Complete Spirit Shards Guide for Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Builds, Locations, and Upgrades

Spirit Shards are the hidden engine behind Ori's power in Will of the Wisps, offering passive buffs that can completely reshape your playstyle. But with dozens to find and only six slots to equip them, knowing which shards to hunt and how to upgrade them is crucial. This guide breaks down every shard, from early-game essentials to late-game secrets, and provides the optimal builds to dominate Niwen.

Introduction to Spirit Shards System

So you’ve been picking up these glowing crystal things and wondering what they actually do? Spirit Shards are basically Ori’s version of a charm system - equippable passives that tweak everything from combat to how much health you get from pickups. You don’t activate them; they just work once slotted. The catch is you can’t just equip everything you find at once, which is where the whole slot and upgrade economy comes into play.

What Are Spirit Shards?

Here’s the breakdown:

• Spirit Shards are collectible passives that buff combat, exploration, or resource gathering without you needing to press anything - they’re always on when equipped.
• They’re tucked away everywhere: hidden corners, puzzle rewards, or sold by Twillen the merchant if you’d rather spend Spirit Light than go hunting.
• Some of the best shards, like Ultra Split Spirit Arc, need you to first find the base version and then track down a rare upgrade stone, so they’re rarely a one-and-done pickup.

Shard Slots and Upgrades

You start with three slots, which sounds generous until you’re staring at ten shards you want to equip. To actually hit the cap of six total, you’ll need to survive combat shrines - those arena-style fights scattered across Niwen. The good news is that earning a slot costs nothing but your time and skill; upgrading the shards themselves is where you’ll burn Gorlek Ore and Spirit Light to push them to level 2 or 3.

Upgrade Type	How to Get It	What It Costs
Shard Slots	Clear combat shrines (Inkwater Marsh, Howl's Den, Wellspring Glades, Silent Woods, Mouldwood Depths)	Just survive the fight
Shard Levels	Visit Twillen or certain anvils	Gorlek Ore + Spirit Light per level

How to Acquire and Upgrade Shards

Finding them is half the fun, but upgrading them is where you commit:

• Exploration is your main source - most shards live in hard-to-reach spots or behind puzzle walls you’ll need new abilities to access.
• Twillen sells a rotating stock of shards and upgrade materials, so check his inventory after major story beats; he’ll occasionally have something you missed.
• You’ll burn through Gorlek Ore (there are 40 pieces total in Niwen) and Spirit Light for every upgrade, so you can’t max everything in one playthrough.

Strategic Importance for Builds

This is where the system shines. With only six slots max, you’re forced to specialize:

• Ranged builds stack shards like Reckless and Ultra Spirit Arc to turn Ori into a glass cannon.
• Survival builds lean on Life Force and Vitality to tank hits that would normally one-shot you.
• The real trick is that you can hot-swap shards at any Spirit Well for free, which means you can switch from an exploration setup (Triple Jump, Quick Flame) to a boss-killer loadout in seconds.
• Pro tip: Don’t waste Spirit Light upgrading shards you rarely use - focus on your core two or three passives first, since you’ll also need that currency for active skills.

Early Game Shards (Inkwater Marsh & Kwolok's Hollow)

The first few areas are packed with Spirit Shards that'll make your life way easier, and most of them are pretty easy to grab if you know where to look. Here's what you're hunting for in Inkwater Marsh and Kwolok's Hollow.

Spirit Edge (Default)

Don't worry about finding this one - it finds you. After you take down Howl in Howl's Den, the game nudges you toward a small ancestral grove at the far-east end of Inkwater Marsh, and that's where you'll pick up the Spirit Edge. It's your default melee weapon, so you can't really miss it.

Spirit Magnet

Once you've got Spirit Edge, you'll want to grab Spirit Magnet immediately, and luckily it's sitting right above that same tree. Head up into the tall, open cavern and look for a cracked wall near the top - smash it open to reveal a tiny alcove. This shard's a massive time-saver since it automatically pulls Spirit Light orbs and pickups toward you from much farther away, which means no more scrambling to collect every single glowing trinket on the forest floor.

Sticky

Sticky is another one you'll want to snag while you're still in Inkwater Marsh, and it's practically handed to you after getting Double Jump. Once you unlock that ability, climb the west wall above the tree, then double-jump right to reach the ledge. Equipping this lets Ori automatically cling to walls, so you won't accidentally slide off during tricky platforming sections.

