-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
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                               Sisters mode
                    Created by Serio ([email protected])
               Ver. 0.99                             02/11/2007
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All rights reserved and stuff. Please don't plagiarise or steal info. If
you're going to host it, please do not modify, add or remove any part of it.
Also please update it when I'll update the original too. The newest version
of this FAQ can be found on www.gamefaqs.com.

This is my first attempt to write a FAQ, so there probably will be errors,
as well as things I forgot to mention. I decided to write this FAQ since
even though the sisters mode is pretty disappointing I found it to be pretty
fun for what it is. I suck at ascii art, which is the reason why it looks so
poorly.

Also note, this FAQ is full of game spoilers, so proceed at your own risk if
you don't want it to be spoiled for you.

--------------------------
List of contents:
--------------------------
1. Character info.
2. General info.
3. Stats and stuff.
4. Boss strategies.
  4a) Castle bosses
  4b) Portrait bosses
  4c) Nest of Evil bosses
5. Strategies against the sisters.
  5a) Stella
    a.) Jonathan and Charlotte
    b.) Richter and Maria
    c.) Old Axe Armor
  5b) Stella and Loretta
    a.) Jonathan and Charlotte
    b.) Richter and Maria
    c.) Old Axe Armor
6. Script.
7. Credits.
8. Update history.
9. Contact info.

--------------------------
1. Character info:
--------------------------
Stella: 
The older one of the twins. Has a flashy appearance and aggressive
personality, as well as short temper. She is a skilled swordmaster and
uses her sword in battle to do various sword techniques. 21 years old.
Originally a daughter of Eric Lecarde, but bitten by the vampire Brauner
and enslaved by him.
Voice actor: Mariko Suzuki

Loretta:
The younger one of the twins. Her appearance is more plain than her sister,
she wears sort of gothic lolita style outfit. She's the more coolheaded,
calm and shy one of the two. She is also a powerful witch, who is especially
proud of her ice magic. 21 years old. Originally a daughter of Eric Lecarde,
but bitten by the vampire Brauner and enslaved by him.
Voice actor: Mariko Suzuki

Wind: 
The ghost of a man who was killed by Brauner. In the main quest he helps the
heroes by providing useful items, skills and spells as rewards for finishing
the quests he gives to them. In the sisters mode he only appears in their
ending, forced to observe during his last moments as his daughters are turned
into vampires. His real name is Eric Lecarde. He was 50 years old when he
died. It is assumed he dies around a year to two before the main game starts.
Voice actor: Kohei Fukuhara

Brauner:
A man who lost his real daughters during World War I. The grief and anger
awakened his hidden powers which he used to become a vampire. Presumably gone
mad from the grief and believes Eric's daughters are his own reborn daughters,
so he vampirises them and makes them believe he is their real father. He is
also a painter, and infuses the paintings he creates with his power to
increase it, and to make the castle's power his own. They are also used to 
seal Dracula and his power in the castle keep. His goal is to punish the
humans who started the war yet again, which destroyed his life and took the
lives of his real daughters. Age unknown.
Voice actor: Hisao Egawa

--------------------------
2. General info:
--------------------------
Once you beat the main game, this mode, along with the Richter mode in case
you unlock the power of Vampire Killer becomes available. Like with the main
game you can select the game mode (normal or hard) and the level cap for hard
mode (1, 25 or 50).

Hard modes set the enemy damage values to much higher, as well as your damage
to a lower value. The bigger level caps make the game more challenging by not
allowing you to level up above the set level cap, as well as setting even the 
weakest enemies' damage to almost the same level as the others.

The sisters mode is tied to the main game, as in it's the prologue to it. It
deals with their father, Eric going missing after setting off to investigate
the castle, which mysteriously appeared, and his daughters setting off to
search for him. Sadly this and the ending are the only two story sequences in
the entire mode. The game itself is basically almost like all the alternative
modes in previous castlevania games.

You can't collect items and all abilities are given to you from the start like
in all other extra modes. The only collectible items are hearts to replenish
your mp bar and HP/MP max up items which add additional 15 points to your HP
meter and 10 points to your MP meter.

The sisters can Level up like in the main game, but unlike it you can't really
see when your next level up will happen, as pressing start only pauses the game.
It is exactly like in Dawn of Sorrow Julius mode.

The only way to control the characters is by using the directional pad, and to
attack you have to use the touch screen. You can change the active character
with either X or L and pause the game with start. While close to the portrait,
savepoint or teleport if you're standing on the ground and when the d-pad
image appears over your character's head, you can activate it either by
pressing up or by touching anywhere on the touchscreen. 

The control is pretty awkward and limited compared to all other modes, since
the characters are flying instead of the regular walking, jumping etc. Flying
comsumes mp, so you can't just fly around infinitely, and to recover it you
need to temporarily touch the ground with your feet. No matter if you stand
or move, as long as your feet touch the ground the mp will be recovered very
fast. The attacks consume mp as well, Stella's a bit faster than Loretta's.

Now on to attacks. The sisters have one attack each. Stella uses slashes that
follow the stylus as you draw the patterns on the touchscreen, while Loretta
shoots a continuous stream of ice flake like projectiles into the point you
touch with the stylus. Stella's attack goes through everything, Loretta's
is destroyed once it hits any obstacle that can be hit. Stella's attack
deals damage at least once per second, while Loretta's does multiple times,
but her attack is also much weaker. Stella's attack is stronger if you draw
the patterns with quick movements, Loretta's is always the same.

