Walkthrough#
This page lays out the main-story route in the verified order of areas and ability unlocks. A metroidvania’s flow is essentially “ability-gated”: where you can go, what you learn, and what that opens next — this page makes that line explicit. Intra-area puzzle steps and map details are not in public sources; this site provides no step-by-step spoilers, so rely on the game itself.
The main-story skeleton#
There is exactly one main goal: the Spirit Tree has withered, its light shattered into five Wisps scattered across Niwen, and Ori must recover them. The five Wisps map to directions like this:
| Wisp | Direction | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | North | Baur’s Reach |
| Eyes | South | Mouldwood Depths |
| Strength | West | Luma Pools |
| Heart | East | Windswept Wastes |
| Voice | Traveling | Alongside Ori |
The full route table#
| Stage | Area | Learned here | Stage goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inkwater Marsh | Spirit Edge, Double Jump, Regenerate, Spirit Arc | Build the combat and movement base; meet the vendor Opher |
| 2 | Kwolok’s Hollow | Dash, Bash | Mobility step-change; all mid-air gaps open up |
| 3 | The Wellspring | Grapple | Traverse the high routes |
| 4 | Baur’s Reach | Light Burst | Fireball puzzles; hear Baur tell Shriek’s story |
| 5 | Luma Pools | Swim Dash | Find the Strength wisp; the Kwolok story beat |
| 6 | Windswept Wastes | Burrow | Sand and snow traversal |
| 7 | Mouldwood Depths | Flash | Traverse the dark zones |
| 8 | Silent Woods | Launch | Self-launch movement, the last piece before the finale |
| 9 | Finale | — | The Shriek fight and the ending |
Stage notes#
Stage 1: Inkwater Marsh#
The opening area hands you 4 core abilities in one go. Ancestral Tree density is highest here — don’t rush the story; collect every ability first:
- Spirit Edge and Spirit Arc cover combat; Double Jump covers movement; Regenerate covers survival;
- Opher is in this area, and his first skill at half price — 400 Spirit Light — is worth buying as soon as possible;
- Once Spirit Light starts flowing in, note where the shard vendor Twillen set up.
Stage 2: Kwolok’s Hollow#
Dash (usable in mid-air) and Bash are learned here. These two abilities are the watershed of the game’s mobility — every “impossible” gap before Dash becomes routine after. This phase also builds your connection with Kwolok, a key character in the story to come.
Stage 3: The Wellspring#
Grapple is learned here; it only hooks blue moss. From this stage on, backtracking through the first two areas starts paying visibly: plenty of blue-moss points were visible from the start — just out of reach.
Stage 4: Baur’s Reach#
The northern area, home of the Memory wisp. Light Burst is the puzzle key here. Story-wise, the great bear Baur tells Ori the story of Shriek — this conversation is the foreshadowing for the final boss, and deserves a careful read.
Stage 5: Luma Pools#
The western area, home of the Strength wisp. After Swim Dash, underwater traversal is unrestricted. Major story beat: while seeking the Luma Pools wisp, Kwolok is corrupted by the Foul Presence, attacks Ori, and finally dies of his wounds, entrusting Ori with the care of the Moki and of Niwen. This is not a fight the player “wins” — it is a scripted tragedy; don’t approach it with a normal boss-fight mindset.
Stage 6: Windswept Wastes#
The eastern area, home of the Heart wisp. Burrow unlocks drilling through sand and snow, and you can dash while burrowed. The wastes’ low visual contrast makes it easy to get lost — clear the area progressively along the map’s edge.
Stage 7: Mouldwood Depths#
The southern area, home of the Eyes wisp. Flash continuously drains energy; in the dark zones it is both a light source and a combat tool — energy management peaks in difficulty here, so check your energy before entering.
Stage 8: Silent Woods#
Launch is learned, and self-propelled movement completes the mobility set. With this, all eight areas’ ability gates are open, the whole map is freely traversable, and this is the best window to loop back for collectibles.
Stage 9: Finale#
At the Spirit Tree’s heart, Ori returns Seir — the light re-formed from the five Wisps — to the tree; the tree, judging itself too old to guard the light, passes the burden to Ori; Shriek steals Seir, and after Ori defeats it, the two merge and Ori becomes Niwen’s new Spirit Tree. The full finale and ending are covered in Bosses & Combat and Endings.
Long-term goals woven through the story#
| Goal | Count or cost | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Shard collection | 31 in total | Grab what you can as abilities arrive; sweep after Stage 8 |
| Ancestral Light bonus | Two trees, 50% damage total | “The Last Tree” side quest + behind the second door of Midnight Burrows |
| Spirit Light savings | About 13,000 Light for all shard upgrades | Farm late; don’t chase it early |
| Combat Shrines | Expand shard slots | Fight every one you meet — slot gains are permanent |
Flow principles#
- Abilities before collectibles: chasing collectibles without the ability is wasted time; revisits after unlocks are far more efficient;
- Loop back after every new ability: this is the metroidvania iron rule, and this game’s clean design (one ability per area, eight areas) makes revisits reliably rewarding;
- Memorize the vendors’ spots: where Opher and Twillen live sets your Spirit Light spending rhythm;
- Don’t skip story dialogue: the Shriek and Kwolok setups directly shape how the finale lands — this game’s narrative hangs entirely on those beats.
What is not covered#
Specific intra-area puzzle steps, map-completion percentages, and per-area collectible lists are not in public sources; this site does not speculate.
Related pages#
- World Map — areas versus ability gates
- Abilities — the per-area ability table
- Story — the main storyline in full
- Collectibles — overview of collection types