Tears
Attributes |
Health | Damage | Tears | Range | Shot Speed | Speed | Luck | Hidden Attributes |
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This article is about the attribute. For Isaac's primary weapon, see effects. |
The Tears attribute determines the rate of fire of the character, and is represented by 3 arrows. This attribute is also known as the tear delay (the delay between successive shots, as opposed to the inverse 'tears per second'); a higher tears stat means a shorter delay. The tear stat is a measurement of tear frequency, as opposed to Shot Speed, which measures how fast those shots move.
Contents
Tear Delay[edit | edit source]
The formula for tear delay is:
If TotalTears * 1.3 + 1 is negative, TearDelay = 16 - 6 * TotalTears.
"Total Tears" is equal to the normal tears stat. For example, picking up Sad Onion would grant 0.7 tears, making Isaac's tear delay 7.7, which is rounded down to 7.
Different characters start with different initial tears:
- Isaac, Magdalene, Cain, Judas, ???, Eve, Lazarus, The Lost,
Lilith,
Apollyon, and
The Forgotten: 0
- Samson: -0.05
- Azazel: +0.5, x1/3
- Eden: ±0.75
Keeper: -2
Several items directly modify tear delay after this main calculation:
Anti-Gravity
-2 Tear Delay. Tears float in position until firing ceases, after which they will fly off in the direction they were shot in.: -2 tear delay
Brimstone
Tears are replaced by a laser beam that pierces through all enemies and obstacles in its path and deals high damage. Can only be fired after a short charge-up period.: tear delay * 3
Cancer
-2 Tear Delay (effectively increases firerate of tears).: -2 tear delay
Capricorn
All stats up.: -1 tear delay
Chocolate Milk
Grants charged tears that deal greater damage when fully charged. +
The Ludovico Technique
Instead of firing tears, Isaac controls one floating tear that hover over obstacles. This tear deals constant damage when held in place over an enemy.: -1 tear delay
Cracked Crown
Grants extra stat upgrades based on Isaac's passive items that increase stats, -20% tear delay.: -20% tear delay
Cricket's Body
Grants -1 Tear Delay and reduces Range. When tears hit an object or deplete their range, they spawn 4 smaller tears, whose Range and Damage scale with Isaac's.: -1 tear delay
Dr. Fetus
Tears are replaced by bombs that benefit from bomb-enhancing effects and slide for a fixed time after being fired.: tear delay * 2.5
Epiphora
Shooting in one direction increases Isaac's rate of fire until the cap is reached. As soon as Isaac changes direction or stops shooting, rate of fire is reset to its normal amount.: tear delay / 2 (while at max "charge")
Eve's Mascara
Doubles damage, halves tears stat, and greatly reduces shot speed.: tear delay * 2
Guillotine
Isaac's head is removed from his body and floats around him. Increases Damage by 1 and grants -1 Tear Delay.: -1 tear delay
Ipecac
Replaces tears with explosive and poisoning projectiles fired in an arc from the mouth.: (tear delay * 2) + 10
Milk!
A glass of milk follows Isaac and spills on the floor upon taking damage. After the milk spills, Isaac's tear delay is decreased by 2 for the rest of the room.: -2 tear delay (after taking damage for the current room)
Mom's Perfume
Adds a chance to shoot fear tears and decreases tear delay by 1.: -1 tear delay
Monstro's Lung
Increases damage and grants a charged shot that fires multiple tears in the same fashion as Monstro.: tear delay * 4.3
Mutant Spider
Grants quadruple shot but decreases tears.: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3
Pisces
-1 Tear Delay, adds knock-back shots and increases tear size.: -1 tear delay
Polyphemus
Makes Isaac shoot one huge tear. Also reduces Tears to minimum. Damage increased . If tear does more damage than an enemy's life, the tear continues to travel with the extra remaining damage.: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3
Purity
This item will boost one of Isaac's stats depending on the color of the aura around him. The aura will disappear upon taking damage and will reappear with a random color upon entering a new room. A red aura boosts damage, a blue aura boosts rate of fire, a yellow aura boosts speed, and an orange aura boosts range.: -4 tear delay while blue aura is active
Soy Milk
Tears shrink and do much less damage, but fire in very rapid succession.: (tear delay / 4) - 2
The Inner Eye
Grants triple shot but decreases tears.: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3
The minimum tear delay that can be reached with regular tears up items is 5, but with items that directly reduce tear delay, tear delay can reach a minimum of 1.
The number of tears per second that the player fires is found by the formula: .
