Devil May Cry – Hard Mode S-Rank Walkthrough

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Devil May Cry Hard S Rank Walkthrough  
 [ With Dante Must Die/Hidden Red Orb Guide ]
  ~ Final Version ~
   Written by John Combs  
    jcombs1@georgetowncollege.edu

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


"Devil May Cry's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin', baby, YEAH!!" --Dante 
(After you complete Dante Must Die)



'' '' '' '' ''
   UPDATES
'' '' '' '' ''

-January 11-

Finally, I got around to completing the final version of this FAQ.
I formatted some stuff and corrected some things, most notably the part about 
Vergil in the Conspiracies section.



'' '' '' '' ''
   OUTLINE
'' '' '' '' ''

*******************************
I.   Intro

II.  Hard Guide
       A. S-Rank Walkthrough     
       B. Boss Strategy
       C. Results Chart

III. Dante Must Die Guide
       A. Intro/Explanation
       B. Boss Strategy
       C. Results Chart  
       D. Do or Die chart

IV.  Hidden Red Orb Guide
       A. Intro
       B. Red Orb Chart
       C. In-depth explanation

V.   Extra Characters
       A. Legendary Dark Knight
       B. Super Dante

VI.  Conspiracies
       A. Nelo Angelo (Updated!)
       B. Devil May Cry Sign
       C. Legendary Dark Knight

VII.  Closing Comments 
**********************************

[ I. Intro ]

The primary function of this FAQ is to tell you, the gamer, how to achieve 
an S-Rank on every Hard difficulty mission and explain the fundamentals of 
Dante Must Die. I assume you're an advanced player or experienced to the point 
that you've beaten Devil May Cry at least twice.  Otherwise, try my Normal 
difficulty FAQ. 

I strongly suggest that you do not use Sparda unless I tell you otherwise. 
The Devil Trigger is your friend! Also, all of the blue orbs you gathered 
in the first game will be yellow. Save yourself some time and don't go after 
all of these. It's virtually impossible to get an S Rank if you use one anyway. 
To avoid redundancy, I will not type the mission results in the Walkthrough. 
Refer to the results chart instead.

I'm not going to repeat some of the details that I mentioned in the Normal 
FAQ, such as where to grab such-and-such item and where to put it. You should 
know all of that by now. The Hard Walkthrough will mainly cover the new enemies 
you will face as well as new strategies to use on Bosses. And, of course, 
there will be another chart. Sit back and be prepared for more insights and 
solid strategy!


[ II. Hard Guide ]

A. S-Rank Walkthrough

-= Mission 1 =- 

This mission is much easier compared to its Normal difficulty counterpart. 
Run straight to the Great Hall. Don't fiddle around with collecting the 45 
red orbs this time. You have plenty left over from the last game, plus you'll 
more than make up for them later. If you're in the mood, grab the hidden red 
orbs on top of the statue's axe (as detailed in the Hidden Red Orb Guide).

Before grabbing the Rusty Key from the Bloody Mari, make sure the Grenadegun 
and Alastor are equipped. Once the two puppets come to life (the second will 
be a Bloody Mari as well), kill one of them with the Grenadegun. Then switch 
to the handguns immediately. Knock the remaining Marionette into the air and 
pump it with shells. You will receive a larger amount of red orbs this way. 
Go downstairs and use the same strategy on the Fetish. Again, you receive 
more red orbs by doing this than using the Grenadegun.

Remember to jump on the propeller in the airplane room. In the arena below, 
no special strategy is required-- either waste the puppets with Air Raid, 
cook them with Inferno, or run around and chop them to bits with the Alastor. 
You can also use the Grenadegun for quick results, but you can't acquire as 
many red orbs this way. Once you're back in the airplane room, use Air Raid 
or Inferno to wipe out the Bloody Maris. Save the Fetish for last. If the 
opportunity arises, equip the handguns and go to town on the Fetish while 
he's in the air. An alternative way to deal with a Fetish is to knock him 
down with a Grenade, run at him, then use Stinger and other sword attacks 
to pin him. Quick feet and sure hands is once again the key to success.

-= Mission 2 =-

This mission has a few nasty surprises, but you can certainly beat it without 
losing any health at all. Head to the time room with the Grenadegun equipped. 
The Beelzebubs in there die easily and cough up a considerable amount of orbs. 
There should be a Shadow in the long hallway.  Run by it and go into the 
library.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you'll see three Blades hopping around 
and clawing like mad.  Head for the second floor door ASAP. The Sin Scissors 
in the library aren't too difficult, provided you use Inferno or the 
shoot-roll-shoot method with the Grenadegun.

-= Mission 3 =-

Phantom is obviously your primary concern here, and he proves to be much 
stronger.  That's why you need to buy Vortex Level 1 AND 2 before beginning. 
I also purchased the last blue orb for sale, but that's completely a matter 
of preference. Go through the broken bridge routine and remember to get the 
hidden red orbs above the Cathedral door.

The battle with Phantom is actually quick and painless, provided you use the 
correct strategy (read the Boss section, as usual). There's really no need 
to go after the first Secret Mission again-- it only offers a yellow orb as 
a reward.


