Keeper

Triple shot

 This article is about the playable character. For the monster, see Keeper (Enemy).
**Keeper** is a secret character added in *The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth*.

Keeper is unlocked by donating 1000 coins to the Greed Donation Machine. Keeper starts with 1 Bomb and a triple shot similar to .

* Keeper starts with  after defeating Isaac with Keeper.

* Keeper will start with  after defeating Satan with Keeper.
* Keeper will start with 1 coin pickup after defeating Hush with Keeper.
* Keeper will start with three Coin Hearts instead of two after defeating Hush with Keeper.

* Instead of using coin heart containers to trade for Devil Deal items, they must be bought using coins. One-heart and two-heart deals cost 15 and 30 cents, respectively.
	+ Devil Deals created by  are also paid in coins.
	+ Paying cents for Devil Deals will remove the Angel room appearance chance in the same way when other characters pay with heart containers.

Unlike other characters, Keeper uses coins as health. He starts with two Coin Hearts, loses one every time he is damaged, and heals for one every time he obtains a coin, at the cost of a cent.
All types of hearts are transformed into blue flies. If Keeper loses Coin Heart containers (Health Down, Devil deals, ..), an HP Up will increase his health back up.

## Notes

* This could be quite a tedious character to unlock, because you need to deposit 1000 Coins to the Greed Donation Machine, which takes multiple good runs and good enough luck for the donation machine to not jam/explode too early.
* Keeper cannot have more than 2 Coin Hearts.
* Keeper cannot have more than 3 Coin Hearts. This cap applies even before Hush is defeated.
	+ The only three exceptions to this are , which allows him to have up to  6  7 Coin Hearts, and  and , which allow him to have an additional Coin Heart.
		- Greed's Gullet in combination with  can allow Keeper to reach 12 coin hearts at 600 coins.
			* It is possible to reach 15 coin hearts at 900 coins. Any coin heart container past the max of 12 will appear as an additional row beneath the standard two rows of coin hearts, similar to  Magdalene's .
	+ Theoretically, Keeper could gain limitless coin hearts by generating and smelting Mother's Kiss, as each copy would grant a heart container, eventually bypassing the 12 heart container cap.
	+ If the effect of  is doubled via  or a  Golden Trinket, keeper will also receive an extra coin.
* Keeper always takes one full Coin Heart of damage, which means he cannot have half Coin Hearts.
	+ Because Keeper can usually not have less than one full heart, items such as  and  cannot be activated.
	+ The effect  can allow Keeper to have half Coin Hearts.
		- will now fill one Coin Heart if Keeper would otherwise have no health.
* The amount of blue flies created from each heart depends on the type of heart.
	+ Half Red Hearts are transformed into 1 blue fly.
	+ Full Red Hearts,  Blended Hearts,  Half Soul Hearts, and  Rotten Hearts are transformed into 2 blue flies.
	+ Full Soul Hearts are transformed into 3 blue flies.
	+ Black Hearts, Double Hearts, and  Bone Hearts are transformed into 4 blue flies.
	+ Eternal Hearts are transformed into 5 blue flies.
	+ Gold Hearts are transformed into 6 blue flies.
* Every time Keeper uses a coin to heal himself, that coin is consumed and isn't added to his current coin amount.
	+ Double Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, and  will give their amount minus the healed HP.
	+ Using a Lucky Penny to refill health will not give a coin, but will still give +1 Luck.
	+ can refill Keeper's health at the cost of 1 coin.
	+ allows the chance for Keeper to gain the full value of a coin while healing.
* Coin Hearts are generally treated as Red Hearts, such as in Devil Room/Angel Room chance, Devil deals, Challenge Rooms, Boss Challenge Rooms, and items such as .
	+ Taking a Devil deal costing 2 Red Hearts will kill Keeper.
	+ Getting hit will not lower the chance for a Devil/Angel room to appear.
* If Keeper doesn't have maximum Coin Heart containers, using  will give Keeper an additional Coin Heart that does not disappear upon leaving the room.
* only gives Keeper 0-1 coins per use (instead of 1-3).
* Blood Donation Machine aren't guaranteed to pay Keeper out with a coin.
* only allows Keeper to drop 0-1 pennies when taking damage (instead of 1-2).
	+ Having a partner in True Co-Op mode can get around this, as the Co-Op partner will drop pennies normally (as long as they are not Keeper themselves), giving Keeper a reliable source of health.
* only allows Keeper to drop 0-1 pennies when taking damage (instead of 1).
* Despite having an innate triple shot, Keeper does not start with . Because of this, the item can still spawn.
	+ The Inner Eye grants six shots with a reduced fire rate.
	+ The Inner Eye grants four shots with a reduced fire rate.
* Health Down pills cannot spawn while playing as Keeper.
* In Co-op mode, when Keeper dies, his ghost baby will maintain his innate triple shot.
* In Co-op mode, Keeper will not convert hearts into flies unless he picks up a soul heart or is granted them directly by an item.
* In Co-op mode, Devil Deals will use coins for all players if Keeper is being played.

