Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses

As is standard in Castlevania (and most games), each major 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 Dragon Zombies and Death can be skipped, however it is not recommended. Defeating Death will net you the which makes the Underground Waterway significantly easier. Defeating the Dragon Zombies will get you the which is necessary to get to Death, numerous power-ups, Lilith, and the Battle Arena.

Cerberus
Imagine a puppy jumping on your lap and licking your face. Now imagine a fire-breathing, lightning shooting puppy the size of a mini-van jumping on you and eating your face. Guess which one describes Cerberus more accurately. 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 finally he'll turn a lighter blue and lunge across the room to one of the platforms. The color he changes to is random, but the attack he uses will always match the color he changes to. He is invulnerable when he is shifting colors, so don't waste your time or weapons as 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 him. If you have an axe, you can throw them at him from below. To best avoid this attack, stay close to Cerberus as much as possible if he is seen turning red.
 * 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. If it is difficult to tell which shade of blue the boss is for determining which attack it will use, note that when it is the darker blue and preparing to fire the electric balls, it will typically do so soon after changing to the appropriate color, whereas with the lunge attack there is some time the boss spends prancing around before finally attacking. At the least, preparing for the lunge attack and then punishing Cerberus if it uses this technique instead is safer than simply expecting this technique.
 * 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 the uppermost platform above, otherwise get on the ground directly underneath him.

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. 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 too focused on attacking. When he crouches 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, however this is a bit risky.

You may find an from earlier area, or go to a lower room with mummies to pick up a. While an axe handles the fire beam attack better, the holy water does everything else since you can take height advantage more often.

Magician
If you're feeling lucky, you can try transforming into a skeleton with Pluto/Black Dog and throwing bones until you throw a Big Bone, which will kill him in one shot. The best place to do this from is right when you enter the room, when only his head is shown. Time your position right so that small bones will not aggro him, while your first big bone one-shots him with 9000 damage. Be prepared to change back into a human if you accidently make him active.

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.

Cheese Method: Just one shot the wolf with the use of the Sonic Whip, (Diana/Griffin combo).

Fighter
There really isn't too much to this fight as your only options are the whip, and either an axe or a holy water. The whip is just as powerful, but faster than the sub weapon, 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 lower 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 too many times if you keep up the attacks. 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.

Thief
As with most boss fights, the fight with Cerberus is just like it was in VampireKiller mode, but harder since you have much worse stats. Fight defensively, moving in to hit him with the axe or holy water whenever you see an opening. It's easiest to hit him when he's on the ground and you're on one of the lower platforms. His lunge can be lethal, and is very hard to avoid. Bring a stock of 10–20 potions with you to the fight (you can pick them up from the Skeletons).

Necromancer
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 to jump back up. The balls flash before he starts throwing, and he throws one at a time, so they aren't excessively difficult to dodge.

Once he takes enough damage, he'll 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 ricochets around the room 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.

The Necromancer will never use his powerful ricocheting attack if Nathan is always in the corner of the room opposite of him. This boss can be safely dispatched by sliding across the room through the skeletons that are summoned, then hitting the Necromancer as and after he passes over Nathan to begin summoning more skeletons, usually off screen (though sometimes close enough to still receive damage). Simply slide back across the room before he finishes summoning and he will never use any other technique, making this otherwise more difficult phase a joke.

Keep an eye on your HP and use cards to boost your defense if possible. 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 whichever 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, 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.

The simplest strategy (Nearly cheating) is the Diana/Griffin DDS. An average Magician will be able to take his first form down in two shots, his second in one more direct hit of the Wind wave. A skilled magician can use the big bone trick again, while risky, this can skip its second form with a single hit.

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
The Necromancer won't be as easy as Cerberus since it has long ranged attacks, but if you're using the magic dagger, 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, as the dagger chooses its 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.

Thief
Definitely the hardest mode to beat him on, though you're probably adept at dodging him by now. Jump and either throw axes or use the whip to hit him when he stops moving. When he's throwing orbs, don't worry about hitting him; just dodge him. As always, he's easiest to hit when he's summoning. Try and stay on the platform so you don't have to worry about the monsters that he summons.

Iron Golem
Typically an easy boss since he moves so slowly and his attacks are easy to avoid. However, this boss can heal faster than he can be damaged by players at lower levels, making modes in which Nathan has limited strength a nightmare. This is the only boss that can repeatedly heal (the Dragon Zombie can only heal once) and therefore is not susceptible to strategies involving standing in a safe location to recover MP and is even somewhat resistant to strategies that aren't aggressive enough. Typically focus should be spent on defeating the boss with speed favored over concerns for ammunition, or else Nathan should be leveled up to combat this boss's healing ability.

