Guide: Infinite Lifetime Spells
The terms Infinite lifetime spell, infiniwisp, (or simply wisp), all refer to the same phenomena - a projectile that does not have a lifetime limit. The lifetime of a wisp is equal to exactly -1. Some projectiles are natural wisps - Fish, Propane Tanks, Rocks - all have no lifetime limit. Most projectiles that aren't wisps can be modified to be, and this guide will show you how to do so, and why you might want to.
Live forever (or die trying)
Making a wisp involves modifying the lifetime of a projectile to be exactly -1, but that just means it won't die from time elapsed. There are other ways a projectile can die or become useless to you.
- Alternate Component lifetime limits - some projectiles have more than one lifetime limit, and the alternate ones cannot be modified, this makes it impossible to wisp some projectiles (see table below).
- Wandering off - Use Boomerang to keep them nearby, and a Homing modifier to allow them to target enemies automatically.
- Moving too slowly - Some projectiles have to keep moving, and if they slow below a threshold speed they will die. Prevent this with Accelerating Shot, Anti-gravity etc.
- Hitting the ground - prevented by Piercing Shot.
- Getting stuck - Path modifiers (Floating Arc, Avoiding Arc) or Drilling Shot will help avoid the wisps becoming stuck and left behind.
- If the wisp has a trigger payload Drilling Shot is necessary to avoid that being lost on impact.
- Hitting an enemy - prevented by Piercing Shot, or using a projectile which is naturally Piercing or Penetrating
- Hitting a dead enemy - a projectile can lose its payload from hitting an enemy's corpse, Drilling Shot prevents this.
- Explosive Detonator, Spells to ... - Only a few specific projectiles can live through these, e.g. Mists, Summon Platform
Offensive Wisp Warnings
A wisp that does damage can be extremely dangerous to the player. Since Piercing Shot enables Friendly Fire, any damage from a wisp must come from a trigger payload (e.g. using Add Trigger), and crucially that payload must not have friendly fire.
Becoming a sheep will make you susceptible to the damage from the payload, likely resulting in immediate death (especially if any form of homing is used).
Achievement
Successfully creating an infinite-lifetime spell for the first time in a session will trigger the game message and the accompanying achievement. This excludes spells that naturally have a lifetime of -1 (such as Rock).
You may have seen this message in-game, leading you to this page - in which case congratulations, you made a wisp by accident. Some very simple spell combinations (notably Reduce Lifetime combined with Teleport Bolt) can create wisps, usually inconsistently (see Lifetime Range below).
Mechanics
Projectiles can be created by spells you cast, and each one is given a fixed lifetime upon creation.[1] This initial lifetime is the sum of the projectile's base lifetime and any lifetime modifications from spells it is cast alongside. The game checks (and decrements) each projectile's lifetime every frame, triggering the removal of projectiles when their lifetime runs out.
If a projectile has a lifetime of exactly -1, then it is treated as having infinite lifetime[2]. Projectiles created with a lifetime of less than -1 are treated as if they had a 0-frame lifetime - and will exist for a single frame then expire.
Lifetime Range
Some projectiles have a randomised base lifetime, each projectile's life will be slightly different meaning most of them won't become wisps when modified. The larger the range of possible lifetimes, the lower the percentage of them created that will end up as wisps. Usually this isn't much of an issue - just cast more of them. It is also much easier to target a range of lifetimes than a specific one, and often you can find a combination of modifiers with fewer side-effects.
Some lifetime modifications are significantly easier to attain than others[3]. For example, Intense Concentrated Light needs exactly -33 lifetime modification to wisp, requiring a total of 15 modifiers. In contrast, Concentrated Light has a 6.66% chance to wisp using only a single modifier.
Side Effects
All but two of the lifetime modifying spells you can use to make wisps do something other than modify lifetime. How much of an issue this is depends on the projectile and its intended use.
- Chain Spell - The extra copies are usually only an issue for creating wisps which have a randomised base lifetime, since the ones that don't wisp will create copies of themselves. Aiming for the top end of the projectile range (so that the un-wisped ones spawn with lifetimes below -1 and immediately die) helps. E.g. White Hole can be wisped using 2x Reduce Lifetime and a Chain Spell, but this produces a lot of unwisped ones too. Using 3x Reduce Lifetime gives the same chance for wisps and no side effects.
- Ping-Pong Path, Orbiting Arc, Spiral Arc - These modify projectile trajectory to some extent this can be overcome with other modifiers.
- Phasing Arc - Also reduces initial speed.
- True Orbit - Projectile trajectory altered significantly, and ground collision disabled.
- Null Shot - Removes damage & explosion effects.
Un-wisp-able Spells
Projectiles can have additional alternative lifetime restrictions, which cannot be changed or avoided using lifetime modifiers. These cannot be made into wisps.
Spells with alternative lifetime components
Some projectile modifiers will add an alternate lifetime component, and projectiles so modified are also incapable of being wisps.
Spells which add an alternative lifetime component
Notes:
- ↑ Lifetime is given in frames - Noita normally runs at 60fps, and when doing so a projectile with a lifetime of 60 frames will last for 1 second of real time.
- ↑ This is due to a design decision in the way projectiles are implemented.
- ↑ This can even happen accidentally (and often undesirably) - e.g. Teleport Bolt has a chance to wisp from just one Reduce Lifetime.
