Mastering Spirit Trials in Ori and the Will of the Wisps: The Ultimate Speedrun Guide

Introduction

Spirit Trials in Ori and the Will of the Wisps are the ultimate test of speed and precision, stripping away your active abilities and pitting you against a global leaderboard. Whether you're chasing world records or just aiming for the top 10%, mastering the unique ruleset and advanced movement tech is non-negotiable. This guide breaks down everything from essential shard loadouts to frame-perfect tricks for every trial, giving you the knowledge to shave seconds off your runs.

Understanding Spirit Trials

How Spirit Trials Leaderboards Work

So you're curious how these leaderboards actually work? Spirit Trials run on a single global leaderboard that mashes together every platform - Xbox, PC, and Switch all compete for the same spots without any platform tags separating them. The game pulls ghost replay files from whoever's nearest your time bracket, usually within a second or two, which means you're constantly racing against relevant competition regardless of where they played.

Now here's what trips people up: active abilities get completely disabled. You can't Bash, Flap, Launch, or Burrow during a trial - those buttons just don't work. But your passive Spirit Shards? Those stay equipped, so your loadout still influences your run.

The reward breakdown looks like this:

Placement	Spirit Light
1st Place	1,000
2nd-3rd Place	500
Top 10% (but below 3rd)	250

If you're playing offline, you'll race against a developer-seeded fallback ghost instead, and beating it for the first time still nets you 1,000 Spirit Light.

One frustrating bug to watch for: the in-game leaderboard often freezes once you crack the top 5,000 ranks. If you want accurate tracking, you'll need to use Speedrun.com's forums instead.

Ruleset vs. Main Speedrun Categories

The Spirit Trials ruleset sits in a weird middle ground. While main speedrun categories let you use every ability you've unlocked, trials specifically disable active combat and mobility skills - Dash, Launch, Burrow, Grapple, Flash, and Spike all get locked out to keep the playing field level. But passive shards like Ultra Bash, Graceful Swimmer, Momentum, and Triple Jump remain functional, so optimizing your shard setup is still crucial.

Here's where it gets messy for official records: Speedrun.com doesn't maintain separate leaderboards for individual Spirit Trials. If you want your run recognized, you have to submit through full-game categories or post in community forums instead.

And because the game's internal timer is stored locally with no server-side time storage, video evidence isn't just helpful - it's mandatory. A screenshot won't cut it; moderators need to see the full run for verification.

The rules also mirror standard speedrunning in one key way: you can't pre-manipulate the environment before the timer starts. That means no pre-spawning enemies or setting up bubbles ahead of time.

One final heads-up for PC players: disable Steam Cloud sync specifically for Ori. It'll happily overwrite your local saves and destroy your progress when you're not looking.

Essential Speedrun Movement Techniques

Bunny-Hop Chaining (BH)

Bunny-hop chaining is your bread and butter for maintaining momentum. Each successful hop preserves 95% of your horizontal speed, but you've got to re-jump within a 4-6 frame window after landing—and that window changes depending on the terrain. Flat ground gives you 5 frames, downhill slopes are more forgiving with 6 frames, but uphill terrain or corner collisions will punish you by slashing it to just 4 frames.

That 1.2× speed multiplier you see on leaderboards isn't a single boost; it's the result of chaining those 95% preservation hops together while factoring in downhill gravitational acceleration and ramp boosts on your already-high retained speed. Unfortunately, none of this works if Sticky Walls is turned on—that setting adds a sneaky 2-3 frame lag from the auto-cling animation, which completely breaks your momentum chain.

Grapple-Cancel (GC) & Ultra Grapple Tech

The grapple-cancel is where runs get disgusting—in a good way. Nail the timing and you'll achieve 270% of normal dash velocity by overlapping three speed sources: the Ultra Grapple's pull force, dash velocity that doubles when released at rope extension, and a crouch-slide exit that converts 70% of that momentum into horizontal speed.