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. Ducking near him such that the whip isn't quite at its limit when reaching him is safe during this attack. 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 from the secret room before this fight (the one with a Thunder Demon). Everyone but the Shooter should 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 glow dark red and land on your head, so just move back if one is coming.

VampireKiller
Just hit him with whatever you've got — the work best, but the, , and the standard whip get the job done as well. Use Venus/Salamander to raise your strength and make the fight shorter. If you don't have this combination, you can also try Jupiter/Salamander, since the circling fireballs can damage it more quickly than your whip (when they're in position).

Since his attacks are easy to dodge once you recognize the pattern, you should try switching to items that increase damage, especially if you are low level.

Magician
Summons are your best as, due to your low strength and his high defense, he can absorb most of your standard attacks. 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.

Simpler: Walk to him until you see him, Stop! Now take Diana/Griffin and hit him several times. He's dead. He is too slow to get to you, Diana/Griffin has a long range. That's it.

Fighter
Stand in front of him and throw 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 stand as far back as you can and throw daggers at him as fast as possible. 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.

Because this boss can heal, it might be more appropriate to use to defeat the boss as quickly as possible. This isn't as safe, but if the boss is healing faster than he is being hurt, playing defensively with daggers will only hurt your chances of survival. It takes 10-12 throws to kill him with the boomerang.

Thief
Make sure you have the, and just use the same tactics that you did for the first three modes. Go into the fight with an ample supply of hearts and with your HP and Hearts maxed out. Even with your low stats this shouldn't be a difficult fight as long as you stay out of the way of his punch. Keep an eye out for falling gears, as the damage can add up.

Adramelech
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 anything but it. Unfortunately, that means that only his head takes damage, and it's suspended in the air, although 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 three attacks, however he uses all of them at once to 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.

While you receive no relic upon defeating him, you will be able destroy the statues that block the entrances to the Underground Gallery and Underground Waterway.

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. They are easily avoided if Nathan slides under them toward the hand they appear from as soon as they appear.
 * Bubbles: Bubbles that float around the room, making it hard to jump without being hit. They can be destroyed with a whip. The Jupiter/Manticore combo simplifies dealing with the bubbles, though the Jupiter/Serpent combo is a moderately appropriate substitute.
 * Fire: Fires numerous fireballs from multiple points. Very strong and difficult to avoid. This attack is the biggest nuisance if the bubbles are removed by a DSS combo, but fleeing away from Adramelech and alternating between jumping and ducking when appropriate is usually trivial.

VampireKiller
Even with boosted defense his attacks cause a lot of damage and you can't yet use Neptune/Black Dog to absorb his dark attacks. The next best option is Jupiter/Golem which makes you invincible for four times as long after taking a hit. This gives you a lot more time to get back up and throw axes or at his head without having to 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 only two hits going and coming). Hopefully you've been stockpiling healing items as now is the time to use them.

Another good way to take him down is to use the Mercury/Golem this will give you longer reach. You then just stand on the left or right side by a door and avoid attacks. When he stops attacking, jump hit him, get back in the hole and repeat. It takes a while, but is less detrimental on health.

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 begin, otherwise you might become vulnerable again just in time to get a face full of flying skull.

Alternatively, you can stay in either the left or right corner of the room, on the ground. This way, you won't be hit by either the bubbles or the flying skulls. As for the fire, right when you see the small glowing balls of light (indicating that they are coming), summon Thunderbird. If timed relatively right, you will be able to avoid all the fireballs. If you are running low on mp, switch to a summon that uses less mp (like Unicorn, which also heals you), so that you have a net increase in mp(in Magician mode this is possible b/c you have a pretty high INT stat, which affects the rate at which you recover mp). While this summoning strategy may be tedious, it is a very easy way to beat Adramelech.

Easy Method: While staying at the entrance activate Diana/Griffin. After six to eight sonic boom shots he should die. Just double jump out of the way if any of the "fireballs" comes your way. No other boss attack should get in range.

Challenging method: He takes two hits of big bones to defeat, and you have to toss them while jumping to make a hit. Hide whenever needed.

Fighter
Use the same strategy as with the Iron Golem — fling 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, 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 yourself more room to maneuver, and 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.

If your defense is competent, and you're appropriately skilled at evading the fireball and skull attacks, placing square on the boss's center can truly injure it.

