Tear Effects

This article is about Isaac's primary weapon. For the attribute of the same name that governs the rate of fire, see Tears. For debuffs that can be inflicted on monsters, see Status Effects.

Tear Effects modify Isaac's primary weapon — tears. A few of the most common tear effects are listed below.

Effects

Effect	Appearance	Description
Homing		Completely diverts from their original path to seek nearby enemies. The distance homing tears can travel is determined by the range stat. The friction of Sacred Heart's and Seraphim's homing effects have a lower value than other sources of homing, meaning the tears won't go as far.
Piercing		Can travel through enemies (but not obstacles) without breaking on impact. Once a single target or a segment of an enemy has been hit by a piercing tear, it can no longer take damage from that tear. However, piercing effects also remove knockback.
Spectral		Can travel through obstacles (but not enemies) without breaking on impact. Spectral tears can be used to safely dispatch most types of monsters from behind obstacles, or over them in combination with flying. Allows tears to pass through both enemies and obstacles if combined with Piercing.
Bouncing		Makes tears bounce off walls, enemies and environmental objects. Tears that bounce off of enemies bounce in random directions, whereas tears that bounce off of walls and other objects bounce directly back. When tears bounce from enemies, they become able to hit the same enemy again should they bounce off of another enemy or obstacle.

Homing

Activated Items that grant homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
Telepathy For Dummies	5.100.192		Temporary psychic shot	Gives homing tears for the current room. Also gives +3 range.	1

Passive Items that grant homing tears

Name	ID	Quote	Description	Quality
Godhead	5.100.331	God tears	Grants homing tears with a damaging halo. +0.5 Damage, -0.3 Tears -0.3 Shot Speed, +0.8 Tear Falling Speed, and +1.2 Range. Grants homing tears with a damaging halo. +0.5 Damage, -0.3 Tears, and -0.3 Shot Speed.	4
Sacred Heart	5.100.182	Homing shots + DMG up	Adds a Red Heart Container. Grants homing tears, a x2.3 Damage multiplier, +1 flat Damage, -0.4 Tears, -0.25 Shot Speed, and +4.125 Range. Adds a Red Heart Container. Grants homing tears, a x2.3 Damage multiplier, +1 flat Damage, -0.4 Tears, and -0.25 Shot Speed.	4
Spoon Bender	5.100.3	Homing shots	Grants Isaac homing tears.	3
C Section	5.100.678	Fetus shots	Replaces tears with fetuses that chase down enemies and deal contact damage. Each shot requires a brief charge up.	4
Star of Bethlehem	5.100.651	Follow the light	Spawns a star familiar that slowly travels towards the Boss Room, giving an aura that increases damage and tears and grants homing tears.	3
Star of Bethlehem	5.100.651	Follow the light	Spawns a star familiar that slowly travels towards the Boss Room, giving an aura that increases damage and tears and grants homing tears.	3

Trinkets that grant homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Nose Goblin	5.350.98		Seems magic...	Chance to fire a homing booger that sticks to enemies and deals damage over time.
Ouroboros Worm	5.350.96		Foop foop!	Tears travel in a large spiral pattern and gain spectral, with a small chance to gain homing. Also adds +0.4 Tears.

Cards that grant homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Message	Description
I - The Magician	5.300.2		May you never miss your goal	Grants homing tears for the current room. Grants homing tears and +3 Range for the current room.

Familiars that fire homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
Little Steven	5.100.100		Psychic friend	Spawns a familiar who follows Isaac around and fires homing tears.	2
Seraphim	5.100.390		Sworn friend	Spawns an angel familiar who follows Isaac and fires homing tears which deal 10 damage and have 75% shot speed.	3

Trinkets that grant familiars with homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
???'s Soul	5.350.57		Imaginary Friend	Spawns a familiar that floats slowly around the room on a zig-zag pattern similar to The Peeper and fires spectral and homing tears.
Umbilical Cord	5.350.33		Fetal Protection	When brought down to only a Half Red Heart, spawns a Little Steven familiar for the current room. Adds a high chance to spawn a Gemini familiar for the current room after taking damage.

Trinkets that grant familiars homing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Baby-Bender	5.350.127		Feed them magic!	Grants Isaac's familiars homing shots.

Other Sources of Homing

Standing near a White Poop or White Dip will grant homing.

