
A Combo of One
Find Mai Trin. Meet Gorrik and Marjory in Zen Daijun. Wait for Gorrik...? Investigate the cave for anomalies. Try different skills to disperse the hologram. Use a combo field and finisher to disperse the hologram. Defeat the Aetherblades! Explore the Aetherblade den. (Defeat Ivan!) Ivan Capture Mai Trin. Find the key. Head further into the hideout. Confront the captain. (Defeat Mai Trin!) Captain Mai Trin Silence "Scarlet"! Interrogate Mai Trin. Assess Trin's situation. Find material for a blindfold. Return to Mai Trin. Check on Ivan. Activate the console.
Meet Marjory and Gorrik in the instance to the southeast of Zen Daijun Temple in Zen Daijun, who will discuss Aetherblades vanishing in a nearby spider-infested cave. Searching the caves Follow them inside and either wait for Gorrik to clean up the signal or charge ahead to kill the spiders. You will be granted the special action skill . Using the special action on Gorrik or Marjory will award the hidden achievement Can Never Be Too Careful and additional flavor dialogue. From the entrance of the cave, you will find the Aetherblade cog-skull symbol along the right side wall. Use the special action on it to earn Tagging the Tag and advance the story or wait for it to be pushed forward after about 50 seconds, when Marjory spots the symbol herself. Gorrik will launch into an explanation of the Holosmith tech used, which you can shortcut by performing a Combo to break the Hologram wall. Using the special action skill will remove the eligibility effect . Bringing your own combo finisher is essential. Having a skill with a combo field, at least up to the next mini-boss encounter, is necessary if you want to complete A Combo of One. Fight off two Aetherblades, who will run off afterwards and head inside. On the way down one of two Audio Log boxes can be found, which you can interact with for additional lore recordings and Log Date 1331. At the back of the cave you will find Ivan berating someone over comms. Before engaging him, look inside the dormitory to the right for a second Audio Log box recording. Fight Ivan and use a skill combo (as before) when he raises his shields. Beware that (as before) using the special action key, if you need a field to combo with, will remove . Once he is defeated collect the Key from the middle of the three Chests in the room to the left (north) and use it on the console by the door behind Ivan. Walk inside and wait for Mai Trin to stumble out and greet you. Confronting the Captain After a series of dialogue, including a confrontation between Joon and Mai Trin, you will be trapped in an arena to fight her. On the northern side of the room an Aurene Empowerment can be found, that grants the effect . It will make the upcoming bossfight easier, but also preclude you from getting the achievements Derring-Do and Intervention. Eligibility for each is tracked by the effects and respectively. At 90% health, Mai Trin will begin channeling the mists, using revenant attacks as well. At 60% health, several Scarlet Phantoms spawn around the arena, which protect her from damage but are fragile themselves. At 30% health she loses control to the Echo of Scarlet Briar: Mai Trin will stand in the centre surrounded by a giant illusion of Scarlet. The Echo will spawn sets of Scarlet Phantoms at 60% and 30% health, cast shockwave attacks that can be jumped over and patterns of floating orbs that inflict , similar to the Nightmare Fractal. At 10% health a large final attack will occur. This attack covers the entire floor of the arena, except for three small circles rotating in a triangular pattern, two of which will be blocked by another rectangular AoE originating from a Phantom when the Echo's big attack hits, leaving only one safe circle. The safe circles appear one after the other, the last one to appear being the safe one in the story instance version of this fight. For several seconds afterwards the Echo is invulnerable, before you can finish it off. After vanquishing the illusion, Mai will collapse to her knees. Go to the banner hanging beside the room Mai came out of to tear off a Scrap of Cloth and give it to her to make a blindfold, which will help her block out Scarlet's voice. Exit back to Ivan once he gets your attention and listen to the discussion, activating the Console when directed.