Spiritfarer: Can You Keep People From Leaving?

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Spiritfarer.

Thunder Lotus’s newest indie game, Spiritfarer, is all about ferrying spirits to the Everdoor so they can pass on to the afterlife, but is there a way to keep them from leaving? Helping them move on is technically the goal of the game, but keeping spirits on board is somewhat an option that can have benefits. This article will explore why a player should (or should not) guide spirits to the Everdoor, as well as how to go about either scenario.

Protagonist Stella meets a handful of spirits that she knew to some degree in life, even if she didn’t know them directly. A good portion of the game is building bonds with these spirits, so it’s understandable for a player to not want to let them move on right away. The most obvious reason to take them to the Everdoor is to progress and ultimately complete the game. However, there are reasons to put off the inevitable. Additionally, as the game allows a great deal of autonomy, players can decide when and if they want to say their final goodbyes.

Most of the spirits that board Stella’s boat have helpful perks when they’re in a good mood. For instance, Gwen will hand out threads and fibers. Some have better perks than others. Besides enjoying their company, this is probably the best reason to keep spirits around. Conversely, not allowing some spirits to leave – especially ones Stella meets early in Spiritfarer – prevents the player from progressing and even meeting new spirits.

Spiritfarer: How To Send Off (Or Keep) Spirits

In order to allow spirits to pass on, Stella must complete their quests. This usually involves building them a home or cabin on the boat and upgrading it as the spirit wishes, though this can vary depending on the character. They will normally have Stella do other tasks that involve visiting different Spiritfarer locations. Keeping them happy and fulfilling their questlines will eventually result in an individual spirit wanting some alone time. After they’ve had time to contemplate, a majority of spirits will tell Stella they’re ready to go to the Everdoor. These spirits will remain on the boat until Stella navigates to that location, and even then, a spirit will ask if the player is ready before disappearing permanently.

Stella does not have to agree, which both keeps the spirits on board and allows Stella to keep using their perks, so long as they’re content. Stella’s uncle, Atul, is the only spirit that will find his own way to the afterlife after completing his ultimate quest. As he vanished in life without a word, he also does so in this purgatory-like world. Once a spirit does move on, they leave behind a Spirit Flower, which is necessary to upgrade the boat. Upgrading the boat allows Stella enter new areas previously inaccessible due to ice, rocks, or mist, and some spirits cannot be found until getting past these obstacles. Some spirits like Summer teach Stella how to do certain mini-game events like harvesting quartz from dragons or catching lightning in a bottle. After they leave, Stella can still initiate these events by clicking the menu on that departed spirit’s house. Giovanni and Gustav have perks that help Stella earn glims (Spiritfarer‘s currency), so it may actually be in the player’s favor to keep them on board until Stella’s paid for all of her upgrades and expansions.

To summarize, Stella can keep spirits on her boat as long as she doesn’t complete all of their quests. This will allow the spirits to continue using their perks, but Stella will have to see some off in order to get Spirit Flowers that are needed to upgrade the boat and find other spirits. Ultimately, all good things in Spritifarer must come to an end, as the game is designed around final goodbyes. Since the developers estimate the game lasts about 35 hours, players can choose how long to keep spirits on board and maximize the length of this beautiful title.

Spiritfarer is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

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