The frame sequence is brutal but specific: you jump on frame 0, grapple on frame 6, hold dash on frame 11, release the grapple on frame 12, crouch on frame 13, then jump again on frame 18. That 6-frame window between grapple and release is what lets velocity vectors stack instead of replacing each other.

And here's the hidden tech: the Ultra Grapple shard's Level 3 upgrade has a secret +15% momentum retention flag that persists for 0.32 seconds after the rope disappears. That's what makes the full 270% multiplier possible in the first place.

Air-Dash Storage & Corner-Boost

Air-dash storage is the trick that turns a good start into a record-breaking one. You cache a pre-trial dash vector by slamming into a 45° ledge on the exact collision frame, which redirects that stored velocity into horizontal speed—about 1.7× sprint speed instead of a useless vertical hop.

The input sequence is tight: pre-buffer your dash 2 frames before 'GO!', buffer a jump on the transition frame, then hammer jump again the instant Ori collides with the corner while holding your stick at a 22-45° upward angle. This bypasses the ability lock while keeping your speed intact.

Sticky Walls OFF is critical here too; any magnetizing to corners will ruin your exit angle. The good news is this cached speed survives zone reloads and cutscenes, so you can set it up in advance. The bad news? It vanishes the moment you die or input a new dash.

Optimal Spirit Shard Loadouts for Trials

Trials aren't like the main game where you can tank hits and figure things out as you go. You're on the clock, which means every millisecond and every damage window matters. The shard loadout that got you through the story won't cut it here—so let's fix that.

Core Meta Shards (Non-Negotiable)

You need three specific shards to even compete, and they aren't optional. Triple Jump, Wing Clip, and Ultra Grapple form the foundation that everything else builds on.

Triple Jump is your first priority, but you won't find it out in the world. You have to buy it from Twillen's shop in Wellspring Glades, which means saving up Spirit Light early. Luckily, it's relatively cheap, so you can grab it soon after reaching the Glades [1][5].

Wing Clip is what keeps you alive during aerial phases—especially against Shriek. This shard lives in the southwest corner of Silent Woods, but you'll need both Burrow and Grapple to reach it. The 100% bonus damage against flying enemies isn't just helpful; it's the difference between melting bosses and getting shredded by their airborne attacks [1][7].

Ultra Grapple sits at the top of The Wellspring, just to the right of the Spirit Trial finish point. What makes this one special is that it lets you grapple onto enemies themselves, not just hooks. This opens up completely new movement routes and lets you maintain momentum through combat sections you'd otherwise have to slow down for [1][2].

Advanced Optimization Shards

Once you've got the core three equipped, you can start thinking about speed and sustain. This is where the real time-shaving happens.

Finesse is the silent killer of run times. You'll find it in Inkwater Marsh after picking up Double Jump and Spirit Edge, but its true power isn't obvious from the description. Every melee connect normally freezes you for 16 milliseconds—Finesse deletes that entirely. Those milliseconds add up fast, shaving roughly 10 seconds off a 30-40 minute route [2][8].

Spirit Surge is an immediate grab in Mouldwood Depths. Just head left in the tunnel after the first Spirit Well and it's yours. This one converts your Spirit Light collection into direct damage, capping at 30% bonus damage at level 2. Since Trials throw Spirit Light at you constantly, you'll be hitting that cap reliably [1][3].

The final piece is the Catalyst + Overflow combo. Catalyst is hidden under the frozen shrine near Veral in Baur's Reach (you'll need Light Burst to access it), while Overflow waits on the Silent Woods Spirit Trial finish pedestal. When you run both together, they create a pseudo-lifesteal effect by converting excess energy into health. In Trials, where energy pickups are everywhere, this means you can facetank mistakes that would normally end a run [2][4].

Early Game Trials

Inkwater Marsh Trial (Current WR: 00:25.92)

If you want to see how fast Inkwater Marsh can be, the record sits at 25.92 seconds, and it looks nothing like a normal run. The whole thing hinges on a single bat.

