Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse drops Rose Belmont into a burning 1499 Paris where a castle has torn its way into the city. Rose is the daughter of Trevor Belmont and the sorceress Sypha Belnades, and the whole game runs on a single idea: every major boss she beats gets sealed into one of her mother’s tarot cards, becoming a spell she can equip. That mechanic, called Arcana, is also what decides which ending you get.
Quick answer: Belmont’s fall comes from using the Clock Tower Bridge clock without Soul Harvest equipped. The hunt goes on comes from beating Dracula’s second form without Absolution. Curse lifted comes from beating it with Absolution equipped.
How bosses become Arcana cards
Rose has no traditional sub-weapons and no hearts to spend. Instead, defeating a boss lets her siphon its power or blessing into a tarot card, which she can then equip and cast using magic points. Several cards also add +50 MP to her pool. You strengthen each one by performing “Works of Mercy,” which ask you to use that spell a set number of times under certain conditions before you can spend points on its skills.
This is where the two bloodlines in Rose’s family show up in the design. The whip, the Vampire Killer, handles combat and traversal; the cards are the Belnades side, Sypha’s spellcraft passed down. The true ending requires the four virtue cards plus The Self; you can leave the rest of the cards uncollected.
The three gatekeepers that open the Catacombs
The first stretch locks the path to Dracula’s domain behind a sealed door that needs three keys. Each key comes from one guardian, and each guardian turns out to be a soul forced to harvest for an unseen master.
The Fallen ambushes Rose at the flooded gate and demands her soul. Beating him grants the Holy Cross Arcana and The Fallen’s Key, and later reveals his identity as Leon Belmont, the ancestor trapped four centuries earlier. Joan of Arc, “The Warrior,” fights with a greatsword and fire pillars on the rooftops near Notre-Dame; she yields Infernal Pyre and The Warrior’s Key. Medusa, “The Prophetess,” waits in the submerged aqueducts with petrifying beams and sweeping serpent tails, dropping Petrifying Gaze and The Prophetess’ Key.
With all three keys slotted into the portal, Death appears. This first Death fight is a scripted loss, not a real one — Trevor steps in, loses an arm shielding Rose, and the city is swallowed by Dracula’s crimson castle.
Bosses before the finale
Once the opening trap is behind you, successive boss fights push the story toward its conclusion; defeating each foe awards weapons and Arcana.
Carmilla, “The Occultist,” fights in a blood sanctuary under a red moon with floating skull familiars and rising blood geysers. She drops Blood Spikes and tempts Rose to become a vampire — a temptation Leon and Joan’s spirits help her refuse.
Talos (Jean de Chelles), “The Builder,” is a two-part encounter: you fight the giant construct’s torso, survive a collapsing industrial escape under falling fists, then finish phase two for the Fist of Talos Arcana. Returning to the ruined Notre-Dame triggers an untainted Joan of Arc rematch, which ends not with a card but with her blessing of Courage.
The real Death rematch comes next, with Trevor chained to a crucifix as the backdrop. This full fight uses laser grids, scythe sweeps, and spectral skulls, and winning it grants the Soul Harvest Arcana. Afterward, Trevor hands Rose the Vampire Killer whip from his sickbed, formally passing down the Belmont mantle.
Arthur, “The Brittle King,” defends a stained-glass hall with prism beams and shield barriers. Beating him gives both the Stained-Glass Shield Arcana and the legendary sword Excalibur, one of the two best weapons in the game.
Isaac, known as “The Zealot,” is a Devil Forgemaster whose decades-old resentment toward Trevor remains unresolved. An illusory Isaac brings down a bridge before the genuine one confronts Rose at the clock face. He wields a double-ended spear and clock magic, including temporal slowdowns; defeating him yields the Chronomantic Dive Arcana.
Two more optional-feeling fights round out the set. Mammon, “The Miser,” is a floating spiked wheel in a treasure cavern that fires lasers and slams the ground, giving the Wheel of Chaos Arcana. Succubus, “The Temptress,” first appears as an illusion of Rose’s mother Sypha before revealing herself; she uses blood lances and charm beams and drops Life Drain, a spell that heals Rose as it damages.
Rose’s shadow appears as “???” at the rose-window altar in the Gallery of the Four Virtues, accessible only after completing all four virtue trials. A trial’s window responds only when you have its associated Arcana equipped. Defeating the shadow awards The Self card, the Absolution spell, and a fresh outfit. Sypha’s spirit appears at the altar afterward.
| Virtue trial | Arcana required |
|---|---|
| Justice | Chains of Justice (The Judge) |
| Temperance | Freezing Path (The Whisperer) |
| Prudence | Mirror Walk (The Sage) |
| Courage | Infernal Pyre (The Warrior) |
The Courage trial is a rematch with Joan of Arc, whose card unlocks that window.
Every boss and the reward it drops
| Boss | Title | Reward |
|---|---|---|
 The Fallen (Leon Belmont) | — | Holy Cross, The Fallen’s Key |
 Joan of Arc | The Warrior | Infernal Pyre, The Warrior’s Key |
 Medusa | The Prophetess | Petrifying Gaze, The Prophetess’ Key |
 Death | The Shadow | Soul Harvest (rematch) |
 Carmilla | The Occultist | Blood Spikes |
 Talos (Jean de Chelles) | The Builder | Fist of Talos |
 Arthur | The Brittle King | Stained-Glass Shield, Excalibur |
 Isaac | The Zealot | Chronomantic Dive |
 Mammon | The Miser | Wheel of Chaos |
 Succubus | The Temptress | Life Drain |
| Rose’s shadow | ??? | Absolution (The Self), new skin |
Dracula: the final boss and the trap before it
The bad ending triggers at the glowing clock on the Clock Tower Bridge, well before the end of the game. Use that clock without Soul Harvest equipped and Rose is led into a false throne room where the Dracula fight is a trap. The credits roll on the bad ending and the achievement Belmont’s fall, closing on the line “You fell into Death’s trap. The curse devoured your soul… and your very existence is lost to oblivion.” It is not a game over: play continues at the Mirror of Life in Mechanic’s Ascent with the Ferryman. Equip Soul Harvest at the clock and the trap is disarmed, opening the way to Isaac.
The true Dracula fight runs in two phases. Phase one keeps him in the throne room, teleporting around the arena and filling it with flame pillars, so most of the work is reading his repositions and hitting the gaps. As his health drops, he grabs Rose and drags her into a void. Phase two turns him into a giant winged demon beneath a blood-red moon on a rooftop arena, where you dodge falling meteors and sweeping claws. Finishing this form grants the trophy Die monster! You don’t belong in this world!
The two real endings and what splits them
Beating Dracula’s two phases is enough to clear the game, but it does not end the curse. In this outcome, Dracula bursts with dark energy, the Arcana spirits raise shields to protect Rose, and his tower collapses — awarding The hunt goes on. The epilogue shows Rose and Trevor looking out over a Paris still under a red sky, acknowledging that the threat remains. You get this normal ending when Dracula’s second form falls on the Castle Rooftops without Absolution equipped.
The real ending begins with an upgraded selection of gear: the armory screen now shows Bernhard’s Wrath, along with Excalibur and also War and Famine. Rose uses Excalibur and holy strikes to defeat Dracula’s demon form. When he attempts another plague release, Sypha’s spectral spirit appears and urges Rose to draw on the strength of all the tarot cards together. Rose enters an ethereal plane, bids farewell to the Arcana spirits, and sends a golden beam through Dracula that wipes him out. She earns Curse lifted; the dark castle collapses into light, while the clouds above Paris part to show Notre-Dame restored in the sunlight.
For the true ending, own The Self and have its Absolution spell equipped when you defeat Dracula’s second form on the Castle Rooftops. Collecting every Arcana is unnecessary. Without Absolution equipped, the normal ending occurs regardless of how well you fight; the game continues, letting you pursue the true ending on that same save.
For the complete sequence of the four virtue trials, the shadow battle, and the final fight, use the walkthrough for obtaining the true ending.
| Outcome | How it happens | Key trophy |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont’s fall | Activate the clock on the Clock Tower Bridge with Soul Harvest unequipped; the game will continue afterward. | Belmont’s fall |
| Normal ending | Defeat Dracula’s second form while Absolution is unequipped. | The hunt goes on |
| True ending | Equip Absolution (The Self) before defeating Dracula’s second form. | Curse lifted |
Your preparation for the final battle determines which ending you see: clear all four virtue trials, defeat your shadow to obtain The Self, then face Dracula with Absolution equipped. If you reach him without Absolution, Paris remains beneath the blood moon; carrying it into the fight brings sunrise and restores the city. Belmont’s Curse arrives October 15, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, and Nintendo Switch, developed by Evil Empire with Motion Twin advising and published by Konami.
