Echoes of Aincrad is a single-player game where you’re one of the many players stuck permanently in the game, and the only way to escape from here is to go through the 100 floors and defeat the boss at the top of the tower. However, the threat of dying in real life whenever you die in the game has caused much chaos among the players inside Aincrad, and you’ll have to find a way to survive while guarding your back against enemies and fellow players.
For more information about the game, please visit its official Steam page here.
Table of contents
On The Way To Tolbana
After enhancing the Annealed Blade with the Tempered Steel, you’ll have to head for Tolbana. Make your preparations, and once you’re done, head to the main terminal.
Tolbana is to the north of Horunka. Start from the Horunka warp point, and follow the paths to reach the marked location.
As you keep moving north, you’ll have to rest at the warp points to unlock the maps for each section of the map. You can easily get lost here, so unlocking the map really helps.
Once you’ve finally reached Tolbana, interact with the resting point there to complete the quest.
Diavel’s Plan
After arriving in Tolbana, you’ll have to head to the amphitheater. Here, you’ll find Diavel, alongside many other players who are willing to help you out in escaping Aincrad.
Diavel’s plan revolves around raiding the bosses, one floor at a time. However, during the cutscene, it becomes clear that there is a lot of hostility towards the beta testers, like you and Iori.
For now, Diavel plans to raid the boss of the first floor with a ton of players. The boss is Illfang, the Kobold Lord; it’s the one you’ve already faced in the High Elven Ruins during the prologue.
After the meeting, a young swordsman named Zash will join your party and become one of your friends. The next step is to make preparations and leave for the Labyrinth.
Heading For The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth is located to the north of Tolbana. Getting there can be tricky. There are also many strong enemies in the way.
Furthermore, this is also a good place to level up. The ton of elite enemies will help you grow stronger as you slowly make your way towards the Labyrinth.
When you finally reach the marked location, you’ll find a Large Nephetes here. This is an exceptionally strong boss. It has three phases.
Every time you deplete its HP, you’ll get the option to cut the plant in half using a heavy attack. However, the plant will immediately regenerate with full HP.
The boss grows more intense in each phase. Even though you have Iori and Zash helping you out, this boss can still be quite challenging to beat.
Once you’ve defeated the boss, make your way straight ahead. You’ll enter the Labyrinth. Go up the stairs and towards the first resting point.
Sudden Call For Help
After you interact with the resting point in the Labyrinth, you’ll receive a message from Saayu. She’s waiting for you urgently at the inn in the Town of Beginnings.
The party will then automatically arrive in the Town of Beginnings. Zash parts ways with you here for the time being. Head to the inn in the town and find Saayu there.
After you meet with Saayu, she’ll tell you that the players are after her and Clark because they’re both beta testers. She’ll also tell you that Clark is currently looking for a better place to hide.
Once the conversation is done, you’ll have to return to the Labyrinth to take part in the raid.
The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth is a dungeon area, so its sections are randomized. You’ll find a ton of elite enemies here. You have to look for pathways blocked by some black material, as that is what connects the two sections together.
Strike these black walls with your sword, and the path to the next section will open up.
Note that you start in the Bottom Chamber in this dungeon. The raid party is somewhere above. Keep progressing through the dungeon.
You’ll encounter the Kobold Champion boss just before the resting point. There will be another tricky dungeon section ahead.
Keep making your way forward. As you progress ahead, you’ll find the next resting spot. The Raid Party will just be ahead.
When you get there, Diavel and his group are just entering the boss chamber. Here, you have to play the role of support. Diavel and his party would be fighting Illfang on the front lines, while you’ll have to fend off the adds.
The Raid
As the boss battle begins, you will not be able to approach Illfang. Your job here is to defeat the smaller Kobold enemies that spawn during the battle.
The boss’s HP will deplete over time while Diavel and his forces fight against it. You have to hold your own until its HP reaches 0.
Once that happens, Phase 1 will be over the boss will fill its HP bar to the max. Your job doesn’t change, as you’ll have to keep fighting against the other Kobold enemies.
After the boss’s HP is completely depleted in the second phase, it will be defeated for good. However, a cutscene will trigger. It will be revealed that a player is accusing Kirito of not saving Diavel.
After the cutscene, you’ll have to leave the boss arena. After you’re out, the Labyrinth quest will be completed, and another cutscene will trigger.
The party will return to the Town of Beginnings. You’ll have to head to the inn then. As you head for the inn, there will be a small earthquake, and you and Iori will experience a dream or vision.
You’ll then be teleported into a dark place. There will be some exceptionally strong enemies here, and you won’t be able to defeat them. Just rush towards the light at the other end of the area while trying your best to survive.
When you reach the light, both you and Iori will return to Aincrad. Both of you will receive the new quest called the Swordsman of Salvation. The Antique Brooch you acquired in the past will be renamed to Sacred Tree Brooch.
Bad News
During the cutscene, you’ll receive a message from Saayu. She’ll tell you that Clark is dead. You’ll then have to head to the main terminal to leave for the Northeastern Hills to search for Saayu.
Once you accept the Grip of Despair quest, you’ll have the option to start the next quest from the Town of Beginnings or the resting point in the Plains of Departure, if you’ve activated it. It’s best to teleport to the Plains of Departure to save some time, as they’re closer to the quest objective.
Make your way to the marked location. Try to find the resting points for each section to unlock the map of the area. This will allow you to find your way better to the quest objective.
Once you reach the quest marker, you’ll have to engage in a boss battle against the Thorncrown Mountain Spirit.
This is a level 20 boss and has two phases. It’s best to remain close to the boss. You’ll be able to easily get to its back and deal considerable damage.
After defeating the boss, keep going straight on the path, and you’ll reach a cliff. You’ll find Saayu here, but she has lost her mind. She’ll be consumed by despair and jump.
Monument Of Life
After the cutscene, you’ll be back in the Town of Beginnings with Iori and Zash. Here, the party will decide to head for the Monument of Life to check if their friends are still alive in the game.
The Monument of Life is inside the building behind the main terminal in the Town of Beginnings. Once you get there, you’ll have to search for Saayu’s name.
Enter Saayu’s name in the monument, and you’ll get the answer. A cutscene will trigger where Iori and your character will agree to take on the Swordsman of Salvation quest.
When you head out of the building, you’ll find a crowd gathered nearby. A girl will be singing here. Once the cutscene is over, you’ll have to head to the inn and talk to Iori.
After you find Iori in the inn, the duo will decide to head for the second floor to search for Kirito.
This concludes Part 3 of the walkthrough for Echoes of Aincrad.
You can find more walkthroughs for the game on its main hub here. Feel free to check out the following walkthrough hubs as well:
- Into Indie Games Homepage
- The Alters: Last Variable Walkthrough Hub
- Palworld – Walkthrough Hub
- Moonlight Peaks Walkthrough Hub
- Treasure Beach – Complete Walkthrough Hub
Fahad Suleman is an avid fan of fighting games who spends most of his time writing walkthroughs and reviews for cozy indie titles or mashing around in Tekken. If he’s not writing or playing any games, you’ll often find him watching historical videos on YouTube for hours.
