Arcana clues help you find the bosses tied to Rose's tarot cards and can also explain how to survive their attacks. Read them as instructions about a location, an interaction, or a threat. Finding a card marker on the map does not automatically mean it is the next safe step in the story.
The strongest early example is the Prophetess investigation in Holy Innocents' Cemetery: its clues connect Roman ruins, a strange fountain, the roots of a hollow tree, and a gaze you should turn away from. Together they explain both the route underground and an important defensive response.
Read a clue for the action it suggests
| Clue type | What to look for | Useful response |
|---|---|---|
| Landmark | A named room, tree, tower, fountain, or other feature | Compare the hint with the current area and nearby rooms |
| Hidden interaction | A lever, suspicious wall, opening, or unusual water | Inspect that specific feature rather than searching every room |
| Boss mechanic | A warning about an attack or effect | Change your positioning or facing when that attack appears |
| Incomplete progression | A destination you can identify but cannot enter | Note the obstruction and continue toward the required ability |
Do not treat every clue as a collectible-only objective. Its practical value can be the route or attack information it gives you.
Recheck the stored clues before backtracking
Spirit clues are retained in the menu. After collecting another clue, compare it with the earlier ones before leaving the region. A new reference can explain a landmark you have already passed.
A useful note should record the landmark, the suspected interaction, and anything that still blocks you. “Fountain has unusual water” is a more actionable reminder than “come back later.” If you have no new information or ability, repeating the same loop may not change the result.
The Prophetess is a worked example
Complete the Warrior's progression first so you have Holy Light. That ability is needed to reach the relevant cemetery route. From the Prison Tower, travel west toward Holy Innocents' Cemetery and begin following the clues there.
The directions below describe the investigation rather than a complete fight strategy. The clue text identifies what to inspect; the boss's attack set is a separate task.
Roman Baths clue
Take the southern route west through the cemetery to its first Mirror of Life, save, and continue west to the spirit. The clue points toward Roman ruins rather than a boss standing openly on the cemetery paths.
Use the southern cemetery route to reach the first clue.
This gives the investigation its destination type. Keep the underground ruins in mind when another clue describes a way down.
Cemetery Fountain clue
The next spirit is northwest of the Fountain of the Lost. Reaching it requires a loop along the southern route through the area with falling chandeliers. Continue to the Hollow Tree room, use the grapple point above its doorway, and follow the route east.
The fountain clue is reached by looping through the cemetery.
The spirit indicates that objects disappear into the fountain. That clue is about an entrance, so inspect the water itself instead of assuming the fountain is only scenery.
Hollow Tree clue
From the Hollow Tree room, head west to the Mirror of Life. Use the grapple route upward, travel east through the combat encounter, then go west into the adjoining room and drop through the grate to reach the spirit.
The hint points beneath the tree's roots. A breakable wall below the Hollow Tree reveals a route into the Roman Aqueduct. This gives you another way to understand the relationship between the cemetery and the underground area.
Guardian's Gaze clue
Enter the Roman Aqueduct through the hidden route beneath the Hollow Tree. Continue east to the large room connecting toward the Fountain of the Lost. The spirit waits on a small platform near the ceiling.
Its warning is about the guardian's eyes: turning away counters the ordinary stone gaze. The separate arena-wide beam requires shelter behind a fallen boulder. Save the distinction for the fight instead of treating the warning as another navigation hint.
Use the fountain clue to reach the hidden route
Approach the Fountain of the Lost and look for the bubbling section in the middle of the water. Jump into that section rather than swinging all the way across. Ordinary water outside the bubbling opening causes damage, so the location of the entry matters.
Enter the bubbling section rather than ordinary water.
After dropping into the aqueduct, head south to the large staircase descending west. Activate the save room to the right before taking the stairs left toward the encounter. The clue trail has now supplied an area, an entrance, and a relevant combat warning.
A revealed card marker can still be premature
Inside Dracula's Castle, a marker for the Zealot can appear because the card's clues are known. That visibility does not prove you have the preparation required to progress safely through that route.
The castle instead asks you to acquire traversal tools and resolve other Arcana investigations. If a route seems to jump directly toward a major confrontation, compare it with your current abilities and the warnings you have received. A destination on the map is information, not a universal next-objective instruction.
Match the obstacle to the missing tool
Some routes depend on movement abilities rather than another clue. Golden-cracked objects point toward Smash. Wide airborne gaps point toward Aerial Rush. High ledges can require Double Jump. A painting-related route can depend on the Artist Arcana and the relevant key item.
Keep those situations separate. Searching for one more spirit will not automatically let Rose cross an obstacle that requires a new action. Equally, a new action does not solve a clue that expects you to notice a particular landmark.
Keep a useful investigation checklist
- Read the newest clue in the menu and compare it with earlier hints for that card.
- Identify the landmark or room it describes.
- Check whether the problem is access, an interaction, or a combat warning.
- Mark any remaining obstruction with a specific note.
- Activate a nearby Mirror of Life before committing to a hidden route or boss approach.
- Return to the clue after a failed attempt and check whether you tested the interaction it actually describes.
This page does not claim a complete list of every clue or that every clue must be collected before each boss. Its purpose is to make the investigation readable and show how a supported clue trail becomes a route you can follow.
Use Arcana Locations: Known Routes to match a clue with a supported acquisition route, then check Map Locations and Route Order for the broader progression order.