Tears

Attributes

Health

Damage

Tears

Range

Shot Speed

Speed

Luck

Hidden Attributes

This article is about the attribute. For Isaac's primary weapon, see effects.

The Tears attribute determines the rate of fire of the character and is represented by 3 arrows. This attribute is also known as the tear delay (the delay between successive shots, as opposed to the inverse 'tears per second'); a higher tears stat means a shorter delay. The tear stat is a measurement of tear frequency, as opposed to Shot Speed, which measures how fast those shots move.

Tear Delay

The formula for tear delay is:

${\text{Tear Delay}}={\begin{cases}16-6\times {\sqrt {T\times 1.3{+}1}}&{\text{if }}T\geq 0\\16-6\times {\sqrt {T\times 1.3{+}1}}-6\times T&{\text{if }}T<0{\text{ and }}T>-0.77\\16-6\times T&{\text{if }}T\leq -0.77\end{cases}}$

"T" in the above formula is equal to the normal tears stat, with all adjustments added together. For example, picking up Sad Onion would grant 0.7 tears, making Isaac's tear delay 7.7, which is rounded down to 7.

Different characters start with different initial tears:

• Isaac, Magdalene, Cain, Judas, ???, Eve, Lazarus, The Lost, Lilith, Apollyon, and The Forgotten: 0
• Samson: -0.05
• Azazel: +0.5, x1/3
• Eden: ±0.75
• Keeper: -2

Several items directly modify tear delay after this main calculation:

• Anti-Gravity: -2 tear delay
• Brimstone: tear delay * 3
• Cancer: -2 tear delay
• Capricorn: -1 tear delay
• Chocolate Milk: tear delay * 2.5
• Cracked Crown: -20% tear delay
• Cricket's Body: -1 tear delay
• Dr. Fetus: tear delay * 2.5
• Epiphora: tear delay / 2 (while at max "charge")
• Eve's Mascara: tear delay * 2
• Guillotine: -1 tear delay
• Haemolacria: (tear delay * 2) + 10
• Ipecac: (tear delay * 2) + 10
• Milk!: -2 tear delay (after taking damage for the current room)
• Mom's Perfume: -1 tear delay
• Monstro's Lung: tear delay * 4.3
• Mutant Spider: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3
• Pisces: -1 tear delay
• Polyphemus: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3
• Purity: -4 tear delay while blue aura is active
• Soy Milk: (tear delay / 4) - 2
• The Inner Eye: (tear delay * 2.1) + 3

The minimum tear delay that can be reached with regular tears up items is 5, but with items that directly reduce tear delay, tear delay can reach a minimum of 1.

The number of tears per second that the player fires is found by the formula: ${\frac {30}{{\text{Tear Delay}}+1}}$.

On the other hand, Tear Delay can be calculated from the fire rate given ingame with the formula ${\frac {30}{\text{Fire Rate}}}-1$. Note that the fire rate given by the ingame HUD is rounded.

Notes

• Assuming no other modifications to the tears stat, +1.4 tears up is enough to bring you to the normal delay cap. In this case, it would reduce the delay to 5.92, which rounds down to 5.
• With a tear delay of 1, the maximum achievable rate of fire is 15 tears per second (every 4 frames).
• Polyphemus, Mutant Spider, and Inner Eye's tear delay formulas do not stack with each other.

Items that affect tears

Activated Items

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
D8	5.100.406		Reroll stats	Re-rolls Isaac's damage, tears, range, and speed.	2
Dataminer	5.100.481		109	Displaces enemy sprites for the current room, randomly increases one stat and decreases another.	0

