In order to obtain all of the trophies for Shadow of the Colossus you will need to complete the game approximately 4 to 5 times, not including 2 playthroughs of Time Attacks. This may sound daunting but by following my roadmap you’ll see that, really, it’s not so bad and you can achieve most trophies in the first playthrough as many are story related. There are 3 missable trophies that must be obtained at a certain point in the game and 3 which require you to grab a bunch of collectibles, these are by far the most time consuming of all the trophies.
When playing through the game make sure to try and defeat the colossi as quickly as possible and to remember the best route in doing so. Several trophies require you to complete the Time Attacks and to repeat the game in Hard Difficulty so making an effort to improving your speed and efficiency through normal gameplay will help you greatly.
First playthrough: Story mode, Normal difficulty
To begin with there are several story related trophies that you cannot avoid as they are obtained after each colossus is defeated, below you can also see the location of each colossus. All of these are bronze trophies.
| Name of Trophy | Description | Location | |
 | Valley Wanderer | Defeat the 1st Colossus | F-5 |
 | The Sloth | Defeat the 2nd Colossus | F-3 |
 | Disturbed Sleep | Defeat the 3rd Colossus | E-2 |
 | Path of Gravestones | Defeat the 4th Colossus | G-5 |
 | Aerial Dance | Defeat the 5th Colossus | H-4 |
 | Entombed Giant | Defeat the 6th Colossus | D-6 |
 | Waves of Thunder | Defeat the 7th Colossus | D-1 |
 | Wall Scaler | Defeat the 8th Colossus | G-6 |
 | Slumbering Caveman | Defeat the 9th Colossus | D-3 |
 | Unknown Tracks | Defeat the 10th Colossus | B-4 |
 | Guardian Unleashed | Defeat the 11th Colossus | F-1 |
 | Silent Thunder | Defeat the 12th Colossus | G-2 |
 | Signs in the Sky | Defeat the 13th Colossus | E-6 |
 | Shielded Colossus | Defeat the 14th Colossus | C-2 |
 | Valley of the Fallen | Defeat the 15th Colossus | G-1 |
 | Final Colossus | Defeat the 16th Colossus | F-8 |
During your first playthrough you should keep an eye out for save points that are scattered across the forbidden lands, by saving at each one you’ll obtain another trophy. Below is a list of each save point’s location.
Note: A shining lizard is at each save point and you’ll need to kill and eat the tails of all 77 of them to obtain the ‘Endangered Lizards’ Gold Trophy. By killing these as you save you’ll know that those 25 have been dealt with but without the lizard detection stone it will be difficult to track the remaining ones down. I have included a map below for all lizard locations so if you’d prefer to do it during the first playthrough by using the map then that’s a perfectly viable option.
| Tower of Prayers | |
|---|---|
| Name of Shrine | Map Area |
| Lair on the West | B-4 |
| Lair on the Mesa | B-4 |
| Western Cape | B-5 |
| Umbral Glade | C-1 |
| Western Plain | C-3 |
| Arch Bridge Plain | C-5 |
| Stone Arch Gorge | D-2 |
| Blasted Lands | D-5 |
| Southwestern Cape | D-7 |
| Dried Marsh | E-1 |
| Ravine Entrance | E-3 |
| Round Stone Hill | E-3 |
| Stone Bridge Cliff | E-4 |
| Autumn Forest | E-5 |
| Northern Span | F-2 |
| Shrine of Worship | F-4 |
| Southern Plain | F-7 |
| The Broken Seal | F-8 |
| Desert Fortress | G-1 |
| Misty Falls | G-2 |
| Half-Moon Canyon | G-3 |
| Cliff Path | G-4 |
| Valley Plain | G-6 |
| Green Cape | G-8 |
| Eastern Bluff | H-6 |
Also during your first playthrough but after defeating approximately 7/8 colossi you’ll gain enough stamina to hang onto either a fish or a hawk for longer than 30 seconds allowing you to obtain the following two trophies.
 | Hang Glider | Hang onto a hawk for over 30 seconds | Bronze Trophy |
| Slippery Ride | Hang onto a fish for 30 seconds | Bronze Trophy |
After defeating approximately 7 colossi you should have enough grip to attempt this trophy. The easiest way to obtain this trophy is to head to D-5 on the map and locate the save point/shrine. South of this shrine is a set of stones where a hawk frequently flies over the middle stone, wait for it there and when it flies overhead jump and hold R1 to grab it. Keep a hold of it until your grip runs out and when you let go the trophy should pop.