Stella's attack is slightly based on strength parameters, while Loretta's
on magic. Therefore using one type of attack on an incompatible enemy might
lead to decreased damage, such as Loretta's attack on Astarte. Stella is also
generally more resistant to attacks due to using the strength parameters.
Think of Jonathan, Richter or Old Axe Armor. Loretta is more resistant to 
magic type damage (think flame rings in the circus portraits) though. Both
of the sisters are immune to all status ailments.

When you hit an enemy it will flash in a certain color. Blue - the damage is
greatly reduced. Light blue - Slightly reduced. White - Not reduced. Pinkish -
Slightly more effective. Red - Much more effective.

In order to beat the game you have only one objective. Reach the portrait
where Brauner resides. To do that you have to destroy the 8 of the portrait
bosses. Beating the regular portrait unlocks its dark counterpart in the dark
portraits room. Once you beat all 8 you can enter Brauner's huge portrait, 
which will lead to the end of the game. There's no final boss battle or
anything. Beating all 8 portraits also unlocks the nest of evil. The maximum
percentage the sisters can get is 997.1%.

The sisters have most of the map accessible from the beginning. Most of
the obstacles that require both characters to interact with them are removed
with the exception of the switch that opens the way to the final area from
the corridor without music and the flame wall in the clock tower, neither
of which can be activated by the sisters before you destroy Death.

--------------------------
3. Stats and stuff:
--------------------------
As the game begins the sisters start with the following stats.
---------
Stella:
ATK: 3
DEF: 2
STR: 6
CON: 5
INT: 4
MND: 4
LCK: 3
---------
Loretta:
ATK: 3
DEF: 0
STR: 5
CON: 1
INT: 8
MND: 8
LCK: 3
---------
They start with 128 HP and 80 MP, as well as 1500 gold like everyone else.
They don't have anything equipped. Each level up gives them additional 8 
points of health and 5 of magic. The stats rise irregularly, but Stella's
seem to go more less in favor of attack/defense while less for magic, while
Loretta's for magic, and worse for attack/strength/defense. Luck seems to
rise every 2 levels or so.

While testing the attack strengths on level 1 on a skeleton, Stella's dealt up
to 40 while Loretta's 18. After one level up Stella's attack dealt 42 while 
Loretta's didn't change. Third level up didn't change Stella, and Loretta got
19 damage. 4th gave Stella 44 damage, Loretta 20. 5th didn't change Stella, 
Loretta got 21. Not sure yet what equation is used for the damage strength.
Int seems to be affecting the sisters' attack strength though, 1 damage point
or so for each additional Int point you add to the base. Def affects the
damage the sisters receieve.

Of course the info isn't normally available or really needed, so it's here 
just for completion's sake.

--------------------------
4. Boss strategies:
--------------------------
On their way the sisters will encounter most of the bosses that were in
the main game, with the exception of Stella (can't fight herself), the
twins (same), Brauner (his area is just for the ending),Whip's memory of
Richter Belmont (The whip's memory can be fought only by Jonathan in 
the main mode) and Dracula & Death (Can't get to the castle keep before 
destroying Brauner and using his castle keep painting, which doesn't
happen in this mode).

--------------------------
4a) Castle bosses:
--------------------------
Behemoth, Keremet, Stella and Death can be skipped in all the extra modes, as
they serve no purpose other than leveling up and probably the shorter way
through. You can't level up from storyline bosses.
----------------------------
Behemoth (HP 800, EXP 1000):
----------------------------
Location: Entrance
----
Behemoth has no strengths or weaknesses for the sisters attacks, so use
Loretta's for quicker damage. If it jumps, you can go under him. It'll
look upwards just before that. Do remember it'll charge afterwards. If you
see it lowering its head and moving with its front leg like a bull while
blowing steam out of its nose, fly up to avoid the charge. If it grinds its
teeth and lowers its head it'll spit some blood. Being close to it and on the
floor should make it completely miss, but you can also destroy these. Once it
rises its head a bit and opens the mouth wide it'll use the tongues. It might
be tricky to avoid since it covers a lot of area, so fly over it. Defeating it
will also mark the chase scene as 'done' even if you skipped it.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 59-90 damage and Loretta's deals
48 damage.
---------------------------
Keremet (HP 666, EXP 2000):
---------------------------
Location: Great Stairway
----
In the regular game the fastest way is to stand around the middle of the
platform that's on the same level as the boss door just to have his pot
and him on screen, then as Loretta start shooting at the pot. Once the slime
comes out shoot at its head, which is its weak spot. Both of its attacks will
miss you. In boss rush which has no platforms you can perform the same trick
from the ground, but the small slimes it shoots out need to be destroyed
before they reach you. The little slimes die from one hit.

Its attack, a big red energy orb will fly on a straight horizontal line from
its mouth, so it will miss you by far if you'll just be standing on the
ground. If you accidentaly hit that attack it'll shoot small skulls from
it which will cover half of the screen and go down in waterfall motion. 
Getting really close to the pot and pushing it should let you avoid them. 

