The Hirasaka Great Labyrinth is where Kyoto Xanadu spends most of its combat and exploration. This labyrinth guide covers how its layers are structured, how to manage Aether on a long dive, and what to do with the Cursed Armor you drag back out.
Layers and Uncertain Zones
The Great Labyrinth is built in layers, explored through the 2D side-scrolling half of the Dual Dimensional loop and punctuated by 3D gate battles. Interspersed among the fixed layout are Uncertain Zones — sections that shift between visits, so a route that worked yesterday may not be there today. Map what you can, note the stable landmarks, and use the Xanadu Lobby as your staging point between descents. Verticality is your friend: many fights in the 2D layer can be skipped by taking the high or low path rather than engaging.
Aether and poisoning
Xanadu runs on Aether, the otherworld's ambient energy. You gather it from broken objects and defeated enemies, but lingering too deep for too long risks Aether poisoning, a creeping penalty that punishes marathon dives. The practical rule is to plan a dive around an objective — a specific layer, boss or material — and turn back once you have it, rather than pushing "one more room" until poisoning erodes your run. A short, completed descent is almost always worth more than a deep one you have to abandon.
Cursed Armor
Equipment recovered from the Labyrinth often comes out as Cursed Armor — powerful but unusable until it is purified. Do not sell cursed pieces on sight; cleansed gear is frequently an upgrade over what you can buy, and purification is how the Labyrinth pays you back for the risk of a deep dive. Bank promising pieces and purify them between runs.
Dive discipline
- Set an objective before you descend and leave once you hit it.
- Watch Aether — treat rising poison risk as your turn-back signal.
- Re-check Uncertain Zones each visit; do not trust a shifting route from memory.
- Purify before selling — cursed drops are your best source of upgrades.
With the Labyrinth handled, tighten your build in the Action Cards guide, or revisit fundamentals in the combat guide.