Glyphs and Combat

Here is your guide for all things related to glyphs, statistics, and combat. Spoilers (such as certain bosses, the effects of certain story-related glyphs, etc) are UNMARKED.

Glyphs and Glyph Unions

Glyphs are your attacks and weapons. Shanoa is wholly a magic-based character, so all of them cost a small amount of MP to cast, with it functioning as a stamina bar. They can also automatically cancel into each other, so you can chain X and Y together for combos. They come in a variety of different types, but the two main categories, in my opinion, are Weapon glyphs and Magic glyphs. Weapons function nearly identically to your typical weapons apart from the MP cost, and are generally faster, though close-ranged. Magic glyphs have a wider range but are slower, and have elemental damage. There are also back glyphs, which alter Shanoa’s stats in some way, summon familiars, allow for mobility, and so on. Back glyphs are passive whereas arm glyphs are “active”.

Additionally, your arm glyphs can be combined into a super powerful attack called a union glyph, which costs Hearts, a “currency” that can be found by destroying candles and breakable objects. Union glyphs typically cost around 15 Hearts, but can be lower or higher depending on how powerful they are.

Glyph Union Cheat Sheet

This is intended to give you a general idea of what combinations create glyph unions. Incompatible glyphs will create a blast of air called Pulsus, which is much weaker but isn’t entirely useless, as it lacks an attribute (and thus can’t be resisted) and costs very few hearts.

Weapon X Same Weapon – Large, upgraded version of that same weapon

Weapon X Different Weapon – Incompatible

Weapon X Magic – Creates a sword or other weapon with the attribute of the magic glyph (for example, Secare X Ignis creates a fire sword called Mars)

Magic X Same Magic Attribute/Glyph – Upgraded version

Magic X Different Magic – Depends but usually incompatible (some exceptions are Light X Dark and Fire X Electricity)

Make sure to experiment with which combos you like and find useful for your playstyle.

Standout Glyphs

That is to say, my recommendations for some of the best glyphs to use, for all sorts of stages in the game.

-Early Game-
Monastery to Skeleton Cave

Luminatio – Found at the top of the Lighthouse, this glyph covers a wide area and is light attribute, which a great deal of enemies are weak to. Good for clearing out an area from afar, and easy to get your hands on.

Ascia Glyphs – Especially in Ruvas Forest, which has a lot of flying enemies (coincidentally the first place you can find this glyph), the slash-attribute axe is always useful for attacking above and beneath you before you have better options.

Macir Glyphs – Hammers in this game are faster than is typical for Castlevania and they do a lot of damage when used against the right enemies. They’ll especially be your best friend in the Skeleton Cave, and there are a lot of early enemies and bosses that are weak to them.

Arma Chiroptera – Found as a random drop from the Werebats in Misty Forest Road, this allows you to turn into one. Its main attraction is being able to fire bat projectiles, which will go through enemies rather then dissipating when hit. They can also destroy projectiles, and multiple can be onscreen at a time. They’re good for clearing out long rooms. The Werebat form also comes with a close-range kick that heals Shanoa by +1 HP every time she hits something with it, including breakable objects like candles.

-Mid Game-
Somnus Reef to Mystery Manor

Pneuma – In the second section of Tymeo Mountains, you can absorb Pneuma by landing on a platform with Magnes and absorbing it before you fall off. Many assume you need some kind of item to prevent the wind from blowing you- this is not true. It’s all up to properly angling your Magnes and having quick reflexes. Pneuma is a large slash-attribute glyph that has a special bonus- by pressing both X and Y at the same time it will summon a much larger Pneuma. It has a long range and is generally pretty useful.

Vol Umbra – Found in a dark puzzle room across from Albus’s boss room, it is a powerful dark-attribute glyph that lingers for a few seconds and inflicts damage per frames of contact. Albus is weak to dark attribute and this glyph is extremely useful for the fight.

Vol Luminatio – A homing ball of light. Most enemies are weak to light, and it’s also good against the Barlowe boss fight. It’s also easy to get from White Fomor. Its only disadvantage is being fairly slow.

