Lesser Vampire

Information
Appearance: Bald, chalk-skinned man in skin-tight black leather suit. Looks like a cross between Nosferatu and Pinhead. Attack Damage: 4 - 8 - 10 - 12 Speed: Fast Health: 228 Repelled by Crucifix: Yes Hits to Kill: Cane: 18 Cross: 5 Revolver: 7 Flintlock: 2 Musket: 2 Chalice: 1 Punch: 57 Stake: 4 Machine Gun: 12

Description and strategy
Ingame description: "The Lesser Vampires are young and mainly "made" to carry out the deeds of their master, the Count. They have retained much of their original presence and skills and are as such individual. Lesser vampires back away from holy relics like crucifixes. Most of the lesser vampires at the Castle were once gypsies."

The classic vampire. Surprisingly, they're relatively rare throughout the game. Unlike other enemies, Vampires don't spawn randomly. Instead, they start out resting inside their wood coffins. When you enter the same room as them, they will emerge from their coffins after several seconds, and begin attacking you. They're fast and can survive lots of damage, but every couple of hits will knock them down onto the ground for a few seconds. You can tell if a vampire is dead or merely stunned by the way their body is positioned. Vampires have two big weaknesses:

1) You can stab them with a wooden stake when they're still in their coffin for an instant kill.

2) They take damage from the crucifix blast, which also knocks them to the ground.

The Crucifix is an excellent weapon against vampires: not only does it damage them, but they will also cower away from it when it is brandished, keeping them from attacking you. Because of their high health, it's generally a bad idea to fight them with any weapons other than the crucifix.

Vampires are more cautious fighters than most enemies. Instead of blindly charging at you, they like to hang back a couple feet away from you, move in to strike, than back away again to assess the situation. This can actually work in your favor, as it allows you to rush in, strike them, then dodge back to avoid their counterattack. They actually aren't that tough if you're prepared. If you must fight one, just keep knocking him down with your crucifix until he stops getting back up. You can make sure a vampire is dead by walking over his corpse. If you walk through the body, he's dead, but if you push the body along the floor when you move against it, he's still alive. You can avoid a fight with a vampire entirely by simply staking them in their coffin before they rise up and attack you.