Gaming How-To

How to Beat The Fallen (First Boss) in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse

Read each tell, dodge behind the boss after every attack, and claim the key to the Catacombs.

Read each tell, dodge behind the boss after every attack, and claim the key to the Catacombs.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse opens its boss roster with The Fallen, whom you face alone on a timber path before an enormous locked gate below Paris’s sewers. His sole health meter is red, labeled “THE FALLEN”, and decorated with gold flourishes; his attacks repeat without any obvious phase shift. Defeating him grants the first Catacombs key.

Quick answer: Win by staying near him: watch each move’s cue, evade through him with a roll or slide, and strike from behind. Retreat for the ground shockwave or the blade he throws; empty his red health bar to finish.


Where the fight is and how to reach it

The battle takes place in a stone room flooded beneath the Paris Streets. At the rear, a massive shut gate edged in green light spans the wall; water fills the area under the path, and spikes border its right side. The boss swings from a pair of gold rings suspended overhead.

Leave Paris Streets by falling down the shaft to Central Sewer Drain, where lighting the Mirror creates a save point. Travel onward through Sewer Reservoir and Path of the Rat, descending until you reach the gate room. Spirits you encounter give hints about the creature, though reading them isn’t required. The encounter starts after The Fallen and Rose have a brief conversation.


The Fallen’s attacks, tells and counters

His attacks all telegraph clearly, so learn each cue, evade accordingly, and punish the recovery. As combat continues, expect him to string together ceiling swings with increasing frequency.

AttackTellCounter
Red claw slashRight arm and claw glow red, shoulders raisedEvade through him with a roll or slide, then strike from behind.
Spinning bladed projectileHe lowers himself and coils his arm, the blade spinning in his grip.Roll or slide through it, or dash away
Floor slam shockwaveRaises both arms, a green ring spreads, spikes break out of the floorRetreat beyond its reach, or clear the spikes with a jump.
Ceiling swing and diveHe springs upward as a yellow line shoots toward one of the golden rings.Avoid the landing spot, jump the shockwave, then rush in
Quick claw swipeWith a growl, he arches his upper body backward before lunging into a swipe.Dash behind him

The claw slash leaves a red crescent as it sweeps. Rolling or sliding through his body puts you behind him while he recovers, which is your opening for a combo.

Claw slash tell and dodge16:12Claw slash tell and dodge
Dash or roll past the claw slash when his arm glows red, then strike his back. Shown at 16:12 in Shirrako’s video. Image: KONAMI

This attack takes the most time to finish: he jumps for a gold ring and swings across the room, at times transferring to the other ring, before falling into a ground slam that sends out a shockwave; the full sequence lasts about four seconds. Move quickly to the opposite side to avoid where he comes down. As he hits, jump or double-jump over the wave, then close in to strike. You can also cast a spell midair.

Ceiling swing and dive16:26Ceiling swing and dive
During the ceiling swing, stay out from under the landing point and jump the shockwave he creates on the way down. Shown at 16:26 in Shirrako’s video. Image: KONAMI

How to win the fight

The only attacks that call for distance are the ground wave and the blade toss; withdraw until either is over, then move back into close range.

When your health is running low, restore it with Tarot-card healing. Use potions carefully: exhausting your supply during battle triggers a “NO MORE POTIONS” message over Rose, so keep track before you’re in trouble.

The final blow lands with a flash and a diagonal slash across the screen. “Trophy earned!” and “Level Up!” appear together, confirming the boss is down.

Final blow and trophy17:26Final blow and trophy
The finishing hit triggers the trophy notification, confirming The Fallen is defeated. Shown at 17:26 in Shirrako’s video. Image: KONAMI

Rewards for defeating The Fallen

Beating the boss grants the “Blood Tells” trophy and these rewards:

  • The Holy Cross spell is contained in The Fallen Arcana card. Keep the absorb button held to claim its power; on the card page, the option reads “See Spell”.
  • THE FALLEN’S KEY, described in-game as “One of three keys needed to open the sealed door to the Catacombs. Obtained by defeating THE FALLEN.”

Place that first key in the large glowing green gate and the objective “UNLOCK THE GATE TO THE CATACOMBS” begins. Two more keys are still needed to open it.