:''For strategies on the bosses ([[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Cerberus|Cerberus]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Necromancer|Necromancer]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Iron Golem|Iron Golem]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Adramelech|Adramelech]], the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dragon Zombie|Dragon Zombies]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Hugh|Hugh]], and [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dracula|Dracula]]), see the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|bosses]] page.''
:''For strategies on the bosses ([[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Cerberus|Cerberus]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Necromancer|Necromancer]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Iron Golem|Iron Golem]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Adramelech|Adramelech]], the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dragon Zombie|Dragon Zombies]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Hugh|Hugh]], and [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dracula|Dracula]]), see the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|bosses]] page.''
:''For surviving the Battle Arena, see the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Battle Arena|Battle Arena]] guide.''
:''For surviving the Battle Arena, see the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Battle Arena|Battle Arena]] guide.''
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* [[#Lilith|Lilith]] will [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Secrets#Lilith|appear]] in the Underground Warehouse after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Characters#Camilla|Camilla]] in the Underground Waterway. As soon as she does, go there and raise your levels significantly.
* [[#Lilith|Lilith]] will [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Secrets#Lilith|appear]] in the Underground Warehouse after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Characters#Camilla|Camilla]] in the Underground Waterway. As soon as she does, go there and raise your levels significantly.
=== Candles ===
== 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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS|card combos]] to boost strength, however since their drops rates are all incredibly low, it's better to use [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Venus/Mandragora|Venus/Mandragora]] and [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Luck Rings]] to raise your luck instead. If you are too weak, just level up by fighting [[#Lilith|Lilith]]. [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Stopwatch|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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS|card combos]] to boost strength, however since their drops rates are all incredibly low, it's better to use [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Venus/Mandragora|Venus/Mandragora]] and [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Luck Rings]] to raise your luck instead. If you are too weak, just level up by fighting [[#Lilith|Lilith]]. [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Stopwatch|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 Candles''' can be found in the long hallway off the east side of the Chapel Tower (where you found the [[#Skeleton Medalist|Skeleton Medalists]]) after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]]. You'll need to use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Stopwatch|Stopwatch]] to keep it on screen long enough to kill.
*'''Scary Candles''' appears in [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Iron Golem|Iron Golem's]] room in the Machine Tower after you defeat the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dragon Zombie|Twin Dragon Zombies]] (though you probably won't be strong enough to kill it for a while). You can use [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Diana/Griffin|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Cerberus|Cerberus's]] room in the Catacombs (lower middle candle) after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|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.
*'''Mimic Candle'''
== Demons ==
**Location: In the long hallway off the east side of the Chapel Tower.
{{sect-stub}}
**Appears: After you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]].
**HP: 990
**EXP: 6600
**Drops: [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Hearts|Heart]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Gambler Ring]] (Rare drop, raises luck by 100 points).
*'''Scary Candle'''
**Location: In Iron Golem's room in the Machine Tower - rightmost candle.
**Appears: After you defeat the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Dragon Zombie|Twin Dragon Zombies]] (though you probably won't be strong enough to kill it for a while).
**HP: 150
**EXP: 900
**Drops: [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Hearts|Heart Ex]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Cards#Uranus|Uranus Card]] (Rare drop).
*'''Trick Candle'''
**Location: In Cerberus's room in the Catacombs - lower middle candle.
**Appears: After you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]].
**HP: 200
**EXP: 1400
**Drops: [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Hearts|Heart Mega]], [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Cards#Pluto|Pluto card]] (Rare drop).
**Tip: 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.
*'''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 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.
Basically a weaker version of [[#Lilith|Lilith]] (and incidentally, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilin 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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|Thunderbird summon]] to kill her in one or two shots.
*'''Skeleton Medalists''' are a secret enemy that can only be found in one place, late in the game. (see [[#Skeleton Medalist|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.
She appears in the Machine Tower after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Power-ups|Heart Plus]] if you haven't gotten it already.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]] anyway, so just wait until you have the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Relics|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Griffin|Pluto/Griffin]] combo. You have to use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Griffin|Pluto/Salamander]] in order to use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Stopwatch|stopwatch]]'s [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Item Crush|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.
Along with 8000 experience points, Lilim rarely drops the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Armor|Dark Armor]], which gives you +500 defense. It's as powerful as the Shining Armor, which you can only get after beating the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Battle Arena|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Rings]]). Lilim drops the Dark Armor very rarely, so wear two Luck Rings when you go to fight her.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Getting Started#Modes|Thief mode]]. What you're trying to get is the {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=Bear Ring}}, which will transform you into a cartoonish bear instead of a skeleton when you use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Black Dog|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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]] in the Underground Water way.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Relics|Roc Wing]] after defeating [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|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.
