"Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard; their shadows searching in the night. Streetlights, people, living just to find emotion, hiding somewhere in the night." ~ Midnight Train (Don't Stop Believin') - Journey @ @@@ @@@@@ @@@ .@@@. .@@@@@@@@@. @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ .@. @@@@ @@@@ @ @@ @@@ @@@@ @@@ @@ @@@ *@* @@@@ @@ @@@ @@@@ .@@@@@. .@@@@. @@@@@@ @@@ .@@@. @@. .@@ .@@@@@. @@ .@@. @@@ .@@@@@. @@@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@ @@ *@@ @@* @@ @@ @@@**@@ @@@ @@ @@ @@@@ * @@ @@ @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@. .@@ * @@ @@ @@ @@@ * @@ @@@@ .@@@@@ @@@. @@ @@@ @@@@@@@ *@@ @@* .@@@@@ @@ @@ @@@ .@@@@@ @@@@ @@ @@ @@@@ @@ @@@ @@ @@.@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@@@ @@ @@ .@@@ @@ @@@ @@ . *@@@* @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@@@ @@ .@@@ @@ @@ @@.. @@@ @@ @@ @@@ @@ .@@@ @@ @@ @@@ @@ .@@@ @@@@ *@@@*@@ *@@@@@* @@@@ @@@ @@@@@ *@* *@@@*@@ @@ @@ @@@ *@@@*@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@@ D A W N O F S O R R O W @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ *@@@@@@@@@* *@@@* @@@ @@@@@ @@@ @ ASCII thanks to Atom Edge, with my incredible modifications of changing the name. +----------------------------------+ | | | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | | For the Nintendo DS | | FAQ/Walkthrough | | By T. Jackson | | Started : 7/18/06 | | Finished : N/A | | Last Updated: 11/23/06 | | Version 0.4 | | | +----------------------------------+ This guide was composed in Metapad. It's best viewed with 1024x768 resolution, Courier New font, and your browser's small text setting. Yarr. Table of Contents: I. Introduction 1.01: Table of Contents 1.02: Introduction II. Soma Basics 2.01: Story 2.02: Characters 2.03: Controls 2.04: Souls 2.05: Status Effects III. Walkthrough - Soma Cruz IV. Appendices 4.01: Bosses 4.02: Bestiary/Souls 4.03: Weapons 4.04: Armor 4.05: Accesories 4.06: Items 4.07: Shop List/Soul Synthesis 4.08: Boss Rush Mode 4.09: FAQ 4.10: Secrets 4.11: Endings V. Last Words 5.01: Copyright Information 5.02: Revision History 5.03: Contact Information 5.04: Credits 5.05: Boo! If you need to find anything, press CTRL + F and type in the numerical code of the section in question (e.g., if you're looking for the story, type 2.01). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I. Introduction -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 1.01: Table of Contents | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Look up. Ugh. People. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 1.02: Introduction | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Hey hey, and welcome to this guide for the latest (as of this writing) installment of Castlevania. I don't get to say that much, being the sweet old school writer that I am. This is my first game for the DS, the first full fledged guide I've written in awhile, and the first game since this game's sequel for which I've written a guide without doing a few important things first (e.g., writing the introduction, playing the game, etc.). So this'll be entertaining. And I hope this guide entertains you - there are a few attempts at humor and song references in here, just because that's my style. Good luck with the game, though. Also, there be spoilers ahead for all Castlevania games, so read at your own risk! Especially if you're playing the sequel here without first playing the prequel! --Trace -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- II. Soma Basics -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 2.01: Story | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 This is the first game in forever where it has an instruction manual sans a story. While there is a pretty good summation of the story at the beginning of the game, take this as a remedy for your nescience - a summary by me. Hah, there's none better. Count Dracula. We all pretty much have a good idea of who he is (or at least his fictional version), if only because of our dad's terrible impersonations, which we're subjected to every Halloween, shortly before the low-flying witches crack. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, he's a persistant one, haunting the Belmont family for generations - from the Middle Ages to 1999 (Chrono Triggers era, what what!). The premise is that, as a supernatural being, he can't really die. Instead, he ressurects himself every century, or some other being (e.g., Shaft) ressurects him. He has had a number of foes over the aeons - the Belmonts, other random families, and even Alucard, his own son. Why does he revive? Because otherwise the franchise would end. In 1999, during the apocalypse (COME ON PEOPLE), a man named Julius Belmont fought the Count and defeated him; however, to completely eradicate the Prince of Wallachia, Julius sealed Dracula's castle - Castlevania - in the solar eclipse that occurred in 1999. This truly did defeat the Count - no convenient plot devices. The deux ex machina to save him, however, was that someone had to inherit his power. It's a religious theory that's expounded upon in this game - for God to be the ultimate good, there must be an ultimate evil, and since you've fought the Devil himself as one of Drac's underlings, Dracula must be said evil. There were three candidates who could inherit his powers, two of whom are introduced in this game. They could do so because they were born at the moment of Dracula's demise. What luck! The third is Soma Cruz, the Scientologist (hah!) whom you play in this game. You played as him in the prequel to this game (while Castlevania is a series, few games are direct sequels. There are three true sets of sequels - Castlevania I and II, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and this set: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow), when you found out that Soma inherited Dracula's powers. Well now you have to fight to keep those powers. Woohoo! And that's the premise of this game: there are two people, Dario and Dmitrii, who at the behest of the priestess of a cult, Celia Fortner, want to become Dracula by killing off Soma. You've gotta take those two out and meet up with Celia at the top of the cult's base - right where Dracula would be. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 2.02: Characters | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 These will be listed in order of appearance. Allies ====== Soma Cruz --------- He who inherited Dracula's power in 2035, the last time you played. He's a headstrong youth who wants to save his friends. The typical RPG hero. Mina Hakuba ----------- She is one of Soma's best friends, his raizon d'etre, and just the normal damsel in distress and chief motivator of Soma. The typical RPG supporting lady. Genya Arikado ------------- He's a really mysterious fellow who seems to know a lot about stuff he probably shouldn't know about. He may be the secret identity of someone! Uh oh! Enigmatic, helpful, and always there when you need him (and only when you need him). The typical RPG supporting enigma. Hammer ------ Can't touch this! This former army soldier decided, in the last game, that killing people needed to take a backseat to the American Dream, so now he has a shop. He's got a major crush on Yoko. Yoko Belnades ------------- The descendent of Sypha Belnades, who fought alongside Trevor Belmont in Castlevania III, she offers information and weapon synthesis. She's a witch who works for the church. As opposed to a witch who gets burned by the church. Julius Belmont -------------- The guy who sealed Dracula away in 2035, he's a strong vampire hunter who seems to really want to kill Soma, despite being his friend, as seen by Julius' greeting at the beginning of the game. Not the nicest guy. He lost his memory in the last game, but he was nicer then. Not So Much Allies ================== Celia Fortner ------------- She's a priestess of a religious cult. Yeah, that was pretty obvious. She wants to revive the Dark Lord because according to her, for God to be truly good, there must be an ultimate evil. Of course, you'd think that the ultimate evil would have to manifest itself. Additionally, if she thinks we need an ultimate evil, she clearly has not met Brittany Spears. Dmitrii Blinov -------------- One of the potential successor to the Count, he's a reserved Russian who's not drunk. He can absorb souls and abilities like Soma. He's cool. Dario Bossi ----------- Unlike Dario, who's a fiery (hence his control of fire) jerk. He's the other successor to Dracula. Other ===== Konami Man ---------- !! 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 2.03: Controls | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Basic Controls ============== o--------o-----------------------------------------o | Button | Function | |--------o-----------------------------------------o | A | Special attack*, confirm (menu) | | B | Jump, cancel (menu) | | Y | Attack | | X | Switch equipment** | | L | Dash backwards | | R | Use Guardian soul | | Up | Activate warp, epitomize You're So Vain | - Seriously. Look at him | Down | Duck | | Left | Move left | | Right | Move right | | Start | Go to menu | | Select | Change screens*** | o--------o-----------------------------------------o *This varies from weapon to weapon and costs MP. See the weapons section for more. **You need to acquire the Doppleganger soul from the Garden of Madness first. I got into more explanation there (CTRL + F Doppleganger if that's what you're here for) ***For an explanation of the screens, check the Menu section (2.05). This changes the displayed screen on the top screen of the DS. Complex Controls ================ B + B -> Double jump (note: you need the Malphas soul) Down + B -> Slide. You can damage enemies with the slide too. You can also drop through narrow floors with this. If you do this after you've gotten the Malphas soul, you can jump kick (though obviously you must be in mid-air to do so) Up + Y -> Use Bullet Soul Touch Screen Controls --------------------- -After you get the Balore soul, touch ice to break it. -You can order a familiar to attack an enemy with the touch screen (simply touch the enemy). -You draw the Magic Seals by connecting the dots in the given order. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 2.04: Souls | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 For a full listing of the souls, see 5.02; this section is designed to give you a primer on how to use souls, hence its inclusion in the Basics section. See, this works. There are four types of souls: 1.) Bullet Soul - These are the equivalent of subweapons, only more ----------- permanent. Up + Y activates these. For the most part, they're the Use kind (read on for more information). These are primarily for attacking. These are red souls. 2.) Guardian Soul - These are usually helping souls, hence the name. Hold R to ------------- activate them. They're usually familiars of the Time kind who serve as backup, but the basic premise is that these aren't used for direct attack, for the most part; if they cause damage at all, it's either in the form of a familiar (e.g., Great Armor) or in the the best defense is a good offense way (e.g., Armor Knight). These are blue souls. 3.) Enchant Soul - The yellow soul doesn't attack. These generally give you ------------ some sort of stat boost (e.g., increased strength) or some other ability that's useful but not damaging (e.g., the Ghoul soul lets you eat poisoned food). These don't take up any MP. 4.) Ability Soul - The final kind of soul also doesn't take up MP. The ------------ controls vary, but the game generally tells you what to do. These are the only souls you need, for the most part, to advance, as these let you do things like double jump. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 2.05: Status Effects | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 There are two: Poison: You lose all of your attack bonus that's attributable to STR and all of your INT bonus. So basically, you do less damage with your attacks. Curse : You lose all of your MP. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- III. Walkthrough - Soma Cruz -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- First off, a few notes: 1.) Soul equipping is really up to you because I don't know what souls you have. Play around with them. There are some souls I'll really suggest you get, in which case, you should probably get them. You know. Because I'm not just wasting my breath- er, typing here. 2.) Unlike other games, you don't necessarily want to sell your old equipment because it could be used in synthesis; that said, anytime you get any equipment, equip it if it helps your stats (if you pick up something that an enemy drops, obviously I can't remind you to equip it). 3.) Break every single candle/light source you see. 4.) Think like Doctor Who - "What do monsters have nightmares about?" "Me - hah!" 5.) Due to the nature of weapon acquiring in this game (aside from the finds, you have to synthesize to get good weapons), I can't really recommend what to equip, as I don't know what souls you get. I personally prefer the Great Sword line of swords - they give you the best bang for your buck. Others might prefer a different style. All I can say is go for it! Experiment! The one thing that I caution you about is don't synthesize with the souls of bosses until you have 100% soul collection rate and acquire the Chaos Ring (once you've got that, at the end of the game, you can forge your Valmanways and your Death's Scythes). I do recommend, however, for the purposes of this walkthrough, that no matter what weapon branch you use, keep a good arcing weapon (something from the Great Sword or Axe line). I use the Great Sword stuff myself, but just having an arcing weapon is very useful, even if it's not your primary weapon. After the intro, you'll be plunged directly into a fight. En medias res indeed. No bones about it, though (ha!), this is a very easy fight. Genya Arikado graces you with a Knife. Smack the Skeleton twice with it to gain his soul. After a short explanation on how to use the soul, an Armor Knight teleports in. Use your newfound soul (Up + Y, if you're confused) twice to take him out (should he launch his spear, simply jump over it). You'll be treated to a short explanation on hos to use Guardian souls. Now a Golem will appear! As with the last foe, use your newfound soul to help - throw bones at the Golem, and when he gets near, press and hold R to activate the Armor Knight soul to help save your soul. You'll then get the Golem soul (later on, you'll wish the souls came this easily; for now, they've got the neighborhood tricycle feel, if you know what I mean). The explanation ensues, followed by a little more exposition. The end result is that Ms. Fortner has a very annoying laugh. Some more story occurs (note the map on the top screen) - and just as a side note, poor Hammer looks so dejected when you tell him Yoko's not coming! Now would be a good time to tell you what conditions you're in now. Right now, you've got no equipment aside from the Knife Arikado gave you, your clothes, and the souls you just received. You have three Potions, and there are some pretty sweet terms in the Library in the menu. Other than that? Nothing. Good luck! Head right to get to... The Lost Village ---------------- When you enter this screen, you'll see a Skeleton and possibly a Bat. The Bats spawn infinitely, so now might not be a bad time to get their soul (get three to level it up completely, but you don't have to do this just yet). It also couldn't hurt to get more Skeleton souls either (or Skelesouls, as I like to call them), but don't spend a ton of time on this, as it gets old fast. Cross the suspension bridge, and head to the next screen. On this next screen, note the lamp to the right. You can destroy this lamp for an item. Make sure you destroy all lamps, candles, enemies, etc. throughout the game. As you continue, there is a freaking HUGE Peeping Eye. This seriously scared me. Take him out (don't worry about getting its soul - it's rare; it can wait). Head to the next room. Pick up the Short Sword here, and make sure you equip it (as it does no good otherwise). Drop down and head right to grab a Potion and, in the next room, save your game (these rooms, in addition to saving your game, could save your life inasmuch as they heal you, so use these often, even if you don't wanna save!). Once saved, climb back up the platforms (ignore the door to the left; we'll explore it later), and head out to the right. This next room introduces some more baddies. First up is the Warg, which you SotN veterans will recognize. Deliver three quick sword swipes to him to finish him off. There are also an unlimited number of Zombies spawning, who take a minimal amount of effort to kill. Finally, there's the Axe Armor, who is a large piece of armor that throws axes. He'll throw them in two ways: either at a higher elevation or at a lower. If it's the higher elevation, duck under the axe, smack him a few times, and duck under it again. If it's a lower axe, leap over said axe, attack him, and jump over the axe again (the Armor Knight soul is very useful here). I _really_ recommend getting the Axe Armor's soul, as it's the equivalent of previous games' Axe subweapon (and it's very useful on the upcoming boss), though the Warg soul, if properly used, is very useful. Once you've cleaned out this screen satisfactorily, head to the next room. You meet up with Yoko (yay for Hammer! You can't touch this, but she sure can!) and Julius. The latter delivers the best ally-to-ally greeting in video game history. After another little exchange (Yoko's facial expression rocks, you get the Magic Seal 1. After practicing it, you have to escort Yoko somewhere. Backtrack the way you came (killing a few Zombies just for the sadistic pleasure of watching their heads fall off). When you reach the screen where you got the Short Sword, drop down to the funky door from earlier. Yoko will explain that you'll need a Magic Seal to finish off the upcoming monster. Oh snap! You'll enter the door automatically; however, if Yoko's incredibly subtle hint didn't tell you this, you've got a boss coming up. It's smart to have the stylus ready, as when you defeat the boss, you have to draw the magic seal relatively quickly, and you don't want to struggle with getting the stylus out, risking having to fight the big guy again. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: FLYING ARMOR First real boss fight time! Flying Armor is a floating creature with two hovering swords. These swords act as a sort of barrier, such that it's difficult for you to get close to him. Watch for the tips of the sword - when they flash, the swords are about to attack you. They do this in one of two ways - if the swords are both facing you (they're normally facing down), then when they flash, their positions will be locked in, and they'll fire straight in the direction they're pointed in, meaning don't be in their way. If the swords are pointed diagonally up in either direction, they'll circle around and try to squish you; jump over them to avoid the piercing blow. This is the easier of the two to dodge. Now, if you don't have the Axe Armor soul, this is the time to attack, as he's defenseless for the moment. Beat up on him until the swords come back, rinse, and repeat. His only other attack is floating around, which isn't so much an attack, per se, as much as a horrible video game cliche (i.e., the "touch of death") at its finest. If you have it, though, now's the time to use the Axe Armor soul. It makes the fight loads easier - you can just make a slight hop, regardless of where the swords are (unless the swords are, you know, inside of you), toss an axe, cause damage (as each axe will not only hit for a fair amount of damage, but it'll also hit multiple times), and repeat. Just make sure to watch out for the sword attacks, and resort to the earlier strategy when your MP runs low. If your HP falls below a certain level (i.e., how much HP each of the Flying Armor's attacks take away from you), remember that you do have three Potions, so feel free to use one. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> For your troubles, you get the Flying Armor soul, which "reduces the speed of falling." This is the same thing it did in Aria of Sorrow, only you have to fight for it (I'm glad we didn't last time!). After the exchange with Yoko, grab the oversized orb to replenish your HP/MP. Before you do anything else, go two rooms to the right and save! Return to the boss room, and then head through the left door. Hah, there seems to be potential for another Flying Armor in here. Check out the mantel. Anyway, drop down one step, and jump for the platform on the left side of the room, using the Flying Armor soul to get you over there. Grab the Claymore, and head to the next room. Hop to the left to grab the aptly named Spear, though statistically and practically speaking, I find the Claymore to be better. Drop to the platform to your right, and fall through that platform. Take out the Armor Knight to your left, and enter the room he was guarding. In here, take out the Ouija Table (its soul is useful if you get it - you can recover HP by sitting in chairs. Don't bother equipping it unless there's a chair nearby, though). Grab the Mace to the left of the deceased dinnertable, and continue left. Drop through the platforms. To your left is a save point; to the right, $1000. Make use of both, and head through the right door. Drop down to the bottom of this room, and go through the left door to reunite with Yoko. She'll explain the art of synthesis to you. See the weapons guide later in the FAQ for more information on this. You can synthesize weapons here depending on what souls you have. I advise that if you want to perform a synthesis, make sure you have multiple copies of the soul you're using so that you don't permanently lose it. You're welcome to make these if you want; however, it's not required by any stretch. Just make sure to have multiple copies of the soul you're using. If you need a reminder as to where to find enemies, either check the bestiary, or I'll tell you now - you can find Armor Knights in the previous room. The Wargs and Axe Armors are a few rooms back. While the Cutlass isn't too great now, if you can get another Warg soul and make a Falchion, that would rock. There's one thing about this I can't stress enough, though - Whatever you do, until you have 100% of all souls, never ever _EVER_ use a boss soul. You can't get them back. I don't care how useless it is. I don't care if it hurts you. Don't use it until you have 100% soul collection. When you're done, trot across the way to Hammer's shop. I recommend buying the Castle Map 1 and whatever else you can afford. Look in the Items section to see what the UMA News says, so don't worry about buying that. I also bought the Gym Clothes, and the Scarf. Equip it all. Now, if you're low on money, there's a cheap way of fixing that. Credit for this goes to FairEmma. Buy some Brass Knuckles, and go find some Zombies (this is not a hard task, unfortunately). Synthesize the Brass Knuckles and the Zombie Soul to get a Cestus. Sell the Cestus to make a serious profit. Return to the center room. Hop on the hippie van, and hop up a few levels until you can go right. Go right when you can. Make sure you collet the $1000 bag as you move through this next room (side note: you can destroy the chairs in a variety of ways. This looks cool), and head out through the door at the bottom. You're greeted with a funky sight in this next area: a skull in a cyclone (a Spin Devil). Wizard of Oz jokes aside, use a Bullet Soul to take him out. Kill off the Skeleton, and grab the Potion on the right side of this platform. Drop to the bottom of the room, and head right through the next two rooms to find a Cape, which isn't as good as the Scarf from Hammer's place, but whatever. Backtrack to the larger room. Once back in here, climb up to thje top left corner. Use the Flying Armor soul to cross the gap, look at Celia Fortner's ugly mug + cleavage, and head through the door. Kill off the Student Witch (such an adorable kitty!), and make your way through the rest of the room, killing the other two Student Witches. Exit through the top right corner. Make your way through the small hallway, and in the next room, you'll find a gate impeding your progress. Such inconvenient things, gates. If you attack the switch next to it, the water behind the gate will drain, and the gate will open. This actually drains the moat of the castle, which is where you are now. Take care of the Spin Devil, and head straight across the way to finally enter a new area! Wizardry Lab ------------ In your first room, you're greeted with a neverending spawning of Ghosts. Woohoo! Deal with them as best as you can as you drop down through the entrance room. You'll reach a small landing after a little while. Grab the Mind Up from the left side (the room behind the Mind Up is a save point), and then head through the right door. You'll now confront a Bomber Armor. Take care of it (when it lobs a bomb, just make sure you're out of the way of the explosion!), and continue on. When you see the Slime, just kill it before it slowly crawls at you. Hop across the gap to get a Blunt Sword (just what I always wanted!), and continue down through the room. At the bottom right corner, you'll see a treasure chest. Smack it open with your weapon, and then backtrack to the previous room. Continue your descent downwards to the door at the bottom, and then make use of said door. I find it useful to slide (down + B) through this row of Skeletons and the Skull Archer. The rest of this room is nothing you've never seen before (although if you hit the Student Witch when she tries to fly, she falls, and it looks so sad), so continue through the room. In the next room, drop down a few levels, and take the first right that you can (though it may be advisable, before you take this right, to go to the bottom of the shaft, take a left, and grab the Scarf, if you don't have one). There be Manticores in this room - the head of a lion, the tail of a scorpion. Watch out for the tail as you destroy them. Also, note the eyes in the painting! Ahh! Go all the way right, and in the next room, take your first right to find a warp room. The game will explain the concept. Warp up to the Lost Village real fast (press up, and then press left to get there). The Lost Village ---------------- If you were paying attention to the map earlier, you noticed you couldn't get to the room you're at now. But now you can, so it's all good. Anyway, it puts you out by a save point, Yoko, and Hammer. Make use of them if you want, and then teleport back to the Wizardry Lab. Wizardry Lab ------------ Once back in the Wizardry Lab, return to the room before the warp chamber, drop to the bottom, and head right. Go through this next room (your goal is the bottom left corner), which has two new enemies: a Slaughterer and The Creature. The Slaughterer is by far the easier of thw two. It's a giant pig thing that hops around and shoots fireballs in an arc. Dodge the fireballs as you attack him, and he'll die quickly. The Creature - Frankenstein's Monster - is substantially harder. He'll be energized with lightning, stumble over to you, and smack you really really hard. If he's energized, when he sees you, he'll stumble really fast, making it difficult to get out of the way. You want to attack him from afar - in here, you can lure him to the right side of his level, hop up to the level above him, and get him with the Axe Armor soul. His soul is useful (you restore one HP/second) but difficult to obtain, so do so at your own risk. Anyway, once you've cleaned out this room, head out through the bottom left corner. Drop down through this room and take the bottom right door. After a nice little cutscene, you can continue through the room. In the next room, go through the bottom right door to find a save point. Uh oh! Go left to encounter... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: BALORE A beam suddenly cuts through the ice! Go through the ice to find Balore himself. Balore has two basic attacks, and the safest place to evade both of them is right in between his hands. His most obvious attack is a GIANT laser beam that comes out of his eye. There'll be a dead giveaway when he's about to use this attack - you'll see him charge it. When you see it, immediately duck to avoid the beam. His other attack is to punch with one of his fists. You can avoid all of these if you're positioned where I told you to be. When he brings his fist close to him, though, jump on it (and then jump off when the coast is clear) to avoid being hit by it. The easiest way to take him out is with a weapon with a sweeping motion, like the Axe. Simply jump, use it, and repeat until Balore is no more! <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Take the orb and head right to find an ice wall. Use your new soul and your stylus to clear away the ice (just press an ice cube to make it go away. This would be inefficient, so run your stylus around the screen like a crazy man). Make sure to save your game! Now we've got some backtracking to do. Use your map to help you with this - you want to get to the first room of the Wizardry Lab (on the map, it's the room touching the closest save point to your current location, excluding the save point you just used). You can either go through all those halls again (go an alternate route to increase map percentage), or you can go to the warp room, warp to The Lost Village, and make your way to the moat (where you saw Julius), drop into where the water used to be, and take the door. Either way, get to the top of the first room, and head through the top right door. In here, you'll see some ice. Before you go and destroy it all, look at what's behind the ice - a pillar. You need to get over this pillar, so destroy the ice like this: o--------------o o----o------------------------o | xxxxxx | |Key | | | xxxxxx | |----o | | xxxxxx | | - - Stairs | | xxxxxx | | o - Don't destroy this ice | | ooooooP | | x - Destroy this ice | | J ooooooP | | P - Pillar | |-- ooooooP | | J - Jump from here | | -- ooooooP | o-----------------------------o o--------------o Jupm from the stairs, and invoke the use of the Flying Armor soul to land on the ice. This gives you an easy way of getting over the pillar. With the next bit of ice, destroy all the ice but the bottom level, and on the next set, destroy only the top three layers of ice by giving it the cold (ha!) shoulder with the stylus. Continue with this pattern (of destroying all the ice except those which are level with the pillar). There's one tricky one, where the pillar extends from the ceiling, so you have to go under it, but then there's no apparent way to overcome the next pillar. Do the easy thing, then, and make a staircase out of the ice to get over the pillar. In this next room, destroy all the ice to get to the bottom. Head left to grab a Combat Knife (woo hoo!), and then go back into the other room. It seems hard to get back up, but you essentially have to use the staircase strategy again. Destroy the set of 16 ice blocks (4x4) closest to you except for the ice in the bottom right corner in this fashion: o----o-----------------o o--------------o |Key | | |XXXXoooooooooo| |----o | |XXXXoooooooooo| | X - Destroy this ice | |XXXXoooooooooo| | o - Don't | |XXXooooooooooo| | D - Door | | oooo| | - Stairs | D | o----------------------o D | |-- | |---- | o--------------o Jump to the lone remaining ice block, and create a staircase of ice to get back to the top. Now backtrack all the way back to the main room. Drop down to the bottom of this shaft (giving the Ghosts the shaft while you're at it), and take the door there. Make your way through this room, and when you come out at the shaft (there are certainly quite a lot of these) on the other side, drop down and take the first door on the right. Once you've made your way through the Manicore-infested room with the creepy painting, make your way up through the shaft (note: this shaft has a warp room. If you haven't already done so, it may be a good time to return to The Lost Village and drop by the shop; I _highly_ recommend getting the Castle Map 2), and head to the top-right door. Head through the next room (it's nothing new; however, if you're using the Axe, you can destroy enemies above you by jumping and swinging)) to emerge at a new room at the top-right corner. If you have an uncontrollable urge for an Armor Knight soul - which is understandable, considering you got it at the beginning of the game - this is the place. Ignore the first set of ice, but as you go through the room, destroy all the rest of the ice. Run back to the start of the room, jump on the ice block you spared, and use that to get to the platform. Ride it - and duck while you're riding it to evade a very inconvenient pillar, hop off and head two rooms to the right to reach... Garden of Madness ----------------- This room has two new enemies: the Une and the Skelerang. The Une is very easy; just attack it without doing something funny like running over it. As for the Skelerang, it can, as the more astute among you may derive from its name, throw a boomerang. Dodge them as you destroy the Skelerangs. That's really all there is to this room. There's a save point halfway up. Save, climb to the top, and head left. This next room has the huge Treant enemy. Aside from the obvious pun in its name, it's got a nice mythology reference. Anyway, dodge its kicks as you attack. Once it's destroyed, grab the Magic Seal 2. Awesome! Hop up to the next room. Take your first left to activate the warp room, and then continue up through the previous room. There's a new foe here, a Corpseweed, but it's the same concept as an Une only bigger (because a head sprouts). In the next room, head right, and grab the Breastplate from atop the ledge (instead of jumping and getting it by using your video game magic to go through the pillar, hop on the junk as a stepping stone to that ledge, as we're going up). Hop onto the next ledge, and go up one more time to find a Skeleton Ape. This is a Skeleton wielding bad posture and a barrel (this is a Donkey Kong reference, kids). Take him out (jump over the barrel Mario style if you need to), and head to the next room. A Cateoblepas awaits you here. They've got stone breath, so watch out! Take it out from the doorway (it helps if you use an Axe or something that attacks in an arc), hop up to the top of the room, and go right. In the next room, dodge the barrel that the Skeleton Ape will throw at you almost immediately upon your entrance, kill it, and hop over to the next ledge. Break the lantern to get the Doppelganger soul. Now for a word of explanation on this puppy. You'd think a soul with that title would be interesting, possibly allowing you to, you know, doppelgang someone (that sounds nasty; it means to look like them, just to clarify). No, this gives you the ability to alternate between sets of equipment and souls. Go to your Equipment menu. You'll see an A and a B in the heading. Press X to switch between them. The game recommends you have a travelling and a fighting set, but you probably don't have good enough souls for that. Keep this in mind while equipping - just because you use it on one set doesn't preclude you from using it in another. For instance, if you have one Warg soul, and it's in your A soul set, you can still use it in your B soul set. Here's what I'd do: for now, have a short range and a long range set. Have A be your go-to equipment/souls; these are what you already use. For B, concentrate on defense - use your longer reaching bullet souls (e.g., the summons), and for your equipment, beef up on defense and/or luck, or some other stat. When necessary, you can do a quick swap. This soul will come in handy later, or so I hope. This is also good for soul combos (e.g., in this very room, you can get a Skeleton Farmer soul at the bottom, which enhances the power of plant souls, and a Mandragora soul, which is already a really strong soul. If you keep both of these together in a soul set, you can hit for massive damage. