Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills: What to Buy First

Start With an Ability That Solves More Than One Problem

The Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills can make your next fight easier while opening a blocked route. Choosing carefully matters because Spirit Light purchases compete with upgrades, and several attacks also consume energy. This Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills guide compares those tradeoffs so you can spend with a clear purpose.

The key distinction is between combat abilities, exploration conveniences, and Spirit Shards. Spirit Smash gives you a weapon with environmental utility. Water Breath removes the need to surface for air. Triple Jump adds another jump but comes in the form of a shard.

Prices and purchase details below follow Game Rant’s guide to purchasing abilities in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, updated November 7, 2022. Its recommendation is to purchase Spirit Smash first, and the mechanics it describes explain why.

Why Spirit Smash deserves the opening purchase

According to the guide, your first ability purchase costs 400 Spirit Light, regardless of which ability you choose. That makes the opening decision about usefulness rather than the listed price of competing attacks.

Spirit Smash deals substantial damage, stuns enemies, and knocks them back without draining Ori’s energy. It can also break certain weak stone structures, including walls and bridges that require this ability.

Spirit Smash feature	What the source describes	Practical tip
Energy consumption	Attacks do not drain energy	A good approach is to use it when you want to preserve energy for other abilities
Combat effects	Damage, stun, and knockback	Consider it when you want an attack that also disrupts an enemy
Environmental interaction	Breaks certain weak stone structures	Revisit a blocked stone structure if Spirit Smash appears relevant
Shock Smash upgrade	Costs 1,200 Spirit Light and adds horizontal shockwaves to the downward slam	Consider the upgrade if you regularly use the downward attack

Its value comes from covering multiple needs with one purchase. You gain an attack, a way to interrupt enemies, and access through specific breakable structures.

That does not mean every blocked route needs Spirit Smash. The source identifies particular weak stone obstacles, so avoid treating the hammer as a universal solution to exploration barriers.

A good approach is to learn the base attack before buying Shock Smash. The upgrade enhances a specific move; spending on it makes more sense when that move already fits how you fight.

Compare Spike With Other Energy-Using Attacks

For combat, the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills question is partly about how much energy you can afford to spend.

Image: Steam / Moon Studios GmbH

Game Rant describes Spike as the highest-damage single-hit ability in its comparison. Its listed price is 800 Spirit Light, and its major drawback is heavy energy consumption. The guide warns that, early on, a use can exhaust your available energy if you have not collected additional Energy Cells.

A good approach is to purchase Spike after establishing a dependable attack such as Spirit Smash. That gives you an energy-free option alongside a powerful attack with a significant resource cost.

Understand what each purchase adds

Blaze, Spirit Star, and Sentry offer different attack patterns. Their mechanics matter more than simply adding another ability to your collection.

Ability	Listed purchase price	Energy detail	Attack behavior described in the guide
Spike	800 Spirit Light	Heavy consumption	High single-hit damage
Blaze	800 Spirit Light	One energy per cast	Ignites enemies and deals up to 20 damage
Spirit Star	800 Spirit Light	Half an Energy Cell per throw	Starts at four damage, decreasing by one on subsequent hits against the same target
Sentry	Not specified in the supplied material	One Energy Cell per Sentry	Summons a creature that attacks nearby enemies; up to three can be active

These options should be judged by what you want the attack to accomplish. Spike concentrates damage into a powerful hit. Blaze applies fire. Spirit Star introduces aiming and repeated-hit considerations. Sentry attacks nearby enemies after being summoned.

The media guide favors Spirit Smash and Spike over the other combat purchases. That is a recommendation from the guide, rather than evidence that every alternative is ineffective.

Buy upgrades for an attack you actually use

The supplied material describes several upgrades:

• Exploding Spike upgrades Spike.
• Charge Blaze costs 1,600 Spirit Light and sets all enemies in sight ablaze.
• Spirit Star’s upgrade lets you pause its flight and spin it in place.
• Sentry Speed increases deployed Sentries’ attack speed.

Sentries also explode when they disappear, igniting nearby enemies and dealing up to ten damage according to the guide.

A good approach is to try an ability’s basic behavior before investing further. If aiming Spirit Star feels awkward, its upgrade deserves a closer look before you spend. If you already use Blaze regularly, Charge Blaze expands the effect you are familiar with.

Keep the energy cost in view throughout. An appealing attack still competes for the same resource you may want to reserve for another ability.

Separate Triple Jump From Dash and Bash

Movement belongs in any discussion of the Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills, but the supplied sources cover two different kinds of movement choices.

Image: YouTube / Lara Loft

Triple Jump is a purchasable Spirit Shard. Dash and Bash appear in the player video as acquired movement abilities. The transcript does not provide their exact unlock requirements, so it cannot support a route or purchase order for obtaining them.

That distinction prevents a misleading shopping list: enthusiasm about Dash and Bash does not establish that you can purchase them alongside Opher’s combat abilities.

