Lesser Demon, Ctulhu.

Guide to defeating Lesser Demons and Cthulhu in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Learn strategies for the Alchemist Laboratory and Inverted Castle areas.

You will enter the Alchemist Laboratory after passing through the red door, leaving the Royal Chapel behind. Ahead, you'll find a familiar hallway leading to a greenish door. This door requires the JEWEL OF OPEN relic, which you should already possess.

The next room is a long vertical one. To your left, you'll see the boss room where Slogra and Gaibon were fought. There is another boss in this room, but we will bypass it for now. Ascend the room, similar to returning to the Normal Castle's starting area. You will encounter two Salem Witches, each taking about four hits to defeat. These spellcasters hurl fireballs, but their attack has a noticeable charge-up time, allowing for efficient dispatch.

A save room is located on the top right. Your objective is to exit this room through the door on the top left.

The subsequent room presents a challenge with Gremlins that leave trails of fire and nearly invisible Bitterflys. Patience is key to spotting the Bitterflys. In this room, on the left side, you'll find a Salem Witch and a path below her. Take this lower path first before heading to the top left route.

This lower path leads to a dead-end where you can break open a globe to obtain a Life Max Up. Return to the previous room and proceed left from where the Salem Witch appeared.

This next room is empty. Navigate the platforms and exit through the door on the top left.

This room is similar to the last, featuring two Salem Witches and a Gremlin. Focus on one enemy at a time. At the top of the room, before exiting, you'll find two hidden rooms behind breakable walls. The top right wall conceals a Heart Max Up, and the center top breakable wall opens to a room where breaking the glass on a table yields a Katana. The Katana increases damage but is a two-handed weapon, leaving you vulnerable without a shield. Exit this secret room and proceed to the next room via the door on the left.

Enter this room and drop down to the pathway below. You will encounter a Fire Demon, a slow but powerful enemy that is relatively easy to defeat and avoid. This pathway ends at a table with a High Potion in a glass. After collecting it, leave the room, ascend, and head left.

You'll encounter another Fire Demon and several Lesser Demons (4-6). While you can fight them, using the Mist form to escape is also an option. Battling Lesser Demons is tricky due to collision damage; each requires 5-6 hits. Take the bottom left doorway below the save room. This room previously required hitting a cannon to break a barricade and yielded the basilard sword. The room beyond this housed an elevator, now replaced by Imps. Drop down and hug the right corner, or use Mist form, to land on a ledge halfway down. Here, you will obtain the Goddess Shield, which has no special effect on its own but is used with the Shield Rod. Return to the room with the Lesser Demons and ascend to the Save Room.

After saving, exit the Save Room and use the platforms to reach the top right side of the room. Here, you will encounter two Lesser Demons and a Cthulhu. A Manna Prism can be found in the glass on the table. Exit this room through the top left pathway.

In the next room, you will face more Lesser Demons and Cthulhu. The glass on the right contains a Resist Dark consumable. Exit through the red door on the left to enter the Inverted Castle Beginning.