Kripp's Proboscis Vanessa Build

Proboscis

Proboscis is one of the original classic items with the text "When you do X, do Y". This has pretty much always been a recipe for success, to the point where many pre-existing items with similar text have long been nerfed or reworked. Proboscis is no exception, though it eventually found its way back.

While it's not always the most available item, the potential of its power makes it well worth seeking out. The most common way you'll find it is by getting a lucky drop from the Giant Mosquito PvE Encounter.

It's incredibly easy for Vanessa to create an absurd amount of Slow triggers, and each one individually procs Proboscis. This creates a Weapon that effectively cheats Cooldowns as it rapid fires non stop.

With enough Slow triggers in place, all that matters is finding a way to reliably scale its Damage. Solve this equation and you'll have assembled a monster. However, during the early game feel free to take advantage of flat Damage skills for a more immediate boost.

Kripp had a Restorative enchanted Proboscis which gave the build a ridiculous amount of sustain. Aside from one-shots, this pretty much ensured safety throughout the entire fight.

Kusarigama

Kusarigama is absolutely ridiculous alongside Proboscis. It's essentially like a build-your-own Mantis Shrimp, except it grants all the upside with no cost. The fact it can scale other Weapons allows you to get around longer Cooldowns (ie Mantis Shrimp) while still benefiting from the scaling.

It provides scaling to up to two Weapons, creates Slow triggers, and can become an additional threat of its own. This item does everything. In all fairness, there's a pretty good chance we'll see nerfs at some point, because Kusarigama is nuts.

Slow Package

Shot Glasses has become the pinnacle item for spamming Slow triggers. The more items you have, the more Slow triggers it creates, quickly leading to absurd scaling. However, it does require Ammo, so make sure you either have Reload, or can expand its capacity via upgrades and/or Gunpowder.

Clamera is another Slow staple thanks to its immediate on-start effect, and Tripwire allows your opponents to scale your items for you. It's also worth noting that Tripwire has some incredible enchantments, so be sure to take full advantage whenever it's available.

Orange Julian

Orange Julian allows Proboscis to reach much greater Damage levels than normal, but with a much slower startup. It's important to have direct Haste support to ensure Orange Julian goes off faster. Once activated, your DPS skyrockets to astronomical levels.

Keep in mind that it's only worth pursuing Orange Julian when acquired early enough during the run. It takes time to scale its Damage, and when Orange Julian is available, it encourages taking more of an Economy route (which you may not have setup prior). Otherwise opt for additional Slow/utility items.

Powder Horn + Zoarcid

Powder Horn is specifically included to Reload Shot Glasses. However, if you're able to get at least 5+ Ammo on it via Gunpowder and/or skills like Gunner, feel free to swap it out for a better utility item.

You ideally want to have enough Ammo to last throughout combat, which generally isn't too difficult since fights tend to be fast (especially in the late game). Zoarcid fills a gap as a reliable form of targetable Haste, helping speed up Orange Julian and make Shot Glasses trigger even faster.

Kripp Fiery enchanted Powder Horn also gave Zoarcid a little kickstart, although this isn't necessary for the build to work.

Ammo Combo Setup

Pistol Sword enables ridiculous burst combo potential alongside items like Dive Weights and Shuriken. With Kusarigama's scaling, it generally only takes a single activation to kill the opponent. A well placed Heavy enchant can scale this up to broken levels of Damage.

Cannonball is a very useful combo piece since the expanded Ammo is effectively weaponized into more burst Damage. However, if you're unable to upgrade it to at least Gold towards the late game, it may be worth dropping for something else.

Cauterizing Blade and Jitte are great backup Weapons in longer fights. Assuming they are upgraded, they scale well enough to be a threat if the opponent survives the Ammo burst combo. However, if your front-loaded Damage is enough, consider dropping these in favor of better utility items such as Holsters.

Slow and Steady

Slow and Steady is the Proboscis game plan in a nutshell. This is a very reliable way to get additional Kusarigama-like scaling, either adding to the total or fulfilling the role before all the pieces are acquired.

Static Acceleration

Static Acceleration scales your Crit Chance pretty fast alongside Shot Glasses, as don't forget, it also applies Haste. Additionally, beyond the natural benefits of Crit Chance, Kusarigama makes it even better as its passive scaling triggers via Slows OR CRITS!

Assault Focus

Assault Focus is a really strong counter to non-Weapon builds, and while it will apply to a portion of your board, it's well worth the trade-off. Worst case you Slow your own item, but simultaneously set off Proboscis. Best case, you get another Tripwire, and everywhere in between isn't far behind!