Mad King Redemption Forbidden Actions: Costs, Risks and Tips

What Are Forbidden Actions in Mad King Redemption?

Mad King Redemption forbidden actions are the game's self-damaging offensive option: you trigger a forbidden power, it fires off a strong effect, and it costs you health on top of whatever the enemies are doing to you. There's a dedicated button for it, separate from your normal attack, throw, special, and parry.

If you're building a hero around these powers, the practical questions are always the same: what does each one cost, how do you reduce that cost, and when is pressing the button actually worth it? This guide answers those questions using what's known about the demo build and what shipped in the August 2026 Early Access update, so you can make Mad King Redemption forbidden actions work for your run instead of against it.

How Forbidden Powers Work in Combat

In the demo, Mad King Redemption forbidden actions are bound to the right bumper on a gamepad, sitting alongside a standard attack, a throwable, a parry button, and a special move on the left bumper. That gives you a full toolkit, with forbidden powers occupying their own dedicated slot rather than replacing any of your core moves.

The key mechanic is self-damage. Two starting-style powers have identical costs:

Forbidden Power	Reported earlier-demo effect	Self-Damage
Crack and Slash	Dark tentacle erupts immediately in a straight line	12
Trick Fall	Shoots a deadly ring of spike balls around you	12

Both listed 12 self-damage per use, and the player noted no difference between them in that regard. That flat number is the core constraint you're building around: every press has a fixed health cost attached, and the upgrade system exists to chip that cost down.

You can reroll forbidden powers. In the August 2026 Early Access update, the Mad King himself lets you pay gold to reroll Forbidden powers, with the cost starting at 25 gold and doubling with each use in the same room. That's a reason to reroll early in a room, while the price is still low, rather than after you've already paid for two rerolls.

Plan your forbidden press in advance: decide which enemy cluster or which moment in the fight justifies the health cost before you're in it, so you aren't deciding mid-swing.

Key bindings at a glance

The earlier demo’s reported controller layout is approximately:

Action	Button
Jump	A
Attack	X
Throw	Y
Special	Left bumper
Forbidden attack	Right bumper
Parry	Separate parry button

The same player admitted parrying was going to be a weak point and later found the parry "didn't seem particularly good" in the demo build. Take that as a caution: if your parry timing is shaky, lean on ranged positioning and forbidden bursts, and remember that the player reported being unable to parry a thrown weapon in that demo.

Reducing Self-Damage: The Upgrade That Changes Everything

The most important line item for anyone using Mad King Redemption forbidden actions is a Brotherhood shop upgrade that directly reduces their cost. In the shop:

Upgrade	Effect
Self-damage reduction	All forbidden attacks lose 2 HP of self-damage per stack, cumulative
Incoming damage reduction	All incoming damage reduced by 10% per stack
Special cooldown	Reduce special attack cooldown by 2 seconds
Dash attack damage	+5 dash attack damage
Jump attack damage	Increases jump attack damage
Movement speed	Faster movement
Stamina brew	Stamina-related upgrade
Flinger star	Star-throwing upgrade

The self-damage reduction is the one that interacts directly with forbidden actions. The shop describes it as 2 HP per stack, cumulative, so each purchase shaves a little more off every forbidden press. If you're using forbidden powers often, check that upgrade early in your shop visits and decide whether the reduction fits your build before you spend on other categories.

How to think about a forbidden-heavy build

Consideration	What to expect	Practical takeaway
Self-damage per use	12 HP on both observed powers	Fewer, better-timed presses
Upgrade effect	−2 HP self-damage per stack, cumulative	Check it every shop visit
Reroll cost	Starts at 25 gold, doubles per use in the room	Reroll early in a room
Armor vs. health	Player noted armor can be depleted while health stays full	Watch armor, not just health
Arena hazards	Falling off the stage killed the player instantly	Avoid forbidden presses near ledges

Where Forbidden Powers Fit in a Run

The August 2026 Early Access update reshaped progression in a big way for Mad King Redemption forbidden actions. The Unlock Panel is now live, and it tracks progression for skins, Forbidden powers, passives, and more. You unlock them by completing objectives across runs, and Seraphina's archive lets you check what you've earned and what's still waiting.

