6. The Island of Creation

The Temple of Lahkesis

Kratos will start this level attached to the same rough portion of the wall
that he landed on during the prior cutscene. Scale the rough portion of the
wall, transitioning Kratos appropriately while climbing, and climb up to the
walkway above. Walk over to the right side and find the --2 UNMARKED CHESTS--
in the hidden alcove. The right chest contains a ++PHOENIX FEATHER (4/?)++.
Walk to the other side of walkway and you'll find a save point along with a
ladder.

Climb up the ladder then keep moving up so Kratos will hang from the wall.
Climb over to the broken portion of the outer section up above and pull
yourself up. Guardians of the temple will attack as you pull up. They fight
basically the same as the Sentries though they can take more punishment.
Defeat them and jump to the ladder on the right side and climb to the floor
above.

Several new Cerberus Hound enemies will attack on the next floor. Press O
button to kick them into each other and eventually break their neck. Kicking
them around is incredibly entertaining and Kratos is invincible during the full
animation so they can't damage you during the kick. They'll quickly crowd
around if you attack with normal hits. There's a --GREEN CHEST-- on the left
side of this area and --2 RED CHESTS-- on the right side.

Jump and attack the hanging bodies up above to collect some extra red orbs.
Make sure to destroy the big vases in the back for some more red orbs. The
middle body next to the vases has not decomposed yet and will plummet to the
ground instead of shattering. This body will be used in a puzzle in just a
moment, so grab it with the R1 button and take the body over to the lift on the
left side and drop it on the lift. Pull the switch to descend to the floor
below.

Notice the pressure switch to the side? Pick up the dead body that you got
from above and place it on the pressure switch. This will open the first gate
in the middle. Now, walk over to the handle against the wall and pull it back
to open the second gate in the back of the corridor. Let go of the handle once
you've pulled it all the way back then quickly run to the back of the hall and
move through the doorway before the gate closes again.

Walk over to the bridge off to the left in the courtyard area and press R1 to
kick it down. A cutscene will play as you step out onto the bridge. When the
cutscene ends, walk around the right side of the doorway and open the
--UNMARKED CHEST-- to receive a ++GORGON EYE (6/?)++. This should extend
Kratos' life gauge if you've been collecting them all so far. Walk around the
other (left) side of the doorway and move quickly as the concrete starts to
crumble then jump as it falls from under Kratos to make it to the other side.
Leap over the railing on the far left side then fall to the floor below.

The Garden of Lahkesis

BOSS: CERBERUS

Attacks:

Claw: Cerberus leans back his right paw and strikes at Kratos.
How to avoid: Block or roll to the side.

Headbutt: Cerberus quickly runs then headbutts Kratos with all three heads.
How to avoid: Block or roll to the side.

Fireball: Cerberus stands on its back paws and breathes one or three fireballs.
How to avoid: Roll to the side.

Pounce: Cerberus will slightly charge his claw attack then pounce if the paw
hits Kratos.
How to avoid: Block or roll to the side. Shake the left analog from left to
right to escape the pounce if it connects.

Cerberus Hounds will attack constantly during this battle and you can still
kick them around and enjoy invincibility, and they do take quite a bit from the
Cerberus, so you may want to try kicking some. He will stay right up on you as
your kick ends so be ready for his attacks. Keep in mind that all of Cerberus'
attacks are blockable except for his fireballs. Use [] attacks and focus
directly on Cerberus. You could easily use Rage of the Titans and lay the
smackdown on this boss easily since he coughs up yellow orbs after each button
tap sequence.

The main attack that you need to watch out for is his headbutt since the attack
is so instant. Roll to the side whenever you see him preparing any of his
other attacks and try to roll away every now and then just in case he is about
to bite. The Hounds aren't that much a problem during this battle since you'll
have to constantly roll anyway, so they never get much of a chance to attack.
If Cerberus every jump on Kratos then wiggle the left analog to the right and
left to kick him off.

When the icon appears each time, press the button to start an Action Sequence
to finish off one of the three heads.

