You don't give the paper airplane enough credit. It absolutely murders imps because the loop it does at the beginning of its flight takes two passes through imps' usual hover spot. It is also pretty great for going through medusa chambers, since its cheaper than the ax. In addition, with practice you can hit dullahan with it while the head is floating behind him.
In other news, I've had decent luck with leveling up the wrecking ball on final guards of dracula's castle. Just get behind them with sonic strike and show them the time.
Does sonic strike/forward roll go through the flame jet that is blocking a purple chest on the left side of chapter 5?
You don't give the paper airplane enough credit. It absolutely murders imps because the loop it does at the beginning of its flight takes two passes through imps' usual hover spot. It is also pretty great for going through medusa chambers, since its cheaper than the ax. In addition, with practice you can hit dullahan with it while the head is floating behind him.
In other news, I've had decent luck with leveling up the wrecking ball on final guards of dracula's castle. Just get behind them with sonic strike and show them the time.
Does sonic strike/forward roll go through the flame jet that is blocking a purple chest on the left side of chapter 5?
Yep.
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SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
edited September 2010
Well, damnit. I distinctly remember getting Dracula's soul last night as Soma. I opened up my inventory just now and couldn't find it. I wonder if I quit before it would save last night? I doubt it. Maybe one of you guys got the soul instead and I was just misreading it.
You don't give the paper airplane enough credit. It absolutely murders imps because the loop it does at the beginning of its flight takes two passes through imps' usual hover spot. It is also pretty great for going through medusa chambers, since its cheaper than the ax. In addition, with practice you can hit dullahan with it while the head is floating behind him.
In other news, I've had decent luck with leveling up the wrecking ball on final guards of dracula's castle. Just get behind them with sonic strike and show them the time.
Does sonic strike/forward roll go through the flame jet that is blocking a purple chest on the left side of chapter 5?
Only way I know of to get through that you have to use heal invincibility. I will test that tonight to confirm.
The problem I have with paper airplane is that it's a waste of a subweapon slot. It doesn't have the versatility that the axe does with regards to imp-slayage and the best way to handle Dullahan is to Sonic Strike through him if the head hides behind the armor. You can't get good DPS out of it without putting on D+B and then you lose your Shuriken/Kunai spot. I will give it some props for having a low MP cost and being good for Medusas and Imps in the revision.
Just tested it. Sonic strike not only gets you through the fire, but it also grabs the food. Danger knee got me through as well.
This is the part where I start foaming at the mouth in anger, having said that twice now. :P
This is why I'm compiling a guide (which you are credited in for this trick, of course). This game is full of obscure tricks and arcana that make the overall experience more enjoyable but are not near accessible enough for new players. And that raise questions that have to be answered dozens of times. There's a lot of meat here that is completely undocumented anywhere other than disparate GameFAQs threads full of trolling and terrible posts.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
How do you get the truffle? I keep hearing about it but I've never seen it. Is it only in hard?
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
How do you get the truffle? I keep hearing about it but I've never seen it. Is it only in hard?
The ceiling above the last Guardian (where the green beam skeleton is) can be crumbled. There is a purple chest on the left, and a black truffle (that blends in quite nicely) on the table on the right.
Shanoa's special, Magnes (RB), lets her stick to wall studs and fling herself around.
Shanoa's melee attacks get better based on the level of her spells.
Spells must be absorbed by holding Up near an enemy who is casting a glyph spell. You can identify a glyph spell by looking for two spinning blue triangles over the enemies head when they are casting it. If you absorb the spell successfully you will see it appear as an item pickup over Shanoa's head.
Once you absorb a spell it levels based on the number of times it deals damage on hit.
To grind Shanoa's spell levels, equip an Astral Ring and Master Ring and play Survival Mode on Hard Chapter 1. Hit Gergoth with spells until you die, then do it again!
Shanoa can dash cancel all of her spells in the Down+B slot except for Nitresco. She can also dash cancel her Pneuma weapon. To dash cancel a spell, bind it to the Down+B slot, and alternate between pressing Down+B and LB. The LB dash will cancel the recovery of the spell. In other words, press D+B, LB, D+B, LB, D+B, LB quickly in an alternating pattern to cast spells at super speed.
