Hey, fellow Trailblazers! 🚂✨ Just finished the Cloudford Victory Zone in the latest Aetherium Wars event, and wow, what a ride! The whole system feels like a love letter to the main game but with a super fun, simplified twist. The 8-bit music is an absolute bop, and the pop culture references? Chef's kiss! 🤌 But let's get real, the real star here is the challenge. Victory Zones are no joke, and Cloudford is the second of four. Clearing it not only nets you awesome rewards but also unlocks some seriously cool Aether Spirits to spice up your roster. Ready to move up, Aether Player? Let's dive in!

How To Begin: Onward! Cloudford!

First things first, you gotta complete the 'Embark! Corridor of Fading Echoes' quest to unlock this. Once that's done, head to the Lobby of the Goethe Hotel for a quick chat with our girl March 7th. She's always got the deets! From there, teleport to Starskiff Haven and make your way to the Docks—just follow the quest marker. Chat with March again, and she'll tell you to take a Starskiff... but surprise! You actually access the zone from your Player Terminal after the dialogue. Easy peasy! Select the Victory Zone, and you're in.

As soon as you step into Cloudford, you'll spot Mr. Giovanni from afar. Go have a chat with him—it's part of the journey! Then, get ready to meet Guinaifen for the first time. She's the one who'll explain all the quirky mechanisms in this zone. Pay attention!

Cracking the Code: Victory Marking Trials

Alright, here's the core puzzle mechanic. The zone is filled with these split images called Victory Marking fragments. Your job? Find the perfect camera angle to snap a photo of the complete marking. Think of it as a glorified, magical jigsaw puzzle! You'll get a handy tutorial first, so don't sweat it.

Trial One: The Warm-Up

Head forward past the Space Anchor, and you'll find your first challenger. His team:

• 1x Silvermaine Canoneer

• 2x Illumination Dragonfish

• 1x Obedient Dracolion

Beat him for some sweet Aether Spirit Upgrade Data and a new Expansion Chip. Nice! Now, go north in a straight line to find a roaming Illumination Dragonfish. Defeat it to recruit it—more friends for your team! 🐟

Just a few more steps, and you'll hit the first real trial area. It's pretty open. You'll see another Illumination Dragonfish Aether Spirit and a challenger hanging out. My advice? Defeat the Aether Spirit first. Then, grab the Basic Treasure on a platform to the right. After that, take on the challenger (his team is just four Illumination Dragonfish—fish fry, anyone?).

Beating him unlocks a controller. Use it to move a container line to the right. This completes the Victory Marking! Snap that pic, and you'll unlock the next area to the east. Onward!

Trial Two: The Puzzle Deepens

This one's a bit trickier. After descending the stairs, you'll first meet an Obedient Dracolion Aether Spirit. Defeat it to recruit—always good to have more options! Then, head east down another set of stairs, turn south to find a challenger, defeat him, and continue south until you spot another Obedient Dracolion guarding some stairs.

Defeat this one to access another Basic Treasure. Now, backtrack up the stairs and head west to the trial area. Here's a pro tip: to avoid hassle, go around the area and defeat all the Ingenium Aether Spirits and the challenger way out west. Wait, why? This challenger isn't part of the puzzle, but he's blocking a Precious Chest you can only get by using the puzzle's container. Sneaky!

How To Snag That Precious Treasure 🎁

So, that challenger was blocking a controller behind his Aether Spirit. Defeat him, and the path is clear! Interact with the controller to move the containers to the left. This opens up the previously inaccessible area.

Now, walk around the containers and take the first left. You'll find a small opening with another controller. Use it to move the trial puzzle container right by two spaces. Boom! It becomes a bridge. Cross it and claim your Precious Treasure! 🥳 Don't forget to move the container back (left two spaces) afterward.

As for the actual second trial puzzle? It's more complex. You need to move containers until the picture aligns. Start at the Space Anchor:

1. Head left, then down the stairs in front of you. Find the first controller and move the container left by one space.

2. Walk across to the other side (the open space from the container).

3. Climb up the stairs to reach the second controller. Use it to move the containers to the right.

Victory Marking complete! Just climb back down and snap your photo. Done and dusted!

The Final Boss: Duel Master Gongshu ⚔️

The Championship Contender here is none other than Master Gongshu! Remember him from the Xianzhou Luofu story? He's the mastermind behind these challenges. To get the Mastery Mark, you gotta beat him.

His team is tough:

• Illuminated Dragonfish

• Obedient Dracolion

• Aurumaton Gatekeeper

• Sprite Wooden Lupus

Team Building Strategy:

You'll want a strong squad of mostly Humanoid Aether Spirits. That's been the meta for most Cloudford challenges. I highly recommend using a powerhouse like the Silvermane Lieutenant. Why? Its follow-up attacks deal massive damage when it's hit! Pair it with a Silvermane Canonneer for support, and those follow-ups become your main offense. It's a beautiful combo.

Expansion Chip Tip: Equip Deep Clean. It removes all debuffs from the wearer and one debuff from each ally. This is crucial because every Aether Spirit in Gongshu's team can inflict nasty Damage Over Time (DoT). Keeping your team clean is half the battle!

After an epic duel, Master Gongshu will hand over the Mastery Mark. But wait, you're not quite done!

Wrapping Up & Extra Goodies

To fully complete the zone, you need to head over to the Blocked Off Area. But first, you'll have to fight the IPC goons (again... ugh). After dealing with them, you can finally defeat and recruit the Aurumaton Gatekeeper. Now that's a completion!

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into Cloudford, solve those puzzles, build your ultimate team, and show Master Gongshu who's boss! The Aetherium Wars event is a blast, and mastering this zone is a huge step. Happy trailblazing! 🌌

P.S. Need more spirit info? Check out the complete Aether Spirits guide next!