The Binding Of Isaac: A Guide To Every Character And How To Unlock Them (2024)

The Binding of Isaac has a lot of characters, each with their own perks. Samson deals more damage the more he takes, Azazel starts with a shorter-range Brimstone, and Eden is randomized each run. They can even be upgraded, so there's a lot to unpack when it comes to Isaac's character selection screen, and not all of the unlocks are immediately visible.

Throw in the DLCs and you have a game jampacked with others besides the titular character. While Isaac is great, doubly so when you get the D6, every character has their own unlocks tied to their progression which benefits you regardless of who you select on the next run, so they're worth taking for a spin.

RELATED: The Binding Of Isaac: How To Become Guppy

With that, here's how to get every character in The Binding of Isaac - from the originals to the newer Repentance additions.

How To Unlock Cain

The eyepatched financier - Cain - is acquired by gathering 55 coins. You need them all in your pocket, though. Accumulating 55 over one run will not work if you spend them.

Given that he has an eyepatch, You can only shoot tears from your right eye. As such, you'll fire one line of Brimstone and won't launch tears with Technology 2.

However, you start with higher damage and speed as well as higher luck, even beginning with Lucky Foot and a singular key. The catch is that you'll have two heart containers.

You can also upgrade Cain. If you donate 68 coins to the Greed Donation Machine, you'll start every run henceforth with the Paper Clip trinket. This lets you open golden chests without keys.

How To Unlock Magdalene

Better known as Maggy, she is unlocked by having seven or more heart containers at once. Like with Cain, this isn't over the course of a run - you need them all concurrently.

You start with Yum Heart which is a reusable item that heals you one heart container. You'll also start with an extra heart container, meaning you have four hearts total from the get-go. However, the downside is that you have less speed meaning that you're a clunky tank of a character.

If you beat the Aprils Fool challenge, however, you unlock a Speed Up pill, remedying this issue. With Repentance, you'll get a Full Health pill. Maggy is best for Devil deals and sacrificial rooms.

How To Unlock Judas

To unlock Judas, you have to beat Satan.

With him, you'll start with one heart container but you'll also have The Book of Belial and three coins. Judas doles out a fair amount of damage, too, making him ideal for bosses if you can circumnavigate their projectiles.

How To Become Dark Judas

You can also become Dark Judas through the Judas' Shadow pickup. You begin with two black hearts, a damage multiplier of two, and a slightly increased speed stat.

However, you can only become Dark Judas during a run. When you die while having picked up his shadow, you'll respawn as Judas. With Repentance, you cannot obtain red hearts. Items that give you extra health will now give you black hearts.

While separate from Judas, behaving slightly differently, all of Judas' unlocks are counted with Dark Judas.

How To Unlock ??? (Blue Baby)

Colloquially known as Blue Baby amongst fans, ??? is unlocked by beating Mom's Heart ten times.

You can do so with any character. If you pick them, you'll start with three blue hearts and The Poop. It's a reusable item that lets you spawn what the name suggests. Handy.

The biggest downside to Blue Baby is that you cannot acquire any red heart containers. All health upgrades give you Soul Hearts, much like with Dark Judas.

You can also become Blue Baby during a run if you die with the Ankh.

How To Unlock Samson

Samson is a little trickier to get. You have to beat two levels without taking damage and Devil deals are included.

Like Isaac, he starts with three red hearts but, if you take damage, you'll start to get redder as you deal more damage yourself. This is thanks to Samson starting with the Bloody Lust item.

You'll also start with the Child's Heart if you beat the Ultra Hard challenge. This ups your chance of getting a red heart after clearing a room.

RELATED: The Binding Of Isaac Rebirth: How To Unlock All 22 Endings

How To Unlock Eve

Eve's challenge is a little like Samson's. You have to beat two floors without picking up any hearts.

Once you've done that, you can play as Eve. Simple. She starts with two hearts, the whor* of Babylon, and the Dead Bird item.

This means that when you have half a red heart left, you gain 0.3 speed and 1.5 damage, while a familiar will spawn to hound and attack enemies if you take so much as half a heart's worth of damage. You can keep Eve's whor* of Babylon perk permanently if you prioritize blue and black hearts while leaving yourself at half a red one.

If you donate 439 coins to the Greed Donation Machine, you'll begin with the Razor Blade reusable item. Using it hurts you for half a heart but you'll get 1.2 extra damage for the room you're in. Handy for boss fights in cohesion with Eve's other perks.

How To Unlock Azazel

Azazel can be unlocked by making three Devil deals in a singular run.

He's fairly simple to unlock but he's also a pretty powerful character. With Azazel, you start with flight, a short-range Brimstone, and even The Fool card. This means that you can enter Curse rooms without taking any damage. You can fly in at no cost to health, but flying out damages you. The Fool card teleports you to the start, averting the need.

