Castlevania II: Simon's Quest/Laruba Mansion


 * Looking for:
 * Other items:
 * Important locations:
 * Town of Aldra
 * Laruba Mansion
 * Important locations:
 * Town of Aldra
 * Laruba Mansion
 * Laruba Mansion

Only one more mansion awaits, and then the final showdown in Dracula's Castle. Not surprisingly, this is also the hardest part of the game. You will be a ways away from a town with a Chapel, so be extra cautious.

Path to Laruba Mansion
You'll be heading directly to the mansion this time; no sidequests or towns to stop in. Unfortunately, that means no healing either.

Wicked Ditch
From the entrance to Bodley Mansion, head left (right will take you to Dracula's Castle, but you can't get in yet). Soon you'll come to a lake at a dead end, and you should remember what to do. Equip your crystal (red in this case) and and crouch for a few seconds to reveal the hidden path. Head down and to the left to get into the Cove.

Cove
A large area, but the vast majority of it can be ignored. Head left along the ground for a while and you'll come to a pool with bouncing blocks. Cross over and destroy the wall at the other end to find an old man. Assuming you have the Morning Star, he'll give you the, which is the strongest whip in the game.

Once you have it, head back to the beginning of the Cove and climb up the "stairs" to the next level. Head left and down the other side, to the exit on the left. There's nothing but enemies in the rest of the area.

Yuga Path
When you enter you'll see a Fire Skeleton; be extra careful as they projectile cannot be blocked with your shield. Heading left, you encounter more bouncing blocks over a lake, but these are easy to get over since they are fairly close together.

In the next screen you'll encounter a very large section of marsh that will probably take three Laurels to cross over. If you only have two, you can still make it, but you'll lose a fair amount of health in the process. If you absolutely have to get more Laurels, head all the way back to Bodley Mansion and continue right until you get to the next town, Fetra. In any once you cross this mess, you'll be right at the entrance to the mansion.

The Mansion
Important items: Other items: Bosses:
 * Carmilla

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.