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For the final boss in the Cathedral in the Wrath of the Lamb DLC, see Isaac (boss).

Isaac is the titular character in The Binding of Isaac as well as the first available character in default.

Issac's stats are simple, and he is considered the base of all characters.

Isaac starts with no activated item, but after beating Mom's Heart/It Lives with ???, Isaac gains The Dice.

Strategies

Isaac's strength lies in his relatively high starting health but his other stats are average.

Isaac gains a very distinctive advantage when he obtains The Dice, being able to reroll Items every six rolls. This allows him to make powerful builds more easily.

General Strategy

  • For advanced players, it's not as risky to make a deal in the Devil Room early on as with most of the other playable characters due to relatively high starting health. However, note that the Angel Room essentially has only two or three "bad" items (The Bible and the Prayer Card, if you want to hold on to the Dice), so bringing a fully charged dice into the Angel Room almost guarantees a good item (since if you get one of those items you can just reroll it).
  • If you are shooting for the D6, but do not want to have to beat all of the floors as ???, try to find the Ankh item. The Ankh will allow Isaac to turn into ??? if he dies, even if you haven't unlocked him. Simply die before you fight Mom's Heart/It Lives!, kill them as ???, and The Dice will be unlocked.

The Dice Strategy

  • "Rerolling" doesn't mean that you'll always get a better item. In many cases it's better to just get the item, because it's often not worth it to swap a bad item for something that could be even worse.
  • It is advisable on the earlier floors, where there is less danger, to explore all the rooms on the floor to charge The Dice in case a reroll is needed.

The earlier you find the Boss Room, Treasure Room or the Shop, the better as it allows more chances to reroll the items. This doesn't apply for Mom as you can't exit her room after beating her (unless carrying Teleport!, Cursed Skull, 0 The Fool Tarot Card, Hermit Tarot Card, The Stars Tarot Card, The Moon Tarot Card, IV The Emperor, or a Telepill).

  • Collect passive items early on.
  • Use The Dice for stat increases instead of trading it for other items on the first floor.
  • It's usually recommended to exchange The Dice for another activated item before going to fight Mom in the The Depths 2 as the floors after it don't have Shops or Item Rooms. However, if the player is going to The Chest, it may be worth holding on to The Dice to reroll the items in the Golden Chests.
  • Curse Rooms and Secret Rooms are more likely to pay off if they contain an item. The Secret Room is quite viable for an early reroll as Isaac starts with a bomb.

Items

Good Items

Most Passive items, as they don't replace the Dice

Bad Items 

Activated Items (early on), for the same reason

Related Achievements

Trivia

  • Isaac's visuals came from the character in Edmund's unreleased children's book Mom's Hungry.[1]
  • Isaac's last name was confirmed to be Moriah, and five years old.[2]
  • He is also known as the "Cry Baby" from the artbook, making him the only playable character to have an alternative name.
  • Isaac, as well as the game itself, are named after the Old Testament account of "The Binding of Isaac", with which they not only share the name but also the basic story, in which God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him.
  • Edmund McMillen refers to Isaac as the "fighter" character, with increased health and average stats.
  • The name "Isaac" means "laughter" in the Hebrew language. This is ironic due to Isaac constantly crying.
  • Edmund has stated that Isaac is left-handed, even though in the Afterbirth Plus trailer and the true ending in Afterbirth, Isaac draws with his right hand.[3]
  • From the original game, Isaac's grunts upon being hit were voiced by Danny Baranowsky, who also made the music for the game.
  • Isaac is bald because his mother shaved his head.[4]

Gallery

References

Characters
IsaacHDIsaacMaggyMagdaleneCainHDCainJudasHDJudasEveHDEveDead Baby???SamsonHDSamson
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