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Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course isn't content simply providing you with a whole host of new bosses, weapons, and charms. No, they made sure to include a secret boss and tether them to a unique charm. And, in typical Cuphead fashion, none of it is a walk in the park. Intriguing, no?
But how do you unlock them? And when you do, how do you defeat this difficult duo? And hey, what is your reward for accomplishing all of it? Well, this guide will succinctly answer any, and all, of your hidden boss and secret charm questions. Just consult the Table of Contents below!
Updated August 4, 2022 We've updated this article to include a handy video guide, as well as expanding upon the information on the Cursed Relic and Divine Relic to provide a better understanding of how to break the curse of the Cursed Relic. We will also delve a little more deeply into the Divine Relic and what it is good for.
How To Unlock The Angel And Devil Secret Boss
This puzzle is easy as pie to unlock. First thing's first, you need to buy the Broken Relic from Porkrind's shop (it costs a single coin). Now, you simply need to interact with three of the tombstones in the correct order. Unfortunately, we cannot give you the code, as it is seemingly randomized.
However, we can tell you how to get the code. Approach the three characters on the podiums to the north of the graveyard. When you talk to them, they will all have directions hidden inside their dialogue. So, the only thing you need to do is to match those directions with their place on the podium.
As an example, if the first place winner says that he "Left 'em in the dust". That translates to the first tombstone you interact with being the center-left tombstone. Maybe the racer who finished second will mention that they are "an upright citizen", which would mean that the second tombstone you would interact with would be the top-right tombstone. You get the idea. Once again, these are only examples; your solution will be different.
Recommended Loadout
This one is cut and dry. You will want to have the Chaser as your primary weapon. This way you can worry about dodging projectiles and not about hitting your target. You will want the Smoke Bomb as your charm as having the Smoke Bomb equipped will allow you to dash through the pillars of fire. As for your super, you are going to want to use Super 1. The beam super will almost certainly end the battle the second you are able to pop it and will hit from the other side of the screen.
How To Defeat The Angel And Devil Secret Boss
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The Angel And Devil's Attacks |
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Storm Cloud |
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This cloud travels from side to side across the arena. The cloud has a similar duality to it that you see with the Angel and Demon fight itself. You can stand on top of it, and you will be unharmed, but if it passes over you, it will cause damage. |
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Pillar Of Fire |
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This pillar of fire will travel from one end of the arena to the other. It is only avoidable by either using an invincible dash to move through it or by turning your back to it in order to make the fire pillar turn into a harmless ray of light. |
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Fireball |
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These fireballs come in bunches, and they track to where you were when they were fired off by the devil. |
The boss battle itself is extraordinarily unique. It is all one phase, so what you see is what you get. It also has an Ikaruga-esque element to it. You will always face the devil, and the devil is the only one who will deal damage. The angel is always facing your back, and everything the angel does is utterly benign. So, any time you turn, you will instantly swap the devil and angel. This is pretty brutal, as a lot of dodging tends to feature shifting left and right so that you can get an ideal angle.
However, if you try to do that here, just as you adjust left there is a good chance you will walk straight into a projectile; a projectile that had previously been harmless (but now very much causes harm). There is also a storm cloud that travels across the screen which you need to hop on top of, or you will take damage as it passes over you. It is a lot to keep track of.
Thankfully, if you play your cards right, there is no need to ever turn around, allowing you to essentially bypass the entire mechanic of this fight. The first step is you need to absolutely make sure that you have the Smoke Bomb charm equipped. For your weapon, you are going to use the good ol' standby for zero aiming: the Chaser gun.
Face the devil and hold the fire button. Whenever the storm cloud approaches, hop on top of it, and hop up again as it reverses course and moves away (leaving you right where you started). You are going to want to stick to the left side of the screen. When the beam of fire comes your way, jump and dash through it. Then, jump up and hop on the cloud, and allow it to bring it back to the other side (without ever turning around). When a fireball projectile comes your way, hop over it.
Since you are on the far-left side of the screen, you should be at an angle that lets you jump right over these fireballs. If you are frequently jumping, many of these fireballs will go over your head, as they track to where you were when they were fired. There will be parriable pink fireballs as well. These are great for giving you a little extra distance on your jump and helping you build your super bar. However, you do not need to get three parries in this fight, as there is no grading.
That's right. This fight does not act as a conventional boss battle. You will not be graded at the end of combat. So, don't worry about taking a little damage here and there, or getting three parries. None of that matters! You just need to get the W.
Beating The Angel And Devil With Ms. Chalice
We are adding this section just for the sake of being thorough. Ms. Chalice's loadout will be the same as Cuphead's. Though, obviously, if you are using Ms. Chalice, you can't equip the Smoke Bomb. So, instead, you will have to use her invincible roll to pass through the pillar of fire. Dodging the fireballs will become even easier, as she has such excellent mobility in the air. On top of all of that, you get another hit point. The only slight disadvantage is that her dash parry isn't going to be quite as useful as the standard parry for dealing with the fireballs, but her better mobility more than makes up for that.
What Does The Cursed Relic Do?
Well, you have done it. You solved the puzzle and you have beaten the secret boss. So, what is your incredible prize? A harder difficulty, of course! The Broken Relic charm becomes the Cursed Relic. And when you equip this relic, you will have your health reduced to a single hit point. Worse yet, you will have your weapons switched on you whenever you dash, parry, or stop firing. But worry not, you can turn the Cursed Relic into the Divine Relic. You just need to beat bosses while having the relic equipped to make this transformation happen. How many bosses? Well, that is the tricky part: it depends.
You see, you need to, essentially, level the Cursed Relic up. Every boss will provide a different amount of experience depending on which island they inhabit. So, the bosses on the first island will provide the least amount of experience, while the bosses featured in the Delicious Last Course will provide the most experience of all the regular bosses. Saltbaker, King Dice, and Satan will reward you with the most EXP of all the bosses in the game. As you level up your Cursed Relic, the icon will change (as shown in the image above).
However, no matter what order you face the bosses in, you will never have to beat more than 8 of them, even if you pursue the easiest ones. One thing to keep in mind is that the weapon swapping is substantially less of a problem in the side-scrolling shooter levels (as there are only two available weapons in these stages).
It is also worth noting that as you level up the cursed relic, it will start to give you more beneficial effects. You can parry to gain hearts (the more the eye has progressed, the fewer parries you will need to gain the hearts), your super meter will passively charge, and you will randomly get a smoke bomb dash. As the eye on the Cursed Relic opens more, the positive effects will become more potent. The relic has five phases in total.
We recommend you start by taking out the first bosses in the game. The Root Pack and Goopy La Grande are particularly easy to beat if you have a good feel for the game, so we suggest that you at least beat those two first. That way you will start to level up your Cursed Relic quicker, and you will improve the positive aspects, making it easier to use against tougher opponents. But of course, if you find any given boss particularly easy, they are a good target here.
What Does The Divine Relic Do?
Once you have removed the curse you will be the proud owner of the Divine Relic. While it is still greatly hindered by the weapon switching element, it does come packing the effects of The Coffee, The Axe, The Smoke Bomb, and the Heart Ring. That's right, you get to have all four of those charms equipped at once with the Divine Relic.
While it is a big tossup on whether it is worth using in the traditional boss fights, we can say without question that it is the best charm for the side-scrolling shooter missions. The randomized weapon element here barely has an effect. Instead, it essentially just changes the way you switch between your two weapons. So, if you are struggling with any of those, the Divine Relic is a bit of a no-brainer.