There are 16 Arcana in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, which you can upgrade by completing each card’s Works of Mercy, also known as the Redemption Paths or side objectives. This guide will provide you with tips and tricks on how to upgrade all Arcana in the game.
All 16 Arcana Complete Unlock & Upgrade Conditions List
Once you defeat a boss, you will absorb their power into an Arcana card and gain its spell. Then, check the Arcana menu for the exact Works of Mercy, complete them and receive a Blessing, which you can assign to unlock one Gift for that Arcana. Note that all upgrades stack and permanently change the spell’s stats, so choose carefully.
| Arcana – Boss | Works of Mercy | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| The Cursed (Cursed Flame) – Starting spell (Throws a cursed fireball). | Hit enemies with the fireball 20 times. | Larger fireball that also pushes the target back slightly. |
| The Fallen (Holy Cross) – Defeat The Fallen (Boomerang cross). | Find 3 different Whip-type weapons. Kill 5 enemies with the same cross throw. Kill 10 enemies with a Whip attack. | Throw a second cross with every cast. Cross deals more damage the farther it is from Rose. Catch the returning cross to refund 10% of the mana cost per enemy hit (max 60%). |
| The Warrior (Infernal Pyre) – Defeat Joan (Ground flames). | Successfully parry 15 attacks with Holy Light. Reach a sacred place so Joan can pray (Notre-Dame). Set 5 enemies on fire at the same time. | Central explosion refunds 25% mana per enemy hit starting from the second. Enemies hit are launched higher into the air. Weapon attacks re-ignite or prolong fire on enemies. |
| The Prophetess (Petrifying Gaze) – Defeat Medusa (Petrifies enemies). | Petrify a shielded enemy. Kill 25 enemies via fall damage after petrifying them in the air. | Killing a petrified enemy refunds half the mana cost. Closer targets stay petrified longer and require more hits to break free. |
| The Builder (Fist of Talos) – Defeat Talos (Massive fist slam). | Kill 3 enemies with one fist attack. Kill 10 airborne enemies with a falling fist. Kill 15 enemies with the Smash. | Fist deals 75% more damage to controlled enemies. Larger quake that triggers 1 second later. Fist is covered in spikes that continue damaging after impact. |
| The Artist (Masterpiece) – Smash the sculpture in Brauner’s Atelier (Summons a gargoyle). | Kill 30 enemies with the gargoyle dive. Kill 5 enemies with fall damage from the summoning stone. Find all hidden areas in the Main Hall. | Summon one extra gargoyle. Each fireball hit heals Rose. Gargoyle does not break if its dive kills at least one enemy. |
| The Occultist (Blood Spikes) – Defeat Carmilla (Aerial Rush). | Kill 25 enemies with bleed damage. Find 2 Dual Blade-type weapons. Keep one enemy bleeding for 10 continuous seconds. | Re-applying bleed to an already bleeding enemy deals instant damage. Rose heals 2% max HP whenever an enemy dies to bleed. Bleeding enemies move slower and deal 25% less damage to Rose. |
| The Shadow (Soul Harvest) – Defeat Death in Notre-Dame (Double Jump). | Solve the hidden puzzle in Notre-Dame. Kill 44 skeleton-type enemies. Kill 4 enemies with a single cast. | Hitting only one enemy heals Rose 4% max HP. Small sickles that kill an enemy split into 4 new sickles. Each small sickle hit refunds 25% of the mana cost. |
| The Miser (Wheel of Chaos) – Optional Mammon (Spinning chaos wheel). | Keep the wheel spinning continuously for 15 seconds without stopping. Kill 5 enemies with one wheel. Spend a total of 1,000 MP keeping the wheel active. | Can spend HP instead of MP if mana is insufficient and deal 50% more damage when doing so. Damage increases with repeated casts while the effect is active. 1/8 chance of a random extra effect each time you extend the wheel. |
| The Whisperer (Freezing Path) – Optional Whisperer (Freezing trail). | Kill 25 enemies by thawing the freeze. Pass through 5 enemies within 3 seconds. | When the effect ends, releases ice that freezes enemies in a 5 m radius. Each unique enemy passed through increases move speed by 10%. |
| The Zealot (Chronomantic Dive) – Defeat the Zealot form of Isaac (Time dive). | Kill 20 enemies while in slow-motion. Explore every room in the Clock Tower. | Longer slow-motion duration. Falling from greater height creates a larger explosion. |
| The Temptress (Life Drain) – Defeat Succubus (Life-steal beam). | Keep Life Drain uninterrupted on one enemy for 5 seconds. Explore every room in the Hall of Mirrors. Kill 25 enemies with Life Drain. | Deals extra damage when Rose is at full HP. Effect is not interrupted by taking damage. Targets up to 2 nearby enemies instead of one. |
| The Brittle King (Stained-Glass Shield) – False King at Notre-Dame (Glass shield). | Absorb an attack that would have been fatal. Kill 25 spectral armored enemies. Kill 3 enemies with a single attack while the shield is active. | Shield absorbs one extra hit. Taking damage even without the shield fires glass shards at the nearest enemy. Taking damage mid-attack reduces that damage by 50% and does not interrupt the attack. |
| The Judge (Chains of Justice) – Judge at Palace of Justice (Binding chains). | Bind 4 enemies at the same time. Kill 25 bound enemies. Permanently upgrade max HP and max MP 5 times each | Bound enemies are completely immobilized. Killing a bound enemy binds nearby enemies. Binding an enemy below 20% HP instantly kills it. |
| The Sage (Mirror Walk) – Free Eleanor (Mirror teleport). | Use 34 different save rooms. Recover a total of 1,000 HP with the spell. After teleporting to dodge an attack, kill 5 enemies within 3 seconds. | Teleporting with no HP lost since placing the mirror refunds 80% of the mana cost. Deals heavy damage to enemies along the teleport path. Survives a fatal hit by auto-teleporting to the mirror |
| The Self (Absolution) – Gallery of the Four Virtues in Notre-Dame (Powerful purge). | Kill 4 enemies with one cast, 5 times. Explore 85% of the entire map. Fully heal to max HP with the spell 10 times. | 50% more damage when cast at full HP. Hitting only one enemy sets it on fire. Killing 4 enemies fully restores Rose’s HP. |
