--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Low Level Challenge FAQ/Walkthrough
Version 1.1, May 9, 2005
by Aaron "falcon815" Bolner
falcon at sandwich.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This document Copyright 2005 Aaron 'falcon815' Bolner. This document may
be posted in its original form ONLY, and ONLY with written permission from
me. If you would like to put this on your Castlevania site, please ask!
I'll take a look at your site and let you know ASAP.
Sites allowed to post this FAQ:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
I am not affiliated with Konami Digital Entertainment - I simply enjoyed
this game enough to put work into it. All trademarks and copyrights
contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and
copyright holders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents (CTRL-F any of the following strings of text to jump):
1. Introduction
2. FAQ
3. Common Terms
4. Walkthrough
Boss 1: Living Armor
Boss 2: Skull Knight
Boss 3: Giant Merman
Boss 4: Max Slimer
Boss 5: Peeping Eye + Peeping Big
Boss 6: Shadow
Boss 7: Pazuzu
Boss 8: Death
Boss 9: Giant Bat
Boss 10
Final Boss
5. Closing / Thanks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
Castlevania: White Night Concerto (released in the US as Castlevania:
Harmony of Dissonance) was the second GBA Castlevania released. Made in
the image of the wildly popular Symphony of the Night, it fixed the visual
problems of its predecessor, Circle of the Moon. Unfortunately, the game's
difficulty left much to be desired. Even the "No Magic" game added little
to make the game more challenging.
After my own No Magic run, I sat and thought about what might make the
game harder. I decided to try skipping as many enemies as I could, so my
level would stay low. I was impressed during the early game; it seemed
that the Life Max Ups and Potions were conveniently placed for such a run
to be possible. Though the game still ended up being simple in the end,
the opening of the game was far more interesting, and I thought I'd get
this out to the rest of the Castlevania community. If it revives anyone's
personal interest in the game, or makes the game more fun, then my mission
is accomplished.
I will assume that, if you're reading this FAQ, you will have a basic
familiarity with the game, its controls, its sub-weapons, its storyline,
and its main objectives. If you do not, I suggest you read the opening
of DMorgan's FAQ, or any of the others which are marked as "complete".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. FAQ
Q: What made you decide to do this?
A: I spent years just playing games, but my love for Final Fantasy Tactics
gave me an appreciation for personally set limits on gameplay. The
time I spent on challenges in FFT were among my favorite plays of any
game, and since then, I've been more open to creating or playing
challenges in other games.
Q: How low will my level be?
A: The first time I did this challenge, I finished the game at level 19.
I've since found ways to skip more bosses, and have finished at level
18.
Q: Wait, wait. Skip bosses?
A: Yeah. It may be a requirement to kill all bosses in the Maxim game,
but to properly finish a Juste run, all you need are the Dracula
relics.
Q: What bosses are avoidable?
A: Golem, Legion (saint), Devil, Minotaur, Minotaur Lv2, Talos, Cyclops,
and Legion Core are easily skippable. Giant Bat would be, too, if one
wanted to get the bad ending and finish the game that way.
Q: Can't you get to Castle B and do the Clock Tower by killing Devil
instead of the Giant Merman, for less EXP?
A: You can GET to Castle B, but you won't be able to go through the
passage to get the Crushing Stone unless you kill the Giant Merman.
Q: Could you finish the game at a lower level by getting the bad ending?
A: Since you need the Crush Boots and Griffin Wing to finish the game,
no. Death is the last required boss in the game (if you go in order
- see next question for details), and you absolutely need the Griffin
Wing to finish the game regardless of how you do it.
Q: Why is the Giant Bat not first?
A: Three reasons. First, I didn't think you actually had to, but killing
the bat lowers the drawbridge, which is required to finish the game
properly. Second, killing him later reduces the EXP you get from him.
Finally, killing him later makes the beginning of the game more
challenging; though the EXP wouldn't make a difference at the end,
that 66 EXP would make you one level higher for at least one boss
battle in the early game.
Q: Are there any non-boss enemies that you can't skip? I want my EXP as
low as possible.
A: Yes. There is one instance of a non-boss enemy that you cannot walk
or otherwise get through; the Peeping Eye that appears before the
Peeping Big boss battle cannot be skipped. He's worth 17 EXP.
Q: What about non-boss enemies summoned by bosses? Aren't they worth EXP?
A: No. The enemies summoned by the Giant Merman and Pazuzu are worth 0
EXP each.
Q: Can I use magic?
A: There's nothing saying you can't. I would recommend against it, as I
easily completed the game at level 18 without it. But then, it's your
call; you're the player.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Common Terms
Throughout the guide, I will make reference to a couple things on a
frequent basis. I will define them here.
Multi-Dash - The Dash keys (L and R) are invaluable in this challenge.
Dashes can be started in the middle of a dash, allowing for a chained dash
in either direction. I will refer to this rapid tapping of either L or R
as the Multi-Dash.
Saveroom - The Save Room is available on the main menu after saving the
game one time. When you use the Save Room, your data is saved, obviously.
