Much like its spiritual predecessor Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night features multiple endings—including a very bad one if you rush things. If you go straight to the Hall of Termination and fight Gebel the moment it becomes accessible, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. That fight triggers a bad ending, complete with a game-over screen. But it’s also a sign: you’re not done exploring. To get the good ending, and reach the true final boss, you’ll need to complete a series of key steps and acquire specific powers. This guide picks up at the Hall of Termination and walks you through everything you need to do to reach the real conclusion.
Step 1: Skip Gebel (For Now) and Head to the Cathedral
Once you unlock the Hall of Termination, don’t fight Gebel yet. Instead, head back to the Cathedral and go to the bell tower just left of the fast travel room. You’ll need the Reflector Ray, which you should already have if you’ve gotten this far (obtained via the train sequence and secret alchemy lab). Use it to bounce between mirrors and reach the upper levels of the Cathedral.
At the top, you’ll encounter a boss: Bloodless, a vampire who’s surprisingly aggressive and difficult. She deals high damage, has many varied attacks, and—halfway through the fight—sucks up all the blood in the room to fully heal herself. Don’t worry, this is scripted. Power through, defeat her, and you’ll gain the Blood Steal ability.
Step 2: Use Blood Steal at the Blood Fountain
Head to the entrance to the Garden of Silence. There’s a notable room with a large blood fountain. Use Blood Steal there, and the pool will drain, revealing a path down into the Forbidden Underground Waterway.
Keep progressing through the waterway until you reach a room filled with enemies called Deeseama. These enemies drop a critical shard: Aqua Stream, which lets you swim. It’s not full underwater mobility, but it’s enough to navigate submerged paths. Equip it and continue exploring the waterway.
Eventually, this will lead you to a new area: the Hidden Desert.
Step 3: Defeat Alfred and Get the Deep Sinker
Push through the Hidden Desert, grabbing loot along the way, until you reach an elevator and a boss: Alfred. He’s chaotic but manageable. Beat him, and the blocked doorway near the elevator will open, allowing access to the Deep Sinkershard.
Deep Sinker gives you the ability to walk underwater, albeit slowly. You need this to access specific movement-based areas and shard transitions. Aqua Stream may be faster, but Deep Sinker opens doors.
Return to a particular underwater room (near the fast travel point) and use Deep Sinker to move across the floor, allowing you to use Reflector Ray from a standing position. This leads to a new zone: the Secret Sorcery Lab.
Step 4: Through the Secret Sorcery Lab to the Inferno Cave
Pass through the Secret Sorcery Lab (there’s a boss here, but no required powers are gained), and proceed into the Inferno Cave—a dangerous lava-filled zone. Enemies here hit hard, and hazards are everywhere.
Fight your way through to the boss: Ordog. He’s tricky, especially due to his positioning, but blunt weapons deal extra damage to him. Use that to your advantage. Once defeated, you’ll gain the Invert shard.
Invert allows you to flip gravity at will, flipping the entire room and opening new exploration paths. It’s a major upgrade.
Step 5: Get the Aegis Plate to Pass Spikes
You’ve likely noticed a deadly spike-filled hallway in the giant vertical shaft near the castle entrance. To survive it, you’ll need the Aegis Plate.
Head to the Tower of Twin Dragons, specifically the right tower (where you fight the boss). Use the elevator to reach the very top, and you’ll find a chest with the Aegis Plate.
Equip it, and spikes will no longer damage you. Return to the spike hallway near the entrance, use Craftwork to move the iron maiden blocking the path, and pass through to a new zone: the Oriental Sorcery Lab.
Step 6: Defeat Zangetsu (Round 2) and Acquire the Zangetsuto
Fight your second duel against Zangetsu. He’s stronger, faster, and more dangerous this time, but when you win, you’ll obtain the Zangetsuto—a katana described as the “Moon Sunderer.”
That phrase is important. It’s your next clue.
Step 7: Return to the Hall of Termination—But Don’t Kill Gebel Yet
Equip the Zangetsuto and head back to Gebel’s boss room. The fight plays out the same initially, and you’ll need to engage with him normally. But watch the environment.
As the battle progresses, you’ll notice the moon in the background turns blood red. That’s your cue.
Strike the moon with the Zangetsuto.
Doing so reveals Gremory, the true puppet master, hiding behind Gebel’s corruption. A cutscene will follow, and Gebel will be spared. Now the real endgame begins.
Step 8: Track Down Gremory in the Garden of Silence
Gremory escapes through a portal. To find her again, you must seek out another red moon. Remember that eerie room in the Garden of Silence with a very suspicious crimson moon? That’s where she went.
Return there with the Zangetsuto equipped, strike the moon just as you did before, and a portal to the endgame will open.
Final Stretch: Enter the Den of Behemoths
From here, it’s a straight shot through the final challenges of the game. Fight your way through the endgame zones, battle the final bosses, and when you emerge victorious, you’ll earn the good ending.
Conclusion
The good ending in Bloodstained is more than just a better cutscene—it’s a full extension of the story, a deeper exploration of its mechanics, and a rewarding finale to a complex journey. If you got the bad ending the first time, don’t feel bad—it’s designed to mislead you. But with the right shard progression, some environmental awareness, and a bit of patience, the path to the true ending becomes one of the most satisfying routes in the game.
Good luck. And remember: when the moon turns red, slash it.
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