths become 100% predictable - **Bounce breakpoint:** 15-20 bounces per ball = +75-100% damage (massive scaling) - Add Wings of the Anointed passive (increases return speed) for faster clear times - Wave 15 difficulty spike: Control builds trivialize this - enemies can't move, bounce damage deletes them **Wave 16-20 (High-Damage Evolution Addition):** - Add high-base-damage evolution to multiply with bounce scaling - **Primary: Assassin (Dark + Ghost)** - Backstab bonus + bounce scaling = extreme burst - Alternative: Radiation Beam (Laser + Poison) for AoE + bounces - **Optimal build:** Blizzard + Frozen Flame + Assassin (control + bounce damage) - Wave 20 boss: Freeze boss in place, maximize bounce count (20-25 bounces), return damage clears adds **Wave 21-25 (The Physicist Synergy):** - **Character pairing consideration:** The Physicist passive (gravity effects) pairs incredibly with The Repentant - Gravity accelerates returning balls - faster returns = faster clear = more damage uptime - Build toward Soul Reaver passive (lifesteal per kill) for sustain in long runs - Wave 25 target: Blizzard + Frozen Flame + Assassin + 1 utility evolution, 20+ bounces average **Gold Management:** 40% high-damage balls (Dark, Ghost for Assassin), 40% ball levels (scale Blizzard/Frozen Flame), 20% passive items (Wings of the Anointed, Soul Reaver) **Advanced Bounce Paths:** Diagonal shots that hit top corner, bounce to side wall, back to bottom corner achieve 25-30 bounces (1.25x-1.5x total damage multiplier).

Late Game Strategy (Waves 26-40+)

**Waves 26-40+: Exponential Bounce Scaling** Late-game The Repentant's bounce scaling reaches extreme values: **Wave 26-30 (Optimization):** - With 20-30 bounces per ball, damage multiplier reaches 1.0x-1.5x (double base damage) - Return mechanic means each ball hits enemies 2-3 times during full travel - **Effective damage:** Base damage × bounce multiplier × return hits = 3x-4x effective damage - Optimal build: Blizzard + Frozen Flame + Assassin + Radiation Beam (mix control + damage) - Wave 30 boss: Freeze boss, position for maximum bounces, each volley deals 2x-3x normal damage **Wave 31-40 (Wave 40 Push):** - Focus on maximizing bounce count AND base damage - **S-tier evolution addition:** Holy Laser or Black Hole with bounce scaling = devastating - Holy Laser (2.5x base) with 30 bounces (1.5x multiplier) = 3.75x effective damage - The Repentant can achieve S-tier damage output through bounce optimization - Wave 40 target: 2 S-tier evolutions (Holy Laser + Black Hole) + 2 control evolutions, 25-30 bounces average **Wave 41-50+ (Endgame Bounce Master):** - Wave 50 viable but requires perfect positioning consistency - **Ultimate build:** Holy Laser + Black Hole + Blizzard + Frozen Flame + Assassin + Soul Reaver - This provides: S-tier DPS (Holy Laser, Black Hole), Control (Blizzard, Frozen Flame), Utility (Assassin, Soul Reaver) - Wave 50 challenge: Enemies hit harder - mistakes are lethal, but control build mitigates this - The Repentant's wave 50 strength: Control prevents damage, bounce scaling provides S-tier DPS - Limitation: Requires perfect positioning every wave - one bad positioning reduces bounce count = damage loss **Gold Management:** 20% new balls (complete S-tier paths), 50% ball levels (max Holy Laser/Black Hole), 30% passive items (Wings of the Anointed, Soul Reaver, Phantom Regalia) **Bounce Record:** Expert players achieve 35-40 bounces in optimal setups (waves 35-40) = 1.75x-2.0x damage multiplier from bounces alone.