If you quit and load your save, your equipment, stats, and inventory from
your Quick-save will be recalled at the previous save point at which you
saved. At multiple points in this challenge, it is very convenient to
get to an item, use the save room, and reload to return to the last save
point. So, when I say "use the Saveroom", quick-save, then reload to
return to the last save point.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Walkthrough
---
Entrance
---
Head to the right and whip the statue to advance forward. At the first
opportunity, exit the screen at the top and grab the Leather Armor. Equip
it and return down. Exit to the right, then immediately exit up and get
the Leather Boots. Equip them and jump across to where the Skeletons are.
Get past them however you can; multi-dashing worked well for me, as their
projectiles did 8 damage, but simply ramming them only did 1. Acquire
the Soul Orb, and return to the main hall. Jump over the Zombies, and
take the first exit through the floor to get the Life Max Up to heal.
Utilize the candle here to get the Book sub-weapon. If you wish to build
Hearts quickly, this is a good place to do so by exiting and re-entering
the room.
Once you've acquired the Book, go back to the left, jumping the Zombies,
and take the leftmost exit upward. Multi-dash under the bats, and continue
upward. Grab the Potion to the left. Ascend the room, dashing through
skeletons as needed. Be sure to get the Potion in the top-right corner.
Exit the room to the top, and go to the save point immediately to the left.
Exit the save room, wait until the skeleton gives you an opening, then
get past him. Take the upward exit to grab the Heart Max Up, drop back
down, and continue to the right to the door.
---
Marble Corridor
---
Here's where the damage starts racking up. Get by the skeleton knights
however you can, exit the room to the right, and acquire the Castle Map 1.
Avoid the spear enemies and proceed to the top-right exit. The next room
is straightforward; exit to the lower right. Multi-dash past the Fleaman
in the next room, take the first exit upward, and use the save point to
your left. Exit the save room and proceed to the right, avoiding the
Medusa Heads. Be sure to whip the candles on the way to get the $25.
Acquire and equip the Leather Gloves. Exit the room to the right, then
make your way to the top-right corner of the next room. Acquire and
equip the Red Stone. Exit this room to the lower-right. Multi-dash all
the way to the right, but do not exit. Instead, take the lower path,
dodge / dash through the skeleton knights, acquire the Potion, and use
the Saveroom.
From the save room, proceed to the right again, again acquiring the
$25. This time, exit the large room at the bottom, get the Holy Water
from the first candle, acquire the Fairy Journal, and proceed to the
right through the door.
---
The Wailing Way
---
Proceed to the right, fall through the gap, and immediately exit the
screen to the right. Acquire the Monster Tome and the $25, then use the
Saveroom. Make your way back to the beginning of the Wailing Way (again
claiming the $25 from the passage just outside the save point), and fall
through the gap. This time, do not go to the right. Move left, above
the Rock Armor, and follow the platforms to the left. Multi-dash through
the second Rock Armor, then fall, proceed to the right, then cut back to
the left as soon as you drop from a platform. Exit the screen through
the bottom. Exit to the right, and follow this room to the end. Get the
$5 from a candle, as well as the Potion at the end. Drop down, jump
over the Lizard, then drop through the floor. Proceed to the left,
jumping over the Lizards, until you see platforms going up. Follow the
path around this room, avoiding the bone pillars, and exit to the upper
left. Jump over the Lizard and drop through the floor. To the right
is a Save point; use it.
Head to the left, go through the plot scene, and prepare for the
first boss.
---
Boss 1: Living Armor
HP: 900
EXP: 110
Your level: 1
Your EXP: 0
Damage from whip: 11
Damage from Holy Water: 7 per hit, average of 4-5 hits
A very simple boss. When it rears backward, dash away from it. Use
your Holy Water to its fullest extent (11 uses), then just wail on him.
Even if you do get hit, he only does 9 damage, so it's not very worrisome.
Whatever you do, don't use any potions. For your victory, you will receive
110 EXP, a full heal, and the Lizard Tail artifact, which lets you slide.
---
After defeating the Living Armor, hit the switch and proceed to the
left. Use the saveroom, but do not reload; return to the first save point
you used.
---
Entrance
---
Go three rooms to the right from the save point, then drop through the
floor. Get the Potion. Go to the left in this bottom area and get the
Life Max Up by jumping over the Lizards, if you need healing. Refill your
hearts using the rightmost candle in any case. When your hearts are full,
proceed to the right, dodge Medusa heads on your way down, and exit to the
bottom left. Jump the Zombies, slide under the pillar (acquiring a Heart
Max Up), then exit left, take the Lucky Charm (equip it if you wish, but
I don't recommend it yet), and use the keyhole.
---
Castle Treasury
---
The skeleton boomerangs are hands-down the hardest enemies you've yet
seen, but there's a surefire way to get past them. Try to get as close to
them as you can, and duck. Their boomerangs will sail over your head. As
you approach, they retreat. Push them back in this manner until you can
get them beyond the edge of the screen, and then simply exit. Go to the
right, and get the next potion. Proceed to the top of this room, making
sure to grab the $25. At the top of this screen, exit to the right. Fall
down the hole you see. Go all the way down, then circle back to the top
and face off with the Gate Guardian. Whip him until he falls backward,
opening a path. Follow that path to the merchant.
