Lair on the Mesa

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Lair on the Mesa
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Quadrant	B4
Connecting Quadrants	B5
Preview Name	Nest on the Plateau
Remake Name	Lair Atop the Gorge
Designer	Takeshi Ochiai (ot)

The Lair on the Mesa is a location and one of 24 save shrines in Shadow of the Colossus.

Description

The "lair" referred to in the title is the 10th colossus' cave; this shrine is located at the lair's southern entrance. (Another shrine, the Lair to the West, is at the north end.)

The "mesa" in the title is actually a series of elevated areas of land, connected by steep slopes along the cliffs. Many kites fly by these ledges, including one of the three larger kites. If one is lucky, Wander may be able to hitch a ride.

The Lair on the Mesa area features a distinguishing landmark above the cave entrance and shrine: an enormous, dead tree growing in the cliffs. This tree is much larger than any other in the Lands, and is unusually conspicuous, even from afar. It is named the "Colossal Tree" by fans. The most likely reason for the tree's existence is to simply act as a landmark by which a player can easily find the cave and shrine, but this hasn't stopped others from speculating whether or not the tree is part of a yet-undiscovered secret.

The path down the mesa leads to the Western Cape, a coastal area where fruit trees grow in abundance by the many earthen bridges spanning the cliffs.

Location

Located in the far west area of the Forbidden Lands in quadrant B4. Its shrine is located in the southwest region of the area.

Significant nearby areas

• The arena of the 10th colossus is just north of the shrine.
• The Western Cape shrine and an expansive beach can both be found to the south.

Trivia

• In the E3 Demo, the colossal tree is alive with leaves.
• The Lair on the Mesa shrine was the last one to be added to the game as in the E3 Demo, it didn't exist yet.
  • The E3 Demo version of the save shrines sheet still lists 24 shrines (25 counting the Shrine of Worship). However, the Lair on the Mesa shrine isn't listed, but instead an extra shrine at quadrant G4. It is likely that the Lair on the Mesa shrine replaced the early G4 one.

Gallery

• Original
• Remake
• Earlier versions

The dead tree growing atop the south entrance to the 10th colossus' lair.

A closer look at the tree.

South entrance. Picture by Nomad Colossus.

Colossal tree. Picture by Nomad Colossus.

The Lair on the Mesa in the PS4 remake.

The colossal tree in the PS4 remake.

The cave entrance in the E3 Demo, with the save shrine missing.

The area expanding to quadrant "A4" in the E3 Demo.

The living colossal tree in the E3 Demo.