You can also acquire ‘Agro Circus’ at any point in the game but you might as well do it during the first playthrough since the moves are useful during colossi battles.
To obtain this you must simply perform the actions listed below with Agro, these can be done at any given point in the playthrough.
Pet Agro: Whilst standing near Agro's head or whilst sitting in her saddle you should equip nothing, as in have an empty hand, and press
to pet her on her neck. Maintain speed: To maintain Agro’s speed you should hold down
rather than tap it. Jump from Agro: You can jump from Agro at any time, standing or sitting, by tapping
. This is useful to reach new heights if you can time it correctly. Have Agro jump: Agro can jump over small gaps and off short ledges if you gallop her towards where you want her to jump. Agro will only jump over or off of things that she will survive from.
Rear then gallop from a standstill: From a dead stop sharply drag
and, quickly and at the same time. If done correctly Agro should rear up and then take off into a maximum speed gallop. This is very useful for fast getaways. Emergency stop: Whilst galloping sharply drag
downwards and , as though performing the above move, Agro should drag herself across the ground and stop dead. Stop and turn around: Whilst galloping sharply drag
downwards and twice (not twice, the entire combination) Agro should once again drag herself across the ground and stop but then quickly turn around 180 degrees, still running. Stand whilst riding: Whilst either cantering or galloping hold down
then drag upwards, Wander should stand up and ride on Agro’s back. Hang from saddle: Whilst either cantering or galloping hold down
and . Depending on which side you want to hang, drag the stick in either the left or right direction. Wander should hold onto the saddle and hang from that side whilst Agro continues to run. You can get off Agro from this position by letting go of the saddle.At the very end of your first playthrough you'll also encounter the first missable trophy:
At the end of the game you must endure being sucked into the light for at least 1 minute during the ending. This will occur after the final colossi is defeated. To resist the light you should let the light drag you towards the stairs but, before going into the light itself, grab onto these stairs with R1 and hold on until your grip meter runs out.
When you’re eventually sucked into the light you’ll unlock the final trophy for your first playthrough:
Second playthrough: Time Attack, Normal Mode
With the first playthrough over and done with you'll now have unlocked a new mode: Time Attack.
Time Attacks can be completed during either Normal Mode or Hard Mode but only after you have completed the applicable difficulty level once. During the Time Attack modes there are a lot of opportunities to unlock some extremely useful items though the items unlocked depend on which difficulty level you’re completing them in. To access the Time Attack mode you should go to the Shrine of Worship having cleared the game and approach an idol of your choosing, by praying at any of the sixteen idols you will enter the Time Attack mode for that particular colossus. The goal of a Time Attack mode is to defeat the colossus in the given time limit which differ according to difficulty mode and the colossus being fought. Below is a table of the Time Limit given for each separate battle.
| Colossus | Time Limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Hard | |
| 1. Valus | 2:30 | 2:50 |
| 2. Quadratus | 4:00 | 4:30 |
| 3. Gaius | 6:00 | 5:00 |
| 4. Phaedra | 5:30 | 5:00 |
| 5. Avion | 5:30 | 5:30 |
| 6. Barba | 3:30 | 6:30 |
| 7. Hydrus | 12:00 | 8:00 |
| 8. Kuromori | 8:00 | 7:30 |
| 9. Basaran | 7:30 | 5:30 |
| 10. Dirge | 6:00 | 5:00 |
| 11. Celosia | 5:30 | 5:30 |
| 12. Pelagia | 9:30 | 10:00 |
| 13. Phalanx | 12:00 | 13:00 |
| 14. Cenobia | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| 15. Argus | 10:00 | 11:30 |
| 16. Malus | 9:30 | 13:00 |
Warning: There is a glitch with the 'Collector' trophy. In order to obtain the trophy and avoid the glitch you must complete all 16 time attacks in a single playthrough on one save slot. By defeating more than 1 but less than 16 in time attacks then try and continue this on a different game you will glitch the game and will need to defeat all of them again.
