Devil May Cry: Enemy Strategy FAQ 
Version 0.5
Written by Skyrax (skyrax@yahoo.com)

Table of Contents

1.	What's new?
2.	Why write an Enemy FAQ?
3.	Enemies (list)
4.	Non-boss enemies in-depth
5.	Boss enemies in-depth
6.	Finishing Moves
7.	Frequently Asked Questions
8.	Rumors
9.	Credits/Thanks

_______________
1. What's new?
V0.5: Added Finishing Moves Strategy, added some new info in Fetish, Nightmare, 
Phantom, especially Nelo, and Mundus strategies.
v0.4: Added Mundus strategy, Frequently Asked Questions, Rumors, expanded Nightmare 
strategy.
v0.3: Added Griffon and Nightmare strategy, Phantom Baby strategy.
v0.2: Added Phantom and Nelo Angelo strategy, Sargasso strategy.

__________________________
2. Why write an Enemy FAQ?

This was meant for players who have some idea as to how the game is played and are 
stuck on how to defeat or avoid a particular enemy. All strategies are applicable 
for all difficulties, as more often than not the only change is the amount of 
damage you can do versus the amount of damage they can do (by Dante must Die mode, 
every enemy is capable of wiping you out in 2-3 hits, and some can do it in less 
than that, and Dante's attacks are significantly weaker.)

___________
3. Enemies
The non-boss enemies in the game include:

-Marionettes
-Bloody Mari
-Sin Scissors
-Shadows
-Beelzebubs
-Death Scissors
-Sin Scythes
-Fetishes
-Frosts
-Plasmas
-Blades
-Kyklops
-Death Scythes
-Phantom Babies
-Sargassos

The boss characters are:
-Phantom
-Griffon
-Nero Angelo
-Nightmare
-Mundus

____________________
Reading the Strategy
 
The Enemy Strategy FAQ shall describe the enemies, and their attacks. Following 
that will be hints on how to best avoid or counter these attacks. 

The format of the strategy is as follows:

-Enemy Name

-Description: A short biography on the enemy. The backstory behind the enemy, and 
any relationship it may have with others.

-Sounds: Sounds the enemy makes. Sometimes when you enter a room, you may not see 
the enemy but it may be walking around (Shadows do this a lot at higher 
difficulties!). Knowing what sound it makes can give you the time to prepare Dante 
for battle or escape as the case may be.

-Attacks: The attacks the enemy uses on Dante. These are in the following format:
attack name (typical damage, typical range): description of attack.

For example, using a Marionette's neck slash attack:

-neck slash (medium, close range): The marionette climbs onto Dante and locks its 
wooden legs around Dante. They then proceed to slash Dante at the neck repeatedly. 
Rarely performed by shotgun marionettes, and rarely performed in general.

From this you can tell that the attack does medium damage and is initiated at close 
range to Dante.

Range and Damage Terms:

Range terms:
-Close: Within melee range, very close situation.
-Medium: Medium range runs from just outside melee range to     
 about the range of a full shotgun blast.
-Far: Anything out of the range of a shotgun blast.

Damage terms:
-Light: Dante can sustain several of these without any 
 danger.
-Medium: More damaging than lights, you can only sustain
 about 9 of these before Dante dies.
-Heavy: About 6 of these strength-type hits will kill Dante.
-Critical: Just takes 1 or 2 of this type of an attack to 
 defeat Dante.
_________________
Non-boss Enemies:
_____________
a)Marionettes

Description: One of the earlier creatures you will encounter in the game, these 
gangly painted puppets are possessed by demonic strings and a penchant for blood. 
They may move slowly, but they can be extremely dangerous in packs. They are armed 
with curved blades, dart-like knives or shotguns. You will find them either lying 
limp on the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

Sound: A wooden clattering on the floor. They rarely activate unless you've come 
near them and then leave the battlefield, so you should rarely hear them until you 
see them. No worries though, it's almost impossible for them to get the jump on 
you.

Attacks:
-Double cleave (light-medium, close range): Their most frequent attack. They swing 
their weapons in a wide arc, first one arm, then the other (in the case of a 
shotgun-packin' marionette, they only swing once). 
-Neck slash (medium, close range): The marionette climbs onto Dante and locks its 
wooden legs around Dante. They then proceed to slash Dante at the neck repeatedly. 
Rarely performed by shotgun marionettes, and rarely performed in general. This is 
also its Finishing move (see Finishing moves)
-Weapon hurl(medium-heavy, long range): If you stand too far away from the 
marionettes, they will toss their weapons at you to do damage. The curved ones fly 
in a wide arc before returning to their owner, the darts travel in a straight line, 
much faster than the arc weapons. The shotgun does more damage the closer you are. 
You will be warned of this attack by a twirling noise, as they like to twirl their 
weapons before they shoot them.
-spinning slash (medium-heavy, medium-far): the Marionette will begin to spin on 
its waist, flailing its limbs and then try to crash into Dante, inflicting damage. 
(Thank you  for that information!)
-Scream (no damage, medium): If you remain out of range of their weapons and too 
close for a long range attack, the marionette will stop, and emit a high scream 
(causing a cool blur effect). If Dante is standing still, he will be captured by 
white strings and will be held aloft, unable to move.
Although this attack causes no direct damage to Dante, his inability to move will 
leave him in a world of hurt if he gets attacked by a pack of marionettes. Move the 
analog stick left and right quickly to shake out of it. Only used if you're 
attacking a group and you leave one alone for too long.

Strategy: Not a difficult enemy. Dante is worlds faster than they are, and even in 
packs they pose little threat to the fleet of foot. Use the Stinger and Shotgun to 
clear out advancing packs of marionettes, and jump slash to avoid any projectiles 
and keep attacking. The twirling sound they make before they throw or fire their 
weapons is a dead giveaway, and simply jumping will get you out of that situation. 
They rarely latch onto you, only doing so if you focus on attacking one side and 
leave yourself unguarded on another.
PoisonFiy had this to say: "The easiest way to beat em is to use a sword slash to 
knock 'em into the air, slice them twice then do the upward slash again...just keep 
juggling and slicing and you shouldn't get hurt (unless one attacks your back or 
your side) and you build up a sweet combo as a bonus."
_____________
b)Bloody Mari

Description: They are simply a slightly version of the Marionettes, and are often 
hard to distinguish except for a few ways (see below). They only carry the dart-
type of marionette weapon, and it would seem to be the perfect weapon for draining 
the blood they adorn their clothing with.

Sound: Same as the Marionettes.

Attacks: The same as the Marionettes (see above).

Strategy: The very first enemy you fight in the game, Bloody Maris are often found 
in the midst of Marionette packs. They are virtually identical to the red colored 
marionettes, except that they have a lot more stamina, so it will take a bit longer 
to kill them and they are a bit more frequent on offense. The same strategy for the 
Marionettes apply. Use the speed of the Alastor to cut them to pieces quickly.
______________
c)Sin Scissors

Description: These shadowy demons possess the weapons they use (in this case the 
giant scissors) and use their masks as a focal point for movement. They possess the 
ability to move through objects and walls, and can be surprisingly (not to mention 
annoyingly) nimble on occasion.

Sound: Constant screaming female laughter. It can be a bit unsettling because they 
laugh long after they die. When they appear, the metallic sounds of their scissors 
let you know when they open and close them, so be ready.

Attacks:
-cutting the tape(medium, close range):With their scissors open, they close them on 
Dante. A fairly simple looking attack, it is also the one they most frequently use. 
Fortunately you can see them coming to do this a mile away.
-spin smash (medium, close): With their scissors closed, the Sin spins it like a 
staff once. Used only if they don't get a chance to open their scissors to attack 
(a defensive maneuver).
-death slash: (medium-heavy, close): Only done when you kill one of them. They toss 
their scissors violently in the air, landing hard in the ground directly below 
them, so don't be there when it happens.

Strategy: Go for their masks. No other part of their body sustains damage from any 
attack of any kind. The Sin Scissors, while not as dangerous overall as their more 
fearsome Death counterparts, can be annoying because they don't sit still and that 
their weapons often block their masks. They will circle Dante, looking for the 
right moment to attack, and then open the scissors and come in for a snip. Use a 
jump slash to knock their scissors away from their face (stunning them in the 
process too) and then unload a shotgun blast in their face. If you do it right, you 
can get a critical hit, killing them in one shot. Jumping off their heads also 
stuns them as well. If you attack too often while they are blocking, they will 
counterattack by trying to swing their scissors around to ward you off. When they 
die, their weapons go spinning in the air and land in the spot where they were 
defeated, so move away from them!
________
d)Shadow

Description: Shapeless spirits from another dimension, these cat-like creatures 
exist only to torment humans. Capable of shifting shape to attack their prey, they 
are among the most deadly of creatures if underestimated. Their true from is the 
reddish orb at their very core, around which they surround themselves with black 
magic to protect themselves.

Sound: You'll rarely get to hear it as they are very quick in engaging battle, but 
it is a pattering sound, like claws on marble. It's very soft, so keeps your ears 
open.

