The 14th Colossus, resembling a guard dog, is one of sixteen bosses fought in Shadow of the Colossus. Found in the ruins of a city in quadrant C2 of the Forbidden Lands. It is similar in size to the equally relatively-small 11th colossus.
Path to the colossus[]
- See also: Map for this path
The ancient city is northwest of the Shrine of Worship, and there are a few ways to get there, but the quickest way is through the gorge at D2. Cross either the north or west land bridges in quadrant F4 and let the Ancient Sword point northwest. Check the map once in the narrow passages to make sure Wander is headed in the right direction. Once at the northwest area of the Forbidden Lands, be on the lookout for a path marked by many sets of small pillars on either side. This is the entrance to the city. Unfortunately, the connecting passage contains a body of water that Agro cannot pass through. A cutscene will play as the player enters the city on its eastern side. The colossus sits atop a temple to the southwest (shown at the very end of the scene), but take some time to explore the environment first if one is new - the upcoming battle will cover nearly every ledge, bridge, column, and tower. Approach the colossus' temple in the western end of the city to begin. As with the 11th colossus, be ready to run for cover the second the fight starts.
Walkthrough[]
The colossus is fully-armored, and there doesn't appear to be a clear method to expose any fur. The goal for now, however, is to simply get away and find high ground. The 14th colossus is extremely aggressive and will ram the bottom of whatever structure Wander happens to be on in an attempt to dislodge him. When the battle begins, quickly get on top of the overturned pillar to the left. At the other end of the pillar, there's a ledge Wander can jump onto. Jump up and run across to the next walkway, and the next. After this, the player will have to climb a ridged pillar. (A jump charged at least halfway will let Wander skip a ridge, but don't tire him out.) At first, it seems like there's nowhere to go after this. Notice, however, that the pillar Wander is on looks a lot like the fallen one he jumped on a minute ago. The colossus needs to knock the pillar down, but its constant ramming attacks aren't quite strong enough. The solution is simple: Anger it by shooting it with an arrow or two (use the "look at the colossus" button - by default - to help with aiming). The next time it attacks the pillar, its base will give way and a cutscene will show the pillar falling down. Be extremely careful not to fall off here. This first column is particularly dangerous, as the top of the pillar falls right over a deep canal. Falling in there means the player has got a long and very dangerous run back to the first pillar. To avoid falling, hang off the edge of the pillar that will face up when it hits the ground.
Following the walkways from here will bring the player to a series of pillars. Continue provoking the colossus from atop the columns until a ridged tower has been reached, which should also be climbed. For this structure, Wander will need to move alongside one of the ledges to get to a side where he can reach the top. Don't shoot at the colossus from this tower; jump onto another pillar just to the south and shoot a few arrows at it from there. Once this tower breaks, a cutscene will play showing it smashing into a wall near where Wander first entered the city.
The next part is tricky. The player has to get on the "roof" above them, and the only way up is a ridged wall on the other side of the room Wander just crashed into. Wait for the colossus to get as far away as possible, then make a run for it. Notice that the door arch here is too narrow for the colossus to pass, and it has to go around the whole area to the other side of the arch; use this to lure it away and buy some valuable time. Once on top of the roof, shoot at it again. The colossus will run into the central pillar holding the roof up, and everything will come crashing down, breaking the colossus' back armor and severely damaging the armor protecting its head. This will also reveal the major sigil on its back. The next time the colossus rams something, the shock of the impact will stun it for several seconds, allowing Wander to stab its weakpoint a few times. Be careful when the stun wears off, as the colossus will continue its vicious attacks to the last.
- Time Attack time in Original and PS3 versions (both difficulties): 9:00
- Time Attack times in PS4 Remake (Normal, Hard): 9:00, 8:15
Weakspots[]
Location | Percentage of health | |
---|---|---|
Normal | Hard | |
On its back | 100% | 100% |
Tips & tricks[]
- It is possible to jump on the colossus and not get injured; the player can leap onto it and jump again at the pillars and grab on.
- It is possible to launch yourself from the base of a pillar using a glitch in the PS4 version. Such a trick saves a lot of time in time attack if done right.
- As the colossus knocks down each pillar, it is relatively easy to just jump from the top of one pillar to another. This may buy players a few extra seconds on Time Attack.
- After the colossus' armor has been shattered, it will usually be stunned for a few seconds every time it attempts to ram a stone pillar. Henceforth, after its armor is broken, it is advised to take cover on the (collapsed) stone pillars. This gives the player some great opportunities to stab its weak point, because every time it rams the pillar, the colossus is stunned.
- On Hard Mode, after the colossus' armor is broken, the player can also use the Harpoon of Thunder to weaken it from a distance. This is a safe and sure way to defeat it without having to risk getting near it too much.