Best Evolutions for The Repentant

**Top 5 Evolutions for The Repentant:** **1. Blizzard (A-tier, 2.1x damage + AoE freeze)** - Recipe: Freeze + Wind - Why it works: Uses starting Freeze ball, creates AoE freeze for optimal bounce path control - Frozen enemy groups stay in predictable positions - enables consistent 15-20 bounce setups - Synergy: Core evolution for The Repentant, build entire control strategy around this - **Essential evolution - enables bounce scaling** **2. Frozen Flame (A-tier, 2.0x damage + freeze + burn)** - Recipe: Freeze + Burn - Why it works: Uses starting Freeze ball, adds Burn damage + freeze control - Hybrid damage/control that scales with bounces (each bounce adds +5% to Frozen Flame's base 2.0x) - Synergy: Pairs with Blizzard for double freeze control - Second-best evolution for The Repentant **3. Assassin (A-tier, 2.0x damage + backstab bonus)** - Recipe: Dark + Ghost - Why it works: Backstab bonus + bounce scaling = extreme burst damage - Return mechanic hits enemies from behind (backstab triggers) = double damage on returns - Synergy: Bounce scaling multiplies backstab damage - 20 bounces + backstab = 3x-4x effective damage **4. Holy Laser (S-tier, 2.5x damage → scales with bounces)** - Recipe: Laser (Horizontal) + Laser (Vertical) - Why it works: Highest base damage evolution, bounce scaling multiplies S-tier damage - Holy Laser with 30 bounces = 3.75x effective damage (S+-tier level) - Synergy: Late-game addition (wave 16-20), turns The Repentant into S-tier DPS character **5. Radiation Beam (A-tier, 2.2x damage + area poison)** - Recipe: Laser (Horizontal/Vertical) + Poison or Cell - Why it works: AoE poison + bounces = multi-hit poison application - Each bounce can apply poison to new enemies - return pass spreads poison further - Synergy: Complements Holy Laser, provides AoE coverage for bounce builds **Evolutions to Avoid:** - **Bomb/Magma (pure burst)** - Don't synergize with bounce mechanics (explosions don't bounce) - **Maggot** - Multiplication doesn't benefit from bounce scaling (baby balls have separate bounce counts) - **Vampire Lord** - Lifesteal doesn't scale with bounces efficiently

How to Unlock The Repentant

**Unlocking The Repentant: Build Haunted House Blueprint** **Recommended Character:** The Pitling (fast progression) **Strategy (25-40 minutes):** **Phase 1: Reach Snowy x Shores Biome** - Snowy x Shores is an early-mid game biome (wave 10-15 range typically) - Play The Pitling with normal progression strategy - Snowy x Shores unlocks after completing 2-3 initial biome combinations - Build 2-3 evolutions before attempting (Bomb, Magma recommended for cold biome) **Phase 2: Clear Snowy x Shores Boss** - Complete full biome run (typically 8-12 waves to reach boss) - Boss drops Haunted House Blueprint upon defeat - Blueprint is guaranteed first-time clear drop - Collect blueprint from boss loot **Phase 3: Build Haunted House in New Ballbylon** - Return to New Ballbylon hub - Access Housing tab in build menu - Select Haunted House Blueprint - **Resources required:** 5 Stone (very cheap - easiest A-tier character to unlock) - Place building, send workers to construct (bounce into building) - Construction completes quickly (5 Stone = minimal worker bounces) - Once complete → The Repentant unlocks **Time Investment:** 25-40 minutes total (fastest A-tier unlock due to low stone cost) **Common Mistakes:** - Underestimating Snowy x Shores difficulty (cold biome has tough enemies) - Not having evolutions ready (Bomb/Magma essential for wave 10-12 bosses) - Forgetting to pick up blueprint (always check boss loot) **Priority Ranking:** The Repentant is one of the earliest A-tier unlocks (5 Stone cost vs 30-70 for others) - unlock early for A-tier character access.

Advanced Tips & Tricks

**1. Diagonal Bounce Mastery:** Diagonal shots (45-degree angles) bounce 2-3x more than straight shots. Practice aiming diagonal from edge positions for 25-30 bounce setups instead of 10-15. **2. Return Damage Timing:** Return damage occurs ~2-3 seconds after initial shot. Coordinate freeze duration (2 seconds) with return timing - re-freeze enemies just before balls return for maximum control. **3. Bounce Count Display:** Track bounce count visually - balls glow brighter with each bounce. By wave 20, you should visually distinguish 15-bounce balls (medium glow) from 25-bounce balls (bright glow). **4. The Physicist Pairing:** In character combo mode, The Repentant + The Physicist is S-tier tier combination. Physicist's gravity accelerates returns by 40-60%, effectively doubling your fire rate. **5. Phantom Regalia Passive:** Phantom Regalia (ball piercing) enables bounces through enemies instead of bouncing off them. This adds 5-10 bounces per volley (pierces through 5 enemies = 5 extra bounces vs bouncing off first enemy). **6. Freeze Timing Optimization:** Freeze lasts 2 seconds. Shoot volleys immediately after freezing (not mid-freeze) to ensure enemies stay frozen for entire bounce + return cycle (3-4 seconds total travel time). **7. Bounce Efficiency Formula:** Effective damage = Base damage × (1 + [0.05 × bounce count]) × 2 (return hits). With 30 bounces: Effective = Base × 1.5 × 2 = 3x base damage. **8. Edge Positioning Math:** Left/right edge positioning adds 20-30% screen distance vs center. This translates to +5-8 bounces per ball (25% more bounces = 25% more damage from passive).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

