This guide contains unlock spoilers, secret-character hints and DLC names. It does not reproduce every secret spell or every crossover character’s individual condition.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
There is no single short roster that covers every copy of the game: the base game, secret survivors, free updates and seven DLC releases now form a very large selection. Start with the four default survivors—Antonio, Imelda, Pasqualina and Gennaro—then follow the Unlocks menu for ordinary characters. Coffins, stage objectives, weapon evolutions, collection milestones and secret spells handle the less obvious entries. For the frequently asked wall question, the clearest current examples are Gyoruntin, Ghost Lino, Megalo Sargon and Guardian Pina. The question-mark character is not one universal named hero; it is normally a hidden or undiscovered roster entry, and its identity depends on the missing unlock in your copy.
Roster
How the roster is organized
The selection screen combines several kinds of playable survivor. The base game contains the original Belpaese cast and the normal progression characters unlocked through levels, gold, healing totals, weapon milestones, stage objectives and coffins. Secret survivors sit alongside them but use unusual conditions, hidden rooms, special enemies or the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane.
Paid expansions add their own themed groups. The current store listing includes Legacy of the Moonspell, Tides of the Foscari, Emergency Meeting, Operation Guns, Ode to Castlevania and Legacy of the Bloodmoon. Free content such as Ante Chamber and Emerald Diorama can also add playable characters or related unlock paths. That means a complete list changes according to which downloadable content is installed.
Useful roster examples include the four starters, early unlocks such as Arca, Porta, Lama, Poe, Clerici and Dommario, and later base-game or secret survivors such as Pugnala, Krochi, Queen Sigma, Cosmo Pavone and Gyoruntin. DLC rosters include original themed characters as well as crossover heroes, so it is more practical to identify a character by pack and unlock route than by treating the whole selection screen as one progression line.
- Starter survivors are Antonio Belpaese, Imelda Belpaese, Pasqualina Belpaese and Gennaro Belpaese.
- Normal base-game survivors usually unlock through visible achievement-style tasks or purchases.
- Secret survivors may require a stage interaction, a hidden objective, a special weapon route or a spell.
- Alternate skins and DLC ownership can make two players’ selection screens look different.
| Roster group | What to expect | Best place to check |
|---|---|---|
| Base game | The main progression cast and early unlocks. | Unlocks menu and character selection. |
| Secret survivors | Cryptic objectives, hidden locations and spell-based entries. | Secrets menu, stage exploration and the reference pages. |
| Free updates | Additional characters or systems without a paid expansion. | The game’s update content and Unlocks menu. |
| Paid DLC | Themed original and crossover characters. | The relevant DLC filter, store listing and in-game unlocks. |
Older character lists may be accurate for a previous patch but still miss later free updates or expansions. Treat a guide as version-specific when it gives an exact roster total.
Roles
Choosing a survivor by playstyle
Characters are not fixed classes, but their starting weapons and passive bonuses create recognizable roles. Antonio is a straightforward damage choice for learning the game. Imelda accelerates experience gain, which helps reach weapon evolutions sooner. Pasqualina improves projectile speed, while Gennaro adds projectile quantity. These four are useful benchmarks because their strengths are easy to understand without requiring a special build.
As the roster expands, roles become more specialized. Some survivors begin with extra weapons, hidden weapons, unusual scaling or strong defensive statistics. Others are designed around revivals, gold, luck, movement speed, curse, healing or a particular DLC weapon family. A character with a powerful starting weapon is not automatically the best choice: scaling rules, weapon limits and the stage objective can matter more than the first-minute advantage.
For exploration-heavy objectives, movement speed and wall flight are especially valuable. For farming, Greed and weapon area can be more important. For a first clear, prioritize reliable damage, experience gain and survivability rather than choosing solely because a character has an interesting gimmick.
- Use Antonio or Imelda when learning the base progression.
- Use Gennaro or Pasqualina when testing projectile-focused builds.
- Use a high-mobility or flying survivor for awkward map objectives and distant pickups.
- Use specialized secret or DLC characters after you understand their unusual rules.
| Goal | Useful traits | Practical approach |
|---|---|---|
| Learn the game | Damage, experience and simple starting weapons. | Choose a starter and follow visible Unlocks tasks. |
| Explore maps | Move speed, flight or wall ignoring. | Pick a documented flying character when the route is obstructed. |
| Farm gold | Greed, strong area damage and survivability. | Use a build that clears dense waves consistently. |
| Test a gimmick | A character-specific passive or hidden weapon. | Build around the survivor’s description instead of forcing a standard evolution. |
The role descriptions above are practical recommendations. They are not official class labels, because the game does not divide survivors into formal tank, damage or support classes.
Unlocks
A reliable character-unlock route
First, open the Unlocks menu and complete the visible base-game tasks. This is the least error-prone route because it shows objectives tied to your current save. Buy newly available survivors after a run when you have enough gold, then use them to reach later weapon, stage and collection milestones.
Next, inspect stage coffins and map objectives. Coffin characters generally require you to reach a marked location, defeat the surrounding guard group and interact with the coffin. Other entries ask you to evolve a named weapon, survive with a particular item, defeat a special enemy, collect a relic or complete a total across several runs.
