War

War is a Harbinger that can appear in all environments of Chapter 3 (Depths, Necropolis, Dank Depths).

Behavior[ | ]

Phase 1[ | ]

Charges either left or right off-screen and continuing on from the opposite end of the screen. Continues until he has crossed the screen three times.
- He performs this attack more often if Isaac is to his left or right.
Shoots eight projectiles in all directions.
Ascends off-screen and summons 5 Troll Bombs.
- Returns from the side of the screen.

Phase 2[ | ]

Once his health is below half, War's horse blows up, dropping War, who performs a crying animation.

War charges quickly at Isaac gradually building speed and making more tighter turns.
- Every time War loses around 1/3rd of his remaining HP in this phase, he pauses briefly to sob before restarting this process.

War deals a whole heart of contact damage in both phases and during his charge.

Champion Versions [ | ]

Grey: 15% larger with 25% more HP (625). Summons 2

Mega Troll Bombs when he ascends off-screen and summons a single Troll Bomb behind his path when he charges through the screen. When transforming into his second phase, he shoots 6 projectiles in all directions, as well as each time he stops chasing Isaac in this phase.

Gallery[ | ]

War in-game.
War in his second phase.
War in his crying animation.
Grey Champion War.
Grey Champion War in his second phase.
War as one of Delirium's forms.
Mini version of war summoned with the 7 seals.

Unlockable achievements[ | ]

The Book of Revelations - Defeat a Harbinger.

7 Seals - Defeat all 5 Harbingers.

Trivia[ | ]

War appeared in the original The Binding of Isaac.
War is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse mentioned in the Bible.
In many depictions of War, he is shown holding a sword vertically, corresponding with why War's battle sprite shows him holding his hobby-horse vertically.
Although his appearance on the vs screen shows his hobby-horse as brown, it is red in-game.
War's "horse" appears more akin to a bull.
In the original game, War's face was round.
- This has been somewhat reverted.
War can be seen wielding a Wire Coat Hanger as a weapon in one of the original game's concept arts.

Bugs[ | ]

Bug!	Grey champion War's 2nd phase doesn't have body sprites, so the game defaults to his normal appearance during that phase, unless he takes damage, in which case he turns red permanently (the same shade any enemy turns, briefly, when they take damage). This was fixed in Patch V1.7.8a.