The Binding of Issac: Rebirth Character Tier List

I can’t stop playing this game. Within two months, The Binding of Issac became one of my favorite video games of all time. Usually it’s because of the story that makes me fall in love, but Rebirth is one of the few exceptions. The gameplay is so refined and endlessly entertaining. I’ve spent countless hours playing Rebirth and I’ve finally cleared the post-it note with all characters. My mission to get Platinum God is not over by a long shot, but I’ve seen more than enough to calculate what I think is an accurate tier list of all of the different characters in the game.

Taking into account of a character’s base stats, starting items and ability to get those very important Deals with the devil or angel rooms, I’ve ranked each character accordingly. This isn’t a 100% solidified list, as most tier lists are not, but this should give a general idea how each character ranks compared to each other. Enjoy and feel free to argue against this list. 

1. Azazel

Without a doubt, Azazel is the strongest character in Rebirth. His mini brimstone laser is enough to coast through the early floors without much of a challenge. By the time you are on the later floors, you’ve had a decent amount of time to collect some items to either increase chances of survival or become the destroyer of worlds. Starting with black hearts instead of red hearts is also a bonus, because it means you’ll have a better chance getting deals with the devil/angel because you aren’t at risk of taking red heart damage. You do have to get closer than usual with Azazel to kill, but it is still well worth it.

2. Issac (With the D6)

He may seem basic at first glance, but once you unlock the D6, Issac becomes one of the best characters. The ability to reroll any item is too good. Yes, it might be rerolled into another bad item, but Issac has the potential to see triple the amount of items usually seen in a run. Issac is just an overall solid character that you just can’t go wrong with.

3. Judas

Judas only starts off with one heart, but he also has Book of Belial, which means guaranteed deals with the devil or angel. If you can get a few soul or black hearts to compensate for Judas’ low health, you are basically set for the run. Book of Belial also gives Judas a damage bonus whenever he needs it. Next to Azazel, Judas is the most high damaging character, but you’ll need to play smart in order to keep him alive in the early game.

4. Eve

Eve starts with 2 hearts, but you want her down to one heart, or none at all. Eve starts with two items, Whore of Babylon and Dead Bird. Dead Bird might be the worst familiar pickup in the game since its A.I is so inefficient, but Whore of Babylon is a permanent big speed and damage bonus if Eve can stay at one heart or less. For other characters, to activate Whore of Babylon, you need to be at a half heart interval or less, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Eve is basically Judas if you can sacrifice some HP to get her into that bonus state, but she needs to get some deals with the devil to trade that red heart HP away.

5. Samson

Samson is another character that requires smart and risky play. When Samson gets hit, he becomes stronger from a damage perspective. The damage bonus only lasts for the floor you are on, but Samson can receive a damage bonus up to six times. His starting HP isn’t that bad either, but if you can get more room to get hurt, Samson will become better and better. With the use of the IV bag and any other methods of doing damage to yourself, Samson becomes one hell of a warrior. Without that damage bonus, he is relatively weak so you need to risk your life in order to have a strong run.

6. Cain

Cain is certainly not what he used to be in the original Binding of Issac, but he isn’t that bad of a character. Starting off with the Luck Foot item can be a lifesaver because it means more consumables and chests will drop after a room. This is especially valuable on hard mode, where consumables are harder to come by. Cain isn’t bad, but he just isn’t what he used to be. Cain previously came with the equivalent of the P.H.D item, which makes all pills useful. Cain doesn’t have that in Rebirth, and it makes him a less appealing character.

7. Madalene  

Maggy isn’t bad per say, she’s just boring. Starting off with four HP is great, but her lack of speed is greatly detrimental to her appeal. Every run with Maggy seems to take double the time, because she’s snail racing through every room. If you are playing smart, taking red heart damage is rare, so Yum Heart, an item that replenishes one red heart every couple of rooms is useless. Taking red heart damage means less chance of those ever-so important deal with the devil/angel rooms.

8. Lazurus

A character that can come back from the dead seems amazing, right? Lazurus’ ability to respawn in the room she died in with one HP is the best thing going for her, but that’s just novelty appeal. The rest of Lazarus’ appeal is straight bland. Playing as Laz is basically the same as playing as Issac… Without the D6. What also hurts Laz is the fact that she starts off with negative luck, an overlooked but important stat in the game.

9. ??? (Blue Baby)

With no red HP as Blue Baby, it is easy to get deals with the devil/angel, but it is harder to warrant trading three soul/black hearts for deals with the devil. Blue Baby is basically made out of glass, since he can’t use red heart drops, the most common form of health, at all. Every item that usually pays out in red HP pays out in soul hearts instead, which is considerably useless with no ability to replenish them. Blue Baby relies greatly on defensive items like Holy Mantle or Trinity Shield, and pick ups that can generate soul hearts like Dark Bum or the Relic. If you can get Deals with the angel, you have a better chance with Blue Baby, but Deals with the angel are harder to come by and sometimes pays out with just eternal hearts or soul hearts instead of a much-needed item.

10. The Lost

He can fly. He has 0 HP. He can take deals with the devil for free. He has 0 HP. One hit as the Lost, and you are done. You need an insurmountable combination of skill and luck to even get to the mom fight as the Lost. Any item that gives health becomes meaningless. In order to even think about success, you need something like 9 lives or Holy Mantle so you can slightly increase your chances at survival, but still, one mistake can mean heartache. A lot of factors in this game are random, so a lot of things are out of your control. What bosses you face, what items you get, the layout of a floor… every factor of the game becomes a way to screw you over.

Unranked: Eden

Eden is so much of a mystery, that this character can’t be ranked. You can start off with great stats and a good item, or vice versa. Sure, Eden is more times than not better than the Lost, but Eden is still too random to rank.