******************************************************************************* Devil May Cry : Nelo Angelo Boss Guide ******************************************************************************* Author : Peter 'Shadow Lord' Collington Version : 1.00 Copyright 2004 Peter Collington This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. The use of this guide on any web site other than those listed below or as part of a public display is stricty prohibited and a violation of copyright. Sites which are currently permitted to use this guide: Gamefaqs Neoseeker ******************************************************************************* Preface ******************************************************************************* Although I have been a gamer for many years I only recently began to play games in the survival horror genre, starting witth Capcom's Devil May Cry. Like so many fans I rapidly grew to love the mixture of swordplay, martial arts and gunslinging that Dante employs. Another thing in the game which I truely loved was the thought that seems to have gone into the creation of the bosses, all of them are devious and powerful, and all of them can be beaten flawlessly, if you are good enough. Although Nightmare wins hands down the competition for most tricky boss, the bosses which can actually cause you the most hurt are Mundus, and more importantly, Nelo Angelo. Of all the DMC bosses I have seen discussed Nelo is still the boss who causes the most disagreement as to the best strategy to beat him, some swear by the Ifrit gauntlets, whilst others advocate the Sparda sword. In this FAQ I am going to try and give a guide to as many ways as possible of beating this powerful foe, in any difficulty, which method you choose is up to you. This is my first guide so please don't judge too harshly. This guide is targeted mainly at gamers who have already beaten the game once and are challenging Hard or Dante Must Die! mode. If you are stuck in your first game these techniques will still doubtless help, but be careful not to read sections that I have marked as containing spoilers. ******************************************************************************* Contents ******************************************************************************* To help you navigate this guide I have included a code after each chapter name in square brackets. In most browsers you can press Ctrl+F to bring up the find window. Type the code in to jump between the contents list and the chapter with that code. 1: Nelo's Background (Spoilers) [DMCNA01] 2: Basic Controls [DMCNA02] 3: Dante's Sword Skills [DMCNA03] 4: Dante's Martial Arts Skills [DMCNA04] 5: Devil Arm Selection [DMCNA05] 6: Firearm Selection [DMCNA06] 7: Nelo's Offence [DMCNA07] 8: Nelo's Defence [DMCNA08] 9: Status Effects [DMCNA09] 10: Shadow Swords [DMCNA10] 11: Combat Walkthrough [DMCNA11] 12: E-Mail Me [DMCNA12] 13: Closing [DMCNA13] ******************************************************************************* Nelo Angelo : The Black Knight (Contains Spoilers) [DMCNA01] ******************************************************************************* Two key questions suround Nelo Angelo: 1, Who is he? and 2, Why does he serve Mundus? Once you complete the game Nelo's identity should be more than clear, he is none other than Vergil Sparda, Dante's twin brother. Several pointers clearly tell us this. First, and clinchingly, when you finally defeat Vergil for the third and final time Mundus says "Vergil has been defeated" but there are also other clues. The earliest is the fact that Vergil's fighting style is very much like Dante's, and the sight of Dante's half of the pendant seems to confuse Vergil, preventing him from killing Dante. Also Vergil owns the second half of that same pendant, which clearly tells us that Dante's brother was named Vergil. Finally, when Vergil removes his helmet he bears a striking likeness to Sparda (In his human form). Hopefully this clinches the argument over the Black Knight's Identity. More Confusing is the question of how Vergil came to serve Mundus, whom he surely should hate as much as Dante does? My guess is this: 20 years previously Sparda had passed away, and Mundus resurected. The vengeful Emperor quickly hunted down Sparda's descendents, knowing they would be a threat to him. Mundus succeeds in capturing Dante's mother (apparently named Eva) along with Vergil. Why Dante was not captured is not stated, but Dante does say: "My mother risked her life for me" so we assume that she saved dante and was captured and killed herself. So why did Mundus kill Eva and not Vergil? There is an answer to this one, Mundus describes Eva as "That useless being". Presumably Mundus saw no value in a human woman, but a boy possessing devil powers would have been a different matter, and the commonly accepted idea is that Mundus chose to brainwash Vergil and make him his servant. I think this draws the Black Knight Enigma to a close, if anybody has a point they would like to add which I have missed feel free to let me know, my