Shapeshifting Powers in V Rising unlock additional movements, combat, passive abilities, and stealth abilities for your vampire, and each form they take can be unlocked through drinking V Blood after defeating powerful bosses. Whether players want to roam the forests in the shape of a Vampire Wolf or scurry away like a Rat, Shapeshifting is useful throughout the entire game, even for PvP.
V Rising: Every Magic Type, Ranked
This list ranks each of the 6 magic types in V Rising, determining the best overall for conquering Vardoran.
During player-versus-player action, gamers will want to have many of these Powers unlocked, be it to ambush rivals or escape before getting overwhelmed by opponents. There are many Shapeshifting Powers available in V Rising for players to make use of, but some are arguably better than others.
7 Frog Shape
A Somewhat Unimpressive Form That Allows The User To Jump
- Unlocked by: Albert the Duke of Balaton
- Increases: Nothing
- Ability: Jump over small ledges
- PVE Utility: None
- PVP Utility: Situational
The Frog Shapeshifting Power grants players the ability to jump, and that's it. Its utility is questionable, except for some occasions where players are looking to raid a rival Vampire's castle and detect a weakness in their build. If the enemy leaves a small spot open near a ledge players can jump onto, it will be possible for gamers to summon a golem there to break the castle from an unprotected side.
Besides that traversal ability, Frog Shape offers nothing else. One would think that it would make the Toads and Frogs from the Cursed Forest swamp-friendly, but no. It doesn't work like the Wolf Shape. So, its PVE usage is close to nothing, and some could argue that its presence is merely for cosmetic purposes.
6 Rat Shape
This Form Lets Players Squeeze Through Holes And Go Unnoticed By NPCs
- Unlocked by: Nibbles the Putrid Rat
- Increases: Nothing
- Ability: Squeeze through rat holes & reduce NPC detection range
- PVE Utility: Moderate
- PVP Utility: Moderate
The Rat Shape In V Rising allows players to go unnoticed by NPCs as long as they avoid confrontation with them. Most of the spells players can unlock in this game have utility, and though Rat Shape PvE's usages are not infallible, they allow gamers to sneak through enemy lines until they reach boss locations.
V Rising: Best Spells To Unlock First
There's a plethora of spells in V Rising, and unlocking the best ones early can set you up for success later down the road.
With Rat Shape, players can avoid wasting precious resources before boss fights and draw less attention from others roaming the area. Rat Shape also allows players to squeeze through Rat holes, small teleporters located all across the map, which, unlike Vampire Teleporters, allow gamers to carry resources. This is ideal for when players want to move resources around and reach their base safely.
5 Human Shape
Provides Better Stealth Than Rat Form And Is Critical In Acquiring Knowledge Books
- Unlocked by: Bane the Shadowblade
- Increases: Nothing
- Ability: Human Camouflage (makes vendors friendly)
- PVE Utility: Great
- PVP Utility: Situational
Prior to the addition of Traders with the Secrets of Gloomroot expansion of V Rising, Human Shape was useless. Now, it's critical for the acquisition of precious Knowledge Books, which vendors sell for coins. This will allow players to progress faster if they have the necessary coin. Of course, players can always assault a caravan and steal all the money inside, but they should be aware that other Vampires could also be targeting the same prize.
In terms of stealth, Human Shape is great, and it's even better than Rat Shape, allowing players to infiltrate human cities with ease until they reach the boss areas. This proves great in the late-game, where players will need to roam around Silverlight Hills a lot. That said, players should note that Clerics, Priests, Paladins, and Lightweavers can still detect their Vampire nature if they get too close. Also, those who come across a really distracted Vampire can ambush them by passing as one of the "shady humans" roaming the roads.
4 Bear Shape
Resist The Sun, Mine Huge Chunks, & Heal Faster
- Unlocked by: Kodia the Ferocious Bear
- Increases: Sunlight resistance++ & Move Speed + / grants damage reduction and HP regeneration
- Ability: Slam/Roar (Emote)
- PVE Utility: Good
- PVP Utility: Situational
The Bear Shape in V Rising is one of the best Shapeshifting Powers since it comes with a lot of benefits. In PVE, it allows players to mine huge veins of minerals, like copper, iron, and sulfur. It also permits the breaking of gates and fences, so any low-level Vampire base will be at the player's mercy in the early game if they manage to get the Bear Shape fast. Additionally, it triggers fast health regeneration, allowing players to save their precious blood pool, and grants resistance to physical damage.
