Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses

As is standard in Castlevania (and most games), each area has a guardian. None of the bosses have random item drops, however after defeating most of them, you will receive a relic which will give you new abilities, access to the next area, and allow you to go back and retrieve some power-ups that you couldn't get to earlier.

The Zombie Dragons and Death can be skipped, however it is not recommended. Defeating Death will net you the Cleansing relic which makes the Underground Waterway significantly easier. Defeating the Zombie Dragons will get you the Heavy Ring which is necessary to get to Death, numerous power-ups, and Lilith.

Cerberus

 * HP: 600
 * STR: 150
 * DEF: 100
 * EXP: 960
 * Element: Light
 * Receive: Double

Imagine a puppy jumping on your lap and licking your face. Now imagine a fire-breathing, lighting shooting, puppy the size of a mini-van jumping on you and eating your face. Guess which one is Cerberus. He has a specific pattern of attack and changes colors based on his upcoming attack. First, he'll turn red and use his fire beam, then he'll turn blue and release the electric balls and then lunge across the room to a platform and repeat the process. He is invulnerable when he is shifting colors, so don't waste your time or weapons. It's not an opening to attack. The room is fairly high and about two screens long, so you have a lot of room to maneuver (of course, so does Cerberus). There are two rows of three platforms in the room that you can use to avoid his lunges and jump over him.

Attacks:
 * Fire beam: He shoots a narrow beam of fire that sweeps the ground in front of him. He only does this when standing on one of the platforms, so simply stand under hit. If you have an axe, you can throw them at him from below.
 * Electric balls: A couple of large blue orbs drift around the room firing electricity straight down. He's stationary at this point, so you can hit him with your whip.
 * Lunge He'll jump straight forward and cross the room. Don't stand in front of him at this point. If he's on the ground, move to on of the upper platforms, otherwise get on the ground.

VampireKiller
The fight isn't very complicated, though he is strong and can kill you if you aren't careful. His strongest attack is his fire beam, so make sure you are under or behind him whenever he turns red and then just throw axes at him until he moves. In theory, the best time to attack him is when he is controlling the electric balls, as he doesn't move. However, you still have to be careful of the electricity which can catch you off guard if you are focused on attack. When he croutches down he's about to lunge, so get high enough that he'll go under you. You can try kneeling directly in front of him as there is a chance he'll just jump over you.

Magician
If you're feeling lucky, you can try transforming into a skeleton with Pluto/Black Dog and throwing bones until you throw the Big Bone, which will kill him in one shot. The way to do this is from the lower middle ledge. Just remember to change back into a human if you're about to get hit or you'll die in one shot.

If you want to play it safe, use summons like Uranus/Thunderbird or Uranus/Black Dog. In any case, keep a close eye on your HP. You have very low defense and he has very high strength.

Fighter
There really isn't too much to this fight as your only options are the whip and axe. The whip is just as powerful, but faster than the axe, so just get in front of him and whip. When he's about to attack, just move out of the way. You can also get behind him and whip if he's on one of the middle platforms.

Shooter
As with pretty much every other boss, the magic dagger is going to be what wins the day. The biggest problem is that Cerberus can probably kill you in a few hits, so fight defensively. When he turns red and moves to a platform, get under him to avoid the fire beam. The lunge is the hardest to avoid, but you can finish the fight before he uses it to much. The time to hit him is when he uses the electric balls. He's stationary and on the ground, so just stand back as far as you can (and still see him) and throw daggers at him. The balls stay close to him, so with a ranged weapon you can't be hit.

Necromancer

 * HP: 500
 * STR: 200
 * DEF: 250
 * EXP: 2500
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: Tackle

At first the Necromancer is a completely cloaked figure, kind of like a colorful Grim Reaper (how he's usually portrayed, not the version of Death that you'll fight later). He likes to throw six energy balls around and occasionally summon monsters. It's a large room, but since he usually stays high you'll have to attack from the rather small platform in the middle, meaning he can knock you down easily and then swoop around and hit you as you try and jump up. The balls flash before he starts throwing, and he throws one at a time, so they aren't excessively difficult to dodge.

