Have a Heart

Isaac

Charm of the VampireHeals the character for half of a red heart for every 13 monsters killed.

: yes          : yes

/

2 new pillsComplete challenge #24

Defeat Mom for the 1st timeHave a Heart

Have a Heart is Challenge #25. Isaac begins the challenge with Charm of the VampireHeals the character for half of a red heart for every 13 monsters killed. and 12 heart containers, but only one of them filled. The goal is to defeat Mom's Heart or It Lives.

Difficulty

Charm of the Vampire is the main way to fill Isaac's heart containers (see below for exceptions). All red heart pickups are replaced with pennies (half heart = one penny, full heart = 1+1 free penny). HP up items (e.g.: BreakfastGrants Isaac one full red heart container.) give red heart containers, but do not fill HP. The Lovers Card spawns coins instead of red hearts. The 2 of Hearts card and Yum HeartRestores 1 whole red heart. have no effect. The TickDrain 15% health of each enemy with more than 60 HP (ie. most bosses). Also restores one red heart of Isaac whenever he enters an uncleared boss room. The Tick cannot be swapped out for another trinket. will still reduce a boss' health, but will not heal upon entering the boss room. Shops sell coins instead of hearts. Slot machines, blood donation machines, the Hematemesis pill, and any of the beggars drop coins instead of hearts. Even a Super Secret Room which usually contains hearts will contain money instead. It is also impossible to recover health with PyromaniacIsaac heals 1 heart instead of taking damage from an explosive source. Adds 5 bombs., PlacentaGrants a full heart container, and a chance to regenerate a half-heart of health every minute of gameplay., or LeechSpawns a friendly familiar leech on the ground that hunts down enemies and heals you for half a heart each time it eats one..

Strategy

The biggest difficulty lies in acquiring health. However, with numerous heart containers, there are several strategies to survive the challenge. First is finding a way to heal red heart damage.

• The Full Health pill is a major boon for this challenge.
  • The Bad Trip pill can also heal fully, but only when at half a heart.
  • When combined with these pills, the PlaceboWhen used, copies the effect of the pill Isaac is currently holding without consuming it. Does not copy the effects of cards or runes. becomes very powerful. It can be purchased in shops.
• XIX - The Sun card also heals to full health, alongside other benefits.
  • Combined with a Blank CardHas the same effect as the card or rune currently held by Isaac., the challenge becomes trivial. This can be purchased from shops.
• Obtaining the HabitWhen Isaac is hit, 1 point of an item's charge is filled. or Sharp PlugUsing an activated item while it's not charged will charge it and Sharp Plug does 2 full heart damage to Isaac. from a shop allows Placebo or Blank Card to be used at will without any fear of death.
• Rainbow poop will also give full health, but it is also very rare.
• Beds still refill Isaacs' health.

Second is getting rid of excess heart containers. Removing even one heart container will make obtaining Deals with the Devil and Angel Rooms much easier, as the open HP spot can hold Soul/Black hearts, providing insurance against red heart damage.

• The Devil Room or Black Market deals not only give good items, but also free up space for soul hearts. This, naturally, comes with the downside of preventing Angel Rooms from appearing.
  • AbaddonIncreases damage and speed, removes all red heart containers, grants six black hearts, and adds a chance to shoot fear tears. can remove all heart containers to be replaced by six Black Hearts.
• The Health Down pill can clear away some extra heart containers to allow picking up Soul/Black Hearts. This can synergize with Placebo nicely.
• Guppy's PawRemoves one red heart container in exchange for gaining 3 Soul Hearts. is one of the more useful items for survival, because it removes hard-to-fill heart containers and replaces them with soul hearts.
• Potato PeelerRemoves a heart container, increases damage and range, and grants a Cube of Meat. can be found in shops and easily removes excess empty heart containers for Cube of MeatOrbiting familiar that blocks enemy shots and deals damage to enemies. If collected while already having one, makes the familiar evolve. Only drops from Horsemen. Similar to Ball of Bandages.s, Allowing you to easily get a couple Meat Boys if desired.

A third method involves grinding enemies to replenish Isaac's health.

• Mulligans and their variants, Sacks, and other spawning enemies can provide limitless sources of enemies to fully fill health.
• Getting the D7Restarts the current room and brings back all enemies, allowing more rewards to be acquired by completing the room. and repeatedly clearing a room filled with easy-to-kill enemies can fill Isaac's entire HP bar.
• The Shell Game Beggar can be a useful method of spawning flies.

Because hearts turn into coins, shop purchases are easier to make.

• Trinkets such as Bloody PennyGives a 50% chance to drop a half heart when money is collected., Burnt PennyGives a 50% chance to drop a bomb when money is collected., Counterfeit PennyGives a 50% chance of increasing the value of every coin pickup by one., Flat PennyGives a 50% chance of spawning a key upon collecting a penny., and Rotten PennySpawns a blue fly every time a coin is picked up. are beneficial, as there is a greater chance of coins dropping when Isaac finishes a room.
• BumboSpawns a beggar familiar which floats around the room and picks up any nearby coins, leveling up after collecting several coins. At level 2, Bumbo gains a body. At level 3, it begins to fire tears. At level 4, Bumbo chases enemies slowly, dealing contact damage. and Bum FriendA portable beggar who follows Isaac, picks up coins for himself, and occasionally drops a pickup after collecting a coin. Does not spawn collectibles. are also more beneficial with the increase in coin drops.

Some other things to note:

• If Isaac is at full health, the boss should take priority. Health lost during the battle can be replenished from unexplored rooms.
• Avoid using Hematemesis, as it will remove all but one heart without spawning two hearts as usual.
• If Isaac dies with a 1up!Gives an extra life. Upon death, you will respawn in the previous room with full health and lose the 1up!., all heart containers will be filled.
• Judas' ShadowAdds an extra life; upon death, it respawns Isaac as Black Judas with only two black hearts. purges all heart containers and leaves 2 Black Hearts.
• Mom's LocketGrants half a red heart each time a key is used. Converts half red heart pickups into full red hearts. refills half a heart each time a key is used.

Reward

• 

  2 new pills - Complete challenge #25.

Mom Unlocks
The WombDefeat Mom for the 1st timeThe HarbingersDefeat Mom for the 1st timeA Cube of MeatDefeat Mom for the 1st timeA HaloDefeat Mom using The BiblePuristDefeat Mom for the first time	XXXXXXXXLDefeat Mom for the 1st timeSPEED!Defeat Mom for the 1st timeHave a HeartDefeat Mom for the 1st timePRIDE DAY!Defeat Mom for the 1st timeOnan's StreakDefeat Mom for the 1st timeThe GuardianDefeat Mom for the 1st time	Aprils foolDefeat Mom for the 1st time