10 Best Vin Moments From The Mistborn Books, Ranked

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn books have many strengths, and the original trilogy’s main character — Vin — is one of the biggest reasons to read the series. Although Kelsier seems like the most powerful and iconic character when The Final Empire opens, Vin is very clearly the series’ lead. And with her mentor’s help, she winds up becoming one of the most powerful characters in the Mistborn series. Naturally, this leads to many fantastic moments from her.

10 Vin Headbutting An Assassin While Burning Pewter

The Well Of Ascension

Although Vin has many large displays of power, some of her smaller moments from the Mistborn books emphasize her strength just as well. This is true of one scene in The Well of Ascension, which sees Vin saving Elend from an assassin. She struggles against her opponent, and she ultimately wins the fight by burning Pewter and headbutting the Misting.

This is one of the most gruesome scenes in the Mistborn books, but it highlights just how deadly Vin can be. It also causes a bit of inner turmoil for her, as she’s afraid of being viewed as a monster. Vin’s response to this moment proves that she puts thought into using her powers and tries to do so responsibly. That may not always work for her, but it still makes her a compelling character. This scene is great for establishing who she is, even if it doesn’t compare to her bigger, more impactful moments.

9 Killing Straff Venture

The Well Of Ascension

Straff Venture is one of Mistborn‘s least likable villains, and his demise would have been satisfying no matter how it happened. However, the fact that Vin is the one to kill Elend’s father feels right. She’s one of the few people Lord Venture actually fears, and he spends much of The Well of Ascension attempting to dispose of her. He’s correct to be afraid of Vin, and his final moments in the second Mistborn book prove it. Reading as Straff becomes increasingly distressed, with Koloss and soldiers approaching his camp, is undeniably gratifying.

And Vin makes quick work of Straff, eliminating one of the biggest threats to Luthadel’s new leadership. Although she isn’t actually the Hero of Ages, Vin changes the direction of Mistborn‘s world in these moments — and she follows her deadly blow by declaring Elend the ruler of the Final Empire. This is a powerful scene in The Well of Ascension, and it reveals just how much someone with Vin’s strength can sway battles and political outcomes. It all happens too fast to rank higher, but it’s a great scene nonetheless.

8 Vin Protecting Elend When He Came Back For Her

The Final Empire

One of the sweetest moments in the original Mistborn trilogy sees Elend attempting to save Vin during the uprising against the Lord Ruler. Elend and his men are no match for the Lord Ruler’s soldiers, but Vin is pleasantly surprised that he comes back to save her. She rushes to save Elend, revealing that she’s a Mistborn and taking out the enemy in rapid succession. It’s an epic moment for her, and it’s made all the better by the fact that she takes down the Lord Ruler’s soldiers in her undergarments.

This Mistborn moment isn’t just another awesome display of power from Vin, though it does serve as a reminder of how strong she is after ingesting metal. This scene also marks a turning point for her ability to trust others and her relationship with Elend. That makes it doubly exciting, even if it doesn’t elevate it enough to rank alongside Vin’s more impactful moments in the later Mistborn books. This is a huge scene for her, but it doesn’t affect the world in the same way her greatest acts do.

7 “We Aren’t Invincible, Remember?”

The Final Empire

Another one of Vin’s small but powerful moments in the Mistborn books takes place towards the end of The Final Empire, after Vin and Kelsier drag Pewter in order to reach their armies before the Lord Ruler’s soldiers. They don’t succeed, and the two stumble upon what’s left of their forces on the battlefield. Kelsier wants to rush in recklessly, but Vin convinces him not to. After weakening themselves, she knows they won’t be able to make a difference. “We’re not invincible, remember?” she tells him, calling back to one of their previous conversations.

This scene from The Final Empire highlights how Vin differs from Kelsier — and hints that some of her strengths set her up to surpass him. Although Vin has her own impulsive moments in later books, she knows when to concede a battle. She also understands that the revolution still needs Kelsier, and sacrificing himself for a lost cause won’t be worthwhile. This scene is memorable because it’s bleak and tragic, but it also showcases Vin’s sharp perception and wisdom.

6 Vin & Zane’s Attack On Keep Hasting

The Well Of Ascension

Vin’s action scenes make up many of her greatest moments in Mistborn, and some of these get surprisingly dark. One of Vin’s darkest scenes in the Mistborn books arrives during The Well of Ascension, when Zane persuades her to attack Keep Hasting. Vin and Zane are about equal in terms of powers, and the two Mistborn make an epic display of power when they take out the majority of Lord Hasting’s soldiers with ease. It’s a bloody, action-packed scene to read, and that’s not the only reason it lands among Vin’s best moments.

The massacre at Keep Hasting is uncharacteristic of Vin, and this is precisely why it’s so memorable. It offers a glimpse of what she could have been had she followed Kelsier’s path rather than her own. It also presents her with a choice — and despite how impulsive her actions are, she makes the right one. Realizing that he isn’t a Mistborn, Vin decides not to kill Cett. She ultimately rejects the path of needless violence, even though she initially gives into it. It shows an intriguing duality, but it isn’t enough to land among her five best (and most heroic) moments.

