Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Wiki
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The Ludovico Technique is a special passive item.

Effects

  • Instead of firing tears, Isaac controls one floating tear that hovers over obstacles. This tear deals constant damage when held in place over an enemy.

Notes

  • Ludovico tear movement speed is determined by the Shot Speed stat.
  • Ludovico tear hits per second are determined by the Tears stat.
  • When Death uses his The Hourglass attack, the tear is slow to respond but then moves so quickly that it is nearly impossible to use effectively.
  • When there are no enemies in a room, the tear slowly floats towards the player.

Synergies

  • Collectible 20 20 icon20/20: One smaller tear orbits the main tear.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible 8 Inch Nails icon8 Inch Nails: The tear becomes a nail, increases in size, damage, and provides minor knockback in the direction the tear moves.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Apple! iconApple! / (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Euthanasia iconEuthanasia / Collectible Tough Love iconTough Love: The tear can gain the damage multiplier from each of the items, using the appropriate appearance when it happens. Euthanasia retains its instant kill ability against non-boss enemies.
  • Collectible Blood Clot iconBlood Clot: The tear steadily cycles between red and "normal," dealing more damage when red.
  • Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone: Tear takes the shape of a very large laser ring. Shot speed is ignored. The Tears stat is ignored and damage is dealt very rapidly at a rate equivalent to 2 tear delay. This ring will always be present and doesn't need charging up like normal Brimstone would.
    • Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone + Collectible A Lump of Coal iconA Lump of Coal: The ring increases in diameter, but not damage, the farther away it gets from Isaac.
    • Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone + Collectible Spoon Bender iconSpoon Bender: The ring reaches out to attack enemies near it, reforming into a ring when no enemies are present.
    • Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone + Collectible Technology iconTechnology: The ring is visually identical to a normal Brimstone ring, but the 1.5x damage multiplier applies.
    • Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone + Wiggle WormWiggle Worm: The ring takes the shape of a star.
  • Azazel: Same effect as with Brimstone, but damage is halved.
  • Collectible Chemical Peel iconChemical Peel: Tear will alternate between "normal" and red, dealing more damage when red.
  • Collectible Chocolate Milk iconChocolate Milk: No damage increase, but results in -1 tear delay.
  • Collectible The Common Cold iconThe Common Cold: The tear pulses green, poisoning enemies.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Compound Fracture iconCompound Fracture: Shoots out smaller tears when attacking an enemy. Scattered tears are spectral and piercing.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Dead Eye iconDead Eye: Damage bonus increases until it hits the max of 2x. Since the controllable tear never hits the ground or wall, the bonus cannot be lost.
  • Collectible Death's Touch iconDeath's Touch: The tear becomes a scythe (vanity), but increases in size and damage
  • Collectible Dr. Fetus iconDr. Fetus: The bomb can be controlled until it explodes.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Fate's Reward iconFate's Reward: The familiar gains spectral and piercing tears, but otherwise fires normally.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance) The Forgotten: The tear follows the Forgotten when in its skeleton form. It can be hit with its melee attack to propel it, making it do more damage. When switching to the Soul, the tear spawns on top of the player.
  • Collectible Godhead iconGodhead: The tear homes towards nearby enemies and gains a large damaging aura.
  • Guppy transformation: A large number of flies is rapidly deployed whilst controlling the Ludovico tear.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Incubus iconIncubus: Isaac gains a controlled tear while also being able to shoot normally with Incubus. Incubus's tears gain piercing and spectral properties.
  • Collectible The Inner Eye iconThe Inner Eye: Two smaller tears orbit the main tear.
  • Collectible Lost Contact iconLost Contact: Tear will block enemy tears without disappearing.
  • Collectible A Lump of Coal iconA Lump of Coal: The tear becomes larger the further away it is from Isaac, increasing in damage.
  • Collectible Mom's Contacts iconMom's Contacts: Tear randomly alternates colors, which randomly petrifies enemies.
  • Collectible Mom's Perfume iconMom's Perfume: Tear gains a chance to give the fear effect.
  • Collectible Mom's Wig iconMom's Wig: The item causes spiders to spawn rapidly when moving the tear.
  • Collectible Monstro's Lung iconMonstro's Lung: Tear turns red and does more damage.
    • (except in Rebirth) Tear becomes a cluster of variously sized tears spread over a small area. The tears move at the same speed when controlled but constantly move around each other.
  • Collectible Mutant Spider iconMutant Spider: Three smaller tears orbit the main tear.
  • Collectible My Reflection iconMy Reflection: The tear moves much faster.
  • Collectible Number One iconNumber One: The tear deals damage to enemies much faster, with the range penalty having no effect.
  • Collectible The Parasite iconThe Parasite: Shoots out smaller tears when attacking an enemy. Scattered tears are spectral and piercing.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Pause iconPause: The tear deals damage, even if the enemies are stopped. Moving the tear unpauses the enemies.
  • Pulse WormPulse Worm: The tear pulsates in midair, expanding and contracting. This works with normal tears as well as Collectible Brimstone iconBrimstone.
  • Collectible Spoon Bender iconSpoon Bender: Tear will slightly gravitate towards enemies near it
  • Collectible Strange Attractor iconStrange Attractor: Enemies, items and even most bosses will be sucked to the single floating tear, dealing constant damage while keeping Isaac well away from harm, making this combination extremely effective in almost all scenarios.
  • Collectible Technology iconTechnology: The tear becomes a large laser ring, which visually looks like a shot fired by Collectible Tech X iconTech X. Shot speed is ignored. The Tears stat is ignored and damage is dealt very rapidly at a rate equivalent to 2 tear delay.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Tear Detonator iconTear Detonator: The tear explodes into six smaller tears, then reappears next to the player.

