Shadow of the Colossus/Walkthrough/0001 - Colossus 1

"Raise thy sword by the light... and head to the place where the sword's light gathers... There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat."

- Dormin giving instructions to Wander.

Colossus 1 is the name of the first colossus fought in Shadow of the Colossus. The level serves mainly as a tutorial to introduce the games mechanics.

Reaching the Colossus
To start, simply to the cliff walls south of the Shrine of Worship. As you approach, instructions regarding controls will appear on the bottom screen. Aim for the gap between two cliff walls: there will be a small set of stairs at the base of where you need to go.

Once you reach the gap, a cutscene will play, pointing you to the top of the cliff wall. Go to the wall of ivy on the right, and grab hold to climb up. Next, follow the path: at the end of the path, jump across the gap on the left. Climb up to the next level, then keep following the path. Jump across the gap on your right, and follow the path, rolling under the fallen pillar in your way. Climb to the next level, head right, and climb to the next level.

Grab onto the pillar on your left, and climb to the left until Wander's back is facing the wall. Grab onto the next portion of the path and pull yourself up. Walk further down the path, and the colossus will appear.

Colossus Battle
The colossus will walk away from Wander until it reaches a cliff wall, at which point it will turn around, although it may notice. Once it notices you, it will swing at you with its club, which will cause massive damage.

Simply run towards the colossus, and when you have a chance, grab onto the back of its lower left leg. Aim for the center of the leg and stab: while it will not cause significant damage to the colossus, it will cause it to briefly collapse to its knees. Use this opportunity to climb up its leg, and get to the platform on its lower back to regain your stamina.

The colossus has two major weak points: one is on its upper right arm near the elbow, while the other is on its head. To reach the sigil on its head, simply climb the colossus back until you reach the glowing insignia. A few stabs will be enough to kill it.

As it dies, black tendrils will emerge from its head as its body turns completely black. Wander can not outrun these, and they will come to embed themselves in his body, causing him to fall unconscious. Wander will awaken in the Shrine of Worship.

Dormin's Hints

 * "Hold up thy sword to reflect the light onto the colossus. Its vitals shall be revealed..."
 * "Thou must climb the colossus to reach its vitals..."
 * "Attack its leg in order to cut a path for thyself..."

Trivia

 * Fans of the game have nicknamed Colossus 1 as "Valus", giving it the Latin name of "Minotaurus colossus" (colossal minotaur). While these names are not recognized by the developers, they are commonly used among fans and players.
 * It's second nickname minotaurus colossus is appropriate, as the development name for this colossus was "Minotaur A".
 * Upon defeating Colossus 1, Wander's appearance will change slightly, most noticeably in the blue cloak he wears.