Thief
Use the same strategy as you did for the VampireKiller mode. Keep Jupiter/Golem on at all times to quadruple your invincibility time, and stand under his hand throwing at his head. Bring a supply of potions and hearts. Just keep an eye on your HP as his attacks (especially the flame) can do a fair amount of damage to you.

Dragon Zombie
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. Each dragon has a separate health total, and each will grant experience when it dies. The dragons don't move, except for their heads and necks, which 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 the flamethrower (and even when he uses it, chances are it will miss). From there you can just use the Jupiter/Mandragora or Uranus/Unicorn (if you have it) 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, jump over them as they return and they might hit the other dragon. When one dies, the other one eats it to restore its own HP by about 100. If the one on the left dies first, then as it is the only dragon of the two that has an attack that can reach the left doorway, the left doorway will become a safe zone for the remainder of the battle.

Alternatively, stay in the middle near the left dragon. You can avoid all attacks with ease. If the dragon attempts to bite, you can simply kick dash to the left under the neck of the left draogn, and then back again. Use axe the subweapon, and hit the dragons whenever they come in range. Also spin your whip to destroy falling stones.

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 you should be fighting from the lowest one. Just keep an eye out for it when you're in the doorway on the off chance that the dragon manages to send it your way.
 * Smash: Hits the wall, causing debris to fall from the ceiling. Somewhat hard to avoid since you're probably distracted by the other dragon and when its head is near the wall you can't see what it's doing. 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. The shield won't block their attacks, but it will damage them when their heads come too 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.

Alternative Strategy: This doesn't have to be hard. Activate the Earth Whip. You will now have very long reach. Your first goal is to destroy the left dragon. Jump over to the middle platform, then drop to the ground. Quickly slide under the left dragon. No attacks can reach you here, except the very rare rock falling from above. The important thing is the left dragon will smack the left wall since you're there. When he is about to smack the wall, slide back to the right side. Jump up and smack the left dragon when his head is dazed briefly. Then once you got his attention to go back up, slide under him to his left side. If you time it right you can hit him once on the left side and then the right till he is dead. Let loose the cross or throwing axe sub weapons as you see fit. You can do the same thing for the right as you did the left if you wish. Or you can smack the right dragon when he gets in range from the left side with any weapons of your choosing.

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 on HP. Overall the fight isn't that hard, but time consuming as you can only hit them with summons when their heads are on screen. Another way is to use Pluto/Black Dog, stand in the doorway, and hit the nearest dragon with a big bone. Very rarely, a fireball will go to the doorway, but most of the time you will kill the near dragon before this happens. Then you can go to the other doorway and do the same thing. It is also possible to kill the right dragon from the doorway without the door closing with this method, so you can repeatedly farm the right dragon for 15000 exp.

Alternative Strategy: Do the same thing as the Earth Whip Strategy from Vampire Killer Mode but replace it with the more powerful Sonic Whip, (Diana/Griffin).

Challenging method: To defeat them with big bones, stay at the top platform in the middle. You will have to get lucky here to throw a big bone. Kill the right side first, since it may spit fire as soon as it aims at you. The left side is more predictable. Just use your Pluto + Unicorn to dodge.

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 now you're incredibly powerful, to the point where you can make no effort at avoiding the attacks and still make it out with more than half your HP. Just get between them and throw. Their heads move so slowly that the 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 their necks) you can hit it more often, but you'll get hit more often as well.

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.

Thief
First, make sure you get a from the Poison Armors, as it will increase both your defense and intelligence significantly. Jupiter/Salamander might be able to deal a fair amount of damage to them if you are standing in the lower middle platform. Take out one at a time with the, jumping over them so they can hit the one behind you. Make sure you get to the doorway to heal with Jupiter/Mandragora when your HP starts to get low. Using the mind restores that you can get from the flying enemies in the vertical rooms can make the healing process go by much more quickly.

A safe strategy for dispatching this boss that may work in other modes is to unleash a powerful blast from Diana/Griffin, then retreating to the left doorway to recover MP and using Neptune/Salamander if a fireball gets too close. Keep in mind that the dragons have unusual hit-boxes and that unless they are on the edge of the screen when the wave is fired from Nathan's whip, they will likely receive damage from the whip instead, becoming immune to damage as the wave passes by ineffectively and only causing approximately 1/16 the desired damage. Alternatively, if they are struck at a certain angle, the wave may actually hit twice, dealing approximately 32 times the damage of a single whip stroke.

