You thought the playable Super Smash Bros Ultimate roster was big? You haven't seen anything yet. Debuting in Ultimate is a feature called Spirits, which function sort of like a combination of Stickers and Trophies from previous titles. Spirits are taken from every one of the fighters' respective game worlds, along with some Nintendo titles that don't have a representative in Smash Bros. Spirits are used primarily in the World of Light adventure mode. The idea is that Spirits increase a fighter's stats, while also offering different buffs to take into battle.
Types of Primary Spirits
Spirits are broken up into four types: Attack (Red) Grab (Green), Shield (Blue), and Neutral (Yellow). The spirits have a Rock-Paper-Scissors-Spock sort of relationship - Attack beats Grab, which beats Shield, which beats Attack. Neutral offers no advantages or disadvantages (fitting, right?)
The idea is to equip your own team of Primary and Support Spirits to increase your power level to match the opponent's. Going into a battle with a lower power level and winning will result in additional post-fight rewards. Certain Spirits offer abilities outside of battle. For example, a giant rock is blocking a path, but once the Bomberman Spirit is unlocked, he will destroy the rock. No word on if there's a Zangief Spirit that will give you the ability to wrestle bears more effectively.
How Do I Get Spirits?
There are plenty of ways to unlock Spirits. Playing through the World of Light mode is the best way to unlock Spirits, but you can find Spirits in other game modes, too. One Spirit-dedicated game mode is called Spirit Board. This reveals a full board of Spirits, posted in the style of a bulletin board. There's a limited time to defeat the fighter attached to thes Spirits and you only get one shot to do so. Primary Spirits are ranked by Novice, Advanced, Ace, and Legend, depending on their power level, so bring your best Spirits to do battle
If you manage to defeat the opponent, you get a chance to free the Spirit. A minigame starts where you'll have to fire off your blaster through the gap in their shield. If you miss, you'll still damage the shield and it will maintain that damage the next time the Spirit comes around. Certain items, like Shield Spacer and Sluggish Shield, will make this sequence easier.
You can also receive certain Spirits by completing Challenges. Lastly, you can purchase spirits from the in-game Shop. Some may even be discounted, so grab them while they're on sale!
How to Power Up Spirits
Powering up Spirits is easy! Just play through World of Light, Spirit Board, or even in Smash mode with a rule set that allows Spirits. After winning a fight, the Spirit will rank up. If you lose a fight, the Spirit may still level up slightly.
You can also feed the Spirit snacks of different sizes. Using these snacks costs Spirit Points, a currency that is earned throughout the game, mainly in World of Light. Be wary of your Spirit Point total before using snacks, and make sure you brought enough for the whole class.
There's also Doc Louis' Gym in Spirit of Light. After defeating the Doc Lewis Spirit, his Gym will be open for business. Leave four fighters there and they'll rank up while you're gone. They'll even remain active while the game is shut off. Upon hitting Level 99, replace them with other Primary Spirits. Once your Spirits hit level 99, you may notice some can be further upgraded. To do this, select Manage Spirits and Level Up from the pause menu in World of Light. Highlight the Spirit that's eligible to be upgraded and you will be prompted to upgrade it. It'll reset to Level 1 as an upgraded version of itself, complete with better base stats and even some secondary abilities. For some, it may be difficult to give up a level 99 unit just to have it zapped back to Level 1, but the bonus stats and abilities will make it well worth the sacrifice.
We hope you're enjoying Super Smash Bros Ultimate as much as we are! We'll be back with more Smash coverage, so stay tuned! Until then, why not take a well-deserved Smash break and watch the previously unreleased Going Pro documentary series starring Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman!