cotact details are at the end of this guide. ******************************************************************************* Basic Controls [DMCNA02] ******************************************************************************* These controls are mostly covered in the game however they all need to be mastered if you hope to beat Nelo in DMD, so check the proper uses for each technique. Move **** The left analogue stick moves Dante around. Unlike most Capcom games the stick moves Dante relative to the camera, not Dante's facing, so if you push up Dante will away from the camera rather than moving forwards. If you only move the stick slightly Dante will walk. All the way and he will run. Action ****** The X button causes Dante to interact with anything in his environment he can change or collect. Jump **** This should be self explanitory, press triangle to make Dante jump. If you are near a wall or other vertical surface press triangle again as you touch it to 'Kick Jump' off of it. You can also Kick Jump off of monsters, what could be more insulting!?! :-) Roll **** Move the left analogue stick to either side and press triangle to make Dante roll aside. This is an important evasive technique and can be used to cut down grenade reload times. Lock On ******* Hold R1 to make Dante aim at the nearest thing he doesn't like the look of! This button is needed for many specil moves and using it should become second nature. Unless you are wimping out and playin in easy you must hold R1 to use any firearm. Devil Arm ********* Press O to make Dante attack with whichever devil arm you have equiped. There are different combos and skills for different weapons, but these are covered later. You do not have to hold R1 to use devil arms but it will increase your accuracy if you do. Shoot ***** With R1 held, press Square to unleash ranged justice on your target foe. Different firearms have different properties, these are discussed later. Devil Trigger ************* This is what being half devil is really all about. With a DT enabled Devil arm equiped and at least three DT runes charged press L1 to unleash Dante's true power, which will wear off with time. Using very powerful attacks in DT mode will run Dante's power down faster. ******************************************************************************* Dante's Sword Skills [DMCNA03] ******************************************************************************* I have listed and described the sword combos and DT powers availabe to Dante, along with notes on which sword must be equipped to access the power and how to perform it. The available swords are: Force Edge, Alastor, Yamoto, and Sparda High Time (All) *************** Move the left stick towards Dante's back whilst holding R1 and tap O. Dante will do an uppercut slice which will send some enemies skyward. Sadly, this does not include Nelo, so don't try this one. 2 Hit Hight Time (All) ********************** Use the high time move but HOLD O down. Dante will jump into the air as he slices upwards. Press O again for a devestating downwards slash. Though this attack does not knock Nelo into the air (Bosses cannot be juggled) it does do good damage. Unfortunately the upwards slice tends to knock Nelo back, so only use this when he has his back to a wall, and preferably on the end of a combo. Stinger (Alastor/Yamoto/Sparda) ******************************* This is a powerful lunge and stab. There are two levels of stinger, the second has more power and travels further. This skill makes defeating Nelo MUCH easier so be sure to buy it before facing him. It is best used on the end of a combo, but a level 2 stinger can be used at a distance to knock Nelo out of an energy globe attack. 3 Hit Combo (All) ***************** Simply press O three times quickly. Dante will do two quick diagonal slashes, followed by a heavy downwards slice. 3 Hit Stinger Combo (Alastor/Yamoto/Sparda) ******************************************* Exactly the same as above but instead of the last slash use the stinger move to finish for more damage. 4 Hit Combo (All) ***************** Execute the first two slashes and then finish with a two hit high time. This is good for damage but only use it if Nelo is between you and a wall or the third hit will knock him out of reach. 5 Hit Combo (All) ***************** This needs skill. Do the first two slashes, the pause for a tiny fraction of a second, then mash O. Dante will do two downward diagonal slashes, followed by two upward reverse slashes. He will finish with a heavy downwards strike. IF you pause for too long you will do the stabbing frenzy move (below) which is not as powerfull and is easy for Nelo to block. 5 Hit Stinger Combo (Alastor/Yamoto/Sparda) ******************************************* Use the combo above, but again replace the downwards slash with a stinger. This is a very damaging and reliable combo once you learn the timing. It is the best combo to use on Nelo in most situations. 