Spells
Shanoa only has four spells, but the upshot is that all of them are useful in their own special way.
Ignis / Fire (15 mp)
Ignis is your starter spell. It hits for 200% damage against Menace and all Ice Type Creatures. Ignis does great damage if all 3 fireballs hit, so jump and cast it slightly off the ground or stand close. Ignis doesn't hurt fire demons. It's my favorite spell to dash cancel. Each fireball does about 50+ damage at level 9.
Grando / Ice (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Aliorumnas Witches (Chapter 2)[/COLOR
Grando summons big ice missle that sits for a second then launches. The delay makes it suboptimal for killing smaller enemies, but it's the best spell to use for long range. The ice will shatter on an enemy quicker at point blank range, but at that point you may as well use Ignis or Nitresco. Grando hits for double damage against fire demons, and does around 100+ per hit at level 9.
Fulgur / Lightning (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Aliorumnas Witches (Chapter 4)[/COLOR
This is Shanoa's go-to spell for crushinating smaller and armored (except the Final Guard) enemies, though you can do more damage for your MP against bosses with Ignis or Nitresco. A quick hop and a Fulgur cast will home in on and electrocute the closest enemy, and can hit multiple enemies. Fulgur does double damage against some armored enemies. It will hit a minimum of two times for around 50 damage at level 9.
Nitresco / Beam (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Beam Skeletons (Chapter 5 & 6)[/COLOR
Nitresco is an all purpose spell, you can't go wrong using it. Nitresco is a fantastic return on damage for the MP investment but doesn't do damage as fast as Ignis and is not as convenient as Fulgur. Nitresco's damage is amplified and reduced by enemy defense, so use it on enemies with crappy defense to fry them.
One note is that I believe the Nitresco counts as a Holy Attack, so it does extra damage to Death and Dracula and anything else that's weak vs Holy.
Weapons
All of Shanoa's weapons should be dual-wielded. Tap X and Y in quick succession (or roll your thumb over both buttons) to attack twice. Her weapons also can drop in Hard mode but the drop rate is much, much lower.
Confodore
Starter weapon. Replace it with Pneuma or Lapiste and never look back.
LapisteCOLOR="Orange"]Chapter 5 & 6 Normal Boss Chests[/COLOR
Big stone fist that does lots of damage. Doesn't push you back like Pneuma does and it's a little easier to hit airborne targets with it. You probably should use Pneuma instead regardless.
It has a huge hitbox so it easily handles projectiles and enemies of all shapes and sizes.
It travels in a downward arc so you can hit enemies below you from the safety of up high
The best way to farm Pneuma is to kill Death in Normal difficulty over and over.
Magnes
Chapter 1 Use Magnes to skip the Merman room.
Chapter 2 Use magnes to get to the chests in the bone dragon room without having to leave the top heads of the bone dragon alive.
Chapter 3 The two purple chests on the right side of the level are only reachable with Magnes.
Chapter 4 Purple chest and food in the long painted hallway on the right side route are reachable with Magnes solo.
Chapter 5 Magnes party! If you are the third player in your group, you can reach both of the purple chests on the right side by flinging your way up to the top with magnes! And then you can get to death quickly by using Magnes to go left past the crumbling platforms and the harpy. If you go the left route, you can use Magnes to skip a few rooms before climbing the spinning blades room by the purple chest fire trap switch. During the Death fight, you can faceroll dodge his spell where he summons a half moon shape of 6 giant sickles by attaching to the magnet directly above the center of them.
Chapter 6 Dracula ate all the wall studs. I told him not to but he did it anyways.
Equipment
Shanoa's best stats are Int, Mind, and Attack.
Head: Holy Veil from Chapter 5 Normal is the best bet and is easy to farm.
Chest: Berserker Mail is good, Death's Robes are great.
Legs: Wing Boots or Valkyrie/Minerva gear.
Accessories: Moonstone/Sunstones or as many Chaos Rings as you can equip. If you could equip 10 Chaos Rings I would tell you to equip 10 Chaos Rings.
Weapon: Pneuma
Boss Strategy
Gergoth Dash cancel Pneuma in the corner of the room to do tremendous damage to Gergoth.
