• Guide

How to swim in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Here's how to find the Aqua Stream Shard and start swimming in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Kevin Tucker

June 19, 2019 11:15 AM

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Swimming in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is not a straightforward task. Like any good Metroidvania-styled title, some items and abilities are needed to progress further into the game's castle. As might be expected, swimming is tied to an ability offered by one of the game's many shards. As such, players can't swim in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night without first collecting the Aqua Stream Shard. Here's how to get it.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night swimming | Where to find Aqua Stream Shard

To start swimming Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, players need to find the Aqua Stream Shard. However, they'll need to find a different ability before they can encounter and kill the enemy that will drop the Aqua Stream Shard.

Shortly after players reach the castle they'll find a massive fountain filled with blood. The minimap indicates that there is a drop point beneath the fountain, but the usual trick of pressing down and the jump button simultaneously won't allow the hero to pass through the fountain floor.

Before they can reach the lower depths, players need to drain the fountain. As it happens, the game features a Blood Drain Shard that drops from a mid-level boss conveniently known as Bloodless. This fiend is found in the Dian Cecht Cathedral, near the top-center of the castle map. Defeat Bloodless, claim the Blood Drain Shard, then return to the fountain.

Once arrived at the fountain, drain it using the new ability. Once the fountain is dry, players can drop down to the area below. Within the murky depths they will eventually encounter a jellyfish enemy, and this is the one that will drop the Aqua Stream Shard. As usual, take out as many as you can, leaving and re-entering rooms as needed, until the Aqua Stream Shard drops. With the shard in tow, players will be able to swim freely around the depths instead of merely treading water at the surface.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night swimming is only made possible by finding the Aqua Stream Shard. To get it, players will have to brave the Dian Cecht Cathedral and track down the Blood Drain Shard, then drain the fountain to access the castle's lower depths. For more coverage of Igarashi's latest game, be sure to stop by Shacknews' Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night home page.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.