Mission Walkthrough
Devil May Cry 5 contains 21 story missions (Prologue through Mission 20) and 12 hidden Secret Missions. This guide covers each mission's objectives, playable character, boss encounters, collectible locations, and tips for earning S-ranks. Missions are linear but contain branching paths that hide Secret Mission portals and orb fragments.
Each mission contains Blue Orb Fragments (extend health) and Purple Orb Fragments (extend DT gauge). Finding all fragments across the campaign is essential for max health/DT on higher difficulties.
| # | Mission Walkthrough | Fought By | Boss | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Mission 0 — Prologue | Nero | Urizen (scripted loss) | — |
| Mission 01 | Nero | Nero | — | 1 |
| Mission 02 | Qliphoth | Nero | Goliath | 1 |
| Mission 03 | Flying Hunter | V | Nidhogg (Elder Geryon Knight variant in some difficulties) | 1 |
| Mission 04 | V | V | — | 1 |
| Mission 05 | The Devil Sword Sparda | V / Nero | Elder Geryon Knight | 1 |
| Mission 06 | Steel Impact | Nero | Gilgamesh | — |
| Mission 07 | United Front | Nero / V | — | 1 |
| Mission 08 | Demon King | Nero | Urizen (Phase 1 — with crystal shield) | — |
| Mission 09 | Genesis | V | — | 1 |
| Mission 10 | Awaken | Dante | Urizen (Phase 2 — no crystal, mobile) | 1 |
| Mission 11 | Reason | Dante | Cavaliere Angelo | 1 |
| Mission 12 | Yamato | Dante | King Cerberus | 1 |
| Mission 13 | Three Warriors | Nero / V / Dante (player choice) | Malphas | — |
| Mission 14 | Diverging Point: Nero | Nero | — | 1 |
| Mission 15 | Diverging Point: V | V | — | 1 |
| Mission 16 | Diverging Point: Dante | Dante | — | 1 |
| Mission 17 | Brothers | Nero / Dante / V | Urizen (Final Phase) | — |
| Mission 18 | Awakening | Dante | — | — |
| Mission 19 | Vergil | Dante | Vergil (as Dante) | — |
| Mission 20 | True Power | Nero | Vergil (as Nero) | — |
Mission 0 — Prologue
A flash-forward to the final confrontation with Urizen atop the Qliphoth. This fight is designed to be lost — Urizen is invincible at this point. The prologue teaches basic controls and introduces the main antagonist. Defeating Urizen here (extremely difficult on first playthrough, requires near-perfect play) unlocks a secret ending.
- Focus on learning Nero's basic combos and dodge timing. You're meant to lose this fight.
Nero
Red Grave City has been overrun by demonic roots from the Qliphoth tree. Nero fights through city streets alongside Nico, encountering basic Empusa demons. This mission introduces Devil Breaker mechanics and Nico's mobile van (where you buy skills and arms).
- Explore thoroughly — there are two Blue Orb Fragments hidden in alleyways.
- Secret Mission 01 is behind a destructible wall near the first Nidhogg Hatchling.
Qliphoth
Nero enters the Qliphoth and faces the first real boss: Goliath, a massive fire-breathing demon. The environment introduces Qliphoth roots as interactable obstacles. Goliath's fight has two phases — the interior arena and the church rooftop.
- Goliath telegraphs heavily — dodge his charges and punish with Buster Arm for massive damage.
- Phase 2 on the rooftop gives more space; use Gerbera to dodge his fire breath.
Flying Hunter
V's introduction mission. Learn to command Griffon and Shadow while navigating demon-infested streets. The Nidhogg boss fight teaches V's core loop: let familiars deal damage, then finish enemies with the cane.
- Keep V at a safe distance — he's extremely fragile.
- Use Griffon's charged lightning to hit groups of enemies.
- Read the book (taunt) whenever you have breathing room to build DT gauge.
V
V continues through the Qliphoth interior, navigating platforming sections and fighting denser enemy waves. This mission tests your mastery of V's familiar management across multiple encounter rooms.
