Nosforbatu

Nosforbatu is an orb-type item that heals the player and simultaneously damages enemies by converting the amount healed into damage. It appears as a summoned orb in combat and interacts with peg collisions the same way other orbs do: it must make contact with pegs to trigger healing, and that healed amount is then applied as damage to the targeted enemy. Nosforbatu was introduced in the game during the beta and received updated artwork in v0.7.52.

Because Nosforbatu deals damage only when the player actually heals, its effective damage output is constrained by the amount of health recovered on a shot. Without extra maximum health or bonuses such as Swoltorb, the damage from a single activation is capped at 198. A failed shot that hits no pegs still consumes the orb’s self-cost: the player will lose 15 health and deal no damage in that case.

Nosforbatu interacts with other game elements in several important ways. Doctorbs can interfere with its effectiveness: a Doctorb placed between Nosforbatu and available pegs can prevent the orb from reaching pegs and therefore reduce or eliminate the heal-to-damage effect. If Doctorbs are spaced so they do not block peg contact, or if the player discards the drawn Doctorb before firing, this hindrance is avoided. Conversely, Doctorbs can aid survivability by restoring health when positioned to be hit. Gardener’s Gloves halve Nosforbatu’s self-damage, reducing the 15 self-hit to 7 or 8 (rounded according to the game’s rules), which is particularly valuable when using Nosforbatu at low health.

Despite being described as attacking a targeted enemy, Nosforbatu is not a targeting orb in the sense that it is not affected by Alien’s Rock; its damage is still resolved by the heal amount rather than by targeting mechanics. The orb’s name is a portmanteau of “nosferatu” and “orb,” and references the film Nosferatu, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Practical points for using Nosforbatu:

• Prioritize peg-rich shots to maximize healing and therefore damage; missing pegs results in the orb costing health with no damage payoff.
• Combine with items that increase maximum health or convert health into larger damage outputs (for example, Swoltorb) to exceed the base damage cap.
• Use Gardener’s Gloves when running low on health to mitigate the orb’s self-damage.
• Manage Doctorbs carefully: avoid drawing or placing Doctorbs that block peg access, or discard drawn Doctorbs when they would interfere.
• Treat Nosforbatu as both an offensive and defensive tool—positioning and peg targeting determine whether it leans toward healing or dealing meaningful damage.