The Path to Esquier’s Nest

Camp

After leaving the Gestral Settlement, you will be greeted by a screen that says “Back at the camp.” Well, and then – you will actually find yourself in the camp. Here you can do the usual things. Please note: if you go to the campfire and select the “Check the others” option, an additional cutscene will open. You can also look in on the Curator and take advantage of the moment to leave a note in Gustav’s diary, as well as use the Expedition flag to improve your stats and learn new skills. When you are ready to leave the camp, go to the campfire and select the “Go to bed” option.

Continent

After exiting the Gestral Village, you will find that the massive gate is now open. Go through it and you will see Esque’s Nest in the distance. Move forward, past the broken column, towards the large statue head with the crown/spikes on top. In front of the portal, you will find a missing Gestral. Talk to him and offer to go to your camp – he will agree. Such missing Gestrals are found in other places. Finding them all will give you an achievement. To continue, go through the portal and you will find yourself in Esque’s Nest.

Entrance

As you enter Eskier’s Nest, you’ll see an Expedition Entrance flag nearby. On the opposite side of the area, there’s a narrow passage you can crawl through to find a Lumina Blossom. Activate the flag. Talk to the Gestral standing nearby. After the conversation, he’ll move away, opening the way forward. Before going up the ramp, go around the back of it and grab 653 Chroma. Go up the ramp and through the tunnel ahead. You’ll find yourself on a narrow stone bridge. You’ll need to go to the end of it to continue, but before you do, you can take a quick look around.

Jump off the bridge to the right to reach the flooded area below. Here you will find the Mushrooms for the Gestral Karatom from the Gestral Village behind the market, and Mime. As you probably guessed, Mime here is no different from the previous ones: he has the same moves, but he deals more damage and takes significantly more hits himself. Defeating him will reward you with Ciel’s Baguette hairstyle and outfit. There are ledges nearby that you can use to climb back up to the bridge. Now jump off the bridge to the left to find a Petanque. Chase him to the far right corner of the lower level, where there is a glowing platform. If you manage to defeat him before he escapes, you will receive 5 Shiny Chroma Catalysts, 5 Lumina Flowers, and 1 Retouch.

Climb the bridge again and this time move forward until you reach a large hall. Climb the stairs. At the top of the first section of stairs, look behind one of the left pillars – there is 1305 units of Chroma hidden there. Continue up and a cutscene will soon begin in which you will be introduced to Esquier. After this, go down the slope and use the grapple point to get across the gap to the opposite platform. First, go to the right side – there you will find the Lumina Blossom.

Francois Cave

Then head in the opposite direction to activate the Francois Cave Expedition flag. Head into the open area ahead and a cutscene will soon begin, introducing you to another inhabitant of this area, a turtle-like pile of rocks named Francois. After the cutscene, a fight will begin.

Boss Francois

While Francois has a full boss meter, he’s not too difficult, and only uses one ice attack. But it’s a very powerful attack, so it’s best to learn the timing of dodging (parrying is harder) before attempting to parry. Francois starts the fight with five shields – use aimed shots to destroy them (or Mael’s “Breaking the Rules” skill) and then attack with your most powerful abilities. He’s not very resilient, and your attacks will take away a significant amount of health. You can also apply the Burn effect to him to speed up the fight by dealing damage over time. Defeating Francois will reward you with the “Enhanced First Strike” pictos (your first hit in battle deals 50% more damage).

After the battle, turn to the entrance – there will be a second tunnel on the left. Inside, you can climb up the magic rope. At the top, follow the path, taking 1305 units of chroma along the way. At the end of the path, you can jump onto a stone pillar where the lumina flower lies. From here, jump down to the lower room and climb up to  Eskier again , where a new cutscene will begin. Once it is finished, Eskier will decide to join you and create a new path to the exit. You will receive the “Legend” achievement .

Use the fallen column that Esquier knocked down as a ramp, and use the grappling hook at the end. Follow the path through the cave until you reach another stone bridge. Take the right branch – there is a small camp with the Expedition 66 log. At the very end of this path, you will find the “Invigorating Start III” pictos (+1 AP at the beginning of the fight). From here, you can jump down to the very entrance of the cave. Go back outside – you will find yourself back on the world map. The next goal is Stonewave Cliffs