The upcoming VV Ultimatum update is bringing a lot of changes to the game, and the developers have already shown off many of them through a new trailer and devlog. There is quite a lot packed into this update, including a new dungeon, the Dangai rework, combat changes, new rewards, weapon styles, animation improvements, and even a sneak peek at the upcoming Bankai content.
To be honest, not everyone seems completely happy about everything being added. Some players are especially concerned about the addition of more dungeons, mainly because dungeons can take a long time to develop and update. Still, this update looks more like a combination of quality-of-life improvements and additional activities rather than a massive content expansion in just one direction.
The biggest new feature for PvE players appears to be the Arctic Dungeon, while the Dangai rework could completely change how players experience traveling and PvP events. Personally, the Dangai changes are some of the things I find most interesting because players will no longer be forced to deal with it in the same way as before.
In this post, we will go through everything shown for the VV Ultimatum update, including the Arctic Dungeon, Dangai Ichigo outfit, extraction PvP changes, Soul Balance, new build passives, Long Sword Style, animation reworks, and the Bankai teaser.
VV Ultimatum Update – Dangai Rework, Arctic Dungeon
The first major feature shown in the trailer is the new Arctic Dungeon.
Previously, we had the first dungeon located around the Soul Society Outskirts, and now the developers are taking the dungeon concept into a completely different environment. This new version has an icy Arctic setting filled with frost-covered structures, enemies, NPCs, and what looks like several different combat encounters.
From what was shown, the dungeon looks like it will involve more than simply running through an area and fighting a few enemies. There appear to be different objectives and encounters throughout the dungeon, along with enemies that players will need to release or interact with before fighting.
One of the things that immediately stood out was what appears to be a new armor set. The Arctic-themed equipment and outfits shown in the trailer actually look pretty good, especially if you like collecting different fits in the game.
New Arctic Dungeon Enemies and Bosses
The Arctic Dungeon is also bringing some interesting-looking enemies.
One of them looks almost like a cyborg version of the monkey enemy found in the cave. It has multiple arms and a much more intimidating design, and it looks like it could be one of the more interesting enemies to fight inside the dungeon.
There are also giant robots that players will apparently have to battle. From the trailer, it looks like the dungeon will throw quite a few different enemy types at you rather than relying on just one boss.
Some of the new outfits shown also look pretty cool. There are coats and other Arctic-themed pieces, while one particular outfit has Cyclops-style glasses and what look like gauntlets.
The dungeon also includes environmental dangers. Players were shown running away from gun-like traps that shoot at them, so it looks like movement and awareness will matter alongside regular combat.
A Fast-Moving Enemy That Jumps Around
Another enemy shown in the trailer has a pretty interesting movement style.
It jumps around and moves across the environment, which honestly reminded me a little of fighting Nemesis in the Resident Evil 3 remake, especially when he moves around aggressively and attacks from different positions.
Some of its attacks looked relatively slow from what was shown, so parrying might be possible if you understand the timing. It also appears to have additional attacks that players will need to avoid.
Overall, the Arctic Dungeon looks like it is going to be packed with enemies, bosses, traps, and different encounters rather than being a simple dungeon run.
Dangai Ichigo Outfit Is Being Added
Now we get to one of my personal favorite parts of this entire update.
The developers are adding the Dangai Ichigo fit, and if you are a big Ichigo fan like me, you probably noticed this immediately.
Dangai Ichigo has always been one of my favorite versions of Ichigo. The long hair, the outfit, and the overall design just make the character look absolutely incredible. The chains around the arms and the entire style of the outfit are easily some of the coolest things about that version of Ichigo.
So yeah, seeing this fit coming to the game is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the update for me.
But the outfit is not the only Dangai-related change coming.
Dangai Is Being Reworked Into an Optional Extraction PvP Event
The Dangai is receiving a major rework.
Instead of players being forced into the Dangai experience the same way as before, it is now becoming an optional extraction PvP event. According to what was shown, Dangai will appear during specific time periods, and players will be able to see when it is opening and closing.
When trying to open a portal, the game will show information about the Dangai event. When it is active, a purple border will indicate that the world you are entering is connected to the event.
