Kevin
⭐ RARE ITEMKevin is a double-edged sword that turns self-damage into a powerful trigger engine. Master the risk to unlock devastating combo potential.
🧪 How Kevin Works
Kevin is one of the most unique items in Megabonk. Instead of directly buffing your character, it creates a controlled self-damage loop that can be weaponized with the right build.
Mechanics Breakdown
- Self-Damage Trigger: Approximately 25% chance per hit to damage yourself
- Cannot Kill: Kevin will never deliver a killing blow - it stops at 1 HP
- Bypasses Shields: Deals damage directly to your health pool, ignoring all Shield Tome effects
- Triggers "When Hit" Effects: Each self-punch counts as you taking damage, reliably triggering items that activate when you're hit, such as Mirror, Electric Plug, Toxic Barrel, and Spiky Shield
- Scales with Attack Speed: More hits = more Kevin procs = more on-hit triggers (pairs well with Agility Tome)
Kevin's self-damage always stops at 1 HP and cannot kill you. Community testing suggests that stacking Armor Tome doesn't fully negate Kevin's self-damage, but the exact interaction isn't documented in official patch notes. Treat Kevin as a tool to safely stay at low HP rather than a source of "free" tankiness.
Why Would You Use This?
The key insight: Many powerful items trigger when YOU get hit, not when you hit enemies. Kevin lets you proc these effects on demand, turning defensive items into offensive weapons.
✓ Advantages
- Enables on-hit synergies with normally defensive items
- Cannot kill you - provides a safety floor at 1 HP
- Excellent with lifesteal and regen builds
- Creates unique build archetypes impossible without it
- Bypassing shields means you can stay at low HP intentionally for Demonic Soul synergy
✗ Disadvantages
- Constantly keeps you at dangerously low HP
- Requires strong sustain to avoid one-shot deaths
- Useless without synergy items
- Makes Golden Shield and shield builds nearly worthless
- High skill floor - easy to die if not prepared
🔓 How to Unlock Kevin
Unlock Requirement
Obtain 3 Leeching Crystal items in a single run.
-
Level Regen Tome to Level 8
Leeching Crystal only appears in your item pool once Regen Tome reaches Level 8. This is a prerequisite. -
Start a New Run with High Sustain
Play a character with good regen or lifesteal (like Megachad, Athena, or Calcium). -
Hunt for Leeching Crystals
Open every chest. Leeching Crystal is rare but appears more frequently once Regen Tome is leveled. Focus on Luck Tome to increase chest quality. -
Collect All Three in One Run
You must get all 3 Leeching Crystals in the same playthrough. Progress resets if you die or complete the run. -
Kevin Unlocks Permanently
Once unlocked, Kevin joins your item pool and can appear in all future runs.
Disable non-essential items in your pool to increase Leeching Crystal spawn rates. Play quick Tier 1 runs and reset early if you don't see crystals by Stage 2. The Forest map is recommended for fast cycling.
What is Leeching Crystal?
Effect (subject to patch changes): Increases Max HP significantly while cutting your HP Regen by 50%.
⚠️ Version Note: Different community guides list this as either +50 Max HP or +50% Max HP with -50% HP Regen. Always double-check the in-game tooltip for the current patch and update your build math accordingly.
Leeching Crystal trades regen for raw HP. It's a double-edged sword that synergizes with max HP scaling items like Beefy Ring (+20% damage per 100 Max HP) and Health Tome.
🔗 Best Synergies & Build Strategies
Core Synergy Items
These items are essential for making Kevin viable:
Mirror
Reflects damage back to enemies when you get hit. Kevin procs Mirror constantly, turning self-damage into DPS.
Electric Plug
Zaps nearby enemies when you take damage. Kevin creates a constant electric field around you.
Thunder Mitts
Effect: When you hit an enemy, Thunder Mitts periodically calls down a lightning strike (on a short cooldown).
With Kevin: Works best in high attack-speed builds where you're constantly hitting enemies while Kevin keeps you at low HP for other on-hit synergies.
Toxic Barrel
Creates a poison AoE when hit. With Kevin, you become a walking poison cloud. Pairs well with Gas Mask.
Spiky Shield
Reflects damage in an AoE when hit. Synergizes with Kevin's self-procs for passive clear.
Leeching Crystal (Multiple)
+50 Max HP per crystal. Stack these to reach high HP pools for Beefy Ring scaling.
Beefy Ring
+20% damage per 100 Max HP. Leeching Crystal stacking makes this powerful with Health Tome.
Gas Mask
Immunity to poison + damage boost in poison. Perfect with Kevin + Toxic Barrel combo for extreme poison synergy.
