How to use the Cross in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC

As with every new DLC pack added to Dead Cells, Return to Castlevania brings with it a range of new weapons to play around with, this time directly inspired by Konami’s legendary franchise. From the Throwing Axe to the Holy Water, each stays true to the source material while seamlessly fitting into Dead Cells’ world of fast-paced combat. Of all the weapons introduced in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC, the Cross is perhaps the most powerful — provided you know how to use it, of course.

This guide will teach you the ins and outs of the new weapon, and how you can make the best use of it in your future runs.

How to master the Cross weapon in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC

Unlocking the Cross

Before you can learn to use the Cross, you’ll first need to unlock it. The blueprint for the Cross is dropped by Bone Thrower enemies, the skeletons that, appropriately enough, throw bones at you as you make your way through the DLC. The drop rate is fairly low. But there are plenty of Bone Throwers in the DLC, particularly in the Dracula’s Castle biome, so it should only take a few runs for you to pick this one up. Once you’ve found the blueprint, you can unlock the Cross via the Collector for 50 Cells.

What the Cross does

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Now that you have the Cross unlocked, you can get started on mastering it. The Cross is a ranged weapon that scales purely on Tactics, meaning it’s not really viable outside of a Tactics build. Just like you’d imagine, the Cross is thrown a set distance then comes back the way it came. However, it does spin in place briefly before making the return trip. The Cross inflicts critical hits while spinning in place and on the return journey, so keep that in mind, as it’s crucial to finding success with the weapon. It’s also worth noting that the Cross has only one ammo, and this cannot be changed through any means.

Good and bad use cases

As with every weapon in Dead Cells, the Cross performs better in certain situations than in others. This is particularly true here, with the Cross dealing out absurd damage if you manage to spin it in place on an enemy, but hardly dealing anything at all if you just hit an enemy once going out and once coming back.

You can, through repeated use, learn the exact distance the Cross flies out, and where to position yourself relative to enemies to ensure maximum damage. This won’t be possible in every situation, however, due to the random layout of rooms and placement of enemies. For this reason, the Cross is best against larger foes and bosses, since it’s easier to land it on them than it is on smaller foes. That said, as with all ranged weapons, the Cross is a good option against small flying enemies, albeit a slower one than the likes of the Throwing Knife or any bow weapon.

Tips and tricks

When using the Cross, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure optimal play. Firstly, if the Cross hits a wall while going out, then it will spin in place right by the wall rather than going any further. This makes it a great weapon in tight spaces, since you can easily shred any enemies you find up against walls without worrying about positioning at all.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Since the Cross only has one ammo, you should also try and catch it on the way back whenever possible. Doing so will immediately restore the ammo, letting you use the Cross again right away, whereas missing it will prevent you from using the Cross again until it collides with a wall or object. This can take a few seconds in more open biomes, so get in the habit of catching your Cross on its return journey to get the most use out of it.

While it may sound tricky to use, the Cross is actually quite simple and intuitive in practice. And it can deal out ridiculously high damage later on in a run with a high Tactics stat and the right reinforcement. Learn how to use the Cross in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC, and your enemies won’t be long for this world.