Castlevania Weapons in Belmont's Curse: Seven Categories and Three Relic Slots

Konami has confirmed two numbers for your loadout: weapons span seven distinct categories, each with its own style and special moves, and you can equip up to three Relics at once. Only three weapons have been named in any official material — the Longsword, the Cestus gauntlets, and Joan's Burnt Sword of Fierbois — and two of those three are in your hands inside the free demo, based on the demo as of 2026-10-05.

• Weapons and Relics are separate tracks. Konami sells Relics as effects that trigger "through both offense and defense"; PlayStation's hands-on report calls them bonuses "for combat and exploration".
• Bosses drop an occasional weapon as well as an Arcana. The tarot half is in Belmont's Curse Arcana System Explained.

The confirmed baseline: seven categories, three named weapons

Konami's Game System copy is the shortest complete statement of the system: Rose customizes her battle style with equipment "including weapons spanning seven distinct categories and Relics that trigger powerful effects through both offense and defense."

Official source: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse — Game System — weapons span seven distinct categories; Relics trigger effects through both offense and defense.

Everything past those three names is unpublished: not the other four categories, not damage values, not upgrade paths, not drop tables. Any site listing all seven is guessing with a confident font.

Longsword: the backdash damage perk

The longsword is the balanced option and the weapon Rose starts with. Its published perk: extra damage when you attack immediately after a backdash.

The input is documented, which is unusual for a perk this strong. On PS5, dodge and slide is the Circle button, and a double tap of it flips Rose backwards — that backflip is the backdash the perk keys off. The same button carries the dodge invincibility frames the combat system leans on. The full button map is in the controls and difficulty guide.

Not published: the size of the bonus, whether it covers every attack in the string or only the first, and whether it survives an upgrade.

Cestus gauntlets: short reach, damage that builds

The gauntlets trade reach for speed and add a curve that rewards pressure: shorter range, faster combos, and more damage the more enemies you hit.

The ramp is readable mid-fight. Rose glows as the punches land and the glow fades after a few seconds of standing still — an observation from Rock Paper Shotgun's demo playthrough, not a Konami specification. The multiplier, the hit count that caps it, and whether damage taken resets it are unpublished. The route to the gauntlets is in the Cestus secret weapon guide.

The best payoff crosses systems: latch onto an enemy with the Arcana Whip and punch immediately afterwards and Rose throws an Uppercut that hits far harder than her short reach suggests — the grapple chaining into an instant attack is covered in the Arcane Whip and Anchor traversal guide.

Burnt Sword of Fierbois: the named boss weapon

A defeated boss yields two things. Alongside the tarot card, bosses drop an occasional weapon, and Joan's Burnt Sword of Fierbois is the one Konami has named — the PlayStation reporter singles out its charge attack from Joan's rooftop battle of flaming sword swipes, backstabs and fireballs.

None of it is reachable today. The demo covers the opening chapter — Paris streets, sewers, and a single boss, The Fallen — and Joan of Arc is a full-game boss. Which stage she fights on, whether the weapon is a one-time reward, and whether the charge attack replaces a string or adds to it are all unannounced.

Relics: three slots, combat and exploration bonuses

Relics are the second half of the build, and the cap is explicit: "Rose can equip up to three, so you can tailor them to your individual playstyle." Three slots makes the choice a build — what you leave out matters as much as what you take.

The Crypt Key is the one Relic with a published effect: a chest becomes a full heal plus a full mana refill, turning exploration routing into resource management.

Official source: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse hands-on report — "The main one I found was the Crypt Key which fully restored Rose's health and mana whenever she opened a chest."

Family's Grace is the second confirmed name, one of three in-game bonus items in the Midnight Edition. Nobody has published what it does.

No sub-weapon menu: how this differs from the older games

If you came from Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow, the thing you will miss is the second inventory. In those games — series background, not this one — sub-weapons sat in their own menu and were bought from a shop with their own currency. Rose has no sub-weapon screen in any official Belmont's Curse material; the loadout is a weapon plus up to three Relics.

What replaces it is the Arcana half: bosses you defeat are sealed into Rose's tarot deck and become Arcana unlocking spells, skills and special actions. That is where a new ability comes from here, not from a shop. The Arcana system guide covers the Works of Mercy, Blessing and Gift chain, and Belmont's Curse as Your First Castlevania Game places this entry in the series order.

Which slot does what

Read left to right and it answers the question players keep asking about Castlevania weapons and skills: they are not the same system here. The weapon changes how basic attacks feel, the Arcana is where new abilities arrive, the Relic is a passive that fires on an event.

What Konami has not published yet

Each row is a launch-day question. To test the published mechanics before 15 October 2026, start with the demo guide.

That is official KONAMI art from the Bloody Tears trailer, not a screenshot of any weapon or Relic in play. No shot of the Burnt Sword of Fierbois or the Crypt Key has been published.

FAQ

How many weapons are in Belmont's Curse? Seven categories, per Konami and PlayStation's hands-on report. Three are named; the other four exist as a number, not as names.

How many Relics can you equip at once? Three, per the hands-on report — which is why the Relic you leave out is a real decision.

Does Belmont's Curse have sub-weapons like Symphony of the Night? No sub-weapon system appears in any official material. The loadout is a weapon plus up to three Relics; new abilities come from Arcana.

Can I get the Burnt Sword of Fierbois or the Crypt Key in the demo? The Fierbois is out of reach: the demo has one boss and two weapons. The Crypt Key came from a pre-release preview build, and Konami has not listed the demo's items.

What does Family's Grace do? Unknown. Konami names it as a Midnight Edition bonus Relic but has published no effect.

Related Guides

• Cestus Secret Weapon in the Belmont's Curse Demo — the route to the hidden gauntlets and the Uppercut combo.
• Belmont's Curse Arcana System Explained — where spells and skills come from.
• Belmont's Curse Controls and Difficulty — the button map behind the backdash and whip grapple.
• Belmont's Curse Midnight Edition vs Standard — what the Family's Grace Relic costs you.
• Castlevania Belmont's Curse Demo Guide — where the demo ends.
• Belmont's Curse Demo: All Secrets and Collectibles — verified versus unconfirmed demo finds.