- Nightmare can clear tight rooms — don't save DT here, the gauge refills between encounters.
- Shadow's hedge attack hits through walls and around corners.
The Devil Sword Sparda
Split mission: V fights through the Qliphoth with a brief Nero section. The boss is Elder Geryon Knight — a knight astride a demonic horse that manipulates time. This is one of the trickier mid-game bosses due to its teleportation and time-slow attacks.
- Elder Geryon's time bubbles slow you — dodge out immediately.
- When the horse rears up, it's about to charge; sidestep and counterattack.
- V players: summon Nightmare during the charge attack for a strong counter.
Steel Impact
Nero faces the colossal Gilgamesh — a building-sized demon made of organic metal. This is a multi-phase puzzle-boss: you must attack weak points on its limbs while dodging environmental hazards. Nico assists with her van in scripted sequences.
- Focus on the glowing red weak points on Gilgamesh's legs.
- When Gilgamesh exposes its core, unleash everything — Devil Breaker Break Ages deal massive damage here.
United Front
Nero and V fight through parallel paths in the Qliphoth that occasionally intersect. This mission features some of the densest enemy encounters in the first half. If playing online or with a second player, you'll see the other character fighting in real-time.
- The branching paths converge — explore both sides for fragments.
- Secret Mission 07 is well-hidden behind a camera angle trick.
Demon King
Nero confronts Urizen again, who sits on a throne protected by a crystal barrier. You must destroy the crystal to damage Urizen directly. This fight is significantly harder than earlier bosses — Urizen's laser attacks and tentacles demand precise dodging.
- Focus all damage on the crystal first — Urizen himself is shielded until it breaks.
- Use Buster Arm on the crystal for massive damage.
- Dodge the red floor markers for Urizen's laser columns.
Genesis
V's flashback/memory mission revealing critical story context. Lighter on combat but heavy on narrative. V explores environments connected to Vergil's past, and the mission ends with a pivotal cutscene.
- This mission is short and combat-light. Focus on exploring for collectibles.
- The story revelations here are essential for understanding the ending.
Awaken
Dante's first playable mission. Awakening with the Devil Sword Dante, he confronts a now-mobile Urizen. This is the first real Urizen boss fight — he uses tentacles, lasers, portals, and devastating physical attacks. Devil Sword Dante's summoned swords are introduced here.
- Trickster is essential for dodging Urizen's laser sweeps.
- When Urizen raises his hand, get behind him — the frontal blast is instant death on DMD.
- Devil Sword Dante's summoned swords attack autonomously; focus on dodging.
Reason
Dante fights through the Qliphoth and encounters Cavaliere Angelo — a demon knight riding a lightning-charged steed (actually Trish trapped inside the armor). This is one of the best boss fights in the game, with two phases: mounted and dismounted. Defeating Cavaliere Angelo unlocks the Cavaliere weapon.
- Phase 1 (mounted): bait the charge attacks and counter. Royal Guard shines here.
- Phase 2 (dismounted): he's faster but less armored. Swordmaster attacks stagger him.
- Defeating him unlocks the Cavaliere chainsaws — one of Dante's best weapons.
Yamato
Dante descends deeper into the Qliphoth and battles King Cerberus — a three-headed dog demon with ice, fire, and lightning powers. This is the hardest non-final boss in the game, with three phases corresponding to each element. Defeating King Cerberus unlocks the King Cerberus weapon. Sin Devil Trigger is also unlocked in this mission.
- Each head has a different element — ice chains, fire projectiles, lightning AoEs.
- The transitions between phases are vulnerable windows; pour damage in.
- Sin Devil Trigger unlocked here changes the game — use it.
Three Warriors
All three characters converge. You choose one path from three at the start — each character faces different encounters leading to the same boss: Malphas, a teleporting witch-demon. The character you choose fights the boss. This is a great mission for replaying with different characters.
- Malphas teleports constantly — learn her patterns and punish after her dive attacks.
