Spirits & characters
Fire and Water Spirits of the Forest Spirit Abilities Explained
Seven element spirits, each with its own movement physics and an aim-and-fire elemental shot. Pick two — both must reach their own gate to clear each level.
The seven spirits are Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Diamond, Shadow, and Electricity. Each has distinct movement physics plus a single aim-and-fire elemental ability that stuns mutant plants, hits off-route targets, and dashes the spirit itself across gaps. Pick Fire and Water for the smoothest first run.
- Ability input
- Aim with right stick; fires on release
- Stun duration
- Stuns are temporary; re-fire rather than walk past a guarded route
- Solo play
- One person drives both spirits
The Seven Playable Spirits
| Spirit | Element cue | Role in the pair (per store page and player reports) |
|---|---|---|
Fire | Red | Crosses lava pools the other spirits cannot; named in the game's title and is the most-used ability in the official walkthrough footage. |
Water | Blue | Crosses water pools the other spirits cannot; pairs directly with Fire on lava vs water gates. |
Earth | Brown / green | A tank-style runner; useful for heavier pushable boxes where momentum matters. |
Air | Light | Mobile; the spirit stores show using Air for vertical dashes and high air routes. |
Diamond | Crystal-bright | One of the tougher bodies in early patch discussions; pairs well as the second runner on push puzzles. |
Shadow | Dark | Stealth-style spirit; favoured in some player routes for its lower-visibility element. |
Electricity | Yellow | Listed as a unique role on the store page; the developer has not separately published its ability text. |
How Spirit Abilities Work
Spirit abilities are not instant — they fire as an aimed projectile. On a controller you aim with the right stick and the ability shot fires on release, and on Steam Deck the same flick-to-fire aiming is the part players report struggling with most. Because the same ability can be used against different things, a single spirit's kit handles three jobs in one game:
- Stunning a mutant plant (the main combat use).
- Hitting a target that is out of reach, like a lever or a high crystal.
- Moving the spirit itself across a gap, by aiming a shot the spirit then flies toward.
The developer shipped an "Ability Improvement" update shortly after release that raised how useful the character abilities are compared to the launch build, so current behaviour differs from the launch footage. Where the abilities fit into puzzle solving — the levers, the gates, the mushroom bounce chains — is on the Puzzle Solutions page.
Which Spirit to Pick First
Pick Fire and Water for the smoothest first run
The game is named after them, the official walkthrough footage uses them, and the level layouts (lava vs water pools, plus the gates that pair with each) are built around their interaction.
Pick any pair that covers each other's gaps
Both characters must reach their own gate to clear the level, so the two spirits you pick should not both be strong at the same job.
Solo players still pick two spirits
Solo means one person controlling both, so the choice still shapes the level — see the Co-op and Game Modes guide for how solo play works under the hood.
“Master Of Elements” achievement
There is one spirit-related achievement, Master Of Elements, which is the only achievement the developer has tied directly to spirit play. More achievements are promised but not shipped.
First-run pairing at a glance
- Default first pair
- Fire + Water
- Solo support
- Yes, drives both spirits
- Ability firing
- Right-stick release
Using Abilities on Mutant Plants
Hitting a mutant plant with an elemental ability shot stuns it for a short time. The aim-and-fire mechanic matters here: a plant is moving, so the stun takes leading the target. The developer confirms enemies are stunned on hit while also noting the stun feedback is still weak and being improved, so do not rely on the visual cue alone — count the beats.
Stuns are temporary: a stunned plant reverts and starts moving again, so on a narrow ledge or one-way route you often have to keep firing rather than stun once and walk past. Two fires in quick succession is the common pattern when a plant is gating a crystal or the exit. The full pattern — when to stun, when to wait out a patrol lane, how to deal with the ranged plant type — is on the How to Get Past Enemies page.
FAQ
What is this site?
It is an unofficial, English-language guide hub for Fire and Water: Spirits of the Forest on Steam. It collects the mechanics, puzzle rules, crystal routes, enemy patterns, level structure, and co-op setup for the game in one place, so you can find the answer for the room you are stuck in without reading a whole forum thread.