Echoes of Aincrad Guide: Free Mode vs Switch Mode for Partners
Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad gives players a Partner combat AI setup with two distinct behavior modes: Free mode and Switch mode. These settings decide how your companions act in fights, which can dramatically change how you manage aggro, healing windows, and ability usage.
Release & availability overview
The game’s Partner AI modes are available after you unlock the relevant tutorial ability, and you can only change them in combat missions and exploration areas where your Partners travel with you. You cannot adjust this in the Town of Beginnings.
To toggle between the two modes, use:
- R on PC
- Y on Xbox
- Triangle on PS5
How to switch between Free mode and Switch mode
Once you gain access to this system during the tutorial, you’ll be able to swap between Free and Switch mode using the button prompts tied to your platform. The option is restricted to the moments your group is actively fighting or exploring together—so if you’re in the Town of Beginnings, you won’t be able to customize the Partner’s combat behavior there.
What Switch mode does
Switch mode is an AI Command behavior where you and your Partner take turns pressuring the enemy. The intent is to create breathing room for both of you: while one of you is drawing attention, the other can recover, heal, use abilities, or handle other combat actions.
When Switch mode is active, you’ll notice a double silhouette in the mode selector box in the bottom-right corner.
Switch mode works off a simple combat loop. First, you need to attack the enemy yourself to pull aggro. After a short delay, your Partner will call out “Switch with me!”. At that point, the silhouette inside the switch selector icon will turn green, and you’ll also see “Waiting to Switch” appear next to your Partner’s portrait, underneath their health bar.
To perform the switch, all you have to do is dodge once. Your Partner will then jump in and take aggro from the enemy. The silhouette will shift to blue, and the word “In Combat” will appear under your Partner’s portrait.
After another brief window, your Partner will ask you to switch back in. When you hear the request, attack the enemy and the cycle repeats—your turn, their turn, and so on.
- Best used against: Bosses, elites
What Free mode does
Free mode is the alternate AI Command setting, where your Partner is allowed to act on their own. Instead of taking turns with you, they can choose when to attack, dodge, guard, and use abilities based on their own AI decisions.
When Free mode is selected, the mode selector box in the bottom-right shows a single silhouette.
Free mode is also notably high-tempo. Your Partner becomes extremely aggressive, attacking anything that counts as a valid enemy without waiting for your input. Staying in this state for too long during active combat will eventually drain your Partner’s focus.
Focus functions like a stamina-style resource. It determines whether the Partner can effectively dodge or guard enemy attacks and whether they can use abilities. If the focus gauge is fully depleted, they’ll be unable to stop incoming damage from landing.
You can monitor focus via the border around your Partner’s portrait, which appears underneath their health bar in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Best used against: Regular mobs