Lifetime Modifiers
The table lists all the modifiers known to affect projectile lifetimes and the value in frames they modify the lifetime by. A combination of several modifiers may be necessary to achieve -1 lifetime. Large numbers of modifier copies can be obtained using spell-copying spells, e.g. the Divides or the Greek Letter Spells.
 Lifetime Up
|
 Lifetime Down
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier | Lifetime | Modifier | Lifetime | ||
 |
Orbiting Arc | +25 |  |
Chain Spell | −30 |
 |
Ping-Pong Path | +25 | |
Reduce Lifetime | −42 |
 |
Spiral Arc[1] | +50 | |||
|
Increase Lifetime | +75 | |||
 |
Phasing Arc | +80 | |||
 |
True Orbit | +80 | |||
 |
Null Shot | +280 | |||
Notes:
- ↑ Spiral arc is equivalent to any 2 Ping-Pong Path or Orbiting Arc, but is generally not preferred as an option due to how strongly it affects a projectile's path, often making it difficult to be a reliable infinite projectile.
Perks that affect lifetime
- Boomerang Spells adds 20 frames per projectile in the shot state
- (i.e. simultaneously casting 3 projectiles grants +60 lifetime)
- Bouncing Spells adds 60 frames per projectile in the shot state.
Example wand builds
Infinite Platform or Wall
By Letaali
alternative design
Infinite Healing Bolt
Cheap Unlimited Infinite Healing Bolt
Add (Expiration) Trigger may be used instead of Add Timer. The mana cost is avoided by putting the modifiers between Add Timer and a projectile. This cannot be done with "Other" type spells like Gamma and Alpha, however, we can get around this restriction by adding a Digging Bolt or other throwaway spell in a double cast with the Gamma/Alpha. An extra Digging Bolt is added to act as the trigger's payload, which is not affected by these modifiers and therefore should not be used to cast Gamma. This allows you to infinitely cast healing bolts with infinite lifetimes, while also bringing the mana cost down significantly; without Add Timer every Healing Bolt costs 465 mana to cast, using this method brings it down to only 50-60 mana.
Putting the entire cast inside of the payload of a trigger completely removes the extra cast delay from the Drilling Shot and any Add Mana. If recharge time is further reduced by modifiers like Reduce Recharge Time or Heavy Spread, or by casting Wand Refresh at the end, you can rapid fire this wand using only two to three Add Mana (keep in mind that Wand Refresh will need an extra 20 mana). Rapid firing this wand is especially useful because getting an infinite Healing Bolt only has a 6-7% chance per cast.
Wisp List
The following table details the spells that can be used to create projectiles with infinite lifetime, the minimum necessary modifiers, and their chance of achieving infinite lifetime on any given cast.
The chance of creating an infinite spell is directly correlated to how widely varied the projectile's lifetime can be. You can calculate your own solutions with this wisp solver.
| Spell | Lifetime | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance per cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
750 - 950 | 21 | 0.5% | ||||||
 |
1000 - 1200 | 21 | 5 | 0.5% | |||||
 |
1700 - 1900 | 41 | 0.5% | ||||||
 |
650 - 850 | 16 | 0.5% | ||||||
 |
200 - 400 | 5 | 0.5% | ||||||
 |
10 - 50 | 1 | 2.44% | ||||||
 |
20 - 60 | 1 | 2.44% | ||||||
 |
22 - 47 | 1 | 5% | ||||||
 |
18 - 42 | 1 | 5% | ||||||
 |
18 - 32 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
23 - 37 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
23 - 37 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
33 - 47 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
43 - 57 | 4 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
23 - 37 | 1 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
63 - 77 | 1 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
93 - 107 | 5 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
53 - 67 | 2 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
83 - 97 | 3 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
93 - 107 | 5 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
93 - 107 | 5 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
   |
113 - 127 | 3 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
113 - 127 | 4 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
233 - 247 | 8 | 6.66% | ||||||
   |
353 - 367 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
353 - 367 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
   |
493 - 507 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
493 - 507 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
593 - 607 | 21 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
743 - 757 | 25 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
743 - 757 | 25 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
743 - 757 | 25 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
743 - 757 | 25 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
293 - 307 | 11 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
493 - 507 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
493 - 507 | 12 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
93 - 107 | 5 | 1 | 6.66% | |||||
 |
600 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
500 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
500 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
500 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
120 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
170 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
180 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
200 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
32 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
50 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
50 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
50 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
68 | 7 | 3 | 100% | |||||
 |
60 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
60 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
60 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
80 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
2 | 9 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
25 | 3 | 4 | 100% | |||||
 |
8 | 2 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
2 | 9 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
4 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||||
   |
3 | 2 | 1 | 100% | |||||
  |
2 | 9 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
0 | 3 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
0 | 3 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
0 | 3 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
3 | 2 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
0 | 3 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
0 | 3 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
1 | 6 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
1 | 6 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
2 | 9 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
2 | 9 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
420 | 13 | 5 | 100% | |||||
 |
300 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||
 |
300 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||
 |
300 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||
 |
300 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 100% | |||
 |
330 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
330 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
180 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 100% | ||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
100 | 3 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
44 | 4 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
60 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
 |
260 | 8 | 1 | 100% | |||||
 |
60 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 100% | ||||
  |
993 - 1007 | 24 | 6.66% | ||||||
 |
50 | 3 | 1 | 100% |
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