Weapons and shields in Echoes of Aincrad: complete guide

No magic in Echoes of Aincrad. Every fight relies entirely on your mastery of weapons - and the game doesn't give you much time to fumble around. Better to know from the start what to invest your growth points in, because every point spent on the wrong attribute is attack power lost on the weapon you actually use.

The six weapon types and their attributes

Each weapon type is tied to one or two main attributes: Dexterity, Agility or Strength. These are the stats you raise with your growth points to improve your attack power and therefore your real combat effectiveness. Here's the full table:

Breakdown of each weapon

The one-handed sword is the ultimate all-rounder weapon. Decent damage, honest speed, shield-compatible. If you're looking for a risk-free starting point, this is the one to turn to.

The rapier plays a different game: long range for a fast weapon, the ability to chain hits and counter-attack right after. An Agility build focused on combos suits it perfectly - and it accepts a shield too.

The dagger is the choice for players who want to move fast, strike often, and vanish before the enemy can react. Damage per hit is low, but the attack rhythm makes up for it. Bonus: the blades can be thrown at range. Downside: no shield, and you need to stay glued to the enemy to be truly effective. A dagger build relies entirely on Agility and dodging - guaranteed fragility if you get hit.

The mace is the ultimate anti-guard weapon. Its attacks stun opponents, trigger Guard Breaks and knock enemies to the ground. Perfect against anything that abuses guarding and shields. It's also shield-compatible, making it one of the sturdiest weapons defensively.

The two-handed sword slows your character down but hits hard - very hard on charged attacks, with generous reach. The classic dodge disappears in favor of a roll, and say goodbye to the shield.

And the two-handed axe pushes even further in that direction: AoE, massive damage, speed reduced to a minimum. Ideal for clearing groups. Same constraints: roll only, no shield.

Using a shield with one-handed weapons

Sword, rapier and mace share a structural advantage: they free up the left hand for a shield. Both two-handed weapons are incapable of this by definition, and the dagger requires getting too close to the enemy for a shield to be useful in practice.

The tutorial teaches you the basics: the shield is mainly used to parry projectiles and well-timed incoming attacks. For heavier hits or ones whose timing is hard to read, dodging remains the fallback option. The official Bandai Namco guide notes that you can pull out the shield on the fly for faster attacks - at the cost of increased risk. It's a tactical choice, not a permanent constraint.

Unique Mods and Ex-Mods: what to check before choosing a weapon

Almost every weapon in the game has a Unique Mod - a special ability exclusive to that weapon. It could be an attack bonus on a specific type of hit, HP regeneration after combat, or something else useful. But be careful: some Unique Mods work against you. Extra weight, heavier stamina cost - you need to weigh the pros and cons before committing to a weapon.

Then come the Ex-Mods, finer secondary modifiers focused on stats. Up to four Ex-Mods per weapon. They cover pretty much everything: fixed attack bonus, XP gain from exploration or combat, SP and stamina recovery, resistance to status effects, boosting your own status effects... A real differentiator between two weapons of the same type.

Two important points about Ex-Mods:

• Crafted weapons generally don't have any by default. Enemy drops, on the other hand, are often equipped with them.
• You can visit a blacksmith (Smithy) and use the Synthesize menu to transfer Ex-Mods from one weapon to another - or even merge several weapons of the same type to concentrate the best Ex-Mods onto a single one.

Tip

Don't throw away a weapon just because its type doesn't suit you. If it has an interesting Ex-Mod, recover it through synthesis and transfer it to your main weapon. The Synthesize menu also lets you replace an existing Ex-Mod if you find a better one later.

Where to start?

The golden rule: find your weapon type as early as possible. Every GP invested in the corresponding attribute - Dexterity, Agility or Strength - directly raises your attack power. The longer you wait to decide, the more you delay that progress. If you like playing it safe with defensive options, go for a sword or a mace with a shield. If you prefer risk, speed and combos, choose a rapier or a dagger. If you just want to crush everything by hitting as hard as possible, the two-handed sword or the axe will be your friends, depending on whether you're targeting single enemies or groups.