Welcome to the Cairn Trophy Guide & Roadmap!
- 4/10 – Estimated Difficulty
- 10 – 15 – Estimated Hours to Completion
- 1 – Minimum Play-Throughs
- 25 – Missable Trophies
- 0 – Difficulty Related Trophy
- 0 – Online Multiplayer Trophies
This is an overall stress free Trophy list to complete. Everything here can be completed in a single playthrough and there is nothing overly difficult.
Step 1
There are a lot of miscellaneous Trophies on this list. You’ll need to keep an eye out for when these can be completed. Some of them require specific spots and others can be completed in multiple areas over the course of your playthrough. Work your way through the climb completing misc. Trophies whenever you’re able. Some Trophies need to be completed in your tent by cooking of crafting things. These can be done at any time, but just make sure to keep them in mind and do not forget to complete them. All of the Trophies here can be completed on any difficulty. There is a feature on Explorer difficulty that will allow you to rewind any time you fall off of the mountain. This does not void any Trophy, but you will not be able to earn, “Don’t stop me now,” as that Trophy requires a continuous climb without falling or being interrupted. Even when using rewind, the Trophy counter will be reset if you fall. So, you can get that Trophy with that feature turned on, you just can’t use it to get the Trophy. If you did happen to miss something, you could always repel back down to previous areas, but this will add a lot of time to your playthrough.
After you’ve completed the game, don’t erase your save file. There is no free roam, but you still need to load that save file. Doing so will allow you to follow the trail you took through the entire game. You need to do this from start to finish in order to earn the, “Your story,” Trophy.
Endings
The only real missable that you need to keep an eye out for is, “Home.” There are Trophies for seeing both endings in the game. You can get them both in a single playthrough, but they must be done in a certain order. The endings are decided by 1 choice. So, you don’t need to do anything other than pick both choices. Late in the game, Marco will ask you to climb back down with him. This will be where you are presented with both choices. This will also be before reaching the top. In order to get both endings, you need to choose to go back down with Marco FIRST. Doing so will earn you the, “Home,” Trophy. After the credits play, you will be able to load your save file and continue it from the point where you made the choice. So load your save and then make the opposite choice and continue climbing.
Areas List
Below is a list of all the areas you can climb through. I will list where I earned Trophies in each of the areas. You can check what area you are in by saving your game. There are save points scattered across the mountain. Each time you save your game, a text box will pop up above the save point and tell you the area you are in.
- Climbing Gym
- Tenzen
- The Twisted Ridge
- The Escarpment
- The Arch
- The Split Rock
- The Shortcut
- The Waterfall
- The Village
- The Child
- The Child
- Meteorologist – Doll III
- The Standing Stones
- Honest heist
- Lick responsibly
- Meteorologist – Doll II
- The Vault
- Aava Porter Bridges Step 2
- Meteorologist – Doll I
- The Terraces
- The Two Hundred Steps
- The Ancient
- The Palace of Wind
- The Peril
- In Memoriam – Step 1
- The Dome
- The Needle
- The Secret
- The Blades
- In Memoriam – Step 2
- Home!
- The Sea of Seracs
- The Immaculate
- Kami
- Post Game
Free
Unlock all trophies
Mandatory warm-up
Complete training on Tenzen
This is a story related Trophy.
Those who came back down
Meet a broken climbot
This is a story related Trophy.
Moment of cool
Take a break at the waterfall
This is a story related Trophy.
Interloper on the wall
Meet Marco
This is a story related Trophy.
Everything else disappears
Witness an aurora borealis
This is a story related Trophy.
One hell of a night
Wake up on the mountain in top shape
This is a story related Trophy.
Neither a success, nor a failure
Meet Damas Al Fatri
This is a story related Trophy.
Upstream
Survive the avalanche
This is a story related Trophy.
Part of a whole
Reach Kami’s summit
This is a story related Trophy.
Not even a scratch
Survive a 15-meter fall
You’ll need to make sure you have a full health bar before falling so that you can survive the fall. There’s no way to know how high you’ve climbed, but you’re going to need to get up pretty high. This popped for me after falling, hitting the ground near a ledge and then falling even further down the ledge.
