Understanding Victory Lap in Binding of Isaac
Understanding Victory Lap in Binding of Isaac
A Victory Lap allows Isaac the opportunity to start a new run with almost all of his final items after killing The Lamb in Dark Room. After it dies, a context box appears, giving Isaac the option of starting a Victory Lap or not (this option is only given once per run). You can go to the Lamb again and start a new lap, and this can keep going for as long as you’d like. However, killing any final boss aside from The Lamb will result in the expected ending; the option to continue the run with a new Lap will not be presented.
Once you accept the Victory Lap, it’s pretty simple. You will be back in the Basement. Starting the 1st and the 3rd Laps takes away no items; however, starting the 2nd Lap takes away 50% of the items (rounded up), and starting the 4th and all subsequent Laps takes away 75% of the items (rounded up). This mechanic can also remove a character’s pocket item.
Importantly, once the third Victory Lap has been reached (and on every subsequent Victory Lap), several effects occur: Isaac will turn into The Lost. This version of The Lost does not get Holy Mantle or D4. However, if the run was started as The Lost (or if Holy Mantle was found during a previous run), it will be retained, unless the Victory Lap discards it by chance. Therefore, this transformation does not grant you the ability to unlock The Lost as a playable character. To unlock The Lost in Afterbirth, you must instead hold a Missing Poster and die in a Sacrifice Room.
Key Points about Victory Laps:
- No new achievements: You cannot unlock new achievements or earn completion marks while on a Victory Lap.
- Item loss: Depending on which Victory Lap you start, you may lose a portion of your items when starting a new lap.
- Progression: You can continue playing through multiple Victory Laps, with each subsequent lap potentially becoming more difficult.
In summary, a ‘Victory Lap’ refers to a special game mode that allows you to continue playing after beating a run, essentially starting a new run with some of your previous items. But remember, you can’t earn achievements or unlock new content during this continuation. It’s like taking an extra lap around the track after winning a race in motorsports, hence the name ‘Victory Lap.’
Is Victory Lap Worth Your Time?
The Victory Lap program in ‘The Binding of Isaac’ offers players the opportunity to continue a run after defeating the final boss. Essentially, it provides a ‘victory lap’ where players can challenge themselves with increasingly difficult enemies and item combinations. This feature allows for a sense of extreme progression and mastery by pushing characters to their limits, while experiencing unique gameplay elements not found in a standard run.
Key benefits of the Victory Lap include:
- High Replayability: It significantly increases the replay value, presenting a fresh challenge with each subsequent lap.
- Escalating Difficulty: Players are encouraged to experiment with different item combinations and strategies to overcome increasingly powerful enemies. This leads to a deeper understanding of their character’s capabilities and item synergies.
- Unique Challenges: There are progressively harder enemies, altered room layouts, and the potential for new item interactions, providing a distinct experience from a standard run.
- Unlocking Achievements: While not always possible, some players might use Victory Laps to unlock specific achievements related to extreme item combinations or high difficulty gameplay.
However, it’s important to note that:
- Victory Laps are designed to be significantly harder than a normal run, making them suitable for experienced players seeking a major challenge.
- Typically, Victory Laps do not allow for unlocking new items or characters, as the focus is on pushing the current run to its limits.
How to Achieve Victory Lap in Isaac: A Complete Guide
To achieve Victory Lap in Isaac, follow these guidelines:
- After killing The Lamb in Dark Room, a context box appears.
- This box gives Isaac the option to start a Victory Lap or not. Remember, this option is only given once per run.
- Multiple Laps can be made as long as Dark Room is cleared each time.
- Normal achievements and unlocks are generally not obtainable during Victory Laps. However, using the item ‘R Key’ during a Victory Lap will restart the run and re-enable all achievements.
- A Victory Lap allows Isaac the opportunity to start a new run with almost all of his final items.
To unlock RERUN, complete three consecutive Victory Laps. This unlocks the ability to perform a Victory Lap after any run, including Greed Mode and others.
Keep in mind that the only unlockable items during Victory Laps are those obtained by completing multiple Laps in a row. Specifically, you can kill the Lamb, start a Lap, kill the Lamb during that Lap, and repeat this process. The last unlock is the Rerun.
It’s worth noting that Victory Laps are completely useless outside of these specific unlocks. Among these, Gulp! is the most useful unlock. Other items, such as Butter, are situational, while Reruns are just another Victory Lap, with achievements blocked. This indicates that the feature was rushed, similar to most of AB+.
Victory Lap: Unlockables and Achievements Explained
Achievements in The Binding of Isaac:
- Achievements are unlocked after completing Challenges, reaching certain milestones, achieving hidden goals, or unlocking certain items.
- In the PC version, every Steam achievement corresponds to one secret in-game.
- In the PlayStation version, only a handful of secrets are represented by PSN trophies.
Total Unlockable Secrets:
- Rebirth has a total of 178 unlockable secrets.