Once you beat him, he toss off his cloak revealing a winged skeleton. He still hovers about, but instead of throwing energy balls he'll turn into a gigantic one and bounce off walls at a high speed. This attack is very strong, very fast, and there is no safe spot to avoid it. Just jump out of the way when you see it coming. It can be easier to avoid if you're on the ground, though it's harder to hit him since he generally comes out of the spin high in the air. He'll continue to summon monsters, but call skeletons instead of zombies. These guys throw bones, and you'll be on the ground more, so slide-kick your way across the floor as they appear.

Keep an eye on your HP and use cards to boost your defense as the Necromancer is a very hard boss, even harder than some of the later ones.

Attacks:
 * Orbs: Six orbs circle him, and they he'll throw them at you. Duck and jump to avoid and then attack back whenever get an opening.
 * Screw Attack: He'll turn into a giant ball of energy and bounce around the room.
 * Summon: He'll call forth bunch of zombies or skeletons that walk around the ground.

VampireKiller
For his first form, there's a short break between when he throws his sixth orb at you and when he can throw again. Focus on dodging more than attack until he's empty and then just fling axes at him like there's no tomorrow, or if he's low enough you can just whip him. The best time to hit him is when he's summoning since he remains stationary. The zombies that he summon stay on the ground, so they can't hit you when you're on the platform. If (when) you get knocked down, simply slide-kick across the floor to keep the undead population down.

For his second form, all you can do is hope for the best. Jump out of his way when you see him coming and whip/throw weapons at him when he stops. If you're on the platform when he starts to attack, it's usually easiest to avoid him if you jump off the edge and go into the lower corner of whatever side he started on. As before, the best time to hit is when he's summoning, and he summons more frequently. However, the skeletons fire the moment they appear (and seem to have better aim than normal), so you have to take them out as well.

Magician
Unlike Cerberus who had two different elemental attacks, the Necromancer only uses Dark attacks. Just turn on Neptune/Black Dog so all his attacks drain MP instead of HP. You still need to avoid getting hit too much since once your MP is gone he can take away HP again. Another option is to use Uranus's summons, though be careful of using the expensive ones like Thunderbird too much as it can drain your MP rapidly and this is a fairly long fight.

Fighter
This fight plays out pretty much exactly like it did for the VampireKiller. Just get under him and throw axes at him until he dies. Since the fighter is so strong and has so much HP, you don't really even have to worry about dodging attacks.

Shooter
Keep using the magic dagger (you basically should never let it go for most of the game). Necromancer won't be as easy as Cerberus since it has long ranged attacks, but you can stay a bit further back than you could in other modes. You'll need to clear out the summoned enemies more often than normal. Since the dagger chooses it's target randomly, it tends to target them instead of the Necromancer. You can use the axe fairly effectively against Necromancer as well, however you have to be at a much closer range, and with your low stats, you are at a severe disadvantage.

Iron Golem

 * HP: 640
 * STR: 290
 * DEF: 450
 * EXP: 8000
 * Element: Stone
 * Receive: Kick Boots

The easiest boss in the game since he moves so slowly and his attacks are easy to avoid. He has a powerful punch, but he aims high and strikes very slowly, so unless you accidentally jump into it, you shouldn't have a problem. His other attack is to shake the ground (which hurts you a little), and causes gears to rain down from the ceiling. The gears are dropped on random spots so most don't even come close to you. You can also destroy the gears by whipping them.

You can get a boomerang from the secret room before this fight (the one with a Thunder Demon). Get it, as it is possibly the most useful sub-weapon in the game.

Attacks:
 * Punch: A slow moving, high punch that launches a projectile a few feet. It's obvious when he's about to use it, so just move back. It is damaging if it connects, so be careful.
 * Quake: Hits the ground and gears drop down. Jump to avoid damage from the quake and then face right and whip until they're all gone. There's a slight chance one will land on your head, so just move back if one is coming.

VampireKiller
Just hit him with whatever you've got - boomerangs work best, but axes, holy water, and the standard whip get the job done as well. Use Venus/Salamander to raise your strength so the fight ends faster.

