The Thorns Tome adds a retaliation effect to your character in Megabonk. When enemies hit you, they take damage in return. This makes it a defensive-offensive hybrid Tome, rewarding tanky or sustain-heavy builds.
Overview
- Stat: Thorns (Retaliation Damage)
- Base upgrade per level: +15 thorns damage
- How to unlock: Block 250 attacks with Aegis
- Max level: 99
Thorns Tome transforms defense into offense by punishing enemies for attacking you. This passive damage source requires no active input, making it perfect for tank builds that can survive prolonged combat. The more hits you take, the more damage you deal—but you need the survivability to make it work.
Thorns Damage by Rarity
Higher rarity upgrades provide significantly more thorns damage:
| Common | Uncommon | Rare | Epic | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +15 | +18 | +21 | +24 | +30 |
Legendary upgrades add double the thorns damage of Common upgrades!
How Retaliation Works
Understand the retaliation flow:
Thorns damage is passive and requires no player input once active!
Effects
- Damages enemies when they hit you
- As of version 1.0.19, Thorns damage cannot be dealt while under Shield Powerup effects
- Thorns damage is fixed and does not scale with your weapon damage
- Works against all enemy types, including bosses
- Stacks with other sources of retaliation damage
- Completely passive - no active input required
Thorns Damage Examples
See how thorns damage accumulates in combat:
Enemy: Goblin with 200 HP, attacks once per second
Combat: You take 5 hits over 5 seconds
Enemy: Fast-attacking swarm of 10 enemies
Combat: Each enemy hits you twice before dying
Boss: 50,000 HP boss with rapid attack pattern
Combat: Boss lands 100 hits over the fight duration
The more hits you can survive, the more powerful Thorns becomes!
Tank Build Requirements
To make Thorns Tome effective, your build needs these core components:
How to Unlock
Block 250 attacks with Aegis.
This ties the Tome's unlock to shield-based play and makes it one of the more grindy Tomes to obtain.
- 💡 Tip: Aegis must be equipped and actively blocking for progress to count
- 💡 Tip: Play defensive characters with shield synergies
- 💡 Tip: Intentionally take hits while Aegis is active to speed up unlock
- 💡 Tip: Progress is cumulative across all runs
- 💡 Tip: Typically unlocks after 15-25 runs with consistent shield usage
- 💡 Tip: Combine with Shield Tome for better block rate
Synergies
Strategy Guide
- Works best for tanky builds that expect to get hit often
- Not as strong for evasive or long-range playstyles
- Combine with healing Tomes so dealing your Thorns damage doesn't kill you
- Thorns damage is passive, requiring no input once active
- Stack defensive stats first (HP, Armor, Shield), then invest in Thorns
- Don't rely entirely on thorns - combine with active damage sources
- Perfect for face-tank strategies and close-range combat
When to Use Thorns Tome
- ✅ Best for: Tank builds with high HP and Armor
- ✅ Best for: Face-tank playstyles that intentionally take hits
- ✅ Best for: Builds with reliable healing (Regen/Bloody Tome)
- ✅ Best for: Players who enjoy passive damage builds
- ✅ Best for: Close-range melee strategies
- ❌ Poor for: Evasive builds that avoid taking damage
- ❌ Poor for: Long-range kiting strategies
- ❌ Poor for: Glass cannon builds with low HP
- ⚠️ Bug Alert: Doesn't work with Shield Powerup in V1.0.19
Pro Tips & Important Notes
- Thorns damage is passive, requiring no input once active
- Unlock condition makes it one of the more grindy Tomes to obtain
- At max level (99), provides 1,485 thorns damage per hit - extremely potent!
- V1.0.19 Bug: Thorns cannot deal damage while under Shield Powerup effects
- Thorns damage scales with thorns stat only, not weapon damage
- Perfect for AFK or semi-AFK farming strategies
- Combine with Armor Tome for best results - damage reduction keeps you alive longer
- Healing is NON-NEGOTIABLE for thorns builds - you will die without it
- Works great against fast-attacking enemies and swarms