Hemorrhage

Tier B

Iron × Bleed = Hemorrhage

Effect

Defensive spikes that cause bleed damage

Damage Multiplier

1.6x

How to Unlock

Level Iron ball to Level 3
Level Bleed ball to Level 3
Collect a rainbow orb (XP level-up reward)
Select "Evolution" option from the menu
Choose Iron + Bleed combination

Strategy & Tips

Counter-attack evolution. Enemies take bleed damage when hitting you. Good for tank builds.

Strategic Tips & Synergies

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🟢 Aggressive positioning: Stand directly in enemy spawn zones or chokepoints—counter-attack damage only triggers on contact, so maximum enemy touch rate = maximum DPS. Unlike ranged builds that avoid contact, Hemorrhage rewards face-tanking enemy groups

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🟢 Bleed stacking: Each enemy contact applies independent bleed instance—touching 5 enemies simultaneously = 5 concurrent bleed DoTs dealing 200-400 combined damage over 8-10 seconds. Position to maximize multi-enemy contact for exponential damage scaling

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🟡 Boss fight excellence: Hemorrhage's passive damage shines in prolonged boss encounters where active evolutions exhaust before boss dies. Counter-attack bleed continues inflicting 40-60 DPS throughout entire fight with zero active management, accounting for 15-25% of total boss damage

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🟡 Defensive stat prioritization: Hemorrhage's value scales with survivability—each HP upgrade = 2-3 more enemy contacts survived = 80-120 more counter-attack damage dealt. Prioritize HP/defense passives over damage stats for multiplicative value

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🔴 Ranged playstyle incompatibility: Hemorrhage provides zero value if avoiding enemy contact—glass cannon kiting builds waste this evolution slot. Only acquire if committing to tank/melee positioning strategy

Best Character Pairings

These characters create exceptional synergies with Hemorrhage:

Iron Fool (S-Tier Pairing): Iron Fool's defensive passive (damage reduction/reflection mechanics assumed) synergizes perfectly with Hemorrhage's counter-attack paradigm. Iron starting ball provides instant access to half the recipe, and the character's tank design naturally maximizes enemy contact rate. Build path: Start with Iron → acquire Bleed by Wave 5-8 → create Hemorrhage immediately → position aggressively in enemy clusters throughout entire run. The Fool's defensive stats enable 8-12 enemy contacts per wave vs 2-4 for fragile characters, tripling Hemorrhage's effective DPS.

The Shieldbearer (S-Tier Pairing): Shieldbearer's assumed shield/block mechanics convert enemy hits into survivable contacts, dramatically increasing safe counter-attack opportunities. Each blocked hit still triggers Hemorrhage bleed while preventing HP loss—effectively unlimited counter-attack potential. This pairing transforms Hemorrhage from situational defensive tool into primary damage source, with counter-attack bleed potentially accounting for 30-40% of total damage output in optimal builds.

The Repentant (A-Tier Pairing): Repentant's sustain/defensive focus (life regeneration assumed) enables aggressive positioning required to maximize Hemorrhage value. Life regeneration offsets damage taken during intentional enemy contact, creating sustainable counter-attack loop: take damage → heal → counter-attack → repeat. Lower burst damage acceptable when survival enables constant bleed application.

The Itchy Finger (D-Tier Pairing): Attack speed bonuses provide zero synergy with Hemorrhage's passive counter-attack mechanics. The Finger's glass cannon playstyle (high offense, low defense assumed) directly conflicts with Hemorrhage's requirement for tanky face-to-face positioning. Avoid this pairing—evolution slot better used for burst damage that leverages attack speed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

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❌ Passive positioning: Players treat Hemorrhage like conventional defense, staying at distance and avoiding enemies. Counter-attack damage ONLY triggers on contact—staying safe = zero DPS. Must position aggressively within enemy melee range to extract value

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❌ Ignoring bleed duration: Bleed typically lasts 8-10 seconds after contact. Players often dash away immediately after touching enemy, but should linger near bleeding targets for 3-4 seconds—if enemy dies during bleed duration, remaining ticks apply to nearby enemies through bleed spread mechanics (if applicable)

