Dracx/stage3

Level Details

Game	Castlevania: Dracula X
Previous level	Stage 2
Next level	Stage 4'

Safe

Notes:

• Mashing B at the start is recommended in order to land on the higher step. This could mean a bit of lock (holding B outside of a jump locks Richter in place), but it's usually better than other options.
• At 0:17, aim to boost off the fireball. If failed, the best backup might be an item crash to clear the screen from enemies (means skipping the axe knight boost in stage 4').
• At 0:31, always kill the spear knight, but wait to be at a safe distance from him and to be past the top knight's spear before starting to whip him down.
• Throw a cross at 0:46 to clear some bats and make sure they're not going to get in the way later.
• Grab the dagger.
• Fall into the first pit of the pillars screen to start Stage 4'.

Optimal

Notes:

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NEW 3-1 Route

• New Route at 0:07 takes a spike boost
• New Route at 0:16 skips waiting on the flame boost in favor of whipping them down

• At 0:26, a low backflip prevents Richter from getting stuck in the ceiling a bit.
• At 0:30, if the bottom spear knight is close enough you can boost through him. Make the top knight start attacking you by getting below him, whip to make the bottom knight whirl, then take a hit off the top knight's spear and use the iframes to get closer to the bottom knight. Once you're far left enough, either jump or backflip through him.
  • If you did this boost and you took any accidental hits during the stage, collect the meat inside the candle to the left at the end of the room.
• At 0:57, perform the Bat Boost.

[Expand]

Bat Boost

• This trick saves ~6 seconds.
• While riding the very first moving platform of the screen, make sure that Richter is facing left to make the bats spawn on the left side, and make sure that his back foot lines up with approximately the center of the moving platform. This provides the biggest pixel and frame windows for the boost later.
• Aim to stand on this pixel:

• One or a few pixels further left can still work, but the frame window for the boost itself is going to be smaller.
• At the correct frame window, perform a max height backflip (done by repressing B exactly 11 frames after initiating a neutral jump: a single frame late will result in no backflip being performed).
  • Regardless of the initial pixel or how good the bat spawn is, the backflip always has to be max height.
• Hold up on the dpad after the boost to grab onto the stairs.
• If done correctly, you'll land on the stairs and you'll be able to proceed. If missed you usually die, soz