Peaks of Yore - Best Climbing Route for Survival (2024)

This guide is here to assist those finding it tough in permadeath mode by outlining the optimal climbing route for maximizing safety and effectiveness in Peaks of Yore. Here, we’ve laid out a step-by-step strategy for navigating the treacherous terrain.

Introduction

Climbing forms the core of many rage games, where progress is slow and even minor errors can erase hours of effort. Peaks of Yore stands out by offering climbing mechanics with less punishing difficulty. Its segmented climbs and short falls, coupled with ropes that serve as safety measures and expedite return trips after a fall, create a more forgiving experience.

The YFYD mode (You Fall You Die) introduces a harsher challenge where any fall from a height of 6 meters or more results in the deletion of all progress in that mode. While falling into water grants a brief respite on certain maps, this mode remains optional. However, numerous achievements are linked to it, compelling completionists aiming for 100% on Steam to tackle it.

This guide aims to assist players in obtaining these achievements and provides valuable insights for speedrunners or those seeking deeper knowledge of the game. It’s important to note that this guide isn’t well-suited for newcomers to the Free Soloist mode, which severely restricts the use of items. As this guide primarily focuses on item collection, its utility for Free Soloist mode is limited.

With that said, I hope you find this guide enjoyable and beneficial.

Preparation

Before diving into the mode, it’s essential to beat all the intermediate times with your stopwatch. This achievement unlocks a pipe that enhances your climbing ability passively by increasing the speed at which you swing upward when holding the jump button. Once unlocked, this pipe is the sole non-cosmetic item you’ll begin with in YFYD mode.

Next, make a trip to the Old Man of Sjór to acquire +2 ropes. These ropes are located on one of the rocks near your initial spawn point. It’s worth noting that you don’t have to reach the summit for the item to count; simply interact with your pack behind you to return to your cabin.

While technically you can obtain free coffee at The Twins, the brothers who provide it won’t spawn until after you summit Grey Gully. The same applies to the +5 coffee at Walter’s Boulder, which requires summiting 15 fundamental climbs to unlock the intermediate catalog.

Before Grey Gully

After Grey Gully

Understanding these elements is crucial when planning your route. Currently, focusing on the ropes and pipe will suffice, but being aware of additional resources like free coffee can be valuable for future planning.

Planning A Route

Apart from the milestones required for unlocking intermediate and advanced climbs, there’s no fixed sequence you must follow. Your best order depends on what challenges you find most difficult in each climb and which items are worth risking the run for.

The top priorities in YFYD mode are ropes and photo pieces. Ropes act as your safety net throughout the game, so stockpiling as many as possible reduces the risk in tougher climbs. Collecting all photo pieces doubles your rope length, significantly extending your safe travel distance and cutting in half the number of ropes needed for a summit without risking a fall.

Crampons are another valuable item. These spikes enable you to bypass large climb sections and make certain jumps easier. They also allow resting at any point by hooking into the wall while moving forward, offering both a breather and grip strength regeneration regardless of what you’re holding onto.

Coffee and chalk have their uses in specific situations. Coffee enables skipping large sections in one go, while chalk aids in setting ropes while clinging to crimps. However, since there are only two collectibles for each, their impact on routing is minimal, if at all.

Understanding this, there are several approaches to tackling the early game. Beginning with Old Grove’s Skelf is advisable for acquiring crampons, although navigating around thorns and birds may require practice. Following this, any peak with ropes or water provides a safe option. However, it’s essential to note that during the first four climbs, you won’t have the ability to set ropes until after summiting the fourth peak, as the hammer is only granted at that point.

Subsequently, prioritizing climbs with photo pieces or ropes is recommended. Climbs lacking these items should generally be avoided since the primary reward for collecting all items proves beneficial only at the game’s conclusion. Opting for easier climbs without items should only be considered sparingly.

Once you’ve amassed a comfortable number of ropes, it’s prudent to save the beginner climbs for last. Dying halfway through a later climb after completing all the beginner climbs consumes unnecessary time that could be saved by tackling them later in your progression.

The route should encompass a total of fifteen fundamental summits, as this is the requisite number needed to unlock the intermediate category.

Moreover, once the intermediate climbs are unlocked, completing them in full is advisable promptly. Their short length and minimal height translate to little to no risk in attempting them. It’s crucial to bear in mind that falls become risky at heights exceeding six meters, roughly equivalent to three average-sized individuals stacked atop one another. Only one of the bouldering courses reaches such a height, and it’s situated at the very end of its climb.

By summiting all intermediate climbs, you’ll unlock the chalk bag, the Advanced category, as well as receive two of each usable item.

My Personal Route

The order of fundamentals goes as follows:

6-point Crampons.

3 Ropes.

2 Ropes and Photo Piece. Over water.

2 Ropes and Photo Piece. Over water.

2 Ropes. Over water.

2 Ropes.

2 Ropes.

Over water.

Over water.

Low risk. (If you aren’t me.)

Low risk.

Low risk.

Low risk.

Low risk.

Low risk.

Photo Piece. Low risk.

Late Game

After completing all of Bouldering, you should now be ready to tackle the advanced peaks. With twelve coffee, twelve chalk, and eighteen ropes in your inventory, most climbs should be manageable as long as you avoid unnecessary risks.

Technically, you could have acquired four more ropes by adjusting the routing slightly, but the two peaks offering them are plagued by inconsistency. Slippery holds and falling rocks pose significant challenges, rendering the potential reward less favorable than the risk involved.

If you’re seeking a recommended route, I suggest the following:

2 Ropes. Picture Piece.

2 Ropes. Picture Frame. Over water.

2 Ropes. Low risk.

It might be influenced by personal bias, but Ymir’s Shadow is arguably one of the easiest climbs in the game. The majority of it consists of flat, straight sections, with few challenging swings that don’t significantly deplete your rope supply. By using coffee liberally and relying on 10-point crampons, you can navigate it swiftly.

Completing both Great Goal and St. Haelga will reward you with the full photo, upgrading your ropes. With these enhanced ropes, you should now be able to ascend all other peaks in the game without ever disconnecting from a rope. Remember, you can’t fall if you’re always tethered.

Finishing the other two advanced peaks along with the remaining five fundamental peaks will provide four more of all usable items. Additionally, collecting all optional collectibles will grant unlimited coffee and chalk, with five extra ropes as a bonus. This inventory should be more than sufficient for tackling both The Great Bulwark and The Solemn Tempest.

Conclusion

As long as you prioritize risk reduction and continually refine your skills, obtaining those achievements shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge.

Thank you for reading! I trust this guide will enhance your understanding of the game and help you create a more impressive achievement showcase.

Oh, and it’s worth using a mouse that doesn’t double-click. Trust me, it’s far more effort than it’s worth to unexpectedly fall because the only hand holding on decides to let go.