Castlevania: Dracula X Bosses
ondo of Blood veterans will notice very familiar faces in the boss roster of Dracula X. Some creatures from Rondo return as they were, like Minotaur and Dullahan, while others reemerge in an altered state. The Werewolf is considerable more challenging than before, the Water Dragon has a much less elaborate sprite, and the Phantom Bat gets its own stage and different battle strategy.
Other bosses pay homage to Rondo of Blood, such as the Skull Sorceress, who looks like Carmilla, but uses the same tactics as Shaft, who does not appear in Dracula X at all. However, a new villain -- the Necromancer -- resembles the ghost of the Dark Priest.
One of the most notable alterations has been made to Count Dracula. The challenge of the final boss in Rondo of Blood was somewhat mundane, but this incarnation of the Dark Lord is one of the toughest yet.
Read below to see how to get the best of this bevy of baddies!
Cerberus
Dracula's pet hound and the gatekeeper of hell is the first boss adversary. Before facing this unruly mutt, be sure to pick up the pot roast hidden within one of the blocks leading to the battle field. This creature is surprisingly deceptive for a first boss. He likes to lure opponents into a false sense of security.
When you strike Cerberus, he will leap backwards into the air and shoot flames downward. When the flames connect with the ground they will glide along it for a bit before dissipating, and he will then leap forward. It's the forward leap that can prove a problem. Sometimes he leaps far, making it ideal to go beneath him, and other times he leaps close, making it best to move back away from him instead of going underneath. You must be prepared for the right one; otherwise you strongly risk getting hit. Don't let him get too close or he may try ramming you with his head. Don't let his mad dog glare intimidate you, keep up the attacks and evasive maneuvers and this pup will go down in no time.
Phantom Bat
This violet bloodsucker appeared in Rondo of Blood, but was in a boss gauntlet and never presided over its own stage. It looks like it got a promoted to boss guardian in Dracula X. Though it sports the same look, it doesn't perform the same way it did in Rondo. While in its regular form, the bat will dive toward Richter fairly quickly. This is easily repelled with an axe.
Every time you strike the bat, it will break into smaller versions that flutter past the bottom of the screen and then reemerge and reform. The bat is vulnerable when it scatters into pieces, so strike it ferociously. The danger is that you never know which way the bat will emerge from the bottom. Sometimes it will fly in a V shaped pattern, and other times it will fly in a / or \ shape. Be ready to take up the defensive, so don't be too greedy when you're smacking the smaller bats.
When you kill the bat, leap up to one of the platforms on the left or right to dodge its dying attack, which will send its lesser forms in a spreading semi-circle shape that covers the bottom of the screen.
Dullahan
This headless knight is exactly the same as he was in Rondo of Blood. He's got a lot of range, more than he may seem. He always begins with a leaping attack. Move to the right and whip him when he lands, but don't run into his lance. Afterward, he will stick his javelin in the ground and summon blue blades to erupt from it. Use the platforms on the right side of the room to avoid them and go back on the attack once they disappear. He'll advance again with a large leap. This time, go underneath him, because you won't have any room on the left side. Now, you should have plenty of space to maneuver.
Sometimes he will throw his head far into the air and cause a barrage of stones to fall from above. Keep your eye on top of the screen and move out of the way of whatever rocks are headed toward Richter. If it looks like you won't be able to dodge an attack, Item Crash and the invulnerability caused by it will save you. Dullahan may also take his head off and have it follow you across the room. If that happens, take up a protective strategy and run away and return to the attack when the segment ends. The only other attack he has is his thrust. You may need to jump back or back flip to avoid it.
When the knight dies, he will use his head to fire blasts in a spreading motion across the room. There is a conveniently placed pot roast on the far left end of the battle field. If you get in trouble, grab it. Before you pick up the orb he leaves upon death, use the pot roast to replenish any health you may have lost. If you leave the stage with a full health bar you'll get an extra life.
