Spells in Vampire Survivors are not just convenience cheat codes. Five of them are mandatory and cannot be unlocked any other way: guinigi, forbiddenbox, starpupil, rulersword, and (on some platforms) tramezzini and maybeimastallion. The other 100+ spells are optional shortcuts. Knowing which is which prevents wasted hours hunting for unlocks the game expects players to type in.
Two paths exist. The permanent unlock requires defeating Sketamari in The Bone Zone to drop the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane relic. The temporary unlock requires clicking the Yellow Sign relic icon in the collection 7 times to unlock spells for the current play session only.
Per the official Vampire Survivors Wiki, spells are a mechanic that allow secret codes to unlock characters, stages, relics, arcanas, and other content via the Secrets menu. The Secrets menu is permanently unlocked by collecting the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane, a relic dropped by the 
Sketamari in The Bone Zone. Sketamari spawns directly south of the starting position and appears as a question mark on the Milky Way Map.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pick a high-DPS character. Queen Sigma works well thanks to her high stats. Mask of the Red Death is a strong alternative. |
| 2 | Enter  The Bone Zone (the challenge stage). The Milky Way Map relic is highly recommended for finding Sketamari quickly. |
| 3 | Move directly south from the starting area. Sketamari rolls around as a giant ball of bones. |
| 4 | Defeat Sketamari. Per the official wiki, the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane drops automatically. Pick it up and complete the run. |
| 5 | Return to the main menu. The Secrets menu now appears as a permanent option in the top navigation. |
Per the official wiki, clicking the Yellow Sign relic icon in the collection 7 times produces the message "You are now a magician!" and temporarily unlocks the Secrets menu for the current play session. The player can then cast spells immediately without farming Sketamari. The trick must be redone every time the game restarts until the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane is collected permanently.
VSDirect answer: Use the 7-click trick first to test spells, then farm Sketamari for the permanent unlock.
The 7-click trick is instant but resets every time the game restarts. The Forbidden Scrolls are permanent but require defeating Sketamari, which takes one run on a strong character. Most players use the 7-click trick on their first session to start unlocking content immediately, then complete the Sketamari kill at their own pace afterward (compare with Endless Mode unlock grinds). Skipping the Forbidden Scrolls entirely is fine if the player only wants to use spells occasionally. See our character tier list for which characters reward the spell shortcut most.
Per the official wiki, five spells cannot be unlocked through normal play and MUST be typed in the Secrets menu: guinigi, forbiddenbox, starpupil, rulersword, and (depending on platform) tramezzini and maybeimastallion. Without these, the player cannot reach 100% completion.
The required spells are unique because the game offers no other way to unlock the corresponding content. Per the official wiki, this is by design (similar to Banish 80 Weapons achievement that requires deliberate gameplay knowledge). Some unlocks are intentionally gated behind cheat code knowledge as a fourth-wall-breaking nod to old-school PC and console cheat code culture. The following spells are mandatory on all platforms.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
guinigi | Required unlock; sometimes typed as guinigigi on certain platforms |
forbiddenbox | Required unlock for Forbidden Box content |
starpupil | Required to enable Eleanor Uziron's starting weapon toggle to other Spell weapons via the character skin selection |
rulersword | Required unlock |
tramezzini | Required on some platforms |
maybeimastallion | Required on some platforms |
Most playable characters can be unlocked via spells in the Secrets menu, although per the official wiki, all character unlocks are also reachable through normal gameplay. The exception is Mortaccio, whose spell is the famous Konami code typed on the main menu rather than in the Secrets menu.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
noneladonna | Arca Ladonna |
vivaladonna | Porta Ladonna |
superladonna |  Lama Ladonna |
strongestcharacter | Poe Ratcho |
faschiuma | Suor Clerici |
bioparco | Dommario |
notinthisgame |  Vlad Tepes Dracula |
allatonce | Queen Sigma |
isthiswhatamanis | Pile of Secrets |
strongestcharacter | Poe Ratcho |
Two characters use unconventional spell methods. Mortaccio unlocks via the Konami code typed on the main menu (not in the Secrets menu): up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, escape, enter. The 
Exdash spell is X-X!V''Q, a reference to the famous Castlevania: Symphony of the Night cheat code that gave Alucard high Luck at the cost of other stats.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right,escape,enter | Mortaccio (typed on MAIN MENU, not Secrets menu) |
X-X!V''Q | Exdash (Castlevania SOTN reference) |
x-x1viiq | Exdash (alternate input method) |
Stage spells unlock both the stage AND its Hyper Mode toggle simultaneously. The everywhere spell unlocks all main stages and Hyper Modes at once, but only works after unlocking the Inlaid Library achievement first.
