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Sword Art Online: Integral Factor Beginner’s Guide: Tips, Cheats & Strategies to Master the Game

An anime that is set in a video game is bound to spawn a few actual games of its own. Sword Art Online: Integral Factor is the latest MMORPG that is based on the hit anime series. The anime itself is about players that have been trapped in a virtual reality game because of the virtual reality equipment they are using. Lives are on the line as a series of in-game murders become real life victims.

This time around, you will be the main character. It is your job to uncover the truth and explore a completely different story from the original series. You will be living out an alternate story line where your actions will affect the rest of Aincrad. Team up with other players and prepare yourself for the ultimate RPG experience! If you need help progressing in the game, you can always rely on our Sword Art Online: Integral Factor cheats, tips and tricks!

1. Explore The Interface

When you enter the game, you will notice that there are quite a few things on the screen. It can be overwhelming to have all these buttons and bars, so make sure you familiarize yourself with everything before you start playing. At the bottom left of the screen is a virtual thumbstick that will allow you to move around. If you tap and drag outside of the thumbstick, your character will look around instead of moving. You can also pinch to zoom in and out.

The cluster of buttons on the lower right are for combat. These include buttons for attack, dodge, and skills. At the top right is a mini map that will show you where you are as well as the direction you are facing. Tap on it to see the full map. Your destination is marked by a crosshair icon so if you forget, just check the map.

On the top left corner of the screen is a menu button that will allow you to access the tabs for character status, equipment, quests, friends, party, and shop. If you want to chat with other players, you can do so by tapping on the bar at the bottom of the screen. Choose “Say” if you want to speak in the public chat. Tap on “Party” if you only want to talk to people in your party. Lastly, you can pick “Tell” if you are trying to whisper to a specific individual.

2. Master The Combat System

Sword Art Online: Integral Factor’s combat system is pretty straightforward. You just need to walk up to an enemy and tap on it to start attacking. The largest button at the bottom right is for basic attacks. Hold it down to continuously attack your target. The four smaller buttons around the basic attack are slots for your skills. Once you have skills assigned to those buttons, you can just tap on them during battle. Skills deal more damage than basic attacks, but they have cooldown timers, so make sure you use them at the right time.

You will probably notice the Switch button above the skills icon as you play. This is actually a bar that fills up as you fight. Once it is full, you can tap on it to unleash a powerful attack. Using the Switch skill will use up the bar, and you will need to fill it up again. Just keep damaging your enemies to fill up the bar.

One unique feature of this game is the weapon swap button. This is the orange button beside the Switch bar. Tapping on it will allow you to quickly switch to another weapon that you have equipped. Enemies in this game have vulnerabilities to specific weapon types. Having more than one type of weapon equipped will help ensure your effectivity in battle. You can also swap to a different weapon in order to use more skills since they all have their own set of skills with independent cooldown timers.

The running man button below the basic attack is your dash. It can help you close the gap between your character and your target. It can also be used to dodge incoming attacks since your character will do a back step instead if you use the button at the right moment.

3. Don’t Forget Your Partner

Soon after the beginning of your journey, you will meet an in-game character named Koharu. You can change her name later on since she will be joining you permanently. She serves as your partner in the game. She will attack the enemy you are targeting and will join you when you use your Switch skill. Don’t worry because she pretty much works without being told what to do. Feel free to stuff her with buff skills that you hate using because she will make sure you are fully buffed at all times.

What you do need to worry about is her equipment. She won’t go shopping or looting on her own, so you need to make sure you go to the Partner tab in the main menu to check out her stats and gear. Make sure she always has the best possible gear in order to maximize her combat power. Keep in mind, though, that she will not be available if you are teamed up with another player. Don’t panic because she will return once you are alone again.

4. Get Your Orders

Skills in Sword Art Online: Integral Factor are a little more complicated than most other MMORPGs. Instead of unlocking them when you level up, you will instead need to purchase Orders which cost premium currency called Arcana Gems. Orders are used to acquire Skill Records. Skill Records, in turn, teach you how to use the sword skills. Unfortunately, you won’t know which skill you will get since the game utilizes a gacha system for this. Skills have different rarities and are specific to weapon classes. Since there are six weapon classes in the game, it might take you a while to get a full set of skills that you need.

Aside from active skills, you can also acquire passive abilities. Your character has four slots for abilities apart from the ones reserved for active skills. You can find these slots in the armor tab. Passive abilities give you stat boosts and bonuses against certain enemy types. Make sure you think about your play style when picking abilities to equip.

5. Enhancing 101

If you want better weapons, skills, and abilities, you will have to enhance them yourself. Enhancing requires different materials as well as some money. Just go to the nearest Blacksmith in town if you want to enhance something. The menu here is pretty straightforward. It will tell you which materials you need as well as how much it would cost you to enhance a particular equipment, skill, or ability. You will also see the effect of enhancement even before you proceed. Finally, you will be able to raise the rarity of your equipment once you have it at max level. Empty stars will indicate how many times you can raise the rarity of your skills and abilities.

6. Get Re-Rolling

At the beginning of Sword Art Online: Integral Factor, you will be able to unlock a loot box for free. Since the game follows a gacha system, you will be getting a random item. If you don’t like the item you got, you can just uninstall the game, reinstall it, then start over. It can take a long time to keep doing this, but if you manage to snag better gear to start the game with, it will be worth the trouble. Try to get at least one four-star attack if you can. If you have more time on your hands, see if you can get two four-star attacks, so you will have one for your partner as well. Additional loot boxes will require premium currency to open, so unless you want to spend real money, you better start reinstalling.

7. Hunt For Shrooms

If grinding really grinds your gears, you might get frustrated after a while. Most MMORPGs require a lot of grind, and this game is no different in that aspect. You will need to kill a lot of enemies in order to gather enough crafting materials. On top of that, pieces of equipment in this game have different prerequisites before you can equip them. Yes, you will have to grind before you can be deemed worthy to equip that new axe you picked up.

The good news is that there is a way to grind mindlessly without the risk of getting killed. Just look for healing mushrooms. These shrooms help keep your health up during battle. If you find one nearby, feel free to just hold or mash the attack button until your target dies. Rinse and repeat. Since the healing mushroom will keep you alive, it won’t be as exhausting as having to grind while fully focused on the game.

It is time to write your own story in Sword Art Online: Integral Factor! Follow the tips and tricks listed above and you will surely come out on top! If you have any other tips or tricks to share, don’t hesitate to drop us a line!