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The 9th Colossus, resembling a tortoise, is one of sixteen bosses fought in Shadow of the Colossus. This colossus can be found in quadrant D3 in a great cave next to a field of geysers.

Path to the colossus[]

See also: Map for this path
Shadow_of_the_Colossus_-_9th_Colossus_1_2

Shadow of the Colossus - 9th Colossus 1 2

Video - Path to the 9th Colossus

Head north from the Shrine of Worship and take the west land bridge - the Ancient Sword will direct the player from there. There should soon be a giant gray cloud in the distance, and that's where to head. A small but deep canyon separates the player and the geyser field, so look for a land bridge to get across. The air in the geyser field is too smoggy and dark for the sword to work, so one will have to find the colossus themselves. Note the locations of the geysers, as they are vital for the battle. Once ready, head over to the cave, which can be found at the east end of the field.

Walkthrough[]

Shadow_of_the_Colossus_-_9th_Colossus_2_2

Shadow of the Colossus - 9th Colossus 2 2

Video - Battle with the 9th Colossus

After a four-battle absence, Agro finally gets to help, and this time Wander is going to need it. The colossus will frequently lift up its head and shoot five extremely fast electrical missiles at him; Agro can just barely dodge these at top speed, while Wander cannot make enough ground to evade them. The colossus is fully armored on its tarantula-like legs. The geysers dotting the field are the key to getting on its back, so the goal is to get the colossus right above one of the geysers when they erupt. Use the L1 button (by default) to keep the camera on the colossus while luring it towards one.

Once the colossus is in position, keep it over the geyser by circling around it. Don't go too far away, however; the colossus will still not be vulnerable once the geyser goes off. The force of the water will propel part of the colossus upwards, but two of its legs will still be anchored to the ground. Wander must shoot out the glowing areas on the bottom of each leg. If the player can't get to them before the geyser dies down again, try to keep the colossus over the geyser until it erupts again. The above walkthrough video provides a good example of this.

Once successful, the colossus will finally roll over to a point where Wander can climb it. It has fur on its ventral (belly) side, so scale it and get to its shell. Once there, the colossus will get back on its feet. Don't get tossed off in the process; there's not too many places on its rock shell to hang onto besides the rim. The safest method is the cling to the edge of the shell until the colossus rights itself, then pull up and walk down the middle of its back. Carefully walk towards the head, and be prepared for the colossus to attempt to shake Wander off at every chance. The rim around its head seems like a tempting spot to recover, but it's not recommended (see below tips and tricks).

Time Attack times in Original and PS3 versions (Normal, Hard): 7:30, 5:30
Time Attack times in PS4 Remake (Normal, Hard): 5:30, 5:45

Weakspots[]

Location Percentage of health
Normal Hard
On its head 100% 100%
On each ankle (4) Used in climbing

Tips and tricks[]

  • While it's still in the cave, it's possible to launch off of Agro straight onto its bent lower leg and jump onto its shell.
  • If the colossus rears its head up while Wander is on the lower "rim" of its head, Wander may get thrown extremely high into the air.
  • After grabbing the colossus' attention and going to the other side of a geyser while being relatively far from the colossus, the player can hide beside Agro by holding R1, Button Triangle (on the PS4 version, the defaults are R2 and Button X) and pressing either left or right on the analog stick. If successful, it won't be able to detect the player, and will walk on top of the geyser without attacking.

Attacks[]

Attack Damage (Normal) Damage (Hard) Description Demonstration
Pulse Beams 30 50 The colossus will launch four pulse beams from its chin whenever Wander is distant from it. Be ready to run away with Agro at all times. KamePulseBeam
Stomp 30 (Shockwave)
60 (Direct hit)
80 (Shockwave)
Instakill (Direct hit)
If Wander stands in front or under it for too long, the colossus will rear up and stomp the ground. In case you're near a geyser, go further back as soon as it starts rearing up and try to move towards the position you want it to finish the attack, as it will track your movements. KameStomp
Tail Swipe 40 120 Rarely, if Wander stands near its tail, it will perform a swipe attack, throwing Wander away. While it is hard to be affected by it, be mindful of its tail. KameTailSwipe