6 Hit Combo (All) ***************** Use the first four slashes of the 5 hit combo and then use a two hit high time instead of the last slash for a massive 6 hits! As wit hthe 4 hit combo, you should only use this on Nelo if he is against a wall or the strongest, last hit will miss due to knockback. Stabbing Frenzy (All) ********************* Tap circle twice and then wait for about a second, then mash circle again. Dante will do two slashes and then draw his sword back and do about eight stabbing hits, ending with a final heavy stab. Whilst this sounds like a lot, the damage from each hit is too tiny to do any real good, and Nelo will often use the long pauses in this attack to block, so avoid this one. Stinger Frenzy (Alastor/Yamoto/Sparda) ************************************** Same as above, but toss a stinger on the end for some extra damage. Still rubbish and easy to block. Avoid. Air Hike (Alasto/Yamoto) ************************ This affords the useful ability to kick jump in mid air, which is useful for dodging Nelo's slashes and very handy in dodging shadow swords. Juming over Nelo is never a good idea though. By the way, I am aware that the Sparda sword also gets this move in mission 22, however this is not relevant to defeating Nelo Angelo. Air Raid (Alastor/Yamoto)(DT Only) ********************************** Tap R1 in the air to begin flying, and press square to fire lightning from Dante's hands. This doesn't really hurt Nelo much, especially in higher difficulties, so don't bother. Vortex (Alastor/Yamoto()DT Only) ******************************** Whilst air raiding tap O repeatedly to spin at enemies. Vortex 2 lets you hold O to spin continualy. This is a very bad move to use on Nelo since he will usually just combo you out of the air. ******************************************************************************* Dante's Martial Arts Skills [DMCNA04] ******************************************************************************* The fighting style of the Ifrit gauntlets is very different to the swords so I have given these destructive gloves their own moves list. 4 Hit Combo *********** The Basic Ifrit Combo, just mash O and Dante will let fly with two punches and two kicks, hold O to charge them up. These are quite slow, but deal plently of damage, especially in DT. Magma Drive *********** Move the left stick to dantes back and use R1 and O, much like High time, but you cannot jump up. Dante will slide towards the target and lift them into the air with a flaming upper cut. Nelo is once again immune to being lifted, but this does deal some OK damage. Kick 13 ******* A flamming back rounhouse kick with a similar effect to stinger but less reach. At level two it gets more reach and power. Left stick forwards, R1 and O, as ever. This is quite fast, so use it to grab a quick hit if Nelo's guard is down. Kick 13 Frenzy (DT Only) ************************ Kick 13 in DT mode will make Dante unleash a bluringly fast combo for bigtime damage. At level two the combo is longer, more powerful and can lift some enemies. Though Nelo is still immune to being lifted the speed and stopping power of this move make it very useful. Rolling Blaze ************* As dante jumps flames surround him, making him invulnerable and damaging any enemies who touch him. This is an invaluable defensive ability which can even be used to deflect Nelo's sword and sometimes fatigue him. Be careful however since Dante is only protected as he jumps up, not as he falls back to the ground. Inferno (DT Only) ***************** The most damaging skill Dante can use, move the left stick during a jump and hit O. Dante will plung a fist into the groung and surround himself with flames, causing HUGE damage to anyone close by. The closer enemies are, the more damage they take, if you can land this next to Nelo he will really feel it. Nelo can often slash you even through the wall of flames however, so this is best used to inflict massive damage if he is taunting or fatigued. Meteor (DT Only) **************** Move the left stick back, hold R1 and press circle to see Dante let fly with huge fireballs for massive damage. Hold circle to charge them to put Nelo in a world of hurt, Meteor level two is just crazy, almost as good as inferno. They are time consuming to fire however, so plan when you fire carefuly. Several readers have reminded me of good uses for this move in fight 3 should you chose the gauntlets. Nelo can be quickly knocked out of shadow swords this way, and can be SEVERELY damaged if you open with three meteor 2 shots, and then follow up with inferno. Risky but deadly. ******************************************************************************* Devil Arm Selection [DMCNA05] ******************************************************************************* Ok, you've learned the moves (hopefully) so now it is time to prepare for the fray. First, there is the question of what devil arm to use, I have described the pros and cons of each below. Force Edge ********** There is only one excuse for using the Force Edge, and that is if you have set yourself the challenge of completing the game with only the Force