## Strategy

* As Keeper starts with triple shot, his tear rate is quite low, and this can be troublesome against fast enemies or large groups. Finding Tears Up items/Pills on the early floors will be useful to clear rooms. Items/trinkets increasing the tears' hitbox are also useful as enemies can be hit by two or three tears more easily.
* Due to his 2/3 Coin Heart limit, Keeper can easily die due to fast shooting enemies, and Devil Deals costing 2 Red Hearts will kill him. As all hearts turn into flies, Soul/Black Hearts cannot be found to protect the Keeper's health.
* It is strongly recommended to defeat Isaac as soon as possible so that Keeper has the , which will vastly improve his survivability.
	+ Keeper can take a 2 heart Devil Deal by spawning in a co-op baby, taking the devil deal, then quickly getting rid of the co-op baby, which will leave Keeper with one Coin Heart.
* Leaving a few coins on the ground when clearing a floor makes Keeper able to heal himself in the case where he would take a hit from an enemy.
* Try to bomb as many urns as possible during Chapter 1;  can drop from urns, which is amazing as Keeper (see Good Items).
	+ Urns can also appear in an Angel Room, an Arcade, and the Cathedral.
* In Greed Mode, as coins spawn during waves, Keeper can easily heal himself during each wave by leaving some coins on the ground, even if this will decrease the amount of coins he will be able to collect and spend in the Shop. Ultra Greed attacks make the player lose coins when damaged, which means that Keeper can heal himself as long as he possesses coins.
* Curse Rooms are very risky to enter as Keeper. Entering it through the door will leave you at one Health, which means if you don't find any coins there, it will end your run. Even with the  unlocked, it's not guaranteed that you will leave the Curse Room alive.
	+ After defeating Hush, entering a cursed room and leaving through the door will leave you at one Health, which means if you get hit by an enemy inside the room, it will end your run. The  does make it somewhat less risky, however.
	+ However, it is possible to enter the Curse Room and remain at full health. This is achieved with a coin in the room right next to the Curse Room's door, most easily achieved with Wooden Nickel. The player can then walk into the Curse Room doorframe to take damage, quickly pick up the coin and heal, then walk through the door into the Curse Room while their invincibility frames is still active.
* It is possible to take a 2 Red Heart Devil Deal by using , a Health Up Pill, or  right after paying for the item. This would leave Keeper at 1 health coin (empty if it was recovered using the pill, but he will not be killed), which is quite risky as he would be one hit away from death. However, if the boss item is a normally-useless HP up (, , etc.), it can make even a 2-heart Devil Deal effectively free if you possess a Strength Card and take the boss item after leaving the Devil Room.
* Hold onto any  cards: you will probably be given an item that increases health at some point in your run; before taking it, use your Joker to see if any one-heart devil deals are available.
	+ Keeper's health coins count as Red Hearts for a devil/angel door appearing at all, making Joker Cards, , or  invaluable in getting into devil/angel rooms.
* Pills can be risky to use as the Keeper since many have adverse effects, with many of them able to quickly ruin a run should they happen. Picking up  is recommended before trying any pills.
	+ The Hematemesis pill will reduce your health, but in exchange, spawn many flies.
		- The Hematemesis pill will spawn many coins on the floor, making it very useful for quick health regeneration.
	+ Health Down pills are excluded from the pool while playing as Keeper.
* Co-op babies can be used to exploit a Blood Donation Machine and a Devil Beggar because babies still spawn with a whole heart while Keeper always has a full coin; thus, the baby's health can be replenished by spawning/respawning.
	+ Doesn't work in Chapter 4 and beyond unless Keeper has .
* In fights against Hush and Mega Satan, bring : they will not attack you until you get closer to the center of the room, allowing you to spawn lots of coins from the Slot Machine for healing in the middle of battle.
* The Keeper can utilize the Sacrifice Room much more reliably and efficiently than other characters. To do this, instead of picking up extra dropped coins, leave them all on the floor. When you find a sacrifice room, you can repeatedly step on the spikes for a reward, then go pick up a penny left on the floor. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with your rewards. This process is easier in *Repentance*, as the player can start with 3 coin hearts rather than 2.
* Once unlocked,  is particularly useful for Keeper, since it increases the chances of coins dropping after a room clear in place of hearts. This allows for more opportunities to heal.