Puppet Master Dash cancel Pneuma to destroy the casks and torch him with Ignis.
Menace Stand underneath the gold platform on the far left to hurl Grando at his heart from a distance, or dash cancel Ignis on his knee to do a lot of damage.
Brauner Dash cancel Pneuma at the back wall to hit him and get rid of his blood paint. Nitresco is good to clear his paint and just all around for this guy.
Death You can use Grando to maintain a safe distance from Death and Nitresco or Pneuma to vaporize his sickles. Use magnes to dodge his big half moon scythe summon.
Dracula During phase 1 hit his head with your weapon and wait for him to transform. In Phase 2 you can sometimes dash cancel Pneuma if you are close enough to a wall to hit him, otherwise you can hurl ice at him while you wait for him to come back. I don't advise using all your mana here. During Phase 3 you can jump and hit his heads with Ignis or try to hit him with Pneuma. Good luck.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
Although you can just grab the meat hidden in the wall before you fight Dracula to overwrite the truffle's bonus once you've gone back and grabbed all the chests.
Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
Incidentally, is it possible to grab that truffle in single player with some characters? Best I can figure the only way is to possibly bounce off the nova skeleton's head, which rules out Charlotte. Also I can not seem to break the ceiling with Shanoa (at least not without using lightning which kills the skeleton :P For some reason Fire doesn't seem to work for me either... ). Am I missing another way to do it?
Incidentally, is it possible to grab that truffle in single player with some characters? Best I can figure the only way is to possibly bounce off the nova skeleton's head, which rules out Charlotte. Also I can not seem to break the ceiling with Shanoa (at least not without using lightning which kills the skeleton :P For some reason Fire doesn't seem to work for me either... ). Am I missing another way to do it?
She can destroy the ceiling with the Lapiste or Pneuma attack, Confodore probably just doesn't attack high enough to hit it.
The Shanoa guide looks good. One note is that I believe the Nitresco counts as a Holy Attack, so it does extra damage to Death and Dracula and anything else that's weak vs Holy.
Incidentally, is it possible to grab that truffle in single player with some characters? Best I can figure the only way is to possibly bounce off the nova skeleton's head, which rules out Charlotte. Also I can not seem to break the ceiling with Shanoa (at least not without using lightning which kills the skeleton :P For some reason Fire doesn't seem to work for me either... ). Am I missing another way to do it?
Alucard: double jump close to the edge and mist at the peak of the jump.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
Although you can just grab the meat hidden in the wall before you fight Dracula to overwrite the truffle's bonus once you've gone back and grabbed all the chests.
Probably the easiest one to write in that there's not much to say! I need to test the MP cost of his spells. I am hoping those new to the game playing through normal mode will get something other than "Rush him through to Ch5 Hard and farm this weapon LOL!"
YasutsunAlucard
Important Notes
Alucard's stats improve only through gear.
Alucard's spells level based on the number of times you find them in the game world.
Alucard's mist (RB) makes it easier for him to land difficult jumps, and in some cases allows him to jump where others cannot.
The reason everyone plays Alucard is because his best weapon is easy to get and makes the game incredibly easy.
And also because the only people who don't think Alucard is rad are silly geese.
Spells
Alucard has six spells, each of which have a unique but very much secondary purpose.
Mist (RB)
Mist is the only spell you really care about. There are two notable spots where Mist is a big benefit: One, you can jump on the large goo blocks in Chapter 3 by double jumping and then using mist while holding up at the apex of the second jump. Hit Menace with a projectile and run away from him this way. The second is in the secret treasure room in Chapter 6 (attack the ceiling in the Nova Skeleton room above the last final guard), you can reach the Chest and Truffle without kick jumping off the Nova Skeleton by double jumping and hitting mist.
Mist is also awesome because it allows you to dodge anything ever. For example, when the Puppet Master closes a cask, mist form. You will not get iron maidened. When Dracula does Demonic Megadome, mist form near the edge and you will dodge it even if you screwed up your dash. When he does the laser beam in phase 2, double jump and mist form and you will dodge it even if you timed the jump terribly. Mist is AWESOME and you should USE IT ALL THE TIME.
