How do I unlock Joe’s Dagger?

Kill 10,000 enemies using the Dexecutioner weapon. Once reached, Joe’s Dagger enters your item pool for future runs.

What changed in v1.0.12?

Each dagger’s damage increase is capped at +200% per minute (e.g., 10 daggers ⇒ +2000%/min). This is a cap on damage increase, not on execute rolls.

Does Execute work on bosses?

Guides consistently note the dagger’s Execute applies to regular enemies; treat bosses as unaffected.

Joe’s Dagger

⭐ LEGENDARY ITEM

Effect: 1% chance to instantly Execute a regular enemy. Each successful execute permanently increases your damage by +1% for the rest of the run.

Patch v1.0.12

Per dagger, damage increase is capped at +200% per minute (10 daggers ⇒ +2000%/min). This is a cap on the damage increase, not on “rolls.”

Rarity

Legendary

Execute Chance

Scaling

+1% dmg / execute

Cap (v1.0.12)

+200%/min per dagger

Overview

Joe’s Dagger is a late-game scaling item that rewards long, enemy-dense stages. If you’re new to items, browse the Items Database first; below we focus on the precise unlock and post-v1.0.12 mechanics.

Pros

Permanent damage growth during a run
Excellent in long stages with heavy mob density
Pairs well with multi-hit / AoE weapons to create more execute opportunities

Cons

Execute does not apply to bosses (and typically not to elites)
Scaling is capped per minute after v1.0.12

How to Unlock Joe’s Dagger

Requirement

Kill 10,000 enemies using the Dexecutioner.

About Dexecutioner (pre-requisite knowledge)

To access Dexecutioner, many players first grind toward its unlock via 12,500 total Sword kills (community-documented path).
Once you have Dexecutioner, farm T1/T2 maps with fast spawns to accumulate the 10,000 required kills.

Tip

Use enemy-dense weapons (e.g., Aura, Tornado, Katana) while leveling toward Dexecutioner unlocks and for the 10k-kill grind.

Interactions & Limits (v1.0.12+)

Cap Explained

Each dagger can grant at most +200% damage per minute. If you hold multiple daggers, the cap stacks additively (e.g., 10 daggers ⇒ +2000%/min).

Boss/Elite Targets

Execute applies to regular enemies. For bosses (and usually elites), treat the item as scaling only via mob clears.

Unconfirmed Behavior

Do other execute sources (e.g., Shadow Step, the execute on Dexecutioner hits) add stacks to Joe’s Dagger? Community reports conflict and no explicit developer note was found. We mark this as Unconfirmed. Build around what is guaranteed: high hit-count weapons and dense maps.