If the series of main quests available in Echoes of Aincrad from Sword Art Online isn't enough to keep you and your partners busy for a while, or you need a bit of extra Col and materials as you go, then pursuing the dozens of side quests in this Sword Art Online title ought to do it!

Below, we've detailed every side quest in Echoes of Aincrad, including when it unlocks, where you'll need to go and what you'll need to do in order to complete it, and the plethora of widely varied rewards the side quests offer upon completion.

How To Unlock Side Quests

The Lord of the Plain side quest information in Echoes of Aincrad.

Though you'll see them on the menu at any quest set-off screen, you won't properly unlock side quests in Echoes of Aincrad until you've reached Horunka, the second major settlement after the Town of Beginnings of the first floor.

These will be a series of optional quests that grant a wide variety of rewards for your hardship, and that hardship in question can truly be just about anything. You'll do everything from fighting monsters to finding hidden items and more, so be sure to look out for map icons denoting side quests, either the NPCs that give them or items out and about in the world that will trigger or complete them.

Rewards for side quests include but aren't limited to:

  • New crafting blueprints for the Smithy, who can use them to make you impressive new armor or an ample supply of weapons to use for fodder in leveling up your best gear.
  • Consumable items like potions or essences.
  • Col to spend on whatever you need back in one of the main towns.
  • Experience points for your character so they can level up quicker for additional Growth Points before main missions.
  • New partners that begin unlocking on the second floor of Aincrad.

Most side quests require you to backtrack through areas you've explored already, but they provide great opportunities to collect extra loot from the quest as well as from any chests you might have missed. If you need to go to a previous area, you'll be able to do so from the Main Terminal like you'd set off for any other quest and warp there from within the quest.

Completing the Leone Trading Company side quest in Echoes of AIncrad.

Though all side quests in Echoes of Aincrad are technically optional, key side quests are your ticket to unlocking new partners once you've reached the second floor of Aincrad after the labyrinth. New characters will appear in the main story, and you'll then need to complete three side quests for them to convince them to join your party properly.

In the expandable table below , you'll find every side quest in Echoes of Aincrad sorted by the region in which you'll find it. Each one details the quest name and location, the task at hand, and the rewards offered for completing your goals.

If a quest begins by picking up a trinket, doing so will trigger the appearance of an NPC in a nearby town with whom you can complete the quest. Additionally, side quests in Echoes of Aincrad with prerequisite quests will be marked with an asterisk (*) by their name.

Turning in a side quest to a merchant in Horunka in Echoes of Aincrad.

Every Side Quest In Echoes Of Aincrad