Castlevania: Harmony of Despair FAQ by The Tru Fenix (trufenix -at- wowway -dot- com) Last Updated: 8/10/10 ==================== -Reformatted to gamefaqs specifications, maybe I'll actually get approved this time! -Fleshed out all sections. Just a matter of collecting and documenting gear and skills now. Introduction: ============= This FAQ is meant to fill in the gaps of Konami's rather poorly documented Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (HoD). I am by no means the most prolific player, so I will be thankful for any additions or corrections that can be offered. You can email me, or catch up with me online. My GT is trufenix and I love to play. About the Game: =============== HoD is a dungeon crawling experience that allows up to 6 players to cooperatively (or competitively) adventure with some of Castlevania's most iconic characters. The game is broken up into multiple chapters, each one comprised of trials and torments borrowed from previous Castlevania games. The game lacks any sort of story, your singular goal is to traverse the dungeons and slay the bosses. Gameplay: ========= All in all, HoD is pretty simplistic. In any given stage you must jump, whip, slash, kick and cast your way to the boss and then kill it. Each level has a 30 minute timer that stops under no conditions, single or multi play, in combat, customizing your character, or even if you have it paused (via start or guide button). Control Scheme -------------- Attack 1 - Assigned to X by default. This is your characters most basic attack. Attack 2 - Assigned to Y by default. A second basic attack available to Alucard, Shanoa, and Soma. Hunter Skills - Assigned to B by default. Each character has different Hunter Skills, but they all cost MP. You can equip up to four of them. Jump - Assigned to A by default. Each character can double jump (Jump, Jump) and slide (Down + Jump). Everyone except Charlotte can dive kick (Down + Jump in the air) Personal - Assigned to RB by default. Each character's Personal action functions differently, but most of them cost SP. Backdash - Assigned to LB by default. A quick backward step to avoid danger. Item - Assigned to LT / RT by default. Hold LT and press RT to use the currently equipped item. Communication - Assigned to Back by default. Allows you to speak with other players without a language barrier. Pause - Assigned to Start by default. Does not pause the game timer, or keep enemies from attacking you. Camera - Assigned to RS by default. Press it to peek at surrounding areas, push it to change the current zoom. Basics ------ Hit Points (HP) - Each player has their own supply of HP. It is lost if are struck by enemies or hazards, but can be replenished with items and certain abilities. If HP is depleted, your character dies. In multiplayer, a dead player can continue to fight as a bone throwing Skeleton. Skeletons have depleted HP reserves, no special abilities, and cannot collect treasure chests or drops from monsters. Everytime a Skeleton player is killed, a time penalty is incurred. Living players can restore skeleton players with Water of Life (RT). If you are poisoned, you will steadily lose HP for a period of time, but the poison itself cannot kill you. Magic Points (MP) - MP is used in the execution of most special abilities. It regenerates naturally over time, but can be assisted by hearts and other items. If you a cursed, you lose all MP and cannot restore it until the curse wears off. The Book - Around the level are shrine like locations where you can access The Book. From within The Book you can change your character customizations, and modify certain in game options mid-chapter. There is no cost for Book usage, but it does NOT stop the Chapter timer, nor does it protect you from enemies (they can hit you even while you are looking at menu screens). Communication - During play you can press the Back button to make your character say a selected statement. Although it has no practical use in solo play, you can use them to communicate ideas and intentions to multiplayer team mates. (Though you'll probably just use a headset) Treasure Hunting ---------------- Treasure hunting refers to the pursuit of skills, equipment (eq) or money and is the primary motivation for repeat visits through the 6 chapters. Hunting is prodimantely done via treasure chests, and collecting drops from slain monsters but depending on your selected character you may have additional goals to complete. Lamps and Candles - Located all over the map, these objects can be destroyed by most forms of attack. They can contain money in (increasingly rare) increments of $1, $10, $50, $100, $500, and $1000. If your MP is less than full, they can also contain hearts to replenish it. Breakable Walls - Some areas of the map can be attacked and destroyed to reveal money and items. Items found in breakable walls are mostly instant use, so it is a good idea to leave the walls intact unless you need the HP. Soma has a soul that allows him to identify breakable walls. Monster Drops - Every time a monster is killed, there is a chance it will drop something. Depending on the monster, it could be anything from hearts to money to instant use items (food) to storeable equipment or skills. You can see the Beastiary for a list of potential drops from any given monster. Gambler's Glasses (DEF Gear - Head) can reveal the enemies item drop %. Treasure Chests - Each chapter contains treasure chests that can be opened via RT. When a treasure chest is opened each living player gets an item, Skeleton