Hellfire/Dark InfernoCOLOR="Orange"]Chapter 3 and 6 Chests and Boss Chests[/COLOR
Alucard's spell from Castlevania 3. Hold down B and he will do Dark Inferno instead of Hellfire, which sucks just as bad. Use it to wake up Menace and to attack Dracula Phase 2 when he is far away so you don't expose yourself to poison jump. If you have bad gear this spell is okay for playing it safe.
Tetra SpiritCOLOR="orange"]Chapter 4 Chests and Boss Chest[/COLOR
Alucard's worst spell, which summons multiple spirits who hit for terrible damage. Use it to make your MP magically disappear, or because you don't have any gear and are freeloading off a Dracula running group. It is worse than Tetra Spirit because if you accidentally use it you lose even more MP.
Summon Spirit [Ectoplasms (Chapter 4 and 6)]
Alucard's homing missle spell that is alright for killing small enemies and hitting stuff through walls. Maybe you will use it because you were drunk and accidentally pressed the B button.
Soul StealCOLOR="orange"]Chapter 6 Chests[/COLOR
Deals damage in a big circle and steals life from every enemy it hits. 1 life. This spell is actually pretty cool for clearing out Medusa heads.
Dark Metamorphosis (1 mp) COLOR="orange"]Cave Trolls[/COLOR
Heals you when you come in contact with blood. Would be better if more enemies in the game bled. You can activate it for 1 MP though, so there's no reason not to use it while running around a level.
Equipment
The bottom line for Alucard is that Yasutsuna is godlike and the sooner you have it the better.
Helm: Samurai Helm
Armor: Berserker Mail or Dracula's Tunic
Accessories: Megingiord x2
Shoes: Samurai Leggings or Wing Boots
Weapons: Yasutsuna x2 (roll your thumb across X and Y to do disgusting amounts of damage)
Alternatives to Yasutsuna include using the Moon Rod (almost as cool as unicorns and rainbows), Valmanway (less damage, more convenient range), and Alucard sword/shield (less damage, makes you feel cooler)
The easiest way to farm Yasutsuna is to open chests in Chapter 5 Hard. Use a Shanoa player in the player 3 slot to open the purple chests on the right side of the map in 40 seconds, suicide, and repeat. You will have two Yasutsuna usually within an hour. Congratulations, you are now a walking Cuisinart and the entire game is easy. Alternatively, play with another person and rush up the right side of the map for the chests. Remember to turn the flame jet off in the elevator after you pull the switch to send them up. It's the polite thing to do!
Normal Mode Advice
Spend your money on gear upgrades
Use Hellfire to soften up big enemies before you come in for the kill
If you swing right before you touch the ground, you will get another swing for free when you hit the ground. So jump, tap x, and tap x again when you land.
Silly Alucard, Claymores are for Somas. Use one handed weapons because...
Alucard's shields block basically everything that is not a monster's body. FU BRAUNER. Note that it doesn't block most of Dracula's attacks. Sorry.
Don't buy the Estoc just because it's expensive. It propels you forward when you attack and is absolutely horrible.
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DietarySupplementStill not approved by the FDADublin, OHRegistered Userregular
Incidentally, is it possible to grab that truffle in single player with some characters? Best I can figure the only way is to possibly bounce off the nova skeleton's head, which rules out Charlotte. Also I can not seem to break the ceiling with Shanoa (at least not without using lightning which kills the skeleton :P For some reason Fire doesn't seem to work for me either... ). Am I missing another way to do it?
Alucard: double jump close to the edge and mist at the peak of the jump.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
Although you can just grab the meat hidden in the wall before you fight Dracula to overwrite the truffle's bonus once you've gone back and grabbed all the chests.
Does the meat have a negative luck drain?
From what I understand, the food you find throughout the levels don't have cumulative effects. If that is true, it means that when you find food that gives you +5 strength, you will have that boost either until the end of the level or until you get some other stat boosting food, at which point you lose whatever bonus you had from the original food and get the new bonus. I haven't actually tested this, but it would probably be pretty easy to do so.
Incidentally, is it possible to grab that truffle in single player with some characters? Best I can figure the only way is to possibly bounce off the nova skeleton's head, which rules out Charlotte. Also I can not seem to break the ceiling with Shanoa (at least not without using lightning which kills the skeleton :P For some reason Fire doesn't seem to work for me either... ). Am I missing another way to do it?