Attacks: 
-spinning slash (medium-heavy, any distance): Often the Shadows opening salvo, this 
attack is EXTREMELY accurate. It jumps into the air, morphs its head into a giant 
blade and begins to spin for moment before crashing into the earth again.
-giant bite (medium-heavy, close): Morphing their body again, the Shadow becomes a 
giant mouth with tries to take a chunk of Dante. It goes into the ground for a 
second before it attempts this.
-spike wall (light-heavy, close): The Shadow melts into a puddle. In this state, it 
shoots up several spikes from the ground under Dante. This attack tracks Dante's 
last position.
-javelin thrust (medium-heavy, far): The Shadow morphs once more, shooting a long 
spike from it's head that stretches all the way to the wall of the area. It's a 
deadly attack, but it can be used against him (see Strategy).
-Bite and explode (critical, close): The Shadow morphs into the giant mouth and 
grabs Dante. It slams him on the ground twice, before exploding, causing massive 
damage to our hero. It is only done once every time you fight a shadow, so that's a 
plus. This is also its Finishing move (see Finishing moves).

Strategy: The Shadow is no slouch to defeat. Its dark outer shell is immune to the 
Devil Arms, so use your shotgun or pistols to deal crack through to the orb. Roll 
to avoid his spinning slash, and jump to avoid his bites and spikes. Its attacks 
can go through floors, so don't think you are immune by jumping onto a balcony. 
When you deal enough damage, it will be unable to keep its shield up, and it will 
melt, revealing its core. Engage DT and use the Alastor to slash away. Two combos 
will deal enough damage. While you attack, it will try to defend itself by using 
the spike wall attack, but if you are close enough, it will do no damage to you. 
When it reforms, and it will, watch its color. If it is black, you have not dealt 
enough damage and work to reveal its core again. If it is red, then run away from 
it! If it captures Dante, it will perform the bite and explode technique, after 
which it will die. If you avoid it long enough it will blow up anyway, so don't 
walk into it or you'll take damage.
And as a side note, if you stand on the shaft of the javelin thrust attack, the 
Shadow will become paralyzed, use your guns and you will be able to hit it in the 
CORE directly!!

Note: Next to Nightmare and the Death Scythe, Shadows are apparently the most 
troublesome enemies and receive the most requests for help from game players.
___________
e)Beelzebub

Lord of the Dust indeed. These insectoid demons are nothing more than nuisances, 
festering in their decadence as they seek out their prey. They live underground, 
shunning the light as they hunt. There are two types, those with wings and those 
without.

Sound: The buzzing of their wings is the only true giveaway. The wingless types 
only scuttle across the ground.

Attacks:
-spray (light, close): The winged types spray a stream of maggots on you. The only 
other effect rather than disgust you is to prevent Dante from aiming properly.
-bite (light, close): The ground types bite you. Simple attack.
-chiropractic special (medium, close): The ground types will jump on Dante's back 
attempt to readjust Dante's spine- the hard way. This is also its Finishing move 
(see Finishing moves).
-maggot spray (light, close): When you kill a flying Beelzebub with your blade, 
they spray a stream from their fallen bodies.
-power up (none, any distance): If you kill a flying type, the ground type will try 
to feed on the remains. If it is successful, it will gain more stamina and 
strength.

Strategy:
These are without a shadow of a doubt the easiest enemies in the game. The flying 
types fall to a single shotgun blast each, and Alastor's High Time Techniques turns 
the ground types on their backs, then shotgun away at their underbellies. Even when 
they power up, they are no problem. Easy pickins'...-

________________
f)Death Scissors

Description: The more deadly counterparts to the Sin Scissors, it commands the Sins 
and fights more fairly-to a degree. Its scissors are more refined and curved- and a 
heck of a lot more painful. The cow skull is your new target.

Sound: A continual, distorted male laugh, and the metal sounds of his scissors.

Attacks:
-scissors cut (medium-heavy): The same attack as the Sins, only does a lot more 
damage.
-scissors swing(medium-heavy): The same as the Sins, except is hits more time and 
has a better chance of connecting.
-drill dive(medium-critical): the most annoying attack in the Death Scissors 
arsenal. The Death scissors closes his weapon and proceeds to spin like a drill, 
passing through the floors and zigzagging through the area. He can make up to 8 
passes before he stops, so be careful.
-anger power up (no range): When he takes enough damage, his mask turns red. During 
this time, he is invulnerable.
-scissors drop: Like the Sins, Death drops his scissors to cause damage when 
defeated. Watch it.
 
Strategy: You thankfully only fight one Death Scissors at a time, but he is one of 
the most deadly enemies in the game, so be careful. I did not list the range at 
which he performs his attacks because you will not have room to run away, since he 
seals you in an energy cage. Use the walls of the cage to avoid his attacks, and 
smash his scissors away to gain access to his mask. When you see your chance, use 
Alastor or the shotgun. He is faster, both in reaction time and attack time, than 
the Sins.
His drill attack can hit multiple times and can kill Dante outright if you are 
careless in avoid it. Listen for the prompts and use rolls and jumps to avoid it. 
Watch for his scissors to fall when he is defeated, otherwise, you may suffer 
damage in death.
_______
g)Blade

Description: These demons chose to use reptilian bodies because of their heightened 
speed and agility. To make up for the lack of defense, they equip themselves with 
plates of armor. They are so versatile, they even use their blood as a weapon. They 
seldom travel alone, instead moving in packs of three or more. 

Sounds: Raptor-like screams, armor clanking quickly.

Attacks:
-claw swipe (medium, close): A swipe with their claw.
-jumping swipe (medium-heavy, close): Jumping high in the air, the Blade comes down 
with a downward claw swipe. Stronger than the basic claw swipe.
-dashing stab(medium-heavy, far): Using their speed, the Blade dashes across the 
area and stabs Dante with its claws.
-claw shot (light-heavy, far): Pressurizing their blood, the Blade shoots up to 4 
claws in Dante's direction. Rarely employed outside of water, where this is their 
only attack.

Strategy: These guys do not pack as much of a punch as the Death Scissors does, but 
they can be dangerous. You can engage up to 9 of these guys at once!
You can fight them with their armor on, but in reduces the damage sustained unless 
you can break it. Repeated Stingers and jump slashes will break them. Or you can 
aim for their underbellies, using High Time to launch them for a clear shot. The 
Grenadegun works wonders for clearing the pack.
Use the Alastor to deflect the claw shots.
PoisonFiy comments: "Alastor, grenade gun, and the juggling thing I talked about 
earlier for the puppets, if you want or are too badly outnumbered you can use devil 
trigger, but with a lot of dodging, the grenade gun and shotgun, and Alastor, I 
managed to beat down 6 at once without getting hit once, did it twice in a row too 
(was building up red orbs) but the third time one circled around behind me, they 
and I were blocking him from view, and he hit me, which gave them time to recover, 
and they had a good old-school gang beating with me as the target."
________
h)Fetish

Description: A more unearthly version of the already unearthly puppets, Fetishes 
are the leaders of the Marionettes. Mastery of the arts of fire and heightened 
reaction times make them deadlier than the Marionettes. They carry twin wheels of 
fire in their hands, and feathers and a mud-like substance cover their bodies.

Sounds: The same odd clanking as the Marionettes.

Attacks:
-spinning strike (heavy, far): Spinning like a Tasmanian devil, the Fetish makes a 
beeline for Dante, weapons ablaze.
-fire line(heavy, far): Tossing out its weapons like a boomerang, they head 
straight for Dante, burning him before they return to the Fetish like a yoyo.
-fire breath (medium-heavy, close): The Fetish can counterattack an attack from 
Dante by showering him with fire. It is very quick on the draw with this attack.
-spinning slash (medium-heavy, medium-far): the Fetish will begin to spin on its 
waist, flailing its limbs and then try to crash into Dante, inflicting damage. 
-scream (no damage, medium range): The Fetish is also capable of executing a scream 
like the marionettes and Bloody Maris can. Same effect, very rarely done.
-beak attack (medium, close): The Fetish grabs Dante and locks its limbs about him. 
It then proceeds to peck  him with its beak/mouth thing...

Strategy: Standard up-close Marionette tactics are not advisable, since their fire 
breath hurts. A lot. To avoid their spinning attacks and yoyo attacks, jump, roll, 
run out of the way or shoot them. Their grabs can be avoided by staying away from 
them. Use Stingers and Grenadegun shots to keep them constantly struggling to stand 
up, and use High Time and the pistols/weapon/combo of your choice to destroy them 
as they are helpless. Ifrits are also useful against them, especially in DT mode. 
As long as you keep them on the ground, they cannot launch their attacks. If you're 
surrounded, then move away and engage them one on one. Being gangbanged by these 
guys will lead to a quick death.
_________
i)Kyklops

Description: Similar in appearance to the Phantom, these rock spiders are not as 
smart or nearly as strong. Their brown rocky hide is susceptible to attack from all 
sides, but be careful. Although they may not look it, they can leap enormous 
distances.

Sounds: Pounding rock as they walk about. They don't physically make any noise for 
some reason.