| Time Attacks Completed | Unlocked Item | |
| Normal Mode | Hard Mode | |
| 2 | Whistling Arrow | Harpoon of Thunder |
| 4 | Cloak of Force | Sword of the Sun |
| 6 | Mask of Strength | Fruit Tree Map |
| 8 | Lizard Detection Stone | Shaman's Cloak |
| 10 | Fruit Tree Map | Lizard Detection Stone |
| 12 | Mask of Power | Shaman's Mask |
| 14 | Cloak of Deception | Cloth of Desperation |
| 16 | Flash Arrow, Brown Agro | Queen's Sword, White Agro |
Normal Time Attack Items:
Whistling Arrow: When fired a whistling arrow will distract a colossus and make them turn in the direction of the arrow. This is a useful way of guiding a colossus or making them turn around so you can access their back.
Cloak of Force: The Cloak of Force quite simply increases the damage done by your sword.
Mask of Strength: The Mask of Strength also increases the damage done by your sword and can be used in conjunction with the cloak of force for even more damage.
Mask of Power: The Mask of Power is an even more efficient version of the Mask of Strength and thus cannot be used in conjunction with it. It can however be used with the Cloak of Force for increased damage.
Cloak of Deception: The Cloak of Deception renders the player invisible to all Colossi, allowing you to roam around their guarded areas without them bothering you in the slightest. This is especially useful during the final battle as you can walk through unscathed. The Cloak of Deception cannot be used alongside the Cloak of Force.
Flash Arrow: Flash arrows explode upon impact and do significantly more damage than regular arrows. Flash arrows can sometimes completely destroy small sigils in the same way that the ancient sword can.
Brown Agro: After successfully completing all sixteen Time Attacks on Normal mode you can unlock a brown variant of Agro, shown below, to use this new skin you must hold down
at the title screen when loading a new game. 
Items unlocked in both Time Attack modes:
Lizard Detection Stone: The lizard detection stone will mark your map with an icon whenever you are standing in the general vicinity of a white tailed lizard. The icon on the map will be that of a lizard but they will only appear when you are relatively close by to that lizard. There are 77 white tailed lizards on the map.
Fruit Tree Map: The fruit tree map will mark your map with the icon of a piece of fruit wherever a fruit tree can be found. The icons will appear regardless of how close you are to the tree and so, to use this item, you simply need to look at your map. There are 128 pieces of fruit in the game but only 33 markers as each marker has multiple pieces of fruit in the area. Unless the icon has completely disappeared, there are still more pieces of fruit lurking in the area so check thoroughly.
Third playthrough: Story mode, Hard difficulty
Your third playthrough, or second 'proper' playthrough, requires you to go through the game all over again but in Hard mode. Hard Mode can be accessed from the Main Menu after completing the game on Normal Mode and there are several differences.
- No tutorials or hints from Dormin
- Save files have an orange lowercase ‘h’ beside the game clear number, indicating Hard Mode. If the game has been completed three times for example the game will show 3h in orange.
- The following colossi have additional weak points on their bodies; Valus, Quadratus, Gaius, Barba, Argus and Phaedra. All have one additional weak point apart from Phaedra who has two.
- Wander takes more damage from regular attacks whereas very strong attacks such as being stomped on or hit directly will instantly kill him, regardless of your health.
