Castlevania II: Simon's Quest/Laruba Mansion

Only one more mansion remains, and then the final showdown in Dracula's Castle. This is also the hardest part of the game. You will be far away from a town with a church, so be extra cautious. You will need to make sure you have no less than two Laurels for this trip. If you don't have enough, you should travel east to Town of Doina where you can buy Laurels and also rest up at a church.

Bodley Lake
Bodley Mansion is situated next to a lake which you will find by walking left from the mansion entrance. Just as you did at Yuba Lake, if you equip the Red Crystal and kneel before the lake briefly, the water will drain and reveal a hidden path. Descend the stairs and walk left to reach the Uta Lower Road.

Uta Lower Road
Most of this absolutely cavernous area can be ignored. The upper regions contain nothing but enemies and false floors for you to fall through and get hurt. It is best to stick to the lower section. When you first arrive, jump over the small platform and proceed along the floor until you reach the water. You will see several sets of hovering platforms. Although they are in groups of two, these blocks have the same jump altering properties as other do. Jump across the gaps while the blocks are rising. When you reach the wall to the left, use Holy Water or Dracula's Nail to open a path through the wall, and visit the man waiting inside. As long as you purchased the Morning Star, he'll endow your whip with magical properties and convert it to the, which is the strongest whip in the game. If you do not possess the Morning Star, he will tell you to return with more power.

Once your whip is upgraded, return across the water to the beginning of the cavern and jump along the platforms to reach the next level. Once again, break the wall down and head left across the cavern. When you see floating skulls headed in your direction, it is best to stop and remove them before you proceed. You will reach an exit on the far left side. There are no secrets to be found in the rest of the area.

Devious Woods
As soon as you arrive in the woods, you will be confronted by a Flameman and two skulls. Destroying the skulls should be your first priority, but watch out for the Flameman's fireballs which follow the terrain of the ground. Continue left until you encounter more hovering blocks over a lake. Once on the opposite side, continue to clear away enemies as they appear. Do not let them gang up on you or surround you. Proceed left to Joma Marsh.

Joma Marsh east
Joma Marsh is the largest region of poison marsh in the land. You will need to cross it in order to reach the mansion. If you have three or more Laurels, you can cross is without sustaining any damage. If you only have two, you will still be able to make it, but you will lose a bit of health along the way. If you only have two, it is best to jump into the first portion of marsh, and cross it without using a Laurel until you reach the platform in the middle. The two Laurels you have will help you cross the remainder of the marsh. If you have less than two Laurels, it would be better to turn around and head for the Town of Doina to purchase Laurels, although it will eat away a considerable amount of time.

Joma Marsh west
Once you cross the eastern portion of the marsh, you will arrive in front of Laruba Mansion. While you can continue to the west, there is little to no reason to do so. The remainder of the marsh is an uninterrupted expanse of poison, and when you reach the other side, you will enter Carmilla Cemetery. If you proceed too far to the west side of the cemetery, you will be unable to return, and you will have to make your way all the way back to Deborah Cliff and utilize the red crystal in order to return to this portion of the map. Do not travel any further west unless you have an odd excuse to do so.

Laruba Mansion
A large, but ultimately straightforward mansion. Head right, up the stairs, back left and up the second set of stairs. Ignore the third set and go right, then jump over the blocks to get to the next room. Head up the stairs and work your way to the top, where you'll see the last old man selling. Buy one and head down to the bottom of the room along the right side. Be very careful as most of the Skeletons throw bones and can appear quickly as you drop down. When you reach a floor with a Skeleton and a Knight, you'll drop down to a small ledge on the left. From that ledge you can see a single block below you. Make sure you jump so you land on the right side of it - otherwise you'll have to detour around a bit. Head through the lower right door to get to Carmilla's chamber.

Carmilla
Carmilla is a giant mask that cries blood out of her one eye and occasionally swings around the room. The tears explode into a multi-directional projectile when they hit the ground, but can be blocked with your shield. The most effective way of defeating her is to stand still near the edge of the room while she cries, and then jump and throw Gold Daggers at her. Once defeated, she drops the.

Like Death, she always returns but doesn't give you anything extra for defeating her repeatedly. Unlike Death, you have to defeat her because you need the Cross to get into Dracula's Castle.

Afterwards
Make sure you pick up the cross and then go into the next room and grab. Head back into the room before Carmilla and go back up a bit, and then go left, past the Spiders. On the other side, drop down and talk to the old man. He'll give you 8 Laurels (4 if you don't have the Silk Bag). Now head back around, riding the blocks across the spike pit, to get back to the top. Now, instead of going down, work your way up, past the Skeletons. Go through the door into the first area, then work your way down and out.

Once outside, you can go left or right, but eventually you'll be heading to the right of Bodley Mansion in order to get to Dracula's Castle.