Vampire Knives



The Vampire Knives are a Hardmode post-Plantera melee weapon that autofires a spread of projectiles. The player is healed by a small amount for each projectile that hits an enemy. The Vampire Knives are always found inside the Dungeon's Crimson Chest in Crimson worlds. A Crimson Key will be needed to open the Crimson Chest.

Vampire Knives fire between 4 and 8 fast knife projectiles at a maximum spread of approximately 45 degrees. The knives are not affected by gravity, but at 28 tiles will begin to spin and fade, dissipating entirely after another 26 tiles (54 tiles total range). The knives may disappear visually a few tiles before they actually become ineffective. The knives deliver the weapon's full damage per knife until they begin spinning and fading, at which point their damage drops gradually until they dissipate.

Whenever a knife hits an enemy, a red beam extends to the player, healing them. The healing effect is 7.5% (rounded down) of the damage dealt by the hit. For example, it will heal 3 points of health for every 40 damage dealt.

Tips

 * Some higher melee speed bonuses will cripple the Vampire Knives, as this may cause the player to only throw the knives every other swing. However, the high melee speed will make them fly farther.
 * Vampire Knives are less useful against the Moon Lord because of the Moon Bite debuff it can apply to the player, which disables the life-stealing effect of the knives.
 * The Vampire Knives are still useful with endgame gear, as no melee weapon can replace their healing effect.
 * They prove effective against numerous bosses and events. With proper preparation, it can be impossible to die.
 * While all flasks work well with the Vampire Knives, using a Flask of Ichor will lower struck enemies' defense, increasing damage dealt, and thus increasing health recovered to the player. Note that the healing cap still applies.

Trivia

 * According to this Reddit AMA, this is Leinfors's favorite weapon.