Just a bit too late
Fall while planting a piton
This can easily be earned by climbing just a few meters up a wall. Stop and wait until your stamina is about to run out. Just before it runs out, hold Up on the D-Pad to start plating a piton. You need to fall before it is planted. Doing this just a few meters off the ground will prevent taking any damage and you can quickly try again if the timing was wrong.
Don’t stop me now
Climb 30 meters without using a piton
MISSABLE
This can easily be earned during the final climb toward Kami. This mountain side has a lot of ledges and grips for you top grab on and stay on. This needs to be one continuous climb without using a piton. If you fall, you will have to start over. If you’re interrupted by a cutscene, you will have to start over. You also cannot use the rewind feature on explorer difficulty. Before attempting this Trophy, you can eat to get as many stat buffs as you can to make things easier. Don’t forget to use chalk as well. There’s no way of tracking how many meters you’ve gone, so you will need to keep climbing until this pops.
Serious training
Open the box in the gym room
MISSABLE
This is earned during the tutorial at the very beginning of the game. To the left of the rock wall that back of the gym is a box on a table. In order to open it, you will need to complete all 8 training walls in the gym. The game only requires you to finish 3 of the walls in order to advance the story. So, after doing the first 3, you will need to do the remaining 5 before advancing the story. There are some routes that haven “A” and “B” route. You only need to complete one of those, not both.
Ain’t scared
Jump from the ground and latch onto the wall
As you climb and make your way across the mountain, there will be spots that you can climb up that are not connected to the main mountain wall. Once you reach the tops of this areas, you can get a running jump from it to the main mountain wall. Look for places to you can climb up where there is a gap from it to the mountain.
Honest heist
Collect wild honey from the wall
MISSABLE
There are bee hives up on some areas of the wall that you can climb to and grab honey from. All you need to do is collect honey from one hive. This can be earned in the same cave where you can lick the frog. The cave is in The Standing Stones. It is to the left of the big statue in The Child. There is a stone staircase that leads up to it.
Leave no trace
Compost 10 trash items
As you use items in your backpack, they will create trash. Take the trash and compost at least 10 times by selecting it and then press 
.
Kami sashimi
Catch a fish
MISSABLE
This can be earned shortly after you climb past the cable car station in The Shortcut. There is a cave higher up near that station that you can climb up and into that has a small pond in it. Walk into the water and press 
to fish. Then, you need to wait for a fish to swim near your hand. When one is close, press again to grab it. There are multiple places to earn this along the climb to the top of mountain.
Lick responsibly
Become woozy from licking a frog
MISSABLE
This can be done in The Standing Stones. It is in a cave that is to the left of the big statue in The Child. There is a stone staircase that leads up to it. There will be a frog hopping around a small pond inside of that cave.
Return to Source
Catch a weird salamander
MISSABLE
The salamander can be found up in the lowest open doorway on the left side of the mountain in The Secret. It will be walking around on the ground inside of the doorway. All you have to do is walk over to it and interact with the prompt.
Luxurious grip
Compost coins
MISSABLE
This can be earned during the tutorial at the very beginning of the game. Walk over to the left to your backpack on the chair and pick up the “Pocket Change.” Then, hold Down on the D-Pad to enter your backpack. Select the pocket change and hold to compost it.
All that glitters
Find glow-in-the-dark gloves
MISSABLE
These are found up in The Village. You’ll need to climb up into the lowest open doorway of the mountain side. Once inside, head up the stairs and go straight back into the room with glowing crystals growing out of the walls. In the room with the crystals, you will need to climb up to the top. There will be a ledge up top with another hallway. Follow this next hallway all the way to the end where the gloves can be found hanging from a pole.
Herbalist
Cook the ultimate infusion
While in your tent, you will need to cook any HERB + WATER to make an infusion. Then you need to cook the INFUSION + another HERB to make a super infusion. After that, you need to cook the SUPER INFUSION + another HERB to make the ultimate infusion.