Magician
Summons are your best best as his high defense can absorb most of your standard attacks since you have low strength. Aside from summons, any attack that stays on one spot for a while and causes continuous damage works well. He's also slow enough that you can probably use Pluto/Black Dog to turn into a skeleton and try and hit him with a Big Bone.

Fighter
Stand in front of him an throw boomerangs at him until he dies. It shouldn't take more than 10 shots. If you're reasonably leveled up he'll die before he can get his first attack in.

Shooter
A good chance to see just how fast you can mash the attack button (a skill that you will need for the next boss). Just as far back as you can and throw daggers at him as fast as possible (you should have the magic dagger, but since he's directly in front of you at all times, the regular one will work). Jump over him when he gets too close (he has enough HP that you won't be able to kill him very quickly) and then run to the other end of the room. Jump when he slams the ground and watch for falling gears and you shouldn't take much damage from him.

Adramelech

 * HP: 1800
 * STR: 380
 * DEF: 360
 * EXP: 16000
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: No relic, but you can destroy the statues that block the Underground Galley and Underground Waterway.

One of the hardest bosses in the game, Adramelech takes up an entire room of the Chapel Tower. Fortunately all but his head is in the background, so you don't have to worry about it. Unfortunately only his head takes damage, and it's suspended in the air, though it is thankfully stationary. You'll have to jump to hit him, as even the axe can't reach him when you're on the ground. He has two attacks, however he uses them both at once increase his killing power and carpet the entire area with magic. As such, focus on reducing the amount of damage that you take using cards, rather than trying to avoid individual attacks. Keep attacking and soon you'll blow up his head, leaving only his body to decorate the background.

Attacks:
 * Flying skulls: Skulls that fly. Skulls that fly very fast, hurt you a lot, and attack in large numbers, to be precise. They come out of his hands, and if you're behind the hand that they come from, they can't hit you.
 * Bubbles: Bubbles that float around the room, making it hard to jump without being hit. They can be destroyed with a whip.
 * Fire: Blankets the ground in flames that is hard to dodge and hurts you significantly.

VampireKiller
Even with boosted defense his attacks cause a lot of damage and you can't use Neptune/Black Dog to absorb his dark attacks. The next best option is Jupiter/Golem which makes you invicible for four times as long after taking a hit. This gives you a lot more time to get back up and throw axes and boomerangs at his head without worry about getting hit again. If you are using the boomerang, stand back exactly far enough so that Alramelech's head is precisely where the boomerang turns around. It hangs in the air at that point and will do extra damage (as opposed to just two hits going and coming). Hopefully you've been stockpiling healing items as now is the time to use them.

Magician
This can easily be the magician's hardest boss since even if you use Neptune/Black Dog you'll be knocked around so much that you'll have trouble getting a hit in. Your best bet is to use summons, especially Thunderbird. They cause significant damage, but more importantly you're invincible while summoning. Try and time the summoning so that you set it off right when a barrage of attacks begins, otherwise you might become vulnerable again just in time to get a face full of flying skull.

Fighter
Use the same strategy as with the Iron Golem - fling boomerangs at him until he dies. A bit harder since you have to jump to hit him and he can hit you often, knocking you around. However, as your defense and HP are so high, he'll still go down before you are in any danger of dying.

Shooter
This may seem like a very hard fight since he's so powerful and you're, to put it mildly, are not. However, if you stand in the left doorway, you can hit him with daggers without having to jump, so just mash the attack button as fast as you can (and make sure you have 100+ hearts with you). You can't be hit by any of his attacks, except his fire. The flame cannot be dodged while in the doorway, so when you see it coming, jump down to give you more room to maneuver, then go back up. Card combinations such as Jupiter/Golem or Jupiter/Thunderbird (you can get Thunderbird from the were-panthers right before the boss room) can significantly reduce the amount of damage you take.

