Shadow of the Colossus guide: How to beat the 2nd colossus

Each of the 16 colossi you fight during Shadow of the Colossus is a puzzle to solve. You have to find where it’s hiding in the world. Then you have to figure out how to get close to it. And finally you have to figure out how to reach its magic sigil weak points and kill it.

This guide will take you from the Shrine of Worship through defeating the second colossus.

Finding the Colossus

Grid View

• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

1. Raise your sword outside of the Shrine of Worship and you’ll be pointed more or less straight north.
2. Facing the Shrine (north), hop on Agro and ride around to the left.
3. On the north side of the Shrine, you’ll see three crumbled pillars (these mark the entrances to two natural bridges you’ll use a lot). Pass between the two on the right and you’ll find yourself on the bridge leading north.
4. Immediately after the bridge, there’s a fork in the road. Take the right path down toward the water.
5. At the bottom of the ramp, turn to the right and look for a huge cave in the cliff ahead of you — you’ll ride between two of the columns for the taller, artificial bridge to get there.

Collectibles along the way

There are no lizards, shrines or fruit trees on the way from the Shrine of Worship to the second colossus.

Approaching Colossus 2

Grid View

• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

1. Take a moment to find its weak points and magic sigils. This colossus has a weak point on each of its feet, a sigil on its head and another on its tail.
2. Either on Agro or on foot, get around behind the colossus. Watch the bottoms of its feet (hooves?) as it walks. You’ll see a glowing green area.
3. Shoot an arrow into that glowing spot, and it will drop to a knee. Try to get relatively close when you do this, since you have to run up to it and climb on before it stands back up.
4. When it drops to its knee, run around to the outside of that leg. You can jump up and climb the fur on its thigh.

Defeating Colossus 2

Grid View

• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Bluepoint Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

1. Continue climbing up its thigh until you get onto its back. Then start making your way toward its tail.
2. Draw your sword, and you’ll spot the first magic sigil right at the base of its spine.
3. Grab onto the fur and stab the colossus. It won’t try very hard to shake you off, so make sure you’re waiting for your strike to fully charge.
4. After two or three hits, the sigil will disappear. Now you can start working your way toward the head.
5. Climb over the rib-like ridges on its back and keep following its spine forward.
6. Kneel down and hold onto the fur any time the colossus tries to shake you off.
7. Draw your sword as you get close to its head to find its magic sigil.
8. It’ll be a little more serious about shaking you off this time, so don’t worry so much about making full-force strikes.
9. If you ever get thrown off or fall, just shoot it in the foot again and repeat the process until you return to whichever sigil you were working on.