You must kill enemies with a whip attack in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse if you want to upgrade the Fallen arcana. Arcanas are spells that cost mana, and you can upgrade them by spending Blessing points, which are earned from Works of Mercy tasks. Completing these tasks will force you to use each spell in different situations.
If you have just defeated the game’s first boss and want to upgrade the Holy Cross arcana, here’s how to perform a whip attack in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
[Ed. note: This guide uses screenshots captured from a build still in development at the time of writing.]
How to do a whip attack in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
You can use the whip you receive after defeating the Fallen, the first boss in the game, to perform whip attacks, even though it’s not a weapon. Press the command to throw it and, before it connects with the enemy, you must press the attack button. A “whip attack” is a buffed attack that Rose performs with her currently equipped weapon, by propelling herself toward the enemy if you time the commands correctly. If you take longer than required to use the second command, Rose will use a normal move followed by a jump backwards.
The time frame for landing a whip attack is short, so you must press both commands as quickly as you can. Whenever you hit a whip attack, a yellow aura covers Rose’s model and she performs a different attack animation.
While you can use a whip on any enemy, I found it easier to land whip attacks on the skeleton archers you find on the Paris Streets map. Since they are mostly standing in the same place, you have the option to measure the exact distance for the whip to hit them. Another good option is the floating spirits in the Holy Innocents’ Cemetery.
Practicing this move is important if you want to complete the Holy Cross’ Work of Mercy, which requires you to kill 10 enemies with a whip attack. However, the whip itself isn’t a weapon, but a tool that can buff your attacks with all weapons. You’ll mostly use it to either swing from anchors or pull yourself toward enemies.
Additionally, it’s important to know that this whip doesn’t count for the other tasks you must complete to upgrade the Holy Cross, such as the one where you must acquire three different whip-type weapons.