Attacks: 
-swipe(light-heavy, close): There are three variations of this attack, but they are 
essentially the same. Kyklops swipes at Dante if he gets too close to the Kyklops' 
head.
-rock spew(medium-heavy, medium range): The Kyklops faces Dante and spits out 
several rocks of various sizes at him. This attack spreads out in a conical 
pattern.
-big drop(heavy, anywhere it wants): The Kyklops tries to squash Dante with his 
tremendous bulk by leaping high into the air and then crashing down in Dante's last 
position. It also does this cover ground if Dante runs too far away.

Strategy: They usually attack in pairs.  To avoid their swipes, jump out of the way 
or just avoid being close to them. Jump away from the direction of the rock spit to 
avoid it, the jump tracks him to the point before they descend, so if you keep 
moving, you should easily avoid it. Weapons don't seem to work, so use the Devil 
Arms to attack their face. Alastor is quicker for getaways, so use it to avoid 
their swipes. By carefully attacking between them, you can bait them into killing 
each other or at least doing great amounts of damage. Idiots.
____________
j)Sin Scythe

Description: Another variation of the Sin family, they are larger than the Scissors 
type and wield one solitary scythe. This scythe is HUGE though, and these guys pack 
a punch.

Sounds: Same creepy laughter as the Sin Scissors. No metal noises for obvious 
reasons.

Attacks:
-scythe swipe: The Sin Scythe swipes at Dante with his scythe in a wide arc.
-scythe spin: The Sin Scythe twirls his Scythe for several moments, and then sends 
it after Dante. After a few seconds, it returns to the thrower like a boomerang.
-scythe twist: The Scythe performs a wide sweep with its scythe. If it hits Dante, 
the Scythe will impale Dante and swing him around for a while. Painful to say the 
least. This is also its Finishing move (see Finishing moves).
-umbrella: The Sin Scythe tosses out a black umbrella-like device. If Dante comes 
in contact wit this, he will be forced to the ground, setting him up for a swipe or 
a twist.
-scythe drop: As usual, they drop their scythes when beaten. Watch for it.

Strategy: These guys can hurt Dante a lot if given the chance, but they are 
actually easier to beat than the Scissors. Their swipes can be avoided by jumping 
above them, rolling or simply running. The range of the scythe spin is fairly long, 
so avoid the scythe by rolling or jumping out of the way. It tracks Dante both on 
delivery and return, so be ready to avoid it twice. The umbrella is only a problem 
if they are too high and you must jump around a lot. If you are forced down, then 
wait for them to come down to your level.
To defeat these demons, equip the Grenadegun. It takes two shots to defeat them. 
After the first successful shot, they will circle around for a while before coming 
in for another strike. Shoot again, and if it connects, it's gone. They are easier 
because their scythes don't block their masks like the Scissors do.

______________
k)Death Scythe

Description: the undisputed leader of the Death and Sin families, the Death Scythe 
is one tough guy. It's intricate cow head mask and red cloak symbolize its power, 
and it is strong enough to take on a host of Sin Scythes.

Sounds: Distorted male laughter, miniboss music ^_^

Attacks:
-scythe swipe (medium-heavy, close): The swipe from the Death Scythe hurts, moreso 
than any other variety's attack.
-scythe twist(heavy-critical, close): A rare attack, but it can kill Dante outright 
if it is done enough times. Death Scythe impales and spins Dante on one of his 
scythes. This is also its Finishing move (see Finishing moves).
-scythe toss(medium-heavy, medium range): Death Scythe sends a scythe spinning 
after Dante. Same as the Sin Scythes but with greater range and power.
-springboard(no damage, any range): Death Scythe shoots red beams onto the floor at 
random. When they hit the ground, they create swirling black circles. If Dante 
jumps while on one of these, he will shot into the air, and Death Scythe will swoop 
in for an attack.
-scythe gathering(no damage, any range): Only happens if you take too much time 
defeating Death Scythe. He will begin to gather scythes from around the room, 
eventually holding as many as five.
-scythe combo(heavy-critical, close): Only possible after he gets three or more 
scythes. Death Scythe does two overhead swipes, and a horizontal swipe. Brutal.
-shredder(critical-death, medium): Same as the scythe toss, but he throws out all 
the scythes he has at once. This is one of the most deadly attacks in the game.

Strategy: Death Scythe is arguably the hardest non-boss enemy in the game. Unlike 
the rest of the Scythes and Scissors, he enjoys playing a high-altitude game and 
has the speed and power to keep up with Dante.
To avoid his attacks you must know how to roll and jump efficiently. Some of his 
attacks, especially the shredder and the scythe combo, really can end a game 
outright. He is so fast that hitting him with anything but the shotgun and pistols 
is next to impossible (save a fully charged Nightmare-Beta shot), so you will want 
to concentrate on taking him out with your sword or fists. Ifrit is better if you 
keep getting catapulted, because the flying kick brings you down quickly and can 
out-prioritize his attacks. It can take a while to defeat him as he does not sit 
still for long.
________
k)Plasma

Description: The Plasma is a shape shifting entity, combining electrical energy and 
organic material to become something else entirely. Able to mimic their adversary, 
they are highly adaptable to any combat situation.

Sounds: Cracking electricity. You will know these guys are in the area because they 
light up the surroundings, so sound is not really necessary.

Attacks:
-particle beam(heavy, medium-far): The Plasma forms energy in front of its red eye 
and shoots an arcing blue beam at Dante.
-combo (medium-heavy, close): In its pseudo-human form, the Plasma performs Dante's 
basic sword combo. 
-split(no damage, any range): Plasmas split from time to time, often when they are 
about to die. The clone has full health, so it is essentially respawning.

Strategy: The Plasmas particle beam is its most devastating attack, but it can be 
avoided by jumping over it. They often halt in the middle of combos, so rolling out 
of the way will help to avoid danger.
Plasmas are freakishly susceptible to fire, so use the Ifrit gauntlets to pound 
away. Use DT-enhanced flame pistol bullets to bring them to their knees, and to 
knock down bat-form Plasmas. They tend to clone if you use High Time on them, and 
they seem to be immune to launchers, so adjust accordingly. 
_______
l)Frost

Description: A more advanced version of the Blades, Frosts use the power of ice to 
smash their prey. Their cold hide makes them almost invulnerable to even molten 
lava.

Sound: the shattering of ice, strange music.

Attacks:
-claw swipe(heavy, close): A strong swipe, similar to that of the Blades.
-ice field(light-heavy, close): The Frost leaps into the air, Upon landing, it 
creates a field of ice spikes, similar to that of Dante's Inferno (heh heh).
-ice shield(no damage, close-medium): The Frost rises slowly into the air and 
creates an invulnerable shield of ice.
-ice shot(light-heavy, medium-far): Similar to the Blade, the Frost shoots out a 
series of icy claws at Dante.
-teleport(light-heavy, far): The Frost stands up straight and shoots across the 
room in pieces, only to reassemble after it stops.

Strategy: Frosts have extremely high stamina. They do not seem to register hits, 
even when they are indeed taking damage. When launched in to the air, they recover 
very quickly. The claws can be easily avoided, but the ice field can only be 
avoided by jumping away, or it can be neutralized with the Rolling Blaze maneuver. 
Their ice shield can't be destroyed, but it will lift in a short period of time. 
Their teleport can hurt, but it is only used when they are too far away from Dante. 
Their icy shots can be deflected by a well-timed punch.
Despite their strength, Frosts fall prey to Ifrit's fiery strength. Pound away, 
using Kick13 to keep them at bay. The Grenadegun can help if you feel overwhelmed.
________
m)Nobody

Description: The Nobodys: despised by all, they are unworthy of a real name. The 
revel joyously in their twisted mayhem, their bizarrely humanoid bodies convulsing 
in delight as they hunt down innocent victims.

Sounds: Dementedly evil laughter, jumping up and down while clapping.

Attacks:
-punch(medium, close): Nobody throws a punch. Simple attack.
-ritual(no damage, medium): Nobody puts on a mask, making it grow to twice its 
size.
The following are performed only when it is double-size.
-grab and smash (heavy, close): Nobody grabs Dante with a hand and slams him 
around. This is also its Finishing move (see Finishing moves).
-flying kick (heavy, close-medium): Nobody jumps up and kicks Dante in the head-
hard. So hard, Dante goes flying. Hard to counter with attacks.
-smart bomb(medium, close): Nobody detaches an eye from its back and sends it 
rolling after Dante.
-dance(no damage, medium-far): Different than the taunt, this dance does not hurt 
Dante but it drains his DT gauge.
-taunt(no damage, any range): Nobody jumps up and down, laughing. No damage 
whatsoever.
-throes (light-heavy, close): once killed, a Nobody's flesh begins to explode as it 
vanishes.

Strategy: Nobodys have exceptional stamina, but they are not that dangerous. Their 
punch is their only attack, and it is fairly simple to escape. Now, when they 
become double size, they become a lot more dangerous. Their kick is only performed 
as their recover from being knocked on their back, so once you knock them down, 
back off. It is very hard to counter, so if you absolutely MUST strike back, use a 
technique that has zero execution time like the Rolling Blaze. Their grab is 
avoided by not getting too close to them. They perform the dance when they are at a 
safe distance, so keep them at a medium range at all times. To avoid the bombs, hit 
them with the Alastor to safely detonate. The presence of the bombs can make Dante 
lock on incorrectly, so take them out as fast as possible.

