Host

Base HP	Stage HP
14	0

Entity ID
27.0

Found In

Hosts are immobile skulls. When lowered down, which is their normal state, they are invincible to every source of damage except status effects such as poison, burning and bleeding. Occasionally, they will pop up and shoot three spread shots towards Isaac, revealing a fleshy stem that can be damaged. Attacking a Host while it is lowered will increase the delay before it pops up: if it takes what would be a large amount of damage at once they will grimace.

Hosts deal no contact damage either when closed or open.

Variations

Red Host

 

Base HP	Stage HP
15	0

Entity ID
27.1

Found In

Chance to replace Hosts

Red Hosts can replace regular Hosts in any area. Their skull is replaced by a vulnerable red fleshlike material. Unlike normal Hosts, they can still take damage when lowered down, but they will fire 5 blood shots instead of 3.

Hard Host

 

Base HP	Stage HP
15	0

Entity ID
27.3

Found In

Hard Hosts were introduced in The Binding of Isaac: Repentance. They behave similarly to regular Hosts, however instead of firing any shots when they lift their skull, they slam down and fire a tremor towards Isaac. They also deal damage on contact.

Mobile Host

 

Base HP	Stage HP
14	0

Entity ID
204.0

Found In

Mobile Hosts function the same as the original hosts but now do contact damage and slowly approach Isaac. They also have a more random delay between the times they open up, unlike the immobile Host which opens up instantly if it has a line of sight to Isaac and has been closed for a set amount of time without being shot.

Flesh Mobile Host

   

Base HP	Stage HP
27	0

Entity ID
247.0

Found In

Flesh Mobile Hosts are like Mobile Hosts, but can be damaged at any time and will fire 5 blood shots instead of 3.

Floating Host

 

Base HP	Stage HP
21	0

Entity ID
859.0

Found In

Floating Hosts bounce around diagonally, occasionally opening up to shoot a triple shot like regular Hosts. Unlike regular Hosts, they do half a heart of contact damage and resemble Mobile Hosts more in that sense.

Gallery

• 

  Sketches of monsters for the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, including the Walking Host in the fourth square of the first row, formerly named "Walkey Skull Shooter." Interestingly enough, despite the Host's name already being established in the original Binding of Isaac, it was given a different name that didn't have the word "host" until it was eventually renamed to the Walking Host.

Trivia

• Hosts originated from a multiplayer flash game created by Edmund McMillen called HOST.
• Hosts are very similar to the Met enemies from the game Mega Man; both are immune to any kind of damage when they are lowered down, and when they pop up, they become vulnerable and shoot three shots.
  • Additionally, Mobile Hosts behave like the Neo Met, a version of the Met that walks.
• In the game's files, Red Hosts and their walking variations have grimace animations that are impossible to see in-game because they are always vulnerable.
• The Gate physically resembles a giant Host.
• Using Mom's Bracelet on a Host/Mobile Host will transform it into a Red Host/Flesh Mobile Host.
  • A Mobile Host's body won't change color when transformed.

Bugs

Bug!	If Hosts or Mobile Hosts are affected by fear, shrink, or stunned, then if the effect wears off at the same time as they try to attack you, they sometimes attack without the corresponding animation.