Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards: Five Shard Picks

A missed platform or an empty energy reserve can make a beautiful stretch of Ori’s adventure feel punishing. Choosing the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards matters because these passive bonuses can improve your movement, damage, and exploration without replacing your core abilities. This Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards guide covers five useful options, their acquisition routes, and practical ways to choose between them.

The featured shards are Triple Jump, Ultra Grapple, Catalyst, Lifeforce, and Secret. Each addresses a different problem, so a good approach is to build around the obstacle you are facing instead of treating every recommendation as a permanent equipment choice.

Understand Spirit Shards Before Spending Spirit Light

Spirit Shards provide passive bonuses, with equipped slots limiting how many you can use together. TheGamer’s Spirit Shard guide covering five picks and their locations states that Ori starts with three slots and can eventually equip up to eight shards.

That makes slot availability part of the decision. Finding another useful shard does not necessarily mean you can add it immediately without replacing something.

System detail	What the supplied material establishes
Starting capacity	Three equipped Spirit Shards
Expanded capacity	Up to eight equipped Spirit Shards
Shard merchant	Twillen sells and upgrades Spirit Shards
Combat Shrine reward	Additional shard slots, as described in the player video
Equipment changes	The player video describes abilities and shards as easy to change

For an Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards setup, a good approach is to ask what your current equipment actually contributes. An extra jump answers a movement problem. A damage bonus answers a combat problem. Revealing concealed walls answers an exploration problem.

The supplied video offers a useful piece of player experience: its creator found the core abilities sufficient for many situations and recommended keeping Spirit Light available for meaningful purchases. That supports a measured shopping strategy, especially when an expensive shard competes with several smaller upgrades.

The prices below come from TheGamer’s guide published in March 2020. Treat them as the supplied guide’s figures, rather than a newly verified inventory check.

Triple Jump: An Extra Chance to Reach the Platform

Triple Jump gives Ori another jump in the air. TheGamer’s guide emphasizes how useful that additional movement can be when a platform is just out of reach or a landing needs correction.

Image: Steam / Moon Studios GmbH

The guide also states that Triple Jump can help reach some platforms that would otherwise require later abilities. That does not make it a universal substitute for progression abilities; it makes the extra jump a useful option in certain routes.

Where to buy Triple Jump

Visit Twillen in Wellspring Glades. The supplied guide places him on the far left of the hub and lists Triple Jump at 2,200 Spirit Light.

That is a substantial purchase. The same guide notes that this amount could instead cover several other useful upgrades, so the choice deserves some thought.

Purchase or upgrade	Spirit Light cost listed in the guide
Triple Jump	2,200
Ultra Grapple’s first upgrade	300
Ultra Grapple’s second upgrade	600

When considering the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards, a good approach is to prioritize Triple Jump if narrow movement margins are your recurring obstacle. Its benefit follows directly from its mechanic: another airborne jump gives you another opportunity to adjust your route.

For example, if you repeatedly fall short of a platform, consider whether an additional jump would address that specific failure. If the problem is instead an unavailable traversal ability, avoid assuming Triple Jump will bypass it.

Make the purchase fit your route

Before spending, consider:

• Whether your current challenge involves reaching or landing on platforms.
• Whether you have an equipped slot available.
• Whether another planned purchase addresses a more immediate obstacle.

TheGamer’s guide states that completing the game does not require Triple Jump. Its recommendation is about making movement more forgiving, not satisfying a mandatory unlock condition.

A good approach is therefore to save deliberately for it when the extra jump matches your needs, while continuing to use the movement tools you already have.

Ultra Grapple and Catalyst: Movement and Energy Options

Ultra Grapple and Catalyst offer different kinds of utility. Ultra Grapple expands what you can do with enemy targets, while Catalyst helps recover energy.

Image: Steam / Moon Studios GmbH

They belong in an Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards discussion because the supplied guide connects them to practical movement and resource problems.

Shard	Effect described in the media guide	Acquisition information
Ultra Grapple	Lets Ori grapple toward enemies; upgrades add combat benefits	Found near the top of The Wellsprings
Catalyst	Helps build energy back up after powerful attacks	Found in Bauer’s Reach after obtaining Light Burst

Find Ultra Grapple near the top of The Wellsprings

The guide describes a route through the structures in The Wellsprings:

1. Use grapple to work upward from building to building.
2. Reach the top platform.
3. Drop down to the right.
4. Look for the shard on the platform below.

Ultra Grapple allows enemy targets to become part of your movement options. The guide specifically connects it with reaching greater heights and engaging flying enemies.

A good approach is to look for situations where moving toward an enemy also helps you reach your intended position. The value comes from the available target, so consider the surrounding enemies before choosing it over a more general movement shard.

Twillen offers two upgrades in the supplied guide. The first costs 300 Spirit Light and adds damage. The second costs 600 Spirit Light and allows grappling two enemies at a time, damaging both.