### Wooden Nickel

After beating Cathedral with Keeper, he will start with , giving Keeper a source of potential free coins and health.

* It's usually a good idea to use the Wooden Nickel right after entering a room, so that the coin dropped will also work as emergency healing.
* , , , , and  help to further increase the amount of coins produced. Having  will recharge the Wooden Nickel whenever Keeper is hit, allowing him to potentially sustain himself endlessly, as long as the Wooden Nickel pays out. Having  and  increases chances for infinite coins.
* Sacrifice rooms can be used much more with the Wooden Nickel, as the coins gained from it can be spent on them.
* can be used to farm charges infinitely in the room before the boss room or a trap room, as the doors will not automatically open after the normal amount of time. It is easiest if there are any immobile or passive enemies.

### Shops

After beating Sheol with Keeper, he will start with , giving Keeper free access to Shops.

The following shop items are particularly useful for Keeper:

* : Enhances the many blue flies Keeper will naturally produce.
* : Any orbital familiars are important to protect the Keeper's low health, so increasing their size is always good.
* : Drops 0-1 coins with Keeper instead of 1-2, but still provides increased survivability.
	+ In Co-Op, a player not using Keeper can take the Piggy Bank instead for its full benefit and thus supply Keeper with coins when necessary.
* : Can drop , and makes Swallowed Penny drop two coins instead of one, resulting in infinite money.
	+ While this no longer results in infinite money, having a Swallowed Penny that's twice as effective will drastically increase survivability.
* Any Battery type items (see above)
* takes only one HP on use.

## Item Interactions

* : Raises Keeper's HP cap by 1.
* : Applies to the Devil Deals.

