Qliphoth is the third mission in Devil May Cry 5 and the second "proper" mission.
June 15th 05:32am[]
Events were set in motion back before Urizen took his throne, when a silent, hooded figure, came to tear off Nero's demonic right arm. Now, a month later, Nero is back with a brand new power—his Devil Breakers—to smash his way through the demon swarms in Red Grave and reunite with V.
Walkthrough[]
Style Points & Time Requirements[]
The following is a table that lists the S rank requirement (Style) based on difficulty level as well as the timing requirements for each "Speed Clear" Extra Bonus. This information was taken from the Devil May Cry 5 Official Complete Guide and was translated by @DMC5Info which can be found here.
| - | Human | Devil Hunter | Son of Sparda | Dante Must Die | Heaven or Hell | Hell and Hell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Style Points | 4000 | 5000 | 5500 | 6000 | ? | 5500 |
| Speed Clear S | 13:00 | 15:30 | 18:00 | 21:00 | 06:30 | 21:00 |
| Speed Clear A | 19:30 | 23:15 | 27:00 | 31:30 | 09:45 | 31:30 |
| Speed Clear B | 26:00 | 31:00 | 36:00 | 42:00 | 13:00 | 42:00 |
Devil Hunter[]
Opening[]
Prior to the mission, the player is given an opportunity to enter the store menu and purchase new moves, items and Devil Breakers. Proud Souls no longer exist, Red Orbs being the only currency, and the game no longer has the strange system of Devil May Cry 4 where skills became more expensive as others were purchased: the displayed prices in the store are fixed save the usual increases for sequential purchases of Blue and Purple Orbs.
If possible, it is a good idea to purchase Air Hike as it will make the boss of this stage significantly easier and overall vastly improves Nero's mobility. Key moves like Streak and Split are also worthy purchases, as is the new move "Payline," which functions like the diving kicks of Dante's various gauntlet weapons and hugely improves Nero's mobility.
At this point the player is able to equip Overture, Gerbera and any DLC Devil Breakers they might have. Overture is more suited to dealing damage, while Gerbera enhances Nero's mobility.
Nero starts out in a circular area with Nico's van behind him, but as in the previous mission this is just for decoration and does not count as an accessible store. There is only one way forward down a narrow alley: while the ground will crack as Nero goes this way, it is harmless and does not need to be avoided.
In the open area ahead an Empusa with a blood-filled abdomen can be seen in the distance, but this creature will flee as Nero approaches and it does not seem possible to reach it before it escapes. Around the area are some Qliphoth growths that can be smashed for Red Orbs (scenery no longer contains Red Orbs, only these) as well as some balloons: three sets on top of stands, and one held by a human husk. The latter will fly away if Nero strikes or walks into the husk: popping all of them will result in an end-of-stage Red Orb bonus.
Around the corner is the first battle of the stage, in an open area with plenty of space to work with. All the enemies are basic Empusa, so this is a good time to practice with any new moves the player has. There are two waves, a larger group spawning in after Nero has vanquished the first.
From where the player entered this area, the way ahead is to the left, but straight ahead there is a wall that can be jumped over to access a dead-end area. This area contains a Gold Orb and a Red Empusa, but as the player starts attacking it several Empusa and a Green Empusa will spawn to complicate matters. The player can return to the previous battle area by climbing up on the double-decker bus.
There are two paths forward: the path on the left where rubble falls as Nero approaches will lead to a small square with some Qliphoth Saplings, while the route to the right hides another Red Empusa before turning to join up in the Sapling area. Where it turns, Nero can jump up to the right to find a room with some Red Orb growths. Smashing these will unlock the Trophy/Achievement "Where the Red Orbs Grow."
The hotel[]
After the Qliphoth Saplings, Nero enters a larger square and is introduced to the Hell Caina. These enemies are very similar to the Hell Pride from Devil May Cry 3, being grim reaper-like demons armed with scythes. They are quite slow to attack and heavily telegraph their moves, but are not quite as passive as the Empusa the player has previously fought and worth showing at least a little respect to. Like Empusa, they have no anti-air or projectile moves.
This square contains several Red Orb Caches. There is one for standing on the horse statue's back, a second for the much harder task of standing on its head (if Nero stands on the head first, he will be awarded both of these) and one for standing on a patch of goo on top of the archway leading in. The easiest way to get this is using an Exceed level 3 High Roller, but the player is not likely to have level 3 Exceed yet. However, if they have Air Hike and a Gerbera, they can make it up to the top of the arch by jumping off the horse's head.
The exit to this area leads into the lobby of a hotel, with a Red Orb growth clearly visible on the left and after a Devil Breaker in a small cubby hole under the stairs on the right. Another Devil Breaker is sometimes present on the walkway surrounding the top of the lobby. As the player gets to the top of the stairway here, two Empusa will spawn in the lobby and a Red Empusa by the door: it will usually immediately try to scuttle off into the square.
