\_ ___ \_____ _______/ |_| | _______ _______ ____ |__|_____ / \ \/\__ \ / ___/\ __\ | _/ __ \ \/ /\__ \ / \| |\__ \ \ \____/ __ \_\___ \ | | | |__\ ___/\ / / __ \_| | \ | / __ \_ \______ (____ /____ > |__| |____/ \___ >\_/ (____ /|___| /__|(____ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ .____ .___ _____ | | ___________ __| _/______ _____/ ____\ | | / _ \_ __ \/ __ |/ ___/ / _ \ __\ | |___( <_> ) | \/ /_/ |\___ \ ( <_> ) | |_______ \\____/|__| \____ /____ > \____/|__| \/ \/ \/ _________.__ .___ / _____/| |__ _____ __| _/______ _ __ \_____ \ | | \\__ \ / __ |/ _ \ \/ \/ / / \| Y \/ __ \_/ /_/ ( <_> ) / /_______ /|___| (____ /\____ |\____/ \/\_/ \/ \/ \/ \/ ___________ .__ .__ ________ .__ .___ \__ ___/_______|__|_____ | | / _____/ __ __|__| __| _/ ____ | | \_ __ \ |\__ \ | | / \ ___| | \ |/ __ |_/ __ \ | | | | \/ | / __ \_| |__ \ \_\ \ | / / /_/ |\ ___/ |____| |__| |__|(____ /|____/ \______ /____/|__\____ | \___ > \/ \/ \/ \/ Trial Completion Guide Version 1.4 Written by: Glamador e-mail: foryouradsonly at gmail dot com ----------------------------------------------------- \ Welcome / ------------------------------------------------- Greetings, this is Glamador. This guide is intended to provide the easiest to perform, surefire strategies to complete each of the trials for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. LoS is a reboot to the popular Castlevania franchise. However, its level structure bears similarities with the original Castlevania title and others in the "Belmont Era". You will progress through 12 Chapters each with several Sub-Chapters I call areas. Though, a new addition to the forumula in Lords of Shadow are the post-completion trials for each stage. These trials range in difficulty from ludcicrously simple to frustratingly challenging (and sometimes, downright unfair). It is the goal of this guide to answer any questions you may have about these trials and help you power your way through them as painlessly as possible. *Legal Disclaimer* Anyone is free to re-post, reference, or redistribute this work in its entirety or in part, provided I (Glamador) receive appropriate credit and the work is not used in any way directly for financial benefit. I would, however, appreciate being notified (by e-mail) that you intend to host this work should you choose to. This work may not be sold and will never be included in a paid package of any kind. If you paid for this guide then you (and I) have been cheated. All credit for concepts and suggestions provided by others are their own, however, I wrote all text present in this work. ----------------------------------------------------- \ Table of Contents / ------------------------------------------------- General Info and Tips_________________________[TIPS] Guide_________________________________________[GDE] Chapter I: Area 1___________Besieged Villange____________[CH1.1] Area 2___________Hunting Path_________________[CH1.2] Area 3___________The Dead Bog_________________[CH1.3] Area 4___________Pan's Temple_________________[CH1.4] Area 5___________Oblivion Lake________________[CH1.5] Chapter II: Area 1___________Enchanted Forest_____________[CH2.1] Area 2___________Underground Caves____________[CH2.2] Area 3___________Labyrinth Entrance___________[CH2.3] Area 4___________Waterfalls of Agharta________[CH2.4] Area 5___________Agharta______________________[CH2.5] Area 6___________Dark Dungeon_________________[CH2.6] Area 7___________Sanctuary Entrance___________[CH2.7] Area 8___________Sanctuary of Titans__________[CH2.8] Area 9___________The Black Knight_____________[CH2.9] Chapter III: Area 1___________The Three Towers_____________[CH3.1] Area 2______The Dark Lords of the Lycans______[CH3.2] Chapter IV: Area 1___________Mountain Fortress____________[CH4.1] Area 2___________The Crow Witch_______________[CH4.2] Chapter V: Area 1___________Veros Woods__________________[CH5.1] Area 2___________Wygol Village________________[CH5.2] Area 3___________Abbey Catacombs______________[CH5.3] Area 4___________Abbey Library________________[CH5.4] Area 5___________Abbey Tower__________________[CH5.5] Area 6___________Brauner______________________[CH5.6] Area 6___________Castle Sewers________________[CH5.6] Chapter VI: Area 1___________Castle Courtyard_____________[CH6.1] Area 2___________Maze Gardens_________________[CH6.2] Area 3___________Castle Hall__________________[CH6.3] Area 