How to Start Return to Castlevania DLC in Dead Cells

I played Dead Cells a bit when it was brand new, but wasn’t really able to save it from the pit of backlog despair. So coming back to it for Return to Castlevania, the new DLC featuring, well, Castlevania, I didn’t really know what to expect. I also had to start totally fresh on a new platform. So this guide is for those of you out there who may be playing Dead Cells for the first time or coming back after a long break and don’t know how DLC works in this game. And this one’s unique compared to the others anyway, so here’s how to start the Return to Castlevania DLC in Dead Cells.

How to Start Return to Castlevania DLC in Dead Cells

So, there are two possible scenarios here. Either you’re starting Dead Cells fresh, or you’re coming back to a file you’ve already started. We need to give that first group some extra time to start with here, because there’s a prerequisite if you’re Brand New to Dead Cells. And that’s simply a requirement for you to make a few run attempts before you can start chasing after Dracula.

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In order to access the DLC, you have to play Dead Cells normally until the starting area opens up a bit. It takes two or three runs, but you’ll know you’ve played enough when the space to the immediate right of your starting point fills up with those lanterns. Depending on your skill level you may not see this right away, so it’s worth mentioning.

Either way, you’ll know it’s Vampire Killer time when a wave of bats flies over the screen as you pass those lanterns. The DLC is officially ready to go! Now you’ll just need to explore the starting point biome until you find some stairs leading down and to the right following a teleport point. It’s around the middle of the map more or less. The first time you go down the stairs you’ll meet Richter Belmont, the lead whip-cracker in Rondo of Blood and simultaneously the best and worst Belmont of all time (lore stuff).

After talking to Richter you can keep going to find a door to the new Castle Outskirts biome. It’s the first step on your journey to Return to Castlevania.