Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Walkthrough

"Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard; their shadows searching in the
night.  Streetlights, people, living just to find emotion, hiding somewhere in
the night." ~ Midnight Train (Don't Stop Believin') - Journey
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ASCII thanks to Atom Edge, with my incredible modifications of changing the
name.
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|                                  |
| Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow      |
| For the Nintendo DS              |
| FAQ/Walkthrough                  |
| By T. Jackson                    |
| Started     : 7/18/06            |
| Finished    : N/A                |
| Last Updated: 11/23/06           |
| Version 0.4                      |
|                                  |
+----------------------------------+
This guide was composed in Metapad.  It's best viewed with 1024x768 resolution,
Courier New font, and your browser's small text setting.  Yarr.
Table of Contents:
I. Introduction
1.01: Table of Contents
1.02: Introduction
II. Soma Basics
2.01: Story
2.02: Characters
2.03: Controls
2.04: Souls
2.05: Status Effects
III. Walkthrough - Soma Cruz
IV. Appendices
4.01: Bosses
4.02: Bestiary/Souls
4.03: Weapons
4.04: Armor
4.05: Accesories
4.06: Items
4.07: Shop List/Soul Synthesis
4.08: Boss Rush Mode
4.09: FAQ
4.10: Secrets
4.11: Endings
V. Last Words
5.01: Copyright Information
5.02: Revision History
5.03: Contact Information
5.04: Credits
5.05: Boo!
If you need to find anything, press CTRL + F and type in the numerical code of
the section in question (e.g., if you're looking for the story, type 2.01).
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I. Introduction
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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| 1.01: Table of Contents |
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Look up.
Ugh.  People.
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| 1.02: Introduction |
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Hey hey, and welcome to this guide for the latest (as of this writing)
installment of Castlevania.  I don't get to say that much, being the sweet old
school writer that I am.  This is my first game for the DS, the first full
fledged guide I've written in awhile, and the first game since this game's
sequel for which I've written a guide without doing a few important things
first (e.g., writing the introduction, playing the game, etc.).
So this'll be entertaining.  And I hope this guide entertains you - there are a
few attempts at humor and song references in here, just because that's my
style.  Good luck with the game, though.
Also, there be spoilers ahead for all Castlevania games, so read at your own
risk!
Especially if you're playing the sequel here without first playing the prequel!
--Trace
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II. Soma Basics
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| 2.01: Story |
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This is the first game in forever where it has an instruction manual sans a
story.  While there is a pretty good summation of the story at the beginning of
the game, take this as a remedy for your nescience - a summary by me.  Hah,
there's none better.
Count Dracula.  We all pretty much have a good idea of who he is (or at least
his fictional version), if only because of our dad's terrible impersonations,
which we're subjected to every Halloween, shortly before the low-flying witches
crack.  Or maybe that's just me.  Anyway, he's a persistant one, haunting the
Belmont family for generations - from the Middle Ages to 1999 (Chrono Triggers
era, what what!).  The premise is that, as a supernatural being, he can't
really die.  Instead, he ressurects himself every century, or some other being
(e.g., Shaft) ressurects him.  He has had a number of foes over the aeons - the
Belmonts, other random families, and even Alucard, his own son.  Why does he
revive?  Because otherwise the franchise would end.
In 1999, during the apocalypse (COME ON PEOPLE), a man named Julius Belmont
fought the Count and defeated him; however, to completely eradicate the Prince
of Wallachia, Julius sealed Dracula's castle - Castlevania - in the solar
eclipse that occurred in 1999.  This truly did defeat the Count - no convenient
plot devices.  The deux ex machina to save him, however, was that someone had
to inherit his power.  It's a religious theory that's expounded upon in this
game - for God to be the ultimate good, there must be an ultimate evil, and
since you've fought the Devil himself as one of Drac's underlings, Dracula must
be said evil.  There were three candidates who could inherit his powers, two of
whom are introduced in this game.  They could do so because they were born at
the moment of Dracula's demise.  What luck!
The third is Soma Cruz, the Scientologist (hah!) whom you play in this game.