Per the official wiki, every stage spell unlocks the corresponding stage and its Hyper Mode toggle in the same input. The relic remains highly recommended after unlocking new stages because it shows the locations of important stage items.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
relaxenjoylife |  Il Molise + Hyper Mode |
honesty |  Moongolow + Hyper Mode |
dotgogreenacres |  Green Acres + Hyper Mode |
rottingpizza | The Bone Zone + Hyper Mode |
peakgamedesign |  Boss Rash + Hyper Mode |
recyclethetower |  Tiny Bridge + Hyper Mode |
recycletheforest |  Bat Country + Hyper Mode |
jumptheshark |  Space 54 + Hyper Mode |
everywhere | ALL main stages + Hyper Mode (requires Inlaid Library unlock first) |
Direct answer: everything unlocks all weapons and passives from level-ups; everywhere unlocks all stages and their Hyper Modes.
The two spells are often confused because they sound similar and unlock huge content batches at once. The everything spell unlocks every weapon and passive item that normally appears in level-up rolls (but NOT the 4 Yellow Sign hidden passives or the DLC special passives). The everywhere spell unlocks every main stage and its Hyper Mode toggle. Per the wiki, everywhere only works after the Inlaid Library achievement has been unlocked. Both spells, plus the allatonce spell that unlocks Queen Sigma, are references to the film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
randomazzami unlocks the Arcana system plus Sarabande of Healing (VI) instantly. darkassami unlocks the Darkana system plus Moonlight Bolero (VI). aintnobodygottimeforthat skips the time-gated Arcana grind by unlocking Mad Groove, Out of Bounds, Disco of Gold, Silent Old Sanctuary, and Game Killer (0).
Per the official wiki, the Randomazzo relic from Gallo Tower unlocks the base Arcana system, and the 
Darkasso relic from Room 1665 unlocks Darkanas. Both can be obtained early via spells, which lets the player start running Arcana-based builds without grinding character levels or stage time first.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
randomazzami | Randomazzo + Sarabande of Healing (VI) |
darkassami | Darkasso + Moonlight Bolero (VI) |
aintnobodygottimeforthat | Mad Groove (VIII), Out of Bounds (XII), Disco of Gold (XV), Silent Old Sanctuary (XX), Game Killer (0) |
Per the wiki, the spells to unlock the Arcanas (except Sarabande of Healing) are the original Italian names of their corresponding Major Arcana cards. The spells to unlock Darkanas (except Moonlight Bolero) are the spells of their corresponding Arcanas spelled backwards.
Each DLC adds its own batch of character, weapon, and relic spells. The Ode to Castlevania DLC has the most spells, with each referencing factoids from the Castlevania series. The icanhearthecriesofcaptainplanet spell unlocks the Great Gospel relic, one of the most useful general-purpose unlock spells.
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
notinthisgame | Vlad Tepes Dracula |
mathiascronqvist |  Megalo Dracula |
adrianfahrenheit |  Alucard (Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes) |
omniavanitas |  Julius Belmont |
technicallynotavampire |  Soma Cruz |
firsttodoittwice |  Christopher Belmont |
| Spell | Unlocks |
|---|---|
icanhearthecriesofcaptainplanet | Great Gospel relic |
forbiddenbox | Forbidden Box content (REQUIRED) |
rulersword | Ruler Sword content (REQUIRED) |
starpupil | Eleanor Uziron weapon toggle (REQUIRED) |
Per the official wiki, multiple Castlevania DLC spells reference factoids or memes from the Castlevania series. The firsttodoittwice spell references how Christopher Belmont was the first Belmont to fight Dracula more than once (Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge). The technicallynotavampire spell references how Soma is a human despite being the reincarnation of Dracula.