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, it'd be a good idea to drop to the bottom of the screen and acquaint yourself with the Skeleton Farmer. He throws out five seeds: four Unes and one Mandragora. The Unes are harmless, but if you're in the Mandragora's range (it pops out of the ground and explodes), it'll hurt. Oddly enough, the background influences his seed throws - he can't throw into pillars. You really want the Mandragora, and having the Skeleton Farmer is nice too. Once you're done, head back to the previous room. If you want some money and a new weapon (which you may not use), climb to the top of the shaft and head left. Make your way through this room (there is a new enemy - Rycuda - which is a weak lightning shooting bird. Make sure to get its soul). Take them out, drop through the floor, kill the Catoblepas, and go left to find a treasure chest. Destroy it for some money, grab the Fleuret from the ledge, and head back to the shaft. Go through the top right door, cross this room to the top right door here, and head through there. This shaft contains nothing new, so go through it and exit at the bottom. Dodge the Skeleton Ape's barrel, and drop to the bottom of this room, go right, and drop through the floor. Descend through this room until you reach a gold door marked 777. These are the last three digits you need your money value to be. There's a light right outside of the door. Break it, grab money, drop through the floor, come back up, and repeat. Do this until you reach 777 (to help you out, blue = $1, brown = $10, grey = $50). Enter the room and grab the Three 7s armor. I recommend equipping this to your alternate equipment setting for soul harvesting. Anyway, backtrack back to the big room, go all the way right, and head to... The Dark Chapel --------------- Finally. I just wanna give a tangent here real fast. Most of the Metroid- esque Castlevania (e.g., Symphony of the Night, Circle of the Moon, etc.) have a chapel in them. No one stops to consider the fact that this has no place in an unholy castle. That said, this is the base of a religious cult, so they need a good chapel. GET IT STRAIGHT, KONAMI! Anyway, there are two Mini Devils. They appear, fly around, and fire these large crescent, Pharaoh Shot-esque projectiles at you. Dodge them as you destroy the Mini Devils (who bear, both in name and in visage, a resemblance to my sisters). Run to the right side of the room, save, and then start hopping up the ledges. There's one more Mini Devil in your path, but exit at the top right corner of the room. This next room is populated with Ghouls, which are upgraded Zombies, but they're just as easy. There's also a Witch, who will fly around spouting magic spells, Space style. Ghoul souls are easy to get and recommended - they let you eat food that's normally "unpalatable" (e.g., Rotten Meat, which you can get from these guys, etc.). The next room is filled with Ghost Dancers, who are very easy to take care of (you only have to destroy one of the pair to take them both out), and their souls are the luck equivalent of the Golem soul (think about that one for a second - the suave Ghost Dancers. Luck. UH OH PREGGERS). There's also an Amalaric Sniper in here. This is the equivalent of the Sniper of Goth from previous games, and his soul is pretty sweet too. Anyway, hop up the nearest set of ledges, jump to the right, and grab the Potion. Now drop to about midway down the room, enter a room on the left (it's a warp room), and now head to the bottom of the room, working your way through the enemies as you go (in addition to the Amalarics and the Dancers, The Creature awaits you at the bottom). Enter the bottom left door. Now you enter the mainstay of any good church - the torture chamber. Head left to find a Hell Boar, the blue version of the Slaughterer (wait...a blue pig...GANON!). The difference between the two is that, in addition to fireballs, the Hell Boar can attack with an uppercut, so watch out. Ghouls abound in here too, but they're no threat. Head through the room. You'll come out in a shaft which get get to explore. Start with the top left door. In here, you'll encounter a Barbariccia, named for a demon from The Divine Comedy as well as a certain fast food restaurant. He flies around, acting clever, wielding a spear. He'll lunge at you occasionally, but he's no threat. Grab the $2000 and regress to the previous room. Drop through the shaft, watching out for the Bone Pillars (they be shootin' fiuh!). Take the first left to find a White Dragon. Get under it (to dodge its attacks), and use your souls/Axe to take it out. Swipe the Traveler Cape (you can equip it to your B set of equipment if you like), and then return to the shaft. Finish your descent, and head left. Your first new foe in this room is a Guillotiner. It splits apart into a head and a...um...lower body, but you only need to destroy one part. Once you've taken care of it, head down the shaft to the bottom, and take the right door. In this room, you'll find a Barbariccia, but before you go killing it, look at the ceiling - spike traps. Get close to them, let them fall and rise again, and then run under them. There are two in this room, so watch out! In the next room, grab the Red Scarf, and then head back to the shaft and take the bottom left door. In this room, take out the Bone Pillars (if you have it, the Mandragora soul rocks for this), and do what you can to destroy the Hell Boar on the other side of the partition. Look at the pink wall - it's got a picture of a Skeleton on it. Equip the Skeleton soul, lob a bone at the wall, and watch the wall come tumbling down. Now watch out - there's a rogue White Dragon here who'll be spitting fireballs. Dodge them as best you can while you get under it. Grab the Halberd, kill the White Dragon, and then backtrack to the Ghost Dancer room (if you don't remember where it is, check the map - it's the room touching the nearest warp room). Once in the dance hall, head up to the top left corner of the room, and go through the door there. This room has two Great Armors, who are great pushovers, despite their size. Get up close to them (in real life, this would be a mistake), and hit them with your Bullet Souls and with whatever weapon you have. Make sure to back up if they get too close. The Great Armor soul is pretty sweet - it's a familiar, though. At the end of the room, continue on int he only direction you can. The next room contains a Valkyrie, a winged warrior who flies around and tries to spear you. Kill her off (if you use the Great Sword as I do, you'll want to get her soul so as to be able to upgrade the Great Sword), and exit the room through the upper exit. You'll be met with a Witch and a never ending supply of Ghosts in this room. Hop onto the platform, ride it up, and jump over to the platforms on the right. Continue on to exit the room on the right side. Ascend this shaft to the top, and head right. This takes you to a passage with a Tombstone, which is a tombstone (as you may have inferred) with the ability to throw a temper tantrum. You may want its soul, as it stops petrification, which is useful later on. Kill it, and head to the next room, which is the bell tower. There are Mini Devils in here. Destroy them all while you climb to the top left corner. Grab the Anti-Venom, and then backtrack to the last shaft. Use the top left room as a save point, and then drop to the bottom of the shaft, and enter the door... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: DMITRII BLINOV After a nice cutscene (imagine him saying that with a Russian accent; it's funnier), you'll fight Dmitrii with cool music. He'll lumber over to you and use the Cthulu attack you just saw. That attack's easy to dodge, but you want an easier one. I recommend using either an Une, a Student Witch, a Skeleton, or a Zombie soul. Regardless, Dmitrii is very easy to figure out. He'll use whatever soul you've used on him (and when you use a new one, he'll copy that too), knife you if you get close, jump around, or dash backwards - he's essentially Soma. I recommend using whatever soul you're using to beat him. Additionally, if you have a long range weapon (e.g., an Axe), you can use that too. Jump towards him, smack him, and move away. Rinse and repeat. He's a very easy boss. Note that you don't need to use a Magic Seal at the end. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> (note: When you beat him, Soma exclaims, "What? Dead? That can't be!" Because dying is not normally what one does when one is whacked several times by a large weapon and/or screaming plants.) When you've beaten him, you'll gain his soul (though you won't be able to use it). Go back to the shaft, save, and then return to Dmitrii's room. He's been replaced by a Quetzalcoatl, a Fleaman on a dragon. It bounces around, so look for the spaces between the dragon bones, and then attack. Once he's been bested, head to the next room. This room is very simple. Head through it, and at the top you'll find... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: MALPHAS Malphas is exactly like Symphony of the Night's Karasuman. He's just as easy too. Malphas has three basic attacks. The first is an attack where he summons black ravens to him and faces you. When you see this, move so that you're behind him (when he flies up) so you can dodge his onslaught of black feathers. For his second attack, he flies and faces you, the player (not you Soma; i.e., he's facing forward). When he does this, get under him to dodge the blue feathers. His final attack is to summon these orbs which will try to track you down. Jump over them. The best plan is to stay under him while he's in the air - if you see an orb forming, run away, and when they come near you, jump back towards Malphas; if you see blue feathers, stay still. When he lands, you know he's about to break into the first attack. In between attacks, smack him a few times. This is really easy with the first attack, as he's firing away from you, making him a sitting duck...er, raven. Mutant raven. You get it. Make sure to have the stylus ready for the Magic Seal. Also, make sure you remember how to do the seal (start from the top right, go to the bottom left, to the bottom right, to the top left). <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Now you get the Malphas soul, which lets you double jump. Additionally, if you press down and jump while double jumping, you'll do a jump kick. It rocks. Sweet. Grab the orb, and head back to the previous room. On your way down the first set of stairs, notice how there are two squares that extend onto the stairs. Stand by the first square, activate the Flying Armor, and jump right. As you fall, jump again to double jump up to the ledge. Grab the Hoop Earring, and now head back to the save point. From here, if you want, head back to the bell tower, climb to the top right bell, activate the Flying Armor, and fall/double jump to land on a ledge just below the top ledge to grab a High Mind Up. Anyway, from the save point, drop down and take your first left. Once back in this room, go left to the platform that rises and falls. When it reaches its peak, double jump around the ledge to get a Power Belt. Now backtrack to the dance hall. Drop and take your first left. Go left two rooms, and in that room, go as far left as possible. You can double jump onto a ledge to get a Long Sword, and then return to the room with the Dancing Ghosts to use the warp. If you'd like to get some map percentage now (and a few items), read this part; otherwise, skip this section. ***EXPLORING*** The Lost Village ---------------- Warp here, and then head back to the second room in the game. It takes some cleverness to get up to the upper parts of this room. Stand on the left side of the room near the door. Wait for a Bat to come by, jump kick him, and double jump to the ledge above you. Head to the room to the left to get a Pumpkin Pie. Now head back to the previous room, and move right to the next room. Double jump up to the upper parts of this room. There's a High Potion in the upper left corner, and a door leading to the Demon Guest House in the upper right. Demon Guest House ----------------- Ignore the Persephones for now (well, you can kill them if you like; they're not overly powerful, and this is the area we're heading to next anyway), and go all the way right to reach a weird room. Grab the Cestus, and then return to... The Lost Village ---------------- Drop down to the bottom, and then run right for a few rooms until you reach the castle moat. From the doorway, double jump to the ledge above you, and then double jump to the ledge above that. Run right to grab the Crimson Cloak. Now head back to the warp room, and warp back to the Garden of Madness. ***END EXPLORING*** Garden of Madness ----------------- When you've warped here (it's the third warp from the left, if you're lost), ascend the passage, and in the nex troom, take the top right exit. You'll be in another shaft with a Catoblepas. Climb that shaft, take the top left door, and go left. This is all old stuff. Go left until you reach the pile of junk with a skull above it. Double jump to that skull, grab the Elfin Robe, and take out the Skeleton Apes. In the next room, kill the Mollusca (I recommend jump kicking it until it gets backed into a corner - hitting its eye stalks seem to achieve that - and then taking it out with a weapon), and progress to the next room. This room has two Ents- er, Treants as well as a Barbariccia, all of whom should present no threat to you at this point. At the far right, there's a save point. Use it, go back to the last room, and ascend to the next room, take out the Rycuda, and enter the boss door. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: DARIO BOSSI After a nice, friendly chat with Dario, you'll get ready to fight - again with awesome music. This fiery foe presents way more of a threat than his counterpart did, but he's still nothing you can't handle. His attacks are thus: He can shoot a fireball at you. Jump over the fireball (there's a trend!). His other attacks are preceded by a "Hahaha!" - these include a fire wave (jump over this) - though the "Hahaha!" here comes right when he punches the ground, teleporting (if he wants to be Drac, he's got this down!), and creating fire pillars (the trend with these is that he'll create one fire pillar close to him. A second fire pillar will emerge at a length away from him, and shortly thereafter, another will come up between these two. The trick is to, when you see the first fire pillar, run away from Dario. If you need help figuring out the locations of these pillars, right before they come up, you'll see some fire, followed by the pillar). The time to extinguish this pugnacious punk is after he attacks. There's a pause between each attack. Move in - preferably with a quick weapon or with a Bullet Soul - attack, and get ready to move away to counter his next attack. Familiars don't help too much. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Once you've utterly humiliated Dario, a cutscene will ensue (wherein Celia breaks the fourth wall!). Go back, save, and then proceed to the room after Dario's. Fight your way through this disturbingly easy room, and at the top, go left to get to... Demon Guest House ----------------- In this pleasant area, head left, and take out the Persephones. They know Kung Fu, so watch out (hint: girls with Kung Fu - doesn't work). In the next room, you'll meet up with Genya Arikado, who will give you Mina's Talisman. Once the cutscene's done, continue left. In this massive room, drop down the chandeliers until you reach a room on the right. It's a save point, so make use of it. Continue to the bottom, through the Ghost Dancers. There's a Devil at the bottom. Take him out, and head right. In this room, kill Persephone, grab the money, and run. Now head back up to the save point. Head left from there, killing the Lilith (note that if she hits you with her kiss, you lose all your MP - you're cursed). When you get to a hole, drop down the hole, and take the left door. In here, go left, killing your foes as you go. At the far left is where the fun begins. There's a puzzle in this room. You already saw part of it if you did the backtracking. If you don't want any treasure, you can skip this part and just head through the door and follow the path to the top, but where's the fun in that? Now, you need to chart a path to the following rooms: Room 1 : Cestus Room 5 : Cutall Room 8 : Turquoise Stud Room 9 : Justaucorps Room 12: Great Sword Additionally, find a way to exit in the top right corner to get a Ring Mail. If you went exploring earlier, you already have the Cestus. The bottom left corner takes you to The Lost Village, the top right to the Ring Mail, the bottom right to the puzzle room, and the top left to where you need to go. The trick is to touch the tiles with the stylus to move them - it's a very classic game. If you want 100% map coverage, you've gotta visit all 16 rooms (the 15 numbered ones plus the blank square - the blank square is a free space; it takes you all four ways). Once you're done, go back, hit reset, and follow the path. This room has Killer Dolls which curse you if you touch them, so be careful as you make your way up. The next room has a Killer Clown, who attacks you with cards after he shuffles them about three times. You really want his soul for later in the game, so now is as good a time as any to get it. Continue through the room, and take the top left door. Cross the piano (nobody knows what the heck this does - email me if you do!), and go to the next room. This room has a TON of Bone Pillars! It's great for soul harvesting. The trick here, though, is strategy. Knock down all the Bone Pillars but five in the first column, and double jump on top of them. From here, kill off some of the next column's Bone Pillars, but leave about two or three higher than you. Continue this process until you can go no higher. Jump from column to column to find a hole. Starting from the left, make yourself an ice stairway to heaven. At the top are some War Fatigues (the top right houses an UMA News 2-4). Now backtrack to the room before the piano room, and head through the top right door. This next room has a Buer wheel in it, which is the flaming wheel of Hell. Kill it like the rest of the foes, and take the top right door. In here, drop down real fast to grab the High Potion, and then return to the above room. Take out the Skelerang (this is turning into the Demon Fun House, not the Demon Guest House). Something about Lilith really disturbs me, though. Or turns me on, one. Anyway, take the top left door. In the next room, run left, kill the Killer Clown (as pennace for your childhood nightmares), and in the left room, you'll see a warp room. Sweet! Anyway, take either the top left or the top right exits (they both work, though if you cross the room, you'll encounter the Devil, who's designed to make you feel right at home in the Guest House), ascend the shaft, and enter the next room. This room is really chaotic - you've got Quetzalcoatls, Buers, Killer Clowns, etc. In the top right corner is a room with three Killer Dolls and the Uma News 2-2. The top left corner has the overly complicated Magic Seal 3, which is definitely a necessity. Finally, go to the upper right side of the room, and exit through the top. Make use of the save point to the right, and then enter the boss door. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: PUPPET MASTER I dislike this boss. He's got three main attacks. He can summon miniature ghosts who fly around and try to hurt you (kill them off). The second is to summon a monster to hold in his hand. You need to destroy this monster, or you'll switch places with him and end up in one of the spiked coffins. The third and most effective - he's plain ugly. Your top priority are the monsters in his hands - if you get into a coffin, it will hurt a lot. You'll see and hear some blue sparks when he's summoning the monster. Destroy it (it'll take two hits), and then attack the Puppet Master himself. The Mandragora soul is great for inflicting damage on the Puppet Master himself. As for the monsters, use the Doppleganger soul - equip your Knife to the B attack setting, and when you hear the Puppet Master summon a monster, do two quick jabs to defeat the monster, switch back to set A, and move on. The Mandragora is also great for destroying all of the little marionettes he sends out. With this strategy, he should be relatively simple. The biggest danger is just getting coffined up in a coffin. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Take the orb and his soul, and retreat from the room. Save. Now's a good time for me to tell you about the Puppet Master soul - you throw a puppet and switch places with it. If you've done any exploring, you may have noticed small crevices through which you couldn't fit because Soma's a little on the hefty side. If you throw a puppet through there, you can make it. Awesome. Now for a _ton_ of backtracking. You know the first save point in the Demon Guest House? Go there. The best way to do so is by going a few rooms right of the warp room - it connects to a shaft (use the Puppet Master soul to get through) that leads back to a large room. Head to the right side of the room (note: if you ignored my advice earlier, definitely get the Killer Clown soul here now). Go through the door at the far right side to find two Killer Dolls and $2000. Continue down until you find another room, containing a Persephone and a Devil (if you kill the Devil first, the Persephone has to hold her dress down, so she's defenseless). Kill them both, take the UMA News 1-2, and continue. The bottom room contains a Skeleton Waiter. Kill him, and then sit in the chair. A Crown will appear - take it (you can sell it to Hammer - it's a reference to the original Castlevania). Now run left, drop through the hole, and you'll be in the room outside of the aforementioned save room. Drop down to the bottom, go left, and drop through the floor. Kill off the Persephone, lob a puppet through the crack, and take the High Mind Up. Drop through the floor, and head left for a few rooms, reuniting with some old foes. At the far end, you'll reach... The Lost Village ---------------- It always comes back to here. Kill off the Skeleton Ape and the Warg, and head left. Hit the switch to lower the drawbridge that Julius used to show off earlier. Head left, and if you missed the exploring section from earlier, take this time to do all of that. Make for the warp, buy whatever you need, and then warp to the Dark Chapel. The Dark Chapel --------------- You wanna head for the torture chamber area (that sounds weird, but bear with me). Drop to the bottom of this dance hall to do so. Make your way through here to the last shaft in the torture chamber region (we explored this area earlier; you should have rooms in both directions at the bottom of this shaft). Take the first right in this shaft to reach a room where you can use the Puppet Master soul. Watch out for the spike trap above you (75% of you read this sentence after being hit by it - haha, you suckers), lob the puppet through the crack, and take out the Catoblepas and Guillotiner you find here as you move right. Watch out for the spike trap near the Barbariccia. Once overcoming it, head through the door. Subterranean Hell ----------------- Well this is an encouraging name. First thing's first. Drop to the bottom of this room. The only new foe here is the Dead Pirate - fortunately, he's not too hARRd. Watch out for the sword swipes. If you use the Puppet Master soul, you can get around him, incidentally. At the bottom is a save point. Use it, and then head back to the top. Go through the right door. Kill off the Cave Troll (it hops around, sticks its tongue out, and summons lightning. Kill it before it does the latter), and head through the boss door. Oh good, this is early. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: RAHAB At first glance, you're screwed. You're fighting a water foe. You can't swim underwater. Yay! His attacks are fairly simple. Rahab can jump out of the water and fall back in. Occasionally, he'll launch some icicles below him, so watch out for those. He can also fire ice that turns into platforms. You can tell where Rahab is by the air bubbles. If you have a good Bullet Soul (e.g., Mandragora), a weapon like the Great Sword or the Axe, or even the Bomber Armor soul, you might be able to hit him while he's underwater, but your best bet is to wait for him to shoot ice platorms. Jump onto the platforms as leverage to attack. So that's basically your strategy - wait him out, attack when you can, and be done with it. He can't hurt you that much. Also, note that you don't have to hit his head - anywhere on his body will do. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> At first having the orb fall underwater seems cruel, but Rahab's soul gives you the ability to - the more astute of you may have seen this coming - walk underwater. Jump up (you can jump an unlimited amount of times underwater with Rahab's soul, plus once more above water), admire the background, go back and save, and then progress to the right. As a side note, judging by the music, the overall ambience, and the boss here (fish boy), odds are against this really being true Hell. And in videogames, if it's not fiery Hell, it's puzzle Hell. OH NO! In this room, you'll see a Decarabia spin down to the bottom. Go down and spin it right round, baby. Also, watch out for the Fish Heads, aquatic, missile launching versions of the Bone Pillars. Go up the stairs, and jump to the ledge above you to see a treasure chest. This is actually a Mimic, so watch out - its bite is worse than its bark. Destroy it, drop down, and drop through the floor. Drop to the left, take out the Needles, and see a massive stack of Fish Heads. This seems intimidating. That's exactly right. Or it would be if you didn't have Mandragora (I really hope you do). Use it to destroy them all in one or two hits. Now head right, grab the $2000, and then continue left. You'll reach a fork - take the upper path, destroy the Killer Fish and Needleses, hop up, take out the Fish Heads and Merman (make sure, as you go through here, that you get some Merman souls. It'll help a ton for a boss fight later), and grab the Chain Mail. Return to the fork and take the lower fork. Jump over the large Fish Head set, drop down, and use the Mandragora strategy to take them out again. Kill the Merman, grab the High Mind Up, and continue right. Go right as far as you can, kill the Killer Fish (turnabout is fair play and all), and grab the Rusty Food Tin. Now head left as far as you can. I recommend you make small double jumps to descend through this Needles infested passage. Dodge them, head up the next passage and down the last. Exit to the left. Run as far left as you can to lure the icy Procel to you. Procel's soul is one you really want - it's an Ability Soul that lets you walk freely underwater. Lure it to you, use the Mandragora, exit, re-enter, and repeat until you have this rare soul. Once you get it, continue left through the room - try to stay on land - and exit to the left. In here, hop up to the ledge and kill the Frozen Shade. She'll summon three icicles, aim them at you, and then fire them. Dodge them and attack. I highly recommend that at some point, you get her soul. It's even better if you max it out. It makes some stuff later easier. At the top, go right. In here, you'll want to use the hammer weapons you have on the seesaw - it's an old carnival game. The Mace will net you a Potion. To get the other prizes (the Morgenstern nets you a High Potion, while the Mjollnjr gets you a Super Potion), you need to upgrade the Mace via the weapon synthesizer (and fortunately, there's a warp coming up). Exit the room and head left to the next room. Jump kick the Unes, and drop to the bottom. As you go left, you'll find another member of the Une family - the Alura Une. She's evil. She'll sprout these sharp vines to attack you if you come near her, and she can also shoot out some flowers. Jump over the flowers, and attack from a distance with a Bullet Soul. Once you've eliminated her, continue left. In here, run left and go into the room above you. In here, you'll find the pyromanical Ukoback. Dodge the fire and then attack (hey, it's a rap smack!). You really, really want his soul (not for using it now, but it'll come in handy later - trust me), and this room is one of the best places to get it, so do so now. Once you have it, exit to the right. This room has a Bone Ark. It's a demonic skull version of the Ark of the Covenant. It's also really powerful - it has two carriers (who give up souls as readily as the Ark) and a skull. Take out the carriers and jump behind the Ark to smash it. Get its soul, and then backtrack two rooms. In this large room, drop to the bottom, head right, and collect $2000 (if only this happened in real life!). Now run left into the next room. The left door here is a warp room. Use it to return to The Lost Village and save if you want (I also recommend right now that you get your gold supply so that the last three digits are 666 - and leave it like that for awhile. Trust me, it'll save you so much grief later, and there are plenty of candles around here) - you can synthesize the Mace and go back to the earlier game if you want. Once you're done, go back into the previous room and drop through the hole. This next room has nothing new. Grab the Mushroom from the left (make sure to use the Ghoul soul if you need to eat it!), and navigate your way through this room. Head left at the bottom to find another Ukoback. Get its soul here if you haven't already, and then continue into the next room. Drop down to the bottom of the shaft. There's a save point to your right. Use it, and then head left. This room serves almost no purpose to us right now, so drop to the bottom and go left. Watch out for the Medusa Heads - the gold ones can petrify you, so in order to make sure they don't kill one stone with two freaky head birds, dodge the yellow ones (though you can jump kick them). The next room is a shaft with Dead Pirates and an Ukoback. It's nothing new or haRRRRD. Kill them all, and head to the next room. This room is apparently insurmountable, but if you got the Bone Ark soul, it's really pretty easy. Just use the Bone Ark, watch the funny bit with Soma riding the Bone Ark across the spikes, and at the end, take the door to reach... Wizardry Lab ------------ We're in a funky new area of this level. Drop into the water to find a Homunculus. They're attached to life support systems and try to chase you. There are two ways of dealing with them: kill them or let them chase you. After awhile, they'll break apart from their oxygen supply, and after a little more chasing, they'll suffocate (I recommend everyone sees this, as this is something you must see once in your life - as is Michael Jackson's face). Head left, and when you pass the second Homunculus, jump up to the top of the water to grab a Serenity Robe. Drop back down, continue left, kill off one more Homunculus, jump to the top, and go left. In here, you've got two Larvae to deal with. They're just caterpillars that squirm around. Nothing too bad. Drop to the bottom and head left. In here, drop to the bottom and collect the Super Potion (after killing your pal Homunculus). Jump back up and continue left. At the far left is a pit leading to a Bloody Stud (what you get when a guy finds out his cheerleader girlfriend is cheating on him - hah!). Now jump up to the top and head left. I really utterly despise this next room. It's the kind of room where you think something should be located or something should happen, BUT IT DOESN'T. Keep on moving. This next room is funky, so we're skipping it for now. Drop down, take out the Mermen, and head left. This room is populated by all manner of Killer Fish and Homunculuses...Homunculi. At the far upper left is a golden door with 666 on it. You need the last three digits of your monetary supply to end in 6. (the last room with just candles only seems to supply $1 coins, though). If you didn't follow my advice earlier about this, read on and then backtrack - but it'll be painful (albeit worthwhile). Enter the door, grab the Gold Ring (equip this immediately - Hammer has had, since you defeated Malphas, a ring in his shop called the Soul Eater Ring. It costs $300,000, but it's well worth it. The Gold Ring increases the amount of money monsters and candles drop - it's not uncommon to get $500 in one drop), and then backtrack to the junction room with the massive amount of Ghosts (it's right after the weird room with the candles). This room really stinks. Or it did for me, as I had to backtrack through here to get the 666 money thing going. Also, I didn't have the following really convenient map. This room is really annoying - Ghosts are everywhere, spawning infinitely and existing in majorly not nice numbers, and you have to navigate through an invisible series of platforms. Your only clue as to their location is that the Ghosts pass right through them, and you can see the platforms. While the Ghost soul helps here, because there are so many enemies, you don't really get a good chance to use it. I recommend having the Armor Lord soul ready to go to defend yourself. The only way to get through this room is to use the Ghosts as boosts - jump kick them to elevate Soma up. ------------------- | | o----o--------o | | | | |Key | | D | | | |----o | |---------- ------| | D - Door | | | | | - Barrier | | --- | | - - Barrier | | | | \ - Ramp | | --- | o-------------o | | | --- | | | |---- -- | | | | | | | | | | | | | -----------| |---- | | | | D \ / \ / \ / ------- (next area) That should give you an idea. And now I can walk you through it. Double jump off Ghosts to get up into the maze. When you can't jump higher, go left. You'll land on a platform. Double jump up, right, and left again (you're going around a platform), and then double jump to the platform above you. Double jump from there across the way to the upper right platform, and jump kick Ghosts to get into the upper area. If any Ghosts knock you off, use the platforms according to the map. Have fun! Go left at the top. This room has an Iron Golem. Use Puppet Master to get behind him. No matter what, you'll always deal 1 HP of damage to him, so you'll wanna use a weapon/soul that can hit multiple times, such as the Kaiser Knuckle or the Une soul. The Lost Village ---------------- Hey, we're back! Immediately slide under the White Dragon and take it out with Mandragora. Now begin your ascent. After awhile, you'll reach a door. Go through it. Wizardry Lab ------------ You just need to connect the dots on the map real fast. There are two new enemies in here - a Great Axe Armor and a Heart Eater. The Heart Eaters are easy - just kill them with Mandragora and take the massive amount of hearts they drop. For the Great Axe Armor and its huge axe (compensating for something?), run up to it. If you're right next to it, it can't hurt you. Let him have it, and then run right. Take the UMA News 4 and hit the switch. Now retreat back to the shaft. The Lost Village ---------------- Continue up the shaft. As you go up, you'll see an object on the right side that's pick upable (it's my new word; shut up). Don't get it yet. Continue to the top to find a basin of water next to a drain switch. Step on the switch to get access to the upper area of The Lost Village, but wait, there's more! Drop back down to the aforementioned object. Collect it, the Neck Warmer, and then drop to the nearest ledge on the left side of the shaft. In between this ledge and the next ledge on the left side is a secret door. Attack the wall to open it (it's closer to the upper ledge), and go through. This room has both known versions of the Axe Armor. Take them out, grab the Caviar at the far end, and continue on. There are Mermen in this room, but they're nothing you can't handle. Kill them, ascend to the top, and drain the water again. Head up through here to reach your main base of operations - Hammer's shop, Yoko's syntheizer, a warp, and a save point. Excellent. I used this opportunity to save up for a Soul Eater Ring (Gold Ring + Ghost Dancer soul + Zombie/Warg/Axe Armor room + Cestus trick). Don't do this. It takes forever. Just keep the Gold Ring