Dust: An Elysian Tail Achievement Guide & Road Map

Dust: An Elysian Tail
Dust: An Elysian Tail Achievement Guide

Overview
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 4/10
- Offline: 30/30 (400)
- Online: 0 (0)
- Approximate amount of time to 400: 10 - 15 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 (S)
- Number of missable achievements: 1 (See "Paragon" and "Renegade")
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No Cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: Yes
- Glitchy achievements: None
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: None

Introduction
Dust is a 2D side scrolling game, hand drawn and animated by it's single, very talented developer. If you've played some of the Metroidvania type games of the past, you'll be right at home in Dust. You'll hack & slash through enemies, explore to discover new areas and challenges, and be absorbed by the games story. The game has 5 chapters to play through. Defeat enemies to progress and level up. The main path is easy to follow, but there are also small branching paths you can explore to find useful loot from chests and other fun things to discover.

Story Mode
The achievements in this game will require you to play through the story on tough difficulty. You'll also have to complete 20 side quests, and go out of your way a bit to do some other achievements such as performing a 1000 hit combo.

The missable achievements are "Paragon" and "Renegade". It's a side quest in Chapter 1 of the game. You can only get one or the other in a single playthrough, but you can earn both by making a separate save. Even if you miss it, it's not too far into the game so, you can still complete it without too much extra time or effort.

If at any point you feel like it's impossible to progress due to repeated deaths, don't be afraid to backtrack to earlier areas and farm XP from monsters. Note that high combo chains will earn you bonus XP. There are some items that grant bonus XP that can speed up the process as well.

Collectibles
The majority of things you need to collect are marked on the map by a circle (keys, chests, cages, quest items). If you see a circle on the map, that means there's a collectible in that area. Most of them are easy enough to find if you just explore the area a bit. Quite a few of them can't be obtained the moment you discover a new area. Those will require an ability or resonance gem you might not have yet. Come back later if that's the case. Reading the notes you collect will offer alot of helpful hints, such as clues for difficult to find items. Don't worry too much about collecting absolutely everything, as 100% completion is NOT required to earn all achievements. Keys are the most important item to collect in terms of unlocking achievements.

Post-Game Mop-Up
Near the end, the game will tell you it's the point of no return, but this is not true. After completing the game, you can reload the final checkpoint and teleport back to the world map to complete any achievements you may have missed. Remember to find a save point any time you've made significant progress. If you die or quit, any progress you've made since your last save point won't be saved.

[XBA would like to thank bs000 for this roadmap]

Friend of Falana

10
Complete 5 Sidequests
See Savior of Falana achievement description.
Hero of Falana

10
Complete 10 Sidequests
See Savior of Falana achievement description.
Savior of Falana

10
Complete 20 Sidequests
Side quests are indicated by the green feather in your quest log. Start side quests by talking to NPCs who have the same icon above their head. All of the side quests are started in the towns of Aurora Village and Mudpot. There are 21 sidequests in all. Press the button to navigate to your quest log and view your objectives for each one.

Merchant
- A New Venture
Aurora Village
- The Blacksmith
- Reunion
- Number One Fan
- Lost Time
- Out to Dry
- C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER
- What's in the Box?
Fale Quests
- Better than Nothing
- Taking Point
- Slimed
- Reinforcement
- Freedom of Movement
- Find the Sparklies
Mudpot
- A Better Fidget
- Hittin' Stick
- Trolk Vengeance
- Pearly Whites
- Red Moss
- Over the Fence
- Snowflakes
See the videos below if you need help. They will show you the location of each part of the quests and the locations of any items you may have to collect. Click the annotations to skip to any quest.
A Decent Start...

10
Successfully complete a 200+ hit combo
See That's More Like It achievement description.
That's More Like It

10
Successfully complete a 1000+ hit combo
(24)
Combos are performed by attacking enemies and chaining hits in quick succession. After hitting an enemy, you have a few seconds to score another hit before the combo ends. Taking any damage will also cause your combo to end. Your combo counter is at the top right of your screen.