Minotaur
Bring an axe into this battle. The Minotaur's huge hatchet capably wards off blows from the cross. The bullheaded beast has a few attacks that should be easy to dodge if you don't remain too close to him. Petrifying breath doesn't have much reach, but it can be a real problem if you get hit by it, so keep a safe distance. There is also a stabbing attack he does with his axe. He broadcasts this attack before he does it, so move back to keep from being on the losing end of a bayonet.
One of the Minotaur's more dangerous techniques is his leaping slash. Go beneath him when he does this, or if you feel you have enough room, move backwards away from him. Try not to get pushed into a corner. If that happens, use the platforms all around the room to get above Minotaur and to the other side of the room. When struck, the Minotaur recoils from the damage, so you can knock him back with your whip or sub-weapon, giving you more breathing room.
Minotaur will tear away pieces of the floor and launch them at Richter in an arcing motion. You can use an axe to clear some of the debris away, or alternatively, simply use careful maneuvering to avoid these attacks. Watch out for his charging attack, in which he launches himself horizontally at Richter and then gets caught in the wall. A careful timed jump is all that is needed to avoid this. When the Minotaur comes out of the wall, he will do so with a huge leap, so be ready.
Necromancer
This is an especially interesting fight because this conjurer has two different modes of attack. In the beginning, he will fly around the room and invoke purple flames that follow Richter and summon skeletons to attack. During this time, stay at ground level and hit him with axes. Similar to Shaft's Ghost from Rondo of Blood, every time you strike this foe, he will quickly arc to the other side of the screen. When his flame begins homing in on Richter, extinguish it with an axe and strike the skeletons away whenever they get in your path. Keep up quick attacks on the Necromancer to keep him on the defensive. You really don't want to get hit by the purple flame because it will cast a curse on Richter, which slows him considerably, and that will alter the entire course of the battle in Necromancer's favor, since speedy attacks are the key to a swift and clean victory.
After you deplete his health bar, he'll regenerate it and bid tombstones to encircle him and attempt to launch them at you. If you have enough hearts, you can pound him quickly with a flurry of axes before he can even get an attack off. Once his health is drained again, create a lot of distance between Richter and his dying form to avoid his death attack, which spreads his remains throughout the room.
The trick to defeating this enemy is to attack very quickly and don't let him get a chance to make a strong offensive.
Werewolf
This is a very tough opponent with a wide and tricky arsenal of attacks. The technique for defeating him is to keep a good amount of space between him and Richter. If he executes one of his attacks while you're close to him, it will be very difficult to dodge, especially the attack when he glows and leaps toward the wall speedily at a diagonal angle.
When the Werewolf appears, strike him with the whip or a sub-weapon; this will send him lunging back. One of his favorite things to do is latch onto a wall or the ceiling and then spiral at you quickly. Stay calm position yourself in the center of the room, and move when you see him getting ready to come down, and then strike him as he lands. If he performs a ground slide, leap over him or move back accordingly, and then strike. When he throws his disc-like projectile, duck or jump to avoid it. If he lobs it at close range, duck; if he's further away, then jump.
When he's lost a lot of health, he will start bouncing around the room in a ball rather quickly. He's still vulnerable while in this form, so telegraph where he's going to be and time your attacks perfectly.
As a going away present, the werewolf will crash his fist into the ground and send debris flying across the room. The best thing to do is Item Crash to avoid this.
He is a very unpredictable opponent. He's got good defense and he hits hard. If you really start to lose control of the situation, Item Crash and try to get your bearings again.
Water Dragon
This sea monster will begin by springing over the bridge in an arcing motion. Don't be caught by its body on its descent back into the deep. Only the head is vulnerable, so hit it when it is heading back into the water. The ophidian will also rise directly out of the water to shoot fire balls at Richter. When this happens, hit its head with an axe, then back away and leap over its diagonal water shot and strike it with the whip while airborne. Hit it again when it's on its way back down into the water.
