SOUL

SOUL is the term used for the white energy extracted from enemies and Soul Totems. It is represented in the player's HUD by a circular meter that fills up with white liquid, revealing two eye holes and giving the meter the appearance of a mask.

Notes:

• Percentages in this article are based on visual observation and readings from outside applications. There is no way of viewing exact SOUL values in-game.
• Percentages are rounded for simplification (33% is actually 33.333...%, etc, so 99% = 100%).

Using SOUL

SOUL is used to cast damage-dealing Spells or use Focus, which heals the player over time. When the player gains enough SOUL to cast a spell, the meter will glow briefly and a sound will play.

Initially, casting Spells or using Focus requires 33% meter. Using the Spell Twister charm reduces the cost to 24% meter.

Soul Vessels

File:Full Soul Vessel.png

Soul Vessels are additional storage for SOUL, represented as small circles to the left of the main SOUL meter. The player can acquire 3 total throughout the game by collecting Vessel Fragments. 3 Vessel Fragments are required to make one Soul Vessel.

If the player gains SOUL while their main SOUL meter is full, the soul will instead be transferred to one of the Soul Vessels, starting with the lowest one. Hits dealt by your Nail acquire SOUL for your Soul Vessels at a reduced rate. Without Soul Catcher or Soul Eater, you get 6% SOUL per hit. With Soul Catcher, you get 8% SOUL per hit. With Soul Eater, you get 12% SOUL per hit. With both Soul Catcher and Soul Eater, you get 14% SOUL per hit.

Dream Nail hits do not fill Soul Vessels at a reduced rate. They fill at the normal rate of 33% (66% with Dream Wielder).

If the main SOUL meter has empty space, and the player is not casting a Spell or using Focus, Soul Vessels will automatically refill the SOUL meter at a rate of 33% per Vessel.

It is important to note that this means it takes more hits to fill Soul Vessels than the Vessels return in SOUL. Because of this, if a player is in a long fight and is constantly gaining SOUL to use for Spells or Focus, it is better to use the main meter as soon as possible, as there is a delay between running out of SOUL in the main meter and having it be refilled by the Soul Vessels.

Acquiring SOUL

There are several ways to acquire SOUL throughout the game:

Attacking Enemies
Enemies struck with the Nail cause the player to gain SOUL at a rate of 11% per hit. Several Charms can modify this amount: Soul Catcher increases the amount of SOUL gained to 14% Soul Eater increases the amount of SOUL gained to 19% The two above charms stack, increasing the amount of SOUL gained to 22%	File:Enemy damaged-0.PNG
Dream Nail
Striking enemies with the Dream Nail will fill the player's SOUL meter by 33%. The Dream Wielder charm doubles this amount to 66%	File:Dream Nail.png
Soul Totems
Soul Totems are structures found throughout Hallownest. They glow with Soul energy when the player approaches. When hit with the Nail, they release orbs of energy that are absorbed by the player and regenerate 11% of a Vessel's worth of SOUL. After a certain amount of hits, the statue will cease to glow and will no longer give SOUL. It will be recharged when the player sits at a Bench. There are four different sizes of Soul Totems, each granting a different amount of SOUL: Small: 33% Medium: 100% Large: 166% King Totem: Limitless (only in White Palace)	File:Soul Totem 3.gif
Soul Caches
Soul Caches are found in the Soul Sanctum in the City of Tears. They are glass jars containing the same orbs of energy as Soul Totems, though breaking one only grants 22% meter.
Other Sources
Standing in a Hot Spring will slowly regenerate SOUL over time at a rate of 50% meter per second The Grubsong charm regenerates 15% meter every time the player takes damage The Kingsoul charm slowly regenerates SOUL over time at a rate of 2% meter per second Salubra's Blessing regenerates SOUL every time the player sits at a Bench, at the same rate as standing in a Hot Spring.

Trivia

• Given the architectural style and colouring, Soul Totems seem to originate from the civilization that existed before Hallownest, similar to Arcane Eggs.
• It's shown in the records found in the Soul Sanctum that the Soul Master and his followers were attempting to use SOUL to counteract The Infection, but the idea was rejected by The Pale King, and the researchers became overwhelmed by the power of excess SOUL.
  • It is implied that the SOUL these researchers were experimenting with was harvested from dead bugs.
  • Mistakes and Follies are presumably the result of weaker bugs becoming overwhelmed by SOUL, causing it to mutate their bodies.
  • It appears that, in contrast to the pure SOUL the player uses in Spells, the Soul energy used by the inhabitants of the Soul Sanctum is tainted with Infection due to its orange tint.