equipped. It's easier. Buy what you need to, and then warp back to... Subterranean Hell ----------------- Well that was fun. Head two rooms to the right from the warp, and in here, go right until you reach some platforms, and then head back up to the Ukoback room. Go through here, and in the next room (the Bone Ark room), head all the way right to find a save point. Leave the save room and head up. Grab the UMA News 1-3, and then go all the way left. Take out the Frozen Shades, and use a Bullet Soul on the treasure box. It's a Mimic in disguise, and these things will hop around you with their vicious fangs - like you'd expect a treasure chest to do. Now drop back to the platforms and head up. Ascend all the way through this shaft to reach... Garden of Madness ----------------- Everyone should seem ever so weak in here. It's too easy. Near the top is a room on the right. Kill the Treant and take the Small Sword. At the top of the shaft, head left, and continue left until you reach the warp room. From there, warp to... The Dark Chapel --------------- You emerge in the dance hall. Work your way up to the top exit, and then go through it. Duh. Continue working your way through this region - your ultimate goal is the next save point. From there, head right. I once again highly recommend that you get the Tombstone soul from here, as it'll really help. In the bell tower, ascend the bells and get to the top right side of the room. Toss a Puppet Master puppet through the crack and continue right. Now you're in a brand new massive room. Drop down and head right. Jump over the crack, and stand in between the two broken parts of the pillar. Equip the Puppet Master soul, double jump, and lob a puppet up to the ledge where the sword is. This'll get you up there. Grab the Kotetsu, and then return back to the gap. The next level has a Quetzalcoatl. Kill it, and then head left. Jump over the gap and continue left to get the UMA News 3-2. Drop off the ledge, and head right. Equip the Flying Armor and Puppet Master souls. Activate the Flying Armor, jump right, double jump after a few seconds, and when you get relatively close to the ledge, toss a puppet up there to get a High Potion. Drop down and head left now. Go right, drop down the ledge, hit the button, and now run right to finally get out of this massive room from Hell and reach... Condemned Tower --------------- Head through the entryway (check out the music!), and into the next room. Take out the Draghiganazzo (which is an upgraded version of Barbariccia, appropriately enough - they're both devils from The Divine Comedy), and keep on going. The next room is another one of those horrible rooms that feels like it has some significance but doesn't, so just keep going. In the next room, grab the Mind Up, and go to the door beyond the Mind Up to find Julius. MORE ENIGMATICNESS! After the scene, go back to the previous room, and start your climb. When you reach the door, keep going up to find a Silver Stud. Drop back to the highest door, and enter it. This room hsa a Disc Armor. Jump over its disc as you attack it. It's pretty easy. Exit to the left, and then begin ascending this shaft. Climb to the door and go through it. Kill off the Fleaman, and continue on through. Climb up to the top of this region and drop through the platforms. Continue left. There's a trend here. Kill these Fleamen, and then go through the Skeleton Ape-infested next shaft. At the top of the shaft is a Great Axe Armor. Remember, get up close and attack to avoid its Great Axe. Its soul is pretty Great, so it couldn't hurt to get it (although it's rare). Continue on up to grab an Estoc, drop back down to the door, and go right. This room has a Werewolf, who fights as dirty as the one in Symphony of the Night. It can dash at you really fast (jump out of the way), or do an attack where it clings to the wall and drops down, sending fire in both directions! Kill it really fast (try to get its soul and use it to get the Kaiser Knuckle, as it's effective against Iron Golems), and then work your way up through the rest of the room. The next room has a Buer, so watch out for it speeding at you the second you enter. In the next room, climb to the top to grab the UMA News 2-3, and then drop back to the highest door in the room. Exit through there. A Great Axe Armor inhabits this room. Kill him, and then destroy the Fleamen in the next room. At the top of the room, save, and then enter the boss door (note the snake seal: SNAKES ON A CONDEMEND TOWER, BABY) <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: GERGOTH This boss is a pain. If you have too hard a time against him, use the Great Axe Armors to level up (there's a room with one right near the boss room). The strategy for this is almost counterintuitive. The first thing I want to do when I see a giant dinosaur - and ask people from Tokyo; they'd agree - is run. You want to get right next to him. Be under his head and duck, as it's the best place to counter his three attacks. His first is to shoot this massive beam at you. When he does this, get right next to his feet and duck. It's ever so critical to dodge this attack. If you disagree, get hit by it and check the damage. His second is to back into the back wall and then jump across the room. When he does this, run with him. Get so his rib cage will land on you, and then duck - this keeps you safe. His third attack his harder to counter - it will appear that he is charging up for the beam, but he'll bite. All you can do is dodge as you would the laser. As for attacking, just do it constantly. Toss a few Mandragrenades (Mandragora + grenade), hit him with your sword, and just make sure to dodge his attacks, as they hurt like crazy. When the battle's halfway over, his face will turn red. Back away to the closest wall. He'll go ballistic and break the floor. At the bottom, he'll - and this is one of the greatest scenes in the game - get his head stuck in the ground. Let him have it at this point. When he breaks free, the battle really gets rough. He loses his anklets and can seriously jump around now. Slide under him when he jumps. His other new trick is to shoot gas out of his rib cage (as opposed to...). Dodge this gas - it's really localized to right in front of him, so just get away. Other than that, he keeps the same old attacks, so you keep the same old dodges. You get his sweet soul when you finally seal him away. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> After that pain, you'll notice you're at the bottom of the tower now. Now you get to climb it again. I'll refer you to the earlier directions if you need help. The only thing new is the lack of a floor in some rooms (because that's what tends to happen when giant extinct zombies fall on them), so use the double jump + Flying Armor combo to get through there. Get to a door quickly if you miss a door. When you cross Gergoth's room, you'll get the Tower Key. The next room is a warp room. Use it if you want, but then return to Gergoth's ruins. Drop down two doors and go left. Climb this room until you reach the first door. Go through it, and run into the barrier to open it. Once it opens, proceed to the door. Cursed Clock Tower ----------------- Run left to see a cutscene. Julius tells you to stay away. So keep going left. I love the music here. Anyway, welcome to the requisite clock tower level. Every Castlevania has one. Drop to the floor, and use the candle (the Gold Ring helps here too) to get the last three digits of your gold supply to be 573. Now go through the door to get a Shaman Ring. Drop to the bottom of this long shaft and head through the door on your left. Because clock towers are obviously nothing but a bunch of pendulums and spikes in the real world, you're met with some pendulums here. Equip the Flying Armor soul to make this journey a little less arduous. When the pendulum is swinging towards you and passes the midpoint of its oscillation, jump for it. Ride this pendulum until it reaches its peak on the left side of the oscillation, and then jump to the next pendulum. Hop off here onto the solid platform and move to the next pendulum. From here, you have two options. You can either sit here and wait for the movements of the pendulums to be such that you can safely hop to the next one, or using the Flying Armor soul, you can make a leap of faith. It depends on just how you roll. Either way, once on the other side, head through the door. This spikey shaft introduces the wonder of the Golden Medusa Head. Unlike their verdant counterparts, these ladies can turn you to stone (they're just that ugly. I think this is a racist statement), so try your best to avoid them (if you have the Tombstone soul, now is the time to equip it). Drop to the bottom of this shaft (either running against the motion of the gears or pressing down and B to drop down through them), avoiding the spikes, and head west. This room opens with an Imp and a Harpy. Take them out quickly (especially the Imp, as the Imp can take control of you), and continue left. The next foe is a difficult one. This is a Malachi. Although the name is Biblical, the only thing holy about him is that holy is the first word in the two word phrase you'll exclaim upon fighting him. The second word is one I'll leave to your imagination, but Malachi has two attacks: he can summon this star looking thing, which shoots out slow moving balls of plasma (duck these), or if you're close, he'll coil up and slash you. Back off if he does this, and beat him down with Mandragora/your sword. Deal with the Harpy/Imp combo, and drop down the hole at the end of the room. In this room, run left so as to avoid the Tanjelly. Take him out, and then deal with the Dead Pirate to your right. Go through the door to find another spikey, gear-y shaft with Medusa Heads and Imps. Drop to the bottom of the room and run left to find a door. Garden of Madness ----------------- Take out the two Corpseweeds here. Take out the Skelerangs on your way down through the room, making sure to kill the two Unes at the bottom. I think Une is Latin for something. Maybe "TOTALLY GOT THE SMACK DOWN OH SNAP?" Possibly. Anyway, continue on. Make quick work of the Rycudas in here, and in the next room, snuff out the Catoblepas. Continue working your way through this room until you get to the bottom. Here, use the Frozen Shade or Fleaman souls to take out all the Yoricks and Unes at the bottom. Drop through the whole at the end of the room. Run to the far right side of the room to get a Handgun. Be wary of the Mimic in the treasure chest above you. Now backtrack all the way to where you entered the Garden of Madness, busting caps up the rears of enemies as you please (if you deign to equip the Handgun). Once at the top of this shaft, head left. While this room has Ghouls, the main attraction here is Wakwak Tree. This thing grows Fleamen. Destroy the little pus-looking balls as they arise (so as to destroy the Fleamen before they're a problem), and cut the brances in order to kill the tree. Once it's been defeated, hop on the switch to the left. Use the map to get to a save point if you like; otherwise, regress back to the door and back to the... Cursed Clock Tower ------------------ The return trip is a lot harder than the fore trip. Take out the Imp, and run right. Hop on the vertical platform, and use it to get to the gear. Use the gear to get to the door. Continue backtracking until you get to the shaft just before the Malachi room. Ascend to the top of this shaft and take the left exit. This room is nothing new - just two Harpies, two Imps, and a Catoblepas. Once they've been exterminated, move left through the door. Drop to the bottom of this room, and go left to get to another room with an Army Jacket. Now backtrack all the way back to the first shaft in the Cursed Clock Tower. Ascend to the top of this room and head left. This room is tricky. Look at the pistons: XXOXX X = Don't stay here long O = Rest point The middle ons is bloodless. So run to the third piston and duck. Wait for the pistons to begin to go back down, and the second you have enough room, run to the other side of the pistons, sliding so as to decrease your height. The same principle holds for the next set of pistons: duck on the first, and run/slide to the last. After that, you're home free to move to the next room. Drop to the bottom left of this shaft (the bottom right has our old friend, spikes), and run into that room to save. Now hop on the platform and ride it to its apex. From here, hop onto the next platform and take that to the room at the top. Head right. This next room has a bunch of rotating spikes. Great. Run along the bottom, dodging the lower part of the spikes as you go. Be extra careful when you get to the three-pronged spike bar. Hop onto the top ledge, and do the reverse of what you just did (be really careful with the 120 degree spiked one - wait for the longer break between spike attacks to run), and enter the room above you. This room has a lot of Imps and pendulums. Start off by running right and entering the small room at the bottom right side of the room to get a Scale Mail. Reverse directions, and go back to the pendulum room. Hop onto the first pendulum, and use it to get to the second. Once on the second, duck. Once you pass under the next pendulum, jump up to it, duck, and repeat the process until you can jump to the exit at the top right side of the room. This next room introduces the Bugbear, an upgraded version of the Peeping Eye. Grab the Magic Soul IV from next to the rotting Bugbear corpse, and continue on after practicing this complicated seal once or twice. Drop down to the bottom of the following gear shaft, dodging the Medusa Heads as you go to grab the UMA News 3-3. Now ascend the shaft, taking care to eliminate the Medusa Heads as you go. At the top, head to the next room. Slide under the conveniently placed spike trap. Kill off the Slime and Tanjelly and move carefully through this room. In the next room, you've got Medusa Heads, spikes, and platforms - enough to make the sanest person curl up into the fetal position and sing It's A Small World. Hopefully you won't sucumb. Ride the platform up to the top while killing/jumping over the Medusa Heads. At the apex, hop into the next room. Kill off the two Imps that confront you. Run left, and hop on the giant pendulum (if you can't make it from here, go to the left side of the room, climb the boxes, and jump from there). When the pendulum's at the peak of its swing on the right side of the room, use the Flying Armor soul to jump to the right. You'll land on a platform. Use this as a stepping stone, much to the chagrin of the Monkees, to get to the room above. Use the Mandragora soul here to get a Flying Humanoid soul. Go right to save, and then head left to encounter... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: ZEPHYR Of no relation to the water company, Zephyr is your staple time freezing boss, so we need to show this poor excuse for Flashman who's boss (no pun intended)! Zephyr struts a lot, but he has two attack types: The first involves him curling up. He'll laugh and freeze time, and instead of taking this time to slash the heck out of you, he flies over you, laying out knives in a strategic pattern above you. Once he resumes time and gravity kicks in, they fall. In the interrim between time resuming and the knives falling - if this isn't obvious - get out of the way! Get into a gap between knives. His curling attack involves him charging at you. Jump over him. His other attack type is the non-time freezing variety. He can also simply toss a dagger (jump over it) or slash you (back away). This is indicated by him curling up while still standing up. If he jumps onto the ceiling, he'll jump down towards you, bringing a knife down with him. Dodge them both by sliding under them. Slash him while he's struting. Mandragora is particularly effective. Make sure to use the Magic Seal IV that you just acquired to seal him away. Zephyr doesn't take much in the way of pain before he goes down the drain. And that's another water joke. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Go to the next room to find a path left and down. Go left to find a warp. Take this warp to Subterranean Hell. Subterranean Hell ----------------- Kill off the Dead Pirate, and then descend through this room. This next room greets you with a Frozen Shade, perhaps a Merman, and a Procel. Kill them all (get the Procel's soul here if you haven't already). Head left, grab the Mushroom, and the go to the far right side of this room. Drop down and go left to exit the room. The following room has one solitary Ukoback. Again, get his soul before you leave (if you don't already have it - you'll need it later), and then continue. In this next room, take out the Frozen Shades above you and get to the top exit. The subsequent room has a large waterfall in it, as well as an opportunity to sequence break. This is totally optional, and you can do this later, but climb up as high as you can in this room. Using the Flying Armor, jump kick off the Medusa Heads to get to this platform high above you. Make your way left two rooms to get to the... Wizardry Lab ------------ Kill off the Mimic and the Cave Trolls. Continue west to get an Aquarius tunic. Destroy The Creature on the other side of the dual partitions before hitting the switch to bring down this wall. Now head back to the waterfall room of Subterranean Hell. Subterranean Hell ----------------- Head back, and drop to the very bottom of the waterfall room (when you get down from your high horse, go left to find a Devil. Kill him, and jump left). Head right. Snag the Mushroom that's on the ledge above you if you like, but continue through the right door. In here, hop on the ledge, send those Dead Pirates back to Davy Jones' Locker, and go through the door. Equip the Zephyr soul while you're going to the next room. If you don't, you'll see a cannon shoot one pillar but stop short of the second. The second pillar has a rabbit with a clock - he's the Chronomage, if you've played Aria of Sorrow, or the White Rabbit if you haven't. Either way, with Zephyr equipped, when you activate it, time will reactivate, and the cannonball will blast the second pillar. Welcome to the... Silenced Ruins -------------- ! This area is very familiar to some of you. The music is Vampire Killer, arguably the theme and most prolific song in Castlevania. This area is supposed to bear a resemblance to the first level of the original Castlevania. Yay! As such, it's very easy - just move right, taking out all the enemies who dare oppose you. In the next room, descend until you find a door that would be out of reach if you couldn't double jump. Double jump to it. The Gorgon in here appears to pose a threat - it's a large golden bull that can poison you! Jump on top of it and start throwing Mandragoras to kill it and everything else in the room. In the following room, go through the hole above you. You'll encounter a Dead Crusader as you rise. These guys block just about anything - you've gotta kill them while they're attacking. Or you can hit them from the bottom. Whatever works. At the very top, you'll find a Larva. Kill it by attacking its head, and then double jump to the top. Go right to find two Waiter Skeletons. Dodge the curry (CURRY!), make sure to grab a Waiter Skeleton soul, and go through the door. Subterranean Hell ----------------- Because you needed another link between these two areas. Hit the switch, then backtrack to the room with the Larva. Silenced Ruins -------------- Now go through the left door, grab the Mana Prism, and return to the Larva room. Descend all the way through this room, as well as the following room. Kill the Bone Ark, and go left. Make your way through the next room (being extra wary of the Dead Crusaders - you can actually Mandragora them from a distance without them blocking), and continue into the following room. This is the bottom of the shaft where you took the double jump path. Go through the left door to find a very ice puzzle. Remember Jezzball? That game where you had to trap the little balls in smaller and smaller areas? Well this is just like it. Using the stylus, you have to try to get the little energy ball up to the top row. There's only one block of ice leading there, so you have to trap it as high up as possible. If you hit the ball, the game is over - go out and come back in. The trick to this game is just to slowly get it as high as possible, and then cut off its escape route. Once it gets up to the top row, immediately destroy the block linking the top row with the bottom rows, and slowly trap it into being in the far left two blocks. Once it's there, touch it to blow it up and open the ceiling. You can't get there just yet. Come back in, destroy the top three layers of ice, and double jump up there. Watch out for the Devil lying in wait, and grab the Rare Ring. Now back track three rooms back - to the room where you desended from the ceiling and dealt with the Skelerangs and the Bone Ark. Go all the way right to the lower right door of the room. Proceed through the next room. Although there's a Larva, Bats, and Ghouls here, your main foe is the Dead Mate. Although you can dispose of him by killing his dog, if you want his soul, avoid killing his dog and kill him (wow, think about that one for a second). Hit the warp, and then backtrack to the room before the Dead Mate room. Now go to the top right exit. You'll see a cutscene between Julius and Dario. Keep going right. At this next hub, take the bottom right door to save. And now I'm caught up! I know you wanted to know this, but the reason for the delay in writing this was because after I had written for Rahab, I got kinda bored and just kept playing through. I got all the way to here and accidentally saved, so I had to catch up to myself on a new game. I'm so happy. Anyway, ascend through the shaft. The vestibule to the boss' chamber contains nothing new - just some Skeletons and a Dead Crusader. Take the latter out from a distance, and continue. When you reach a ledge, jump on top of it, and move right, killing off your foes (it's easier than the bottom path). Enter the boss door at the far end. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: BAT COMPANY First off, this is a really dumb name for a boss. I mean, BAT COMPANY! AHH!! Come on now, Konami. Anyway, as per the name, it's a bunch of bats. But they're not just bats. They're _red_ bats. Anyway, it'll assemble into one of three patterns: 1.) It'll turn into a giant hand that chases you. Run away. Duh. 2.) It'll start shooting these blue rings. The best strategy for these is to equip some rapid fire soul to protect you (e.g., Skeleton) or to jump kick the rings. 3.) The most common form, the Bat Company will form a bat and swoop at you. Jump kick it to dodge the swoops. It's easiest to attack with a sword or with Mandragora and to do so during either the first or third attacks. You can also use Bomber Armor on it to do some serious damage. Jump kick to escape if need be (hit it - but don't hit the bat in between the wings, or it won't work), and this terrible - this really bat - boss will go down sooner than you can call him batty. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Now you get the Bat Company soul, which, despite its terrible name, enables you to fly. Yay! The end is now in sight. To the Cursed Clock Tower! From the boss room, go back to the shaft two rooms before (notice the lava in the background too - this is just funky, but it makes the game all the hotter). Descend the shaft, save if you like, and then head left two rooms. Drop down through this room, and go through the bottom right door. One room later, you'll arrive at the warp. Warp to the uppermost warp on the map now. Cursed Clock Tower ------------------ Go right to the next room, and drop through the hole in the floor. Drop to the bottom of this room, and hit the switch to open the way back to the clock tower. You can go through this newly opened hole and work your way through the room that is accessed through the hole on the bottom of this pendulum room for percentage if you like (you should definitely do this. Use the Bat Company soul to get through the spiked bars, and then in the top portion of the next room, you'll see a ton of spikes with one lone area of safe ground. Fly here and kneel to receive KONAMI MAN!), but otherwise, from the switch, head through the western door. This next room has a ton of Golden Medusa Heads, a platform, and of course, spikes. Gotta love 'em. Anyway, drop down so that you land on the edge of a spikey ledge (the eagle outcropping). Drop down from there to the door. The subsequent room has more gears. Just drop straight through them (come a little ways from the wall first, so as to avoid the spikes), and head through the left door after that. In this room, the more acute among you (ha ha!) will notice the acute spikes. If one pricks you, you won't think it's a cute object. Anyway, head left, drop through the platforms, and look at the spikes in awe. The only way to pass through this is just to run straight at the spikes. But that's if you really want to die. Use the Bat Company soul to turn into a bat and navigate through these treacherous shafts. I'd diagram it, but it should be pretty obvious. Once you've escaped this area, continue right. More spikes. Great. Hop over to the box and then to the solid ground. Drop down through the platforms, and get right up next to the wall (DON'T TOUCH IT!). Slide under it, stand back up, hop over the spikes, and continue. This next room is deceptively empty. When you get to the middle, a Devil appears! Kill him (although you don't need it for reasons other than completion purposes, this is the best room to take the Devil's soul. You're taking the Devil's soul. Put _that_ in your pipe). Continue on. This next room's got a bunch of Harpies. Go back and forth between the two rooms to collect a Harpy soul if you want it (as you're confronted by three Harpies when you enter, and one Mandragora should take them all out). At the far left lies a door leading to... The Pinnacle ------------ This is it! The pinnacle of the game! Go left to find Yoko swinging her hips seductively. Don't take that. Smack her - she's a Succubus. She goes naked and then attacks you. Backdash away from her when she starts the heart thing - it hurts! The next room has a Bugbear in it. Kill it off (this is an easy room to get its soul). Continue until you find a hole. Drop through it. Kill off the Werewolf in this room (this is a great room for his soul!) - he's pretty dangerous. He can shoot fire, charge at you, or hit the ground and cause fire to burst up - and then continue your downward spiral. Now you're confronted with a Flame Demon. His soul is pretty useful too, and there's no better spot to get it. Flame Demons shoot fire downward, so at first, you're safe, but watch him when he's above you. If you get his soul, set one equipment set to have both the Bat Company and the Flame Demon soul, as you can shoot fire as a bat now. Drop down and take out the Werewolf. Follow the room to its conclusion. The next room has a Succubus. Take her out from the entrance with Mandragora, and then head to the top right exit to save. Drop back down to where the Succubus was and go left. In the next room, you'll have an Erinys to contend with. Take her out before she can charge at you (she can also sit there and destroy anything really close to her, so when you attack, do so from a distance). Drop down to the bottom, but avoid the Dead Warrior (take him out from in the gap in the pillar, where you're safe). Attack the floor below the platforms to find a secret room containing a Truffle, and then hop up the two platforms to your left to find a warp. Now that you have it, backtrack back to the last save point. Note that this is a great area to get the Erinys, Succubus, and Dead Warrior souls, since they're all right here, and there's a save point right there. Once you're satisfied, head through the hole in the top of the shaft. Go right to connect the dots on the map, but then backtrack to the save point and take the upper left exit in the room. This room has a lot of Yoko-Succubi in it. Although you can take them all out, the easiest way is just to jump in between each Yoko (or fly over them all). They don't transform into Succubi this way, so you're safe. You can also jump kick and run if you like to see Yoko lose her clothes. However you do it, at the far right side of the room is a door. Demon Guest House ----------------- You're back! Kill off the Persephone and the Succubi as you move left. In the next room with the Ghost Dancers, hop on the switch to open a hole to the previous area of the Guest House. You can drop through the hole in the floor to find a Killer Clown (GET HIS SOUL!), but otherwise, head up. The passage on the right side of the room, as you use the chandeliers to ascend (if you don't want to explore, just use Bat Company to get to the apex of the room) contains a Mimic. Kill it, and continue up. Ignore the door on the left for now as you continue climbing. The top right room has a ton of female villains - Two Witches, a Student Witch, a Persephone, two Liliths, and a Succubus. Kill them all, and exit the room. Go left to find a Flame Demon, followed by a room with an Iron Golem (this is a great room to get his soul in - Bat Company over him, and use a soul like Une to inflict a lot of damage on him in a short period of time). Go back and save, and then head to the door in the middle of the room on the left side that I told you to ignore. This room has three pink walls with pictures of three enemies on it. As you might guess, you need to attack each wall with the soul of the enemy. That's deep. Anyway, the first is an Axe Armor (go back to the antechamber of the drawbridge in the Lost Village if you need help with this soul). The subsequent is the Killer Clown - there are plenty of these around here (try the room below the room you just came from). The final one is the Ukoback, who abounds in the Subterranean Hell. Once you've cleared all three pillars, continue left. Make sure to destroy all the candles to get hearts. In the next room, wait until you've recovered your MP (it may be worthwhile to equip Lilith, as that increases your INT), and then enter the boss door. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: PARANOIA? Paranoia is amazingly easy. As you walk by the mirror, you'll notice a little clown thing as your reflection! Oh no! Once you walk by it, this little clown - Paranoia - will come out. It will dash at you with its knife. Jump over this. After awhile, it'll disappear into the big mirror and emerge from one of the smaller ones. From here it'll shoot a laser. Although you can try to guess how the laser will go, I just recommend ducking in the bottom right corner and adapting if you need to. Paranoia here falls really easily. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> But you don't get a soul! Interesting. Let your MP recharge, continue left through the boss door, but... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: PARANOIA This time it's for real. This one's harder than the DDR series of the same name if you're not sufficiently levelled up. Fortunately you had practice for this guy. He'll float around the room and occasionally pull an M. Bison head drop (you'll know this when he starts floating directly over you - in this case, keep moving). After a few rounds of this, he'll hop into the big mirror and shoot lasers twice (instead of his little reflection's (ha!) one round of lasering). This requires as much skill as the last to avoid - the best trick is to just minimize the damage (if a laser hits you, jump out of the way). You can also use the Medusa Head soul to float in mid-air between the lasers. The best time to attack him is while he's floating. You can also Mandragora him once or twice after he drop kicks you, but other than that, keep your health high, and you should do fine (level up if need be). <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Now you get the PARANOiA soul (sorry, couldn't resist - it's esoteric, though). The next room has a call back to one of the previous rulers of the upper part of the castle, Olrox, as you collect the Olrox's Suit. Backtrack to the room where you fought the smaller Paranoia, and use the Paranoia soul to enter the mirror and collet a Mana Prism. Now that we can enter the castle's myriad of mirrors, it's time to go look for them. With the Bat Company soul in tow, we can get to all of the secret rooms the castle has to offer, so it's exploring time! This is completely optional - CTRL + F "***END EXPLORING***" if you want to skip it, but otherwise, go back through the mirror, and head to The Pinnacle's warp room. Warp to The Lost Village. (side note: This part is terribly boring. To save some monotony for both of us, since you've been through these areas once already, with the exception of the secret rooms, I'll give you a barebones walkthrough; refer to the first visit sections if you need help) The Lost Village ---------------- First off, head back to the first room of the game. Use the Waiter Skeleton soul to lure out the Yeti, and then use either the Flame Demon soul, the Mandragora soul, or the Zephyr soul to kill him off. Exit and re-enter until you get his soul. From here, go to the drawbridge of the castle. In the room after that, fly up to the top. Kill the Hell Boar and grab the Heart Pendant. Now backtrack to the warp. From the warp, head to the middle right door in the room outside of the warp room. Move down through the room, killing the Ouija Table and the Zombie. In the next room, kill the Spin Devil, and go to the bottom right exit. Slide through all the Zombies, and you'll open a secret passage. Drop through here to get some Corn Soup and $2000. Move back to the previous room, and continue right. You'll see a mirror here. Enter the mirror, go right, and exit mirror world to find a Tear of Blood. Eww. Leave this room, and backtrack to the room with the Spin Demon in it. Climb to the top of this room, and make your way all the way right to the... Wizardry Lab ------------ In here, head through the top right exit. Use the stylus to clear away all of the ice (as you now have the double jump, so you don't need to be too careful here). Make a hole through the ice here to get to the bottom, and use Paranoia in the next room to find a Rosary. Backtrack to the entry hall of this area (you can use the Balore soul to clear away the ice even while the Bat Company soul is enabled, so that helps immensely here). Use your map to get you to the room just outside of this area's warp room, and then use the top exit. Work your way through this room, and kill the enemies off the floor in the following room (which is the room with a moving platform and a bunch of ice). Go right through this room on the floor until you get to the point where there's one constant line of ice (instead of sporadic blocks). Continue until the height of that ice drops. Make a hole in the fifth block of this series and Bat Company up through it. Use your weapon (preferrably something with an arc movement, such as a Great Sword or an Axe) to make a hole in the ceiling. Due to a glitch in the game, you have to Bat Company through the hole to find a Foie Gras. Backtrack to the warp, but this time, go to the bottom of the room. In this room, go all the way right, and continue right until you reach... Subterannean Hell ----------------- Continue right until you reach the waterfall room. Drop down, and go left. Hop off the Devil-infested cliff and through the waterfall. Now activate Bat Company/Flame Demon. Go down until you're under the platform from which you jumped, and then fire (or de-transform and attack) the wall to your left. This will open up a secret chamber leading to an Eversing. Very cool. Now head a few rooms right to get to the warp, and go to the Silenced Ruins. Silenced Ruins -------------- It's like you never left! Go left through the room with the Old Mate. In the following room, get to the left side, and then go straight up. You'll reach a shaft. Ascend this shaft to the top, dodge the Larva, and go left. This room has a mirror, behind which is a Super Potion (what's kinda neat is that you can see any Ghouls pop up in the room behind you). Leave this room, and go all the way right. Subterannean Hell ----------------- Go through this room (if you've upgraded your hammer since the last visit, go through the top right door and use it to win new prizes), and then go right in the next room. This is the Procel room. Go all the way right through it. In the next room, get to the top of the pool, and then slowly descend through it (by jumping a lot) and use the Une soul to clear out the Needles. At the bottom, head to the top, and then go right. Ignore the fishy smell, and make your way to the exit at the top right of this room. Go left until you reach... The Dark Chapel --------------- You'll be in the torture room chamber portion of this area (so ironic). Remember that in this room, there are spikes on the ceiling that fall down on you as you go. So jump over those or suffer incredible pain (well, they're not soft and snuggly). Go left (use the Puppet Master soul to get through the wall), and in the shaft, drop to the bottom. Go right two rooms (watch out for the falling spikes!) to reach a mirror. Pass through it to get a Megingiord. Cool name. Now make your way to the Dark Chapel's warp room, and warp to the Garden of Madness. Garden of Madness ----------------- Work your way to the top of the shaft here, and use the top right exit of the next room. Ascend to the top of this shaft, and then go left. Get to the top right part of this room, kill the Corpseweed, and attack the ceiling above him. Use the Bat Company soul to get in there and acquire a Ninja Suit. Leave this room, and go right. Follow the path until you get to a divergence. Take the left path to reach... Demon Guest House ----------------- From the stairway, double jump and attack the ceiling. Fly through the new hole to get a Rune Ring. Drop back through the floor, and run all the way left. When you get to a big room, use the lower left exit (not the floor) to get back to that annoying sliding tile puzzle. Move the tiles in this order: 12 -> 8 -> 5 -> 10 -> 8 -> 3 -> 12 -> 5 -> 10 -> 8 -> 3 -> 12 -> 5 -> 3 -> 8 -> 10 -> 3 Follow that path to find a mirror with Dracula's Tunic. Go back, reset the puzzle, and follow it to the area outside of the puzzle. Head to the warp room, and warp to our final destination, the Cursed Clock Tower! Cursed Clock Tower ------------------ Drop down to the next room, and go right into the large clock tower. Drop through the hole in here, and make use of the bottom right exit (you can use the Bat Company soul to overcome the spikes if need be). Slide under the spikes here, and descend the shaft until you reach the first door. Go left, kill the Bugbear, go left, drop to the floor, and go right again. Use Paranoia to go through the mirror in here to get a Platinum Stud - just like you! And now you're done! Go back to the warp room, and warp to the Pinnacle! ***END EXPLORING*** The Pinnacle ------------ Head to the save room. Go through the top hole, and move left to find a Dead Warrior. The best way to deal with him, I find, is to jump kick him until you figure out just how far he'll go. Then stand a few feet behind it (so he won't hit you), and when he comes at you, toss a Mandragora. Continuing left will make you encounter a Mushussu. This thing's weird. It's basically an upgraded Manticore (so watch the tail) plus a bad case of heartburn (jump over the fireballs). Keep going left to find one more Dead Warrior. Take out the Guillotiners as you ascend through the following chamber. Go through the hole at the top to arrive back in the snowy area on the roof. Hop up a few platforms, and toss a Mandragora at the Dead Crusader from the top of the last platform. Fly up to the point where the ceiling connects to the wall, and attack the wall to enter a secret chamber containing a Durandal. Cool! Go back down, and hop onto the Dead Crusader's platform, and drop down on the Werewolf, who despite being an enemy, is no easier than his Symphony of the Night boss form. Take him out, and head right. Drop down through the platforms and take out the Guillotiner and the Mushassu. You're now confronted by a new enemy: Alastor. Alastor is this giant shadow with a sword. You can only be hurt by the sword, and attacking the sword is the only way to hurt him. Drop through the floor to get percentage for this room, and then return to the previous room. Hop up the platforms at the far end of the room, collect the Mana Prism, and exit via the top-right exit of the room. Once you've disposed of this room's Erinys and Dead Crusader, drop off to the right, go through the column, and from the top platform, throw a Mandragora at the Dead Crusader. Kill the Erinys, grab the Lance, drop down, and exit the room. Kill off the three Werewolves in this room (the sound they make when they die is akin to that which my mom makes when she wakes up), and head through the left door to find WHOAMYGOSH WHAT IS THAT? That large hunk there is a Final Guard. The trick to besting him is to fly over him with Bat Company and take him from behind. His sword can't hurt you unless it's attacking, so you can fly over him safely, even if it seems like he'll hit you with his sword. Once you've beaten him, go to the middle of the room. You'll see a projector. Hit it with Rycuda's soul to start it up and to summon Mothman, the final hidden soul. Kill him and hope you nab his soul (otherwise, repeat the process - you don't have to kill the Final Guards if you don't want to). Once you're done, kill off the last Final Guard in the same manner as you killed the first, and then backtrack to the werewolf room, and this time, exit through the top exit. The following room has four lion statues. Break them for items, and then head through the hole at the top via Bat Company. Kill off the Flame Demon and the Werewolves as you make your way to the top of this room. Head through the hole at the top to find a room with a Final Guard and three treasure chests. Deal with these accordingly, and backtrack to the previous room. Once you eradicate the enemies again, make use of the bottom left exit. This next room has Dead Warriors. Kill them as you go to the left (note that you should also fly through here for the sake of map completion). In the next room, go through the door on the left and save, and then head through the hole in the top of the room. Up here, you'll find four Bugbears. Eliminate them (one Flame Demon shot works wonders), and continue left to find a very traditional area: the antechamber to Dracula! The famous stairway to the maw of Hell itself! It's actually pretty dull, but there's something eerie about it anyway. From the entrance, fly up to find an exit leading to the right. This room is another Final Guard treasure room, so once you're done here, go back to the Drac approach room. Go all the way through this room (make sure it's totally covered on the map), and when you enter the following room, jump up and to the right, and use something that'll hit above you (a Great Sword or Axe weapon works here). This'll open a secret room. Fly up there to get a Fragarach and Satan's Ring. Cool. If I were you, I'd equip what you want, go back and save, and then return here. I really mean it - save. We're about to get the worst ending, and you wanna be able to just go straight to the decent ending when you come back. Anyway, go through the boss door, watch the scene, ignore the thing in the mirror, and fight... <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: DARIO BOSSI MK. 2 Same old same old. He can shoot fireballs in three directions: o---o----------o F |Key| | o---o | D F | D - Dario | | F - Fireball | F o--------------o They're easy enough to dodge. As before, when he says "Hahahaha!" he's gonna pull out the two fire columns. Don't get trapped between them (as a third emerges between them). If you hit him enough, he'll teleport around. The room is divided into three sides: the left, the middle, and the right. You'll know on which side he'll appear because the demon in the mirror will go to that side of the mirror. He can pound the ground to produce a fire wave, which you should just jump over. Once you've seriously hurt him (he'll clutch his heart), he'll have a new attack: he'll send two fiery dragons in a wave pattern like so: 1 2 o---o----------o 1 1 2 2 |Key| | 1 1 2 2 o---o | D 1 1 | D - Dario | 2 2 1 1 | 1 - Dragon 1 | 2 2 1 1 | 2 - Dragon 2 | 2 1 o--------------o (sinusoidally) And they'll go to the end of the room. The trick is just to Bat Company over them. Just hit him when you can. It's not too hard. In between attacks and during the fire column attacks are the best time. I just Mandragoraed him to death (with a dash of sword smashing). It's really simple, and the sealing is automatic. Another good strategy - a really good one - is the Frozen Shade soul. I had it maxed out at the time, but if you just use that, you'll end the fight before it begins - it's super effective on poor Dario. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Congratulations! Sit back and enjoy the worst ending. When you reload, come right back here. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: DARIO BOSSI MK. 2 This time, if you didn't figure this out last time, use Paranoia to get through the looking glass. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: AGUNI I've heard that his name comes from the Sanskrit for "fire" and that it's a weird way of saying "agony." Both apply. He's a seriously offensive creature; his attacks are devestating. He can fly up off the screen. When he does this, run! Don't run too close to the walls. He'll fall somewhere close to you (unless you stop running - then he'll fall on you) and let out a fire wave. Jump over this. He can spit fire at the ground, which manifets itself in waves. Jump over them (there will be multiple waves). Be aware that they'll gather on the wall, so don't be too close to the wall when he does this attack. Aguni can attack you with his claws. He'll do this three or four times in a row, and the trick is just to slide away from the claw that's gonna hit you (which you can figure out by looking at which one he raises). The trick is to slide away from his whole body too, so he doesn't switch claws. Aguni can swoop at you (he'll move away from you a little bit and then swoop). Slide under this. He can do it a few times in a row, so watch out. So how do you cope with this crazy threat? I recommend the Merman soul - you probably have a few of them by now. I also recommend something from the Great Sword/Axe line of weaponry. When he tries to slam you and creates the fire waves, jump over the wave, and hit him with Merman/your weapon. When he spits fire, Aguni is a sitting duck. Hit him with all you've got. When he claws you, just dodge; don't attack, and when he swoops, with an arcing weapon like the two kinds I recommended, you can hit him as he passes. The interrim pause between attacks is also a prime time for your own attack. He's hard, but once you get his attacks down, he'll go down pretty easily. The Axe Armor soul also works here. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Grab the soul, and head back to the other side of the mirror. Watch the scene (Dario runs away like a little girl!). Once Celia lures you to the...*sigh* center of the castle (it's always there), go to the next room. Grab the Magic Seal V (it's freaking COMPLICATED - practice it!). There's no way around the fact that now you have to get back to The Pinnacle's warp room, and it's a long walk. Use your map. Play with Aguni's soul too - it's good stuff. Once you get to the warp room, warp to the Garden of Madness. Garden of Madness ----------------- First, it's really important that you go down and save, as you're about to get the medium ending. Once you've saved, go back to the warp. Ascend this shaft, and then go right. Upon entering the next room, kill the Mollusca, and now you can finally enter this door! You'll witness a scene where Celia kills Mina. Soma becomes the dark lord. OH SNAP! Julius and Arikado talk about unleashing their powers. This unlocks Julius Mode. Now restart the game. Come back to this room, but before you enter, equip Mina's Talisman, which you got from Arikado early on. After seeing the new scene, head back to the Garden's warp room, and warp to the Lost Village. Get some Anti-Venoms, Uncurse Potions, and other helpful items before warping to the Condemned Tower.. Condemned Tower --------------- Go right two rooms to the now shaft where you fought Gergoth. Drop to the bottom (it's cooler if you jump kick), and go left. Grab the Tasty Meat from above you with Bat Company, and then go all the way right. After you watch the scene (Arikado walks off the edge), drop down through the hole to reach... Mine of Judgment ---------------- Go left from the entryway to encounter a Tanjelly. Kill it (don't let it touch you, or you'll get poisoned), and keep going left. Drop to the bottom of this area to find a good friend, Slogra. Hit him once to make him lose his spear, kill him, and then keep going left. Use the save point, drop down to the bottom for map completion, and then backtrack two rooms. Drop to the very bottom of this room, kill the Slogra and the Tanjelly, and then move onto the next room. Drop to the bottom of this room, kill the Slogra, come back up, and go left. Aguni works wonders on Tanjellies, and this one is no exception. Kill it, and move down the shaft. When you get to an exit, you'll see some little upgraded Fleamen - Rippers - below you. Drop an Aguni down there to kill them, and then move on. The same idea applies in the next room - go to the bottom killing enemies, come back up, and exit. Kill the Tanjellies in the next room as you work your way to the bottom. At the bottom is, among surprise Tanjellies that can scare you, a Giant Slug. Drop an Aguni on his head (it's a Mollusca with a shell), and exit. The next room has a Bugbear and a Slogra to contend with before moving on (note that if you're not going for experience and map completion, you can just skip this part and move directly to the next room without fighting). Carefully drop to the bottom of this shaft (there are two Tanjellies), and exit. Now you've got a new enemy: Slogra's counterpart, Gaibon. He'll fly around shooting fire, and when he's almost dead, he'll turn around and shoot big fireballs. Take care of him quickly, knock out the Slogra at the bottom, and continue. This shaft has three Gaibons and a Tanjelly, so be really careful. Once they're gone, keep going. Take out the myriad of Slogras and Tanjellies here, and then continue. Once you dispatch the Gaibon in this shaft, the first exit you come to leads you to a warp. Take it to The Lost Village, shop/save, and then come back. Continue to the bottom (watch out for the Giant Slug at the bottom), and then go right. The next room is ostensibly the best room in the game for getting the Giant Slug's soul, so remember that. It nullifies poison, so it might not be a bad idea to use it in this area. Once you're done, keep going right. That said, you're only gonna encounter two more poisonous enemies in this level. Drop to the bottom of the next shaft, which has two Tanjellies. The right room is a save point, so make use of it. The left leads to the boss. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: DEATH Consider that when you win this battle, you will steal Death's soul. Think about that one for a minute. If you're not too distracted with those deep thoughts, Death has two forms. The attack pattern of his first form is divided into two parts. He swoops around in both patterns, but that's the only similarity. The first is when he has his scythe. He's got two attacks: he'll turn sideways and chase you. When he does this, run! He'll try and sickle ya. When he misses, double jump (if you run into a wall, use Death's head as a jump-kicking object), as he swings again. His other scythe attack is to send it flying into the air. IT'll spin and then break into a lot of little sickles. The idea is to get as far away from these as possible, and then use your sword to destroy the ones coming at you. This leads to his other attack pattern: sans scythe. When he does this, he'll summon three illusion Deaths to fire a very real laser beam at you. Either get in between these fake Deaths, or get out beyond their range entirely. He'll still float around. Really, you can attack Death whenever there's a pause or during his scytheless phase - you can attack him whenever, but those are the easiest times. I recommend the Mandragora. I recommend again using an arcing weapon, like a Great Sword or an Axe. His second form looks really funky and has a black hole in him. He's got three basic attacks now. His first is to vanish. When he does this, he'll reappear next to you and try to scythe you. The instant you see him appear, double jump, and you'll avoid it (get ready to duck or slide if he does it twice). His second is to spin his scythe. When he does this, get under him. He'll send it in a circle around the room, and you'll wanna jump over it while dodging the little sickles he sends out at you. Occasionally, he won't get the scythe back. He'll then fire four white shots to the left and to the right. Note in which direction he fires first. This will cause four large skulls to come try to bite you. Double jump away from the first one (you'll know which direction it's coming from, since that's the direction Death shot the white shot at), and when after the skull bites, fall back towards the skull. Repeat this for the remaining three skulls. It's a lot easier to attack Death this time. You can do it whenever, but make sure that dodging those skulls is your top priority - their bark is not worse than their bite. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Head left. Press up to enter the portal - Death's Door, it would seem - and to enter the final area of the game! The Abyss --------- Drop down through the floor to get to the main part of The Abyss. Notice the fiery background. We're gonna be going through the circles (well, pyramids) of Hell Dante-style! Save to your left real fast, and then come back here. You'll meet the one and only Arc Demon in the game. His soul is rare, and he takes awhile to beat. I recommend getting his soul, however, not because it's useful, but because you'll level up as you fight this guy (he nets you 666 experience points per kill). He'll swoop around or summon three balls that'll float around and then fire at you. Dodge them. Once you beat him, save, come back, and repeat until you get his soul. Either way, once you've taken care of business, go right. Watch out! Just beyond the platform is a fire column. Wait for it to subside before moving on. Jump onto the ledge and go right, but watch out for the fire column that comes just after the ledge. Once it has been quenched, drop down to where the fire column was, move left, and drop through the hole. When you enter the next area, you'll see a bunch of Rippers below you. I recommend using Death's soul to take them out from up here, where you're safe. Once they're gone, move right carefully - right at the second dragon statue in the background is another fire column. Once at the end of this ledge, drop down, eliminate any remaining Rippers, and go left. Watch out for the same fire column from before, and be wary of the two Flame Demons you'll encounter (there is a fire column at the second Flame Demon as well). Just beyond him is yet another fire column (you can see little magma buildups on the ground where the columns will emerge from), and exit the room. The next two rooms are filler rooms, but if you watch your map, you'll see that you've teleported elsewhere. Now you're in the muddy region of The Abyss. There's an Alastor to deal with. You'll sink through the mud/quicksand (I only call it mud because there's an enemy here called the Mud Demon), but all that does is slow you down. Once at the bottom of this room, exit to the left. In here, kill the Erinys, and move to the center of the quicksand. Let yourself fall to the bottom to find a lamp with a Hippogryph soul in it! This is the equivalent of Circle of the Moon's Roc Wing - it allows you to jump really high with no MP cost. It's really helpful for the last boss. Use it to get back to the top of the quicksand, and then work your way to the top of the room. In the next room, you'll meet one of only four Heart Eaters in the game (the other three are in the same room in the Wizardry Lab). Kill it. There's also a Mud Demon. His soul is the mud equivalent of the Procel soul, so you'll want it. The best way is to jump into this room, get into the right mud patch, and toss a Mandragora. It'll hit both enemies (if not, use an arcing weapon to get the Mud Demon when he's fully formed). Repeat until you have one of the souls. From there, continue through the room (there's one more Mud Demon), and exit through the hole in the floor at the far end. This room pits you against more Mud Demons. The trick is to wait until they vanish under the mud. Drop down into the mud, and wait for them to come back. Throw a Mandragora when they do. Repeat until you exit the room. You'll now find two more filler rooms. Now you're in the icy region. Three Frozen Shades await you here. The Flame Demon soul works wonders on them. Kill them as you move through the room and exit through the hole at the bottom. The next room pits you against Stolas. Stolas' attack is to summon Erinyses and Devils. Kill them as you whittle away the Stolas' health. Once he's dead (you can soul hunt for him here or later; it's up to you), exit the room through the next hole. The subsequent room seems really quiet...until you find the Final Guard. Then it's loud and obnoxious. Kill it by flying behind it, and then move on to the final room in the icy portion of The Abyss. This room has some Malachis and two White Dragons. Stand under the first and Mandragora them both to death. After that, proceed through the two filler rooms. Now you're in the part I associate most closely with Hell. And with a whale's digestive system. You first encounter the end of the Barbariccia series of enemies, the Malacoda (all of whom are named for devils in Dante's Inferno, to which I've made constant references already). Kill him off, drop to the bottom, Hippogryph up to the ledge to the right, and move on. There's an Erinys to contend with in this room. Kill her, drop to the bottom, and kill the Mud Demon. As you ascend to the top of this room, enter the first door to save, and then enter the door at the top for a boss fight. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: ABADDON Abaddon, the "Angel of the Abyss" is just a crazy conductor. Imagine your music teacher from when you were nine years old. Then imagine her IN HELL CONDUCTING BUGS. Abaddon himself has no attacks other than hopping around. Dodge this. He'll wave his baton in a pattern, and a SWARM OF LOCUSTS will follow this pattern. Here's how to dodge: U-Shaped: Get in the middle of the room, and continuously use Hippogryph until the locusts are gone. Sideways: Locusts will come horizontally at you at three different heights. Use Bat Company to get in between two rows of locusts. L-shaped: It's an upside down L, but the locusts will come from the right and then hook down. The only safe way to do this is to get really close to the wall (which wall, you ask? The wall they're coming from - watch the baton). Crescent: It's a sideways U. Use Bat Company to get into the hole between the locusts coming out from the wall and the locusts going back in (again, it depends on which side they're coming from). You can jumpkick the locusts or Abaddon himself if need be. Despite the easy pattern, Abaddon is no walk in the park. Damage him between locust attacks and while he's hopping around. Make sure you dodge the locusts, though; that's your top priority. Seal him up to win (it's a really gruesome death scene). <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Go back and save after defeating Abaddon. Pass through the filler room to get to the next logical section of Hell, the SUPER SPACE CADET circle! You first face Malacoda. Once you hop over the partition, there's another Malacoda, but there's also a Black Panther. He runs from one side to another. Kill him, and make sure you get his soul - it makes life so so so much easier - you can hold down R and run super fast. It's great. Continue on to find one more Malacoda. Exit through the hole in the top of the room. There's one more Stolas to contend with here. Kill him, and move onto the next room with its aurora borealises. It has an Iron Golem, so fly over it and work it with the Une soul, but watch out for the Black Panther too. Once both have been destroyed, keep on going. This room has a Giant Slug. Kill it from below with an arcing weapon, and move through the room. Exit through the top and go through the two filler rooms to arrive at the final portion of The Abyss. Now you're in the spiky region? Hop over the spikes carefully, and take out the Erinys and Tanjelly from afar. Jump over to their platform, hop to the next one, hop onto the skulls, and exit the room. Kill the Succubus from below with an arc weapon/Mandragora, and kill the White Dragon from behind the spikes with a Mandragora. Bat Company over the spikes (just in case; in fact, I reccomend you use Bat Company until you're over the first set of spikes on the top ledge), and continue. There's a warp at the far end. This is the final warp. Use it as you wish (go to The Lost Village to shop. You can also go to the bell tower in the Dark Chapel - you first accessed the Condemned Tower through here - and Hippogryph into the bells to get a Bell, the final secret item; note that to warp back to The Abyss, warp to the warp room in the bottom left corner of the map), and continue. The final room houses a save point. Use it. Now at this point, what you do is up to you. If you want to get the Chaos Ring, which will make the final fight so much easier, you need to collect every single soul in the game. This is clearly an arduous task, so you don't have to. If you want to save that task for your next playthrough, warp back to The Lost Village. Collect the souls necessary to upgrade your favorite weapon line to its complete extention (this will normally require a boss soul, so if you want the Chaos Ring, do this after you've gotten the Chaos Ring), and go to the left side of the final room. Otherwise, once you're done collecting all the souls in the game, go to the icy area of The Abyss (you should probably come in via the Mine of Judgment entrance), and you'll find the Chaos Ring in plain sight on the far ledge in the first room. Once you've got it, equip it, and head to the left side of the final room to find a portal - Death's Door again - that'll take you to the final boss. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BOSS: MENACE Alright, this final boss is really ugly. Anyway, his first form has three attacks. The first is summon spears from below. When he does this, get in the middle of the screen to avoid them. His second attack is to summon spears from above (get to the sides to dodge this), and his final attack is spewing poisonous gas (get to the right side to avoid it). Jump and attack the glowing head (not the one that shoots the gas) to cause damage in between attacks, and this form will fall really easily. The second form is really weird. When you're on the platforms, he'll shoot out little sets of teeth. Destroy these. He can also hit you with his hands, so watch the hands to figure out when they're gonna strike. That's all it does. Hippogryph is your friend here. Use it to get onto the platforms and attack the head inside the skull - you can't damage him while the skull is covering the head. Once you've destroyed the head, drop to the ground. Now you have to take out this freaky head that's on its knee. Watch out for him stomping on you, and it'll go down quickly. Such an easy final boss. <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------> Congratulations! You beat the game with the good ending! Now try Julius Mode! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- IV. Appendices -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 4.01: Bosses | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Name : Flying Armor Location: The Lost Village Strategy: First real boss fight time! Flying Armor is a floating creature with two hovering swords. These swords act as a sort of barrier, such that it's difficult for you to get close to him. Watch for the tips of the sword - when they flash, the swords are about to attack you. They do this in one of two ways - if the swords are both facing you (they're normally facing down), then when they flash, their positions will be locked in, and they'll fire straight in the direction they're pointed in, meaning don't be in their way. If the swords are pointed diagonally up in either direction, they'll circle around and try to squish you; jump over them to avoid the piercing blow. This is the easier of the two to dodge. Now, if you don't have the Axe Armor soul, this is the time to attack, as he's defenseless for the moment. Beat up on him until the swords come back, rinse, and repeat. His only other attack is floating around, which isn't so much an attack, per se, as much as a horrible video game cliche (i.e., the "touch of death") at its finest. If you have it, though, now's the time to use the Axe Armor soul. It makes the fight loads easier - you can just make a slight hop, regardless of where the swords are (unless the swords are, you know, inside of you), toss an axe, cause damage (as each axe will not only hit for a fair amount of damage, but it'll also hit multiple times), and repeat. Just make sure to watch out for the sword attacks, and resort to the earlier strategy when your MP runs low. If your HP falls below a certain level (i.e., how much HP each of the Flying Armor's attacks take away from you), remember that you do have three Potions, so feel free to use one. -- Name : Balore Location: Wizardry Lab Strategy: A beam suddenly cuts through the ice! Go through the ice to find Balore himself. Balore has two basic attacks, and the safest place to evade both of them is right in between his hands. His most obvious attack is a GIANT laser beam that comes out of his eye. There'll be a dead giveaway when he's about to use this attack - you'll see him charge it. When you see it, immediately duck to avoid the beam. His other attack is to punch with one of his fists. You can avoid all of these if you're positioned where I told you to be. When he brings his fist close to him, though, jump on it (and then jump off when the coast is clear) to avoid being hit by it. The easiest way to take him out is with a weapon with a sweeping motion, like the Axe. Simply jump, use it, and repeat until Balore is no more! -- Name : Dmitrii Blinov Location: The Dark Chapel Strategy: After a nice cutscene (imagine him saying that with a Russian accent; it's funnier), you'll fight Dmitrii with cool music. He'll lumber over to you and use the Cthulu attack you just saw. That attack's easy to dodge, but you want an easier one. I recommend using either an Une, a Student Witch, a Skeleton, or a Zombie soul. Regardless, Dmitrii is very easy to figure out. He'll use whatever soul you've used on him (and when you use a new one, he'll copy that too), knife you if you get close, jump around, or dash backwards - he's essentially Soma. I recommend using whatever soul you're using to beat him. Additionally, if you have a long range weapon (e.g., an Axe), you can use that too. Jump towards him, smack him, and move away. Rinse and repeat. He's a very easy boss. Note that you don't need to use a Magic Seal at the end. -- Name : Malphas Location: The Dark Chapel Strategy: Malphas is exactly like Symphony of the Night's Karasuman. He's just as easy too. Malphas has three basic attacks. The first is an attack where he summons black ravens to him and faces you. When you see this, move so that you're behind him (when he flies up) so you can dodge his onslaught of black feathers. For his second attack, he flies and faces you, the player (not you Soma; i.e., he's facing forward). When he does this, get under him to dodge the blue feathers. His final attack is to summon these orbs which will try to track you down. Jump over them. The best plan is to stay under him while he's in the air - if you see an orb forming, run away, and when they come near you, jump back towards Malphas; if you see blue feathers, stay still. When he lands, you know he's about to break into the first attack. In between attacks, smack him a few times. This is really easy with the first attack, as he's firing away from you, making him a sitting duck...er, raven. Mutant raven. You get it. Make sure to have the stylus ready for the Magic Seal. Also, make sure you remember how to do the seal (start from the top right, go to the bottom left, to the bottom right, to the top left). -- Name : Dario Bossi Location: Garden of Madness Strategy: After a nice, friendly chat with Dario, you'll get ready to fight - again with awesome music. This fiery foe presents way more of a threat than his counterpart did, but he's still nothing you can't handle. His attacks are thus: He can shoot a fireball at you. Jump over the fireball (there's a trend!). His other attacks are preceded by a "Hahaha!" - these include a fire wave (jump over this) - though the "Hahaha!" here comes right when he punches the ground, teleporting (if he wants to be Drac, he's got this down!), and creating fire pillars (the trend with these is that he'll create one fire pillar close to him. A second fire pillar will emerge at a length away from him, and shortly thereafter, another will come up between these two. The trick is to, when you see the first fire pillar, run away from Dario. If you need help figuring out the locations of these pillars, right before they come up, you'll see some fire, followed by the pillar). The time to extinguish this pugnacious punk is after he attacks. There's a pause between each attack. Move in - preferably with a quick weapon or with a Bullet Soul - attack, and get ready to move away to counter his next attack. Familiars don't help too much. -- Name : Puppet Master Location: Demon Guest House Strategy: I dislike this boss. He's got three main attacks. He can summon miniature ghosts who fly around and try to hurt you (kill them off). The second is to summon a monster to hold in his hand. You need to destroy this monster, or you'll switch places with him and end up in one of the spiked coffins. The third and most effective - he's plain ugly. Your top priority are the monsters in his hands - if you get into a coffin, it will hurt a lot. You'll see and hear some blue sparks when he's summoning the monster. Destroy it (it'll take two hits), and then attack the Puppet Master himself. The Mandragora soul is great for inflicting damage on the Puppet Master himself. As for the monsters, use the Doppleganger soul - equip your Knife to the B attack setting, and when you hear the Puppet Master summon a monster, do two quick jabs to defeat the monster, switch back to set A, and move on. The Mandragora is also great for destroying all of the little marionettes he sends out. With this strategy, he should be relatively simple. The biggest danger is just getting coffined up in a coffin. -- Name : Rahab Location: Subterannean Hell Strategy: At first glance, you're screwed. You're fighting a water foe. You can't swim underwater. Yay! His attacks are fairly simple. Rahab can jump out of the water and fall back in. Occasionally, he'll launch some icicles below him, so watch out for those. He can also fire ice that turns into platforms. You can tell where Rahab is by the air bubbles. If you have a good Bullet Soul (e.g., Mandragora), a weapon like the Great Sword or the Axe, or even the Bomber Armor soul, you might be able to hit him while he's underwater, but your best bet is to wait for him to shoot ice platorms. Jump onto the platforms as leverage to attack. So that's basically your strategy - wait him out, attack when you can, and be done with it. He can't hurt you that much. Also, note that you don't have to hit his head - anywhere on his body will do. -- Name : Gergoth Location: Condemned Tower Strategy: This boss is a pain. If you have too hard a time against him, use the Great Axe Armors to level up (there's a room with one right near the boss room). The strategy for this is almost counterintuitive. The first thing I want to do when I see a giant dinosaur - and ask people from Tokyo; they'd agree - is run. You want to get right next to him. Be under his head and duck, as it's the best place to counter his three attacks. His first is to shoot this massive beam at you. When he does this, get right next to his feet and duck. It's ever so critical to dodge this attack. If you disagree, get hit by it and check the damage. His second is to back into the back wall and then jump across the room. When he does this, run with him. Get so his rib cage will land on you, and then duck - this keeps you safe. His third attack his harder to counter - it will appear that he is charging up for the beam, but he'll bite. All you can do is dodge as you would the laser. As for attacking, just do it constantly. Toss a few Mandragrenades (Mandragora + grenade), hit him with your sword, and just make sure to dodge his attacks, as they hurt like crazy. When the battle's halfway over, his face will turn red. Back away to the closest wall. He'll go ballistic and break the floor. At the bottom, he'll - and this is one of the greatest scenes in the game - get his head stuck in the ground. Let him have it at this point. When he breaks free, the battle really gets rough. He loses his anklets and can seriously jump around now. Slide under him when he jumps. His other new trick is to shoot gas out of his rib cage (as opposed to...). Dodge this gas - it's really localized to right in front of him, so just get away. Other than that, he keeps the same old attacks, so you keep the same old dodges. You get his sweet soul when you finally seal him away. -- Name : Zephyr Location: Cursed Clock Tower Strategy: Of no relation to the water company, Zephyr is your staple time freezing boss, so we need to show this poor excuse for Flashman who's boss (no pun intended)! Zephyr struts a lot, but he has two attack types: The first involves him curling up. He'll laugh and freeze time, and instead of taking this time to slash the heck out of you, he flies over you, laying out knives in a strategic pattern above you. Once he resumes time and gravity kicks in, they fall. In the interrim between time resuming and the knives falling - if this isn't obvious - get out of the way! Get into a gap between knives. His curling attack involves him charging at you. Jump over him. His other attack type is the non-time freezing variety. He can also simply toss a dagger (jump over it) or slash you (back away). This is indicated by him curling up while still standing up. If he jumps onto the ceiling, he'll jump down towards you, bringing a knife down with him. Dodge them both by sliding under them. Slash him while he's struting. Mandragora is particularly effective. Make sure to use the Magic Seal IV that you just acquired to seal him away. Zephyr doesn't take much in the way of pain before he goes down the drain. And that's another water joke. -- Name : Bat Company Location: Silenced Ruins Strategy: First off, this is a really dumb name for a boss. I mean, BAT COMPANY! AHH!! Come on now, Konami. Anyway, as per the name, it's a bunch of bats. But they're not just bats. They're _red_ bats. Anyway, it'll assemble into one of three patterns: 1.) It'll turn into a giant hand that chases you. Run away. Duh. 2.) It'll start shooting these blue rings. The best strategy for these is to equip some rapid fire soul to protect you (e.g., Skeleton) or to jump kick the rings. 