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                      Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
                          "Fastest Route Guide"
                         By Alex Zarko (WallMeat)

----------------------------------Contents-----------------------------------
1. Introduction
2. Basics
3. Fastest Route Guide
4. Comments, Credits, and Copyrights
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1. Introduction
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Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a game in which time has a large effect on
play. Not only does the passing of game-time bring about the cycle of day
and night, but different endings are obtainable depending on how many game-
days have passed. The purpose of this guide is to help players beat the game
in as few game-days as possible by seeking the fastest route from beginning
to end. This guide is intended for advanced play and will assume that the
reader generally knows how to play the game already; it will not go into
detail on subjects such as how to beat each mansion, and some items that are
not required to beat the game will be omitted. There are already many other
FAQs that go into this information, but the focus of this guide will be to
outline the fastest route to beat the game.


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2. Basics
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Before starting, it may be beneficial to review some basic facts regarding
the application of game-time in Castlevania II. For starters, game-time
progresses faster than real-time at a rate of four game-minutes per second of
real-time, and can be viewed from the inventory. There are 24 hours in a
game-day; sunrise is at 6:00, and night falls at 18:00. This means that
every game-day is equal to six minutes of real-time. While the sun is down,
Simon cannot enter any of the doors of the towns, all of the villagers
disappear, and enemies become stronger. Most importantly, game-time ceases to
flow when Simon is inside of a shop, church, or mansion. This can be used to
one's advantage; a lot of time can be saved by grinding for level ups and
Hearts only while inside of mansions.


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3. Fastest Route Guide
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While the best ending of Castlevania II is obtainable by beating it in less
than eight game-days, the route described in this guide is designed to have
players beating it on the fourth game-day. To accomplish this, players will
need to move very quickly. Let's begin!

-DAY 0-
The game begins in Jova with the clock at 00:12:00, and Simon has 50 Hearts.
Buy the White Crystal from a hooded villager for 50 Hearts.
Enter the forest to the east and grind for Hearts until night falls, then
return to Jova and grind until morning.

-DAY 1-
Simon should now have plenty of Hearts, so purchase the Holy Water in Jova
for 50 Hearts before leaving, but ignore the Thorn Whip.
Hurry east until Simon reaches a flight of stairs that leads down to Veros.
In Veros, purchase the Chain Whip for 150 Hearts. Note that the schedule
will have been very tight up until this point, so move fast!
Return up the stairs, and continue east to Berkeley Mansion, using the White
Crystal at the entrance to gain access.
While in Berkeley Mansion, Simon will obtain Dracula's Rib.
Before leaving, grind for 150 Hearts and level up if needed.
Next, head straight to the east, ignoring a flight of stairs leading down,
until Simon reaches Aljiba.
Stop to grab the Sacred Flame on the way, or avoid it to save time.

-DAY 2-
In Aljiba, talk to a knight for the Blue Crystal.
Buy two Laurels for 50 Hearts each.
Return west to the flight of stairs that were previously ignored, which
leads east toward a lake that appears to be a dead end.
Duck by the lake while equipping the Blue Crystal to access Rover Mansion.
While in Rover Mansion, Simon will obtain Dracula's Heart.
Before leaving, grind for a level up, but don't worry about Hearts.
Simon must now travel all the way to the western portions of the map.
In order to save lots of time, it is possible to instantly return to Jova;
kill Simon off until you are given a password, then reset and use that
password. This will place Simon in Jova automatically without walking there!
Head west, using Laurels at the swamp, until you reach a boat.
If it is still daylight, take the boat to Aldra and talk to a knight for the
Red Crystal. You can then return to the boat and use Dracula's Heart.
If night had already came, avoid Aldra for now; simply show the ferryman
Dracula's Heart and he will take you to Brahm's Mansion.
While in Brahm's Mansion, Simon will obtain Dracula's Eye.
Kill the Grim Reaper for a Gold Knife.
Before leaving, grind until Simon's Hearts are full, and level up.
Also, purchase an extra Oak Stake to make the next mansion easier.
Return to the boat and continue west, avoiding a flight of stairs, until
Simon reaches Oldon. If you missed the Red Crystal in Aldra, get it first.

-DAY 3-
In Oldon, purchase the Morning Star for 200 Hearts.
Continue west to Deborah's Cliff, ducking against the far wall and using
the Red Crystal to progress to Bodley Mansion.
In Bodley Mansion, Simon will obtain Dracula's Nail.
Before leaving, this is a good point to grind for a level up, but Hearts
will no longer be very necessary.
Travel west from Bodley Mansion and use the Red Crystal at the lake.
Continue west to Laruba Mansion, finding the Flame Whip on the way, and
using Laurels at the swamp.
While in Laruba Mansion, Simon will obtain Dracula's Ring.
Before leaving, kill Camilla for the Magic Cross, and find some Laurels.

-DAY 4-
Head back east, past Bodley Mansion and Fetra, using Laurels at the swamp.
Take the flight of stairs down and continue east through Ghulash.
Use the Holy Water at the bridge, and enter Dracula's Castle.
Defeat Dracula.


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4. Comments, Credits, and Copyrights
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As previously stated, it is not necessary to beat the game this quickly in
order to obtain the best ending, but nonetheless it is a fun challenge.
I don't doubt that there are ways to improve this route, but this is the
fastest that I can personally design. Should any readers have any ideas,
feel free to contact me.

I would like to thank my grandfather for introducing me to Castlevania II,
and for laying the foundation of my knowledge regarding how to beat it.
Before the days of the Internet, guides were not as readily available, and
this game had an atmosphere of mystique surrounding it as a result of its
very cryptic nature. It was so much fun to play this game together and
attempt to find new secrets each time, hoping that one day we would make it
to the end. This all made for a special experience, where secrets were passed
by word of mouth and few ever saw the best ending. Good times!

I would also like to thank Ashton Knight for his great map of the game.
Without this visual aid, planning my route would have been much harder.


This guide may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission by myself. Use of this guide on
any other web site without permission is prohibited, and is a violation of
copyright. This guide may only be reproduced for personal, private use.

Copyright 2018 Alex Zarko
Email: [email protected]

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