Align the shaft switches vertically, descend to Talos, and use platforms as cover to beat him. In Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, the Library leads into a Clock Tower route where you must clear the main shaft before reaching the Builder. Save your health for the traps between his combat phases, too.
How do you progress through the Library toward the Clock Tower?
Explore Poetry Shelves and the Library Foyer, then continue into the Clock Tower's Eastern Access Shaft.
- In Poetry Shelves, collect the XP statue and Brave Heart Fragment, then save before continuing.
- Pick up the Star Chart clue in the Astronomer's Office. It explains the order for jumping on the planets; you can leave that puzzle for later while pursuing Talos.
- Open the chest in Rhetoric Shelves for Lich's Mark. The Library Foyer also contains a Brave Heart Fragment and an XP statue.
- Continue into Eastern Access Shaft. Explore Daedalus Crossing for the Vile Trinket and Hollow Bone chests, using the save point along the way.
- In Mechanic's Ascent, collect the Isaac Waits in the Clock Tower clue and the Halberd chest. West Tower Base contains a Wise Heart Fragment.
- Find Blueprints for the Clock Tower in Daedalus Crossing. The clue gives your next objective: clear the main shaft so the weight can smash through to the bottom.
If you are tracking chest pickups as you go, keep the relics guide handy for Lich's Mark, Vile Trinket, and Hollow Bone.
How do you solve the Clock Tower switch puzzle to reach Talos?
Leave all three shaft switches vertical, then activate the fist to break through the floor and open the descent.
The map labels this section Eastern Access Shaft. Look for the three markings around the lower part of the shaft.
Set the first switch vertically
Hit the switch until its barrier stands upright. You will temporarily need a horizontal alignment to reach another switch, so the important check is how you leave each section.
Climb to the upper switch
Turn the barrier horizontal when you need it for access, then climb past the large bird enemy to the upper switch. Collect the item there and restore the vertical alignment before leaving.
Take the left route down to the last switch
Follow the left passage all the way to the bottom and leave this switch vertical as well. Skipping it stops the fist from breaking through the final obstruction.
Activate the fist and descend
With every obstruction aligned vertically, hit the activation switch. The fist punches through the floor, letting you descend into the lower route.
How do you get past the lower Clock Tower traps to Talos?
Time your movement around the fists, wall jump from the right wall, and find the hidden passage beyond Cursed Horologium to reach Talos in Final Trap.
- Descend through the opened shaft and clear the room where enemies block your progress.
- Approach the fist obstacles to trigger their timing, then move through the opening. You can also pick up an ATK Up book on this lower route.
- At the fast platforming section, wall jump off the right wall to continue toward Talos. Use the wall for height rather than trying to clear the whole obstacle in one jump.
- At Cursed Horologium, head back right to the staircase with falling stone blocks. Jump onto the lowest block after it lands, ride it upward briefly, then whip swing to the anchor on the right, about halfway up.
- In the next section, use the floor openings to avoid blocks slamming in from the sides. Drop through an opening and grab the purple whip anchor. Pull up as the block approaches from the right, then move behind it.
- Slide against the right wall to reveal the hidden passage. Follow the traps past Builder's Secret Elevator to Final Trap, where Talos waits.
The obvious route onward from Cursed Horologium leads to the bad ending. Take the hidden passage if you are continuing toward Talos. Use the Mirror of Life and check your healing flasks before entering his arena.
How do you beat Talos in Castlevania Belmont's Curse?
Attack Talos's glowing core in short openings, use platforms to block his fire, and destroy every blue battery he throws out to stagger him.
Use the Arcane Whip anchors to cross the chamber and reach his core. A fast weapon makes it easier to stop a combo when his arms begin moving. If you prefer charged attacks, save them for the end of one of his longer animations; the weapon types guide covers your weapon options.
| Talos's attack | Your response | When to attack again |
|---|---|---|
| Rotating fire volley | Watch its direction and put a platform between you and the projectiles. | After the full volley passes. |
| Heavy punch | Stop your combo and move away using platforms or whip anchors. | Once the arm finishes its movement. |
| Falling curtain of fire | Get beneath a platform early. | After the flames disappear completely. |
| Floating yellow mines | Move outside every thin glowing blast circle. | After the mines explode. |
| Blue batteries | Destroy all the batteries to trigger a brief stagger. | Hit the core during the stagger, then retreat before the recovery punch. |
Talos has three phases, changing floors after you remove roughly a third of his total health. Follow him through the obstacle course between phases, watching the trap cycles before crossing narrow gaps. Rushing these transitions spends health before you can even resume attacking.
Later phases speed up his existing moves or make them last longer. Keep using the same counters, but expect shorter openings. Greedy combos are especially risky after a battery stagger because he retaliates with a heavy punch when he recovers.
What do you unlock after beating Talos?
Defeating Talos unlocks The Builder Arcana, the Fist of Talos spell, and Smash, which breaks obstacles marked with golden cracks.
Fist of Talos summons a giant fist that hits hardest directly beneath its impact. Its earthquake also shakes nearby enemies and can knock them off platforms.
Smash is your new traversal tool: jump, then hold the left analog stick down while pressing the controller's A jump button to plunge downward. Use it on blocks with golden cracks to open previously blocked routes. You can revisit the Cemetery and Underground Ruins, including the route to Brauner's hidden atelier, with this ability.
Before leaving, collect A Sketch From Talos and the Fists of Talos weapon in Builder's Bureau. With Smash acquired, continue to the next chapter, Circle of Greed.