This mostly involves repeatedly firing projectiles in combination with dust storm on large groups of monsters. Projectiles track enemies and hit many times to increase your combo quickly. If you're already very high level and find yourself doing too much damage, unequip any items that add damage. You can also find an Ugly Pendant and equip it to lower your stats to 10%. Try to end your combo shortly after your combo counter reaches 1000 hits. Getting hit and having your chain broken even after surpassing 1000 hits will NOT earn you the achievement.

This can be done very easily, very early in the game on the first two giants you fight. If you're already past that part, you can also get it fairly easily on Rock Hounds in chapter 2. You'll regularly run into big groups of them. Further still, in chapter 3 you'll constantly run into big groups of zombies which should also make a thousand hits easy. My combo of choice is +
Bringer of Death

10
Kill 500 Enemies
(1)
This game is all about the hacking and slashing. You'll kill enemies to level up, and you'll be required to kill all enemies currently on the screen before you'll be allowed to advance between areas.

You'll have 500 kills long before the game ends. If you're in a hurry, enemies will respawn when you leave and re-enter an area. You can rack up kills quickly this way.
Push and Turn

10
Unlock a Treasure Chest
You'll find treasure chests scattered throughout the world, usually off the beaten path. Collectibles and other goodies are marked on your map by a circle. Look for these and explore those areas. You'll stumble upon many chests throughout the game without any effort.

A key is required to open a chest. These can also be found scattered throughout the world and also indicated by the circles on your map. Complete the button matching mini-game to open the chest and collect its contents.
Wait, aren't you...?

10
Unlock a Cage and Rescue a Friend
(3)
See Baker's Dozen achievement description.
Baker's Dozen

10
Hang out with Twelve Friends in the Sanctuary
(8)
Cages are similar to treasure chests, but require 4 keys and are usually harder to find. Each cage houses characters that may be familiar to you. When rescued, they will appear in the Sanctuary. Visit the Sanctuary from the world map when you have all 12 to unlock the achievement.

You'll need 48 keys to unlock all 12 cages. Keys can be found scattered throughout the world, and bought from shops. Shops will only sell you up to 6 keys total. The rest you'll have to find. They're not too hard to come by. Explore the areas marked with a circle to look for keys and other goodies.

Some cages will require abilities you won't unlock until later in the game, such as the slide, double jump, wall climb, and boost jump. All the abilities are required to advance the story, so don't worry about not being able to find them. Boost jump is a possible exception, but it's in the same room as the cage in Chapter 5 so it's not too hard to miss.

The video below shows the locations on the map, and how to reach the cages from there. There's some cool stuff to discover, so some of this stuff may be considered spoiler worthy.
Distant Thunder

10
Use the DUST STORM on Fidget's Projectiles
(1)
Story related and can't be missed.

You'll play a tutorial early in the game where you learn how to use Fidget's projectiles, dust storm, and combining the two. Press to fire projectiles, then hold to do a dust storm.
Well on your Way

10
Pick Up an Ability Orb
Story related and can't be missed.

Ability orbs grant you new skills. Usually something like dashing, or a new projectile for Fidget. The first one, the dash ability, is hard to miss. Later on you'll collect more abilities that are required to progress.
With Great Power...

10
Level Up by Assigning Skill Gems
Leveling up in this game involves assigning skill gems whenever you reach the XP threshold. Whenever you level up, you'll be prompted in the bottom left saying skill gem available. Hit the button and navigate to your stats. Select a stat and hit to add a stat. Hit again to confirm and unlock the achievement.
An Impressive Display

10
Earn a Four-Star Rating in any Challenge Arena
See The Stuff of Legends achievement description.
The Stuff of Legends

40
Earn a Four-Star Rating in EVERY Challenge Arena
(7)
Challenge arenas are hidden around the worlds map. There will be a small tutorial with information about them the first time you find one. They're basically time trial obstacle courses. I suggest you wait until later in the game to make these easier. I found the double jump ability very helpful. The vine climb ability is also required for some of them. Any arenas you've previously found will be marked on your map by a red area.