Reckless

Reckless is where things get interesting - this shard gives you a 15% damage boost, but you'll also take 15% more damage, so it's a proper risk-reward tradeoff. You can grab it right after escaping Howl's Den by heading left instead of right and breaking through a stick barricade. If you're feeling brave, you can upgrade it at Twillen's shop to push that trade-off to 25% or even 35%, but that's a lot of extra pain for the gain.

Quickshot

When you reach Kwolok's Hollow, Quickshot should be high on your priority list if you're using the Spirit Arc at all. It's tucked in the bottom-left corner behind a stone wall near some crushers, and while you can reach it without Dash, it's a real pain - you'll need to solve a small rock puzzle, use one of the crushers as a foothold, and shoot a blue eye switch above the entrance to open the way. The payoff is huge though: your Spirit Arc fires 25% faster, which makes both combat and those projectile-jump puzzles way smoother.

Splinter

Not far from Quickshot, you'll find Splinter sitting on a secluded ledge to the right of the giant spider sculpture near Mouldwood Depths entrance. You can reach it with a well-timed glide or bash-glide. This shard completely changes your bow into a close-range shotgun, splitting each shot into 3-5 short-range projectiles. It's perfect for clearing out swarms or hitting multiple weak points at once, though you might want to swap it out for longer-range fights.

Life Harvest

Life Harvest is technically in The Wellspring, which you'll reach soon after Kwolok's Hollow, but it's worth planning for early. This shard makes enemies drop more Life Orbs, which is a huge help for staying alive in longer fights. To grab it, you'll need to navigate a spike-filled room with hanging fruit bulbs - double-jump over the spikes, bash off the fruit to climb higher, then head through the upper-right door. It's a lifesaver, literally, especially once the difficulty starts ramping up.

Mid-Game Shards (Wellspring, Baur's Reach, Mouldwood)

Alright, so you've hit the mid-game and you're looking for shards that actually change how you play. The big three areas - Wellspring, Baur's Reach, and Mouldwood - are where you'll find some of the best options, but there are a few critical pickups in nearby regions too. Let's break down what you're hunting and why it matters.

Spirit Surge (Mouldwood Depths)

Mouldwood Depths hides one of the best damage shards in the game, but you'll need to keep your wallet full. The Spirit Surge shard is tucked behind a side cavern in the very first light-bug chamber, which means you'll need to drop down left and grapple-climb up a short platforming sequence to reach it. Once equipped, your damage scales directly with how much Spirit Light you're carrying, so if you're the type who hates spending money, this shard is basically made for you.

Ultra Bash (Luma Pools)

Luma Pools is basically a two-for-one special when it comes to mid-game shards. First up is Ultra Bash, and this one's a game-changer for combat. Head to the bottom of the water chamber left of the Spirit Well, look for a purple rock wall, and grab a purple bomb flower projectile to bash straight into it - this cracks the wall open and reveals the shard. Once you snag it, your bash itself starts dealing damage, which means you can delete enemies mid-air instead of just redirecting them.

Energy Harvest (Luma Pools)

While you're in the pools, don't miss Energy Harvest floating in the upper-left ceiling nook of the large flooded chamber left of Lupo's map shop. You'll need Water Dash - or some clever puffer-fish bashing - to reach the high tunnel, but it's worth the trouble. This shard boosts how many energy orbs enemies drop, which fixes any mana problems you've been having. Between these two, Luma Pools pretty much solves your combat and energy economy in one visit.

Catalyst (Baur's Reach)

If you're spamming abilities and running dry, Baur's Reach has the answer. The Catalyst shard sits in a frozen shrine that you'll need to melt with Light Burst. Once it's thawed, swim left through a narrow underwater tunnel past those snapping enemies - yeah, the ones that keep biting you mid-swim. At the end of the path you'll find Catalyst, which converts your melee damage directly into energy. Combine this with a fast-hitting spirit edge and you'll basically never run out of energy again.

Last Stand (Windswept Wastes)

For the players who like living on the edge, Last Stand in Windswept Wastes gives you a 20% damage boost when you're below 15% health. The shard's sitting in a high cave on the right wall, but getting there is a whole thing. First you'll need to burrow left through a sandfall, then climb a grapple-flower shaft. The real trick is the timing puzzle: you have to stand on sand platforms and let a purple projectile destroy the purple wall for you. It's a pain, but if you're confident in your dodge game, this shard turns near-death into a damage spike.