Inire Pecunia – Found in Tristis Pass, this glyph will increase the amount of G you get from candles. If combined with two Gold Rings (found in rare chests in Kalidus Channel), one can easily farm lots of money in a short amount of time.

Scutum Glyphs – Shields that can be used to block projectiles- can cover area in front of you (Vol and Melio) or above your head (regular Scutum)

-Late Game-
Dracula’s Castle

Nitesco – This glyph can be absorbed from Nova Skeletons in the Underground Labyrinth of Dracula’s Castle, and has a reputation as the most broken glyph in the game. This is because of a variety of factors. It has two common enemy weaknesses as its attributes, light and flame. Additionally, creating a glyph union with a weapon glyph creates a sword called Venus, with long reach and a powerful damage output. It has immense potential for absolutely destroying tough enemies, and its reputation is well earned.

Dominus Agony – Costs 66 HP per second but increases every stat by +66. Using this in combination with powerful attacks can melt through boss HP and can trivialize fights.

Lapiste – Found in a Paries-based puzzle in the Underground Labyrinth, this is one of the best strike attribute glyphs, and its signature union glyph, two fists smashing together, covers nearly the whole screen, making it very useful for places like the Large Cavern or anywhere you might be swarmed with enemies. Additionally, Lapiste has one of the fastest combo speeds, making it potentially very powerful.

Rapidus Fio – This game’s speed upgrade glyph. It lets you go very fast and gives you a farther jump, and is a great boon to Shanoa’s mobility. It also deals weak slash damage on contact. It’s found in the secret passageway in the Underground Labyrinth.

Acerbatus – A glyph that can only be found in Albus’s boss fight, and the only truly “missable” glyph. Make sure you absorb it from him when you have the opportunity. It’s dark/electric and is powerful and lets out a very large projectile, with the secondary effect of cursing your enemies, which slows them down.

Fidelis Medusa – A familiar glyph that summons Medusa Heads that circle around you. They’re good for blocking projectiles, can petrify enemies, and deal damage on contact. They’re an 100% drop from Gorgon Heads, the grey version of Medusa Heads. They become truly useful once you level them up (see my familiar guide on this page for more info) and are extremely useful when playing Hard Mode especially.

Of course, these are not the only glyphs worth using, just ones I found particularly useful while playing. I would recommend experimenting for yourself. One of Order of Ecclesia’s best qualities is just how customizable your playstyle is!

Relics

Relics are the objects that usually allow for progression and movement upgrades in a Castlevania game. In Order of Ecclesia, the structure is quite linear, so they’re hard to miss, but here I’ll have a list of Relics, as well as progression-enabling glyphs. Relics can be found inside golden chests.

Lizard Tail – Slide by pressing DOWN + B. This Relic is in your inventory when you start the game, which makes me wonder why they made it a Relic at all.

Glyph Union – Also available from the start, it allows for glyph unions with UP + X/Y.

Book of Spirits – Can be found inside a chest in the Monastery. It displays enemy names when you attack them.

Magnes – A back glyph activated with R that you’ll automatically find as you progress through the Monastery. It allows you to attach to magnetic points, and pull Shanoa in a specific direction with the D-pad and send her flying, like a slingshot. This glyph continues to be used up until the end of the game, so make sure you’re fully comfortable with how it controls. I personally prefer using the circle pad on the 3DS for Magnes as it feels more intuitive than the buttons, but it’s perfectly usable even if you’re not on a 3DS.

Glyph Sleeve – Found in a golden chest at the end of Minera Prison Island, it allows you to swap quickly between three different glyph equipment settings. Making full use of this will greatly help you in combat, as one of Shanoa’s greatest strengths is her variety- additionally, enemy’s attribute weaknesses play a greater role in combat here than most other Castlevanias, so it’s important to switch up your weaponry between fights to take advantage of it. As a nice bonus, you can actually receive the Glyph Sleeve early, inside of Ecclesia, while playing on Hard Mode. Additionally, if you’re waiting to cast a glyph and the cool down animation is still playing before you’re able to (particularly noticeable with magic glyphs like Acerbatus), you can switch to another Glyph Sleeve and then back to cancel the animation cooldown.