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 59-90 damage and Loretta's deals
48 damage.

------------------------
Stella (HP 2500, EXP 0):
------------------------
Location: Clocktower
----
Not fought. Her room is empty.

-----------------------
Death (HP 4444, EXP 0):
-----------------------
Location: Clocktower
----
When he's in the purple robes use Loretta. In the grey ones use Stella. You
can destroy the hands that the scythe rebounds from with Loretta's attack
quickly to avoid it. Once he summons 4 portals from which the arms shoot
out and grab you look at their colors. The one from which the hand will
come from will glow red. If you get caught you can still use your attack
to destroy the arms quickly. Then he can also slash horizontally and
vertically if you get close enough while he's idle. If you destroy the chains
in a specific moment very early after they're made he'll get stuck in his
scythe throwing animation, and thus allow you to attack him until he dies.
During the entire fight he will be spawning small sickles around the room,
white when he's in purple robes and red when he's in the white ones. The white
sickles harm Loretta for more damage, the red ones Stella. They need to be 
destroyed before they reach you, especially on hard modes where few hits
from anything kills you. They can be destroyed with a single attack though.
This battle is completely optional and doesn't benefit you in any way, as
Death doesn't give any experience points for defeating him. Destroying him
does activate the buttons needed to open the flame pillar and the path from
the master's keep to the windy corridor though, which are convinient shortcuts
until you get enough warp points activated.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 23-49 damage to the purple robe
and 65-100 to the grey one while Loretta's deal 54 damage to the purple robe
and 15 to the grey one.

--------------------------------------------------------
Twins (Stella: HP 2500, EXP 0; Loretta: HP 2500, EXP 0):
--------------------------------------------------------
Location: Master's Keep
----
Not fought. Their room is empty.

In boss rush mode Loretta's attack works best on Stella, while Stella's on
Loretta. The attacks will have reduced effect if used on the same character.
If Loretta starts either Freeze Bite or Blizzard Storm attack fly behind her,
then attack either her or Stella while constantly flying behind Stella and
putting her into a loop to avoid her slashes. If Loretta does the Icicle Drop
attack you have to hit her as much times as you can while being under her to
stun her and hit her out of it. If she does either of her combination attacks
with Stella avoid them. The huge ice cube can be easily flied under, though
make sure you avoid the pieces that fall off when Stella cuts it. The huge
sword can be simply evaded by flying behind Loretta once she starts powering
Stella's sword up (she'll scream "Onee-sama!). They do it 3 times. They are
also fought in the Nest of Evil in Doppelganger's place.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 51-85 damage to Stella and 73-112
to Loretta, while Loretta's deal 24 damage to Stella and 1 to Loretta.

--------------------------------------------------
Whip's memory of Richter Belmont (HP 5000, EXP 0):
--------------------------------------------------
Location: Master's Keep
----
Not fought. It's a storyline induced fight, only Jonathan can fight him due
to being the heir to the whip. It's also optional for him.

-------------------------
Brauner (HP 6000, EXP 0):
-------------------------
Location: Lost Gallery
----
Not fought. His area serves only for the final cutscene after which you get
the ending credits rolling.

In the boss rush mode both of the sisters deal reduced damage to him, so
use Loretta for her speed. Once he starts drawing the patterns see how
it'll go, then dodge. The straight lines can be dodged by flying up. The
X pattern can be dodged by just standing in the middle. The rotated V
pattern can be dodged by flying up somewhere to the center of the screen.
Use the attack to destroy the lines to have somewhere to land and recover
your MP. Stella's slashes work better here, as the correct use of them
can destroy the entire pattern at once.

Brauner will use one of his three attacks to follow those patterns. During
all of them some blood will start splattering around, which can hurt you.

One - He'll create one painting and summon countless cyclops heads which
      will fly at you in wavy pattern. Those can be repelled and destroyed.

Two - He'll create a painting, then send it forward. The painting will split
      into two, and each will change into a grey figure with multiple arms,
	  one near the ceiling, one near the floor. The floor one will rush at you
      first, then the ceiling one. You can pass through them by flying down as
      soon as the lower one goes past.

Three - He'll create a painting, then send it to the center of the area, The
        painting will change into two 5 legged star shaped green monsters,
		which will go in opposite sides while rotating their legs. Fly under
		them between the legs and avoid their touch.

Once he's done he will either repeat the blood attack or teleport using his
portrait. You can still attack him while he flies around the room in the
portrait, but it's easy to get hit by it as he'll try to fly into you once
you hear him laugh.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 30-56 damage, and Loretta's deals
11 damage.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dracula and Death (Dracula: HP 6666, EXP 0; Death: HP 4444, EXP 0):
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: The Throne Room
----
Not fought. There's no way to enter the throne room due to the barrier that
blocks it, which goes down only after defeating Brauner.

If you somehow manage to get in (the game is very buggy, so there might be
a way to enter that area) use Loretta's attacks all the time and attack
Death only due to both of the sisters dealing reduced damage, Death having
less hp, lower defense and being an easier target than Dracula's head.