What you do here depends on how difficult you want the next portion of
the game to be. I highly recommend buying at least five potions, as this
continuing stretch requires a suicide run through three enemies that are
too large to jump over. You can use the $25 candle in the previous room
to build as much money as you want. I would get a stock of around 10
Potions, but ignore the Castle Map 2.
Once you've filled your potion stash to an acceptable level, go back
to the previous screen and start your suicide dash to the right. For every
third hit you take from the bomb armors, use a potion. Drop through the
floor, then do one final suicide dash through the bomb armor to the left.
You can save a little damage by waiting until the bomb armor and the
skeleton knight are together, and crashing into the skeleton knight first
instead. Drop through the floor as soon as you can.
You can just barely clear the flail knights in one jump. Dodge as many
as you can, and drop through the floor. Proceed to the first fork, and go
to the left. Walk left slowly, ducking boomerangs, until you get a good
opportunity to jump over the skeleton boomerangs while still dodging the
Peeping Eyes.
---
Cave of Skeletons
---
Dodge the skeletons as best you can and exit this room to the bottom.
Fall through the three platforms, and immediately go left. Jump over the
skeleton spearman, whip the skull, and grab the $25. Head to the bottom
right corner. Stay on the platform until the skeleton spearman is
directly below you, then head left, jumping over the other spearman.
Exit left. Get close to the Skeleton Ape to make him throw his barrel,
then jump over him. Go up, whip the wood, and proceed left. Dodge the
swinging axe, get through the plot scene, and proceed left again.
This room is exacting. Use the same method as before to get past each
skeleton boomerang. Simply kill the Red Skeletons; they give 0 EXP.
Finally, at the end of the room, you reach a save point. Take heart!
This was the longest stretch without a save point that you'll see in the
game.
The next screen is probably the single most difficult in the game.
You'll see a Skeleton Ape above you. Multi-dash to the left as quickly
as possible, and jump to the next ledge. Immediately duck; the barrel
will sail over your head. The instant that happens, JUMP! This lets the
next Skeleton Ape appear, and "chase" you, making him move to the left.
Once this happens, jump over the Ape on your ledge, dash to the right, and
go to the second level. Repeat this process. You'll have to dash through
the third skeleton ape, as there's no room to jump over him.
Now, to run the gauntlet on the other side. Wait for the flail knights
to retreat to the edge of the platform and perform one attack. Once they're
done with one attack, approach them, and try to jump between them and the
ball of their flail. It's quite possible to avoid damage entirely doing
this, though it's not easy. Once you get to the bottom, use a potion if
you need to, then head into your second boss battle.
---
Boss 2: Skull Knight
HP: 1600
EXP: 339
Your level: 1
Your EXP: 110
Damage from whip: 11
Damage from Holy Water: 7 per hit
This is a long fight, but he follows three fairly simple patterns.
Attack pattern 1 - When he draws his sword, he'll thrust. Dodge
backward. When he crouches, he's about to jump. Slide under him.
Simple as that; just keep attacking. I recommend tossing a Holy Water
at him when he draws his sword.
Once you do enough damage, his sword and shield will fall away,
and he'll respawn from his shield.
Attack pattern 2 - His jump will come out a little faster now, but
he'll jump farther, giving you a chance to react. His main attack
comes in a charge. When he flashes and crouches, multi-dash or jump
to the closest platform, jump to it, then jump up from it to avoid him.
Keep attacking and he'll go through the same transformation sequence.
Attack pattern 3 - His jumps are yet faster, but have a similar
range to attack pattern 1, making it somewhat hard to react. He
also walks around on occasion. His only attack aside from contact
damage is a laser beam, which he telegraphs by rearing back in a
flash of light. Get close to him if you can, duck, and keep
attacking. Eventually, he'll finally drop, granting you 339 EXP,
enough to level to 3.
---
Proceed to the left and grab the Sylph Feather. Do not use the
saveroom yet. The lower candle outside of this room drops $100; build
your money to at least $4000; $2000 if you're feeling dangerous. Once
you have the money you want, use the saveroom. Make your way all the
way back to the fork in the center of the castle that you took to the
left earlier. The Double Jump should be more than sufficient to dodge
the enemies on the way. Take the right branch of the fork, into the
Luminous Cavern.
---
Luminous Cavern
---
Double jump over the axe armor, and walk under the bats. It may be
tempting to dash, but there's another axe armor later in the room to
jump over. Exit to the right. Jump over the axe armor, avoid the curse
balloon, jump over the next axe armor, dash under the bat, jump over the
final axe armor, and exit to the right. Dash under the Witch and take
the path upward to get the Turquoise. Refill your hearts at the bottom
of this room as well. Return to the main path. Get through the two
plants, exit to the right, and save your game.
Return to the left, dash or jump by the first plant again, and drop
through the floor. Follow this room to the left, sliding under the
witches, then follow the next room to the right. Jump over the Axe Armor
to acquire a Heart Max Up, and use the Saveroom.
Exit to the right. Dodge the barrel from the skeleton ape, then jump
over him. Go to the right and fall. To dodge the bone thrower, kneel
near him, then jump over him after he's thrown a projectile. Exit down.
Double jump over the bomb armor to the left, and exit down again. Proceed
to the right; jump over the slime, and simply walk past the bouncing corpse
on a stick. It won't hit you if you're on the ground. Exit to the right.