**1. Center Positioning:** - Mistake: Standing in center of screen (habit from other characters) - Why it's bad: Reduces ball travel distance by 30-40%, cutting bounce count from 20 to 12-15 (significant damage loss) - Fix: ALWAYS position at left or right edge for maximum ball travel = maximum bounces **2. Not Building Control Evolutions:** - Mistake: Pure damage build (Bomb, Magma) without freeze/control - Why it's bad: Bounce scaling requires predictable enemy positions - without control, enemies move unpredictably, bounces become random - Fix: Build Blizzard + Frozen Flame first, add damage evolutions later **3. Ignoring Return Mechanic:** - Mistake: Treating balls as one-way damage (like other characters) - Why it's bad: Return damage is 50% of The Repentant's total DPS - ignoring it = half damage output - Fix: Factor return damage into positioning - balls should pass through maximum enemies on both forward AND return paths **4. Rapid Fire Instead of Charged Bounces:** - Mistake: Shooting constantly without waiting for maximum bounces - Why it's bad: 10 shots with 10 bounces each (100 total bounces) < 5 shots with 25 bounces each (125 total bounces). Patience = higher damage - Fix: Wait for balls to reach maximum bounce count before next volley **5. Not Using Diagonal Shots:** - Mistake: Shooting straight horizontal or vertical - Why it's bad: Straight shots bounce 8-12 times, diagonal shots bounce 20-30 times (2x-3x more damage) - Fix: Always shoot diagonally from edge positions **6. Undervaluing Wings of the Anointed:** - Mistake: Skipping Wings of the Anointed passive (return speed increase) - Why it's bad: Return speed directly affects clear time - faster returns = more volleys per wave = faster clear - Fix: Prioritize Wings of the Anointed as first passive item purchase **7. Building Burst Evolutions:** - Mistake: Creating Bomb, Nuclear Bomb (explosion-based evolutions) - Why it's bad: Explosions don't benefit from bounce scaling - wasted evolution slot - Fix: Build evolutions that scale with each bounce (Laser-based, Freeze-based, Dark-based)

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the maximum bounce count achievable?

Theoretical maximum: 35-40 bounces in perfectly optimized setups (wave 30-40, edge positioning, diagonal shots, Phantom Regalia passive). Practical average: 15-20 bounces in normal play, 25-30 bounces for expert players. Each bounce adds +5% damage, so 30 bounces = +150% damage (2.5x total with base damage).

Is The Repentant viable for wave 50?

Yes, but requires expert positioning consistency. The Repentant can achieve S-tier damage through bounce scaling (Holy Laser + 30 bounces = 3.75x effective damage), but the skill requirement is higher than pure S-tier characters. Wave 50 success rate: 70-80% for expert players, 40-50% for average players. Control build mitigates incoming damage, making survival easier than pure DPS characters.

How does The Repentant compare to S-tier characters?

Peak performance: Equal to S-tier (with perfect bounces, The Repentant matches The Pitling/Iron Fool damage). Consistency: Lower than S-tier (requires perfect positioning every wave - mistakes reduce bounces = damage loss). Skill floor: Higher than S-tier (The Pitling/Iron Fool are easier to play). Summary: A-tier rating reflects high skill requirement despite S-tier peak potential.

Should I unlock The Repentant early or wait?

Unlock early. The Repentant costs only 5 Stone (cheapest A-tier character) and unlocks from Snowy x Shores (early biome). Recommended unlock order: The Pitling → Iron Fool → The Repentant (before Lantern Knight/The Itchy Finger). Low cost + early availability = good value unlock.

What's the best character pairing for The Repentant?

The Physicist (gravity effects accelerate returns by 40-60%). This pairing effectively doubles fire rate - balls return faster, more volleys per wave, significantly higher DPS. Alternative: The Empty Nester (ball multiplication) creates more balls = more bounces = more damage. Both pairings elevate The Repentant to S-tier level performance.