Death
Considering how you're 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 traditional 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 weak, 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 the original, you should be 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 two 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 stops and his hands glow.
 * Spikes Death stops and shoots three long spikes out from himself — forward, down, and diagonally down, covering a large area. Depending on your position you may run away (which is more often) or go exactly below him. If Death stops but doesn't charge the magic energy balls, he's going to do this.

VampireKiller
Jupiter/Serpent's ice shield will block most of the sickles. A few may get through, so still be careful. If you use Jupiter/Manticore, the sickles will so rarely get through that they can generally be ignored altogether. This form can sap your HP pretty quickly, and this is a long fight. Jump and either and whip or throw at him. The boomerangs are stronger, but they are also very good against his second form, so you may want to conserve them. Bringing along 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, it also 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.

Luckily his attacks are all straight forward. Dodging them while hitting him twice with big bones is not hard.

Fighter
Since he's very large and slow moving, are the obvious weapon of choice, but you should save hearts for the second form. Instead, just whip him until he's done, 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.

Shooter
Again, use Jupiter/Serpent to block the sickles (or Jupiter/Manticore, if you have it), and just stay out of the way of the other two attacks, which you can see coming. Death is actually the easiest in Shooter mode, as long as you have the magic dagger. You don't even have to jump or chase him; simply fire away from the ground. Just don't get so caught up in attacking that you don't watch out for the spikes and magic. He'll most likely go down in a few seconds.

Thief
Keep Jupiter/Serpent on while you jump and throw. Unlike VampireKiller and Fighter modes, you don't have to worry about conserving ammo for the next form, as you should have a large supply of heart refills at your disposal. Just be careful to avoid the spikes, as they can cause significant damage. Note that Jupiter/Manticore is more effective than Jupiter/Serpent and costs the same amount of MP.

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.
 * Magic seal: No damage, but you are slowed down when this appears in front of him.
 * Quake: Slams the ground, damaging you if you're not airborne. Only used after Magic seal has disappeared. Just jump when he does.
 * Slice: Cuts you with his bladed arm. Stay back and throw 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/Serpent (or Jupiter/Manticore, if you have it) while throwing (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 too 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 if you have hearts, otherwise just keep summoning (Thunderbird actually works better than Cockatrice against this form).

Challenging method: he only takes two hits of big bones in this form, but you have to use Pluto/Unicorn to hide when he slows you down. In this case, the only chance to attack is after he uses a Quake.

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

Shooter
Same thing as the first form: Jupiter/Serpent or Jupiter/Manticore (preferably the latter, as it shields a greater range and hits more areas at once at a much greater pace) for defense and magic dagger for offense. Stand as far back as possible, and if he's enough out of the screen, he won't even attack (besides the sickles). When he does start attacking, just jump when he jumps. If you are decent at evasion, you can end the fight more quickly by bringing the instead, which is especially nasty against Death's slower second phase.

Thief
Just like the first form, but easier since you don't have to jump to hit him. Use the Jupiter/Manticore shield to block the sickles (or Jupiter/Serpent if for some reason you couldn't collect the Manticore card with the thief's insane luck) and throw as quickly as possible. Jump when he slams the ground to avoid damage, but the fight will probably be over long before you are in any danger of dying. Note that Jupiter/Manticore is more effective than Jupiter/Serpent and costs the same amount of MP.

Camilla
In her true form, she's a large, red, winged demon that rides a floating skull. You're in a massive room with sizeable 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.

Speaking of standing in safe places, Camilla has no attacks except her bubbles that reach the doorways if you jump over her to the opposite doorway each time she changes direction in front of you. Activate the poison shield and stand by a door, unleashing boomerangs or whipping her as desired, but don't let her get to the opposite side of the room without you or she'll fire her terrifying laser: always be in the doorway that is in front of her and use the top center platform to get safely from door to door. Following this strategy, Camilla is the easiest boss in the game, as the pattern to avoid receiving any damage from her is entirely consistent. Careful use of the whip spin even in Fighter mode where there are no DSS combos at your disposal means that when following this strategy, you should never be hit by this boss.

Attacks:
 * Bubbles: Annoying things that float around and chase you, making a nuisance of themselves. Not powerful at all 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 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 outer platforms and you'll be safe.
 * 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, the is the best weapon. Turning on Jupiter/Manticore can help with the bubbles, making it easier to jump and throw. When the fight starts, get to the lower left platform and wait for her. Throw three boomerangs at her then move to the doorway. When she's in range, throw three more. Once she starts flying back to the right you can jump to the upper left platform and throw three more, or play it safe and wait in the doorway for her to leave. Once she's out of sight, get to the floor as she may use her laser attack when she reaches the end of the room. Stay in the left corner and duck. When she starts moving again (you'll be able to tell as the electrical bolt she fires when she moves makes a very distinct sound), jump up to the lower left platform and wait for her. Repeat the cycle until she's dead.