Dracula's attacks can be easily dodged by flying up or destroying the 
fireballs/flying up and down a bit around the lava balls. Once he turns 
into bats (he'll do it as well as all other combo attacks with Death after 
two rounds of hellfire and lava balls) just fly up to the ceiling. When 
Death summons a line of sickles change to Stella and slash at them before 
Dracula absorbs those. When they prepare for the explosion, fly behind 
Dracula and into the upper corner, which is a safe place from the attack.
Keep in mind that it's best to have enough power in that case, you wouldn't
want to lose power and descend right into an explosion.

If you fly by the ceiling the only attack you need to worry about is 
accidentaly touching Death. His vertical slashes will miss you by a mile, and
the horizontal ones will go under your legs. He won't do the dive attack while
you're on his level either until his horizontal position matches yours.

---------------------------------------
True Ancestor Dracula (HP 6666, EXP 0):
---------------------------------------
Location: The Throne Room
----
Not fought. There's no way to enter the throne room due to the barrier that
blocks it, which goes down only after defeating Brauner.

If you somehow manage to get in, use Loretta's attacks all the time due 
to both of the sisters dealing reduced damage. Dracula's attacks won't be
that hard to dodge, and he takes death's defense level, so he'll take more
damage than during the first battle.

When he tries to stomp you, fly away. If he'll float down, he'll attempt to
rush at you. You should fly up and away from him. If he spreads his wings
and starts raining the fireballs, position yourself between them and fly up
if Dracula gets too close. When he rises his arm and creates Death's scythes,
the first one will go at ground level, the second will rise after a short 
while and the third one will go upwards almost immediately. Once you deal
enough damage he'll fly into the background and spread his wings, which will
come at you from both direction in the form of giant claws. Attack both of
them to push them back from you. If you fail to do so, he'll crush you dealing
deveastating and continuous damage.

Once you defeat him you'll get the regular alternate mode ending instead of
what the sisters should normally see. The game will also autosave, thus
allowing you to get 1000% completion.

--------------------------
4b) Portrait bosses:
--------------------------
All of the regular portrait bosses must be beaten to unlock the dark
counterpart of each portrait. Defeating all of the dark portrait bosses
unlocks the portrait warp to the Lost Gallery where Brauner, Wind and 
the ending awaits.
---------------------------
Dullahan (HP 600, EXP 500):
---------------------------
Location: City of Haze
----
His lance thrust can be easily avoided by just standing on the ground a bit
away from him. If you're above him he might try to thrust it upwards. The
spirit things that he sends out when his head connects with his body can be
dodged by moving back and forward. The small spirits that he shoots when he
throws his head at you can be destroyed, or if you are on the ground you can
move away a bit to avoid them. To avoid those you can use Stella's slashes to
send the head away from his body. When he jumps either fly under him or go up
to avoid the blades that pop out from the ground. Loretta deals reduced damage
to him, especially on the harder modes.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 59-90 damage and Loretta's deals
24 damage.

----------------------------
Astarte (HP 1500, EXP 3000):
----------------------------
Location: Sandy Grave
----
Since her most deadly spell, temptation doesn't affect either of the sisters
she's not as hard as she was in main game. Use Stella, as Astarte is almost
immune to Loretta's attack (1 damage per hit). When Astarte uses temptation
it's the best moment to attack her. Be sure to avoid her whirlwind move by
flying upwards. The projectiles move should be easy, as the sisters' hitboxes
are very small, so standing on the ground should be enough to completely avoid
it until the last part where the projectiles get close to the ground. The
attack with her robe can be dodged by slightly flying upwards.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 73-112 damage and Loretta's deals
1 damage.

---------------------------
Legion (HP 2000, EXP 4000):
---------------------------
Location: Nation of Fools
----
Stella's attack should quickly remove the outer layer of bodies. Once the core
is uncovered switch to Loretta, then while trying to avoid the lasers and
falling bodies shoot the core. Once it's damaged enough the outer layer will
completely fall off and Legion will change its patterns. The 8 lasers attack
should miss you if you position yourself on one of the platforms that are
between them in the game. Otherwise try to position yourself either between
them or close to the core, which should put you out of any of legion's
attacks' range. The four flame beams will rotate, so either fly with them to
avoid contact or get close to the core to go out of their reach. Make sure
you watch your MP bar, as the whole battle is happening in the air and the bar
is drained by both your attacks and flying.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 73-112 damage and Loretta's deals
48 damage.

--------------------------
Dagon (HP 1800, EXP 6000):
--------------------------
Location: Forest of Doom
----
Use Stella, as Loretta's attack will be mostly stopped by the boss's stomach
and has reduced damage. Float all the way down and start slashing the upper
head until the lower one sucks all the water in and starts spitting it out.
In that moment fly up to avoid it. If it jumps, just continue attacking it
while repositioning yourself along the ground to a safe spot on the other 
side. The small pods it sends shouldn't be a problem if you're on the ground.
They can be easily destroyed too.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 59-90 damage and Loretta's deals
12 damage.

---------------------------------
The Creature (HP 4000, EXP 5000):
---------------------------------
Location: Dark Academy
----
It'll try jumping on you if you're too close or it'll grab you and
electrocute, therefore it's safer to fight it from distance. Once it starts
using the machine gun either use Loretta's attack to destroy the projectiles
or fly upwards and either wait or fly to the other side and resume attack.
The rocket attack cannot be destroyed and deals lots of damage, plus it'll
go at your last position, therefore make sure you fly away from it and the
explosion's radius. Flying high should put you out of most of his attacks'
reach, especially the annoying lightning attack which will home at you if
you're on the ground. Moving up and down while it prepares for it usually
makes it miss. Also getting close to it and on the ground does it as well.
Stella's attack is slightly reduced here, so Loretta's damage will stack 
up really fast.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 71-113 damage and Loretta's deals
54 damage.

