All NPCs & Merchants Guide

NPCs in Enter the Gungeon come in two groups: some appear inside the Gungeon and only settle in Varco once rescued or dealt with, while others live in Varco and handle unlocks, shops and game modes. The same NPC often offers different services on each side, so this guide is split the same way.

The first half covers NPCs inside the Gungeon (shops, special exchanges, secret-room-only, challenges and lore); the second half covers Varco. Four of them appear on both sides — the Varco entry is marked in its heading, and the Gungeon entry links straight to it.

Dungeon NPCs

Shops

Mercante – Bello (main shopkeeper)

Mercante – Bello runs the main shop on every floor except the Forgia, Resourceful Rat's Lair, R&G Dept., and Bullet Hell. His stock includes random Armi, Oggetti, Obliteratore, Mappa, and Germa di vetro.

• Firing a weapon in his shop earns a warning; a second offense doubles all prices; a third closes the shop permanently
• Every floor's shop always stocks at least one Chiave
• Some items trigger special effects when bought from a shop

Mercante di salve – Old Red

Mercante di salve – Old Red specialises in Obliteratore-related items, including Ammolets and the Obliteratore capo. She must be rescued from her cell in Enter the Gungeon before she begins appearing in shops.

Strega mercante – Cursula

Strega mercante – Cursula sells magic items and charming guns at a steep 50% discount — the deepest in the game. The catch is that every purchase raises Curse by 2.5, so weigh the half-price tag against the Curse before buying. She must be rescued before appearing in shops.

Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton

Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton specialises in goop, poison, and fluid-related items at a 20% discount. He must be rescued before appearing in Enter the Gungeon and Varco. His second shop is covered in Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton (Varco).

Mercante di chiavi – Flynt

Mercante di chiavi – Flynt accepts Chiave instead of Bossoli. He sells chest- and key-related items. He must be rescued before appearing in shops.

Mercante d’armi – Trorc

Mercante d’armi – Trorc sells military-themed guns and items at a 20% discount. He must be rescued before appearing in Enter the Gungeon and Varco. His second shop is covered in Mercante d’armi – Trorc (Varco).

How prices are calculated

A price is the Qualita's base cost × the floor's price multiplier × the merchant's discount × any item discount. Base costs (Bossoli) are S qualità 120, A qualità 90, B qualità 65, C qualità 45, and D qualità 35 Bossoli; for pickups it is 30 for Munizioni and Cuore, 25 for Corazza and Chiave, 20 for Obliteratore and Cuore dimezzato, and 10 for Germa di vetro.

• Merchant discounts: Strega mercante – Cursula ×0.5 (but she adds Curse — see What Is Curse? Effects and How to Lower It); Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton and Mercante d’armi – Trorc ×0.8; every Black Market merchant ×0.5, except Mercante di chiavi – Flynt's Chiave-priced goods (see Demon Face)
• Item discounts: Moneta di ferro ×0.8, Personalità disarmante ×0.85, Revolver di Smiley ×0.85
• Exceptions: Denaro da tavolo always costs 50 Bossoli; Innesco supremo (Bullet That Can Kill the Past Guide) and the Chiave roditrice ignore every discount
• Before they are unlocked, Maschera da clown, Trapano, and Borsone di bottino are priced at 9999 Bossoli and can only be obtained by stealing them or forcing the shop to close (How to Steal from Shops)

Special Exchanges & Services

Mercante strisciante

Mercante strisciante buys your guns and items for Bossoli at approximately 45% of their base price. If the player holds a Munizione eccelsa, a dedicated Mercante strisciante room appears in the Hollow.

• S-quality items yield ~54 Bossoli; Roba inutilizzabile yields ~3 Bossoli
• Cannot sell: Spugna, Anello della parsimonia, Televisore in avaria, or Fidati grimaldelli

Vampira

After being rescued, Vampira occasionally appears beside Mercante – Bello's shop or in her own cross-shaped room. She exchanges Cuore dimezzato for Bossoli at a rate of 20 × the floor's price multiplier.

• Selling a Cuore intero yields more Bossoli than buying one from the shop costs — highly profitable
• Trading with Vampira does not count as taking damage and will not break Germa di vetro or reset Polaris/Metronomo streaks
• The Robot cannot trade with Vampira
• Trading with Vampira three times unlocks Trave di legno

Fabbra

Fabbra is found in the Forgia's shop, where she also sells three items and three pickups.

Her main role is collecting the four components needed to forge the Proiettile ammazzapassato: Innesco supremo, Polvere arcana, Piombo planare, and Involucro d'ossidiana.

Each time you pass through with a component, she takes it and records the progress. Once all four are collected, the completed bullet can be carried into the next run to challenge the final boss.

• Bring the Televisore in avaria to unlock The Robot character
• Bring Bracciale di rubini to have her upgrade an item
• Mercante del Varco – Ox's replacement arm is found in the Forgia, but must be returned to Mercante del Varco – Ox in the Varco (not given to the Fabbra) — see his entry

Infermiere – Patches and Mendy

Infermiere – Patches and Mendy appear in hidden rooms in Enter the Gungeon. They repair sawed-off or otherwise damaged guns — bring a broken weapon to them and they will restore it for free.

