The entire development team is honored to finally bring Echoes of Aincrad to all of you.

Echoes of Aincrad is an Action RPG that progresses through a quest-based structure. As you complete quests, new areas are unlocked and the story advances.

While this title is not an open-world game or a high-difficulty action RPG built around repeated retries, it is an Action RPG that offers both the excitement of exploring expansive maps and engaging in challenging combat.

With that in mind, we'd like to share some tips and recommendations to help you enjoy the game even more.

1.Exploring and Unlocking New Areas

In Echoes of Aincrad, players are expected to explore and conquer previously undiscovered regions themselves.

Until a Safety Area or Warp Terminal has been activated, detailed map information for that region will not be available.

By discovering and activating a Safety Area or Warp Terminal in an unexplored region, the map for that area will become visible, revealing various points of interest such as treasure chests and Arks.

How should you reach your destination?

Why not enjoy your adventure by studying the environment around you and checking your position on the map as you progress?

*Tip: Placing a pin on the map can make it easier to reach your objective.

"The map becomes visible once you activate a Safety Area."

Although accessible areas are limited depending on the quest, the structure of the First Floor also connects to the massive tower known as the Labyrinth, visible in the distance. Along the way, you'll encounter treasure chests, sealed objects known as Arks, and gimmicks that can only be overcome using specific items.

Advancing the story is important, but why not take the time to appreciate the scenery of Aincrad as well?

As the story progresses, you'll encounter maps with increasingly complex layouts. Use pins as markers and chart your way through them.

Sometimes it's worth looking down on the field from above and carefully observing how to reach your destination.

2. About Weapons

In Echoes of Aincrad, you can create your own unique build by combining various weapon effects known as EX-MODs.

Use enhancement and synthesis systems to forge weapons tailored to your playstyle.

Weapons obtained from enemy drops come with various attributes, but it's recommended to strengthen them before taking them into battle

The enhancement limit for weapons increases as you progress through the story.

Since dropped weapons start with low enhancement levels, if you find a weapon you'd like to use, we recommend first enhancing it at the blacksmith and properly configuring its EX-MODs before taking it into combat.

Even a higher-class weapon may be weaker than a lower-class weapon if it has not been upgraded.

Note: During the early stages of the game, performance differences between weapons are relatively small. However, because dropped weapons are unenhanced, progression will become increasingly difficult as enemy levels rise. Enhance and synthesize your equipment at the blacksmith to maximize its potential.

3. Differences in Gameplay Experience by Difficulty

Echoes of Aincrad offers multiple difficulty settings designed to accommodate a wide range of players.

1. Story

A difficulty setting for players who want to enjoy the story even if they are not comfortable with action games. By allocating stat points through leveling up and performing some weapon enhancement, you can defeat enemies with ease without having to worry much about dodging or guarding, allowing you to progress through the game without extensive detours.

2. Normal

Recommended for players who want a balanced experience of both story and action gameplay. With reasonable stat allocation and weapon enhancement, quests can be cleared smoothly without requiring significant extra preparation.

3. Hard

Designed for players who are confident in their action skills. Success requires making good use of dodges and guards, along with proper stat allocation and weapon enhancement as you level up.

4. Very Hard

Recommended for players who are highly confident in their action skills and have become familiar with the game's systems. This difficulty requires building your character appropriately for each quest level and making full use of items, dodging, guarding, and various gameplay mechanics. Expect to challenge encounters repeatedly before achieving victory. (Recommended for players who enjoy high-difficulty action RPGs.)

Which Difficulty Should You Choose?

If you want a more casual experience, choose Story or Normal mode.

If you've played the demo and would like battles with a bit more challenge, choose Hard mode.

If you enjoy overcoming difficult encounters through repeated attempts and want intense, thrilling battles, choose Very Hard mode.

For Hard difficulty and above, we recommend preparing thoroughly before taking on challenges.

If you find the demo version too easy, we recommend trying Very Hard mode. However, you should ultimately select the difficulty that best suits your preferred playstyle.

Note: Difficulty can be changed at any time outside of quests via Settings in the main menu.

4. Giving Commands to Your Partner

In Echoes of Aincrad, you can issue two different types of commands to the partner accompanying you on quests.

Switch Mode causes your partner to attack the enemy that the player is currently locked onto, taking turns attacking with the player.

In Switch Mode, whenever either the player or the partner performs a dodge after attacking, the initiative shifts to the other character. The player always has the first opportunity to attack the locked-on enemy, though the partner may occasionally attack nearby enemies that the player is not targeting.

This mode is useful when:

• You want to split an enemy's aggression between yourself and your partner.

• You do not want your partner to attack until you engage first.

• You want a more controlled battle pace.

In addition, Switch Mode restores a partner's Concentration, which may have been depleted while fighting in Free Mode, improving their chances of successfully dodging and guarding.

Free Mode prioritizes attacking enemies that the player is not locked onto.

This mode is particularly effective when:

• You are surrounded by multiple enemies and want to eliminate them one by one.

• You and your partner want to engage different targets simultaneously.

