Apr 1, 2026

Aether & Iron Walkthrough – Glass Birds in Glass Shoes

Mahmud Munazil Rahman

Enter the decopunk world of Aether & Iron—where aether-powered tech has lifted 1930s New York into the sky. You step into the shoes of smuggler Gia, navigating a city split by class, crime, and conspiracy. This walkthrough of Aether & Iron covers “Glass Birds in Glass Shoes”.

In “Glass Birds in Glass Shoes,” the story leans into that noir tension, where Mr Blanc of the Glass Cage asks you to escort a young woman, Nellie to the Lowers.

For more information on Aether & Iron, check out the official website here.

After the introductory cutscene, Gia will be inside The Glass Cage. This will kick off the quest “Glass Birds in Glass Shoes”.

The Glass Cage

Examine the floor, the glass bottle, the boozehound, the back exit and Mr. Morgan, the bartender.

The glass bottle will net you a Top Shelf Liquor to your key items.

Exhaust all your dialogue options with the bartender, Mr Morgan. There will be talent check here (and in almost every conversation), so your results may vary from mine.

Talent checks are your basic roleplaying dice rolls and they’re influenced by your crew’s stats. The difficulty of the roll is shown on the dialogue box and you gain XP for every successful check. Check through the Inventory tutorial for the crew and the vehicles when you have time.

Anyway, the goal is to have a meeting with Mr. Blanc. Morgan will let Mr. Blanc know that you are here, and a booth will open up. Talk to Mr. Blanc, notice that the mission requirement is to talk to him carefully.

Run through the options and checks needed. He will give you a mission to transport a girl to the Lowers (you can check the entry in your codex as well). Exhaust the options about the mission.

Once all the options are exhausted, accept the job. You will have the option to ask for higher pay via talent checks. Both Daredevil and Smooth Talker are both labelled easy, so roll for it. This will add 30$ more.

Head back to the Taxi Platform and you will meet the girl you are supposed to escort.

Taxi Platform

The girl’s name is Nellie. You will have a skill check to get rid of the other cabbies. Or you can buy them off with the Liquor you picked up at the Glass Cage.

I tried to do the Enforcer check and failed but it worked out anyway.

Exhaust all your options with Nellie, do the relevant talent checks as you see fit. Once that’s done, click on the Taxi Cab.

Once inside, continue the conversation with Nellie.

Regardless of which option you pick, it will lead to overworld travel. Pick Astoria Bay Ferry Terminal.

Survive the Ambush

A surprise encounter will take place on the route.

Go through the tutorial and move to the back, besides the black car.

You have three options for combat: if you are in front of the enemy car, you can rear-end them. Similarly, you can use the Gatling gun.

If you are beside the car, you can use the Shotgun. Simple enough, you should be done in 3 rounds.

At the terminal, you will need to get a new permit. Click on Gia’s car and step out. After a brief conversation with Nellie, she will run off to get candy.