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Devil May Cry S Rank Walkthrough/FAQ
  Version 1.0
 Written by John Combs
  johncombs@integrityonline30.com

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-= Basic Outline =- [ Just for Kicks ]
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I.   Intro
II.  S Rank Walkthrough
III. Boss Strategy
IV.  S Rank Requirements Chart
V.   Miscellany
VI.  Closing

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-= Intro =- [ Important Stuff ]
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You may wonder why I made this FAQ.  I put this together simply because nobody
else has done anything like it yet (that I'm aware of).  I can remember playing
through Devil May Cry the second time trying to get the best ranks possible.
I looked at various Walkthroughs for assistance, and I was surprised to find
that nobody had created one explaining how to get an S Rank for all the
missions. Sure, there were charts, but they weren't incredibly helpful.  It's
one thing to know what to do, and it's another thing to know HOW to do it.
That's basically why I'm here. This FAQ will go in-depth and tell you how
to get an S Rank on EVERY mission, including the time, orbs, and Secret
Missions to shoot for.  I'll even tell you what stuff you absolutely need
to buy.

This FAQ applies to the NORMAL difficulty of the U.S. version of Devil May
Cry. I'm writing this FAQ with the assumption that you already know the
gameplay basics, have beaten the game at least once, and you're an obsessed
freak who wants to improve your rank on every mission for whatever reason.
I'm not throwing in an explanation of weapons, items, abilities, or other
things you should already know.  I'm not here to waste your time, but to
present solid strategy.  I do include Boss Strategies because the way you
perform against them effects your rating.

This FAQ documents what I did to get an S Rank on every mission.  I'm not
saying that my way is the only way or the best way, even...I'm just explaining
what works for me.  If you have any legitimate discrepancies, send me an e-mail.
Read Miscellany for additional information.

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S Rank Walkthrough [ It Begins ]
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________________________________________

-= Mission 1 =- [ Evil Puppets and You ]
________________________________________

Start off the game running like a madman.  Don't even bother grabbing the
yellow orb next to the statue on the left-- you won't need it.  Ever. As soon
as Dante runs under the small bridge and just past it, perform a Kick Jump
off it so that you land in the small tower.  Jump straight up to grab the
blue orb piece.  Then run inside the castle.

Now the real mission begins.  Grab all the red orbs scattered throughout the
Great Hall as quickly as possible.  Make sure to get the blue orb piece by
jumping off the dead-end section of the staircase and performing a Kick Jump
onto the landing.  Exchange your 45 orbs, go into the next room, slash the
suits of armor, collect 5 red orbs and a blue one.  Once you're in the adjacent
room, smash the two tables and collect the orbs.  Head up the staircase and
enter the door on Dante's right.  Jump into the pool on his left and get the
blue orb.  Your life capacity should increase by a small percentage.

In the next room, smash the weapon holder next to the marionette and then
smash the armor on the right wall halfway down the room.  The camera will
focus on the hole in the ceiling, as if you haven't noticed it yet.  Go through
it to the floor above.  You will see a Bloody Mari holding a key.  Press [X]
to take it.  Try to turn around and run, and you'll be treated to a happy
little cutscene, which I tend to skip by pressing [SELECT].  The red
marionette will be joined by a festive green one.  I know you're just itching
to kill both, but you have better things to do now.

Run like a madman all the way back to the Great Hall and go through the bluish
door.  Jump onto the airplane in this room.  A blue orb rests on the right
wing.  Once you grab it, stand directly over the propeller and press
[triangle].  You land right on top of the propeller and collect forty red
orbs.  Take the funky elevator down to the arena.

This is where the fun begins.  There's a fairly easy way to handle all the
puppets in the room.  The ones that fall from the ceiling?  Just pull off
the same sword combo again and again-- tap [O] twice, pause briefly, then
press [O] three more times.  Works like a charm.  After those Marionettes
are finished, the three compartments will open, revealing more of our old
pals.  Head to one of the side alcoves and perform the same sword combo.  Repeat,
repeat, repeat.  Try to pick 'em apart one by one.  If it sounds like one
is about to throw blades at you, use common sense-- jump or roll.

If you're lucky, none of the puppets will be carrying around a shotgun (which
is plain disturbing).  Better yet, perhaps none of them will be a Bloody Mari.
If one is wearing red clothes, save it for last.  They are the hardest to
kill and can parry your regular sword attacks.  The best thing you can do
here is knock the puppet skyward and pump it full of bullets until it's dead,
then move on.

Head back upstairs.  Looks like Dante has some more work to do.  Just use
that sword combo that I mentioned above like crazy.  They'll drop like flies.
There's a Bloody Mari among the puppets-- save it for last, knock it in the
air, and blast it.  Head for the exit.

This is one of the hardest levels to get an S Rank on.  It requires both speed
and efficiency with little room for errors.  The time to shoot for is 5:24,
you need 244 orbs, and you should only receive minor damage (about 10%).
________________________________________

-= Mission 2 =- [ Meet the Death Judge ]
________________________________________

Don't buy anything before this mission.  When it begins, head for the Time
room near you.  Break the two tables to reveal some red orbs as well as the
only blue orb in the mission.  Run all the way to the end of the hall.  Ignore
any puppets that fall from the ceiling.  Go through the whole Alastor
experience, then go into the library.  Hit the table nearest you to collect
some red orbs.  Jump onto the walkway above, collect the key in the painting,
grab the Shotgun, then travel to the courtyard with the fountain.  You'll
see some Marionettes lying around-- cut up two of them to get a head start
on your new Devil Trigger.  Then enter the room on the second floor, slash
the puppets like crazy (it's obviously a good idea to go Devil), and hit the
statue to reveal the hidden passage.  Grab the Staff of Judgment, go through
the now-available secret passage, then head for the exit.

You'll see a cutscene showing some Sin Scissors when Dante tries to open the
door.  Equip your shotgun if you already haven't, then give 'em two or three
generous blasts to the face.  They go down pretty easily. Exit the room.  Kill
the baby spiders if you feel the urge, then hand the Death god his plaything.
The mission is now over.

The key to this mission is *not losing any health* at all.  This may take
a couple of tries, but it's quite feasible.  Just avoid most of the Marionettes
and use the Devil Trigger when you have a chance.  You need to complete the
mission in 3:52 and collect 183 red orbs.
____________________________________________

-= Mission 3 =- [ Fight a &%#@ Huge Spider ]
____________________________________________

Before the mission actually begins, indulge yourself. Buy Air Raid, Stinger1,
and a purple orb.  All of these are vital to getting an S Rank.  You should
have more than enough orbs to buy them.

