Spirit Board

The Spirit Board (, Spirit Board) is a sub-menu within the single-player mode of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It contains a random, periodically refreshed collection of Spirit Battles, which pit the player against spirit-possessed fighters under special conditions. Spirits ranked Novice, Advance, and Ace will remain on the Spirit Board for five minutes, but Legend spirits will stay for fifteen minutes. Should the timer expire, the timer for the next spirit won't start until the next time the player accesses the Spirit Board. The board starts off with six available choices, but more slots are unlocked as the game is played (for example, by completing certain Challenges), up to a maximum of ten. Many of these spirits can also be obtained through World of Light. To assist the player in knowing which battles they have already done, the Spirit Battle page has a "CLEAR!" badge that appears when the player has won a battle against this spirit, while a checkmark appears next to the spirit's rank on the board if the player has at least one of that spirit in their possession. Since spirits can be obtained without having completed their battle (e.g., by amiibo or as a reward from ), it is possible to have a spirit in the inventory without having won its Spirit Battle. The opposite is also true, as spirits previously obtained can be enhanced or dismissed, which could leave a battle marked as clear while the player at that moment lacks a copy of the spirit in question. Finally, when the board is refreshed, spirits that the player does not currently possess have higher chances of appearing. If the player has collected every spirit, then the board will start prioritizing spirits with battles that haven't been completed yet.

After completing the Spirit Battle, a scene ensues where the player must shoot the possessed fighter (who is shown with one frame of their stun animation) with a special gun to obtain the Spirit. The shot must be correctly timed to avoid hitting a rotating shield protecting the enemy fighter; the higher the rank, the faster the shield will rotate and the smaller the gap. If the player hits the shield, they can spend Spirit Points (proportional to the spirit's rank) to take a second shot; if they fail this shot as well, don’t have enough Spirit Points or decline to pay, they will be returned to the Spirit Board without obtaining the spirit. However, hitting the shield will destroy part of it, and this damage will be retained when the player finds the spirit again. There are items that can make the timing of the shot easier by enlarging the gap in the shield or slowing its rotation.

Aside from fighter spirits, master spirits, and spirits of Bosses, all spirits can be obtained from the Spirit Board, including those found in World of Light; however, spirits can be found via summoning will not appear unless they have been previously summoned. Spirits that are obtained from a challenge will not appear on the Spirit Board until their challenges are completed. Additionally, spirits that must be summoned via the evolution of another spirit do not have a Spirit Battle. Numerous spirits can only be obtained exclusively from the Spirit Board. Spirits that the player does not have are more common.

As of Ver. 2.0.0, up to four players can participate in Spirit Battles offline. The number of players can be changed after selecting a challenge from the Spirit Board. However, if any of the players are KO'd, it counts as a defeat. Opponents will also have limited super armor.

In Ver. 3.0.0., a Spirit Board with DLC spirits was added. Unlike the regular one, winning a Spirit Battle always awards the player with a spirit without requiring the player to free it first, and all spirits corresponding to the selected DLC will be present. These spirits won't temporarily be removed from the board after time passes or if the player wins or loses, and obtaining all spirits from the DLC Spirit Board will grant bonus. Spirits in this section can be obtained via regular means (e.g. as prizes or in the Shop) even if the corresponding DLC has not been purchased. This Spirit Board also has its own unique theme, with a different background and music than the regular Board. 's, for example, is based on Mementos and plays.

Spirit Board events
Occasionally (each week or so), special events involving spirits fitting a specific theme will occur. When this happens, certain spirits who fit the theme will spawn with the word "Event" displaying on their cards and defeating spirits that match the theme will grant bonus rewards. Most Spirit Board events have periodically appearing spirits where certain spirits, generally Legend class spirits, or in rare occasions, newly released spirits appear at certain time intervals and stays on the board for one hour unlike other spirits. These spirits have unlimited tries whenever the player loses and will only disappear when the player wins the battle or the given hour expires. Legend-class spirits which are part of an event will stay up on the Spirit Board for up to one hour, rather than the standard fifteen minutes. During events with randomly appearing participating spirits, the 9th and 10th slots will exclusively feature event participating spirits, unless shuffled. Hourly spirits will fill up or replace the spirit at the bottom right slot at the top of an hour regardless of how much time remains for that slot.

Trivia

 * The possessed fighters encountered on the Spirit Board use their normal appearances, as opposed to the Puppet Fighters in World of Light that have red or purple eyes (depending on whether they are controlled by Galeem or Dharkon, respectively).
 * Due to being composed of two active characters, the ' models behave strangely on the spirit freeing screen. When the player-controlled Ice Climbers enter the minigame, the partner climber's model will slide upon landing and touching the leader. On the other hand, beating a Spirit Battle against an Ice Climbers puppet fighter will seemingly show the lead climber only, but close observation shows that the partner is behind the leader with the same pose, and both Ice Climbers will separate upon being shot.
 * The character's falling speed affects how long the player has to wait before they can shoot the spirit in the minigame. The higher the speed, the shorter the wait.
 * If the player wins a regular Spirit Battle as, his unique screen transition (similar to when he wins a VS match) plays before the spirit freeing screen.
 * In the Japanese version of the game, the announcer says 'Spirit Board' in a different, slightly lower inflection than in English.