-----------------------------
Werewolf (HP 4500, EXP 6000):
-----------------------------
Location: 13th Street of Evil
----
Loretta's attack has more effect on it. If it rips the street lamp off, be
close to it and on the ground to avoid it, but prepare to back off quickly,
as it'll move forward a lot once it throws the lamp. When it howls it'll
summon some wolves to help. Destroy those first. If it'll run at you back
off, it'll either swipe at you with its claws or do an uppercut if you're
high in the air. If you're too close it'll try to grab you and bite your head.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 81-125 damage and Loretta's deals
54 damage.

------------------------------
Mummy man (HP 4500, EXP 5000):
------------------------------
Location: Forgotten City
----
Loretta's attacks deal really reduced damage, so use Stella. The 5 bricks
he throws at you will deal massive damage, so you have to do your best
avoiding those, as few of them can kill you and there's no way to heal during
the battles. They'll either be created on top of screen in an almost straight
line, or around you in a circle. The three big blocks of stone which rise from
the ground, press you to the wall, then impale with spikes can be easily
dodged by flying up. The bandages, which he'll shot from his arms when he
stretches them forward need to be flied over and away from, since they home at
you. He can also teleport by dissolving his bandages, then recreating them if
you get behind him.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 81-125 damage and Loretta's deals
23 damage.

---------------------------
Medusa (HP 3500, EXP 6000):
---------------------------
Location: Burnt Paradise
----
Her petrification attack has no effect on you, so ignore it and use the moment
to attack. For the snake form wait 2 seconds or so (the snake will back out
before striking), then fly either up or down so that it'll miss you. The
medusa head spawn attack can be easily stopped by either of the sisters. When
she starts sending her tail through the ground fly up a bit, then position
yourself in between. You can also avoid it completely if you go to the far
left side of the screen, behind medusa. It doesn't work in boss rush mode.
If she rises her arm she'll attack you with it turning it into a snake, so
fly up and away from Medusa. Loretta's damage is reduced for this battle.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 65-100 damage and Loretta's deals
34 damage.

------------------------
4c) Nest of evil bosses:
------------------------
This area is completely optional, as it doesn't have any purpose in the
sisters mode except some challenge, map completion and experience, which
won't be really useful at that point anyway, seeing as it gets unlocked
only once you beat all 8 portraits, and by then there's no more bosses
before you except the Nest of Evil ones.
--------------------------
Balore (HP 3000, EXP 2000):
--------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 1
----
When he starts to pull his fist close to himself and the floor he'll punch
the ceiling above it. If he rises his fist upwards, he'll slam the ground
by the entrance to the boss room. If he pulls his fist close to his face
around the middle of the screen, he'll punch horizontally forward all the
way to the boss door, then do the same along the floor. If he pulls it a
bit back and his eye starts to flash, he'll fire the eye beam. In that case
land on the floor, as the sisters' hitboxes are small enough not to get hit
there. Loretta deals little damage to him and his fists will often block her
projectiles, so it's wiser to use Stella.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 65-100 damage and Loretta's deals
23 damage.

----------------------------
Gergoth (HP 3800, EXP 2500):
----------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 2
----
While Stella's attack deals twice as much damage Loretta is preferred choice
if you want the damage to stack up quickly as both attacks are strong vs
Gergoth. None of the stuff he breathes from his stomach can affect your 
status, but they still deal some damage so beware of them. They won't put you
into any hurt animation though, but will deal continuous damage. The laser can
be dodged by getting close to his legs and standing on the ground. For the
jump simply go forward along the ground. When he sucks the air in fly to the
opposite side and above his head.

In the boss rush mode Stella's attack deals 54-87 damage and Loretta's deals
42 damage.

---------------------------
Zephyr (HP 3210, EXP 3210):
---------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 3
----
Most of his attacks are ground based, so fly over them. When he attempts to
stop time stay in air, as long as you won't hit him in this state he won't
do a thing. If you do hit him fly up, as he'll try to slash you. Do the same
for the regular slash and knife throw. If he starts jumping up move away, as
he'll throw a dagger exactly at your last position when he'll be returning.

--------------------------
Aguni (HP 4000, EXP 3500):
--------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 4
----
Most of Aguni's attacks can be dodged easily since the sisters fly and have
small hitboxes. His flamewave can be simply flied over. The dash across the
room move won't even hit you if you stand on the ground due to the sisters'
small hitboxes. Claw swipe can be a bit problematic, but if you just move
behind him after each swipe they should all miss. The dive attack can be
dodged by flying away. Loretta's attack has some ice properties, so it'll
be more effective.