Serpent Scale – Allows you to sink and walk in water, as well as unlocks the second portion of the Kalidus Channel map. Water works just like how you would walk on land, except Shanoa is much floatier and a bit slower, and you have infinite jumps to “swim” with. Will be found when you finish the Lighthouse boss fight.

Ordinary Rock – This rock is actually far from ordinary- it allows you to double jump! You can find it at the end of the Skeleton Cave. Make sure to check prior maps for villagers you need double jump to reach and rescue. Additionally, you can also down-kick from a double jump by pressing the jump button a third time while holding DOWN.

Paries – A glyph that allows you to travel through portals in walls. Absorbing it is the key to beating the Wallman fight in the Library section of Dracula’s Castle. There are other places in previous maps where Paries holds some secrets…

Arma Custos, Sinestro Custos, & Dextro Custos – The three Cerberus glyphs are necessary to open the passageway to the castle’s Final Approach and beat the game. Arma Custos can be found in a room blocked by the Eligor boss fight in the Arms Depot, Sinestro guarded by Death in the Machine Tower, and Dextro is found by exploring the Library. As a nice bonus, if all three are equipped, Arma’s stat boost is further increased, and Sinestro and Dextro do more damage. If you take them to the Cerberus statue in the Forsaken Cloister and use all of them, you can progress to the final area in the game.

Volaticus – Volaticus is only really necessary to cross the broken staircase in front of Dracula’s throne room (and even then it can be skipped if you’ve gotten Redire from the Training Hall). It’s in the Final Approach with a whole large room dedicated to it. Just explore a little and you’ll find it.

Dominus – The three powerful, plot-important Glyphs are necessary in the final battle. They’ll automatically be given to you as you progress through the story. Dominus Agony is by far the most practical for use in actual combat, allowing you to do massive damage while it’s active- just keep a close eye on your HP.

Attributes

By now you’ve probably noticed that I mention attributes and attribute points a lot. This is because understanding enemy weaknesses is key to dealing the most damage possible. Basically, they’re like Pokemon types- each attack has its own attribute(s). There are seven: strike, slash, flame, ice, thunder, light and darkness.

How do you tell what attributes an enemy is weak to at a glance? Well, you can experiment with different attacks, but it can also be easy to acertain based on how they look. A good rule of thumb for physical attacks is that if an enemy is fleshy or squishy (like a Zombie or a Nominon) they’ll be weak to slashing glyphs like Secare or Pneuma, and if they’re armored or tough, they’ll be weak to striking attacks like Lapiste or Macir. Additionally, light attacks are usually a safe bet against most enemies- these are creatures of darkness, after all. Most enemies in the water areas are ice attribute, and are thus weak to fire or thunder. Just make sure to switch it up and see what works.

Additionally, some glyphs (and most glyph unions) have multiple attribute types. These are especially useful as the most advantageous attribute is the one that takes precedence when damage is calculated. For example, if you use Acerbatus, a dark/electric glyph, against something that’s weak to electricity, but not darkness, it will be treated as a pure electric glyph and deal extra damage. This is part of what makes union glyphs so powerful.

There are also attribute points, which basically make it so that the more you use glyphs of a certain type, the more powerful glyphs of that attribute will be. Additionally, when a glyph is absorbed, you will gain a point for each attribute. It takes a long time to max out with conventional methods, but when all attributes are maxed, this will triple your damage output from what it would be by default. Attribute points can also be boosted by Drops, consumables which will give you 1,000 attribute points in a certain element. However, there is a very limited amount of these per playthrough, and the amount is miniscule compared to the amount needed to max out your damage (65,535 AP).

Thankfully, there is a simple enough way to max them out, though it requires some setting up.