As soon as the mission starts, run to the door on your right.  You might be
scratching your head and wondering why you shouldn't waltz up to the altar,
but the same thing will happen if you try to go right out the door, plus you'll
save a bit of time.  Once you're on the bridge, equip the shotgun and go Devil
if your Trigger is available (you can run much faster this way).  Collect
the red orbs on the end of the bridge, read the nice little tablet, then try
to head back.

Once the bridge collapses and you're on the ocean floor, head toward the
middle of the clearing.  Some Sargassos will pop up.  The quickest way to
deal with them is a Shotgun blast, then Stinger.  Make a nice little circle
around the area doing that, and they shouldn't give you much trouble.  Once
you're up on the bridge again, turn around and go back to get the blue orb
in front of the tablet.  I suggest you use Air Raid and fly over there.  Once
you have it, go ahead and purposely jump in the water.  Why?  We need to fill
up that Devil Trigger.  Kill all the enemies, go back to the bridge, yadda
yadda.  Before you enter the Cathedral, jump on the ledge above the door.
You will be treated to many red orbs.  Then face away from the door and perform
a Stinger...you should land on a floating ledge with a blue orb piece on it.
Now go inside.

You ought to know the drill here.  As soon as Phantom pops up, go Devil and
Air Raid him like there's no tomorrow.  After Phantom is dead, you need to
make a decision: either head for the exit, or go for the first Secret Mission.
I prefer to go for the Secret Mission because it's another quarter blue orb
in the pocket. However, it's a pain in the butt.  If you screw up, you may
have to start the mission all over again and defeat Phantom once more.  You
can still get an S Ranking either way.  If you skip the secret mission, you
need to finish in 4:23 and grab 592 red orbs.  Otherwise, you can finish in
5:43 and gain 652 orbs.  Try to limit damage to 15-20%.
__________________________________________________________

-= Mission 4 =- [ Kill a bunch of Baby Spiders...and Nelo ]
__________________________________________________________

Don't buy anything before this mission.  As soon as it begins, equip the
handguns and run back inside the Cathedral.  Beat the Secret Mission there,
using the Devil Trigger if possible.  Leave as soon as the objective is
complete.  When you try to run past the door leading to the courtyard, Phantom
will appear for another round.  However, you have better things to do, so
hit the door ASAP.  Then go back inside.  Phantom gone, problem solved.  You
can be greedy and use Air Raid to kill him if you want,but I chose not to.
Go to the Time room at the end of the hall and complete another Secret Mission.
When that's said and done, head for the courtyard.

You see the fountain?  Try to land right on top of it.  Run to the edge of
the ring of steps around it and jump.  About 40 red orbs will fall from the
sky.  Press [X] near the lion statue, then hit it three times to conjure a
Shadow.  Roll away from him ASAP, then shoot him with your handguns.  Once
his orb is revealed, use Stinger until he turns red.  Be extra cautious and
continue to shoot until he explodes.

Note that you can go on another thrilling Secret Mission escapade after
killing the Shadow if you so desire.  It involves fighting three Shadows at
once, and you WILL be abused.  I choose to skip this mainly because of the
time and damage factor.  Trust me, it's really not worth it.  Instead, head
inside.

Once you're inside, jump directly down to the area at the bottom and take
the elevator to the top.  Don't waste your time with any of the Marionettes
here.  Once you're inside the comfy bedroom, plunge the sword into the statue.
You'll see a happy cutscene.  Before you head outside, jump on top of the
bed and take the red orbs.  It's important that you do this AFTER the cutscene
because you'll receive more of them this way.  Then pay a little visit to
the Time god.  Purchase a purple orb and go outside.

When you're outside, make a 180o turn and perform a Kick Jump off the wall.
You'll be on a higher floor now.  See that blue orb in the small tower to
Dante's left?  It's time to get it.  However, you need to do a Kick Jump off
the large tower across from the smaller one.  It's difficult to see it well
from that camera angle, but it's there.  Once you're on top, you will be
blessed with a multitude of red orbs.  Then perform Air Raid and fly to the
smaller tower (don't forget to nab the Untouchable on the larger tower).  If
you couldn't successfully jump to the larger tower, the Boss fight will begin.
Go ahead and fight Nelo Angelo because you can get the blue orb in the next
mission anyway.  Nelo Angelo really is a pushover, and you should get past
him with no trouble.  Read the Boss Strategy section for details.  Try to
complete the mission in 5:51 and grab 344 red orbs.
There are plenty of hidden red orbs, so time is your primary concern.

___________________________________________________

-= Mission 5 =- [ Get Rid of the Melancholy Thing ]
___________________________________________________

This is probably the easiest mission in the game.  You can totally screw up
and still get an 'S' Rating, which is exactly what I did.  Dodge the Shadow
ASAP, then take care of him.  Nab that blue orb in the tower if you couldn't
in the previous mission.  Don't worry, you have plenty of time.  Once you
go back inside, jump down to the area at the bottom.  Press [X] while you
stand in front of the lion door.  Mission over.  Surprisingly, you can take
nearly three minutes, lose most of your health, and still pull off an S Rank.
I managed to collect 117 red orbs because I jumped onto the large tower in
order to get the blue orb piece.
______________________________________________

-= Mission 6 =- [ Sewer Time is a Happy Time ]
______________________________________________

This is another easy mission.  Run to your right and jump to grab the blue
orb.  Then equip the Shotgun and head into the Pipe Room.  After you get the
key, you'll see a cutscene where all sorts of Beelzebubs crawl out from the
woodwork.  Go Devil and Air Raid or fire the shotgun like there's no tomorrow.
Once that's over with, head outside and into the small passage leading to
the orb statue.  Hit it until it breaks.  Then head to the bluish door at
the end of the tunnel and exit.

Run to the end of this passage and you'll meet an unexpected visitor.  Shoot
the Death Scissors in the face with the shotgun, perform Air Raid, dodge his
Corkscrew Flying Scissors Attack.  Beat the mission in 4:14, collect 255 red
orbs, and try not to lose more than 20% health.
_____________________________

-= Mission 7 =- [ Run Away! ]
_____________________________

This mission is very easy, but there's a couple of things you can do to make
it harder as well as increase your red orb collection.  Buy a purple orb before
the mission begins.  When Dante heads down the sewer path, his old pal will
show up.  You *could* run like a little girl again, but it's much more
profitable to fight this time.  Go Devil and Air Raid.  Phantom will croak
before you know it.  Grab the red orbs and leave.

Now it's time for a Super Happy Secret Mission.  This one is a pain in the
butt (small wonder), and it may require some resetting.  But, I suppose, since
you've already skipped Secret Mission number 4, you can go ahead and skip
this one too because there's no way you could get full health until you play
through the game again.  So, do whatever.  I was fortunately able to beat
this one on the first try.

