Empyrean Trace: Altgard is the Asmodian currency for the Altgard Monolith. You pull it out of glowing red crystals scattered across Altgard, then feed it to the Monolith to raise its Resonance Level. Each level adds permanent character stats and hands out items such as Wisdom Stones, Revelation Amulet Enhance Scrolls and Hidden Cube keys. The trace has no other use. It can’t be sold, traded or crafted, and it only works at the Altgard Monolith.
Quick answer: Finish the Empyrean Monolith quest (unlocks at level 10), then interact with trace spots in Altgard. Each spot gives 3 traces once. Resonate them at the Monolith in Safe Haven or Nornir Assembly.
Empyrean Trace: Altgard item stats and restrictions
The item is a bound miscellaneous material. It carries no stats of its own. Its value comes entirely from what the Monolith gives you in return.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name |  Empyrean Trace: Altgard (Bound) |
| Grade | Special |
| Type | Misc |
| Gear tier | t1 |
| Required level | 1 |
| Faction | Asmodians |
| Max stack | 10,000 |
| Trading | Cannot be traded |
| Character storage | Yes |
| Server storage | No |
| Used at | Altgard Monolith |
The item text ties it to the Empyrean Lords who guard Altgard and names the Altgard Monolith as the only place it can be resonated. Because server storage is blocked, traces stay on the Asmodian character who collected them, and you can’t move them to another character on the same account.
You can’t resonate at a Monolith on the enemy continent. Elyos players who cross into Altgard through a Spacetime Rift can’t use the Altgard Monolith. Their equivalent is Empyrean Trace: Verteron.
Unlock the Altgard Monolith with the Empyrean Monolith quest
Resonating opens through Empyrean Monolith, an Episode quest in chapter 2 of the story, Stranger in a Strange Land. It unlocks at level 10 and is recommended at level 16. Ulgorn gives it to you at Shadow Hall once you wake up after being dragged from the water, and he sends you to Nemon. After Brok’s interrogation points to the Blood Blades, Nemon tells you to visit the Monolith in Safe Haven.
The quest pays Kina (Bound) x7,500 and 109,101 EXP, and it leads into A New Lead. Completing it also unlocks your faction’s Morheim Monolith and Ereshkigal’s Monolith.
How to get Empyrean Trace: Altgard from trace spots
Altgard has 560 Empyrean Trace spots. Each one gives 3 traces, so clearing the whole region yields 1,680 Empyrean Trace: Altgard. In the world, a spot looks like a red crystal floating above the ground, with an “Empyrean Trace: Altgard” nameplate and an interact prompt.
- Spots sit at fixed locations and appear on both the world map and the minimap.
- Press the interact key (F on PC) to start a 2.5-second “Retrieving…” cast.
- No key, item or fee is needed.
- Each spot works once per character and never respawns.
- Most traces are on the ground. About 100 are airborne and require flight, while 17 are underwater.
A successful pickup triggers the message “Empyrean Trace: Altgard [Bound] acquired.” and changes the spot to its collected state. The map filter lists Empyrean Trace and Empyrean Trace – Collection Complete separately, allowing you to hide completed spots. The Monolith window’s Collection Status list tracks progress for each area.
Where Altgard trace spots cluster
Spots are spread across the whole map, but a few areas account for a large share of them. These are worth sweeping first:
- Impetusium Square, which has more spots than any other Altgard area.
- Immortal Isle, with 40 spots.
- Black Claw Village, with 35 spots.
- Purifying Forest, Moslan Forest and Basfelt Ruins.
- Idun’s Lake, where 10 spots are underwater.
Safe Haven and Nornir Assembly, the two towns with a Monolith, also have their own trace spots. Clear those whenever you stop by to resonate.
Altgard Monolith Express Voucher
You can also skip the legwork. The Altgard Monolith Express Voucher (Bound) is a Special-grade usable item that instantly collects every trace you haven’t picked up in Altgard yet. It does nothing if you’ve already cleared every spot in the region. It stacks to 1,000, has no level requirement and can’t be traded.
Empyrean Trace: Altgard effects at the Altgard Monolith
Altgard has two Monoliths, one at Safe Haven and one at Nornir Assembly. Safe Haven’s sits on a high ledge and shows up as a purple Monolith icon on the town map. Interact with it to open the Resonance Level window, which lists your current level, how many traces the next level needs, the stat changes, and the level-up rewards. Higher levels require more traces.
Resonance Level 4 shows how this works. The level costs 9 traces and applies these changes:
| Level 4 effect | Change |
|---|---|
| Life [Yustiel] | 6 → 8 |
| Destiny [Marchutan] | 6 → 8 |
| Stamina | 30 → 40 |
| Wisdom Stone (Bound) | x2, 1 Skill Point each |
| Revelation Amulet Enhance Scroll | x1 |
 Key: Hidden Cube (Bound) | x1 |
The stat bonuses are permanent once you reach a level. The items go straight into your progression. Wisdom Stones become skill points, the Enhance Scroll upgrades your Revelation Amulet, and the key opens one of Altgard’s 59 Hidden Cubes.
Altgard Monolith titles
Three titles come from the Altgard Monolith. Each one grants a small bonus just for owning it and a larger bonus while you have it equipped.
| Title | Grade | Owned effect | Equipped effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint of Altgard | Unique | MP 20 | Defense Bonus 300, Damage Tolerance 3.0%, Block 100 |
| Guardian of Altgard | Epic | PvE Attack 4 | PvE Damage Boost 3.0%, Penetration 210 |
| Altgard Inquirer | Rare | Accuracy Bonus 5 | Move Speed 1.6% |
Once the Monolith reaches its maximum level, extra traces are not wasted. You can convert leftovers through Substance Morphing into upgrade materials, which turns the remaining spots on the map into a steady source of materials after the stat bonuses are maxed.
