If you're wandering around the various forested areas between towns in between the main quests Echoes of AincradYou will surely notice strange markers on your map that show not only the oddity known as a ship, but also many seals of different types.
Going to these marked locations on your Echoes of Aincrad map will lead you to mini-boss battles against enemies that are relatively difficult for the area you're in, but choosing to visit, fight, and defeat these arch bosses in Echoes of Aincrad will lead you to hidden passages, sweet rewards, and more.
Arcs are optional mini-boss fights
There's already plenty to see, do, and venture into on your map in Echoes of Aincrad after you've unlocked a safe zone for each quest segment and a detailed view of that segment, but if you're looking for some extra combat experience, there's a marker to watch out for. Purple pedestal icons. There will usually be at least one in each major area of the game.
It points you in the direction of the arcs, which is Powerful enemies you can choose to fight As you venture between areas in the main quest. When you go to that location on the map, you'll see the pedestal itself sticking out of the ground, and you can choose to interact with it. Unlock Chest to start the battle as soon as you are ready.
When an arc battle begins in Echoes of Aincrad, you can expect to face off against one A stronger version of the enemy in the areaWhich usually will very big And capable of all sorts of extra combat features. Just like regular boss fights, you'll see Health bar at the top of the screen This will give you an indication of how much HP the Ark boss has left, so come with your SP restored and your sword skills mastered, because you'll have to fight for it if you want any possible perks to beat Ark fighting.
Echoes of Aincrad can only be used by arch masters Situational attacks To their advantage, they usually will, unlike you and your teammates in this melee game and need to stop using consumables leaving you with limited movement or rapidly depleting HP. Call in enemy reinforcements To clutter the battlefield with regular-sized variants of the enemy you're fighting.
These little enemies, while not particularly difficult, are great at getting in the way and attacking you at inopportune times, especially if you're relying on heavy attacks that leave you vulnerable for a period while swinging your weapon.
As long as you're leveled up to the appropriate level for the area, though, and you're able to heal if necessary, then you'll probably be in pretty good shape. Fight Arks as you go through an area firstBecause they can unlock different features.
The benefits of fighting Arks in Echoes of Aincrad are numerous, including drops such as:
- A strong weaponEven if it doesn't seem like the enemy is actually using them. This way you'll get some of the best weapons in Echoes of Aincrad, whether it's with better base stats or a higher number of Ex-Mods. These weapons are great for synthesizing, because even if you don't plan on using them, you can assign their pre-mods to your weapon of choice!
- Coal, ore, and various crafting materialsWhen you defeat regular size enemies of that version. For example, if you fight an arc that normally drops an iron segment, you'll usually get a few iron segments for defeating the arc version.
- Access to seals To provide some kind of additional benefit, about which we will give more information below.
Not only are the tangible benefits enough to opt in to fight some arch bosses in Echoes of Aincrad, but they also provide value. Combat experience between main story segmentsPotentially allowing you to close the experience gap before taking real ownership of the field.
Each area of the map has a recommended level, and enemies will scale with you, so it's a great way to grind out experience and growth points if you don't feel ready for the next big battle.
Critically, your partners come into Ark battles with you in Echoes of Aincrad, so make sure you know how to use them before you start the alternate boss battles you find in Arks. It's a decent way to level up partners you wouldn't normally use, as your partners gain experience relative to you, and you'll earn yourself a lot of loot in addition to the bulk of combat experience and weapon expertise you'll get for spending effort.
Each arc clears a corresponding seal
After you've collected all of your rewards that actually drop for defeating the arch boss, if you look at your map again when the game opens it up for you, you'll see one. Red seal icon A place not too far from the purple arc icon.
Any time you defeat a chest in Echoes of Aincrad, you'll see a brief scene. Removing the sealWhich is your cue to go to the seal icon to see what kind of profit you've made for your troubles.
Sometimes, the seals will be a barricade Hides a treasure chestEven if you already see that chest marked on your map when you access the safe zone. These are the most obvious seal treasures, as they are not far from the arch, and you will often be able to see the bright red barricade of seals. from Where you actually fight the arch boss.
If it's not a precious extra bit of loot, it's often how you will Unlock crafting blueprints To use back at the smithy when you return to the next major city. There are few weapons available to you as you progress through the main quest, but as Iori tells you in the prologue to Echoes of Aincrad, better weapons and stronger armor are often found as accessories in quests.
If you don't have gear that works for the area you're heading to, you can always opt to head out to fight some of the Ark bosses in Echoes of Aincrad to see what kind of blueprints your efforts unlock.
Other times, though, you can Unlock shortcuts through the map When you come back, potentially expanding what appears to be the end on your map and allowing you and your partner of choice a much faster route through the area later. Each floor in Echoes of Aincrad has a decent amount of backtracking, so it's not a bad idea to spend some extra time making shortcuts for yourself later on.
You can also unlock Access to “remote areas”. Of the map, those places that seem to be connected to nowhere else. Defeat the Ark boss and dispel the seal and make your way to this new area, where you can find rare resources, extra treasure chests and more.