- When playing through Time Attack a different set of items will be unlocked compared to the Time Attacks in Normal Mode
Fourth playthrough: Time Attack, Hard difficulty
Now that you've completed the story mode in hard mode you can unlock the Time Attacks in Hard Difficulty. These are accessed in exactly the same way as previously but you must load up your save game from the hard difficulty mode. By acquiring all of the unlockables in this mode you grab the following trophy:
 | Meticulous Collector | Acquire all items available in Hard Time Attack | Gold Trophy |
Hard Time Attack Items:
Harpoon of Thunder: These arrows do significantly more damage than regular arrows and also have the ability to interrupt a colossus' attack. Harpoons of Thunder can sometimes completely destroy small sigils in the same way that the ancient sword can.
Sword of the Sun: With this equipped the light from your sword will shine regardless of whether you are in the sunlight or not. In order to use it you need to cycle through your weapons until you find it.
Shaman's Cloak: The Shaman's Cloak decreases the damage that you receive from the attacks of the colossi, allowing you to survive for longer.
Shaman's Mask: The Shaman's mask also decreases the damage you receive from colossi and may be used in conjunction with the Shaman's Cloak for added protection.
Cloak of Desperation: The Cloth of Desperation is a parachute that eliminates all fall damage. When using the Cloak of Desperation you will fall slowly with a very flight forward glide. You will still die if you attempt to use it in certain spots such as the cliffs overlooking the ocean This item can be used alongside the Shaman's Cloak. To use the parachute you can hold either
or Circle whilst in mid-air. Queen's Sword: The Queen's sword is an incredibly powerful sword with the ability to destroy even major sigils completely with just one fully charged stab.
White Agro: After successfully completing all sixteen Time Attacks on Hard mode you will unlock a white variant of Agro, as pictured below. To enable this you must hold down
at the title screen when loading a new game.
Warning: There is also a glitch with the 'Meticulous Collector' trophy. In order to obtain the trophy and avoid the glitch you must complete all 16 time attacks in a single playthrough on one save slot. By defeating more than 1 but less than 16 in time attacks then try and continue this, the same as the 'Collector' trophy.
Fifth/sixth playthrough: Story mode, lizard hunting and bar boosting
This is where things are going to get more complicated and become more a test of endurance than a test of speed. Rather than start a new game you're going to need to start a 'New Game +' which I mentioned earlier; it's where your stats will cross over from your previous playthrough but everything else, including lizards and fruit, will be reset. You're going to need to max out your HP and your Stamina bars and to do this it will take several playthroughs as, by defeating the 16 colossi over and over with ever-stacking effects, this is the fastest way of boosting these bars.
This playthrough will also involve one of the collectible related trophies; killing the shining lizards. By now you should have the lizard detection stone by completing the time attacks, you'll need it but you can also use the maps provided above to support you further. This trophy must be performed in one playthrough as the lizards will reset themselves if you start a new game. These are the two trophies we're aiming for in our fifth playthrough.
 | Endangered Lizards | Kill all shining lizards | Gold Trophy |
| Mighty Wander | Max out stamina bar | Gold Trophy |
In order to access all of the lizards you'll need to defeat 15 colossi but, since we're trying to max out our stamina bar, you're going to need to defeat all sixteen colossi several times over so don't worry about it. For now, I wouldn't recommend collecting the fruit as in order to obtain the trophy you'll need to actually decrease your HP and Stamina bar by eating the fruit at the top of Dormin's Temple. For now, just focus on bombing through another 2-3 New Game +'s and collecting as many lizards as possible.
Maxing out your Stamina bar for 'Mighty Wander' can be done in two ways: defeating colossi and killing those lizards. There are 77 lizards on the map and 25 of those are found purely at save points. By utilizing your lizard detection stone and perhaps writing down which lizards you've killed by taking note on the map area they were in it shouldn't take you too long to grab all of them. Don't forget, they all need to be found, killed and their tail eaten for it to count and it all needs to be done in one playthrough. To eat the tail you need to walk up to it, it will be glowing silver on the ground where the lizard died, and press R1.