Check your HP; if you have less than 36, reset. Quickly double jump and
stand on the bone pillar. Proceed to the right, dash through the next
bone pillar, then dash through the final bone pillar. Slide under the
Sylphs and exit to the left.
In this room, fall as far as you can and exit to the right. Say hello
to our friend, the merchant. Don't bother with any equips; just buy
Potions. If you buy about 40-50, they should be more than enough to carry
you through mistakes.
Exit the shop, and solve the puzzle in this room by pushing the block
to the right until it falls, then left until it falls, then right until it
falls, then left to the switch. Get the Life Max Up, then use the saveroom.
Go to the left, and again go through the plant. Drop through the floor,
then proceed left. Dash through the first two Axe Armors, heal, then jump
over the next two. Drop through the floors in this room to get a High
Potion, then walk to the right. Walk to the right in the next room, passing
under the corpses on sticks. Dodge the Sylphs in the next room, exit to the
left, get past the final plant, and use the keyhole teleporter.
---
Sky Walkway
---
Walk to the right to trigger a plot scene. Exit to the right. Walk
under the Balloons, then jump up to get a High Potion. Exit to the upper
right. Double jump over the Balloons, then use the platforms to jump
over the big pillar. Jump over the Archers and fall down to
their right. Exit to the lower right and save.
Exit the save room, then fall down. Slide to the left as fast as you
can, and fall down again. You won't be able to see much, but that's okay.
Walk right. As soon as you fall, dash left to acquire the Face Guard.
Equip it. Walk right. As soon as you glimpse a spike, double jump to the
right. Continue in this manner until you fall down a screen. Continue in
the same manner to the left. At one point, you'll have a choice between
jumping and sliding; slide to acquire the Chaos Ring. Continue to the left
and exit.
---
Aqueduct of Dragons
---
There are no enemies in this room; simply fall down. Once you enter
the next room, get to the ground floor and slide to the right repeatedly
to avoid the fish-men. Fall through the floor. Walk to the right in the
next room, double-jumping over the mermen. Exit to the top as soon as you
can, then go left to save. Return to the passageway, then go down two
screens. Dash left, and jump over the slime. Jump to the top ledge in
the next room and grab the Hard Gloves. Equip them in place of the
Leather Gloves.
Avoid the bats all the way down this room. Dash left after you exit, and
go through the giant armor. Pause after you take your first hit and use a
potion. You may take a second hit, you may not,but there's no way to survive
a second hit. Double jump through the false stone wall and acquire the Nail
of Vlad, then use the Saveroom.
Now, again exit and drop through the floor, but this time, proceed to the
right. Jump over the mermen and fishmen, and multi-dash under the dropping
blades to get the Blue Stone. Equip it and use the Saveroom. Equip the
Lucky Charm in place of JB's Bracelet. Proceed to the right from the save
point to fight the next boss.
---
Boss 3: Giant Merman
HP: 3520
EXP: 1298
Weakness: Ice
Strength: Fire
Your level: 3
Your EXP: 449
Damage from whip with Red Stone: 12
Damage from just whip: 16
Damage from Whip with Blue Stone: 25
Damage from Holy Water: 12 per hit
The Giant Merman has four attacks.
Attack 1: The Merman points forward, directing a wave of water. Throw
a Holy Water at him, and jump over it.
Attack 2: The Merman rolls up into a ball and spins forward. Simply
jump over him.
Attack 3: The Merman stands in the right corner and summons two Fishmen.
When the Fishmen both reach the bottom floor, go to the opposite side of
the room and stand on the platform until they disappear.
Attack 4: The Merman stands in the left corner and summons four Mermen.
Stand on the platform at the opposite side of the room until they disappear.
The attack pattern always goes: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4, and loops infinitely
from there with no variation. Attack him while you can between the attacks,
and he should go down easily. The double damage from the Blue Stone,
coupled with the occasional critical (helped by the Lucky Charm) make this
a pretty easy fight. When you win, you'll advance to level 5.
---
Return to the save point after you win. Proceed to the right, take the
Life Max Up and Heart Max Up, then enter the Clock Tower.
---
Clock Tower
---
There are no enemies in the first room. Climb to the top and press the
switch in the next room above. Slide to the right, through the Specters.
Exit to the top; use this candle to refill your hearts. Navigate the spike
pits to the left. Exit left and prepare to take some serious damage.
Dodge the Harpy as well as you can, then exit to the left. Climb up and
take the Night Goggles. Return to the previous room and exit to the right.
Jump over the disc armor and dash under the Fleamen. Exit to the right.
Slide quickly through this room. Make your way up in the next room, and
take the second exit to the right to save.
Return to the former passageway, and go down. Take the exit you
originally skipped, dash quickly through to the right, then follow the
passage around. Whip the Guardian Armor repeatedly until it gets caught
in the gears and dies; take all the equipment it leaves behind and wear it
all. Your defense goes from 49 to 107. Pretty sweet deal for no EXP.
Use the Saveroom. Exit from the save point and keep going up to the boss
room.
---
Boss 4: Max Slimer
HP: 3680
EXP: 1479
Your level: 5
Your EXP: 1747
Damage from Whip with either stone: 21
Damage from Holy Water: 14
This is hands-down the simplest boss in the game. Just attack. Use the
Holy Water if you want it to go faster. When you win, you'll level to 7.