Alucard: double jump close to the edge and mist at the peak of the jump.
Be sure to add "Get the Truffle in Chapt 6 BEFORE opening treasures". + 12 luck really helps get you better gear. Also, if the rumors are to be believed, don't take the truffle if you're only farming gold chests.
Although you can just grab the meat hidden in the wall before you fight Dracula to overwrite the truffle's bonus once you've gone back and grabbed all the chests.
Does the meat have a negative luck drain?
From what I understand, the food you find throughout the levels don't have cumulative effects. If that is true, it means that when you find food that gives you +5 strength, you will have that boost either until the end of the level or until you get some other stat boosting food, at which point you lose whatever bonus you had from the original food and get the new bonus. I haven't actually tested this, but it would probably be pretty easy to do so.
I believe one food bonus overwrites any previous bonus like you said. But bonuses don't last forever if you don't pick up another food item. I believe the food effects last about 5 minutes.
finally maxed out Charlotte. Dracula is incredibly frustrating. 4 times I would reach him in about 2 minutes only for him not to give me a hellfire spell in the next 28 minutes. Incredibly annoying but glad it's over. Still need some chaos rings and death's robe for her but I got most of her other good equipment.
Not sure who I want to start next.
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DietarySupplementStill not approved by the FDADublin, OHRegistered Userregular
Shanoa can use Nitesco to break that ceiling if she doesn't have Lapiste or Pnuema. Just use it facing away from the skeleton and leap up into the ceiling and the beam will damage it. Then jumpkick off the skeleton.
Also, the secret items (like Konami Man in Ch.6) overwrite food buffs, so grab him before the meat if you want to keep your strength buff for Dracula.
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Alfred J. Kwakis it because you were insultedwhen I insulted your hair?Registered Userregular
The only time you will ever run out of time is if you are playing mp and people start dying a lot as skeletons. Even going hella slow and missing tons of jumps you will have tons of time.
So I went and downloaded SOTN and played through it for the first time. It's so awesome I think I need about a million identical games to be content.
This 'vania here looks great but the mp focus and lack of a real exploration element has me luke warm.
I would be completely open to you guys telling me exactly why I should stop being hesitant and love this HD Castlevania...
Besides that though, I'm looking to make a list of definitive, awesome, Castlevanias.
Here's my list of must play CVs right now.
Symphony of the Night
Aria of Sorrow
Dawn of Sorrow
Portrait of Ruin
Order of Ecclesia
These five seem to be the highest quality available. Other titles look dated a weak by comparison.
So am I missing a great entry in the series with this list?
Too bad the storyline is such a mess and that none of those games really star a 'Belmont'.
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Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
For the hell of it tonight I decided to play Alucard for the first time. I had some ok gear from the one time I ran through the hard chapters, but no real weapon for him. Ended up buying something cheap at the shop (Gladius maybe? I dunno, something mid-range), then went to Chapter 3 hard (I figured I could at least take a punishment of some degree, I could always just skip enemies). Got a couple decent swords and shields, then went to chapter 5 hard. I think it was my second try that Yasutsuna dropped.. Jesus... that weapon is like cheating. I went and soloed Death, on hard, with crappy gear. It was ridiculously easy.... (too bad all he dropped was garbage)
Farmed a couple more times and got a second one. Then I went and did Chapter 6 hard. Honestly I think I would have beaten Dracula if I had a better idea of how to dodge his new attacks in phase 3 (phases 1 & 2 are a joke). It's always the damn Flame Pillars + Demonic Mechidome (or however it's spelled) combo that gets me. I should probably be misting out of it or something but I'm always too slow. Ah well, I'll keep trying :P But in any case, I skipped all the chests, got the Truffle, then backtracked and got a crazy amount of good stuff :P At the very least, I can do that with ridiculous ease.
Posts
My Backloggery
In other news, I've had decent luck with leveling up the wrecking ball on final guards of dracula's castle. Just get behind them with sonic strike and show them the time.
Does sonic strike/forward roll go through the flame jet that is blocking a purple chest on the left side of chapter 5?
Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
3ds: 3282-2248-0453
Yep.
My Backloggery
Only way I know of to get through that you have to use heal invincibility. I will test that tonight to confirm.
The problem I have with paper airplane is that it's a waste of a subweapon slot. It doesn't have the versatility that the axe does with regards to imp-slayage and the best way to handle Dullahan is to Sonic Strike through him if the head hides behind the armor. You can't get good DPS out of it without putting on D+B and then you lose your Shuriken/Kunai spot. I will give it some props for having a low MP cost and being good for Medusas and Imps in the revision.
All I can say about this is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPfsbGR1Foo
I never asked for this!
Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
3ds: 3282-2248-0453
This is the part where I start foaming at the mouth in anger, having said that twice now. :P
But you didnt mention grabbing the food, nor the danger knee.
Edit: After all that does jonathan even need purple chests from lvl 5?
Edit 2: Just saw the invincibility of the danger knee in TopHat's post. I need more coffee...
Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
3ds: 3282-2248-0453
Also, speaking of that video above, I demand Bloody Tears be used for one of the DLC levels :P
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
How do you get the truffle? I keep hearing about it but I've never seen it. Is it only in hard?
The ceiling above the last Guardian (where the green beam skeleton is) can be crumbled. There is a purple chest on the left, and a black truffle (that blends in quite nicely) on the table on the right.
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
Shanoa draft:
Important Notes
Spells
Shanoa only has four spells, but the upshot is that all of them are useful in their own special way.
Ignis / Fire (15 mp)
Ignis is your starter spell. It hits for 200% damage against Menace and all Ice Type Creatures. Ignis does great damage if all 3 fireballs hit, so jump and cast it slightly off the ground or stand close. Ignis doesn't hurt fire demons. It's my favorite spell to dash cancel. Each fireball does about 50+ damage at level 9.
Grando / Ice (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Aliorumnas Witches (Chapter 2)[/COLOR
Grando summons big ice missle that sits for a second then launches. The delay makes it suboptimal for killing smaller enemies, but it's the best spell to use for long range. The ice will shatter on an enemy quicker at point blank range, but at that point you may as well use Ignis or Nitresco. Grando hits for double damage against fire demons, and does around 100+ per hit at level 9.
Fulgur / Lightning (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Aliorumnas Witches (Chapter 4)[/COLOR
This is Shanoa's go-to spell for crushinating smaller and armored (except the Final Guard) enemies, though you can do more damage for your MP against bosses with Ignis or Nitresco. A quick hop and a Fulgur cast will home in on and electrocute the closest enemy, and can hit multiple enemies. Fulgur does double damage against some armored enemies. It will hit a minimum of two times for around 50 damage at level 9.
Nitresco / Beam (15 mp) COLOR="Orange"]Beam Skeletons (Chapter 5 & 6)[/COLOR
Nitresco is an all purpose spell, you can't go wrong using it. Nitresco is a fantastic return on damage for the MP investment but doesn't do damage as fast as Ignis and is not as convenient as Fulgur. Nitresco's damage is amplified and reduced by enemy defense, so use it on enemies with crappy defense to fry them.
Weapons
All of Shanoa's weapons should be dual-wielded. Tap X and Y in quick succession (or roll your thumb over both buttons) to attack twice. Her weapons also can drop in Hard mode but the drop rate is much, much lower.
Confodore
Starter weapon. Replace it with Pneuma or Lapiste and never look back.
Lapiste COLOR="Orange"]Chapter 5 & 6 Normal Boss Chests[/COLOR
Big stone fist that does lots of damage. Doesn't push you back like Pneuma does and it's a little easier to hit airborne targets with it. You probably should use Pneuma instead regardless.
Pneuma COLOR="Orange"]Chapter 5 & 6 Normal Boss Chests[/COLOR
Shanoa's best weapon for several reasons:
- It hits twice
- You can dash cancel it
- It has a huge hitbox so it easily handles projectiles and enemies of all shapes and sizes.
- It travels in a downward arc so you can hit enemies below you from the safety of up high
The best way to farm Pneuma is to kill Death in Normal difficulty over and over.Magnes
Chapter 1 Use Magnes to skip the Merman room.