----------------------------
Abaddon (HP 5000, EXP 4000):
----------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 5
----
Use Stella here. Her attacks will deal more damage and won't be blocked by
Abaddon's insects. The U pattern can be dodged by flying into the lower
corners. For the rotated U by flying into the blind spot in the middle of
the screen or the lower/upper corner opposite to where the insects come from.
For the straight line attack you can either fly over the first wave, then land
before the second one hits you or just destroy them. The waterfall is his most
dangerous move since it cannot be dodged unless you manage to get behind
Abaddon and close to the wall. Destroy the incoming insects.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zombie trio:
(Trevor: HP 3800, EXP 3000; Grant: HP 3500, EXP 3000; Sypha: HP 3200, EXP 3000)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 6
----
Use Stella for Sypha and Loretta for the other two. Kill Sypha first, as her
spells cover the most area and she can revive Trevor once you kill him.
Trevor's whip and crosses will miss you if you stand on the ground, just be
aware that he'll also use holy water which travels on the ground and is almost
invisible. Once damaged enough he might start using a 1000 blades like attack,
which has to be flied over. Grant will mostly jump around and chuck daggers,
so dodging that won't be a problem. Sypha's spells include a petrifying mist,
which won't affect sisters except some damage. The mist goes to the ground and
dissipates in both directions. After some damage she'll start using fire,
which travels forward in a very thin line, so avoiding will be very easy. She
can also use purple fireball attack, which will send three fireballs in a dna
like path. One will travel on the upper path, two on the lower one.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Doppelganger (Stella: HP 2500, EXP 0; Loretta: HP 2500, EXP 0):
---------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 7
----
In this battle the sisters will fight themselves like they would in the twins
battle if they had it. Loretta's attack works best on Stella, while Stella's
on Loretta. The attacks will have reduced effect if used on the same
character. If Loretta starts either Freeze Bite or Blizzard Storm fly behind
her, then attack either her or Stella while constantly flying behind Stella
and putting her into a loop to avoid her slashes. If Loretta does the Icicle
Drop attack you have to hit her as much times as you can while being under her
to stun her and hit her out of it. If she does either of her combination
attacks with Stella avoid them. The huge ice cube can be easily flied under,
though make sure you avoid the pieces that fall off when Stella cuts it. The
huge sword can be simply evaded by flying behind Loretta once she starts
powering Stella's sword up. They do it 3 times. Winning this battle has no
benefits other than the map coverage. For more in depth movelist see chapter 
3b.

--------------------------------
Gold skeleton (HP 255, EXP 255):
--------------------------------
Location: Nest of Evil, route 5,6
----
Even though it's just a normal enemy it's pretty tough for the sisters since
no matter which one is used the damage dealt is always 1. The best strategy
therefore is to spam them with Loretta's attack, while keeping in mind that
the gold skeletons throw 3-6 bones, each of which can deal massive damage, so
those need to be destroyed as soon as possible before resuming to attack the
enemy. The skeletons have a lot of health points, so it'll take few times
longer than a final guard. Try to take on one or two of them at once at most.
If they're paired with other enemies such as Alastors kill the others first
before getting too close to the skeletons and activating them.

--------------------------
5. Strategies against the sisters:
--------------------------
5a) Stella:
--------------------------
During this fight the track 019 - Dance of Sadness will be playing. Stella
will usually start the fight using the ground wave. Contact with her doesn't
hurt you, but if you get too close she'll try to slash you with her sword,
either using a horizontal slash which'll also move her forward or a 360
degree one which won't. Contact with her sword while she does her special
attacks also deals additional damage.

Stats:
HP: 2500
MP: pressumably 9999 or infinite
Exp: 0
SP: 0
Strong vs: Ice
Weak vs: Whips, Slashing weapons, Fire, Lightning

---------------------
Stella's attacks are:
---------------------
Ground Wave:
Stella will shout "Ougi!" while landing on the ground, then shout "Renpa!",
do a 360 degree sword slash and create a big shockwave, which will travel
along the ground while getting smaller. It can be jumped over. It will also
miss you if you're standing in the doorway. Note, that she can turn around
before the wave is sent.
---------------------
Aerial wave:
Stella will shout "Shippu!" and send an aerial wave with her sword while
slashing it downwards. The wave will travel across the screen. Once she's
done she'll send another one. To avoid this jump to have her send it high,
then crouch on the ground upon landing.
---------------------
Crescent moons:
Once damaged enough she'll start using a new attack, where she'll laugh,
say "Goran asobasu." then start flying around the room and creating four
crescent moon shaped projectiles (She'll shout "Kogetsu!" during the first
one), which will quickly start rotating and go at your last position one
after another. Once she's done creating them she can still attack you with
her other attacks to mess up your attempts to dodge them.
---------------------
If you try to use a skill or spell on her while she's idle she'll quickly
teleport to another location while saying "muda desu wa" to avoid it.

--------------------------------
a.) Jonathan and Charlotte mode:
--------------------------------
Equip Charlotte with the "Don Quixote" book, as well as "Summon Gunman" spell.
Stella is weak against fire and lightning, but the lightning spell is close 
to Death who you can't get to at this point. Don Quixote has a flame element,
which will do additional damage. 

Use fully charged gunmen when Stella flies close to the ground mostly when she
prepares for some of her attacks. Each hit should do around 80-100 damage or
so depending from your Int stats and fully charged should hit 4 times. If
you have lightning (new game + or so), it will deal lots of damage when fully
charged, as well as ignore her attempts to teleport away.

