Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/DSS: Difference between revisions

**'''Boost''': Increases a specific [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Stats & leveling|stat]]

*'''Description''': In-game description of combo.

Somewhat useful against ice-based enemies, though you're better off using the [[#Venus/Salamander|Venus/Salamander]] combo to boost your strength by 25% against all enemies regardless of [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|element]] type.  The combo also allows a damage boost if you make a point-blank attack, but this may be dangerous.

More useful as a tool to freeze the Brain Floats for use as stepping stones than as an offensive weapon. In theory it's effective against fire enemies, however the 30% strength penalty completely negates any [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|elemental damage]]. You can actually do equal damage to a fire enemy with the [[#Mercury/Salamander|Mercury/Salamander]] combo as you can with this one.

Nothing special except it gives your whip the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|plant elemental]]. As the number of enemies weak against plant are few and far between, this isn't a particularly useful combo, but the 10% bonus is good until you get a venus card. Interestingly, this makes Nathan's whip deal the same amount of damage that the cross subweapon would dish out in a hit

Potentially useful as enemies have this annoying habit of hanging on ledges above you and standing back just far enough that you can't hit them with a normal whip. However, since it also adds the earth [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|element]] to your whip, it tends to lessen the damage dealt. In addition, it slows down your attack and requires more time before you can continue moving. Most of the time you can just use an [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Axe|axe]] to hit them instead.

Basically the same as the [[#Mercury/Serpent|Mercury/Serpent]] combo, except you get a small strength boost instead of a large penalty. As both combos are fairly useless as attacks and better used as tools, stick with the Serpent combo as it costs less and is slightly faster.

*'''Effects''': Whip upwards to release a small cloud of poison in front of you that continually damages enemies. Similar to the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Holy Water|holy water]] sub-weapon.

*'''Effects''': Lightning based attack when using circular whipping attack. Normal strike is non-elemental.

Potentially useful in areas where you're getting attacked by weak flying enemies (Bats, Medusa Heads, etc.). However, unless you have very low levels, your non-enhanced whip will be enough to kill them in one hit. Although not gamechanging, this DSS combo also slightly increases whip range, allowing for Nathan to stray further from Dracula's minions and still be able to damage them

Costly, but incredibly powerful as the dark cloud drains life several times faster than poison.

Since it is cheap and has a solid bonus, this is useful until the end of the game when you get the {{CotMitem|type=Cards|name=Black Dog}}.

As a low cost way of raising defense significantly, this card is very useful if you don't yet have the {{CotMitem|type=Cards|name=Neptune}} to completely absorb the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|element]] of enemies that cause problems.

If you don't think this combo is useful, then you don't understand how the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Stats & leveling|luck stat]] works. Luck is what determines how often an enemy drops items and cards. The higher it is the fewer enemies you have to kill to get what you want. This is especially useful when going after cards as the base [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Enemy data#Item drops|drop rate]] for them is usually between 1 in 33 to 1 in 100.

*'''Stats''': DEF + 3R

Like several of the other combinations in the Venus series, this gives a flat boost to a stat. Higher intelligence means a much faster MP recovery rate. This is the only magic spell that can be used to recover MP. Unfortunately, with the MP Cost, your intelligence will have to be ''very'' high in order for this combo to actually raise your recovery rate - anything under 1600 and you're not gaining extra recovery. As no class except for the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician]] will ever [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Stats|go over]] 1080 intelligence, this combo is of little practical use. Since DSS uses MP and this is a DSS option, this boost to intelligence is only useful for high-level MP regeneration.

*'''Stats''': STR +3R

*'''Effects''': --

*'''Description''': Damage increases as the % of the map uncovered increases.

The twin of the [[#Venus/Golem|Venus/Golem]] combo, this raises your attack as you explore more of the castle. As with the other combination, the high cost and necessity of exploring most of the castle prevent this from being that useful.

*'''Effects''': --

*'''Stats''': --

The fireballs generally move too slowly to block projectiles, but do a large amount of damage to enemies - equal to your whip, but with a smaller interval between hits, leading to massive damage as long as you can stay close. Extremely useful when fighting in close quarters or traveling through low-level areas. Handy against hard-to-hit or swarming enemies, like Bloody Sword or Ectoplasm. Also remains active while cursed, making it useful against Marionettes. Can break walls to reveal secret rooms.