players get nothing. While the contents are randomized, each chest has a different color which (roughly) indicates the quality of whats inside. Blue - In solo play, they can contain anything. In multiplayer these always contain Water of Life. Red - In later chapters (and in Hard Mode) these will sometimes become Mimics. Green - Slightly better returns than the Red chests, and guaranteed to not be a Mimic. Purple - Often requires the use of multiple characters, or some sort of puzzle solution to reach. Gold - Only awarded with the bosses death, the Chapter concludes when it is opened. Characters: =========== HoD allows you to select from and customize 5 different characters to explore the stages. Each character has a few major and a lot of minor differences from one another. Alucard (from Symphony of the Night) ------------------------------------ Summary: Alucard is (IMO) the most basic of the characters. He can equip most weapons and armors without restriction, earn new abilities without real difficulty, and has no "quirks" or "catches" in his gameplay. Basic Abilities: Attack 1 - Swings an equipped weapon or defends himself with an equipped shield. Attack 2 - Can equip an additional weapon / shield. Swings the same weapon as Attack 1 if it is 2h. Personal - Alucard transforms into a cloud of mist momentarily. While in mist form, he is protected from ALL damage. Hunter - Alucard can equip up to four magic scrolls at a time. Scrolls come from drops or chests. Notes: -Alucard can swing most weapons downward at an angle while jumping or crouching if the controller is pressed in that direction. -Some of Alucard's equipment has special attacks is you perform a quarter circle forward (a.k.a. Hadoken motion) before pressing attack. These attacks generally cost SP. -Each time Alucard collects a scroll he already has, it grows stronger. Each scroll can be leveled up to 9 times. -With timing, you can use Alucard's Mist form to tack a little extra height onto his jumps. -With Hellfire equipped, Alucard can use QCF+Magic to perform the Dark Inferno variation. -Alucard can use his Soul Steal to drain life from ANY target he can hit, including ones he cannot damage (Dullahan's Armor, etc) -At equal levels, the combined spirits in Tetra Spirit do less damage than the single Summon Spirit. Charlotte (from Portrait of Ruin) --------------------------------- Summary: Charlotte is difficult to get off the ground, but becomes exceptionally powerful with care. In the beginning it may seem logical to hang back and collect gear off of team mates, but this will ultimately stunt your pursuit of magical prominence. Basics: Attack 1 - Attacks with a sword that emerges from her book. Personal - Charlotte puts up a shield of energy. If an enemy projectile impacts on it, there is a chance she will learn a spell from it. Hunter - Charlotte can equip up to four spells at a time. Spells must be learned from enemies. Notes: -Charlotte cannot equip any offensive gear besides her book. The strength of her book attack increases as she learns and powers up spells. -Charlotte can defend herself from many attacks with her Personal action, but attacks that can be learned make a slightly different noise on impact. -If you learn a spell that you already have, its power will be increased. Each spell can be leveled up to 9 times. -Charlotte can only learn a spell one time from a given monster in a Chapter. If a monster casts multiple spells, they can each be learned, but again only once. Ex. If a level has four Minotaurs in it, you can potentially gain four levels of Raging Fire before having to restart the level. -Charlotte cannot dive kick. -Charlotte only gains DEF gear and money from enemy drops / chests. As a result she is good for farming gold. -Charlotte has the fastest natural SP regeneration. -Charlotte has extra idle animations if you hold Up for a while. Johnathon (from Portrait of Ruin) --------------------------------- Summary: Between his sub weapons and Martial Arts, Johnathon has the largest array of offensive options. You will unfortunately need to use all of your sub weapons (even the ones you don't like) to keep up but there's plenty of time for that while you're grinding out his full potential. Basics: Attack 1 - Attacks with the Whip. Attack 2 - Martial Arts. Johnathon does not need to "equip" martial arts, he can use any he has collected at all times. Martial Arts come from drops and chests. Personal - "" Hunter - Johnathon can equip up to four sub weapons at a time. Sub Weapons come from drops and chests. Notes: -Johnathon has extra idle animations if you hold Up for a while. -Johnathon cannot equip any offensive gear besides his whip. The strength of his whip attack increases as he collects and masters Sub Weapons. -Every time Johnathon uses a Sub Weapon it gains experience. At certain thresholds, they level up and increase in potency. Each Sub Weapon can be leveled up 9 times. -Johnathon can swing his whip downward at an angle from in the air. -By holding the attack button, Johnathon can let his whip go limp and then move it about via directional presses. While limp, the whips damage is constant albeit greatly decreased. -While Martial Arts can be used the instant they are collected, you may still need to check their motions and button presses at The Book. Shanoa (from Order of Ecclesia) ------------------------------- Summary: Shanoa does not have a lot of bells and whistles, but her "less" is better than most of the others "more". She's got a little from both column A and B