-= Mission 4 =-

Run down the hallway.  When Phantom shows up, punish him with Vortex 2. After 
he croaks, you are awarded with 500+ orbs and a full Devil Trigger Gauge. 
Go into the courtyard. This time you must defeat a Death Scissors. The 
strategy is simple-- fight with Ifrit and the Grenadegun equipped. Jump kicks 
and Inferno work quite well. After taking enough damage, the Death Scissors 
will perform its flying scissors attack a few times.  Dodge them all, then 
continue to attack. It will go through the whole flying routine once again 
when it sustains more damage. After he's done fooling around, nail him with 
Inferno. Case closed. Don't head inside right away-- wait for your Devil Gauge 
to automatically fill up after the Death Scissors perishes.

Allow me to digress. I've tried many times to complete Secret Mission 4, but 
the best rating I've been able to get is an A. I've tried every possible method 
of beating this mission (including beating the other two Secret Missions), 
and it is just plain crazy to beat that Secret Mission and salvage an S. You 
would seriously need to take very little damage. I know that some people have 
suggested that you use the Nightmare Beta, but I don't like the idea of 
throwing away your Devil Trigger very much. I just skipped it.

OK, back to the game. Basically start the fight against Nelo Angelo with Ifrit 
and Grenadegun still equipped. Frying his weak butt is no problem.
Don't forget to obtain all of the hidden orbs. They are located on top of 
the fountain, bed, and large tower. 

-= Mission 5 =-

This mission is still fairly pathetic, but Dante must kill an extra Shadow. 
Now you have the pleasure of killing not one but TWO at once. Dodge the Shadow 
that emerges from the second floor ASAP. Hit the Devil Trigger and use the 
handguns to control the situation (using Ifrit, of course). Concentrate on 
one at a time and be sure to dodge like mad. Ignore the Death Scissors in 
the next room. 

-= Mission 6 =-

This one's short and sweet. Take care of the red orb statue before entering 
the pipe room. This time you must face a Plasma after taking the Rusty Key. 
Unfortunately, he's already split into three parts, and one is a bat. Try 
to kill them simultaneously with Inferno. The Shotgun and Grenadegun work 
well against them too.

You must face a Death Scissors at the end of the mission. Use the same strategy 
that I gave you above in order to kill it quickly. Wait until your Devil 
Trigger fills to capacity before ending the mission.

-= Mission 7 =-

This shouldn't take long at all. Kill Phantom again using Vortex 2. There 
will be two very sedate Frosts in the next sewer tunnel. Use Inferno to kill 
them in a hurry. Before you take the wacky elevator back to the bedroom, watch 
out for two Marionettes with a shotguns. The end.

-= Mission 8 =-

This mission nearly drove me crazy. It mostly depends on how well you do 
against Phantom, so make sure to read about that in the Boss section. It is 
imperative that you find 585 orbs. Get the hidden ones on the right stand 
next to the horse statues. You can also find a bunch on top of the left horse. 
Proceed as normal, and you should be fine. The only other thing worth noting 
is the Fetish you'll see while running toward the exit. Leave it alone.

-= Mission 9 =-

This mission is short and easy. Why? Because you already have Ifrit at your 
disposal! Grab some hidden orbs on top of the columns at the beginning. Kill 
the Blades with Inferno. Destroy all of the Marionettes/Fetishes in the 
forest safely with Alastor. You can jump and fly or use Vortex to gain the 
red orbs lying on the ledge sticking out from the right wall. Take care of 
the orb statue in the next area and get the Devil Star behind the breakable 
tombstone. 

-= Mission 10 =-

The main focus of this mission will be to collect red orbs. You need at least 
600, and there is an easy way to achieve that. You know what to do in this 
mission-- kill the enemies, follow the white light. You'll face Fetishes 
first. Hit them with the Grenadegun until the Devil Trigger is ready, then 
unleash Vortex 2 to make short work of them. Use the same strategy for the 
Blades in the next area. The two shadows in the third passage are quite 
irritating, so be on your guard. Use the Shotgun with Ifrit and do your best 
not to get maimed. Use Air Raid on the two Kyklopes at the end of the level.

-= Mission 11 =-

Before the mission begins, purchase Rolling Blaze along with Kick 13 Level 
2. These two abilities will help you tremendously during the fight with Nelo. 
I chose to kill the Death Scythe at the beginning this time. The major 
differences between this guy and the Death Scissors is that you have plenty 
of space to move around, the Death Scythe's moves are a little less 
predictable, and you have to cope with those annoying whirlpools. Head to 
the well and kill the Blades there with Inferno. Don't forget to acquire the 
multitude of hidden red orbs above the Sign of Chastity. After that, Nelo 
is all yours...

-= Mission 12 =-

Mwahaha, the day is MINE!! OK, not really.

Run past the Marionettes, smash the red orb statue. Kill the swimming Blade 
(because you already have the Needlegun) and take care of the Frosts on the 
ship. Running is not a wise thing to, seeing as how they can shoot ice at 
you that causes tremendous damage. Make amends with them by using Inferno. 
There is a Death Scythe on the deck of the ship, and you should make an effort 
to finish him quickly by using Inferno and jump kicks. Griffon was 
surprisingly easy to defeat this time.

-= Mission 13 =-

Nothing new here, really. Just swim around, shoot, and head for the exit.

-= Mission 14 =-

This level will be a bit easier if you encounter Blades at the bridge area. 
I'd keep resetting the game until I saw them if I were you. In the spike area, 
turn on the Devil Trigger with Alastor and run through it. I completely 
ignored the Sin Scissors and escaped unscathed. Collect all of the red orbs 
in the waterfall area. Switch to Ifrit and let loose on the Blades in the 
bridge area with Inferno. If you see three Shadows instead, I recommend that 
you restart the level and pray that you get Blades. If you don't feel like 
starting over, you must contend with the Death Scythe in the next area. 
Remember to also hit the orb statue across the bridge. In the next room, dodge 
the Death Scythe (if you saw Shadows), grab the hidden orbs, and exit the 
level in a hurry.

