If I were to describe Blasphemous 2 in one word, it would be cryptic. A cryptic narrative, cryptic secrets, cryptic UI, and cryptic outcomes.
In a Metroidvania game, it’s common to come across items or mysteries in the most unusual places. However, once you acquire them, a tooltip or marker usually explains exactly what that item does or its purpose.
But in Blasphemous 2, not so much. It became a common occurrence for me to find isolated rooms with a robed figure and extinguish a candle without knowing the reason behind it. It took a while, but eventually, I connected the dots and discovered that a new Battle Challenge would unlock for me each time I snuffed out a new candle.
In these challenges, I could compete in a monster gauntlet in exchange for rewards. This Blasphemous 2 Battle Challenges Guide will show you where to find all the rooms with candles to unlock new battle challenges and receive their prizes. Long story short: it’s required to see Ending A.
Every Battle Challenge Reward
There are a total of five Battle Challenges. Each time you snuff out a candle, a new and bizarre figure is hung on a chair beside a decrepit and possibly the world’s worst mother. By speaking to her, you’ll be thrown into a gauntlet, facing common enemies. Nothing too challenging, but the rewards are tempting.
- Battle Challenge 1 reward – Tirso Figure, which increases damage inflicted by 10% when health is at its maximum.
- Battle Challenge 2 reward – The Thirst Figure, which increases damage dealt by 20% when Bile Flasks are depleted.
- Battle Challenge 3 reward – An Empty Receptacle that can be exchanged to increase the number of Bile Flasks.
- Battle Challenge 4 reward – An Ornate Chalice that can be exchanged to increase the health bar.
- Battle Challenge 5 reward – Lebeche Figure, which increases critical chance by 10%. This Figure is required for Ending A.
As you can see, all the rewards are highly desired, especially starting from Battle Challenge 3, where the upgrades are long-lasting. The last one is essential for those aiming for the good ending in Blasphemous 2.
How to Unlock Every Battle Challenge
But your real question is: where to find all the rooms that unlock new battle challenges? And I have the answers.
You can snuff out all the candles before meeting the Battle Challenge NPC. I had found one before visiting the Streets of Wakes, which left me puzzled for quite a while about why I was extinguishing these candles. Little did I know that I was doing that so I could enter into their mourning and, well, maybe kill their demons? I guess.
So, first things first: how to tackle battle challenges?
The NPC that takes you to the world of nightmares is located in Streets of Wake, in the room to the right of the Prie Dieu.
When you interact with the bedridden woman, you’re teleported to another setting with a gigantic skeletal nun. Each woman hanging above her represents a candle you snuffed out and a new Battle Challenge that you can face in exchange for rewards.
Candle Snuffing #1 – Grilles and Ruin
You need the double jump for this one. After acquiring the ability, you’ll be able to reach a room above the Prie Dieu in Grilles and Ruin. Jump around in the platforms and double jump to land near a room to the right side. Inside it, you’ll find a bedridden woman and a candle ready to be snuffed out.
Candle Snuffing #2 – Crown of Towers
You can find this candle shortly after acquiring the aerial dash within the Crown of Towers itself. Head to the upper right side of the map until you reach a location with a locked gate on your right and an obstacle traversable by aerial dash on your left. Cross this obstacle, and the room with the candle awaits you on the other side, behind a statue.
Candle Snuffing #3 – Basilica of Absent Faces
For this candle, you’ll need all the game’s abilities, especially the aerial dash and Scions’ Protection – the one that allows you to hold onto small hoops. Then, go to the Basilica of Absent Faces and start climbing the tower on the right side of the map.
Near the top, you’ll encounter a mini-puzzle that requires holding onto the hoops, using aerial dashes to traverse obstacles, and then a double jump to hit a latch and open a room in the same area. In this room is the third candle of the Battle Challenges.
Candle Snuffing #4 – Sunken Cathedral
Once again, all abilities are needed to find this candle. There are hoops on the upper portion of the large room that connects the Sunken Cathedral with the Severed Tower. You’ll need to jump between them until you find a mirror accessible by double jump and aerial dash.
Use the Sarmiento & Centella attack to hit the mirror and teleport near a latch that needs to be destroyed. By doing so, a gate on the lower portion of the same map will open, revealing the room with the fourth candle.
Candle Snuffing #5 – Elevated Temples
I hate Elevated Temple. This stage verticality is way too puzzling and chunked away hours of my life while I scoured for items.
Your role here is to climb to the highest point on the left side of the temples’ map. This will require using a lot of double jumps, aerial dashes, and swapping between Sarmiento & Centella and Ruego Al Alba to reach new places.
When you reach the top, you’ll find a latch to unlock a new chair shortcut, which you should hit, and a statue on the right side of it. Interacting with the statue makes a platform rise up just below it. Underneath this platform, there’s a hidden room behind a living wood wall.
What you need to do: drop the ladder, interact with the statues, and when the platform rises, rush down with Ruego Al Alba and use its downward strike to break the wooden wall, thus opening the path to the last candle.
The platform will descend and block your attack if you take too long. It’s a slightly tricky maneuver but manageable. Once you succeed, you’ll have found and snuffed out every candle, unlocking all Battle Challenges.
Blasphemous 2 Battle Challenges Guide: FAQs
Question: What are Battle Challenges in Blasphemous 2?
Answer: Battle Challenges are like a kind of arena in Blasphemous 2. Each one is like a monster gauntlet, where nefarious and varied creatures found throughout the game will try to destroy you as you do the same to them. They aren’t too hard, and if you lose, you’re thrown back one screen, allowing you to rechallenge them.
Question: Do I need to complete Battle Challenges to unlock Blasphemous 2 Ending A?
Answer: Yes, you do. The final Battle Challenge, the fifth one, rewards you with the Lebeche Figure, essential to unlock Blasphemous 2 Ending A.
Question: How do I activate Battle Challenges in Blasphemous 2?
Answer: You need to snuff out candles in isolated rooms scattered throughout the world. Above, I describe and show where all these rooms are and the required abilities to reach them. Extinguishing a candle is as simple as pressing the analog stick upwards. After that, you need to go to a room in Streets of Wakes, interact with a bedridden woman, and face the Battle Challenges.
The Champion of the Arena
Blasphemous isn’t a stranger to arena-like challenges. In the first game, it was necessary to destroy the Statues of Confessors to face waves of enemies inside an enclosed space. In Blasphemous 2, the unlocking process is a bit different, but the challenge works similarly.
It’s not one of the most groundbreaking features of the game, but it promotes exploration and discovery, the core of any Metroidvania. I hope this guide helped you find all the candles, and I wish you luck in your quest for Ending A. If you need more help, check out our other Blasphemous 2 guides.
Among his many accomplishments:
A complete and immersive journey through Final Fantasy XIV's main story.
The notable triumph against the Mysterious Figure in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Holding the coveted platinum trophy from Final Fantasy X.
Murillo's insightful articles have graced the pages of Xfire. For a deeper dive into his gaming odyssey, explore his PSN profile at Ryu-Akechi.
As he joins Indie Game Culture, Murillo is poised to become your guide to the hidden gems and masterpieces of Indie RPGs.
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