---
Make your way to the top of the next room, and meet Death at the
teleporter. You can now access the other castle at will. Do so.
---
Clock Tower, Castle B
---
Castle B's Clock Tower is FAR less dangerous than Castle A's. Fall to
the bottom, make your way to the save point you just used on the other
side. Proceed downward, and take the first exit to the right. Fall down
through the first platform you see, and go down until you can exit to the
right again. Lure the Bronze Guarder toward the left, and press the
switch when it gets close enough.
***OPTIONAL: Acquire the Healing Mail***
Exit to the right, then go all the way down in the next room until you
can exit downward. Press the switch, and multi-dash all the way around
this room to beat the iron ball to the end of the passage. Slide to the
right, and acquire the Healing Mail and Heart Choker.
***END OPTIONAL SECTION***
Use the Saveroom. Now, we're going to backtrack a little bit to get
another relic. Return to the teleporter and go back to castle A.
---
Clock Tower, Castle A
---
Retrace your steps to the puzzle room we just did with the iron ball.
Be careful to not slide into any of the flying barrels; only slide once
they're past you. When you get to the left edge of the puzzle room, and
you see a passage on the other side of the wall, slide through the false
wall. Fall through the platforms, exit left, acquire the Fang of Vlad,
and use the Saveroom.
---
Clock Tower, Castle B
---
Exit the save room, and head to the bottom for another boss.
---
Boss 5: Peeping Eye + Peeping Big
HP: 51 + 2000
EXP: 17 + 1981
Your level: 7
Your EXP: 3226
Damage from Whip with either stone: 25
You have to kill the Peeping Eye to continue. Do so. Once you
do, the Peeping Big will appear. It has three basic attacks:
Attack 1: Peeping Big will coil its tail, then throw it out along
the ground. Jump to avoid it.
Attack 2: Peeping Big will flail its tail around wildly, striking
anything too close. Run away. Its tail will strike the ground
audibly six times.
Attack 3: Peeping Big will close its eye and become invulnerable.
It will then bounce around the room. It will always do one complete
circuit of the room, finishing where it started. Stay where you are,
and slide under it or walk under it both times it approaches you.
Peeping Big recoils from your attacks. Find a place a little
over a whip's length away from either wall, and make it continually
bounce against the wall to land in about the same spot. Keep whipping,
and you will level to 9.
---
Return to the save point and save. Return to the boss room, then go
two rooms to the left. Drop down through the platform and head to the
right. Navigate the spike room and drop down at the end. Use the candle
to fill your hearts. Dash left, jump over the disc armor, and dash
through the armored Fleamen. Fall through the floor. Double-jump over
the Skeleton Boomerang and exit to the left. Jump over the Disc Armor
and exit to the upper left. Exit right and whip the screw until it locks.
Use the saveroom.
Retrace your steps to the room before the spike room, but take the first
exit down instead. Take the Crushing Stone and use the Saveroom. Retrace
your steps again through the spike room, but this time, continue all the
way down the room with the Skeleton Boomerangs. Exit left into the
Aqueduct of Dragons.
---
Aqueduct of Dragons, Castle B
---
Exit to the left into the massive room of Fishmen and Mermen. Make it
through however you can; there's no real best way to do it, as there are
so many. Make your way left to the save point. Exit, go down, and exit
to the right. Multi-dash your way to the end of the room, snag the Life
Max Up, then use the Saveroom. Exit the save room, go down, and multi-
dash your way left to the platforms. Go up, and multi-dash your way to
the next platforms. Go up again. Avoid the poison skeletons and enter
the Sky Walkway.
---
Sky Walkway, Castle B
---
Multi-dash your way to the right, and exit up. Multi-dash to the left
and exit up. Snag the Turkey, then move to the right. Jump over the Axe
Armors, exit up, then go right to the save point. Equip the Crushing
Stone, break the wall to the right, and get the Heart of Vlad. Go back
and save.
Exit the save room to the left, then work your way left, jumping the
Axe Armors and dashing under the flying barrels. Exit left. Drop through
the first floor, then make your way left. Use the Crushing Stone to break
the wall in the next room, then prepare to fight another boss.
---
Boss 6: Shadow
HP: 1600
EXP: 2362
Your level: 9
Your EXP: 5224
Damage from Whip with either stone: 28
Damage from Whip with Crushing Stone: 24 base, 71 charged
Damage from Holy Water: 18
Shadow has three attacks, which cycle infinitely in the following
order:
Attack 1: Shadow turns into a wolf and runs back and forth. Jump over
him.
Attack 2: Shadow turns into a scimitar and follows you around. Hit him
to make him recoil. If you get hit by Shadow in this form, you will be
Cursed.
Attack 3: Shadow turns into a moth and drops poison spores. Stay away
from being directly below him and attack. If you get hit by Shadow in
this form, you will be Poisoned.
I highly suggest the Crushing Stone for this battle, as there is plenty
of time to charge it between his forms. In addition, it allows for 3-4
charged attacks every time he turns into a Moth. As he only has 1600 HP,
71 damage shots whittle him down awfully quickly. When you win, you'll
level to 11, and the next plot scene will be unlocked.