There are 6 arenas of increasing difficulties. The first couple are very easy. The time limit on the last few are very strict. You'll most likely have to play through the courses a few times and memorize the path to score 4 stars.

Scoring works on a points system. At the end of the arena, your score is tallied. Each arena has a required score for four stars. Killing an enemy scores 100 points, smashing orbs scores 500 points, and your time left adds to your score at the end. Taking damage causes you to lose 100 points. Smashing every orb and killing every enemy is usually enough to earn you 3 stars. You'll also have to finish with enough time on the clock to bring push your score into the 4 star threshold.

They're easy enough to find, provided with the locations on a map. If you're still having trouble, this locations guide will show you how to get to each arena starting from the world map. If you're having trouble completing the arena, use the arenas walkthrough.
Blue Bomber

10
Simultaneously Kill 6 Enemies with a Single Bomb
(5)
Bombs are purple glowing fruit you can find hanging in the environment. You'll play a tutorial and learn about them the first time you find a breakable wall. Lure at least 6 enemies toward a bomb and hold to pull the bomb with dust storm. Best done in chapter 1 as the enemies have less health and more likely to die in one hit from a bomb.

There's a bridge in Abadis Forest that you cross as part of the story. There's 3 bombs in this area, along with many Avees (flying monster) that you can kill for the achievement. If you don't get it your first try, you can leave the area and the monsters & bombs will respawn.
Cutting It Close

10
Successfully Parry with less than 10% health remaining
(2)
You'll play a tutorial for how to parry early in the game. Hold when an enemy attacks to parry. This prevents any damage that would've been done to you, and also stuns the enemy.

Let a monster hit you until your life is flashing red. Hold the same time they attack to parry and unlock the achievement.
Tinkerer

10
Craft an item from a blueprint
You have to complete the first part of a sidequest called The Blacksmith to gain the ability to craft items. Obtain this quest from Avgustin on your way through Aurora Village. He will give you a blueprint which is also required for crafting. Other blueprints are random drops from monsters you kill.

Make your way to Archer's Pass from the world map. Find Haley at the top of this region. Select a blueprint and craft it. If you don't have the materials, you can buy them directly from her. Be sure to catalog your materials by selling them to shops so they'll be available when you need them. You can also return and talk to her again later to craft items, or find the communicator in the next part of the quest which allows you to craft from anywhere.
Opposite of Fail

10
Complete all Fale Quests
Fale is the collection quest giver in Aurora Village. There are six separate quests where he'll ask for items from certain monsters. All the monsters you need to kill for these items are conveniently located in Abadis Forest.
- Better than Nothing - 5 Imp Hides
- Taking Point - 8 Beast Spears
- Slimed - 4 Slimy Spikes & 4 Slimy Coats
- Reinforcement - 2 Giant Rocks & 2 Giant Cores
- Freedom of Movement - 6 Avee Wings & 6 Avee Claws
- Find the Sparklies - 3 Florn Tentacles & 3 Florn Sparks
Once you've obtained at least one of any item, sell one to any merchant to catalog the item. When you do this, the shop will restock them over time, allowing you to purchase them instead of farming more monsters. As long as you're killing the majority of monsters, and cataloging any new materials you find, this achievement will come with ease.
Above and Beyond the Call

10
Complete the Game on Tough or Hardcore setting
(3)
Start the game on tough or hardcore, and do not change the difficulty once you've started. There's no achievement specifically for hardcore, so play on tough if you want to make it easier. You'll take more damage in higher difficulties, you'll heal less at save points, and energy is recovered more slowly.

Obviously you'll want to avoid being hit. Food items are limited and they're used up very quickly if you let yourself get hit too much . You'll most likely die few more times early on. Dying can be frustrating if you've made some progress and keep getting sent back to the checkpoint. Don't be afraid to backtrack just to level up.

Combos
The best way to keep from dying, is to never give them the chance to hit you. Use the launch combo often to get them off the ground and combine Fidget's projectile with dust storm to juggle them.