Life Pact (Inkwater Marsh)

Okay, so Inkwater Marsh is technically an early area, but you'll need mid-game abilities to grab Life Pact - think of it as a return trip for something wild. Head to the bottom-left past the waterfall (you'll need Bash and Double Jump just to get there), break the floor, swim left, and use bash on those lantern bulbs to platform up. What you get is risky: when you're out of energy, you can spend life to cast spells instead. In clutch moments it can save a run, just don't get too greedy with it.

Resilience (Twillen's Shop, Wellspring Glades)

Finally, don't sleep on Resilience from Twillen. After you first meet him in Kwolok's Hollow, he'll relocate to Wellspring Glades and sell you this shard for some Spirit Light. It reduces damage taken by 10% and can be upgraded even further, which means it scales with you. If you're tired of getting two-shot by everything in the mid-game, this is your best investment.

Merchant & Shop-Exclusive Shards

If you're looking to min-max Ori's build, Twillen in Wellspring Glades is your best friend. This guy sells eight unique Spirit Shards you can't find anywhere else in the world, and most of them are game-changers. Here's what he's got in stock and why you should care.

Bounty

The Bounty shard costs 1,200 Spirit Light upfront, which isn't cheap, but it's hands-down the best farming tool in the game. Once equipped, enemies get beefier and hit harder, but they'll drop roughly double the Spirit Light, so you'll earn back your investment fast. You can even upgrade it for another 2,000 Spirit Light to boost that multiplier to around 3x, making it absolutely broken for late-game grinding.

Arcing

Arcing is another Twillen exclusive that makes your Spirit Arc way more efficient. Your arrows automatically chain to one extra nearby enemy, so you're basically getting free damage on crowds. It's perfect for clearing out those annoying bat swarms without wasting extra shots.

Energy and Vitality

For raw stat boosts, Energy and Vitality are your go-to purchases. Each one gives you +1 cell to their respective pool - Energy for abilities, Vitality for health - and both can be upgraded to +2 cells if you've got the Spirit Light to spare. They're simple, but honestly, you can't go wrong with more resources.

Wingclip

If you're sick of aerial enemies hovering just out of reach, Wingclip is worth every penny. This shard grants 100% bonus damage against flying enemies, which means those projectile-spamming birds and insects melt twice as fast. It's situational, but when you need it, you really need it.

Finesse

Finesse adds a bit of RNG spice to your damage output. It gives you a 10% chance to deal 50% extra damage on hit, and you can upgrade that chance to 20% later. It won't always proc, but when it does, you'll notice bosses lose chunks of health unexpectedly.

Overcharge

Overcharge is for the daredevils out there. It cuts all energy costs in half, which lets you spam abilities like crazy, but you're taking double damage from everything. It's a high-risk, high-reward shard that can absolutely demolish bosses - if you can avoid getting hit.

Swap

Swap is the weirdest shard Twillen sells. It literally flips your Life and Energy cell totals, so if you've been investing in health, suddenly you're a caster, and vice versa. It also cuts energy costs by 50%, but like Overcharge, it doubles the damage you take. This one's for experimental builds only; don't grab it unless you know what you're doing.

Late Game & Hidden Shards

So you're hunting for the really obscure shards that most players walk right past, huh? These aren't your typical 'check the map marker' pickups - they're tucked into corners you barely notice and locked behind ability combos you might not think to try until you're specifically hunting them down. Here's where to find the eight most elusive ones that'll round out your build.

Ultra Grapple

This one's hiding at the very top of The Wellspring, right next to that final Spirit Trial flag. Once you finish the trial, look for a platform just to the right of the finish point - that's where the shard sits. When equipped, it lets you grapple onto a single enemy per jump, which means you can yank flyers out of the sky and slam them into hazards. At levels 2 and 3, it even deals 5 base damage, so it's not just utility - it's a legitimate weapon.

Thorn

Also in The Wellspring, but way down in the deep southwest corner of the inner area. You'll need to drop through three of those blue laser barriers (timing is everything), then immediately head left at the bottom. You'll spot it on a pedestal. This one's a revenge tool - when enemies hit you, they take damage too. It's not huge per hit, but it adds up fast in crowded fights and can save you a few sword swings.