Interactions

  • Collectible Blue Baby's Only Friend icon???'s Only Friend / Collectible Robo-Baby 2.0 iconRobo-Baby 2.0: The tear and familiar(s) travel together, as they are controlled in the same way. Because the familiars' travel speeds are not affected by Isaac's shot speed, they only travel in the same spot when Isaac has exactly the amount of shot speed to sync them up.
  • Collectible Anti-Gravity iconAnti-Gravity: Overridden by The Ludovico Technique.
  • Collectible Cricket's Body iconCricket's Body: Overridden by The Ludovico Technique.
  • Collectible Cursed Eye iconCursed Eye: No effect.
  • Collectible Epic Fetus iconEpic Fetus: Overrides The Ludovico Technique.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Explosivo iconExplosivo: Tear will alternate between "normal" and black. If it touches an enemy, it will stick to it, grow in size, then explode. The tear can not damage anything or be controlled when stuck to an enemy.
    • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance) The tear will grow and explode very quickly when stuck to an enemy, instead of the normal Explosivo delay.
  • Collectible Fire Mind iconFire Mind: Tears retain the ability to ignite enemies and explode. Tears respawn at Isaac's location after exploding.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Ghost Pepper iconGhost Pepper: Fires created from Ghost Pepper will destroy the tear and cause it to respawn on Isaac.
  • Homing Tears: The tear slowly homes toward the nearest enemy. Once locked in an enemy moving the tear somewhere else becomes harder.
  • Hook WormHook Worm: Tear moves in a zig-zag pattern while controlled.
  • Invulnerability: Tear cannot be moved while in effect, but will still do damage.
  • Collectible Ipecac iconIpecac: Overridden by The Ludovico Technique. (No damage increase or explosion.)
    • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance) +4 damage bonus, no explosion.
  • Collectible Loki's Horns iconLoki's Horns: The Ludovico tear will sometimes shoot 4 smaller tears in each direction.
  • Collectible Mom's Eye iconMom's Eye: The Ludovico tear will sometimes shoot smaller tears behind it.
  • Collectible Mom's Knife iconMom's Knife: The tear becomes a controllable knife that deals double Isaac's damage. Effective shot speed is lowered. Tears stat is ignored and damage is dealt at a rate equivalent to 5 tear delay.
    • Collectible Mom's Knife iconMom's Knife + Collectible Godhead iconGodhead: Replaces the Ludovico tear with Mom's Knife but removes the Godhead aura.
    • (except in Rebirth) Collectible Mom's Knife iconMom's Knife + Collectible Technology iconTechnology: Creates an uncontrollable laser ring centered on Isaac. The knife becomes stuck under Isaac and cannot be fired.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Multidimensional Baby iconMultidimensional Baby: No effect.
    • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance) An additional Ludovico tear is spawned when it passes through Multidimensional Baby, at the start of every room, and persists like the Ludovico tear itself. However, it cannot be controlled; it instead slowly follows Isaac.
  • Collectible Notched Axe iconNotched Axe: The Ludovico tear cannot be moved while Notched Axe is held up.
  • Collectible Proptosis iconProptosis: The closer the tear floats to Isaac, the larger it is. The farther away, the smaller.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Pupula Duplex iconPupula Duplex: Decreases the tear size by taking the form of a Pupula Duplex tear; however, it travels faster.