What you need:
-The Tower Ring
-Emperor Ring
-Refectio
-Enough defense that White Fomor do 1 damage (At least 78)
-Some tape or a coin

Simply enter the Mystery Manor, save, enter the room next to the save room with two White Fomor, and tape your UP button down/side a coin under the circle pad while using Refectio. This will keep you healing at a higher speed than the Fomor can do damage on contact, and you’ll be constantly absorbing the Vol Luminatio they cast, with the Tower Ring preventing you from being stunned. Then leave your DS charging and idle, and let Shanoa keep absorbing glyphs until every attribute is maxed out. This can take a long time, possibly even days, so keep this in mind.

Status Conditions

Throughout the game there are different status effects that can be inflicted.

CURSE – Inflicted by Curse Divas, Ectoplasms, etc. Will immediately drain your MP and remain at zero until it wears off. Without MP you cannot attack, so I recommend having some uncurse potions. You can curse and slow down enemies with certain glyphs or familiars.

POISON – Inflicted by Skull Spiders, Arachne, Gravedorcus, etc. Will gradually cause damage over time and weaken your attack. Can also be inflicted with the Skull Spider familiar.

PETRIFY – Inflicted by Medusa Heads, Stone Roses, etc. Damages and temporarily immobilizes Shanoa. Can be inflicted by certain glyphs or familiars to freeze an enemy and decrease their defense.

Familiar Glyphs

Familiars are monsters you can summon to follow you and attack enemies for you. They max out at level 3, and can gain EXP by defeating enemies while they are active, or by absorbing multiple copies of their glyph (around 17 per level). There are 7 in all:

Fidelis Caries – Summons zombies that will slowly wander around and deal small amounts of damage and can block projectiles. Are sometimes used in Hard Mode to mitigate the danger of Bone Pillar fireballs in the Skeleton Cave. Can easily be maxed out by absorbing multiple copies from the Necromancer in Ruvas Forest, which makes them more powerful and summons multiple zombies.

Fidelis Aranea – Summons a Skull Spider that can damage and poison enemies, and are dropped by Skull Spiders which can be easily found in Tymeo Mountains. Levelling it up will increase its speed, and it’s the only way to poison enemies. It can crawl on any surface, including walls and ceilings.

Fidelis Noctua – Dropped by Owls (but not Owl Knights, notably), and summons a swooping owl that will attack enemies. Leveling it up will increase the amount of owls summoned, for a maximum of three. When left idle they will perch on Shanoa’s shoulders and head, which has no in-game effect, but is very cute.

Fidelis Polkir – Summons a Polkir, a flying squid monster that can create beams of fire along the ground. Very slow to attack, and not particularly useful compared to other familiars, but leveling it up will increase its power. Dropped by (what else?) Polkir.

Fidelis Medusa – 100% drop by Gorgon Heads, which makes them extremely easy to max out. Very useful, can block projectiles and petrify certain enemy types, and when levelled up will increase their number, eventually creating a full circle around Shanoa. Medusa Heads are by far the best familiar of the bunch.

Fidelis Alate – Summons Winged Skeletons (only dropped by the gold variant) in a way that functions similarly to the owl. These skeletons infinitely spawn in the Volaticus room, so it’s the best way to max them out. Levelling it up increases their number for a maximum of three following you.

Fidelis Mortus – Absorbed when cast by the Jiang Shi, the final boss of the Large Cavern (for more detailed tips see Irina’s section of the Wygol Village page). Maxing it out will increase their number. Notable for being able to curse enemies, and being fast and more powerful than the other familiars.

However, if you don’t want to farm glyphs to max them out, you can also idly gain EXP for them. Simply go to the room in the Monastery with the infinitely spawning zombies, and jump onto one of the platforms just out of reach. Then summon your familiar and leave your DS charging as they go around killing the zombies. This takes much longer but requires less effort. To see the change in levels you must de-activate and re-activate the glyph.

Boss Guide

Small strategy guides and descriptions of the various bosses and their attack patterns. For every boss, if you complete it with no damage, you’ll receive a Medal- these are purely for bragging rights, and have no effect on gameplay.