-= Mission 15 =-

This is a great time to stock up on red orbs. You can kill the two Kyklopes 
at the beginning if you want. Then empty out both the red and blue emblem 
area, making sure to grab that huge red orb bonus in the blue area's hidden 
room. Kill most or all of the Fetishes with Vortex 2. You will see a cut scene 
showing a Death Scythe outside after you acquire the pair of lances. Avoid 
him. Next up, Griffon...

-= Mission 16 =-

I can say with some certainty that this mission is easier in Hard mode than 
it was the first time through. You may have already done this, but go ahead 
and *buy everything* you don't have yet. This includes Air Hike, Magma Drive, 
Meteor, etc. They really aren't a necessity, but you need to spend all those 
orbs on something (please, NOT yellow orbs).

The strategy and enemies for this level are both quite similar. The only 
noticeable changes are the Fetishes lurking in the hall right before the 
Cathedral and the Death Scythe at the very beginning of the mission (whom 
you should ignore). You should go into the Time room from mission 2 and smash 
the tables-- a bunch of red orbs are waiting for you there. Remember to use 
Vortex 2 on Phantom when you go to Twisted Alternate Reality Land. Nightmare 
doesn't seem to be tougher at all, really.

-= Mission 17 =-

Very little has changed in this mission. There are now two Fetishes in the 
room on the staircase right before the Staff of Hermes door. There are also 
more Frosts to face outside. After you kill the first two, two more will 
magically appear. Inferno will put them to rest. In the hallway, you may 
encounter either Fetishes or Nobodies. Kill the Fetishes, avoid the Nobodies 
(if you want). The final battle with Nelo is about to begin...

-= Mission 18 =-

This mission also remains virtually unaltered (making my job here easier). 
You will again encounter three Sin Scissors in the water area. Nightmare is 
still a cinch, believe it or not.

-= Missions 19 through 23 =-

All of these missions are almost identical to their Normal mode counterparts. 
Take care to read the Boss Guide, though. And, make sure to preserve your 
Devil Trigger at the end of mission 21. Use it sparingly against the Nobodies 
and don't use it at all against the Plasmas near the end of the level.

So, what exactly happens when you receive and S rating on every Hard mission? 
Well, nothing. You still get to see the King of Hell picture, regardless of 
what rankings you received throughout Hard...*rips hair out*

You are now ready for the final test: Dante Must Die!


B. Boss Strategy

-----------
PHANTOM (1)
-----------
Time to say good-bye to Air Raid...Vortex 2 is your new friend! Build up the 
Devil Trigger substantially. Then let loose with your new toy. The key here 
is to hit Phantom in the head/mouth. This way, Dante causes serious damage 
while avoiding practically all of Phantom's attacks!

-----------
PHANTOM (2)
-----------
Phantom is much more difficult to defeat this time, and you might want to 
resort to a different strategy. Vortex 2 works fine, but it's harder to stay 
directly lined up with Phantom's head. I ended up taking an unorthodox 
approach to defeating Phantom. I used Inferno repeatedly to kill him off, 
and it worked wonders, surprisingly (even though he IS made of lava). Just 
make sure you land near Phantom's head when you use Inferno. Also, watch out 
when he jumps. If you happen to be under him, that takes off a good chunk 
of Dante's vitality. Keep an eye on Phantom when he shoots fireballs from 
his mouth-- he will shoot two in a row sometimes. Keep moving to avoid the 
columns of lava that rise from the ground. 

Standing on top of Phantom and chopping away isn't very useful at all. I found 
it much more beneficial to keep a good distance from Phantom and shoot him 
in the mouth with grenades. Once the Devil Trigger Gauge is maxed out, you 
can perform about 5 Infernos. Use them wisely!!

I've been informed that there's an even easier way to beat Phantom here:

"In the centre of the arena there is the window [Phantom] flies through once 
you finish him off. However, there is another meaning for this. When he does 
his jump attack, stand in the middle of it and when he lands he will crack 
it. After around 5 or 6 goes he should fly straight through it. This meant 
I had a butt load of life left over." [ Kudos to Alex Sargeant ]

---------------
NELO ANGELO (1)
---------------
This fight is no problem as long as you observe these two rules: only use 
Inferno to damage Nelo and avoid using Inferno right in front of him while 
he is swinging his sword. He is very capable of hurting Dante even during 
Inferno. Amazingly, Nelo will take very little damage, and Dante will be 
mauled in the exchange. 

When Nelo taunts you at the beginning of the match, punish him with Inferno. 
After two Infernos, he'll teleport to a higher place and beckon Dante. Hit 
Nelo a few times with the Grenadegun (to build up the Gauge) before fighting 
him again. Always wait for an opening or a chance to get behind your opponent. 
Remember, he's most vulnerable when charging up to shoot an energy ball (or 
when he's taunting/fatigued, obviously).

---------------
NELO ANGELO (2)
---------------
Use basically the exact same strategy as the battle you had with Nelo in 
mission 4.  The Rolling Blaze technique will prove to be extremely helpful. 
If you hit Nelo Angelo with it while he's swinging his sword, he will be thrown 
off-balance and expose himself for an assault. This is an ideal moment to 
use Inferno. When not in Devil Time, keep a considerable distance from Nelo 
and roll, shoot, and roll. The Kick 13 Level 2 is also useful when used in 
combos and from a distance. If Nelo knocks you in the air with his sword, 
try to counterattack with a jump kick.