Warning: Sometimes a tail cannot be picked up or it will disappear after the lizard has been killed but before you had a chance to eat it. If this occurs you can save the game at a shrine, reload that save and usually this will respawn the lizard and allow you to kill it again.
Note: Sometimes you'll notice via the lizard detection stone that, at a save shrine, there will be more than one lizard present. In order to access the 2nd or even 3rd lizard you should run away a good distance then return, the other lizard should have then appeared.
If you don't want to defeat the 16 colossi 3-4 times you can try collecting all 77 lizards on each New Game + as this means you may only need 2-3 playthroughs. Provided you have found all 77 lizards once and unlocked the Endangered Lizards trophy though there is no real need and it is likely faster to just defeat colossi.
By the time you've finished doing this it's also likely you'll have unlocked an additional trophy:
| Stalwart Wander | Max out HP bar | Gold Trophy |
Seventh playthrough: Story mode, fruit hunting and Climber.
You're in the final leg of the journey now. To begin with we'll start with hunting down the fruit of the lands. There are 128 pieces of fruit in the game but only 33 markers on the fruit tree map as each marker has multiple pieces of fruit in the area. Unless the icon has completely disappeared there will still more pieces of fruit lurking in the area and often they can be found on smaller trees surrounding the one, large, climbable tree you'll soon be familiar with.
| Cornucopia | Acquired all fruits in the world | Gold Trophy |
| Climber | Reached top of the shrine | Gold Trophy |
This trophy not only requires you to eat all 128 pieces of fruit scattered across the land but the 48 pieces at the top of Dormin’s Temple as well. Eating these fruits at the top of the temple will decrease your HP and Stamina bars so ensure you save your game prior to eating them or save this trophy for last so as not to reverse your progress for the ‘Stalwart Wanderer’ and ‘Mighty Wanderer’ trophies.
You should start by hunting down the 128 pieces of fruit found in the forbidden lands and, by using the fruit tree map earned through the time attack challenges, you’ll be able to see 33 markers pointing you towards the fruit. There are only 33 markers because each location contains multiple pieces of fruit that may be found not only in the larger trees but also on the smaller, spindly ones in the surrounding region. Your fruit tree map will show you where all the fruit areas are regardless of how close you are to the fruit trees. Very carefully trawl through each individual marker, it may help to use either a video or to note down how many fruit you collected in each area. Check your fruit tree map frequently and only leave once the marker has disappeared from the map.
To obtain the fruit you should shoot it out of the tree using your bow and arrows and, by doing this, it will fall to the ground where you can then stand over it and press R1 to eat it. Rarely, the fruit will already be on the ground by the time you get there but this will not void the trophy and you can simply eat it off the ground. Check out the diagram below for all the different variants of fruit that you may come across, some are more easily spotted than others.
Note: In E-5 there are two pieces of fruit that, when shot from the branches, will fall off the side of the cliff. You still need to eat these pieces of fruit but you may safely drop off the cliff to collect them. Provided you have already eaten both pieces of fruit you can safely die and they will not be erased from your stats.
Once all of the fruit in the lands has been collected you'll need to access the final 48 pieces of fruit on the top the Shrine of Worship; getting up there will net you the 'Climber' trophy.
At the very top of the Shrine of Worship is the secret garden shown at the end of the storyline. In order to access the garden you need a maximised stamina bar which is why we're doing this last, that and that fruit is pretty damaging. To start the climb go to the back of the Shrine and locate a large growth of vines, in the PS3 version of the game all rest points have been removed so you need to attempt the climb all in one go. Once you have finished with the climb you should turn to the left and go up the set of stairs in order to access the garden itself.
Once you've finally shot down and eaten all remaining 48 fruits of the Secret Garden and obtained the 'Cornucopia' Trophy, you'll unlock one final Trophy. Congratulations, I think you made it.
 | Wander and the Colossus | Acquired all Trophies | Platinum Trophy |
