Beaten to the Punch Quest Guide: Horunka Cardinal Rank (2024)

Echoes of Aincrad keeps the main-story momentum going with Beaten to the Punch, the seventh quest in the game’s core campaign. After learning more about a major Sword Art Online reveal through Summons, players are pushed toward Horunka—where Cardinal Rank progression changes both enemy pressure and the kind of loot you’ll pull.

Beaten to the Punch walkthrough overview

After you complete Summons, Beaten to the Punch becomes the next step in Echoes of Aincrad’s story. The goal is to reach the next town, Horunka, take on fresh threats, and eventually face the Raging Boar boss. This quest also raises your Cardinal Rank, which affects how the world behaves and what rewards you receive.

Quest: Beaten to the Punch (seventh main quest)
Key destinations: Town of Beginnings → Horunka → Goldenpeak Hill Safe Area
Boss: Raging Boar
Progression impact: Cardinal Rank increases, affecting enemy difficulty and loot

Beaten to the Punch walkthrough

Before you begin, swap in your gear from the beta and restock your pouch. When you’re ready, travel to the Main Terminal located inside the Town of Beginnings to set off. Unlike earlier quests, this one increases your Cardinal Rank, and that change carries over into how the Echoes of Aincrad world plays out.

Once your Cardinal Rank increases, expect tougher enemies—alongside an important upside: the loot table also shifts. You’ll also be able to push your weapons further through upgrades at the Smithy.

Heads up from the guide writer

If you see a warning telling you the recommended player level is 10 or higher, but you’re slightly under that target, don’t panic. In practice, you can often get through with a lower level—especially here, where there may not be a clear way to grind up to meet the recommendation. Later on, you can also revisit older quests and tackle side content. The writer notes they’ve completed quests even when they were about 20 levels below the recommendation with success, though results can vary based on your difficulty settings and the risks you’re willing to take.

Start traveling toward Horunka

Your partner choice can slightly shift the dialogue for the journey. In the writer’s case, selecting Iori led to different lines, but the route stays the same after the brief cutscene. From there, move north toward the next Safe Area. Because the team has already traveled through much of this region during the closed beta, you shouldn’t expect a flood of brand-new encounters.

Instead of battling constantly, you’ll primarily hop between Safe Areas to uncover each section of the map. If you want extra rewards while you go, you can also search for treasure chests—sources of weapons, consumables, money, and even crafting blueprints.

As in the closed beta, you can’t simply draw a straight line from the town to your waypoint. The map’s boundaries block direct shortcuts through parts of the terrain, which can be confusing since a stone bridge makes it look like it’s meant to be used.

To get moving correctly, travel north out of town and then cut east to reach the first Safe Area. After that, you can stay on the main road heading east; it bends and eventually brings you to the next Safe Area at Esta Road. As long as you follow the roads and keep an eye out for the big blue beam in the sky, you should stay on track.

After reaching the Goldenpeak Hill Safe Area

The Echoes of Aincrad map can be tricky, especially if regions are partially hidden. After you reveal Goldenpeak Hill, you’ll likely want to head south toward a blue magical seal marker. However, you can’t reach it from your current side. Instead, keep moving north along the road and loop around to the other side.

Try to hold back on potions and Healing Crystals after leaving Goldenpeak Hill, since you won’t have a chance to rest until after you clear the next boss. That said, you can still explore temporarily and return to the Safe Area if you want.

When you finally arrive at the quest waypoint, you’ll run into a sealed yellow barrier that you need to pass through—leading, as is typical for Echoes of Aincrad, into a boss encounter.

How to beat the Raging Boar

The Raging Boar takes longer than the earlier bosses you’ve fought so far. The reason is that it has three health bars, even though only one bar shows at a time. Here’s what to watch for during the fight:

Like other boar-type enemies in Echoes of Aincrad, it can perform a charging move. It can also end that sequence by kicking up the ground directly in front of it.
It can execute a headbutt sequence with short pauses between each of the three hits, giving you openings to dodge sideways and avoid the combo.
It may rise on its hind legs and then slam down, damaging the area nearby—an attack pattern that shows up across many bosses.
During each of its three health phases, it can roar to summon extra enemies. Depending on which health bar you’re in, those summoned foes can be tougher—for example, later phases can bring in Scarred Boars and Mama Boars.
It’s also more mobile than you might expect, sliding and jumping while it attacks. That movement can make safe offense harder, so waiting for the right moment can be the better plan.
If your partner manages to draw the boss’s attention, you’ll usually have safer windows to attack from behind.

After you defeat the Raging Boar, collect the loot. The items the writer received were:

Col
2 Iron Ingots
Iron Chunk
Steel Axe
Steel Rapier
Bronze Sword

Once you’ve grabbed everything, continue for a short distance toward Horunka. Cross the bridge to enter the town, then use the warp terminal here to complete Beaten to the Punch. You’ll also get a message explaining how the world changes as a result of upgrading your Cardinal Rank.

Speak to the woman inside Horunka

After arriving in Horunka, you’ll see a short scene featuring Iori and Wyzeman. When it finishes, follow Wyzeman slightly north inside the town to locate a specific woman. He’ll be waiting near her as she sits on a bench with her head lowered toward the ground. The Farmer’s Wife explains that her daughter is ill and needs a special medicine.

This sets up the next quest: Secret Medicine of the Forest. Before you head out, you’ll also gain the ability to replay quests you’ve already completed, and you can unlock side quests too. Beyond occasional trinkets found in the outerworld, there are marked NPCs in each town who offer additional side objectives.

When you’re ready to continue—after your usual resupply and upgrades—go back to the Main Terminal, then begin Secret Medicine of the Forest.

Beaten to the Punch Quest Guide: Horunka Cardinal Rank and Loot Tips

Beaten to the Punch walkthrough overview