How to Beat Dracula in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

So — it’s come to this. You’ve overcome the literal personification of Death, you’ve shattered Medusa, and now it’s time to stake the big man himself. Dead Cells’ DLC campaign, entitled Return to Castlevania, pits players against iconic enemies and bosses from an equally iconic franchise. But, just because it’s not your first rodeo doesn’t mean you should underestimate Dracula.

In fact, now’s the time to be extra careful of good ol’ Vlad. But, if you’re struggling to overcome the King of Vampires, we’re here to help. Here’s how to beat Dracula in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.

How to Beat Dracula in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

Pre-Fight, Take Control of Your Nerves and Emotions

Before any powerful boss in any game, it helps to take a moment to collect yourself. You have overcome a variety of incredibly powerful entities, so if you’ve made it to this point, you can do this. You will know the battle is nigh when you encounter Alucard and (presuming you rescued him) Richter. As if they could tell that you needed it, they’ll provide some encouragement before the battle ahead. Steel your nerves.

To start the battle, enter the king’s throne room and endure his introduction cutscene. Drac will blather on about how he created you and whatnot, and then he delivers a line straight out of every suburban white parents’ black book of aphorisms: “what I created, I can also destroy!” It’s go time.

Dodging Dracula

It’s good to note that, if you’ve played literally any Castlevania game, this boss fight plays out similarly to other bouts with Dracula in the series. To be completely honest, Drac may be the King of Vampires, but he’s also the king of projecting his attacks. He has a handful of moves he’ll try to assault you with, but as long as you know what they are, they can easily be avoided.

To start, he’ll try throwing a series of fireballs in your direction, starting with three, then five, then three. He has a variant of this move where it’s three volleys of five fireballs, so be aware of that. There’s a chance he’ll shake things up and try to grab you, but as long as you’re keeping your distance, you should be fine. In due time, he’ll increase the size of his previously puny fireballs into much larger variants that are shot one at a time. It looks like there are only four shots to this move, so make sure you’re dodging!

In addition to all of that, he has the ability to let loose a swarm of red bats. These bats will move in a wave pattern, so it’s not too difficult to dodge them, but don’t take them lightly. If you thought that was all Drac had in his arsenal … think again! Remember the small fireballs? He has a second variant of that move, but this time instead of going straight in your direction, they’re fired in a half-pinwheel formation from the floor to the ceiling. It’s somewhat hard to explain, but despite how it sounds, it’s just as easy to avoid.

Drac doesn’t rely too much on his ranged attacks. OK … that’s a lie, but at some point in the battle, he’ll try to use more of his melee attacks. In addition to the earlier attempt at grappling you, he’ll also try jumping into the arena at you, so do your best to avoid him! But, keep in mind that if he is successful at grabbing you, he’ll carve out an unfair amount of your HP. As if he didn’t have enough offensive capabilities, there is also a move where he’ll launch columns of fire from the floor. Thankfully, when the time comes for him to use this ability, you can tell which areas won’t have a column of fire by checking the floor itself, but you will only have a second (or less than that) to make a decision. Drac is panicking.

So, that’s all the abilities you’ll have to counter in this fight, but … how do you actually fight him?! As in past Castlevania boss fights, this boss fight is equal parts defense and offense. In order to inflict damage to Vlad-y, you’ll have to first dodge his attacks as you make your way toward him. As soon as you’ve closed the distance, unleash heck!! In so doing, it may be impossible to fully avoid taking damage, but that’s OK, as long as you continue to whittle down the vampire’s health bar.

Related: How to Access the Return to Castlevania DLC in Dead Cells

OH NO, HE’S BACK!

HAH! You thought that was all you had to do to defeat the Dracula?! Think again. Drac’s final form is a beast. And I mean that literally. This fight plays out a bit differently than the first one. In fact, you now have three platforms to traverse, while your enemy is now flying. So, let’s take a look at his new moves. It’s good to keep in mind that they aren’t super different than before. But they are different.

To start, he’ll shoot an energy beam across the stage twice across the stage, and once at the central platform. It’s rather easy to dodge roll through this beam to avoid taking damage, so do so. As he begins to skid down the castle wall, there will be a fair amount of rocky projectiles launched at the two leftmost platforms. To avoid them, stick to the rightmost platform and use this chance to get some free hits in.

Remember those fire columns?! Yep! That’s right! He’ll make more use of them in this second brawl. But, they are still projected, so you can easily avoid them as long as you pay attention. Next, he’ll also bring back a fan favorite — large fireballs! But they’ll be shot across the stage, so keep an eye out for this move. Even worse than large fireballs … is a big fireball. If you see Drac fall back, a big fireball is coming! It’ll be joined by a bunch of … smaller-large fireballs (just run with it) and the stage will begin to break apart!!

Jump from platform to platform until they all break apart, and you fall to the next arena. At first, there will only be one platform, but the others will return momentarily. That is, until Drac has decided to stop giving you chances to attack, and destroys one of them. He can also summon smaller, mob-type enemies to give you a hard time, so if he does, take them out as fast as you can so you can return to dealing with Drac. He can also try to grab you in this form as well, so do your best to avoid that!

The Aftermath

In due time, you’ll deliver the final blow on the big man himself and the final cutscene will play. In this scene, Drac will (finally) be vanquished, along with the entirety of Castle Dracula. We will then see the decimation from a nearby cliff, where Alucard (and possibly Richter) await you. Your character climbs the cliff to see the destruction, and the credits roll.

We hope you found this boss guide for Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania helpful! If you’d like to join the conversation surrounding this game and many others, consider liking Gamer Journalist on Facebook! And, in the meantime, check out some of our other work, including All Collectibles in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania and How to Get Them and Review: Dead Cells – Return to Castlevania Is The Exact Thing Players Want From Beloved Franchises!