Master chocolatier
Cook up an easter egg
In order to earn this, you’re going to need to cook WATER + CHOCOLATE for Chocolate Drink. Then, you need to cook CHOCOLATE DRINK + EGG for Chocolate eggs. An egg can be found in a nest on the climb up the Two Hundred Steps to the right of the bivouac on the mountain side. The Trophy will pop after cooking the egg.
Red Rope Club
Make an alcoholic cocktail
Alcoholic can be found as booze, or grog. All you need to do is use either alcoholic drink when cooking. You can mix it with whatever other ingredients you have available. You just need to make sure alcohol is one of the ingredients used.
Doped up
Combine the effects of burst, grip, extra grip, focus and grit in one go
In order to earn this, you’re going to need to have several buffs active at the same time from eating food/medicine.
- Burst
- Grip
- Extra Grip
- Focus
- Grit
You can use anything as long as it gives the required buffs. You can search through the backpack and highlight each item in it. It will tell you on the left side of the screen what effects will be given by consuming whatever it is you have selected. Save up your items until you have enough to cover all buffs at the same time. You save your game, take everything to pop the Trophy, reload your save to get everything back. Below are some items and the buffs they provide. There are a lot of consumable items to find in the game, so make sure to search around during your climb.
- Chalk – Extra Grip
- Bananamin B12 – Grip, Grit and Burst
- Spabast – Focus
- Vomyametin – Burst
- Booze – Grit
- Sugar, Chocolate, Honey, Syrup + Water – Burst
- Ultimate Infusion – Grip, Grit, Focus
No thanks
Interrupt Marco’s rambling
MISSABLE
You will automatically meet Marco as part of the story in The Two Hundred Steps area. A cutscene will play in his tent. Afterwards, you’ll be outside and Marco will be following you around and talking. Eventually, you’ll get a prompt on screen to interrupt him. Press 
when the prompt appears to pop the Trophy.
Bird’s eye
Check your route from the remote view mode
This can be earned during the tutorial at the very beginning of the game. After climbing to the top and completing of one of the training courses, press 
to zoom out and then press to display the route you took while climbing.
Grizzly woman
Survive the bear
MISSABLE
Right next to the bivouac on the mountain side of Two Hundred Steps, there is a cave just above to the right. Go into that cave and head to the very back of it. Interact with the body on the ground. Afterwards, there will be a bear behind you. All you need to do here is sprint to the exit of the cave holding 
. The Trophy will pop once you’ve exited the cave.
Light up the sky
Shoot fireworks
MISSABLE
There are fireworks that can be found on a ledge just underneath The Two Hundred Steps area in The Terraces. Once you have fireworks, you’ll need to rest at a rest spot. These are the small cairns with red paint on them. Rest and then a prompt will appear on screen to shoot the fireworks.
Heartbeat
Find an Edelweiss
MISSABLE
An Edelweiss can be found on a body in a small cutout on The Needle. This cutout will be shortly up the needle after starting the climb. Climb to the ledge and then grab it off of the body inside.
The Child
Find the first guardian’s troglodyte piton
MISSABLE
This is found at the top of the statue in The Child section. Climb up the statue and enter the doorway at the head of the statue. Follow the hallway inside and then climb across the gap in the hallway. Go to the end of the room on the other side of the gap to find this piton on the very back wall.
The Ancient
Find the second guardian’s troglodyte piton
MISSABLE
This is found inside of The Ancient, which is an area that is found underneath The Palace of Wind and far left of Two Hundred Steps. While at Two Hundred Steps, head west across a long wooden bridge. On the other side of that bridge, you will need to descend down to a big statue. At the bottom of that statue is an opening. Go inside of it and follow the stairs all the way up until you are in a room with a big tree. There are gaps in the staircase that you will need to climb across. but they are not big. In the room with the tree, look for the crack in the wall that leads further into the cave. In the very back, there is a small statue on the right that has the piton.
The Secret
Find the third guardian’s troglodyte piton
MISSABLE
The third troglodyte piton can be found up in The Secret. Climb into the lowest open doorway on the left side of the mountain in The Secret. This is the same area where the salamander can be found for the “Return to Source” Trophy. From inside of that cave, go toward the open center area and look up to the back of the cave. There is a frozen waterfall coming out of an open doorway of a rounded room up at the top. You need to climb up to that doorway. Enter it and then go to the back of the room where you can find the mini-Kami. Climb up it to the top to pop the Trophy. It is in the back left corner being held by a statue in the wall.
