Underbridge Valley Walkthrough
Back at the courtyard where you defeated the Samurai General, head to the back of the area to find a broken bridge leading to the Ashina Castle. With the way impassible, look around for a tree branch to grapple to and drop down below the bridge, where you can find a Pellet – as well as a Crawling Gecko that will hop down from the underside of the bridge to try and spit poison at you.
Hop down another ledge to find the Underbridge Valley Sculptor’s Idol. As you continue to drop down more ledges, you’ll probably start to hear an ominous rumbling sound. Getting down to the bottom will have you jump across the valley’s gap to grapple to the other side, quickly take cover – because a Giant Serpent will appear to guard the path ahead.
He’ll alternate gazing at the patch of bushes on the other side of the valley, up at the tree branch above, and then move off to the other side to look the other way. When he does this, quickly grapple across the valley and jump down into the bushes to hide.
Wait until the Great Serpent comes back to inspect the bushes you’re hiding in, and as he moves off to check the other side of the valley, quickly run and jump under him to the platform leading to a small tunnel – and sprint inside before he slams upon the entrance. You aren’t done yet.
It may seem like he’s gone, but as you drop down from the tunnel to a lower platform, he’ll reappear farther back in the valley to hunt you once more. Quickly hug the large pillar nearby and watch as he gets closer.
He’ll start to slowly pass over the group of bushes on the far platform before coming your way, and taking a look around the area by the pillar. Keep hugging the wall and sidle left around the corner as he takes a look around, and finally pulls back to go look at the platform up above where the first patch of bushes were. When he pulls back to do this, quickly take a running leap past his body into the area with the bushes and hide yourself once more before he returns.
Once you duck into the bushes, he’ll reorient to gaze over the area, and then slither around blocking the path forward as he looks. Wait by his body as he circles around on both sides of the platform – when he rises back up, quickly dart to the far wall with a small ledge under some icy cliffs you can hug as you sidle below them.
As you reach the other end of the icy cliff, the Great Serpent will alternate between inspecting a long forgotten little tent-like object, and then gazing at the bushes below. Wait until he’s looking around in the bushes – and then dash into the Palanquin to hide.
Soon the Great Serpent will inspect your hiding space very closely. Too close. As he peers in with his eye, wait for the Deathblow marker to appear and stab him in his peeper, causing him to flail wildly about.
Make no mistake – he’s not dead, just very angry and disoriented. His body will thrash about and can deal major damage if he hits you, so quickly run past the Palanquin and run forward while looking for some tree branches to grapple to. The next branch will send you sailing into the air just as the Great Serpent starts to give chase – quickly grapple to the last branch at the cave entrance and run far, far inside. Once again the serpent will stick his head in as far as he can go – and still kill you if you don’t retreat far enough. After a bit of angry snapping, he’ll finally retreat and bother you no more in this part of the valley.
Be sure to return back down to the now empty clearing with the Palanquin to look on the ridge above where a large plant bears an item – Snap Seeds, then return to the cave and continue on.
Next up is: Ashina Castle Gate Fortress