Arthroverta

“A giant mutant created to guard the stronghold.”
HP: 700
Weaknesses: Slash, Flame
Tolerances: Strike

Arthroverta is a large beetle that has a few different attacks. It will attempt to crush you with its claws, which has a telegraphed wind up animation, I recommend backdashing with L to quickly get out of the way. It will also open up its face-plate to drop webs onto you, which will damage you, for this one you’ll want to be closer to Arthroverta rather than backed up against the wall. Thirdly, it will roll into a ball and try to ram you. To avoid this attack, cling to the Magnes points in the room, and then let go of R without flinging yourself once the attack is finished. Glyphs such as Confodere and Secare are useful here.

Giant Skeleton

“A giant condemned in ages past.”
HP: 800
Weaknesses: Strike, Flame, Light
Tolerances: Ice, Darkness

The Giant Skeleton is a very tough boss for how early it is in the game. It can kick, grab and punch Shanoa, and the important thing to keep in mind is to avoid getting cornered with the Magnes points. Once you’re on the other side of the arena Giant Skeleton will turn over on its back and begin quickly skittering towards you, at this point use that opportunity to get back on the left side of the arena. Use hammers, stay mobile, and focus more on dodging than getting in close to attack.

Brachyura

“A giant crab from the depths of Transylvanian history.”
HP: 1,800
Weaknesses: Strike, Thunder
Tolerances: Flame

Brachyura cannot be defeated by depleting its HP, but rather by progressing up the Lighthouse and activating the elevator. Despite not being weak to slashing attacks, thus rendering them not very powerful in this fight, I actually recommend Ascia so you can continue racking up damage even when its claw is out of range. With enough damage it will switch to its red phase and smash the ceiling above you, so you progress onwards to the next “stopping point” by using Magnes and the various platforms to head upwards, and repeat the process of dodging its claw and various attacks and getting it to break the ceiling again until you reach the elevator at the top. Then, just press DOWN while on the elevator to satisfyingly destroy the crab- Shanoa even has a badass voice line while doing it. (Albus Mode has a unique one, too!) This fight is known for being somewhat tricky, but a lot of it comes down to knowing where to stand and keeping a cool head throughout.

Man Eater

“This monstrous insect buzzes about inside a great skull.”
HP: 2,500
Weaknesses: Slash (Worms), Flame, Light, Strike (Skull)
Tolerances: None

The easiest way to defeat Man Eater is to bait it into repeatedly smashing itself onto the ground by standing underneath it, as this is easier to consistently dodge than its sonic beams or its skull projectiles. Thankfully the beams are well telegraphed, and as it’s charging up that attack simply get out of the aim of the tentacles. The projectiles are a little more tricky as they’re small and not as well telegraphed, but remember that you can destroy them by attacking them. I recommend using Luminatio here.

Rusalka

“This aquatic demon compels the squalls to obedience.”
HP: 2,800
Weaknesses: Slash, Thunder
Tolerances: Strike, Ice

Rusalka will attack you with its tentacle hair or spray beams of water at you, but she will also summon totem statues. These can be destroyed with an attack- DO NOT DESTROY THEM. When she summons her maelstrom wave (telegraphed with a voice cue) you must hide under one of the Moai. For this reason I recommend sticking to melee slash attacks rather than beams, to avoid accidentally destroying the statues and getting caught in an attack that can easily ruin you.

Goliath

“The only thing more massive than he is the weight of his blasphemies.”
HP: 4,200
Weaknesses: Slash
Tolerances: Thunder

Goliath is huge and bulky, and stomps around- keeping the arc and placement of his steps in mind is important to surviving. Additionally, he can also stop to wind up a punch that will create a massive fissure of spikes in front of him, when this is telegraphed make sure you run to the other side of the room lest you get caught in them. He can also punch the ceiling to make debris rain on you. The Scutum glyph can be used to protect you from falling projectiles. He will also briefly curl up into a fetal position and remain motionless, giving you ample opportunity to attack, but make sure you keep your distance when he unfurls, as he will make a sudden grabbing motion. If you’re grabbed by him, you’ll be briefly immobilized and he will continuously punch you for large amounts of damage until he lets you go. You can get the powerful sword glyph Vol Secare in the Giant’s Dwelling, as well as Vol Falcis as a drop from Miss Murder here, which are both good options for inflicting damage on Goliath.