Once this is dealt with, the player can proceed on: a Cameo System sidebar will appear for V, which is actually a recording of him in Secret Mission 04. Proceeding around to the left will lead to a room with a blocked-off doorway and a strange oozing tube with a white blob in the mouth: this is a Nidhogg Hatchling, and can be picked up and used to destroy the blockage.
Once through, Nero will be in an area with a stairwell. To the right on the starting floor there is sometimes a Devil Breaker. On the second floor the way ahead is to the right, but going left will lead to a growth with some Red Orbs. Smashing this will spawn a Red Empusa in the entrance to the other corridor. Further up the stairs there is sometimes a Devil Breaker and another Red Orb growth hanging from the ceiling, but the path here is blocked and there is no way to proceed higher.
Going to the right from the stairwell leads to two entrances, one to the left going further into the mission, while the other further on to the right leads to a bedroom with a Red Orb growth and another possible Devil Breaker spawn. Smashing the Red Orb growth here will cause a barrier to form and two waves of Hell Cainas to attack.
Leaving this room and proceeding to the other corridor, the corridor leads to another open area with another blockage. The only path is to the right, which leads into a pair of rooms joined by a knocked-out wall, containing the second Nidhogg Hatchling of the level. When Nero picks this up, barriers will form and more Hell Cainas will show up to do battle. The room that did not contain the Hatchling has a grey area of floor: this can be destroyed, and if the player does so they can drop down into a room below containing a Blue Orb Fragment. This room is easy to exit with Air Hike: if the player does not have it, there is a hanging section of the collapsed floor that Nero can wall-kick off.
Once the blockage is dealt with, Nero will enter another hallway: to the left is a small room with a Red Orb growth, while going forwards will lead to Qliphoth roots burrowing through the hallway, blocking the path ahead but smashing open a wall to the right.
This new room contains the tutorial for secret missions and the entry to Secret Mission 01. To enter, Nero must stand on a glowing red spot that appears on the floor behind the bed when he moves close, then the player must move the camera to line up the demonic sigil in the exit door: a prompt to start the mission will appear when the sigil is properly aligned. Completing this mission gives the level's second Blue Orb Fragment.
On exiting, going right will lead to another Red Orb growth in a dead-end hall, left and left again another growth hanging from the ceiling that was visible before the Qliphoth roots blocked the hall, and the other way a room containing a bar. This room will be blocked by barriers when Nero nears the exit, and a fight with a large number of Hell Cainas supported by some Green Empusa will break out.
Path to the church[]
Once this is done, stepping out onto the balcony will trigger a cutscene. After this, there is actually another Red Orb cache in some goo on top of the archway straight ahead: with Air Hike and some skilled work with Gerbera or Level 3 Exceed and a High Roller, the player can get up to it. Down below, on the balcony side of the square are a red and green orb growth, while on the other side is a Devil Breaker.
Qliphoth roots will once again block off the way forward as they lift up a section of the street, forcing Nero to take the long way around: even if Nero can get high enough, there is an invisible wall that prevents him getting up on the raised ground. Proceeding around, some Empusa and Green Empusa will appear, followed by two Empusa at the very end of the street. To the left is another blockage. However, the player should instead concern themselves with the raised path to the right of the street, where a Devil Breaker may be present. Looking higher will reveal a hole in the side of the building, and by jumping inside Nero can claim the level's last Blue Orb fragment. Down the alley right across from here is the Nidhogg Hatchling needed to destroy the blockage back up the street.
However, while proceeding back, the ground will collapse: the player can actually avoid the fight here entirely by using air moves. If they fail, this will be the introduction of the Hell Antenora, two of them spawning and one attacking almost immediately when the cutscene concludes.
These creatures deal far more damage than any regular enemy seen so far, and when knocked down will enter a "super armor" state, indicated by tubes on their bodies that glow purple. In this state only a few actions, notably the Buster Arm or Buster neither of which Nero has yet on a first playthrough, can interrupt them. As a result it is best to try to juggle them in the air, and use air moves to evade them until they lose their super armor and return to normal. The confined area for the battle makes fighting two of them very dangerous.
After they have been evaded or defeated, the blockage can be destroyed and the player proceed on. Some Red Orb growths can be found to the left, while over to the right a payphone is ringing. Answering it will summon Nico and provide access to the shop here by interacting with her van. After this, it is a simple matter of proceeding forward and then left, smashing some Red Orb growths along the way, and then Nero can jump down into the boss arena.
Son of Sparda and higher[]
The fight with Empusa now concludes with a pair of Death Scissors turning up in addition to the second wave of Empusa. The first Red Empusa in the optional side-area is accompanied by Hell Cainas rather than Empusa. The battle with the Hell Cainas in the hotel courtyard also has Death Scissors accompany them.