Edge. If this is so I admire your guts, there is a good Force Edge guide to be found on gameFAQS. Use the strategy for the Sparda sword, but remember you won't be doing much damage at all. Alastor or Yamoto ***************** The lightning sword is the weapon of choice for the first time player, and is my reccomended weapon if you are just starting out. Try to ensure you have stinger since combos including it do good damage. Air hike gives you a big advantage in dodging, especially when you are facing shadow swords in the third round. Although the DT unique skills are not much use you will do plenty of damage in DT mode with slashes, and you can move quicker to dodge as well. Thunder sword slashes are very quick making counter blows easier to pull off and you can react to openings more efficienly than with a slower weapon. The con is that without DT you will not be hurting Nelo all that much, and will need to rely on those few DT mode moments to deal big hurt out. If you use these swords the battle will be longer, but the skills available make it easier to avoid Nelo's attacks. Ifrit ***** These are undoubtedly the best way to chop huge chunks from any boss health bar with speed. However the low speed of the gauntlets can be a major hinderance if you are not used to them so make sure you know when to attack. The rolling blaze skill is a big defensive advantage, once again shadow swords come to mind. Using the mighty inferno and meteor level 2 skills are both risky however as they leave you open to attack. In short, the gauntlets give unequaled offence, but are a defence risk, although rolling blaze does offer some compensation. Sparda ****** Obviously this is only an option to people on their second game, however it is my personal favourite for this boss. The sparda sword has most of the advantages of the Alastor/Yamoto, save increased DT speed and air hike. This means it is not quite as easy to defend, but your attacks will still be swift and counters are still easy. Also if you chose to use stinger to knock Nelo out of a move, energy ball being the obvious example, you will find the extra reach that the lance form gives a big help. The real big advantage of the Sparda is the fact that its normal attacks do as much damage as a DT attack with Alastor/Yamoto! this means you can do good solid damage all the time. Sparda inhabits the middle ground: it will not kill Nelo as fast as Ifrit but it will be much faster than Alastor/Yamoto, similarly it compromises your ability to evade, but not as much as Ifrit does. A balanced choice, plus it looks cool. :-) ******************************************************************************* Firearm Selection [DMCNE06] ******************************************************************************* None of the firearms do significant damge to Nelo, that isn't the point of this boss, however there are a couple of advantages to be gained from their use. Ebony & Ivory/Luce & Ombra ************************** The handguns are an absolute joke as far as damage goes, but they have the handy ability to suspend Dante in the air for a moment, which can mean the difference between landing safely or in the middle of a combo. Clever use of the handguns is a subtle but valuable DMC art, so I usually equip these. Shotgun ******* This is also a joke as far as Nelo is concerned, and it has no suspension either, so dont bother. Needlegun ********* No. Guess why? Grenade Gun *********** This can actually inflict a little damage, albeit tiny. This can be used to lure Nelo into making himself vulnerable with an energy ball or to lure him down from casting shadow swords. It can also be combined with ifrit combos to cause some real damage. Nightmare Beta ************** Useless. Puny. And it takes devil runes. Avoid. ******************************************************************************* Nelo's Offence [DMCNA07] ******************************************************************************* Nelo Angelo has a vast aray of moves he can use. Some are only avalable in later fights, and where this is the case I have noted it. Angelo Slash ************ Sometimes Nelo will strike with one very powerful slash. He may also slide towards Dante as he uses it. This is not to nasty, as it is not a combo, but it will still leave a mark on Dante's health bar. Nelo draws his sword back to one side before executing this move, so it is fairly easy to see comming. Angelo High Time **************** Nelo's own high time works the same way as Dante's and does huge damage. If you are above him he will often use this to knock you out of the air, especially if you jump over him. After the slash up he will either do the second, downward slash, or employ a flying kick which is the same as the Ifrit flying kick, with a big range, so don't think that you are safe at a distance either. Angelo Stinger ************** Nelo holds his sword above his head and slides towards Dante. unleashing a powerful stab. This is very nasty, but easy to see comming and to dodge. Deathblow ********* Nelo raises his charged sword back over his head untlil the tip touches the ground behind him, then brings it down in a devestating deathblow. This is very easy to see comming, knock him out of it or dodge, either way it should not cause trouble. Knockout Kick ************* At close range Nelo will hit with a heavy punch, and follow up a couple of seconds later with a kick 13. Dodge away from him and then step in to combo. 