### Good Items

* Because of Keeper's slow rate of fire, any Tears Up items are a boon to him. His tears stat can be raised higher than the normal Inner Eye cap with enough Tears Up. This is because his low Tears stat is separate from his triple shot effect, allowing him to hit the standard Tears levels while having triple shots.
* Flight is useful in general, and it also lets Keeper enter Curse Rooms with less risk.
* Before Hush is defeated, any health increasing items will grant him a 3rd coin heart, greatly increasing his survivability. Once Hush is defeated this no longer applies, as he will start with a 3rd coin heart from the beginning of the run from then on, although these items can still heal Keeper if he is missing health.
* Since every heart is changed into flies, items that give extra Heart drops like , , , , , , , or  become great sources to generate flies. Having  also helps Keeper deal extra damage to enemies.
* /: Allows Keeper to trade all of his health coins in Devil deals, reviving him with 1 health coin for Dead Cat and 0 health coins and 1/2 soul heart for 1up. Keeper can later regain lost health coins with health up items.
* : Causes Keeper to shoot 5 tears in an arc, without decreasing his fire rate.
	+ grants a similar effect to , giving Keeper a massive Tears Up in exchange for a Damage Down.
* : Has good synergies with money-dropping items. Since coins need to complete its animation before you can collect it, the extra invincibility frames give you a bigger window of opportunity to pick them up.
* : Picking this item up will give a one-time +0.5 tears up ( +0.4 fire rate) and 24 Blue Flies without removing any health. This bonus is retained even if the item is later lost or rerolled.
* : Allows him to fire  12  15 tears without an increase in tear delay.
* : Charm of the Vampire works with Coin Hearts, therefore providing a consistent source of healing.
* : Very useful with the Wooden Nickel, as using it at the start of any room or beforehand will grant a hefty boost to most stats.
* /: Can be used to take Devil Deal items without spending any hearts/ coins.
* : Since Glass Cannon can never reduce Isaac's health to 0 it works well in early game with Keeper for killing bosses and large groups of fast enemies, especially when holding  or . It's also useful for speeding up the run when the player's goal is Boss Rush or Blue Womb.
* : Allows Keeper's health to extend past  2  3 or 4 coins with , which is normally impossible.  DO NOT pick up Dead Cat if you have all available health points using Greed's Gullet. This will instantly kill you, and when you are brought back by the Dead Cat, you will have only 1 hit point which you can no longer increase.
* : Very useful since enemies will drop coins when hit, which will help Keeper stay alive.
	+ When combined with , it practically guarantees a steady stream of coin drops. This makes the Keeper effectively immortal as long as he keeps collecting those coins.
* : Allows Keeper to enter and leave Curse Rooms with less risk.
* /: Cause Keeper's fire rate to drop considerably, but he shoots 6/7 tears in an arc, allowing for greater damage output.
	+ will shoot 5 tears with reduced fire rate.
	+ now shoots 4 tears with a reduced fire rate.
* : Can allow Keeper to get coins from rocks as long as he has bombs.
* : Will activate every time Keeper is at one coin Heart, making it an effective replacement to 's  effect.
* : Can be used to drop multiple coins in a potentially harder room or boss fight.
* : Hearts spawned will immediately change to blue flies, giving you both the fly and the other pickup.
* : Works differently with Keeper and doesn't drop coins every time he takes damage. Still, it allows him to sometimes recover from a hit for free.  The same is true for .
* : Similarly, to Lucky Rock, allows for Keeper to acquire coins (and flies) from poops.
* : Regeneration effect affects the health coins just like regular red hearts and will allow the Keeper to regenerate 1 health coin every minute. As Keeper does not benefit from items that trigger at half a red heart, this item has no downsides.
* : Can be used to generate coins to heal Keeper during extended fights and in some cases might be better than  when money is not a concern.
* : Explosions heal Keeper for a full coin heart. Combined with bomb items such as , , ,  renders Keeper almost unkillable.
* Items that restore red hearts directly such as  and  will heal Keeper.
* : Is very powerful as Keeper will always be able to heal himself after taking a hit. This can also grant unlimited money since this will sometimes drop a nickel or a dime.  However, invincibility after taking damage does not last long enough to pick up the money without risk of death.
	+ The coin dropped on hit can be picked up before Keeper's invincibility frames end, making Swallowed Penny even better for him.
	+ If Keeper takes damage from entering a Curse Room, the coin will be dropped on the outside and can't be used to heal before leaving.
		- However, if one quickly enters, exits to collect the coin, and re-enters the room before the invulnerability period ends, the Swallowed Penny allows the Curse Room to be traversed with no net loss in life. Just be wary that there may be enemies in the curse room that would lock the door and prevent the player from leaving and collecting the coin outside the curse room.
	+ Obtaining Swallowed Penny means you can play the Blood Donation Machine, Devil Beggar and Sacrifice Room practically for free until they pay out since each time you donate a coin to them, you get a coin back.
		- You are no longer guaranteed to get a coin back.
* : Synergizes well with Keeper's triple shot.
* : Will make all 3 of Keeper's tears travel along the beam, hitting a single target all at the same time and effectively increasing damage output.