You played as him in the prequel to this game (while Castlevania is a series,
few games are direct sequels.  There are three true sets of sequels -
Castlevania I and II, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Symphony of
the Night, and this set: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of
Sorrow), when you found out that Soma inherited Dracula's powers.  Well now you
have to fight to keep those powers.  Woohoo!
And that's the premise of this game: there are two people, Dario and Dmitrii,
who at the behest of the priestess of a cult, Celia Fortner, want to become
Dracula by killing off Soma.  You've gotta take those two out and meet up with
Celia at the top of the cult's base - right where Dracula would be.
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| 2.02: Characters |
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These will be listed in order of appearance.
Allies
======
Soma Cruz
---------
He who inherited Dracula's power in 2035, the last time you played.  He's a
headstrong youth who wants to save his friends.  The typical RPG hero.
Mina Hakuba
-----------
She is one of Soma's best friends, his raizon d'etre, and just the normal
damsel in distress and chief motivator of Soma.  The typical RPG supporting
lady.
Genya Arikado
-------------
He's a really mysterious fellow who seems to know a lot about stuff he probably
shouldn't know about.  He may be the secret identity of someone!  Uh oh!
Enigmatic, helpful, and always there when you need him (and only when you need
him).  The typical RPG supporting enigma.
Hammer
------
Can't touch this!  This former army soldier decided, in the last game, that
killing people needed to take a backseat to the American Dream, so now he has a
shop.  He's got a major crush on Yoko.
Yoko Belnades
-------------
The descendent of Sypha Belnades, who fought alongside Trevor Belmont in
Castlevania III, she offers information and weapon synthesis.  She's a witch
who works for the church.  As opposed to a witch who gets burned by the church.
Julius Belmont
--------------
The guy who sealed Dracula away in 2035, he's a strong vampire hunter who seems
to really want to kill Soma, despite being his friend, as seen by Julius'
greeting at the beginning of the game.  Not the nicest guy.  He lost his memory
in the last game, but he was nicer then.
Not So Much Allies
==================
Celia Fortner
-------------
She's a priestess of a religious cult.  Yeah, that was pretty obvious.  She
wants to revive the Dark Lord because according to her, for God to be truly
good, there must be an ultimate evil.  Of course, you'd think that the ultimate
evil would have to manifest itself.  Additionally, if she thinks we need an
ultimate evil, she clearly has not met Brittany Spears.
Dmitrii Blinov
--------------
One of the potential successor to the Count, he's a reserved Russian who's not
drunk.  He can absorb souls and abilities like Soma.  He's cool.
Dario Bossi
-----------
Unlike Dario, who's a fiery (hence his control of fire) jerk.  He's the other
successor to Dracula.
Other
=====
Konami Man
----------
!!
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| 2.03: Controls |
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Basic Controls
==============
o--------o-----------------------------------------o
| Button |                Function                 |
|--------o-----------------------------------------o
| A      | Special attack*, confirm (menu)         |
| B      | Jump, cancel (menu)                     |
| Y      | Attack                                  |
| X      | Switch equipment**                      |
| L      | Dash backwards                          |
| R      | Use Guardian soul                       |
| Up     | Activate warp, epitomize You're So Vain | - Seriously.  Look at him
| Down   | Duck                                    |
| Left   | Move left                               |
| Right  | Move right                              |
| Start  | Go to menu                              |
| Select | Change screens***                       |
o--------o-----------------------------------------o
*This varies from weapon to weapon and costs MP.  See the weapons section for
more.
**You need to acquire the Doppleganger soul from the Garden of Madness first.
I got into more explanation there (CTRL + F Doppleganger if that's what
you're here for)
***For an explanation of the screens, check the Menu section (2.05).  This
changes the displayed screen on the top screen of the DS.
Complex Controls
================
B + B    -> Double jump (note: you need the Malphas soul)
Down + B -> Slide.  You can damage enemies with the slide too.
You can also drop through narrow floors with this.
If you do this after you've gotten the Malphas soul, you can jump
kick (though obviously you must be in mid-air to do so)
Up + Y   -> Use Bullet Soul
Touch Screen Controls
---------------------
-After you get the Balore soul, touch ice to break it.