3.) The most common form, the Bat Company will form a bat and swoop at you. Jump kick it to dodge the swoops. It's easiest to attack with a sword or with Mandragora and to do so during either the first or third attacks. Jump kick to escape if need be (hit it - but don't hit the bat in between the wings, or it won't work), and this terrible - this really bat - boss will go down sooner than you can call him batty. -- Name : Paranoia? Location: Demon Guest House Strategy: Paranoia is amazingly easy. As you walk by the mirror, you'll notice a little clown thing as your reflection! Oh no! Once you walk by it, this little clown - Paranoia - will come out. It will dash at you with its knife. Jump over this. After awhile, it'll disappear into the big mirror and emerge from one of the smaller ones. From here it'll shoot a laser. Although you can try to guess how the laser will go, I just recommend ducking in the bottom right corner and adapting if you need to. Paranoia here falls really easily. -- Name : Paranoia Location: Demon Guest House Strategy: This time it's for real. This one's harder than the DDR series of the same name if you're not sufficiently levelled up. Fortunately you had practice for this guy. He'll float around the room and occasionally pull an M. Bison head drop (you'll know this when he starts floating directly over you - in this case, keep moving). After a few rounds of this, he'll hop into the big mirror and shoot lasers twice (instead of his little reflection's (ha!) one round of lasering). This requires as much skill as the last to avoid - the best trick is to just minimize the damage (if a laser hits you, jump out of the way). You can also use the Medusa Head soul to float in mid-air between the lasers. The best time to attack him is while he's floating. You can also Mandragora him once or twice after he drop kicks you, but other than that, keep your health high, and you should do fine (level up if need be). -- Name : Dario Bossi Mk. 2 Location: The Pinnacle Strategy: Same old same old. He can shoot fireballs in three directions: o---o----------o F |Key| | o---o | D F | D - Dario | | F - Fireball | F o--------------o They're easy enough to dodge. As before, when he says "Hahahaha!" he's gonna pull out the two fire columns. Don't get trapped between them (as a third emerges between them). If you hit him enough, he'll teleport around. The room is divided into three sides: the left, the middle, and the right. You'll know on which side he'll appear because the demon in the mirror will go to that side of the mirror. He can pound the ground to produce a fire wave, which you should just jump over. Once you've seriously hurt him (he'll clutch his heart), he'll have a new attack: he'll send two fiery dragons in a wave pattern like so: 1 2 o---o----------o 1 1 2 2 |Key| | 1 1 2 2 o---o | D 1 1 | D - Dario | 2 2 1 1 | 1 - Dragon 1 | 2 2 1 1 | 2 - Dragon 2 | 2 1 o--------------o (sinusoidally) And they'll go to the end of the room. The trick is just to Bat Company over them. Just hit him when you can. It's not too hard. In between attacks and during the fire column attacks are the best time. I just Mandragoraed him to death (with a dash of sword smashing). It's really simple, and the sealing is automatic. Another good strategy - a really good one - is the Frozen Shade soul. I had it maxed out at the time, but if you just use that, you'll end the fight before it begins - it's super effective on poor Dario. -- Name : Aguni Location: The Pinnacle (go through the mirror in Dario's room via the Paranoia soul) Strategy: I've heard that his name comes from the Sanskrit for "fire" and that it's a weird way of saying "agony." Both apply. He's a seriously offensive creature; his attacks are devestating. He can fly up off the screen. When he does this, run! Don't run too close to the walls. He'll fall somewhere close to you (unless you stop running - then he'll fall on you) and let out a fire wave. Jump over this. He can spit fire at the ground, which manifets itself in waves. Jump over them (there will be multiple waves). Be aware that they'll gather on the wall, so don't be too close to the wall when he does this attack. Aguni can attack you with his claws. He'll do this three or four times in a row, and the trick is just to slide away from the claw that's gonna hit you (which you can figure out by looking at which one he raises). The trick is to slide away from his whole body too, so he doesn't switch claws. Aguni can swoop at you (he'll move away from you a little bit and then swoop). Slide under this. He can do it a few times in a row, so watch out. So how do you cope with this crazy threat? I recommend the Merman soul - you probably have a few of them by now. I also recommend something from the Great Sword/Axe line of weaponry. When he tries to slam you and creates the fire waves, jump over the wave, and hit him with Merman/your weapon. When he spits fire, Aguni is a sitting duck. Hit him with all you've got. When he claws you, just dodge; don't attack, and when he swoops, with an arcing weapon like the two kinds I recommended, you can hit him as he passes. The interrim pause between attacks is also a prime time for your own attack. He's hard, but once you get his attacks down, he'll go down pretty easily. The Axe Armor soul also works here. -- Name : Death Location: Mine of Judgment Strategy: Consider that when you win this battle, you will steal Death's soul. Think about that one for a minute. If you're not too distracted with those deep thoughts, Death has two forms. The attack pattern of his first form is divided into two parts. He swoops around in both patterns, but that's the only similarity. The first is when he has his scythe. He's got two attacks: he'll turn sideways and chase you. When he does this, run! He'll try and sickle ya. When he misses, double jump (if you run into a wall, use Death's head as a jump-kicking object), as he swings again. His other scythe attack is to send it flying into the air. It'll spin and then break into a lot of little sickles. The idea is to get as far away from these as possible, and then use your sword to destroy the ones coming at you. This leads to his other attack pattern: sans scythe. When he does this, he'll summon three illusion Deaths to fire a very real laser beam at you. Either get in between these fake Deaths, or get out beyond their range entirely. He'll still float around. Really, you can attack Death whenever there's a pause or during his scytheless phase - you can attack him whenever, but those are the easiest times. I recommend the Mandragora. I recommend again using an arcing weapon, like a Great Sword or an Axe. His second form looks really funky and has a black hole in him. He's got three basic attacks now. His first is to vanish. When he does this, he'll reappear next to you and try to scythe you. The instant you see him appear, double jump, and you'll avoid it (get ready to duck or slide if he does it twice). His second is to spin his scythe. When he does this, get under him. He'll send it in a circle around the room, and you'll wanna jump over it while dodging the little sickles he sends out at you. Occasionally, he won't get the scythe back. He'll then fire four white shots to the left and to the right. Note in which direction he fires first. This will cause four large skulls to come try to bite you. Double jump away from the first one (you'll know which direction it's coming from, since that's the direction Death shot the white shot at), and when after the skull bites, fall back towards the skull. Repeat this for the remaining three skulls. It's a lot easier to attack Death this time. You can do it whenever, but make sure that dodging those skulls is your top priority - their bark is not worse than their bite. -- Name : Abaddon Location: The Abyss Strategy: Abaddon, the "Angel of the Abyss" is just a crazy conductor. Imagine your music teacher from when you were nine years old. Then imagine her IN HELL CONDUCTING BUGS. Abaddon himself has no attacks other than hopping around. Dodge this. He'll wave his baton in a pattern, and a SWARM OF LOCUSTS will follow this pattern. Here's how to dodge: U-Shaped: Get in the middle of the room, and continuously use Hippogryph until the locusts are gone. Sideways: Locusts will come horizontally at you at three different heights. Use Bat Company to get in between two rows of locusts. L-shaped: It's an upside down L, but the locusts will come from the right and then hook down. The only safe way to do this is to get really close to the wall (which wall, you ask? The wall they're coming from - watch the baton). Crescent: It's a sideways U. Use Bat Company to get into the hole between the locusts coming out from the wall and the locusts going back in (again, it depends on which side they're coming from). You can jumpkick the locusts or Abaddon himself if need be. Despite the easy pattern, Abaddon is no walk in the park. Damage him between locust attacks and while he's hopping around. Make sure you dodge the locusts, though; that's your top priority. Seal him up to win (it's a really gruesome death scene). -- Name : Menace Location: The Abyss Strategy: Alright, this final boss is really ugly. Anyway, his first form has three attacks. The first is summon spears from below. When he does this, get in the middle of the screen to avoid them. His second attack is to summon spears from above (get to the sides to dodge this), and his final attack is spewing poisonous gas (get to the right side to avoid it). Jump and attack the glowing head (not the one that shoots the gas) to cause damage in between attacks, and this form will fall really easily. The second form is really weird. When you're on the platforms, he'll shoot out little sets of teeth. Destroy these. He can also hit you with his hands, so watch the hands to figure out when they're gonna strike. That's all it does. Hippogryph is your friend here. Use it to get onto the platforms and attack the head inside the skull - you can't damage him while the skull is covering the head. Once you've destroyed the head, drop to the ground. Now you have to take out this freaky head that's on its knee. Watch out for him stomping on you, and it'll go down quickly. Such an easy final boss. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 4.02: Bestiary/Souls | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 This is a comprehensive (and much dreaded to write) listing of all of the enemies in the game and the effects of their souls. It'll be set up like this: Number : Monster number Name : Monster name Location : Where you can find this monster. So we're clear, Wizardry Lab (part two) refers to the Homunculus-populated region accessible from Subterannean Hell. B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : The monster's weakness. The letters stand for the different attack types: Bash, Pierce, Slash, Fire, Water, Lightning, Dark, Holy, Poison, Curse, Petrify. See the weapons section for weapons that do this type of damage. An O underneath the damage type indicates that this type of damage does 1.5x the usual amount of damage to the foe, while an X indicates 0.5x the damage. Keep in mind that some souls (they'll be obvious) can cause any kind of damage - summons tend to cause bash damage. Common Item : This is the item that the enemy most commonly drops. Rare Item : This is the item that the enemy rarely drops. Not all enemies have both kinds. Description : This is the in-game description of the enemy. Soul Type : This is the soul type - bullet (red), guardian (blue), enchant (yellow), or ability (grey). Level : This is the level of the soul (e.g., x/9, x/5, x/2, x/1) MP : This is the MP consumption of the soul. x/Use means that that much MP is consumed everytime you use the soul; x/Time means that that much MP is consumed roughly every second the soul is activated, but this is affected by your MP recovery rate as well. Soul Effect : This is what the soul does. I use the game's description and elaborate in the Soul Notes section. Rarity : This is the rarity of the soul. It's between * (common) and *** (painfully rare). 0 is also there - you always get these souls. Soul Notes : This is where I add some notes about the soul. Other Notes : This is where I have sarcasm and history lessons. And I tell you how to beat it if the strategy isn't "HIT IT WITH THE WEAPON TIL IT DIES" So without further ado, let's get this train wreck a-rollin'! Number : 1 Name : Zombie Location : The Lost Village, B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O X O O Common Item : Cloth Tunic Rare Item : N/A Description : A rotting corpse of a villager, animated by magic. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 12/Use Soul Effect : Summon Zombie. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's not that hard to get this soul, since Zombie are so abundant. It does what it says on the tin - the Zombie lumbers forward, hurting stuff in its way. Other Notes : The traditional horror enemy. They perpetually respawn. -- Number : 2 Name : Bat Location : The Lost Village, Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A bloodsucking bat that lurks in the castle. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 3/Time Soul Effect : Summon Bat as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : Again, it's not hard to get. As you get more souls, you get more Bats. I don't use it too much. Other Notes : So cliche. They lurk on the ceilings and spawn infinitely, so watch out. -- Number : 3 Name : Ghost Location : Wizardry Lab, Wizardry Lab (part two), The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X X X X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A small spirit doomed to wander the castle grounds for all eternity. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Separate from the body and conduct reconaissance. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This soul is so pointless. A dot just goes in front of you. That's it. You can't move, and you can't go that far. Other Notes : That's a freaky looking Ghost. -- Number : 4 Name : Skeleton Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab, Silenced Ruins, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : I X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A skeletal corpse controlled by magic. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 8/Use Soul Effect : Throw bones. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : No bones about it; that's what it does. The bones get bigger as you get more souls. This is good for Dmitrii. Other Notes : Again, the usual sort of enemy. -- Number : 5 Name : Ouija Table Location : The Lost Village B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An enchanted desk possessed by a spirit summoned in a seance. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Sit in the chair to regain HP. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is a pretty handy soul when you find chairs. Don't equip it for exploring. Other Notes : Ouija Table is not a new enemy to the Castlevania series. It was in Symphony of the Night, and as a result, I'm forever scared of the game Ouija. They're disguised as normal tables, so if a table moves, kill it! -- Number : 6 Name : Peeping Eye Location : The Lost Village, Silenced Ruins, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A creature that keeps watch in the castle. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Identify breakable walls. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This soul is really useful, but it's one of the two hardest souls to get in the game, as far as I can tell. Don't even bother until you get the Soul Eater Ring, which may be well after this soul would be useful. Other Notes : It needs Clear Eyes, apparently. Ben Stein would be happy. -- Number : 7 Name : Axe Armor Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Axe Rare Item : Leather Armor Description : An armor-clad soldier that is highly skilled with axes. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Throw an axe upwards. Rarity : * Soul Notes : This is really handy - it's the equivalent of the classic Axe subweapon. You need this to get to Paranoia. Other Notes : Traditional enemy. Jump over its axe, attack, and dodge the axe on its way back. -- Number : 8 Name : Skull Archer Location : Wizardry Lab, Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An archer made of bone. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 20/Time Soul Effect : Shoots arrows with deadly accuracy. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You shoot an arrow. It's decent. Other Notes : Jump over the arrows and attack it. Or attack it from a different horizontal level, so it can't shoot you. -- Number : 9 Name : Warg Location : The Lost Village B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A wolf that breathes intense flames. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Use fangs to tear at foes. Rarity : * Soul Notes : This looks like Tales of Symphonia's Beast tech. It's cool, but since it doesn't blast enemies away a la ToS, it's not so hot. Other Notes : This is a traditional enemy too. Kill it before it charges. -- Number : 10 Name : Spin Devil Location : The Lost Village B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An evil blade possessed by a demented demon. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/5 MP : 20/Time Soul Effect : Create tornadoes. Rarity : * Soul Notes : You have a tornado over you. I don't really like it. Other Notes : This guy freaked me out the first time I saw him. Don't be intimidated; just attack. -- Number : 11 Name : Armor Knight Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Spear Rare Item : N/A Description : An armor-clad soldier equipped with a deadly spear. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 30/Time Soul Effect : Attack with a spinning spear. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You get this at the beginning of the game. I don't care for it that much, since you're immobile while you use it. Other Notes : Watch out for his charging, and don't get above one. -- Number : 12 Name : Student Witch Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O O Common Item : Cream Puff Rare Item : N/A Description : A witch-in-training who is still learning how to cast spells properly. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 12/Use Soul Effect : Summon a cat. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : The cat runs across the screen. It's not too great. Other Notes : She's so easy. She might get on her broom, but it's not that big of a deal. -- Number : 13 Name : Slaughterer Location : Wizardry Lab, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O Common Item : Piroshki Rare Item : Gym Clothes Description : A savage man that kills with its bare hands. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 15/Use Soul Effect : Smack enemies with a quick straight punch. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : I like it, but the range is lacking and it's slow. Other Notes : Take him out before he can punch. -- Number : 14 Name : Bomber Armor Location : Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Breastplate Rare Item : N/A Description : An armor-clad soldier that tosses bombs. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 48/Use Soul Effect : Toss a high-power explosive. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It has really weak range, but it packs a punch. Other Notes : Dodge the bombs. -- Number : 15 Name : Golem Location : Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A giant clay figure imbued with an artificial life force. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Raise STR Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You get one of these from the get-go. They're good to have. You get two STR points per soul. Other Notes : Watch out for his arms. The Golem is actually a creature from Jewish mythology. See the animated show Gargoyles for more info. -- Number : 16 Name : Slime Location : Wizardry Lab, Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A monster composed of a gel-like substance. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 12/Use Soul Effect : Summon a bouncy Slime. Rarity : * Soul Notes : This is basically the Rebound Stone - you throw it, and it bounces off walls. It's kinda cool. Other Notes : They can poison you in hard mode, so watch out! Just don't let them touch you. -- Number : 17 Name : Une Location : Subterannean Hell, Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An eerie plant that feeds on blood. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 18/Use Soul Effect : Throw Une at a foe. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's good for the Iron Golems. Other Notes : They're just frustrating. -- Number : 18 Name : Skeleton Ape Location : The Lost Village, Garden of Madness, Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A skeletal corpse of an ape that is controlled by magic. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Throw a foe with incredible power. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This allows you to throw farther. This is good for souls that involve throwing (e.g., Axe Armor, Slogra, etc.) Other Notes : Dodge the barrel and attack. The ape whose skeleton this is, by the way, is Donkey Kong. -- Number : 19 Name : Manticore Location : Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O Common Item : Spaghetti Rare Item : N/A Description : A monster with the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and a scorpion's tail. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/9 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Grow a tail. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You have a tail that attacks when you do. I kinda like it. Other Notes : Dodge the tail and attack. The Manticore is a traditional mythical monster. -- Number : 20 Name : Mollusca Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O O Common Item : Anti-Venom Rare Item : N/A Description : A monstrous mollusk imbued with the castle's dark power. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Summon a Mollusca. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : The Mollusca goes really fast. It's not worth it, though it does poison damage. Other Notes : You can jump kick the eye stalks. They grow back. It's cute. They're not too mobile, so take advantage of that. -- Number : 21 Name : Rycuda Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : Fried Chicken Rare Item : N/A Description : A monstrous bird that wields lightning. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 35/Use Soul Effect : Summon thunderbolts. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : Now you can be Emperor Palpatine! It's a cool soul that does lightning damage. Other Notes : They stall for a long time while in mid-air. Take advantage of that. -- Number : 22 Name : Mandragora Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A mythical plant that is said to inflit death to those that uproot it. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 30/Use Soul Effect : Shout to send monsters flying. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is my favorite bullet soul. It's really powerful. It's like a hand grenade. Other Notes : Take it out before it can uproot itself. Mandragora is a mythological screaming creature whose screams kill all who hear them (see: Harry Potter). Also, those who've played Castlevania 64 have had a good encounter with a Mandragora potion that couldn't be shaken. I haven't played that game in years - I've played it once - but that still stands out. -- Number : 23 Name : Yorick Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A skeleton that ceaselessly chases after its own skull. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 20/Use Soul Effect : Kick a skull like a ball. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's lame. Other Notes : Dodge the skull. Alas, poor Yorick! -- Number : 24 Name : Skeleton Farmer Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A skeleton that sows haunted plants. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Enhance the performance of plant-type abilities. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Too bad there aren't plant-type abilities. Really this makes Alura Une and Une 1.5x more powerful. That's it. Other Notes : There's only one, and he's a pain to get. -- Number : 25 Name : The Creature Location : Wizardry Lab, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : Tinned Spinach Rare Item : N/A Description : A humanoid creature constructed from numerous corpses. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Restore HP gradually. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is tied for the hardest soul in the game to get. It's kinda worthless too, because you have to stand still for it to work. Other Notes : Why not call him Frankenstein? Because Frankenstein was the doctor! His creation was Frankenstein's Monster or The Creature! Get it right! But he's slow. Don't worry. -- Number : 26 Name : Catoblepas Location : Garden of Madness, The Dark Chapel, Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : Milk Rare Item : Meat Strip Description : This ox-like beast's breath turns living things to stone. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Breath clouds of petrifying gas. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It does stone damage, but it's not that great. Other Notes : It's so slow. You can get it. -- Number : 27 Name : Ghoul Location : Garden of Madness, The Dark Chapel, Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O X O O Common Item : Rotten Meat Rare Item : Pendant Description : A foul being that rose from the grave to feed on corpses. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Eat food that is normally unpalatable. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is a really useful soul. Don't always have it equipped, but rotten food is easier to come by than normal food, and you can eat it with this. Other Notes : They're really easy to find, and they spawn perpetually. Also, why "rise from the grave" to find corpses? -- Number : 28 Name : Corpseweed Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An Une that feeds off the nutrients of corpses. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/9 MP : 3/Time Soul Effect : Summon Corpseweed as a familiar. Rarity : * Soul Notes : There's a Corpseweed. Yay. It's terrible. Other Notes : AIM FOR THE HEAD! -- Number : 29 Name : Yeti Location : The Lost Village B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The notorious abominable snowman. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Create a white orb of dark power that grows as it rolls. Rarity : * Soul Notes : You make a large snowball that you can roll into monsters. It does have a limit on how high it can grow, though. Other Notes : He's in the first screen - use the Waiter Skeleton to get him, and then quickly kill him (Flame Demon works. So does Zeyphr). -- Number : 30 Name : Tombstone Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : Possessed by the grudges of the dead, it attacks all living things. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Nullify petrification. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is really useful in the Cursed Clock Tower, especially in hard mode. Other Notes : I hate these things. They just shake violently. -- Number : 31 Name : Ghost Dancer Location : Demon Guest House, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X X X O O Common Item : Tea Rare Item : N/A Description : The spirits of nobles that dance with great elegance. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Raise LCK. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is a great soul for soul hunting. Get nine of these babies, and your luck shoots up by 18 (2/soul). Other Notes : Watch out for when they break apart, but they're pretty easy. -- Number : 32 Name : Flying Humanoid Location : Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A mysterious figure that hovers in the distance. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Raise INT and LCK. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : You get this soul every time you kill a Flying Humanoid, but it seems pointless. Honestly, when I use it, although the wings are tres cool, I don't notice a boost in either stat, so it's worthless. Other Notes : Throw a Mandragora in the room outside the Cursed Clock Tower save room to kill it. -- Number : 33 Name : Mini Devil Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A little demon with a big heart. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Mini Devil as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is actually pretty good. Other Notes : With a big heart. Aww. Anyway, they get annoying fast, so kill them quickly. -- Number : 34 Name : Quetzalcoatl Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Biker Jacket Description : A reincarnation of the ancient snake god. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/9 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Quetzalcoatl as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : I don't really like it. It gets annoying. Other Notes : Quetzalcoatl is the name of the Aztec god whom Montezuma thought Hernando Cortez was when he landed in Mexico, which led to the fall of that kingdom. In this game, Quetzalcoatl is really annoying - he hops around. It's a released White Dragon with a Fleaman rider. Duck under its hops and kill it. -- Number : 35 Name : Treant Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An ancient tree animated by a purely malevolent will. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Increase MP recovery speed. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is really good. When combined with the Chaos Ring, it's like you don't even use MP. Other Notes : It's a tree version of a Golem. Aguni and Flame Demon own it. -- Number : 36 Name : Amalaric Sniper Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Chakram Description : A fearsome archer and a fallen angel. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Summon an archer to support you. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is kinda cool because you can summon multiple archers (the more souls you have). Other Notes : These guys are so annoying. The name comes from the fallen angel, though. Dodge the arrows. -- Number : 37 Name : Valkyrie Location : Demon Guest House, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O O Common Item : Breastplate Rare Item : Pancake Description : A female warrior with a pretty face and a wicked heart. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 30/Time Soul Effect : Transform into a Valkyrie and charge at foes. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : You look like a classical Valkyrie. I don't like this soul. Other Notes : Watch out for them charging. Valkyries were Odin's servants who decided who'd go to Valhalla. -- Number : 38 Name : Great Armor Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Ring Mail Rare Item : N/A Description : A heavily armored knight built out of the corpses of powerful warriors. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Great Armor as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is seriously one of the best familiars, I think. Other Notes : I used to think you couldn't just attack straight through the shield (in Harmony of Dissonance, you couldn't), but you can. -- Number : 39 Name : Killer Doll Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A murderous doll that wanders about in search of living bodies. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Nullify curses. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Not all that useful, since there aren't a lot of cursing enemies (aside from the ones who scream when they die, but that is a different story). I think Killer Doll's the only one. Other Notes : They'll curse you if you touch them. Kill them before they can stand up. -- Number : 40 Name : Waiter Skeleton Location : Demon Guest House, Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Beef Curry Description : A skeleton that inhabits the castle. Always carries around a pot of curry. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Serves delicious curry. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You need this to get the Yeti soul. That's really about it. Other Notes : They run after they throw the curry, so you've gotta kill them quickly. -- Number : 41 Name : Persephone Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : Silk Robe Rare Item : Strawberry Description : A demonic maid in the employ of an unearthly baron. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Enable "magic vacuum." Vacuums up enemy HP. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is good for enemies like the Iron Golem or Final Guard who take awhile to kill. Other Notes : She knows Kung Fu. Watch out! As a side note, the name is from the Greek Queen of the Dead. I don't see the relationship either. -- Number : 42 Name : Witch Location : The Dark Chapel, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : Mage Robe Rare Item : Cream Soda Description : A spell caster with the ability to cast a wide variety of spells. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 20/Use Soul Effect : Launch magic shots that track targets. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : I like this soul. It's like Yoko's lightning spell. Other Notes : Smack them off their high broom. -- Number : 43 Name : Buer Location : Demon Guest House, Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A beast with many legs. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/5 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Wear a cloak of tumbling fire. Rarity : * Soul Notes : A ring of fire surrounds you. It's a shield. Other Notes : Watch out for them charging. -- Number : 44 Name : Lilith Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : Coffee Rare Item : N/A Description : An alluring demon that deludes its victims with its mystifying beauty. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Increase INT Rarity : ** Soul Notes : Another stat-increasing soul. As always, you get 2 INT points per soul. It's pretty cool. Other Notes : It can backdash and charge, so watch out. The name comes from Adam of Genesis' first wife who mated with a fallen angel and gave birth to the world's demons. -- Number : 45 Name : Killer Clown Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O Common Item : Hamburger Rare Item : Three 7s Description : A creepy jester with murderous intent. Also a shrewd poker player. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 21/Use Soul Effect : Throw cards as weapons. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : Gambit-style. You need this to get to Paranoia. It's really cool. Other Notes : This guy creeps me out. -- Number : 46 Name : Skelerang Location : The Lost Village, Garden of Madness, Silenced Ruins, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : Boomerang Rare Item : N/A Description : A skeleton that expertly hurls boomerangs. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Enhances throwing ability. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is really good if you like your throwing weapons. It makes them do 1.5x as much damage. Other Notes : He cowers in a corner if you get close to him. -- Number : 47 Name : Fleaman Location : Condemned Tower, Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O Common Item : Kung Fu Suit Rare Item : N/A Description : A sinister little man that leaps about as if he were a flea. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 8/Use Soul Effect : Summon Fleaman. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : He doesn't even hop. I don't like this soul. Other Notes : I hate these things! Kill them really fast with an arcing weapon so you cover a greater area with your attack. -- Number : 48 Name : Devil Location : Subterannean Hell, Demon Guest House, The Abyss (from Stolas) B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : Mind Up Rare Item : Skull Necklace Description : Hell's keeper. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Enter a pact with the devil to sharply raise STR. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You lose 10 HP/second, but your strength is through the roof. It's good for really strong enemies if you have a lot of HP. Other Notes : Watch out for his swoops. The nomenclature is obvious. Also, occasionally Stolases will summon Devils. -- Number : 49 Name : Guillotiner Location : The Dark Chapel, The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : Rumored to have chopped off thousands of heads with its bloody guillotine. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 24/Use Soul Effect : Sommon a guillotine from hell. Rarity : * Soul Notes : You summon a Guillotiner. It's okay. Other Notes : They fly everywhere and are really weak. Don't get caught between the two halves, though. -- Number : 50 Name : Draghignazzo Location : Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O O Common Item : Katana Rare Item : N/A Description : One of the guardians of the dungeons of hell. He is quite the pessimist. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Raise resitance to flinching upon taking damage. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : You can charge right through enemies with this and the Black Panther souls equipped. It's great for that. Other Notes : He flies everywhere and lunges with his spear. Dodge the lunge and attack. His name comes from the demon by the same name in Dante's Inferno. -- Number : 51 Name : Needles Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O Common Item : Meat Strip Rare Item : N/A Description : A giant sea urchin that hsa been driven close to extinction from over-fishing. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 3/Time Soul Effect : Summon Needles as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : Remember Super Mario World, and those puzzles where you'd have to create a coin trail to advance? If you have a bunch of Needles, that's what happens here. Still, it's not entirely useful. Other Notes : Eww @ stuff that comes out. They don't really attack, though. -- Number : 52 Name : Hell Boar Location : The Lost Village, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O Common Item : Spoiled Milk Rare Item : Hot Dog Description : A boar from hell with exceptional fighting skills. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 15/Use Soul Effect : Knock down enemies with power-packed uppercuts. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's a slower version of the special of the punch weapons. Other Notes : Dodge the punches and attack. -- Number : 53 Name : Bone Pillar Location : The Dark Chapel, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The skulls of dinosaurs animated by a demonic force. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Increase CON. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Another stat-boosting soul. Again, 2 points/soul. It's okay. Other Notes : They come in pillars, so take them all down when you kill them. It's safe to stand on top of them, though. -- Number : 54 Name : White Dragon Location : The Lost Village, The Dark Chapel, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The fossilized remains of a long-necked dinosaur animated by a demonic force. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Breathe fire. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You breathe fire. There are better fire souls. Other Notes : Get under it. It can't do a thing if you're under it. -- Number : 55 Name : Wakwak Tree Location : Garden of Madness B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : Amanita Rare Item : N/A Description : A horrifying tree that can produce pods of men. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Lower STR and raise CON. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You lose one STR point for soul you have, and you gain two CON points per soul. I don't really like it, but if you're one of the "best offense is a good defense" kind, then this is for you, as it's more effective than the Bone Pillar soul at raising CON. Other Notes : Eww. Chop off all three limbs to kill it, and do so quickly, as it has pus balls of Fleamen. There's only one in the game. -- Number : 56 Name : Imp Location : Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A tiny demon who loves mischief. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 50/Use Soul Effect : Create a space that inflicts spiritual damage. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : What this does is swap a monster's MP with its HP. This does not help that much, but it's good for foes like the Iron Golem. Note that you only bring down the MP of the foe while the soul is activated, so you'll have to continuously reactivate it. Other Notes : They're so annoying. They'll take temporary control of you, so kill them quickly. -- Number : 57 Name : Harpy Location : Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A bizarre bird-like creature with the torso of a woman. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Harpie as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is a pretty good familiar, actually. Other Notes : They'll shoot little needles at you, so watch out when they flip. The name comes from Greek mythology. -- Number : 58 Name : Barbariccia (pronounced barb-ar-EE-chya) Location : Garden of Madness, The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O O Common Item : Blunt Sword Rare Item : N/A Description : One of the guardians of the dungeons of hell. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 30/Time Soul Effect : Transform into Barbariccia. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is like Valkyrie. You don't even look like Barbariccia. Other Notes : He's just like Draghignazzo, only not a pessimist, apparently. The name also comes from a Dante's Inferno demon. -- Number : 59 Name : Malachi Location : Cursed Clock Tower, The Pinnacle, Demon Guest House, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : High Mind Up Rare Item : N/A Description : A pagan being from ancient times that strikes fear into all in its presence. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 44/Use Soul Effect : Summon a dark spehre that spews dark energy. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is what Dmitrii starts out with. It's slow, though, so I don't use it. Other Notes : Watch out for his scratching if you get too close. Jump over the energy ball and attack. The name actually comes from a Biblical prophet. He looks more like a Cthulu. -- Number : 60 Name : Cave Troll Location : Wizardry Lab, Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O Common Item : Paella Rare Item : N/A Description : A blood-sucking beast that extracts the entrails of cattle with its tongue. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 8/Use Soul Effect : Attack by lashing out the tongue. Rarity : * Soul Notes : STILL THY TONGUE! It gets longer as you get more souls. Other Notes : Jump over the tongue. -- Number : 61 Name : Larva Location : Silenced Ruins, Wizardry Lab (part two) B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X X X X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A wickedly cruel spirit that inhabits a giant worm. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Summon Larva. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You shoot out a Larva. That's about it. Other Notes : They just wander around on the screen with no real attacks, so kill them quickly. -- Number : 62 Name : Heart Eater Location : Wizardry Lab, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O Common Item : Noodles Rare Item : Heart Pendant Description : A horrific bug that loves to feed on hearts. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Obtain more hearts. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This isn't terribly useful, but you get more hearts. Other Notes : I hate these things. Watch out, though, as they can hurt you while they're crashing and burning. -- Number : 63 Name : Merman Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab (part two), Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An aquatic monster that attacks prey near water. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Shoot a stream of water. Rarity : * Soul Notes : It's good for Aguni. If you want a good water soul, use Frozen Shade, though. Other Notes : These guys spawn infinitely. -- Number : 64 Name : Fish Head Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The skeletal remains of a fish animated by dark power. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 15/Use Soul Effect : Throw Fish Head's head. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's kinda morbid to do, and I don't like it. Other Notes : They shoot fire, so watch out for that. -- Number : 65 Name : Medusa Head Location : Cursed Clock Tower, Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A monster created in great number from the head of Medusa. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Become capable of hovering in one location. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is helpful in places you need to hover. There aren't many, although I understand if you jump kick and pause in mid-air with Medusa Head for awhile, it becomes even more powerful. Other Notes : I hate these things. They just float along - they don't chase you. Also, the golden variety will petrify you (both do on hard mode). -- Number : 66 Name : Ukoback Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : An enraged demon whose body is engulfed in flames. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Set fires. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You need this to get Paranoia. The more souls you have, the more fires you can set. I don't use it much. They dissipate when an enemy hits the fires. Other Notes : I hate these things. Attack the fires to make life easier on you before attacking the Ukoback. -- Number : 67 Name : Killer Fish Location : Wizardry Lab (part two), Subterranean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Salmon Meuniere Description : An ancient, man-eating fish. Rumored to be quite tasty. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Launch torpedoes in water. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's useless outside of the water. There's not a lot of water. So it's pretty useless. Other Notes : These things scare me, but just take them out from underneath them/from a distance. -- Number : 68 Name : Mimic Location : Wizardry Lab, Garden of Madness, Subterannean Hell, Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : It assumes the guise of a treasure chest to lure in unsuspecting victims. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain money when taking damage. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Whenever you get hit, a $1 coin will drop out of you. Collect it for $1. Yay. Other Notes : The difference between this and a treasure chest is the color: Real treasure chests are red; Mimics are blue. -- Number : 69 Name : Dead Pirate Location : Subterannean Hell, Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : Rusty Food Tin Rare Item : Falchion Description : A zombie pirate cursed by its own greed. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : May cause greater damage on enemies attacked from behind. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : In fact, it causes twice the damage on enemies attacked from behind. Unfortunately, most enemies are hesitant to show you their backs, but this can still be really helpful [especially on swooping (e.g., Devil) and charging (e.g., Valkyrie) enemies]. Other Notes : But why would a pirate cause damage from behind? :( -- Number : 70 Name : Frozen Shade Location : Subterannean Hell, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O O Common Item : Ice Cream Rare Item : Aquarius Description : A wrait that manipulates frigid air. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Creates a blade of ice that causes freezing. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's the water version of Aguni. It's really powerful. It's my favorite water soul. Other Notes : Dodge the icicles she shoots out in all direction (or destroy them), watch out for her ice shield when you're close to her, and attack. -- Number : 71 Name : Homunculus Location : Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A malevolent, artificial life form created by a demonic scholar. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 8/Use Soul Effect : Summon Homunculus. Rarity : * Soul Notes : This is a terrible soul. Don't bother. Other Notes : Either let them chase you and run out of cord or just kill them. The name comes from the Latin for "little man," which is what they used to call the things inside of sperm. -- Number : 72 Name : Disc Armor Location : Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Scale Mail Rare Item : N/A Description : An armor-clad soldier that is an expert at throwing giant circular blades. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/2 MP : 35/Use Soul Effect : Hurl a sharp-edged circular blade. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is the only x/2 soul there is. It's strong, but the range is weak. Other Notes : Duck the disc, but make sure to dodge it when it comes back in/falls off. -- Number : 73 Name : Decarabia Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O Common Item : Boiled Starfish Rare Item : N/A Description : A demon in the shape of a starfish. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 20/Use Soul Effect : Hurl a Decarabia Rarity : * Soul Notes : It's small, but it's kinda cool. Other Notes : It's an aquatic Buer. Don't worry too much about it. -- Number : 74 Name : Dead Mate Location : Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Pudding Description : A zombie that protects graveyards together with its beloved dog. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 12/Use Soul Effect : Summon a dog. Rarity : * Soul Notes : The dog runs forward. Keep in mind that to get the soul, you can't kill the dog; you've gotta kill the old man. You can't hurt the dog at all. Other Notes : Though if you just wanna kill the old man, kill the dog, and the man will die too. -- Number : 75 Name : Bugbear Location : Cursed Clock Tower, The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A single-eyed fiend cloaked in thunderbolts. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain resistance to lightning. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Lightning attacks do half the damage, but there aren't that many lightning foes in the game. Other Notes : The electric versions of Peeping Eyes are just like their cousins. Interestingly enough, Bugbear is another name for the Bogeyman. -- Number : 76 Name : Procel Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A liquid demon that appears on the surface of water. Soul Type : Ability Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Increase mobility in water. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : It's a very worthwhile soul to get - you can move freely in water. Other Notes : If you can get them from dry land, they can't really do much. -- Number : 77 Name : Bone Ark Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A mobile Bone Pillar. It is considered an innovative breakthrough. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Summon a skeleton to provide transportation. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Although the description makes me think of Halloweentown, you need this to get to the second half of the Wizardry Lab. Other Notes : It's supposed to be modeled after the Ark of the Covenant. Destroy the skeletons and watch out for the projectiles. -- Number : 78 Name : Gorgon Location : Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X X Common Item : Milk Rare Item : Tasty Meat Description : A monstrous bull that breathes clouds of toxic gas. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Guardian Rarity : *** Soul Notes : It's like the Catoblepas soul, only with a poison attribute instead of a petrifying attribute. Other Notes : There's only one in the game. The name derives from the Gorgons who weren't bulls. Medusa was a Gorgon. -- Number : 79 Name : Alura Une Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X Common Item : Grapes Rare Item : N/A Description : An Une fattened with copious pools of blood. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/9 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Summon Alura Une as a guardian. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's good, but you can't move. Also, if you use it in conjunction with the Une soul, she shoots Unes out too. Other Notes : There's only one in the game. Watch out for the vines that shoot out around her, and take her down quickly. -- Number : 80 Name : Great Axe Armor Location : The Lost Village, Wizardry Lab, Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : Tomahawk Rare Item : Chain Mail Description : An armor-clad soldier that mows down its victims with a massive axe. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 50/Use Soul Effect : Perform a spinning sweep with a huge axe. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : It's a pretty good soul when it's totally levelled up, but that is hard to do. Other Notes : Get really close to it, and it can't hurt you. -- Number : 81 Name : Mothman Location : The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : Half man, half moth. It appears to be attracted to light. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain more experience points. Rarity : * Soul Notes : Using this in conjunction with the Shaman Ring will shoot up your experience gain. Other Notes : What a cheesy description. Anyway, in The Pinnacle, in the ostensibly optional room with the two Final Guards, there's a projector. Use Rycuda on the projector to get Mothman to come visit you. -- Number : 82 Name : Mushussu Location : The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O Common Item : Spaghetti Rare Item : N/A Description : A furious beats from ancient Babylonia Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/9 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Grow a poisonous tail. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's like the Manticore soul, only poisonous. Other Notes : Dodge the fireballs and the tail before attacking. -- Number : 83 Name : Dead Crusader Location : Silenced Ruins, The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Blocking Mail Description : A zombie warrior bearing a sturdy shield. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Reduce the amount of damage from attacks. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : I mean, yes, it does go down, but it doesn't go down by a substantial amount. Other Notes : Attack it from far away or while it's attacking, as its shield is impervious to any attack. -- Number : 84 Name : Dead Warrior Location : The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O X O O O Common Item : Rice Ball Rare Item : Partizan Description : A dead knight that seeks to fight for all eternity. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Use Bullet-type souls while executing standard attacks. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : It's not that useful. You can interrupt an attack by using a bullet soul. That's it. Other Notes : Knock it off its high horse. It can jump, though, so be careful. -- Number : 85 Name : Erinys Location : The Pinnacle, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O X O Common Item : Hauberk Rare Item : Melon Description : The goddess of revenge. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 45/Use Soul Effect : Unleash divine energy that causes widespread damage. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is actually a really effective holy soul. The range is decent. I really like it. Other Notes : In addition to the Valkyrie attacks, it can unleash an area of destruction around it, so watch out. Also, Stolases will usually summon these. -- Number : 86 Name : Succubus Location : Demon Guest House, The Pinnacle, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : Flame Necklace Rare Item : Pitch Black Suit Description : A demon that assumes the form of a beautiful maiden to drain vitality. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Regain HP by drinking blood. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : You charge at the enemy and drink their blood. It's decent, but the real value comes from the glitch. Other Notes : Make sure to get out of the way when you see hearts around her. Also, she can backdash. Traditionally, these witches appear to men in their sleep to steal their souls. -- Number : 87 Name : Ripper Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Black Cloak Description : A fiend that takes great pleasure in slaughtering people with knives. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/3 MP : 5/Use Soul Effect : Throw knives. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's like the knife subweapon, which is cool, but it's not too powerful. Other Notes : They're Fleamen with knives. -- Number : 88 Name : Black Panther Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A jet-black beast that runs with great speed. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : 3/Time Soul Effect : Move at high speed while creating a shock wave. Rarity : * Soul Notes : This is an amazing soul. After I get it, I always use it. With the Draghignazzo soul, it's even better, as you can run without stopping due to flinching. Don't rely on it for its power, though. Other Notes : They're hard to see. Black Panthers run back and forth after rebounding off walls. -- Number : 89 Name : Mud Demon Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A good-looking demon formed out of dirt. Soul Type : Ability Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Prevent loss of mobility even in sand. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's the sand version of Procel. You can move freely in sand. Other Notes : Good looking? Anyway, dodge his charges and kill. -- Number : 90 Name : Giant Slug Location : Mine of Judgment, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A gigantic mollusk with an equally huge shell. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Nullify poison. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : Too bad at this point, there aren't a lot of poisonous enemies around. Other Notes : It's a shelled Mollusca. Don't touch it or you'll be poisoned. -- Number : 91 Name : Werewolf Location : Condemned Tower, The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Black Belt Description : A madman that can transform into a savage wolf. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Perform short dashes. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : That's it. Perform short dashes. The only cool thing is that you can combine this with souls like Killer Clown. If you use them both repeatedly (hold up and keep pressing R and Y), you can fire off a ton of cards. Other Notes : He used to be a boss. He's no less tame. He can uppercut, cause fire on the ground, and dash at you. -- Number : 92 Name : Flame Demon Location : Demon Guest House, The Pinnacle, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : Wyrm Robe Description : A fire-wielding demon born in the fiery pits of the underworld. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 25/Use Soul Effect : Shoot devestating fireballs. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : This is a really cool soul. Additionally, you can use it with the Bat Company souls to get a Fire of Bat sort of thing going - you can shoot fire as a bat. Other Notes : He can only swoop and shoot fireballs down at an angle, so if you're level with him, he's harmless. -- Number : 93 Name : Tanjelly Location : Mine of Judgment, Cursed Clock Tower, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O O O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A jelly-like monster that is resistant to physical attacks. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain resistance to physical attacks. Rarity : Basically, the amount of damage you take from bash, pierce, and slash attacks is halved. Theoretically. It won't work for me. Soul Notes : It can poison you, so watch out! -- Number : 94 Name : Arc Demon Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : Mana Prism Rare Item : Demon's Mail Description : Uses the powers of darkness to wreak havoc upon the world. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain resistance against dark spells and attacks. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This isn't terribly helpful. Other Notes : He can summon these three balls that shoot at you. Dodge them, dodge the swooping, and attack. -- Number : 95 Name : Gaibon Location : Mine of Judgment B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A fiend that serves the Grim Reaper. It can spit fire while flying. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Gaibon as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : He's a pretty good familiar, actually. Other Notes : He'll fly around shooting fireballs. When you've got 75% of his health down, he'll turn red and shoot major fireballs. Take him out before he does much in this mode (he's still vunerable in his metamorphing mode). -- Number : 96 Name : Slogra Location : Mine of Judgment B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A fiend that serves the Grim Reaper. It fights on the ground with a spear. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/9 MP : 20/Use Soul Effect : Throw spears. Rarity : * Soul Notes : When used in conjunction with Gaibon, you throw two spears. Other Notes : Once you hit him, he loses his spear and starts punching. -- Number : 97 Name : Stolas Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O O Common Item : Mana Prism Rare Item : N/A Description : A wise, old creature said to have considerable intelligence. Soul Type : Enchant Level : x/9 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Raise INT and lower STR. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : As with the Wakwak tree, -1 STR, +2 INT per soul. It's better at raising INT than Lilith. Other Notes : It summons Erinyses endlessly (and Devils occasionally), so rooms with Stolases are good for getting those souls. -- Number : 98 Name : Final Guard Location : The Pinnacle, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X X X X X X X X X X X Common Item : Super Potion Rare Item : Cuirass Description : A powerful armored soldier given the task of guarding the castle's key spots. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 60/Time Soul Effect : Gain iron-clad defense. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : You have serious defense with this thing. It's worthwhile. Other Notes : I hate these guys. Fly behind them (or use Puppet Master with Skeleton Ape) and attack. Watch out for when they slasm their sword into the ground to cause fire waves, though. -- Number : 99 Name : Malacoda Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O O Common Item : Kotetsu Rare Item : N/A Description : A long-tailed demon that serves as the head of the dungeon guardians. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 15/Use Soul Effect : Attack with a tail. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's not so great. Other Notes : The last of the Inferno line of Draghignazzo and Barbariccia, he attacks in the same manner. -- Number : 100 Name : Alastor Location : The Pinnacle, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A possessed sword driven to seek revenge by the souls of slain soldiers. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/3 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Summon Alastor as a familiar. Rarity : ** Soul Notes : It's a pretty good familiar, although it's not as big as Alastor. It's akin to the Sword Familiar from Symphony. Other Notes : Go for the sword. Alastor himself can't be hurt. -- Number : 101 Name : Iron Golem Location : Wizardry Lab (part two), Demon Guest House, The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X X X X X X X X X X X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A golem with an impenetrable durability. It has no known weaknesses. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 30/Time Soul Effect : Transform into an invincible Iron Golem. Rarity : *** Soul Notes : This is actually a really cool soul. Y kicks; A karate chops. It's strong, and you really are invincible. Other Notes : These are a pain to kill. This is a good time to use the Imp soul as well as multi-hit weapons/souls, such as Une, Valmanway, and Terror Bear. -- Number : 102 Name : Flying Armor Location : The Lost Village B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A sinister cape-clad figure that hovers in the air. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 5/Time Soul Effect : Reduce the speed of falling. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : It's really handy to have. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 103 Name : Balore Location : Wizardry Lab B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A demon with a fear-inducing gaze. Soul Type : Ability Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Touch the Touch Screen to shatter certain blocks. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : You can shatter ice using this soul. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). This is a balrog, basically. -- Number : 104 Name : Malphas Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A black demon that is accompanied by crows. Soul Type : Ability Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Execute a double jump. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : It does what it says on the tin. You can jump kick now too. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 105 Name : Dmitrii Location : The Dark Chapel B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : He can learn the abilities of others. He is one of the dark lord's candidates. Soul Type : N/A Level : N/A MP : N/A Soul Effect : N/A Rarity : N/A Soul Notes : You do get a soul from him, but it's a plot device. You can't copy copying. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 106 Name : Dario Location : Garden of Madness, The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A man with inflammatory powers. He is one of the dark lord's candidates. Soul Type : N/A Level : N/A MP : N/A Soul Effect : N/A Rarity : N/A Soul Notes : N/A Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 107 Name : Puppet Master Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The cursed king of dolls. It controls dolls and the dimensions. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 5/Use Soul Effect : Throw a puppet and switch places with it. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : You throw a puppet and warp to where it lands. You need it to advance. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 108 Name : Rahab Location : Subterannean Hell B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O X O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A monster that dominates the seas. Soul Type : Ability Level : x/1 MP : N/A Soul Effect : Gain the ability to move underwater. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : It's worth noting that you can't move freely underwater until you've got the Procel soul. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). This is a monster from Jewish folklore. -- Number : 109 Name : Gergoth Location : Condemned Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : Imprisoned in solitude long ago, it gradually grew evil and demented. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 30/Time Soul Effect : Fire a devestating laser beam. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : You can't move while you're using it, though. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). You wouldn't have had to fight him if he had had any friends...:( -- Number : 110 Name : Zephyr Location : Cursed Clock Tower B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A demon with mastery over time. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 80/Use Soul Effect : Stop time. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : Of course it doesn't work with the monsters you need it to, so it's a replica of the old stopwatch subweapon. I never used the stopwatch. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 111 Name : Bat Company Location : Silenced Ruins B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A group of bats that thinks and acts as one. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 15/Time Soul Effect : Transform into a bat and fly. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : That's what you do. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 112 Name : Paranoia Location : Demon Guest House B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A foul fiend that nests inside mirrors. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 10/Use Soul Effect : Gain the ability to enter mirrors. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : You need this to get the good ending. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 113 Name : Aguni Location : The Pinnacle B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A being that is the embodiment of fire. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 24/Use Soul Effect : Create a pillar of fire that races across the ground. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : I love this soul. It's a really strong burst of fire that goes along the ground. It's the fire equivalent of Frozen Shade. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 114 Name : Death Location : Mine of Judgment B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : X Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : Dracula's confidant. Soul Type : Guardian Level : x/1 MP : 10/Time Soul Effect : Summon the Grim Reaper's scythe to attack enemies. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : It's useful inasmuch as it hits the whole field. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). His description never changes throughout all of the games. -- Number : 115 Name : Abaddon Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O O X O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : The master of pestilent locusts from the deep abyss of the underworld. Soul Type : Bullet Level : x/1 MP : 40/Use Soul Effect : Summon a cloud of locusts to swarm foes. Rarity : 0 Soul Notes : This is a lot more effective than I originally gave it credit for. You can touch the touch screen to send the locusts at enemies. Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). -- Number : 116 Name : Menace Location : The Abyss B P S F W L D H P C P Weakness : O Common Item : N/A Rare Item : N/A Description : A humongous amalgamation of powerful demons. Soul Type : N/A Level : N/A MP : N/A Soul Effect : N/A Rarity : N/A Soul Notes : N/A Other Notes : See the bosses section (4.01). 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.03: Weapons | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Note: The data for the following sections were taken with Soma at level 63. From checking my stats against those of others, it seems that the stat boost you get from weapons changes with your level, so this section is mostly to be used as a relative comparison. Here's a key: Name : Name of the weapon Location : Where the weapon can be found Drop : What monsters drop it Synthesize : How you can synthesize the weapon Stat Bonus : What stats are affected by equipping this weapon and by how much Damage Type: The type of damage these weapons do (because different monsters are strong/weak to different damage types) Special : What happens when you press A Price : The price for which you can buy the weapons. For the weapons that you can't buy, halve this number to find out the selling price of the weapon. Description: The in-game description of the weapon Other Notes: This section mixes sarcastic commentary with pragmatic advice and history lessons For an explanation of the stats: ATK: This is an approximator of the amount of damage you'll do DEF: This is an approximator of how little damage your foes will do to you STR: This is an indicator of ATK; 2 STR points = 1 ATK point. CON: This is an indicator of DEF; 4 CON points = 1 DEF point. INT: This affects how much damage your spells (Bullet Souls) will do LCK: This affects the soul/item drop rates of your enemies Also, there are some weapons/souls that will make you wonder where the heck I got them from (e.g., Alucard Sword, Whip, Soul of Bat, etc.). I got this from the Succubus glitch. There's a guide on GameFAQs about it (which can be seen here: http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/castlevania_dos_succubus_warp.txt and through the use of this website: http://www.angelfire.com/stars5/tkcpics2/dawnofsorrow/#soul_upgrades If you want to know where to find a weapon, hit CTRL + F and search for the weapon (although I list the location, I just list the area where it can be found; CTRL + F will take you somewhere specific). Also, you'll notice I list attack type. This is normally bash/slash/pierce. This corresponds to the enemy data in the game: you'll see a row of symbols. They come in this order: Bash Thrust Slash Fire Water Lightning Dark Holy Poison Curse Stone If there's an O underneath the symbol, that enemy takes 1.5x as much damage from that type of damage; if there's an X, the enemy takes 0.5x as much damage. These sections are grouped and ordered in the same way in which the game groups this stuff, for ease of use. Knives ====== This series slashes directly in front of you and has very little range. Name : Knife Location : You start with it Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Thrust lunge Price : 200 Description: A cheap pocket knife. It cuts poorly. Other Notes: It really is cheap. -- Name : Combat Knife Location : Wizardry Lab Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +7 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Thrust lunge Price : 4800 Description: A military-issue combat knife. Other Notes: None -- Name : Baselard Location : Hammer's shop Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Thrust lunge Price : 12800 Description: A short sword with an I-shaped haft. Other Notes: It isn't worth it. -- Name : Cutall Location : Demon Guest House Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +14 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Warp forward and attack (a la the Alucard Sword) Price : 18000 Description: A sword short of East Indian origin Other Notes: It's got a cool special, but that's about it. -- Name : Cinquedia Location : Hammer's shop Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +21 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Warp forward and attack (like the Alucard Sword) Price : 32800 Description: A bejeweled short sword featuring elaborate ornamentation Other Notes: It sounds weak. It is. I don't like the knife series. Swords ====== This series is like the knife series but with better range. Name : Milican's Sword Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Joyeuse + Catoblepas Stat Bonus : +0 ATK Damage Type: Slash/Stone Special : Lunge Price : 30000 Description: A sword that may petrify the target. Other Notes: Don't get too stoned now. -- Name : Short Sword Location : The Lost Village, Hammer's shop Drop : None Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 800 Description: A sword with a stubby blade Other Notes: It's pretty basic. -- Name : Cutlass Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : Short Sword + Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +17 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 5800 Description: A sword used by cavalry riders. Other Notes: AND PIRATES -- Name : Laevatain Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Joyeuse + Ukoback Stat Bonus : +20 ATK; +5 INT Damage Type: Slash/Fire Special : It creates an explosion in front of you Price : 32000 Description: An intensely hot sword that scorches everything it touches. Other Notes: It looks really cool - well, hot. -- Name : Long Sword Location : The Dark Chapel, Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : Cutlass + Corpseweed Stat Bonus : +20 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 11800 Description: A common type of sword. Other Notes: That's about it -- Name : Mystletain Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Fragarach + Treant Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Slash/Holy Special : Lunge Price : 28000 Description: A sword hewn from the wood of a divine tree. Other Notes: It's the Yggdrasil sword! But don't count it out just because of its low attack power; the holy attribute helps. -- Name : Fragarach Location : The Pinnacle Drop : N/A Synthesize : Long Sword + Great Armor Stat Bonus : +27 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 18000 Description: A demonic sword in the shape of a cross. Other Notes: It's got a funky name. -- Name : Hrunting Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Fragarach + Mollusca Stat Bonus : +30 ATK Damage Type: Slash/Poison Special : Lunge Price : 12000 Description: A frightening sword that contains venom in its blade. Other Notes: As per the description, this can inflict poison upon the enemy. -- Name : Valmanway Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Kaladbolg + Abaddon (boss soul) Stat Bonus : +31 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : None Price : 88000 Description: A sword whose name means "Blessed Wind." Other Notes: It's a really cool looking sword (even if it's not the strongest). It's fast, so it's great for enemies like the Iron Golem. Which would have been useful three upgrades ago. It's also capable of inflicting several hits at once, and it's really good in tandem with the Black Panther soul inasmuch as you can keep hitting it while you're Black Panthering to clear out the weaker enemies. This is, apparently, Symphony's Crissaegrim -- Name : Joyeuse Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Hrunting or Mystletain + Killer Clown Stat Bonus : +34 ATK; +5 LCK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 50000 Description: An extravagantly beautiful sword. Quite valuable. Other Notes: It helps when you're soul searching. -- Name : Ice Brand Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Joyeuse + Frozen Shade Stat Bonus : +41 ATK; +5 INT Damage Type: Slash/Water Special : Shoots out an ice cloud Price : 32000 Description: A demonic sword that freezes all that it touches. Other Notes: There's even a slight icy projectile when you swing this sword. -- Name : Alucard Sword Location : Glitch/Julius Mode (though it's not technically equippable) Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +45 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Warp, slash twice, and return Price : N/A (can't be sold) Description: Alucard's favorite sword Other Notes: If you're wondering how I got this, see the note at the beginning of 4.03. -- Name : Burtgang Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Milican's Sword or Ice Brand or Laevatain + Iron Golem Stat Bonus : +48 ATK; +13 DEF; +10 CON Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 48000 Description: A sword blessed by divinity. It is designed for defense first. Other Notes: This is a pretty cool sword with very nice stat boosts. If only it were easier to acquire (the Iron Golem soul is not fun to get; the first tiem I got 100% soul collection rate, it was my last soul). -- Name : Kaladbolg Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Burtgang + Arc Demon Stat Bonus : +55 ATK; +8 INT Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 52000 Description: A demonic sword tempered by fairies. Other Notes: It's another hard sword to obtain because of the necessary soul. Rapiers ======= This series thrusts in front of you (dig Soma's fencing pose!). After the Whip Sword evolution, they've got a whip feel to them. The series is okay. Name : Rapier Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +14 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 480 Description: A thrusting sword with a tapered blade. Other Notes: None -- Name : Fleuret Location : Garden of Madness Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +17 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 2880 Description: A small sword. Other Notes: None -- Name : Main Gauche Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +21 ATK; +3 DEF Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 5280 Description: A sword designed for superior defense. Other Notes: It's got a weird name -- Name : Small Sword Location : Garden of Madness Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 8800 Description: A light and easy-to-handle sword. Other Notes: The name says it all. -- Name : Estoc Location : Condemned Tower Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +28 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 12800 Description: A sword made for stabbing. Other Notes: It's kinda pointless (well, it's a sword, so it's got a sharp point), since you can upgrade to the Whip Sword with two rapiers you find earlier. -- Name : Whip Sword Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Small Sword, Main Gauche, or Estoc + White Dragon Stat Bonus : +31 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 16000 Description: A sword with a whip-like blade. Other Notes: It's only a "whip-like blade" inasmuch as when you attack with it, it looks kinda shaky. -- Name : Garian Sword Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Whip Sword + Quetzalcoatl Stat Bonus : +35 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 24000 Description: A flexible, articulated sword made for executions. Other Notes: It's a funkier colored Whip Sword. -- Name : Nebula Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Garian Sword + Malacoda Stat Bonus : +45 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 40000 Description: A holy chain with a will of its own. Other Notes: Nothing special, really, unless you like the rapier series. -- Name : Kris Naga Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +38 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 32000 Description: A beautifully decorated sword made of damask. Other Notes: It's not whip-like. Great Sword =========== This series swings the sword over your head in an arc pattern. They tend to be more powerful than their sword counterparts, and although they're slower, the power and versatility (since you have greater range) makes up for it. It's my favorite weapon series. Name : Claymore Location : The Lost Village Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 1200 Description: A heavy, two-handed sword. Other Notes: It's a really strong weapon for this point in the game. It's a two-handed Scottish sword. -- Name : Falchion Location : Synthesize only Drop : Dead Pirate Synthesize : Claymore + Warg Stat Bonus : +31 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 8000 Description: A sword with a wide, crescent blade used by Normans. Other Notes: The name comes from a medieval sword by the same name. Although it's pronouned "falshun" (the ch is an sh, not a k), I always pronounced it "falkion." -- Name : Great Sword Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Synthesize : Falchion + Great Armor Stat Bonus : +41 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 12000 Description: A massive sword that is made to smash through its targets. Other Notes: What an original name! -- Name : Durandal Location : The Pinnacle Drop : N/A Synthesize : Great Sword + Valkyrie Stat Bonus : +52 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 19000 Description: A sword of giants that was tempered by fairies. Other Notes: A sword of giants indeed. -- Name : Dainslef Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Durandal + Lilith Stat Bonus : +68 ATK; +3 DEF; +6 STR; +6 CON; +6 INT Damage Type: Slash/Curse Special : Lunge Price : 30000 Description: A demonic sword of finality. Other Notes: Look at those stat boosts! This is seriously a sweet sword. On top of the stat boosts, this also has a chance of cursing the enemy, which really slows them down. -- Name : Ascalon Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Dainslef + Draghignazzo Stat Bonus : +69 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Lunge Price : 42000 Description: A dragon-slaying sword. Other Notes: The only thing this sword has on its predecessor is one attack point. That's not that big of a difference. I'd stick with the Dainslef until you've got the Chaos Ring and want to get to the end of the Great Sword line). Its name comes from the lance St. George uses in the myth to slay the dragon. -- Name : Balmung Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Ascalon + Gergoth Stat Bonus : +80 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Thrust Price : 50000 Description: A demonic dragon-slaying sword. Other Notes: Apparently it being "demonic" equates to 11 more attack points. This is also known as Gram (in other Castlevania games and in Norse mythology), and it was used by Sigurd to stop Fafnir, one of the Ragnarok demons. -- Name : Final Sword Location : Synthesize only (though you're on the receiving end of it, unfortunately, in The Abyss and The Pinnacle). Drop : N/A Synthesize : Balmung + Final Sword Stat Bonus : +93 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Thrust Price : 72000 Description: A sword taken from a Final Guard. Other Notes: ...and mixed with a DEMONIC DRAGON-SLAYING SWORD, which apparently made it shorter. -- Name : Claimh Solais Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Final Sword + Alastor Stat Bonus : +104 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Thrust with a massive version of the Claimh Solais Price : 100000 Description: An indefatigable sword. Its blade glitters with light. Other Notes: The best weapon from Aria of Sorrow returns in all its glittery glory. Spear ===== This series is kinda weird. Soma awkwardly pulls out a spear and thrusts it in front of him. I'm not a fan. Name : Spear Location : The Lost Village Drop : Armor Knight Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +21 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : He thrusts it out twice in front of him, ducks again, and thrusts. Price : 1000 Description: A standard spear. Other Notes: It's a spear. -- Name : Partizan Location : Synthesize only Drop : Dead Warrior Synthesize : Spear + Armor Knight Stat Bonus : +28 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Spear special Price : 6400 Description: A long pole tipped with a broad blade. Other Notes: It looks bamboo-y. I don't trust bamboo. -- Name : Halberd Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Synthesize : Partizan + Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +35 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 10000 Description: A long pole fitted with a wide blade. Other Notes: It's Meta-Knight's ship! It's also Swedish. They used to put fish on top of the hilts. Also, the Swiss Guard use it. -- Name : Lance Location : The Pinnacle Drop : N/A Synthesize : Halberd + Valkyrie Stat Bonus : +41 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Spear special Price : 16000 Description: A spear used by knights. Other Notes: One of the knights used to use this thing quite frequently; you might say that he used to Lancealot. -- Name : Trident Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A (no, the Mermen don't drop it) Synthesize : Lance + Mini Devil Stat Bonus : +48 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 20000 Description: A three-pronged spear. Other Notes: Used by Posidon and Triton. -- Name : Brionac Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Trident + Decarabia Stat Bonus : +59 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 32000 Description: A demonic five-pronged spear. Other Notes: Once again, demonic = stronger. -- Name : Geiborg Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Brionac + Slogra Stat Bonus : +69 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Lunge Price : 48000 Description: A spear tempered by witches. Other Notes: WITCHES! -- Name : Longinus Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Geiborg + Erinys Stat Bonus : +80 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Spear special Price : 68000 Description: A spear of divinity. Other Notes: It looks like the fleur de lis. It's named this after the name of the soldier who pierced Jesus' side on the cross (so this is that spear, hence its divinity). -- Name : Gungner Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Longinus + Bugbear Stat Bonus : +48 ATK Damage Type: Pierce/Lightning Special : Shoots out a massive laser beam Price : 100000 Description: A divine thunderbolt that pierces everything it touches. Other Notes: It's shocking. This is named for Oden's spear. I found this out from a Swedish Wikipedia site. I don't speak Swedish. Hammer ====== This series is easy to finish because there are only three items in it. They're kinda pathetic, slow, and really only serve for the carnival game in Subterannean Hell. Name : Mace Location : The Lost Village Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +28 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Lunge Price : 800 Description: A large club. Other Notes: Yep. It nets you a Potion in Subterannean Hell. -- Name : Morgenstern Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Mace + Needles Stat Bonus : +41 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Lunge Price : 10000 Description: A club with a star-shaped head. A brutal weapon. Other Notes: It's German for "morning star." It's pretty worthless too. -- Name : Mjollnjr Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Morgenstern + Bugbear Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Bash/Lightning Special : Lunge Price : 28000 Description: A hammer of a thunder-god. Other Notes: No, you read that right. This weapon is not only weaker than its predecessor, it's weaker than the first weapon in the series. The upshot is the lightning attribute, but there are other weapons if you really want that. It's a pretty thor realization. Ho ho! (yeah, it's Thor's hammer from Norse mythology) Axe === As strong as they are, I still prefer the Great Sword. This weapon line is just like it, essentially, but it feels a little slower. Name : Axe Location : Hammer's shop Drop : Axe Armor Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +40 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Jumps, comes back down to smash Price : 800 Description: A sturdy axe with a single-edged head. Other Notes: It's pretty strong, obviously. -- Name : Battle Axe Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : Axe + Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +55 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Axe special Price : 7800 Description: A combat axe with a double-edged head. Other Notes: BATTLE AXE LESSONS AT THE REC CENTER! -- Name : Bhuj Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Battle Axe + Manticore Stat Bonus : +76 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Axe special Price : 20000 Description: A very heavy combat axe. Other Notes: It is heavy. -- Name : Great Axe Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Bhuj + Great Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +97 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Axe special Price : 40000 Description: A huge battle axe. It is exceptionally heavy. Other Notes: And exceptionally strong, especially given how early you can get this baby (about halfway up the Condemned Tower or earlier, if you go exploring the lower half of the Wizardry Lab early). -- Name : Golden Axe Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Great Axe + Final Guard Stat Bonus : +119 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Axe special Price : 62000 Description: An axe crafted from gold. Its performance is outstanding. Other Notes: "But it's still heavy" (like Chrono Trigger's Enertron). Plus the Final Guard soul is not one you should give up lightly - it's a pain to get. -- Name : Death's Scythe Location : Synthesize only, but it'll be hurting you in the Mine of Judgment. Drop : N/A Synthesize : Golden Axe + Death Stat Bonus : +142 ATK Damage Type: Slash/Dark Special : Thrust + a miniature biting skull a la Death's second form. Price : 100000 Description: A scythe used by Death to gather souls. Other Notes: That's right. You can synthesize Death's very scythe for soul reaving. Although it's slow (and because of its shape, it can be unwieldy sometimes), it is the most powerful weapon in the game from an attack stat point of view. Katanas ======= I really don't like this series. Soma will draw the sword, attack, and then resheathe it before attacking again. It's kinda pointless and slow. You can get two strikes off in a row if you slash, and immediately upon contact, hit the backdash, but that's it. Name : Blunt Sword Location : Wizardry Lab Drop : Barbariccia Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +14 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 1000 Description: A sword with a dull cutting edge. Other Notes: It's not on the cutting edge of technology, either. -- Name : Katana Location : Synthesize only Drop : Draghignazzo Synthesize : Blunt Sword + Bomber Armor Stat Bonus : +21 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 9000 Description: A traditional sword used by samurai. Other Notes: The Samurai weren't this slow. -- Name : Kotetsu Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : Malacoda Synthesize : Katana + Mini Devil Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 15000 Description: A sword named after the legendary swordsmith, Nagasone Kotetsu. Other Notes: This is the first entry where I've been able to fill in all the fields! -- Name : Masamune Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Kotetsu + Devil Stat Bonus : +31 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 24800 Description: A famed Japanese samurai sword. Other Notes: The dark wind begins to blow... -- Name : Osafune Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Masamune + Barbariccia Stat Bonus : +41 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 30000 Description: A Japanese sword with the full name of Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu. Other Notes: This was one of the strongest weapons in Symphony of the Night (it was the Osafune Katana). -- Name : Kunitsuna Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Osafune + Malachi Stat Bonus : +48 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 42000 Description: Onimaru Kunitsuna, a sword said to have slain Oni demons. Other Notes: I was under the impression that "Oni" was Japanese for "demon," so this slew demon demons? -- Name : Yasutsuna Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Kunitsuna + Gaibon Stat Bonus : +59 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Quick slash Price : 58000 Description: Doujikiri Yasutsuna, a sword said to have cut off a demon's arm. Other Notes: Did it free the ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL? -- Name : Muramasa Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Yasutsuna + Malacoda Stat Bonus : +73 ATK Damage Type: Slash/Curse Special : Double quick slash Price : 98000 Description: A sword with a macabre reputation. Other Notes: I'd get it so confused with the Masamune if not for Chrono Trigger. This thing is bloodthirsty, apparently. Fists ===== This is self-explanatory. They're not really powerful, nor do they have much range, but selling Cestuses is one of the best ways of making money. Name : Bare knuckles (Unarmed) Location : N/A Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +0 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : None Price : N/A Description: Bare fists. Other Notes: Yes the "k" isn't capitalized. Although you can use this weapon by de-equipping your other weapon, you can find this weapon via the Succubus glitch, which is why I have a description for it. -- Name : Brass Knuckles Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Uppercut Price : 200 Description: Metal knuckles to be worn on the fists. Other Notes: I like the uppercut. -- Name : Cestus Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Synthesize : Brass Knuckles + Zombie Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Uppercut Price : 6000 Description: Hard knuckle guards worn by ancient boxers. Other Notes: I still like the uppercut. -- Name : Whip Knuckle Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Cestus + Slaughterer Stat Bonus : +17 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Uppercut Price : 17000 Description: Equip to throw whip-like punches. Other Notes: This game's concept of "whip-like" is in need of work (see also: Whip Sword). -- Name : Mach Punch Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Whip Knuckle + Hell Boar Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Uppercut Price : 21000 Description: Enables punches to be thrown at the speed of sound. Other Notes: The only reason you know it's at the speed of sound is because of the soundwaves eminating from Soma's fist as he uses this. Isn't that accurate? -- Name : Kaiser Knuckle Location : Synthesize only Drop : N/A Synthesize : Mach Punch + Werewolf Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Uppercut (somehow) Price : 33000 Description: Imbues knuckles with divine rage. Other Notes: Despite the description, I don't think it gets imbued with a holy attribute. Anyway, although this is weaker than the penultimate evolution of this series (and just as strong as the second), it is capable of hitting multiple times, which makes up for this. It's useful for Iron Golems. Guns ==== These are guns. They're kinda slow, but they've got pretty sweet range. There aren't that many. Name : Handgun Location : Garden of Madness Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Pierce Special : Fires a three bullet burst Price : 12000 Description: Fires 9mm rounds. Other Notes: Soma looks pretty sweet doing this. -- Name : Silver Gun Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Pierce/Holy Special : Fires a three bullet burst Price : 50000 Description: Shoots silver bullets that have been ritually blessed. Other Notes: I'm pretty sure it's holy. Either way, silver bullets... -- Name : RPG Location : Boss Rush Mode (beat in less than five minutes) Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +86 ATK Damage Type: Slash? Special : None Price : Can't sell it Description: Rocket-propelled grenade Other Notes: BOOM, BABY, BOOM! Throwing Weapons ================ These are weapons that you can find and throw. They're not consumable, so don't worry - you have an infinite supply. If you equip the Skelerang soul when you use them, they do 1.5x as much damage (meaning you can do 2.25x damage to enemies weak to the slash variety of weapon) as they would normally do. Name : Boomerang Location : Drop only Drop : Skelerang Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Throw the boomerang faster Price : 1500 Description: A throwing weapon with a curved blade. Other Notes: This is the worst boomerang ever - it doesn't come back! -- Name : Chakram Location : Drop only Drop : Amalaric Sniper Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +10 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Throwing it harder? Price : 3000 Description: A throwing weapon with a sharp, circular blade. Other Notes: It's smaller than the Boomerang, and it still doesn't come back. Colette fans of the world unite! -- Name : Tomahawk Location : Drop only Drop : Great Axe Armor Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +17 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Throwing it faster Price : 7000 Description: A battle axe designed for throwing. Other Notes: This is also a Boomerang-esque weapon (I expected it to be like the Axe Armor soul). It's almost as bad as the football team that wields this. -- Name : Throwing Sickle Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : Throwing it faster Price : 9000 Description: A small throwing sickle used by ninjas. Other Notes: I was sold against this weapon until I read the last word of that description. It's no shuriken, but it'll do. Random Weapons ============== These are the weapons that don't quite fit into the other categories. Name : Terror Bear Location : Beat Boss Rush Mode in under eight minutes Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +0 Damage Type: Bash/Curse Special : Lunge Price : Can't sell Description: An insidious stuffed toy filled with iron sand. Other Notes: "Iron sand" makes no sense, but I was also wondering how "insidious" worked until I thought about those poor children. That'd be a fun murder trial, though. This is really good against Iron Golems. -- Name : Nunchakus Location : Beat Boss Rush Mode in under seven minutes Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 ATK Damage Type: Bash Special : Double attack Price : Can't sell Description: Only a true master can wield this weapon deadly. Other Notes: This thing is kinda hard to use - its range is weak. -- Name : Whip Location : Succubus glitch (see the beginning of 4.03)/Julius Mode Drop : N/A Synthesize : N/A Stat Bonus : +52 ATK Damage Type: Slash Special : None Price : Can't sell Description: [none] - It's Julius' Vampire Killer. Other Notes: It's fun to use, although you can't brandish it. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.04: Armor | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Please see the note at the beginning of 4.03 for information on how to use this section. This is divided into three categories, as the game divies them: suits, armor, and robes. Suits ===== Name : Casual Clothes Location : You start with them Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 DEF Price : 200 Description: Clothes worn regularly Other Notes: They're stylish. -- Name : Cloth Tunic Location : Drop only Drop : Zombie Stat Bonus : +4 DEF Price : 300 Description: A simple garment made of cloth. Other Notes: It looks less substantial than the Casual Clothes, yet it provides more defense. -- Name : Gym Clothes Location : The Lost Village Drop : Slaughterer Stat Bonus : +8 DEF; +2 CON Price : 1000 Description: An athletic training suit Other Notes: KARATE MASTER! -- Name : Three 7s Location : Behind the 777 door in the Garden of Madness Drop : Killer Clown Stat Bonus : +4 DEF; +7 CON; +7 INT; +7 LCK Price : 7770 Description: Clothes that summon luck. Other Notes: The three sevens being CON, INT, and LCK. This is invaluable when soul searching. Note that they summon luck. Luck, be a lady tonight! -- Name : Kung Fu Suit Location : Drop only Drop : Fleaman Stat Bonus : +7 DEF; +1 STR Price : 2000 Description: Looks like it can make you stronger. Other Notes: The "looks like" thing is interesting. This gives you one STR point, but you need two STR points to make a difference, so unless you've got another STR boosting item equipped, this doesn't help in that department. -- Name : Biker Jacket Location : Drop only Drop : Quetzalcoatl Stat Bonus : +13 DEF; +2 STR Price : 2400 Description: A leather jacket worn by motorcyclists. Other Notes: This one does make you stronger! Becaues it's a motorcycle jacket! -- Name : War Fatigues Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +15 DEF; +3 STR Price : 3200 Description: Sturdy clothes made for military use. Other Notes: Sturdy? -- Name : Ninja Suit Location : Garden of Madness Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +18 DEF; +3 STR; +2 CON Price : Can you put a price on a ninja? But 5000. Description: A ninja's combat garment. Other Notes: It's a ninja suit! -- Name : Justaucorps Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +19 DEF; +1 STR; +1 INT Price : 12880 Description: A luxurious suit with fine detailing throughout. Other Notes: It looks like Richter's clothing. -- Name : Army Jacket Location : Cursed Clock Tower Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +24 DEF Price : 15000 Description: A jacket woven with a special fabric that resists cuts. Other Notes: Hammer? -- Name : Pitch Black Suit Location : Drop only Drop : Succubus, Yeti Stat Bonus : +29 DEF; +2 INT Price : 19600 Description: A suit that is the color of inky darkness. Other Notes: Very cool. -- Name : Olrox's Suit Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +39 DEF; +2 STR; +2 CON; +2 INT Price : 24000 Description: A suit favored by Count Olrox Other Notes: With a suit like this, you'd think he would have been harder. -- Name : Dracula's Tunic Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 ATK; +47 DEF; +6 STR; +6 CON; +6 INT; +6 LCK Price : 39000 Description: A tunic imbued with Dracula's dark power. Other Notes: But it's really cool. Armor ===== Name : Breastplate Location : Garden of Madness Drop : Bomber Armor, Valkyrie Stat Bonus : +12 DEF Price : 800 Description: A breastplate fashioned from iron. Other Notes: Nothing to say. -- Name : Leather Armor Location : Drop only Drop : Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +8 DEF Price : 1860 Description: A suit of armor crafted out of leather. Other Notes: It's good at the start. -- Name : Ring Mail Location : Demon Guest House Drop : Great Armor Stat Bonus : +16 DEF Price : 2800 Description: A mail suit with metal rings sewn on. Other Notes: If it were a femail suit, it wouldn't be as good. -- Name : Scale Mail Location : Cursed Clock Tower Drop : Disc Armor Stat Bonus : +20 DEF Price : 4200 Description: A mail suit with scale-like plates sewn on. Other Notes: Scale mail rhymes. -- Name : Chain Mail Location : Subterannean Hell Drop : Great Axe Armor Stat Bonus : +25 DEF Price : 8000 Description: A suit made of woven chains. Other Notes: Classic knight stuff. -- Name : Hauberk Location : Drop only Drop : Erinys Stat Bonus : +29 DEF Price : 9800 Description: Chain mail made for easy movement. Other Notes: Hauberk? *snicker* -- Name : Cuirass Location : Drop only Drop : Final Guard Stat Bonus : +38 DEF Price : 14000 Description: A torso armor with a rounded profile. Other Notes: Good luck getting this one. -- Name : Blocking Mail Location : Drop only Drop : Dead Crusaders Stat Bonus : +25 DEF Price : 26090 Description: A mail suit that occasionally blocks attacks. Other Notes: Some people block their mail from coming in. But this isn't too reliable. -- Name : Eversing Location : Subterannean Hell Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +46 DEF Price : 30000 Description: An armor tempered by a waterfall over many millenniums. Other Notes: What a description. But this is good armor. -- Name : Demon's Mail Location : Drop only Drop : Arc Demon Stat Bonus : +56 DEF Price : 66000 Description: A mail suit that is imbued with demonic power. Other Notes: Notice how much the game likes demonic stuff? Anyway, it's defensively the best armor in the game, but good luck getting it. Robes ===== These will usually give you some sort of extra bonus - be it an intelligence bonus or an elemental resistance - in addition to their defensive bonus. Name : Silk Robe Location : Hammer's shop Drop : Persephone Stat Bonus : +4 DEF; +2 INT Price : 800 Description: A robe made of woven silk. Other Notes: That description helps. -- Name : Mage Robe Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +10 DEF; +5 INT Price : 2300 Description: A robe worn by mages. Other Notes: Such nice descriptions. -- Name : Elfin Robe Location : Garden of Madness Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +16 DEF; +8 INT Price : 5000 Description: A robe woven by elves. Other Notes: I hate the descriptions in this section. -- Name : Wyrm Robe Location : Drop only Drop : Flame Demon Stat Bonus : +22 DEF Price : 15000 Description: A fire-resistant robe made from the hide of a wyrm. Other Notes: That description's slightly better - it tells us that you take 0.5x the damage you'd normally take from fire attacks. -- Name : Aquarius Location : Wizardry Lab Drop : Frozen Shade Stat Bonus : +28 DEF Price : 15000 Description: A water-resistant robe that is imbued with elemental power. Other Notes: It does just what it says on the tin, to quote Captain Jack Harkness. You take 0.5x the damage you'd normally take from water attacks. -- Name : Serenity Robe Location : Wizardry Lab (part two) Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +34 DEF; +10 INT Price : 23000 Description: A blessed robe that calms the spirit. Other Notes: Serene. -- Name : Death's Robe Location : Beat Boss Rush Mode in under six minutes. Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 ATK; +34 DEF; +4 STR; +4 CON; +13 INT; +4 LCK Price : 42000 Description: A robe once worn by Death. Other Notes: Before he died? Death died? Anyway, this is one of the better robes. Now you can wear Death's Robe while wielding Death's Scythe and using the Death soul! It's a goth's paradise! 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.05: Accessories | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Soma is one to accessorize. See 4.03 for information on how to use this section. Name : Rare Ring Location : Silenced Ruins; start of game if you have Aria of Sorrow. Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +4 LCK Price : Description: A ring that raises the appearance of rare items. Other Notes: The true value in this is in the description: yes, it raises your luck, but the drop rate of rate items doubles. -- Name : Pendant Location : Hammer's shop Drop : Ghoul Stat Bonus : +1 LCK Price : 80 Description: A plain pendant. Other Notes: With a plain bonus. -- Name : Cape Location : The Lost Village Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +2 DEF Price : 200 Description: A plain cape. Other Notes: Not much more to say. -- Name : Scarf Location : Wizardry Lab, Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +2 DEF; +2 CON Price : 370 Description: A scarf made of knitted wool. Other Notes: Aww. -- Name : Traveler Cape Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 DEF Price : 600 Description: A sturdy cape popular among travelers. Other Notes: And it's such a nice color. -- Name : Crimson Cloak Location : The Lost Village Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +4 DEF Price : 1200 Description: A cloak in a vivid crimson color. Other Notes: Not much to say. -- Name : Black Cloak Location : Drop only Drop : Ripper Stat Bonus : +5 DEF Price : 2980 Description: A cloak the color of inky darkness. Other Notes: Now they're recycling descriptions. -- Name : Heart Pendant Location : The Lost Village Drop : Heart Eater Stat Bonus : +1 DEF; +2 LCK Price : 250 Description: A heart-shaped pendant. Other Notes: The real value of this is that it increases the amount of hearts you find. -- Name : Skull Necklace Location : Drop only Drop : Devil Stat Bonus : +5 DEF; +2 INT; -1 LCK Price : 666 Description: A macabre necklace. Other Notes: It's not really worth it. -- Name : Flame Necklace Location : Drop only Drop : Succubus Stat Bonus : +2 DEF; +5 INT Price : 500 Description: A necklace that symbolizes fire. Other Notes: It'll reduce the damage you take from fire by a tiny little bit. -- Name : Rosary Location : Wizardry Lab Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 DEF; +10 INT Price : 10000 Description: Beads with a cross made of silver. Other Notes: It's a reference to Castlevania I. -- Name : Red Scarf Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +5 DEF; +5 CON Price : 1180 Description: A red scarf that has an air of melancholy. Other Notes: An air of melancholy? -- Name : Neck Warmer Location : Subterannean Hell Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +8 DEF; +10 CON Price : 8800 Description: A cold-beating garment made of a new synthetic material. Other Notes: Which is good for keeping the vampires away. -- Name : Power Belt Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 DEF; +2 STR Price : 2500 Description: A belt that provides support to muscles. Other Notes: Yep. -- Name : Black Belt Location : Drop only Drop : Werewolf Stat Bonus : +1 ATK; +2 DEF; +5 STR Price : 5500 Description: A black belt worn by skilled fighters. Other Notes: Why does it have to be black? -- Name : Megingiord Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +2 ATK; +5 DEF; +10 STR Price : 10000 Description: A belt worn by a deity of war. It amplifies power. Other Notes: Good stuff. It makes its return from previous games. -- Name : Hoop Earring Location : The Dark Chapel Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 DEF; +1 INT Price : 1000 Description: An earring in the shape of a hoop. Other Notes: Soma? -- Name : Turquoise Stud Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +2 DEF; +1 INT Price : 2000 Description: A stud earring embedded with a blue-green gem. Other Notes: It's not much better than the Hoop Earring. -- Name : Silver Stud Location : Condemned Tower Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +3 DEF; +1 INT Price : 4000 Description: A stud earring made of silver. Other Notes: Still not much better than the rest of the earring series. -- Name : Gold Stud Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +4 DEF; +1 INT Price : 6000 Description: A stud earring made of gold. Other Notes: I'm a gold stud. -- Name : Bloody Stud Location : Wizardry Lab (part two) Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +5 DEF; +2 (!) INT Price : 8000 Description: A deep-red stud earring made of ruby. Other Notes: If anyone ever tries to date the daughter I'll have, that's what he'll be. Unless he's a nerd. Then he'll be a bloody nerd. And if he likes Castlevania, he'll be crying bloody tears. -- Name : Platinum Stud Location : Cursed Clock Tower Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +5 DEF; +1 INT Price : 10000 Description: An expensive stud earring made of platinum. Other Notes: It went down in quality from its bloody counterpart! -- Name : Tear of Blood Location : The Lost Village Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +9 DEF; +1 STR; +1 CON; +1 INT Price : 30000 Description: A red jewel the color of blood. Other Notes: Bloody Tears - get it? -- Name : Lucky Charm Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 LCK Price : 100 Description: A good-luck charm for prosperity. Other Notes: One point of luck? That's not so great. -- Name : Mina's Talisman Location : Demon Guest House (from Arikado) Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : None Price : N/A Description: A talisman from Hakuba Shrine. Said to suppress dark souls. Other Notes: Use it in the middle of the castle for the good ending. -- Name : Satan's Ring Location : The Pinnacle Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +8 DEF; +3 STR; +3 CON; +3 INT Price : 66666 Description: A ring once worn by the dark lord. Other Notes: Very nice. -- Name : Soul Eater Ring Location : Hammer's shop Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +5 LCK Price : 300000 Description: A ring that raises the appearance of souls. Other Notes: Although you get the luck bonus, the real value of this lies in the fact that soul appearance rate doubles. -- Name : Rune Ring Location : Demon Guest House Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 DEF Price : 50000 Description: A ring that boosts the speed of MP restoration. Other Notes: The description says it all. Combine this with the Treant soul if you use MP a lot. -- Name : Shaman Ring Location : Cursed Clock Tower Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 DEF Price : 50000 Description: Gain more experience points. Other Notes: You gain 1.2x the amount of experience. -- Name : Gold Ring Location : Wizardry Lab (part two) Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +1 DEF Price : 50000 Description: A ring that makes monsters drop more money. Other Notes: Money appears more frequently and in greater amounts with this. -- Name : Chaos Ring Location : The Abyss, provided that you have 100% of all the souls in the game in your inventory. Drop : N/A Stat Bonus : +2 DEF; +1 STR; +1 CON; +1 INT Price : Can't sell it Description: A ring that ceaselessly draws dark power from chaos. Other Notes: This shoots your MP restoration rate up. You don't really have to worry about running out now. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.06: Items | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 These are the things that fall into the "use item" category (in the menu). I'm not gonna list the locations of the healing items, since there are so many. Potions ======= Name : Potion Drop : N/A Heals : 100 HP Price : 300 Description: Restores 100 HP. Other Notes: Yes it does. -- Name : High Potion Drop : N/A Heals : 200 HP Price : 1000 Description: Restores 200 HP. Other Notes: There's a trend. -- Name : Super Potion Drop : Final Guard Heals : All HP Price : 5000 Description: Restores all HP Other Notes: Find these things; they're jerks to get from Final Guards. -- Name : Mind Up Drop : Devil Heals : 100 MP Price : 400 Description: Restores 100 MP. Other Notes: You'll really only use these when you're in a pinch. -- Name : High Mind Up Drop : Malachi Heals : 200 MP Price : 1200 Description: Restores 200 MP. Other Notes: Again, you'll probably only use these in boss fights. -- Name : Mana Prism Drop : Arc Demon, Stolas Heals : All MP Price : 3000 Description: Restores all of your MP. Other Notes: I'm always so hesitant to use these. It just feels wrong. -- Name : Anti-Venom Drop : Mollusca Heals : Poison Price : 100 Description: Cures poison. Other Notes: Poison wears off so quickly that it's almost worthless; plus, there aren't a ton of poisonous enemies. It's not like in other game where poison eats away at your HP. -- Name : Uncurse Potion Drop : N/A Heals : Curse Price : 100 Description: Nullifies the effects of curses. Other Notes: This is the more useful between the two status effect curers. Although you won't be cursed on normal mode, on hard mode, it can seriously make a difference. Food ==== The poisonous food is in the next division. Name : Meat Strip Drop : Needles Heals : 29 HP Price : 290 Description: Restores 29 HP. Other Notes: It looks like a whole turkey to me, but this is the classic Castlevania healing item. -- Name : Tasty Meat Drop : Gorgon Heals : 290 HP Price : 400 Description: Restores 290 HP. Other Notes: But it's from a Gorgon and somehow automatically comes with carrots and celery! Eww... -- Name : Rice Ball Drop : Dead Warrior Heals : 50 HP Price : 100 Description: Simple, but tasty. Other Notes: And so pointless. -- Name : Mushroom Drop : N/A Heals : 100 HP Price : 190 Description: A deliciously appetizing mushroom. Other Notes: This one doesn't poison you. -- Name : Corn Soup Drop : N/A Heals : 80 HP Price : 150 Description: A creamy soup with croutons. Other Notes: Most of these you'll just kinda use in a pinch. -- Name : Beef Curry Drop : Waiter Skeleton Heals : 500 HP Price : 1380 Description: Mouth-wateringly delicious. Other Notes: This one's actually worthwhile to get. Try to get one from a Waiter Skeleton - they're not hard to kill. -- Name : Noodles Drop : Heart Eater Heals : 300 HP Price : 800 Description: Noodles floating in a broth made from pork bones. Other Notes: It's not really worth it. I don't like Heart Eaters. -- Name : Cream Soda Drop : Witch Heals : 100 HP Price : 400 Description: Topped with a cherry. Other Notes: Mmm...nothing tops off a nice hearty run through a demonic castle from Hell like a nice cream soda...with a cherry on top. -- Name : Cream Puff Drop : Student Witch Heals : 80 HP Price : 120 Description: Soft, fluffy, and sweet. Other Notes: Aww. -- Name : Milk Drop : Catoblepas, Gorgon Heals : 60 HP Price : 148 Description: Low-fat milk -- for your bones. Other Notes: It's good until you consider the source. -- Name : Coffee Drop : Lilith Heals : 100 HP Price : 130 Description: Decaffeinated coffee. Other Notes: This would have been my favorite item in the game, but it's decaf. I drink for the caffeine, and also, anyone who's ever played Day of the Tentacle... -- Name : Tea Drop : Ghost Dancer Heals : 80 HP Price : 200 Description: Sip slowly and relax. Other Notes: ...in Dracula's castle. -- Name : Pudding Drop : Dead Mate Heals : 100 HP Price : 150 Description: It wiggles and jiggles. Other Notes: Oh the jokes we could make. -- Name : Strawberry Drop : Persephone Heals : 150 HP Price : 330 Description: A plump, sweet strawberry. Other Notes: But Dark Helmet still doesn't like yogurt. -- Name : Melon Drop : Erinys Heals : 300 HP Price : 1500 Description: A melon of the finest quality. Other Notes: *snicker* -- Name : Grapes Drop : Alura Une Heals : 60 HP Price : 380 Description: Bursting with flavorful juice. Other Notes: Not worth getting. -- Name : Hamburger Drop : Killer Clown Heals : 30 HP Price : 100 Description: A food made of fried, minced meat sandwiched in pieces of bread. Other Notes: I imagine that description was trying to explain hamburgers to the Japanese. But this isn't worth it. Are they trying to say something? -- Name : Fried Chicken Drop : Rycuda Heals : 129 HP Price : 400 Description: Crisply fried chicken thigh. Other Notes: Hehe...just think about it. Rycuda's a lightning bird. -- Name : Hot Dog Drop : Hell Boar Heals : 60 HP Price : 100 Description: The king of junk food. Other Notes: That's just not nice. -- Name : Pumpkin Pie Drop : N/A Heals : 60 HP Price : 100 Description: Sweet and delicious. Other Notes: If it were my pumpkin pie, it'd heal more. -- Name : Pancake Drop : Valkyrie Heals : 70 HP Price : 100 Description: It's nothing without maple syrup. Other Notes: Aww, don't tell it that. Of course it's something without syrup! -- Name : Piroshki Drop : Slaughterer Heals : 50 HP Price : 100 Description: Russian-style fried meat dumpling. Other Notes: Don't be Russian' to get this! -- Name : Tinned Spinach Drop : The Creature Heals : 40 HP Price : 100 Description: May give the illusion of bulking up muscle mass. Other Notes: Now they've crossed the line. They're trying to debunk Popeye! :( -- Name : Foie Gras Drop : N/A Heals : All HP Price : 3000 Description: One of the world's three great delicacies. Duck liver paste. Other Notes: Read those two statements again, and tell me they're not contradictory. -- Name : Caviar Drop : N/A Heals : All HP Price : 3000 Description: One of the world's three great delicacies. Sturgeon eggs. Other Notes: I don't get it. None of these "great delicacies" sound appetizing in the slightest. -- Name : Truffle Drop : N/A Heals : All HP Price : 3000 Description: One of the world's three great delicacies. Rare black mushrooms. Other Notes: I give up. -- Name : Paella Drop : Cave Troll Heals : 120 HP Price : 800 Description: A veritable cornucopia of seafood. Other Notes: Cornucopia. -- Name : Spaghetti Drop : Manticore, Mushussu Heals : 150 HP Price : 950 Description: Served al dente. Other Notes: This is a really worthwhile healing item. Seriously. -- Name : Ice Cream Drop : Frozen Shade Heals : 50 HP Price : 100 Description: A thick vanilla ice cream loaded with egg yolks. Other Notes: Soma's so spoiled. First the Cream Soda, now this. -- Name : Salmon Meuniere Drop : Killer Fish Heals : 120 HP Price : 1000 Description: A seafood dish seasoned with curry powder. Other Notes: This actually sounds really good, and I like neither seafood nor curry. -- Name : Boiled Starfish Drop : Decarabia Heals : 120 HP Price : 200 Description: Has a firm, jelly-like texture. Other Notes: It's pretty okay. Poisonous Food ============== These are the easiest finds, and although they appear detrimental, if you equip the Ghoul soul and eat them, you'll heal the amount of HP it says you lose. I use these more than the other food items because they're so easy to find. You can't kill yourself from food poisoning; you'll just go down to 1 HP. Name : Amanita Drop : Wakwak Tree Heals : -100 HP Price : 0 Description: A toxic mushroom that induces hallucinations. Other Notes: Popular in the 1960s. -- Name : Rotten Meat Drop : Ghoul Heals : -200 HP Price : 0 Description: A slab of rotting beef. Other Notes: Ewwwwwwww. -- Name : Spoiled Milk Drop : Hell Boar Heals : -400 HP Price : 0 Description: Its expiration date is from three years ago. Other Notes: It's nice and curdled. -- Name : Rusty Food Tin Drop : Dead Pirate Heals : -600 HP Price : 0 Description: Are you brave enough to open it? Other Notes: NO! Key Items ========= These aren't dropped; they're found/bought. You can't sell them. Those buyable in Hammer's shop are all bought for 100 gold. Name : Castle Map 0 Location : You start with it Description: One portion of the castle's floor plan is written on it. Other Notes: I only have this through the glitch. It's not a real item. It shows The Lost Village. Or part of it. -- Name : Castle Map 1 Location : Hammer's shop Description: One portion of the castle's floor plan is written on it. Other Notes: This shows part of the Wizardry Lab. -- Name : Castle Map 2 Location : Hammer's shop Description: One portion of the castle's floor plan is written on it. Other Notes: This shows the Garden of Madness and the Demon Guest House. -- Name : Castle Map 3 Location : Hammer's shop Description: One portion of the castle's floor plan is written on it. Other Notes: This shows the Dark Chapel. -- Name : UMA News 1-1 Location : Hammer's shop Description: No reading! (in Hammer's shop) - perhaps as a social commentary. Exclusive Scoop! Abominable Snowman Discovered?! Other Notes: The UMA News 1 series is about the Yeti. He's in the first room of the game; use the Waiter Skeleton soul to lure him out. Whoops, I just defeated the purpose for finding these. -- Name : UMA News 1-2 Location : Demon Guest House Description: Snowman living on the mountains? Spotted near the mountain village! Other Notes: See notes for 1-1. -- Name : UMA News 1-3 Location : Subterannean Hell Description: According to witnesses, the beast appeared to be searching for food. Other Notes: Too easy. -- Name : UMA News 2-1 Location : Hammer's shop Description: No reading! (in Hammer's shop) Terror Alert! His Name is Mothman! Other Notes: The UMA News 2 series is about Mothman. He's in the ostensibly optional room in The Pinnacle with two Final Guards; use Rycuda to activate the projector to lure him in. -- Name : UMA News 2-2 Location : Demon Guest House Description: There have been numerous sightings of the creature high in the sky. Other Notes: Thanks! -- Name : UMA News 2-3 Location : Condemned Tower Description: The latest reports indicate that it is drawn to intense light. Other Notes: Yep. -- Name : UMA News 2-4 Location : Demon Guest House Description: The light apparently came from thunderbolts! Other Notes: More clues! -- Name : UMA News 3-1 Location : Hammer's shop Description: Up in the Sky! Is it a Man? Other Notes: This set is about the Flying Humanoid. Just use Mandragora in the room outside of the Cursed Clock Tower's last save room. OH SNAP! -- Name : UMA News 3-2 Location : The Dark Chapel Description: Let us call this airborne being the Flying Humanoid. Other Notes: Let us call him that! -- Name : UMA News 3-3 Location : Condemned Tower Description: Could we ever achieve contact with this aerial being? Other Notes: Well, no. We'll kill him. -- Name : UMA News 4 Location : Wizardry Lab Description: With great regret, we announce that this is our final issue. Other Notes: This is one of the greatest ironies in the game. This is the hardest one to get, and they flip you the bird by giving you no useful information. -- Name : Tower Key Location : Condemned Tower Description: An oddly shaped key. Other Notes: You need this to open the Cursed Clock Tower. Just For Kicks ============== These are references to the original Castlevania and have no purposes other than nostalgia/selling value. Name : Konami Man Location : Cursed Clock Tower Price : 5000 Description: 5000 points Other Notes: So sweet. Check the walkthrough for information on how to get him. -- Name : Crown Location : Demon Guest House Price : 5000 Description: 5000 points Other Notes: Sit in the chair in one of the side rooms in one of the really big rooms of the Demon Guest House. -- Name : Bell Location : The Dark Chapel Price : 5000 Description: 5000 points Other Notes: Hippogryph into one of the bells in The Dark Chapel's bell tower, and this'll fall out. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 4.07: Shop List/Soul Synthesis | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Hammer's Shop ------------- This is a list of everything you can buy at Hammer's. You can't buy it all at the beginning of the game, so if you see something in the list that you want but can't buy in the game just yet, just wait until you beat the next boss, and then go check. It's separated into two sides for ease of use. They're organized as the game organizes them - healing items, key items, weapons by category, armor, accessories. o-----------------o--------o o-----------------o--------o | Item | Price | | Item | Price | o-----------------o--------o o-----------------o--------o | Potion | 300 | | Mace | 800 | | High Potion | 1000 | | Axe | 800 | | Mind Up | 400 | | Battle Axe | 7800 | | High Mind Up | 1200 | | Blunt Sword | 1000 | | Anti-Venom | 100 | | Katana | 9000 | | Uncurse Potion | 100 | | Masamune | 24800 | | Castle Map 1 | 100 | | Brass Knuckles | 200 | | Castle Map 2 | 100 | | Cestus | 6000 | | UMA News 1-1 | 100 | | Handgun | 12000 | | UMA News 2-1 | 100 | | Silver Gun | 50000 | | UMA News 3-1 | 100 | | Boomerang | 1500 | | Knife | 200 | | Tomahawk | 7000 | | Baselard | 12800 | | Throwing Sickle | 9000 | | Cinquedia | 32800 | | Cloth Tunic | 300 | | Rapier | 480 | | Gym Clothes | 1000 | | Main Gauche | 5280 | | Leather Armor | 800 | | Kris Naga | 32000 | | Breastplate | 1880 | | Short Sword | 800 | | Ring Mail | 2800 | | Cutlass | 5800 | | Scale Mail | 4200 | | Long Sword | 11800 | | Silk Robe | 800 | | Claymore | 1200 | | Pendant | 80 | | Falchion | 8000 | | Scarf | 370 | | Spear | 1000 | | Red Scarf | 1180 | | Partizan | 6400 | | Lucky Charm | 100 | | Halberd | 10000 | | Soul Eater Ring | 300000 | o-----------------o--------o o-----------------o--------o Yoko's ------ This is the synthesis shop. This section is divded as the game's is. Sword ===== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Short Sword | Armor Knight | Cutlass | | Cutlass | Corpseweed | Long Sword | | Long Sword | Great Armor | Fragarach | | Fragarach | Mollusca | Hrunting | | Fragarach | Treant | Mystletain | | Hrunting | Killer Clown | Joyeuse | | Mystletain | Killer Clown | Joyeuse | | Joyeuse | Catoblepas | Milican's Sword | | Joyeuse | Frozen Shade | Ice Brand | | Joyeuse | Ukoback | Laevatain | | Milican's Sword | Iron Golem | Burtgang | | Ice Brand | Iron Golem | Burtgang | | Laevatain | Iron Golem | Burtgang | | Burtgang | Arc Demon | Kaladbolg | | Kaladbolg | Abaddon | Valmanway | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Great Sword =========== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Claymore | Warg | Falchion | | Falchion | Great Armor | Great Sword | | Great Sword | Valkyrie | Durandal | | Durandal | Lilith | Dainslef | | Dainslef | Draghignazzo | Ascalon | | Ascalon | Gergoth | Balmung | | Balmung | Final Guard | Final Sword | | Final Sword | Alastor | Claimh Solais | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Rapier ====== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Main Gauche | White Dragon | Whip Sword | | Small Sword | White Dragon | Whip Sword | | Estoc | White Dragon | Whip Sword | | Whip Sword | Quetzalcoatl | Garian Sword | | Garian Sword | Malacoda | Nebula | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Polearm ======= o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Spear | Armor Knight | Partizan | | Partizan | Axe Armor | Halberd | | Halberd | Valkyrie | Lance | | Lance | Mini Devil | Trident | | Trident | Decarabia | Brionac | | Brionac | Slogra | Geiborg | | Geiborg | Erinys | Longinus | | Longinus | Bugbear | Gungnir | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Axe === o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Axe | Axe Armor | Battle Axe | | Battle Axe | Manticore | Bhuj | | Bhuj | Great Axe Armor | Great Axe | | Great Axe | Final Guard | Golden Axe | | Golden Axe | Death | Death's Scythe | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Hammer ====== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Mace | Needles | Morgernstern | | Morgernstern | Bugbear | Mjollnjr | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Katana ====== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Blunt Sword | Bomber Armor | Katana | | Katana | Mini Devil | Kotetsu | | Kotetsu | Devil | Masamune | | Masamune | Barbariccia | Osafune | | Osafune | Malachi | Kunitsuna | | Kunitsuna | Gaibon | Yasutsuna | | Yasutsuna | Malacoda | Muramasa | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o Punch ===== o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Original Weapon + Soul -> New Weapon | o-----------------------------------------------------------o | Brass Knuckles | Zombie | Cestus | | Cestus | Slaughterer | Whip Knuckle | | Whip Knuckle | Hell Boar | Mach Punch | | Mach Punch | Werewolf | Kaiser Knuckle | o-------------------o-------------------o-------------------o 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 4.08: Boss Rush Mode | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 You unlock Boss Rush mode after beating the game. You face all of the bosses from the game (sans Menace) in this order: 1.) Flying Armor 2.) Balore 3.) Dmitrii 4.) Puppet Master 5.) Dario 6.) Rahab 7.) Gergoth 8.) Zephyr 9.) Bat Company 10.) Paranoia 11.) Aguni 12.) Abaddon 13.) Death There aren't a lot of tips I can give you, other than: -Make sure you have and use the Black Panther soul. -Experiment with souls! Look at bosses' weaknesses, and figure out what soul you have now that you didn't have when you fought them might work better! This especially applies with souls like Erinys, which has a holy attribute, Bomber Armor, and Abaddon. -Make sure you have the Ghoul soul. That way, when you run low on health, you can use the Rusty Food Tin. -There are tons of FAQs around on specific strategies for this mode, based on your skill level. Here's a list of the rewards you can get: o--------------o--------------o | Time to Beat | Reward | o--------------o--------------o | 5 Minutes | RPG | | 6 Minutes | Death's Robe | | 7 Minutes | Nunchaku | | 8 Minutes | Terror Bear | | Over 8 Min. | Potion | o--------------o--------------o Also note that you can only get each reward once. If you beat five minutes twice, you get an RPG the first time and a Potion the second. Have fun! 0=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.09: FAQ | 0=~=~=~=~=~=0 This is the section where I put questions people ask me so as to help others. Q1: What are the differences between normal and hard mode? A1: In hard mode, the enemies are faster, take longer to kill, do more damage to you, and some inflict other status effects. Q2: What is enemy set mode? A2: Enemy set mode is a multiplayer feature. There's an FAQ on the site dedicated to it. There's too much to it to merit me making a section on it. Q3: What's a good way to make money? A3: I find the best way is to buy nine of Brass Knuckles, and go to the room before the drawbridge in The Lost Village. Get nine Zombie souls, and use them to make nine Cestuses. Sell these to Hammer, and then repeat. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 4.10: Secrets | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 There aren't really that many that I haven't given in the walkthrough. The only ones I can add are these: Aria of Sorrow ============== If you put Aria of Sorrow in the GBA slot of the DS, when you start a new game, you'll start with the Rare Ring. Julius Mode =========== Beat the game with the medium ending. New Game + ========== Beat the game with the best ending. Boss Rush Mode ============= Beat the game with the best ending. Sound Test Mode =============== Beat the game with the best ending. Hell Fire Soul ============== Beat Hard Mode. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 4.11: Ending | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Really Bad Ending ================= After you kill Dario, Arikado comes and tells you that Celia has fled. Soma gets a stomach ache. OH NO! Bad Ending ========== After Celia kills Mina, Soma turns into Dracula and kills Celia. Arikado and Julius decide to go kill Soma, which leads into Julius Mode. Best Ending =========== After killing Menace, the dark souls try to enter Soma, but thinking of Mina, he is able to cast them off. Soma and Arikado escape from the castle, have a cliche deep conversation (as per the endings to many video games), and after a humorous scene, the credits roll. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- V. Last Words -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 5.01: Copyright Information | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Battletoads & Double Dragon and all characters, stages, items, and other related things are copyright to Tradewest and Rare 1993. This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is copyrighted (c) 2001-2004 to Trace Jackson, and is the intellectual property of Trace Jackson. This guide/FAQ/walkthrough is protected under International Copyright Laws. Please feel free to put this anywhere you like, as long as I get credit for it. After all, this is to help the readers! It should be spread around! I WOULD like it if you emailed me asking for permission, but it's not necesary. Just realize that the latest updates to this guide can and will always be found at IGN FAQs (faqs.ign.com) and GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com). Just please credit me for it and don't make any profit off it. The following are sites that can not use my work. If you see these sites using any of my FAQs, please e-mail me ASAP. Each of these websites are sites that have plagiarized myself or others in the past, or simply taken our works without our prior permission. Since they do not have enough respect for the authors (or an ignorance of the law), I am expressly forbidding them from using my work. I will not condone such sites that partake in these actions. 911 Codes http://911codes.com 9 Lives http://www.9lives.ru/eng/ Bean's PSX Dimension http://www.bean.dk/psx/index.htm Cheat Code Central http://www.cheatcc.com Cheat Index http://cheatindex.com Cheat Matrix http://cheatmatrix.com Cheat Search http://cheatsearch.com Cheatstop http://www.panstudio.com/cheatstop/ CNET Gamecenter http://games.netscape.com/Faqs/ Console Domain http://www.consoledomain.co.uk Dirty Little Helper http://dlh.net Dark Station http://www.darkstation.com/ Dreamland http://kirby.pokep.net Games Domain http://www.gamesdomain.com Game Express http://www.gameexpress.com Games Over http://www.gamesover.com/ Mega Games http://www.megagames.com Square Haven http://www.square-haven.net Ultimate System http://www.flatbedexpress.com VideoGaming.net http://www.videogaming.net/ 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 5.02: Revision History | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~0 Version 1.0 (12/3/06) - Finished the first version; everything's completed. I may do a Julius Mode walkthrough at some point. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 5.03: Contact Information | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 Before emailing me, please make sure that whatever question you have wasn't addressed here in the guide. If it's not a question (i.e. input, suggestion, correction, etc.), please go ahead and email me. I'm not too picky about grammar, but if I have no idea what you're saying, I might ask for some clarification. I'll take emails in Spanish or English. Doesn't matter to me. No me importa. I'd appreciate whatever you've got. Questions (again, as long as it's not answered here), inputs about ideas that I've raised, suggestions or corrections for the guide, requests for using parts of the guide, problems in life, jokes (as bad as some of these are in the guide), praise emails (ha!), or whatever else is on your mind. Email: doctorwho3 [at] gmail [dot] com I wasn't too bad about doing the spam thing at first. Now half of my emails are virus emails. Just replace the [at] with @ and the [dot] with .. You could also use AIM. I'd prefer these be quick questions, but I really can't stop you from long, involved ones. To be honest, I prefer emails. AIM is still here. That's TracesWritingAIM. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 | 5.04: Credits | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=0 -Brian Sulpher - For being supportive and giving me great music. -Devin Morgan - For being helpful. -discoinferno84 - His item list was invaluable to filling in some of the holes in my own. -UltimaterializerX - His bestiary was invaluable in filling in some of the holes in my own. 0=~=~=~=~=~=~0 | 5.05: Boo! | 0=~=~=~=~=~=~0 You know it scared you. Anyway, I hope you had fun reading this and playing the game. We came a long way, but we did it. I hope you check out some of my other work sometime. Catch ya later! --Trace -End of File-