---------------
NELO ANGELO (3)
---------------
Looks like our pal has been taking steroids recently. His energy blasts and 
sword combos are no laughing matter. NEVER get caught using Inferno right 
in front of him unless he is taunting or off-balance. His flying sword attacks 
can be quite a pain, so remember to roll/jump from side to side until they 
all miss. Inferno is the only way to really damage Nelo, so go for it!!

-----------
GRIFFON (1)
-----------
Just treat this fight like you're playing with Normal difficulty. Air Raid 
Griffon continuously until he flies away and leaves Dante alone. I've tried 
using Vortex and Inferno, but Air Raid really is your best bet here. Use the 
Grenadegun or Shotgun to build up the Devil Gauge.

-----------
GRIFFON (2)
-----------
Griffon has failed to impress anyone yet again. As soon as the fight begins, 
take the whirlpool elevator to the top. Then let loose with Air Raid from 
above. Griffon will travel to the top, as planned, but you'll be right there 
to gun him down with some grenades. When he hits the ground, give him a 
generous helping of Air Raid. Inferno doesn't do impressive damage, plus it's 
best to keep a good distance away from Griffon, so just stick with the 'Raid. 
The Shotgun is an ideal weapon to use at this point, as it restores the Devil 
Gauge in mere seconds.

-------------
NIGHTMARE (1)
-------------
Inferno takes down this puddle of goo with incredible ease, mainly because 
you have a larger Devil Gauge now. Remember to use Vortex 2 on Phantom in 
the Crazy Pseudo World. The giant spider is weaker than before, but you should 
still take him seriously. Mark my words: the final showdown with Nightmare 
will NOT be a walk in the park like this was. 

-------------
NIGHTMARE (2)
-------------
I'm beginning to have a Hard time telling whether this is Hard difficulty 
or not. Nightmare is nothing to worry about once again. When you face Griffon, 
Air Raid is the way to go. Inferno is still the key to beating Nightmare to 
a pulp.

-------------
NIGHTMARE (3)
-------------
You need to do a lot of things correctly during this fight. It's true that 
you should use a similar strategy to beat Nightmare, but keep in mind that 
he can dish out much more damage. This time you need to use Inferno during 
the entire battle. Hopefully Nightmare will expose his orb at the midpoint 
of his body. He takes a lot more damage when his orb is in this position. 
You still need to use Rolling Blaze and Inferno against Nelo Angelo. When 
Nightmare's life diminishes and he gets his second wind, try to stay right 
on top of the orb and use Inferno repeatedly. Some resetting may be 
required...

----------------
MUNDUS (1, 2, 3)
----------------

Mundus remains virtually unchanged besides his ability to cause more damage 
to Dante. Hopefully you followed my advice and saved up on your Devil Trigger. 
Otherwise, your situation doesn't look too good. Continue to dodge side to 
side while shooting maniacally.

When Mundus falls to the lava pit and you fight him again, use the same Normal 
strategy. The only big difference is that it takes longer for the big fella' 
to go down. Third Mundus is still a joke. Equip Ifrit, then use Rolling Blaze 
and Inferno to whip him.

You da man!!!


C. Hard Results Chart

 -------------------------------------------------
| Mission # | Elapsed Time | Red Orb # | Damage % |
 -------------------------------------------------
|     1     |     4:15     |    222    |     5    |
===================================================
|     2     |     3:11     |    172    |     0    |
===================================================
|     3     |     3:18     |    585    |   15-20  |
=================================================== 
|     4     |     4:15     |    746    |    20    |
===================================================
|     5     |     1:53     |     97    |    10    |
===================================================
|     6     |     2:59     |    422    |   10-15  |
===================================================
|     7     |     2:12     |    712    |    50    |
===================================================
|     8     |     2:36     |    585    |   40-50  |
===================================================
|     9     |     4:19     |    568    |     0    |
=================================================== 
|    10     |     3:39     |    609    |    35    |
===================================================
|    11     |     5:10     |   1191    |    20    |
=================================================== 
|    12     |     4:34     |    940    |   10-15  |
=================================================== 
|    13     |     1:27     |    134    |     5    |
=================================================== 
|    14     |     4:38     |    623    |    20    |
===================================================
|    15     |     6:42     |   2073    |    50    |
===================================================
|    16     |     6:24     |   1814    |    15    |
=================================================== 
|    17     |     5:21     |    725    |    90    |
===================================================
|    18     |     4:41     |   1202    |    15    |
===================================================
|    19     |     3:51     |    557    |     0    |
=================================================== 
|    20     |     3:49     |    716    |    20    |
=================================================== 
|    21     |     4:32     |    717    |    40    |
===================================================
|    22     |     4:44     |      0    |    --    |
===================================================
|    23     |     5:32     |    761    |    10    |
=================================================== 


[ III. Dante Must Die Guide ] 

A. Intro/Explanation

This mode of play is...insane. 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, read this: Dante Must Die is 
essentially similar to the Hard difficulty mode. However, the boss fights 
are way crazier, the Devil Trigger doesn't increase your vitality, and random 
time limits will pop up (more on that later). But, it is still quite possible 
to get an S on most of the missions even though the game is more difficult 
overall.