1. Kratos punches Cerberus and >>PULLS<< on its right head then tears it
   off.
2. Kratos punches Cerberus then stabs the left head right before he
   >>PULLS<< and tears it off.
3. 3) Kratos stabs the middle head then breaks its neck. (no button taps for
   this one)

Use the --GREEN CHEST-- and the --BLUE CHEST-- on the left side of the garden
to replenish yourself. Walk over to the statues against the right side of the
wall and destroy them for some red orbs. Breaking the second statue from the
back will make a stone block fall. Push the stone block over to the high
platform that the Cerberus jumped down from then jump up to it. Open the --RED
CHEST-- then defeat the Hounds that attack. Make use of the save point as
well.

Walk over to the narrow section that leads to the outside walkway. Climb down
(or slide down) the broken section of the wall. Move down the walkway at the
bottom and find the --GREEN CHEST-- and --RED CHEST-- surrounding the ladder at
the bottom area. Climb the ladder and attach yourself to the ceiling and climb
across the gap. Sentries will appear and attack while you move across the top
of the ceiling. Break the shiny concrete piece in the way and keep moving
ahead. More Sentries will appear up ahead. Keep following the untiled section
of the ceiling and transition to the wall up above then pull yourself up to the
platform above.

Kick around the Hounds at the top and try to carry the fight so that Kratos is
behind the concrete block by the railing so the arrows from the Archers in the
background cannot hit him. Once all the Hounds are defeated, step out from
around the side of the block and use Typhon's Bane to quickly shoot the Archers
on the back walkway. Walk over to the section of the wall near the left garden
section and jump across to the walkway where the Archers were. Hop up to the
next platform and open the --REPLENISHER CHEST-- if needed.

Several Sentries and a few Archers will appear as you make your way to the lift
in the back. Activate Rage of the Titans if they start to overwhelm you. Run
over to the lift and pull the switch to ride down deeper into the building.
Get off the lift and walk into the center of the room.

BOSS: SIRENS

Attacks:

Claw Combo: The Siren's claws glow blue then it lunges toward Kratos and
performs a scratching combo. The number of hits vary.
How to Avoid: Block or roll. This move can be easily deflected with little
effort in timing because of how fast it is.

Siren's Song: The Siren's head emits a bluish glow while it leans its head back
and unleashes a shriek that stuns its foe.
How to Avoid: Get far enough away to where the shriek is ineffective. This can
be avoided by rolling with precise timing as well.

A Siren will appear near the mural on the side of the room. Three more will
appear once the first is defeated. These enemies are much like Gorgons in the
way that they move. They constantly attack after their dodges while avoiding
your attacks so be ready to roll away or block. All of their attacks can be
guarded, but be sure to prepare for their shriek. When they yell, it will
cause Kratos to lose control of himself and you will need to shake the analog
from left to right in order to break free from the effects of their song.

Use the Plume of Prometheus attack ([], [], /\) to quickly launch them into the
air then juggle them with attacks and hit them while they are on the ground.
They won't last long if you knock them down. Use Typhon's Bane often to weaken
them quickly while moving around as well. They release blue orbs once defeated
so magic power is not an issue. Rage of the Titans works well as usual. When
the icon appears above them, finish them off with a backbreaker to make them
scream and break the mural to the left side of the room. Even though several
of them appear, only three need to be killed to break the mural. They keep
appearing until the mural is broken.

Replenish your life with the --GREEN CHEST-- in the room if needed. Before
leaving the room, walk over to the right side with the giant chain then jump to
one of the small platforms on the side of the chain. Jump on top of the chain
and run all the way to the top of it. Jump and grab the ceiling then climb
over the --2 UNMARKED CHESTS-- on the platform across from you. Break the
smaller chain that blocks the way to the chests. The left chest contains a
++GORGON EYE (7/?)++. Fall back to the bottom and walk through the doorway
where the mural used to be.

Gaia will tell the tale behind the steeds in the background up ahead as you
walk down the corridor. Open the --BLUE CHEST-- if needed then save your game
at the save point. Run across the very long chain to reach the Steeds of Time
in the background.