Respirator / Rebreather material route
Watch the path to the Outskirts farming spots, then use the recipe table above to avoid missing ingredients.
Routes, recipes, bottlenecks
VV ULTIMATUMmaterials guide
Use this materials guide when you are searching for Spirit Alloy, Soul Essence, Dark Essence, Lizard Blood, Frost Alloy or Sanrei Glove materials. Start from the item blocking your route instead of farming random drops.
Quick route
What should I farm first?
Follow main story, daily and faction quests while killing roaming enemies. Save rare resources, but spend Mission Tickets to unlock better missions. If your immediate goal is Marsh access, unlock Spirit Alloy, then farm Scorpion Venom and Lizard Blood near Soul Society Outskirts.
Quest stack->
Farm essences->
Unlock Spirit Alloy->
Craft Respirator->
Push Marsh / midgame
How to get Spirit Alloy in VV ULTIMATUM
Spirit Alloy is one of the clearest material-search bottlenecks: unlock its crafting route first, then gather the two Essence types instead of farming unrelated mobs.
Unlock
Metals of Spirit quest
Complete the Metals of Spirit route from Hokuchi near Mizuki Sato so Spirit Alloy becomes a usable crafting target.
Material
Dark Essence
Farm through normal enemy kills, quests and progression rewards. Dark Essence is one of the core Spirit Alloy ingredients.
Material
Soul Essence
Collect Soul Essence from normal world progression, quests and exploration rewards, especially around the Outskirts route.
Craft
Check the live recipe UI
Published guides disagree on the exact Soul Essence quantity. Use the current in-game crafting screen for the live count instead of relying on an old fixed number.
Sanrei Glove materials: Frost Alloy, Strange Essence and Medallion
If you are on the Quincy route, the useful search is not “all materials” — it is which Sanrei component is blocking the next progression step.
| Route item | Why it matters | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Quincy Medallion | Sanrei Glove route component | Follow the Quincy progression chain and the relevant Arctic/Commander step. |
| Frost Alloy | Sanrei Glove crafting bottleneck | Treat it as its own farm/crafting objective instead of generic material grinding. |
| Strange Essence | Sanrei Glove route component | Save it for the Quincy craft rather than spending it without a route goal. |
| Spirit Alloy | Related crafted material used across progression recipes | Unlock Metals of Spirit and keep a small reserve before deeper crafting routes. |
Quantity rule: community guides do not agree on every live crafting count. This page keeps the agreed route components and leaves exact quantities to the current in-game crafting UI.
Best farming routes by goal
Pick the row that matches your current bottleneck. Do not camp one mob unless it drops the exact material you need.
Leveling
Fast EXP route
Stack main story, dailies, faction missions, homeland quests and roaming kills. This earns EXP, Soul Tokens, Mission Tickets and common materials together.
Best for: first-hour and midgame progress. Marsh accessRespirator route
Unlock Spirit Alloy, craft it from Dark Essence plus Soul Essence, then farm Scorpion Venom and Lizard Blood around Outskirts.
Best for: Level 25+ biome progression. Rare reroll matsHogyoku route
Gelum chests can drop Hogyoku Fragments; dailies and raids are the reported mid/late sources. Do not spend fragments on throwaway gear.
Best for: weapon/reroll planning. Charm mergingEnergy Cell route
Energy Cells are tied to the VV Initiative questline and secret Hueco Mundo lab. Save them for strong charm pairs.
Best for: late charm builds. InventoryBank before long farms
Use Bank Remote or bank slots before extended routes so you can store drops without breaking the loop.
Best for: material hoarding. Avoid wasteBuild Reset route
Do not plan around an unpublished recipe. Build deliberately early so a late reset is a fallback, not part of your normal route.