-You can order a familiar to attack an enemy with the touch screen (simply
touch the enemy).
-You draw the Magic Seals by connecting the dots in the given order.
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| 2.04: Souls |
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For a full listing of the souls, see 5.02; this section is designed to give you
a primer on how to use souls, hence its inclusion in the Basics section.  See,
this works.
There are four types of souls:
1.) Bullet Soul   - These are the equivalent of subweapons, only more
-----------     permanent. Up + Y activates these.  For the most part,
they're the Use kind (read on for more information).  These
are primarily for attacking.  These are red souls.
2.) Guardian Soul - These are usually helping souls, hence the name.  Hold R to
-------------   activate them.  They're usually familiars of the Time kind
who serve as backup, but the basic premise is that these
aren't used for direct attack, for the most part; if they
cause damage at all, it's either in the form of a familiar
(e.g., Great Armor) or in the the best defense is a good
offense way (e.g., Armor Knight).  These are blue souls.
3.) Enchant Soul  - The yellow soul doesn't attack.  These generally give you
------------    some sort of stat boost (e.g., increased strength) or some
other ability that's useful but not damaging (e.g., the
Ghoul soul lets you eat poisoned food).  These don't take
up any MP.
4.) Ability Soul  - The final kind of soul also doesn't take up MP.  The
------------    controls vary, but the game generally tells you what to do.
These are the only souls you need, for the most part, to
advance, as these let you do things like double jump.
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| 2.05: Status Effects |
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There are two:
Poison: You lose all of your attack bonus that's attributable to STR and all
of your INT bonus.  So basically, you do less damage with your attacks.
Curse : You lose all of your MP.
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III. Walkthrough - Soma Cruz
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First off, a few notes:
1.) Soul equipping is really up to you because I don't know what souls you
have.  Play around with them.  There are some souls I'll really suggest you
get, in which case, you should probably get them.  You know.  Because I'm
not just wasting my breath- er, typing here.
2.) Unlike other games, you don't necessarily want to sell your old equipment
because it could be used in synthesis; that said, anytime you get any
equipment, equip it if it helps your stats (if you pick up something that
an enemy drops, obviously I can't remind you to equip it).
3.) Break every single candle/light source you see.
4.) Think like Doctor Who - "What do monsters have nightmares about?" "Me -
hah!"
5.) Due to the nature of weapon acquiring in this game (aside from the finds,
you have to synthesize to get good weapons), I can't really recommend what
to equip, as I don't know what souls you get.  I personally prefer the
Great Sword line of swords - they give you the best bang for your buck.
Others might prefer a different style.  All I can say is go for it!
Experiment!  The one thing that I caution you about is don't synthesize
with the souls of bosses until you have 100% soul collection rate and
acquire the Chaos Ring (once you've got that, at the end of the game, you
can forge your Valmanways and your Death's Scythes).  I do recommend,
however, for the purposes of this walkthrough, that no matter what weapon
branch you use, keep a good arcing weapon (something from the Great Sword
or Axe line).  I use the Great Sword stuff myself, but just having an
arcing weapon is very useful, even if it's not your primary weapon.
After the intro, you'll be plunged directly into a fight.  En medias res
indeed.  No bones about it, though (ha!), this is a very easy fight.  Genya
Arikado graces you with a Knife.  Smack the Skeleton twice with it to gain his
soul.  After a short explanation on how to use the soul, an Armor Knight
teleports in.  Use your newfound soul (Up + Y, if you're confused) twice to
take him out (should he launch his spear, simply jump over it).  You'll be
treated to a short explanation on hos to use Guardian souls.  Now a Golem will
appear!  As with the last foe, use your newfound soul to help - throw bones at
the Golem, and when he gets near, press and hold R to activate the Armor Knight
soul to help save your soul.  You'll then get the Golem soul (later on, you'll
wish the souls came this easily; for now, they've got the neighborhood tricycle
feel, if you know what I mean).  The explanation ensues, followed by a little
more exposition.  The end result is that Ms. Fortner has a very annoying laugh.