Sustain Items (Critical for Survival)
Without sustain, Kevin will kill you. These items are mandatory:
Medkit / Regen Items
Passive healing to offset Kevin's self-damage. Stack with Regen Tome. Absolutely mandatory.
Lifesteal Items
Convert damage into healing. Essential for high attack-speed Kevin builds. Works well with Bloody Tome.
Campfire
Regeneration aura. Helps maintain HP during Kevin procs. Pair with Beacon for area control.
Grandma's Secret Tonic
Emergency healing potion. Provides burst healing when Kevin brings you too low.
⚠️ Anti-Synergies (AVOID)
Glass Cannon Items
Items like Cursed Doll that reduce HP or increase damage taken. You're already at low HP - don't make it worse.
Pure Attack Speed (Without Lifesteal)
More attack speed = more Kevin procs = faster death. Only viable with strong sustain. Turbo Skates and Agility Tome need lifesteal support.
🛠️ Recommended Kevin Builds
1. Kevin + Mirror Immortality Build
Core Items: Kevin + Mirror + Electric Plug + Thunder Mitts
Playstyle: Become a walking damage field. Kevin triggers Mirror/Plug/Mitts, reflecting and dealing passive AoE damage.
Best Character: Megachad (high base HP and sustain)
Best Weapon: Aura or Lightning Staff
Full Guide: Kevin Mirror Immortality Build →
2. Walking Apocalypse (Kevin + Toxic Barrel + Gas Mask)
Core Items: Kevin + Toxic Barrel + Gas Mask + Electric Plug
Playstyle: AFK poison field. Kevin constantly procs Toxic Barrel, creating a permanent poison cloud. Gas Mask makes you immune and boosts your damage.
Best Character: Athena or Vlad
Best Weapon: Aura for passive triggering
Full Guide: Walking Apocalypse Build →
3. Leeching Crystal + Beefy Ring Max HP Build
Core Items: 3x Leeching Crystal + Beefy Ring + Kevin + Regen Items
Playstyle: Stack Max HP from Leeching Crystals, then scale damage with Beefy Ring. Use Regen Tome and Medkit to offset the -50% regen penalty per crystal.
4. Low-Life Trigger Engine (Advanced)
Core Items: Kevin + Demonic Soul + Items that scale at low HP
Playstyle: Intentionally stay at low HP to trigger "low life" bonuses. Kevin keeps you at the brink without killing you. Demonic Soul provides massive damage boost.
Best Character: Athena (benefits from low HP)
Warning: Extremely high-risk. Not recommended for beginners. One enemy hit can kill you.
Do NOT pick up Kevin unless you have:
- At least 2 sustain items (regen/lifesteal)
- One synergy trigger (Mirror, Electric Plug, etc.)
- 200+ Max HP or strong defensive tomes (Health, Armor)
Kevin without preparation is a guaranteed death sentence.
Best Characters for Kevin
Not all characters can handle Kevin effectively. Here are the top picks:
Megachad
Athena
Calcium
Vlad
📋 Patch & Balance History
Kevin has been a controversial item since its introduction. Here's what you need to know:
Early post-launch patches (around v1.0.7) targeted several Kevin-based exploits, especially the infamous Kevin + Mirror "immortality" builds that abused long invincibility frames and reflect damage.
Later updates (including v1.0.12) focused on reworking the final stage, adjusting XP gain, and cleaning up leaderboard cheats and suspicious runs.
- Mirror's invincibility window has been shortened compared to the first week of release
- Old YouTube "immortal Kevin" builds from early patches are no longer fully accurate
- General leaderboard anti-cheat improvements have been implemented
If you're following old Kevin build videos from YouTube, check the upload date and patch version. Many pre-patch strategies no longer work as intended. The builds listed on this page are updated for 2025 patches.
Current Meta Status (2025)
Despite nerfs, Kevin remains a top-tier item in the right hands (according to current meta guides):
- ✅ Still viable for high-difficulty runs
- ✅ Essential for certain leaderboard strategies
- ✅ Creates unique playstyles impossible without it
- ⚠️ Requires more skill and preparation than pre-nerf versions
- ⚠️ No longer "autopilot" immortal builds
- v1.0.7 fixed the original Kevin + Mirror immortality exploit by adjusting Mirror's i-frames
- v1.0.12 focused on XP gain, final-stage reworks, and leaderboard clean-up/anti-cheat
- Community guides disagree on Leeching Crystal's exact Max HP value (+50 vs +50%) – always check in-game tooltips
- Meta tier lists (Twinfinite, dtgre, etc.) still rank Kevin as one of the strongest blue/rare items
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Related Items & Resources
Core Synergy Items
Sustain Items
Related Tomes
Master Kevin and Dominate Megabonk
Ready to experiment with high-risk builds? Explore more advanced strategies.