Vampire Crawlers – What is Spicy Damage?

Vampire Crawlers is a dungeon-crawling, deck-building roguelike with a ton of different mechanics for you to learn and master, such as Spicy Damage. One of the coolest systems in the game is the ability to slot in Gems to your cards so that when you play them, they apply different effects.

Some Gems let you draw an additional card, some give you mana, and then there’s the Nduja Gem. While other gems like Double Damage or Freeze have self-explanatory texts that explain what they do, Nduja Gem simply says “Deals Spicy Damage”. 

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how Spicy Damage works in Vampire Crawlers, whether it’s worth getting, and how you can get the most out of it. 

For more guides, check out our Vampire Crawlers Guides Hub.

For more information about the game, check out their official website here.

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How does Spicy Damage Work in Vampire Crawlers?

Spicy Damage is a special effect that comes from cards imbued with an Nduja Gem. You unlock this Gem by defeating the Nesuferit Elite miniboss that appears from an optional chest on Floor 4 of the Inlaid Library. Once unlocked, you’ll start seeing the Nduja Gem on your consecutive runs when you level up or open a chest.

This Gem is similar to Gems like Bombard or Decimate that modify the imbued card to deal bonus damage. However, unlike those cards, the Nduja Gem only adds a flat 10 damage to the card that you use it on. 

That may not sound too good, considering how tanky the enemies can get on the later floors; but early on, it pulls its weight. If you manage to slot it into an attack card like Peachone, Ebony Wings, or Vandelier, however, it becomes much better. The bombard attack from these cards also applies the Spicy Damage effect.

However, on basic attack cards that deal a single instance of damage to enemies, there are better Gem options out there. So if you end up slotting it into an attack card, consider swapping the card out later on and getting something that will help you better for the rest of your run. 

Which Gems to Get in Vampire Crawlers?

To get the most out of your cards during a run, you should focus on Gems that actively add something to your deck. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Vampire Crawlers is extremely flexible and lets you try out different builds depending on the Crawlers you bring on your journey.

Here are some of the best Gem cards that you’ll want to watch out for on your run. We’re leaving out Evolve, Free To Play, or any other Ultra Rare cards from the list.

Mug

Earns coins when the card kills an enemy.

This is a great choice on high damage cards that deal the killing blow on enemies, especially during the early game. More Coins mean more Power Ups and Crawlers you can unlock from the Village.

Double Damage

Hits twice as hard.

If you’re going for damage, nothing beats Double Damage during the early game. It amplifies your damage output massively, and you can go through encounters much more easily. Triple Damage is definitely better, but Double Damage is a common Gem, which means you’ll have a higher chance of finding it.

Draw

Draws a card.

When you’re trying to build up your combo meter and have enough mana to spare, there are very few cards that are as good as Draw.

Crawler Caller

Summon all Crawlers to Hand.

With this one, you’ll be able to activate more Crawler abilities and decimate your enemies.

Armor Strike

Deal Armor as damage when played

If you have an armor-focused tanky build, the Armor Strike can help beef up the damage of your attack cards.

Easy Combo

The card always benefits from combo.

Bigger Combo Multiplier lets you ramp up the damage.

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Thank you for reading this guide for Vampire Crawlers. For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:

• Into Indie Games Homepage
• Pragmata Complete Walkthrough Hub
• MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – Walkthrough Hub
• Grime II – Walkthrough Hub
• The Occultist – Complete Walkthrough Hub