and has the added bonus of getting around most levels without any help or second thought. Basic: Attack 1 - Attack with a weapon glyph, they only come from drops. Attack 2 - "" Personal - Shanoa activates Magnes, which allows her to cling to and propel herself from Magnet studs. Hunter - Shanoa can equip up to 4 glyphs at a time. Glyphs must be absorbed from enemies by holding Up when they appear during attacks. Notes: -Unlike most Personal actions, the use of Magnes is free. -With usage all of Shanoa's glyphs gain experience. At certain thresholds, they level up and increase in potency. Each glyph can be leveled up 6 times. -Shanoa can use Magnes to navigate levels in ways the other characters cannot via magnet studs. Soma (from Dawn of Sorrows) --------------------------- Summary: Soma's success is governed by his ability to collect souls. He thrives in multiplayer, where he can support the team in many ways while their efforts add to his own. Attack 1 - Swings an equipped weapon or defends himself with an equipped shield. Attack 2 - Can equip an additional weapon. Swings the same weapon as Attack 1 if it is 2h. Personal - Turns on / off an equipped Blue Soul. Every kill has a chance to collect a soul. Hunter - Soma can equip up to 4 red souls at a time. Every kill has a chance to collect a soul. Notes: -Soma can also collect and equip Yellow Souls for stat boosts and other special effects. -Soma gains souls from both his and his teammates kills. -Every soul gained increases its abilities power, each soul can be leveled up to 9 times. DLC Characters ============== Very little is currently known about the DLC characters, other than that they exist. Still, the "DOWNLOAD CONTENT" option from the games main menu cast a pretty strong vote that they will be available in some capacity soon. Julius (from Dawn of Sorrows) ----------------------------- Attack 1 - (?) Attacks with the Whip. Personal - ? Hunter - (?) Sub Weapons - Knife Notes: -Julius can swing his whip upward from the ground, and in all 8 directions from mid air. -By holding the attack button, Julius can let his whip go limp and then move it about via directional presses. While limp, the whips damage is greatly decreased. -Julius can use his whip to navigate Chapters in ways the others cannot by swinging from magnet studs. Maria (From Symphony of the Night) ---------------------------------- Attack 1 - (?) Legendary Animals. Attack 2 - (?) None Personal - (?) Xuan Yu Magic ((?) Legendary Animals): Hymn - ? Zhu Que - Summon the Vermillion Bird and launch it upward. Qing Long - ? Bai Hu - ? Chapters: ========= There are 6 Chapters in HoD, each one with a different boss who must be slain within the 30 minute time limit to complete it. When a chapter is completed, players can move on to the next chapter, or replay it for more loot. In Multiplayer, Chapter selection is limited based on the weakest link, meaning if there is a character in the team who has not yet completed chapter 1, the entire team is restricted to chapter 1. When all the chapters are completed (online or offline), you can do it all over again on Hard Mode. Chapter 1 --------- All players start in the lower left corner of this Chapter. It does not feature alternate paths to the boss, but there are a few areas that require teamwork or magnet studs to access. Teamwork: Blue Elevator - Just outside the boss there is an elevator that requires an additional player to lower. Players who take the elevator down will have the ability to wipe out all the enemies lurking below the boss before they swarm in during the second half of the boss battle. See-saw Elevators - Near the bottom right hand corner of the map there are a pair of elevators that only rise when the other is lowered. Though the one on the left can be used with clever double jumping, you will need one player to stand on the left to raise the right high enough to reach the upper platform. Boss (Gergoth): Attacks - Gergoth primarily attacks by throwing his body around, but he can also fire his mouth beam and fire tendrils from his chest. Halfway through the encounter, he will smash the floor sending himself and the players into a chasm below, filled with additional enemies. Stage Interaction - Prior to reaching his room, Gergoth will fire his massive energy beam at rooms on the left hand side of the map. Strategy - Just wail on him with weapons and magic and whatever else you have. You can use a dive kick to hop over him safely if you get cornered, but its just a matter of time and diligence. With enough hits, you can shatter his anklets to deliver massive damage. Chapter 2 --------- Players start in either the upper left or lower right corners of the map. Boss (Puppet Master): Attacks - The puppet master attacks with little explosive puppets that can curse you, or dropping straw puppets into Iron Maidens. Stage Interaction - Once the battle has begun, Puppet Master will wander around the Chapter in search for Iron Maidens to drop puppets into. This will teleport a randomly selected player inside for BIG damage. Destroying the straw puppet is the only way to spare yourself, or another player can jump in before the puppet to spare his teammates from random selection. Prior to the boss battle, you can use crates to block these Iron Maidens eliminating PM's ability to use them. Strategy - His arms cannot hurt you, so attack his head relentlessly while he sits still. If he begins to summon a straw puppet (sparkles), focus all your efforts on destroying it as there is (generally) no escape from the