Piton Basics

What is a Piton?

In Cairn, the game doesn't autosave your position on the wall. You save your position. A Piton is a metal spike you hammer into the rock. You clip your rope to it. If you fall, you fall only to your last Piton.

Mechanics

Placing a Piton

1. Find a crack or suitable rock surface.
2. Hold Up on D-Pad (or keybind) to enter Placement Mode.
3. The Mini-game:
   • You must strike the piton in rhythm/timing.
   • Success: Solid anchor.
   • Perfect: Reusable anchor (Climbot can remove it without breaking it).
   • Fail: The piton bends/breaks. It is lost.

Resting on a Piton ("Off Belay")

This is the most important secret in the game.

• When you are clipped to a piton, you can "Hang" or go "Off Belay".
• Action: Press interaction button on the piton.
• Effect: Aava's stamina regenerates to 100%, ignoring the "Pump" (grey bar) temporarily because she is resting on the harness, not her muscles.
• Inventory: You can open your full backpack only when secured to a piton/ledge.

Strategy: The "Safety Net"

The 15-Meter Rule

Place a piton every 15 meters. Why?

• Rope stretch means a 20m fall might still hit a ledge below.
• 15m is roughly the amount of climbing you can do on one stamina bar before needing a major shake-out.

Pre-Crux Placement

Always place a piton immediately before a hard section.

• Scenario: You see a large overhang.
• Action: Place piton. Regain full stamina. chalk up.
• Attempt: Try the move. If you fall, you fall 1 meter, not 50.

Resource Management

• Crafting: You can craft pitons at Bivouacs using "Scrap".
• Scavenging: Use your Climbot to find old pitons left by others.
• Retrieval: Generally, you leave pitons behind as you climb (Simul-climbing is not really a thing here). However, on short pitches, you might retrieve them if you downclimb. Correction: In Cairn, Climbot can often retrieve pitons below you if they were placed Perfectly.

Common Mistakes

• Placing on Ice: Standard pitons don't work on ice. You need Ice Screws.
• Placing in Panic: The mini-game is hard when stamina is flashing red. Place it before you are desperate.
• Hoarding: Ending the game with 20 pitons means you took unnecessary risks. Use them.