• You want your partner to attack more aggressively.

While your partner attacks more frequently in Free Mode, prolonged use will gradually tire them out. As their Concentration decreases, their success rate when dodging and guarding will also decline.

Switch Mode allows your partner to attack after you perform an evasive action.

When Switch Mode is ready, you'll see "Switch Standby" displayed as an indicator below your partner's name. Try to use it at the right moment!

Here are some tips for managing your partners:

Regarding "Switch Mode":

If you feel your partner isn't attacking frequently enough in "Switch Mode," performing a step or roll while attacking an enemy will activate a "Switch," directing your partner to focus on the same enemy as you.

Regarding "Free Mode":

If you find your partner targeting unintended enemies in "Free Mode," try this: defeat all other enemies your partner is currently engaging. When only one enemy remains nearby, your partner will shift their focus to attack the same enemy as you.

By adapting your partner's instructions in real-time to suit the battle situation, you can often gain an advantage against tough enemies.

5. Making the Most of Items

In Echoes of Aincrad, items are often essential when exploring large quest areas.

Using a variety of items—especially Healing Crystals, whose uses are replenished at Safety Areas—can greatly assist you on your adventure.

From the early stages of the game, purchasing and actively using consumable items from item shops can help you become familiar with their functions and controls, making your journey much smoother.

By enabling Button Guide Display in the Settings menu, it becomes easier to see which buttons are used for item activation.

Items equipped in your Item Pouch can be swapped by pressing and holding the corresponding button.

Forgotten anything? Organizing your inventory before each quest is one of the keys to success.

About Unreachable Areas (High Places and Deep Water)

As you explore and map quest areas in Echoes of Aincrad, new regions become available and you gain access to more locations.

However, attempting to reach areas by traversing extremely high locations or deep-water terrain in ways not normally intended by the game may result in unintended behavior. Please exercise caution when exploring such areas.

If you become stuck in the terrain, you can open the main menu and navigate to:

Settings → Gameplay Settings → Force Relocation

This option will move your character to a safe location.

7. Helpful Features

Here are some useful features that can make your adventure in Echoes of Aincrad even smoother.

Return to Checkpoint

If you'd like to return to a Safety Area or another previously visited location while out on a field quest, you can use Return to Checkpoint from the map menu to fast travel back.

Note: This feature cannot be used during dungeon quests.

Leave a Quest and Return to Town

By accessing a Safety Area or Warp Terminal and selecting Transfer, you can open the map and choose Return to Town to suspend your current quest.

Any items and Col you have obtained up to that point will be retained, making this a useful option when:

• You're running low on supplies.

• You want to change your equipment.

• You'd like to prepare before continuing the quest.

Warp Travel Within Town

While in town, you can use warp commands to fast travel directly to the following locations:

• Main Terminal

• Smithy

• Item Shop

• Chest

This allows you to move around town quickly and efficiently.

Refill Consumable Items All at Once

By accessing the Main Terminal and opening the Start Quest screen, you can automatically restock your consumable items

This feature refills consumable items in your Item Pouch using matching items stored in your Chest, up to the maximum carrying capacity of the pouch.

If there are empty slots in your Item Pouch, recovery consumables will also be replenished automatically.

Note: Items can only be restocked if copies of those items are stored in your Chest. If none are available in storage, they will not be replenished.

8. Key Configuration, Camera Settings, and Other Gameplay Options

You can adjust a variety of settings to better suit your preferred playstyle.

Key Configuration

In Echoes of Aincrad, control bindings can be changed freely at any time.

To customize your controls, open the Settings menu:

• For controllers: Control Settings → Button Configuration

• For keyboard and mouse: Keyboard/Mouse Settings → Key Configuration

Take some time to find a control layout that feels comfortable for you.

Camera Distance During Quests

If you'd like a more immersive Aincrad experience, you can adjust the camera distance from the Gameplay Settings menu.

Setting the camera distance to Very Close or Close provides a more dynamic and impactful view of combat and exploration.

On the other hand, if you'd prefer a wider field of view to better track enemies and battlefield situations, setting the camera distance to Medium or Far can make combat easier to manage.

Other Gameplay Settings

The Settings menu also includes a variety of other options that can improve your experience, such as:

• Showing or hiding button guides

• Adjusting visual presentation settings

• Enabling or disabling automatic camera tracking

• Rotating or fixing the minimap orientation

• Various other gameplay-related options

We recommend reviewing these settings when you first start the game and customizing them to match your preferences.

9. Checking Your PC Environment

While the recommended system specifications are listed on the official website and store pages, actual performance may vary depending on your PC environment, background applications, and other system settings. Please keep this in mind when playing.

In addition, an SSD is required to play the game. Please make sure that the game is installed on an SSD before launching it.

For detailed system requirements, please refer to the official website or the store page. LINK

10. Final Notes

Additional gameplay features and explanations can be found in the Tutorial section of the Main Menu. If you are ever unsure about a game mechanic or feature, we encourage you to make use of this resource.

We hope you enjoy your adventure through Aincrad.

 - Echoes of Aincrad Development Team