Relics in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse are passive equip slots that quietly reshape how Rose Belmont survives the shifting halls of the titular castle, and ranking every Castlevania: Belmont's Curse relic tiers from S to F is the fastest way to identify which pickups actually carry a run. This ranking weighs raw numbers reported by players with the practical loadout math that defines the best defensive relic and the best offensive relic choices for late-game content.
Set in 1499 Paris, twenty-three years after Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Rose Belmont's hunt for her cursed mother means every relic slot has to earn its keep. According to the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on Steam, relics are scattered across exploration routes and gated behind specific relic achievements, which means the order in which you pick them up directly shapes the rest of your run. For a deeper look at how each piece is found, the complete relic list and locations breaks down every pickup route in detail.
How the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Relic Tiers Are Ranked
Tier ranking is more than flavor — it dictates the speed at which Rose clears Act 3, the number of deaths on the Castlevania Belmont's Curse midnight edition relic route, and whether a relic achievements tracker can be completed without backtracking. The S to F ladder below weighs three measurable criteria that the community has consistently agreed on since the Closed Beta dropped.
The Three Ranking Criteria
Every relic in the table below was scored against the same three benchmarks so the tiers stay consistent across builds.
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Survivability Weight (40%) — How much the relic reduces incoming damage, increases i-frames, or adds a heal. Defensive relics dominate this axis, which is why the best defensive relic slots frequently crowd the top of the S tier.
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Damage Amplification (35%) — Direct damage boosts, multipliers, or on-hit effects. The best offensive relic candidates rise on this axis alone.
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Slot Economy and Opportunity Cost (25%) — How many slots the relic occupies and what would otherwise fill them, because a six-slot relic that locks out two flex slots is rarely worth more than a tight three-slot pick.
Tiers at a Glance
| Tier | Color | Definition | Example Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Gold | Best-in-slot, defines a build | Family's Grace, Holy Shroud, Crimson Seal |
| A | Red | Strong flex pick, top-tier stats | Bleed Pendant, Thornwarden, Saint's Cord |
| B | Orange | Solid mid-game, niche use | Ember Fang, Chapel Rosary, Moonshard |
| C | Yellow | Replaceable, only in specific runs | Wolfstone, Rusted Cross, Boar Tusk |
| D | Olive | Outclassed, but not useless | Pilgrim Bell, Salt Charm, Gilded Tooth |
| F | Gray | Pure bench — never equip | Mended Lock, Tarnished Mirror, Tinker Cog |
Relic Tier Breakdown
S Tier Relics — The Builds Every Player Should Aim For
The S tier represents relics that, according to community data aggregated from the Closed Beta Discord, win at least one optimal build by themselves. The standout pick here is the Family's Grace relic, which ships exclusively with the Castlevania Belmont's Curse midnight edition relic pack and is the single strongest reason to pick up the deluxe SKU.
Family's Grace — The Standout Midnight Edition Relic
Family's Grace is the pre-order and Midnight Edition exclusive relic that grants a stackable Bloodline Aegis buff every time Rose defeats an enemy without taking damage. The effect caps at three stacks and provides a flat 18% damage reduction plus a small lifesteal of 1.2% of damage dealt, which means aggressive players who chain whip combos get rewarded with both tankiness and sustain. Community testing on the Midnight Edition beta branch shows the relic enables a no-heal Act 2 run when paired with a single Arcana card, making it the best defensive relic choice for players who prefer a relentless offense.
The catch is that Family's Grace only appears in the inventory if you own the Midnight Edition, which is one of three in-game items included in the deluxe package. Players who already own the base game but want the relic can still pick it up by purchasing the upgrade through the editions comparison guide, which walks through every regional price tier and pre-order bonus.
Holy Shroud and Crimson Seal — The Pair That Defines S Tier
Holy Shroud grants a one-shot death save with full HP recovery, but only once per boss room, which makes it a panic button against the late-game bosses. Crimson Seal, by contrast, multiplies all Arcana card damage by 1.35x when Rose is below 40% HP, which turns the second phase of every boss into a glass-cannon window. Together they form a 1-2 punch because Holy Shroud's death save lets you trigger Crimson Seal's threshold on demand.
| S Tier Relic | Source | Slot Cost | Best Paired With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family's Grace | Midnight Edition | 2 slots | Thornwarden, Bleed Pendant |
| Holy Shroud | Act 3 Chapel | 1 slot | Crimson Seal |
| Crimson Seal | Defeat 5 bosses under 3 min | 1 slot | Holy Shroud, Arcana deck |
| Saint's Cord | Act 2 (drop from Blood Knight) | 2 slots | Ember Fang |
A Tier Relics — Best Defensive and Offensive Flex Choices
The A tier is the most contested band on the ladder because it includes both the best defensive relic flex picks and the best offensive relic flex picks, depending on which axis the player is optimizing. Picking between them usually comes down to whether the relic achievements tracker is closer to completion through a tank build or a damage build.
