Before you dive
Main-story spoilers throughout. Dungeon branches vary. Use the current objective, destination boss and reward card to choose a route; a video’s exact left/right choices are not a fixed map.
Prepare OT Gear at Ink on the Brain and unlock Receipt choices at Bessie Burger. Whenever a new story objective fails to appear, return to the mall and finish the current hand-in and marked conversations.
1. Learn the loop and reach the first KOM objective
Talk to Doc, enter the dungeon and complete the combat tutorial. After the first Dullahan encounter, return to the mall and follow the new conversation markers. Develop and equip OT Gear, and save a preset for later use.
Keep following Reach KOM, passing Afreet, Phoenix and the Wyvern. Yellow Heat Attacks offer Parry opportunities; move out of red Overheat attacks. Your first Defeat KOM objective leads to Surtr R.S. Beat him and hand over the core to move the story toward reviving Julia.
2. Find the three relics for Dragul
Defeat Count Vlad and bring back the blood that revives the flower. Doc still needs Dragul’s pure blood. Complete the next Dullahan encounter and return to receive the relic task.
| Relic | What to do |
|---|---|
| Silver Amulet | Clear the target Will-o’-the-Wisps and the remaining enemies. |
| Bone Ash of Ouroboros | Defeat Surtr R.S.’s Homunculus. |
| Sun in a Bottle | Speak to Goyle, then choose the appropriate reward route and defeat Snow Queen. |
The recorded route reached these around layers 14, 15 and 17. Treat the objective and reward card as the deciding cues. Return with each item, complete the required rest once all three are collected, then obtain Dragul’s blood and deliver it to Doc.
3. Help Everent and defeat Takiyasha-Hime
Julia wakes, but her recovery is incomplete. Finish the conversations with her and Doc. Find Everent, fight until he calms down and take the Sprig back to Jupiter Target. Follow the next objective through Takiyasha-Hime.
4. Gather 30 Miasma Saplings
After Takiyasha, accept the task to collect 30 Miasma Saplings. Interact with purple flower clusters on layers containing miasma. Deeper layers can provide more; you can bring them back across several dives.
Deliver the full count to Doc. Complete the marked Julia conversations, including the current objective at Ark Right Cinemas, then check the generator.
5. Defend the mall
Clear the first-floor enemies, then watch all four generators: 1F-A, 2F-B, 2F-C and 2F-D. Move toward the one losing health rather than defending a single machine for the entire event. Protect Acelino during the next section, clear the enemies and defeat Wolfgang.
6. Find Julia
Follow Find Julia after she leaves. The first search ends after Golem Adamas and brings you back to the mall. This return is part of the route; finish the hand-in, prepare again and dive once more.
Continue until Zaza leads you to Julia. These events occurred around layers 27 and 29 in the recorded route. After the KOM encounter sends her into the core layer, return for the Brain Core objective.
7. Recover the five Brain Cores
Check the Security Room: Davy is responsible for five Brain Cores. Choose the Brain Puppet targets for Surtr, Wolfgang, Everent, Takiyasha and Dragul. Defeat each and bring the core back. Repeating earlier blood or relic versions of those bosses will not fulfill this objective. Do not eat the cores as ordinary pickups.
Dullahan collects the other cores. Follow Meet up with Dullahan, then complete Wake up Dullahan after the interruption. Obtain his core and return as Bessie directs.
8. Enter the final showdown
Prepare until the objective becomes Eat KOM’s Core, then interact with the deepest entrance. The core layer offers To the final showdown or Continue preparations. Choose preparations if you still need to visit the mall: you cannot immediately return to resupply after committing. This does not mean every collectible becomes permanently missable.
9. Defeat KOM and Gaia
Fight KOM’s wheelchair form first. The brief Gaia sequence in which attacks do not work and Davy falls is part of the story.
Once control returns, attack the separate limbs, cores and small towers. Bite exposed cores to gain levels quickly. When the main body’s shield drops, close in and spend Burst and strong skills on it, then repeat the cycle. A recorded run entered at level 120 and finished at 999; those are that player’s results, not minimum requirements.
When Gaia’s main health bar is empty, follow the prompt to eat KOM’s core. Julia becoming human and the first-date scene mark main-story completion. See the ending explanation for the character outcome and how it differs from postgame.