Zombie Dragon

 * HP: 1400
 * STR: 390
 * DEF: 440
 * EXP: 15000
 * Element: Poison
 * Receive: Heavy Ring

Not necessarily the hardest boss (though no push over), but definitely the slowest paced. Basically, you're on a narrow platform between two massive dragons. The dragons don't move, except for their heads and necks, which they move about the room in lazy circles. They have a number of attacks, all of which are somewhat powerful, but nothing exceptional. The biggest problem is that almost all of their attacks knock you off the platform. You also have to wait for their heads to come into range before you can hit them, which is annoyingly time consuming.

The most important trick of this boss is knowing that there is a (somewhat) safe spot. If you jump up and go right against the left doorway, they can't hit you with anything except his flamethrower (and even when he uses it, chances are it will miss). From there you can just use the Jupiter/Mandragora or Uranus/Unicorn card combos to heal, and then wait for your MP to recharge.

Concentrate on killing one of them at a time. If you're using the boomerang, jump over them as they return and they might hit the other dragon. When one dies, the other one eats it to restore it's own HP by about 100.

Attacks:
 * Fireball: Shoots a fireball directly at you. It moves pretty fast and the dragon's head is usually close to you when it uses it, so it can be hard to avoid.
 * Flame thrower: Shoots a wave of fire in a spread pattern. A fairly rare attack that usually only happens when you are on one of the upper platforms, and since you should be fighting from the lowest one, this attack is basically a non-issue. Just keep an eye out for it when you're in the doorway on the off chance that the Dragon manages to sent it your way.
 * Smash: Hits the wall, causing debris to fall from the ceiling. Somewhat hard to avoid since you're distracted by the dragons and when it's head is near the wall you can't see. That said, the damage from the debris is very low.
 * Head smack: While all bosses damage you when you touch them, contact is how you'll lose most of your HP in this fight.

VampireKiller
Possibly the hardest boss aside from Dracula. Your best bet is to turn on Jupiter/Salamander and throw boomerangs. The shield won't block their attacks, but it will damage them when their heads come to close. If you run out of hearts, just whip them until they die.

Keep a very close eye on your HP as it can drop very rapidly. When it gets critically low, get to the upper corner and heal.

Magician
Just use Uranus/Cockatrice over and over again. You'll still take a fair amount of damage, so retreat and use Uranus/Unicorn whenever you get low. Overall the fight isn't that hard, but time consuming as you can only hit them with summons when their heads are on screen.

Fighter
It could have been a hard fight, as you have no magic to attack with or heal yourself like you did in the previous modes. However, by this point you're incredibly powerful, to the point where you can make no effort at avoiding getting hit and still make it out with more than half your HP. Just get between them and throw boomerangs. Their heads move so slowly that they boomerangs will be able to hit multiple times.

Shooter
Keep Jupiter/Golem on while you fling magic daggers at him. If you stand on the ground (either in the middle of the room or right under the base of the neck of one of the dragons, you can hit it more often, but you'll get hit more often.

As usual, keep a close eye on your HP (even more so than in other modes). When it gets critically low, get to the upper corner and heal. With Jupiter/Golem on you can easily make it to the doorway before your invincibility runs out. This isn't necessarily a hard fight, just incredibly time consuming.

Death

 * HP: 880
 * STR: 600
 * DEF: 800
 * EXP: 60000
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: Cleansing

Considering how your fighting the personification of death and Dracula's right-hand man/skeleton, this is a rather mundane fight. He doesn't even talk to you before the fight or use a scythe. As usual, he has two forms, with the first being a tradition depiction of the Grim Reaper and the second being a random skeletal ... thing.

Reaper form
He has his standard sickle attack where he blankets the room in flying sickles, which is rather annoying. He also has an energy ball attack and can shoot spikes from himself in three directions. The sickles are the weakest, but the hardest to avoid and there are so many of them that the damage adds up quickly. The other two are fairly easy to avoid and obvious when they're going to be used, but they do considerable damage if you don't get out of the way.

