Boss: Stella
The encounter with Stella (and her sister Loretta) is unique in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, as it's not a traditional fight to deplete their HP. Instead, you must utilize Charlotte's Sanctuary spell to break the curse afflicting them. This guide will walk you through the precise steps to achieve this.
Pre-Battle Preparation
Before entering the boss arena, ensure Charlotte has the Sanctuary spell equipped and leveled up as much as possible. While not strictly necessary for success, a higher-level Sanctuary will cast faster, giving you a larger window of opportunity. Also, consider equipping Jonathan with a fast-hitting weapon and Charlotte with defensive gear to help her survive while casting.
The Strategy: Cursing the Cursed
The key to this battle is understanding that only one of the sisters needs to be caught in the Sanctuary spell's radius for it to succeed. Stella is generally the more aggressive of the two, making her a prime target for this strategy.
- Positioning Charlotte: As soon as the battle begins, switch to Charlotte and immediately move her to one of the back corners of the room. The far left or far right corner is ideal. This provides her with some distance from the sisters and a relatively safe spot to begin casting.
- Initiating Sanctuary: Once Charlotte is in position, begin casting the Sanctuary spell. This spell has a significant cast time, during which Charlotte is vulnerable.
- Luring Stella with Jonathan: Switch to Jonathan. Your primary objective now is to draw Stella towards Charlotte and keep her (and Loretta) away from Charlotte while the spell charges.
- Engage Stella with quick attacks to grab her attention.
- Use Jonathan's mobility to bait Stella into following him towards Charlotte's position.
- Be mindful of Loretta's attacks, which often involve ice magic from a distance. While Stella is your main target, try to avoid taking too much damage from Loretta.
- Timing the Release: Once Stella is within range of Charlotte's casting circle (the visual indicator of the Sanctuary spell), release the spell. If Stella is caught within the glowing circle when it fully activates, the battle will end.
- Dealing with Interruptions: If Charlotte is hit while casting Sanctuary, the spell will be interrupted, and you'll have to start over. This is where Jonathan's role as a distraction is crucial. If Charlotte is repeatedly interrupted, try to be more aggressive with Jonathan in keeping Stella engaged.
Alternative Approach (If Struggling)
If you find it difficult to lure Stella effectively or keep Charlotte safe, consider a slightly more aggressive approach with Jonathan:
- Focus on damaging Stella with Jonathan's attacks, but do not try to defeat her. The goal is to keep her occupied and closer to Charlotte's casting zone.
- Use sub-weapons like the Axe or Cross for additional damage and to create space between Jonathan and the sisters.
- Don't be afraid to use healing items if Jonathan's HP gets low. Your priority is to ensure Charlotte can complete the spell.
Upon successfully casting Sanctuary on either Stella or Loretta, a cutscene will trigger, and the battle will conclude. You will then receive the Sanctuary spell as a permanent ability if you didn't already have it, and the story will progress.