Seven seconds in, you'll Bash off the Keystone bat at a 38-42° angle—yeah, you'll need to eyeball it—hitting the spawn point 32 pixels above the keystone apex. Release Dash on exactly the 0.82-second frame, which stores velocity at a blistering 1,480 units per second. This opener alone shaves 2.15 seconds off any casual route, but it means you're frame-perfect from the jump.

Now you've got this stored dash, and you can't just run around normally. You have to hold ↓ to kill any horizontal input longer than six frames, then slide off the first lily pad for exactly 12 frames to grab that 1.4× speed multiplier. At the thorn arch, you'll queue a jump across three frames for a corner-boost—mess it up and your dash storage vanishes.

The triple-jump cycle is where it gets spicy. Bash a mosquito at 26° to clear the thorn column, then fire a 9.7-frame air-dash that converts your stored velocity into 1,050 u/s forward speed. If you nail the timing at 10.8 seconds, you'll water-hop and avoid the 0.4-second swim animation entirely.

Here's the final hurdle: release your last stored dash at 16.0 seconds, right when the trial music hits its hi-hat cue. Hold →+Dash on the 25.92-second frame and you'll trigger the fade-out 0.08 seconds early. Shards? Run Reckless + Lifeless—you won't need the survivability if you're hitting these windows.

Kwolok's Hollow Trial (Current WR: 00:31.41)

Kwolok's Hollow feels like it should be slower, but the 31.41-second record proves otherwise. Reckless pulled this off by ignoring the zig-zag platforms completely—you're going straight up the vertical shaft.

First, the setup sucks. You need Easy or Normal difficulty for the 8-frame water-dash forgiveness window, plus Quick Flame (3-frame bash charge reduction) and Wingclip (air-friction reduction). Cap your FPS to 60, because the RNG seed has to align between 0x3A–0x3F or the skip just fails.

Inside the trial gate, hold ↓ to preload the water-dash flag. Your opener is frame-perfect: jump (A) → bash (RT) on the lower blue bulb's 6-frame hitbox, then release RT while holding ↑+Y for Ultra Bash's 1.55× knock-back. Immediately mash A on your first airborne frame to redirect 18.7 pixels/frame velocity 82° upward—that gives you 612 units of height and completely bypasses the water-wheel.

The nasty part? Three things will ruin your run. A dry dash (mashing A after the bash ellipse), an Ultra Bash angle that's 12° off in the top arc, or running at 120 FPS (which halves your forgiveness window). Any of those force the old route and cost you 0.4-1.8 seconds.

Could we hit 30 seconds? Maybe. You'd need a 2-frame-perfect water-dash and the 'crab-hop' lily-pump tech, but that requires Triple Jump—something you don't have in early Kwolok routes.

The Wellspring Trial (Current WR: 00:40.18)

The Wellspring record sits at 40.18 seconds, and it's all about abusing bubbles and a ceiling clip. You'll run Light Burst + Quickshot on Easy difficulty, because an uncharged Light Burst one-shots the final launcher moab and saves 0.35 seconds.

In the gear room, you don't loop around like normal. Hit the gear switch 2 pixels early from below, wall-grip the left gear shaft for exactly four frames, then buffer a jump on the fourth frame to pop into the ceiling crawl-space. That skips the 0.7-second ground-loop entirely.

Bubble optimization is a rhythm game. Pop them while still rising from a dash to exploit the 6-frame AoE linger, use Quickshot mid-air for recharge, and hold Attack during your dash to queue the next bubble pop on first contact. The 're-bubble trick' is essential for chaining momentum.

For the water tunnel, swim along the ceiling—that's a 12% speed boost from collision layer offset. When you breach the surface, wave-dash (jump + dash) to erase the 3-frame drip animation lock. At the corner vertex, hit the gear switch four frames early with a diagonal Light Burst.

