---
title: "Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Complete Guide"
game: "Ori and the Will of the Wisps"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Builds", "Bosses", "Achievements"]
summary: "A spoiler-light guide to Ori and the Will of the Wisps: movement and combat fundamentals, the Spirit Shard system with recommended builds, who sells what in Wellspring Glades, a region outline, boss and escape tips,…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-complete-guide-bcf2204b"
published: "2026-09-27T17:39:42.022Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T17:39:42.022Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Ori and the Will of the Wisps: movement and combat fundamentals, the Spirit Shard system with recommended builds, who sells what in Wellspring Glades, a region outline, boss and escape tips, and 100% and achievement advice.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of Patch 3.1 (November 2020), the final major update. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **The game autosaves constantly.** Unlike Ori and the Blind Forest, there is no Soul Link. Dying sends you back to a recent checkpoint.
2. **Spirit Light is your currency.** Spend it on shards (Twillen), weapons and skill upgrades (Opher), and maps (Lupo). Don't hoard it.
3. **Buy Lupo's map for each new region.** It reveals the layout and marks collectibles in that region.
4. **Equip shards before tough sections.** Shards are your build. Swap freely at any time from the menu.
5. **Bind your three favorite skills.** Ori has three ability slots, and Spirit Edge (the sword) is equipped in one of them by default. Swap from the radial ability wheel any time.
6. **Grab Spirit Edge and Bash and learn to chain movement.** Most of the game's joy is linking Double Jump, Dash, Bash, Grapple, and Glide.
7. **Escape sequences are one-attempt-at-a-time memory tests.** Each segment has a checkpoint; learn the route.
8. **Talk to everyone.** Side quests, including the long **Hand to Hand** trading chain, hand out useful rewards and count toward the Completionist achievement.
9. **Plant seeds for Tuley** and fund **Grom's projects** in the Glades to unlock shortcuts, shops, and upgrades.

## Movement and Combat

### Abilities

Ori earns most abilities from story progression and Spirit Wells/trees, with some weapons bought from Opher.

| Ability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Spirit Edge | Sword; the default melee weapon |
| Double Jump | Extra air jump (a Triple Jump shard adds a third) |
| Dash | Quick air or ground dash |
| Bash | Launch off enemies and projectiles; redirect projectiles |
| Grapple | Pull to grapple points and some enemies |
| Glide | Slow falls and ride wind currents |
| Burrow | Swim through soft sand |
| Water Dash | Dash through water |
| Launch | Fly in a direction for a long distance |
| Flash | Lights up darkness; essential in Mouldwood Depths |
| Regenerate | Spend energy to heal |
| Spirit Smash / Spirit Arc / Spirit Star / Spike / Sentry / Blaze / Light Burst | Weapon and utility abilities, mostly bought or upgraded via Opher |

**Tips:**
- **Bash is movement, not just offense.** Bash projectiles back at enemies and use enemies as extra jumps.
- **Regenerate** is your healing button. Keep enough energy for at least one Regenerate in boss fights.
- **Spirit Arc** (bow) lets you fight flying enemies and hit switches at range.
- **Spirit Smash** breaks armored enemies and blocks.
- **Launch** changes how you explore; revisit old areas after you get it.

### Health and energy

Increase max health and max energy with the **Life Cells** and **Energy Cells** hidden throughout Niwen. They count toward 100% completion and make bosses and escapes far more forgiving, so detour for them when a map shows one nearby.

## Wellspring Glades: The Hub

The Glades are a village of Moki that grows as you help. Key NPCs:

| NPC | Role |
|---|---|
| Twillen | Sells and upgrades Spirit Shards |
| Opher | Sells weapons/skills (e.g. Spirit Star, Spike, Blaze, Sentry) and upgrades them |
| Lupo | Sells regional maps; appears in each region |
| Tuley | Plant seeds you find to grow the Glades' gardens and unlock paths |
| Grom | Builds structures and repairs the Glades with the **Gorlek Ore** you bring him |
| Tokk | Traveling adventurer involved in several side quests; worth talking to whenever you meet him |

**Gorlek Ore** feeds Grom's projects, which unlock shops, shortcuts, and new challenge areas. Bring ore to him regularly.

## Spirit Shards

Shards modify your abilities and stats. You start with limited shard slots and earn more (Spirit Shard slot upgrades) through progression. Twillen sells and upgrades several shards.

### Recommended shards

| Shard | Effect | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Triple Jump | Adds a third air jump | Exploration |
| Magnet | Pulls Spirit Light and orbs to you | Always early |
| Vitality / Energy | Max HP/energy up | Bosses and escapes |
| Wingclip | Bonus damage vs flying enemies | Bird-heavy areas |
| Lifeforce, Reckless, Overcharge, Finesse | Damage-boosting shards with different conditions (read each description in Twillen's shop) | Boss damage builds |
| Spirit Surge | More damage as you hold more Spirit Light | Keep your Spirit Light high |
| Sticky | Cling to walls | Wall-heavy platforming |
| Ultra Grapple / Ultra Bash | Longer grapple, stronger bash | Advanced traversal |
| Life Harvest / Energy Harvest | More life/energy from defeated enemies | Sustain |

**Sample builds:**
- **Explorer:** Magnet, Triple Jump, Sticky.
- **Boss fights:** Vitality, Energy, Lifeforce or Reckless (depending on confidence).
- **Glass cannon:** Lifeforce, Reckless, Overcharge, Finesse, and Spirit Surge stack damage for players who are confident they won't get hit.

