Recover through health boxes, repair crew or an effect whose trigger you can reach safely. The Count heals by consuming units but stops health boxes from spawning. Vampire Tooth and Vampire Fangs also depend on consuming units; dealing damage with mines or troops is not the same trigger.
Choose a recovery method
| Option | What it does | What to plan around |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters | Restores health over time. | Uses the crew slot; slow recovery needs safe time. |
| The Count | Heals through consuming units. | Health boxes no longer spawn with this captain. |
| Vampire Tooth | 1 health per 10 units consumed. | Route through safely consumable units. |
| Vampire Fangs | 2 health per 10 units consumed. | Damage dealt alone does not meet the condition. |
| Repair Wrench | Offers an upgrade discard for a 25% heal. | Recovery costs an upgrade choice. |
| Professional Tools | 20% more health from repairs. | Improves repairs; it does not create an on-demand repair. |
Pick recovery around the way you travel. A consume-based effect is less useful when every small target is behind a stronger enemy. A repair crew gives up the damage or economy another crew could provide.
What to do when health gets low
- Stop taking another close-range exchange. Turn toward open space before spending your remaining boost.
- If you are using a captain that allows health boxes, look for a reachable box and choose a route that avoids the large enemy’s firing line.
- With a consume-heal effect, approach small consumable targets along a safe path. Do not drive through a dangerous pack just to complete the next healing trigger.
- Let automatic weapons attack during the retreat. Re-enter only when you have room to leave again.
A successful recovery route leaves you with more health after the detour. If the trip costs more than it restores, change the route instead of chasing the next pickup along the same line.
Why are there no health boxes?
Consume-based healing replaces the normal health-box plan for this captain.
Check your captain first. The Count explicitly prevents health boxes from spawning, so searching for them is the wrong recovery plan for that loadout. Follow safe consumable targets and maintain room to steer.
If you are using a different captain, a missed box is not proof of the same rule. Move away from crowded combat and check the run’s modifiers and current game version before rebuilding around an assumed bug.
How to unlock repair crew
Carpenters has a requirement to destroy 100 health boxes overall and a listed price of 800 silver. “Overall” means the task accumulates across runs. Work on the box objective with a captain that allows boxes, then check the unlock screen and reserve the purchase price.
The Count costs 3,000 silver. Buying an expensive captain is a separate decision from acquiring a healing artifact during a run; choose the recovery pattern you can sustain before spending the balance. See silver objectives and spending priorities.
Health capacity is not a recovery loop
Extra maximum health increases the size of the bar. It does not describe a repeatable healing trigger. Likewise, Emergency Boost is a movement effect at low health, while Phoenix Feather is a survival effect on death. Read the actual effect instead of treating every defensive artifact as regeneration.
For melee builds, combine recovery with a clear exit and a nitro reserve. See how to survive between collisions; for ranged alternatives, compare the build cores.