Magician
Stay in the left doorway, 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 too 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 any 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.

The DSS Diana/Griffin (Wind wave) will hit Camilla twice with one use, making it an extremely effective damage dealer. A normal Magician will not exhaust their supply of mp before killing Camilla. This will require some dodging and waiting, however.

If you are trying to get rid of her with big bones, just keep hiding until she's going to use laser. During that she won't use homing bubbles, so just stay in the doorway behind her and start spamming your bones. Repeat until she's gone.

Fighter
Exactly the same strategy as you used with a VampireKiller, but even easier as you're much stronger. You still have to avoid the laser.

Shooter
Use a similar strategy as you did with Death: attack her with the magic dagger while using Jupiter/Manticore to block things coming at you. Stick to the left doorway, wait for her to appear, and then fling daggers at her non-stop. Don't worry about her hitting you; she never gets as far as the doorway before turning around. You can chase after her for a bit, sticking to the upper platforms. However you should drop all the way to the bottom and get to the left corner before she reaches the right side, so you can avoid the laser beam. Alternatively, you can just double jump to the top platform before she gets under it and then to the opposite doorway and she will never use the laser attack.

The does considerable damage to her as well, but its higher heart cost, the fact that it doesn't reach Camilla as often given where you should be standing, and the fact that the appropriate shield, when used in one of the doorways, will prevent all damage (provided you are always at the doorway in front of her) means that the magic dagger is just as appropriate.

Thief
Assuming that you've defeated Death, before going through the Underground Waterway you should get the from Lilim. In terms of defense, this is the strongest armor in the game and will more than make up for your weak defense stat. Aside from that, the fight is just like it was for VampireKiller mode. Keep Jupiter/Serpent on at all times, stay to the left, and throw at her. Just make sure you get to the ground after she flies out of sight so you can duck the laser beam if she uses it. Note that Jupiter/Manticore is more effective than Jupiter/Serpent and costs the same amount of MP.

Hugh
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 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 with double sub weapons and uses even more frequently. Annoying at times, but overall this is a very easy fight, especially if you've gotten the.

The four ledges that hang on the edges of the room provide safe places to stand that can only be reached by the flying swords attack Hugh does during the second phase of the battle. However, those swords can be dispatched from a single contact with Jupiter/Manticore, and the level Nathan is at by reaching Hugh is typically high enough that his MP recovery is greater than the cost of the DSS combo, allowing Nathan to recover at will at any time during the battle.

Attacks:
 * Sword: A rapid, but very short-ranged swing. Jump over him or move back to avoid.
 * Sword Spire: Holds sword straight up, unleashing a wave of energy in a narrow column.
 * Dash: Runs across the room with the sword held straight out.
 * 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.
 * Flying Swords: Only used during his DSS. Release a few flying swords chasing you, which can be removed with your attacks.

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 there 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), your 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. It's better to heal at the highest platform, where he can only damage you with flying swords.

If you are skilled enough to use a summon, try to spam Uranus/Thunderbird at the place where the skeletal face is in the background. Each time after you use it, make a super jump and cast Thunderbird again without landing. As Hugh is too agile, the only safe time to throw bones is right after he activates DSS and comes to the ground. With luck this can cheese away 1200 health.

Easy Method: Simply use Neptune/Unicorn, stand at either doorway, and whip him to death. None of his close-range attacks harm you (except Holy Water) and he always stands right beside you. If you run out of MP, Roc jump to the top ledge. With this method you can beat Hugh before level 30, but it takes some time because your regular whip attack is weak.

Fighter
You can either just whip him until he's defeated, or just use the  as usual. Throw three boomerangs as quickly as possible and try to stay on the same side of Hugh so they hit him when they return (or jump over them if you're in between them and Hugh). You can also try and outrun Hugh, and throw three boomerangs forward so they hit him on the return. However, this is slower and harder to pull off.

Shooter
This will be the first boss fight where the magic dagger isn't the best choice. Get the from the hidden room near Hugh (it's the room with an HP Plus). You'll take a lot of hits, so equip Jupiter/Golem to make yourself invincible for longer.

Once he goes super saiy-... er, DSS mode, start using the Uranus/Cockatrice summon as quickly as possible. If you run out of magic, switch back to the boomerang. He can do a lot of damage fairly quickly, so it is important that you finish him off as quickly as possible. Ideally, you could just use Cockatrice summons for the entire battle, but it is unlikely that you'll have enough MP.