After that's taken care of, you're practically home free.  Rid yourself of
the annoying Sin Scythes by using the mighty Shotgun.  As soon as you exit,
take the elevator to the top.  Ignore the bugs.  Mission complete. This is
one of the few missions where you can get mauled and still be in good shape.
It took me 3:07 to beat it, and I salvaged 705 red orbs.  Try not to lose
more than 40-50% of your life.
_________________________________________

-= Mission 8 =- [ Kill Phantom...Again. ]
_________________________________________

Fun times.  Buy 3 blue orbs before the mission begins.  Grab the two huge
red orbs in the weird room with the wacky music and head outside.  Once you
try to leave through the opening, Phantom will show up for the fortieth time.
This fight with Phantom is a bit different, so read the Boss Strategy section.
Your Devil Gauge will fill to capacity once he dies, which is a good thing.

Once that unfortunate incident is over, go through the opening.  You'll see
a whole area below you, but don't jump down just yet.  Instead, perform a
Stinger...you should land right on top of the blue orb.  You *could* jump
onto one of the horses to get it, but the Stinger method is more reliable.
Grab the Trident, then go to the right side of the area and jump on the small
stand.  Red orbs will come from the sky.  Now go down below.

Go through the whole bridge lowering process and make sure to pick up the
Grenade Launcher.  It MIGHT come in handy later. Now all you need to do is
put the Trident in its rightful place, then run like crazy (while in Devil
mode) to the exit.  Before you leave, remember to jump into the pool on the
right for a blue orb piece.  Complete this stage in 2:48, gain 565 red orbs,
and try not to get maimed by Phantom.  An S Rank is your reward.
____________________________________

-= Mission 9 =- [ Curiously Strong ]
____________________________________

Run straight ahead until you encounter the tombstone area.  You can jump on
the first and third pillars on the left or the third pillar on the right to
grab some hidden red orbs.  Go ahead and get the Devil Star lying behind the
tall tombstone in the middle.

Once you leave this area, you will be greeted by three Blades.  Arm your
Grenadegun if you haven't already.  Shoot like a madman until your Devil
Trigger is up an running, then Air Raid them to death.  Head to the path
on Dante's left.  Hit the tombstone to reveal a blue orb piece.  Go into the
Coliseum.

Go to Dante's left and nab the Devil Star resting on the platform.  You may
be wondering why I'm telling you to store up on these Devil Stars.  Just shut
up for now.  You'll thank me later...

Anyway, jump on those oh-so-tricky floating platforms to obtain Ifrit.  Then
head outside.  Looks like Griffon is waiting for you.  Just leave him be and
head for the door.  Punch the side without a fire, and the door will open.
You'll have to dodge a couple of Griffon's lightning attacks.  If you want
to be greedy again, hit Griffon with a flurry of grenades and Air Raid.  It's
your choice.

Now you're in a quiet wooded area.  Head for the door.  Uh-oh! (Mock surprise)
Looks like you have company.  Equip yourself with Alastor, then introduce
everyone to the Grenadegun.  Perform Air Raid to wipe out the puppets.  There's
a tree stump near the exit you can jump on to grab some convenient orbs.  (You
can also jump on a nearby tree branch and a high platform against the wall
to find more, but that's not necessary.) Once you're in the next area, go
to Dante's right.  Jump onto the higher platform, then destroy the orb statue.
Run to the other end of the area and smash the tombstone.  Untouchable is
yours.  Find the door and trade in a psychotic 200 red orbs to complete the
mission.

The key here is to not lose any life whatsoever.  This isn't too difficult,
however, because our good friend Air Raid handles enemies at a safe distance.
You need to finish in 5:41 and collect 536 orbs (way more if you stayed and
fought Griffon).
____________________________________________

-= Mission 10 =- [ Psychedelic White Light ]
____________________________________________

This level is easy.  The important thing here is to pay attention to the white
light.  If you lose track of it, you may have to start at the beginning, and
everybody will laugh at you.

First up, we have Marionettes.  Use the Grenadegun against them.  Follow the
light to the exit.  After that, Sin Scythes.  Use the Grenadegun on them.
Follow the light to the exit.  Then we have Blades next.  Use your Devil Trigger
and kill them with Air Raid.  Follow the light to the exit.  Now you'll face
a couple of Kyklops (Or is it "Kyklopes"?  Dunno.), and the white light is
no longer around to pester you. Anywho, hit the one nearest you with the
Grenadegun.  Use Air Raid whenever possible.  After the first one dies, your
Gauge will be restored.  Hot-Diggity!  Go over to the second Kyklops and use
Air Raid against it.  The end. Beat the mission in 2:56, gain 443 red orbs.
I lost about 5% health.
__________________________________

-= Mission 11 =- [ Nelo's Return ]
__________________________________

This level is also surprisingly easy.  Before the mission begins, purchase
Inferno for Ifrit.  This is the strongest attack in the game.  When the mission
actually begins, head back the way you came and complete the Secret Mission.

Throughout the level, you need to ignore the Death Scythe.  Sure, it's
annoying, but you can manage just fine without killing it.  Head to Dante's
left and jump onto the platform and lower yourself in order to obtain the
blue orb piece.  Once that's done, head directly into the well while dodging
the black whirlpools that Death Scythe fires.

As soon as Dante sets foot inside the well, he will be ambushed by a Blade.
Teach it who's boss by shooting it with the Grenadegun and then using Stinger.
Once he's taken care of, switch to Ifrit, smash the wall, and immediately
use Inferno on the unsuspecting foes.  Grab the blue orb piece after killing
all the Blades

Head to the surface and grab the Chastity Thing.  Be sure to equip the Shotgun
and jump on the platform above where the Chastity Thing rests.  Fire a blast
through the window, and a bunch red orbs will appear out of nowhere. (I know,
it's random, but it works.)  Leave that area, dodge the new Blades in the
well, and go through the double doors on the other side of the level.

This next fight with Nelo is a bit more difficult, but you can handle it
without too much strain (thanks to Inferno).  Equip the Grenadegun and go
to town on Nelo, making sure to dodge his dash attacks. Use Inferno
religiously.  Take care of the chalice and exit.  Mission over.  Try to beat
this level in 4:37 and gain a massive 913 red orbs.  I lost about 15% health.
____________________________________________

-= Mission 12 =-  [ Tickle Me (Saint) Elmo ]
____________________________________________

This level can be pretty annoying.  Run past the Marionettes.  Once you see
the pirate ship, head to Dante's left and slash at the red orb statue.  Then
jump into the water.

There are a few things you can do now.  Head to the upper part
of the ship and grab the NeedleGun.  There's a Devil Star in the
chest behind it.  You can then kill the two Blades if you feel like it. Then
you can head to the water below, kill the swimming Blade, and grab the
Untouchable amid the wreckage.  Or, you could just do like me and avoid the
two Blades, grab the NeedleGun and Devil Star, and head directly to the deck
of the ship.  Whatever floats your boat (hyuk, hyuk).