Overflow

Silent Woods only has one tricky shard, and it's easy to miss if you're focused on the trial. At the very start of the Spirit Trial, instead of racing forward, hug the left wall and follow the path. Overflow sits there, waiting. Its effect is pretty clever: when your health is full, any extra health pickups convert to energy, and vice versa. It's perfect for builds that stack both pools and hate wasting pickups.

Lifeforce

Baur's Reach hides this one in the top-left corner, way off the main path. Start at the central Spirit Well, head west, then Launch straight north. You'll see snow platforms - use Burrow to climb through them, and the shard's yours. This one gives you a 10% damage boost whenever you're above half health, and you can upgrade it for even more punch. It's a no-brainer for confident players who don't get hit often.

Fracture

Also in Baur's Reach, but much weirder to find. East of the Spirit Well, there's a water's edge. Swim left along it until you hit what looks like a solid wall - it's not. Pass through to find a hidden air pocket, and the shard's inside. This modifies your Light Burst ability, splitting it into three smaller explosions on detonation. Great for crowd control, though it changes your spacing a bit since the spread is wider.

Secret (A Diamond in the Rough)

This one's tied to the 'Ancestral Home' quest in Windswept Wastes. First, grab the Eerie Gem by burrowing into a shovel near the first Spirit Well. Then take it to the Gorlek statue hiding inside that vertical wind-shaft. Offer it up, and you'll get the shard that makes secret walls semi-transparent. Suddenly, all those suspicious walls become obvious, and you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Deflector

Midnight Burrows holds this defensive gem. You'll need to solve the portal puzzle, but with a twist - activate the lever to rotate the exit portal, then step through the re-aimed gate. You'll land in a short corridor with the shard at the end. This turns your melee swings into projectile deflections, which completely changes how you handle certain bosses. Timing takes practice, but once you've got it down, you'll feel unstoppable against projectile-heavy fights.

Turmoil

Also in Windswept Wastes, tucked in a sandy alcove. From the second Spirit Well, go into the room with the keystone door. Look for the soft sand patch on the left side, Burrow down, and take the left fork. The shard's just sitting there. Equip it, and enemies respawn way faster across the entire map. It's amazing for grinding but can turn exploration into a nightmare if you're just trying to get somewhere, so toggle it wisely.

Spirit Shard Upgrade Paths & Optimal Builds

Upgrade System Explained

Here is the deal with shards: you can slap up to eight of them into Ori's loadout, but you have to earn those slots first. Each one comes from clearing Combat Shrines hidden around the map, which means you will be hunting down arena fights before you can run the full suite. The good news? Most shards are not one-and-done. Tiered ones like Resilience and Vitality can be pushed three times at Twillen's shop, and you pay in both Spirit Light Orbs and Gorlek Ore.

Twillen's inventory rotates, so you might have to check back a few times if you are hunting a specific shard. His prices start around 200 Light for the cheap stuff but climb past 2,000 for the final slot upgrade. If you want to fund the habit without grinding for hours, Gorlek Ore is your best friend. The first 20 or 25 chunks can be grabbed in under 90 minutes by sweeping Inkwater Marsh and Kwolok's Hollow. For example, Inkwater hides an ore under the Moki hamlet wheel room - just burrow through the floor - and another sits in a secret alcove left of the first miniboss arena, which you can reach with a bash-glide combo. Kwolok's Hollow has a similar alcove setup, so you are basically getting free ore for flexing the movement tools you already have.

Once you hit mid-game, Wellspring Proper drops two ores behind rotating water wheels; time your swims to slip through the gears. Luma Pools puts one on a thorned pedestal, but the water-dash shard lets you bypass the spikes cleanly. Baur's Reach freezes one inside an ice block, so bring Kuros's flame and bash across the gap.

Before you blow everything on shards, consider Grom's workshop. He has 14 projects, but three are instant quality-of-life wins: the Map Stone (2 ore) reveals shard symbols on your world map, Spirit Tether (3 ore) gives you a portable warp beacon, and Shard Forge (4 ore) lets you swap shards anywhere in the Glade. Those are worth more than a marginal damage upgrade early on.

S-Tier Shards (Must-Upgrade)

If you are short on ore and Light, prioritize these five. They are the difference between struggling and steamrolling.