4 Hit Combo *********** This is Nelo's Ultimate Sword attack. He will usually raise his sword high above his head and charge it before using this move: this is your que to get clear. He will rapidly release his equivalent of the first four hits of Dante's 5 hit combo. If you are hit by all four blows your chances of survival are nil. Note that in the third fight he will not have to charge his sword before unleashing this devestating attack. Energy Ball *********** If you are keeping you distance, or if Nelo feels threataned with the greande gun he will charge up energy for a few seconds before throwing a ball of blue energy at you. The area this can hit you in is small so you can easily dodge behind him and unleash a combo, or use stinger to knock him out of it. He also casts these when he is floating in fight 3. Damage from them is not small so be sure to dodge. ******************************************************************************* Nelo's Defence [DMCNA08] ******************************************************************************* Nelo also has a couple of powerful defencive manouvers which keep you attacks at bay most of the time. These are: Guard ***** Nelo holds his sword point down in front of him. Any frontal attack tried when he does this will be deflected, often leaving dante open. Don't waste time. Deflect ******* Your blows are also ineffective whilst Nelo's sword is swinging, if you strike at this point your weapon will deflect his and he will not be damaged, however if you do this repeatedly he will become fatigued and a sitting duck. You need to chain more deflects to fatigue him in later fights, in the first fight one deflect will fatigue him. In fight two you will need 1 to 2 deflects in a row, in fight three you will need 3 or even 4 to fatigue him. Displacement ************ Nelo can teleport himself to other loactions through a strange displacment method. He does this most often after you land a combo to protct himself from further attack. He may also do it out of boredom. If you are too defensive in fight three he can also teleport to a position above the arena, ready to cast powerful spells. When he disappears a thin white line will briefly shoot in the direction of the location where he will appear. This can be used to spot where he will be next if you are quick. ******************************************************************************* Status Effects [DMCNA09] ******************************************************************************* Certain situations can cause bosses to enter a state which is not really offensive or defensive but can still be used to your advantage. Nelo is no exception and all of his status effects are helpful if you watch for them. Upper Guard *********** In the first two fights Nelo raises his sword above his head so that it points skyward and glows. This is a subtle hint that says "Stand back unless you want to go home in a matchbox". This is just a hint to show that he is about to use the 4 hit combo, he cant be knocked out of it so dont bother trying. Taunt : "Come Get Some!" ************************ Nelo stands with his sword lowered and beckons with his right hand. He always does this at the start of fight three and every time he changes floors in fight one, it is a chance for a free hit, although you have to be quick. If you grenade him in this stance he will retaliate with energy balls, leaving himself open. Taunt : "You Are Weak!" *********************** Nelo begins fights one and two with this taunt, and uses it after injuring you or completing a combo. He raises his sword horizontaly above his head and waves it threataningly with a deep evil laugh. This takes a long time to do, so step up there and introduce a combo to his smug face. Fatigued ******** If you can counter enough of his strikes as mentioned above, Nelo will recoil and lower his head and sword, clearly tired out. You know what to do. ******************************************************************************* Shadow Swords [DMCNA10] ******************************************************************************* One of the things that makes the third fight with Nelo Angelo so tough is his aray of shadow sword moves. When Nelo floats above the arena he can still cast energy balls but it is more likely that he will use one of a number of shadow sword summonings. The different patterns are described below. Sword Rain ********** There are lots of variants of this move, but they will all start with a ring of swords circling Dante's head. Once the swords stop moving they will all drop onto Dante. They will either fall in series, one after another, or they