Colossus IX

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Colossus IX
Thy next foe is... The land where trees nary grow...It sleeps in a dry lake bed...A rude awakening.
Profile
Developer Nickname	The Turtle
Height	75 feet (22.9 meters)
Length	160 feet (48.8 meters)
Gameplay
Time Attack goals (Normal/ Hard)	7:30/5:30 (Original, PS3) 5:30/5:45 (PS4)
Agro	Yes
Sigils	Normal: 1 major Hard: 1 major

Basaran is the nickname given to the ninth colossus. This tortoise-like 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

Video - Path to Basaran

Shadow of the Colossus - 9th Colossus 1 2

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

Video - Battle with Basaran

Shadow of the Colossus - 9th Colossus 2 2

After a four-battle absence, Agro finally gets to help, and this time Wander is going to need it. Basaran 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 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 Basaran 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 Remaster (Normal, Hard): 5:30, 5:45

Weakspots

Location	Percentage of health
	Normal	Hard
On its head	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 Basaran rears its head up while Wander is on the lower "rim" of its head, Wander may get thrown extremely high into the air.

Music

• As Basaran rises up from its cavern, "A Violent Encounter" plays.
• Once Basaran collapses onto its side, "Revived Power" plays. This piece continues until Basaran falls.

Trivia

• Basaran is one of four colossi that use ranged attacks.
• Basaran had the I3 map square, the outskirts of the Beta Dam, as its lair for at least half of the game's development; It ended up being moved to its current arena after the Phoenix colossus was scrapped.
• Basaran is the first of three colossi that requires Agro to defeat. Basaran isn't the first colossus capable of injuring Agro, but she is at greater risk than in the two fights she participated in previously; Quadratus and Phaedra can both hurt her, although typically Agro is fast enough to escape their attacks. It is much more likely that Basaran 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.
• Basaran is the fourth-longest of all 16 colossi and by far the longest of all the quadrupedal bosses.
• Basaran is probably one of the most disliked of all the colossi, due to how difficult it can be to get it to walk directly over the geysers as they erupt, since Wander and Agro must travel a fairly long distance to get it to walk onto the geyser, and Basaran will often walk further than the player intended. Also, it can hit both Wander and Agro from massive distances using its projectile attack, exacerbated by the fact that there is no cover on the lakebed. This is not to say it isn't without its defenders, however, as some fans claim this colossus to be challenging and fun rather than annoying and frustrating.
• Basaran shares some similarities with the colossi that it immediately follows: Kuromori. Both, while being two of the six 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 Kuromori and Basaran have heavily-armored and ridged backs.
• Basaran also shares something in common with Quadratus: they both have weakpoints located on the bottom of 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".
• Basaran roars extremely violently for the entirety of the time it fights; the noise is reminiscent to the sounds of Argus.
• If any of Basaran's feet are shot by the player, they will never have to be shot again. For example: if Basaran is being pushed up by a geyser, both its left feet are uncovered, and the player shoots them, Basaran will tip over and fall like normal. Once Basaran gets back up - if the player falls off - Wander can lead Basaran to another geyser, and if Basaran 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 Basaran. In fact, it will still tip over, even on its other side on its own, regardless of which two feet are shot first.

Gallery

Basaran 1.jpg

Image of Basaran taken from the official artbook.

Basaran being held aloft by an active geyser.

Wander facing off against Basaran.

Basaran about to shoot Wander.

The major sigil on top of Basaran's head.

Size chart of Basaran.

References