Paris and the three keys
- Travel through Paris Streets and the underground to Path of the Rat. Defeat The Fallen, absorb Holy Cross and the key, then learn Arcane Whip in Abandoned Sewers.
- Continue through Holy Innocents’ Cemetery and Roman Baths to Serpents’ Lair. Defeat Medusa for the Prophetess key.
- Climb Prison Tower to defeat Joan of Arc. Take the Warrior key and unlock Holy Light. With all three keys, open Catacombs Gate.
- Continue through the Catacombs encounter with Death. After the castle rises, travel through the Ferryman route, Justice District and Notre-Dame Bridge. The Isaac encounter at the castle bridge is an illusion; it does not award The Zealot.
The castle and the painting
- In Clock Tower’s Eastern Access Shaft, adjust the mechanism so the giant fist breaks the floor below. Descend to Talos, obtain The Builder and collect Smash outside the arena.
- Follow the Alucard portrait route in Main Hall. Smash the hanging sculpture to obtain The Artist; this is not a normal Brauner boss fight.
- Reach the Library Observatory and defeat Carmilla. Obtain Aerial Rush and pick up Brauner’s Paintbrush in the room.
- Equip The Artist’s Masterpiece spell and interact with the Notre-Dame painting in Main Hall while carrying the Paintbrush.
This is a recommended route through the castle. It does not require treating Talos and Carmilla as a universally fixed pair of consecutive fights.
Notre-Dame and the clock
Find the three organ scores, play their sequences in the Great Organ Room and defeat Death to obtain The Shadow / Soul Harvest. Continue to Choir and speak with Leon to unlock Double Jump.
Equip The Shadow before interacting with the great clock at Clock Tower Bridge. Keep the clock stopped, follow the upper Clock Tower route and reach Heart of the Clock for the real Isaac battle. Then continue through Master’s Quarters toward Dracula.
Choose an ending
| Ending | Branch |
|---|---|
| Bad | Enter the final route while the clock is still running. |
| Normal | Resolve the clock trap and defeat both forms of the real Dracula. |
| True | Complete the Four Virtues, defeat Self at the altar, equip Self / Absolution for the final fight, then hold the spell input after Dracula’s second form. |
For the true-ending branch, the required entry cards are Warrior, Whisperer, Judge and Sage. See Four Virtues for the entry cards and Sage’s four seal mirrors. Equipping Self alone does not trigger the final purification: cast Absolution during the post-fight scene while Dracula is suspended.