Attacks:
 * Sickles: If you've played pretty much any other Castlevania game since Dracula's Curse, you are familiar with this one. Sickles appear at random spots and fly in a random direction (they don't home or target you). Hard to avoid since you have to be jumping to hit Death.
 * Magic Fires to energy balls at you. Just double-jump over them when they come at you. You can tell when Death is about to do this attack because he stop and his hands glow.
 * Spikes Death stops and shoots three long spikes out from himself - forward, down, and diagonally down. The middle on is the biggest one as it's the one that's most likely to hit you, however you can run under it (the vertical one will hit you, or jump over it (the horizontal one will hit you), so just run back. If Death stop but doesn't charge the magic energy balls, he's going to do this.

VampireKiller
Jupiter/Mandragora's poison cloud will help block the sickles, though not perfectly, so try and avoid them. This form can sap your HP pretty quickly, and this is a long fight. Either jump and whip or jump and throw boomerangs at him. The boomerangs are stronger, but they are also very good for his second form, so you may want to conserve them. Bringing alone a stock of healing items will help significantly.

Magician
The Cockatrice summon is your best bet for this form, as not only are you invincible while casting, but it clears out the sickles and Death, who only moves horizontally, can't avoid the Cockatrice as much as he can the Thunderbird. Unfortunately this depletes your MP rapidly (even with the Magician's high intelligence and MP). If you get drained, either use MP restoring items or turn on the Jupiter/Unicorn to shield yourself from the sickles (you still have to avoid the spikes and magic) until your MP replenishes itself.

Fighter
Boomerangs do a lot of damage, but you should save them for the second half of the battle. Just whip him until he's done, while avoiding the sickles as much as possible. Even though Nathan is ridiculously overpowered in Fighter mode, he can still get killed by Death if you're not careful. Bring along some meats just in case. Since he's very large and slow moving, boomerangs are the obvious weapon of choice. Hopefully you didn't use up all your hearts on the first form.

Skeleton form
He's half turtle, half tank. He doesn't move around that much, though if he gets too close, move back or jump over him. You still have the sickles to worry about, but Death doesn't actually do much. However, the first form can greatly sap your HP, so finish this form quickly before he takes what little HP you have left.

Attacks:
 * Sickles: Exactly the same as before, and just as annoying.
 * Quake: Slams the ground, damaging you if you're not airborne. Just jump when he does.
 * Slice: Cuts you with his bladed arm. Stay back and throw boomerangs and he won't be able to reach you. If you're using the whip, just run in and whip once or twice then back off.

VampireKiller
Keep using Jupiter/Mandragora while throwing boomerangs (or whipping if you are out of hearts) from a safe distance. Jump when he jumps and you shouldn't have any major problems. Just make sure he doesn't get to close.

Magician
Either use Neptune/Black Dog to absorb damage from his sickles, or use Jupiter/Unicorn to shield yourself. The shield is generally a better idea as the Neptune card will still let you get thrown around and the sickles will drain your MP very fast. Now is the time to throw boomerangs if you have them, otherwise just keep summoning (Thunderbird actually works better than Cockatrice against this form). The boomerangs are your best bet as they will end this fight very quickly.

Fighter
One word: boomerangs. Just stand back and throw as rapidly as possible and he'll go down in a few seconds.

Camilla

 * HP: 1500
 * STR: 650
 * DEF: 700
 * EXP: 80000
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: Roc Wing

In her true form, she's a large, red, winged demon that rides a floating skull. You're in a massive room with size platforms (it's a lot like Cerberus's room, but much larger. She floats back and forth, generally unleashing an attack when she gets to one side. Her attacks can be powerful, but she isn't that hard if you know the right places to stand and not to chase after her.

Attacks:
 * Bubbles: Annoying things that float around making a nuisance of themselves. Not powerful, and they can be destroyed with the whip, but they do disrupt your jumping.
 * Laser: A really powerful beam of darkness that hits the platforms. When she moves to the far edge and faces inward, get to the ground.
 * Wave: Fires waves of energy bursts diagonally downward. Powerful, but easy to avoid as she's in the middle of the room when she does this. Just get on one of the platforms and don't get too close.
 * Electricity: Not an attack per se, but it can damage you if you hit it. A rapid electrical discharge is fired directly downward from the back of the skull. Easy to avoid, but prevents you from getting underneath her.