Best for: avoiding resource traps.Material database
Exact drop rates are not proven. Use this as a source and use-case table.
| Material | Source / drop method | Area | Primary use | Rarity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Essence | NPC/enemy kills, quests and progression rewards | General world, Outskirts | Spirit Alloy ingredient | Uncommon | Confirmed source type |
| Soul Essence | NPC/enemy kills, quests and exploration rewards | General world, Outskirts | Spirit Alloy and general crafting | Common | Confirmed |
| Spirit Alloy | Crafted after Metals of Spirit quest | Crafting table | Respirator / Rebreather, advanced recipes | Crafted | Confirmed, count conflict |
| Scorpion Venom | Scorpion Hollow drops | Mountain above Soul Society Outskirts | Respirator ingredient | Uncommon | Confirmed |
| Lizard Blood | Lizard Hollow drops | Water and fields near Outskirts spawn | Respirator ingredient | Uncommon | Confirmed |
| Hollow Parts | Hollow enemy drops | General world / Outskirts | Monster Hunter quest, Rebreather route | Common | Confirmed |
| Mission Tickets | Main story, dailies, roaming kills, chests | General world | Starting special missions | Common | Confirmed |
| Hogyoku Fragment | Gelum chests, dailies, raids, Hogyoku systems | Tutorial arena, raids, events | Weapon rerolls / progression | Rare | Confirmed early, reported late |
| Energy Cell | Crafted through VV Initiative route | Secret Hueco Mundo lab | Spirit Charm merging | Rare / crafted | Confirmed mechanic |
| Soul Tokens | Enemy kills and roaming progression | General world | Faction items, Soul Pager, utility purchases | Common currency | Confirmed |
Material route by progression blocker
If you came here from a stuck route, use the blocker first. This keeps the materials page connected to the exact progression problem players are trying to solve.
Sanrei Glove blocker
Quincy players should connect material farms to Lieutenant missions, Report Task and Schrift requirements.
Inventory full mid-farm
Buy Bank Remote before long loops so Spirit Alloy, venoms and rare drops do not force a reset.
Energy Cell route
Save Energy Cells for charm merging that actually fits your build and HP budget.
Underleveled for zones
If enemies or biomes feel too hard, route back through XP zones before farming rare materials.
Need rare boss drops
Use boss and chest loops when Hogyoku Fragments or late rewards become the bottleneck.
Hollow evolution route
Hollow players should not farm blindly if the real blocker is traits, mask timing or evolution stage.
Travel is too slow
Unlock Air Walk before routes that require repeated Arctic, Outskirts or late-zone travel.
Build reset risk
Plan stats and trees before spending materials on reset-heavy experimentation.
Crafting recipes and route gates
Where exact counts conflict, gather the safer higher count and verify the in-game crafting UI.
| Crafted item | Recipe | Gate | Use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Alloy | Dark Essence + Soul Essence; check live UI for quantity | Metals of Spirit quest from Hokuchi at Mizuki Sato | Respirator and advanced crafting | Route confirmed |
| Respirator / Rebreather | 1 Spirit Alloy + 1 Scorpion Venom + 1 Lizard Blood | Wounded Hunter / Nebukai Village route; level gate varies by source | Survive Marsh poison | Ingredients confirmed, level conflicting |
| Energy Cell | Recipe unlocked through VV Initiative questline | Human World -> Jabu Labs -> secret Hueco Mundo lab | Merge Spirit Charms | Mechanic confirmed, exact cost missing |
Live-recipe rule: do not rely on an old fixed Soul Essence count for Spirit Alloy. Published guides disagree, so use the current crafting UI for quantity while keeping the Dark Essence + Soul Essence route.
Bottleneck materials
These are the materials most likely to interrupt a route.
| Bottleneck | Why it slows you down | Fastest fix | Next guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Alloy | Crafted only; recipe locked behind quest | Do Hokuchi's Metals of Spirit quest early and batch craft. | Map |
| Scorpion Venom | Specific enemy cluster and not guaranteed every kill | Farm Scorpion Hollows above Outskirts and reset the cluster. | Beginner route |
| Energy Cell | Requires full VV Initiative route and is consumed per merge | Do not merge low-value charms; plan with Spirit Charms. | Charms |
| Build Reset | Late recipe, exact ingredients missing, expensive if you misbuild | Plan skill trees before Level 20 and avoid random stat spreads. | Skill Tree |
| Hogyoku Fragment | Rare chance and limited free sources | Use Gelum chests early, then dailies and group raids when ready. | Bosses |
Visual farming help
Video Guides
Use videos for exact paths to Scorpion Hollows, Lizard Hollows, Hokuchi, crafting tables and the Respirator route. Use this page for the compact material decision table.