Some more story occurs (note the map on the top screen) - and just as a side
note, poor Hammer looks so dejected when you tell him Yoko's not coming!  Now
would be a good time to tell you what conditions you're in now.  Right now,
you've got no equipment aside from the Knife Arikado gave you, your clothes,
and the souls you just received.  You have three Potions, and there are some
pretty sweet terms in the Library in the menu.  Other than that?  Nothing.
Good luck!  Head right to get to...
The Lost Village
----------------
When you enter this screen, you'll see a Skeleton and possibly a Bat.  The Bats
spawn infinitely, so now might not be a bad time to get their soul (get three
to level it up completely, but you don't have to do this just yet).  It also
couldn't hurt to get more Skeleton souls either (or Skelesouls, as I like to
call them), but don't spend a ton of time on this, as it gets old fast.  Cross
the suspension bridge, and head to the next screen.
On this next screen, note the lamp to the right.  You can destroy this lamp for
an item.  Make sure you destroy all lamps, candles, enemies, etc. throughout
the game.  As you continue, there is a freaking HUGE Peeping Eye.  This
seriously scared me.  Take him out (don't worry about getting its soul - it's
rare; it can wait).  Head to the next room.
Pick up the Short Sword here, and make sure you equip it (as it does no good
otherwise).  Drop down and head right to grab a Potion and, in the next room,
save your game (these rooms, in addition to saving your game, could save your
life inasmuch as they heal you, so use these often, even if you don't wanna
save!).  Once saved, climb back up the platforms (ignore the door to the left;
we'll explore it later), and head out to the right.
This next room introduces some more baddies.  First up is the Warg, which you
SotN veterans will recognize.  Deliver three quick sword swipes to him to
finish him off.  There are also an unlimited number of Zombies spawning, who
take a minimal amount of effort to kill.  Finally, there's the Axe Armor, who
is a large piece of armor that throws axes.  He'll throw them in two ways:
either at a higher elevation or at a lower.  If it's the higher elevation, duck
under the axe, smack him a few times, and duck under it again.  If it's a lower
axe, leap over said axe, attack him, and jump over the axe again (the Armor
Knight soul is very useful here).  I _really_ recommend getting the Axe Armor's
soul, as it's the equivalent of previous games' Axe subweapon (and it's very
useful on the upcoming boss), though the Warg soul, if properly used, is very
useful.  Once you've cleaned out this screen satisfactorily, head to the next
room.
You meet up with Yoko (yay for Hammer!  You can't touch this, but she sure
can!) and Julius.  The latter delivers the best ally-to-ally greeting in video
game history.  After another little exchange (Yoko's facial expression rocks,
you get the Magic Seal 1.  After practicing it, you have to escort Yoko
somewhere.  Backtrack the way you came (killing a few Zombies just for the
sadistic pleasure of watching their heads fall off).  When you reach the screen
where you got the Short Sword, drop down to the funky door from earlier.  Yoko
will explain that you'll need a Magic Seal to finish off the upcoming monster.
Oh snap!
You'll enter the door automatically; however, if Yoko's incredibly subtle hint
didn't tell you this, you've got a boss coming up.  It's smart to have the
stylus ready, as when you defeat the boss, you have to draw the magic seal
relatively quickly, and you don't want to struggle with getting the stylus out,
risking having to fight the big guy again.
BOSS: FLYING ARMOR
First real boss fight time!  Flying Armor is a floating creature with two
hovering swords.  These swords act as a sort of barrier, such that it's
difficult for you to get close to him.  Watch for the tips of the sword - when
they flash, the swords are about to attack you.  They do this in one of two
ways - if the swords are both facing you (they're normally facing down), then
when they flash, their positions will be locked in, and they'll fire straight
in the direction they're pointed in, meaning don't be in their way.  If the
swords are pointed diagonally up in either direction, they'll circle around and
try to squish you; jump over them to avoid the piercing blow.  This is the
easier of the two to dodge.  Now, if you don't have the Axe Armor soul, this is
the time to attack, as he's defenseless for the moment.  Beat up on him until
the swords come back, rinse, and repeat.  His only other attack is floating
around, which isn't so much an attack, per se, as much as a horrible video game
cliche (i.e., the "touch of death") at its finest.
