Castlevania: Belmont's Curse - How To Beat Joan (Boss Guide)

Published Oct 15, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT

Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted.

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Defeating The Fallen in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse can feel like a huge accomplishment, but you won't get to breathe a sigh of relief for very long. Belmont's Curse keeps up its succession of intense boss fights, and it doesn't take long before the threat of Joan arrives.

While Joan of Arc typically wouldn't appear as a villain, Rose faces a corrupted version of the historical figure, and she turns out to be a worthy adversary. The fight accelerates to a faster pace than the challenges of The Fallen, so learning how to dodge attacks will allow you to get up to speed.

How To Beat Joan In Belmont's Curse

Phase One

There's no harm in getting aggressive against Joan, so you can go ahead and start attacking as soon as Rose is allowed to move. Once Joan starts to swing her own sword, though, you'll want to pay attention to the direction the swing is coming from.

• When Joan pulls the sword up high behind her, she's preparing to swing it underhand in a sweeping blow across the ground. Jump to avoid this attack. Jumping forward and moving through Joan can still incur damage, but it's a solid option to keep up aggression if you want to start striking from behind.
• When she readies the sword in a middle position behind her, she's preparing to swing it at chest height. Slide forward between her legs and start attacking from behind to avoid this attack and take advantage of your own opportunity to strike.
• When you're behind her, Joan can ready the sword in front to strike you without turning. This strike is in a middle position that can be avoided by either jumping or sliding.
• When Joan readies for a sword attack at range, get ready to either jump before the slash or quickly slide, as she can reach across long distances almost immediately.

For an arena-covering attack, Joan will reach to the sky with a fist and summon a row of flaming coals. These hit the ground and shoot up pillars of flame, so you'll want to be exactly in between them when they strike. Avoid jumping while they strike. This can be a solid opportunity to get in a quick heal if you're in the right position.

Throughout any part of the fight, you can effectively use the Holy Cross earned in the fight with The Fallen by having Leon's Arcana equipped. This is an effective way to do an extra chunk of damage to Joan whenever you have enough MP.

Phase Two

Once half of Joan's health is gone, she'll pull out her most dramatic attack yet. Clenching her first, she'll draw in black energy from the two rings in the air. Once she leaps into the middle of the arena with her sword behind her, do the following:

1. Jump near the closest ring
2. Use your whip to hook on the ring and swing toward the center of the arena
3. You should swing through Joan as you go. As you reach your height, Joan should strike the ground.
4. Use downward strikes to attack Joan as you fall, staying suspended in the air above her while striking for as long as you can.

Aside from this attack, she'll pull out her usual repertoire, which you can counter in the same manner as you did during phase one.

Rewards For Beating Joan

After beating Joan, Rose will receive the Infernal Pyre spell via Joan's Tarot card, The Warrior. Equipping this Arcana will allow Rose to attack with flames moving across the ground to both sides of her, which launch enemies into the air. This can be effective against bosses throughout the grand adventure of Belmont's Curse, but it's especially useful against platforms full of regular enemies.

Rose will also gain another part of the key for the door in The Fallen's arena, leaving only one more boss to fight before she can progress out of the area and move on to the rest of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse.

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