Find Catalyst after obtaining Light Burst

Catalyst’s acquisition route is in Bauer’s Reach. Near Veral, the guide describes a shrine that you can hit with Light Burst to melt frozen water.

Once the water is accessible, swim down and left through the narrow passage. Avoid the snapping enemies along the way; the shard is at the passage’s end.

The guide presents Catalyst as useful when energy reserves are limited and for rebuilding energy after powerful attacks. It does not provide an exact restoration amount, so there is no supported numerical recovery rate to compare here.

A good approach is to consider Catalyst when energy availability repeatedly interrupts the attacks you want to use. If energy is rarely your limiting resource, another shard may address your current difficulty more directly.

Lifeforce and Secret: Damage and Hidden Paths

Lifeforce and Secret pull your equipment choices in different directions. One rewards maintaining health during combat; the other helps identify concealed areas during exploration.

Image: Steam / Moon Studios GmbH

That distinction matters when choosing the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards. A bonus can be valuable without contributing equally to every activity.

Lifeforce’s damage benefit depends on health

TheGamer’s guide describes Lifeforce as providing 30% increased damage while Ori remains above half health.

The condition is as important as the percentage. A good approach is to consider Lifeforce when you can maintain that health threshold through the encounter you are attempting. If you regularly drop below it, the stated damage benefit will be less consistently available.

For example, during an encounter where you avoid most incoming attacks, Lifeforce’s condition may align well with your performance. During a fight where you frequently lose substantial health, evaluate the conditional benefit before assigning it a slot.

The supplied guide locates Lifeforce high on the left side of Bauer’s Reach, almost directly above the area’s entrance. It says Light Burst is needed to reach the shard’s location: fire a Light Burst upward, then use it to launch yourself toward the higher area.

Secret reveals concealed walls

Secret makes hidden walls semi-transparent, helping you notice concealed areas and the upgrade materials behind them.

The guide ties this shard to the side quest “A Diamond In The Rough.” Its acquisition involves finding an item rather than simply purchasing the shard.

Step	Action described in the supplied guide
Obtain the required ability	Unlock Burrow in Windswept Wastes
Return to the search area	Head back toward the entrance to Windswept Wastes
Find the dig spot	Look for an alcove with a small sand pile and a shovel
Recover the item	Burrow into the sand to find the Eeri Gem
Receive the shard	Take the Eeri Gem to Twillen in Wellspring Glades

A good approach is to equip Secret when revisiting areas to search for concealed passages. Its transparency effect gives you a visual clue that ordinary movement or damage bonuses do not provide.

Keep its purpose specific: the supplied guide describes revealing hidden walls, not automatically collecting items or marking every collectible on your map.

Choose Your Shards Around the Next Obstacle

The practical question behind Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards is which available bonus addresses your next challenge.

A good approach is to review your equipment when your activity changes:

• For a difficult platforming route, consider Triple Jump’s additional airborne movement.
• Around useful enemy targets, consider Ultra Grapple’s movement options.
• When energy shortages interrupt combat, consider Catalyst.
• When you maintain more than half health, consider Lifeforce’s conditional damage bonus.
• When searching for concealed passages, consider Secret’s wall-revealing effect.

These are choices derived from the described mechanics, not a claim that one combination dominates every area.

Make room through Combat Shrines

The supplied video’s player experience highlights Combat Shrines as valuable optional challenges. The creator describes fighting waves of enemies and receiving an additional Spirit Shard slot after completing the challenge.

An extra slot lets you add a passive bonus without removing another equipped shard. A good approach is to revisit a shrine you could not previously reach when your exploration brings you back nearby.

The video also describes equipment changes as straightforward. That supports experimenting with your available shards instead of committing to one arrangement throughout the adventure.

Keep shards separate from other purchases

Not every passive improvement uses a shard slot. In the supplied video’s player experience, Water Breath is an upgrade purchased from Opher that allows underwater breathing without occupying a Spirit Shard slot or requiring an assigned input.

This distinction helps when planning Spirit Light spending. A good approach is to compare what each purchase changes, including whether it competes for limited equipment space.

For your own Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards selection, choose a bonus, identify the problem it should solve, and reassess after using it. That gives each slot a clear purpose while leaving room to change your approach.

FAQ

What are the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best shards covered here?

The five featured shards are Triple Jump, Ultra Grapple, Catalyst, Lifeforce, and Secret. The supplied media guide recommends them for their movement, energy, damage, and exploration benefits.

How much does Triple Jump cost?

TheGamer’s March 2020 guide lists Triple Jump at 2,200 Spirit Light from Twillen in Wellspring Glades. It also states that the game can be completed without acquiring it.

How do you unlock Secret?

After obtaining Burrow, return toward the entrance to Windswept Wastes. Find the sand pile with a shovel in an alcove, burrow into it to recover the Eeri Gem, and bring the gem to Twillen.

How can you equip more Spirit Shards?

The supplied player video describes completing Combat Shrines to earn additional shard slots. The media guide states that equipment capacity starts at three shards and can increase to eight.