There is a way to use the Bear Shape in PVP since it doesn't get dispelled by damage like Wolf Shape, and that is to create a choke point when invading enemy castles, repelling enemy vampires at doors and narrow places when they try to approach the Golems sieging their castle. But this use is situational, and many experienced vampires can counter this strategy.
3 Spider Shape
Crawl Around, Hide Underground, & Sneak Attack
- Unlocked by: Ungora the Spider Queen
- Increases: Nothing
- Ability: Burrow/Sunlight protection
- PVE Utility: Moderate
- PVP Utility: Great
With the release of V Rising 1.0, the Spider Shape came to be one of the most useful gimmicks in the game. It's not only cool looking, but it also allows for a tremendously overpowered stealth power via Burrow. This ability allows Vampires to hide underground for as long as they want. This allows players to escape their pursuers, hide underground, and turn completely invisible. This also makes the user completely immune to sunlight, which is tremendously useful in itself.
V Rising: Every Weapon, Ranked
Although players will have a variety of preferences regarding the weaponry they use, some styles have risen to the top and others are being abandoned.
On the other hand, as long as the player is buried, others will not be able to see or directly target them. They cannot even hurt the player unless they know the exact spot where they are buried and have access to certain AoE powers that affect Spider Shape. With Spider Shape, players can wait for an enemy player vampire to leave their castle, burrow near their door, wait, and then sneak attack them when they lower their guard. The player could also camp in certain places while going undetected, wait for their ideal time to strike, and take advantage of it. The possibilities are endless, and Spider Shape turned out to be one of the greatest additions to the 1.0 version of the game.
2 Wolf Shape
Run Like The Wind & Pounce On Prey
- Unlocked by: Alpha the Withe Wolf
- Increases: Sunlight Resistance + & Move Speed ++
- Ability: Spectral Jump/Howl (Emote)
- PVE Utility: Good
- PVP Utility: Great
Wolf Shape is arguably the best Shapeshifting Power besides Bat Shape and can serve many purposes. From fast movement through the map to chasing enemies during PvP, the movement increase buff does a great deal to benefit players. Additionally, Wolf Shape has access to Spectral Jump, a broken ability that allows for a quick directional pounce that even permits players to go through certain structures, like rocks, fences, and trees. It also increases the user's resistance to Sunlight.
Spectral Jump can also help players close the gap during PvP engagements or elude certain skillshots from enemy Vampires. The only bad thing is that this form, like most of them, is dispelled once the player takes damage. It also takes 2.4 seconds to assume the Wolf Shape, so casting it during combat is a no-go. If players find themselves needing to run from PVP combat, they should try to use the evasion ability, distance themselves from their pursuers, or distract them with NPCs before attempting to shapeshift. It's also important to keep in mind that jumping through rocks and trees can be a great way to fool one's pursuers.
1 Bat Shape
Allows Players To Fly But Should Not Be Used When The Sun Is Out
- Unlocked by: Lord Styx the Night Champion
- Increases: Move Speed +++
- Ability: Flight/Descend
- PVE Utility: Great
- PVP Utility: Great
Bat Shape is a great Shapeshifting Power to have access to in PVP, but that doesn't mean it's only good for combat. Exploration takes a new form once players can see everything from the sky, and Bat Shape will grant access to new places and new bosses, too. Depending on the server's settings, players may also carry items with them while airborne, making the transportation of materials much easier.
This power allows players to traverse the map at great speeds and avoid annoying NPCs on the ground. Sunlight, however, will be the Bat Shape's main weakness, so players should avoid using it during the day. The rest of the time, though, the night and the skies will belong to the user, and gamers can use the Descend ability to fall upon unsuspecting players or NPCs to conduct surprise attacks.