Gravedorcus

“A monster that tracks its prey through vibrations in the earth.”
HP: 3,600
Weaknesses: Ice, Strike
Tolerances: None

Vol Grando is the best Glyph for this fight. Gravedorus will burrow under the sand and resurface to spew poison gas or spiked balls that do damage on contact, but can be destroyed. Since this animation is long, I recommend, when it resurfaces, to use the Grando union glyph to do lots of damage with an ice storm. There are also two platforms that Gravedorcus will destroy during the fight which I personally don’t recommend standing on. However, it is good to stand next to them because it’s generally where Gravedorcus will surface. When it swims through the sand its fin is often visible, and can be attacked. It can also lunge across the screen and get stuck after running into the wall which is a huge opportunity to do lots of damage.

Albus

“Expert in the use of firearms. His gun is called "Agartha."”
HP: 4000
Weaknesses: Dark, Slash
Tolerances: None

Albus is a very fast, agile boss who will attack by firing beams from his gun. He can be intimidating and hard to keep track of, but all of his attacks are extremely telegraphed by his voice lines. When he says “Vertical Shot”, he will fire two beams of light and darkness in a twisting “DNA” pattern. Don’t jump to avoid these, but rather stand where they’re the farthest apart from each other- once you’re used to his patterns the spacing is easy to predict. When he says “Glyph in bullet!” he begins charging up Max Shot/Acerbatus, which I highly recommend absorbing. It’s one of the stronger glyphs in the game and is the only one it’s possible to miss. Acerbatus itself is a large orb that will curse you on contact. Curse is very dangerous as it prevents you from attacking, so I urge you to keep a lot of distance when he fires off Max Shot. Do not jump above him, however, as he will activate his devastating fire kick to knock you out of the air. He can also fire a single regular bullet, which is not telegraphed, as well as fill the screen with Torpor, which will immobilize you, but the positioning of it is well telegraphed before the attack is activated. I highly recommend using the glyph Vol Umbra against him. Additionally, in Hard Mode, he can use Grando, Fulgur and Ignis, for these I recommend jumping out of the way. It’s a confusing, chaotic fight, but is by far one of my favorite fights in the entire Castlevania series. It’s a ton of fun.

Barlowe

“A pitiable madman, his body is now Dracula's vessel.”
HP: 4000
Weaknesses: Light, Slash
Tolerances: Darkness

Barlowe will attack with spells from his magical tomes, while flying and teleporting around the room. His attacks are telegraphed by voice lines- if he says “Ustio” he will send a volley of fireballs down at you. Keep moving to dodge them, but you can also use shield glyphs to block them. If he says “Glacies”, double jump into the air as he drops the book on the floor, to avoid this attack, otherwise you will be immobilized and get struck by a powerful lightning attack (note: in Hard Mode, this attack will last longer and you’ll have to dive kick off of Barlowe’s head to stay in the air long enough). If he says “Tonitrus” he will surround himself with lightning and bounce at a high speed around the arena. This is the hardest to dodge due to how hard it is to predict. He can also cast Globus, which will also bounce around the room. When his health is lowered a certain amount, he’ll bring out his final trick, which is his teleporting punch. He will teleport from side to side and attempt a flying punch 5 times, and if you get hit it is hard to escape and he will pretty much juggle you. To dodge this, I recommend staying still until you see him appear, then jump into the air while the attack happens. You can also fire off Vol Luminatio as you’re jumping out of the way for some extra damage.

