Work smarter, not harder
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an excellent metroidvania. After Blind Forest, there was no doubt that the followup would be quality. However, like any metroidvania, it’s most enjoyable when you’re most capable. Unlocking new abilities unlocks new locations, and being able to quickly zoom around the map and dispatch any threat is the ultimate reward.
A lot of this is found along Ori and the Will of the Wisps‘ critical path, earning essential abilities to deal with that area’s theme. But, there are a couple other ways of bettering Ori. One character sells combat skills, and another sells Spirit Shards and upgrades to those shards. Buying all of it is very expensive though. (There’s also Lupo, the map salesman, who gives you the option to purchase the locations of all the major collectibles.)
For anyone who wants to make short work of buying all these upgrades, there’s a fantastic place to quickly farm all the Spirit Light (Ori and the Will of the Wisps‘ currency) needed to nab everything — provided you have the shards to make it worth your time. It’s in Baur’s Reach, just a freefall away from the area’s only fast travel spot. Here’s where it is on the map:
And here’s what it looks like:
We’re going to kill that troll thing over and over again, because he gives about 1,500 Spirit Light each time and he respawns instantly. This method will literally take you like five minutes to earn an absurd amount of Spirit Light. It makes all the collectible containers hidden around the map seem like a joke.
This is the setup you’ll want. First, you should have the Light Burst ability so that you can charge fireballs and throw them to break the troll-thing’s shield; this is the ability that’s actually earned in Baur’s Reach, so finish this area before attempting this. Also, you’ll want these Spirit Shards (mine were all upgraded already but yours don’t need to be): Bounty (enemies have 70% more life and deal 70% more damage, but drop double Spirit Light), Turmoil (enemies respawn faster), Light Harvest (enemies drop four extra Spirit Light orbs), Spirit Surge (Spirit Light grants bonus damage, caps at 6,000 Spirit Light).
That’s all there is to it. The troll guy will constantly respawn and drop well over 1,000 Spirit Light every time you kill him. If you’re low on health or energy, just trek back up to the fast travel spot to replenish and save your game. You should be done in a few minutes, which is great because buying everything seems like it’d be a huge end-game grind. As a bonus, you’ll pick up the Tools of the Trade, Mad Skills, Shard Hunter, and Shard Specialist achievements for unlocking and upgrading all abilities and shards.
Now if only getting the achievement for beating the whole game without dying were this easy.
