While you don't need this Arcana to finish Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, getting the best ending does require you to meet a bunch of cryptic requirements. One is the Judge Arcana card, which is relatively simple to finish on paper, but you may need to backtrack to some difficult puzzles throughout Dracula's castle.
This is because you will need certain upgrades found mostly in optional platforming puzzle areas where you need proficiency with the use of skills such as the Arcane Whip, dashing, double-jumping, and Holy Light skills to get the reward. Of course, you may also find one of the many relics or weapons at the end of them instead, but that's arguably a more tempting prize, even if it doesn't help with the Judge's test. With all that in mind, below are the steps you need to take to pass the test and get one step closer to the best ending for this metroidvania adventure.
How to unlock the Judge Arcana
To find the Judge Arcana, as soon as you emerge from the Catacombs of Paris after Castlevania rises from beneath the city, head up and left. You'll pass under the big bridge, leading up to the platform cog wheels that take you to a save point on your left. Instead, head right to the next screen - the Court of Justice. Get to the top of the multi-storey building, and you'll see the entrance to the Palace of Justice. Enter and make your way through the building until you see a big tree and some scales.
This is the aforementioned Judge Arcana, and to unlock it, you'll need enough upgrades to fill at least four full health and mana hearts, respectively. That is 16 of each upgrade, which will make your max HP and MP 180. Once you reach this threshold, hold the RB/RT button to absorb the evil from the scales until the two sides align perfectly. Doing so awakens the tree, which will eventually give you its Arcana spell.
Tips for finding health and mana upgrades
If you want to find the necessary upgrades for yourself, here are a few tips to get you thinking in the right space to find them:
- If you see a room with lots of spikes or spinning blades, there's a good chance there's an upgrade at the end, especially if the room is an offshoot of the main path.
- The map shows which areas you haven't got every upgrade for in gray. If you don't highlight the area and it's gold, you've discovered everything.
- Zooming out of the map fully will give you the completion percentage for that area. This includes all weapons, relics, Arcana, and health/mana upgrades.