VV: Ultimatum Blooming Madness Shikai: Build and Combos

Blooming Madness is the headline Shikai from the newest VV: Ultimatum update, dropped in for the Sword Reaper class alongside two new sensory skills and a fresh Dual Swords weapon type. It is a close-range, condition-based kit that wins short “games” against your opponent and then cashes those wins out for burst and execution pressure. This guide covers what it does, how each move is used, the first upgrade to take, a workable PvP flow, and the reroll code that gets you started.

The quick verdict on Blooming Madness

Blooming Madness is a Legendary Shikai with a roughly 1% roll chance when you spend Ability Rerolls, so it is a genuine chase item rather than something you back into. It is tied to the Sword Reaper class and leans entirely into close-range pressure: you bait a movement out of your target, drop a conditional “game,” and punish hard if you win the exchange.

Essential facts and the UPDATE2 code reward

Beyond the code, the confirmed picture is straightforward: Blooming Madness is a Sword Reaper Legendary at a 1% roll, it introduces the Dual Swords weapon type, and its whole identity runs through Shadow Game, Mountain Game, and the Irony ultimate. A handful of general reroll codes are also floating around the wider VV: Ultimatum code list, but availability there shifts constantly, so lean on UPDATE2 as your reliable starter and check the Codes tab in-game for anything still live.

Dual Swords weapon basics

The update also added a Dual Swords weapon variant that pairs naturally with this Shikai. In practice it plays like a clean close-range weapon: the M1 string is a quick dual-blade combo, and the heavy is a single committed swing rather than a multi-part chain, so the weapon itself keeps things simple and lets the Shikai abilities do the heavy lifting.

Worth flagging honestly: it is not fully settled whether the Dual Swords shown are strictly the brand-new weapon variant, and you may or may not be able to reroll into that specific variant separately. Either way, if you have Dual Swords available, they are a strong fit for the up-close pressure this kit wants.

Blooming Madness moves and how to use each

Everything in Blooming Madness orbits two condition skills. Shadow Game floods the area with shadows and rewrites your follow-ups into two fast options, while Mountain Game is a positioning check where the higher player wins. The trick is that both are exchanges, not free damage — you get the big payoff only when you come out ahead, and each win pushes you toward unlocking Irony.

Use Shadow Game as your bread-and-butter close punish and escape catch: read whether they hold position or bolt, then pick Shadow Slash or Shadow Fall accordingly. Mountain Game is a right-click that only pays off when you actually hold the height advantage — on a rooftop, ledge, stairs, or slope it is strong, and on flat ground it is a coin flip you should not rely on. As you keep winning exchanges and landing special M1s, you build Irony, which is your finisher rather than an opener.

First upgrade path and playstyle to run

The first upgrade to take is Shadow Booting. Its early node stretches the duration of both Shadow Game and Mountain Game, which directly means more time to land a follow-up and win the exchange, and a later node makes you build charge toward Irony much faster while in Shikai mode. Longer game windows plus faster ultimate access is exactly the loop this Shikai wants, so it is the cleanest first investment.

Damage is also a real option — its nodes make Shadow Game and Mountain Game hit harder on a won exchange and can even execute the opponent on a loss at higher levels — so it is a strong secondary path once your game windows feel comfortable. Rather than lock in a single “best build,” treat Shadow Booting as the reliable opener and layer Damage on top based on how consistently you are winning your games.

A flexible PvP combo and fight plan

This is a read-and-react flow, not a fixed rotation — adapt each step to what your opponent does.

Open with M1 pressure

Start the fight with your Dual Swords M1 string to crowd the target and force a reaction.

Force a movement

Push until they block, dash, or panic — you want them committing to an escape or a hold.

Activate Shadow Game up close

Once you are in range, drop Shadow Game so both fast follow-ups become available.

Pick Shadow Slash or Shadow Fall

Use Shadow Slash if they stay close; use Shadow Fall if they try to run.

Get to high ground first

Before Mountain Game, move onto a ledge, rooftop, stairs, or slope so the height check favors you.

Use Mountain Game from height

Trigger Mountain Game with the height advantage to win the positioning exchange and add pressure.

Save Irony for the kill window

Bank Irony until you have a confirmed punish or a kill/escape-limited moment, then cash it out.

Video help

Common mistakes that waste the Shikai

Almost every misplay with Blooming Madness comes from treating it like a raw damage kit instead of a conditions kit. The fixes are mechanical, not vague — most of it is about range, height, and patience with your ultimate.

VV: Ultimatum topics to read next

Once you have the Shikai and the basics down, the natural next steps are a dedicated reroll farming route for stacking more Ability Rerolls, a full Sword Reaper Dual Swords build covering traits and combo routes for PvP, and a Shikai tier comparison to judge whether Blooming Madness is worth prioritizing over other rare options. Those three together turn “I rolled it” into “I main it.”