Eastern Gribade Highland is a parched upland in Altgard, the first large region Asmodian players explore in Aion 2. It is packed with collectibles: a run of Empyrean Trace nodes scattered across clifftops and gorges, four Sealed Dungeons tucked into cave mouths, and a single fortified stronghold. Elyos players can reach the same content by teleporting to Altgard through Spacetime Rifts.
Quick answer: The zone holds 13 Empyrean Trace nodes, 4 Sealed Dungeons, and 1 Stronghold. Hold the interact key on each glowing trace to harvest it, and clear each dungeon to its guarded chest for a title and reward package.
Empyrean Traces in Eastern Gribade Highland
Empyrean Traces appear in the world as glowing red crystal pillars. Walk up to one, hold the interact key, and you collect Empyrean Trace: Altgard. These fragments feed your amulet upgrade, which raises server-wide stats, so clearing the full set matters for account progression. Several nodes sit on cliff edges, inside crevices, or out on an offshore island, so you will need your wings to glide across to them.
The zone’s 13 trace nodes and how to reach each one are below.
| Trace | Where it is and how to reach it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Coastal clifftop below a chain of floating rocks; glide down from above |
| 2 | Rocky outcrop next to wooden barricades, reached on foot |
| 3 | Beside a wooden fence inside the Black Claw camp; clear the guards first |
| 4 | Canyon ridge; glide across the gap |
| 5 | On rocks next to ruins |
| 6 | Edge of an elevated hilltop plateau; glide up to it |
| 7 | Down in a shadowy gorge between rocks |
| 8 | Inside a narrow vertical crevice; glide down between the cliff faces |
| 9 | Under large trees near a camp tent (a second node sits nearby) |
| 10 | Small camp with an obelisk; glide off the mountain precipice |
| 11 | On a mountain ledge |
| 12 | Seaside ridge on a coastal clifftop |
| 13 | Offshore rocky islet; glide across open water |
Trace 1 is a good first stop. The node sits on the shoreline directly beneath the floating rocks, so open the map, line up above it, and glide straight down.
Trace 2 is one of the easier grabs, sitting on a rocky outcrop beside wooden barricades that you can simply run up to.
Trace 3 is defended. It sits by a wooden fence inside a Black Claw camp, so expect to fight through Black Claw Guard Troopers before you can hold the interact key.
Trace 4 sits out on a canyon ridge. Line up on the opposite edge and glide across the gap to land on it.
Trace 5 rests on rocks next to a cluster of ruins and is a simple walk-up harvest.
Trace 7 is the trickiest of the early ones to spot. Drop into the shadowy gorge between the rocks to find the node tucked at the bottom.
Nodes 1, 8, and 13 all demand gliding, with 13 requiring a flight out over open water to an offshore islet. Clear the ground-level nodes first, then make a single wing run across the elevated and offshore spots so you are not re-climbing each cliff.
Sealed Dungeons in Eastern Gribade Highland
Four Sealed Dungeons sit in the zone, each entered through a glowing green cave aperture along a canyon wall or shoreline. Each one is a short clear that ends at a guarded chest. Fungie Habitat, Odylium Marauder Den, and Destruction Archons Armory are set at a recommended level of 35.
| Sealed Dungeon | Title reward | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fungie Habitat | Uncrushable | Follow the path, defeat the Fungies, open the guarded Precious Treasure Chest |
| Rock Cave | Archaeologist | Interact with the Stone Tablets until you find Revelations of Khalil Vol. 3 |
| Odylium Marauder Den | Of a Convoluted Interior | Avoid the laser traps and loot the chest |
| Destruction Archons Armory | Heir of Eternity | Complete the chamber trial and open the chest |
Sealed Dungeon clear rewards
Asmodian players receive the same package from each of these dungeons, on top of the title listed above:
- Kina x15,000
- Enhance Stone x1,250
- Sealed Wing Featherdown x2
- Statue Scrap: Night Illusion Wings x2
- Daevanion Crystal x2
- Wisdom Stone x2
Elyos players who come through Spacetime Rifts clear the same dungeons but receive a different payout: 2,500 Enhancement Stones per completed dungeon, without the Wisdom Stones or Daevanion Crystals.
Granach’s Hideout stronghold
Granach’s Hideout is the zone’s sole stronghold, serving as a base for wanted criminals who formerly worked alongside the Steel Hammer Merchants before being arrested for smuggling. They have made the eastern highland their home and prey on traders traveling through. Strongholds are tied to belt upgrades, making this camp worth clearing as you explore the region.
To take it, open the large stone entrance gate, push into the interior courtyard, and clear the enemy waves. Once the guards are down, speak with the NPC Steel Hammer Shulak, then open the Treasure Chest to claim the completion rewards and the Overthrower! title.
How to confirm each one is done
Each trace you harvest ticks the region counter up by one, shown as the X/13 total, so you can track exactly how many nodes remain. Finishing a Sealed Dungeon pops a “Sealed Dungeon Complete” banner along with a “Title Acquired” notice naming that dungeon’s reward title. Clearing Granach’s Hideout and opening its chest delivers the Overthrower! title the same way. When the trace counter reads 13/13 and all five titles are in your collection, Eastern Gribade Highland is fully cleared.
