Barlowe

is the founder of the Order of Ecclesia, one of the many groups dedicated to keeping Dracula at bay in the absence of the Belmont Clan.
==History==
Within Ecclesia lies the remains of Dracula, a nearly indestructible relic that if destroyed, will prevent Dracula's resurrection. Barlowe's research has resulted in Dominus, a weapon powerful enough to perform such a task, and Shanoa is tasked with its use. However, right before Shanoa prepares to do so, Albus, another of Barlowe's disciples, steals Dominus and flees. Barlowe then orders Shanoa to locate Dominus and bring it (and Albus) back, if possible.
In actuality, Barlowe was presumably already driven insane and influenced by Dracula to get the dark lord revived, the relic in Ecclesia is actually a seal to confine him and the organization's true goal was the revival of Dracula. Barlowe's true intention was to have Shanoa sacrifice her life with Dominus to break the seal and resurrect the dark lord. In addition, Barlowe, after Albus refused to let Shanoa undergo the ritual due to realizing the cost toward her life, manipulated him by claiming he'll let him take Shanoa's place before sending him on what was ultimately a wild goose chase specifically to get him out of the way so he wouldn't interfere with the ritual. In the bad ending, after Shanoa finds all three Dominus Glyphs, she uses it on the seal and dies, releasing Dracula. However, the results of this action are not shown and it is initially unbeknownst to the player that Dracula was actually resurrected and not destroyed (although Barlowe briefly flashes a psychotic smirk as Shanoa dies, giving the player a slight hint about what's really going on).
However, should you meet the requirements for the good ending (rescuing all the villagers), Albus will warn Shanoa not to use Dominus, and she ends up refusing Barlowe's will. Barlowe then reveals his true intentions: to kill Shanoa and use her sacrifice to free Dracula from the seal. He tries to defeat Shanoa and fails; however, he succeeds in awakening Dracula by sacrificing himself to undo the seal on the vessel containing Dracula's soul, with Shanoa implying immediately beforehand that Dracula possessed Barlowe to do so.
==Personality==
Although Barlowe at first seems to be calm, helpful, and even somewhat fatherly toward Shanoa, his true intentions and personality were revealed after she refused his orders to use Dominus to destroy "Dracula's vessel". In actuality, Barlowe is insane and quick to anger, believing Shanoa to be a traitor and praising Dracula as a god, to the extent that he would give his own life to see him reborn (which ends up being his demise). This is reflected by the fact that he is a dark-aligned enemy during his boss fight. Shanoa believed that he was just "another victim of Dominus", and this is supported by his Japanese description reading that Barlowe was driven mad by Dominus' influence. Owing to his insanity, he also shows signs of delusional thought, which is implied by what he says when using his five-punch combo against Shanoa (see "Strategy" section below). He also shows signs of hysteria, which is especially evident when utilizing his "Electrous" spell, and to a lesser extent, just prior to sacrificing his life to break Dracula's seal.
==Abilities==
*Magic mastery: Much like the members of the Belnades Clan, Barlowe controls Fire, Ice and Thunder, and uses them via his magic tomes. Barlowe can also fly.
*Superhuman strength: Barlowe displays inhuman strength, being able to punch Shanoa and send her flying. This is likely an effect of his magic mastery, which allows him to temporarily strengthen his punches by fueling them with magic.
*Glyph use: Although Barlowe himself believed Shanoa to be the only one able to use glyphs, after discovering Albus's ability to absorb them, Barlowe displayed the ability to use glyphs as well, particularly Globus. He also believed himself to have the power to master Dominus.
**It's possible that Barlowe, like Albus, was using an artifact to host his glyphs. Barlowe's books may have been the material focus that allow him to cast glyph spells.
==Quotes==
If Shanoa does nothing during the training, Barlowe says to her:
*(Absorbing the glyph) What are you doing? Take in that Glyph.
*(Attacking) No need to hesitate. Attack me with that Glyph.
*(Absorbing the Glyph Union) The Glyph Union, Shanoa. Search your mind.
*(Go to the next room) We do not have time. When you are ready, go to the next room.
As the tutorial is finished, Barlowe says:
*I'm counting on you...
*Crouch down to check for treasures in the earth.
*Don't panic if an enemy flings you. Just jump or back-dash to regain control.
*You've always been a gifted warrior... Your latent talent has not lost its spark. I've faith in you; you will fulfill your role.
*In Castlevania's shadow, evil thrives. Its memory alone attracts foul fiends. To win, one must exploit their weaknesses. The skeleton, for one. He shrugs off ice, but fire devastates. And, of course, a simple, violent blow works wonders too.
*Poor Albus was a brother to you once. He genuinely cared.
*With Glyphs in both arms, alternate to launch a series of attacks. But know this too: The timing varies. Practice, and you'll see.
==Strategy==
If aiming to get the good ending, Barlowe must be fought in Ecclesia as the game's ninth boss.
He flies around the room and tries to hit Shanoa with diverse spells. He may also cast Globus, being more prone to do it during the first half of the encounter. While it's also possible to absorb this glyph from a Demon Lord, it is much easier to steal it from Barlowe.
One of his attacks, called "Tonitrus" according to him, consists in surrounding himself in an electric barrier, followed by launching himself ricocheting through the room at great speed, while laughing insanely. One way to avoid this attack is by running to either edge of the room and double jump as he ricochets toward that side.
His next attack actually consists in two attacks that work in tandem with each other. First, he'll float in place slightly above the floor and drop a book, which as it makes contact with it will freeze the whole area. According to him, the spell is called "Glacias". If Shanoa is standing on the floor as it is being frozen, she'll freeze too, which triggers Barlowe's second attack. He'll charge a large ball of electricity and shoot a bolt of lightning from it. While it is avoidable with rapid button mashing, it's also difficult due to the amount required.
His next attack consists in him floating high above the room while he takes out a book. He will start conjuring a spell which will engulf it on fire and then shoot several of these at Shanoa's direction. The spell, according to him, is called "Ustio". Only dodge those which are strictly necessary, as moving too much usually ends in one getting hit due to each book being launched at the current player's position.
When his health is low, he'll cry out "Die, Shanoa!" (or just yell if played with Albus) and teleport around the room to try and punch the player five times. Getting hit by this attack once, usually means receiving the following as they knock the player around. On an interesting note, he says something with each punch:
#How dare you...
#...even forgetting...
#...who raised you...
#...you...
#...stupid disciple!
This may imply that Barlowe considers his betrayal to Shanoa as if it was actually her who was betraying him, which also indicates that Barlowe was truly a madman as the description reads.
Barlowe is weak against Light based attacks (conversely to Albus, the previous boss, who is weak against Darkness), which makes Luminatio spells particularly efficient against him (especially Vol Luminatio, which has tracking capabilities, proving it useful against highly mobile targets). Wearing a Diamond Ring (or preferably two, as their stats stack), as well as Onyx Pins, will provide both an offensive advantage as well as good protection against him during the encounter.
Casting as many Universitas Glyph Unions (Light + Darkness) as possible at the beginning of the encounter will greatly weaken him, effectively shortening the overall length of the battle and slightly turning the odds in the player's favor. However, if the player is looking to steal Globus from him, it's then advised to use the glyph unions after successfully having absorbed the spell, since, as mentioned above, he tends not to cast it as frequently during the second phase of the fight.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
OoE offart35.jpg
Coe-barlowe.jpg|Barlowe artwork from Order of Ecclesia.
Barlowelarge.jpg
Ooe dracula 05 1024.jpg|Barlowe official wallpaper.
CV Dominus Gallery OoE 15 - Barlowe portraits.png
Koma Barlowe.JPG|Barlowe in the official Koma comic strips.
barlowe.gif|In-game sprite.
==Trivia==
*Barlowe's in-game sprite seems to have been designed after the Priests from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. This is further supported since Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia draws many other gameplay elements from that game.
*Barlowe's true status as an enemy is foreshadowed in the tutorial when he tells Shanoa: "So armed, you can wield Glyphs against your foes. Imagine I am one of them, and strike!"
*On the English localization, Barlowe's enemy description says that his body has been turned into a vessel for Dracula. On the Japanese original, however, his description instead says that he has been driven mad by Dracula's influence,Barlowe 'Enemies' entry from the Japanese version of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. mentioning nothing about his body becoming a vessel to Dracula.
**However, just before Barlowe sacrificed himself to undo the seal on Dracula, Shanoa notes that she senses a different power emanating from him, implying that Dracula did possess Barlowe in his final moments.
*Should the player use the Dominus Glyph Union to defeat Barlowe, instead of him screaming in agony, he will simply appear standing beside Shanoa and say "Damn you for giving me trouble." before the Game Over screen appears. However, the game will register as if Barlowe was in fact defeated until the last save is reloaded.
*Michael McConnohie, Barlowe's English voice actor, also voiced Rinaldo Gandolfi in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.
*Barlowe, as well as his and Ecclesia's true intentions of reviving Dracula, were referenced in Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, with it also being implied that Barlowe's actions led to the then-current leaders trying to suppress Ecclesia's history to cover up their mistake.
**Coincidentally, Elgos, the pertinent organization in the game, also ended up suffering a similar fate to that of Barlowe and Ecclesia, with the leader of the group, Seward, later being revealed to actually intend to revive Dracula, with Shanoa even comparing the situation afterward.
*His name is likely a reference to Kurt Barlow, the vampire from Stephen King's horror novel, 'Salem's Lot. Barlowe's overall design is based on Rutger Hower's portrayal in the 2004 miniseries based on the book.
*When he punches, he does it in a manner similar to the character Master Asia from the anime series Mobile Fighter G Gundam.
==References==
==External links==
*
*Barlowe at the Villains Wiki
es:Barlowe
pt-br:Barlowe
Category:Antagonists
Category:Deceased Characters
Category:Ecclesia (organization)
Category:Fire Bosses
Category:Flying Bosses
Category:Humans
Category:Ice Bosses
Category:Male Characters
Category:NPC
Category:Thunder Bosses
Category:Order of Ecclesia Bosses
Category:Order of Ecclesia Characters