Use Stingers and Grenadegun shots to dispose of the Nobodys. Jump slashes with the 
Alastor will  help to break the mask of the Nobody, making it revert to its smaller 
size. If you can't break the masks, try to Stinger them from the back. If done 
correctly, they will stumble and fall off their feet, and will NOT do the kick 
counter. Repeated Stingers will defeat them in this manner. The larger Nobodys are 
more bold than the smaller ones, so be careful. Once killed, they will begin to 
self-destruct. It can take a while for them to completely die, so avoid standing 
near them or you'll take damage from their toxic flesh.

___________
o) Sargasso 

Description: Spirits that exist half in our dimension, half in another. They assume 
the form of skulls to inspire fear and dread in their victims. They are prone to 
inhabit murky waters and the nightmarish recesses of the mind. 

Sounds: Groaning, teeth chattering. You will often see a Sargasso before it 
attacks, so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

Attacks:
-bite(light-medium, close): the Sargasso turns sideways and bites down on Dante.
-spray(light, medium): the Sargasso shoots a spray from its mouth at Dante.

Strategy: These guys appear fairly rarely, and they are easy to beat. They only 
attack if you move into their range. If you stay out of range, they become 
transparent and Dante can not hurt them either. The larger ones, however, attack if 
all the smaller ones are destroyed first. A Stinger and a single shotgun blast will 
dispose of the smaller, plainer variety, whereas the larger painted ones will 
require about 4-5 slashes/shots.

_________________
o) Phantom Babies 
Description: These creatures are the lower-level spawn of the Phantom, created by 
the fiery lava that oozes from the veins of the giant creature. They wander 
aimlessly, trying to make some purpose of their existence.

Sounds: None that you would hear. Except maybe a squishing noise as you kill them.

Attacks:
Phantom Babies possess no attacks whatsoever. They are smaller than Dante's foot! 
^_^

Strategy: If you need a strategy to beat Phantom Babies you shouldn't be playing 
this game! That aside, Phantom Babies only appear at three points in the game: at 
the end of Mission 2, after you obtain the item necessary to complete the level 
(come out the door and you will see them all over the place), and in the second and 
third Secret Missions you can access (both in Mission 4, one in the cathedral 
immediately after you start the mission, and after completing that one, the study 
at the end of the curved hallway). If you want tips on how to nail those little 
buggers in time, go read DLemasa's excellent FAQ on all the secret missions.

You can use anything to kill them. Swords, guns, even rolling or walking over them 
will put them out of their misery. Holy Water, elemental attacks, anything. 

____________

Boss Enemies

Phantom:

Description: The first "true" boss enemy you fight in the game, Phantom is a giant 
rock spider/scorpion creature, with lava-like blood. He fights for Mundus while 
trying to further his own agenda (as to what that agenda is, I have no idea). In 
any case, he is one really big spider/scorpion thingy. You must fight him on two 
different occasions, but there are three occasions where a fight is purely 
optional. One of these fights is in the courtyard in Mission 5 at Hard Difficulty 
or higher, so be very careful when passing through this area so you don't get 
nailed by a fireball the instant you step in. Ouch.

Sounds: A weird cry, stomping around with all eight feet.

Attacks: 
-claw swipe (medium, close): using its front legs, Phantom swipes at Dante. It has 
three variations of these: a single swipe, a double swipe, or a pushing swipe. They 
all do about the same damage.
-claw throw (medium-heavy, close): using one of its front claws, Phantom will garb 
Dante and begin to smash him a few times before tossing him away. This is also his 
finishing move (see Finishing moves).
-tail swipe (medium-heavy, medium): using its tail, Phantom swipes at Dante. It has 
longer reach than the claws, but it is used far less frequently.
-fireball (heavy, any range): charging up energy in its mouth, Phantom shoots a 
white energy ball at Dante in a straight line.
-bring out yer dead! (light-heavy, medium-far): Phantom dips its head into the 
ground and summons the souls of the dead. The tortured souls manifest in the form 
of fiery columns which shoot up at Dante's feet, tracking his last position.
-meteor shower (light-heavy, any range): the Phantom stops moving, focuses energy 
in its back and shoots out a white column of energy, which travels into the sky 
before crashing down in the ground three times, tracking Dante's last position.

Strategy: The bosses in this game require some careful attacking to defeat. Wailing 
on Phantom will only get Dante killed really fast, so take your time, and attack 
then pull away for a moment. For the Phantom, you only have Alastor and Force Edge 
as your swords (and who's going to use Force Edge? Not you, that's for sure!) and 
the Handguns and the Shotgun. (if this is your second time through, you may have 
more than the above-mentioned). Use the Alastor and the Handgun or Shotgun (both 
guns have their uses, see below)

The Phantom only takes damage in its face or on its back. The head is a more easily 
attacked target. To attack his back, you must jump on the Phantom itself and attack 
(yes, you can do that and you don't take any damage from the lava), but he doesn't 
always leave his back open.

The claw swipes and his claw throw are only used if Phantom is staring you in the 
face. Jump out of the way and you'll be fine. To avoid the tail swipe, stand away 
from the front of him (he never swipes the back of his rocky hide). The fireball is 
one tough cookie if you don't watch for it. The first time you fight him, you can 
use the cathedral's pillars to block the beams for you, but the second time you 
won't have that luxury. In any case, roll or jump out of the way. His fireball 
travels very quickly across the screen (if you don't start moving the instant you 
see him charging the ball, you will have a very slim of escaping it). This is also 
the only attack he uses when he's chasing you down hallways. The fire columns can 
only be escaped by nimble footwork. They come up really fast, are really large and 
the break in-between is almost negligible. Roll, jump, and just move really fast. 
The meteor shower can be avoided by always moving and rolling. And don't think you 
can escape by staying as far away from it as possible: despite its great size, this 
thing can leap great distances to squash you like an ant.

To defeat the Phantom, you must use the Alastor to deliver stinging blows to its 
weak points. The Stinger is really useful here. When you see the Phantom charging 
up a fireball, Stinger it in the face and it will stumble, detonating the ball in 
its body harmlessly. Use three sword strikes to deliver damage and then jump to 
avoid the claw swipes it will invariably use. Even better, instead of just jumping 
back, jump onto Phantom's back and slash him or just unload a couple of Handgun 
shots or Shotgun shots before it knocks you off. Repeats until it's dead. If you 
have Air Raid, use it. It does a lot of damage really fast. If you have DT, pound 
it with gunshots or DT-enhanced slashes. Increased speed means you can get off a 
full combo before you have to jump (if you're lucky).

Every so often the Phantom drains its energy by using a super attack, like the 
meteor shower. When it happens, it will stop glowing for a while. Run up and 
unleash some of your strongest attacks on him before he recovers!

One more note: You can get Phantom to defeat himself in the second battle by having 
him jump and land on the glass circle in the center of the arena 6 times. Bait him 
into jumping by staying behind him a lot, then running to the center when he jumps. 
The sixth time, he will break the glass and kill himself ^_^

Interesting note from Matt McQuilty: "I've found that if you slash 
Phantom's fireballs back at him (with your sword) - Ocarina of time: 
vs. Ganondorf style, they'll hit him in the face and do relatively 
large damage (Pretty tough, though)."
(Note: Tested and tried. It is very tough to do but the damage is 
good.)

EvanK40767 offers this strategy for the first Phantom: "Hey, I was just fighting 
Phantom and i discovered a strategy for the first fight in the cathedral that makes 
it a BREEZE.  It requires Stinger, but i lost almost no health doing it.  Its 
almost foolproof:  
 
As soon as you can, lure Phantom so that he's on one side of a pillar and you're on 
the exact opposite side.  Then move in and hit him with the Stinger, then jump 
backward to avoid his claws.  he'll shoot the fireball every once in a while, but 
the pillar should block it.  Just keep going in with the Stinger and jumping 
backward until he's dead.  That's all.  So simple, it's a wonder no one's figured 
it out before.  (Hell, I only did it by accident.)"


Nero Angelo

Description: It would be hard to describe the true nature of this dark knight 
without spoiling the story for those of you who haven't finished it, so I will 
simply say this: He's a knight dressed in black, he carries a sword bigger then 
yours and he's about 7 feet tall. He never says much preferring to taunt you with 
that infernal laugh. Ha ha ha.

Note: A lot of people are divided on the real spelling (and thus pronunciation of 
his name. Some say Nero, some say Nelo, some say Neo. No matter what he's called 
he's still the same guy. I will call him Nero.)

Sound: The aforementioned laugh, various grunts, a whooshing noise when he 
teleports.