There are a couple of things you should do before engaging in a brawl with
the Death Scythe, who is anal retentive as usual, might I add.  Go to the
top of the mast nearest you, then Stinger your way to the front of the ship.
Jump up to the top of the mast nearest the front of the ship.  Head to Dante's
left (assuming he's facing the bow), and 40 red orbs will magically appear.
Then Stinger onto the bow of the ship.  You'll get a blue orb piece for your
trouble.  Go to the other end of the ship again-- using Stinger from high
places is the quickest way-- then equip the Shotgun and Alastor.  Press [X]
at the door with the two crossed swords, and a Death Scythe will appear.  Use
Air Raid (or Inferno) to weaken him, then switch to Ifrit and use Shotgun
blasts and jump kicks to finish him off.

Now it's time to fight Griffon, which is the biggest laugh I've had all day.
Switch to Alastor.  Your Devil Gauge will be replenished after the Death
Scythe battle, so use Air Raid again and again and again.  And...that's
basically it.  Wow. Complete the mission in 3:51, collect 721 red orbs, and
try not to lose more than 20% of your health.
_______________________________________________________

-= Mission 13 =- [ This is funny...but not "ha ha" funny. ]
_______________________________________________________

This has got to be the easiest level in the game besides Mission 5.  Start
off by grabbing the Staff of Hermes.  After the ship fills with water, swim
through the vent opening.  Proceed to kill the two Blades in the next room.
Then head for the opening at the bottom of the ship next to the chest where
you found the NeedleGun.  There's a blue orb piece in that room.  Swim as
fast as you can and avoid the Blades.  Swim to the exit of the room where
you previously shot down the Blades.  In the next room, go ahead and kill
at least one of the enemies, then exit.  That's the end.  Beat it in 1:35,
collect 99 orbs, and keep damage at a minimum (which shouldn't be too
difficult).
_______________________________________

-= Mission 14 =- [ Dazed and Confused ]
_______________________________________

This Mission is a bit more involved than the past ones.  Jump out of the water,
head to the right side of the room, and jump into the small pool there.  The
blue piece is yours.  You can go back into the ship and try out the Secret
Mission, but that takes too much time, and you will receive plenty of damage.
Skip it for now.  Just ignore all of the Marionettes lying around and go for
the exit.

In the spike area, take the shield from the skeleton.  Make sure Alastor is
equipped, then go Devil and run past the spikes, taking notice of their
pattern on the floor.  Head to the elevator, go up.  Time to get a blue orb
as well as some red ones.  You need to find a way to get on top of the dome
platform above.  Kick Jump off the left pillar to do this.  Then Stinger to
the ledge jutting out of the cliff far away.  Get the red orbs there, then
jump your way to where the yellow orb is.  Then go to the very end of the
platform sticking out and perform a Stinger.  You should land practically
right on top of the blue orb piece.  Now exit this area.

In the next area, there will be a random enemy.  Consider yourself lucky if
you see two small Blades and a freakin' huge one.  Otherwise, you'll have
to contend with a Death Scythe (DAAHH!!).  If you see the latter, just dodge
him as much as possible.  Cross the bridge and hack away at the red orb statue.
Also, collect the blue piece on the lower ledge near there.  If you see Blades,
kill them with either Inferno or Air Raid.  Then proceed.

The next area is remarkably easy to get by, but it can be time-consuming.
That's OK, however, because there are plenty of red orbs to be collected.
Run to the staircase.  See the narrow path to the right of it?  Jump into
that area, and red orbs will appear from thin air.  There should be plenty
of Marionettes to battle by now.  Make sure Alastor is equipped, then use
the Grenadegun and Air Raid to take care of them all.  Grab the Devil Star
on the ledge to the left if you want.  Observe the plant in the next room
just for fun, then collect all the red orbs lying around.  The mission ends
when you unseal the door.  Beat this stage in 4:15, snag 366 red orbs (a lot
more if you fought Blades), and take no more than 10% damage.
_____________________________________________________

-= Mission 15 =- [ Wheel of Destiny, Turn Turn Turn ]
_____________________________________________________

Buy a purple orb before this mission.  Why?  Because I said so.

You may have read about the Secret Mission you can find on this level, but
I'll flat-out tell you that it's not worth the trouble.  It involves killing
three Shadows, and it really is a messy business, so...no.  Just-- no.

Instead, kill the Blades near you with Air Raid.  Run toward the Red Shield
Emblem and enter.  Kill the Fetishes with Air Raid, go into the hidden room,
collect stuff.  Then go through the bluish door.  This is where you get the
pair of lances.  Dodge the spikes, lower the two platforms, and kill the two
Blades waiting for you.  Get a blue orb piece buy performing a Kick Jump off
one of the walls and then jumping underneath the platform that has the lances.
It sounds confusing, yes, but take my word for it.

Then head to the Blue Shield Area.  There's another "hidden" room behind a
cracked wall here.  Kill the Fetishes first, then collect the loot. Inside
you'll find a blue orb and something that looks like a small container.  Chop
it with your sword, and you will be rewarded with a BUNCH of red orbs.  Skip
getting the Nightmare Beta-- you and I both know it's worthless. Unlock the
door with the two lances and enter.

Take the mystic elevator to the top part of the Coliseum.  Get the blue orb
piece, then jump to the bottom and press [X] near the funny-looking blue
emblem. Griffon is much more challenging this time, so check out the Boss
Strategy section.  I beat this mission in 8:52, racked up an impressive 2043
red orbs, and kept damage down to about 15 or 20%.
________________________________________

-= Mission 16 =- [ Dancin' in the Dark ]
________________________________________

OK, now you'll get to face Nightmare, the biggest pain in the butt since Death
Scythe/Scissors.  Buy Kick 13 Level 1 at the beginning.  When the mission
starts, you can snag a *whole* blue orb slightly to the left before jumping
onto the elevator.  Nifty.

Right after you exit the Coliseum, go back inside.  Time for a Secret Mission.
This one's not so hard, but it takes some practice.  After that's over, go
Devil and run like mad to the bridge.  Put the time piece there, then cross
it and go inside.  Looks like you're now in some twisted alternate world.
Smash the armor suits to reveal red orbs.  Get the blue orb next to the platform
with the odd-looking emblem in the Great Hall.  Fight the Plasma with Ifrit
equipped, get the blue orb above the horse's head by using the Devil Gauge
and flying, then exit.