Passive Items

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
Anti-Gravity	5.100.222		Antigravity tears + tears up	-2 Tear Delay. Tears float in position until firing ceases, after which they will fly off in the direction they were shot in.	3
Blue Cap	5.100.342		HP + tears up + shot speed down	Gives one full Red Heart container, +0.7 tears and -0.16 shot speed. Gives one Red Heart container, 2 Hearts of health, +0.7 tears and -0.16 shot speed.	3
Capricorn	5.100.307		All stats up	Increases health, damage, speed, and range, lowers tear delay, and gives one coin, bomb, and key.	3
Chocolate Milk	5.100.69		Charge shots	Grants charged tears that deal greater damage when fully charged.	3
Cricket's Body	5.100.224		Bursting shots + tears up	Grants -1 tear delay and reduces range. When tears hit an object or deplete their range, they spawn 4 smaller tears, whose range and damage scale with Isaac's.	3
Death's Touch	5.100.237		Penetrative shot + damage up	+1.5 damage, -0.3 tears. Tears are replaced with large piercing scythes.	3
Dr. Fetus	5.100.52		???	Tears are replaced by bombs that benefit from bomb-enhancing effects and slide for a fixed time after being fired.	4
Eve's Mascara	5.100.310		Shot speed down + DMG up	Doubles damage, halves tears stat, and greatly reduces shot speed.	1
Experimental Treatment	5.100.240		Some stats up, some stats down	Randomly increases and decreases some of the character's stats.	1
Godhead	5.100.331		God tears	Grants homing tears with a damaging halo. +0.5 damage, -0.3 tears, +1.2 range, -0.3 shot speed, +0.8 tear height.	4
Guillotine	5.100.206		An out-of-body experience	Isaac's head is removed from his body and floats around him as an orbital. Gives +1 damage and grants -1 tear delay.	3
Ipecac	5.100.149		Explosive shots	Replaces tears with explosive and poisoning projectiles fired in an arc from the mouth.	4
Libra	5.100.304		You Feel Balanced	Gives 6 coins, 6 bombs, and 6 keys and balances out all attributes.	1
Missing No.	5.100.258		Syntax error	Randomizes all passive items and stats upon pickup and at the start of each succeeding floor.	2
Mom's Perfume	5.100.228		Fear shot	Adds a chance to shoot fear tears and decreases tear delay by 1.	2
Monstro's Lung	5.100.229		Chargeable burst attack	Increases damage and grants a charged shot that fires multiple tears in the same fashion as Monstro.	2
Mutant Spider	5.100.153		Quad shot	Grants quadruple shot but decreases tears.	3
Number One	5.100.6		Tears up	+1.5 tears, -17.62 range	2
Odd Mushroom	5.100.120		Fire rate up	+1.7 tears, +0.3 speed, slightly reduces damage.	3
Pisces	5.100.309		Tears up + knock-back shots	-1 Tear Delay, adds knock-back shots and increases tear size.	2
Polyphemus	5.100.169		Mega Tears	Isaac fires huge tears that deal massive damage but fire rate is greatly decreased. If a tear kills an enemy, the tear travels on with any leftover damage.	4
Sacred Heart	5.100.182		Homing shots + DMG up	Grants homing tears, x2.3 damage multiplier, +1 flat damage, +4.125 range, +0.75 tear height, -0.4 tears, -0.25 shot speed, a red Heart Container and replenishes all Red Hearts.	4
Screw	5.100.255		Tears and shot speed up.	+0.5 tears, +0.2 shot speed.	3
SMB Super Fan	5.100.189		All stats up	+1 Red Heart container, +0.3 damage, +0.2 tears, +0.2 speed, +0.5 range, +1 tear height. Fully restores all red hearts.	3
Soy Milk	5.100.330		DMG Down + Tears Way Up	Tears are smaller and do much less damage, but fire in very rapid succession.	2
Squeezy	5.100.196		Tears up	Increases tears by 0.4, spawns 2 Soul Hearts.	3
The Halo	5.100.101		All stats up	Grants one full Red Heart container, +0.3 damage, +0.2 tears, +0.25 range, +0.3 speed, and +0.5 tear height.	2
The Inner Eye	5.100.2		Triple shot	Grants triple shot but decreases tears.	2
The Pact	5.100.80		DMG + Tears UP	Grants two Soul Hearts, +0.5 damage, and +0.7 tears.	3