Mercante di sinergie – Synergrace

Mercante di sinergie – Synergrace occasionally appears in Enter the Gungeon after being rescued. She sells a Synergy Chest — an unlocked chest that may contain an item able to synergise with your current loadout.

• She refuses to sell if you have no weapons or items capable of triggering a synergy
• The synergy chest is not guaranteed to produce a synergy-related item
• Synergy Chest can be Glitch Chest
• In Rainbow Mode, synergy chests yield nothing
• Purchasing from her 3 times unlocks Crescicappa

Secret Room NPCs

Streghe dello scambio d’armi

The three Streghe dello scambio d’armi — Squintie, Beakie, and Hunchie — appear in secret rooms in Enter the Gungeon (generated separately from normal secret rooms, so they don't replace them). Trade any gun and gain 2 Curse to receive a gun of equal or higher Qualita in return. The exchange can only be made once per encounter.

• The replacement gun is always equal to or one tier higher than the traded gun
• Adds 2 Curse — factor this into Curse-sensitive runs
• Works normally in Rainbow Mode

Anziano

The Anziano appears in secret rooms in Enter the Gungeon (generated separately, like the Streghe dello scambio d’armi). He gives the player a free random gun or item, no strings attached.

• In co-op, the Anziano refuses to give anything

Cercatore della verità – Brother Albern

Cercatore della verità – Brother Albern appears in secret rooms in Enter the Gungeon. He poses a question to the player and rewards them with a pickup, item, or gun depending on their answer.

Challenges & Minigames

Gestore del tiro a segno – Winchester

Gestore del tiro a segno – Winchester runs a shooting minigame in Enter the Gungeon. Targets hit determine the Qualita of the reward chest. See the Winchester Minigame Guide for full rules and tips.

Re dei pistoleri & Servitore del re dei pistoleri

Re dei pistoleri offers wager challenges in Enter the Gungeon. Bet 18–22 Bossoli, then complete the next room under a specific condition to win your bet back plus a gun or item reward. He must be rescued before appearing.

Challenge types: clear the room without taking damage; without dodge rolling; using only a provided gun (Klobbe, Sparapallini, Derringer, Sparachiodi, or Casey); or in Challenge Mode (requires Dado delle sfide – Daisuke to have returned to Varco).

• You must talk to him and place the wager before entering; the room is accessible either way, but walking in first simply forfeits that wager opportunity
• The provided gun cannot be dropped
• Completing 10 challenges and speaking to him in Varco unlocks the Gufo
• No reward is given in Rainbow Mode — a note is left instead

Avventuriero perduto

Avventuriero perduto appears in hidden rooms that have a map on the wall. Speaking to him reveals the full room layout of the current floor. He returns to Varco after being rescued. His entry after being rescued is Avventuriero perduto (Varco).

Lore & Information

Blockner

Blockner appears in an optional duel room in Enter the Gungeon. Defeating him yields an item reward and is connected to Ser Manuel's side quest. He appears in Varco after certain conditions are met. His later entry is Blockner (Varco).

Varco NPCs

Lore & Dialogue

Ubriaco

The Ubriaco sits in the lower left of Varco from the very beginning — no rescue needed, and he sells nothing. Talk to him after defeating a boss or rescuing a new NPC and he will tell stories and offer wry commentary about that event.

Shops

Mercante del Varco – Ox & Mercante del Varco – Cadence

Mercante del Varco – Ox and Mercante del Varco – Cadence share a single cell (in the Segreta del Signore del piombo or Gungeon vero e proprio) and open a shop in Varco once rescued. The shop trades in Crediti egemonicis and sells unlocks — paying adds the gun or item to Enter the Gungeon's loot pool rather than handing it to you directly. When a row of stock sells out, new wares appear the next time Varco reloads; buying everything costs 682 Credits in total.

• Mercante del Varco – Ox's side quest: after defeating the Armadrago, his replacement arm can be found in the Forgia; carry it all the way back to Varco to unlock Clone

Mercante alieno – Doug

Mercante alieno – Doug is imprisoned in a cell in the Gungeon vero e proprio, Abbazia della Vera arma, or Miniera di polvere nera.

Once rescued he occasionally appears in the lower center of Varco; the chance depends on the last chamber reached in the previous run (Segreta del Signore del piombo 20%, Gungeon vero e proprio 40%, Miniera di polvere nera 60%, Hollow 80%, Forgia 100%).

He sells unlocks for Crediti egemonicis, stocking only 2 items at a time and restocking once both are bought. Buying everything costs 852 Credits and additionally unlocks Proiettili dorati.

Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton (Varco)

After you buy something from Mercante di liquidi – Professor Goopton's shop in Enter the Gungeon, he sets up a second store in the upper right of Varco, selling goop-themed gun and item unlocks (added to Enter the Gungeon's loot pool) for Crediti egemonicis. Buying everything costs 146 Credits.

