The second Victory Zone in the Aetherium Wars event is Cloudford, and this familiar district in the Xianzhou Luofu is home to several chests, Aether Spirits, and optional challengers to discover. Unlike the first Victory Zone, which acted as a straightforward tutorial that introduced you to the main mechanics of Aetherium Wars, Cloudford is much more complex. The conveyor belt puzzles from the Xianzhou Luofu are back, and they’re just as frustrating as ever. This guide will show you how to get every chest, capture every optional Aether Spirit, and defeat every challenger in the Cloudford district in Honkai Star Rail.
Cloudford Victory Zone Guide
In total, there are 5 treasure chests, 4 Aether Spirits, and 5 challengers in the Cloudford zone. You can see their locations marked on the map above. Treasure chests are marked with red circles, Aether Spirits are marked in blue, and challengers are marked in green.
How to Get the Cloudford Chests
Most of the chests in Cloudford are located out in the open, so you should be able to see them as you approach their locations marked on the map above. However, there is one exception. One chest requires you to solve a sliding conveyor belt puzzle, using the controller in the center of the map to move a large crate into position so it can serve as a bridge to help you reach the treasure.
To reach it, use the Controller next to the Casual Player challenger in the center of the region and slide the crates to the left so you can reach the other nearby Controller. Then, just use that Controller to move the red crate all the way to the right so you can walk across it and reach the treasure chest.
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All Cloudford Aether Spirits
There are four Aether Spirits to collect in Cloudford. Three of them can be collected at any time, but you’ll need the Mastery Mark in order to reach the fourth and final Aether Spirit, the Automaton Gatekeeper.
- Illumination Dragonfish
- Obedient Dracolion
- Wooden Lupus
- Aurumaton Gatekeeper
Keeping in line with Cloudford’s industrial theme, most of the Aether Spirits you can obtain in this zone are Mechanical type. They have a huge advantage against purple Abberant Aether Spirits. These will come in handy in later stages and help you build a well-balanced team to take on the championship.
How to Beat Cloudford Challengers
All of the Cloudford challengers make use of the local Aether Spirits, so they’re mostly Mechanical type. That means you’re going to need to make use of the red Humanoid Aether Spirits that you obtained in the Corridor of Fading Echoes victory zone before coming to Cloudford. Make sure you level them all up so they stand a fighting chance.
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How to Beat Master Gongshu
Master Gongshu is the final challenger of Cloudford. His team is comprised of the four Aether Spirits that you can capture in the area. Three of them are Mechanical, while one is Abberant. This is best team for beating Master Gongshu:
- Silvermane Lieutenant
- Silvermane Cannoner
- Silvermane Gunner
- Warp Trotter
To beat Master Gongshu, focus on buffing the Silvermane Lieutenant and using his shield ability to force him to perform follow-up attacks. Use Expansion Chips that increase his Max HP and increase his damage when it’s not his turn. He’ll carry you through this fight as long as you use your Warp Trotter to keep your team healed.