This is honestly one of the changes I really like.
Back when I was grinding the game, one of the annoying things was having to go through Dangai while simply trying to travel somewhere or meet someone. You would have to run through the area and find the portal, and sometimes it just felt like extra work when you were trying to do something else.
Now, it looks like you can choose whether you want to participate.
You can enable or disable Dangai, meaning you should no longer be constantly interrupted by it when you are simply trying to travel around the game.
Fighting Players in Dangai Will Give You Rewards
The new Dangai is focused much more heavily on PvP and extraction-style gameplay.
Different races and factions will be fighting inside the area, and players you defeat can apparently provide access to exclusive chests and valuable drops.
You can also earn a significant amount of EXP from participating.
Because of that, Dangai could become one of the faster progression methods in the game. If you want to progress quickly, it looks like doing Dangai events and dungeons could become one of the best ways to gain experience.
The new system also includes rewards based on how much you accomplish while inside the Dangai.
Kill Streaks Will Give Major Bonuses
Kill streaks are becoming an important part of the new Dangai system.
The more successful you are during the event, the better the rewards you can potentially earn. Kill streaks can provide exclusive rewards and increase things such as Echoes, Soul Tokens, and EXP.
This means Dangai will reward players who can survive and consistently defeat other players.
Of course, that also makes the event more dangerous because you are not just fighting NPC enemies. You also have to deal with other players who are trying to survive and collect rewards themselves.
Dangai Sickness Will Eventually Eliminate You
One of the biggest dangers in the new Dangai system is Dangai Sickness.
This works as a status effect that becomes more dangerous the longer you remain inside the Dangai. Your Dangai sanity will slowly decrease while you battle through the area.
Once that reaches zero, you die and are sent back to your home world.
The developers showed an example of this happening, and basically, once you completely run out of the required sanity, your character gets eliminated and your run is over.
So, you cannot simply stay inside the Dangai forever farming rewards.
You will have to think about how long you stay, when you should fight, and when it is time to leave.
Escape Ropes Will Help You Find Your Way Out
The update is also adding Escape Ropes.
This is a pretty useful addition because it will make it easier for players to understand where they need to go when trying to escape.
Considering the new extraction-style nature of the Dangai, having a clearer way to find your exit is definitely needed.
You will need to balance fighting other players, collecting rewards, dealing with Dangai Sickness, and eventually making your way out before your sanity reaches zero.
Battle for Dangai Is Another Limited Event
The update also includes something called Battle for Dangai.
This appears to be a limited event where players and their factions battle for rewards. From what was shown, it looks somewhat similar to the large faction fights and brawls that happen in other parts of the game.
You and your entire faction will need to fight against others to earn the best possible rewards.
It also seems like it will have similarities to raids, with larger groups of players participating rather than just individual fights.
This could make Dangai much more active than before, especially for players who enjoy faction-based PvP.
You Can Earn the Spiritless Set
If you spend enough time grinding the new Dangai content, you can eventually purchase the Spiritless Set.
This is where the Dangai Ichigo-inspired outfit comes in.
You will need to earn the required currency and rewards through the Dangai system, which means getting the set probably will not be easy.
Personally, this is the thing I would be grinding for.
The only problem is that obtaining it could be pretty difficult because you have to fight other players while also dealing with Dangai Sickness. You cannot just sit around and farm forever, so earning everything needed for the set could be a real challenge.
Still, for anyone who likes the Dangai Ichigo design, it looks completely worth going for.
Soul Balance Is a New Community Voting System
Another feature coming alongside the Dangai changes is Soul Balance.
Soul Balance appears to be a community voting system that uses points and allows players and factions to receive different benefits and buffs.
From what was shown, it looks like another system designed to give factions more involvement and influence.
The update also includes improvements for ranked gameplay, although I personally do not spend much time playing ranked. If you are someone who regularly plays ranked, these changes will probably be more important to you.
New Passives Will Make Builds More Diverse
The combat system is also getting some interesting changes.
The developers are adding new features designed to make builds more diverse. Previously, players would often focus heavily on specific stats and use similar build setups.
