Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Enemies

For strategies on the bosses (Cerberus, Necromancer, Iron Golem, Adramelech, the Dragon Zombies, Death, Camilla, Hugh, and Dracula), see the bosses page.

For surviving the Battle Arena, see the Battle Arena guide.

General tips

For more information on enemies, see the enemy data page.

• All enemies have an elemental type. If you are having difficulty, equip the appropriate Neptune combination and attacks will drain your MP instead of your HP.
• Use items sparingly as they are rare. It's better to backtrack to a save room instead of wasting all of your potions.
• You are invincible while summoning, but using these cards defensively requires timing.
• If you lose a lot of life in a room, once it's completely empty, fully restore your HP with Jupiter/Mandragora, then wait for your MP to restore itself before going into the next room.
• The chance of an enemy dropping an item is determined by your luck stat. Equip Venus/Mandragora when item hunting to raise your luck by 25%.
• Even when cursed you can use your sliding-kick attack and your Hawk familiar will continue to attack as well.
• Lilith will appear in the Underground Warehouse after you defeat Camilla in the Underground Waterway. As soon as she does, go there and raise your levels significantly.

Armors

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Candles

The Trick, Mimic, and Scary candles are annoying, but not difficult. They look like normal candles (but it's obvious which one they are as it's a different candle type than the others in the room). Once you hit them, they dive at you and die on their own. You must defeat them before they vanish to get any experience or items from them.

You'll have enough time to get two whip strikes in before they die, so your timing has to be good. You also need to be strong enough to kill them in two hits, or you'll never defeat them. You can use card combos to boost strength, however since their drops rates are all incredibly low, it's better to use Venus/Mandragora and Luck Rings to raise your luck instead. If you are too weak, just level up by fighting Lilith. Stopwatches can freeze the candles, but since you will have to kill each one numerous times to get the items, you will quickly run out of hearts.

Mimic Candle
	HP	990
	STR	600
	DEF	600
	EXP	600
	Element	Poison
	Common Item	Heart
	Rare Item	Gambler Armband

Scary Candle
	HP	150
	STR	300
	DEF	300
	EXP	900
	Element	Poison
	Common Item	Heart Ex
	Rare Item	Uranus card

Trick Candle
	HP	200
	STR	400
	DEF	400
	EXP	1400
	Element	Poison
	Common Item	Heart Mega
	Rare Item	Pluto card

• Mimic Candles can be found in the long hallway off the east side of the Chapel Tower (where you found the Skeleton Medalists) after you defeat Death. You'll need to use the Stopwatch to keep it on screen long enough to kill.
• Scary Candles appears in Iron Golem's room in the Machine Tower after you defeat the Twin Dragon Zombies (though you probably won't be strong enough to kill it for a while). You can use Diana/Griffin to significantly boost your power, but you have to make sure you hit it with the bolt, not the whip.
• Trick Candles appears in Cerberus's room in the Catacombs (lower middle candle) after you defeat Camilla. Kneel slightly past the candle (not directly under, or it might not jump in the direction you want), and use the spinning whip technique to break the candle. Immediately after you break it, stop spinning and start using normal whip strikes.

Demons

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Skeletons

Electric Skeleton
	HP	42
	STR	80
	DEF	50
	EXP	30
	Element	Electric
	Common Item	Leather Armor
	Rare Item	Golem card

Skeleton
	HP	25
	STR	65
	DEF	45
	EXP	4
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Leather Armor
	Rare Item	Potion

Skeleton Athlete
	HP	100
	STR	100
	DEF	50
	EXP	25
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Cotton Clothes
	Rare Item	Griffin card

• Electric Skeletons are found mainly in the Outer Wall, and attack by throwing a bolt of electricity along the ground. The bolt is longer than your whip, so you'll have to jump over it. Whip while coming down to hit the skeleton before it can fire again. There is a short delay as it has to charge the weapon first.
• Skeletons are found throughout the castle and are the same skeletons that have appeared since the first Castlevania. The throw bones in a arc at you however, unlike most other games, they can aim fairly well. Slide through them if they are on the same level as you, otherwise jump and whip from below.
• Skeleton Athletes are only found in the long hallway off the right side of the Audience Room (you'll need the kick boots to get in). Simply kick-slide your way across the room, killing them all in one go.