Piercing

Passive Items that grant piercing tears

Name	ID	Quote	Description	Quality
Brimstone	5.100.118	Blood laser barrage	Tears are replaced with a blood laser beam that pierces through all enemies and obstacles in its path and deals high damage. Can only be fired after a short charge-up period.	4
Cupid's Arrow	5.100.48	Piercing shots	Grants Isaac triangular piercing tears that travel through enemies (but not obstacles) instead of breaking on impact with them.	3 2
Dead Onion	5.100.336	Toxic aura tears	Grants piercing and spectral tears. Increases tear size (without increasing damage) while greatly reducing range and shot speed.	3 2
Death's Touch	5.100.237	Piercing shots + DMG up	+1.5 damage, -0.3 tears. Tears are replaced with large piercing scythes.	3
Sagittarius	5.100.306	Piercing shots + speed up	Increases speed by +0.2 and grants piercing tears.	3
Technology	5.100.68	Laser tears	Replaces tears with a piercing laser with unlimited range.	3
Eye of Belial	5.100.462	Possessed tears!	Grants piercing tears. After piercing one enemy, tears start homing and deal double damage.	3
Trisagion	5.100.533	Smite thy enemy	Tears are replaced with piercing white blasts of light that deal less damage but can damage the same enemy multiple times.	3
C Section	5.100.678	Fetus shots	Replaces tears with fetuses that chase down enemies and deal contact damage. Each shot requires a brief charge up.	4

Familiars that fire piercing tears

Name	ID	Quote	Description	Quality
Lil Brimstone	5.100.275	Evil friend	Grants a familiar that charges a thin Brimstone laser while Isaac is shooting.	2
Robo-Baby	5.100.95	Friends 'till the bbbbzzzt	Spawns a familiar that shoots Technology lasers.	1
Robo-Baby 2.0	5.100.267	We worked out all the kinks	Spawns a familiar that fires lasers at any enemy in its line of sight and moves based on the direction Isaac is firing tears.	1

Trinkets that grant familiars with piercing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Isaac's Head	5.350.54		Dead friend	Spawns Isaac's severed head as a tear-firing familiar. Fires piercing tears.

Trinkets that grant piercing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Push Pin	5.350.31		Piercing shots	Adds a 10% chance to shoot a piercing and spectral tear.

Spectral

Passive Items that grant spectral tears

Name	ID	Quote	Description	Quality
Dead Dove	5.100.185	Flight + spectral tears	Grants spectral tears and flight.	3
Dead Onion	5.100.336	Toxic aura tears	Grants piercing and spectral tears. Increases tear size (without increasing damage) while greatly reducing range and shot speed.	3 2
Ouija Board	5.100.115	Spectral tears + tears up	Grants spectral tears that travel through obstacles (but not enemies). +0.5 tears.	2
Ouija Board	5.100.115	Spectral tears + tears up	Grants spectral tears that travel through obstacles (but not enemies). +0.5 tears.	2
Spirit of the Night	5.100.159	Scary	Grants spectral tears and flight.	3
Tiny Planet	5.100.233	Orbiting tears + range up	Massively increases Range and grants spectral tears. Tears orbit around Isaac at a fixed distance until they hit the ground.	0
Continuum	5.100.369	Transcendent tears	Grants spectral tears and increases range. Tears travel through walls and appear at the opposite side of the room.	2
Pupula Duplex	5.100.379	Wide shot	Gives Isaac spectral tears and gives his tears a wide arc shape, increasing their size.	2
The Wiz	5.100.358	Double wiz shot!	Grants spectral tears. Tears simultaneously fire out of both eyes diagonally, similar to the effect of the R U a Wizard? pill.	0
C Section	5.100.678	Fetus shots	Replaces tears with fetuses that chase down enemies and deal contact damage. Each shot requires a brief charge up.	4

Familiars that fire spectral tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
Ghost Baby	5.100.163		Spectral buddy	Spawns a familiar that follows Isaac around and fires spectral tears.	1
Robo-Baby	5.100.95		Friends 'till the bbbbzzzt	Spawns a familiar that shoots Technology lasers.	1

Trinkets that grant familiars with spectral tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
???'s Soul	5.350.57		Imaginary Friend	Spawns a familiar that floats slowly around the room on a zig-zag pattern similar to The Peeper and fires spectral and homing tears.

Trinkets that grant spectral tears

Name	ID	Quote	Description
Push Pin	5.350.31	Piercing shots	Adds a 10% chance to shoot a piercing and spectral tear.
Ring Worm	5.350.11	Woop woop!	Isaac fires in a fast spiraling pattern. Also grants +0.4 Tears and spectral tears.
Wiggle Worm	5.350.10	Wiggle waggle!	Isaac's tears travel in a wave-like pattern. +0.4 Tears up. Also grants spectral tears.
Ouroboros Worm	5.350.96	Foop foop!	Tears travel in a large spiral pattern and gain spectral, with a small chance to gain homing. Also adds +0.4 Tears.

Bouncing

Passive Items that grant bouncing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description	Quality
Rubber Cement	5.100.221		Bouncing tears	Tears bounce off walls, enemies, and environmental objects.	3

Trinkets that grant bouncing tears

Name	ID	Icon	Quote	Description
Super Ball	5.350.99		Boing!	Makes tears have a chance to bounce off enemies and obstacles.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth