Rose’s arsenal in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has seven weapon types with four weapons in each, so there are 28 in total. The type you pick decides how the attack button behaves, and the specific weapon inside that type decides how hard each swing lands. The strongest options are the tier 4 Legendary weapons. Five of them cover nearly every play style.
Quick answer: Use Excalibur, Vampire Killer, War and Famine, Chauve-Souris, and Valmanway. Excalibur and Valmanway drop from the bosses Arthur and Saint Louis. The other three are found in Notre-Dame and the Clock Tower.
Best weapons in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, with stats
All five weapons are Legendary and tier 4, and all five have a stagger power of 30. Mana per hit is the amount of mana Rose builds each time a strike connects.
| Weapon (type) | ATK / attack power | Mana per hit | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
 Excalibur (two-handed sword) | 100 / 44 | 5 | Beat Arthur |
 Vampire Killer (whip) | 100 / 40 | 3 | Notre-Dame |
 Chauve-Souris (spear) | 100 / 38 | 3 | Clock Tower |
 War and Famine (dual swords) | 100 / 33 | 2 | Notre-Dame |
 Valmanway (one-handed sword) | 75 / 21 | 3 | Beat Saint Louis |
Excalibur, Vampire Killer, Chauve-Souris, and War and Famine are level on ATK. They are separated by attack power, and Excalibur leads the group. Valmanway sits lowest on both numbers. Its wind effect repeats every hit, though, so the raw figures undersell it.
Excalibur
Excalibur is a reward for defeating Arthur in the Chapel district of Notre-Dame. You hold the attack button to charge a heavier swing, then release it. Every attack also fires projectiles of light, so the sword threatens enemies well past its own blade. The combo ends with Blade Dive.
As a two-handed sword, it plays like the Greatsword class. Swings are slow, and charging gives Rose hyper armor, so incoming hits won’t knock her back or cancel the charge. Pick your openings, charge, and release. It also builds the most mana per hit of the five.
Vampire Killer
Vampire Killer is the Belmont heirloom whip, and you find it in Notre-Dame. Hits from the tip of the lash deal extra damage and set enemies on fire. Anything it kills bursts into flames. The combo finishes with Whip Drag.
The burn does damage over time after a hit, which helps against bosses that only open up for a moment. Burn is not universal, however. Arthur, Talos, and Dracula are all immune to it, so against them you get only the tip damage.
War and Famine
War and Famine, a set of Legendary dual swords, rests in a chamber next to the Great Organ Room in Notre-Dame. Time each attack to connect just as the previous one lands to extend the combo. Its long chains work well during the recovery period bosses have after powerful attacks. The combo ends by creating an empowering field underfoot, with Blade Flurry as its finisher.
Chauve-Souris
Chauve-Souris is a Legendary spear found in the Clock Tower. Like every spear, you can hold attack to aim it and release to throw it. This one hunts down up to two targets in a row and pierces anything between them. You get high damage from a safe distance, and its melee combo still covers you up close. The finisher is Push.
Valmanway
Valmanway drops after Saint Louis falls in the Palace of Justice, within the Paris Streets. As a one-handed blade, it earns extra damage when an attack follows directly from a slide or backdash. Each strike’s wind effect hits again a moment later. Its quick sequence closes with Rose dashing through her foe, making it a strong fit for mobile, offense-focused play.
Bosses that drop Excalibur and Valmanway
Two of the five weapons are boss rewards, and both bosses have large health pools.
| Boss | Location | Health | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
 Arthur | Notre-Dame, Chapel | 11000 | Excalibur, Stained-Glass Shield |
 Saint Louis | Paris Streets, Palace of Justice | 12000 | Chains of Justice, Valmanway |
Arthur is immune to bleed, burn, freeze, petrify, and the launch and slam effects. Saint Louis is immune only to petrify. The weapon shows up in your Armoury once the fight ends.
How weapon types work in Belmont’s Curse
The Armoury sorts weapons by class. You choose a type first, then a weapon inside it. Each type brings three things of its own:
- A standard combo with a distinct range, tempo, and attack arc.
- A charged strike performed by keeping the attack button held.
- A grapple attack, used by pressing attack while the Arcane Whip pulls Rose toward an enemy.
To use grapple attacks, Rose needs the Arcane Whip. She receives it after defeating The Fallen, the opening boss, in the Paris Streets’ Abandoned Sewers district. Use the move stick to target glowing anchors or foes; the whip serves both for getting around and closing distance.
Parrying works outside that system. Rose unlocks this holy shield skill from boss number two. Its default input is the left trigger, and it leaves attacks uninterrupted, letting Rose keep striking while ready to parry. This is especially valuable with short-range weapons.
Weapon changes are free. Since many rooms contain mixed enemy groups, trade a crowd-clearing weapon for a boss-killer before entering a difficult door.