---
Use the Saveroom when you win. Now, to avoid killing a boss, we're
going to again take the long way around. Take the winding road all the
way back to the teleporter. In short, by room exit: left, down, down,
down, left...
---
Aqueduct of Dragons, Castle B
---
..down, down, right and up, left, save. Right, right, right, right...
---
Clock Tower, Castle B
---
..up, up, left, up and right, right, right, up to the save point. Go to
the teleporter in the top right and go back to Castle A.
---
Clock Tower, Castle A
---
Retrace the same path all the way back to the double-sided save point
in the Sky Walkway. Use the Night Goggles, assuming you picked them up
earlier.
---
Sky Walkway, Castle A
---
From the save point, exit left by jumping over the Skeleton Archers and
Balloons, then drop through the first floor of the next room and go left,
just as you did to get to Shadow. Follow the path left until you get to
Maxim, who will give you his bracelet. Use the Saveroom. From the save
point, go back out, and exit the room to the upper left. Go left into
the Chapel of Dissonance.
---
Chapel of Dissonance, Castle A
---
Jump over the first Skeleton Archer, and multi-dash through the second.
Exit up. Dash under the Fleamen, jump over the skeleton archers, and exit
up. Exit up, dash through the bone throwers, and exit up again. Take the
fork to the right and climb. Get the Heart Max Up to the upper-right.
Continue left, jump over the bone towers, and go left to the door. Climb
to get a Life Max Up. Equip Maxim's Bracelet to open the door, and go
through.
---
Castle Top Floor, Castle A
---
Go left to the teleporter. Kneel once to return to the Clock Tower and
save; kneel once at the Clock Tower teleporter to return and fight the
next boss.
---
Boss 7: Pazuzu
HP: 4500
EXP: 2640
Your level: 11
Your EXP: 7586
Damage from Whip with Crushing Stone: 27 base, 78 charged
Damage from Holy Water: 18
Pazuzu has three attacks.
Attack 1: Pazuzu jumps forward at you. He usually does this at least
twice. Slide under him if you need to.
Attack 2: Pazuzu rears backward, stands still, and points. Four small
Imps are summoned to his aid. Kill them; they're worth 0 EXP.
Attack 3: Pazuzu breathes multiple fireballs. Back away from him when
he does this to make dodging them easier. When his health is below a
certain level (25%?), he uses three sets of fireballs at once.
I highly recommend the Crushing Stone for this battle. It's the best
way to do a large amount of damage at once. Holy Water works well when
he summons his backup, as well as when he's using his fireballs. It can
easily rack up 100 damage, sometimes quite a bit more. Keep at it, heal
if you need to, etc. When you win, you will level to 13.
---
Exit the screen to the left to trigger the next plot scene. Go left
again, step on the switch, then climb to get the Life Max Up and Heart Max
Up. Fall down all the way and go right to the save point. Continue to
the right, jumping over the Poison Lizards. Fall through all the
platforms to exit this room at the bottom. Move right, and fall again.
Save at the room to the left if you like. Take the elevator all the way
down. Go down, then right and down, then right. Dash through the Axe
Armors, go down, and take the next elevator all the way down. Go down,
then left.
This fork should look familiar from way back at the beginning. Take it
to the left to enter the Cave of Skeletons.
---
Cave of Skeletons, Castle A
---
Jump over the Archers and go down. Immediately exit left. Push the
bottom crate left until you can use it to access the top platform. Push
the top crate off the right edge, push the left crate off the edge, then
push the right crate on top of the left crate and double jump to the Heart
Max Up. Follow the path and exit left. Here, push the bottom crate until
it's almost touching the edge, then push the top crate off the left edge,
then again off the edge, then all the way left. Use it to get to the Life
Max Up on the upper right, then take the upper left exit. JAM on the L
button to multi-dash through this room. Dash through the pitiful 1 damage
enemies in the next room, and save.
Dash or jump through the pathetic enemies here, and exit up. Exit left,
ignore the enemies and exit left to the next block puzzle. Push the
leftmost block off the edge, then push it to a point where it's over
halfway off the next edge. Then, push the block that was next to it off
its edge. Push that same block until it's over halfway off the first one,
then push the final block all the way left, then off the second block to
the right, then all the way to the right to use it as a stepping stone.
Climb all the way up, multi-dash to the right, and claim the Floodgate
Key. Use the Saveroom.
Back at the save point, go back to the right, all the way to the fork in
the Castle Treasury. Take it right to the Luminous Cavern.
---
Luminous Cavern, Castle A
---
Multi-dash past the Sylphs, and exit right. Make your way up and right,
then multi-dash to the right to the save point, ignoring the 1 damage
plants. Head right from the save room, go down, go left past the Victory
Armor, go down, go right, jump over the axe armor, go down, jump over the
first armor and through the second to avoid the Sylph, then exit left.
Go to the bottom-left corner of this open room. Stand to the right of the
Bone Pillars and wait for a Sylph to knock you through them. Exit left,
use the Floodgate Key, and use the Saveroom. Exit left, plow through the
plant, and fall. Go left, fall, go left, fall, acquire and equip the
Leggings, exit right, jump over the skeletons, exit right, plow through
the first skeleton, and make your way up to the next boss room.
