Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course has officially been released, so it’s time to dive back into this exceptionally difficult run and gun action game from 2017. Embracing the art of the 1930s, Cuphead originally told the story of two brothers who made a deal with a devil. Its highly-anticipated DLC (aptly named Delicious Last Course) has finally dropped, and it’s even trickier than the base game. This time around, you’re tasked with gathering ingredients to make a pastry so good it will bring Ms. Chalice back from the astral plane.
While many players will solely focus on walloping all the new bosses in this DLC, completionists will want to solve the graveyard puzzle found on Isle IV. Tied to the Broken Relic charm sold at the shop, this side quest can easily trip players up due to the obtuse graveyard puzzle and difficult final hurdle. Here’s how to complete this sidequest and what you get for all the trouble:
Broken Relic Sidequest
1. Buy & Equip the Broken Relic
Your first step is to purchase and equip the Broken Relic sold by Porkrind for a single gold coin. You can find his shop across the bridge on the right by the paperboy. If you need some extra money, completing any of the activities in The King’s Leap will earn you coins. Once you purchase the item, you can leave it in your inventory until you make your way to the graveyard.
2. Reach the Graveyard
Your next step is to reach the graveyard, which can be done in a few different ways. The first is by completing the Gnome Way Out and Snow Cult Shuffle missions to the east, or Bootlegger Boogie and High-Noon Hoopla to the south.
However, there is a shortcut available for those in a hurry. From Porkrind’s stall, go behind the shop to find a hidden path through the trees. Once you reach the house with the tan roof, head south under the bridge to emerge from the waterfall right next to the graveyard. This gives you access to the graveyard without needing to kill any bosses.
3. Solve the Graveyard Puzzle
So here’s where things get a bit tricky because there’s no universal solution for this puzzle.
When you arrive at the graveyard, the detective ghost will inform you that there’s a mystery to be solved. He will remark that a “Contest of Skill, Broken Artifact, and Eerie Graveyard” are all connected. Interacting with a grave will summon a blue ghost. You’ll need to interact with three specific graves in a certain order. The only grave you cannot interact with is the one directly in the middle.
The ghosts will not appear until you’ve purchased the Broken Relic, so begin by equipping the Broken Relic in the charm slot. Head north towards the three climbing gears standing on the podiums by the shop. Talking to them will give you a brief dialogue exchange that will be different on each playthrough. I recommend writing down what each of them says because the clue to what graves you need to interact with is tied to their phrases. For this example, I will be using the phrases they said in my first playthrough.
- First Place: I always win! I am downright awesome!
- Second Place: Second Place? I’ve had it up to here with second place!
- Third Place: They think they’re better than me? They can stick it right up their nose!
Looking at what each of the characters says, we can see hints as to which grave we need to interact with. So when the first-place winner says. “I always win! I am downright awesome,” we know the first grave is the one in the bottom right corner. As for the second tombstone, it’s a little trickier since it doesn’t give overtly obvious directions. Let’s take a look at what he said: “Second Place? I’ve had it up to here with second place!” This means you need to interact with the second tombstone along the top row since that’s considered “up.” Finally, the third phrase says, “They can stick it right up their nose!” This means the next grave will be the top right one.
If done correctly, the ghosts will celebrate and a blue beam will cover the center grave. Remember that this order will most likely not be the same for your profile. You will need to look for clues within their phrases in order to figure out which grave you need to interact with. Thankfully, there’s no time limit and you can try as many combinations as you want.
4. Defeat the Secret Boss
This devilish duo can seem pretty confusing, but their mechanic is actually quite simple. The enemy’s attacks will only be active if you are looking at them. If I am looking at the devil, only the fireballs launched from the red devil will do damage. However, turning to face the angel will cause the angel’s attack to damage you instead. This also goes for the beam that sweeps across the stage; you want to always face the away from it so you can avoid getting hit.
I won’t lie: This fight can be remarkably overwhelming since you’ll need to not only manage what direct you’re facing but also dodge any of the projectiles launched at you. Did I mention that the cloud’s lightning bolt will also hurt if you touch it? I really recommend running Ms. Chalice for this fight since her invincibility roll is a perfect counter to the giant laser beam. Additionally, you’ll want to use either Crackshot or Chaser since these will track your enemies and allow you to solely focus on damaging the bosses.
There are no additional phases, but this boss does have a pretty hefty health pool. Once you defeat the boss, they will become unavailable and you will complete the sidequest.
5. What Do You Actually Get?
Oh, I’m sorry, did you expect to get something useful for all your trouble? Not quite. Beating this hidden boss will reward you with the Cursed Relic charm. When equipped, your life will automatically start at 1 and your weapons will randomly change in the middle of battle. Think of this as an additional layer of challenge for those looking to prove their Cuphead superiority. Personally, I only think it’s worth the effort so you can beat the hidden boss and make the Broken Relic do something. Sure, it’s not helpful at all, but it’s cool to have!