4___________Refectory____________________[CH6.4] Chapter VII: Area 1___________Balcony______________________[CH7.1] Area 2___________Electric Laboratory__________[CH7.2] Area 3___________Chromatic Observatory________[CH7.3] Chapter VIII: Area 1___________Outer Wall___________________[CH8.1] Area 2___________The Clockwork Tower__________[CH8.2] Area 3___________Olrox________________________[CH8.3] Area 4___________The Throne Room______________[CH8.4] Chapter IX: Area 1___________Bones Forest_________________[CH9.1] Area 2___________Woes Moor____________________[CH9.2] Area 3___________The Music Box________________[CH9.3] Chapter X: Area 1___________Titan Graveyard______________[CH10.1] Area 2___________Fire Pinnacle________________[CH10.2] Area 3___________Fire Cemetery________________[CH10.3] Area 4___________Crematory Oven_______________[CH10.4] Chapter XI: Area 1___________Necromancer's Abyss__________[CH11.1] Area 2___________The Dracolich________________[CH11.2] Chapter XII: Area 1___________The Final Fight______________[CH12.1] Version History_______________________________[HIST] Credits and Recognitions______________________[CRDT] Use Ctrl+F to search for the section codes for quick navigation ----------------------------------------------------- \ General Info and Tips [TIPS] / ------------------------------------------------- The trials for each area are unlocked by completing the area on any difficulty and can be completed in any order. Difficulty does not matter for trial completion. Completing the area on Paladin difficulty is, however, required for 110% completion rate. Even though the trial indicator in the upper right of the HUD is still present on subsequent playthroughs of each area (even for completed trials), it is not necessary to re-complete the trial. Once successfully completed, the words "Trial Complete!" will appear on the stage summary after completing the area. Should you fail to fulfill the trial requirements while the trial is in progress the words "Trial Failed!" will flash on-screen momentarily. You can also check trial status by looking for either a green check or a red X in the upper right of the screen. In most areas trial progress will be saved at checkpoints. One exception to this is Trial 5-5 which saves neither objects destroyed nor time remaining, instead resetting both upon restart. Everywhere else any counters or timers will reset to the values they were when you first reached the checkpoint. In general, subweapons will help tremendously in completing trials. For time based trials your Holy Water will usually knock enemies down, allowing you time to regroup or stall. Holy Shield (Light Magic Holy Water) will prevent enemies from interrupting your actions, such as operating mechanisms and performing grapples on the environment. Fairies will stun most enemies, notable exceptions being Animated Armor and bosses of all sorts. Even if an enemy is strong against fairies he might still be distracted by them, even if he is not "dazed". Additionally, the Dark Crystal subweapon can skip entire sections of boss fights and reduce an impossible situation to a minor inconvenience. Remember, any upgrades or collectables you acquire can be used in any stage from then on. If a particular trial seems impossible, you might consider coming back to it after obtaining more health, magic, ammunition for your subweapons, or after acquiring a new relic. For a quick refill on Health and Magic, and a free Dark Crystal you can complete Chapter 10-3 (the 3rd Chupacabras area) as there is a Health Font, Neutral Magic Font, and Dark Crystal growth easily accessed just before the end of the stage. An earlier alternative is Chapter 3-1 which has a Dark Crystal growth just past the first gap crossed with a grip point hidden around the corner off-screen. Additionally, half of Chapter 3-1 can be skipped if you already possess the 3 fairies necessary to open the doorway. ----------------------------------------------------- \ Guide [GDE] / ------------------------------------------------- Chapter I: Area 1___________Besieged Villange____________[CH1.1] Trial: Finish the level, defeating the Great Warg with at least one surviving villager Difficulty: 1/10 Strategy: If you are attempting this trial after obtaining the use of fairies, use them here. Many large enemies can be distracted by fairies and the Great