Though you won't actually be able to play multiplayer in Echoes of Aincrad, you'll be able to select from a variety of in-game partners to bring with you into your toughest battles to customize your combat even further. They've got all kinds of abilities to make use of, so changing partners often is a huge help.

Be sure to keep your partners leveled up and holding the best gear you can give them, and you'll be able to unlock a series of unique perks that make your adventures through Aincrad in this Sword Art Online title feel different every time.

What Does Your Partner Do?

Female Iori fighting with you in Echoes of Aincrad.

Your introduction to the party system in Echoes of Aincrad comes during the tutorial, when Iori joins you and helps your character through the preliminary area ahead of the Town of Beginnings. From there, you'll begin unlocking new partners through main story progression and will continue to do so throughout the game, typically needing to complete certain quests to unlock them properly.

While Iori is your only choice for a bit in the prologue during the beta test, you'll get familiar with partners in Echoes of Aincrad through working with him on the battlefield. She introduces you to the basics of partnership, teaching you how partners fight with you according to how both you and they have been built.

Any partner can use a Dodge Slash, which allows your partner to follow up with a smooth attack after you dodge an enemy's blow, as well as Reversal Slash, which repels an enemy's attack when you time out your button press with a blue ring that appears around them. Shield-users can also make ample use of Parry Slash to have their partner land a follow-up blow after any successful parry.

Additionally, every partner in Echoes of Aincrad will have a unique ability they bring to the field that helps make your exploration easier in some way. They all use a different type of weapon when they come with you, and you can (and should make sure to) build up good weapons for your partners at the Smithy just the same as you'll be doing for your own.

Iori saying you don't seem like a solo player in Echoes of Aincrad.

Partners in combat react depending on how you've got their settings configured, which you can do at any time.

  • Free Mode allows your partner to roam and explore for themselves, pulling enemies for you as needed. This is helpful if you need to get enemy attention off yourself for a moment, as well as to allow your partner a chance to hold their own.
  • Switch Mode helps you keep your partner close to allow for the possibility of those switch moves and follow-up attacks. It's good for bosses and other single-enemy fights.

It's a good idea to swap between Free Mode and Switch Mode as needed, with Switch Mode helpful during single-target fights like bosses and Free Mode more effective in mob-based combat.

In the table below, we've detailed the information for every partner in Echoes of Aincrad to help you choose the best partner for your next missions. Characters typically unlock as partners after they join you on a main story quest. Most of the characters from the second floor of Aincrad onward, though, may then also require you to finish certain side quests in which they're involved before they'll join you as a combatant. These will become available once you return to town after the main quest during which they unlock.

Saayu saying she'll join your party after getting gear in Echoes of Aincrad.

Every Partner And When They Unlock In Echoes Of Aincrad

Name

Weapon Type

Skills

Unlocks

Iori

Swords
  • Twin Embrace: Deals medium damage to surrounding enemies with Iori’s assistance. The more HP you have, the higher the damage dealt will be.
  • Healing Circle: Creates a zone in which HP is gradually restored to any allied character within for a set period of time.

Prologue

Wyzeman

Maces and Shields
  • Tri Stampede: Deals heavy damage to a single enemy. This damage increases if the enemy is Dazed.
  • Discordant Resonance: Deals damage to enemies within range and inflicts Dazed stacks.

First Floor, after the Prologue.

Argo

Daggers
  • Twin Moon: Deals medium damage to a single enemy, and knocks them back to damage foes they collide into.
  • Analyze: Reveals enemies through walls in the surrounding area and allows the player to detect trapped chests for a short time. Deals bonus damage based on your Attack when attacking an enemy target by Analyze.

Zash

Two-Handed Swords
  • Twin Ignition: Deals heavy damage to nearby enemies. Causes Zash and your character to lose a set amount of HP each time.
  • Exhilaration: Temporarily grants Zash and the character a Barrier and increases ATK. The lower the target's HP, the higher the increase in ATK will be.

First Floor, after the "Grip of Despair" quest.

Asuna

Rapiers
  • Spirit Shot: Deals medium damage to a single enemy. Consumes 50% of your character's SP to deal additional damage based on your ATK. The more SP that's consumed, the more damage is dealt, and if this goes above a certain value, the damage done by your next Sword Skill will also increase.
  • Lightning: Deals damage to all enemies surrounding Asuna. Also recovers SP of allied characters near her.

Second Floor, after the "Keepsake," "Friendship," and "Renown" side quests.

Agil

Two-Handed Axes
  • Crowd Strike: Deals medium damage to surrounding enemies, and the damage inflicted increases with the number of enemies in range.
  • Taunt: Causes enemies surrounding Agil to target him. After, Agil's Focus Gauge remains fully charged for a duration.

Second Floor, after the "Fabled Food," "Worries," and "Years Together" side quests.

Kirito

Swords
  • Stream Edge: Deals heavy damage to a single enemy with a series of attacks, and recovers a set amount of SP.
  • Striker: Strikes all enemies within a certain range in rapid succession, and kills mob enemies if their HP is below a certain amount.

Second Floor, after the "Heartbeat," "Responsibilities," and "Trust" side quests.

Klein

Swords
  • Riot Fangs: Deals heavy damage to a single enemy, but temporarily reduces DEF for both Klein and your character.
  • Bolstering Bellow: Temporarily grants invincibility, and increases ATK and DEF for you and Klein. (This support skill automatically triggers only when your HP falls below a certain amount.)

Town of Beginnings (revisiting post-Original Sin), after the "Bride-to-Be," "Suspicion," and "Truth" side quests.

Stina

Maces and Shields
  • Pierced Heart: Deals medium damage to a single enemy. Deals additional damage if the enemy is Weakened, but also dispels the effect after the blow lands.
  • Detect Weakness: Temporarily applies the Weakened status to any enemies surrounding Stina. Weakened enemies take more damage, and they grant more EXP when defeated.

Second Floor, after the "Legend of the High Elves" quest.

Lisbeth

Maces and Shields
  • Tempered Strike: Deals medium damage to a single enemy, and rants additional Combo SP if your character is under the effect of Reinforcement.
  • Reinforcement: Increases ATK and grants an effect for each weapon type. Swords and Two-Handed swords see a boost to Sword Skill damage, Rapiers and Daggers get an Attack Speed bonus, and Maces or Two-Handed Axes all see an increase to their Down Rate.

Marome, after the "Helping with Trade," "Hannah's Request," and "A Merchant's Plea" side quests.