Chapter 2 Use magnes to get to the chests in the bone dragon room without having to leave the top heads of the bone dragon alive.
Chapter 3 The two purple chests on the right side of the level are only reachable with Magnes.
Chapter 4 Purple chest and food in the long painted hallway on the right side route are reachable with Magnes solo.
Chapter 5 Magnes party! If you are the third player in your group, you can reach both of the purple chests on the right side by flinging your way up to the top with magnes! And then you can get to death quickly by using Magnes to go left past the crumbling platforms and the harpy. If you go the left route, you can use Magnes to skip a few rooms before climbing the spinning blades room by the purple chest fire trap switch. During the Death fight, you can faceroll dodge his spell where he summons a half moon shape of 6 giant sickles by attaching to the magnet directly above the center of them.
Chapter 6 Dracula ate all the wall studs. I told him not to but he did it anyways.
Equipment
Shanoa's best stats are Int, Mind, and Attack.
Head: Holy Veil from Chapter 5 Normal is the best bet and is easy to farm.
Chest: Berserker Mail is good, Death's Robes are great.
Legs: Wing Boots or Valkyrie/Minerva gear.
Accessories: Moonstone/Sunstones or as many Chaos Rings as you can equip. If you could equip 10 Chaos Rings I would tell you to equip 10 Chaos Rings.
Weapon: Pneuma
Boss Strategy
Gergoth Dash cancel Pneuma in the corner of the room to do tremendous damage to Gergoth.
Puppet Master Dash cancel Pneuma to destroy the casks and torch him with Ignis.
Menace Stand underneath the gold platform on the far left to hurl Grando at his heart from a distance, or dash cancel Ignis on his knee to do a lot of damage.
Brauner Dash cancel Pneuma at the back wall to hit him and get rid of his blood paint. Nitresco is good to clear his paint and just all around for this guy.
Death You can use Grando to maintain a safe distance from Death and Nitresco or Pneuma to vaporize his sickles. Use magnes to dodge his big half moon scythe summon.
Dracula During phase 1 hit his head with your weapon and wait for him to transform. In Phase 2 you can sometimes dash cancel Pneuma if you are close enough to a wall to hit him, otherwise you can hurl ice at him while you wait for him to come back. I don't advise using all your mana here. During Phase 3 you can jump and hit his heads with Ignis or try to hit him with Pneuma. Good luck.
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Although you can just grab the meat hidden in the wall before you fight Dracula to overwrite the truffle's bonus once you've gone back and grabbed all the chests.
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She can destroy the ceiling with the Lapiste or Pneuma attack, Confodore probably just doesn't attack high enough to hit it.
The Shanoa guide looks good. One note is that I believe the Nitresco counts as a Holy Attack, so it does extra damage to Death and Dracula and anything else that's weak vs Holy.
Alucard: double jump close to the edge and mist at the peak of the jump.
Does the meat have a negative luck drain?
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Important Notes
Spells
Alucard has six spells, each of which have a unique but very much secondary purpose.
Mist (RB)
Mist is the only spell you really care about. There are two notable spots where Mist is a big benefit: One, you can jump on the large goo blocks in Chapter 3 by double jumping and then using mist while holding up at the apex of the second jump. Hit Menace with a projectile and run away from him this way. The second is in the secret treasure room in Chapter 6 (attack the ceiling in the Nova Skeleton room above the last final guard), you can reach the Chest and Truffle without kick jumping off the Nova Skeleton by double jumping and hitting mist.
Mist is also awesome because it allows you to dodge anything ever. For example, when the Puppet Master closes a cask, mist form. You will not get iron maidened. When Dracula does Demonic Megadome, mist form near the edge and you will dodge it even if you screwed up your dash. When he does the laser beam in phase 2, double jump and mist form and you will dodge it even if you timed the jump terribly. Mist is AWESOME and you should USE IT ALL THE TIME.
Hellfire/Dark Inferno COLOR="Orange"]Chapter 3 and 6 Chests and Boss Chests[/COLOR
Alucard's spell from Castlevania 3. Hold down B and he will do Dark Inferno instead of Hellfire, which sucks just as bad. Use it to wake up Menace and to attack Dracula Phase 2 when he is far away so you don't expose yourself to poison jump. If you have bad gear this spell is okay for playing it safe.