Inside the hotel, the optional fight in the side-room has a Hell Antenora turn up in the second wave: another turns up in the room with the breakable floor. There are also more Hell Cainas during the fight in the bar.
In addition, most of the green orb growths in the level are removed on higher difficulties.
Boss: Goliath[]
Goliath is a massive beast who primarily uses melee attacks: he is rather clumsy with these, tending to flail in one direction and so quite easy to manoeuvre around. He attacks in three phases, gaining more attacks in each phase.
The best way to deal with Goliath is to outmanoeuvre him, jumping past his clumsy swings to attack his back. The only move he has that can hit a target directly behind him is his area blast attack, and he will largely flail around in an attempt to turn to face Nero. He will eventually jump away or perform his area blast to force the player to flee, and the most dangerous part of the battle is trying to get close to him again while avoiding his swings.
He is largely immune to the Buster Arm and Buster. These will only work in his second or third phase. In his second phase he can be forced into a stunned state, though it is tricky to do so before the phase ends. The Buster animation here is the same rapid-fire punch-kick combo used for Urizen in the prologue, ending with a powerful kick that knocks him back.
In his third phase, if he takes a lot of damage in a short time, or if Nero manages to knock one of his fireballs back at him, he will drop to all fours and become darker. When this happens, using either type of Buster will trigger a move where Nero spins him around and then throws him: the player can aim this move by using the movement stick to rotate the camera. He will be thrown a fair distance towards the middle of the screen when the spinning animation finishes and takes major damage on landing.
There are a few potential targets for throwing him into in the area: if he lands on the statue near the middle he will destroy it and free up some Orbs. Landing him on a car will make it explode, dealing additional damage over just throwing him. Finally, hitting the bell tower on one side of the arena will bring the entire tower down on him, which earns the Extra Bonus "David and Goliath" and deals even more damage to him, as well as briefly trapping him in the rubble.
Attacks[]
Phase 1 - Rooftop[]
- Backhand - Goliath performs a backhand sweep with the arm nearest to Nero.
- One-hand slam - Goliath slams one hand downwards.
- Punch combo - Goliath performs a right hook, a left-handed uppercut, and can then optionally perform a one-hand slam if Nero is still in front of him.
- Double slam - Once he takes enough damage, Goliath will leap intro the air and perform a two-fisted slam with a small amount of AoE damage to smash the roof and advance to the next phase.
Phase 2 - Church Interior[]
- Pillar swing - Goliath tears out one of the church's support pillars and, after a moment, swings it viciously in front of him. He will always start the second phase with this attack.
- Hook - Goliath lets his fists do the talking, unleashing a slightly more directed attack than his previous backhands.
- Lunge - Goliath drops to all fours and leaps towards one corner of the church, collapsing the wall in the process. He does this when preparing to change to Phase 3.
- Vortex - Goliath opens the mouth in his chest and points a powerful vortex at the ceiling. After a while, the entire roof of the church collapses. Nero can either simply leave though the hole Goliath just created, or keep attacking him: Nero will automatically leave the church when the roof starts collapsing.
Phase 3 - Outside[]
- Lunge - Now one of Goliath's standard moves, he drops down and propels himself towards Nero, often tumbling mid-lunge and righting himself. Jumping and Air Hiking is safest, as Goliath is very large and dodging to the sides not always practical. The move can also be parried with a strong enough hit: Overture's primary attack will do so.
- Double slam - Goliath rears up, glows briefly and then slams both fists against the ground, causing AoE damage mostly in front of him.
- Area blast - Goliath charges up energy for a short time and then unleashes a massive hemispherical blast surrounding his location, which will force Nero backwards even if he is outside the damage radius. Goliath uses this as an anti-pressure move, and is likely to use it if Nero is close to him and repeatedly evading his attacks.
- Swallow - Goliath rears up and opens the mouth in his chest, creating an enormous vortex which he will swing from side to side in an attempt to pull Nero in. Like Bael & Dagon from the previous game, if he succeeds he will chew on Nero for major damage before spitting him out. The best place to stand is behind him. If he does succeed in pulling Nero in, the move can be escaped using Break Away or Devil Trigger on a repeat playthrough.
- Fireball - Goliath rears up and spits a fireball, exactly like that used by Urizen during the prologue. He can only do this after he has done at least once swallow attack. The fireball is massive and moves fast, making it tricky to avoid, but it can actually be knocked back at Goliath with the proper timing, which will instantly stun him.
- Rock throw - Goliath wrenches up a chunk of rock and throws it at Nero. It moves almost as quickly as his fireball and must be dodged.
Trivia[]
- In this mission, one of the advertising screens reads "Mullet Island", which is a wordplay referencing Mallet Island from Devil May Cry.
Gallery[]