Secret is the crown jewel. This hidden shard hands you +50% damage, +15% life, and +15% energy when fully upgraded. It is tucked away in Mouldwood Depths, but you will know it is worth the detour the moment you see your DPS spike.

Overflow creates an infinite energy economy. It gives +50% energy from all sources, and any overheal converts to energy while over-energy converts back to health. You are basically a closed loop of sustain, which means you can spam abilities without ever running dry.

Reckless is the glass-cannon classic: +35% damage dealt at the cost of taking +50% more damage. Top players cheat the downside by pairing it with Resilience, which shaves off 30% incoming damage. The net result is a +20% damage boost for only +35% incoming pain - a trade most bosses cannot capitalize on before they die.

Splinter turns Spirit Arc into a shotgun blast, and when you push it to Ultra Split, it adds a fourth ricochet that hits large bosses twice. That is a 2.5× damage multiplier on anything with a big hitbox, which is most of the late-game roster.

Triple Jump is simpler but just as vital. It adds a third mid-air hop that extends combos and unlocks platforming skips. It is a binary shard, so you cannot upgrade it, but you can buy it from Lupo for around 1,800 Spirit Light once you reach Baur's Reach.

Honorable mentions: Magnet and its upgrade Great Magnet pull orbs through walls, while Deflect (maxed to Aegis) gives a 25% chance to negate any hit and reflect damage back. Vitality is a flat +30% health that stops one-shots from most late-game bosses.

Slot seven is bought from Tokk in Silent Woods after 'The Missing Key' quest (2 Gorlek Ores), and slot eight comes from Twillen for 4 ores after you have purchased every other map upgrade from him.

Glass-Cannon Speedrun Build

If you want to kill bosses before they can finish their attack telegraphs, run this. The current 57:57 Any% world record uses Secret • Reckless • Ultra Split • Splinter • Triple Jump • Magnet • Swap • Quickshot, which melts health bars so fast you can two-cycle most mini-bosses and three-cycle Shriek herself.

Here is the pickup order and why it matters:

• Magnet is in Inkwater Marsh, top-right corner of the first Spirit Edge arena (around 4:15 in a run). You keep it equipped until Luma Pools, where you hot-swap to Quickshot during the water-escape chase.

• Reckless is bought from Twillen for 800 Spirit Light when you first reach Wellspring Glades (≈ 18:00). It is cheap and the damage boost is immediate.

• Triple Jump sits in Baur's Reach upper horn, behind the first ice block you bash (≈ 22:10). It saves 12–15 seconds in Baur's and another 8 seconds on a Luma Pools skip.

• Secret is in Mouldwood Depths, one screen left of the first Spirit Well. The WR pickup window is tight: 29:40–29:55, but the +50% damage is worth every detour.

• Quickshot is bought from Twillen for 400 Spirit Light after the first Kwolok kill (≈ 33:00). It gives +25% fire-rate on Spirit Arc and Spirit Edge for the final Shriek DPS race.

• Splinter is in Luma Pools, bottom-left corner behind the first water-wheel (≈ 38:40). Every melee swing gets a 30% chance to fire a second hit that benefits from Secret and Reckless, pushing your true DPS gain closer to +55%.

• Swap is handed out by Tokk after the 'Hand to Hand' questline, but Any% skips it because Secret + Splinter already provides more damage than any weapon-swap could enable, saving roughly 45 seconds.

The Ultra Split combo lets you skip entire boss phases, which shaves about 25 seconds of fight time overall. That is the difference between a sub-hour run and a casual playthrough.

Immortal Tank Build

When you are playing One-Life mode - or just sick of dying to spike traps - this is the loadout: Resilience • Vitality • Overflow • Life Harvest • Energy Harvest • Ultra Defence • Thorn • Secret. Stack all seven and you get roughly 65% passive damage reduction, 1.6× native life, constant self-healing, and a damage reflection aura that clears adds while you focus on the boss.

The synergy is the point. Resilience (30% flat reduction) and Ultra Defence (20% extra reduction while above 50% energy) multiply together, so you are not just adding percentages - you are building a fortress. Vitality (+40% life) and Secret (+15% life) mean you can take a hit that would one-shot a glass build and keep fighting. Overflow turns overheal into energy and over-energy back into health, so you are always topped off. Life Harvest and Energy Harvest drop orbs on melee and bash kills, feeding that loop. Thorn reflects 50% of damage taken back to attackers, which is hilarious when trash mobs punch themselves to death.