If playing on an emulator and keyboard, the summoning sequence may not be possible. For a Shooter however, the boomerang is highly effective. One hit does 70-80 damage and boomerangs can hit twice. It takes 25-30 shots to defeat Hugh, depending on your level. With Dark Armor, Double Grips, and Jupiter/Golem for extended invincibility, this fight becomes easy. Toss 1-2 boomerangs, sidestep dash, then toss 1-2 more. His basic sword attack is easy to sidestep. Running/avoiding too much is actually a detriment, since you can do substantial damage while invincible. If you keep facing Hugh and throwing boomerangs for double hits, he will die quickly.

Thief
Basically, you're going to need to use items in this fight. If you have potions to spare, throw while using Jupiter/Golem. If you want to burn mind restores instead, continuously use Uranus/Cockatrice.

Be sure to appropriately shift your equipment to maximize efficiency. Choosing the Mars/Black Dog cards in the middle of a summon is an unsavory way to boost the damage of summons, but changing equipment to maximize strength has an equally helpful effect and is far less similar to cheating (combining the two can dramatically multiply damage output). There is small time after a summon ends in which Nathan is still unable to receive damage which is appropriate for switching to defensive gear, and the upper ledges of the room are great places to use int-boosting gear to recover MP. Just be sure to switch to defensive gear and a shielding DSS combo if the homing attack Hugh uses during his second phase is heard coming your way (if you aren't quick enough to spot the attack coming, you can definitely hear it coming much sooner if you recognize the sound of the spikes being released rapidly).

Dracula
You'll fight Dracula twice but, unlike Death, you can retreat and save between forms. He's waiting behind the locked door that you saw when the game began. After you defeat him in the ceremonial room, he'll open a portal to another dimension and fight you there as well. After the first form, and once the cut-scene is over, head back to whatever save point you want and restore your HP, MP, and Hearts. If you don't have a already, go pick one up (the easiest one to get is probably the one outside the Battle Arena).

Vampire form
This is your traditional Dracula fight that has been used in many Castlevania games. He'll appear in a random spot, throw bats at you, and then teleport somewhere else. The bats all have a certain element (and are colored accordingly), so you can switch Neptune pairs to match, or you can just avoid them. This is a very easy fight; more to wrap up the story aspect of the game than as a final challenge (that comes next).

After the fight you can leave the room and save/heal before stepping into the beam of light to go to the actual final fight.

Attacks:
 * Fire bats (aka Hellfire): His traditional attack: three bats are thrown directly forward. Easy to avoid since you can double jump.
 * Blue bats: Very similar to the previous attack, except the bats will be blue.
 * Electric bats: Bats fly out and cover the screen. Absorb electric attacks using the appropriate DSS combo or activate Pluto/Unicorn to dodge the attack altogether. If you're in Fighter mode, prepare to get hit, but your defense should be high enough that it won't matter.

As only one of his attacks reaches behind him, learn the timing to double jump over Dracula. He will not turn to face Nathan once he has reached a certain point prior to unleashing his attack, allowing for easy maneuvering to his back where he can be damaged further, usually while boomerangs launched at his spawn location deal additional damage. At this point it is a simple matter of continuing to whip him or use boomerangs from behind, or defending against his electric bats.

VampireKiller
Basically, just hit him with whatever you want and don't really worry about his attacks. The fastest way to drop him is to stand exactly one length away from where he teleports in (you'll have time to move between when the light appears and when Dracula actually materializes, and then just throw boomerangs at him until he dies. Since you don't have to worry about defense, use Pluto/Manticore to save hearts.

Magician
Summon Uranus/Cockatrice over and over again. Once you get timing down, you can ensure that he takes maximum damage and you don't get hit with projectiles by summoning too late. It doesn't really matter, as you probably have more than enough MP to take him down, even inefficiently. Using bones will be very challenging, but it is the fastest way to beat him.

Alternative Method: Use Neptune/Thunderbird DSS since his Electric Bats are the only attack that cannot be dodged easily using jump. When the teleport beam appears walk in range, hit once with the whip, jump over the Fire/Ice Bats, then hit again. Using a hit/jump/hit sequence you can defeat him easily while taking no damage. The only way to lose is by being greedy and going for more than two hits per teleport.

Fighter
Exactly like VampireKiller mode, but even easier. Just throw at him until he dies.

