Shinigami is one of the three playable Factions in VV: Ultimatum as a Zanpakuto-focused build archetype. A Shinigami build focuses more on developing the Zanpakuto blade and achieving Shikai abilities. The power increase when playing as a Shinigami isn’t linear; it starts slow and relatively weak, and rapidly builds up power as you continue to develop your abilities.
Here’s how you can develop your build as a Shinigami in VV: Ultimatum.
An overview of a Shinigami’s progression in VV: Ultimatum
A Shinigami’s progression path is fairly straightforward, if a little lengthy. The vast majority of power reserved for this Faction is gated behind a level 25 requirement. This is to encourage engaging with VV: Ultimatum’s myriad systems, so that the player understands its mechanics before moving onto more advanced gameplay elements. As such, the first order of business as a Shinigami is to reach level 25.
The best way to reach level 25 is through questing. Quests given by NPCs across the game world and in Soul Society grant handsome XP rewards, which can help you level up faster. NPC quests are not as rewarding as those in the Soul Society, but they are more readily accessible. Soul Society quests, on the other hand, require Mission Tickets, which can be earned through chest openings, main quest completions, and by defeating mobs.
Once you reach level 25, the meditate feature will be unlocked, using which you can recover HP when out of combat. The more useful function associated with meditation is the ability to pursue a special series of tasks, at the end of which you can acquire Shikai abilities.
Your Shikai defines your build, making it central to a Shinigami’s progression.
The latest codes for VV: Ultimatum offer rewards that can help you fine-tune your build to prepare for the endgame content.
Getting Shikai as a Shinigami
Performing meditation is simple: press the L key on the keyboard or L2 + D-Pad Down on the PlayStation controller, or LT + D-Pad Down on the Xbox controller to start meditating. In this state, you will be left vulnerable to enemy attacks, so try to do it in Soul Society if possible.
Early on, you may not have enough XP accrued to successfully meditate. A failed meditation causes your avatar to fall asleep; while there is no penalty for a failed meditation, it is an indication that you need to train more. Currently, the amount of XP required to successfully meditate is unknown.
Your first successful meditation will cause your avatar to be enveloped in a green beacon. Once you reach this state, exit the meditation and wait for text lines to appear near your health bar. The text lines indicate that you are ready for the next step of the Shikai progression. Try not to ignore these text lines for long, or else the Shikai acquisition process will take much longer than it usually would.
Following this, there are three main stages of Shikai progression: the White Void, the Inner World, and the Shikai Abilities. Let’s explore these stages in detail.
The White Void
The White Void is the first step towards achieving Shikai, where you can solve riddles by interacting with bells. Reaching the White Void is simple: meditate whenever you see the aforementioned text lines appear on-screen. Eventually, you will be transported to the White Void.
You can find three bells by following the blue spheres, presenting you with these riddles:
- I cannot talk, but I always reply when spoken to. What am I?: An Echo.
- What gets broken without being held?: A promise.
- What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?: The future.
The latter two riddles can be unlocked by defeating two Shinigami NPCS and solving one of the other riddles.
The Inner World
You can enter the second stage of Shikai acquisition by continuing to gather XP and meditating whenever the text lines appear. Eventually, you will be transported to the Inner World, which has four sub-stages:
- First sub-stage: Your initial arrival to the Inner World. The area is foggy and nothing can be done here at this point. You will be prompted to return.
- Second sub-stage: Returning to the Inner World will cause some of the fog to clear. You can do nothing here at this point and will be prompted to return.
- Third sub-stage: The fog will be cleared this time, and you can find your Shikai Spirit here. Speak to it to progress the Shikai acquisition process, which will return you to the regular game world.
- Fourth sub-stage: Gather XP and meditate a few times to return to the Inner World. Choose the “I am ready” dialog option to initiate a boss battle against the Shikai Spirit.
The Shikai Spirit boss battle is challenging, but manageable for a mid-game player. This boss has three phases; it mirrors your moveset in the first phase, activates its Shikai in the second phase, and uses different weapons in the third. If the boss defeats you in this battle, you can reattempt via meditation without facing any penalties.
Clear the boss battle to unlock your Shikai mode, which will not be fully usable at this stage. In order to make the most out of your Shikai Abilities, you need to return to the Inner World a few more times.
Shikai Abilities
Unlocking Shikai Abilities is straightforward; meditate to enter the Inner World and approach the silhouette of the Shikai Weapon that closely resembles yours. Interact with it, and you will have attained your Shikai Ability, which can be viewed from the Ability tab in your Inventory menu. Now, you can explore your newfound Ability or reroll it using Ability Rerolls to land on something more powerful.
You can get the following Shikai abilities through Ability Rerolls:
- Senbonzakura (Legendary): 1% drop rate
- Ink (Rare): 4.5% drop rate
- Waypoint (Rare): 4.5% drop rate
- Flame (Uncommon): 15% drop rate
- Ice (Uncommon): 15% drop rate
- Reversal (Common): 60% drop rate
Ability Rerolls are available through code redemptions, quest completions, Daily Rewards, and more.
Also read: Unique Roblox username ideas for new players
FAQs on VV: Ultimatum
How do I get Shikai as a Shinigami in VV: Ultimatum?
Shikai can be obtained after reaching level 25 by meditating to reach and unfog the Inner World and defeating the Shikai Spirit boss.
How do I reroll my Shikai Ability in VV: Ultimatum?
You can use Ability Rerolls in VV: Ultimatum to reroll your Shikai.
How many Shikai Abilities does VV: Ultimatum feature?
VV: Ultimatum features six unique Shikai Abilities as of this writing.
Edited by Swapnil Joshi