Hit the Plasma in the next room until he splits into three.  Then use the
Devil Trigger and go Inferno on 'em.  You'll pick up an easy 180+ orbs this
way.  Get the last blue orb piece by jumping under the freaky statue's head.
Shoot Marionettes with the Grenadegun...not to collect orbs, but to fill up
your Devil Trigger.  You'll need it.  Break the armor throughout the hallway,
then go to the Cathedral.  Hit the funny emblem thing with Ifrit equipped
until it all lights up.  Then stare at the puddle for a while.  Nightmare
will pop up an cause you to crap your pants, so it looks like you need some
sweet revenge.  Read the Boss Strategy section for further directions.  Once
Nightmare is toast, go outside, use Air Raid to travel across the broken
bridge, and play around with the Staff of Hermes. Beat the mission in 7:20,
gather 1,560 red orbs, and keep damage low, as usual.
_____________________________________

-= Mission 17 =- [ One Winged Angel ]
_____________________________________

Buy a purple orb before the mission begins.  Why?  Time for another Secret
Mission!  I know you're thrilled.  This one is actually much easier than people
make it out to be.  You don't need to use those wacky, unpredictable black
whirlpools that Death Scythe throws to reach the blue orb piece.  Remember
the time long ago when you reached the blue orb piece way up there in mission
3?  Just jump to the highest point of the ledge above the Cathedral door.
Initiate the Devil Trigger.  Jump up.  At the peak of your jump, press [R1]
and simply fly toward the blue orb piece.  No problem.  If you fall in the
water on your way back, that's fine. Just take care of the Sargassos in the
usual way and begin the mission.

Looks like you can jump through the painting and teleport.  Swanky.  Head
to the staircase and run upstairs.  On your way to the top, there's a room
with a Marionette lying around.  Kill him, smash a bunch of stuff, collect
orbs, go.  Looks like you can teleport to another area from the room at the
top of the staircase.  Equip Ifrit and the Grenadegun, head for the door,
and a couple of Frosts jump outta nowhere.  But hey, that's OK--you came
prepared.  Shoot them until the Devil Trigger is ready, then unleash Inferno.
Mmm, that's good cookin'!  Run inside.

Once you're inside, find some Marionettes and shoot enough of them to fill
your Gauge substantially.  Killing a Fetish would be nice.  Then head back
outside.  Why?  Well, it's time to be greedy, of course!  The Frosts are just
standing around doing nothing when you go out there this time.  Hit the Devil
Trigger and go Inferno on the one closer to you.  I know, it seems unfair,
but they deserved it.  Head back inside.

Go to the other end of the hall, shoot some Marionettes to get your Trigger
back up to par, hit the suits of armor, and face the dinosaur skeleton.  Once
he's killed, play around with the mechanisms there, then jump up to the upper
floor on the right side of the room.  There's an outside area where you can
get a blue orb piece--just jump up in the air, and it's yours.  I performed
Air Raid and flew over to the Quicksilver, but you can use the platforms if
you want.

Now it's time to finish off Nelo Angelo.  Make sure Ifrit and the Grenadegun
are equipped before entering the room where he lurks. You should beat this
mission in 6:54 (secret mission included), find 595 red orbs, and lose no
more than 15% health.
___________________________________

-= Mission 18 =- [ Eggs Over-Easy ]
___________________________________

"You see, that's a joke, because it has a double meaning...you have to find
an egg, and the level isn't that hard...funny...yeah."

Moving right along, this mission is pretty forgiving, meaning that you can
screw around and make a few mistakes and still end up in good shape.  You
start out by discovering the power of the Perfect Amulet.  You now have a
super-enhanced sword, plus you can enter the demon realm.  I know that sword
looks all nice and pretty with its long reach and brute strength, but you
really need to equip Ifrit now.

Enter the other painting, swim around, make sure to get the blue orb in last
room on the left with only one barrel.  In the next room, you have the pleasure
of fighting some Sin Scissors.  Make short work of all three by shooting them
in the face.  Now it's time to head to dry land...or not.  Hit the emblem
in the next area so that the room fills with water.  Swim up and just to the
right of the emblem.  There's a small platform sticking out.  Swim onto it,
and a blue orb will be yours.  You'll need to hit the emblem again, then swim
to the top and grab the egg.  Head outside.

Looks like Nightmare wants to fight again.  You were only trying to cook your
egg, for cryin' out loud!  The nerve!!  Anyway, go ahead and hit the funny
emblem thing before putting your egg in the fire.  That'll give you a head
start.  Use the tactics in the Boss Strategy section to beat him.  Finish
the mission in 6:44 and collect 1146 red orbs.  You can lose about 35% health
and still manage to procure the coveted S Rank.

____________________________________

-= Mission 19 =- [ Highway to Hell ]
____________________________________

OK, let's go.  This mission isn't too challenging.  Your main concern here
is to gather the remaining blue orbs available at this point.  When the mission
begins, go into the room on the second floor just to Dante's left by performing
a Kick Jump off the wall.  This area has some red orbs and a blue orb piece.
Now run all the way back to the broken bridge area.  Jump into the painting
of the bedroom.

There are a couple of goodies waiting for you here.  Take Untouchable on top
of the bed and grab the blue orb to the right of the bed.  Go through the
mirror into Wacky Land, a magical place where anything can happen.  Right.
Pick up the Philosopher's Stone (which brings me painful memories of Harry
Potter).  Nobodies will show up, laughing like retards the whole time.  I
hope you have kept Ifrit and the Grenadegun equipped, since you'll need both.
Use Inferno once or twice, then finish them all off with grenades.  You need
to make sure you conserve a decent part of your Trigger Gauge.  Why?  You'll
soon find out.

When the Nobodies are finished exploding and you have access to the exit,
make your way up to the top platform.  This is going to be a lot like mission
4 when you fought with Nelo Angelo the first time.  First, switch to Alastor
and fly over to the blue orb floating near the large tower.  Land on the walkway
opposite the exit.  Run back all the way around, then Kick Jump onto the top
of the large tower.  Air Raid over to the small tower for the very last orb
piece.

Now you're home free.  Run into the Cathedral, examine the puddle, and enter
the Underworld.  Put the stone in its proper place and jump to the depths
below.  Complete this level in 4:26, gain 405 red orbs,  and keep damage at
a minimum (there's a good chance you can finish without being hurt at all).
___________________________________

-= Mission 20 =- [ He's Baaack... ]
___________________________________

Buy three blue orbs from the Time god.  The whole mission is all about smoking
Nightmare.  If your Devil Gauge is low like mine, shoot the two Frosts until
you fix that problem (you don't have to kill them, just fill up the gauge).
Then head inside to fight Nightmare.  Beat him in 3:51 and rack up 505 orbs.
Try not to lose more than 1/3 of your life.
_______________________________

-= Mission 21 =- [ It's Alive ]
_______________________________

This mission is all about speed.  You may be itching to complete the Secret
Mission here and acquire the Time Bangle, but it is a tremendous waste of
time in my opinion.  Instead, grab the holy water next to the barricaded door
and go through the green double doors.  Open the barricaded entrance by
hitting the artery at the far end of the room.  Run inside with Ifrit and
Grenadegun in hand.