Resilience is bought from Twillen in Wellspring for 1,600 Spirit Light after you reach Kwolok's Hollow. Vitality is behind the first underwater spirit gate in Luma Pools (you need Water Breath). Overflow is on the Silent Woods spirit trial path and requires Dash, Bash, Grapple, and Burrow. Life Harvest comes from Opher in Inkwater Marsh for 800 Spirit Light once you have the Sword. Energy Harvest is traded with Tokk in Baur's Reach after completing 'Hand to Hand.' Ultra Defence hides in a buried urn left of the main wind tunnel in Windswept Wills - bring Burrow. Secret unlocks after the 'Lost Spirits' hidden quest (light every invisible brazier in Windswept Wills).

The gameplay loop is simple: pop Lifeforce (spend 50 energy for a 25% life shield), hold melee to trigger Catalyst, which restores energy, which Overflow converts back to health, while Thorn kills adds and Bash re-activates Ultra Defence. The shield is calculated before Resilience and Ultra Defence, so it lasts forever and refunds its own cost. Your effective HP multiplier is around 2.9×, which means you can face-tank Shriek's scream phase and laugh.

Exploration Build

For 100% map completion, you need to move fast and loot everything. This is the kit: Spirit Magnet • Triple Jump • Glide Extension • Water Breath • Light Harvest • Map Markers • Sticky • Quick Swim.

Spirit Magnet has a 3.5-meter vacuum radius, and Great Magnet pulls orbs through walls, which cuts your back-tracking time in half. Triple Jump turns every wall into a four-step staircase and is mandatory for several ceiling-hung Gorlek Ores. Glide Extension lets you air-stall into out-of-the-way spirit wells and seeds without bash-cheats. Water Breath opens 100% of Luma Pools, Mouldwood Depths, and Midnight Burrows cells - buy it from Opher for 1,200 Spirit Light the moment you reach Wellspring Glades. Light Harvest gives +25% Spirit Light from every kill, so you can fund shard purchases while you explore. Map Markers show every keystone, ore, and seed on Lupo's map, which saves you from alt-tabbing to video guides. Sticky lets you cling to any wall without wasting energy, perfect for scouting vertical shafts. Quick Swim cuts underwater travel time by about 40% and stacks with Dash for trial golds.

Magnet + Light Harvest is the real moneymaker: farm the respawning tentacles near the Wellspring wheel and vacuum up 10,000 Spirit Light in under five minutes. Triple Jump + Glide Extension is the cheapest 'pseudo-flight' in the game, letting you reach 38 of the 40 Gorlek Ores without waiting for late-game Burrow or Launch. Water Breath + Quick Swim means you can loot every Luma Pools chest the first time you enter, so you never have to back-track through the Snapping Vine gauntlet again.

100% Completion Checklist & Achievement Guide

Let’s be real - collecting all 31 Spirit Shards is less about exploration and more about knowing where Twillen stashed his inventory and which quests you slept on. Here’s the breakdown so you don’t miss any.

Area-by-Area Checklist

The world map splits these 31 upgrades across every major zone, but some areas are way more generous than others. You’ll find most shards sitting in plain sight, while a handful only appear after you finish specific quests, which means you can’t just buy your way to the Shard Hunter achievement.

Here’s exactly what you’re hunting for:

Area	Shards Found	Notable Locations/Notes
Inkwater Marsh	5	Magnet, Sticky, Resilience, Reckless, Life Pact - grab these after you get Spirit Edge and Double Jump.
Kwolok's Hollow	4	Splinter, Quickshot, Vitality, Energy - most are near the Bash room.
Midnight Burrows	2	Deflector, Finesse - quest rewards from the Burrows questline.
Wellspring Glades	2	Arcing, Bounty - both are in the hub area itself.
The Wellspring	3	Life Harvest, Thorn, Ultra Grapple - complete the dungeon to collect all three.
Baur's Reach	3	Lifeforce, Catalyst, Fracture - you’ll need Light Burst to reach these.
Mouldwood Depths	1	Spirit Surge - requires the Flash ability; don't miss this one.
Luma Pools	3	Ultra Bash, Energy Harvest, Quiet Heart - Water Dash required.
Windswept Wastes	3	Last Stand, Turmoil, and one hidden - you’ll need Burrow to snag them all.
Windtorn Ruins	0	No shards here; Quiet Heart appears in Luma Pools/Windswept Wastes instead.
Silent Woods	1	Overflow - reward from the Hand to Hand quest (requires Grapple).
Side Quests	4	Quickshot, Splinter (Hand to Hand), Secret (A Diamond in the Rough), plus Overflow counts here too.
Optional/Hidden	2	The Secret shard from A Diamond in the Rough is the main hidden one.

