The Hollow race in VV: ULTIMATUM follows a fixed evolution chain that gradually unlocks stronger forms, extra trait slots, and eventually the Resurrección form. The route is slower than the other races at first, but the order in which you evolve is what decides your final ceiling. Evolve too early and you permanently lose trait slots you cannot get back.
Quick answer: Consume other Hollows to evolve through Menos and Adjuchas, then keep following the red questline to reach Vasto Lorde for all four trait slots before pressing L to become an Arrancar. Do not press L at Menos, because that locks you into a two-trait dead end.
Hollow evolution path in VV: ULTIMATUM
The full chain runs from a base Hollow up to the Arrancar form. Each stage adds abilities and, more importantly, raises the number of Hollow Traits you can keep. The number of trait slots is the main reason to delay your final evolution.
| Stage | Trait slots | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Base Hollow | 2 | Starting form, consume Hollows to progress |
| Menos | 2 | First major evolution; L evolves to Menoscar (dead end) |
| Adjuchas | 3 | Cero ability, third trait slot |
| Vasto Lorde | 4 | Fourth trait slot, strongest foundation |
| Arrancar | — | Mask removal, Arrancar weapon, path to Resurrección |
Choosing your starting Hollow type
After the tutorial you randomly receive one of four animal-style Hollow forms, or you can lock into the type that fits your playstyle. This choice matters beyond stats, because the type you start with becomes the opponent you must defeat during the Resurrección fight.
| Type | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gorilla | No buffs or debuffs | Balanced and the easiest Resurrección fight |
| Lizard | +Speed, -Defense | Good for mobile, aggressive play |
| Turtle | +Defense, -Speed | Durable, but delayed attacks are hard to parry |
| Centipede | +Speed, -Defense, -Damage | Very fast, but one of the toughest Resurrección fights |
Gorilla is the safest pick for most players because it has no major weaknesses and its mirror fight is the most manageable. Lizard works well if you prefer speed. Turtle and Centipede make the final fight noticeably harder due to delayed timings and high speed respectively.
How Hollow Traits work
Hollow Traits are permanent bonuses you collect by defeating other Hollows and consuming their remains. Each consume has a chance to offer a trait, and you can accept or reject it when prompted. These traits stay with your character through Resurrección, so they shape your endgame build, not just your early game.
The key limit is that you cannot gain new Hollow Traits once you remove your mask and become an Arrancar. Plan your set carefully and reach a form with enough slots before evolving. Strong general picks include Iron Skin, Wings, and Deadly Claws.
| Trait | Effect |
|---|---|
| Iron Skin | +4% Melee Defense, +35% Posture Regen |
| Wings | +3% Movement Speed, +5% Shunpo Stamina, +3% Shunpo Speed |
| Deadly Claws | +3% Hakuda Damage, +0.1 Max AP |
| Dense Muscles | +1% Weapon Damage, +1% Hakuda Damage, +45s Resurrección duration |
| Skinny | +7.5% Movement Speed, -1.2% Melee Defense |
| Tentacles | 16% chance to poison on melee, -1% Weapon Damage |
| Exoskeleton | +2% Melee Defense, +5 Posture, 15% bigger Resurrection healthpack, -2% Movement Speed |
| Giant | +5% Melee Defense, +2% Kido Defense, -5% Speed |
| Energized | +2% Kido Damage, Weapon damage scales off Kido |
| Innocuous Presence | Hides name and reiatsu, +20s Resurrection, +5% Speed |
| Horns | +35% Cero width, +10% Cero length |
| Back Scales | Cero charges 12% faster, +45s Resurrection, -5% Cero damage |
| Tailbone | +20% Cero damage, Cero 25% thinner |
Note: trait slots scale with your form. A base Hollow and a Menos hold two traits, an Adjuchas holds three, and a Vasto Lorde holds four. Getting stuck at two traits is the most common long-term mistake on this race.
Evolving from base Hollow to Vasto Lorde
| Route | Trait slots | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Menoscar (rush) | 2 | Fast Arrancar, weakest base, dead end |
| Adjucar (balanced) | 3 | Cero access, decent mid power |
| Vasto Lorde (full) | 4 | Slower, but the strongest foundation |
Becoming an Arrancar
When you reach your chosen Hollow stage, press L to remove your mask and start the Arrancar transformation. From Vasto Lorde this produces a Vastocar, which resets your stats and traits while giving you the full final form. After the change you can customize your appearance and choose an Arrancar weapon.
Confirm your trait set before you do this, because traits become locked once your Hollow journey ends. The Spear is a strong starter weapon thanks to its long reach, which makes both PvE and PvP encounters easier during early Arrancar play.
Unlocking Resurrección through meditation
Resurrección opens up only after you are an Arrancar, and it does not matter whether you arrived from Menos, Adjuchas, or Vasto Lorde. With your active weapon equipped, meditate using the M key and keep gaining XP as you play. If your character falls asleep during meditation, you do not have enough XP yet and need to keep leveling.
Watch for yellow whisper text above your skill hotbar. These whispers mark efficient windows for progress, so meditate right when they appear. They show up most often during missions, invasions, and PvP. Over repeated sessions, meditation eventually pulls you into your Inner World, where you follow the red eyes to build it up and move toward the final trial.
Completing the Resurrección fight
Once your Inner World is complete, speak to your spirit to begin the trial. The encounter runs across three phases that test core combat skills, and clearing it is the last step before you gain your Resurrección form.
| Phase | Opponent | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your original Hollow type | Why Gorilla and Lizard are easier starting picks |
| 2 | Menos | Learn the delayed timings instead of rushing |
| 3 | Adjuchas | Play defensively and prioritize parries |
The fight is fully repeatable. If you lose, keep meditating and gaining XP, then try again with refined timing and an adjusted build. You know it worked when you defeat the final phase and unlock your Resurrección form and its abilities, which mark the end of the Hollow progression and the start of weapon-and-Resurrección focused play.
