Final Stage: Bloodlines

is the prologue to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and is a reenactment of the final stage of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. In this stage, the player is Richter Belmont, and he faces off against Dracula.
==Overview==
Even though the structure of the level remains almost identical to that in Rondo of Blood, many details have been added to take advantage of the technical capabilities of the PlayStation:
*The presence of a guardrail along the final staircase, such that Richter will not fall off.
*The clock tower can be seen in the background scenery.
*The invisible staircases leading to the bonus room have been replaced by an escalator that will have to be activated by pressing a hidden switch at the entrance to the pinnacle. In addition, the bonus room no longer contains gold bags but objects that can only be used when playing as Alucard (these items are only for showcase and are not retained in the main game), and two large jars at each end of the room each containing a Large Heart. 
*There is now a connecting hall between the bonus room and the main staircase. This hall also contains a large jar with a Large Heart. 
*The room before the throne room is decorated with a chandelier, several windows, and a large table holding a jar containing a Large Heart.
Because transitioning between the bonus room and the main room reloads the breakable objects and their contents, the bonus room can be entered repeatedly to reload Hearts and maximize the Heart counter.
==Alucard's stats==
Alucard's initial stats and items for the main game are determined by various factors involved during Richter Belmont's battle with Dracula in this stage. Alucard's default base stats without any bonuses or wearing any of the initial equipment are: 70 HP, 20 MP, 50 Max Hearts, 6 STR, 6 CON, 6 INT, 6 LCK.
;Time
*If the entirety of the prologue is finished in exactly 1 minute or less, Alucard earns +5 to all stats. It should be noted, however, that such a feat is legitimately impossible until the player beats the game and starts a new playthrough with a clear file on the memory card, as the "Die, monster" dialogue is unskippable otherwise.
*If the fight is finished within 1–2 minutes, Alucard earns +2 LCK.
*If the fight is finished within 2–3 minutes, Alucard earns +1 LCK.
*If the fight is finished in more than 10 minutes, Alucard earns +1 CON.
;Health
*If Richter manages to kill Dracula without taking any damage, Alucard earns +5 HP and +1 to STR, CON, INT, and LCK.
*If Richter has 50% or more HP remaining, Alucard earns +1 STR. Otherwise, he earns +1 CON.
*If Richter loses all of his HP, Maria Renard will make him invincible for the rest of the battle. Alucard then starts with a Potion in his inventory. This condition overrides all other conditions, except for the Neutron Bomb condition (INT or STR point) and the time-based conditions: +5 to all stats (1 minute or less), LCK +2 (1–2 minutes), LCK +1 (2–3 minutes), and CON +1 (10 minutes).
;Sub-weapons
*If Richter finishes the prologue with the Cross equipped and without Maria's help, Alucard starts with +5 MP and +5 Max Hearts.
*If Richter finishes the prologue with the Holy Water equipped and has 50% or more HP remaining, Alucard starts with +5 Max Hearts and +1 INT.
;No sub-weapon
:Note: The Flame Whip can be used and won't affect these bonuses, but it is also useless in most versions of the game.
*If Richter takes no damage, Alucard earns +5 to HP and LCK and +1 to STR, CON, and INT.
*If Richter has 50% or more HP remaining, Alucard earns +5 HP and +1 STR.
*If Richter has less than 50% HP remaining, Alucard earns +1 STR.
;Hearts
*If Richter is carrying 41 or more Hearts when the dialogue with Dracula begins, Alucard starts the game with +1 INT and a Neutron Bomb in his inventory. Otherwise, he gains +1 STR.
*If Richter finishes the prologue with no Hearts and without Maria's help, Alucard starts the game with a Heart Refresh.
;Other
*If Luck Mode is enabled, all stat bonuses are lost, only item bonuses will be kept.
*In the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night, Alucard will always start the game with a Monster Vial 1 in his inventory.
Combining the best of these bonuses (by finishing the prologue within exactly 1 minute or less and without taking damage), Alucard can start the game with 85 HP, 25 MP, 55 Max Hearts, 14 STR, 13 CON, 13 INT, and 17 LCK (if carrying no sub-weapon at the end of the battle); or 80 HP, 30 MP, 60 Max Hearts, 13 STR, 12 CON, 12 INT, and 12 LCK (if carrying the Cross); or 80 HP, 25 MP, 60 Max Hearts, 13 STR, 12 CON, 13 INT, and 12 LCK (if carrying the Holy Water). Note that if Richter had 41 or more Hearts when the dialogue with Dracula started, Alucard will have 1 more INT point and 1 less STR point. Alucard's default stats without the bonuses (or initial equipment) are 70 HP, 20 MP, 50 Max Hearts, 6 STR, 6 CON, 6 INT, and 6 LCK, but because an extra STR or INT point is always awarded, the default STR or INT is actually 7, depending on the amount of Hearts Richter was carrying when talking to Dracula.
==Dialogue==
==Enemy Data==
==Item Data==
==Notes==
*None of the usable items that can be collected in this stage (Moon Rod, Badelaire, Dark Shield, etc.) are carried over to the main game, nor can Richter make use of them in any way. Apparently, they only appear to showcase some of the items Alucard will be able to obtain and use in the main game.
==Gallery==
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Final Stage Bloodlines.png|Map
==Other appearances==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Game.com)===
The Bloodlines stage appears in a prototype of the unreleased Game.com port of the game. Richter faces Dracula with similar dialogue as the original game. Dracula is shown in his battle-ready pose during the dialogue instead of in the background on a chair. The prologue moves on right as the battle is just about to start.
==Videos==
Castlevania- Symphony of the Night (Tiger game.com)
==See also==
*Bloodlines - The original Rondo of Blood stage this is a recreation of.
*Dracula's Castle (Moonlight Rhapsody) - The prologue to a game structured similarly to Symphony of the Night.
Category:Castle Keeps
Category:Throne Rooms
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Locations
Category:Symphony of the Night Locations