DMC - Vergil 3

This is the title fight of the game and the sole purpose of the final mission. For a very long time I saw it as the ultimate unattainable goal. Vergil 3 was ruthless and completely untouchable, cutting me down from every angle no matter what I tried. He even haunted my dreams in the guise of unbeatable opponents. I did not dare face him outside of "God Mode" (Super Dante + Quicksilver style) or Heaven and Hell mode (one shot = dead Vergil). I even tried teaming up against him with my friend in "2-Player Mode" (Super Dante + Doppelganger style), where the plan was for me to stay out of harm's way while she attacked Vergil with the invincible clone. This amounted to me scrambling around in blind panic and her unable to orient herself to the shifting camera. In the end, Vergil thoroughly thrashed both of us. Bottom line is, Vergil 3 pwns. Approach him with respect... and Beowulf gauntlets firmly in hand.

Vergil now wields the deadliest weapon of all: Force Edge, Sparda's legendary sword into which he sealed his power. He also still has his Yamato katana, and he will alternate between the two. Vergil's combos have gotten longer and he strings them together for a relentless barrage of attacks. He can now not only block

you, but parry with Rapid Slash and basic combos. He will teleport behind you, above you, away from you, and every which way to set up his attack strategy. When he teleport behind you, it is usually to perform a Stinger lunge. When he teleports above you, it is to dive down in a Helm Breaker attack. When he teleports away, he is usually preparing for a range attack like Judgment Cut or Round Trip. Sometimes, he will teleport around just to annoy you. As in Vergil 1 and Vergil 2, you can counter him while he is recovering from an attack, but in Vergil 3 the opportunities to do so are brief and far between.

Vergil goes into Devil Trigger very often and, as usual, your absolute top priority is to revert him into a more manageable form to prevent him from regenerating the damage you have dealt. Three direct hits change him back to normal, and well-aimed overhead attacks work best. When/if you manage to bring him down to a third of his health, he retreats into a purple sphere, utters "You're going down" and disappears from sight. (Oooh... skeery...) From here on out he is able to use his two super attacks: Super Helm Breaker and Super Judgment Cut. Both are surprisingly easy to avoid if you just stay mobile. He will reappear in the same place as he started and be very disoriented for a few seconds from such an intense exertion. Devil Trigger and attack him like there's no tomorrow.

Stinger (Force Edge): Vergil lunges at Dante with the pointy end of his sword. This is a very fast attack that covers a lot of ground. Vergil often pairs it with Helm Breaker. Jump/roll to the side instead of forward/back because you can't outrun it.

Helm Breaker (Force Edge): Vergil teleports over Dante and dives down with sword drawn. Jump away, move to the side, or block it with Royal Guard. This attack often comes in a ~three-hit pattern: Vergil will utter "Cut off!" with the first Helm Breaker, "Blast!" with the second, and "Begone!" as he finishes with Stinger. Jump away from the Helm Breakers and jump to the side from Stinger.

Round Trip (Force Edge): Vergil sends Force Edge spinning towards Dante like a homing missile. Jump/roll away or block with Royal Guard... who am I kidding? I can't dodge the damn thing.

Rapid Slash (Yamato): Vergil utters either "Scum!" or "Die!" as he slides in with a devastating bladed uppercut, spraying sparks and launching you into the air. Get out of the way.

Judgment Cut (Yamato): Vergil pumps his katana through the air so quickly that it barely registers as a motion. Instead, air molecules split apart and a cone of distorted atmosphere comes at you, ending in purple spheres that assault you where you stand. If you keep running in a direction perpendicular to the cone you should easily be able to avoid this attack. Vergil is also very vulnerable while casting Judgment Cut, and you can jump straight over it to initiate your attack.

Super Judgment Cut: the amplified version of Judgment Cut. Vergil utters "You're going down," disappears into a blue globe, and sends countless spherical distortions rippling through the air all around Dante. Run and jump around to avoid being damaged by them, or block them with Royal Guard. Be sure to attack Vergil once he reappears disoriented.

Super Helm Breaker: the amplified version of Helm Breaker. Vergil utters "You're going down," disappears into a blue globe, and repeatedly crashes down at you from overhead with sword drawn. Keep jumping away, or block him with Royal Guard, and be sure to attack Vergil once he reappears disoriented.

Summoned Daggers: In Dante Must Die mode, Vergil utters "Don't get so cocky," disappears into a purple sphere and comes out with his Summoned Daggers. He can put them around himself like a damage shield, or fling them at Dante from across the way.

Vergil 1 (mission 7)

Vergil 2 (mission 13)

back to bosses list
back to DMC page

DISCLAIMER: All artwork, characters, stories, music, video, and books are Copyright CAPCOM and ATLUS. They are NOT of my making. No copyright infringement is intended.