Since the ice block move fairly quickly, they do a decent job of blocking projectiles. Additionally, they can freeze enemies which further prevents damage. Very useful for climbing the towers infested with Bats and Medusa Heads. Note that while this combo can freeze enemies, it does not make a good tool for climbing, as enemies being frozen will be killed on next hit.

Stand still, get healed. The usefulness of this combo should be really obvious. When it says stationary, it means stationary - no whipping or using [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons|sub-weapons]]. This means that you can't use it if you are in the middle of a fight, but it is very useful as a way of healing up after you've cleared out a room. The amount of HP recovered isn't high and the MP cost is high, and the MP starts to deplete before gaining HP after a few seconds, making this combination non-practical most of the time.

This combo is useful to heal up and saving precious healing items, since they drop rarely and running out in the middle of the tough fight can be fatal.

*'''Effects''': Immunity from [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Status|petrification]], but at the cost of your speed and jumping ability.

*'''Effects''': Cuts damage in half (effectively +100% Def), but every hit will throw you, even ones that normally don't.

This is the best defensive combo in the game.  There aren't many attacks in the game that don't throw you anyway, so this combo will rarely prove detrimental.  The stat boost is huge compared to basically any other combo for straight defense. Basically a mainstay for [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician mode]].

This does what the [[#Jupiter/Griffin|Jupiter/Griffin]] fails to do: work as a shield that allows you to run through a room without worrying about enemies. The barrier blocks any destroyable projectile and does the same amount of damage as a whip strike, so if you can defeat the enemies in one hit, you can just dash through the corridor. It makes a perfect barrier for climbing the towers. It can also break walls, meaning that finding secret rooms is as easy as jumping near a wall.

Much like the [[#Jupiter/Unicorn|Jupiter/Unicorn]] shield, but with two differences. First, it does about twice as much damage and second, it puts you in a [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Status|poisoned state]]. It's a trade-off that is occasionally worth it, but most of the time you should use the Jupiter/Unicorn shield instead.

Somewhat useful at times, but more because you can hit things above you than because of the fire [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|element]] or strength boost.

*'''Description''': Attack with an ice sword. Can freeze enemies.

Basically a sword version of [[#Mercury/Serpent|Mercury/Serpent]]. Very fast, has a much shorter but slightly higher range than the whip. Pick this or the whip at your choice. Often a better choice for climbing Brain Floats, as this can hit them from right beneath.

The "sword" is significantly larger than other Mars weapons, so it can, in theory, hit more enemies at once. While it's extra range does minimal damage, it is useful for clearing breakable projectiles and weaker enemies.

*'''Effects''': Swings a large, but incredibly slow hammer that can cause earthquakes.

The earthquake causes trivial damage, and only works on enemies standing on the ground and the stone faces (Devil Tower and Evil Pillar, as they are "tied" to the ground by the pillar in the background), but hits all enemies fully on the screen. The hammer head does normal damage when directly contacting an enemy.

Basically, it's a [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Elements|poison]] version of [[#Mars/Cockatrice|Mars/Cockatrice]]. It's much faster, so you can get in two swings in the time it normally takes to swing the whip once, which makes up for the strength penalty.

This combination changes the normal attack into a charging sword draw, the sword can do 1-10x normal damage depending on charge time, and has a fairly long range on full charge. However, as it takes two or three seconds to fully charge, and you can't move while charging, its usefulness is somewhat limited. It also has a hidden effect that your slide kick and tackle can deal damage equal to a full charge draw without charging or any MP cost, meaning that it can be useful sometimes.

As if the strength boost isn't enough, the attack is also very, very rapid. The MP cost is high enough that you'll need to keep an eye on your stats, but not so high that the combo is unusable.  The closer you are to the enemy, the more damage this DDS combo deals, to about triple damage off your normal whip attack if you can smack the enemy squarely with the hilt. Note that damage dealt by Nathan's sliding move is equal to hitting an enemy squarely with the sword's hilt.

Very, very powerful even early in the game. However, the attack is impractical due to its long and slow attack motion. Nathan will take forever to pull a gun, fire, and sheath the gun, with the full motion unable to be cancelled. Additionally, the bullet can only travel straight forward, such that it only works on slow enemies.