---
Boss 8: Death (x2)
HP: 3920 / 2800
EXP: 4227 / 4406
Your level: 13 / 16
Your EXP: 10226 / 14453
Damage from Whip with Crushing Stone: 31 normal (86 charged) (form 1)
35 normal (93 charged) (form 2)
Death has two forms. His first form is the traditional ugly skeleton
in a big black robe carrying a scythe. This form has three attacks:
Attack 1: Death rears backward, then physically attacks in front of him.
Just get out of the way. Sliding under him and attacking him from behind
is effective.
Attack 2: Death brings his arm back, then throws his scythe straight
ahead like a boomerang. Duck it, or get under him and attack from behind.
Attack 3: Death pauses, and vertical beams of light make their way
across the screen from left to right. Simply stay between two of the
beams, and attack if you can.
In addition to these attacks, there is a constant stream of bones that
appears randomly throughout the room that do damage to you on contact.
Kill them if they get in the way; otherwise, just dodge them. Sliding
works well.
When you finish form 1, Death transforms into a long, wormlike chain
of rib bones between a tail and a head. The head is the only vulnerable
portion. The rib bones will not hurt you, but the head and tail will.
This fight is very simple; run away, charge to full, turn around and hit
him. Repeat until he dies. When he dies, you'll level to 18. Go left
and claim the Griffin's Wing.
---
Use the saveroom and head to the right. Go up and break the wall
with a charged whip to reveal another teleporter. Take it to Castle B.
Once in Castle B, return to the big fork in the center of the castle,
straight to the left of the save room below the teleporter.
---
Castle Treasury, Castle B
---
Take the fork... up? Yes, up. We're going for the first keyhole we
took to Castle B. Go up and left, and follow that path to the yellow dot
on the map. The enemies are truly insignificant at this point, so just
plow through them. Use the keyhole when you get there.
---
Room of Illusions, Castle A
---
Exit right. Wait for the Zombie to get past you, then slide under and
make your way out. As soon as you climb out of the hole, turn left and
make your way to the Entrance.
---
Entrance, Castle A
---
Go up as soon as you can, then go left. High Jump over the barrier,
and exit lower-left to get the Platinum Tip, then exit upper-left to
another teleporter. Take it to Castle B.
---
Entrance, Castle B
---
Exit, then exit lower-left to get the Lure Key. Go right, down, and
left to the save point. Make your way right to the Treasury.
---
Castle Treasury, Castle B
---
Make your way right five screens, then go up and save. Go right, then
drop down, and go right to the Wailing Way.
---
The Wailing Way, Castle B
---
Go right, then down. Go right to the Life Max Up, then return left and
jump to the higher platform. Avoid the Simons and Owls, and go left, then
left again. High Jump over the left wall, then get by the Simons however
you can. This will likely require a few potions. Make your way to the
top-left and grab the Crush Boots. Use the saveroom, then return to the
save point in the Entrance. Go back to the teleporter in the upper-left
and take it to Castle A. Then, Kneel three times...
---
Castle Top Floor, Castle A
---
...and exit to the right. Equip the Crush Boots and blast through the
ceiling. Go up through another barrier to get the Life Max Up; whip the
Destroy Hand for fun if you like. Go back to the big stairway and follow
it all the way down. Double jump to the first platform on the right,
walk right, and high jump up to the Eye of Vlad. Go back to the
teleporter. Kneel once to return to the Entrance.
---
Entrance, Castle A
---
Go right until you enter the Marble Corridor.
---
Marble Corridor, Castle A
---
Go right until you see an exit upward. From there, go right two
screens. In this screen, jump left on to the first platform you see, and
follow that path up (to a Heart Max Up) and right to acquire Vlad's
Ring. Now, return to the closest save point. We have one Dracula Relic
yet to go, but there's some business we've got to take care of first.
If you've played the game before, you know where the Rib of Vlad is;
outside the castle in Castle B. But if you haven't been following the
walkthrough, and you went to check the drawbridge, you would have seen it
still trapping you inside. This drove me NUTS. I couldn't figure out
why the thing wouldn't go down. As it turns out, there's a very specific
requirement for dropping the drawbridge, and no other FAQ was able to
explain what it was. What is it? Exit the save point, drop down, and
go right to fight...
---
Boss 9: Giant Bat
HP: 400
EXP: 66 normally, but at level 18, you'll get 13 EXP for the win
Your level: 18
Your EXP: 18859
Damage from whip with Crushing Stone: 39 normal (101 charged)
This is it; your final obstacle to the last Dracula Relic. Are you
ready? Are you psyched? Okay. ... ... huh? You killed him already?
Oh.
---
The Giant Bat will be the final EXP you acquire. The drawbridge is now
down; time to head to Castle B to get the last relic. Go to the nearest
teleporter and return to Castle B.
---
Entrance, Castle B
---
Go out, save, then go down all the way to the castle gate. Dash
through the invisible Skeletons if you can; if not, be safe and jump over
them. Slide under the Feather Demons by the gate and exit the castle.
When you see the passageway above you, high jump into it. Break through
the barrier above, and exit right to acquire the Rib of Vlad. Use the
saveroom. Go back to the teleporter, return to Castle A, and kneel three
times.