Notes[edit | edit source]
- Assuming no other modifications to the tears stat, +1.4 tears up is enough to bring you to the normal delay cap. In this case, it would reduce the delay to 5.92, which rounds down to 5.
- With a tear delay of 1, the maximum achievable rate of fire is 15 tears per second (every 4 frames).
- Polyphemus, Mutant Spider and Inner Eye's tear delay formulas do not stack with each other.
Items that affect tears[edit | edit source]
Activated Items[edit | edit source]
Name | ID | Icon | Quote | Description |
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406 | ![]() |
Reroll stats | Re-rolls Isaac's speed, range, tears, and damage. |
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481 | ![]() |
109 | Displaces enemy sprites for the current room, randomly increases one stat and decreases another. |
Passive Items[edit | edit source]
Name | ID | Icon | Quote | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
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465 | ![]() |
360 tears! | +0.3 tears up. Allows Isaac to fire tears diagonally. |
Anti-Gravity | 222 | ![]() |
Antigravity tears + tears up | -2 Tear Delay. Tears float in position until firing ceases, after which they will fly off in the direction they were shot in. |
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443 | ![]() |
Trick or treat? | Increases tears. Adds a chance to fire a high-damage razor blade. |
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438 | ![]() |
Memories... | Tears up, adds 1 soul heart, and decreases Isaac's size. |
Blue Cap | 342 | ![]() |
HP + tears up + shot speed down | Grants 1 heart container and increases tears, but decreases shot speed. |
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549 | ![]() |
Everything hurts | Replaces all red hearts with 6 empty bone hearts. Upon losing a bone heart, Isaac fires bones in 8 directions and permanently gains a tears up. |
Capricorn | 307 | ![]() |
All stats up | All stats up. |
Chocolate Milk | 69 | ![]() |
Charge shots | Grants charged tears that deal greater damage when fully charged. |
Cricket's Body | 224 | ![]() |
Tears up + splash damage | Grants -1 Tear Delay and reduces Range. When tears hit an object or deplete their range, they spawn 4 smaller tears, whose Range and Damage scale with Isaac's. |
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442 | ![]() |
Loss is power | Increases range, tears, and shot speed when at exactly one red heart. |
Death's Touch | 237 | ![]() |
Penetrative shot + damage up | Increases Damage by 1.5, reduces Tears by 0.3 and increases tear size. Grants piercing tears. Tears are replaced by Death's scythes, which is a cosmetic effect only. |
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547 | ![]() |
Tears up + you feel empty | Spawns a Mysterious Paper, increases tears, and grants a bone heart. |
Dr. Fetus | 52 | ![]() |
??? | Tears are replaced by bombs that benefit from bomb-enhancing effects and slide for a fixed time after being fired. |
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381 | ![]() |
Your future shines brighter | +0.7 tears up. Grants a random item at the start of the next run. |
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368 | ![]() |
Intensifying tears | Shooting in one direction increases Isaac's rate of fire until the cap is reached. As soon as Isaac changes direction or stops shooting, rate of fire is reset to its normal amount. |
Eve's Mascara | 310 | ![]() |
Shot speed down + DMG up | Doubles damage, halves tears stat, and greatly reduces shot speed. |
Experimental Treatment | 240 | ![]() |
All stats up, then shuffled | Randomly increases and decreases some of the character's stats. |
Godhead | 331 | ![]() |
God tears | Increases damage and range while reducing tears and shot speed. Grants homing tears and tears gain a damaging halo. |
Guillotine | 206 | ![]() |
An out-of-body experience | Isaac's head is removed from his body and floats around him. Increases Damage by 1 and grants -1 Tear Delay. |
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531 | ![]() |
I'm seeing red... | Tears are now fired in an arc. Upon hitting the floor, an obstacle, or an enemy, they burst into many smaller tears in all directions. Increases tear delay. |
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543 | ![]() |
Portable sanctuary | Spawns a white poop familiar, which turns into a white poop when Isaac is hurt. |
The Halo | 101 | ![]() |
All stats up | Grants one Heart Container, +0.3 Damage, +0.2 Tears, +0.25 Range, +0.3 Speed, and +0.5 Tear Height. |
The Inner Eye | 2 | ![]() |
Triple shot | Grants triple shot but decreases tears. |
Ipecac | 149 | ![]() |
