So, you’ve finally unlocked him. You took three devil deals in a single run, probably sacrificed your entire health bar to some shady statue, and now you have a little black demon with a broken horn staring back at you from the character select screen. Azazel is, without a doubt, the most polarizing figure in The Binding of Isaac.
Some people call him "baby mode." Others think he’s the only reason they haven't uninstalled the game after losing five runs in a row to a rogue spider. But honestly? There is a lot more to The Binding of Isaac Azazel than just being a "win button."
If you’re new, he feels like a god. If you’re a veteran, he feels like a chore. Somewhere in the middle, there is a character that actually teaches you more about the game’s mechanics than almost anyone else—if you know what to look for.
The Stats That Break the Game (And the Ones That Don’t)
Azazel doesn't play the same game as Isaac. While everyone else is busy crying their eyes out—literally—Azazel starts the run with the ability to fly. That’s huge. You can hover over rocks, skip over spikes, and grab those tinted rock rewards that usually cost a bomb.
His starting stats are a mixed bag of "broken" and "terrifying":
- Damage: He starts with a massive damage multiplier.
- Health: Three black hearts. No red health. This means if you mess up early, you can't just pick up a half-heart from the floor to save yourself.
- The Weapon: A short-range Brimstone beam.
That beam is his whole identity. It deals massive damage in a burst, but the range is basically "coughing distance." You have to get right in the face of enemies that want to explode or touch you. It’s high risk, high reward, but the reward is usually melting a boss like Monstro in about three hits.
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The "Black Heart" Trap
Let's talk about those three black hearts for a second. When you lose one, it triggers a "Necronomicon" effect that damages everything in the room. It feels like a safety net. But here’s the thing: since you have no red heart containers, your first Devil Deal is basically free, but it also leaves you one hit away from death. It forces a very specific, aggressive playstyle that often gets new players killed the moment they reach the Caves.
Why the Community Has a Love-Hate Relationship with Azazel
If you spend five minutes on the Isaac subreddit, you’ll see people complaining that The Binding of Isaac Azazel is "boring." Why? Because flight and high damage trivializes the first four floors. You don't have to learn how to navigate room layouts because you can just fly over the obstacles.
But there’s a hidden downside. Azazel is a "skill floor" character. He’s easy to pick up, but he has a surprisingly low skill ceiling compared to characters like Tainted Lost or even Isaac with the D6. Because his range is so bad, late-game bosses like Hush or Delirium—who fill the screen with "bullet hell" projectiles—are an absolute nightmare. You can't just stand back and shoot. You have to dive into the chaos, fire your beam, and pray your movement speed is high enough to get out before the boss armor eats your damage.
"Azazel is the character you play when you want a confidence boost after a losing streak, but he’s also the character that makes you forget how to play the rest of the game." — Common Community Sentiment.
Synergies That Actually Work (And the Ones That Ruin You)
You’d think a giant laser beam would work with everything, but Azazel is picky. His innate Brimstone overrides a lot of the cool "tear" effects you find in treasure rooms.
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The Good Stuff
- Ludovico Technique: This is the holy grail. Instead of charging a beam, you get a permanent, floating circle of death that you control with the joystick. It removes the need to charge and lets you sit safely in a corner while the ring does the work.
- Tammy’s Head: Honestly, this is basically a "Press Space to Win" button. It fires ten beams in all directions. If you walk into a boss room and use this, the boss usually just disappears.
- Range Ups: While range is boring on other characters, it’s life or death for Azazel. Items like "Mom’s Lipstick" or "Mr. Dolly" actually make your beam long enough to hit enemies from across the room.
The Traps
Avoid Technology or Tech 2 unless you know what you’re doing. In older versions of the game, these would flat-out ruin your damage. In Repentance, they’ve been fixed to have better synergies, but they still often feel weaker than the raw power of your base beam.
The Lore: Who is This Guy Anyway?
In the biblical sense, Azazel is often associated with the "scapegoat"—the one who carries the sins of others into the wilderness. In the game, he represents Isaac’s self-loathing and his belief that he is inherently demonic or "broken."
The design with the single broken horn isn't just for style. It signifies a fallen state, someone who isn't even a "complete" demon yet. When you play as him, you’re playing a version of Isaac that has fully embraced the darkness his mother warned him about. It's dark, it's edgy, and it fits the game's theme of religious trauma perfectly.
How to Win with Azazel in Repentance
The Repentance DLC changed a lot. It nerfed the "ticks" of damage the Brimstone beam does, meaning you can't just steamroll as easily as you could in Rebirth.
If you want to finish your completion marks, you need to prioritize two things: Health Upgrades and Tear Rate. Since your charge time is tied to your tears stat, getting items like "Sad Onion" or "Squeezy" is actually more important than getting more damage. You already hit like a truck; you just need to hit more often.
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Also, don't sleep on the shop. Azazel is great at finding secret rooms because he can fly to check walls without wasting bombs on bridges. Use that extra money to buy Soul Hearts. You’ll need them for the Cathedral and beyond.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Run
Ready to stop dying on Mom's Heart? Here is how you actually handle a run with The Binding of Isaac Azazel:
- Abuse the Rocks: Use your flight. Most melee enemies can't touch you if you're hovering over a pit or a stone. Sit there, charge your beam, and snipe them.
- The "Brim-Snip": Don't always wait for a full charge if you're just finishing off a tiny fly. Learning the timing of your beam's "minimum" charge can save you half a second, which is the difference between life and death in a crowded room.
- Go for the Angel Room? Usually, Azazel wants Devil Deals because he starts with Black Hearts, but if you find a "Bible" or an "Eternal Heart," switching to Angel Rooms can give you the defensive items (like Holy Mantle) that Azazel desperately needs for the final bosses.
- Unlock the Forgotten: Azazel is arguably the best character to use for the "Broken Shovel" challenge to unlock The Forgotten. His speed and flight make dodging Mom’s stomping feet much easier than it is for Isaac or Maggy.
Stop treating him like a cheat code and start treating him like a glass cannon. Once you respect the short range, you'll start seeing those completion marks fill up on your save file. Just don't get too used to the flight—switching back to a "grounded" character afterwards is a brutal wake-up call.
Take a look at your current completion marks. If you haven't beaten the Boss Rush or Hush yet, focus your next three runs specifically on speed. Azazel is built for it. Use your flight to skip unnecessary rooms and get to the boss before the 20-minute timer hits.