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The trusted right-hand of Dracula, Death, make their appearance in the Return to Castlevania DLC of Dead Cells as a boss players must beat before challenging the resurrected Vampire King. Found in one of the four new biomes to the DLC, the Defiled Necropolis, Death represents the end of the first part of this crossover content as a challenging foe dead set on preventing players from continuing further into their run. Players will need fast reflexes and weapons at their disposal to defeat Death and still have enough health left to complete their run.
To fight Death in the first place, players need to start the Return to Castlevania DLC in Dead Cells by talking to Richter Belmont on their third run inside the Prisoner's Quarters area. The biome that this iconic monster slayer takes players to, called the Castle Outskirts, leads eventually into Dracula's Castle. The Defiled Necropolis marks the end of that second biome as an area for players to fight Death in, as the final Master's Keep biome remains locked until this boss has been taken down.
Position Well Against Death in Phase 1
Death fights in two phases, which begins when the entity drags players with their purple chain into the Defiled Necropolis, a small, flat arena with two platforms that can be jumped on, similar to the Clock Tower biome in Dead Cells. Death floats around the stage with four sickles that follow him during the first phase, which deal damage upon impact with the player.
Depending on the RNG that determines Death's movements, players might have an easy time in this phase or struggle if the boss constantly moves toward them.
Players are recommended to have a balanced build with a slight emphasis on speed so that they can both deal good damage to Death and avoid attacks in equal measure. Traps or turrets work well within the first phase due to Death's few offensive strikes, but this will change drastically in the second phase. The next stage of the boss fight starts after players take out about a quarter of Death's health.
Learn Death's Attack Patterns in Phase 2
Whether players are fighting death normally or as the unlocked Richter in Dead Cells, Death's second phase demands constant offense as the boss activates an impenetrable shield that must be broken before any damage can be dealt. After that, death switches quickly between five unique attacks, in addition to magical orbs that surround them, much like the sickles from before, to damage players that get in too close.
Death's Attack List
|
Attack Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Magic Barrage |
Death unleashes the magical orbs around their form, which circle the entity for a short time before tracking the player. Death usually follows up this attack with Scythe Throw. |
|
Scythe Throw |
Death throws their Scythe across the arena, typically diagonal, before teleporting to it. |
|
Scythe Dash |
Players will see Death dash across the stage diagonally, inspired from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, whirling their Scythe simultaneously. Death follows up this attack with Scythe Throw. |
|
Scythe Slash |
The boss performs a short-range Scythe attack, but only if players are next to Death during the downtime between their attacks. |
|
Dark Slash |
A large area of the stage lights up with dark energy, indicating where Death will strike next. A huge slash covers this highlighted region, causing damage both in that space and slightly above it. |
The constant attacks of Death might be overwhelming, but most of these moves can be telegraphed by patient players. The diagonal movements of Death's Scythe's attacks make it easier to avoid with good positioning, encouraging players to jump around using the two platforms in the arena. Magic Barrage is perhaps the hardest to deal with, as players must time their dodges well to avoid the tracking orbs while preparing for Death's next attack. Weapons from Dead Cells' Wack-A-Mole update specializing in range are beneficial here, letting players maintain distance throughout the fight.
What Happens After Beating Death?
Taking down Death's health all the way defeats the boss, with no phases beyond the second. The first time players defeat this boss, they can find the son of Dracula Alucard, who tells them the ritual for resurrecting the iconic Castlevania boss has unfortunately transpired despite Death's defeat. Then, a portal will open, leading players back into the biomes of the base game, continuing the run for whatever amount of time players can keep up.
Returning to Dracula's castle from Richter in the Prisoner's Quarter only repeats this boss fight at the end; players will need to find Alucard near the Clock Tower to return to the more challenging version of Dracula's Castle. New enemies from The Barrels O' Fun update to Dead Cells might impede players slightly when trying to reach this biome, but Death only shows up through the first section seen in the DLC. Returning to Dracula's Castle through Alucard takes players on the path to the Master's Keep and toward the Medusa, and Dracula's boss fights to conclude this crossover's content.
Rewards for Defeating Death
Players receive considerable gold for defeating Death in the same vein as other bosses found within a run. Awarded also are about 40 cells that can be used for upgrades and to unlock certain items. An achievement named "Death comes for us all...but not for you!" is earned once Death drops, but players can shoot for the challenging "Dodge Death" achievement as well for not taking a single hit from the boss.
Similar to the Mama Tick boss in Dead Cells' The Bad Seed DLC, players get Blueprints for a new weapon and outfit from Death. The first time players beat Death, they get the blueprints for Death's Scythe, a powerful two-handed melee weapon. Should players return to beat Death for a second time in the Return to Castlevania DLC of Dead Cells, they will also get the blueprint for the Death Outfits, making a return to this fight more than worth it.
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Dead Cells
- Platform:
- Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch
- Released:
- 2018-08-07
- Developer:
- Motion Twin, Evil Empire
- Publisher:
- Motion Twin, Playdigious
- Genre:
- Action, Metroidvania, Roguelike
- ESRB:
- T
- Expansion Packs :
- The Bad Seed, Rise of the Giant, Queen of the Sea, Return to Castlevania, Everyone Is Here Vol. 1 & 2
- How Long To Beat:
- 14 Hours