will all drop at once. To the best of my knowledge there is no way to tell which will happen. In addition, when the ring appears it will be getting either bigger or smaller. If it is shrinking then the swords will drop directly onto Dante in a tight circle, so you must move to dodge them. BUT if they are expanding then they will drop in a large circle and you need to stand still to avoid being hit. This means that you have to pay A LOT of attention when Nelo tries this on. And that isn't all. When the swords stop they may drop, or they may dissappear. Where did they go? They are now so far up that they are off the screen, but after a moment they will really drop. Ouch. There is a pattern to this too. If the swords were shrinking before they dissappeared they will do the opposite attack, so a small sword ring that vanishes will become a large sword ring and vice versa. You get all that? Phew... Horizontal Line *************** This is far more simple, Nelo calls a flat line of swords. They may fly at you individually or all at once. Either way just jump over them. Vertical Line ************* Same idea as above, but this is a vertical line, so run from side to side to avoid them. Sword Wall ********** A big formation of swords in front of Nelo that can always seems to fire in series. Keep moving. Blade Cloud *********** This one gets nasty. A big wide circle of swords appears around Dante, with all of the points tracking him. The Swords fire randomly, so you have to run and jump like hell to avoid them, and there always seem to be one or two left over which will linger and fire when you aren't expecting it to catch you off guard, so keep on your toes. Vertical Sword Shield ********************* Nelo summons a ring of swords around himself, with their points facing the ground. He will then drop back down and engage you with his new bodyguards, which can be destroyed by grenades or sword blows, and will wear off after a short time. Don't get to close to these or you will take big damage. Horizontal Sword Shield *********************** Same as above but the blades circle Nelo's feet, points facing out. When they wear off, they will all shoot away from him, so jump quick! Stay well away when Nelo uses this. The best way to deal with Nelo's swords is not to let him cast them in the first place, so as soon as he moves above the arena get underneath him to lure him back down. Interestingly, if you manage to destroy a shadow sword whilst Nelo's health is red then he takes damage! Lastly, if a sword formation is comming and you know you can't dodge it then use a holy water. Remember that whilst Dante uses the water he is invulnerable, and the sword attack will not harm him, you can get away with a couple of holy waters in DMD and hard without losing your S rank. ******************************************************************************* Combat Walkthrough [DMCNA11] ******************************************************************************* Now that you know what Nelo Angelo has in store for you, all that remains is to look at the arenas and the general strategies for each fight. Battle I : The Black Knight *************************** This battle is set in the little garden and balcony area outside the tower bedroom. There are three floors here, and every time Nelo looses a third of his health he will flee to the next floor up, beconing you to follow. This can be used to your advantage since you can stand safely below him each time he moves and taunt to refill your DT. When you do follow him, watch not to jump right into his blade! Here is the way things generaly go: Nelo starts out taunting so immediately DT if you can and then lay in with a sword or gauntlet combo for some easy damage. He may now stop and try a combo but he usually teleports away and charges an energy ball. Run over and combo him again. If he does stop to fight simply dodge his combo and lay into him again. The most threatening combos he has are Angelo High Time and his 4 Hit combo, and he does not make much use of either this time round, if he choses to use the 4 hit combo you will have plenty of warning as he will use 'upper guard' first. Keep dodging combos and countering energy balls untill he moves to level two. There is a little less space here but the technique doesn't change. You can risk jumping over him now if needed since he makes little use of Angelo High Time. When the fight moves to the final tier he will rely less on energy balls and more on combos, but nothing else is new. The camera can be awkward up here so make sure you can always see Nelo. It shouldn't take long to finish this fight from here. Battle II : Fate **************** This arena can be quite confusing first time, so I suggest that you have a look round and get your bearings before getting the chalace. There are no breathers this time round so you will have to work harder for longer, but there are two green orbs to help, one above and one below the chalace. Be careful of vengeful energy balls and High Times if you go after them though. Here is how