One initial snag is there are not in the game initially. They require unlocking - with the game giving you the original cast of eight to begin with, and putting you to work on getting the rest. There are multiple Super Smash Bros character unlock methods, and until you’ve got them all, we have a Super Smash Bros character list so you can work out who you are missing. Not only that - but more Super Smash Bros DLC characters have been added over time. On this page: When you have them all, our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Tier List can help you decide who to play as. We also have some Super Smash Bros Ultimate tips if you want to brush up on the essentials, plus everything we know about Super Smash Bros Ultimate DLC. Apart from World of Light, the way you’ll encounter new characters is the same - you have to beat them in combat, with them challenging you to a match. The fastest way to unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate Play a Smash match (also known as Versus mode) and after the match is over, you’ll be challenged by a random character so you can unlock them. There is a ten minute in-game counter between these encounters, designed to slow down to rate of character unlocks. However, you can avoid this by restarting the game. The next time you play a Smash / Versus match, and you’ll then get another character unlock. You can make this go even quicker is you set it so match settings are set to Stamina, and each character’s stamina being as slow as possible (10), enough so a single projectile will end the match - and saving that as a template for future runs. If you get to a point where this no longer works, you may need to move a certain distance during at match between unlocks as well - dannyjayes1 on reddit recommends playing on the ‘Moray Towers’ (Splatoon stage), walking up and down, then completing the match. Doing this method - playing a Smash match, unlocking a character, closing the game and repeating - is a grind, but is the fastest way to go. Other character unlock methods in Super Smash Bros Ultimate There are a few other ways to get characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate:
Each Classic Mode completion (found in the Games and More portion of the main menu) results in a character unlock. The benefit of this is the eight starting roster will unlock Super Smash Bros characters in a specific order, as shown in the following official image (thanks, Stuart98 on reddit):
Encounter the respective character when playing World of Light, the game’s single-player adventure, to unlock them across all modes. This is also how you unlock Mii Fighter styles. As mentioned in the fastest unlock method above, playing any other mode for ten minutes (of in-game time) will see a New Challenger encounter when you next exit the mode.
Note that if you fail when challenged by a character, then you can attempt again by selecting it on the main menu screen. It’s intermittent, so keep playing until it appears again. Who are the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters? Not only is there a huge returning roster, there are several new fighters too, with more being added as DLC until the end of 2021:
Inkling (from Splatoon) Ridley (from Metroid) Simon (from Castlevania) King K. Rool (from Donkey Kong) Isabelle (from Animal Crossing) Incineroar (from Pokemon) Piranha Plant (from Super Mario - free DLC if Smash Bros is purchased and bought by January 31st, available February 2019) Joker (from Persona 5 - first Fighters Pass Vol 1 character, available April 2019) The Hero (from Dragon Quest - second Fighters Pass Vol 1 character, available July 2019) Banjo and Kazooie (from Banjo & Kazooie - third Fighters Pass Vol 1 character, available September 2019) Terry Bogard (from Final Fight - fourth Fighters Pass Vol 1 character, available November 2019) Byleth (from Fire Emblem: Three Houses - fifth Fighters Pass Vol 1 character, available January 2020) Min Min (from ARMS - first Fighters Pass Vol 2 character, available June 2020) Steve (from Minecraft - second Fighters , available June 2020)
Meanwhile, the game introduces the concept of ‘Echo Fighters’. It’s not a new concept; they are reskins of other characters with offer subtle differences in their movesets, but unlike costumes, have their own place in the roster. These include:
Lucina Dark Pit Daisy (new for Ultimate) Dark Samus (new for Ultimate) Chrom (new for Ultimate) Richter (new for Ultimate) Ken (new for Ultimate)
Are there any more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters coming? Before the game’s release, series director Masahiro Sakurai confirmed there would be post-release DLC for Super Smash Bros Ultimate as part of a Fighters Pass. Since then, there is news of a second set of characters, extending this run until the end of 2021, with Sora being the final character added to the game. A Fighters Pass costs £22.49, and includes that volume’s set of fighters. Alternatively, you can get them for £5.59 each, with each set adding a Fighter, a Stage and multiple music tracks - and no Echo Fighters. It should be said the first Fighters Pass does not include Piranha Plant, which was free DLC if Smash Bros is purchased and bought by January 31st, and then made available in February 2019. If you missed out, it was later made available as paid DLC.