Movement option	Source-supported detail	What that tells you
Triple Jump	A Spirit Shard sold by Twillen for 2,200 Spirit Light	It is a separate purchase to consider alongside abilities
Triple Jump’s effect	Adds a jump beyond Double Jump	It provides another jump during platforming
Dash	Acquired and used in the supplied player video	The video supports a player experience, not precise movement statistics
Bash	Acquired later in the same video	The transcript documents the player’s excitement without a detailed unlock guide

Consider Triple Jump when platforming is the obstacle

Game Rant identifies Twillen on the west side of Wellspring Glades as the seller. It describes Triple Jump as useful for difficult platforming, later portions of the game, and escape sequences.

At 2,200 Spirit Light, it is a substantial purchase compared with the other listed options. A good approach is to save for it when your recurring problem is completing jumps rather than dealing damage.

The important benefit is specific: another jump beyond Double Jump. Avoid expecting it to solve every movement challenge simply because it is expensive.

Treat the video’s Dash comparison as player experience

In the supplied player video, the creator is excited to regain Dash and later acquire Bash. The creator also describes Dash as feeling slower and less powerful than in the previous game.

That is player experience, not a measured speed comparison or documented balance change. The transcript offers no timing data.

Its useful takeaway is narrower: this player found the return of those movement abilities exciting. For spending decisions, Triple Jump has clearer supporting information because the media guide supplies its price, seller, and effect.

Use Water Breath and Fast Travel to Address Exploration Friction

The Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills are not limited to attacks. Some purchases change how comfortably you explore rather than how much damage you deal.

Image: YouTube / XBOX

Water Breath and Fast Travel both have listed prices of 500 Spirit Light, but they address different problems. One removes the need to come up for air; the other reduces the effort of returning to discovered Spirit Wells.

Purchase	Listed price	Effect described in the guide	Source’s purchase guidance
Water Breath	500 Spirit Light	Allows indefinite swimming without surfacing for air	Recommended after the Wellspring
Fast Travel	500 Spirit Light	Allows travel to unlocked Spirit Wells from almost anywhere	Lower priority than essential abilities, but useful for revisiting areas

Water Breath removes a specific underwater constraint

Game Rant recommends Water Breath after the Wellspring and highlights underwater exploration in Luma Pools. Its benefit is straightforward: Ori can remain underwater without returning to the surface for air.

A good approach is to consider it when you begin spending substantial time exploring submerged areas. Removing the breathing constraint can let you concentrate on investigating routes and collectibles.

Water Breath does not imply immunity to underwater hazards. The supplied material supports indefinite breathing, so that is the benefit to plan around.

Fast Travel helps with return trips

The guide describes Fast Travel as allowing you to warp to Spirit Wells you have already unlocked from almost anywhere.

A good approach is to consider this purchase when revisiting earlier areas becomes a regular part of your exploration. Its convenience is tied to unlocked destinations, so it should not be treated as access to locations you have never discovered.

The source places it below essential purchases. That makes it a reasonable later investment when you value easier return trips and have Spirit Light available.

Build a Purchase Plan Around Your Current Problem

A useful Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills plan connects each expense to something you are struggling with now.

The media guide supports Spirit Smash as the opening purchase, Spike as a subsequent combat investment, and Water Breath after the Wellspring. Beyond those recommendations, a good approach is to choose according to the mechanic you need.

Current problem	Mechanic to consider	Spending question
You want an attack that preserves energy	Spirit Smash does not consume energy	Would an energy-free attack help your current fights?
You want a powerful single hit	Spike provides high single-hit damage	Can you accommodate its heavy energy consumption?
You need another jump	Triple Jump adds a jump beyond Double Jump	Is platforming worth prioritizing over another attack?
You keep surfacing for air	Water Breath permits indefinite swimming	Are underwater sections your current focus?
You frequently revisit discovered locations	Fast Travel reaches unlocked Spirit Wells	Would easier return trips justify the purchase now?

This approach also helps distinguish buying an ability from upgrading one. Shock Smash expands Spirit Smash’s downward attack, while Charge Blaze expands Blaze’s fire effect. Neither purchase answers the same need as an extra jump or indefinite underwater breathing.

For Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills, avoid letting the highest listed price define the most useful purchase. Start with the source-supported opening recommendation, then assess your combat resources and exploration needs.

The goal is a set of abilities you use purposefully. A strong attack, another movement option, and an exploration convenience each earn their place by solving a different problem.

FAQ

What should I buy first when choosing Ori and the Will of the Wisps best skills?

Game Rant recommends Spirit Smash first. The guide states that the opening ability purchase costs 400 Spirit Light regardless of your choice. Spirit Smash provides damage, stun, knockback, and the ability to break certain weak stone structures without consuming energy.

Is Spike worth buying early?

Spike offers high single-hit damage, but the guide emphasizes its heavy energy cost. A good approach is to buy it after Spirit Smash and check whether your available energy supports using it comfortably. The source lists its price as 800 Spirit Light.

Is Triple Jump an ability or a Spirit Shard?

Triple Jump is a Spirit Shard. According to the supplied guide, Twillen sells it for 2,200 Spirit Light in Wellspring Glades. It adds another jump beyond Double Jump, and the guide recommends it for difficult platforming and escape sequences.

Should I prioritize Water Breath or Fast Travel?

The guide recommends Water Breath after the Wellspring and places Fast Travel lower on the purchase priority list. A good approach is to choose Water Breath when underwater exploration is your focus, then consider Fast Travel when you frequently return to unlocked Spirit Wells.