Relics are the backbone of Vampire Crawlers. They permanently change how the game works, from revealing enemy positions on the map to letting you squeeze extra gold out of every boss fight. Miss one and you might not even realize what you're playing without. The good news: every relic ties to a specific stage, so none of them are missable if you're progressing normally.
What are relics in Vampire Crawlers?
Relics function as toggleable gameplay modifiers, according to GameSpot's coverage of the game. Some unlock entirely new systems, like the Blacksmith's Workshop or the Arcana Tent. Others tweak existing mechanics, like speeding up the game or showing weapon effects on enemies. You can turn most of them on or off at the Relics house in the Village, which means you can use them to dial up or down the challenge as you see fit.
Three relics are given to you automatically: Combo Stack, Milky Way Map, and Rilevatore all arrive during the tutorial without any effort on your part. Everything else requires reaching a specific dungeon stage.
The Relics that can be toggled off include Bomba Infernale, Guiding Light, Combo Stack, Overkill, Ovenkilt, Milky Way Map, Rilevatore, and Ultimate Ultra Overkill. Keep them on unless you're deliberately making a challenge run harder.
All relics and where to unlock them
Here's every relic confirmed in Vampire Crawlers at launch, cross-referenced across GameSpot, Destructoid, and DualShockers:
Two relics, Milky Way Map and Ultimate Ultra Overkill, have no listed stage in some sources. DualShockers confirms Ultimate Ultra Overkill drops at Floor 4 of the Curd Factory. Milky Way Map is given during the tutorial per DualShockers, though Destructoid lists it as N/A. Go with the tutorial unlock.
Overkill gold farming in action
Which relics should you prioritize?
Not all relics are created equal. Here's the honest breakdown based on what each one actually does for your runs.
Overkill and Ovenkilt: the gold engines
According to DualShockers, Overkill and Ovenkilt are the most valuable relics in the game. Overkill lets you burn through your remaining hand cards on a defeated boss to earn coins. Ovenkilt extends that to every encounter, not just bosses. Stack both and you're generating serious gold across an entire dungeon run.
That gold matters because the most expensive upgrades in the game sit inside the Jeweler, which the Lapidary Loupe unlocks. Bumping the spawn rate of Wild Card Gems and similar high-value items is extremely costly, per DualShockers, so having the Overkill chain running all game is what funds those purchases.
Ovenkilt comes with a trade-off: chests no longer grant gold once it's active. You're giving up passive chest income in exchange for active combat income. In most runs, the combat income wins out, but keep this in mind if you're relying on chest drops early.
Stardust Anvil and Gem Hammer: card investment
Stardust Anvil unlocks the Blacksmith's Workshop, and Gem Hammer gives you the ability to slot gems into cards. These two work together. Neither does much on its own, but once you have both, you can start building cards that punch well above their base stats. Get these early and the Blacksmith becomes a regular stop between dungeon floors.
Bomba Infernale: the speed-run shortcut
Bomba Infernale only activates on dungeons you've already cleared, wiping the first floor instantly and handing you all the experience from those enemies. It's useless on a first visit, but on repeat runs through familiar dungeons it saves a meaningful amount of time. Think of it as a reward for thorough exploration rather than a power spike.
Blacksmith gem slot upgrades
How does the toggle system work?
Once you've unlocked a relic, head to the Relics house in the Village to manage which ones are active. Some relics, like Grim Grimoire, Stardust Anvil, Polentir, Randomazzo, and Lapidary Loupe, are always on once unlocked and cannot be switched off. The rest can be toggled freely.
This matters for challenge runs. Vampire Crawlers already has a Power-Up shop that lets you add detrimental effects to your game, per DualShockers. Turning off relics on top of that stacks the difficulty further for players who want a genuinely punishing experience.
The random nature of dungeon generation in Vampire Crawlers means relics tied to specific floors can appear anywhere on that floor. If you're hunting a relic and don't see it immediately, keep exploring before descending to the next level.
A note on the Ovenkilt unlock location discrepancy
Two sources list different unlock stages for Ovenkilt. Destructoid notes it as a secret relic with an unlisted location, while GameSpot lists Cappella Ultima (after defeating the final boss). DualShockers confirms it's awarded after beating the final boss. The GameSpot and DualShockers accounts align, so treat Cappella Ultima as the correct unlock.
Vampire Crawlers launched on April 21, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC, developed and published by Poncle. GameSpot notes that additional relics may be added in future updates, so this list reflects the launch version.
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