### Bad Items

* Health Ups are useless when Keeper has maximum health (2/3 health coins). They still heal him if he has unfilled health coins.
	+ This does not apply if Keeper has yet to defeat Hush, as they can grant him a 3rd coin heart until that point.
* It is not recommended to take  or , as they will pick up coins off the ground that could have been used as health.
* Taking  will instantly kill Keeper, since it takes away all red health and Keeper cannot make use of the Black Hearts given. Amusingly, it will spawn a lot of flies in the process.
	+ Taking  will not kill Keeper as in previous versions, but it will reduce his health to one Coin Heart.
* will remove a health coin and spawn 9 blue flies.  Removing all health coins with Guppy's Paw will not kill the Keeper immediately, but he will die upon picking up an item.
	+ Removing all health coins will kill the Keeper.
* , , , , , and  will not provide Keeper any benefit, as all heart pickups turn into flies.
* does nothing for Keeper and will not grant 5 blue flies when traveling to the next floor, like it would if an Eternal Heart spawned.
* will take a dangerously long time to charge, giving it terrible usability.
* ,  ( though the damage up still applies),  or  cannot be triggered by the Keeper since he can't have half a heart of health.  An exception is after being revived by , which is a bug.
* and  have no effect, as Coin Hearts cannot be Half Red Hearts.
* can only be charged with items that directly give Soul Hearts to the player, as Soul Hearts spawned on the ground will be converted into blue flies.
* is completely useless with Keeper. It won't decrease 30 Cent devil deals to 15 Cents, and does not have any other effect.
* will remove one coin heart and replace it by a broken heart upon pickup.

## Unlockable Achievements

* Sticky Nickels - Complete the Boss Rush as  **Keeper**.

* Super Greed Baby - Defeat Mom's Heart on Hard mode as  **Keeper**.

* **Keeper holds Store Key** - Defeat Satan as  **Keeper**.

* **Keeper holds Wooden Nickel** - Defeat Isaac as  **Keeper**.

* Karma - Defeat The Lamb as  **Keeper**.

* Deep Pockets - Defeat ??? as  **Keeper**.

* Rib of Greed - Defeat Ultra Greed as  **Keeper**.

* Eye of Greed - Defeat Ultra Greedier as  **Keeper**.

* **Keeper now holds... A Penny!** - Defeat Hush as  **Keeper**.

* Noose Baby - Defeat Mega Satan as  **Keeper**.

* Crooked Penny - Defeat Delirium as  **Keeper**.

* Keeper's Sack - Defeat Mother as  **Keeper**.

* Keeper's Box - Defeat The Beast as  **Keeper**.

* The Miser - Use  (etc.) to open the hidden closet in Home as  **Keeper**.

* Sale Baby - Earn all Hard mode Completion Marks as  **Keeper**.

## Unlockable Starting Items

* Defeat Isaac as  **Keeper** - Start with
* Defeat Satan as  **Keeper** - Start with
* Defeat Hush as  **Keeper** - Start with 1 coin
* Defeat Hush as  **Keeper** - Start with 3  Coin Hearts (instead of 2)

## Trivia

* Keeper was publicly revealed to players through an alternate reality game created by the developers; however, files alluding to Keeper's existence already were found after the initial release of *Afterbirth*. With the conclusion of the ARG, a patch was released to fully add Keeper to the game as a playable character.
* In the game's files, there is a character called "Old Man Keeper", which was most likely meant to be the 2nd Afterbirth character instead of Keeper. However, he was replaced with this Keeper. This sprite is used for April Fool's Day's daily run since 2016, as Keeper's sprite is changed to this sprite for the day.
* Keeper's starting health is listed as "II" on the character selection screen, despite having no red hearts. This is unique among such characters, whose health is usually listed as "-I" or "?".
	+ The starting health will become "III" after defeating Hush with him.
* The Keeper was created for the sake of being "another challenge character" for this game (the other character is  The Lost).
* As a secret character, Keeper does not appear on the character select screen until unlocked.
	+ He shares this trait with  ???,  The Lost, and  The Forgotten.
* Edmund has confirmed that Keeper (and by extension, Shopkeepers) is a mummified version of Isaac from previous runs.

## Gallery

* Keeper Isaac in Ending 18.
* Keeper's transition screen portrait.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/edmundmcmillen/status/1568484195252731904