5 Vin Freeing Ruin At The Well Of Ascension

The Well Of Ascension

Vin makes another choice at the end of The Well of Ascension, and it’s so honorable that it has to land among her five best moments in the Mistborn trilogy. When Vin reaches the Well of Ascension, Elend is stabbed by the mysterious mist spirit. She can save him from his fatal wound by taking the Well’s power of creation for herself. However, despite Vin’s love for Elend, she chooses to let the power go — a well-intended decision she believes will save the Final Empire.

Vin later realizes she’s freed Ruin, the godly villain of the original Mistborn trilogy. Still, her intentions are entirely pure as she gives up Elend for the greater good. She proves how selfless she is in this moment, even if she inadvertently creates a bigger mess to clean up in The Hero of Ages. Fortunately, Elend still manages to come back from his wound by snapping and becoming a Mistborn. But Vin’s sacrifice makes this one of her best moments, even if it doesn’t compare to the scenes that show her heroism and physical prowess all at once.

4 Vin Winning Her Final Fight Against Zane

The Well Of Ascension

The Well of Ascension is full of epic Vin moments, and her final fight with Zane is easily one of the top five. Vin and Zane spend much of the second Mistborn novel sparring, but things turn deadly when Vin refuses to leave Luthadel with Zane. When she chooses Elend over his half-brother, the latter lashes out with fatal force. This leads to an epic confrontation between two Mistborn who are nearly matched in terms of power. And with Zane possessing atium and Vin lacking the metal, the odds are stacked against her. In fact, Vin nearly dies during this fight.

Fortunately, Vin’s quick thinking and compassion are able to ensure she comes out on top against Zane. Zane’s Kandra, TenSoon, betrays his master in order to help Vin. This is because she treats him as an equal throughout The Well of Ascension, believing he’s still Oreseur and on their side. Her goodwill doesn’t go unnoticed, and it ultimately saves her. Of course, Vin’s ability to use her wits in a fight also plays a large role in defeating Zane. This fight highlights Vin’s strengths in a big way, but it doesn’t match her top three action sequences in terms of impact.

3 Vin’s Return To Luthadel During The Koloss Invasion

The Well Of Ascension

One of Vin’s best entrances in the entire Mistborn trilogy takes place during the Koloss attack on Luthadel in The Well of Ascension. Sazed and the other crew members send Vin, Elend, and Spook away to save them — but Vin realizes what they’ve done and returns to the city to save her friends. The image of Vin leaping from the Wall and into the army of Koloss is one of the most iconic of all the Mistborn books. And the fact that she uses her Allomancy to take down so many Koloss is truly impressive.

Vin even fights the Koloss with their own huge swords, creating another great image for readers. She eventually realizes she’s able to control them, too, turning the tables of this fight and saving Luthadel as a result. Vin truly makes a difference at the end of The Well of Ascension, and it’s because she’s daring enough to return and die alongside her friends. This scene highlights Vin’s bravery and loyalty, but it doesn’t surpass her demonstrations of courage in The Final Empire and The Hero of Ages.

2 Vin Realizing The Lord Ruler’s Identity (& Defeating Him)

The Final Empire

The ending of each book in the Mistborn trilogy features an epic and heroic confrontation between Vin and a central threat. Her fight with the Koloss may depict her skilled use of Allomancy, but her encounter with the Lord Ruler in The Final Empire is arguably a bigger deal. For one, Vin believes she’s marching to her death when she confronts the first book’s villain. She’s still new to fighting and Allomancy, and she takes on a man whose powers are rumored to be similar to a god’s.

Vin soon realizes who the Lord Ruler is and why he’s so strong, and her quick thinking saves her. It also allows her to defeat a tyrant, bringing change to the Final Empire at long last. Vin accomplishes what so many others couldn’t — not even Kelsier, who was far more practiced in terms of combat and Allomancy. Vin’s feats at the end of The Final Empire are ultimately what bring change to her world, even if the problems don’t end with the Lord Ruler’s defeat. And the battle itself is epic, though it doesn’t quite compare to Vin becoming a god.

1 Vin Ascending To Become Preservation & Defeat Ruin

The Hero Of Ages

While so many of Vin’s best moments take place in The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension, her most amazing display of power unfolds at the end of The Hero of Ages. After fighting Marsh and having her earring ripped out of her, Vin ascends to become Preservation, the opposing god to the villain Ruin. This gives her unthinkable power, and she uses it to wipe out multiple Inquisitors and tear down Kredik Shaw. Doing these things showcases that Vin and her friends have successfully created a new empire, even if they won’t be around to see it.

And Vin does die after her fight with Ruin, but her confrontation with the other god is on an all-new level. While her Allomancy action sequences are epic, The Hero of Ages makes Vin stronger than she’s ever been. Her actions also have long-lasting consequences on her world, making it a better place in the end. That’s why this Mistborn moment is her greatest, surpassing all her other impressive accomplishments.