If you have it, though, now's the time to use the Axe Armor soul.  It makes the
fight loads easier - you can just make a slight hop, regardless of where the
swords are (unless the swords are, you know, inside of you), toss an axe, cause
damage (as each axe will not only hit for a fair amount of damage, but it'll
also hit multiple times), and repeat.  Just make sure to watch out for the
sword attacks, and resort to the earlier strategy when your MP runs low.
If your HP falls below a certain level (i.e., how much HP each of the Flying
Armor's attacks take away from you), remember that you do have three Potions,
so feel free to use one.
For your troubles, you get the Flying Armor soul, which "reduces the speed of
falling."  This is the same thing it did in Aria of Sorrow, only you have to
fight for it (I'm glad we didn't last time!).  After the exchange with Yoko,
grab the oversized orb to replenish your HP/MP.  Before you do anything else,
go two rooms to the right and save!  Return to the boss room, and then head
through the left door.
Hah, there seems to be potential for another Flying Armor in here.  Check out
the mantel.  Anyway, drop down one step, and jump for the platform on the left
side of the room, using the Flying Armor soul to get you over there.  Grab the
Claymore, and head to the next room.
Hop to the left to grab the aptly named Spear, though statistically and
practically speaking, I find the Claymore to be better.  Drop to the platform
to your right, and fall through that platform.  Take out the Armor Knight to
your left, and enter the room he was guarding.
In here, take out the Ouija Table (its soul is useful if you get it - you can
recover HP by sitting in chairs.  Don't bother equipping it unless there's a
chair nearby, though).  Grab the Mace to the left of the deceased dinnertable,
and continue left.  Drop through the platforms.  To your left is a save point;
to the right, $1000.  Make use of both, and head through the right door.  Drop
down to the bottom of this room, and go through the left door to reunite with
Yoko.  She'll explain the art of synthesis to you.  See the weapons guide later
in the FAQ for more information on this.  You can synthesize weapons here
depending on what souls you have.  I advise that if you want to perform a
synthesis, make sure you have multiple copies of the soul you're using so that
you don't permanently lose it.
You're welcome to make these if you want; however, it's not required by any
stretch.  Just make sure to have multiple copies of the soul you're using.  If
you need a reminder as to where to find enemies, either check the bestiary, or
I'll tell you now - you can find Armor Knights in the previous room.  The Wargs
and Axe Armors are a few rooms back.  While the Cutlass isn't too great now, if
you can get another Warg soul and make a Falchion, that would rock.
There's one thing about this I can't stress enough, though - Whatever you do,
until you have 100% of all souls, never ever _EVER_ use a boss soul.  You can't
get them back.  I don't care how useless it is.  I don't care if it hurts you.
Don't use it until you have 100% soul collection.
When you're done, trot across the way to Hammer's shop.  I recommend buying the
Castle Map 1 and whatever else you can afford.  Look in the Items section to
see what the UMA News says, so don't worry about buying that.  I also bought
the Gym Clothes, and the Scarf.  Equip it all.  Now, if you're low on money,
there's a cheap way of fixing that.  Credit for this goes to FairEmma.  Buy
some Brass Knuckles, and go find some Zombies (this is not a hard task,
unfortunately).  Synthesize the Brass Knuckles and the Zombie Soul to get a
Cestus.  Sell the Cestus to make a serious profit.
Return to the center room.  Hop on the hippie van, and hop up a few levels
until you can go right.  Go right when you can.  Make sure you collet the $1000
bag as you move through this next room (side note: you can destroy the chairs
in a variety of ways.  This looks cool), and head out through the door at the
bottom.
You're greeted with a funky sight in this next area: a skull in a cyclone (a
Spin Devil).  Wizard of Oz jokes aside, use a Bullet Soul to take him out.
Kill off the Skeleton, and grab the Potion on the right side of this platform.
Drop to the bottom of the room, and head right through the next two rooms to
find a Cape, which isn't as good as the Scarf from Hammer's place, but
whatever.  Backtrack to the larger room.  Once back in here, climb up to thje
top left corner.  Use the Flying Armor soul to cross the gap, look at Celia
Fortner's ugly mug + cleavage, and head through the door.