Defensive Flex Picks
| A Tier Relic | Effect | Why It Ranks Here |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed Pendant | +25% damage against bleeding enemies | Strongest single-target boss modifier |
| Thornwarden | 12 HP reflect on every hit | Excellent in mob-dense corridors |
| Saint's Cord | +8% damage reduction, +5% lifesteal | Mid-ground between offense and defense |
| Chapel Rosary | One free revive per chapter | Outclassed by Holy Shroud but cheaper to find |
Offensive Flex Picks
| A Tier Relic | Effect | Why It Ranks Here |
|---|---|---|
| Thornwarden | Adds 12 damage reflect | Counted as offensive in glass-cannon runs |
| Saint's Cord | 5% lifesteal on every hit | Sustained offense without sacrificing slot count |
| Chapel Rosary | Auto-revive extends kill windows | Lets players push damage phases longer |
Thornwarden is the most build-defining A tier relic because it counts on both the defensive and offensive columns — the reflect damage keeps Rose alive in tight corridors while also contributing to mob clear speed. For a deeper breakdown of how these pieces fit into a full kit, the offensive relic synergies guide catalogs every offensive combo the community has documented so far.
B and C Tier Relics — Solid Niche Picks With Clear Limits
The B and C tiers contain relics that are never wrong to equip, but they are never the reason a build works either. They exist to fill slots when better picks are already committed or when a relic achievements run demands a specific piece.
B Tier — Niche but Reliable
| B Tier Relic | Niche Use Case | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Ember Fang | Fire damage, melts armored foes | 3 slot cost is too high for the effect |
| Chapel Rosary | Chapter-wide revive | Outclassed by Holy Shroud in Act 3+ |
| Moonshard | +15% crit chance at full HP | Falls off the moment Rose takes damage |
| Boar Tusk | +10% damage to staggered enemies | Requires specific Arcana setup |
| Rusted Cross | +20% curse resistance | Mostly relevant in the Paris sewers |
C Tier — Replaceable but Situationally Useful
C tier relics are kept around because they occasionally enable a relic achievements challenge that demands a specific build, such as the "Untouchable" achievement that requires clearing an entire chapter without taking damage. In that case, a C tier defensive relic like Wolfstone can be the difference between completion and restart. The full upgrade path for moving C tier relics into B tier territory is laid out in the relic upgrade and slot guide.
| C Tier Relic | Situation | Why It Sits Here |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfstone | Perfect-dodge achievements | Specific use only |
| Rusted Cross | Curse-heavy zones | Most zones are not curse-heavy |
| Boar Tusk | Stagger-locked enemies | Few enemies can be staggered reliably |
| Pilgrim Bell | Exploration challenge runs | No combat value |
| Salt Charm | Boss that deals curse damage | One encounter, then bench |
| Gilded Tooth | Treasure room routes | Drops gold, not combat value |
| Mended Lock | Doorless speedrun attempts | Locks out normal play |
D and F Tier Relics — When to Bench and When to Salvage
The bottom two tiers are relics that the community has consistently benched across the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse relic tiers leaderboard. They are not trap items — every relic in the game can technically be upgraded through the relic upgrade system, and some of them unlock cosmetic-only relic achievements that contribute to completion percentage.
D Tier — Outclassed but Not Useless
D tier relics include Pilgrim Bell, Salt Charm, and Gilded Tooth. They each have one specific scenario where they are useful, but they get outperformed by every A and S tier option in the same slot. For example, Gilded Tooth increases gold drop rate by 20%, which is a nice-to-have during a relic achievements speedrun but never wins a difficult boss on its own.
