Quick answer: Aureate comes after you beat Zuo Shang at the very end of the story, on the Long’s Roar or Final Battle ending. Finish Secrets at the Heart of the Lake before the final region to reach him.
How to get Aureate
Zuo Shang holds Aureate, and you only meet him on certain endings. If you skip Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, the story takes the Annihilation route. That route ends at Meng Hua, with no Zuo Shang fight and no Aureate.
Here is how each ending affects what you receive:
| Lake quest | Lóng Pillar trials | Ending | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skipped | Any | Annihilation | No Aureate |
| Finished | Not all won | Long’s Roar | Aureate |
| Finished | All five won | Final Battle | Aureate, Radiant Heart |
Broken Lóng Body is used to Soul Temper Aureate, and that upgrade is called The Grand Design. It is an end-of-game reward too.
Aureate weapon card
The card reads:
A longsword forged from pure gold, its blade smooth as silk. With it, one can imitate Zuo Shang’s unique Golden Sword Energy.
What Aureate does
Aureate’s arts are built around summoned swords and the Grand Design stance. Each art’s text appears in the game exactly as shown below.
| Weapon art | In-game text |
|---|---|
| Golden Lóng Sword | “Switching to this weapon or parrying an enemy’s Blue-flash Attack summons a massive [Golden Lóng Sword] to strike the enemy.” |
| Living Sword | “When a [Heavy Attack] attack within a combo hits an enemy, a [Living Sword] is summoned. After 3 seconds, it automatically strikes the enemy. If the strike is not blocked, the sword remains embedded for 20 seconds. When 5 swords are embedded, they trigger a [Sword Energy Burst].” |
| Radiant Lóng Sword Formation | “[Power Surge] Consumes 1 Sha-Chi Essence to summon numerous [Living Swords] to strike enemies. This attack is unblockable.” |
| The Grand Design | “After triggering [Sword Energy Burst], gain [Grand Design Empowerment], greatly empowering the phantom weapon summoned by the next [Grand Design] skill: Phantom Firearms: Increases the number summoned to 5. Phantom Great Hammer: Becomes a flaming great hammer, creating a burning area on impact. Phantom Iron Umbrella: Fires homing darts in four directions.” |
| Strategist: Ranged Assault | “Press [Block]+[Heavy Attack] to enter [Grand Design] stance. If activated just before an incoming attack, you will Teleport backward and summon 4 [Floating Swords] to counterattack. Hold [Block] to maintain [Grand Design]. Sha-Chi is gradually consumed while in this stance. If attacked while in [Grand Design] stance, all remaining Sha-Chi is consumed to negate the damage and dodge backward, ending [Grand Design]. [Grand Design] does not interrupt your current combo. While in [Grand Design] stance, press [Light Attack] to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon 3 Phantom Firearms to attack enemies. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance.” |
| A Thousand Blades | “Lv. 1: Enemies with embedded [Sword Energy] take slightly increased damage from all sources. Lv. 2: Enemies with embedded [Sword Energy] take moderately increased damage from all sources. Lv. 3: Enemies with embedded [Sword Energy] take greatly increased damage from all sources.” |
| Strategist: Formation Breaker | “While in [Grand Design] stance, press [Heavy Attack] to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon a phantom great hammer to attack enemies. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance.” |
| Strategist: Iron Wall | “While in [Grand Design] stance, press [Execute] to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon a phantom iron umbrella that attacks enemies while defending. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance.” |
The arts connect to each other. A Heavy Attack that hits within a combo summons a Living Sword. After 3 seconds, it strikes the enemy. Five embedded swords set off a Sword Energy Burst. With The Grand Design, that burst powers up the next phantom weapon you summon from the Grand Design stance.