Skeleton Bomber
	HP	20
	STR	50
	DEF	40
	EXP	4
	Element	Fire
	Common Item	Salamander card
	Rare Item	Potion

Skeleton Boomerang
	HP	60
	STR	170
	DEF	90
	EXP	112
	Element	Wind
	Common Item	Miracle Armband
	Rare Item	Stylish Suit

Skeleton Knight
	HP	50
	STR	140
	DEF	80
	EXP	39
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Leather Armor
	Rare Item	Bronze Armor

• Skeleton Bombers are the first enemies that you will encounter. They throw bombs in a single arch, which aren't particularly powerful (though you are at low levels when you have to fight them). Jump and whip as soon as it throws and you'll probably take out the bomb and skeleton in one hit.
• Skeleton Boomerangs like to hang out on ledges above you and knock you back with their boomerangs. Either hit them before they throw, or just the boomerangs and hit them on your way down. Just be careful of the boomerangs when they return, as destroying the skeleton does not destroy the boomerangs.
• Skeleton Knights simply wander around on whatever platform/floor they're standing on and attack you if you get too close. Simply whip them from a distance.

Skeleton Medalist
	HP	250
	STR	100
	DEF	100
	EXP	1500
	Element	Wind
	Common Item	Toy Ring
	Rare Item	Bear Ring

Skeleton Soldier
	HP	35
	STR	90
	DEF	60
	EXP	16
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Leather Armor
	Rare Item	Bronze Armor

Skeleton Spear
	HP	30
	STR	65
	DEF	46
	EXP	6
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Leather Armor
	Rare Item	Cotton Robe

• Skeleton Medalists are a secret enemy that can only be found in one place, late in the game. (see more)
• Skeleton Soldiers, like the Skeleton Knights, simply wander around and can easily be killed from a distance.
• Skeleton Spears throw spears at you, and can make jumping a nuisance. Jump over, duck under, or simply destroy their spears, then go after the skeleton.

Skeleton Medalist

This guy is an easter egg that is annoying to kill, but worth it for the humor of the item he rarely drops. He's in a hidden room off the left side of the pit that Dracula throws you down in the beginning of the game. While you can open the room by jumping down the pit, you only have one shot per jump and then you have a long walk back to the top. He doesn't appear until after you defeat Camilla anyway, so just wait until you have the Roc Wing. From the bottom of the pit, jump up, and up, and up. About halfway up the room, start whipping the wall as you fall. Once you break it, jump back up and in. Grab the power up and then break the ceiling on the right side. Once you jump up, you'll see the Medalist run off. You can't catch him, even with the Pluto/Griffin combo. You have to use the Pluto/Salamander in order to use the stopwatch's item crush. At a cost of 80 hearts, the Medalist still won't be stopped, but will move so slowly that you can kill him.

Since it costs so many hearts just for a 1 in 100 chance that you'll get his rare drop, you might want to save first and then keep reseting until you get it. Or just skip it until you're playing in Thief mode. What you're trying to get is the Bear Ring , which will transform you into a cartoonish bear instead of a skeleton when you use the Pluto/Black Dog combo. It's something that's merely meant to be cute and does not help you out with the game. As such, unless you're a completionist, this can just be skipped.

Winged demons

Fallen Angel

Fallen Angel
	HP	370
	STR	770
	DEF	770
	EXP	6000
	Element	Holy
	Common Item	Heart Ex
	Rare Item	Saturn card

There is only one Fallen Angel in the game, and she appears outside the entrance to the Battle Arena. You won't be able to reach her until you get the Roc Wing after defeating Camilla in the Underground Water way.

To get to her, transport to the fourth warp room, which is the closest you can get. If you haven't walked to the room yet, you won't be able to warp over there. In which case, head back to the Chapel Tower. In the large room in the northwest (right before the room with the bells), is a non-hidden exit in the middle of the left side. Go through the door and head left until you can drop down and you'll have reached the warp.

Anyway, from the warp room, head up and left to the Battle Arena entrance. Use the Roc Wing to get over the tower and drop down the other side. The Fallen Angel will probably notice you and chase you, if not walk right a little bit and do a single Roc Wing jump to get her attention. When she shows up, simply fry her with a Thunderbird summon. With any luck you'll take out the two Legions that are floating about as well.

Then, just run right, go in to the first room of the Battle Area and head back out. Head back to the same area and Roc Wing jump to get her attention. Fry her again, then repeat the process as long as necessary.

She gives very good experience, but that's not why you fight her (Lilith becomes available at the same point in the game and gives 3x as much exp, so fight her for experience instead of the Fallen Angel). The reason to fight her is for the Saturn card. It's a rare item, so equip two Luck Rings (or Gambler's Rings, if you have them) when you fight her. You can equip the Venus/Mandragora DSS combo to boost your luck by 25%, but that means being unable to summon, and the Fallen Angel is somewhat difficult to kill by whipping, especially since you have two Legions getting in your way and are pretty far from a save room. It's also much slower without summoning, so you'll actually get the card faster by using Thunderbird. She also drops Heart Exes and the Legions drop Cure Curses .