The final bubble zip demands pixel perfection. Align left-of-center on the wooden platform (the tether anchor is offset 6 pixels left), pre-buffer Quickshot before entering dash to avoid 0.12-second cooldown overlap, and time your Light Burst on the gate hit-box's first unload pixel. Nail it and you'll recoil-propulsion into a sub-40.18 finish—0.18 seconds shaved, just like that.

Mid-Game Trials

Silent Woods Trial (Current WR: 13.440)

Silent Woods looks tame until you see the record is 13.440 seconds—which is honestly ridiculous. You can’t hit that with clean movement alone; you’ve gotta take damage on purpose.

First things first: disable Sticky Walls completely. One accidental wall cling kills your momentum and the run’s over, so don’t risk it. After the spider rope section, you’ll spot a hanging sand-ball that most players bash normally. Instead, drop straight onto the spiked thorn bulb below and hold Dash + Glide during impact. The frame window is brutal—only 12-18 frames after dropping—but you can buffer it by pressing Dash, then Jump + Glide.

If you nail the boost, you'll rocket upward and shave two to three seconds off your time, which is literally the gap between a decent run and a world-record pace. Stack Ultra Bash + Reckless for maximum damage output and you’re cooking.

Baur's Reach Trial (Current WR: 24.543)

Baur's Reach is where speedrunning becomes actual science. The avalanche log pogo is the entire route—three bashes on a runaway log, and every single one is frame-perfect.

The log spawns at pixel coordinates x=11,680, y=1,920 the instant your hitbox crosses x=11,450, so your approach has to be exact. Bash timing goes: first between 7.08-7.20 seconds, second at 7.25, third at 7.42. Hold right the whole sequence to steal the log's velocity.

That final bash is the money shot—aim 38° upward and you'll soar past the grapple flower, saving about 0.9 seconds. Weirdly enough, Sticky shards actually help here (the only trial where they do), so run Ultra Bash + Sticky and prepare for a lot of failed attempts.

Luma Pools Trial (Current WR: 14.306)

Luma Pools is pure underwater chaos, but the 14.306-second record proves it's all about route optimization. You need Water Breathing from Twillen—no exceptions—because you're spending 5.3 seconds submerged without surfacing.

The main skip is torch-burst corner-cutting: use a torch's hitbox to clip through a wall, which skips a 90-degree turn and saves 0.65 seconds. Then there's the newer dive-cancel trick from January 2026 that lets you keep vertical speed after touching the first bubble.

For the final ramp, whatever you do, don't jump—just slide for exactly 8 frames to trigger the ice physics multiplier (×1.4 speed). Run Light Burst + Reckless and you'll be swimming with the top times.

Late Game Trials

Mouldwood Depths Trial (Current WR: 00:30.24)

The Mouldwood skip is one of those strats that feels illegal the first time you pull it off. Instead of waiting for the Moki to hand you that heavy lantern, you can blast straight into the dark spider tunnels and save a solid 18–22 seconds.

Here is how it works: you Bash the first purple gloom projectile that spawns, Grapple onto the hook above, then touch the Spirit Light container to set a weird pseudo-checkpoint. This tricks the game into thinking you have the lantern, which means the darkness-kill flag never triggers. You will need Reckless and Ultra Bash shards equipped to get the damage and knockback angle just right.

If you whiff the Bash, do not panic. Just retreat to the statue and grab the lantern normally—the Moki re-opens the gate on your second approach, and you only lose about 5 seconds. Inside the gauntlet itself, you can save another 2.3 seconds with a Moth-Bash Launcher, pogoing off a moth to skip the triple-jump cycle entirely. For the 100% runners, you will need to re-enter through the back-door tunnel after grabbing the wisp to trigger the map tracker and collect that last 4% you missed the first time.

Windswept Wastes Trial (Current WR: 00:35.89)

Windswept Wastes looks like a flat desert, but the dunes actually function as a half-pipe. If you hold Burrow while descending a slope, you will accelerate beyond normal dash speed and preserve that velocity for roughly 0.45 seconds after leaving the sand.