Climb the mini-Kami to the top while you’re there to pop the “I did it!” Trophy.
End of the Rope
Reach the furthest extent of the rope
This can by earned by climbing up a meter or two onto a wall. Then, put a piton in and hook yourself to it. After that, climb down off the while still attached to the piton and walk away from it until the rope stops. Just keep walking and the rope will eventually reach its end. Once you get within 10 meters of it ending, a counter will display on screen.
Siesta
Enjoy a nice outdoor nap
Press down on the D-Pad and then hold 
to reveal another set of options on the D-Pad menu. Then, hold Down on the D-Pad to take a nap. This will pop when you wake up.
Picture for Chris
Use the photo mode
Photo mode is accessed in the Pause screen > Photo Mode. All you have to do is open it to pop the Trophy.
Close call
Survive to a near-deadly fall
In order to earn this, you need to fall from a height high enough to just about empty your health bar, but survive. This is something that will likely happen over the course of your playthrough as you climb to the summit. Obviously, if you are using the fall rewind feature, you won’t get this. So, you’ll need to not use that and let yourself fall in order to get this.
Lactic acid
Recover stamina by shaking your arm over 50 times
While climbing, your arms will start to shake as your stamina runs low. In order to earn this Trophy, you will need to shake your arms to regain stamina 50 times by pressing .
Nurse
Tape your fingers 20 times
You can tape your fingers while resting in your tent at a Bivouac. These are the locations in the sides of mountains where you can save your game. After saving your game, press when the “Bivouac” prompt appears to enter your tent. While inside, you can choose to tape your fingers. From there, you can then choose individual fingers to tape to restore your grip strength. You can still tape your fingers even if your fingers are in excellent condition.
Engineer
Craft 15 pitons from scraps
MISSABLE
Sometimes after using your pitons, they can break. When you recall climbot, it’ll either bring you the pitons or the piton scraps if they break. You need 2 piton scraps to craft a piton. You can do so in your Bivouac at the Piton Repair. You will need to craft at least 15 piton in order to earn this Trophy. If you’re not getting enough scraps to craft them, this can be done via save scum. Save your game and enter the Bivouac. Then, craft the piton(s) with however many scraps you have, quit the game and then repeat the process. You can do this until the Trophy pops. Do not exit your tent. Just quit the game. The Trophy counter will update as soon as they are crafted. If you exit the tent, the game will save again and you’ll lose the piton scraps. This is marked missable because crafting these will depend on how many your break throughout the game.
I did it!
Reach mini-Kami summit
MISSABLE
The mini-Kami summit can be found up in The Secret. Climb into the lowest open doorway on the left side of the mountain in The Secret. This is the same area where the salamander can be found for the “Return to Source” Trophy. From inside of that cave, go toward the open center area and look up to the back of the cave. There is a frozen waterfall coming out of an open doorway of a rounded room up at the top. You need to climb up to that doorway. Enter it and then go to the back of the room to find the mini-Kami. Climb up it to the top to pop the Trophy.
You can also pick up the third Troglodyte piton in this same room. It is in the back left corner being held by a statue in the wall. This will earn you “The Secret” Trophy.
Bag maniac
Did you really think you could keep your bag tidy?
This Trophy is earned by trying to organize your backpack. You’ll get this by pressing 
while in your backpack. Just keep hitting it until this pops.
Aava Porter Bridges
Deliver Rody’s letter to the shepherdess
MISSABLE
First, you will need to find Rody’s note. This is found in an open doorway up on the mountain side of The Village that you have to climb to from the bivouac above the waterfall. This is right after meeting Marco for the first time. Climb up and to the right on the mountain side and you’ll find an open doorway. Enter the doorway and follow the hallway to a small room where a mattress is laying on the ground. This note is found on the back wall on a make shift bed.