Lilim

Lilim
	HP	400
	STR	800
	DEF	800
	EXP	8000
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Mind Hi
	Rare Item	Dark Armor

Basically a weaker version of Lilith (and incidentally, the Lili are the daughters of Lilith in mythology). Lilim flies around, circled by six energy balls which she spreads around the room in a spiral, or occasionally flings at directly at you. Use the Thunderbird summon to kill her in one or two shots.

She appears in the Machine Tower after you defeat Death. As with so many things in CotM, you'd never find her if you didn't read a strategy guide or by sheer accident. She's in the hidden room off of the second large room of the tower. It's the large room with the C-bend in it and connects to the second save room on the left. At the very top of the left side is the breakable wall. Go through, drop down and go left to a Heart Plus (10/36) if you haven't gotten it already.

Along with 8000 experience points, Lilim rarely drops the Dark Armor , which gives you +500 defense. It's as powerful as the Shining Armor, which you can only get after beating the Battle Arena, the only difference is the Dark Armor also gives you a -10 penalty to strength, intelligence, and luck (a trivial amount, all which can be countered with various Rings). Lilim drops the Dark Armor very rarely, so wear two Luck Rings when you go to fight her.

Lilith

Lilith
	HP	660
	STR	960
	DEF	960
	EXP	20000
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Mind Ex
	Rare Item	Sage Robe

Lilith is, without question, the best source of experience points in the game. Dropping 20,000 points per kill, she is second only to the Devil (Battle Arena version) in terms of experience dropped. While the Devil give 30,000 points, he is very hard to kill and you have to fight through the entire arena to get to him (and if you can do that, you don't need to raise your levels any more).

She appears in the Underground Warehouse (in the hidden room off the long tower where you can get a Heart Plus (?/36)), but only after you defeat Camilla. She's very strong (only Dracula and the Devil are more powerful), fast, and surrounded by an energy field that can hurt you. She's basically a supercharged Fallen Angel. She also has very high defense and fairly high HP (660 points). Despite this, she's very easy to kill.

Just use the Thunderbird summon repeatedly. If you have reasonably high strength, you'll be able to kill her in two hits. As there is some randomness to the amount of damage done by the Thunderbird, make sure you have at least 600 MP going into the room so you can use it three times if necessary. Even at high levels you should continue to use the summon as she'll still be about to do about ~100HP in damage and is hard to hit.

As you're invincible while summoning, you don't need to worry about your defense (besides, even if you have the best armor she can still tear you to pieces quickly), so equip luck boosting equipment such as the Luck Ring and/or Gambler Armband. Eventually you'll get the Sage Robe from Lilith, which (in addition to being the fifth strongest armor in the game) boosts your intelligence by a whopping 500 points. This means that your MP will recharge incredibly fast (about 10MP/second), making it that much easier to repeatedly kill her.

Strength is another stat to worry about, since if you can't kill her in two or three summonings, you're probably at a low level and therefor might not have enough MP to cast a fourth time. However, if you're strong enough to defeat Camilla, chances are you're strong enough to kill Lilith in three or less summonings.

Despite the fact that you're invincible while summoning, you should keep an eye on your HP. There is enough time for her to hit you while you're pressing the button combination in order to summon. You should also save often in case something goes horribly wrong. The closest save point is the one above where you fought Death. A few Succubii and other enemies stand between Lilith's room and the save point, so use Jupiter/Mandragora to heal before making the trip. You do not want to kill Lilith 40 times only to be taken out by a Succubus.

Nightmare

Nightmare
	HP	250
	STR	550
	DEF	550
	EXP	2000
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Mind Restore
	Rare Item	Needle Armor

After defeating Death, the Nightmare will appear in the hidden room below the first area of the Outer Wall, where you got a Heart Plus (7/36). While not particularly strong, and she does drop the Needle Armor , Lilim appears at the same time in the Machine Tower, and gives better experience and the Dark Armor. Unless you're trying to collect everything, Nightmare can be skipped.

Succubus

Succubus
	HP	150
	STR	400
	DEF	350
	EXP	710
	Element	Dark
	Common Item	Intelligence Ring
	Rare Item	Manticore card

Unlike the rest of her palette-swapped brethren, the Succubus is a common enemy. While there are a few places where she can be found, she is all over the Underground Warehouse. Instead of throwing energy orbs, she fires a three-way shot of bolts, as well as dives at you. Easier to dodge and hit than the other winged demons, you can jump and whip her, though in many cases it's just as easy to outrun her. She drops Intelligence Rings and the Manticore card.