damage it inflicts. When he opens his mouth to fire dolls, focus on them as being cursed can make it difficult to stop the straw puppets attack. If he starts to wander, zoom out and identify where he's headed, get there first, and wait for him there, it is not worth scoring a few extra hits if he beats you to an iron maiden and drops you in. Notes: -With VERY precise timing, Alucard can use his Mist Form to "dodge" the Puppet Master's straw puppet attack. -If you are Skeleton'd in multiplayer, the noble thing to do is jump into the maiden and "take the tackle" for the team. Better to suffer a time penalty than massive damage to a functional player. Chapter 3 --------- Players start in either the lower left or lower right corners of the map. During the course of this Chapter, a near infinite supply of Little Demons will spawn in wherever players are, generally making life difficult. Eventually, the supply will run out. Boss (Menace): Attacks - Menace's primary attack is just being big and difficult to damage. He can also kick players near his feet, punch players near his chest, and jump to get players lurking above. He spawns an infinite supply of mouth enemies which die in one hit, but can be rather annoying to dodge. Stage Interaction - Menace smashes most of the platforms in the middle of the stage, making it difficult to get from left to right after he awakens. There is a gigantic bone hammer that can be activated via switch to attack him. The bone hammer always knocks him down (leaving him defenseless for a bit), but if aimed at his vulnerable spots deals considerable damage. After use, the Hammer must be "reset" by striking the gear at its base. Strategy - Depending on your patience (and number of team mates) it may make more sense to just ignore Menace entirely, and focus on setting up and delivering the Bone Hammer. If not, use the switch on the left side of the map to extend the yellow platform into his area, then stand on it and fire projectile attacks into his face and chest vulnerable spots. Notes: -The path to the Bone Hammer reset will be unavailable to anyone who cannot navigate magnet studs after Menace awakes. If there is no Shanoa present, it may make more sense to just station a team mate up there to reset it while everyone else faces the boss. -Holding Johnathon's limp whip is an excellent means of resetting the bone hammer. Chapter 4 --------- Players start at either the lower right or lower left corners of the map. Navigation: Twin Paintings (Lower Butcher Area) - Left frame takes you up and to the right, into a blue / purple room, next to Glasya Labolas. Right frame takes you up and to the right, into a red / blue room, next to a fried crab claw pickup inbetween a Flame Demon and The Creature. Twin Paintings (Mid Map, Right Side) - Right frame takes you to the Chapter's bottom left corner, into a blue / purple room, near Lerojai. The Left frame takes you to the right side, into a blue / purple room, beneath the Boss. Twin Paintings (Mid Map, Left Side) - Right frame takes you to the Chapter's bottom right corner, into a red / blue room, near Dullahan and Ectoplasm. Twin Paintings (Left Side of Map) - Left frame takes you up and to the left, into a red / blue room. Right frame takes you up and to the right, into a red / blue room just below another red / blue room, next to spittle bone. Treasure Hunting: Purple (Above a cave hallway) - Magnet users can get at this easy. Otherwise you will need to dive kick (sorry Charlotte) off a nearby Gurhka Master (solo) or another player (multiplayer) to reach it. Boss (Brauner) Attacks - Brauner generally stands still, but players will need to watch (and hear) to predict his attacks in the small space. If he "paints" on the wall with blood, the same pattern will appear to damage the players. If he releases a small sculpture, one of three patterns of undestroyable objects will appear and need to be avoided. Lastly, if he jumps into a picture frame he will fly about in somewhat random patterns attempting to mow the players down. Strategy - Beat on Brauner when you can, run when you can't. The blood is not so bad, but you will need to clear it with attacks before you continue the fight. His sculptures are big and cause heavy damage, when he starts to call one, run to the other side of the room and prepare your dodge. Lastly, when he's in the painting, try and stay within his flight arcs so you can jump or slide as needed. Notes: The food on the tables in many of the "house" areas can be damaged for free hearts/coins. Chapter 5 --------- Players start at either the lower left or lower right corners of the map. Boss (Death) Attacks - Once you get him in his room. Death generally just flies about, spraying mini sickles in various configurations. He can also teleport up and slash down at you, slide across the floor and slash up, or summon 6 criss-crossing blades. Stage Interaction - Death will spend the entire Chapter flying about and harrassing the players with mini sickles. If he takes enough damage he will fly away for a bit. He can be especially damaged by flying into the path of the two spotlights floodlights in the level. Strategy - Do not try to take out death while navigating the level, there is too much damage everywhere. Instead, get to his room and just stick and move until he succumbs. Anytime he performs his mini sickle spray, get behind him and go to town. His criss crossing blade is especially damaging, so if he starts it, slide your way into a corner and be prepared to jump a blade. Notes: -Charlotte's Personal Action can make short work of Death's Sickle barrages. With proper positioning, she can absorb an entire barrage of them. Chapter 6 --------- Players start in the lower left corner of the map. Treasure Hunting: Purple (Hidden Room) - In the "building" before Dracula's staircase, climb above the Final Guard and break the ceiling. You will need to bounce off another player's head to reach it. Boss (Dracula) Attacks: Form 1 - Dracula teleports about, firing various objects from his cape. Form 2 - Dracula stands about, jumping and firing projectiles from his mouth. Form 3 - In this form, Dracula floats about being more of an obstacle than an opponent. His hands can hurt you, as can the various spells he will cast on the entire area. Strategy: Form 1 - Wherever he appears, jump over him and hit his head from behind. If he goes to a corner, either head to the opposite wall and be prepared to jump / dodge whatever he fires, or you can try to dive kick him in the head and stay high. Form 2 - Wail on him without mercy while he stands still, but the second he prepares to fire or jump, get as far away as possible. If he jumps over you, he will rain destruction on you, so there's no sliding under and there is no real safe spot from his mouth beam. Form 3 - When he sits still, slide underneath his hands and carefully attack the exposed heads. Don't touch them with your body, they do damage. If he begins glowing, or doing anything really, slide all the way to the furthest corner and wait. Jump, duck, or block whatever comes out, then head back and score some more hits. DLC Chapters ============ Very little is currently known about the DLC characters, other than that they exist. Still, the "DOWNLOAD CONTENT" option from the games main menu cast a pretty strong vote that they will be available in some capacity soon. Chapter 7 --------- Players start at either the lower left or lower right corners of the map. Character Customization (Main Menu) =================================== Inventory ========= Your entire collected inventory is shared between all five of your characters. Even if an item is equipped, the others will be able to see and equip it on their own. OFF Gear - Weapons ------------------ Only Alucard, Soma, and to a lesser extent, Shanoa can equip different weapons. Shanoa uses her own selection (Glyphs) while Alucard and Soma can equip some of the same stuff, much of it available from The Store. Even between the two of them, however, many weapons perform differently in combat. Alucard & Soma: Baselard Bastard Sword Estoc - Performs auto dash attack with Alucard. Falchion - 2h Mace Rapier - Performs a rapid striking attack when QCF+Attack is used. Saber Short Sword Alucard Only: Alucart Sword Axe Knight Shield Hrunting - Inflicts poison. Iron Shield Knuckle Dusters Leather Shield Takemitsu Tyrfing - Inflicts curse. Soma Only: Axe - 2h Battle Axe - 2h Brass Knuckles Chakram - Has no range limitation, fires without animation. Handgun - Has no range limitation. Knife Partisan - 2h Spear Terror Bear Others: Claymore - Alucard Flamberge - Alucard Harper Mormegil Morning Star - Alucard Dainslef - 2h Alucard Book of Binding - Charlotte Only. Increases in power as she collects and masters spells. Confodore - Shanoa Only. Can alternate Attack 1 and 2 for short combos. Vampire Killer - Johnathon Only. Increases in power as he collects and masters Sub Weapons. OFF Gear - Hunter Skills ------------------------ Every character can equip up to 4 of their Hunter Skills at a time. Each Hunter Skill has its own degree of mastery, though how you get it there is character dependant. You can equip the same Hunter Skill multiple times, but you must have collected multiple copies in your travels. Scrolls (Alucard): Dark Metamorphosis - Alucard temporarily gains the ability to heal himself by damaging/killing enemies that bleed. Hellfire - Alucard summons fireballs from within his cape. Soul Steal - Alucard drains life from nearby targets. Summon Spirit - Alucard starts with this. A small spirit appears and homes in on enemies. Tetra Spirit - Multiple spirits appear and homes in on enemies. Spells (Charlotte): Acidic Bubbles - A string of bubbles that can inflict poison. Dark Inferno - Demonic Fire Orbs Deathscythe - Spray of mini sickles. Demonseed - Spray of tiny seeds Energy Flow - ? Featherblades - 3-way bladed projectile. Fireball - Charlotte starts with this. A small fireball that travels horizontally. Flame Shot - Large horizontal fire projectile. Ghost Chaser - Red homing projectile that can inflict curse. Heal - Generates a rainbow pillar that will restore life to anyone who touches it. Hellfire - Multiple fireballs Ice Fang - ? Ice Needle - Four icecicles. Nightmare - Large Demonic Ball Piercing Beam - Lasting energy beam Poison Spores - Fog that can inflict poison. Raging Fire - A roaring flame right in front of her. Sickle Moon - Miniature crescent shot Splash Needle - Water stream Summon Gunman - Summons Skeleton Gunman. Summon Skeleton - A skeleton appears and tosses a bone. Thunderbolt - ? Sub Weapons (Johnathon): Axe - An Axe tossed in an upward arc. Boomerang - A big arcing boomerang, it returns in Johnathon's direction. Grenade - A small explosive that bounces a bit then explodes. Iron Ball - A large ball on a chain, swung above the head. Knife - Johnathon starts with this. A basic knife, thrown forward. Paper Airplane - Does a quick loop then advances, does not stop on enemy impact. Martial Arts (Johnathon): Johnathon does not need to "equip" Martial