Spirit Charms are equippable passives in VV: Ultimatum that change how your character fights. Each one grants a concrete bonus such as extra damage, stronger defense, faster resource regeneration, or a unique combat effect, and many also carry a drawback. They sit in slots called notches, and the tier of a charm decides how much notch space it eats up.
Quick answer: You can safely equip charms up to 3 total notches. Go over 3 and your maximum HP drops (about 6% per extra notch). A Tier 3 charm alone costs 3 notches, so plan your build around that limit before stacking high-tier charms.
How the notch limit and HP penalty work
You start with three notches. Higher tiers consume more space, so a single Tier 3 charm fills all three on its own. Leveling up your character unlocks more notches over time, which lets you carry stronger combinations.
Staying at or below 3 total notches carries no penalty. Once your total exceeds 3, your maximum HP is reduced for each extra notch. Because of that, equipping the strongest charms is not automatically the best choice. Many players accept the HP loss to run three high-tier charms, but that is a deliberate trade, not a free upgrade.
Tier 1 Spirit Charms and effects
Tier 1 charms cost the least notch space and tend to offer clean, low-risk utility. Most carry no drawback at all.
| Charm | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Domination | Max AP +0.15x | None |
| At The Ready | Permanent 25% Ability Haste when invaded | None |
| Battle Hardened | You visually bleed on hits at lower health | None |
| Critical Blows | Critical attack damage +7.5% | None |
| Fortified Fighter | +15% defense when your posture is broken | None |
| Flashmaster | +7.5 Shunpo Stamina | None |
| Hard Headed | Immunity to Concussion | None |
| Head Hunter | +5% damage to transformed players (if you have none active) | None |
| Prey Turned Predator | Invaders who attack you during a mission are combat-tagged | None |
| Resourceful Spirit | Aerial launcher counts as a critical attack and applies crit effects | None |
| Trouble in Paradise | +10% damage while fighting in a Homeworld | None |
| Giant Fighter | +10% damage to bosses | −2.5% damage to non-boss NPCs |
| Defensive Regen | +25% Reiatsu regeneration from parries | Base Reiatsu regen −35% |
Tier 2 Spirit Charms and effects
Tier 2 charms hit harder but often need a trigger or specific situation to pay off. Several have level requirements before they can be equipped.
| Charm | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Flash | Out-of-combat melee/critical attack deals 2.5x damage; works on full-HP targets (60s CD) | None |
| Backline Buster | Hit one target, then a different target shortly after to proc Perfect Flash (35s CD) | None |
| Close & Personal | +5% Weapon and Hakuda damage | +2% damage vulnerability |
| Ranged Warrior | +6% Kido/ranged damage | +3% damage vulnerability |
| Frostwalker | High-damage Kido grants Frost for 12.5s; next basic attack freezes (25s CD) | None |
| Golem | Taking 25+ base damage in 2.5s grants Rock Armor for 15s with damage resistance (45s CD) | None |
| Heat Burst | Replaces Aura with Heat; heals 37% max HP and grants max AP on activation | Loses Aura-based buffs |
| Indomitable | Win a clash → restore 5% HP | Lose a clash → lose 5% HP |
| Lizard’s Spirit | Heal 7.5% HP when below 50% (9m CD) | None |
| Surgeon’s Spirit | Healing received +30% | No HP packs from downed players |
| Superiority Complex | Blade-catch mocks the target; they lose 0.2x AP and take +15% posture damage | None |
| Silent Shadows | Visible aura reduced by 60% | None |
| Side Character | +7.5% damage to NPCs | +4% damage taken from players |
| Relentless Hunter | As invader, prevents enemy extraction while alive; combat-tags mission players on spawn | None |
| Frugal | Lose 80% less cash when killed by players | Cannot gain cash from players |
| Factotum’s Spirit | +5% EXP gain | +30% EXP loss on death |
| Mysterious Stranger (Him) | 8% chance an ally assists on physical melee damage (30s CD) | None |
| Mysterious Stranger (Her) | 8% chance an ally assists on ranged Kido damage (30s CD) | None |
| Swarm | Critical attack spawns 1 friendly Dragonfly Hollow | None |
| Tools of the Trade | Heavy attacks never go red and gain Riposte | None |
| Tooth & Nail | A fatal hit drops you to 5% HP instead of killing you | None |
| Wraith’s Spirit | Three different rapid hits turn you into an invincible wraith briefly | +5% melee damage taken |
| Train Conductor | Steal a Mission Ticket from killed players; ticket cap +1 | Lose 2 Mission Tickets on death |
| Reality Warper | 5% chance to spawn a Valley of Screams portal on player kill | None |
| Poison Touch | Critical attacks apply Poison | None |
| Nowhere to Hide | Hitting a target below 50% HP (while above 50%) reveals them for 5s; +7.5% damage to revealed targets | None |
| Presence of Mind | +25% Ability Haste while below 30% HP | None |
| Marshland King | Build Aura 35% faster | Aura lasts 25% less and buffs are 10% weaker |
| Deep Hatred | Posture-break or grab triggers a 10s rage boosting output by 10% (30s CD) | None |
Tier 3 Spirit Charms and effects
Tier 3 charms are build-defining. A single one consumes all three safe notches, and many pair a large bonus with a serious penalty.