Jonathan should be used as support, but make sure not to let him get hit too
much, as your mp needed for the spells will be drained away quickly. His
crossbow skill might deal some nice damage as well if it's high level enough
or even mastered due to it having flame properties, so you can use it with
the R button when Stella is on a direct line of hit.

For dual attacks Axe Bomber works well here if Stella flies close to the
ground. Volcano can be used to gain temporary invincibility, as well as for
its flame properties.

---------------------------
b.) Richter and Maria mode:
---------------------------
The battle is optional for the Rondo duo. It can be bypassed by going from
the other way and simply walking through the small pipe like area due to 
Maria's background detection being very low. Other way is to continue to
Death, defeat him and use the vertical shaft to get behind the flame wall.
From there through the silent corridor you can easily get to the Forest of
Doom portrait.

Since Stella is weak to flame and lightning you can use either Maria's red
birds or cat. Birds deal a bit more damage, but Stella will often teleport
away. Maria's regular birds will also deal lots of damage since they are
pretty fast and really spammable, so start using those if you run out of mp.

-----------------------
c.) Old Axe Armor mode:
-----------------------
The battle is optional for the Axe Armor. It can be bypassed by going from
the other way and simply walking through the small pipe like area due to 
Old Axe Armor's background detection being very low. Other way is to continue
to Death, defeat him and use the vertical shaft to get behind the flame wall.
From there through the silent corridor you can easily get to the Forest of
Doom portrait.

Holding up will result in continuous damage dealt by the axe, so if Stella
is close to the ground use that. Jumping will also make the axe deal damage,
so that can be used to damage her while she's too high. Be warned that she
can slash you with her sword while doing that though. Use some throwing
axes too. While they're not that good against Stella, the damage they deal
will add up, as well as that's the only offensive subweapon you can use in
this mode.

--------------------------
5b) Stella and Loretta:
--------------------------
During this fight the track 019 - Dance of Sadness will be playing. In this
battle Stella won't use any of her attacks from the previous fight, allowing
Loretta to show off a bit. She will only ocassionally slash with her sword
and do combo attacks with Loretta. Loretta herself will be the main attacker
during this fight. Only one of the sisters needs to be defeated to win this
battle.

Stats:
-----------------------
Stella:
HP: 2500
MP: pressumably 9999 or infinite
Exp: 0
SP: 0
Strong vs: Ice
Weak vs: Whips, Slashing weapons, Fire, Lightning
-----------------------
Loretta:
HP: 2500
MP: pressumably 9999 or infinite
Exp: 0
SP: 0
Strong vs: Ice
Weak vs: Whips, Slashing weapons, Fire
----------------------
Loretta's attacks are:
----------------------
Blizzard Storm: 
Loretta will rise her arms, scream "Ha!", rotate around once and a vertical
portal will appear before her. Then she'll scream "Blizzard Storm" and
multiple ice flakes and icy wind will fly from it. The ice flakes each can
hit you, and the wind will push you back.  It's best to run behind Loretta
during this attack. If you do, Stella will be trying to slash you.
----------------------
Freeze bite: 
Loretta will rise her arms, scream "Tya!", rotate around three times, scream
"Freeze Bite!" and a vertical portal will appear before her. A second later
two smaller portals will appear out of it and several icy wolf heads will
start appearing from them. Few seconds later one after another she'll start
sending them forward. If you're on the opposite side, they'll rush at you with
insane speed. It's best to run behind Loretta during this attack. If you do,
Stella will be trying to slash you.
----------------------
Icicle Drop: 
Loretta will fly almost to the ground level, rise her arms, say "Ei!" then
start spinning around. A horizontal portal will materialise above her, then
go up to the ceiling. After two or three seconds she'll shout "Icicle Drop"
and point with her finger at you, then rise to the air. In that moment
multiple icicles will start materialising from the portal and falling down.
Loretta will follow you during this attack, and so will the portal. This
attack will last as long as she isn't hit out of it. To hit her out of it
get under her and attack few times from below. During the attack Stella will
be attempting to slash you with her sword.
----------------------
Ice Sword combination attack:
Loretta will start spinning and create lots of small snowflakes around her
in an orb form. Stella will fly in front of her and rise her arms. The ice
orb will dissipate, then Loretta will scream "Onee-sama!" and blow the icy
wind from her arms in Stella's direction, creating a huge ice sword in
Stella's hands. Stella will say "Yokute yo." then "Shinde itadakimasu wa."
while striking the ground with the sword. She will very quickly go in your
direction, and any contact with the sword will deal massive damage. They will
repeat this attack three times, except the remaining two attacks will not
have the last phrase.
----------------------
Ice cube combination attack:
Stella will shout "Loretta!", and Loretta will start spinning around while
having some sort of glow around her. Around 1/4 of screen length before her
a huge ice cube will materialise. Loretta will say "Kakugoshinasai!", while
Stella will fly close to the ceiling and hover on the opposite side of the
ice cube than you. The cube will also move at you and push you back. Few
seconds later Stella will laugh, then while saying "goran asobasu" will slash
through the ice cube breaking it into small pieces and sending the shards at
your direction. The ice pieces need to be avoided.

--------------------------------
a.) Jonathan and Charlotte mode:
--------------------------------
If you're going for the good ending, you'll have to use the spell "Sanctuary"
on at least one of the sisters. It takes a while to cast and its range is
pretty limited, so you'll have to start casting it as Charlotte and then
draw the sisters' attention to Jonathan to avoid Charlotte being hit. As the
spell gets finished lure them back to Charlotte. You can use the "Taunt"
skill to distract the sisters.

There's also one very easy way to win this battle. Wait till Loretta starts
casting Freeze Bite or Blizzard Storm. Once she does it, run behind Loretta
and Stella and have Charlotte start the Sanctuary spell.

The problem now is, Stella will be slashing you with her sword as long as
Loretta casts the spell. Well, there's one easy way out. If you go behind
Stella, she'll cancel the attack she was preparing and turn around, then
prepare to slash again. All you have to do now is repeat it until the spell
is ready. Loretta won't start any other attacks as long as Stella isn't idle,
and Stella will be too busy turning around and preparing to slash.

Also note, in boss rush mode sanctuary will deal 15 damage to Loretta and 50
to Stella, but won't give you an auto-victory.
-------------------------
If you don't care for the good ending/want to get the bad ending, equip time
stop spell on Charlotte and mastered Bwaka Knife on Jonathan. Time stop is a
reward for the quest 'hands of the clock'.

Loretta being weaker to physical attacks and usually stationary is the better
target for this tactic. Once the fight starts, wait for Loretta to stop and
hover in one place (during her Blizzard Storm, Freeze Bite or the Ice Cube
combination attack), then cast time stop as Charlotte using R. When the time
stops throw all bwaka knives you can at Loretta while being really close. The
knives will freeze, but they'll deal comtinuous damage until the time resumes.

You can also use axes on her if you don't have the time stop or the bwaka
knives. The axes aren't frozen in time though. Be aware, that once Charlotte
is out of the screen the spell will stop working.

---------------------------
b.) Richter and Maria mode:
---------------------------
Axes work good on Loretta (good damage, multiple hits, can be easily spammed).
Maria's cat attack will deal a lot of damage to Stella, but since she usually
floats high in this battle they will hit her at most once. Maria's birds also
deal some decent damage to Loretta and can be spammed even more than
Richter's axes. Her red birds work fine on both sisters, since they're weak
to fire.

-----------------------
c.) Old Axe Armor mode:
-----------------------
Holding up will result in constant damage with the axe, so if they're in range
use that. Use throwing axes on Loretta, as she's pretty weak to them. She's
also weaker to physical attacks than Stella, so concentrate all attacks on her.

--------------------------
6. Script:
--------------------------
Intro:
*Both of the sisters land in the starting area of the castle.*

Stella: Father must have come to this castle.
Loretta: Stella, Father said we weren't to come here, no matter what.
Stella: I know that, but he's never been so late coming back before.
Stella: You're worried too, aren't you?
Loretta: Well, yes, but... But I'm scared!
Stella: So am I. But we have to go!
Loretta: !! I just sensed Father's power.
Stella: !!
Stella: He's alive! Let's hurry!
Loretta: Right.
*Then the gameplay is quickly described.*
-------------------------------------------------
Ending: 
*As the sisters enter Brauner's big portrait.*
Stella: !!
Loretta: Father!
*Stella walks to Eric who lies down on the floor and kneels down*
Eric: S-Stay back!
Stella: But you're hurt so badly!
Eric: !!
Eric: Brauner!
*Eric rises a bit, Brauner fades in behind Stella, who stands up and looks up*
Stella: !!
*Brauner grabs her, bites her neck, then lets her go as she falls down 
unconsious*
Loretta: Stella!
*Brauner quickly floats to Loretta, who falls down on her knees.*
Brauner: Have no fear. I shall grant you a world of peace, my beloved 
daughters...
Loretta: ...
Eric: Stop it... STOP IT, PLEASE!!!
*Eric rises his arm in direction of Brauner and Loretta. Screen fades to
white, credits roll*

During the ending credits only the portraits of Eric, Stella, Loretta and
Brauner are shown.

Note, it's the only ending where the game isn't saved once the ending 
finishes.

--------------------------
7. Credits:
--------------------------
Myself: For writing this FAQ. Without me it wouldn't exist. :P
Konami: For making this great game, without which this FAQ wouldn't exist.
Castlevania Dungeon guys: Hay guyz! :P
#cv on irc.mandog.com: Probably the biggest Castlevania themed IRC chat.
Notepad++ creator: For his great program, which was used to write this FAQ.

--------------------------
8. Update history:
--------------------------
12/19/2006 - The first public version of the FAQ was finished.
12/23/2006 - Updated the profiles, as well as added few small corrections,
             found a benefit for defeating Death and updated his strategy a
			 little bit. Added the story script.
01/20/2007 - More info, the vs the sisters section updated and most likely
             finished. More random stuff added and fixed.
01/23/2007 - Fixes, stats, etc.
02/11/2007 - Fixes, updates etc. 

--------------------------
9. Contact info:
--------------------------
You can usually find me hanging around #cv on irc.mandog.com
In case I'm not there or you're afraid of using IRC my email is
[email protected].

Please use English or Polish languages if you decide to write to me, as I'm
not good enough to know other languages to the level I could communicate
with others. Mmkay? :P