*'''Effects''': Shoots a fireball.

Two drawbacks: it's costly and it has a short range. That said, it is very strong, and it can freeze enemies. If you can get the attack range down and have the MP to use it frequently (for instance, while playing Magician mode) it makes a fine primary attack.

The range and power is very low, and the rocks can't be aimed precisely. But they can petrify some enemies.

The description implies that the poison shower is some kind of rain that covers a wide area, however the "shower" is just a ball of poison the size of standard projectiles. It's difficult to aim since it travels in an arc instead of a line and does very little damage. However, if used on tall or large enemies and aimed correctly, it causes constant damage until the attack disperses.

The difference of using Diana over Mercury is that the electrified whip will now spin. Still, it deals minor damage comparing to many other combinations.

Not only does it have full homing abilities and can change direction instantly, it hits for multiple times before disappearing. Costly, but highly effective in many situations. Unfortunately it is very weak (about a fourth of normal damage), but effective against certain enemies.

Not sure how Konami mistranslated five metal spears as a single natural rock formation. Also, stalactites are the rocks that hang from the ceiling; stalagmites are the ones that are on the ground. Although it's somewhat unreliable, as enemies don't take damage between the spears, it is quite powerful, and it can often safely hit enemies beneath the player in rooms with multiple floors. The most frequent use this card combo sees, however, is in speedruns, as it can be exploited in a "warp glitch" in certain rooms.

Similar to [[#Apollo/Mandragora|Apollo/Mandragora]] - a projectile is thrown in a low arc. The difference is that it will attach itself to the first enemy it hits. It stays put for a decent amount of time, though damage of each hit will quickly decrease. As a bonus, if the first few hits kill a weak enemy, the ball will keep moving so you don't waste an attack when a weaker enemy gets in front of the stronger one that you're aiming at.

*'''Description''': Arrows of light are hurled down.

Unlike the other pseudo-summon Apollo combos ([[#Apollo/Golem|Golem]] and [[#Apollo/Cockatrice|Cockatrice]]), the arrows cover the entire screen and can pass through objects, so there are no targeting issues. However, it is expensive and many of the [[#Uranus combinations|Uranus combos]] are more effective.

All Neptune combinations function exactly the same way, but with a different element. When hit with the same element as the equipped [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Cards#Attribute Cards|attribute card]], you lose MP (the same amount of HP that you would normally lose) and get healed by 10% of the damage. So if an attack would normally take away 100HP, you lose 100MP and gain 10HP.

With this equipped you have easier days in the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Locations#Underground Waterway|Underground Waterway]] as not only will you avoid damage from most of the enemies, but you cannot be [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Status|frozen]] either.  Note that enemies in the area deal somewhat high damage, that playing carelessly and the protection will quickly run out.

More important that blocking physical damage, this combo makes you immune to the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Status|petrification status]].

Immunity from [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Status|poison]] makes this one of the best Neptune cards, especially in the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Locations#Underground Gallery|Underground Gallery]] which is infested with poisonous creatures.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Salamander.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Serpent.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Mandragora.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Golem.gif|left]]

A bird flies around with you, dive-bombing enemies automatically. Probably the most useful familiar due to its speed, power, and the fact that it doesn't take an hour for it to get around to attacking something. Very good at getting enemies above you and rows of [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Enemies#Skeletons|skeletons]], as well as opening breakable walls in the ceilings.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Cockatrice.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Manticore.gif|left]]

A cloud of poison will float behind you and damage enemies that it touches. The best way to use it is to dash jump over an enemy, placing the ghast right on top of the monster. It's stronger than the [[#Saturn/Serpent|ghost]] but requires an agile player to use effectively.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Griffin.gif|left]]

Similar to the [[#Saturn/Salamander|bat]], but with none of the drawbacks. The projectiles move fast, are reasonably powerful, and the sprite aims them, so they don't move strictly horizontally.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Thunderbird.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Unicorn.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss familiar-Black Dog.gif|left]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Salamander.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Serpent.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Mandragora.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Golem.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Cockatrice.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Manticore.png|right]]

An impossible to avoid shower of rain ensures that your enemies all take damage, but it won't be as much as with other summons. Good for dealing moderate damage to numerous enemies, and as it is the cheapest of the summons, it doesn't have to be saved for special circumstances.  Additionally, the Manticore helps to see secret rooms.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Griffin.png|right]]

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Thunderbird.png|right]]

Easily the most powerful summon, Thunderbird is often the best choice against [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|bosses]] (except for a few situations when [[#Uranus/Cockatrice|Cockatrice]] is more accurate). Thunderbird is also the best choice for fighting [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Enemies#Winged demons|winged demons]] (Nightmare, Lilith, Lilim, & the Fallen Angel), as the bolts can hit enemies when they are off the screen. Very useful against Draculas second form (the flying eye surrounded by bats).