After obtaining the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane, secrets become easier to track. The Secrets menu can reveal hints or accept spell codes for certain entries. Do not assume every secret character has a normal stage route: some are deliberately designed around a code, a hidden action or an unusual interpretation of the hint.
For DLC, confirm that the expansion is installed and enabled before troubleshooting an absent character. Then select the relevant stage or DLC filter and follow the weapon or event requirement. A base-game guide cannot reliably provide an unlock for a crossover character added later.
- Complete visible Unlocks objectives before chasing secrets.
- Check the stage map for coffins, relics and special targets.
- Use the Secrets menu after obtaining the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane.
- Verify DLC installation before assuming a character is missing.
- If a condition says to evolve a weapon, confirm the required passive and chest or stage rules.
| Unlock type | Typical requirement | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase unlock | Complete the associated achievement, then buy the character. | Completing the task but forgetting the purchase. |
| Coffin unlock | Find the coffin, defeat guards and interact with it. | Searching the wrong stage or missing the interaction prompt. |
| Evolution unlock | Evolve the named weapon under the required conditions. | Using a similar weapon from another DLC. |
| Secret unlock | Perform a hidden objective or cast a spell. | Assuming every hint has a normal achievement route. |
| DLC unlock | Own and enable the relevant expansion, then complete its condition. | Following a guide for content not installed. |
Check the exact wording in Unlocks or Secrets, restart after installing DLC, and confirm that the run was made in the required stage. If the game’s text and an external guide disagree, treat the in-game condition as authoritative and report the discrepancy rather than guessing.
Named questions
Walls, question marks and fan art
The most direct answer to “which survivors go through walls?” is that several characters use flight or an equivalent wall-ignoring mechanic. Current reference data documents Gyoruntin as a base-game secret character that ignores walls. Ghost Lino from Emergency Meeting also ignores walls, while Megalo Sargon from Legacy of the Bloodmoon has flight and ignores walls. Guardian Pina is another documented wall-ignoring character from the same broader reference list.
Gyoruntin is especially notable because the unlock hint asks you to forsake victory in favor of sightseeing in Carlo Cart. Its description combines flight with unusually fast movement and a level-scaling curse effect. Ghost Lino is a special case: the character cannot deal or receive damage and disappears at the current time limit, so wall flight is not a normal combat advantage. Megalo Sargon is a late DLC option with powerful scaling and a high purchase cost.
The “question mark character” is usually not a fixed character named Question Mark. In the selection screen, it normally means that the game is withholding the identity of a locked survivor until you reveal more of the roster. On a stage map, however, a question mark can identify a special target such as Sketamari or a map event. Always check whether the symbol appears in character selection or on the map before searching for an unlock code.
Fan art is separate from the playable database. Community illustrations, screenshots and custom-character experiments may use the game’s cast, but they do not prove that a character is officially playable, available on your platform or included in the current build. Use the in-game selection screen and the official or maintained reference pages for roster verification.
- Wall-ignoring examples include Gyoruntin, Ghost Lino, Megalo Sargon and Guardian Pina.
- A selection-screen question mark normally represents an undiscovered survivor, not a universal character name.
- A map question mark can indicate a target or event rather than a playable character.
- Fan art should be treated as community material, not unlock evidence.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Who ignores walls? | Gyoruntin, Ghost Lino, Megalo Sargon and Guardian Pina are documented current examples. |
| Who is the question-mark character? | Usually an undiscovered locked entry whose identity depends on the missing unlock. |
| Can fan art confirm a character? | No. Confirm playable status through the game or a reliable reference. |
| Why is a character absent? | It may require DLC, a secret condition, a purchase, a different stage or a newer patch. |
The roster and mechanics can change with updates, and some reference pages may lag behind a new build. The official game’s current Unlocks and Secrets text should take priority over any static list.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I unlock characters in Vampire Survivors?
Complete the requirement shown in the Unlocks menu, then purchase the survivor when the character becomes available. Coffins, weapon evolutions, stage objectives, collection milestones and secret conditions cover the less ordinary entries.
What is the fastest way to unlock the early roster?
Use the four starters to complete visible base-game objectives, prioritize weapon and stage milestones, and spend gold on every newly available survivor. This is more reliable than starting with secret spells.
Which characters go through walls?
Current documented examples include Gyoruntin, Ghost Lino, Megalo Sargon and Guardian Pina. Their availability depends on the base game, specific DLC and the relevant unlock condition.
Why do I see a question mark in character selection?
It normally represents a locked survivor whose identity is not yet revealed. Unlock another character and inspect the Unlocks or Secrets menus for the clue.
Are characters from fanart official?
Not necessarily. Fan art can depict official survivors, unused concepts, mods or community creations. Verify the name and unlock condition in the game before treating one as part of the playable roster.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Vampire Survivors page from poncle
- OfficialOfficial Steam store and DLC listing
- ReferenceMaintained character reference
- ReferenceFlight and wall-ignoring character reference
- ReferenceGyoruntin character details
- ReferenceGhost Lino character details
- ReferenceMegalo Sargon character details