Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Catacombs of Paris: Entry, Death's First Fight and Items by Source

By Merrick Halstowe · Published: October 28, 2026 · Last updated: October 28, 2026

Short answer the Catacombs of Paris open once Rose holds the three keys from The Fallen, Joan of Arc and Medusa (IGN, RPS, Keengamer and Polygon). The area runs from the Catacomb Entrance down to Death's chamber, where a scripted fight ends with the castle rising over Paris. Rose then climbs the Collapsed Path of Orpheus to the first Ferryman wharf. Guides differ on how much damage Rose can deal to Death, on where the Whip is found and on how to divide the area into chapters. Mammon and the Circle of Greed are in the Catacombs too, as an optional return visit.

A source-by-source comparison of the Catacombs of Paris, checked October 28, 2026.

Entry: Three Keys and the Sealed Gate

IGN and RPS say the area opens after the first three bosses, and Polygon lists the same three: The Fallen, Joan of Arc and Medusa. Keengamer and MapGenie name the items as keys, one per boss. The guides use different words for them: keys (Keengamer, MapGenie, RPS Part 3), gems or gemstones (IGN, RPS Part 1) and emblems (Polygon). IGN's Cemetery page puts the sealed gate beside the Path of the Rat route, and Keengamer describes an enormous sealed gate in the sewers beyond the Sewer Reservoir. The route overview covers the three fights in stages 1 to 3.

Areas in Order

The guides list the areas in largely the same order, with the exceptions noted in C3 and C4 below. The table gives what the guides mention in each area.

Death's First Fight

The guides present this meeting as a scripted setback rather than the fight where Death is beaten, and they call his tarot card The Shadow. They differ on how much damage Rose can deal first, and RPS's own pages differ from each other.

Afterwards, IGN and Keengamer describe a cutscene in which Dracula's castle rises over Paris. RPS and IGN put Rose in the Collapsed Path of Orpheus when she wakes. Before the boss door, Keengamer and RPS both point to the last Mirror of Life, and RPS adds that two lifts lead back to it.

Death returns in Notre-Dame as a fight that can be won (Keengamer, RPS, Game Rant and GameTrek); the steps that lead there are on the movement abilities page.

What the Area Yields

No movement ability comes from a Catacombs boss in the four ability lists (Keengamer, TheGamer, GameTrek and Destructoid); see the movement abilities page. The Whip listed below is a weapon type, separate from the Arcane Whip ability (RPS and IGN treat them separately).

Mammon and the Circle of Greed

Mammon is an optional fight behind the Gate of Flesh. GameSpot's relic table, RPS, GameTrek, Keengamer, Game Rant and MapGenie each put the gate, or the Circle of Greed itself, inside the Catacombs region. Opening it takes all three Eye relics, worn at the same moment.

Rewards are the Wheel of Chaos (the Miser card) and the Ferryman's Obol (Keengamer, MapGenie and Game Rant). RPS says the gate can be reached only after all traversal abilities are in hand, when backtracking; Keengamer's chapter order places the Circle of Greed after its Library and Clock Tower chapters. The route in differs by guide: Keengamer passes the Collapsed Path, the Realm of Old Night and then the Antechamber of Sin, and GameSpot's entries for the Oozing Eye and the Ebony Claw say to enter through the rear of the cemetery area, Holy Innocents'.

Where the Catacombs End and the Next Stage Begins

The route overview treats the Death scene as stage 4 and the Ferryman, Justice District and Notre-Dame Bridge as stage 5. After the wharf, Rose goes through the Justice District sewers, the Court of Justice and the Docks to the Gate to the Stone Bridge, then on to Isaac at the castle (Keengamer, RPS and IGN).

Where Guides Differ

Each row lines up the guides' own descriptions of the same point.

Related Pages

• Walkthrough: the stage-by-stage route page, with its list of conflicts between guides
• Bosses in Belmont's Curse: boss-by-boss comparison
• Movement abilities: where each ability comes from
• Tips: short answers on fast travel and secrets
• Beginner guide: first steps in Paris
• FAQ: short answers

Update Log

Source Dates

Dates are copied from each page as displayed, in the origin site's own time zone where the page shows one. TheGamer, Game Rant, Screen Rant and Polygon are Valnet titles and count as one voice when judging independence.

Castlevania is a KONAMI trademark. This is an unofficial fan reference compiled from the cited publications; corrections are welcome through the site's contact page.