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❌ Early-game prioritization: Hemorrhage underperforms in Waves 1-10 when enemy damage is minimal (5-15 per hit) and defensive stats unnecessary. Acquiring it early wastes evolution slot that could hold burst damage for faster clear. Delay until Wave 10+ when enemy damage justifies tank builds

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❌ Solitary tank focus: Hemorrhage alone insufficient for full tank build—requires 2-3 additional defensive evolutions (Iron-based options) or defensive passive items. Players build Hemorrhage expecting invincibility, then die when defensive stats prove inadequate for face-tanking elite enemies

Advanced Strategy

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Expert-Level Optimization

⚠️ Advanced strategy combining 🟢 verified mechanics + 🟡 general principles: Hemorrhage's B-tier rating obscures its S-tier potential in 'counter-attack multiplication builds' that layer multiple damage-on-hit effects. Core strategy: combine Hemorrhage with other contact-triggered evolutions (if available—hypothetical: thorn damage, reflection effects) to create 'touch of death' where each enemy contact triggers 3-4 simultaneous damage instances. Against dense enemy formations (Waves 20+, 30+ with 15-20 enemies simultaneously active), intentionally position character to collide with enemy group centers—touching 8-12 enemies in single contact triggers 8-12 concurrent Hemorrhage bleeds dealing 320-640 combined DoT over next 8 seconds. Advanced positioning technique: circular movement patterns that maximize sustained enemy contact while minimizing damage taken per collision. Instead of static face-tanking (high damage intake), orbit enemy formations at tangent angles—each orbit grazes 4-6 enemies (triggering counter-attacks) while minimizing simultaneous hits received (1-2 vs 5-6 from static tanking). This maintains high counter-attack trigger rate while reducing HP loss rate by 60-70%, enabling sustainable aggressive positioning throughout entire wave. Bleed tick mechanics optimization: each enemy contact applies bleed instance dealing damage every 1-1.5 seconds for 8-10 seconds (5-7 total ticks). Contact the same enemy every 6-8 seconds (before previous bleed expires) to maintain constant bleed coverage—this 'bleed cycling' ensures every enemy carries active bleed at all times, maximizing total DoT output. Against boss encounters with add phases: ignore adds initially, focusing defensive positioning near boss. As adds spawn, circular movement around boss naturally collides with adds, applying Hemorrhage bleeds to entire add wave (8-15 enemies) while maintaining boss contact. Total damage: boss bleed (40-60 over 8s) + 10 add bleeds (400-600 over 8s) = 440-660 passive damage per contact cycle, often exceeding active evolution damage contribution. Character build optimization for Hemorrhage-focused runs: prioritize movement speed (enables faster circular patterns = more enemy contacts per wave = more bleed applications) and HP regeneration (offsets contact damage, enabling sustained aggressive positioning). Damage stats provide zero synergy—Hemorrhage damage scales from enemy contact frequency, not character stats. Economic advantage: Hemorrhage's 1.6x multiplier applied passively means zero opportunity cost—unlike active evolutions requiring aim/timing that reduce movement/dodging capability, Hemorrhage deals damage continuously while character focuses entirely on survival positioning. In high-difficulty modes (boss rush, endless waves) where enemy damage forces constant movement, Hemorrhage often becomes primary damage source by default—it's the only evolution dealing damage during pure survival phases when active offense proves impossible. Late-game scaling (Waves 30+): Hemorrhage maintains relevance despite low 1.6x multiplier through frequency advantage. Premium evolutions (Satan 4.0x, Black Hole 3.2x) activate every 8-12 seconds on cooldown, while Hemorrhage triggers 20-30 times per wave through continuous enemy contact. Total damage: 20 bleeds × 50 damage = 1,000 vs Satan's 5 hits × 200 damage = 1,000—equivalent output despite 2.5× lower multiplier, purely from activation frequency dominance. Pair Hemorrhage with area denial evolutions (Magma pools, poison zones) that force enemies into prolonged contact: Magma slows enemy movement → enemies spend 5-8 seconds in contact range → multiple Hemorrhage procs per enemy → compound DoT (bleed + burn) dealing 100-150 total damage per enemy touched.