A full guide to the original 2015 release of Ori and the Blind Forest on Steam: Soul Links and the Ability Tree, every core ability, an area-by-area route, missable warnings, achievement strategy (including Immortal, Elite and Supersonic), and how it differs from the Definitive Edition.
Researched September 2026 — current as of Steam Patch 3 (14 October 2015), the last update for the original release. This is a finished game; check the linked sources if something differs.
Original vs Definitive Edition: This guide targets the original "Ori and the Blind Forest" (Steam app 261570). The Definitive Edition is a separate product (released 11 March 2016 on Xbox One and 27 April 2016 on Windows) that adds Easy and Hard difficulties, a One Life mode, fast travel between Spirit Wells, full backtracking through the map, new areas, and two new abilities, Dash and Light Burst. If you are starting fresh and do not own either, the Definitive Edition is the better buy. The sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, released 11 March 2020.
| Pickup | What it does |
|---|---|
| Health Cell | Adds a permanent health segment |
| Energy Cell | Adds a permanent energy segment (used for Soul Links and Charge Flame) |
| Ability Cell | Grants one Ability Point |
| Spirit Light (experience orbs) | Fills your Ability Point bar |
| Life and energy orbs / plants | Refill health or energy |
| Keystones | Open Keystone doors (usually two or four keystones) |
| Mapstone fragments | Restore Map Stones, which reveal the map of each area |
The tree has three branches: Combat, Utility and Efficiency (each has its own completion achievement: "Combat Master", "Utility Master" and "Soul Master"). Each point unlocks the next node in a branch, and nodes deeper in the tree need the earlier nodes first.
| Focus | Stand-out picks |
|---|---|
| Damage | Spirit Flame damage and extra-target upgrades, Charge Flame upgrades, Ultra Stomp |
| Economy and exploration | Magnet (auto-collects Spirit Light), cheaper Soul Links and more Spirit Light per orb, Map Markers, Sense (points you toward nearby secrets and pickups) |
| Survival and mobility | Damage reduction nodes, and Triple Jump if you are struggling with platforming |
Suggested order for a normal run: Magnet first, then the nodes that make Soul Links and Spirit Light pay out more, then damage until you feel comfortable with Spirit Flame. Map Markers and Sense make collectible hunting far easier later. "Phenom" needs every node, so a full first run eventually buys everything anyway.
Ori gains new movement abilities from Ancestral Trees and story events. The original game's core set:
| Ability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Spirit Flame | Sein's auto-targeting attack; your basic damage |
| Wall Jump | Kick off walls; cling to surfaces |
| Charge Flame | Energy-costing burst that breaks blue barriers and hits groups |
| Double Jump | A second jump in mid-air (Triple Jump is an Ability Tree upgrade) |
| Bash | Launch off enemies and projectiles, redirecting projectiles back; obtained in the Ginso Tree |
| Stomp | Slam downward to break floors and flatten enemies |
| Kuro's Feather | Glide on air currents; key to the Valley of the Wind and Sorrow Pass |
| Climb | Climb walls freely |
| Charge Jump | Charged upward or angled launch that breaks barriers and can kill enemies on contact |
The Definitive Edition adds Dash and Light Burst on top of these.
The world of Nibel is a metroidvania, so exact order varies, but the critical path runs through three elemental dungeons that restore the Waters, Winds and Warmth of the forest.
| Stage | Areas | Key goal |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Prologue, Sunken Glades, Spirit Tree | Meet Sein, learn Spirit Flame and Wall Jump |
| Early game | Hollow Grove, Moon Grotto, Gumo's Hideout | Gain Charge Flame and Double Jump; chase Gumo and retrieve the Water Vein |
| First dungeon | Thornfelt Swamp, Ginso Tree | Gain Bash; cleanse the Ginso Tree's heart and survive the rising-water escape |
| Mid game | Valley of the Wind, Misty Woods | Gain Kuro's Feather; clear the haze from the Misty Woods |
| Second dungeon | Forlorn Ruins | Retrieve the element of Winds ("Solid Ground") and escape Kuro |
| Late game | Sorrow Pass, Horu Fields, Mount Horu | Climb to the top of Nibel ("Top of the world"), then restore the element of Warmth in the final dungeon and finish the story |
Other notable locations include the Black Root Burrows (a dark cave area) and Horu Fields. The Misty Woods is a looping maze; follow the correct paths marked by the Mapstone and landmarks, and remember "Good Eye" (find the lost corridor in the Misty Woods) is an achievement there.