Attacks:
-sword combo (light-heavy, medium to close): He performs a variation of Dante's 
three hit combo, ending with a High Time, Jump Slash attack. 
-samurai slice (heavy, close-medium): Nelo dashes at Dante, slicing him in half. He 
does this if you counter his normal combo too many times.
-fireball(heavy, medium-far): Nelo crouches a little and pulls a hand behind him. 
He focuses energy in the palm for about a second and a half, and then lets loose 
with a blue fireball that travels in a straight line.
-teleport (no damage, any range): When the pressure is too much, or if Dante tries 
to keep to far away, Nelo will vanish in a flash of blue flame and reappear 
elsewhere.
-sword rain: Nelo teleports high above the arena. From his vantage point, he 
summons a circle of glowing swords which dangle above Dante's head. After a little 
while, he makes them rain down on Dante. These swords can adopt several other 
patterns, including lines and a pyramid form.
-taunt(no damage, any range): Nelo stands and laughs. Used after he finishes his 
sword combo.
-stinger (medium-heavy, medium-far): A more powerful version of Dante's Stinger. 
Nero's has a bit of windup, the windup being longer the farther away from Dante he 
is.
-stinger v2 (heavy, close-medium): Nero does the stinger motion, but cancels it 
into his samurai slice at close range. This one also has noticeably less startup 
than the first stinger.
-vertical slash (heavy, close): Nero rears his sword over his head and brings it 
crashing down.
-punches (medium, close): Nero performs a gut punch, followed by a Meteor-ish 
punch.
Strategy:
You face him at three different points in the game. Nero Angelo can be fairly 
difficult if you just wail on him relentlessly. He can block all of Dante's attacks 
(including Air Raid and Inferno), and does so on a regular basis. He also seems to 
take little (if any) damage from guns. Use Alastor the first two times you meet 
him, and Ifrit for the last one.

To avoid his sword combo, either run away from him or roll out of the way. He can 
change directions while doing the combo to track you, so be careful. He's not as 
fast as Dante with the combo due to his sword's size, but he does a lot more damage 
than Dante (on DMD mode a single swipe will take off a full life bar of Dante's 
health-ouch). You can also counter his attack by hitting his sword while he 
attacks. If you clash swords, Nero's sword will swing back, and he'll be WIDE open 
as he tries to regain control of the giant blade. Hit him with your strongest 
attack, such as the Stinger or quick combo. His Stinger attack is avoided by either 
rolling or jumping to the side. The v2 Stinger is a little trickier to avoid as he 
does it almost point blank, but it too can be avoided by a swift roll. His vertical 
slash is so easy to see coming you can either counter with Alastor or a fast Ifrit 
attack, or jump or roll out of the way. His punches are close-range, so if you get 
hit by this, you're too close to the dark knight. Pull out.

When Nero goes for a fireball, he is a sitting duck. He takes ages to charge up a 
blast, so you can easily get to him and attack. If you fail to get to him, remember 
that the fireball travels in a straight line, so changing heights or rolling will 
avoid it. 

You can hit him for a max of 4 hits on any combo. Anything more than that and he 
will block, counter or teleport. 

When Nero blocks, he can not change direction. Either wait for him to release his 
block and resume battle, or jump over him and do a downward Jump Slash to nail him 
on the back. He will take damage and stagger out of his blocking stance. 

When Nero tries to counter the attack, he will more than likely use a standard 
combo. Clashing blades will stun him, but for some reason on a counter he's stunned 
for a little less time (it may have been my imagination but I am looking into this) 
 So attack quickly or use the break to move out of range. He may also try to 
counter with the samurai slice, which is EXTREMELY fast and has some good range on 
execution. It is possible to counter it, but it is very hard to do so. 95% of the 
time, at close range, if he uses this attack you'll be hit.

When Nero teleports, you will see a red line appear where he lands. He usually 
initiates an attack the instant he reappears, so be wary. Depending on his range, 
he will either combo (close), slice (medium) or shoot a fireball (far). Attack 
accordingly.

In his third battle, Nero gains more speed and better vision, so he can be tricky. 
This battle also shows how big he really is compared to Dante ^^. To avoid his 
sword rain, wait for them to fall and roll out of the way, or if you have it, use 
the Ifrit's Rolling Blaze to shatter them before he even has a chance to use them.
When you have full DT, use Ifrit's Kick13 move (in DT it's an automatic 5 hit into 
a juggling kick combo) repeatedly. This move sucks DT like no other, but it does 
cool damage and gives you the initiative if he blocks. Handguns are also useful for 
building DT gauges, although they do no damage. 

I've been told that Nero Angelo actually uses a move similar to Dante's Kick13 
move. If you can confirm this, email me atskyrax@yahoo.com.

Jeanette Rios had this to say:
Yea he does have the Kick 13 level 2. He'll perform a 2 hit combo. First He'll 
start it off with a gut punch then the Kick 13. But remember this... if you manage 
to get hit with the gut punch the interval between the punch and the kick 13 is 
very long. So simply jump out of the way. Also I wonder why you didn't mention 
nelo's stinger and how far that move travels and on top of which it does not travel 
in a straight line like dante's, it actually curves around corners and to add to 
that he has a stinger cancel which means at times he'll use the stinger to get to 
you instead of the teleport then from the stinger he'll change the attack to a 
samurai swing or even change the attack into his 4 hitter or he'll even bait you 
into attacking him while in stinger form and perform a step back and high time 
move, but this is done rarely so be careful. also on hard or DMD mode if you clash 
swords with him I hope you practiced your timing skills because I clash swords with 
him all the time and we went up to 8 or 12 clashes before one of us lets up. 
(Thanks for the confirmation, and I had to play him forever to get him to do all 
the stuff you just described. Damn his DMD AI!!!)
Griffon

Description: After the defeat of the Phantom, the Griffon, the oldest and most 
loyal of Mundus' dark henchmen, rises up to take Dante down. His skills may be 
fading, but fights with a determination that is truly inspiring.

Griffon is a giant bird with brown feathers and a gaping hole in his chest filled 
with a blue swirling energy orb. His face is odd; it's the top half of six birds 
all joined at the jaw in a circle. It's very weird indeed. Its voice is somewhat 
garbled and deep- the first time I saw him I didn't understand what he was saying.

Sounds: Typical bird-based sounds I guess. He screeches every once in a while and 
usually before he attacks. He's a boss; it will be hard not to know when he shows 
up.

Attacks:
-beak swipe (medium-heavy, close): The Griffon runs up to Dante, rears it's head 
back and then swoops down, hoping to take a bite out of Dante.
-energy wave (medium-heavy, far): The Griffon crouches slightly, forms red energy 
in it's mouth and shoots a thin wave of energy at Dante's position.
-energy scissors (medium, far): The Griffon forms red energy in its mouth and 
shoots out two simultaneous beams of red energy in opposite horizontal directions. 
It then makes the beams become parallel to each other by narrowing their aim (like 
closing a scissors).
-dual energy scissors: like the above energy scissors, except Griffon creates four 
or five of the lines rather than two. The formation looks like the open end of a 
cone.
-energy wall (light, far): Griffon shoots a row of long red energy lines towards 
Dante. The attack resembles a jail wall...
-energy net (light-heavy, far): the Griffon causes energy to streak across the 
ground in a large grid-like formation.
-energy landing (medium, far): the Griffon rises into the sky. After a moment, red 
energy streaks out from its feet at a particular point (usually where Dante is). It 
then lands fairly slowly, sending a long straight line where it lands.
-energy bomber(light-critical, far: In flight, the Griffon rises high and then 
swoops low and straight across the arena, dropping a stream of red energy balls in 
a bomber run.
-energy platforms (no damage, anywhere): created as a side effect of the Griffon's 
energy, these red platforms appear randomly in the arena. They can go as high as 
three stories (of platforms anyway).
-phoenix (light-critical, far): The Griffon creates a bird of pure red glowing 
energy and attaches it to Dante like a yo-yo string. 
-throes (light-heavy, close): Similar to the Nobodies, Griffon has a spastic fit 
when he dies, summoning countless red energy bolts than rain about him.

Strategy:
Coming after the assault of the Phantom and the duel with Nero Angelo, Griffon 
isn't as hard as he looks. In fact, Griffon is probably the easiest boss to beat in 
the game, depending on your viewpoint. His attacks are fairly easy to see coming, 
and they aren't anything to really worry about.

The Griffon is a distance fighter, as is evidenced by his overwhelming number of 
distance-based moves. His basic tactic is to sit at a distance and pelt you with 
energy shots, coming close once in a while for a peck. To avoid his peck (which you 
will see coming a mile away btw) jump out of the way or roll away. His energy wave 
is avoided by jumping above it. This move tracks Dante's height, and Griffon uses 
it several times in succession, so it may nail you if you keep him jumping around 
like a freak. His energy scissors and its dual variety can only be avoided by 
jumping as well (or in the case of dual, a roll might help, depending on its 
setup). This move can also track position; in fact, just about all of Griffon's 
long-range moves track positions. The energy net doesn't move to attack Dante, but 
if he runs into it he takes damage, so be careful. 

When Griffon takes to the skies, he sends a few energy scissors and the energy net 
your way. He also performs the bombing run in this mode. To avoid the bombing run, 
either run sideways out of Griffon's path or just follow directly underneath him 
(essentially outrunning the bombs). His energy landing is easy to avoid if you're 
not a stationary target.

