Important Notes
Important Notes for Ori and the Will of the Wisps
This section covers critical warnings, pitfalls, and advice that can make or break your experience. Read this before you begin to avoid common frustrations and irreversible mistakes.
Save Management & Autosave
- Autosave Only: The game relies entirely on an autosave system. There is no manual save or multiple save slots. The game automatically saves at checkpoints (Spirit Wells), after major events, and when you quit to the main menu. Do not quit without reaching a Spirit Well or completing a checkpoint, or you may lose progress.
- Spirit Wells Are Your Friends: Always activate Spirit Wells when you see them. They serve as fast travel points, respawn points, and allow you to spend skill points. If you die, you respawn at the last Spirit Well you touched, not necessarily where you entered the area.
- No Save Scumming: Because of the single autosave, you cannot revert to an earlier state. Be careful before spending Spirit Light on expensive upgrades if you're unsure, though you can earn more later.
- Quitting to Menu: If you need to stop playing, pause and select "Save & Quit" to ensure your progress is saved. The game will save at your current location if you are at a safe spot.
- No True Point of No Return: After the final boss, the world remains open for exploration. You can collect all upgrades, complete all side quests, and achieve 100% completion even after finishing the story.
- Missable Side Quests (Temporarily): Some side quests become locked if you progress too far in the main story without completing them. For example:
- Energy, Health, and Shard Upgrades: All are permanently obtainable. None are missable, but some require revisiting areas after acquiring new abilities (e.g., Glide, Double Jump, Flash).
- Spirit Light Expenditure: There is no irreversible choice regarding skill upgrades, as you can eventually max out everything. However, spending Spirit Light early on expensive upgrades may slow down early progress if you don't explore enough.
- Early Game: The Silent Woods escape sequence requires precise platforming. Ensure you have at least 3-4 Health upgrades and the Glide ability (acquired in Inkwater Marsh). Practice the wall jump timing.
- Mid Game: Kwolok the Spider Boss – This fight demands good mobility and the Blaze ability (for stunning adds). Bring at least 5-6 health cells and the Shard that increases damage after a dash (Vitality? Actually, use the Triple Jump shard if available).
- Late Game: Sand Worm Escape – A long, fast chase. Maximize your mobility: have Triple Jump, Glide, Flash, and Dash upgraded. Use Tornado shard to reduce fall damage if needed.
- Final Boss: The Final Battle – Has multiple phases with area attacks, minions, and tight platforming. Have at least 9 health cells, all abilities, and equip shards that boost spirit shard damage or reduce cooldown (e.g., Overflow, Resilience). Practice using Sentinel (auto-target projectile) to focus on dodging.
- Resource Grinding: Don't waste time grinding Spirit Light by killing respawning enemies. The best way to earn Spirit Light is to explore thoroughly: break breakable walls, collect spirit orbs, and complete side quests. You'll earn plenty naturally.
- Upgrade Order Misconception: You do not need to max out every skill before moving on. Focus on Energy Efficient, Triple Jump, and Vitality early. Offensive skills like Evergreen or Charged Dash can wait.
- Shard Management: You can equip up to 3 shards early, then 5 later. Don't hoard shards; use them. Some are essential:
- Pacing: Don't rush to the final boss. The game expects you to backtrack and upgrade. If you hit a wall, explore other areas for health/energy cells and shards.
- Lava and Poison Pools: These are instant death (or heavy damage) until you get the Water Dash/Glide upgrades. Avoid them early.
- Crashing Platforms: In the Luma Pools and Windswept Wastes, some platforms crumble after a few seconds. Move quickly or use air dashes.
- Falling into Bottomless Pits: The game is forgiving – you respawn with a small health loss, but repeated falls waste time. Use the Glide to avoid pits.
- Boss Enemy Respawns: Most bosses do not respawn after being defeated. You can't farm them for Spirit Light.
- Spirit Light Loss on Death: You lose a small amount of Spirit Light (about 10-15%) each time you die. If you die repeatedly, consider grinding elsewhere or upgrading health first to survive longer.
- Single-Player Only: There is no multiplayer, online component, or leaderboards that require anti-cheat. No mods or cheats are needed for normal play. The game does not have any anti-cheat software.
- No Internet Required: You can play entirely offline. Achievements unlock locally and sync when you reconnect.
- Community Mods: Modding is unofficial and unsupported. Using mods may cause crashes or corrupt saves, so back up your save file (located in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps` on PC) before modding.
- Start on Normal difficulty if you are new to platformers. Hard mode is punishing even for veterans.
- Play with a controller for the best experience. Keyboard controls are functional but lack analog movement.
- Take breaks during tough sequences – The escape scenes require fast reflexes; frustration will lead to mistakes.
- Explore everywhere – Some areas are hidden behind fake walls or require bouncing off enemies. The game rewards curiosity generously.
Irreversible Choices & Missable Content
- The Fallen Order (Moki's quest) – If you leave the area after talking to Moki without finding his father, the quest may become unavailable until you reach a certain point (but it can be completed later). Always finish side quests in the area before moving to the next major story beat.
- Fishing Quests – Some fishing spots are tied to specific NPCs and times; if you complete a main story event that changes the area, the NPC may move or the quest may be unavailable. Complete them as soon as you unlock them.
Difficulty Spikes & How to Prepare
The game has several notorious difficulty spikes that catch players off guard. Prepare accordingly:
Grinding Traps & Efficient Progression
- Triple Jump (Mobility) – Almost mandatory for exploration.
- Ultra Magnet (Spirit Light) – Doubles pickup range, saves platforming hassle.
- Resilience (Defense) – Reduces damage taken by one pip.
- Restoring Spirit (Health) – Heals when you kill enemies, useful in combat-heavy areas.
Common Regrets & Things Players Wish They Knew Early
1. Water Dash (Shriek ability) is Essential – Unlock it as soon as possible. It lets you dash through water and poisonous pools, opening many paths.
2. Buy the Triple Jump Shard First – Available at the NPC in the Wellspring. It transforms movement and is worth the 150 Spirit Light.
3. The Glide ability can cancel falls – Press Jump again mid-air to activate Glide, which can slow descent and save you from platforming mistakes.
4. You can pause mid-air to check the map – Hitting Map while airborne stops your fall (though you'll resume falling when you close it). Use this to plan jumps.
5. Spirit Wells heal you fully – Use them often; they also refill your spirit gauge.
6. The Combat Shard "Overflow" – This shard lets your spirit gauge exceed its max, allowing multiple special attacks in a row. Essential for boss fights.
7. You can sell excess spirit orbs and gems to the NPC in the Wellspring for Spirit Light.
8. The game has a built-in hint system – If you get stuck, try using the Sense ability (default right stick click on controller? Actually, it's a button to reveal secrets and hint direction). Activate it near a locked door or puzzle.
9. Don't ignore the side characters – Tokk the bug, Grom the fisherman, and others give valuable upgrades or money.
10. The pause menu shows your current area progress – Use it to track how many collectibles remain in each region.