The 
spoopyseason spell unlocks Halloween skins for Mortaccio, Yatta Cavallo, Bianca Ramba, and O'Sole Meeo. Other novelty spells include spinnn (cosmetic UI rotation), gottagofast (Sonic reference), and flymetothemoon (Sinatra/Bayonetta reference).
| Spell | Unlocks / Effect |
|---|---|
everything | All weapons and passives from level-up rolls (NOT Yellow Sign hidden passives) |
everywhere | All main stages + Hyper Mode (requires Inlaid Library unlock first) |
spoopyseason | Halloween skins for Mortaccio, Yatta Cavallo, Bianca Ramba, O'Sole Meeo |
spinnn | Cosmetic UI spinning effect (closing menu mid-spin freezes the background) |
gottagofast | Sonic reference unlock |
flymetothemoon | Frank Sinatra/Bayonetta reference unlock |
vogue | Madonna 1990 hit reference unlock |
Per the official wiki, the spinnn spell has a unique behavior (compare with boss farming easter eggs): closing the Secrets menu while the UI is still spinning causes the background of the main menu to freeze at an unusual angle until the spell is entered again to reset it. The behavior is not documented in-game and is purely a discovered easter egg.
Direct answer: Type all required spells once on the first session; treat optional spells as time-savers based on personal preference.
Required spells (guinigi, forbiddenbox, starpupil, rulersword, plus tramezzini and maybeimastallion on some platforms) are the only path to 100% completion. Optional spells like everything, everywhere, randomazzami, and aintnobodygottimeforthat skip grinding but do not block any unlocks. Players who enjoy the unlock loop should skip optional spells. Players who already have several characters maxed and want to fast-forward to specific content should type the optional spells freely. The same logic applies to final boss achievement runs.
Per the official wiki, most spells are deliberate references to gaming culture, music, and Italian language puns. The most notable etymologies:
Two paths exist. The permanent unlock requires defeating Sketamari in The Bone Zone (south of spawn, marked as a question mark on the Milky Way Map) to drop the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane relic. The temporary unlock requires clicking the Yellow Sign relic icon in the relic collection 7 times to display the message 'You are now a magician!' which unlocks the Secrets menu for the current play session only.
Open the Secrets menu from the main menu, click into the text field on the right side, and type the spell exactly. Each key must be typed within 30 seconds of the last one or the spell does not register. Spells are case-sensitive. Once a spell unlocks something, it cannot be typed again to undo or repeat the unlock.
Yes. Per the official wiki, five spells are mandatory: guinigi (sometimes guinigigi), forbiddenbox, starpupil, and rulersword. On some platforms, tramezzini and maybeimastallion are also required. Without typing these spells, the player cannot reach 100% completion. All other spells are optional shortcuts for content reachable through normal play.
The most universally useful spells are everything (unlocks all weapons and passives from level-ups), everywhere (unlocks all main stages and Hyper Modes; requires Inlaid Library unlock first), randomazzami (unlocks the Arcana system plus Sarabande of Healing), and aintnobodygottimeforthat (unlocks the time-gated Arcanas including Mad Groove, Out of Bounds, Disco of Gold, Silent Old Sanctuary, and Game Killer).
Yes, temporarily. Click the Yellow Sign relic icon in the relic collection 7 times to display the message 'You are now a magician!' This unlocks the Secrets menu for the current play session. The trick must be redone every time the game restarts until the Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane is collected permanently from defeating Sketamari.
Sketamari spawns directly south of the starting position in The Bone Zone challenge stage. Per the official wiki, it appears as a question mark on the Milky Way Map relic, which makes locating it trivial. Avoid getting close to Sketamari early in the run because it absorbs other enemies and grows stronger; killing it weak from a distance is much easier than fighting it at full strength.
The Konami code unlocks Mortaccio, the only character whose spell must be typed on the main menu rather than in the Secrets menu (compare with Skull O Maniac two-step character unlock). The exact input is up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, escape, enter. The original Konami code in 1986 Konami games used B and A as the final two inputs; Vampire Survivors swaps these for Escape and Enter.
Per the official wiki, the Exdash spell is X-X!V'Q (with double apostrophe), an exact replica of the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night cheat code that gave Alucard high Luck at the cost of other stats. Both the spell name and the character's gameplay (high Luck, low other stats) reference the original Castlevania mechanic.
Spell mechanics, unlock requirements, Sketamari boss strategy, Yellow Sign 7-click trick, and full spell lists across base game and all DLCs cross-referenced against the official Vampire Survivors Wiki on Weirdgloop and the Vampire Survivors Fandom Wiki, including patch v1.11 documentation that introduced Darkanas. In our experience, the wiki Spells page is the definitive single reference for cross-DLC spell mechanics and references.
Sprite assets and stat data derived from the Vampire Survivors Wiki, hosted by Weirdgloop and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Vampire Survivors is a trademark of poncle. This guide is an independent reference and is not affiliated with poncle.