  • Collectible Red Candle iconRed Candle: The tear disappears upon contact with a flame created by the candle and reappears near Isaac, slightly shrinking the flame.
  • Ring WormRing Worm: The tear spins rapidly in small circles.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Sinus Infection iconSinus Infection: The tear can occasionally stick to an enemy. If the enemy does not die quickly, the tear pops and a new one spawns.
  • Collectible Tech.5 iconTech.5: The tear controls as usual, and Isaac fires the laser towards the tear relative to his position, rather than in the direction the player is moving the tear.
    • Collectible Tech.5 iconTech.5 + (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Analog Stick iconAnalog Stick: Laser is fired directly at the tear while it is being moved, instead of being limited to cardinal directions.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Tech X iconTech X: Overrides The Ludovico Technique.
  • Collectible Technology 2 iconTechnology 2: The tear controls as usual, and Isaac fires the laser towards the tear relative to his position, rather than in the direction the player is moving the tear. Technology 2's damage penalty still applies. Laser becomes spectral.
    • Collectible Technology 2 iconTechnology 2 + (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Analog Stick iconAnalog Stick: Laser is fired directly at the tear while it is being moved, instead of being limited to cardinal directions.
  • (in Afterbirth † and Repentance)Collectible Technology Zero iconTechnology Zero: No effect without additional items. Extra tears orbiting the main one or familiar tears will generate arcs to the controlled tear.
  • Collectible Tiny Planet iconTiny Planet: The tear controls strangely. It orbits Isaac slowly when not controlled, and when controlled, the tear's movement is distorted. Additionally, the tear's range becomes limited to Tiny Planet's orbit distance.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible Tractor Beam iconTractor Beam: The Ludovico Technique overrides the beam's effect.
  • Collectible Trinity Shield iconTrinity Shield: The controls of the tear and the shield overlap, making it impossible to consistently control both.
  • (except in Rebirth)Collectible The Wiz iconThe Wiz: A smaller Ludovico tear will spawned and revolves round the main one. Also, the Ludovico tear now moves in a very unusual way, up is up-right, down is down-left, left is left-up, right is right-down. This can be counteracted by holding the keys or d-pad in its associated path (up-right to make it go up and so forth with the other keys).

In-game Footage

Trivia

  • The Ludovico Technique is a reference to Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange and Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, where it was referred to as "Ludovico's Technique." The technique involved headgear which forced the patient's eyelids open (hence "Controlled Tears") while watching violent films under nausea-inducing drugs, conditioning them against violence.

Gallery

Seeds

PC KPRZ M83V (First floor treasure room)

PC ZYS1 ONMS (Treasure room adjacent to spawn)

PC VLZW 7CJ8 (Treasure room adjacent to spawn)

PC (except in Rebirth) MX26 V47J (treasure room adjacent to spawn) (both modes)

PC (except in Rebirth) KYSL MRKZ (treasure room adjacent to spawn)

PS4 S11S E632 (First floor treasure room)

Vita 0H0T MKNS (First floor treasure room)

3DS DQBE T9RH (First floor treasure room)

3DS GEYN TXS7 (First floor treasure room)

3DS KK92 7DTD (First floor treasure room)

Switch 191Z NVJA (Treasure room adjacent to spawn)


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