VampireKiller
As usual, boomerangs are the best weapons to use in this fight. Turning on Jupiter/Mandragora can help with the bubbles, but it isn't really necessary and Venus/Salamander's strength boost will make this fight go by much more quickly. When the fight starts, get to one of the upper end platforms and wait for her. When she comes, throw boomerangs in her face, then jump over her. Get to the floor as she may use her laser attack when she reaches the end of the room. You'll see it if she does even though you can't see her. If she isn't going to use it, or after she does, jump to the upper platform on the other end of the room and wait for her. Repeat the process until she dies. The hardest part is learning the timing of how long it takes her to start the laser attack after you jump over her so you don't wait too long and she runs into you as you're jumping up, or you start to climb too soon and get a face full of laser. If you're on the ground when she comes by, there's a chance that she'll use her wave attack. Just get up to the platforms to avoid it.

Magician
Stay in the left door way, and wait for her to come to you. The bubbles usually come first, so whip them to prevent them from hitting you while you attack her. Jump up and throw three boomerangs at her when she's coming at you. She'll turn around without being able to ram you, then jump up to the upper left platform and hit her in the back of the head with either a whip or another boomerang. Don't chase her at this point as you won't get any good shots in, can't easily pass her to get to the other doorway, and will most likely take damage in the process. Instead, return to the doorway and wait for her to come back. Repeat until she's dead (won't take to long if you're using the boomerang).

The only attack that could be problematic from the doorway is her laser, which she uses from the far right side so you can't see it coming and could easily kill a Magician in one hit. However, the beam is a dark elemental attack, so keep the Neptune/Black Dog combo active at all times and not only will you be immune to the beam, but it'll heal an damage that you take from the bubbles. It shouldn't be able to deplete your MP has you likely have such high intelligence at this point that any MP lost will be recovered in a few seconds.

Fighter
Exactly the same strategy as you used with a VampireKiller, but even easier as you're much stronger (making the fight end very quickly). You still have to avoid the laser.

Hugh

 * HP: 1400
 * STR: 570
 * DEF: 750
 * EXP: 120000
 * Element: Light
 * Receive: Final Key

Fighting Hugh is a lot like fighting yourself, except he has a sword. He likes to run back and forth quickly, doing more damage by running into you than with an actual weapon. He mostly uses holy water and his sword, though if you get too far away he'll use axes and daggers as well. Once he's taken enough damage he'll use what is basically DSS and start glowing red. New color scheme aside, he's basically the same but stronger and uses holy water even more frequently. Annoying at times, but overall this is a very easy fight.

Attacks:
 * Sword: A rapid, but very short ranged swing. Jump over him or move back to avoid.
 * Holy Water: Same as your holy water, he throws it at your feet and it burns for a little bit. Jump over and forward to avoid.
 * Dagger: Flies straight forward, just jump to avoid.
 * Axe: Powerful, but slow moving. Since you can easily tell where it will land, just be in a different spot when it does.

VampireKiller
Just use the Cockatrice summon and you won't have to worry about any of his attacks. You will probably take damage when the summon is over as their is a good chance that you'll land directly on him, however if you have either the Sage Robe (from Lilith) or the Dark Armor (from Lilim), you're defense should be high enough that you can finish him before taking too much damage.

Magician
Again, use Uranus/Cockatrice, doing massive damage but resulting in you taking a hit afterwards. As before, get the Dark Armor from Lilim before the fight (while the Sage Robe offers excellent defense, the Dark Armor is twice as good and you don't need the Robe's intelligence boost). If your HP gets too low, just use Uranus/Unicorn to heal yourself.

Fighter
Shockingly, there is a fight where boomerangs aren't the best choice. Hugh tends to move too quickly, jump too much, and crowd you to make boomerangs effective. Just whip him instead, and use the kick-slide to get away from him so you can attack. Just don't get too far or he'll start using the sub-weapons on you.

Vampire form

 * HP: 1100
 * STR: 805
 * DEF: 850
 * EXP: 150000
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: Nothing

Demon form

 * HP: 3000
 * STR: 1000
 * DEF: 1000
 * EXP: 0
 * Element: Dark
 * Receive: Nothing