You face the Griffon three times in the course of the game. The first time you face 
him, use the Ifrit and the Handguns or the Grenadegun. The Grenadegun packs more 
punch per shot, but the recoil limits repetition. Cancel the recoil animation by 
rolling immediately after a shot. The Handguns are a better choice because they 
never miss their target due to the fact that they shoot really fast. The obvious 
tradeoff is that they are weak. If you have the ability to use Air Raid, then use 
it. It's fast and does heaps of damage. Faster than Inferno, and all around does 
more damage.

Use whatever gun you have to build up DT gauges and inflict damage in him. Once you 
have a substantial amount, then initiate DT and fire away. Ifrit-enhanced shots 
seem to do more damage than Alastor (I'm not too sure, can anyone verify this?). 
When you deplete the gauges, build it up and attack again. Repeat until he's dead.

Every once in a while, the Griffon will be dazed and crash into the ground, 
twitching. He's helpless in this mode, so run up to hit and combo (preferably DTed) 
until he recovers.  You do more damage with your fists than with the gun, but you 
can rarely hit him when he's moving, so beware.

In the second battle, Griffon does not become dizzy, so don't get your hopes up. He 
also rarely lands, choosing to torture you with an aerial assault. The ground is 
very small and makes you an easy target, so climb the masts and take him out from 
the vantage point. The height also gives you a better view of the phoenix when it's 
about to crash into Dante. When you see it coming, jump!

In the third battle, the Griffon pulls out all the stops, but compared to his 
second battle he's a piece of cake. For one thing he loses the ability to summon 
the phoenix to make your life hell, so it's the same tactics as the first battle. 
Halfway through this stormy fight, Griffon falls and becomes unable to fly. He can 
still jump and use the energy landing, but otherwise he's completely ground-attack 
based. Finish him off with Alastor.

In the first two cases, as you deliver the last blow, Griffon becomes ablaze with 
red energy bolts for a few moments as he struggles to get up and away. Don't get 
close to him when you deliver the blow and stay away as he fries.

PoisonFIy@AOL.com had this to say: On the bird (Gryphon or whatever) I used the 
devil trigger with Alastor and the electrocution thing, or Vortex, either helps, 
the lightning bolts do damage faster in most cases, because Vortex only hits him 
one or two times before you attack again (not the multi-hit spins you get on 
regular enemies).


Nightmare

Description: An Underworld equivalent of a bio-weapon, Nightmare is designed to 
destroy and not much else. It is sentient, but it acts as though it has no will of 
its own, blindly obeying its creator Mundus. Any opponent trapped inside its 
recesses is doomed to an eternal torment by their own nightmares...

Taking over the task of killing Dante after the defeat of the Griffon, Nightmare is 
one tough cookie. It has two forms, a pile of goo and its attack form. Its goo form 
is simply that: a formless pile of green muck and indeterminable chunks moving 
slowly on the floor towards you. Its other form is more solid. It becomes a large 
creature that resembles an old steam train made out of otherworldly flesh and moves 
on the goo like substance of its previous form. In this form it is stationary, but 
hoo boy it makes up for that.

Sounds: Apart from the various explosions and weird whirring noises of its many 
devices, Nightmare is surprisingly silent. It never says anything throughout the 
course of the game.

Attacks:
I will divide the attacks into the various forms:
Liquidform attacks:
-ice slugs (light-medium, far): Nightmare sends out several black slug-like things 
that swiftly track Dante. If they latch onto him, they explode in an icy blast, and 
can freeze Dante if enough hit him.
-absorb (no damage, close-medium): Nightmare creates a small puddle underneath 
Dante's feet and tries to swallow him up.
-net (no damage, close): Nightmare jumps up onto the roof and drops a large net 
around Dante.
-smash (heavy, close): After using the net, Nightmare drops its entire weight on 
Dante.
Solidform attacks:
-mini guns (light-medium, any range): Nightmare summons four black orbs around it, 
which shoot multiple bursts of silver energy at Dante, like a machine gun.
-poke (medium-heavy, close): Nightmare sticks out a sharp pointy thing like a 
finger from its body and tries to pierce Dante repeatedly with it.
-boomerang (medium-heavy, close-medium): Nightmare detaches a large part of itself 
that begins to fly about the room in a set pattern, usually around Nightmare 
itself.
-ice beam (heavy, close-medium): Nightmare charges up white energy in its mouth and 
releases a thick white beam. If it hits Dante, it freezes him in place for a while 
and prevents him from attacking.
-homing missiles (light-heavy, close-medium): Nightmare creates a multitude of 
black slug like creatures, but this time they fly towards Dante to damage but not 
freeze him.
-energy drain (no damage, anywhere): Nightmare drains Dante's DT gauge into its 
body.

Strategy: More than any other boss in the entire game, Nightmare is loathed. And 
with good reason. He is one of the most annoying bosses in the game, with very high 
defense and more attacks than any other (yes, even more than Mundus) Combine with 
the fact that he can be hit all the time, and that Holy Water is strangely 
ineffective after his first meeting, and that he is the only boss that sucks your 
DT gauge, and the small arena of later fights, and his infernal ice beam, and 
million other things, and he can make you tear your hair out in frustration. I have 
seen more requests on how to hand Nightmare's non-existent behind to it more than 
any other boss. 

The key to defeating Nightmare is to make it solid. The thing takes no damage 
whatsoever in its liquid form. To make it solid, he must be bathed in light. Every 
time you fight it there are dials on the wall. Hit the dials until they light up, 
and light will fill the room, making Nightmare solid. This lighting scheme is not 
permanent, so you will have to constantly have to redial the lights. Get used to 
doing that. A lot. In its solid for, the only way to defeat it is to hit one of its 
four cores when he opens them up. They are glowing balls, which change color from 
time to time.

In its liquid form, Nightmare slithers around slowly, and sends a few slugs after 
you. It also tries to absorb you from time to time. To avoid the slugs, roll, jump 
or attack them. It is better to avoid them than attack, because you could get 
absorbed. To avoid being absorbed, jump, roll or run out of the way. It can only 
absorb a stationary target. Nightmare does NOT use the absorption technique when it 
is on the roof; however it will still use slugs before it jumps to torture you 
more. To avoid the net, you must stay as far away as possible from Nightmare. If he 
does get you with it, then hack and slash through the net, because cutting through 
is the only way to avoid the smash. It only goes to the roof in the third battle, 
so you won't have to worry about that at the beginning.

Light the dials up while avoiding its basic attacks and Nightmare will solidify in 
a surge of lightning. It will now remain in the same spot until the lights go off. 
It can rotate, but it rarely does that. Now, to avoid his attacks, you have to know 
when they are coming. Nightmare almost always attacks when he has an orb showing. 
You will be using guns for this battle (preferably the Handguns-you heard me-, 
Grenadegun or Nightmare-Beta. Shotgun seems ineffective this time around), and your 
choice of the Alastor or Ifrit. If you are using Alastor, use a Round trip just 
before it exposes its core, then DT and smash its cores with Air Raid. Vortex Lv2 
is also a good technique if you can get the aim right. Dante will grind into the 
core while simultaneously deflecting attacks. If you have the Ifrit gauntlets on, 
jump kick to the core, then DT and use Inferno or stand at a distance and use 
Meteor. Inferno is all round better, both for damage and more importantly, speed. 
Inferno comes out faster than a fully charged Meteor shot. Sparda is fairly 
pointless since it can't DT and Force Edge...well, you know why.

Nightmare's absorption technique is unique for a number of reasons. When Dante is 
absorbed, he enters Nightmare's murky recesses and becomes trapped in his own 
nightmare. You will face off against a few small Sargassos and a large one. Once 
they fall, you will have to fight one of the earlier bosses. The first time you 
encounter Nightmare, it will be Phantom who you must face. The second time, it is a 
non-flying Griffon. The third time, it is a slightly weaker version of Nero Angelo.
The Phantom is not quite as dangerous as he used to be, The Griffon never leaves 
the ground to attack, and Nero takes more damage than the norm. Use whatever 
weapons you feel fit to defeat the bosses, but I would recommend Sparda for Nero 
once you use up your DT. Longer range than Nero's blade and increased damage too. 
Once you defeat the boss, step on the glowing circle to leave. Dante will reappear 
in the normal plane and cut through Nightmare, reducing the bioweapon's health by a 
whopping 25%! That's what you get for thinking you can absorb the son of Sparda! I 
would recommend getting absorbed at least once every battle, especially as he gets 
harder to kill as the difficulty levels get higher. 

To avoid his poke attacks, stay out of range. Nightmare uses this attack when Dante 
stays too close for its comfort, like a counterattack. His boomerang too is an 
attack that is based on proximity. It's fairly easy to see coming, and never leaves 
its trajectory once out until it goes back to Nightmare. Stay out of range of the 
projectile while attacking. The homing missiles too can be avoided by rolling or 
jumping out of the way, but you can deflect them back at Nightmare to damage his 
core. His energy drain is unstoppable; all you can do is pound the core to force it 
to close it. The ice beam is a deadly attack, but the key is to stay behind 
Nightmare (The large knob is Nightmare's "front") and wail on his core from there.
The miniguns are often used when Nightmare has no core showing. Avoid them by 
constant, erratic movement so they can not lock on.