Arts, he can use them as long as he has them. Martial Arts do not "level up", they increase in damage as Johnathon's Sub Weapons do. Block - Johnathon starts with this. Defensive posture, reduces damage (and sometimes nullifies recoil) when hit. (RB) Danger Knee - A forward dashing knee. Forward Roll - A quick roll forward. (F,D,B,F + Attack 2) Sonic Strike - (U,B,D,F + Attack 2) (Found in Normal Chapter 6 Solo) Uppercut - A rising flame uppercut. (D,U + Attack 2) Magic Glyphs (Shanoa): Fulgur - Grando - An ice shard with heavy start up. Ignis - Shanoa starts with this. A short range 3 way fire shot. Lapiste - Magnes - Shanoa starts with this. Allows her to navigate magnet studs. Nitesco - Pneumo - Red Souls (Soma): Axe Knight - Upwards thrown axe. Cave Troll - Tongue attack, increases in length as it powers up. Dullahan - Homing shot that can inflict curse. Fire Demon - Large flaming horizontal projectile. Fleaman - Summon a fleaman Gurkha Master - Spinning blade that returns to Soma. Merman - Shoot a stream of water from your finger tip. Moldy Corpse - Drops small poison spores to the ground Skeleton - Soma starts with this. He chucks a small bone. Skeleton Gunman - Fire bullets from your finger tip. Specter - Toss lanterns. Spittle Bone - Spins a ring of fire around Soma Witch - An electric projectile that homes in on enemies. Blue Souls (Soma): Brauner - Emits a blood trail that can damage enemies. Ghost - Summons the Ghost Familar Persephone - Creates a Soul Vacuum that drains life. White Dragon - Summons a White Dragon Yellow Souls (Soma): Ailorumnas - Increases MND Bone Pillar - Increases CON Imp - Increases INT Minotaur - Increases STR Peeping Eye - Reveals breakable walls in the map. The Creature - Health regeneration Treant - Increases SP regeneration rate. Zombie - Resistance to poison. DEF Gear - Head --------------- Ballroom Masque Bandana Circlet Fedora Gambler Glasses - Displays enemy drop % Iron Helmet Leather Hat Monacle Steel Helm Stone Mask Traveler's Hat - Available from store after "Hard Mode" is unlocked. Velvet Hat Velvet Ribbon DEF Gear - Body --------------- Army Jacket Biker's Jacket Casual Clothes Cloth Tunic Copper Plate Cotehardle Cotton Apron Fury Plate Gym Clothes Hobo's Clothes Houppelande Iron Plate Justacorps Kirtle Leather Plate Mirror Cuirass - Available from store after "Hard Mode" is unlocked. Pitch Black Suit Poncho Scale Mail Silk Robe - Shanoa Steel Plate Surcoat Tallcoat - Soma's starting gear. DEF Gear - Legs --------------- Artemis Shoes - Charlotte Combat Boots Engineer Boots Hiking Boots Inuit Boots Iron Leggings Sabrina Shoes Sandals Slick Boots - Increases slide damage Spiked Boots - Increases dive kick damage Steel Greaves Wingtips DEF Gear - Back --------------- Cape Hero's Cape Cloth Cape Cape of Invisibility - Renders wearer invisible to players (including themselves) but not enemies. Elven Cape - Available from store after "Hard Mode" is unlocked. Assassin's Cape DEF Gear - Accessory -------------------- Astral Brooch - Converts damage to MP Blessed Ankh Gold Stud Heart Brooch - Increases heart drops. Hoop Earing Laurel Brooch Lucky Charm Mastery Ring - Increases rate of Sub Weapon / Glyph mastery. Available from store after "Hard Mode" is unlocked. Moonstone - Increases ALL stats dependant upon System Time (from sunset to sunrise) Neck Warmer Pearl Ring Pendant Sage Ring - Increases MP regeneration. Scarf Silver Stud Skull Necklace - Skull Ring Soul Eater Ring - Increases probability of Soul drops. Available from the store after "Hard Mode" is unlocked. Turqoise Stud White Corsage DEF Gear - Item --------------- Amanita - Instant use, inflicts poison. Bagel Sandwich Beef Curry Berry Cruller Boneless Ham Caesar Salad California Roll Canele Chocolate Cruller Chocolate Donut Coffee Cream Puff Cream Soda Escargot - Instant use. Fried Chicken Fried Crab Claw - Instant use. Gazpacho - Instant use. Grapes Green Tea Cruller Hamburger High Potion - Can carry 3x. Hot Dog Kiwi - Instant use. Mango Mousse Cake Meat Strip Milk Olives Pizza - Instant use. Plain Cruller Plain Donut Popcorn Potion - Available from the store. Can carry 5x. Pudding - Instant use. Quiche Ramen - Instant use. Red Licorice - Instant use. Roast Beef - Instant use. Rusty Food Tin - Instant use, inflicts poison. Shrimp Cocktail Steamed Mussel Strawberry Strawberry Donut Super Potion - Can carry 1x. Tasty Meat - Instant use. Tea Tiramisu - Instant use. Truffle Uncurse Potion - Instant use. Water of Life - Can only be found and used within a multiplayer stage to resurrect dead players. Always found in Blue Chests. Beastiary ========= 1. Zombie --------- Soul - Yellow (****) Drops: *** - Hobo's Clothes (DEF Gear - Body) Location: Chapter 1 - ? 2. Bat ------ Soul - ? Location: Chapter 1 - ? 3. Skeleton ----------- Soul - Red (***) Location: Chapter 1 - ? Chapter 2 - ? Chapter 4 - All Along the bottom of the map Notes: -Summon Skeleton spell can be learned from it. 4. Ghost -------- Soul - Blue (***) Location: Chapter 1 - ? Chapter 2 - Indefinite spawn within the "Number" Rooms 5. Axe Knight ------------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: *** - Axe (OFF Gear - Sub Weapon) **** - Axe Knight Shield (OFF Gear - Weapon) Location: Chapter 1 - ? Chapter 2 - ? 6. Peeping Eye -------------- Soul - Yellow (****) Drops: *** - Monacle (DEF gear - Head) ? Location: Chapter 1 - ? 7. Amalaric Sniper ------------------ Soul - ? Drops: ? Location: Chapter 1 - ? 