The Sad Onion	5.100.1		Tears up	Increases tears by 0.7.	3
The Small Rock	5.100.90		DMG up	Increases damage by 1, increases tears by 0.2, and decreases speed by 0.2.	3
Toothpicks	5.100.183		Tears + shot speed up	+0.7 tears, +0.16 shot speed.	3
Torn Photo	5.100.341		Tears + shot speed up	+0.7 tears, +0.16 shot speed.	3
Wire Coat Hanger	5.100.32		Tears up	Increases tears by 0.7.	3
Binky	5.100.438		Tears up	Grants one Soul Heart, +0.75 tears and decreases Isaac's size.	3
Eden's Blessing	5.100.381		Your future shines brighter	+0.7 tears up. Grants a random item at the start of the next run.	3
Epiphora	5.100.368		Intensifying tears	Shooting in one direction increases Isaac's rate of fire until the cap is reached. As soon as Isaac changes direction or stops shooting, rate of fire is reset to its normal amount.	1
Marked	5.100.394		Directed tears	Isaac will now fire tears automatically directed at a red target on the ground which is controlled by the player. This allows for a full 360-degree tear firing radius. It can be overridden by other tear modifiers such as Mom's Knife or Brimstone.	0
Milk!	5.100.436		Don't cry over it...	Spawns a glass familiar that spills on the floor upon taking damage. After the milk spills, Isaac's tear delay is decreased by 2 for the current room.	1
Mr. Dolly	5.100.370		Range + tears up	+0.7 tears, +5.25 range, +0.5 tear height, spawns 3 random types of Hearts on the floor when picked up.	3
Purity	5.100.407		Aura stat boost	Boosts one of Isaac's stats depending on the color of the aura around him. The aura disappears upon taking damage and reappears with a random color upon entering a new room. Red boosts damage, blue boosts tears, yellow boosts speed, and orange boosts range.	2
Tractor Beam	5.100.397		Control your tears	Increases tears, range, and shot speed. Isaac emits a beam from his face that his tears follow along.	2
Zodiac	5.100.392		The heavens will change you	Gives Isaac a random zodiac item effect that changes every floor.	1
Analog Stick	5.100.465		360 tears!	+0.35 tears up. Allows Isaac to fire tears diagonally.	2
Apple!	5.100.443		Trick or treat?	Increases tears. Adds a chance to fire a high-damage razor blade.	3
Brittle Bones	5.100.549		Everything hurts	Replaces all Red Hearts with 6 empty Bone Hearts. Upon losing a Bone Heart, Isaac fires bones in 8 directions and permanently gains a tears up.	3
Dark Prince's Crown	5.100.442		Loss is power	When at exactly one Red Heart, grants +0.75 tears, +1.5 range, +1 tear height, +0.2 shot speed.	1
Divorce Papers	5.100.547		Tears up + you feel empty	Grants one Bone Heart, +0.7 tears, spawns a Mysterious Paper.	2
Haemolacria	5.100.531		I'm seeing red...	Tears are now fired in an arc. Upon hitting the floor, an obstacle, or an enemy, they burst into many smaller tears in all directions. Increases tear delay.	2
Hallowed Ground	5.100.543		Portable sanctuary	Spawns a white poop familiar, which turns into a white poop when Isaac is hurt. White poop has an aura that halves tear delay and can block enemy shots.	1

Trinkets

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Cancer	5.350.39		Yay, cancer!	-2 tear delay (effectively increases firerate of tears).
Wiggle Worm	5.350.10		Wiggle waggle!	Gives Isaac's shots a wave-like trajectory. +0.4 tears.
Cracked Crown	5.350.92		Stat booster	Decreases Isaac's tear delay by 20%, and improves the effectiveness of his other stat upgrades by ~33%. Improves the effectiveness of other stat upgrades by ~20%.

Other

• Tears up pills increase tears by 0.35 and tears down pills decrease tears by 0.28.
• In co-op, Cry Baby will occasionally briefly increase tears. Dark Baby will occasionally briefly increase all stats, including tears. Buddy Baby will occasionally briefly grant the Guillotine effect, which increases tears.