Spirit Alloy recipe Count conflict noted
Scorpion Venom path Common blocker
Outskirts and Marsh map Route context
Gelum and rare drops Boss rewards
Tip: farm materials while stacking quests. Pure mob camping is usually worse unless the mob drops a specific ingredient.
What beginners should save vs spend
Some resources are farmable; others are painful to replace.
| Resource | Save or spend? | When | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogyoku Fragments | Save | Midgame and later | Rare reroll/progression resource; do not spend on throwaway gear. |
| Clan Rerolls | Claim now, spend later | After faction/build decision | Codes give free rerolls, but wrong early rerolls waste value. |
| Energy Cells | Save | After strong charm plan | Consumed per merge and requires a questline to replace. |
| XP boosters | Save for long sessions | When stacking multiple quests | Duration is wasted if you only play briefly. |
| Mission Tickets | Spend | When you can chain better missions | Farmable and useful for higher-reward mission loops. |
| Soul Tokens | Spend on progression utility | Early | Items like Soul Pager and bank utility unlock better routing. |
Recipe and drop-rate caveats
When a live value can differ by patch, use the safer route rather than a guessed exact number.
| Topic | What can vary | Safe route |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Alloy Soul Essence count | Published guides disagree on the current quantity | Use the current crafting UI instead of a fixed web-guide number. |
| Respirator vs Rebreather | Both names appear in guides | Follow the Marsh-protection recipe and current item tooltip. |
| Respirator level gate | Use and crafting steps may unlock at different points | Finish the nearby quest chain, then recheck the crafting UI. |
| Exact drop rates | No stable public percentages | Use enemy source and area, not a promised percent. |
Materials FAQ
What materials should beginners farm first?
Farm Soul Essence, Dark Essence, Mission Tickets and Soul Tokens while following main story, dailies and faction quests. Only target Scorpion Venom and Lizard Blood when you are preparing the Respirator route.
How do you get Spirit Alloy in VV ULTIMATUM?
Unlock the Metals of Spirit route from Hokuchi near Mizuki Sato, then use Dark Essence and Soul Essence at the crafting step. Check the current in-game recipe UI for the live quantity.
What materials are used for the Sanrei Glove route?
The Quincy Sanrei route centers on a Broken Quincy Medallion, Frost Alloy and Strange Essence. Follow the Quincy progression guide for route order and verify live crafting quantities in-game.
How do you get Soul Essence in VV ULTIMATUM?
Soul Essence appears through normal enemy kills, quests and exploration rewards. Farm it while progressing through the general world and Soul Society Outskirts rather than treating it as an isolated endgame drop.
How do you get Dark Essence in VV ULTIMATUM?
Dark Essence comes from general enemy kills, quests and progression rewards and feeds directly into the Spirit Alloy route.
How do you get Lizard Blood in VV ULTIMATUM?
Farm Lizard Hollows near the water and fields around the Outskirts spawn-side route. Lizard Blood is used with the Marsh-protection crafting route.
What is Frost Alloy used for in VV ULTIMATUM?
Frost Alloy is a key Quincy progression material used in the Sanrei Glove route. Treat it as a dedicated Sanrei bottleneck and follow current in-game crafting information for its live recipe.
Where do Scorpion Venom and Lizard Blood drop?
Scorpion Venom drops from Scorpion Hollows on the mountain above Soul Society Outskirts. Lizard Blood drops from Lizard Hollows near the spawn-side water and fields.
What is the Respirator used for?
The Respirator, also called Rebreather in some guides, lets you survive poison damage in the Marsh biome and is a key Level 25+ progression item.
Should I spend Hogyoku Fragments early?
No. Save Hogyoku Fragments until you have a weapon or slot worth investing in. Do not plan around undocumented farming sources beyond the routes listed on this page.
Are material drop rates known?
No exact public drop rates are confirmed as of June 7, 2026. Treat route and source data as useful, but do not trust unsourced percentages.
Related guides
Materials connect to routes, bosses, storage and builds.