To get to her, transport to the fourth teleporter room, which is the closest you can get. If you haven't walked to the room yet, you won't be able to teleport 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 teleporter.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|Thunderbird summon]]. With any luck you'll take out the two Legions that are floating about as well.
Anyway, from the teleporter 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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|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.
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|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Cards#Saturn|Saturn card]]. It's a rare item, so equip two [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Luck Rings]] (or Gambler's Rings, if you have them) when you fight her. You can equip the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Venus/Mandragora|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Hearts|Heart Ex]]es and the Legions drop [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Status Restorers|Cure Curses]].
She gives very good experience, but that's not why you fight her ([[#Lilith|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 {{CotMitem|type=Cards|name=Saturn}}. It's a rare item, so equip two [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Luck Rings]] (or Gambler's Rings, if you have them) when you fight her. You can equip the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Venus/Mandragora|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 {{CotMitem|type=Items|name=Heart Ex|display=Heart Exes}} and the Legions drop {{CotMitem|type=Items|name=Cure Curse|display=Cure Curses}}.
Basically a weaker version of [[#Lilith|Lilith]] (and incidentally, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilin 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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|Thunderbird summon]] to kill her in one or two shots.
==== Lilith ====
She appears in the Machine Tower after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|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 {{CotMpowerup|type=heart|num=10}} if you haven't gotten it already.
Along with 8000 experience points, Lilim rarely drops the {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=Dark Armor}}, which gives you +500 defense. It's as powerful as the Shining Armor, which you can only get after beating the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Locations#Battle Arena|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Rings]]). Lilim drops the Dark Armor very rarely, so wear two Luck Rings when you go to fight her.
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).
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), but only after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|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|Fallen Angel]]. She also has very high defense and fairly high HP (660 points). Despite this, she's very easy to kill.
She appears in the Underground Warehouse (in the hidden room off the long tower where you can get a {{CotMpowerup|type=heart|num=?}}), but only after you defeat [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|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|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|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.
Just use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Uranus/Thunderbird|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Getting Started#Stats & leveling|luck boosting]] equipment such as the Luck and/or Gambler [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Rings]]. Eventually you'll get the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Armor|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 repeatedly killing her go by much faster.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Getting Started#Stats & leveling|luck boosting]] equipment such as the Luck Ring and/or Gambler Armband. Eventually you'll get the {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]]. A few Succubii and other enemies stand between Lilith's room and the save point, so use [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Jupiter/Mandragora|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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]]. A few Succubii and other enemies stand between Lilith's room and the save point, so use [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Jupiter/Mandragora|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.
After defeating [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Death|Death]], the Nightmare will appear in the hidden room below the first area of the Outer Wall, where you got a {{CotMpowerup|type=heart|num=7}}. While not particularly strong, and she does drop the {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=Needle Armor}}, [[#Lilim|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.
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses#Camilla|Camilla]] anyway, so just wait until you have the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Items#Relics|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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Griffin|Pluto/Griffin]] combo. You have to use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Griffin|Pluto/Salamander]] in order to use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Stopwatch|stopwatch]]'s [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Item Crush|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.
{{-}}
=== Succubus ===
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 [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Getting Started#Modes|Thief mode]]. What you're trying to get is the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Equipment#Arms|Bear Ring]], which will transform you into a cartoonish bear instead of a skeleton when you use the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS#Pluto/Black Dog|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.
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 {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=Intelligence Ring|display=Intelligence Rings}} and the {{CotMitem|type=Cards|name=Manticore}}.
All enemies, except for bosses drop two items: a common item and a rare item. Bosses never drop anything and the Battle Arena versions of enemies drop the same items as their common counterparts. DSS Cards can only be picked up once.
The actual probability of an enemy dropping an item is determined by your luck (LCK) stat. The formula to determine the probability is:
Probability = Rate + (Rate * (Luck - 100) / 200)
If you have a luck stat of 100 (the starting rate for the first four modes), the actual probability is the base rate. Drop rates are capped at 50% for common items and 25% for rare items. Luck does not effect how often enemies drop small and large hearts.
For surviving the Battle Arena, see the Battle Arena guide.
General tips
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 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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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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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(10/36) if you haven't gotten it already.