Now, investing points into different stats can unlock additional passive effects.
For example, putting a certain amount of points into Reserves can provide additional benefits. One of the effects shown allows players to use a skill even when they are below its required Reiatsu amount.
However, there is a downside.
The skill will have a significantly higher cooldown, and the passive itself also has its own cooldown.
So, these new passives are not simply free buffs. You will need to decide whether the benefits are worth the trade-offs.
Full Stat Builds Could Become Much More Interesting
These new passives could make build choices much more interesting.
Instead of every player putting their points into the same few stats, you may actually have a reason to experiment with different investments.
The update showed examples of powerful effects for players who heavily invest into certain stats.
One example was the 400 Speed passive, which makes your character incredibly fast.
The movement shown in the trailer looked absolutely crazy. Your character can move around at speeds that make the gameplay look much faster than before.
It honestly gives that feeling of moving around like Ichigo at ridiculous speed.
Every Skill Tree Will Get Its Own Passive
It also looks like every skill tree will receive its own unique passive.
The Speed tree, for example, appears to provide increasingly powerful movement benefits as you invest more points into it.
Other skill trees will likely have their own effects as well.
The exact Strength passive was not clearly explained in the footage, but the overall idea is that each major build path will now give players something extra for committing heavily to that particular stat.
This could make builds much more specialized.
Of course, it could also make certain builds much more annoying to fight against, especially once players figure out the strongest combinations.
New Long Sword Style Is Coming
The update is also introducing a new Long Sword Style.
This new stance appears to work similarly to other weapon styles already available in the game.
Players will be able to obtain it through the Arctic Dungeon, making the new dungeon important for Long Sword users who want to unlock the style.
Personally, I do not really use Long Sword that much, but if that is your main weapon, this is probably one of the better additions in the update.
The new stance gives Long Sword players another option and adds more variety to weapon-based builds.
Several Combat Styles Are Getting Animation Reworks
The developers are also reworking animations for several styles in the game.
Some of the styles mentioned include:
- Wrestling
- Tanto
- Rifle
- Other combat styles
Animation changes might not sound as exciting as a new dungeon or Dangai rework, but they can make a big difference during actual gameplay.
Better animations can improve how combat feels and can also make attacks easier or more difficult to read depending on the changes.
Hopefully, some of the inconsistent animations for certain weapon styles also receive improvements.
A Sneak Peek at the Upcoming Bankai Update
The final major thing shown was a teaser for the upcoming Bankai update.
The footage showed some of the effects players can expect when activating Bankai, including electrical effects.
It definitely looks cool, but personally, I hope there is more to the activation itself.
When you finally unlock and activate Bankai, especially considering that the questline to obtain it could potentially be difficult, it would be nice to have a really impressive transformation animation.
Just getting the effects is cool, but Bankai is something that should feel special when you activate it.
Hopefully, the final version gives players a memorable moment when they finally pop their Bankai.
No New Elements in This Update
One thing that is not coming with this update is a new element.
Honestly, that makes sense.
Since the Bankai update is coming, adding a completely new element before that would likely mean the developers also need to create a Bankai for that new element.
That would create even more work and could complicate the upcoming update.
So, while some players might be disappointed that there are no new elements, it makes sense to focus on the existing systems first.
That is pretty much everything shown for the upcoming VV Ultimatum update.
The update is bringing the new Arctic Dungeon, new enemies and outfits, the Long Sword Style, a major Dangai rework, extraction PvP mechanics, Dangai Sickness, faction events, Soul Balance, new build passives, animation improvements, and a teaser for the upcoming Bankai content.
Personally, the Dangai Ichigo fit is easily the highlight of this update for me. I am definitely going to be interested in grinding for the Spiritless Set, even if the new Dangai system makes obtaining it difficult.
The Arctic Dungeon also looks interesting, especially with the different enemies, giant robots, traps, and rewards shown in the trailer.
Overall, this looks more like a quality-of-life and gameplay expansion update with several new activities rather than an update focused entirely on one major feature. Whether you like the dungeon additions or not, the Dangai changes alone could make a noticeable difference in how players experience the game.