How to Unlock Sonia Belmont in Vampire Survivors Ode to Castlevania

Sonia Belmont is a character unlockable from the beginning of Vampire Survivors Ode to Castlevania, but her description in the unlock menu is somewhat cryptic for those diving in for the first time. Here’s how to find the Stallion Gate, open it, and find Heart Refreshes to unlock Sonia.

How do I unlock Sonia in Vampire Survivors?

Sonia Belmont is unlockable by finding seven Heart Refresh stage items after opening the Stallion Gate in the Ode to Castlevania level. To begin, load into the stage and head east into the castle.

Keep walking east through the castle and onto the large red sigil on the floor, which spawns the first gate boss. Defeat Giant Bat and pick up the Stallion Gate Key it drops to open the Stallion Gate instantly.

The Stallion Gate allows you to permanently use the church at the beginning of the stage to teleport to the room after the first boss. All major bosses in Ode to Castlevania work this way, meaning you don’t need to trek through the castle each run.

How to find Heart Refresh

Unlocking the Stallion Gate also causes the Heart Refresh item to appear throughout the stage. These look like angels with hearts and boost health regeneration. Find seven Heart Refreshes, and Sonia becomes purchasable from the Character Selection menu.

The easiest way to collect seven Heart Refreshes is to use the VII – Mad Groove Arcana, which pulls all stage items toward you every two minutes. If you don’t have Mad Groove, follow any in-game arrows to the items during your regular run. Don’t worry; there are plenty around.

Sonia character weapon and passive bonus

Full name: Sonia Belmont
Weapon: Sonic Whip
Passive Bonus: Grants a temporary Cooldown reduction when overhealing by +8. Can pick up special pickups.

Sonia’s Sonic Whip evolves into Crissaegrim Tip when combined with Skull O’ Maniac. You can also add the Sonic Whip to the regular pool by surviving as Sonia for eight minutes.

Vampire Survivors and the Ode to Castlevania DLC are now available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices.