Jul 17, 2025

Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson Walkthrough Part 2

Muhit Rahman

Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.

Welcome to Part 2 of our walkthrough for Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson. This section picks up right after the boss fight against SMR Larry at Dropdee Overlook. From here, you’ll encounter new enemies, unlock two powerful new instruments, and take on another tough boss fight near the end.

For more information about Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson beyond this guide, check out the official website here.

Arriving at Dropdee Beach
Exploring the Beach
Timbre Faults
Zolio’s Camp
How to Solve the Puzzle at Zolio’s Camp
Timbre Cove
Xylomander Boss Battle
Sandman Ruins and A New Instrument

Arriving at Dropdee Beach

After defeating SMR Larry, you’ll receive a phone call from Doctor Strum. During the call, SMR Larry manages to escape, but not before dropping the Z Boost Pedal. Continue onwards to reach the Dropdee Beach.

You’ll be treated to a cutscene featuring Rick Riffson and his SMR Profitmancers. Once it ends, you’ll find yourself at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach.

At the bottom of the stairs, Doctor Strum will be waiting. Speak with him to trigger another short dialogue, at the end of which he’ll hand over a powerful new Instrument, the Synthesizer. Your next objective is to secure a boat that can take you to the Festival Grounds.

Exploring the Beach

After talking with Doctor Strum, turn around and loot the supply chest just under the stairs to pick up a Health Potion. Nearby, you’ll find a Mod Shop with a fresh selection of instrument Mods and a Mod Bench where you can install any new upgrades.

When you’re ready, head onto the pier and go to the bottom-right corner to find Dewey. He’s got a new stock of Riffs available, so be sure to check them out.

There’s also a Dock Worker nearby, repairing a hole in the pier. Just beyond it, you can see a Riff Statue waiting to be claimed. Speak to the Dock Worker, and he’ll ask for 900 Gold Picks to speed up repairs. If you’ve got funds to spare, this is worth the investment. You’ll unlock three new Acoustic Riffs to add to your collection.

A group of NPCs who are also participating in the Battle of the Bands will be hanging out on the pier. Talk to them for some additional story bits, but they don’t offer anything else at this point. Just ahead, you’ll spot Nurse Harmony, who can heal you to full if you’re running low. Nearby is Geologist Tito, and note the staircase leading up on the right.

From Tito’s location, keep heading left to slip underneath the Potion Seller Shop to reach another hidden Supply Chest containing a Crescendo Potion.

Get back on the pier and continue west to find the Shrimp Machine. You can spot a pedal inside it. Talk to Zupert, the NPC standing beside it, to learn that the machine only accepts Ancient Coins, which you don’t have yet

But talking to Zupert, the NPC standing next to it, you’ll learn that the Shrimp Machine requires Ancient Coins, which you don’t have yet. He’ll also mention Zolio, a treasure hunter who might have some Ancient Coins. There’s also a Potion Seller shop on the left that you can check out if you need to restock.

Get on the large boat docked nearby to trigger a dialogue with the captain. He explains that before he can set sail, the surrounding smog needs to be cleared. He’ll also grant you access to the Lift, which leads to your next destination.

Before stepping off the boat, take the stairs leading down to find another hidden Supply Chest. This one contains 200 Gold Picks. A few more NPCs are scattered near the bottom of the pier if you want to chat before moving on.

Once you’re done exploring, go back to Geologist Tito and take the stairs on his right to reach the Lift. This’ll take you to Timbre Faults.

Timbre Faults

After arriving, head north and go under the crane to find a Supply Chest holding 200 Gold Picks.

Follow the main path to spot a Merchant selling upgrade materials. Just ahead, you’ll spot some Stray Volts that you can loot.

Keep moving forward, and you’ll trigger a cutscene involving a group of Fishermen. They’ll fill you in on the beasts and monsters that have started to infest the mountains. There’s a Mod Bench nearby if you want to make any changes before moving on.

Head southwest from the Fishermen to encounter a new enemy type called Xylomander Baby. There’s a path that leads upwards to a Supply Chest. But there will be two Xylomander Eggs that’ll hatch as soon as you get near. So be ready for a fight.

Once the enemies are dealt with, loot the chest to grab 200 Gold Picks and the Bulwark Generator Mod for your Synth.

Get back on the main road and continue forward. Loot the tree trunk for some Fretboard Oil and cross the wooden bridge.

Continue north to find the first puzzle piece in Timbre Faults. You’ll see a stone block resting on a xylophone track, along with a small hand statue. Go to the left side of the stone block and interact with it to push it across the track. It’ll land on a pressure switch, and a short cutscene will show a giant hand statue emerging from the nearby lake. To complete this puzzle, you’ll need to find and activate more switches like this one using similar stone blocks.

Keep heading north to run into a Cut-Time, a large crab-like monster with a big health pool. It can turn invulnerable and apply various debuffs during the fight, so take your time and play it safe.

Cross the wooden bridge and loot the tree trunk for some Slap Stone. Continue heading north to get to the next section of the map.

As soon as you enter, look to your right to grab a few more Stray Volts. To your left, there’s a wooden bridge, but before crossing it, follow the path up north toward the waterfall.

You can walk behind the waterfall to reach a Riff Statue. Just like before, two Xylomander Eggs will hatch as you get close, so be prepared for a fight. Once you’ve cleared the area, claim three new Riffs for your Bass and return to the wooden bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, you’ll face two more Xylomander Babies. Loot the tree trunk on the west for some Fretboard Oil and take the bridge on the south.

This area contains the second piece of the hand puzzle. To solve it, hit the stone block on the bottom first. This will activate a blocker. Then hit the stone block on the left to activate the pressure switch. After that’s done, continue south to reach the next section.

You’ll come across two paths: one heading east, the other west. Start by taking the eastern path.

Here, you’ll encounter a new enemy called the Demon Goat. You’ll want to be extra careful with these enemies as they get a massive damage boost when their health drops below 50 HP. After defeating the monster, loot the Supply Chest for a Crescendo Potion.

Double back and take the western path next. You’ll meet Biologist Mario, who seems oddly fascinated by the Xylomander Babies. Speak with her for some extra dialogue, then check the Supply Chest nearby to collect a Shield Potion.

Continue heading west, and you’ll run into another group of enemies. This time, it’s a Demon Goat paired with two Xylomander Babies. After the fight, move just a bit north to pick up the next bundle of Stray Volts.

Keep following the road west and you’ll eventually reach a lift. Take it down to arrive at Zolio’s Camp.

Zolio’s Camp

Arriving at the camp, you’ll meet Zolio, an eccentric treasure hunter who has a quest for you. A creature resembling a xylophone ran off with his Sound Blaster, and he needs your help retrieving it.

But before you move on from the camp, there are a few things you can pick up around the place.

First, head directly south and you’ll find a supply chest around a rock on the beach. It contains a Health Potion. There’s a Mod bench on the west. There’s also a puzzle that you can solve in the camp for a unique reward.

You’ll find a trumpet lying on the sand next to the campfire near the supply camp. You’ll also notice several colored stone blocks scattered around the camp.

How to Solve the Puzzle at Zolio’s Camp

When you interact with the trumpet, it’ll play music and turn into different shades of color. The exact sequence is blue, red, purple, and green.

To solve the puzzle, run around the camp and interact with the stone blocks in that same order. If you get the sequence right, the trumpet will disappear, leaving behind the Trumpet Crab Trophy.

It’s a decorative item you can place in your house in Harmony Heights. Once you’ve wrapped up everything at the camp, continue heading west to move forward with your quest.

Timbre Cove

You’ll see two Cut-Time monsters roaming the beach. But they don’t aggro until you get close. If you want to avoid fighting them, stick to the upper side of the cove.

To your north, there’s a Supply Chest guarded by three Xylomander Eggs. You can avoid fighting completely if you don’t get the chest. But since it contains the Jazz Pickup Mod for your Bass, it’s worth the hassle.

Take the Lift on the west to get to the other side of the Timbre Faults.

There’s a Supply Chest containing a Shield Potion up a set of stairs. You’ll also see a Mod Bench. Use it to make any final adjustments, as you’ll now be heading into a major boss fight.

Xylomander Boss Battle

The Xylomander is a full-grown version of the enemies you’ve encountered earlier, and it packs a serious punch. This is a high-damage boss fight, so you’ll want to end it as quickly as possible.

You’re free to use any instrument you prefer here. The strategy will vary slightly depending on your loadout, but the core of the fight remains the same. As always, Crescendo will be your best tool for burst damage, so make sure you have at least one or two Crescendo Potions in your inventory before you begin.

From the start, play aggressively and try to shave off chunks of the boss’s health right away. When you notice the Xylomander charging its tail, you’ll have to think a bit about defense. From the next turn onwards, the boss will deal extra damage with its attacks.

Partway through the fight, the Xylomander will summon two Xylomander Eggs. These hatch after two turns, so try to eliminate them quickly before they turn into more trouble. In addition to its raw damage output, the boss can inflict several debuffs, including Compression and Delay.

Stay on the offensive, build up your Crescendo meter quickly, and keep your rhythm tight. Make sure you use your potions smartly, and the boss should go down in no time.

Once the boss is defeated, you can just walk up and collect the Sound Blaster. You’ll also see a Xylomander Egg nearby. Interact with it to collect the Blue Mood Pedal.

Sandman Ruins and A New Instrument

With the Sound Blaster safely in your hands, return to Zolio’s Camp. Once there, a cutscene will trigger, and Zolio will open the path to Sandman Ruins.

Inside, Zolio will talk a bit and then ask you to search the cave for a reward. Head up and you’ll find the Instrument, Eight String.

The cave will collapse at this point, and you’ll be back out at Zolio’s Camp. Zolio will turn into a Merchant who sells several important items. However, you’ll need to buy them with different junk materials you find while fighting enemies.

If you have 3 Condensed Fog in your inventory, then you can buy the Ancient Coin. Take it back to the Shrimp Machine at Dropdee Beach to unlock the Orange Crush Pedal.

That concludes part 2 of the Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson walkthrough. You can find the walkthrough for part 3 along with the rest of the parts in our walkthrough hub for the game.

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Muhit Rahman