things generally go: Once again Nelo's taunting awards you a free combo, so once again DT and hand him some manners. From then on things are much the same as before, but you will see much more of stinger, which should be a joke, and 4 hit combo, which isn't. Fortunately you still have upper guard to warn of an impending combo. Nelo is MUCH more ready to use Angelo High Time, especially if you flee to the balconies in search of a green orb, so get the one in the fountain at the bottom first. Nelo is still fairly sedate on the whole but you will certainly see more variety in his attacks, and things will be far more prolonged, so make use of DT whenever you need. Remember that in easier difficulties you can break his guard with DT slashes, if you are desparate. Battle III : Parted Momento *************************** The final arena is fairly simple, the only things of note are the stairs which can be used to avoid some of Nelo's attacks, and the areas at either end of the hall where Nelo will float to cast shadow swords. There are no green orbs this time and Nelo is not holding back. Before the fight he will remove his helmet and activate his own devil trigger, a single hit will cost you half a health bar in hard and DMD so there is no room for mistakes. Here is how things generally go: Nelo will be a fair distance away this time and will beckon you. If you toss him a grenade he will almost always retaliate with an energy ball, so do this and use his charge time to get close and start a combo, preferably in DT. You should now be standing near the window so when he teleports he is unlikely to go for shadow swords just yet, and will probably move to the middle of the hall. Use the usual method of dodging his sword and attacking as he taunts, beware as he will no longer give any warning of his 4 hit combo, and if all four hits connect you are dead. Never risk jumping over him unless he is charging an energy ball as you will see a lot more of Angelo High Time. After you have gone through the normal routine a couple of times Nelo will usually teleport to one of the two sword casting locations above the arena, and he will do this out of boredom if you leave him alone so try to stay on the offensive. The key is not to let him get many shadow swords off in the first place, so move underneath him as fast as you can, and as soon as his current shadow sword attack ends he will always drop down. Be careful as this puts you up close to Nelo without much room to dodge, so once he comes down jump quickly out of his way. Remember to refer to the 'Shadow Swords' section to learn how to dodge all of the possible sword patterns. Once Nelo is back on earth it is business as usual, but remember that you cannot afford to be hit at all, and trying to fatigue him is best avoided as it will take up to four (!) deflected blows to do this. Several readers have written to me to remind me of a detail that I have missed, which may help the pyromaniacs among you. If using the ifrit gauntlets, try to start the fight with full DT. DT immediately and start throwing meteor 2 shots Nelo will have little choice but to attack head on, ad will charge, reaching you in the time it takes to fire 3 times. After the third shot jump and land an inferno on his head. This little manouvere will cost Nelo considerable ammounts of health and dignity. Also, remember that meteor 2 is an excellent means of detering shadow swords. That's about all the advice I can give for now, good luck devil hunter! ******************************************************************************* E-Mail Me [DMCNA11] ******************************************************************************* As I mentioned this is my first guide, so I will be very surprised if there is nothing I have missed, please feel free to send questions, comments and additions to: shadowpjdc@hotmail.com Please make the subject line something allong the lines of 'Nelo Angelo FAQ' so that your E-mail doen't accidentally get deleted as spam. Also, don't bother to send insults or questions that are answered in this guide, you will just get deleted and blocked. Many thanks Shadow Lord ******************************************************************************* Closing [DMCNA12] ******************************************************************************* So thats it till next time, I doubt that this is the final version of this FAQ so comments and aditions are still welcome, and you will be credited if you raise something I have missed. The vesion history is below if it interests you: Version 1.10 ************ Added additional details on the use of Ifrit gauntlets. Thanks to everyone who wrote to me about this. It looks as though DMC 3 is going to expand on Nelo's story a great deal, so I am looking forward to updating the background section once I get the game. Version 1.00 ************ First Version, all basic stuff added, there may be a version with more details for weapon specfic strategies comming, so watch this space. Copyright 2004 Peter Collington Only to be displayed on GameFAQS