The "random time limits" that I mentioned above will now be referred to as 
Do or Die situations. Throughout the game you will be presented with an enemy 
or a group of enemies which you must defeat within the time displayed at the 
top-left side of the screen. When the timer reaches zero, all remaining 
enemies will be surrounded by red/black electricity and will be VERY Hard 
to kill. This disaster shouldn't happen too frequently, provided you use 
common sense.
 
In reality, you can sometimes skip a Do or Die battle altogether by exiting 
the room and progressing. Most are mandatory, a few aren't. I've actually 
tried to beat Dante Must Die from scratch with the Legendary Dark Knight, 
and I had some difficulty just completing Mission 1. Not a good idea there. 
It's also important to note that just about any group of enemies can be 
surrounded by weird electricity if you don't beat them quickly enough 
(whether or not there's a countdown). You can usually avert the situation 
by exiting.

I repeat: Dante Must Die is almost the same as Hard. However, I will give 
you a chart for quick-reference purposes that identifies when the Do or Die 
battles arise, how much time you are allotted, and the villain(s) you must 
defeat. So, without further ado...


B. DMD Boss Strategy 

--------------
PHANTOM (1, 2)
--------------
Times are tough these days, and the strategy that I normally use has changed 
drastically. Blow the dust off Sparda and use its long reach and raw power 
to chop Phantom in the back. A Stinger to the head works well, but his 
counterattack is lethal and needs to be avoided. 

The second battle with Phantom is not a happy time either. Your Devil Trigger 
does very little damage at all. Inferno puts Dante at risk and offers little 
reward, so use ol' Sparda one more time. DO NOT allow Phantom to jump on you 
or hit you with his fireball attacks. Try to land on his back and use sword 
combos for maximum damage. 

I prefer to use the ceiling window trick here. Just camp out in the general 
vicinity of the glass in the middle of the area and keep your eyes peeled. 
This is Phantom's basic attack pattern: He will shoot a fireball or two at 
Dante. Then he'll crawl toward Dante with his two front legs covering his 
face defensively. This means Phantom will soon jump. When he does, get the 
heck out of the way. You won't have to worry about him squashing you if you 
use Air Raid. After five glass-shattering jumps, Phantom will be skewered.

---------------------
NELO ANGELO (1, 2, 3)
---------------------
Use basically the same approach to this guy. Try to knock him off-balance 
with Blazing Roll and attack with Inferno. The first battle takes plenty of 
patience. Don't do anything rash--his sword attack is incredibly dangerous.

Nelo is even more lethal during the second fight. You may need to grab one 
of the two green orbs in the room to stay alive. Just use Kick 13 and grenades 
to build up the Trigger and persist with Inferno to eventually win.

The third time you brawl with Nelo is a real treat (sarcasm). He can pretty 
much wipe you out with two or three swipes. It would be a good idea to use 
items to gain the upper hand *coughUntouchablecough*. Inferno is your only 
hope, as per usual. Nelo seems to use his flying sword attacks more often 
also.

--------------
GRIFFON (1, 2)
--------------
Griffon is...really hard to kill now. Seriously. Start bombarding him with 
Air Raid from the beginning. Make sure to destroy that pesky hologram he 
shoots out. When the Devil Trigger runs out, equip the handguns and Ifrit 
and shoot like mad while dodging all of his lightning attacks and holograms. 
Switch back to Alastor and hit Griffon with Air Raid whenever you build up 
the Trigger. When he begins to land on the deck and stay there, equip the 
Shotgun and get in his face. This mission definitely requires some resetting!

Griffon is EVIL during the second (and last) battle with him. Either my 
strategy is way off, or he's just a real pain this time. A quick way to move 
the fight along would be to equip Ifrit from the beginning. Hit the Devil 
Trigger and perform Meteor 2 while Griffon stands around like a moron. Make 
sure to charge up the attack by holding down the [O] button.
This will do very impressive damage against him. He is very lethal this time 
when he flies up to the top of the area and stays there. I would suggest taking 
the mystic elevator, but that's suicide. You'll have to make do with firing 
the Grenadegun or even the handguns (Holy Water works best if you're not still 
shooting for an S Rank.) 

Once he's on the ground, things become more intense. Keep Ifrit equipped and 
hit him close-range with the Shotgun when you get the chance. When he goes 
up in the air and hesitates, jump backwards just before he lands on the ground 
again. Try to use Meteor or anything else useful to stop this menace. He'll 
resort to the "electricity curtain" technique several times. Keep your 
distance when Griffon does this and look for a gap between the lightning bolts. 
If you use Inferno under him enough times, he'll fall onto the ground and 
lie there for a while. Now is the time to let loose! Pat yourself on the back 
when he's dead.

-------------------
NIGHTMARE (1, 2, 3)
-------------------
The name of this character is quite fitting now--you'll be pulling your hair 
out before long. Inferno is the way to go during the first conflict with 
Nightmare. Take care of Phantom in like fashion. Perform a jump kick onto 
his head when he summons lava columns and fireballs. Resist, persist, and 
victory is inevitable.

You'll have to resort to more drastic measures during the second bout. Make 
sure you have a few Holy Waters in store for Griffon. You may or may not need 
to use an Untouchable to beat Nightmare this time. Just use Inferno A LOT.

By the third Nightmare fight, we should all be getting a little peeved now. 
I used Alastor's Air Raid the whole time, and there's a reason for this. Air 
Raid simply gives your Gauge more longevity while placing Dante out of harm's 
way. DO NOT let Nightmare swallow Dante until you have inflicted at least 
50% damage. There is a valid explanation for doing this as well.


