Mad Forest Stage Guide and Complete 30-Minute Wave Breakdown in Vampire Survivors
Conquering 
Mad Forest requires mastering minute-by-minute wave timelines, securing four free stage passive pickups, and locating the hidden coffin to unlock 
Pugnala Provola. As the introductory woodland in Vampire Survivors, this repeating map tests character positioning against escalating swarms of Zombie and Pipeestrello before pitting you against The Reaper at minute 30.
Stage Layout and Free Floor Pickups
The repeating tile structure of Mad Forest contains four free stage pickups placed at fixed offsets from your initial spawn point. Walking approximately two tile sets north brings you directly to 
Hollow Heart, providing an immediate maximum health upgrade. Heading roughly five tile sets east leads to 
Spinach, granting a crucial damage boost to all active weapons. Journeying south along the woodland clearing leads to 
Pummarola for passive health recovery, while traveling down and left across the repeating trees uncovers 
Clover to increase character luck. These coordinates remain consistent across runs as mapped out on the pause screen.
Optimizing Floor Item Collections
A vital progression tactic in Mad Forest involves delaying floor pickups until your character inventory fills all six standard passive slots. By securing items like 
Candelabrador, 
Duplicator, and 
Attractorb from level-up choices first, picking up the stage drops of Spinach, Hollow Heart, Pummarola, and Clover allows you to bypass the standard six-passive capacity cap. This grants your character up to ten simultaneous passive benefits, accelerating weapon evolutions such as upgrading 
Whip into 
Bloody Tear and 
Fire Wand into 
Hellfire as detailed in our all weapon evolutions guide. For a broader view of stage unlocks across the game, consult our guide to all stages and bonus maps.
Pugnala Provola Coffin Rescue
Unlocking the dual-revolver hero Pugnala Provola requires locating and opening the hidden coffin in Mad Forest. Locate and open the hidden coffin across Mad Forest to free Pugnala Provola, making her available on the character selection screen. She begins runs equipped with 
Phiera Der Tuphello and gains a stacking +1% Might bonus for every level gained. After conquering this woodland challenge, continue your journey in the next corridor by checking our Inlaid Library stage guide.
Complete 30-Minute Wave Breakdown Table
The following table details every minute of enemy spawns, spawn intervals, minimum active mob counts, elite boss appearances, and special swarm events across the entire 30-minute run in Mad Forest:
| Minute | Enemies | Min Count | Interval | Boss | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minute 1 | Zombie, Pipeestrello | 30 | 1000ms |  Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 2 | Pipeestrello | 50 | 500ms | — | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 3 |  Skeleton | 40 | 250ms | Pipeestrello | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 4 | Skeleton,  Ghost | 30 | 500ms | — | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 5 |  Mudman | 10 | 1000ms |  Mantichana |  Flower Wall |
| Minute 6 | Zombie, Mudman | 20 | 500ms | — | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 7 | Pipeestrello, Mudman | 80 | 500ms | Pipeestrello | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 8 |  Zombie | 100 | 1500ms |  Giant Bat | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 9 | Giant Bat, Zombie | 30 | 500ms | Pipeestrello | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 10 | Mudman | 10 | 500ms | Mantichana | Flower Wall |
| Minute 11 | Skeleton | 300 | 100ms | — | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 12 | Werewolf, Ghost, Skeleton | 20 | 250ms | Pipeestrello | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 13 | Werewolf, Ghost | 150 | 500ms | — | Ghost Swarm |
| Minute 14 | Giant Bat, Werewolf | 20 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 15 | Werewolf, Giant Bat, Mudman | 100 | 100ms |  Werewolf | Flower Wall |
| Minute 16 | Mantichana, Mudman | 100 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 17 |  Big Mummy | 20 | 1000ms | — | — |
| Minute 18 | Big Mummy, Mudman | 60 | 500ms | Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 19 | Big Mummy, Mudman | 100 | 500ms | — | — |
| Minute 20 | Big Mummy, Mudman, Giant Bat | 100 | 100ms | Big Mummy | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 21 | Flower Wall | 300 | 100ms |  Venus | — |
| Minute 22 | Flower Wall, Big Mummy | 200 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 23 | Flower Wall, Big Mummy | 300 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | — |
| Minute 24 | Flower Wall, Big Mummy | 300 | 100ms | Venus | — |
| Minute 25 | Venus | 100 | 100ms | Venus | Flower Wall |
| Minute 26 | Venus, Flower Wall | 150 | 100ms | — | — |
| Minute 27 | Big Mummy, Mudman | 300 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | Ghost Swarm |
| Minute 28 | Giant Bat, Pipeestrello | 300 | 100ms | — | — |
| Minute 29 | Pipeestrello | 300 | 100ms | Pipeestrello | Bat Swarm |
| Minute 30 | — | 1 | 10000ms |  The Reaper | — |
Survival Tactics for Elite Boss Encounters
Surviving the full 30 minutes in Mad Forest requires distinct tactical adjustments at key timeline thresholds. At minute 5 and minute 10, Mantichana spawns alongside tight Flower Wall formations that trap characters lacking high-damage clearing tools. At minute 8, an elite Giant Bat provides a high-tier chest opportunity. Minute 15 introduces aggressive Werewolf packs, followed by durable Big Mummy waves at minute 17 and minute 20. The final stretch from minute 21 to 26 challenges builds with massive Venus hordes and dense plant barriers before The Reaper arrives at minute 30 to conclude the run.