However, Azazel has no red hearts. He begins with three black hearts. You can upgrade your health, though, unlike Dark Judas and ???.

How To Unlock Eden

To unlock an Eden token, you need to complete the Womb.

Emphasis on "token" - you never unlock Eden in the traditional sense. Each run with them uses up a token and you're back to square one if you run out - no more Eden.

To grab tokens, you can either beat Mom's Heart, It Lives, Ultra Greed, or The Beast.

Eden's stats are random from run to run as are the items that they can spawn with, making them the most roguelike out of all the characters.

How To Unlock Lazarus

The parameters to unlock Lazarus are similar to Maggy's. You need four or more blue/black hearts concurrently.

Starting a run with him, you'll have three red heart containers much like with Isaac but he has lower ranger and luck. However, Lazarus has an extra life from the get-go.

He also starts with a random pill. If you beat Backasswards, he'll even begin with Anemic, a permanent item that increases range. It also means that you'll leave a trail of creep when you take damage. Creepy.

How To Unlock The Lost

The Lost is one of the trickiest characters to unlock in the game. You have to die in a Sacrifice Room while holding the Missing Poster. To get the Missing Poster, you have to defeat The Lamb as Isaac. The Lamb, meanwhile, is a secret boss unlocked by defeating Satan five times with The Negative.

You can also reach The Lamb by hurting yourself 12 times in a Sacrifice Room. Even then, it's a 50 percent chance.

The Lost starts with no hearts and you can't acquire anymore. One shot and you're dead. However, you also get an Eternal D6 letting you reroll any items and you start with flight as well as spectral tears. You can get Holy Mantle if you donate 879 coins to the Greed Machine. This means that you can take one hit per room. Another perk is that all Devil deals are free.

It's certainly challenging, but there are some benefits to The Lost, at least.

How To Unlock Lilith

You can get Lilith by beating Greed Mode with Azazel.

They were added in Afterbirth, marking them as one of the first DLC additions. Given that Cain can't fire tears with his left eye, it's only fitting that Lilith - blindfolded - can't fire any. instead, she relies on her familiars.

You start with one red heart and Box of Friends, a reusable item that lets you create doubles of all your owned familiars. If you don't have any, you get a free Demon Baby in that room.

Lilith, however, comes with Incubus, a little demon familiar. She also starts with Cambion Conception which is a passive item that spawns a familiar if Lilith takes a certain amount of damage.

RELATED: The Binding Of Isaac: Ranking All Of The Planetarium Items

How To Unlock The Keeper

Keeper is another Afterbirth addition. You get them by donating 1,000 coins to the Greed Machine.

You start with one bomb and triple shot tears. They can be upgraded, however. If you beat Isaac, you'll get the Wooden Nickel every time you start.

Beat Satan and you'll begin with the Store Key. Hush nabs you three Coin Hearts.

Devil Deals also cost coins, not hearts which is fitting given that Keeper's hearts are coins. So, you don't heal traditionally. You heal by picking up coins.

How To Unlock Apollyon

Apollyon was added in Afterbirth. You get them for beating Mega Satan for the first time.

They start with two red hearts and the Void reusable item. It eats up all pedestal items in a room and adds their effects to the Void.

How To Unlock The Forgotten

To unlock The Forgotten is incredibly complicated. Defeat the first-floor boss in under a minute and then go to the floor's starting room.

• Use a bomb anywhere and the Broken Shovel will appear. Now, Mom will try to stomp you.
• Go to the Depths and beat Mom in under 20 minutes. Then, beat the Boss Rush and take the second piece of the Broken Shovel.
• Afterward, go to the Dark Room floor and find the Grave Room which has a singular patch of dirt inside. Use Mom's Shovel and voila.

The Forgotten was added in Booster Pack Five. You play as them and The Soul. The Forgotten does more damage and has two Bone Hearts while The Soul has a singular blue heart.

The catch is that if The Soul dies, The Forgotten dies. To swap between them, you press either CTRL, R2, or RT (depending on the platform).

How To Unlock Bethany

You can unlock Bethany by beating Mom's Heart or It Lives on hard mode with Lazarus without losing a life.

Bethany was added in Repentance, the latest DLC. She's Lazarus' sister, hence the unlock parameters.

She starts with three red hearts and the Book of Virtues, a reusable item that spawns a wisp familiar. She can't use blue or black hearts.

How To Unlock Jacob And Esau

These two are a pair that you can unlock by beating Mother with any character.

They are controlled together (you don't swap between them) and use the same coins, bombs, and keys. However, they are independent when it comes to stats, health, and items.

If you hold the drop button, you can keep Esau in place while Jacob explores.

Jacob has three red hearts while Esau starts with one. However, he also has a blue Soul Heart.

Next: Game-Breaking Synergies In The Binding Of Isaac