You should know very well that the round emblem won't stay lit nearly as long 
until Nightmare swallows you. Whenever you make the emblem light up, 
Nightmare will only be able to assault you maybe two times until he reverts 
back to his liquid state. This is a perfect time to build up the Devil Trigger 
by running, rolling, and shooting with the Grenadegun. Watch out for the 
little ice slugs. When Nightmare is solid again and his orb is exposed, you 
can do one of two things: I've found that Vortex works best when Nightmare 
launches homing projectiles at you. I used Air Raid whenever he wasn't doing 
that. 

Use a couple of Holy Waters on Nelo Angelo to speed things up, then finish 
the devil-knight with Inferno. At this point, Nightmare may be damaged to 
the point where you see the cut scene with Trish. Use Air Raid with 
perseverance until Nightmare's life bar depletes and he gets a second wind. 
Then use Untouchable and Inferno to put him to rest.

----------------
MUNDUS (1, 2, 3)
----------------
Someone kill me, please...

OK, not really. You *could* kill Mundus the honest way, but I had 10 Devil 
Stars at my disposal, so I bet you can guess what I did. >:)

The second round with Mundus requires plenty of skill and a bit of luck. I 
would like to mention that it's NOT a good idea to get close and slash him 
with your sword. There is a much safer alternative instead.

To damage Mundus considerably while in Devil Time, hold down the [square] 
button. Dante will quickly shoot a fireball and then charge up a much more 
potent one similar to Meteor 2. It's important to find an opening before 
attempting this because it takes a few seconds to charge up. Use the Shotgun 
to shoot all of the small spheres ASAP. They do a ton of damage, believe it 
or not. 

It is a very VERY good idea to destroy the large spheres around the arena. 
Not only do they increase your Devil Trigger Gauge, but Mundus will try to 
summon them later and throw them at you. If there aren't any left, he'll still 
try to throw them like a big idiot. He leaves himself wide open for an attack 
when he does this, so don't hold back. Keep looking for openings to attack 
and pray that he summons his Lava Dragon often...

Mundus' curtain call is pathetic (as usual). Drill him with Rolling Blaze 
and use Inferno when the Trigger is built up. That's it...

Congratulations! You are the Supreme Devil Hunter!! Devils everywhere will 
cower at the sound of your name.


C. Dante Must Die Results 

Health plays a much smaller role now--you WILL be beaten like a drum most 
of the time. Just attain the orb and time requirement and DO NOT use any items 
to receive an S. "--" means that I got trashed.

 -------------------------------------------------
| Mission # | Elapsed Time | Red Orb # | Damage % |
 -------------------------------------------------
|     1     |     4:24     |    212    |    10    |
 =================================================
|     2     |     4:28     |    657    |    15    |
 =================================================
|     3     |     4:19     |    580    |    80    |
 =================================================
|     4     |     4:24     |    746    |    90    |
 =================================================
|     5     |     1:52     |     96    |    --    |
 =================================================
|     6     |     2:50     |    427    |    --    |
 =================================================
|     7     |     1:58     |    711    |    --    |
 =================================================
|     8     |     3:52     |    585    |    --    |
 =================================================
|     9     |     4:09     |    455    |    --    |
 =================================================
|    10     |     4:07     |    690    |    --    |
 =================================================
|    11     |     5:31     |   1065    |    --    |
 =================================================
|    12     |     5:23     |    926    |    --    |
 =================================================
|    13     |     1:11     |    131    |    10    |
 =================================================
|    14     |     4:16     |    273    |    --    |
 -------------------------------------------------

Well, it looks like I'll stop short here. The last battle with Griffon is 
driving me nuts, plus I want to finish this FAQ soon. So...yeah. I seriously 
think it is IMPOSSIBLE to get an S Rank on every single mission (provided 
you're just using regular ol' Dante). The boss fights later in the game take 
entirely too long to finish. The whole time requirement gets thrown out the 
window when this happens.

D. Do or Die Chart 

 ================================================
| Mission # | Location | Enemy Name | Time Limit |  
 ================================================
|     1     |  Arena*  | Marionettes|     :40    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     2     | Courtyard| S. Scissors|     :40    |

|     2     | Library* | S. Scissors|    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     3     | Bridge*  | Sargassos  |     :25    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     4     |Courtyard*| D. Scissors|    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     5     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     6     |Pipe Room*|  Plasmas   |     :30    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|     7     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------ 
|     8     |    --    |     --     |     --     |  
 ------------------------------------------------
|     9     | Outside  |   Blades   |    1:30    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    10     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    11     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    12     |Beginning*| Marionettes|     :15    |  

|    12     | Floor 2* |   Frosts   |    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    13     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    14     |EndOfLevel| D. Scythe  |    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    15     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    16     |Long Hall*|  Fetishes  |    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    17     | Big Hall*|Fets./Nobds.|    1:00    | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    18     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    19     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    20     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    21     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    22     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ------------------------------------------------
|    23     |    --    |     --     |     --     | 
 ================================================


* This means the Do or Die situation is mandatory.

-- I didn't find a Do or Die situation in the corresponding mission.


[ IV. Hidden Red Orb Guide ]

A. Intro

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"There are secret dimensions where red stones hide. They will appear when 
you do the unordinary." -- Tombstone, Mission 9

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

There are many red orbs to be found throughout the game, and it is very 
rewarding to know where all of the hidden ones are located. This is a guide 
that tells you where to find red orbs that cannot be collected by killing 
enemies or smashing objects. If a section of the chart is blank, I didn't 
find any hidden orbs during the corresponding mission. If you know of any 
orbs I missed, please enlighten me!