Music[]

Phase Plays in Music
Phase 1 Plays as the colossus rises up from its cavern. A Violent Encounter

Phase 2 Plays once the colossus flips over. Revived Power

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This is one of four colossi that use ranged attacks.
  • This is the first of three colossi that requires Agro to defeat. the 9th colossus isn't the first colossus capable of injuring Agro, but she is at greater risk than in the two fights she participated in previously; the 2nd and 4th colossi can both hurt her, although typically Agro is fast enough to escape their attacks. It is much more likely that the 9th colossus will hit Agro and therefore injure her than in the previous two fights she was involved in. However, any injury Agro does receive is only temporary and has no long-lasting effects.
  • This is the fourth-longest of all 16 colossi and by far the longest of all the quadrupedal bosses.
  • The 9th colossus shares some similarities with the one that it immediately follows: the 8th colossus. Both, while being two of the seven quadrupedal colossi, are the only two whose legs extend out to the side of their bodies rather than directly downwards, as is the case with all the other quadrupeds. This gives them both a distinctly lizard-like like gait and makes them appear more reptilian. Both have to be attacked around the feet in order to tip them over to gain access to their weakpoint sigils, both use long-range projectile attacks, and each are viewed as being very aggressive. Finally, both have some difficulty getting back on their feet after being flipped over, due to their heavily-armored and ridged backs.
  • The 9th colossus also shares something in common with the 2nd: they both have weakpoints located on their feet, which must be exploited in order to gain access to their major sigils. They also share a similar attack: rearing up on their hind legs and slamming down to cause damage. Lastly, during both the fights, the same two tracks play, namely "A Violent Encounter" and "Revived Power".
  • The 9th colossus roars extremely violently for the entirety of the time it fights; the noise is reminiscent to the sounds of the 15th colossus.
  • If any of the colossus' feet are shot by the player, they will never have to be shot again. For example: if the colossus is being pushed up by a geyser, both its left feet are uncovered, and the player shoots them, it will tip over and fall like normal. Once the colossus gets back up - if the player falls off - Wander can lead the colossus to another geyser, and if it begins leaning on its left feet again, it will simply tip over, without any attacking from the player. This is very useful if the player is having a hard time remaining on the boss. In fact, it will still tip over, even on its other side on its own, regardless of which two feet are shot first.

Earlier versions[]

  • A Famitsu interview details the 9th colossus' development: "We called this one Turtle, which is exactly what it was. This guy was pretty huge, so the designer in charge of it had a hard time controlling it. The idea of the geysers proper was there from the very beginning, but at first, you couldn't defeat it just by climbing up its back, so you had to stab its horns to control its movements and guide it to the geysers. That's why we made it so that you could climb it from the tail at the time. Even now, I still wonder; 'should I have done that?' This is a Colossus I still think about pretty often."[1][2]
  • According to the interview above and evidence found in the Production Reel video,[3] the 9th colossus' method of defeat was very similar to the 12th's, in which Wander needed to climb onto its tail all the way to its head and then hit its horns to guide it to a geyser.
  • There is substantial evidence pointing that the 9th colossus used to be located at the quadrant I3 at a previous point in development.[4]
  • This was the 4th colossus in the E3 Demo version. After firing its pulse attacks, an electricity effect appears for a few seconds on its chin. The ankle weakpoints were also not covered by armor. The music that played in the battle was 'Grotesque Figures', likely as a placeholder.
  • This is one among two colossi who had their Dormin introductions changed from the Preview version: the other being the 10th. Particularly, "It sleeps in a dry lake bed..." was changed from "It sleeps at the bottom of the lake". It should also be noted that its cave did in fact held water in the Preview and earlier versions.
  • As seen in a glimpse from early footage and as listed in the data sheets, the 9th colossus had a unique HUD icon, which is an icon in the shape of the colossus that used to show the weakpoint locations in early builds.