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Unicorn.png|right]]

*'''Effects''': Heals 1% of your max HP per tick, for 18 ticks in total.

The only other way to heal through magic, it's very fast, and it makes you invincible while casting. However, unless you have ''very'' high intelligence, [[#Jupiter/Mandragora|Jupiter/Mandragora]] is less costly in terms of MP used for each HP gained. Use Unicorn in special circumstances, like [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|boss fights]] when you can't wait around to heal. However, as you can only get Unicorn after the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Locations#Battle Arena|Battle Arena]] (except in [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician]] mode), it really isn't that useful most of the time. Extremely useful for Magician mode though, as you have more than enough MP to use this as your primary healing.

[[File:Castlevania CotM dss summon-Black Dog.png|right]]

*'''Stats''': DEF +1*6 minutes played

*'''Effects''': [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Double shots|Sub-weapons]] drain MP instead of hearts. The cost of throwing one weapon in MP is the normal heart cost plus 5.

*'''Description''': Sub-weapons use mind power rather than hearts.

Very useful in all [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Gameplay#Modes|modes]], though you get it very late in the game. Exceptionally useful in [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician mode]] when your extremely high intelligence lets you throw [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Weapons#Boomerang|boomerangs]] for free early on.

Mildly useful if you're bored running through corridors, however this combo really doesn't having any effect on the gameplay, unless you are making a speed run.

*'''Stats''': STR +1*6 minutes played

The offensive version of [[#Pluto/Cockatrice|Pluto/Cockatrice]].  This normally isn't a great combo (you probably won't get more than a 50% boost), although it is cheap on the MP; the strength boost of this combo is limitless, however, so it does have novelty value. If you are able to leave the game running for a few days you could use this combo to max out your strength score, as every 10 hours of 'play' time will give you a 100 point STR boost.

Obviously being completely invulnerable to anything is going to have its uses. However, you cannot kill enemies either, which means if you do nothing but run through the game with this combo on you won't be gaining experience, and you'll be exceptionally weak when fighting [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|bosses]]. You are also unable to pick up anything, such as subweapons or upgrades, or whip any candle or wall.

Most useful for going from a save point to a boss room and back in [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician mode]].

More of a "fun" combo than a practical one. You turn into a skeleton (the same ones you fight throughout the game). You'll normally throw regular bones that do trivial damage, but randomly you'll throw a Big Bone, which does very high damage equal to 3000 STR (while a Fighter at level 99 has 1513 without equipment), often 9999 to common enemies and less on [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Bosses|bosses]]. For example, Dracula in his 2nd form will only take 450 damage per hit. However, ''any'' hit, no matter how weak, will kill you instantly. As you are often swarmed by enemies, this is incredibly hard to pull off against regular enemies, and by the time you get it, you'll have defeated all of the bosses besides Dracula (except in [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Magician|Magician mode]], which is best for time-attack plays).

 

If you get the {{CotMitem|type=Equipment|name=Bear Ring}} from the [[Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Enemies#Skeleton Medalist|Skeleton Medalist]], you'll turn into a cartoon bear. The bear is weak, though stronger than the skeleton (except for the Big Bone, which the bear cannot do), however it can still be killed in one hit. Instead of the big bone, the bear has 2 sub weapons. {{gb|Up|Dpad}}{{plus}}{{gb|B}} will cause him to throw his projectiles at a higher angle, and {{gb|Down|Dpad}}{{plus}}{{gb|B}} will cause him to throw a bomb. This is an easter egg made for amusement, not something to use for getting through the game.

{{Footer Nav|game=Castlevania: Circle of the Moon|prevpage=Cards|nextpage=Weapons}}