Echoes of Aincrad: Best Way To Spend Growth Points
Create a solid build, and the rest falls into place.
In Echoes of Aincrad, you'll find a stat section that might feel a little bit familiar for all you Souls fans out there. This game employs a weapon-grading system that directly aligns with your character's stats.
This means you'll need to think about which stat you want to build into, while also balancing it with the stats that govern your health, stamina, and mana. It's a tightrope to walk, and it's hard to discern which should take priority. But if you're a little lost, we have a handy guide that will help you distribute those Growth Points properly.
All Stats, Explained
First off, we should explain what these stats are, as Intelligence or Dexterity could mean just about anything to the uninitiated. Here's a breakdown of each stat and what it governs:
| Vitallty | Vitality is the stat that governs your HP. The higher this is, the more hits you can take before dying. |
|---|---|
| Endurance | This is the stat that governs Stamina. This is the resource that is expended when you commit to attacks. So, the higher your END, the more attacks you can do without tiring. |
| Mind | This is the stat that governs your SP, a resource that allows you to perform special moves and attacks. Think of this one like Mana. |
| Strength | This stat governs how much damage output you can do with large weapons such as Hammers, maces, and other Two-Handed weapons. |
| Dexterity | This stat governs how much damage output you can do with swords and greatswords. |
| Agility | This stat governs how much damage output you can do with daggers and rapiers. |
| Intelligence | This stat governs how much damage output you can do with elemental attacks and throwables. |
Stat Priority - What to Upgrade & When
Now that you understand what these stats control, it's time to decide which of them actually deserve to be buffed up and which can be largely forgotten about.
Here's a quick analysis of each and the priority with which you should bulk them up:
Top Priority - Endurance & Mind
The two stats that you should start piling points into early are Endurance and Mind. This is because in this game, you need a high stamina stat to keep dealing damage consistently, while also having enough in reserve to dodge, parry, and block.
But I would argue that having access to SP in abundance is equally important, as chaining Weapon Skills is vital if you want to chip away at a boss's HP bar before they whittle down yours.
Second Priority - Weapon Stat (DEX, STR, END)
Second, I would suggest you try out all weapon variants to see which one suits you best, then start pouring points into that stat. If you like using Hammers, go Strength. If you're a typical swordsman, go dexterity, and so on.
The game does encourage you to use and upgrade all weapon variants, but you can respec at any time. So don't be afraid to pour all your growth points into one weapon stat.
Third Priority - Vitality
Perhaps a little controversial, but I believe that after playing Echoes of Aincrad for some time, there is no substitute for a character with a big stamina bar that can block and parry hits. Making vitality a bit of a crutch.
You should absolutely put some of your points into this stat as you go; otherwise, your character will end up being a bit of a glass cannon. But while it might sound easier on paper than in practice, it's better to simply avoid getting hit than to bulk up your HP.
The game will force you to get to grips with these defensive mechanics anyway, so you might as well lean into them.
Last Priority - Intelligence
Finally, I would argue that there is absolutely zero need to mess around with the intelligence stat unless you have a very particular elemental build in mind.
As mentioned, this governs elemental buildup and throwables. Both of which aren't all that effective or satisfying to use in this game. By all means, try them out, but I can almost guarantee that you won't want to put your points into this stat.
How Do You Respec?
So, let's say you don't like your build, or you simply want to transition to using a new type of weapon. Well, the good news is that it's very easy to Respec.
When in the Growth Points Menu, accessed at your Chest, you can simply hold the button to respec your listed character, depending on the platform you're playing on, and all your points will be unassigned.
This will cost you a chunk of Col, so ensure you have the funds to pay for this respec and don't make it too regular an occurrence.