For his in-Gungeon inventory, see his Dungeon NPC entry.

Mercante d’armi – Trorc (Varco)

After you buy something from Mercante d’armi – Trorc's shop in Enter the Gungeon, he sets up a second store in the lower left of Varco, selling military-themed gun and item unlocks (added to Enter the Gungeon's loot pool) for Crediti egemonicis. Buying everything costs 124 Credits.

For his in-Gungeon inventory, see his Dungeon NPC entry.

Game Modes

Cane della modalità turbo – Tonic the Sledge-Dog

Cane della modalità turbo – Tonic the Sledge-Dog is a blue St. Bernard and an homage to Sonic the Hedgehog. His cell only appears after the Armadrago has been defeated; once freed he settles in the upper right of Varco. Talking to him toggles Turbo Mode on and off for free, dramatically speeding up the whole game. See the Special Game Modes Guide (Turbo, Rainbow, Blessed & More) for a full mode overview.

Strega delle benedizioni

Strega delle benedizioni can only be rescued from Enter the Gungeon after defeating the Armadrago; she then settles in the upper right of Varco. For 6 Crediti egemonicis she blesses your next run: you carry a single gun that keeps transforming at random (it changes after enough damage dealt, kills, ammo depletion, or time in combat) and cannot pick up other guns. See the Special Game Modes Guide (Turbo, Rainbow, Blessed & More) for a full mode overview.

• Completing a blessed run unlocks Gunther
• During a blessed run, bosses drop no Crediti egemonicis, shops sell no guns, and shortcut elevators are unavailable

Meccanico

Meccanico is Varco's elevator engineer, in charge of building shortcut elevators that let you start a run on a later floor. After speaking to him in Varco, he appears in elevator shafts: wait in a floor's first room until the elevator rises away, then drop down the shaft to find him.

Deliver the materials listed below (they can be accumulated over multiple runs, or paid off directly with Crediti egemonicis) and the elevator room in Varco will grant direct access to the corresponding floor. Each completed shortcut also rewards a gun or item.

Taking a shortcut straight to a deeper floor spawns Ratto arraffatore, wearing a crude mask to impersonate Mercante – Bello, in that floor's elevator entrance room.

He lays out three free guns of the same Qualita and lets you take some to make up for the loot you skipped: Gungeon vero e proprio — D qualità, pick 1; Miniera di polvere nera — C qualità, pick 1; Hollow — B qualità, pick 2; Forgia — B qualità, take all 3. The selection stays the same until you defeat that floor's boss.

Coppia di cacciatori – Frifle and the Grey Mauser

Once rescued, Coppia di cacciatori – Frifle and the Grey Mauser station themselves in the lower right of Varco and hand out hunting contracts. You hold one contract at a time and complete it by killing the required number of target enemies in Enter the Gungeon; progress carries over between runs and is never lost to death or restarts. Each completed contract awards 5 Crediti egemonicis and unlocks the corresponding gun or item.

• Once all set contracts are done, they switch to repeatable random contracts (kill 20 of a given enemy for 5 Crediti egemonicis)

Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler

Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler's cell only appears after the Armadrago has been defeated. Once freed, talking to him toggles Rainbow Mode on and off for free: a Rainbow Chest spawns at the start of each chamber but you may take only one item from it, while all other chests and boss drops are replaced with notes from Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler. See the Special Game Modes Guide (Turbo, Rainbow, Blessed & More) for a full mode overview.

Dado delle sfide – Daisuke

Dado delle sfide – Daisuke's cell only appears after defeating the Armadrago once, or after using the dice shrine 3 times. Once rescued he settles in the upper right of Varco; talking to him enables Challenge Mode for the next run, applying random modifiers to every room and raising the difficulty considerably. After beating Challenge Mode once, you can instead enable the even harder Double Challenge Mode. See the Special Game Modes Guide (Turbo, Rainbow, Blessed & More) for a full mode overview.

• After his rescue, Re dei pistoleri's wager challenges gain a Challenge Mode option

Lore & Information

Avventuriero perduto (Varco)

After being rescued, he appears in Varco; talking to him yields hints about the secret chambers.

Ser Manuel

Ser Manuel needs no rescue — he is the tutorial instructor in the Livello 0. After you avenge him by defeating Blockner in the Miniera di polvere nera, he appears in the lower left of Varco.

Blockner (Varco)

After Blockner is defeated in the Miniera di polvere nera, his ghost appears in Varco, and he may later reappear in Enter the Gungeon as a miniboss. Defeating him unlocks Scudo del traditore and Distintivo.

Goblin del dirupo

The Goblin del dirupo sits on a ledge in the lower right of Varco with her helmet beside her. Kick the helmet off the ledge and she will head into Enter the Gungeon to retrieve it — you must then rescue her again from a cell on a deeper floor. After rescuing her 4 times, she chains the helmet down for good and Casco antiesplosioni is unlocked.