 Shoot the grabby-feely things on the side of the wall with a couple of
grenades, then run on through.  You should find a Nobody up ahead.  Go Devil,
hit it with Inferno once, go back to your regular form, then hit Nobody with
punches or grenades until it ceases to exist.  Run up ahead and use the same
strategy on the next Nobody.  When it bites the dust, fight off some more
touchy-feely things and run up to the last Nobody.  Kill it, then make your
escape.

The next area is pretty basic.  Shoot the two Plasmas (in bat form this time)
with your Grenadegun and collect the red orbs they drop, even if they land
in the lava.  Hit the emblems, jump onto the platforms, start the heart, exit,
you're done.  Finish this one in 4:37 and gather 675 red orbs.  Keep damage
minimal (about 5%).
_________________________________

-= Mission 22 =- [ Mundus Mania ]
_________________________________

If you have the available resources, you need to buy a purple orb.  There's
a reason why I'm telling you to buy the last one right now.  Walk up to the
huge statue, have a friendly conversation with Mundus, then trash his
worthless @$$.

_______________________________________

-= Mission 23 =- [ Run Away!  Again!! ]
_______________________________________

It's time to get the heck outta here. Rush back up to the surface ASAP.  Ignore
the Frosts you see in the Time room.  In the next room, kill the Nobodies
with Inferno.  Nab the Untouchable off to the side before heading out the
door.  Once you enter the Cathedral, there will be a throng of Marionettes
lying around (stoned out of their mind, no less).  Laugh at them a few times,
then leave through the door to the right.  Once you're in the hall, a couple
of Blades will attack.  Use the Grenadegun and either Air Raid or Inferno
to shut them up.  Head into the airplane room, and you're almost done...

As far as the flight simulator is concerned, shoot those pointy things
(stalactites/stalagmites) and try your very best to NOT go down in flames.
You can do it!!  When the mission is over, you'll see a few cinemas.  After
that, if you got an S Rank, you'll be treated to a happy picture declaring
that you are the King of Hell.  Mwahaha!!  Looks like Mundus has been demoted
to the rank of "Girl Scout of Hell." Tremble!!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
-= Boss Strategy =- [ The Big Ones ]
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

-----------
PHANTOM (1)
-----------
This big spider is relatively hard for the first boss, but killing him is
a snap if you know what you're doing.  Start off the fight by nailing him
with Air Raid.  After your Gauge runs out, shoot him once with the Shotgun,
then hit him in the mouth with Stinger, then jump back immediately to dodge
his counterattack.  Keep on repeating that until the Devil Gauge is ready.
Then go back to the Air Raid strategy.  When he looks about ready to shoot
a fireball, hide behind a pillar or roll like crazy.  Simply run around to
avoid the columns of lava that shoot up from the ground.  Just use common
sense here.
-----------
PHANTOM (2)
-----------
This fight is actually harder, not only because Phantom is more resistant
to Air Raid, but there's nothing to hide behind.  Use basically the same
strategy mentioned above, only try to jump on his back and slash like mad.
He tends to jump around a lot more this time, so get out of the way.  He shoots
multiple fireballs and uses his scorpion tail to do some damage this time
around.  When in doubt, shove Stinger down his throat and top it off with
a nice Air Raid session.
-----------
GRIFFON (1)
-----------
This big bird is a wimp when you face him on the Ghost Ship.  Arm the Grenadegun
and Alastor, then go Devil and use Air Raid until Dante is blue in the face.
Griffon should land on the ship close to you when your Gauge is empty.  Use
the Grenadegun or just slash at him with your sword until the Devil Gauge
is ready to go again.  Finish him off with Air Raid.  Don't worry about the
bird hologram thing that follows you around. You'll probably end up
destroying it with Air Raid or gunning it down with a grenade.
-----------
GRIFFON (2)
-----------
There's a different game plan now.  Equip the Shotgun, go Devil, and use Air
Raid.  After taking about 25-30% damage, Griffon will fly up near the top
of the building and stay out of reach pretty much.  You should be able to
hit him with the Shotgun.  If not, use the Grenadegun.  All it takes is one
or two hits, and he'll come crashing to the bottom.  From now on, he'll stay
on the ground most of the time.  Whip out the Shotgun, stand right under him,
and go to town.  The Devil Gauge fills up quickly this way.  If you want to
be cautious like me, use Air Rid until he's dead.  If you're in a big hurry,
switch to Ifrit and use Inferno.  Sometimes he'll fly up in the air, pause,
then land suddenly while shooting lightning everywhere.  Dodge this cheap
trick.  Easy, right?
---------------
NELO ANGELO (1)
---------------
Nelo's just a big, huggable teddy bear at this point in the game.  He'll drop
his guard and taunt you as soon as the fight begins, so use the Devil Trigger
(if available) and punish him.  Don't do anything fancy here-- Air Raid won't
work too well.  Just hit the [O] button repeatedly when in Devil mode.  Once
the gauge runs dry, change your strategy.  Now you'll need to be a bit more
defensive. Avoid his sword attacks and energy blast by jumping and then
pressing [O] so that you slash him from behind.  This will throw him
off-balance.  Then you should use the Shotgun and Stinger.  Shoot him once,
Stinger, retreat, repeat, all day long.  When the gauge is filled again, hack
and slash like nobody's business.  Just keep an eye as to where he teleports!
---------------
NELO ANGELO (2)
---------------
The dark angel is considerably harder this time around.  He has a few new
techniques, but he's still very much beatable.  This time through you need
the Grenadegun and Ifrit equipped.  Use Inferno on him when you see an opening.
Once the Trigger is gone, shoot, roll, shoot, roll.  When you roll directly
after firing the Grenadegun, it greatly reduces the recoil time.  If Nelo
happens to teleport onto the bumpy platform above, that is a good thing.  He's
a sitting duck up there, as you will soon find out.  Jump kicks work pretty
well against him, but be warned: Nelo can sometimes block you and then
counterattack.
---------------
NELO ANGELO (3)
---------------
I'm happy to be rid of this jerk because he has a bad habit of improving his
abilities between fights.  He's hella strong this time, so avoid his sword
combos like the plague.  Ifrit is your pal once again, just like in the
previous battle.  If you're trying to hit him with Inferno while he's swinging
away with his sword, be sure to land behind or to the side of him.  Watch
to see if he's charging up to shoot an energy blast.  If so, hit him with
everything you've got.  When the Trigger is gone, shoot and roll like you've
done so many times.  If you want to be cautious, shooting him with the
Grenadegun while in Devil form works moderately well.