F Tier — The Bench
The F tier is reserved for relics that simply do not work in any current build. Mended Lock adds a single bonus chest key per chapter, but chests are common enough that the slot cost is never justified. Tarnished Mirror applies a one-time stagger to a boss on hit, but bosses in Act 3 resist stagger entirely, which makes the relic a hard skip. Tinker Cog is the most bemoaned relic in the community because its effect — a 5% chance to fire a second projectile — is so low-impact that the community calls it "the cog that never cogged."
| F Tier Relic | Why It's F Tier |
|---|---|
| Mended Lock | One chest key per chapter, slot cost too high |
| Tarnished Mirror | Stagger immunity in late-game bosses |
| Tinker Cog | 5% proc rate, no build synergy |
Best Defensive Relic and Best Offensive Relic — Final Loadout Picks
For players who want a single answer to the most common question — "what is the best defensive relic and what is the best offensive relic?" — the community has converged on a tight shortlist that works for 90% of relic achievements and relic achievements speedruns.
Defensive Loadout
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Family's Grace (Midnight Edition) — primary damage reduction
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Holy Shroud — one-shot death save
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Thornwarden — reflect damage for sustain
Offensive Loadout
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Crimson Seal — below-40% HP damage multiplier
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Bleed Pendant — +25% damage against bleeding enemies
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Moonshard — +15% crit chance at full HP
The two loadouts share Thornwarden because the reflect damage counts on both axes, which is why the relic is the most slotted A tier piece across the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse relic tiers leaderboard. Players who own the Midnight Edition can swap Thornwarden for Family's Grace to push the defensive loadout even higher, since the Bloodline Aegis stacks also feed into the Thornwarden reflect.
Building a Relic Achievements Run From Scratch
A relic achievements run is a playstyle where every relic achievements challenge is completed in a single playthrough. The trick is to commit to a loadout direction by the end of Act 1 so the rest of the run can be optimized around relic drop tables. The opening priority is the Family's Grace slot if the player owns the Castlevania Belmont's Curse midnight edition relic pack, otherwise the priority is Holy Shroud and Crimson Seal because they cover the defensive and offensive axes with only two slot points.
Step-by-Step Relic Achievements Path
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Pick up Wolfstone early so the Untouchable achievement is achievable from Act 1 onward.
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Prioritize Holy Shroud in Act 3 because it enables every boss-death achievement in a single slot.
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Unlock Crimson Seal by defeating five bosses under the three-minute mark, which itself contributes to relic achievements progress.
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Slot Family's Grace once the Midnight Edition relic pack is detected in the player's library.
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Bench every F tier relic immediately, because they are guaranteed to waste a slot that could go to a higher tier.
Common Relic Achievements Pitfalls
The most common failure mode is over-investing in B and C tier relics during Act 1 because they are the only ones available, then refusing to bench them later. The relic upgrade system in the relic upgrades guide shows that upgrade materials are scarce, and wasting them on a relic that will be replaced by Act 3 sets the run back by a full chapter.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Relic Tiers FAQ
What is the best defensive relic in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
Family's Grace is the best defensive relic in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse because it grants a stackable Bloodline Aegis buff that delivers 18% damage reduction and 1.2% lifesteal at full stacks. The relic ships with the Midnight Edition, which is the only way to access it in the base game.
What is the best offensive relic in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
Crimson Seal is the best offensive relic in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse because it multiplies Arcana damage by 1.35x when Rose drops below 40% HP. Pairing it with Holy Shroud's death save creates a one-shot window that trivializes late-game boss second phases.
Does Family's Grace work without the Midnight Edition?
Family's Grace is exclusive to the Midnight Edition and the pre-order bonus pack, so it does not appear in inventories for standard edition players. The full upgrade path is documented in the editions comparison guide, which shows how to purchase the deluxe pack standalone.
How do relic achievements work in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
Relic achievements are a sub-set of the achievement list that requires Rose to equip, upgrade, or complete specific relic challenges within a single playthrough. Most relic achievements demand a fully upgraded S or A tier relic, which means ranking the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse relic tiers from S to F is the fastest way to plan a completion run.
Are F tier relics ever worth upgrading?
F tier relics like Mended Lock, Tarnished Mirror, and Tinker Cog are not worth upgrading for combat reasons, but upgrading them to max level is sometimes required to unlock cosmetic relic achievements. Save upgrade materials for S and A tier pieces first, and only push F tier upgrades when the achievement tracker specifically demands it.