Reaching Willows End is, quite literally, the final stage of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, leading to the game's conclusion. Its beautiful neon-purple backdrops and magical soundtrack juxtapose this level's frustratingly difficult nature and dangers. Its environments are very unforgiving, with death seemingly at every turn.
Despite its charming nature, Ori and the Will of the Wisps truly tests the player's limits and may even cause some frustration with its difficulty spike and learning curve. There are many difficult jumps Ori will have to perform, pushing the limitations with the player's precision and reaction times. This handy guide details exactly how to complete Willow's End and how to defeat Shriek, the hardest boss in Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
Corrupted Heart 1
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Head to the right of the entrance, where players will come across several purple lasers. They should launch themselves past these, careful not to take too much damage. Head northeast and then west to come across an orange boulder. Dislodge this using the Light Burst ability and immediately backtrack.
The giant ball will come rolling after the player and kill them if they aren't quick enough. They must locate the hidden small ledge and wait for the boulder to move past. Once the boulder has passed, the player can climb back up and destroy the first corrupted heart.
Corrupted Heart 2
After destroying the first heart, continue left from the initial entrance until reaching a platform. From this platform, head southwest and use the Launch ability to get Ori in range of the grappable blue moss wheels. Players must grapple from wheel to wheel, dodging purple lasers and the spiky environment along the way. There is a life cell plant along the way should players need to regain health.
Continue along this pathway, launching through blue light teleporters until stumbling upon the second heart. It can be destroyed using any ability, and a short cutscene shows it being destroyed.
Corrupted Heart 3
Continue upwards and talk to Lupo and spend some Spirit Light to purchase a map of the entire area. Head right and launch towards the blue light on the far right wall. This area can be pretty complicated and is reminiscent of Gino's Tree in the original Ori and the Blind Forest.
This cavern features several teleporters that Ori must direct projectiles into to destroy the barrier blocking the third corrupted heart. The player must aim and bash these projectiles with precision. Luckily, the purple lasers cannot damage these projectiles, so players can take their time in this section to do it correctly.
Corrupted Heart 4
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From the previous section, head upwards to reach the next corrupted heart. Players will need to use their burrow, launch, and bash abilities in tandem to quickly dive through the sand and maneuver their way around this section.
Destroy this heart, and players will find they are halfway through Willow's End!
Corrupted Heart 5
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Head to the Willow's marker on the minimap to see the blockage. From here, players should follow the path downwards and dodge through purple lasers. Defeat the brutish Gorlek enemy here and destroy this barrier for a shortcut to the Spirit Well below.
Head left to reach a spinning wheel filled with purple lasers. Hop into the southernmost portal on the map, and follow the path of teleporters. Grapple onto the spinning wheel, avoiding both the spikes and the lasers, using the Kuro's Feather/Glide ability to drift upwards. Destroy the corrupted heart at the uppermost part of this section, and destroy the wall on the right to open a blue teleporter.
Corrupted Heart 6
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Head through the teleporter and back into the room with the spinning lasers. Players need to reach a small hidden platform in the top left corner of the room, using the teleporters to bypass the fast-firing lasers.
Timing and precision are crucial here, as players must wait for the right moment to launch upwards and destroy the sixth heart. Players should ensure they have the Regenerate ability readily available to use as they are certain to take damage here.
Corrupted Heart 7
Players should return to the Willow marker on their minimap and continue left from here to reach the seventh objective. Follow through the portal in this section until a room with several teleporters is reached. This will trigger a small-scale boss fight against the Willow Stone.
The Willow Stone will shoot out dual lasers; players should dodge these by using the teleporters to their advantage. It will then begin firing projectiles at the player, opening up its weakness. Bash these projectiles into the Willow Stone's center to damage it. Spirit Smash is also a powerful way to damage the Willow Stone to get the fight over and done with.
Once its life bar is completely drained, the player will have won the fight and, in doing so, have destroyed the seventh corrupted heart with only one left to go.
Corrupted Heart 8
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Head to the central point where the blockage of the Willow Tree is, and launch Ori upwards, wary of the exploding bomb enemies clinging to walls. Timing it carefully, players should hurtle themselves into the teleporter of the spinning wheel to the right and immediately be prepared to grapple on the other side. This area is exceptionally unforgiving, with spikes and lasers at every turn, so players should carefully exercise patience and time all of their jumps.
The Triple Jump ability is helpful for this area to save players if they mistime their next move. Reach the next teleporter wheel, and glide down until there are projectiles to Bash from. Launch Ori into the teleporter wheel to the right, bringing players to the eighth and final corrupted heart.
Players should carefully make their way back down to where the blockage previously was and enter. On the other side, head to the left and replenish Health and Energy at the Spirit Well.
Shriek Boss Fight
After saving, head right, launching from platform to platform until reaching the old spirit tree. This will cause a cutscene to play before beginning the most challenging boss fight in the game: Shriek. She has three main phases that players will need to work around, changing the scenery, environment, and attack patterns.
Phase One
She will begin by stamping on Ori with her legs, slamming each leg down once. Spikes will sprout from the ground when she does this, so Ori will need to jump over her spikes and avoid her legs. She will then fly up into the air and disappear.
A gust of wind will rise from the ground, signaling her full-body slam attack. Players should launch upwards and get ready to attack her head and body, ideally using Spirit Smash or Spirit Bow. She will then perform a side attack, with the same gust of wind signaling which side she will fly in from.
Her next attack will be her screech, where she will stand near Ori and shriek. Players should tank this attack and use it as an opportunity to attack her head and deal some hefty damage. Once she has taken enough damage, it will begin a short escape sequence. Players must move right in this side-scrolling sequence, utilizing the Launch ability and Burrow to crawl through some sand. This may take some attempts as this sequence is very fast-paced.
Phase Two
Once players have escaped and reached an isolated platform, this will begin Shriek's second phase. She will use the same move sets she showed in the first phase, with some extra ones sprinkled in. She will perform her gust and slams attack significantly faster, so players have less time to dodge.
When she performs her slam attacks, she will begin to cause the ground below Ori to crumble away, leaving them with nothing to stand on.
She also has a laser attack in this phase, starting from one side and sweeping across to the other, so players should run away from it. Once players whittle her health down, they will move to the third and final phase.
Phase Three
As mentioned above, Shriek was subtly destroying the battlefield with her attacks, meaning there should now be no footing for Ori to stand on. There is now a constant raining barrage of profiles from above that Ori will need to bash from to stay airborne. If Ori falls, it is an instant death, so players will respawn and have to try again.
Bash these projectiles towards Shriek to deal damage, or bash close to her head to deal some lethal damage. These are the only methods of damaging her. There are no time limits, so players can take their time with this stressful section. Once her health bar has been fully depleted, the fight will be over. The final set of cutscenes will play, taking players on an emotional rollercoaster!
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available to play on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.