Shooter
For defense, you have two choices. The first is to switch between Neptune/Salamander and Neptune/Thunderbird to absorb the damage. The other is to use Jupiter/Thunderbird to cut your damage in half without having to swap. If you attack fast enough you can use this combo and he'll be defeated before he can deplete your HP.

Offensively, use either the or the magic dagger. If you use the boomerang, as always, just stand exactly far enough back that the boomerang stops going forward right where Dracula is standing for extra damage. If you're using the magic dagger, just get as far against the door as possible and throw daggers as fast as you can.

Thief
Throw at the spot where he's going to appear to maximize your damage while equipping Jupiter/Thunderbird to minimize the damage you take. If you have the Dark Armor, his attacks will be fairly trivial and the fight should be over in a minute or two.

Approximately 3 or 4 casts of the Cockatrice summon will defeat this boss if optimal strength boosting equipment is donned during casting, and as the summons (including Thunderbird) typically last the same time as the period for his attack cycle, they can be timed such that Nathan is never vulnerable when Dracula is able to attack.

Demon form
He still resembles Dracula (which is much different than usual in Castlevania games), however he is now huge, has several more mouths, and a giant eye in his chest, among other changes. The eye is his only weak point, and can only be hit while open. Regardless of what mode you're playing through, get the for this fight.

At first, Dracula randomly uses his poison bubbles, laser, or comet attacks, and after each attack ends, transports to a new location. You can tell which attack he is about to use by looking at where a flash of light comes from. Once he's taken enough damage, he'll start to flash. From then on he'll only alternate between charging and transforming. At this point he can only be damaged when transformed. He makes 2–4 charges before transforming, and when he transforms, he appears from off screen. So, if he doesn't reappear immediately after a charge, he just transformed. The second phase attacks are much stronger than the first, but easier to dodge.

Attacks:
 * Poison Bubbles: Red bubbles will spawn from the mouths at foot and float around, poisoning you if you come in contact. If you get poisoned, use an antidote immediately. Jupiter/Serpent's shield will block 90% of the bubbles, and Neptune/Manticore will absorb the poison, but drain your MP and you still get thrown back. Alternatively, swinging your whip will usually block all attacking bubbles.
 * Laser: A very powerful laser will sweep the ground near you. Can usually be avoided if you stand on the platform furthest from him, however it is easier to just use the Roc Wing to stay airborne until he's done (he usually does this 2–4 times in a row). Each firing makes a very distinct high-pitched tone, so you can hear when he's done using it. However, if Nathan is on one of the platforms when Dracula appears before using this attack, the position Dracula will appear at will cause the lasers to completely miss most of the platform Nathan is standing on, leaving Dracula completely open for attack at the perfect distance for releasing boomerangs. Attacking Dracula during this time is the most efficient way to deal damage with the boomerangs as there are no bubbles or meteors to avoid.
 * Comet: Numerous comets rain down at an angle. Difficult to avoid, but since it's stone based, you can use Neptune/Cockatrice to absorb the damage. As it is a very strong attack, this may drain your MP rapidly, so use Pluto/Unicorn if possible.
 * Charge: He swings back a bit then rushes forward rapidly. This is an incredibly strong attack and can kill even a Fighter in a few hits. There is an obvious pattern to it though: when he teleports in and is flashing, he's going to charge. Stand near him on one of the upper platforms and Roc jump when he moves back into the swing. Don't jump too early or you'll land on him, or too late and get hit by him. He does this 2–4 times in a row (usually fewer times the closer he is to dying). If a Roc jump is performed at the top of a double jump or from one of the platforms, Nathan will come close to hitting the ceiling or plain hit it; if this happens there will be a large window of error in the timing as Dracula is limited in how far up he can chase Nathan. As such, jumping the moment the flash appears will be effective and is possibly easier to react to.
 * Transform: He turns into an eyeball (the same one that was his weak point at the start of the fight) surrounded by a cloud of bats. He doesn't necessarily fly at you, but the cloud is large and the bats go off in random directions. While the bats can be destroyed in a single hit, only damage to the eye counts as draining Dracula's HP. He transforms after he's done charging, so if he doesn't appear right away after you land, he's transformed and will be coming at you from the top of the screen.

VampireKiller
For the first phase, jump and throw the at his eye when he's using the poison bubbles or comet attack. When he uses the laser, just get out of the way as fast as possible. When he starts charging/transforming, summon Cockatrice or Thunderbird as soon as the bat cloud appears on screen. Do not attempt to summon when he is charging, as not only will it do no damage, there is a good chance that you will come out of the summoning just in time to get rammed by Dracula. Likewise, do not summon more than once each time he transforms, least you regain control just in time to get hit.