Warg cannot harm villagers if he is stunned. Fairies also work on the Lesser Lycanthropes as well, however they should not pose an immediate danger to the villagers. If you do not have access to the fairy subweapon yet, this trial is still doable. The Silver Dagger subweapon does excellent damage to both the Great Warg and Lesser Lycans. If you have not obtained any Dagger Upgrades yet, save them for emergencies (such as when a Lycan is attacking a villager). This trial is extremely straightforward and should not prove a problem for most. Area 2___________Hunting Path_________________[CH1.2] Trial: Finish the level without being healed by any means Difficulty: 1/10 Strategy: You will begin the stage on horseback. You can accelerate your progress through the area by letting yourself fall off your mount. However, if you do this you will have extremely low health when you begin combat. If you survive to the end of the path, then various difficulties will force you to fight anyway. Once in battle, again, Fairies and Daggers make Lycans and Wargs a cakewalk. Do not waste your fairies on the Lesser Lycans. [[WARNING]] Picking up the Life Gem, using the Health Font, or attacking with Light Magic active and less than full health will all void the trial. Do not use them. Area 3___________The Dead Bog_________________[CH1.3] Trial: Finish the level after killing at least 50 Goblins Difficulty: 2/10 Strategy: At one point in the area you will encounter a tree which requires 2 Goblin bombs to fell. Goblins will spawn infinitely until you fell the tree. Do not use any bombs until the counter in the upper right corner of the screen reaches 50 or more. If you are having trouble staying alive amongst the Goblin onslaught use the grapple (R2/RT) and hold the left thumbstick in any direction as you perform the Ring Quick Time Event (Ring QTE from here on). This will cause Gabriel to light a Bomb on the Goblin's belt. These bombs will kill the Goblin and will not fell the tree. Continue to do this until 50 are exploderated or otherwise slain. Area 4___________Pan's Temple_________________[CH1.4] Trial: Finish the Level after beating Pan's Trial in 5 movements Difficulty: 0/10 Strategy: If you picked up the solution scroll for this puzzle it actually provides you with a 5-step solution. This trial isn't even a trial. But I'll provide the solution here as well. Outer Ring Clockwise Twice, Inner Ring Clockwise Twice, Middle Ring Clockwise once. Area 5___________Oblivion Lake________________[CH1.5] Trial: Finish the level and defeat the Ice Titan in less than 1:30 minutes Difficulty: 8/10 Strategy: [[Warning]] This trial is impossible without access to the Dark Crystal subweapon. Do not attempt it until you have access to the Crystal. And make sure you have one, obviously. If you fail the trial but still defeat the titan then you will no longer have a full Crystal on your next attempt. You must restart from world map if you want to keep your Crystal. Begin by approaching the titan and activating your Crystal. This will cause all of the Titan's magic seals to require only one attack to break. From here it is all about memorization and practice. When the Titan punches the ground, try to land as close to the fist as possible while jumping to avoid the attack. Scale the Titan as quickly as you can, using the X/A button to move more quickly to the side. I personally finished this Trial with 3 seconds to spare, so don't expect the game to give you much leeway if any. You must be nearly perfect with your movements to complete this trial. Chapter II: Area 1___________Enchanted Forest_____________[CH2.1] Trial: Finish the level after killing 30 Goblins with their own grenades Difficulty: 2/10 Strategy: Halfway through the level you will encounter a door which requires Goblin bombs to open. As in Chapter 1-3 the Goblins will spawn infinitely until you blow open the door. Using the same strategy outlined above, perform a grapple attack on a Goblin and hold a direction on the left thumbstick while you perform the Ring QTE. Repeat this 30 times, each grapple kills 1 Goblin. Area 2___________Underground Caves____________[CH2.2] Trial: Finish the level after killing at least 10 enemies while poisoned by Spider Venom Difficulty: 6/10 Strategy 1: There are 2 ways to go about this. The first is the way the game intended for you to do it. There are 2 spiders and 8 Lesser