Shadow Whip

The Shadow WhipDave Cox twitter (ダークシャドウ ウィップ Dark Shadow Whip in the Japanese version) is Dracula's neutral and main weapon in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. It is a "whip" that he creates from his own corrupt blood which is bound by a supernatural force which hardens upon impact against his foes. It has many of the same moves and attacks as the Vampire Killer from the first game.
==Lore==
===Shadow Whip===
:~Gabriel's deeply rooted training with the Combat Cross remained in Dracula. The Prince of Darkness now uses his own blood, which takes the shape of a sinuous whip, to inflict pain and death wherever he goes. The dark fluid is bounded by a supernatural force, and it hardens on impact. Before they die, its victims feel as if thousands of fangs penetrated their flesh, breaking bones and tearing their life force from them.~
==Overview==
After emerging victorious against the Forgotten One, Gabriel renounced his old identity and shattered the Vampire Killer in his bare hand symbolizing his plunge into Darkness. Upon his return to the mortal realm Gabriel abandoned his old self and took the name "Dracul" (The Dragon) and ruled as the Prince of Darkness with the Shadow Whip at his disposal.
===Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate===
Dracula first displayed the use of the Shadow Whip against his -then unknown- son Trevor, along with the Void Sword and Chaos Claws. In the end he was victorious over his son, to his regret and horror upon discovering the truth. He would then use it again against his grandson Simon and Trevor, who had been reborn as Alucard.
===Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2===
After the unsuccessful siege of the Brotherhood of Light in Castle Dracula, Alucard talked his father through a plan to lure out and kill Zobek and Satan in order to save humanity once again. After agreeing, Dracula gave his consent for his son to impale him with the Crissaegrim to put him in a deep sleep for centuries. During this time the powers of his blood weakened reverting the Shadow Whip into its weakest manifestation. This time the player must embark on a journey to regain the powers of the Legendary Prince of Darkness and push the power of the Shadow Whip into its maximum potential.
==Powers and abilities==
The Shadow Whip manifests as a gauntlet made of the Prince's own Dark blood bound by a supernatural force on Dracula's right arm. From it the whip springs when he attacks. Like the Vampire Killer, it is the only weapon through which Dracula can Focus to extract blood orbs from his enemies to power his Void & Chaos powers.
Unlike the Vampire Killer, the Shadow Whip does not possess any other abilities such as the ability to grapple enemies or objects, or alternate means of killing, like the stake. This could be due to the fact that whip is only composed of Dracula's blood (though Dracula is seen lifting and choking Alucard with the Shadow Whip at the end of Act II of Mirror of Fate). However, this also means that the Shadow Whip is the only weapon that Dracula retains when he becomes weak after waking up in the modern age.
The Shadow Whip's appearance depends on Dracula's current level of mastery. At its weakest level, the whip appears as simply a hardened strand of Dracula's corrupted blood. At level 2, the blood takes on a dark maroon color and seems to be augmented with magic. At maximum mastery level, the Shadow Whip becomes a bright, deep crimson red in color and becomes a full on mystical energy whip. It looks similar in appearance to the Vampire Killer's chain whip when augmented with Shadow Magic.
Mastering the Shadow Whip allows Dracula to increase its damage, and to increase the blood orbs from enemies. It also changes the visual manifestation in game.
==Strategies and tips==
==Item Data==
==Enemy Data==
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
Mof 01 2013 03.jpg|Shadow Whip from Mirror of Fate.
Gabriel Attacks With Blood Whip.JPG
Castlevania-Lords-of-Shadow-Mirror-of-Fate-HD-Now-Available-for-Xbox-360.jpg|Mirror of Fate HD artwork.
Shadow Whip Area Attack.jpg|Area Attack from Lords of Shadow 2.
1392603729 17.jpg|Enough talk.
Aerial Whip.jpg|Aerial Whip.
1392603729 7.jpg|Sustained Whip.
Counterstrike Whip.jpg|Counterstrike Whip.
SHadow Whip Mastery 2.jpg|Mastery Level 2.
Rising Whip.jpg|Rising Whip.
Smashing Sweep.jpg|Smashing Sweep.
Shadow Whip close-up.jpg|Close-up.
Shadow Whip Mastery 1.jpg|Mastery Level 1.
Shadow Whip vs Paladin.jpg|Vs Paladin.
===Animations===
20141302100930.gif|Combined Sweep and Sustained Sweep
Aerial Sweep.gif|Aerial Sweep
Aerial Whip.gif|Aerial Whip
Area Attack.gif|Area Attack
Combined Sweep Upgraded.gif|Combined Sweep Upgraded
Combined Sweep.gif|Combined Sweep
Combined Whip Upgraded.gif|Combined Whip Upgraded
Combined Whip.gif|Combined Whip
Counterstrike Sweep.gif|Counterstrike Sweep
Counterstrike Whip.gif|Counterstrike Whip
Direct Attack.gif|Direct Attack
Guillotine Upgraded.gif|Guillotine Upgraded
Guillotine.gif|Guillotine
Rising Sweep.gif|Rising Sweep
Rising Whip.gif|Rising Whip
Smashing Sweep.gif|Smashing Sweep
Sustained Sweep Upgraded.gif|Sustained Sweep Upgraded
Sustained Sweep.gif|Sustained Sweep
Sustained Whip Upgraded.gif|Sustained Whip Upgraded
Sustained Whip.gif|Sustained Whip
==Trivia==
*The Shadow Whip was originally referred to as the "Blood Whip" during Lords of Shadow 2's development stage. Despite the name change, fans and magazines still occasionally call the weapon by its original name.
*In Lords of Shadow 2, despite the whip being Dracula's primary weapon of the three, he is almost never seen using it in cutscenes and usually only during gameplay. More or less, he is more frequently seen using either the Void Sword or the Chaos Claws in battle.
*The Shadow Whip is the only one of Dracula's primary weapons that isn't magic based and fueled by blood, the reason being that the whip itself is composed of blood.
*In Mirror of Fate, Dracula only uses the Shadow Whip as either a last resort (in the case of Trevor Belmont) or when he is deliberately holding back.
*Also, in Mirror of Fate Dracula is shown attempting to use the Shadow Whip to grapple Simon and Alucard, however regardless of what buttons are pressed during the struggle QTE, the choking animation itself deals no damage, nor does anything occur, eventually Dracula will drop Simon or Alucard, depending on who he's grabbed. This could be a way of showing that the whip cannot perform grapple attacks, and Dracula was just finding that out in the middle of the fight. However, it could also be that Dracula had no intention to kill them and thus he simply did not exert enough force to inflict any damage but just enough to incapacitate.
*The Shadow Whip does not have as many combos and moves as the Vampire Killer.
*Lords of Shadow is the only time Dracula ever used a whip.
*This is also the only whip in the series to be made out of material that is not solid.
*When attacking enemies in a darkened area at max level, the Shadow Whip will briefly illuminate the area with a red glow.
*During an interview, David Cox described the concept behind the Shadow Whip as "a twisted parody" of the Vampire Killer, reflecting Gabriel Belmont's fall from grace.
==See also==
*Bloody Whip
==References==
Category:Abilities
Category:Belmont Equipment
Category:Whips
Category:Lords of Shadow 2 Items
Category:Dracula