Attacks[]
Music[]
Phase | Plays in | Music |
---|---|---|
Intro | Plays upon reaching the colossus' lair. | A Closed-off City |
Phase 1 | Plays once the colossus has seen Wander and the battle starts. | Liberated Guardian |
Phase 2 | Plays after the colossus' armor is shattered. | A Despair-filled Farewell |
Trivia[]
General[]
- Both the 14th and 11th colossi are described by Dormin as "a guardian set loose". In English releases, Dormin also uses the line "It lusts for destruction..." to describe both the 14th and 6th colossi.
- However, in the original Japanese the 14th and 6th use separate lines. The 6th colossus is described using the phrase "破壊を好み" (It enjoys destruction.) While the 14th's description uses the phrase "破壊を望む" (It desires destruction.)
- In the Shadow of the Colossus official artbook and guidebook, the 14th colossus' developer nickname is revealed to be "Cerberus". Like this mythological creature, it plays the role of a guardian - as described by Dormin. This title of the 14th colossus' may also refer to its somewhat dog-like physique and movement as well as its aggressiveness towards intruders (in its case the intruder is Wander). While most common depictions of the Cerberus has it with three heads, some depictions also feature it with two or even one head, which the 14th colossus seems to be based on.
- This is one of only three colossi that are shown to be able to jump, the other two being the 10th and 11th colossi. Along with the 11th, it is also one of only two colossi that are ever seen running, and the only colossus that exits its introductory scene charging at full speed towards Wander.
- While fighting the 14th colossus, the tracks "Liberated Guardian" and "A Despair-filled Farewell" play; these tracks also play in the same order in the fight against the 8th and 11th colossi.
- The 14th colossus is only slightly larger than an adult African elephant. It is, however, slightly shorter than the 11th colossus, making it the shortest of all colossi.
- The 14th colossus makes some very distinctly lion-like sounds, same as the 11th colossus.
- The 14th and 11th colossi are very similar in many ways. They are the smallest colossi, the most aggressive, fully-armored, and cannot be damaged until the armor is broken and both make lion-esque sounds. However, the 11th colossus is slightly more aggressive than the 14th, as the 11th will attack Wander indiscriminately, whereas if Wander is on a pillar, the 14th colossus will attack once, then circle the pillar or even walk away from it until provoked. Also, the 11th colossus shows fear of fire, but it is unknown if the 14th fears fire as well.
- The city ruins where the battle takes place share a strong resemblance to aztec structures.
- Sometimes, if Wander is running against a wall, the 14th colossus will knock Wander through the mountain and he will fall through the scenery.
- Despite the 14th colossus' armor being broken in the fight, its corpse has it intact.
Earlier versions[]
- The old super low (slow) resolution texture of the 14th colossus' arena reveals that the Ruins used to be larger, being cut in half in the final version.
- The 14th colossus' textures in the E3 Demo version were double the resolution; they went from 128x128 to 64x64 pixels in the final game.
- In the E3 Demo, the 14th colossus' eyes moved to look at the direction of Wander, unlike any other colossi in the game. This feature was removed from all later versions.
- In addition to the eyes moving, the colossus also had an animation named "objanim_cerberus_eye.anb". Inside this animation file, there's two objects named "mabuta" (eyelid) that open and close. However, the animation cannot be seen in-game as the eyelid model was removed, leaving in its place a transparent rectangle.
- Also in the E3 Demo, the 14th colossus made a unique growl sound in its introduction cutscene prior to it making the usual lion noises, and its battle theme was A Messenger From Behind instead of Liberated Guardian. It can also be noted that its weakpoint had a lightning effect; which was also the case for the 1st and 11th colossi.
- Unique growl noise from the intro:
- According to the data sheets, the 14th 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[]
The game | ICO ( Demo · Revisions from U.S. version · Ico HD ) | |
Characters | Ico · Yorda · The Queen · Shadows · Shinkan | |
The Castle | Idol Gates · Yorda's language · Saving Benches Altar • Warehouse • Spiral Stairs • Old Bridge • Stairs • Trolley 1 • Trolley 2 • Crane • Chandelier • Drawbridge • Main Gate • Graveyard • Dark Room • Sunbeams • Stone Pillar • East Crag • East Arena • East Idol Stairs • East Reflector • Waterfall • Sluice • Cogwheel • Gondola • Water Tower • West Crag • West Arena • West Idol Stairs • West Reflector • Cage • Pipe • Elevator • Wharf • Queen's Room • Sandy Beach | |
Other Media | Ico ~Melody in the Mist~ · Official Game Guide · Ico: Castle in the Mist |
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 |