Lycans very early in the area. You will face the first Giant Spider alone. This is good practice for later. Block or run in front of the first Spider until it performs its unblockable grapple attack. Do not struggle and allow the attack to go through, this will poison you. While poisoned, be sure to kill the Spider. This counts as Kill #1. It can take quite a while for the Spider to poison you. This is very annoying. Proceed forward in the area until you encounter the second Spider and the Lycans. Once again allow the Spider to grapple and poison you. Now, kill the Lycans with either your Whip or Silver Daggers. If you run out of Silver Daggers, there might be more in the breakable objects around the area. After you have successfully killed the 8 Lycans while poisoned, kill the Spider as well (also while poisoned). That's 10. Strategy 2: Proceed to the second Spider, killing the first any way you wish. Engage the second Spider and use the same technique of allowing yourself to be grappled from strategy 1. Once poisoned, kill the Lycans using your Silver Daggers. Afterwards, DO NOT KILL THE SPIDER. Cross the gap through the tunnel on the left. This will trigger an auto-save. Restart from your last checkpoint via the menu (or suicide) and backtrack to the second Spider and Lycans. Repeat the same process. If you are still missing kills, use a different corridor and trigger another save. Repeat as necessary. Area 3___________Labyrinth Entrance___________[CH2.3] Trial: Finish the level after killing at least 5 Warthogs Difficulty: 4/10 Strategy: I really can't stress enough the many benefits of the fairy subweapon. USE IT. In the very first section of this area you will be required to mount a Warthog and use it to break down a reinforced door. Simply kill the Warthog before breaking the door. Another one will continue to spawn until you do. Fairies will allow you to very nearly kill the Warthog without fear of retaliation. Area 4___________Waterfalls of Agharta________[CH2.4] Trial: Finish the level after killing at least 20 Small Trolls while you are mounted on a big Troll Difficulty: 3/10 Strategy: Proceed in the area until you encounter your first ever Cave Troll. I know you've already killed this guy once, since you had to complete the level to unlock the trial. Just attack and mount him as normal. However, once mounted, do not break the rock blocking your path. Instead, stay FAR AWAY from it and continuously kill the small trolls until 20 fall by your mount's gargantuan fists. Proceed as usual. Mind you, mounting the Cave Troll at all on Paladin is seriously difficult. Damned little trolls...damn them all. Area 5___________Agharta______________________[CH2.5] Trial: Finish the level without using Shadow Magic enery Difficulty: 2/10 Strategy: Don't activate Shadow Magic! Keep your finger off R1/RB. Seriously, no touchy. It's really as simple as that. If the Wargs give you trouble, just distract them with Fairies. Kill or Mount them as you wish and avoid going red with rage. You can still heal with Light Magic so really this shouldn't be that hard. Area 6___________Dark Dungeon_________________[CH2.6] Trial: Finish the level without using a grip attack against a single Gremlin Difficulty: 2/10 (Squire) 9/10 (Paladin) Strategy: Just don't _successfully_ use any grapple attacks against Gremlins. There are 2 areas where this might prove difficult. You can accidentally grab a Gremlin while trying to mount the downed Giant Spider. If this happens, just let them escape. You won't fail the trial as long as you don't succeed in your Ring QTE. The other tough area is the last one with the HORDE of Gremlins. On Knight+ these little buggers can _really_ hurt. Use Silver Daggers or Holy Water vials instead. If you are dead set on doing this on Paladin (I was) the Triangle -> X, X combo with Light Magic active is extemely useful. Holy Water will also kill them instantly. Thankfully there is a checkpoint immediately before this with a handy Neutral Magic Font nearby. Area 7___________Sanctuary Entrance___________[CH2.7] Trial: Finish the level after absorbing 20 Neutral Elemental Orbs simultaneously Difficulty: 5/10 Strategy 1: I did this trial in the area with the Brotherhood Ark behind a gate. There are a limited number of Lycans that will spawn at once, so you need to work efficiently. Do not perform strong combos against them, instead