Momo is one of the two new characters added to Gunfire Reborn with the Realm of Frost and Inkwash DLC. Gunfire Reborn has added a whole host of new characters over the course of the game’s lifespan, and most of them are incredibly creative (and incredibly overpowered) on release. Momo is no different from the rest in this respect, though it does feel like they’re a bit more overpowered than most.
That said, Momo truly only breaks the game if you know how to use them properly, and their in-game description of their abilities is a bit confusing, to say the least. With that in mind, why don’t we take an in-depth look at Momo as a character, how they work, and how exactly you should build them for the best results?
Character Overview
An Adorable Unkillable Machine
Ability Name | Ability Type | Cooldown/Default Capacity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Ink Form | Primary | 15 Seconds | Transform into Ink Spirit AKA Ink Form for 16 seconds. Ability also generates 2 Ink Orbs on the field when you transform which, when picked up, gives you +10 Ink Points. By pressing the Fire input and using 15 Ink Points, you can attack in a 5-meter area around you with Ink Splash, dealing 450 Ink Damage to every enemy in the area of effect. |
Drawing Come True | Secondary | 3x Capacity | Sends an Ink Scroll forward 15 meters, leaving behind Black Domain along its path that lasts for 10 seconds. The Ink Scroll also blocks enemy projectiles as it flies forward, knocks back any enemies hit 5 meters, and deals 500 normal damage as well. |
There are quite a few tanky or ‘close-range’ fighters in Gunfire Reborn, despite it being a first-person shooter roguelike game. Qing Yan is one of the earliest you’ll have access to, with other characters like Tao and Qian Sui taking a bit of Soul Essence farming to unlock. However, Momo feels pretty unique compared to the rest of the close-range characters, as their Abilities and Ascensions give them the ability to build into being an up-close Bruiser or a long-range DPS. All that said, the ‘best’ way to play Momo overall in terms of raw damage is to build into their Ink Form, find a weapon that can be fired while Momo is in said Ink Form, and look for Occult Scrolls that increase Skill Damage and Weapon Damage.
Weapon Recommendations
Starfly if Possible, Some Other Options if Not
Compared to our Lyn guide, it might seem like we’re not really recommending a lot of weapons for Momo, but there’s a reason for that. Almost every character in Gunfire Reborn can use all weapons pretty well. In fact, you don’t really need to find weapons that synergize with the character’s abilities much at all if you don’t want to. That said, this is a build guide, so we’re going to recommend the best weapons that mesh with what Momo brings to the table. And while a lot of Rifles and Snipers synergize with Lyn’s kit, there are only a handful of weapons that work hand-in-hand with Momo’s Ink Form, and they’re listed below:
Weapon Name | Weapon Type | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
Tracker | Rifle | The Weapon Skill of this Rifle is great and synergizes well with Momo’s Dyeing Weapon Ascension tree. |
Concealed Ammo | SMG | You can spam the Weapon Skill of this SMG incredibly easily, again mixing well with Momo’s Dyeing Weapon tree. |
Talisman | Pistol | Another weapon with an easily spam-able Weapon Skill. |
Cloud Weaver | Pistol | Another option for auto-firing while in Ink Form, you’ll just need to send the Cloud Weaver projectiles out, then go into Ink Form. |
Star Ring | Pistol | Star Ring is the second best auto-firing option for Momo behind Starfly, just remember you don’t want this one on Auto since it’ll automatically retract the ring. |
Arc Light | Pistol | The last pistol auto-firing option for Momo in Ink Form. Not the best choice but certainly not the worst either. |
Wheel Saw | Shotgun | Another weapon with an easily spam-able Weapon Skill. |
Tempest | Launcher | The Weapon Skill synergizes with a lot of Momo’s Dyeing Weapon tree of his Ascensions. |
Starfly | Staff | Keeps firing while Momo is in Ink Form. Is actually broken with this character, by far his best weapon option. Make sure to turn it to ‘Auto’. |
Phoenix Roar | Staff | The Weapon Skill of this Staff works in Momo’s Ink Form, and its primary fire is also incredibly handy. |
Despite there being a pretty wide variety of recommendations, Starfly is hands down the best weapon to use on Momo and it’s not even close. Unless the Inscriptions are awful, you’ll almost always want to switch to a Starfly when you can on this character, even if it’s a bit of a downgrade in damage at first. Just remember to set the Starfly’s firing mode to ‘Auto’ and watch as the game basically plays itself for the rest of the run.
Ascension Recommendations
Anything Influencing Ink Form or Ink Damage
If we wanted to break down Momo’s general build methodology as simply as possible, we could say that you should just always grab Incarnate Ink Ascensions whenever you see them. But, while this works, it doesn’t really provide a lot of helpful info. So, let’s go over some of the best Ascension options for each ‘branch’ of Momo’s Ascension tree and talk about why exactly you should grab them:
Ascension Name | Ascension ‘Branch’ | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
Surge Ink | Incarnate Ink | Just a massive Ink Damage buff, makes Ink Form even scarier. |
Residual Traces | Incarnate Ink | Makes Ink Splash do actual damage, very helpful early on especially. |
Colorful Black | Incarnate Ink | Turns Ink Form into an enemy-killing machine. |
Ink and Blank, Yin and Yang | Incarnate Ink | Keeps the Blank Domain buffs and debuffs active a lot more often overall. |
Sharp Penmanship | Ink Painting | Drawing Come True overall damage buff. |
Pause and Turn | Ink Painting | Debuffs enemies a lot especially with how often Blank Domain is active. |
Quick Sketch | Ink Painting | Makes building into Movement Speed more viable from a damage standpoint and makes getting through stages a lot faster. |
Geometry Art | Dyeing Weapon | Enemies will almost always be within around 8 meters while in Ink Form, so this will be active very often. |
Grinding Ink | Dyeing Weapon | The best Ascension for a Weapon Skill build with Momo. |
Hold Brush | Dyeing Weapon | Helps a ton with overall survivability with any Momo build. |
Overall, anything that increases Ink Damage, Blank Domain duration/damage, or Ink Form Duration is what you’ll want to grab first. The only exception to this rule is if you’re trying to build Momo around Weapon Skills instead (though this build isn’t as universally ‘broken’ as Momo’s Ink Form build), and in that instance, you’ll want to look for any Dyeing Weapon Ascensions first.