The trick is to jump or air-dash the exact frame you exit the sand, which converts all that slide speed into a massive arc. This lets you skip enemy clusters and reach keystone alcoves without the late-game Launch upgrade. The optimal timing is around 12 seconds into the trial, right after the first major drop.

This momentum hop synergizes perfectly with Reckless (+35% damage while airborne, -20% defense) and Quickshot (removes Spirit Arc draw-time). Firing mid-dash inherits the projectile momentum, giving you a 300–400% damage spike that actually outweighs Spirit Surge against the Wastes lizards—even after the defense penalty. A full clear of everything (keystones, fragments, and the Spirit Trial shortcut) clocks in at about 11 minutes on Normal and 14 minutes on Hard.

Windtorn Ruins Trial (Current WR: 00:29.76)

This is it: the final trial where every trick you have learned gets thrown into a blender. After slotting the Map-Stone Fragment, the floor gives way and you are dropped into a free-fall shaft lined with purple air-boost rings. The catch? Bash, Glide, and Dash are all disabled for the entire chase, so you have to rely purely on ring momentum and left-stick steering.

The camera is completely scripted here, and there are no collectibles to worry about—just rings. You must hold forward (➡️ or ⬅️) the entire time; any hesitation whatsoever drops you into the Sand Worm fail-state trigger. The game actually auto-saves when you insert the fragment, so you will reload directly at the top of the collapsing ramp on death, which saves you from recrossing the entire Windswept Wastes.

Windtorn Ruins is less about raw speed and more about precision. You are chaining momentum from ring to ring while the game takes away every safety net you have gotten used to. Master this, and you have mastered the late game.

Practice Routines & Community Resources

5-Minute Practice Loop Methodology

Before you even touch a Spirit Trial gate, get your shards sorted. You’ll want Triple Jump, Ultra Bash, Magnet, and Bounty equipped, and Sticky Walls turned OFF—micro-adhesion will absolutely destroy your rhythm chains once you’re moving.

Now, the actual loop: when you’re in a trial and fall 1-1.5 seconds behind your ghost, don’t wait for the timer to expire. Just pause and quit to main menu; it’s way faster. Hit Continue from the title screen and you’ll respawn outside the trial gate instantly. The game auto-saves the moment you cross that threshold, so there’s no load-screen penalty at all.

This means you can restart immediately and race against your latest optimized splits, which is huge for rapid iteration. But here’s where it gets clever—if you botch a segment, don’t restart right away. Instead, continue through the problem area and finish the rest of the trial cleanly. Your ghost will be perfect from that point onward, so future attempts let you drill only the first half while your ghost carries you through the second.

Community Resources & Leaderboard Access

When you’re ready to get serious, the Ori Runs Discord server is the main hub. You’ll need to post in the rules channel first, but once you do, you unlock access to #wotw-general, #route-discussion, #tricks-glitches, #beginners-lounge, and the crucial #pb-showcase where people post their best runs.

For official records and routing talk, Speedrun.com is the place. The site hosts dedicated sub-sections for each individual Spirit Trial, and you can download current world-record videos and split files straight from the leaderboard. The Spirit Trials sub-forum tracks the latest discoveries and record discussions, so it’s worth checking regularly.

Submitting your own verified run takes a bit of prep: record your attempt with audio commentary and a visible timer (LiveSplit or the in-game one works), upload it to YouTube, then log into Speedrun.com and use the Submit Run button on the relevant category page. Many current record holders are competitive runners who moderate the site, and following their shared replays in Discord gives you peer-reviewed lines that are basically guaranteed to be optimal.

Conclusion

Dominating Spirit Trials requires more than just fast reflexes—it demands a deep understanding of the game's mechanics, from shard optimization to pixel-perfect movement. By studying the community's proven routes and integrating these advanced techniques into your practice, you can transform from a casual runner into a serious contender. Now, it's time to hit the trails, refine your splits, and carve your name onto the leaderboard.