As you will quickly learn in Cairn, the Kami is an unforgiving mountain capable of breaking even the most seasoned climbers if taken lightly. But don’t feel intimidated, as it is possible to make your venture significantly easier by adopting a few routines and learning a few tricks. For all looking to become pros, here are a few tips sure to help you conquer the summit in Cairn.
First Off, Always Piton
No matter if you are faced with a big wall or a simple section, placing a piton should always be one of your priorities in Cairn. After all, they are your safety nets and will make sure Aava stays alive no matter what. That is even more true if you want to explore, as both hard falls and messy landings can sometimes kick off a series of events that end with you having to either restart from your bivouac without key items or resume the climb while at the brink of death.
If you are having trouble planting your pitons under harsh conditions, head to the Settings Menu and disable Quick-Time Events. This will allow every placement to be perfect and can save you a lot of time and resources in the long run. Getting the Troglodyte (or indestructible) pitons also allows you to skip the minigame. You can find a total of three of them during the climb, with each being located at the top of its respective Guardian Statue. The statues can be found on The Child, The Secret, and directly below The Palace of Wind.
Don’t Forget To Chalk Up
As we all know, there’s nothing worse than being close to completing a major wall, only for rain to start and turn the whole mountain into a slippery mess. Well, that’s when chalk enters the fray, as it allows you to boost Aava’s grip strength for a limited number of moves. Alternatively, you can also get longer grip strength boosts by consuming certain dishes/drinks. To get the most out of that, though, we recommend triggering it together with Burst for an increase in speed. Various dishes can provide both effects, with Chocolate Eggs being my go-to.
If you found yourself unable to go past a tricky section even while using the above, then your fingers might be the problem. To counter that, make sure to keep them taped by either selecting the option in your bivouac or while suspended. Unlike the piton placing one, it is not possible to skip the tapping minigame, so pray for your analog sticks.
Always Reheat, It Doesn’t Cost A Thing
Having a few warm drinks in your backpack is a must in Cairn, as they are the only way to fight the cold without having to either rest (after unlocking the Survival Blanket) or set up camp. But did you know that it is possible to keep your dishes/drinks warm even if you failed to get the sought-after Thermos? To do that, just reheat them at your bivouac at zero cost. I know this might be an obvious feature for some, but it can be easy to miss. Take me as an example, I only discovered it in the latter part of my first playthrough.
For those looking to get the Thermos, you can do so by talking to the shepherdess on The Vault and giving her Rody’s Letter. You can find the letter while exploring the earlier areas in The Village. The mentioned Survival Blanket, on the other hand, can be found by the body of an unfortunate climber within a cave northwest of the first Two Hundred Steps bivouac site. Just a warning before going in, you will have to deal with a gigantic bear afterwards.
Lastly, You Can Reload Your Saves If Things Get Tough
Something I only found out after finishing my first playthrough, Cairn actually allows you to reload previous saves by entering Tactical View and highlighting any previously visited bivouac sites. Needless to say, doing so can help you retrace your steps to both find areas you might have missed or complete optional objectives. You can also use it after hard falls to get a do-over without having to empty your packpack or waste pitons. Keep in mind that you cannot reload a save after finishing the game and must still complete it twice to unlock both endings.
Now that you have some new tools in your arsenal, make sure to also take a look at how to make the Ultimate Infusion in Cairn. While at it, we also recommend checking out how to unlock all of the game’s keepsakes, from the hard-to-miss Alpine Cola Keychain to the Troglodyte Doll.
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