Anything That Buffs Skill Damage, Weapon Damage, or Surviability
Whereas our weapon recommendations for Momo might have looked a little sparse, it’s the opposite with Occult Scroll recommendations. Momo is a close-range bruiser for the most part, and that specific playstyle synergizes incredibly well with a vast array of different Occult Scrolls. Additionally, because Momo’s unique element AKA Ink Damage is only really buffed by Momo’s own Ascensions, you’ll be grabbing a lot more ‘general’ Occult Scrolls as Momo that help a decent amount overall instead of a few ‘specific’ Occult Scrolls that help a massive amount in one specific area.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Scrolls suggested below aren’t in any specific ranking order, they’re just the ones that work well in most builds on Momo:
Occult Scroll Name | Rarity | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
Brutal Gloves | Normal | Basically just a flat damage buff for Momo in Ink Form. |
Improved Clip | Normal | Works well to allow Momo to keep auto-firing while in Ink Form with specific weapons. |
Ammo Belt | Normal | Same reasoning as Improved Clip. |
Genesis | Normal | Same reasoning as Improved Clip. |
Skateboarder | Normal | Same reasoning as Improved Clip. |
Field Support | Normal | You’re almost always moving while Momo stays close to enemies. |
Resilient Life | Normal | Helps with survivability while you’re up close with enemies. |
Sucker Punch | Normal | A big early-run buff to Ink Splash. |
Vindictive Nature | Normal | Will almost always be in effect in an Ink Form build for Momo. |
Piercing Bullet | Normal | Will almost always be in effect in an Ink Form build for Momo. |
Battle Nature | Normal | Will almost always be in effect in an Ink Form build for Momo. |
Giant Slayer | Rare | Essentially just a constant damage buff. |
Silver Medal | Rare | Helps quickly make Momo feel essentially invincible to damage. |
Flowing Wind | Rare | You’ll be running around in Ink Form constantly, with this you’ll have more damage resistance while doing so. |
Deft Hands | Rare | Same reasoning as Improved Clip. |
Magnetic Coil | Rare | More Area of Effect damage while in Ink Form. |
Thorny Carapace | Rare | More Area of Effect damage while in Ink Form. |
Copper Miner | Rare | This will almost always be in effect, effectively doubling all drops. |
Veteran | Rare | Huge survivability buff in Ink Form build. |
Reinforced Eggshell | Rare | Helps a ton with survivability. |
Strategic Advantage | Rare | More movement speed = reaching enemies in melee range quicker. |
Ostrich Rider | Rare | More movement speed = reaching enemies in melee range quicker. |
Blazing Hoop | Rare | More Area of Effect damage while in Ink Form. |
Realm of Corrosion | Rare | More Area of Effect damage while in Ink Form. |
Thunder Step | Rare | More Area of Effect damage while in Ink Form. |
Explosive Bullets | Rare | Just a general weapon damage buff all around. |
Surprise Bonus | Rare | Gigantic Ink Form damage bonus. |
Overflowing Waters | Rare | Allows you to cast Secondary Skill while in Ink Form. |
Divine Energy | Rare | Huge Skill Damage buff. |
General Playstyle Tips
Turn On Ink Form, Turn Off Brain
Finally, let’s go over some of the more in-depth mechanics of Momo as well as some general tips for when you’re playing this character. Here are some of the best pieces of info, tips, and tricks we could think of while absolutely blasting through Reincarnation Level 8 with Momo:
- If you just want a broken build that will entirely destroy the balance of the game, simply build into making Momo’s Ink Form last as long as possible, grab Ascensions that buff Momo’s Ink Damage, and put all your money into a Starfly. Once the Starfly gets going, you basically just need to look in the general direction of enemies and they’ll be gone before you even realize what you’re looking at.
- Staying in Momo’s Blank Domain or keeping enemies in it is a pretty big part of Momo’s design. So, try and keep the ground in your peripheral vision at all times so you know where the Blank Domain areas are.
- Momo also has an area of effect ‘Ink Circle’ that they can spawn which will deal constant damage to anything inside of it. Try and keep it active as much as possible and make sure to take advantage of this Ink Circle whenever it triggers.
- Momo generates more Secondary Ability charges incredibly easily, so don’t be too cautious in overusing it, especially when using it to block enemy projectiles.
- Using Ink Splash in Ink Form without any Ink Points will quickly take you out of Ink Form, which is not what you want to do. So, try to rely on either your auto-firing weapon while in Ink Form or the constant damage of your Ink Circle, and only use Ink Splash when you have a lot of Ink Points or Ink Form duration left.
- While you may feel invincible in Ink Form as Momo right from the start of a run, try and get at least one or two survivability-focused Occult Scrolls where you can, either from the Peddler or from chests. Once you have those, you can play a lot less cautiously and still get away with it.
