Added during the move from Flash game to the full release of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the astrological sign items are some neat, themed passive upgrades that poor Isaac can encounter and pick up during his dangerous jaunts through the basement. They are also quite a bit less bizarre than some of the other elements of this game. 

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While players may see them regularly these days after so many DLC releases, including the long-awaited Repentance pack, some of the astrological signs are still incredibly powerful items that will bless any run. On the other hand... some of these signs are somewhat less-than-useful and it can be frustrating to see them take the place of other potentially run-changing items.

12 Aquarius

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Aquarius

Apologies to all the Aquariuses out there, but The Binding of Isaac did not do the sign justice when it comes to the balance of power. Aquarius causes a trail of caustic tears to follow behind Isaac, which will cause a very low amount of damage to any enemies that walk upon it.

While this item can be slightly useful at the beginning of a run, it is rather weak against the bulkier enemies of the lower floors, and it is utterly useless against any of the many flying enemies.

11 Taurus

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Taurus

Taurus is one of the more variably useful signs in the game, but it may also be an overall downgrade for players who value their time.

While Taurus grants players a climbing speed effect culminating in a powerful invincibility effect once per room, it's also a significant overall speed decrease, which makes backtracking a pain.

10 Pisces

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Cancer

Pisces is another mixed bag when it comes to how useful a player will perceive it to be. While the bonus to fire rate is a powerful one that any build will appreciate, Pisces does also come with added knockback to every tear.

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While knockback is nice against the enemies who follow Isaac relentlessly hoping to do contact damage, it can be downright painful when fighting enemies who fly or dodge a lot anyway, making it tough to aim.

9 Aries

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Aries

Speed bonuses are usually very appreciated and Aries does grant Isaac a cool set of horns, but it's also just a little bit underwhelming compared to some of the better astrological signs that could have turned up in its place.

With enough speed built up, Aries allows Isaac to ram into enemies to deal damage, and with the Repentance DLC, Isaac doesn't even take a hit from these strikes anymore, which is fantastic. The problem is that once the ram is over, it's quite likely that Isaac is surrounded by enemies and totally vulnerable to attack.

8 Gemini

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Gemini

Taking the twin theming seriously, Gemini attaches a tiny twin to Isaac which will angrily chase after close enemies and deal a decent amount of damage. While its range is short, Gemini can be useful for picking off surprising enemies that get close to Isaac or compound his damage on builds that encourage staying in close range, such as with Mom's Knife.

Notably, the design of the twin is lifted directly from the Gemini boss fight, so the ferocious anger with which it attacks enemies seems justified. That thing is mean.

7 Leo

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Leo

Adorable lion mane aside, Leo is quite a useful utility item that can be a huge boon to Isaac if it is taken at the beginning of a run. Leo allows the player to break obstacles simply by walking into them. This includes rocks that may block the player from picking up collectables or rocks that contain Soul Hearts.

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Caution must be exercised, however, as Leo will also break open skulls that conceal enemies, or mushrooms that explode and hurt the player.

6 Cancer

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Cancer

Veteran players will be aware of the trinket that shares this item's name's status as one of the best offensive trinkets in the game. The astrological sign Cancer, however, is a purely defensive item.

Granting three Soul Hearts and a lovely damage resistance effect much like The Wafer's whenever Isaac is hit once, Cancer is a great item to pick up at any point and can save the player's run on the tougher lower floors where damage resistance is king.

5 Scorpio

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Scorpio

Mimicking the deadly scorpions, Scorpio grants Isaac poisonous tears which deal rather a large amount of damage whenever an enemy is afflicted. This poison is potent and only lasts a short time, so Isaac can rack up kills simply by making sure he lands a shot every now and then.

As the poison damage scales directly with Isaac's damage stat, this item synergizes really well with items like Polyphemus or Proptosis and is a surefire recipe for success.

4 Sagittarius

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Sagittarius

Very simply, Sagittarius is nothing but a pair of nice boons. As befitting the mighty centaur this item grants Isaac piercing shots and a decent boost to his speed, two buffs that those addicted to the game will be very familiar with.

There is really not much to say about Sagittarius other than it's basically always worth picking up because both of its effects are powerful and highly desired. Piercing shots are especially great, as they allow for every one of Isaac's tears to deal damage to every enemy chasing him — and in some rooms, this is a lifesaver.

3 Virgo

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Virgo

Virgo is another defensive item and can be crucial to building up momentum for a successful run. Firstly, Virgo gives Isaac a chance of triggering a period of invincibility whenever he takes damage. Notably, this can be used to abuse Dark Bums and Blood Donation Machines to fish for a big payout.

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Secondly, Virgo has the great ability to convert all negative pills into positive pills, rather like PhD and Luck Foot. With Repentance rebalancing the game to add more stat pills into the pool, players can look forward to massively inflated stats if they manage to pick up a lot of pills.

2 Libra

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Libra

Libra is a very tough item to rank as it can be amazing or flat-out awful depending on when a player gets it and what other items they pick up during their run. The reason for this is that Libra attempts to balance all of the player's stats — damage, range, speed and rate of fire.

If a player picks up a damage-increasing item, they will instead gain a smaller increase to all four stats. This works the same for stat decreases. How much a player values Libra is wholly down to what items they pick up and if they value the changes that the item will make. For example, while Brimstone users will be able to fire more often, the beam will do less damage. Players have to wonder if the decide is worth it.

1 Capricorn

The Binding Of Isaac Item Pedestal Capricorn

It is quite difficult to argue with the power of an 'All Stats Up' item. Magic Mushroom and SMB Super Fan are highly desirable because of such effects, and Capricorn is no different.

While quite a few of the astrological signs are situational and some even downright unappealing, Capricorn is always a safe bet because it increases the player's survivability and offensive output in tandem. It is an evergreen upgrade.

NEXT: The Binding Of Isaac: 10 Of The Most Powerful Items Added In Repentance