- Her bird form's feather projectiles can be side-stepped.
- On higher difficulties, she becomes extremely aggressive in her final phase.
Diverging Point: Nero
Short mission focused on Nero fighting through Qliphoth chambers. Features some of the toughest standard enemy combinations in the game, including Fury demons (teleporting enemies that require precise timing to hit).
- Furies are the biggest threat — use Ragtime to freeze them, then punish.
- Buster Arm's grab can catch Furies mid-teleport if timed right.
Diverging Point: V
V's penultimate mission. Heavy combat focus with dense enemy waves. V must fight through to reach the Qliphoth's core. This mission ends with a critical narrative moment for V's character arc.
- This mission has many arena-style encounters — summon Nightmare liberally.
- V's story reaches a turning point — pay attention to the cutscenes.
Diverging Point: Dante
Dante's path to the Qliphoth summit. Features remixed enemy encounters and requires full use of Dante's arsenal. A good test of your weapon-switching and Style-switching skills before the final boss gauntlet.
- Practice switching between all four Styles and weapons fluidly — you'll need it for Mission 17+.
- Dr. Faust's Red Hot Night can clear the dense encounter rooms.
Brothers
The three-character assault on Urizen at the Qliphoth's summit. Urizen is at full power — this is the most difficult version of his boss fight. The mission has multiple cutscenes revealing the true relationship between Urizen and V.
- Urizen's fruit-empowered form is relentless — keep moving and punish recovery frames.
- This is the culmination of the Urizen arc; bring your best skills.
Awakening
Dante descends from the Qliphoth after the climactic events. Primarily a traversal and combat mission through collapsing demon tree environments. Light on narrative but features enjoyable combat arenas.
- Take your time exploring — there's a hidden Blue Orb Fragment in this mission.
- Good mission for practicing Sin Devil Trigger usage.
Vergil
The iconic Dante vs. Vergil rivalry reaches its climax. Vergil is fully reunified and at the height of his power. This is one of the most demanding and rewarding boss fights in the entire series — Vergil uses all his weapons, Judgement Cuts, and Devil Trigger.
- Royal Guard can parry most of Vergil's attacks for massive Release damage.
- When Vergil enters SDT, he'll use Judgement Cut End — dodge it or die.
- This fight rewards aggressive play — passive strategies let Vergil regenerate with DT.
True Power
The true final mission. Nero unlocks his Devil Trigger and faces Vergil in the game's emotional and mechanical climax. This is the only mission where Nero has his full DT — it's an incredible power spike that transforms his moveset. The Nero vs. Vergil fight is a fitting conclusion to the game's themes of family, power, and identity.
- Nero's Devil Trigger makes him extremely powerful — use it aggressively.
- Buster Arm moves are enhanced in DT; use them on Vergil for cinematic grabs.
- This is the most emotionally charged fight — enjoy it.
Secret Missions
12 hidden challenges scattered across story missions. Find them by aligning your camera with glowing red symbols formed by environmental objects. Each Secret Mission has a unique objective and rewards a Blue Orb Fragment upon completion.
| # | Location | Objective | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission 02 | Defeat all enemies without taking damage | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 2 | Mission 03 | Defeat all enemies within the time limit | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 3 | Mission 04 | Reach the goal without touching the ground | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 4 | Mission 05 | Defeat all enemies within the time limit | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 5 | Mission 08 | Reach the goal without being struck by the laser | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 6 | Mission 09 | Eliminate all demons without letting any escape | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 7 | Mission 10 | Achieve an S Stylish Rank | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 8 | Mission 11 | Maintain an S Stylish Rank for 60 seconds | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 9 | Mission 12 | Stay in the air for 15 seconds | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 10 | Mission 14 | Reach the goal within the time limit | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 11 | Mission 15 | Defeat all enemies without taking damage | Blue Orb Fragment |
| 12 | Mission 16 | Reach the goal without touching the ground in the allotted time | Blue Orb Fragment |