Tetra Spirit COLOR="orange"]Chapter 4 Chests and Boss Chest[/COLOR
Alucard's worst spell, which summons multiple spirits who hit for terrible damage. Use it to make your MP magically disappear, or because you don't have any gear and are freeloading off a Dracula running group. It is worse than Tetra Spirit because if you accidentally use it you lose even more MP.
Summon Spirit [Ectoplasms (Chapter 4 and 6)]
Alucard's homing missle spell that is alright for killing small enemies and hitting stuff through walls. Maybe you will use it because you were drunk and accidentally pressed the B button.
Soul Steal COLOR="orange"]Chapter 6 Chests[/COLOR
Deals damage in a big circle and steals life from every enemy it hits. 1 life. This spell is actually pretty cool for clearing out Medusa heads.
Dark Metamorphosis (1 mp) COLOR="orange"]Cave Trolls[/COLOR
Heals you when you come in contact with blood. Would be better if more enemies in the game bled. You can activate it for 1 MP though, so there's no reason not to use it while running around a level.
Equipment
The bottom line for Alucard is that Yasutsuna is godlike and the sooner you have it the better.
Helm: Samurai Helm
Armor: Berserker Mail or Dracula's Tunic
Accessories: Megingiord x2
Shoes: Samurai Leggings or Wing Boots
Weapons: Yasutsuna x2 (roll your thumb across X and Y to do disgusting amounts of damage)
Alternatives to Yasutsuna include using the Moon Rod (almost as cool as unicorns and rainbows), Valmanway (less damage, more convenient range), and Alucard sword/shield (less damage, makes you feel cooler)
The easiest way to farm Yasutsuna is to open chests in Chapter 5 Hard. Use a Shanoa player in the player 3 slot to open the purple chests on the right side of the map in 40 seconds, suicide, and repeat. You will have two Yasutsuna usually within an hour. Congratulations, you are now a walking Cuisinart and the entire game is easy. Alternatively, play with another person and rush up the right side of the map for the chests. Remember to turn the flame jet off in the elevator after you pull the switch to send them up. It's the polite thing to do!
Normal Mode Advice
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From what I understand, the food you find throughout the levels don't have cumulative effects. If that is true, it means that when you find food that gives you +5 strength, you will have that boost either until the end of the level or until you get some other stat boosting food, at which point you lose whatever bonus you had from the original food and get the new bonus. I haven't actually tested this, but it would probably be pretty easy to do so.
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I believe one food bonus overwrites any previous bonus like you said. But bonuses don't last forever if you don't pick up another food item. I believe the food effects last about 5 minutes.
Not sure who I want to start next.
As someone who just got his first Yat last night... really, it's insane.
Also, the secret items (like Konami Man in Ch.6) overwrite food buffs, so grab him before the meat if you want to keep your strength buff for Dracula.
I never asked for this!
I'm down for MP tomorrow if you want some backup. I've gotten quite a few so far.
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This 'vania here looks great but the mp focus and lack of a real exploration element has me luke warm.
I would be completely open to you guys telling me exactly why I should stop being hesitant and love this HD Castlevania...
Besides that though, I'm looking to make a list of definitive, awesome, Castlevanias.
Here's my list of must play CVs right now.
Symphony of the Night
Aria of Sorrow
Dawn of Sorrow
Portrait of Ruin
Order of Ecclesia
These five seem to be the highest quality available. Other titles look dated a weak by comparison.
So am I missing a great entry in the series with this list?
Too bad the storyline is such a mess and that none of those games really star a 'Belmont'.
Farmed a couple more times and got a second one. Then I went and did Chapter 6 hard. Honestly I think I would have beaten Dracula if I had a better idea of how to dodge his new attacks in phase 3 (phases 1 & 2 are a joke). It's always the damn Flame Pillars + Demonic Mechidome (or however it's spelled) combo that gets me. I should probably be misting out of it or something but I'm always too slow. Ah well, I'll keep trying :P But in any case, I skipped all the chests, got the Truffle, then backtracked and got a crazy amount of good stuff :P At the very least, I can do that with ridiculous ease.