That's a meaningful shift for forbidden actions specifically. They're no longer purely a shop-bought or pickup-driven choice — there's now a permanent unlock track that rewards repeat runs. The update also added relics as a collectible track, Brotherhood quests with new lore dialogue, and dungeon minions including worms, eyes, books, kamikaze bugs, and nests, some of which burst out of destructibles.

More minions means more chances to get surrounded while your forbidden power is on cooldown or your armor is already worn down. Keep the forbidden press for the moment a swarm actually commits to you, rather than firing it the instant one enemy walks on screen.

A practical checklist before you press the button

• Check your current armor and health — armor can absorb hits while health stays full
• Confirm you have room to back off after the animation ends
• Save the forbidden burst for clusters, not single stragglers
• Reroll at the Mad King early in a room while rerolls still cost 25 gold
• Avoid forbidden powers that require you to stand still when enemies throw weapons — you can't parry a thrown weapon

Common Mistakes With Forbidden Actions

The single biggest trap with Mad King Redemption forbidden actions is treating forbidden powers like a normal attack button. They are not. Arena hazards helped end one demo run in 13 minutes on the first attempt and just 5 minutes on the second. Watch your footing — falling off the stage kills you instantly, and the game doesn't restore you with reduced health the way classic brawlers sometimes do.

If you're at low health and you press a forbidden power near a ledge or a pit, you've removed your own safety margin twice over.

You may encounter audio balance issues — menu music drowning out dialogue, and voice audio tied to the effects slider rather than having its own channel. That matters for gameplay because you rely on audio cues to know when an enemy is winding up an attack. If you can't hear the tell, you can't time your parry or your forbidden punish.

Lower the music slider specifically rather than dropping master volume, so enemy audio cues stay audible while the soundtrack sits in the background.

Risk comparison: forbidden action vs. standard options

Option	Damage Profile	Cost	Typical Use
Standard attack (X)	Chains for more damage on combo	Free	Default offense
Special (left bumper)	Stronger, on cooldown	Cooldown	Sustained fights
Throwable (Y)	Ranged	Consumable	Safe pokes
Forbidden attack (right bumper)	High burst	Self-damage (12 base)	Clustered enemies, emergency clears
Parry	Stun on perfect timing	Timing risk	High-value counters

Rerolls, Relics, and Long-Term Progression

Mad King rerolls are one of the more interesting additions for Mad King Redemption forbidden actions. Per the official Early Access patch notes, you pay gold at the Mad King to reroll Forbidden powers, starting at 25 gold and doubling each use in the room. If your first roll gives you a power that doesn't fit your build — say, a spike-ball ring when you're playing a close-range bruiser — eating one 25-gold reroll is usually cheaper than dying to a power you never use.

Relics add another layer. The patch notes describe relics as a collectible track with their own tab in Seraphina's UI, alongside new Brotherhood quests, story beats, and lore dialogues across the hub and biomes. Clearing major biomes changes the hub itself, with new Brotherhood scenes and voice-over tied to your progress.

The patch notes also included a save-file PSA worth repeating: with that update, certain save data and current progress were lost due to the new quests, features, and progression systems, while gold was preserved. Only story progression and unlocks were reset. If you're returning after a long break, don't be alarmed if your unlock list looks emptier than you remember.

For current pricing and Early Access status, check the official Mad King Redemption Steam page.

FAQ

Do forbidden actions always damage you in Mad King Redemption?

Yes — in the earlier demo, Mad King Redemption forbidden actions displayed a self-damage value per use, with Crack and Slash and Trick Fall both showing 12 self-damage. The Brotherhood shop offers cumulative self-damage reduction upgrades that lower that number by 2 HP per stack.

How do I unlock more forbidden powers?

The August 2026 Early Access update announced that the Unlock Panel tracks progression for skins, Forbidden powers, passives, and more, and you unlock them by completing objectives across runs. Seraphina's archive shows what you've earned and what's still locked.

Can I reroll forbidden powers?

Yes. The official patch notes state you can pay gold at the Mad King to reroll Forbidden powers, with the cost starting at 25 gold and doubling each use in that room. Reroll early in a room if the first roll doesn't fit your build.

Are forbidden actions worth using if my parry timing is bad?

They can be, since they don't depend on timing an enemy attack. An early demo player found parrying unreliable and reported being unable to parry thrown weapons — so a forbidden burst used from a safe distance is often a more dependable answer than a risky parry.