perform a Synchonized Guard by pressing L2/LT just before an attack hits you. This will build up focus without harming the enemy. Afterwards try and back as many as you can into a corner and use Triangle/Y attacks to hit all of them at once. One full area combo should net you enough orbs. Myself, I got 23 this way. Strategy 2: For the more confident players, you can instead opt to do this trial while facing the 3 Greater Lycanthropes further through the area. They are faster, stronger, and more aggressive than the Lesser Lycans. They also have more health. This means you can build Focus more quickly and generate more orbs per attack. However, the arena is larger and the enemies more difficult to avoid. You may have difficulty getting 20 obs to appear within range of one another. Alternate Strategy from Dominique: There comes a point late in the area when you must use a Cave Troll to break down a barrier in the room containing the area's final puzzle. You face this Troll alone and with plenty of space to maneuver. Most of its attacks are blockable and highly telegraphed. You can both build and maintain your focus meter and easily complete this trial. Remember kids, Improved Guillotine will get you a full focus meter in only one attack sequence. Just be sure to do it at the edge of your range because the Troll has a tendency to swat you out of the air. Area 8___________Sanctuary of Titans__________[CH2.8] Trial: Finish the level and defeat the Stone Idol Titan in less than 2 minutes Difficulty: 8/10 Strategy: Refer to the strategy for the Ice Titan in Chaper 1-5. Use your Dark Crystal to weaken the Titan's seals and proceed as normal to scale the behemoth. These time trials are some of the most difficult in the game as they require you to be very nearly perfect in their execution. Remember to use X/A to move more quickly across the Titan's horizontal sections. Good luck. [[Warning]] As with the Ice Titan, if you wish to preserve your Dark Crystal you must restart from world map when re-attempting the trial. If you complete the area then your Crystal will be spent. Area 9___________The Black Knight_____________[CH2.9] Trial: Finish the level and defeat the Black Knight Golem without using Light Magic energy Difficulty: 3/10 Strategy: If you have a Dark Crystal handy you can use it to shorten the fight somewhat. The Black Knight has several attacks: A counter-able slash attack, an unblockable slash attack, a fire wave which travels across the ground, a ground pound, and later he will summon a black ooze which can trap you. Avoid his attacks and use any attack that hits the ground to dispatch the black ooze. The Direct Heavy combo is very good for this, as is the upgraded Chain Barrier combo. However, any ground attack will work. The ooze does not have much health and you can attak the Black Knight as he is summoning it to both dispatch the ooze and damage the Golem. Chapter III: Area 1___________The Three Towers_____________[CH3.1] Trial: Finish the level after killing 15 enemies whilst they are dazed by fairies Difficulty: 2/10 Strategy: Use any fairies you have to stun the Lesser Lycans in the first section of the area before crossing the gap using the statue. [[Warning]] It only counts as a fairy-dazed-kill if the fairy is no longer flying around the enemy but he has green sparkles shimmering around his head. He must be "dazed" not distracted. After you cross some gaps you will encounter your first helpful fairies. They will act just like your subweapon and daze the Lycans endlessly. Be sure not to kill any Lycans that are not in the dazed state until you have 15 kills. If you miss some kills, either restart the stage/checkpoint or proceed in the area and acquire more fairies to use on enemies later. Overall, not difficult. Area 2______The Dark Lords of the Lycans______[CH3.2] Trial: Finish the level and defeat the Dark Lord without using Light Magic energy Difficulty: 7/10 Strategy: You cannot heal in this fight (rather, not conventionally). So don't get hit. You should know Cornell's moves since you've beaten him at least once already. The easiest way to avoid damage is to constantly circle Cornell and only get in quick jabs while he is recovering from his attacks. This is a slow method, but it will get you through his 1st form. Once Cornell transforms into a beast you will get a checkpoint. What this means is, playing on