Starting Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s adventure mode is a bit of a shock. You’re Kirby. Just Kirby. Everyone else is a glowing blue puppet under the control of a giant winged eyeball named Galeem. If you want your roster back, you have to go get them.
The World of Light character map is massive. It’s not just a flat board; it’s a sprawling labyrinth of puzzles, "sub-maps" (which are basically mini-dungeons), and annoying roadblocks that require specific spirits to pass. Honestly, if you don't have a plan, you'll spend twenty hours just wandering around the forest wondering why the bridge to the Great Plateau is broken.
The Start: That First Big Choice
Right at the beginning, the game gives you a nudge. After you beat Mario—who is basically the tutorial unlock—you hit a crossroads.
You have to choose one of three paths. This is where people get stressed, but don't overthink it. You’re picking between Marth, Sheik, or Villager.
Whichever one you pick, the other two paths get blocked off by light. You will get them back later, but it takes a while. If you want a fast sword user, go left for Marth. If you like technical play, go up for Sheik. If you want to grab projectiles and plant trees, go right for Villager.
Navigating the Light Realm
The Light Realm is the "overworld" where you spend the first half of the game. It’s divided into a few weird zones.
- The City and Raceway: This is in the eastern part of the map. You’ll find Captain Falcon on the racetrack (obviously), but you need a spirit that can drive, like Pico or Ayumi Tachibana, to actually get onto the track. Mii Swordfighter is also hanging out around the town area nearby.
- The Southern Great Plateau: This is a huge Breath of the Wild reference. You’ll find Link here. It's usually one of the earlier unlocks if you took the Villager path.
- The Western Jungle: This is Donkey Kong country. You’ll find Donkey Kong himself in the middle of the greenery, and Diddy Kong is waiting at the end of the Kongo Jungle sub-map.
- Mushroom Valley: This area is annoying because of the elevation. You’ll find Olimar and Pac-Man around here. To reach Olimar, you specifically need a spirit like Viridi to make the mushrooms grow so you can climb them.
One thing to keep in mind: the map is full of "Spirit Obstacles." If you see a broken bridge, a bus stop, or a boulder, you can't just punch it. You need to find a Spirit in a different part of the map that has the "Field Skill" to fix it. For example, you need Cyrus & Reese to fix the bridge to reach Jigglypuff.
The Sub-Maps: Where the Heavy Hitters Hide
You can't unlock everyone just by walking around the grass. Many characters are tucked away in themed dungeons.
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Molten Fortress
This is the big volcano/castle in the north. You’ll have to fight Giga Bowser here. Once you win, you get the actual Bowser. Peach is also hidden in a side room of this dungeon.
The Power Plant
Located in the west, this place is a maze of switches. You’ll find Pichu and Inkling here. It’s a bit of a headache because you have to flip yellow and blue gates to progress.
The Base
This is the Metal Gear themed area. It's full of security cameras and gates. Mega Man is right outside the entrance, but Snake is tucked deep inside. You’ll have to find keycards to get to him.
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Gourmet Race
A Kirby-themed sub-map in the north. It’s a literal race. Depending on how much food you eat during the race, you’ll place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. You usually find King Dedede at the end of this.
The World of Dark: It’s Not Over Yet
Most people think they’re done after beating Galeem. They aren’t.
After the "final" battle, the world flips, and you enter the World of Dark. This map is shaped like a triforce-demon thing and has three main branches. Each branch has its own sub-map.
- The Sacred Land: This is a massive Zelda puzzle. You have to navigate the Lost Woods and use torches to find your way. This is where you unlock Zelda, Young Link, Ganondorf, and Sonic.
- Dracula’s Castle: This is a love letter to Castlevania. You have to shoot cannons at ghosts to clear paths. Simon Belmont and Richter are here, along with Daisy.
- Mysterious Dimension: A weird, quiz-filled void. You’ll find Mewtwo, Luigi, and R.O.B. floating around in the colorful mess.
The Final Battle Map
Once you clear the World of Dark, you reach the actual, actual final area. It’s a vertical map where light and dark are fighting.
The characters here are the ones the developers clearly thought were the coolest. You’ll find Roy and Dark Samus on opposite sides of the battlefield. Bayonetta and Palutena only appear after you start defeating the Master Hand and Crazy Hand clones to balance the scales between light and dark.
Pro Tips for 100% Completion
If you’re looking at your save file and it says 99.8%, you’re probably losing your mind.
Check the portals. If a portal (sub-map icon) doesn't have a little silver star next to it, you missed a spirit or a fighter inside that dungeon. The most common miss is in the Temple of Light (the one with the elevators); there’s a fighter on the upper floor that people often breeze past.
Also, remember that DLC characters like Joker or Sora do not appear on the map. They just sort of show up in your party after you’ve unlocked about ten regular fighters. You don't have to "find" them.
Your Next Steps
- Open your map and look at the "Base" in the southwest. If you haven't gone there yet, Mega Man and Snake are waiting.
- Go to the Alola Islands in the bottom right of the Light Realm. You’ll need the Lapras spirit to surf there, which you can find near the docks by the city. This is where Mii Gunner and Toon Link are hidden.
- Clear the Sacred Land first once you hit the Dark World. It’s the longest sub-map, but getting Zelda and Ganondorf early makes the rest of the dark realm battles much easier.