The third time you fight it, be careful. The arena is very small; so small, in 
fact, that there is hardly any room to avoid its attacks. It also gains a more 
powerful icebeam, which it can use to track heights. When you beat up on it enough, 
a cutscene occurs. After it ends, for the remainder of the battle, there will be a 
new attack to avoid. A yellow beam will mark a spot, then a stronger blast will 
follow suit. It is very easy to avoid. Since it tracks your last position before it 
locks on, you can be miles away before it fires. When Nightmare's energy is gone in 
this final round, his true core will show and begin to gain energy. DT and attack 
it with your most powerful attacks. The energy beams the core gives off can be 
avoided, but now is not the time to be running away. If its core succeeds in 
restoring its health, you will have to fight it all over again. Use a Devil Star or 
an Untouchable if you need to finish the job off quickly. 

Note: You can gain an edge over Nightmare the first two times you fight it by 
lighting up the room before you trigger the Nightmare sequences. When you enter a 
room with 4 strange multicolored circles on the floor, that's a Nightmare room. 
Light the dials and then continue. ALSO, once you get absorbed by Nightmare and 
return, the dials in the room with give off a yellow light instead of before. This 
light lasts longer than the previous ones, allowing you to keep Nightmare solid 
longer. It also takes slightly more damage in this state. 
_______
Mundus

Description: The Emperor of the underworld, and the ultimate enemy of the game. He 
was defeated 2000 years ago by the Legendary Knight Sparda, and he not too pleased 
about that. He seeks to rule Earth via entry through some portal that can only be 
accessed at Mallet Island.

You know, I had no idea that you actually see Mundus early in the game, staring at 
you but saying nothing. Creepy. And his throne room is so opulent after the 
freakishness of the Underworld that it's shocking. It looked so...real. And clean. 
Very clean indeed. Enjoy the music before you go kick his ass though.

In any event, Mundus has two forms but you fight him three times: Angelform, 
Volcanic and Trueform Mundus. In Angelform and Volcanic, he's one really big 
statue-like figure with a beard, strange disjointed hands and wings like an angel. 
Trueform looks like a formless mass of hands and eyes.

Sounds: Groans would be his signature war cry.

Attacks:
Like Nightmare, I will be dividing Mundus' attacks based on his forms.

Angelform:
-red lightning (light, far): Mundus shoots a row of thin red vertical lightning 
bars a Dante. This attack looks similar to Griffon's energy wall.
-meteors (medium, far): Mundus sends a barrage of enormous rocks straight down the 
screen at Dante.
-meteor shower (medium-critical, far): Mundus sends a storm of flaming meteors down 
from the sky at Dante.
-plasma stream (light-heavy, close-medium): using several grey balls, Mundus shots 
out a stream of very tiny red bolts at Dante.
-third eye laser (heavy-critical, any range): Six symbols appear in a circle around 
Mundus. Then he focuses energy in front of the third eye in his forehead and shoots 
a giant white beam either horizontally or vertically at Dante.
-shield (no damage, any range): Four black balls engage in a formation in front of 
Mundus, protecting him from any and all attacks.

Volcanic:
-punch (heavy, close-medium): Mundus lunges forward and throws one or two punches 
at Dante.
-shockwave (medium-heavy, any range): Mundus flicks his wrist and two very tall but 
very thin shockwaves shoot out at Dante's last position.
-drive-by (light-critical, any range): Several grey orbs fly in front of Dante, 
shooting several tiny bolts at him as they pass.
-black orbs (light, any range): The black orbs that protected Mundus earlier 
return. They shoot bolts at Dane from time to time but mostly serve to distract 
Dante's aim from the dark emperor.
-plasma stream (light-heavy, any range): Mundus raises a hand and sweeps the room 
with it, shooting a barrage of red plasma shots all the while. 
-plasma shower (light-heavy, any range): Mundus arches his back and a swarm of red 
plasma bolts rain all over the area.
-lava dragon (light-critical, any range): A serpent-like dragon made of lava 
appears from the lava and shoots fireballs at Dante.
-meteor shot (medium-critical, any range): Summoning as many as four white orbs 
around his head Mundus spreads both his arms and sends them flying at Dante.
-meteor shower (medium-critical, any range): Mundus summons a multitude of meteors 
that come crashing down on Dante.

Trueform:
-optic blast (medium, medium-far): Mundus rears his giant eye back and shoots a 
long beam in a wide arc across the floor.

Strategy: Brace yourself, for this is a fight against a god! Mundus fell once at 
the hands of Sparda, and now that his son wants a go he's not going to let things 
be so easy. Your weapons are predetermined for you in the first round: The sword 
Sparda has reactivated itself, enabled Dante to go into his ultimate DT!!!  
__________
Angelform:

The battle is taken to the skies. Dante is in perpetual flight the whole first 
round, so use the analog stick to steer him up and down, left and right.  You can't 
use any guns, so don't try. Holy Water won't stand a chance against the evil god, 
and your attacks are changed greatly. Instead of firing a gun, Dante shoots an 
elemental bolt from his fists. The sword attack makes Dante spin Vortex Lv1 style, 
and the jump button makes you speed up. The DT button makes Dante unleash an 
immense dragon. This is his most powerful attack by far. It does more damage 
depending on how many gauges you have lit up, so if you have all 10 lit up, then 
you can be guaranteed some hefty damage. 

At the beginning of the first round, Munds flies about a few miles ahead of you, 
and you have to fly up to him to inflict damage. He has a pattern of attack he 
normally uses, but may mix it up from time to time. He sends a red lightning wall 
at you, then some meteors, then a meteor shower, then the plasma stream, and then 
he used his third eye laser. These attacks usually have less than a few seconds 
between initiation, so be wary. Your target is the large hole in his chest. It is I 
the only place he sustains damage in by your attacks, barring the dragon attack.

To avoid the lightning wall, maneuver Dante between the lines. They are pretty 
large gaps, so you don't have to worry. The meteors can be avoided by some nifty 
aerial tricks but since they track your last position and take up a VERY large 
portion of the screen, you might want to try destroying them. The elemental shots 
work well as does the Vortex. Vortex, however, requires good timing because there 
is a slight delay between Vortexes.

The meteor shower can be avoided by going to the bottom of the screen and weaving 
left to right. These also rack position, but since you're at the bottom you will be 
able to see where they are headed.

The plasma stream is also a tracking attack. Move Dante around the screen, avoiding 
the little bolts while firing back at the balls to destroy them.

Mundus' eye laser, however, is one that requires attention. When you see the six 
symbols appearing, stop firing at him an move to the extreme top left or top right 
of the screen. That way, you will be able to see how the beam is traveling and fly 
out of the way.

Once you have survived this wave, you should be close to if not right if front of 
the evil one. However, you might have noticed you have done no damage to the god. 
That is because of the four black balls in front of him. You must shoot out the 
balls before the shield about him drops allowing you an attack on the core. Shoot 
the rotating balls and then attack the core, being careful to watch for the plasma 
streams and the laser, two attacks that Mundus calls out frequently no matter the 
distance. The shield also reappears every once in a while, so shoot it out and then 
resume. (Note: It is possible to snipe AND destroy all the four orbs from the 
maximum distance from Mundus i.e. when you have to make it through the wave. It 
requires a good hand and timing, not mention multitasking to both concentrate on 
shooting him and avoiding his attacks.)

When you have done enough damage, Mundus will wrap his wings about his body and 
spin high into the air, before flying away so he can attack you with ease. The spin 
he does is damaging to Dante if he is too close to him, so beware. (Note: You can 
still get a few shots off before he flies away). When he stops and spreads his 
wings, he will begin with the wave. Repeat the strategy to take him down.

About Dante's fire dragon attack, a few notes. First off, like regular DT you need 
at least 3 gauges filled to initiate the attack. It can be enhanced by using Devil 
Stars, but I don't know if Untouchables work (anyone?). Also, the attack will 
destroy anything and everything in its path: meteors, lightning, plasma balls, and 
Mundus' shield all at once, giving you a chance to attack the core directly. Good 
fun.

_________ 
Volcanic:

Dante lands and looks up to the sky. Unable to keep in flight, Mundus crashes into 
a pit of lava, looking ever so mad. Here, the final standoff is made between the 
emperor and the demon hunter.

Mundus' attacks change greatly this round. He no longer shoots his giant laser, or 
throws giant rock at you, or even uses his lightning. However, he is more physical, 
and he has more flaming fireballs to throw at you. The lava also drains Dante's 
health if he stands in it, slower in DT mode. You can take any gun you wish (I 
recommend Handguns or Grenadegun), but you can only use Sparda as a sword. No 
others (the game says you don't stand a chance fighting Mundus with this weapon!), 
so get used to it. Your target is still the hole in his chest, but this time Dante 
will automatically lock on to it.

The arena is a large stream of lava, with platforms of rock. Mundus is in the 
center, Dante is on the extreme end of the arena, on a platform. There are three of 
these in a circle around Mundus. He occasionally raises more platforms in front of 
him, floating in a circular orbit. These protect him by blocking any attack Dante 
uses at them. They can only be destroyed by Mundus himself.