My go-to combo for most of the game was +

launches any enemies in front of you, fires Fidget's projectile, + combines with the projectile to do massive AOE damage. All the melee attacks give you plenty of energy to keep firing projectiles. Keep all enemies on one side of you so you can't get hit from behind.

Jumping and doing +HOLD is good for getting around enemies while doing good damage.

Against single targets, I use .

launches, followed by 3 quick melees, and at the end throws them into the ground for huge damage. After the throw, there's enough time to walk up to launch them and do the exact same combo over and over until they're dead.

Stats
I stacked HP and defense early on. This allowed me to take a few extra hits. This was probably wasn't the best strategy, as it took forever to kill monsters, thus increasing the amount of time/opportunity for enemies to hit me. On higher difficulties you die in a few hits anyway and you use up your food items way too fast. It's better to concentrate on fast kills and avoid taking damage.

Fidget is probably the best stat you can upgrade. The projectiles track enemies, juggle them, and hit them many times for lots of damage. Projectiles might not seem to do much damage at first, but as you level it up you'll see huge damage increases. I relied heavily on projectiles. Remember to combine them with dust storm or + in the air. I didn't invest much in attack. Most of my attack and defense came from items. My stat priorities when leveling up were Fidget > HP > Defense > Attack

Shops
Be on the look out for shops and visit each one to look for upgrades. Each chapter ups the monster difficulty significantly. I hit the wall hard going from chapter 1 to 2. However, there was a shop early in chapter 2 where I bought some new equipment that gave huge stat bonuses to attack and defense which made it a lot easier.

Blueprints
Dropped blueprints will allow you to craft better items than what's likely to be available in shops. Make sure to catalog all your materials so they'll be readily available to buy from the shop whenever you want to craft something. It's worth it to find the communicator (side quest after finding the blacksmith) to craft anywhere without having to return to the blacksmith. Once you start crafting items with 200+ stats in Chapter 3, the game becomes very easy. I recommend items with Fidget multipliers. These will add insane damage to Fidget's projectile attacks.
Sad Way to Go

10
Kill an enemy with the slide attack
(2)
You'll gain the ability to slide part way through Chapter 2. It's part of the story so you can't miss it. Perform a slide attack by press +. Attack an enemy until it's low on health and slide into it for the kill and the achievement.
One Last Wish

10
Fulfill Bopo’s wish for snow
(3)
This is a side quest obtained at the end of Chapter 2 in Mudpot. Talk to Bopo after completing the main quest in Chapter 2 (after defeating the boss). He'll ask you to bring back snow from the mountains. First, you'll need to find the cooler in Blackmoor Mountains, which is the next area you will go to as part of the main story. Once you have that, go to any area that has snow and you'll automatically fill the cooler with snow. Bring this back to Bopo in Mudpot to complete the quest and unlock the achievement.
The Blacksmith of Archer's Pass

10
Meet Haley
(2)
Haley is the blacksmith you'll meet as part of The Blacksmith side quest. Talk to Avgustin on your way through Aurora village to start the quest. When you get to the world map, go to Archer's Pass, navigate to the top of the area and drop down the pipe where you'll find Haley and unlock the achievement.

High Spirits

20
Defeat Baron Kane
(2)
Story related and can't be missed. Read on if you need help with the boss fight.

Baron Kane is the Chapter 3 boss. He has 3 attacks.
1. A slow melee attack.
2. A spell that will silence Fidget.
3. Spawn zombies.
You can get around all his attacks pretty easily just by doing aerial dust storm back and forth. That's pretty much the entire fight. Doing dust storm back and forth. Bring Deadly Delight (food item) if possible to cure silence. Projectiles will help make this fight go faster than just doing aerial dust storm.
...And the Dust Settles

50
Defeat General Gaius
Story related and can't be missed. Read on if you need help with the boss fight.

Gaius is the games final boss. There are four phases, with each phase adding something extra to the fight. There's a shop right before it where you can buy as many revival stones as you can. The game ends here anyway so it's good to make it as easy as possible.