- Afterbirth added 98 new secrets, for a total of 276.
- Afterbirth † added 63 new secrets, for a total of 339.
- Booster Pack #5 added 64 new secrets, for a total of 403.
- Repentance added 237 new secrets, for a total of 640.
Victory Lap Mechanics:
- A Victory Lap allows Isaac to start a new run with almost all of his final items after killing The Lamb in Dark Room.
- After defeating The Lamb, a context box appears, giving Isaac the option to start a Victory Lap or not (this option is available only once per run).
- Multiple Laps can be made as long as Dark Room is cleared each time.
- Starting the 1st and the 3rd Laps takes away no items.
- Starting the 2nd Lap takes away 50% of items (rounded up).
- Starting the 4th and all subsequent Laps takes away 75% of items (rounded up).
Effects of Reaching the Third Victory Lap:
- Once the third Victory Lap is reached (and for every subsequent Lap), Isaac turns into The Lost.
- This version of The Lost does not get Holy Mantle or D4, unless the run was started as The Lost or if Holy Mantle was found previously.
- Shops will not appear (except in ???).
- If a Devil Deal is taken during a previous Lap, Angel Rooms will no longer appear unless specific items like Act of Contrition or Book of Virtues are picked up.
Additional Notes:
- Killing any final boss aside from The Lamb results in the expected ending; the option to continue the run with a new Lap will not be presented.
- Entering The Void and killing Delirium will end the Victory Lap streak.
- The achievement “U Broke It!” (unlocked by obtaining 50 items) can be earned during Victory Laps.
- Stats obtained by Black Rune or Void will not be removed after starting a new Lap.
Achievement Lock Conditions:
- If Isaac is unable to unlock achievements, a crossed-out trophy icon will appear below the Key’s counter.
- Conditions that can disable the ability to unlock achievements include:
- Using a pre-determined seed.
- During a Challenge.
- During a Daily Challenge.
- Playing with any enabled mod.
- During Victory Laps.
- If the Debug Console is enabled.
- Certain cosmetic and difficulty-increasing special seeds still allow unlocks.
To get all achievements, you have to beat 3 Victory Laps in a row and start a fourth one. There’s nothing else to do in Victory Laps completion-wise.
If you go through Dark Room and do a victory lap from defeating The Lamb, doing a victory lap (and quitting and reentering the run) allows achievements. However, reruns (from other end bosses) don’t allow achievements, even with quitting and restarting the run.
According to Edmund McMillen, the Victory Lap mechanic is included in Dark Room, as it’s the “Harder Chapter 6 path” and is hence set as a “reward” there.
What Happens After the Third Victory Lap in Isaac?
After the third or fourth lap in Isaac, you lose some of your items, which get thrown back into the item pool. This prevents you from being too overpowered while navigating through an infinite series of laps. While it’s unclear exactly which lap marks the beginning of item loss, it occurs on every subsequent lap thereafter.
Additionally, the Dead Cat counts as nine individual items, each being one extra life, which can also be lost as you loop through the game. However, the extra lives do not appear on the HUD, making it challenging to determine how many lives remain. There is uncertainty about whether victory laps individually remove Dead Cat’s extra lives, as it would make sense if they did, yet this cannot be evidenced since the remaining lives aren’t displayed.
Moreover, following the completion of three victory laps, the RERUN option becomes available in the Afterbirth † menu. This option allows players to begin a new run utilizing most items from the previous won run. However, Isaac will take full heart damage on all floors, with the exception of Greed Mode. It may not be necessary to initiate a fourth lap to fulfill certain achievements on various versions/platforms. Even if you start an extra lap, it can be quit immediately. RERUN cannot be utilized multiple times in succession. After successfully finishing a RERUN, the main menu option reverts back to Continue. The last character used can only be relaunched by defeating The Lamb and starting a Victory Lap.
It is also important to note that after concluding a Victory Lap, the menu still shows Continue. The RERUN is not included in the win streak, and achievements are disabled while using RERUN. Consequently, the Donation Machine does not spawn, which includes Greed Mode runs initiated through RERUN, where the Greed Donation Machine will not appear after defeating Ultra Greed.
Importantly, reaching the third Victory Lap brings about additional changes:
- Isaac transforms into The Lost.
- This version of The Lost does not receive Holy Mantle or D4.
- If the run began as The Lost or if Holy Mantle was discovered, there are certain exceptions.
- Completion marks and secrets cannot be unlocked, with few exceptions relating to victory laps.
Ultimately, you will automatically become The Lost starting from the third Victory Lap, which is a permanent transformation for all subsequent laps in that same run. As you begin your third lap, you are transformed into The Lost.
The narrative also conveys a thematic element: first, you lose your mind; items you believed you possessed disappear. Secondly, you experience a loss of your body; you wander through infinite floors, perpetually falling but never touching the ground. After all that you’ve left behind, the only thing that remains is your soul.