B. Red Orb Chart

================================================================
[ Mission ][         Red Orb Location         ][ # of Red Orbs ]
================================================================
[    1    ][ Great Hall: top of statue's axe  ][      100      ]
             Airplane Room: propeller                  40
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    2    ][ Courtyard: fountain              ][       50      ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    3    ][ Bridge: top of Cathedral door    ][       50      ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    4    ][ Bedroom: top of bed              ][       40*     ]
             Outside: large tower                     100 
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    5    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    6    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    7    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    8    ][ Outside: right stand             ][       25      ]    
             Outside: top of left horse                20
----------------------------------------------------------------
[    9    ][ Graveyard: columns, three in all ][ 50 each (150) ]
             Forest: stump                             50
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   10    ][ first set of wooden beams        ][       50      ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   11    ][ ledge above Sign of Chastity     ][      200      ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   12    ][ first mast, 2nd level, right**   ][       20      ]
             second mast, 2nd level, left**             40
             third mast, 2nd level, left**              40
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   13    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   14    ][ right of doorway, end of level   ][       20      ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   15    ][ both ledges above Luminite       ][    20 each    ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   16    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   17    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   18    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   19    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   20    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   21    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   22    ][                                  ][               ]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[   23    ][ chandelier near Cathedral door   ][      100      ]
================================================================

* You must grab these orbs AFTER you use the Death Sentence and acquire the 
Melancholy Soul

** I'm assuming Dante is facing the bow of the ship. You must collect these 
before the Griffon fight.


C. In-depth Explanation

-= Statue's Axe =-

This is by far one of the more difficult tricks to pull off. A good way to 
do this is to line up straight with the axe so you're standing right in front 
of it. Tap the jump button, then tap it once more to perform a kick jump. 
DO NOT touch the L3 button while doing this. The camera angle will suddenly 
change, and Dante will hopefully grab onto the top point of the axe as if 
it was a ledge.

-= Large Tower =-

You can go ahead and try to do this right before the fight with Nelo. Go to 
the far right of the level above the door you just entered through. Perform 
a kick jump off the large tower and pray that it works. This trick leaves 
little room for error, but you can always try it again in mission 5.

-= Columns =-

There's a good way to pull this off without jumping around like a lunatic. 
Stand right in front of a column, then press the jump button. Without touching 
the L3 button, perform a kick jump. During the kick jump, press the L3 button 
toward the column you wish to jump upon. If you did it correctly, Dante should 
treat the column like a ledge, grab it, then pull himself up onto it. This 
trick will work for all three columns.

-= Wooden Beams =-

This one may have gotten past many of you. At the beginning of the mission, 
you will see some wooden beams with skulls hanging from them. Go to the right 
of the first pair of beams, and jump as if you're going to land on top of 
the right vertical beam. The red orbs will fall as promised.


[ V. Extra Characters ]

A. The Legendary Dark Knight

This "new" character will become available after you beat Hard mode. However, 
you must begin a new game from scratch to control him. After choosing to start 
a new game, you will be given the option to play as either Dante or The 
Legendary Dark Knight. LDK plays just like Dante, but there are a few minor 
differences worth pointing out. Besides the obvious costume change (monocle, 
fancy clothes, slick hair), LDK comes with a couple of different weapons. 

The Legendary Dark Knight begins the game with Yamato, a sword that can use 
the Devil Trigger from the get-go. It doesn't come with any special abilities, 
and you can't buy any for it. It's mainly there to help you get by the first 
mission without any trouble, I suspect. The Force Edge is also in your 
possession, but there's no real reason to use it now. Dante's two handguns 
are now called Luce and Ombra. I've heard that these new guns are somewhat 
stronger than Ebony and Ivory, but that has yet to be proven. While in Devil 
Time, LDK resembles Dante's True Devil form (from the fight with Mundus), 
and the Yamato mimics the Sparda sword. Interestingly enough, the Legendary 
Dark Knight's shadow sports a pair of wings.   

B. Super Dante

This is the coolest unlockable feature of Devil May Cry. This reward is 
well-earned, seeing as how you must first defeat Dante Must Die in order for 
this character to become available. Unfortunately, you must begin a new game 
from scratch to control him as well. Super Dante begins the game with his 
conventional sword (Force Edge) and his Ebony/Ivory handguns. Super Dante's 
full potential isn't realized until he receives Alastor in mission 2. Believe 
it or not, Super Dante comes with an infinite Devil Trigger! Besides the 
obvious advantage of being in Devil Time perpetually and regaining health 
constantly, you won't have to worry about buying purple orbs. In addition, 
Nightmare-beta and the Bangle of Time are supremely wicked. 

[ VI. Conspiracies ]

There are a few aspects of Devil May Cry that remain unexplained. Whether 
they're caused by a hole in the plot or a lack of explanation, there are 
mysterious facets of the game that are worth considering. The following is 
just a collection of my educated theories and is in no way endorsed or 
supported by Capcom.

A. Nelo Angelo

"Who the hell is he??"