8. Fleaman ---------- Soul - Red (****) Drops: *** - Paper Airplane (OFF Gear - Sub Weapon) 9. Merman --------- Soul - Red (***) Location: Chapter 1 - Watery area in the middle of the stage. Notes: -Splash Needle spell can be learned from it 10. Spittle Bone ---------------- Soul - Red (***) Location: Chapter 2 - ? Chapter 3 - ? Notes: -Raging Fire sell can be learned from it. 11. Bone Pillar --------------- Soul - Yellow (****) Notes: -Fireball spell can be learned from it. -These things are everywhere in every chapter. -You can walk into and stand on them without damage. 12. Minotaur ------------ Soul - Yellow (****) Drops: *** - Meat Strip (Food) **** - Battle Axe (OFF Gear) Location: Chapter 3 - Across the entire lower corridor area Notes: -Raging Fire spell can be learned from it. 13. Une ------- Soul - ? 14. Man-eating Plant -------------------- Soul - ? Notes: -Demonseed spell can be learned from it. 15. Moldy Corpse ---------------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: *** - Amanita (DEF Gear - Item) Location: Chapter 2 - Near the top and bottom areas of the map. 16. Treant ---------- Soul - Yellow (***) Location: Chapter 2 - Near the top and bottom areas of the map. 17. Persephone -------------- Soul - Blue (***) Drops: **** - Heart Brooch (DEF Gear - Accessory) ? Location: Chapter 2 - In the "house" areas of the map, primarly in upper left corner. 18. Frozen Shade ---------------- Soul - ? Drops: *** - Pudding (Food) Location: Chapter 2 - The outside and cave areas at the top. Notes: -Ice Needle spell can be learned from it. 19. Ectoplasm ------------- Soul - ? Drops: *** - Uncurse Potion (DEF Gear - Item) *** - Summon Spirit (OFF Gear - Scroll) Notes: -Inflicts curse whenever it touches you. 20. Imp ------- Soul - Yellow (****) Location: Chapter 2 - Up and to the right of the boss area. Chapter 3 - Indefinite re-spawn all over. Notes: -Can cling to you and force your character to move / act against your will. -Sickle Moon spell can be learned from it 21. White Dragon ---------------- Soul - Blue (***) Location: Chapter 2 - ? 22. Aliorumnas -------------- **** - Increases MND (Yellow) Drops: *** - Kiwi (DEF Gear - Item) Location: Chapter 2 - ? Notes: -Grando glyph can be absorbed from it. 23. Yorick ---------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 2 - ? 24. Glasya Labolas ------------------ Soul - ? Location: Chapter 2 - ? Chapter 4 - ? Notes: -Acidic Bubbles spell can be learned from it. 25. Cave Troll -------------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: ? Location: Chapter 3 - ? Chapter 4 - ? Chapter 5 - ? 26. Medusa Head --------------- Soul - ? Drops: ? Location: Chapter 5 - Any of the "gear" rooms. Notes: -Yellow ones inflict Petrify on contact 27. Witch --------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: *** - Cream Puff (DEF Gear - Item) ? Location: Chapter 4 - ? Notes: -Heal spell can be learned from it. 28. Succubus ------------ Soul - ? Drops: *** - Tiramasu (DEF Gear - Item) ? Notes: -Can seduce male characters. 29. Fire Demon -------------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: ? Location: Chapter 3 - ? Chapter 4 - ? Notes: -Flame Shot spell can be learned from it. 30. Buer -------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 6 - ? 31. Lerajie ----------- Soul - ? Drops: *** - Berry Cruller (DEF Gear - Item) ? Location: Chapter 4 - In most of the vertical corridors between larger horizontal areas. Notes: -Suprisingly dangerous. 32. Gurkha Master ----------------- Soul - Red (***) Drops: *** - Boomerang (Sub Weapon) Location: Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - 33. The Creature ---------------- Soul - Yellow (****) Drops: *** - Rusty Food Tin (DEF Gear - Item) *** - Grenade (OFF Gear - Sub Weapon) Location: Chapter 4 - ? Chapter 5 - ? 34. Dullahan ------------ Soul - Red (***) Drops: *** - Iron Plate (DEF Gear - Body) Location: Chapter 4 - ? Notes: -Only the head can be damaged, but many life draining abilities can be used on the body for free HP. -Because she cannot dive kick, Charlotte cannot bypass Dullahan's armor without taking a hit or help from platforms or players. -Ghost Chaser spell can be learned from it. 35. Harpy --------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 5 - ? Notes: -Featherblades spell can be learned from it. 36. Skeleton Gunman ------------------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 5 - ? Notes: -Summon Gunman spell can be learned from it. 37. Disc Armor -------------- Soul - ? Drops: *** - Steel Plate (DEF Gear - Body) Location: Chapter 6 - ? 38. Sea Demon ------------- Soul - ? Drops: ? Location: Chapter 1 - Hard Mode Only Chapter 5 - ? Notes: -Ice Fang spell can be learned from it. 39. Mimic --------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 5 - ? Chapter 6 - ? Notes: -Appears to be an ordinary treasure chest until you try to open it. 40. Dead Warrior ---------------- Soul - ? Drops: *** - Partisan (OFF Gear - Weapon) Location: Chapter 5 - ? 41. Nova Skeleton ----------------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 6 - ? Notes: -Piercing Beam Spell can be learned from it. -? Glyph can be absorbed from it. 42. Thunder Demon ----------------- Soul - ? Drops: ? Location: Chapter 6 - ? Notes: -Thunderbolt spell can be learned from it. 43. Specter ----------- Soul - Red (***) Location: Chapter 6 - ? 