## Region Outline (Spoiler-Light)

Niwen is a large, interconnected map. The main regions:

| Region | Notes |
|---|---|
| Inkwater Marsh | Starting region; learn basics |
| Wellspring Glades | The hub village |
| Midnight Burrows | Small early area near the Glades |
| Kwolok's Hollow | Home of the guardian Kwolok |
| The Silent Woods | Dark, dangerous forest |
| Luma Pools | Underwater and water-dash sections |
| Mouldwood Depths | Dark caverns; home of the spider Mora; Flash helps |
| Baur's Reach | Snowy mountain region named after the giant bear Baur |
| Wellspring | A water mechanism dungeon |
| Windswept Wastes | Desert with sand burrowing sections |
| Windtorn Ruins | Ancient ruins beneath the desert |
| Willow's End | The final region |

The five Wisps (the Voice, Memory, Eyes, Strength, and Heart of the Forest) hold pieces of the Spirit Willow's light. Each is recovered in a different region, usually after a boss or escape sequence, and many story achievements (Dark Triumph, Guardian's Rest, Icy Escape, Quick Sand, Stone Cold, and others) unlock along the way.

### Boss and escape tips

| Encounter | Tip |
|---|---|
| Howl | The spirit wolf; learn his lunges and use Bash to reposition |
| Horn Beetle | Dodge the charge, strike after it hits a wall |
| Mora | Giant spider; escape sequence plus a boss fight; learn her patterns |
| Kwolok | Emotional fight; keep distance and punish after his slams |
| Willow Stone | Break the protective plating, then strike the core |
| Shriek | Final boss; multi-phase. Equip Vitality and Energy shards, use Launch to keep up |

**Escape sequences:** learn the route, don't panic. Retry each section until your muscle memory takes over.

## Side Content

- **Spirit Trials:** time-trial races with online leaderboards that show other players' times and routes. Completing all of them earns **Speed Demon**.
- **Hand to Hand:** a long trading chain between characters across Niwen. Completing it earns **Mark of the Trader**, and it's one of the most useful side quests for 100%. A dedicated Steam guide walks through every trade.
- **Combat Shrines:** wave arenas with valuable rewards; come back with upgrades if one is too hard. Clearing all of them earns **Shrine Bright**.
- **Hidden Spirit Wells:** fast travel points; unlock them as you find them.
- **Tuley's seeds** and **Grom's projects** for the Glades.

## 100% and Achievement Tips

- **Post-game exploration:** after finishing, you can return to explore and collect anything you missed.
- **Buy every Lupo map** (**Cartographer's Protégé**) and complete Hand to Hand (**Mark of the Trader**).
- **Combat Shrines** count toward completion and give strong rewards.
- **Difficulty achievements:** **Hardcore Fan** (complete Hard mode), **Immortal** (complete the game without dying), and **Look at the Time** (complete the game in under 4 hours). Plan separate runs.
- **Lightless and Shardless:** beat the game without spending any Spirit Light, and without equipping a shard (separate challenge runs).
- **High and Dry:** avoid touching any corrupted water. Plan this one alongside a speedrun route.
- **Collection achievements:** **Tools of the Trade** (all abilities), **Mad Skills** (upgrade all abilities), **Shard Hunter** and **Shard Specialist** (unlock and upgrade all shards), **Fully Slotted** (all shard slots), **Healthy** and **Powerful** (max life and energy), **Fixer Upper** (all Glades projects), **Completionist** (every side quest), and **Lost and Found** (all collectibles).
- **Skill achievements** you can pick up anytime: **Juggling Act** (juggle 3+ projectiles in the air for over 5 seconds), **Bring it On** (defeat 5 enemies without touching the ground), **Damage Spike** (3 enemies with one Spike), and **Did I Do That?** (10 kills with environmental hazards).
- **Untouchable** has a hidden description on Steam; check an achievement guide before attempting it.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Skipping Lupo's maps.**
- **Hoarding Spirit Light** instead of buying shards and upgrades.
- **Ignoring Grom and Tuley,** which slows your access to shops and shortcuts.
- **Never using Regenerate.**
- **Fighting flying enemies with only the sword.** Spirit Arc makes them trivial.
- **Leaving Launch unused** when revisiting old areas.

## Advanced Tips

- **Bash chaining:** bash off an enemy, then bash its projectile to extend.
- **Grapple into dash:** combine for fast traversal through windy areas.
- **Sentry jumping:** an advanced Sentry-based movement trick that lets you reach late-game areas early; there's a dedicated "How to Sentry Jump" Steam guide if you want to learn the inputs.
- **Hard mode:** enemies hit harder; bring Vitality and the Life Harvest-style sustain shards.
- **Spirit Light farming:** revisit areas with dense enemies; the Magnet shard makes it faster.

## FAQ

**Do I need to play Ori and the Blind Forest first?**
It helps with the story's emotional weight, but Will of the Wisps stands on its own.

**How long is Ori and the Will of the Wisps?**
Around 10 to 15 hours for the story, 20 or more for 100%.

**Can I continue after the ending?**
Yes, the game returns you to the world to finish collectibles.

**Is there a point of no return?**
The final region leads to the ending, but you can return afterward to finish side content.

**What is the best shard for beginners?**
Magnet for convenience, Vitality for survival, and Triple Jump for exploration.

**How do I get more shard slots?**
Through progression and side content; explore thoroughly, as slot upgrades are among the most valuable rewards. Getting all of them earns the **Fully Slotted** achievement.

## Sources

- [Steam — Ori and the Will of the Wisps store page and patch posts](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1057090/)
- [Wikipedia — Ori and the Will of the Wisps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ori_and_the_Will_of_the_Wisps)
- [Steam Community — Crappy 100% Achievement Guide](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2383525768)
- [Steam Community — top-rated guides list (Hand to Hand walkthrough, How to Sentry Jump, Niwen interactive map)](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1057090/guides/)
- [Steam — Ori and the Will of the Wisps global achievements](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1057090/achievements/)