As you're now on the ground, Dante returns to normal. All his combos, everything. 
But his DT is different. He can not do any of the Alastor DT moves, like flying or 
lightning, and most of the Ifrit moves are not in his arsenal. However, if you 
shoot your gun on the ground, Dante will throw a fireball Meteor-style (yes, it can 
be charged up too).  If you jump, Dante will shoot his guns in a powered up state 
(looking similar to Ifrit bullets). In DT mode, Sparda strikes out at about 3 times 
its already ungodly length and with more power than ever. You can use the normal 
Alastor skills like Stinger, Round Trip and High Time. A good strategy is to use 
Round Trip to attack Mundus with your blade and then use fireballs as the blade 
slices away.

To avoid his punch, don't get too close to him and do nothing. If he can get enough 
of a lock on you, he will spring forward and punch. The punch can destroy the 
floating platforms.

His shockwaves are very quick and may be difficult t to see coming. If you see 
Mundus raise his hand, start running to the left or right and roll when you see the 
shockwave. He throws the second one without warning too, so roll to avoid that one 
too.

If he summons the grey orbs, the usually sit there for a while before they do the 
drive by shooting, so destroy them to reduce the targets Dante locks onto and also 
to build up his DT gauge.  The drive by is avoided by simply changing heights. Jump 
up to the floating platforms, or if you were there go to the lower ones.

When Mundus summons the black orbs, they do nothing this time around, just sitting 
there to distract Dante. But destroy them, because if they are around long enough 
Mundus will gather them together and turn them into flaming balls for his next 
attack, the meteor shot. To avoid the meteor shot, you have to run either left or 
right and roll out of the way. You can also time it and bash them back at Mundus 
for damage, but like the Phantom it is a tricky move and if there are too many it 
may backfire. Destroy all but one of the black orbs, so that when Mundus summons 
and then shoots it you can hit it back easier.

The plasma stream is easy to avoid. When Mundus begins to rake the room with his 
shots, run left or right to out run the bolts. Likewise, his plasma shower takes 
some nimble footwork to outmaneuver. However, it is rare that they actually connect 
if Dante is not a stationary target. 

When Mundus' health begins to run low, he will use the meteor shower more often. He 
pounds the bottom of the lava pool, and countless flaming rocks rain from the sky. 
This attack is almost screen filling in its intensity, so be careful as you jump 
and roll out the way so you don't fall into the lava.

If Dante is taking too much damage, hang around the edge of the lava and a dragon 
will appear after a while. It shoots lava orbs at you in a slow arc. Easily avoided 
by moving in any direction, shoot the hapless creature into oblivion to release a 
green orb to heal Dante.

You can use the floating platforms to get into range to attack Mundus with Sparda. 
And combo will reach him at that range, but since he destroys the platforms in 
order to get to you from time to time, it is wise not to always stay there but to 
move in and out, shooting from the back and slashing up close.

If Mundus' health is almost gone, and you can spare it, use and Untouchable and run 
up to him and slash away with Sparda to take him out quickly.

Note: This battle can be very very long, so make sure you have enough stuff to 
weather the storm. Do not use a Vital Star on Mundus' first form! If Dante is 
killed try again until you get to the second round. If Dante is killed there the 
game will restart at the second round, not the first ^_^.

_________
Trueform:

The crumbling god crawls across the floor towards Dante. His only attack left is a 
weak eyebeam, avoided by either moving back or jumping over it. 

Sparda no longer DTs, so use Alastor or Ifrit and whatever gun you wish (I still 
recommend the Handgun or the Grenadegun). If you have a full DT gauge when the 
battle starts,, use Alastor's Air Raid, or Ifrit's Inferno (if you feel brave 
enough to go up to him) to whittle his health down. He takes more damage now than 
ever before, so he should fall fairly quickly. There is a cutscene, and when the 
game resumes you will be equipped with the Handguns (if you chose something else). 
Either shoot you're your gauges build or consume a Devil Star to get the minimum 3 
gauges, then DT and shoot your gun! Voila! Mundus is history!

If you wait too long to kill Mundus with the gunshot, then he will kill Dante by 
crushing him with his ginormous bulk. (verified by several people, and I finally 
waited around for it to happen, so it is true! ^_^)

King Kaffir adds: when charging up ur DT against final mundas 2 kill 
him, hold the fire button down to instantly fill ur DT!!! i don't know 
why this happens, but it just does...
(This has happened to me too, but I thought it was a glitch. Guess 
not.)

_______________

Finishing Moves

This section details the special death animations that Dante goes through when he 
is killed with a particular move by different enemies. I believe that all enemies 
have a special death animation; some do theirs more often than others, some rarely 
do the special animation. The move that is the Finisher is listed in the Enemy 
strategy, at the end of the move's description.

To get this to happen, you have to get Dante killed by that particular move i.e. it 
must be the last thing that hits Dante, what empties his life bar, etc.

Marionettes 
Move: Neck slash.
Description: Dante falls to the ground with the marionette on top, and 
it suddenly feels like becoming a butcher. Guess who is his first piece 
of meat...

Shadow
Move: Bite and explode.
Description: the same as usual, except Dante is blown to pieces along 
with the shadow. The only thing that survives the blast is Alastor...

Beelzebub
Move: Chiropractic special.
Description: the Beelzebub teaches Dante a thing or two about 
stretching exercises. It bends Dante almost double. 

Sin Scythe
Move: Scythe twist.
Description: Get hit by the slash, and DON'T try to get loose 
From the sin scythes grip, if your health is low enough, you'll be 
lifted REALLY high up, and the sin will suck out your soul, while the 
scythe keeps slicing up your body. I guess it really is the Grim 
Reaper...

Death Scythe
Move: Scythe twist.
Description: One of the most painful looking ones yet. If this kills 
you, it tosses you in the air, keeps your helpless (and by now 
worthless) body in the air. While you're hanging out up there, it 
summons all of its scythes, who take turns to run through Dante.

Fetish
Move: Beak attack.
Description: If it kills Dante with the attack, it fries him with a 
blast of fire. Crispy...

Nobody
Move: Grab and smash.
Description: The Nobody breaks Dante's neck and swings him around like 
a rag doll, laughing maniacally all the while. Ha ha!



Frequently asked questions:

Q: How do I beat Nightmare 2/3 on (insert difficulty here)?

A: See the Nightmare section for beating him. He's the same in all difficulties,     
just has more health and you do less damage per hit.

Q: I was in the Underworld and I got bitten by this creature while I was running 
around in the tunnel. How do I beat it?

A: You don't. The creature (I don't know its name, anyone?) is designed to attack 
Dante if he stands still for too long. Your solution: Don't stand in one spot too 
long!

Q: I was attacked by tentacles in the Underworld how do I beat them?

A: As far as I know, I have been unable to actually kill the tentacles in the 
Underworld. You can knock them back so they don't attack you by using your sword, 
but the easiest way is to use Rolling Blaze so you don't have to stop as you move 
through.

Q: What is the difference between LDK and Dante/Super Dante?

A: Dante is normal Dante. Super Dante is normal Dante with an infinite DT gauge. 
LDK (also known as the Legendary Dark Knight-that's Sparda, not Batman ^_^) is 
essentially an alternate outfit for Dante, with differently named Handguns, an 
alternate version of the Alastor called the Yamato which is really the Sparda blade 
in disguise (so it's stronger than Alastor, and when LDK DTs the blade becomes 
Sparda and LDK looks like Dante's Ultimate DT) from the start of the game, and he 
has his own battle music.

______
Rumors

Q: Is there a Super LDK like Super Dante?

A: No, there isn't.

Q: I heard that you can play as Nelo Angelo. How do I do it?

A: You can't play as Nelo Angelo, so I can't tell you that.

Q: I heard that you can play as Albert Wesker (of Resident Evil 1 and CODE: 
Veronica fame) in DMC. Is that true?

A: Definitely not!

Q: Is Dante going to be in Marvel vs. Capcom 3?

A: Who knows? I don't think that Capcom has the Marvel licence anymore (I could be 
wrong), but if they did make another one I'd like to see him in it. 

Q: Who would win if Dante went up against (insert badass Marvel/DC/other brand-name 
superhero here)?

A: Er, I wouldn't know. 


______________

Credits/Thanks

Credits/Thanks for this walkthrough go to:

-Capcom for making this game

-PoisonFiy, Tim Samuelson, Daniel Bui, , Matt McQuilty, Bruce and Cher 
Hollingworth, Jeanette Rios, EvanK40767, King Kaffir, Chris Williams, Lyman 
Johnson, Dodged Bullet, and most of the experts at the DFMC boards I have been to 
for hints on beating just about all the enemies in the game.
--Painting@sol.dk for his extremely invaluable information and ideas.
-You, for reading this FAQ

-And me, for writing it ^_^

_____________________
Copyright Information

  Copyright 2001 Afolabiyi Okubanjo (Team Sky City). This FAQ and everything 
included within this file cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form (physical, 
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  Furthermore, this FAQ cannot be used by the publishers, editors, employees or 
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FAQ was created and is owned by me, Afolabiyi Okubanjo. All copyrights and 
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