| Charm | Effect | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Haze of Death | Critical attacks apply Cursed (50s CD) | None |
| Soul Snatcher | Kido on enemies below 11% HP triggers an instant knock after a short delay | None |
| Struggler’s Spirit | Three basic attacks below 25% HP empower you; take 20% less damage below 25% HP (75s CD) | None |
| Shonen Syndrome | Call out a move to upgrade it by 2 levels (max level 6, 25s CD) | None |
| Undying Soul | Second wind on defeat | Death is guaranteed once HP runs out again |
| Adrenaline Junkie | +1% output per hit, up to 110% | −1% output when hit, down to 10% |
| Blademaster | Three Deep Gash stacks deal 110% of normal damage | Bladed basic attacks deal 90% less damage at first |
| Blazing Spirit | Parrying a melee attack ignites your blade for +10% damage (5s CD) | Non-ignited melee attacks deal 2% less damage |
| Await The Opening | Parries posture-break enemies | Parries deal only 50% posture damage |
| You’re In My Range | +35% defense vs gap-close abilities; next attack empowered after being gap-closed (45s CD) | +15% damage from attacks beyond 25 studs |
| Heavenly Restriction | Up to +35% physical damage, +15% move speed, +25% Kido defense; crits proc Kill Confirmed | Cannot use abilities at all |
| Kill Confirmed | Knocking an opponent executes them via spiritual pressure | Output reduced 5% (scales with nearby enemies) |
| Last Man Standing | Siphon part of an enemy HP pack when a nearby ally is knocked | All healing −50% |
| Raid Boss | Battle Fever stacks per nearby enemy grant defense, damage, and high-stack perks | +10% damage taken when Battle Fever is empty with allies near |
| Curtain Call | Basic attacks gain lifesteal at full Reiatsu | No passive Reiatsu regeneration |
| Ultimate Sacrifice | Uncancellable Aura raising output to 125% with unique VFX | Slower Aura build; on end, −50% max HP and output to 75% |
| The Incapable | Base output scales with level and missing HP; grants a Reliquary power source | No transformations, racial abilities, Hollow traits, or racial boss fights |
| Warrior’s Spirit | +17.5% melee damage on basic attacks | No Flash Step or Manual Rushdown |
| Ruler’s Gaze | Manual Rushdown activates Geass to halt a target for a free follow-up | Cannot reuse on the same target (unless in Aura); affected enemies take 35% less damage |
| Quick Grit | Three different non-barrage hits in 5s smite a target for +40% damage on the latest hit (40s CD) | None |
| Flawless Swordsman | Dealing damage without being hit builds Perfection for up to +15% damage (fire at half stacks) | Taking a hit or leaving combat clears stacks (10s CD) |
| Aura of Terror | Manual spiritual pressure becomes an AoE that terrifies and deals 3.5% max HP damage (50s CD) | None |
Tier 4 Spirit Charm
The top tier packs several elemental effects into one slot and rewards strong AP management as well as low-HP aggression.
| Charm | Effect |
|---|---|
| A Song of Fire and Thunder | Above 1.25x AP, melee attacks gain flames and deal more damage; below 25% HP, high-damage melee can inflict Scorch (10s CD). Above 1.2x AP, Kido gains Thunder for extra stun; below 25% HP, high-damage Kido can inflict Electroshock (10s CD). |
How to merge Spirit Charms in Hueco Mundo
Merging fuses two charms into one, combining both sets of buffs and debuffs while also combining their tier values. This frees a slot for more specialized late-game setups, but the merged result occupies more notches, so the same notch limit still applies.
How to remove Spirit Charms at the Valley of Screams
Once equipped, a charm is bound to your character and cannot be freely swapped. The only way to unequip one is at the Valley of Screams, reached through a purple portal.
How to find the purple portal
The portal has no fixed spawn point. There are three reliable ways to reach the Valley of Screams.
- Random spawns: Portals appear around the map while you quest, farm, or explore. Only one player can enter once it appears, and it teleports you straight to the Valley of Screams.
- Reality Warper charm: Equip it and kill a player for a 5% chance to spawn the portal.
- Dr. Voris quest: Complete his quest to unlock a portal summoning service.
To find Dr. Voris, head to the Soul Society Outskirts and move to the area between the two villages. Cross the wooden suspension bridge, climb the stairs on the far side, and enter the cave at the top. Continue through the cave to the Giant Dragonfly Boss area, look for a hole in the ground near the boss, and drop in to reach Dr. Voris.
Because charms bind on equip and only come off at the Valley of Screams, the smart move is to plan around the 3-notch limit first, then decide whether a stronger setup is worth losing maximum HP. Charms like Undying Soul fit almost any build, Giant Fighter shines in boss fights, and Heavenly Restriction rewards melee players who don’t lean on abilities, so match your picks to how you actually play before you lock anything in.