The most difficult attack to dodge is when the serpent wraps around the bridge and glides forward quickly. Remain on the defensive, jump over the head when it comes, and then walk forward a bit to keep up with the body, making sure it doesn't collide with Richter. While you can duck and hit the head while it's in this phase, it is better not to risk getting damaged unless you're very sure of yourself.
Once you deplete the serpent's health, continue walking back and forth along the bridge, because it will rise with one last effort to kill Richter, and if you stay in one spot too long, it's sure to hit him.
Skull Sorceress
In the event that Richter does not rescue Annet, he will unfortunately have to battle and slay his love, as Dracula has sadistically used his powers to turn her against him. The Skull Sorceress obviously resembles Rondo's Carmilla, but she behaves like Shaft. She uses the very same attacks as Shaft, and often glides from one end of the screen to the other. The only big difference is that she is in the air.
An axe and a good amount of hearts can see you through this confrontation. Her first attack sends two flames that will home in on Richter. If one gets too close, you can knock it away with an attack. Use careful footwork to weave through them while using your axe to strike the Sorceress. Afterward, she'll send her skulls two eyes to chase after Richter. Make good use of Richter's back flip and backwards walk to stay out of harms way, and don't forget to keep the axes flying. Lastly, she'll use the attack that is hardest to dodge; the lightning spells. By this time, if you've been hammering her with axes, she should be near death. Rely on your Item Crash to avoid the spell and finish her off.
The key to winning this fight is fancy footwork and a constant offense.
Death
The best sub-weapon for this battle is the cross, because Death will begin summoning sickles all over the screen, and it's the best tool for clearing them away. Death will float around the battlefield forming sickles that usually shoot in Richter's direction. Dodge these as best you can by maneuvering, whipping, and expelling them with crosses. Strike Death when practicable. Don't worry about running into him, he cannot harm you – only the sickles can.
Deplete Death's health as fast as you can because this is the state in which it is hardest to avoid his attacks. Attack Death as quickly as possible, because the faster you attack him, the less chance he has of beckoning the little cleavers. If you have long intervals of time in between your attacks, he will fill the screen with sickles that all have Richter's name on them.
For his final phase, Death will exchange his blue cloak for a brown robe, and take out his large scythe to mince Richter in close range combat. When you attack Death, he will be knocked back from it. If you knock him to the edge, he will swiftly perform a whirling leap attack, so be ready for that. If Death's attacks connect, they will not only cause considerable damage, but also knock Richter back a long way. It is very possible to fall off the stage, so don't be too brazen with the attacks, and remain defensive. Death will summon the occasional sickle to distract you. If need be, whack it away with the whip.
Never use a sub-weapon while Death is in this phase. He will block the attack and turn its energy against you. Death does not have a final attack.
Dracula
The ultimate battle.
Dracula is actually not that flashy, but the fact that the fight takes place on a series of platforms that are very easy to fall off of makes this the most difficult fight in the game, since the Count can kill you in one hit.
First, grab an axe and position yourself on the center low platform. Wait patiently for Dracula to come within striking distance of your axe and let him have it in the head, his only vulnerable spot. You can get about three hits on him when he teleports to one of the neighboring platforms.
Wait patiently on your platform; do not go jumping around the room looking for Dracula when he's not in range. If you see one of his magic attacks heading toward Richter, duck or jump to another platform temporarily to avoid it. If he teleports on the platform you're standing on, jump to the neighboring one and whip him in the head.
If you keep this careful system going, you should be able to get through his first form without a problem. It may sound simple, but remember, it only takes one slight mistake on your part for Dracula to win the fight.
The second form is a challenge. Dracula morphs into a muscled blue devil and launches fireballs from his hands. You can either dodge these by jumping or strike them away with your weapons. After that, he discharges a blue wave of energy, which can either be ducked under or jumped over, depending on the level of the platform Dracula releases the attack, and the platform Richter is standing on. A useful tip to remember is that if Richter takes damage while ducking, he will not be knocked back.
Attack Dracula with as many axes as you can as fast as possible. That's really all there is to it. This battle takes great skill, but a bit of luck goes a long way, too.