Nelo's moves are a bit trickier, of course, so be on the lookout.  Sometimes
he'll perform High Time like Dante, then punctuate that move with an Ifrit
jump kick.  Get away from him when he starts pulling off that crap.  If you're
quick enough in killing him, he may not use some of his more annoying tactics
altogether.  He can surround his body with swords or launch them at you...in
either case, jump and roll around until they all miss.  Then shoot him. He
might even go to the back part of the room near the throne, suspend himself
in midair, and shoot you with energy blasts.  You need to avoid these by
rolling, of course.  Shoot him whenever possible.
-------------
NIGHTMARE (1)
-------------
This monster isn't all that bad the first time around, but he becomes annoying
very quickly.  First thing's first: once you enter the Cathedral, be sure
to have the Grenadegun and Ifrit ready to go.  Hit the funny emblem thing
until it lights up, and THEN examine the puddle.  This will save you the time
of having to do that after Nightmare is already shooting at you.  Dodge his
initial flurry of fire by running circles around him.  Once he stops shooting,
that's a sure sign that he's about to reveal his orb.  Go Devil and perform
Inferno right on top of it.  You could use Air Raid if you want to be extra
cautious, but I find Inferno to work better overall.  Once Nightmare conceals
his orb, drop down right next to him and allow yourself to be swallowed.

Once you're inside Twisted Alternate Reality Land, equip Alastor and the
Shotgun.  Shoot and kill each Sargasso one by one, then the chief Sargasso
will come flying at you.  Kill him, then brace yourself-- Phantom's spirit
will be poised to attack.  Fortunately, he's incredibly weak now.  You should
have your Trigger built up substantially, so let loose with Air Raid.

After you emerge to the surface, a good chunk of Nightmare's life will be
knocked off. Now it's time to really get to work.  Hit the emblem until it
lights up all the way.  Dodge the machine gun fire, wait for the orb to show
up, then perform Inferno without mercy.  If Nightmare is not finished by this
second onslaught, take the Grenadegun and shoot, roll, and shoot until the
gauge is full again.  Hit Nightmare with Inferno until he dies.
-------------
NIGHTMARE (2)
-------------
This green blob has changed very little since the last time Dante saw him.
Use the same strategy as before.  When you're in Twisted Alternate Reality
Land this time, you'll face Griffon.  Switch to Alastor and Air Raid for the
best results.  Dante will run out of Trigger eventually, but shoot Griffon
with grenades to build it back up quickly.  Air Raid him a few more times,
and that should be enough to stop him.

Be sure to recognize the attack that Nightmare is going to use when he shows
Dante his orb.  Sometimes he'll shoot out homing missiles.  Now would be a
great time to use Inferno.  If that's not available, you won't be able to
stand up very well to Nightmare's homing devices.  Just run and dodge them
if necessary.  Otherwise, you need to stay fairly close to Nightmare when
he reveals his orb.  Hit the orb and shoot it like mad, even if your Devil
Trigger isn't powered up.  The reason you should stay near Nightmare is that
he can thrust out a jagged "arm" or, worse still, shoot a big ol' energy beam
at you.  It's not fun to be caught in the way of this blast.  Just jump on
top of him to avoid most of his shenanigans.
-------------
NIGHTMARE (3)
-------------
Dante's finally gonna put this giant booger in his place.  The strategy for
this fight is very different than before, so listen up.  Fight him with Alastor
and Grenadegun equipped. Hit the emblem thing a bunch of times, causing him
to solidify and reveal his orb.  Hit it repeatedly with Air Raid.  You should
be able to take a respectable chunk out of his life before he regresses to
a big puddle.  Let Nightmare swallow you at this time.  You should be familiar
with Twisted Alternate Reality Land by now.  Kill the Sargassos as quickly
as you can manage.  After you destroy the last one, Nelo Angelo will pop
up.  Switch over to Ifrit and use Inferno to kill him for the last time.  Your
Devil Gauge will be filled to its maximum now.  Switch back to Alastor before
going up to meet Nightmare.  Nightmare is pretty pissed by now, but so are
you.  Use the same strategies that have gotten you this far-- run, gun, and
Air Raid.

When Nightmare's life bar is almost completely gone, Trish will show up and
talk trash to you.  Dante would really like to pimp-slap her at this juncture,
but he has a bigger problem at the moment.  Keep using Alastor to nail
Nightmare.  Try to dodge his flurry of desperate attacks, such as the energy
beams that shoot out from the orb and the annoying boomerang attack.  You
*could* use Inferno to win this match, but that puts Dante at more risk.
Alastor is generally better to use, not only because it puts Dante safely
above most immediate danger, but the Devil Gauge will last longer.
----------
MUNDUS (1)
----------
First of all, do not take Mundus lightly.  He has plenty of annoying trick
up his sleeve, and you'll have to fight him several times to learn all of
his quirks and patterns.  For the time being, I hope you were able to buy
that last purple orb.  As you should already know, you need to use the Devil
Trigger here in order to really damage Mundus.  If you have a full gauge from
the get-go, that gives you a tremendous advantage.  Press [L1] to release
a huge dragon (!?!) that will injure Mundus.  He'll loose about a third of
his health, so things are looking up for Dante.

Now you just need to dodge Mundus' various projectiles until you can get close
enough to do some more major damage.  He may throw asteroids or giant rocks,
he may shoot lightning, he might launch a bunch of those little reddish lasers
at you.  In all cases, *make a constant sweeping motion from side to side*
while shooting at him.  Surprisingly, most of the crap he slings at you will
miss!  He may suddenly surround himself with a strange ring of white light.
When he does, get ready to dodge the huge laser he shoots.  Try to destroy
the four big spheres with the Japanese symbol.  This has a two-fold purpose--
it builds up your Devil Gauge slightly, plus it removes Mundus' defense shield.
Hit Mundus in the chest when the shield disappears.  In general, shoot like
crazy and use the Devil Trigger whenever possible.
----------
MUNDUS (2)
----------
It looks like there's no rest for Dante this time.  Luckily, your Devil Gauge
is filled to capacity now.  Immediately engage it and fire projectiles at
Mundus with the [] button.  It would be a really good thing for you to equip
the Grenadegun.  Once the Devil Gauge runs out, shoot, roll, shoot, roll.
If you see a large sphere with a Japanese symbol, shoot it or hit it with
your sword.

Mundus has some more nasty tricks, but they can all be avoided with some effort.
Sometimes little spheres will pop up and fire lasers at you.  Shoot them or
roll out of the way.  Mundus may summon white balls of energy that circle
around him.  After a pause, he'll fire them at you.  It's imperative that
you detect which way the first one is curving toward you.  Why?  If it is
coming from an angle that would hit Dante's left side, you need to roll RIGHT
immediately.  You should be able to dodge all the blasts this way.  Trust
me, you don't want to be hit by them.  Mundus will sometimes throw a sharp
blade that sticks up from the ground.  Simply roll out of the way.

