If you are looking to unlock Asuna, Agil, and Kirito in Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad, then look no further. Although you cannot play as the named characters from the anime, they can still become an invaluable part of your team. You can recruit these characters to join you, and in the process, gain some amazing comrades who will not let you down.
Asuna, Agil, and Kirito are among the most iconic characters who appear early in the show. So, recruiting them early will definitely be helpful to your cause; and here’s how to go about doing it.
How To Unlock Asuna
Asuna is the first of these three units you can recruit in this game. The requirements to recruit her are reaching the second floor and completing The Black Swordsman I. Once this is done, you will find Asuna outside the inn in the city of Urbus.
Talk to her and complete three quests. These are:
- Keepsake
- Friendship
- Renown
Although you might find her before the completion of The Black Swordsman I, I would advise you to finish the quest before attempting these missions. This is because the final mission, ‘Renown,’ might not be available before that main story quest is done.
These are simple gathering quests that require you to defeat some bosses in between and should be pretty easy if you have obtained either the Valkyrie’s Sabre or the Destruction Blade and expanded your healing crystal slot.
Asuna’s skills are:
- Spirit Shot: Deals medium damage to a single enemy. Consumes 50% of your character’s SP to deal additional damage based on ATK. The more SP is consumed, the more damage is dealt, and if this goes above a certain value, the damage of the next Sword Skills will also increase.
- Lightning: Deals damage to all enemies surrounding Asuna. Also recovers SP to allied characters near Asuna.
Asuna is your rapid damage specialist and also somewhat of a support in helping you recover SP to continue dishing out your special skills. If you are someone who does not rely on those much – that is, in fact, perfect for Asuna, since she can keep switching between Lightning, which restores SP, and Spirit Shot, which consumes SP to deal additional damage.
How To Unlock Agil
Agil can be unlocked a little later. First, you have to finish the next main story quest, which is The Black Swordsman II. After this is done, you can find Agil inside the same inn where you met Asuna, near the fireplace.
Same as Asuna, you must talk to him and complete three different quests to recruit him. These are:
- Fabled Food
- Worries
- Years Together
These quests are also quite similar to Asuna’s, where you have to defeat some enemies to get the quest items needed.
Agil’s skills are:
- Crowd Strike: Deals medium damage to surrounding enemies. The damage inflicted increases with the number of enemies in range.
- Taunt: Causes enemies surrounding Agil to target him. After activation, Agil’s Focus Gauge remains fully charged for a set duration.
Agil is a great option for a partner if you are looking for the classical ‘Tank’ – his abilities, and the weapon that he wields are perfectly suited to kite enemies and hold their attention while you keep dealing your damage.
How To Unlock Kirito
The Black Swordsman himself can be unlocked at the same time as Agil, anytime after completing the main story quest, ‘The Black Swordsman II’. Once this is done, head to the pink question mark on your map within the town of Urbus. This can be reached by taking the right path after getting outside the inn. He will be leaning against a pillar, and might be difficult to spot without the use of your map.
Similar to the other two, you must complete three quests to recruit Kirito. These are:
- Heartbeat
- Responsibility
- Trust
After these are finished, similar to before, Kirito will be ready to become your ally. He will likely be the best unit in the game to recruit owing to his high DPS. This comes from his skills:
- Stream Edge: Deals heavy damage to a single enemy via a series of attacks and recovers a set amount of SP.
- Striker: Strikes all enemies within a certain range in rapid succession. Kills mob enemies if their HP is below a certain amount.
Kirito is, in my view, easily the best partner to accompany you on your adventures in SAO Echoes of Ancraid. He has excellent crowd control ability in Striker; and in particular, is of great use in boss fights with the Stream Edge ability.