Wallman

“Walls are no obstacle for this bizarre being.”
HP: 9999
Weaknesses: Slash
Tolerances: None

Wallman cannot be killed in the typical manner, as he will infinitely regenerate his health. However, if you continue to deplete it, he will pull out a super potion, and you can actually grab one of them during the fight (only one, though). To defeat Wallman, you need to find a safe place to stand out of the way of his bombs and absorb his glyph, Paries. The platform next to the entrance is actually a perfect place to absorb the glyph, so just stand there and hold UP.

Blackmore

“Sustains himself on the essence of his victims' souls.”
HP: 5000
Weaknesses: Flame, Light
Tolerances: Darkness

Blackmore moves fast and deals lots of damage, so I would recommend using the Onyx Pins to neutralize his dark attribute attacks. Additionally, his area, the Underground Labyrinth, is also the best place to get one of the best light glyphs, Nitesco. Remember to keep his attack patterns in mind and keep attacking his shadow. When you’ve depleted half his health, his attacks become faster and more relentless, so watch out!

Eligor

“A giant demon knight summoned to protect the castle.”
HP: 3000
Weaknesses: Strike, Thunder (Legs), Slash (Eye)
Tolerances: Flame

One of the largest bosses in a Castlevania game, he has a lot of things to throw at you- A massive sword to stab you in the front and try and knock you off his back, crossbows on his flank, a blade on a chain for a tail, and the ability to crush you with his hooves. Additionally, you can only kill him once you’re on top of his back and can attack his eye, so you’ll have to destroy the orbs on his legs to get underneath him, attack his hind legs, and then climb on his back and wail on him. He’s by far one of the toughest fights in the game. I have these recommendations: attack the legs with Acerbatus, and have Scutum shield glyphs ready to defend against the arrows. Additionally, his sword and chain attacks are very clearly broadcasted, so make sure to get out of the way when he starts honing his attack. When you’re underneath his hooves, make sure to keep moving so you avoid getting trampled, and use Ascia glyphs to destroy his crossbows (optional but highly recommended). Once you’re on his back, focus only on maximizing your attack to quickly destroy the eye and kill him, as getting thrown off means repeating a phase or two of the fight.

Death

“Dracula's confidant. Knows dark secrets hidden from all others.”
HP: 4444
Weaknesses: Light
Tolerances: Darkness

Death, like in most Castlevania games, is focused around summoning projectiles. As such I recommend having a familiar active (Fidelis Medusa especially) and using Scutum to destroy them if you’re in a tough spot. It will also summon 6 large sickles that move in an arc that curves upwards, I recommend sliding out of the way as they start to move. It also can attack you at a closer range with its large scythe. The simplest way to defeat it is to activate Dominus Agony and wail on it with the Venus glyph union (Nitesco + Weapon glyphs), this can melt through its HP so fast that you can inadvertently get a no-damage medal.

Dracula

“The true master of the castle, and the prince of evil.”
HP: 9999
Weaknesses: Light
Tolerances: Darkness

Dracula has two phases. The first is similar to his usual boss patterns, he will alternate between using fireballs, Dark Inferno, and Fatal Rain (in that order), and teleport around the room. The fireballs can be destroyed with Scutum or bounced off of; Dark Inferno should be dodged; Fatal Rain can be avoided by standing close to Dracula. I would also recommend not using Volaticus, as Dracula has a full screen attack designed specifically to counter it. The second phase, however, is more complicated. Once his health is depleted to half he will begin walking around. You should stay out of his general area, as he can attack with a large circular kick. He will also teleport around before settling on an attack- he can go into the center of the room and summon wolves, which will run around the arena until they are killed; he can send out massive sine-waves of bats that will do damage to Shanoa per frame of contact and must be dodged by crouching in the right position, or destroyed with a Scutum glyph; he can also make an attempt to grab Shanoa with Soul Steal and drain her HP and heal himself. He can also combo any of these with a homing variant of Fatal Rain, which you must either dodge by moving, or hold Scutum above your head. Once the second phase is completed and Dracula is defeated, you must equip all three Dominus glyphs and use the glyph union. Then, you will have beaten the game.