The shepherdess is found in The Vault. This is found around the Village area which is on the far left side of the same area where the Child statue is. There will be a small ledge on the far left that you can climb over to. There will be a goat walking around on the ledge. Next to the goat is a split in the mountain side covered by vines. Walk through the big gap and head all the way to the back to find the shepherdess. A cutscene will play when you first meet her. After it, climb up to her tent and interact with her to give her the letter.
One day, I’ll be rich!
Bring all crystal shards to the crystal-cutter
MISSABLE
This is earned in the temple in the side of the mountain on the way up to The Palace of Wind. There are four open doorways into the temple on the side of the mountain. You’ll need to climb up into one and then climb higher up from inside. On the top floor, you can find the crystal-cutter. After a scene speaking with them, you’ll have to collect 4 crystal shards and then bring them back to the NPC. The four shards are in the same room. 2 are on the ground in the room, 1 is up on the wall in the room, and then the last one is in a cutout on the stairs that lead into the room.
Spotted!
Find Marco with the binoculars
MISSABLE
This is earned during The Shortcut. You’ll need to climb up to a small cable car station. There is a pair or binoculars mounted outside of the station. Interact with them and look at the narrow mountain path where you walked near the intro of the game to see Marco walking the same path.
Hungry like a wolf
Loot food from a corpse
MISSABLE
A corpse can be found hanging from the far right side of The Terraces. It has food on it that you can loot. It is near the top right of The Terraces just below The Two Hundred Steps.
Meteorologist
Assemble the 3 doll pieces
MISSABLE
In order to earn this, you’re going to need to find three different parts of a doll. Once you have all three, the doll will automatically be assembled and this will pop.
- Doll Part III
This is found above the statue in The Child section. It is up on a ledge that is above the head of the statue. The easiest climbing path to reach it is from the statue’s left shoulder.
- Doll Part II
This is found on a ledge that is to the left of the big statue near The Child in The Standing Stones. You can either climb up the big stone arch or you can climb over from the statue.
- Doll Part I
This is found on a ledge up in the top right side of The Vault. You’ll need to climb up the side of the mountain toward The Terrace and then back down toward the big opening near The Vault to the ledge in the top right.
Your story
Watch your completed ascent
After you’ve completed the game, you can go to your save file from the start screen. Press on your save to review the route you took through the entire run. Once the game loads you in, follow your trail with the camera all the way to the summit of Kami to pop this Trophy.
Love birds
Let loose Rody and Johanna’s kite
MISSABLE
This is earned at the top of The Secret on the right side mountain. There will be a kite stuck in the wooden boards of the bridge at the very top. You need to interact with the kite to set it loose.
In Memoriam
Place the origami in the shelter
MISSABLE
First, you will need to find the origami. This is found in a small cave in the upper right corner of the mountain side that you need to climb from the Palace of Wind. If you’ve reached the wooden bridge at the top, you’ve gone too far. The cave can be hard to see but you can follow the path of hard mountain wall that up and over to the right. It will lead right to it. The origami is inside of the cave next to a dead body. Make sure to keep this in your backpack.
Continue through the game until you meet Damas as part of the story in The Blades. When you have control again, exit the room you wake up in. Go left, follow the path and then go right into a room full of backpacks. There will be a spot on the right side of the backpack room about halfway in where you can interact with a “Look” prompt. Interact with it and place the origami to pop the Trophy.
Leap of faith
Run and jump into the void while on the rope
This can be earned by jumping off of a cliff while you are attached to the rope. Walk over to the edge of a cliff, hold to rappel down. You’ll attach yourself to the rope. Then climb back up, face the edge and run by holding . Press to jump right at the edge of the cliff and you’ll jump off popping the Trophy.
Home
Go back down with Marco
MISSABLE
This is a story related Trophy, but it is tied to a decision. After meeting Damas in The Blades, you will have a conversation with Marco before continuing. He will give you the choice of continuing the ascent, or going back down the mountain. For this Trophy, you need to choose to go back down the mountain. After the credits and cutscenes, you can can select Story > Your Save File to continue with your playthrough. Continuing will put you right back before you made the decision to climb down. You can then choose to continue the ascent to finish off the game and get the rest of the Trophies.