Explosive shots | Replaces tears with explosive and poisoning projectiles fired in an arc from the mouth. |
Libra | 304 | ![]() |
You Feel Balanced | Gives 6 coins, 6 bombs, and 6 keys and balances out all attributes. |
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394 | ![]() |
Directed tears | Isaac will now fire tears automatically directed at a red target on the ground which is controlled by the player. This allows for a full 360 degree tear firing radius. Can be overridden by other tear modifiers such as Mom's Knife or Brimstone. |
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436 | ![]() |
Don't cry over it... | A glass of milk follows Isaac and spills on the floor upon taking damage. After the milk spills, Isaac's tear delay is decreased by 2 for the rest of the room. |
Missing No. | 258 | ![]() |
Syntax error | Randomizes all passive items upon pickup and at the start of each succeeding floor. |
Mom's Perfume | 228 | ![]() |
Fear shot | Adds a chance to shoot fear tears and decreases tear delay by 1. |
Monstro's Lung | 229 | ![]() |
Charged attack | Increases damage and grants a charged shot that fires multiple tears in the same fashion as Monstro. |
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370 | ![]() |
Range + tears up | Tears and Range up. Spawns 3 random types of hearts on the floor when picked up. |
Mutant Spider | 153 | ![]() |
Quad shot | Grants quadruple shot but decreases tears. |
Number One | 6 | ![]() |
Tears up | +1.5 tears, -17.62 range |
Odd Mushroom | 120 | ![]() |
Fire rate up | +1.7 tears, +0.3 speed, reduces damage. |
The Pact | 80 | ![]() |
DMG + Tears UP | Increases damage by 0.5, tears by 0.7 and grants two soul hearts upon pickup. |
Pisces | 309 | ![]() |
Tears up + knock-back shots | -1 Tear Delay, adds knock-back shots and increases tear size. |
Polyphemus | 169 | ![]() |
Mega Tears | Makes Isaac shoot one huge tear. Also reduces Tears to minimum. Damage increased . If tear does more damage than an enemy's life, the tear continues to travel with the extra remaining damage. |
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407 | ![]() |
Aura stat boost | This item will boost one of Isaac's stats depending on the color of the aura around him. The aura will disappear upon taking damage and will reappear with a random color upon entering a new room. A red aura boosts damage, a blue aura boosts rate of fire, a yellow aura boosts speed, and an orange aura boosts range. |
Sacred Heart | 182 | ![]() |
Homing shots + DMG up | Increases damage and range while reducing shot speed and grants homing tears. Grants a Heart Container and replenishes all Red Hearts. |
The Sad Onion | 1 | ![]() |
Tears up | Increases Tears by 0.7. |
Screw | 255 | ![]() |
Tears and shot speed up. | +0.5 tears up, +0.2 shot speed up. |
The Small Rock | 90 | ![]() |
DMG up | Increases damage by 1, increases tears by 0.2, and decreases speed by 0.1. |
SMB Super Fan | 189 | ![]() |
All stats up | Increases all stats. |
Soy Milk | 330 | ![]() |
DMG Down + Tears Way Up | Tears shrink and do much less damage, but fire in very rapid succession. |
Squeezy | 196 | ![]() |
Tears up | Increases tears by 0.4, and spawns 2 Soul Hearts pickups. |
Toothpicks | 183 | ![]() |
Tears + shot speed up | +0.7 tears, +16% shot speed. |
Torn Photo | 341 | ![]() |
Tears + shot speed up | Tears + Shot speed up. |
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397 | ![]() |
Control your tears | Isaac emits a beam from his face. Isaac's tears travel in the path of the beam. |
Wire Coat Hanger | 32 | ![]() |
Tears up | Increases Tears by 0.7. |
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392 | ![]() |
The heavens will change you | Zodiac will give Isaac a random zodiac item effect that changes after every floor. |
Trinkets[edit | edit source]
Name | ID | Icon | Quote | Description |
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Cancer | 39 | ![]() |
Yay, cancer! | -2 Tear Delay (effectively increases firerate of tears). |
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92 | ![]() |
Stat booster | Grants extra stat upgrades based on Isaac's passive items that increase stats, -20% tear delay. |
Wiggle Worm | 10 | ![]() |
Wiggle waggle! | Gives Isaac's shots a wave-like trajectory. +0.3 Tears up. |
Other[edit | edit source]
- Tears up pills increase tears by 0.35 and tears down pills decrease tears by 0.28.
In co-op, Cry Baby will occasionally briefly increase tears. Dark Baby will occasionally briefly increase all stats, including tears. Buddy Baby will occasionally briefly grant the Guillotine effect, which increases tears.
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