Phase 1: He has a forward charging attack while on the ground, and an uppercut followed by a dive. He'll dodge or parry the majority of your melee strikes, so projectiles are the best damage dealers here. Jumping towards him and challenging him in the air seems to be the most effective strategy. When you jump, he'll also jump. Meet him in the air with some melee strikes and a throw if he doesn't parry. You can repeat this over and over and he'll almost never use his other attacks. Use projectiles whenever you have enough energy.

Phase 2: This part adds electrical orbs that spawn at your position, and you'll be bombed by flying machines. Same strategy applies here, but you'll want to avoid the orbs as they do a lot of damage. Use your projectiles to take down flying machines quickly. Try not to attack when he casts the orbs. If he parries, you can get knocked into them.

Phase 3: The same as before, except now you have to deal with the orbs in a confined area. There are 2 bombs that you can use to your advantage.

Phase 4: Watch out for the lava below. Try to stay on the main platform on top. My strategy here was spam projectiles and kill him fast as possible so I wouldn't have to deal with falling in the lava. Remember that food items restore your energy in addition to your HP.
Defused

20
Defeat Fuse
(1)
Story related and can't be missed. Read on if you need help with the boss fight.

Fuse is the first boss you encounter. He has 3 attacks.
1. When he says "SWARM!" he will cast green fireballs that will track you. Use aerial dust storm (jump and hold ) to negate these projectiles.
2. When he says "TAKE THIS!" he will cast a series of fireballs in a straight line. You can interrupt it by hitting him, or dash behind him for a free hit.
3. He'll randomly do a wall of fire attack that fills much of the screen.
I found the combo very effective here. (, launches him, then it's 3 quick melees with , and throws him into the ground) Once you manage to land this cleanly, you can run towards him right after the throw and repeat the combo over and over. Do this as much as possible because it gives him no chance to do damage to you, and also does good damage to him. The rest of the time I'm throwing projectiles to add damage when I can't get close to do the combo.
Waters of Life

20
Defeat Lady Tethys
Story related and can't be missed. Read on if you need help with the boss fight.

Lady Tethys is the chapter 2 boss. She has 2 attacks.
1. An electric orb that spawns at wherever you are. Easy to avoid if you keep moving.
2. A melee attack with a big red sword that hits all around her.
For this fight, cast projectiles over and over. This gets you free damage and interrupts her attacks. Get in close whenever you can and do jump . The throw at the end does a huge chunk of damage. She'll do her melee attack after being thrown, so run out of range and cast some more projectiles. Her melee attack can be parried, so always be prepared to parry. She can't be stunned by parries, but you'll avoid taking damage.
Paragon

10
Opt out of putting poison ivy into Gianni's laundry
(2)
See Renegade achievement description.
Renegade

10
Reign chaos by putting poison ivy into Gianni's laundry
(1)
Paragon and Renegade are earned from the side quest Out to Dry obtained in Aurora Village.
1. Talk to Colleen.
2. Talk to Gianni.
3. Go to Ivydale Glen from the World Map.
Find Corbin in Ivydale Glen. Crate a separate save at the checkpoint to the right of the laundry. Pick up the laundry and choose whether or not to put poison ivy in the basket. You get Paragon for choosing not to, and Renegade for choosing to upon returning the laundry to Gianni in Aurora. Load the save to choose the other option and unlock the other achievement.

Don't worry too much if you've already missed this. It's very early in the game so you can start a new game and complete it without very much extra time or effort.
Bad Therapist

10
Bug Matti
(6)
Matti is Haley's brother. You'll meet him the same time as Haley in The Blacksmith side quest. Press up on to talk to him. Repeat until the achievement unlocks.
Silence Those Guns

10
Destroy every enemy Cannon
This is part of the main quest in Chapter 5. It is story related, however not every cannon has to be destroyed in order to progress. There are 4 cannons in all. If you happen to miss them, you can backtrack and collect the rest. Pay attention to the sound of the cannons which will indicate when one is nearby.