Which weapon type to use for each fight
| Situation | Weapon type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mobs and swarms | Greatsword | Wide arcs, armored charge |
| Boss damage windows | Dual Swords or Cestus | Fast, high-damage strings |
| Safe ranged fights | Whip or Lance | Reach and zoning |
| General exploration |  Longsword | No major weak spot |
| Defensive play | Sword and Shield | Blocks frontal hits |
All seven weapon types and how to use them
Greatsword
Greatswords are crowd and all-round weapons. Their attacks come slowly, yet each broad sweep can hit multiple foes for substantial damage. Charging grants hyper armor, letting Rose build the attack amid a group and still let it fly. The grapple becomes an airborne 360-degree turn that strikes all nearby enemies. Grapple to one foe in a crowd and the rotation will catch the others. Excalibur is part of this weapon class.
Longsword (one-handed sword)
Rose begins with the Longsword, a balanced choice for speed, strength, and reach. Its regular sequence has three strikes; the final blow can stun smaller foes. One-handed swords gain bonus damage when an attack follows a slide or backdash, making either a good combo opener. Their finishing move sends Rose dashing through her opponent.
When grappling, Rose cuts through her foe and comes to rest on the far side. The Vile Trinket, a relic found in the Clock Tower, complements this: it raises damage by 25% for hits Rose lands from behind. She may equip as many as three relics at once.
Sword and Shield
Only Sword and Shield weapons offer a block. Keeping attack held brings the shield up to guard against frontal strikes, reducing much of their damage while charging a dashing shield bash. Release the bash during an enemy attack and make the two attacks collide while it is active; the resulting clash inflicts heavy damage. Use this against armored knights who spin their spears. The regular combo concludes with a bash too. Its grapple can be repeated in a loop: grapple toward the foe, connect with one slash in the air, then grapple once more and continue. The Fleuret and Tower Shield, located in the Library, belong to this category.
Dual Swords
Dual Swords punish button mashing. Mash the button and you get a weak two-hit slash. The full combo follows flash cues near Rose’s head:
The animation confirms whether the cue was successful: without it, Rose performs a two-hit slash; with correct timing, she transitions immediately to stabs. The grapple follows this timing too. Wait for the flash before pressing the follow-up, and it transitions into the stabbing animation. War and Famine belongs to this weapon class.
Cestus (fists)
The Cestus trades distance for pace. Rose must stand right beside her opponent, but her rapid punches increase weapon damage with each successive hit. During a lengthy boss opening, the bonus builds into a multiplier. Both the grapple and the combo’s final move are uppercuts; the grapple sends Rose and her foe into the air, setting up a juggle.
Using the Cestus against crowds is dangerous. Its close-quarters range makes precise dodges and parries essential for staying alive.
Lance (spear)
The Lance excels at keeping foes at a distance. Its charged throw sends a projectile across the entire screen without spending magic, leaving the meter available for Arcana spells. Its long reach can also hit airborne enemies without casting. Its standard sequence is the drawback: a distinct delay separates strike one from strike two, giving enemies a chance to interrupt. The grapple knocks its target a long way backward, handy for sending foes into chasms. Find the basic Lance in Holy Innocents’ Cemetery; Chauve-Souris is the Legendary spear.
Whip
Whip attacks can reach far across a room, including enemies overhead when aimed diagonally. Damage is highest at the lash’s tip, so position foes near the outer limit of reach. Grappling helps establish that range, drawing Rose into the spacing needed for her next strikes to land with the tip. Vampire Killer is the Legendary whip.
One-handed sword upgrades and early weapons
Before you reach the Legendary tier, use these numbers to compare upgrades within a class. Every weapon below has a stagger power of 30.
| Weapon (type) | Rarity (tier) | ATK / attack power / mana | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longsword (one-handed) | Ordinary (1) | 25 / 20 / 3 | Starting weapon |
 Bastard sword (one-handed) | Refined (2) | 50 / 26 / 3 | Paris Streets |
 Joyeuse (one-handed) | Masterpiece (3) | 75 / 30 / 3 | Notre-Dame |
| Valmanway (one-handed) | Legendary (4) | 75 / 21 / 3 | Beat Saint Louis |
 Cestus (fists) | Ordinary (1) | 25 / 12 / 2 | Paris Streets |
 Lance (spear) | Ordinary (1) | 25 / 22 / 3 | Holy Innocents’ Cemetery |
Joyeuse and Valmanway match on ATK. Joyeuse has more attack power per hit, while Valmanway’s wind effect repeats each strike. On paper the Cestus looks weak, but its damage stacks with each consecutive hit, so the table undersells it in a long boss window.
The Bastard sword improves on the Longsword as its first upgrade. To reach it in the Paris Streets’ Court of Justice area, follow this short route:
Once you pick it up, the Bastard sword appears under one-handed swords in the Armoury. It keeps the same backdash bonus and dash-through finisher as the Longsword, with higher numbers behind every swing.
