The moment all Final Fantasy VII fans have been waiting for is finally here - Not only is Sephiroth being added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, but you can play him before the official release of the DLC. Masahiro Sakurai announced that players would be able to play Sephiroth before his official December 22, 2020. How is this possible? It's thanks to a special challenge battle.
When talking about the addition of Sephiroth to the Smash Bros. roster, Sakurai noted that he wanted to highlight Sephiroth as a new character and not just let him get lost in the crowd. The fighter’s screen, after all, is already loaded to the brim with amazing characters to pick from, and new additions to this line up can easily become just another part of the noise.
In order to avoid this, Sakurai decided to create a special limited-time event to highlight the newest addition to the Smash family. For all players who have either purchased the Sephiroth DLC or who own the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighting Pass Vol. 2, a small pop up in the corner of your screen will allow you to do the “Sephiroth Challenge.” This challenge is a limited-time event, so you’ll want to participate ASAP to reap the rewards.
The “Sephiroth Challenge” gives players the chance to go up against Sephiroth in a boss battle. If you win this special fight against Sephiroth, you’ll be able to use him as a fighter and access the brand new Northern Cave stage before the actual release of the DLC. There are multiple difficulties available, and you'll unlock Sephiroth for beating any one.
The Sephiroth challenge will be available from December 17, 2020 to December 22, 2020. But keep in mind that the challenge is only available to those who have either purchased the Sephiroth DLC or have the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighting Pass Vol. 2, so if you want to participate, you’ll need to make sure you have one of these expansions. If you don’t want to sign up for the Ultimate Fighting Pass Vol. 2, the Sephiroth DLC is available for $5.99.
Source: Nintendo