The Song of Mana is one of the most versatile weapons in Vampire Survivors. It is capable of damaging enemies in an area, fending off projectiles, and it launches in a column. It’s a great form of offense and defense that is also capable of making short work of enemies. That power does come at a cost, as the item to evolve the Song of Mana actually makes things harder for you.
Despite the risks, it is easy to recommend the Song of Mana and its evolved form. The amount of power you get is enough to properly defend you against future waves of enemies. It can also help you move around, which can help you avoid getting stuck in an inescapable situation. It’s not the easiest weapon to obtain, but the reward is well worth the effort.
Unlocking the Song of Mana weapon
The Song of Mana is not a weapon that is available by default. To get it, you first have to unlock its owner, Poppea. She can be found in the coffin at the Dairy Plant. Once Poppea has been freed from the coffin, she will appear in your character selection screen. With 1,000 gold coins, you can purchase her as a playable character.
Her default weapon will be the Song of Mana, but it still won’t show up as an option in the level up screen. You must take Poppea as your playable character and have her survive 15 minutes in any stage. You don’t have to complete the stage as long as Poppea is alive at the 15 minute mark. This is easier to do on the main stages than the bonus levels, since the bonus levels can be considerably tougher.
After Poppea is in the clear at the 15 minute mark, you will get the notification that the Song of Mana will be showing up as an option when you level up.
Unlocking the Skull O’Maniac
The item that helps the Song of Mana evolve is the Skull O’Maniac. Obtaining it is completely unrelated to Poppea at all. Instead, you must unlock it with Lama. Lama is not a default character who is available at the start. You must have bought the Curse powerup in the Powerup section at least once to get 10% Curse. Pick any level and Lama must survive for 20 minutes.
When Lama remains alive at the 20 minute mark, you will get the notification that the Skull O’Maniac is available as a level up option. Any map will do, but the bonus stages may not run for 20 minutes, making the regular stages a safer bet.
Evolving the Song of Mana
Poppea is the most likely candidate for evolving the Song of Mana since it’s her default weapon, though anyone can do it. You need to fully upgrade the Song of Mana and get at least one Skull O’Maniac item during a level up. Alternatively, you can play at the Mad Forest and grab a Skull O’Maniac item even if your item slots are full.
Once you fulfill the other weapon evolution criteria (ten minutes have passed, you opened at least one treasure chest), you can now find the Mannajja in treasure chests. It will replace the Song of Mana in your weapon slots. It has significantly more power and hits a wider area, though the cooldown is longer. It can also slow enemies on contact.
Mannajja is a powerful weapon that takes some time to put together. But if you can withstand the Curse effects while assembling the weapon, you are left with a devastating weapon that can carry you to the end of the round.
