Echeladders are not necessarily reserved for players; Nannasprite mentions having climbed them in her youth. Nor are they even limited to living things; many objects are capable of rising in the echeladder when they defeat enemies on their own, such as books advancing when dropped on enemies via the Sburb interface. This does not appear to apply to normal weapons. "Echeladder" is a portmanteau of "echelon" and "ladder".