Magician
A safe method is to summon Thunderbird for the entire fight. As before, focus on avoiding the laser when it comes. It is best to use Pluto/Unicorn for both the comet and laser attacks as they can kill a Magician with very few hits. Thunderbird will clear out both the bat cloud and poison bubbles with ease, so you shouldn't take too much damage in this fight. However, Dracula's charge can probably kill you in two hits, so be careful.

There is an alternate method to throw bones safely for the first form. Stay at the lower floor until Dracula appears in lower area. As soon as he appears, Roc Wing to the platform above and watch the attack carefully. The laser attack is a lucky one as it cannot hit you on the platform; the poison bubble can give you some time to deal with, or instead switch to summons; for the comet however, hide or summon at all cost.

Alternative Strategy (PC): When using an emulator and keyboard, the summon sequence won't work. There is however an easy alternative strategy. Stand at the very bottom left corner of the screen and use Pluto/Unicorn for invincibility. When Dracula uses Comet/Poison Bubbles, remain invincible (or run to his right and use Jupiter/Serpent to clear the bubbles). As he raises his left hand for a Laser attack, immediately switch to Venus/Black Dog DSS and hit his eye with the whip. The lasers won't touch you if you stay in the left corner. If you are fast, you can whip the eye 12 times before it closes. Reactivate invincibility before he turns around. It takes about 40 hits to defeat his first form. With practice, you can beat the first stage without taking any damage.

For the second stage, use the Roc jump strat to dodge his charges, or just use invincibility if you have enough MP. When he turns into an eyeball, use the Diana/Unicorn homing ball. It can shoot from any angle, and a direct hit does 40-50 damage with the homing ticks. This is the best DSS because you can avoid the bats while also dealing good damage. If you get low on health, you can heal with Neptune/Black Dog when Dracula charges and restore your MP with Mind Hi potions.

Fighter
Despite being so overpowered, this form of Dracula is more difficult, time consuming, and annoying than it is in any of the other modes. This is because you can't use a summon against the bat cloud, and they are powerful enough to do noticeable damage even to a Fighter. For the first phase, just throw at him. If you're powerful enough he'll switch the second phase after the first round.

The eye is very hard to hit because it likes to stay high in the air; too high to hit even when double jumping. The bats also attack inconsistently and at oblique angles, making them very hard to avoid, much less kill. It's generally best to be on the ground when the eye first appears, and then jump on to the platform and throw boomerangs at it. Just be ready to jump off quickly if starts to come at you from below or above.

Shooter
This is just like VampireKiller mode, except you have to be very careful as you have much less life and defense this time around. Don't bother with the magic dagger, as it is too weak. Just use the. Even though it prolongs the fight, it is safest to only attack during the poison bubbles (and only after you've destroyed them with the boomerang), and focus on dodging his other two attacks.

For the second phase, again summon Thunderbird whenever you see the eye. Because it's likely to be significantly weaker than it was in VampireKiller, or even Magician mode, a lot of the bats may survive the summoning. Don't do a second summoning as you don't have time to complete the summoning before Dracula starts charging again. Instead, do the only summoning from one of the upper platforms, and afterwards jump down and move to the other platform. Still keep an eye out for the stray bat that comes your way. It would be a very good idea to have a mind restorer or three, as you are likely to run out of MP before Dracula finally dies.

Alternative strategy: The throwing axe, though less powerful than the boomerang, is very effective against Dracula due to its arc. Use Neptune/Cockatrice against the comets and Jupiter/Manticore for the poison bubbles. When he uses the lasers, jump on the platform and throw axes down for the whole duration. It takes 20-25 axe hits to beat his first form. For the second form, use the Roc jump strategy to dodge his charges. Because of a Shooters low HP and defense, dodging the charges is essential. For the floating eyeball, Jupiter/Serpent will block the bats entirely so long as you avoid jumping directly into them. Keep throwing axes and jumping around the bats until he dies. It takes about 20 hits from the axe to defeat his final form. With some practice this fight is not too difficult; it's possible to beat Dracula at level 45 using only 2-3 Mind Restores.

Thief
Fight him just like you did in Magician mode: summon Thunderbird over and over again. You probably have a good supply of mind restores at this point, and now is the time to use them. If you have the Sage Robe, wear it so your MP restores at a much faster rate. Even though it offers less defense than the Dark Armor, it is better for this fight since keeping your MP up is critical. Also, even with the Dark Armor, most of his attacks can cause significant damage to a Thief, so you should be focusing on avoiding them instead of lessening the damage.