Best way to Defeat Delirium as Jacob & Esau

Hello, fellow gamers! As someone who thought I was going to struggle with Jacob & Esau for a long time but managed to defeat Blue Baby and Delirium after a lot of trial and error, I wanted to share the strategy that worked for me.

This strategy helped me unlock Birthright, The Stairway, and Suplex!, as well as defeat Blue Baby and Delirium. I even defeated Delirium on my very first Jacob & Esau attempt against him.

My first-ever Delirium victory with Jacob & Esau, along with the unlocks earned.

When I was looking online, I couldn't find a guide that explained this approach, and since Jacob & Esau have some of the best unlocks in the game (such as Birthright and The Stairway), I'm here to explain how I did it and how Jacob & Esau can become one of the most enjoyable characters in the game.

The only thing you need on the first floor is a usable upgrade and a key. Beat the first boss as usual, then you need to take the Alt Path and go to Downpour. Don't worry about getting a good item early in the game—you will usually get one later during the run.

If you get any HP Up items or Soul/Black Hearts, give them to Esau. During the early game, try to give all damage and tears upgrades to Esau, since having one character with high damage early on makes the run much easier.

If you have spare red hearts, use Jacob to enter Curse Rooms. If you have 6 or more hearts and find a Sacrifice Room, try sacrificing as many hearts as you can. It has a chance to teleport you to an Angel or Devil Room and can also reward you with an Angel Room item.

If you manage to use the Sacrifice Room 11 times, there is a 50% chance to receive 7 Soul Hearts, which can carry you through the early game and even the rest of the run.

The first thing you should do in Downpour is search for the Treasure Room. After finding it, you need to align the characters precisely so they can both pick up the two Treasure Room items at the same time.

Correct positioning to collect both Treasure Room items at once.

I suggest giving all familiars to Esau so he can reach the Conjoined transformation later.

After collecting the Treasure Room items, try to keep at least 15 coins whenever possible and always check the Shop for items such as "There's Options" or anything that helps one of your characters achieve a transformation.

There's Options is an S-tier item for Jacob & Esau because it lets each character take one of the two Boss Room items, just like they can in Treasure Rooms on the Alt Path.

Also, whenever you find HP Up items, try to keep both characters' health balanced.

After defeating the boss, do NOT enter Devil Rooms. Instead, always aim for Angel Rooms.

Angel Rooms have a chance to give you two items, just like the Treasure Rooms, meaning each character gets an Angel item.

If you want to fight Mega Satan, don't be like me—I always forget to bomb the Angel Statue =)

Before leaving Downpour, make sure you have at least two bombs.

After completing Downpour, continue to the Mines.

Repeat the same strategy in the Mines, but from this point onward, try to balance the damage, tears, and range between Jacob and Esau.

Jacob starts with +1 Luck while Esau starts with -1 Luck, so you should give all Luck Up items and luck-based upgrades to Jacob, such as Little Horn, Apple!, and Tough Love.

One of the biggest keys to winning is getting as many transformations as possible for both characters. For example, give Conjoined to Esau while giving Spun to Jacob.

Continue your run to Mausoleum.

From here, simply continue the strategy.

Aim for Angel Rooms, keep checking Shops for powerful items, and always pick up both Treasure Room upgrades whenever possible.

Also, don't forget to save enough keys for the Dark Room or the Chest.

At this point, you should have a very strong run. With patience and this strategy, beating Delirium becomes much more manageable.

Stay calm and keep both characters aligned as much as possible. Don't panic when Delirium teleports around the room. Avoid separating Jacob and Esau, since a larger gap between them makes dodging much harder.

Remember that surviving is more important than maximizing damage. A patient fight is usually a winning fight.

Finally, remember that staying calm is one of the most important parts of succeeding with Jacob & Esau.

This was my first Steam guide, so I hope it helps you with your future runs. If you have any suggestions or improvements, feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to make this guide even better.

Good luck!