You’ve seen them in the arena. Those Shinigami players wearing masks, tearing through health bars with that distinct purple glow. It’s intimidating. Honestly, the path to getting Vizard in Type Soul is probably one of the most frustrating grinds in the entire game, mostly because the game doesn’t hold your hand. At all. If you’re tired of being a "base" Soul Reaper and you're ready to embrace the inner hollow, you need to understand that this isn't just a simple quest. It’s a test of patience.
Getting your Vizard is about more than just a power boost; it’s about transforming your playstyle. But before you start hunting for items or fighting bosses, you have to be at the right level. There is no shortcut here.
The Prerequisites Nobody Mentions
Most guides tell you to just "get the items." That’s bad advice. You’ll waste hours if you aren't actually eligible for the transformation. First, you have to be a Soul Reaper. Obviously. But more specifically, you need to have reached Grade 2 or higher. If you're still a Trainee or Semi-Grade, stop reading and go do some missions. You also need your Shikai. You can't tap into hollow powers if you haven't even mastered your own blade yet.
Once you’ve hit Grade 2, the real nightmare begins. It’s called the Hog Shard.
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This is the gatekeeper. The Hogyoku Shard is a legendary-tier drop. You can get them from Raids, Clan Wars, or by defeating World Bosses like Bawabawa in Hueco Mundo or Jidanbo in Soul Society. The drop rate is notoriously low. Some players get it in three raids; others grind for a week and see nothing. It’s pure RNG. You need ten of these. Ten. Don’t let anyone tell you that one or two will suffice for the full process—collecting ten is the standard "safe" bet to ensure you can progress through the various stages of the Vizard questline without hitting a wall.
The Quest for the Mask
So, you’ve got your shards. Now what? You need to find the Vizard NPC. This guy is tucked away in a corner of the map that most people run past a dozen times without noticing. You're looking for an NPC named Hyori (or the Vizard trainer depending on the current map update). Usually, they hang out in the more secluded areas of the City or hidden near the outskirts of the Soul Society.
When you talk to them with your shards in your inventory, they aren’t going to just give you the mask. They’re going to challenge you. This is the "Hollowfication" process.
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Surviving the Inner World
This is where your combat skills actually matter. You’ll be transported to a mental realm to fight your Inner Hollow. Think of it as a mirror match but way more aggressive. The AI for the Inner Hollow doesn't play fair. It has your moves, plus extra speed and a tendency to spam abilities.
- Tip 1: Don't just rush in. The Inner Hollow reads inputs. If you spam your strongest move, it will dodge and punish you.
- Tip 2: Use your Shikai strategically. If you have a long-range Shikai, keep your distance. If you’re a medic or kido type, this fight is going to be significantly harder because you lack raw burst damage.
If you lose? You have to try again. Some versions of the game implement a cooldown, so dying here is a massive time sink.
The Grind for Essence
After you beat your hollow, you’ve technically "unlocked" the Vizard form, but it’s weak. You’ll notice your mask breaks almost immediately. To make it viable for PvP, you need to collect Hollow Essence.
How do you get it? By killing Hollows. A lot of them. You’ll need to head to Hueco Mundo and start a genocide of Menos Grande and Arrancars. Every kill slowly fills an invisible meter. You’ll know you’re progressing when your mask duration starts to last longer. There is a common misconception that only boss kills count. That’s false. While bosses give more "exp" toward your mask, standard Hollows work just fine if you're willing to put in the time.
Why Vizard is Actually Worth the Headache
Is it worth it? Yes.
The Vizard mask provides a massive buff to your physical stats and your Kido damage. In a game like Type Soul, where a 5% difference in damage can be the gap between winning a duel and getting gripped, the Vizard buff is massive. Plus, you get access to Cero. Being a Soul Reaper who can fire a massive purple laser is a tactical advantage that’s hard to overlook. It catches people off guard in the middle of Shikai combos.
However, there is a catch. The "Hollow Strain."
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If you keep your mask on too long, it cracks. If it cracks, you take a massive debuff and lose access to your Vizard powers for a lengthy cooldown. This adds a layer of resource management to your fights. You have to know exactly when to pop the mask for a burst of damage and when to take it off to let your "soul stabilize." It’s a high-skill, high-reward mechanic.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Don't trade your Hogyoku Shards: People will try to lowball you in the trading hub. Keep them. You need them for Vizard, and eventually, you might need them for Bankai progression.
- Don't ignore your faction: If you go rogue or leave your division, it can sometimes mess with NPC interactions. Stay aligned until you have the mask firmly on your face.
- Watch the updates: Type Soul developers love to tweak drop rates. If Bawabawa isn't dropping shards this week, check the Discord. Sometimes they shift the loot pools to different bosses to force players into different zones.
Actionable Next Steps for Aspiring Vizards
If you want to get this done today, here is your checklist. No fluff.
- Check your Grade: Ensure you are at least Grade 2. If you aren't, go to the mission board in Soul Society and grind until you are.
- Farm Raids: Don't solo. Join a faction or a group of friends and cycle through Raids every time they pop up. This is the most consistent way to get those 10 Hogyoku Shards.
- Head to Hueco Mundo: Even before you have all your shards, get comfortable fighting in Hueco Mundo. You’ll be spending a lot of time there later for the essence grind.
- Practice Perfect Blocking: The fight against your Inner Hollow is won through parries, not just mashing. If you can’t perfect block a standard NPC, the Inner Hollow will wreck you.
- Locate the NPC: Find the Vizard trainer now so you aren't wandering around lost once you finally get that tenth shard. Check the mountain ranges or the secluded city corners.
Once you have the mask, focus entirely on your "Mask Mastery." Use it in every mob fight to increase the duration. A Vizard with a 10-second mask is a liability; a Vizard with a 1-minute mask is a god.