You’re probably here because you’ve looked at the trophy list for Stellar Blade and noticed one specific bronze icon mocking you. It’s called Air Ace. On paper, the requirement sounds like a breeze: defeat 50 enemies in the air. Simple, right? Except, if you've played more than twenty minutes of Shift Up’s action-heavy title, you know that EVE isn't exactly a platforming gymnast by default. Most of your combat happens with feet firmly planted on the scorched earth of Xion or the Wasteland.
The reality is that "in the air" is a bit of a deceptive descriptor. Most players assume this means you need to jump, hover, and hack away like you’re playing Devil May Cry or Kingdom Hearts. Do that, and you’ll likely find yourself whiffing half your swings while a Naytiba punishes your landing recovery. It feels clunky because the game isn't designed for sustained aerial dogfighting.
Honestly, the trick to Air Ace isn’t about being good at jumping. It’s about understanding which specific skills the game counts toward this tally and where you can farm them without wasting ten hours of your life.
The Mechanics of Being Airborne
Stellar Blade handles verticality in a very specific way. You can’t just launch an enemy and juggle them indefinitely. Instead, the game rewards specific "Stinger" style moves and downward thrusts. To make progress toward the 50 kills, the killing blow must land while EVE’s character model is physically disconnected from the ground.
Timing is everything.
If you deplete a Naytiba's health bar with a ground combo and then jump and hit them while they are in their death animation, it usually won't count. The logic check happens at the moment the HP hits zero. If you’re a pixel above the sand? Great. If you’ve already landed? No luck.
Skills You Actually Need
Don't bother trying to get this with standard square or triangle strings while hopping. It's miserable. You need to invest in the Reflection skill tree. Specifically, look at Reflect II. This allows you to follow up a successful parry with a powerful counter. Even better is the Incursion skill.
But the real MVP for the Air Ace trophy is the Double Jump. You don't get this immediately. It’s locked behind a specific story beat in the Altess Levoire. Once you have it, the game opens up. You can leap, double jump to stall your air time, and then rain down a series of strikes or a powerful plunge attack.
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There is also a Beta Skill called Triplets. While it starts on the ground, the upgrades allow for significant upward mobility. However, relying on Beta energy to farm 50 kills is slow. You want something repeatable, something that doesn't require you to hunt down energy recharges every three minutes.
Where Everyone Goes Wrong
Most people try to get this naturally during their first playthrough. They see a small Naytiba, they jump, they swing. They do this for thirty hours and then check their trophy progress only to see "4/50."
It’s discouraging.
The mistake is trying to "air combo" enemies that have too much health. If a Naytiba takes five hits to die, and you can only stay in the air for three, you’re never going to get the killing blow up there. You have to whittle them down first. Use your gun—the slugs or the stinger missiles—to get their health into the "one-shot" range. Then, and only then, do you take flight.
The Best Farming Spots for Air Ace
If you want this trophy fast, you need quantity over quality. You need "trash mobs"—enemies that die if you so much as sneeze in their direction.
The Wasteland Scrap Yard
Head to the Wasteland. Near the junkyard areas, you’ll find swarms of small, spider-like Naytibas or the flying drones that look like mutated security cameras. These are perfect. They have tiny health pools.
Here is the loop:
- Round them up.
- Soften them with a single gunshot if necessary.
- Jump, Double Jump, and mash the light attack.
- Reset at the nearest Supply Camp.
The Great Desert Ruins
The Great Desert offers even better density in certain spots. Look for the "Creeper" nests. These things spawn in groups of five or six. They are aggressive, but they are fragile. Using the Downthrust move (jumping and holding the heavy attack button) is particularly effective here. Even though you are moving toward the ground, the game considers the duration of the descent as being "in the air." If the shockwave or the blade contact kills the Creeper, it counts.
Dealing With the "Float" Issue
Sometimes EVE feels heavy. To counter this, equip Gear that boosts your attack speed. The faster you swing, the more hits you can cram into a single jump. The Speed Enhancement Gear is a solid choice here. If you’re swinging 10% or 15% faster, that final killing blow is much more likely to land before gravity takes over.
Also, keep an eye on your Exospine. The Eagle Eye Exospine isn't just for ranged combat; it can help with target acquisition while you’re mid-air, making sure EVE tracks toward the enemy rather than swinging at empty space.
Why Does This Trophy Even Exist?
It feels like a leftover from an earlier build of the game where maybe aerial combat was more central. In the final version of Stellar Blade, the "Air Ace" requirement feels like a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the combat flow. It forces you to play "wrong." You're ignoring the beautiful parry and dodge system to become a pogo stick.
But, for the Platinum hunters, it’s a non-negotiable hurdle.
The good news? You can do this in New Game Plus. If you’ve already finished the game and missed it, don't sweat it. In NG+, EVE is a powerhouse. You’ll have all your skills unlocked from the jump. You can go back to the Eidos 7 parking garage or the early city streets and absolutely vaporize the early-game enemies with a single air strike. It’s much less stressful when you aren't worried about dying to a stray hit.
Actionable Strategy for Fast Completion
To wrap this up and get that notification to pop on your screen, follow this specific sequence. Stop trying to play "cool" and start playing efficiently.
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- Go to the Wasteland: Use the fast travel to the Scrap Yard or the entrance to the Abyss Levoire.
- Locate the "Baby" Naytibas: These are the ones that travel in packs and look like small grey blobs or spiders.
- The "Jump-Jump-Square" Method: Do not use heavy attacks unless it's a Downthrust. Heavy attacks have longer animations that often pull you to the ground before the hit connects. Double jump, then spam the light attack (Square on PS5).
- Use the Ranged Option: If an enemy is flying, use your drone to get its health to 5%. Then jump and melee it. It still counts as an aerial kill even if the enemy was also in the air.
- Track Your Progress: Check the trophy menu frequently. If the number isn't going up, you are landing your hits too late. You need to be higher in the air than you think.
Don't overcomplicate it. Stellar Blade is a game about rhythm, but Air Ace is a game about cheese. Embrace the cheese, spend twenty minutes jumping on spiders in the desert, and move on to the more satisfying parts of the game, like the boss rushes or hunting down those elusive Nano Suits.
Once you see the "Air Ace" trophy pop, you never have to jump-attack a trash mob again. You can go back to the grounded, tactical brilliance that makes the rest of the game shine. Check your Gear, head to the Wasteland, and just start hopping. It'll be over before you know it.