Kill off the Student Witch (such an adorable kitty!), and make your way through
the rest of the room, killing the other two Student Witches.  Exit through the
top right corner.  Make your way through the small hallway, and in the next
room, you'll find a gate impeding your progress.  Such inconvenient things,
gates.  If you attack the switch next to it, the water behind the gate will
drain, and the gate will open.
This actually drains the moat of the castle, which is where you are now.  Take
care of the Spin Devil, and head straight across the way to finally enter a new
area!
Wizardry Lab
------------
In your first room, you're greeted with a neverending spawning of Ghosts.
Woohoo!  Deal with them as best as you can as you drop down through the
entrance room.  You'll reach a small landing after a little while.  Grab the
Mind Up from the left side (the room behind the Mind Up is a save point), and
then head through the right door.
You'll now confront a Bomber Armor.  Take care of it (when it lobs a bomb, just
make sure you're out of the way of the explosion!), and continue on.  When you
see the Slime, just kill it before it slowly crawls at you.  Hop across the gap
to get a Blunt Sword (just what I always wanted!), and continue down through
the room.  At the bottom right corner, you'll see a treasure chest.  Smack it
open with your weapon, and then backtrack to the previous room.  Continue your
descent downwards to the door at the bottom, and then make use of said door.
I find it useful to slide (down + B) through this row of Skeletons and the
Skull Archer.  The rest of this room is nothing you've never seen before
(although if you hit the Student Witch when she tries to fly, she falls, and it
looks so sad), so continue through the room.  In the next room, drop down a few
levels, and take the first right that you can (though it may be advisable,
before you take this right, to go to the bottom of the shaft, take a left, and
grab the Scarf, if you don't have one).  There be Manticores in this room - the
head of a lion, the tail of a scorpion.  Watch out for the tail as you destroy
them.  Also, note the eyes in the painting!  Ahh!  Go all the way right, and in
the next room, take your first right to find a warp room.  The game will
explain the concept.  Warp up to the Lost Village real fast (press up, and then
press left to get there).
The Lost Village
----------------
If you were paying attention to the map earlier, you noticed you couldn't get
to the room you're at now.  But now you can, so it's all good.  Anyway, it puts
you out by a save point, Yoko, and Hammer.  Make use of them if you want, and
then teleport back to the Wizardry Lab.
Wizardry Lab
------------
Once back in the Wizardry Lab, return to the room before the warp chamber, drop
to the bottom, and head right.  Go through this next room (your goal is the
bottom left corner), which has two new enemies: a Slaughterer and The Creature.
The Slaughterer is by far the easier of thw two.  It's a giant pig thing that
hops around and shoots fireballs in an arc.  Dodge the fireballs as you attack
him, and he'll die quickly.  The Creature - Frankenstein's Monster - is
substantially harder.  He'll be energized with lightning, stumble over to you,
and smack you really really hard.  If he's energized, when he sees you, he'll
stumble really fast, making it difficult to get out of the way.  You want to
attack him from afar - in here, you can lure him to the right side of his
level, hop up to the level above him, and get him with the Axe Armor soul.  His
soul is useful (you restore one HP/second) but difficult to obtain, so do so at
your own risk.  Anyway, once you've cleaned out this room, head out through the
bottom left corner.
Drop down through this room and take the bottom right door.  After a nice
little cutscene, you can continue through the room.  In the next room, go
through the bottom right door to find a save point.  Uh oh!  Go left to
encounter...
BOSS: BALORE
A beam suddenly cuts through the ice!  Go through the ice to find Balore
himself.  Balore has two basic attacks, and the safest place to evade both of
them is right in between his hands.  His most obvious attack is a GIANT laser
beam that comes out of his eye.  There'll be a dead giveaway when he's about to
use this attack - you'll see him charge it.  When you see it, immediately duck
to avoid the beam.  His other attack is to punch with one of his fists.  You
can avoid all of these if you're positioned where I told you to be.  When he
brings his fist close to him, though, jump