Equip the spell for each virtue trial
Begin at the Gallery of the Four Virtues in Notre-Dame. Each unfinished trial checks the currently equipped spell, so owning its Arcana card is insufficient. Courage of Gabriel requires Infernal Pyre, Temperance of Mary requires Freezing Path, Justice of Emmanuel requires Chains of Justice, and Prudence of Denis requires Mirror Walk. Check the equipment menu before trying an entrance that appears unresponsive.
The associated Arcana are The Warrior, The Whisperer, The Judge and The Sage. Use their linked acquisition guides if one spell is missing. Courage includes an enhanced Joan of Arc rematch, which has its own combat guide. Finish each trial and attack the bell at its end to claim the virtue. Entering a trial or winning its encounter does not replace the final bell interaction.
Claim The Self and Absolution
After obtaining all four virtues, return to the gallery and interact with its central entrance. The central route checks all four completed virtues; four owned cards alone do not establish that those trials were finished. Defeat the Doppelganger, continue the scene and claim The Self and Absolution. Confirm that the spell is available before leaving to prepare for the true final battle.
The nearby prophecy tablet is a clue, not the source of Absolution. If you remember reading the prophecy but cannot equip the spell, return to the trial and reward checklist rather than assuming the tablet failed. Keep the four completed bells, the Doppelganger encounter and its claimed reward separate when checking your progress. The linked room references show where those different steps take place.
Keep the clock trap disarmed
Claim The Shadow and Soul Harvest from Death in Notre-Dame, equip Soul Harvest, and interact with the Cursed Horologium mechanism in the Clock Tower. Leave the trap disarmed as you proceed. Another interaction can re-arm it. Collecting Absolution does not override a clock that sends you to the false Master’s Quarters, so check the destination decision independently of the true-ending spell preparation.
Continue through the real Master’s Quarters and defeat Dracula’s second form on the Castle Rooftops. Equip Absolution before the battle so you are ready for the ending action afterward. The combat and room links below cover the encounter separately. A sighting of the throne room or a victory over an earlier stage is not the cue for the final purification input; the relevant window follows the rooftop battle and subsequent dialogue.
Begin holding within the 12-second window
After the dialogue about breaking the curse, control returns and a 12-second casting window begins. Start holding the spell button promptly and keep holding until the purification scene continues. This is a held spell action, not a quick tap or an instruction to attack Dracula again. Use your own spell binding, since the keyboard or controller button depends on your control settings.
Do not interpret 12 seconds as a countdown you must wait through, or as a requirement to hold for exactly 12 seconds. It is the opportunity to begin the required purification. If the window expires before purification begins, the normal ending starts; without Absolution, the normal branch follows the rooftop battle as well. For the true-ending route, prepare the spell beforehand, then act as soon as control is restored and maintain the hold.
Find each stage on the map
Select a stage to highlight its room. These references locate the places described above; they do not show every jump or prove a continuous accessible route.
- Gallery of the Four VirtuesNotre-Dame / Gallery of the Four Virtues ↗
- Cursed HorologiumClock Tower / Clock Tower Bridge ↗
- Castle RooftopsMaster's Quarters / Castle Rooftops ↗
Linked items, clues and powers
- The Warrior →
Infernal Pyre: Ground flames burn nearby enemies and launch them upward.
- The Whisperer →
Freezing Path: For 3s, move faster while intangible and freeze enemies you pass through.
- The Judge →
Chains of Justice: Bind nearby targets for 4s; the next hit against them deals bonus damage.
- The Sage →
Mirror Walk: Leave a mirror for 15s; recast to return and recover 50% of health lost since placement.
- The Self →
Absolution: Hold the spell button to drain curses from nearby enemies, deal damage and heal Rose based on the number of enemies hit. Casting consumes all current mana.
- Absolution →
Hold the spell button to drain curses from nearby enemies, deal damage and heal Rose based on the number of enemies hit. Casting consumes all current mana.