44. Malachi ----------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 5 - ? Chapter 6 - ? Notes: -Nightmare spell can be learned from it 45. Final Guard --------------- Soul - ? Drops: ? Location: Chapter 6 - Guarding certain hallways. Notes: -Takes 1 damage from ALL forms of attack, but only has 50 health. So fifty strikes of any type to kill him. 46. Gergoth ----------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 1 - Boss 47. Puppet Master ----------------- Soul - ? Location: Chapter 2 - Boss 48. Menace ---------- Location: Chapter 3 - Boss 49. Brauner ----------- Soul - Blue (*****) Location: Chapter 4 - Boss 50. Death Soul - ? Location: Chapter 5 - Boss Notes: -Deathscythe spell can be learned from it. 51. Dracula Soul - ? Location: Chapter 6 - Boss Notes: -Transforms twice during the course of battle. -His 3rd form can seduce female characters. -Hellfire spell can be learned from it. -Dark Inferno spell can be learned from it. -Ghost Chaser spell can be learned from it. Secrets and Unlockables ======================= Achievements ------------ Bone Cold Justice (10) - Whenever a Skeleton throws its bone, you can hit it back at him (or any other monster) by striking it in mid air. Boned (20) - In a six player multiplayer session, enter Chapter 1. Have 5 party members kill themselves (easiest done via the spike pits at the map bottom) and have one player defeat Gergoth alone. If you like, have the Skeletons stand at the rooms entrance and rain bones at him, do not bring them into the fight pit as they will be unable to defend themselves from certain attacks. Upon completion, all players in the session will recieve the achievement. Grasshopper (20) - Playing solo, you can get this achievement dive kicking onto the tall Bone Pillars in Chapter 2. In multiplayer, you can get it by finding a safe place and bouncing on a teammates head 30 times. Charlotte cannot get this achievement. Grim Synergy (10) - Defeat a boss using a Dual Crush, you can pick the boss, but Gergoth is probably easiest. Hunter Legend (30) - Complete all 6 chapters (solo or multiplayer) on the hard difficulty. Unless you spend a lot of time farming and powering up your characters, you will probably need to do this multiplayer. Lifeguard (10) - In multiplayer, find a Water of Life then use it to resurrect a team mate (RT). Pack Rat (20) - Just keep playing. Unlock "Hard Mode" as soon as possible since that is the only place to find most of the truly rare gear. Ultimately, you will need to play with each of the five characters to unlock all of their equipment as characters do not earn drops for each other. You can use the Item Compendium to get an idea of what you still need to find. Poetic Justice (15) - In multiplayer, find the lone succubus near the top of Chapter 2 and let her seduce a (male) team mate near low health. Then kill them. Slaughtervania (20) - Just keep playing. You'll get this on the way to Pack Rat and Wicked Deep Pockets. Slick Kick (10) - Defeat a boss using sliding. Vampire Hunter (15) - Complete all 6 chapters (solo or multiplayer) on the normal difficulty. Wicked Deep Pockets (20) - This achievement is not cumulative, you will need to have 1,000,000 gold on hand at one time. Its generally a better idea to pursue Pack Rat before this, as you will need many store bought items to survive before you start getting quality drops and chests. Camera Selection ---------------- This is not so much a secret as it is just handy. From the Camera Options menu, you can enable / disable different zoom options for the in game camera. This includes a 2x zoom option which otherwise remains disabled. Gamerpics --------- Soma - Unlocked when any Chapter is completed. Alucard - Unlocked when Chapter 6 is completed solo. Hard Mode --------- Hard Mode is unlocked after the primary six Chapters are completed on Normal. Hard mode does not present any "new" Chapters, but it ups the monster HP and damage output, replaces certain monsters with stronger ones, and increases the speed of some of the area traps. The payoff is that drops and chests are (generally) better. The likelihood of absorbing Soma souls, or learning Charlotte's spells, however, are not affected. Japanese Voices --------------- When selecting your character, you can hold RT to have them speak using Japanese voice acting during play. Secret Items ------------ Each Chapter has a Secret Item in it that provides a tremendous boost to your item score at the Chapter's conclusion. You cannot store or use them in any other way. Chapter 1 - On the left hand side of the map, in the room with the flea men and giant green bells, slide underneath the lowest bell and jump to make it appear. Chapter 2 - ? Chapter 3 - After Menace smashes the area to pieces, dive kick through the exact center of the stage to make it appear. Chapter 4 - Slide into the alcove to the right of the boss room and it will appear. Chapter 5 - Use the mirror at the top of the left tower, then stand in the dark room next to the chest and hold Up to make it appear. You will need to climb up to catch it. Chapter 6 - Climb the building to the right of the boss staircase. When you're at the top, hold Up to make it appear. You will need to jump to catch it. Soundtrack Selection -------------------- This is not so much a secret as it is just handy. From the Sound Options menu, you can tailor the music that appears in each chapter and during the boss fight, choosing from a pool of songs that includes a few songs that otherwise remain disabled. Credits ======= Koji Igarashi - For the awesome idea Konami Digital - For the awesome game Me (The Tru Fenix) - For the awesome faq Llinrac, Sean, The Don of Miguels - For letting me tag along in multiplayer and mooch off their knowledge and findings. ErifderX - For the awesome Charlotte Spell thread.