When you've knocked off about 30% of Mundus' vitality AND your Devil Gauge
is nearly full, jump on a floating ledge near you, then onto another ahead
of it.  You should be standing pretty close to Mundus right now.  Stand your
ground and hit him with sword combos while the Devil Trigger is on.  I prefer
hitting him twice, pausing, then hitting him with a bunch of stabs that end
in a quasi-Stinger.  If you're lucky, he won't even think to destroy the
platform you're standing on.  If he does, get outta the lava ASAP.  Then jump
onto the platform where you started off and hit him with projectiles again.
If he summons up a Lava Dragon, try to kill it on the spot.  It coughs up
a much-needed green orb when it dies.  Shooting Mundus is an easy way to kill
him, but slashing him is much quicker.  Take your pick.
----------
MUNDUS (3)
----------
Ah, what would a great Capcom horror title be without that last unexpected
visit from the chief villain?  Fortunately, Mundus is little more than a
weakling.  He looks like a wreck and begs, "Daaante...come baaaack...fear
meeee...please?"  Dante, who knows better, retorts, "Umm,letmethinkNO!" and
lays the smack down once again.

Right.  Just switch to Alastor and stick to the old tried-and-true game plan.
Shoot, shoot, Devil Trigger, Air Raid, laugh maniacally.  After Dante pretty
much kills Mundus, Trish shows up to offer her support.

So, the truth comes out...Trish WASN'T dead!!!  Big surprise there.  Dante
will automatically equip the handguns.  Fire at Mundus with reckless abandon
until the Devil Trigger is able to work.  Initiate the Devil Trigger, fire
a shot, say one last witty quip before blowing away Mundus, then laugh at
his feeble, empty threats as he disappears into who-knows-where.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
-= My Results =- [ Things to Do ]
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
This obviously isn't the Ultra Official Chart that shows the parameters of
the S rating, but these results more or less reflect the ones you should get
by following my FAQ.  I know you may have seen other FAQs that have an S Rank
chart, but I've found a few holes in some of the suggested numbers (there's
no way I should've gotten an S on Mission 5 with the type of numbers I put
up). They may be completely true, but there's more than one way to get an
S Rank, as you should know by now.  My chart also gives you an indication
of the damage percentage, so there.

 ----------------------------------------------
| Mission | Elapsed Time | Red Orbs | Damage % |
 ----------------------------------------------
|    1    |     5:24     |   244    |    10    |
================================================
|    2    |     3:52     |   183    |     0    |
================================================
|    3*   |     5:43     |   652    |    25    |
================================================
|    4*   |     5:51     |   344    |   10-15  |
================================================
|    5    |     2:51     |   117    |    70    |
================================================
|    6    |     4:14     |   255    |   15-20  |
================================================
|    7*   |     3:07     |   705    |    40    |
================================================
|    8    |     2:48     |   565    |    30    |
================================================
|    9    |     5:41     |   536    |     0    |
================================================
|   10    |     2:56     |   443    |     5    |
================================================
|   11*   |     4:37     |   913    |    15    |
================================================
|   12    |     3:51     |   727    |    20    |
================================================
|   13    |     1:35     |    99    |     5    |
================================================
|   14    |     4:15     |   366    |    10    |
================================================
|   15    |     8:52     |  2043    |    15    |
================================================
|   16*   |     7:20     |  1560    |    10    |
================================================
|   17*   |     6:54     |   595    |    15    |
================================================
|   18    |     6:44     |  1146    |    30    |
================================================
|   19    |     4:26     |   405    |   5-10   |
================================================
|   20    |     3:51     |   505    |    35    |
================================================
|   21    |     4:37     |   675    |     5    |
================================================
|   22    |     4:12     |     0    |    50    |
================================================
|   23    |     5:09     |   476    |    10    |
================================================

* Denotes completion of a Secret Mission (two are beaten in Mission 4)


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
-= Miscellany =- [ Results, Comments, etc. ]
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Throughout the game, you must not use *any* items.  If you do, that throws
off the ranking scale.  Besides, you really shouldn't have to use Devil Stars,
Holy Water, etc.

The only abilities you absolutely need to buy are as follows: Stinger Level
1, Air Raid, Kick 13 Level 1, Inferno.  Any purchases besides those is totally
up to you, but you may not own enough red orbs to buy the blue and purple
orbs that I recommended. Shop wisely...

There are a couple of excellent places to "Level Up" if you don't care about
your rank and just want to buy everything possible.  During Mission 16, if
you travel to the airplane room, you'll encounter a Plasma.  Equip Ifrit and
either the Shotgun or Grenadegun.  Beat the crap out of Plasma until he splits
up.  Then use Inferno to wipe out all three at once.  Then head out either
of the doors. Immediately enter the airplane room again.  Another Plasma will
be there.  You can do this whole process infinitely.  You'll collect somewhere
around 180 red orbs for killing three Plasmas.

The second (and even better) place to level up occurs in Mission 19.  This
is when you enter the weird mirror world, take the Philosopher's Stone, then
fight the Nobody trio.  Make quick work of them using Inferno and the
Grenadegun, collect the red orbs, exit, then turn around and enter the area
again.  There will be more Nobodies, and you would do well by killing them
all again.  Just like with the Plasma(s), you can repeat this as many times
as you see fit.  You collect 250+ red orbs from defeating three Nobodies.

It could be quite feasible to beat some of the Secret Missions that I avoided
and still pull off an S.  If you can do it, I tip my hat to you (Freak!!).
I'm not suggesting that it's impossible to do this, but I think a few of the
Secret Missions are a waste of time.  If you want to tromp around and kill
multiple Shadows, feel free to do so. I'll just save it for HARD mode.


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-= Closing =- [ Obligatory Stuff ]
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This FAQ is copyright 2001 by John Combs.  Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom,
which does not endorse this FAQ.  You may distribute this FAQ as long as
nothing is altered and I am given credit.  Otherwise, I may have to hunt you
down.

Many thanks to:

JL Lee, for writing a top-notch blue orb piece guide as well as a Secret
Mission guide.  Thanks for finding and documenting all the orbs and secrets
when I was too lazy to do it.

Capcom, for making one of the best PlayStation 2 games as of yet. How about
a sequel, eh??

In Flames, for being there when I was typing this thing. Black metal lives...

What's to come??......

Well, I might buckle down and make a HARD difficulty Walkthrough.  I haven't
seen many of them out there.

My e-mail address is johncombs@integrityonline30.com.  Send any major
corrections or relevant questions to me.  I should have covered everything
pretty well, but I might've missed something.  Look for updates and possibly
an actual FAQ section, provided people ask me pertinent questions!

Until next time,

?  John "The Ragin' Saiya-jin" Combs  ?