---
Castle Top Floor / Castle Treasury, Castles A and B
---
Immediately use this teleporter to go to Castle B. Exit right and go
to the bottom of the stairway. Get the candle above to acquire the
Cross. Follow the path left to the save point. Follow the path all the
way down to the second elevator, and use the Lure Key on the door to the
left. Use the teleporter to go to Castle A. Acquire and equip the Moon
Armor, then return to castle B. Go back up, then all the way left, to
open the door to the final boss. Exit left and save. Equip Juste's
Bracelet, Maxim's Bracelet, and the Leggings. I recommend the Platinum
Tip; you can also go with the Crushing Stone, if that's your style.
Walk to the right, drop through the newly-opened door, and follow the
path to the endgame.
---
Boss 10: Maxim
HP: 4800
EXP: 0
Your level: 18
Your EXP: 18872
Damage from whip with Crushing Stone: 39 (101 charged)
Damage from whip with Platinum Tip: 53
This guy's the hardest enemy you'll face in the entire game, IMO. He
has six attacks:
Attack 1: Maxim draws a shuriken and throws it. Dash backward.
Attack 2: Maxim attacks with his sword. Dash backward.
Attack 3: Maxim jumps into the air, pauses, then launches a diagonal
kick at you. Dash backward.
Attack 4: Maxim jumps into the air, rolls into a ball, falls to the
ground and charges you. Jump over him.
Attack 5: Maxim yells, then summons a whole load of copies of himself
that charge you. Hold your whip out and try to protect yourself by
throwing it wildly around. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't;
the closer to Maxim you are, the better it generally works.
Attack 6: Maxim clones himself and starts attacking with the sword.
Attack the real one; the fake can't hurt you. The fake can be spotted
easily; simply dash one way or the other. The fake will move the exact
same distance in the same direction; the real one won't.
It really does come down to dodging as much as you can. He can really
dish out the punishment. If you have enough healing items, you can just
cheap your way around it. I recommend limiting yourself on healing for a
bit of a challenge. Once you take him out...
---
Final Boss: Dracula Wraith
HP: 2250 / 6666
EXP: 0
Your level: 18
Your EXP: 18872
Damage from whip with Crushing Stone: 39 (101 charged)
Damage from whip with Platinum Tip: 53
Damage from Cross: 38 per hit
Immediately equip change from the bracelets. I recommend the Guardian
Helm and Guardian Glove for optimum defense.
The first form has two attacks.
Attack 1: Dracula releases three fireballs. Jump over them and whip
his head.
Attack 2: Dracula releases six fiery rocks. Jump, duck, jump, duck,
etc.
Keep whipping his head until he dies. Now the longer fight begins. Form
2 has two attacks as well.
Attack 1: Dracula shoots a laser across the screen. Duck. DO NOT PAUSE
THE GAME WHILE THE LASER IS GOING. No matter if you hold down coming out
of pause or not, you'll soak the 140+ damage from the laser. Not cool.
If he's close enough, punish him with whip blows while he lasers.
Attack 2: Dracula uses his pincer claw to hit you. There's not much
you can do about this if he has you pinned or is shooting his laser;
otherwise, dodge backward.
Spam the Cross and whip him. This battle is ready-made for the Cross,
really. It's a lot simpler than Maxim, but it's still pretty exacting.
One hit from the laser will take over 2/3 of your HP, and one hit from
the claw, over 1/3. You'll probably need 3-4 potions minimum to get
by him, as sometimes, you just can't dodge the claw without taking a
laser to the face.
---
Once he's dead, congratulations! You've completed the game at level
18, and with the minimum (so far discovered) possible EXP of 18872.
---
5. Closing / Thanks
I hope you found this an interesting way to play through Harmony of
Dissonance / White Night Concerto. I found it to be enjoyable,
especially as regards analysis of enemy behavior, and with the
additional challenge provided by bosses in this format.
This FAQ was written by myself, Aaron 'falcon815' Bolner, and was
submitted to GameFAQs.com. It may be downloaded and kept as a
personal guide if you so desire. If you would like to use it on your
webspace, please contact me and tell me where you will be placing it,
and I will make the decision on whether you may or not. Under NO
CIRCUMSTANCES may this guide be used for profit.
Currently, only
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ is allowed to host this guide.
I am not affiliated with Konami USA or KCET - I simply enjoyed this
game enough to put some work into it. All trademarks and copyrights
contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and
copyright holders.
Please contact me if you see any way that I could lower the total EXP
gained in the game.
Thanks to:
Andrea, my personal gamer girl, for proofreading and support. Love
you, sweetheart.
Gamestop, for their somewhat spotty online inventory; in this case, it
worked perfectly.
Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for running GameFAQs, and for allowing this guide
to be posted on it.
RPGamer, in spite of their ridiculously stupid screenshot captions
(come on, guys; if a game is a direct sequel, is checking the previous
one for character names so hard to do?), for posting the first Castlevania
DS news, which led to me wanting to complete my GBA Castlevania collection.
sqpat17, for sparking the challenge-gamer in me to do something outside
of FF Tactics.
You, for reading and participating in this method of play.
---
This document Copyright 2005 Aaron 'falcon815' Bolner
---
apb
05/09/05