The numbers can feel fuzzy because Twillen’s shop in Wellspring Glades technically counts as Kwolok's Hollow access, but the table above uses the in-game map labels you’ll actually see.

Optimal Collection Route

If you want to minimize backtracking (and you definitely do), follow this progression. It groups shards by ability unlocks, which means you’re not running across the map with the wrong toolset like a fool.

First, clear Inkwater Marsh once you have Spirit Edge and Double Jump - this gives you your baseline five shards. After that, head straight to Kwolok's Hollow; the Splinter and Quickshot shards are both near where you learn Bash, so you’ll pick them up naturally without any extra travel time.

Here’s where the route gets important: as soon as you meet Twillen in Wellspring Glades, buy everything you can afford. He sells Vitality, Energy, Wingclip, Finesse, Triple Jump, Light Harvest, Overcharge, and Swap - these shop shards don’t require combat, just Spirit Light. Knock out The Wellspring dungeon next for Life Harvest, Thorn, and Ultra Grapple.

Mid-game is where you’ll start hitting ability gates. Baur's Reach needs Light Burst to reach Arcing and Catalyst. Mouldwood Depths hides Spirit Surge behind the Flash ability. Luma Pools won’t give up Energy Harvest or Ultra Bash until you have Water Dash. Windswept Wastes requires Burrow for Last Stand and Turmoil.

Late-game cleanup: finish the Hand to Hand questline in Silent Woods after you unlock Grapple - that’s your Overflow shard. Then wrap up A Diamond in the Rough for the Secret shard. Finally, return to Twillen with 5,000 Spirit Light to buy whatever’s left in his inventory.

Spirit Light Farming Locations

You’ll need roughly 13,000 Spirit Light to buy every shard and upgrade from Twillen, which sounds insane until you find the right loop. Here’s where to grind efficiently:

• Silent Woods Spirit Trial: 1,200 Spirit Light per 45-second loop. This is the fastest repeatable source in the game.
• Equip Spirit Surge shard: This boosts your gains by 25%, which adds up fast over multiple runs.
• Buy Light Harvest from Twillen: Increases Spirit Light drops from all enemies.
• Repeatable trials: All Spirit Trials reset instantly, so you can loop them infinitely without penalty.

Before you start farming, grab the Spirit Light Multiplier from Twillen - it’s not a separate item, but his shop shards effectively function as multipliers when combined.

Shard Hunter Achievement Guide

The Shard Hunter achievement pops the moment you collect your 31st shard, but there’s some prep work you can’t skip if you want to avoid rage-quitting. First, you need to buy all five shard slots from Twillen, which costs 10 Gorlek Ore total. If you haven’t been collecting ore, you’ll need 40 Gorlek Ore for full town upgrades anyway, so keep an eye out while exploring.

Buy the Shard map from Lupo for 4,000 Spirit Light - this reveals every shard location on your map and turns hunting from a nightmare into a checklist. The two side quests that matter are Hand to Hand (rewards Quickshot, Splinter, Overflow) and A Diamond in the Rough (rewards Secret). You can’t buy these; you have to earn them through quest completion.

Twillen’s shop permanently stocks 10 shards, but some players miss that his inventory expands as you progress. If he’s not selling something you expect, you probably need to advance the main story a bit more. Upgrading every shard to max costs about 13,000 Spirit Light total, which is why farming the Silent Woods trial is so important.

For true 100% completion, you also need to finish all 8 Spirit Trials, grab 12 Life Cells, 12 Energy Cells, and those 40 Gorlek Ore. The achievement tracker only cares about shards, but the completionist in you will want it all.

Mastering the Spirit Shards system transforms Ori from a fragile spirit into a powerhouse capable of tackling any challenge. Whether you're building a glass cannon for speedruns or an immortal tank for survival, the right combination of shards and upgrades is key. Use this guide as your roadmap, collect all 31 shards, and craft the perfect loadout for your adventure.