I'll admit that my first thoughts about this were waaay off, and it took a 
couple of e-mails (which I'll show you) to reveal the error of my ways. Long 
story short, Nelo Angelo *IS* Dante's brother, which is strongly implied 
during the cutscene after you defeat him for the third time. It is also vaguely 
suggested in a couple of other parts of the game:

"Dante's brother is Nelo Angelo. It's hard to miss it: 

1: Mundus to Trish: 'Vergel has been defeated.'  This is obviously after you 
beat Angelo. 
2: Dante examining Angelo's pendant, flashes back to childhood and he hears 
his brother." [ Contributed by Ciberkillr ]

This is a plausible explanation as well:

"On the S rank guide you talk about Nelo Angelo, saying that he's not Dante's 
brother, but he is. When I was playing the game I remember that he was dantes 
brother because he had the other part of the pendant Dante's mother gave him. 
Plus N. Angelo didn't kill dante when he saw the pendent... 

Dante's Brother and Mother was captured by Mundus. Mundus brain washed 
Dante's brother and killed his mother. Trish was Based off Dante's mother's 
looks to intrigue Dante into coming to the island."  
[ Contributed by Alucard3666 ]

A special shout out goes to all the people who took the time to e-mail me. 
Sorry I've been so lazy-assed about updating.


B. Devil May Cry Sign 

"How could Trish's silhouette be on the Devil May Cry sign at the beginning 
of the game? Dante hadn't met her yet..."

Good question. Was it intended by the developers to be an odd coincidence? 
Perhaps. A mistake on Capcom's part?? Possible, but not probable. It's hard 
to miss obvious things like that when you've put together an entire game. 
Is it Dante's mother??? Doubtful. It's true that Trish and Dante's mother 
resemble each other closely, but I doubt Dante's mom carried around handguns 
and stood around in provocative positions like the Devil May Cry sign 
suggests. 

This one is hard to judge. Maybe Dante was thinking of a way to attract 
customers, so he suggested that Devil May Cry should have a mysterious female 
mascot. Then he based it off his mom for whatever sick reason. When Mundus 
discovered Dante's location and what he was doing, he fashioned a woman that 
resembled both Dante's mother and the sign. When Dante noticed this freaky 
coincidence, he was lured to the mysterious island easily. It sounds like 
BS, but it's the best I can come up with. Then again, it could possibly be 
a mixture of odd coincidence and the whole mother thing.


C. Legendary Dark Knight

"Is he Dante? Is he Sparda??  Who knows???"

There's valid support that he could be either Dante or Sparda. LDK follows 
Dante's story line exactly, and he's even referred to as Dante. His appearance 
also resembles Dante's (despite the different outfit).

Then again, LDK's whole demeanor is different than Dante's. Dante has that 
punk-rock-take-no-crap-from-anyone look, and LDK possesses a snooty, 
foppish, aristocratic aura. Also, LDK has a new sword that resembles the 
Sparda sword during Devil Time, and LDK himself looks different while in Devil 
Time than Dante does. His handguns have different names, as well.

It all boils down to whether or not Capcom was being lazy. They may have 
thought that introducing Dante's father as a character was neat, but the 
developers used the exact same plot and dialogue for Sparda. Doesn't make 
a whole lot of sense, but it would've taken more time to make the game if 
they had to come up with a new story line for LDK. 

Throughout the game, Mundus and Company mention that Dante closely resembles 
Sparda and so on...not much help there. Sparda's name is generally associated 
with the title of Legendary Dark Knight. Then again, Trish calls Dante The 
Legendary Dark Knight at the end of the game. Perhaps the torch has been passed 
on?? Eh, there's no definite way to tell. Perhaps Dante became _really_ 
laid-back later in life and started wearing a monocle and drinking tea, then 
he went back to the island to relish his triumph over evil again. Either that, 
or LDK is a VERY confused Sparda...


[ VII. Closing Comments ]

OK, I didn't make good on all of the Secret Missions. So sue me. I figured 
I wouldn't really miss that small sliver of vitality anyway. BTW, the twelfth 
(and last) secret mission offers a _whole_ blue orb. I suggest you make sure 
to get that.

For the record, I did grab both the Nightmare-beta and Bangle of Time when 
I played the game with Super Dante. The Nightmare-beta works extremely well 
with him since he can charge it up completely every single time. I still 
dislike using it with LDK or regular Dante, though. 

I don't see what the big deal is with the Bangle of Time. If you have enough 
Devil Trigger to activate it, then you should also have enough Trigger kill 
the foe(s) at hand. Makes sense. It won't work against Bosses, so I suppose 
it's best used when Dante is desperately low on health against ordinary 
enemies or something.

Well, it looks like this FAQ is over. This is the FINAL version, period.
If you're having trouble with one of the bosses, don't e-mail me. There are 
other FAQs out there for that.

************************************************************************
This FAQ is copyright 2001-2002 by John Combs. Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom, 
which does not endorse this FAQ. You may distribute this FAQ as long as nothing 
is altered, my consent has been given to you, and I am given _full_ credit. 
*http://www.neoseeker.com* now has permission to freely host any and all of 
my FAQs.
************************************************************************ 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Special Thanks:

Capcom, for producing a helluva game

Gamefaqs.com, neoseeker.com, and jester-race.com for hosting and posting my 
material

People who supported me and provided feedback: Alex Sargeant, Jason, 
Alucard3666, Ciberkillr, coolmech, Demon Piccolo, Jeff L, etc., etc.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Random Thanks:

-- J. R. R. Tolkien, for writing the single greatest piece of literature this 
world has ever known

-- Akira Toryama, for inventing the way of life that is called Dragonball(Z)

-- Zao, for all the wonderful memories

-- Ninjas...where would I be without you guys??

-- Seanbaby.com, for making me laugh until I piss my pants