Gallery[]

Original[]

Remake[]

Earlier versions[]

References[]

  1. https://teamico.fandom.com/wiki/File:FamitsuNicknameInterview.png | December 2nd, 2005 Famitsu - The Colossi Nicknames (1st to 10th Colossus)
  2. https://teamico.fandom.com/wiki/File:FamitsuNicknameInterviewTranslation.png | December 2nd, 2005 Famitsu - The Colossi Nicknames, translated by Kepekley23.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsQ50jIvEg4
  4. https://teamico.fandom.com/wiki/Geyser#Trivia
SotCFullTemplate
The Game Shadow of the Colossus ( Demo  · Pal Release  · Shadow of the Colossus HD  · PS4)
Characters Wander  · Agro  · Mono  · Dormin  · Lord Emon  · Guards  · Shadows
The Colossi I  · II  · III  · IV  · V · VI  · VII  · VIII  · IX  · X  · XI  · XII  · XIII  · XIV  · XV  · XVI
Unused Colossi ( Devil  · Evis  · Griffin  · Phoenix  · Roc  · Saru  · Sirius  · Spider  · Worm  · Yamori A  · Buffalo  · Quetzalcoatl)
Magic Sigil  · Hard Mode
Colossus Arenas Temple  · Proto  · Arena  · Kirin's Hill  · Canyon · Canossa  · Lakeside  · Underground  · Geyser  · Gravewind  · Leo's Cave  · Poseidon's Lake  · Desert  · Ruins  · Parthenon  · Sanctuary
Unused Arenas ( Badlands  · Cave  · Crater  · Devil's Plain  · Dune  · Hillock  · I1  · Labyrinth  · Sluice  · Stonehenge  · Valley )
The Forbidden Lands Shadow creaturesSave shrinesFruit treesWhite-tailed lizards

The Shrine of Worship
Umbral GladeStone Arch GorgeDried MarshNorthern SpanDesert FortressMisty FallsRavine EntranceHalf-moon CanyonWestern PlainRound Stone HillLair to the WestStone Bridge CliffCliff PathLair on the MesaWestern CapeArch Bridge PlainBlasted LandsAutumn ForestEastern BluffValley PlainSouthwestern CapeSouthern PlainGreen CapeThe Broken Seal

Soundtrack Roar of the Earth
Walkthrough Time AttackGolden Coins
Other media Nico  · Official artbook/guidebook  · Collectible figurines  · Film adaptation
Giantology campaign
Hoaxes Jebal-Barez skeletonTamil Nadu tsunami giantSulu Sea eel statuePolarneft conspiracySayre family vacation
Characters Eric BelsonCasper ShillingEd GuylerArkady SimkinBoris AtlasovAndrew and Ellie Sayre
Media Giantology podcasts (FirstInterview with Arkady SimkinThirdFourth) • IPICP memo
SotC Template CoverLogov2 Walkthrough
Characters Wander  · Mono  · Agro  · Dormin  · Lord Emon  · Guards  · Shadows
Colossi I  · II  · III  · IV  · V · VI  · VII  · VIII  · IX  · X  · XI  · XII  · XIII  · XIV  · XV  · XVI
Locations The Forbidden Lands  · Shrine of Worship  · Colossus Arenas
Main Items Power-ups (Lizards · Fruit) · Weapons (Ancient Sword · Sword of the Sun · Queen’s Sword · Sword of Dormin · Bow & Arrow · Ancient Bow · Harpoon of Thunder · Life Sword) · Collectibles (Relics)
Gameplay Hard Mode  · Save shrines  · Time Attack  · Reminiscence Mode  · Watermellon  · Barrel
Media Roar of the Earth (OST)  · Official Art and Guide Book  · Nico Bonus DVD  · Film  · Interview Archive
Releases OPM Demo  · PS2 original  · PS3 remaster  · PS4 remake  · Credits
Early Builds Preview version  · PSU Preview version  · E3 Demo
Unused Content Unused Colossi  · Colossus Test Stages  · Unused Locations  · Beta Mountains  · Development Timeline of Shadow of the Colossus
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