The Ginso Tree climb ends with a rising-water escape, the Forlorn Ruins ends with a Kuro chase, and Mount Horu ends with a lava escape. These are the game's hardest sections:
The original release has 50 Steam achievements. The three hard ones:
| Achievement | Requirement | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Immortal | Complete the whole game without dying | A dedicated run. Know every escape route cold, max out Health Cells, and only Soul Link in truly safe spots. Practise risky sections on a separate save first. |
| Elite | Complete the whole game without using an Ability Point | Points still accumulate; just never spend them. Harder without Triple Jump and combat upgrades, but the game is fully completable. |
| Supersonic | Finish the game in under 3 hours | Learn an efficient route, skip optional pickups, and use as few Soul Links as you can. |
Many players do these as separate runs because each rule makes the others harder. The collectibles (all Health Cells, all Energy Cells, all secrets, all Map Stones, 100% map) are best cleaned up in your first, relaxed run.
Other useful ones: "Life Saver" (create 50 Soul Links) comes naturally; "Deadly Deflection" (kill 25 enemies by bashing projectiles back) is easiest to farm on projectile enemies near a Spirit Well; "Juggle Master" (juggle a rock five times without it touching the ground) is easiest with a movable rock on flat ground; "Phenom" requires every skill in the tree, so do not attempt it on your Elite run.
Counters to keep ticking during a normal run:
| Achievement | Requirement | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Flame Master | Kill 500 enemies with Spirit Flame | Comes naturally over a full clear |
| Blast Master | Kill 100 enemies with Charge Flame | Use Charge Flame on groups whenever energy allows |
| Deadly Detonation | Kill 4 enemies simultaneously with Charge Flame | Wait for a cluster of small enemies |
| Stomp Master | Kill 50 enemies with Stomp | Stomp small ground enemies once you have it |
| Power Player | Collect 200 Energy Shards | Grab energy pickups even when full |
| Bash Master | Bash off enemies 10 times in a row without touching the ground | Find a room with several flying enemies |
| Airborne | Double Jump 5 times consecutively without touching the ground | A movement trick rather than a counter; practise it in a tall, safe area |
| Flying Fury | Kill 3 enemies without touching the ground | Easy with Bash chains |
| Safe and Sound | Save at every Spirit Well | Stop at each one as you pass |
Story achievements ("The Journey Begins", "Rotten Inside", "Run for Your Life", "Obtaining Clarity", "Solid Ground", "Top of the world", "Into the Fire", "The Journey Ends" and others) unlock automatically as you progress.
Should I buy the original or the Definitive Edition? If you are buying today, the Definitive Edition, since it adds difficulty options, fast travel, new areas and two abilities. The original is fine if that is what you own.
Can I go back after finishing the game? The original is less forgiving than the Definitive Edition about revisiting areas; the Definitive Edition explicitly added full backtracking. Clean up before the finale.
How long does it take? A first playthrough is mid-length for a metroidvania; the Supersonic achievement shows the whole game can be finished in under three hours by an experienced player.
Do my original achievements carry over to the Definitive Edition? No. The Definitive Edition is a separate Steam product with its own achievement list.
The game says I am stuck under a stompable floor or cannot leave water. What do I do? Patch 1 (May 2015) retroactively fixed the water-exit bug, the Mount Horu last-door bug and the missing Forlorn Ruins Light Vessel. Make sure the game is updated, and use save backups if you are softlocked.