Overview:
-Estimated achievement difficulty: 7/10
-Offline: 50 (1000)
-Online: 0
-Approximate amount of time to 1000: 20-40 hours
-Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 3 full playthroughs, multiple redone missions
-Number of missable achievements: None
-Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No cheats
-Does difficulty affect achievements?: Yes
-Glitchy achievements: None
-Unobtainable achievements: None

Introduction
Knights Contract is a perfect example of a hack and slash game, all the key elements are there. You control a man named Heinrich who, for reasons explained in the story, is immortal. Due to him being immortal, the game is almost a permanent escort game. You have a witch named Gretchen as a companion who serves as your health bar. This isn't as much of a hindrance as it sounds, as she is the source of your most powerful attacks. The AI on her is, unfortunately, rather bad.

At the top of the screen is her health bar, if that drops to 0 or if she gets knocked off a cliff, you lose. If she runs low on health, you need to press when next to her and Heinrich will pick her up and carry her, which will heal both of them. If Heinrich takes too much damage at once, he gets incapacitated for a while and Gretchen will be vulnerable to enemy attack.

The game has 20 episodes. Each episode has a ranking system. There are five statistics you get marked on during gameplay. Time, combos, kills, finishers, retries. You get a grade from C to S for each of them and then you get an overall grade for the episode which depends on those five marks. S, S, C, S, S and higher will get you an overall S and so will any equivalent (such as S, S, A, B, S). Five S ranks will get you an overall S+ for the episode.

Step 1: First Playthrough
If you are confident in your ability to play games of this genre, then you should start out on Knight difficulty, which is the equivalent of hard in other games. Completing the game on Squire (normal) or Knight will unlock Hexen Knight (very hard) and completing that will then unlock Witchslayer (Dante Must Die).

Starting on Knight will be to your advantage as you'll want to be getting an S rank on every episode of Knight eventually for The Witch's Ultimate Weapon, and any S ranks you get during your initial playthrough will save you time later. You'll also want to be getting every collection item during this playthrough. It may cost you an S rank for time but, again, it'll save you time later.

I highly recommend that the first Witchcraft you upgrade to level three is Colchis' Trap. At level three it covers a wide area for a long time and traps any enemy that walks in the area. It's very good when you need breathing room.

Step 2: Hexen Knight and Witchslayer
You don't need to have unlocked the Spirit Cannon for Witchslayer, as it's impractical against the hardest bosses and doesn't do a thing against Faust's second form, but it does help against regular enemies and the earlier bosses.

By the time you get to Witchslayer you should have unlocked every Witchcraft at all levels. The two most useful for Witchslayer are Colchis' Trap III and Maar's Lance III. After trapping a large group of enemies, the Lance will be able to mow through them. If it leaves any alive, they'll still be trapped and you'll have plenty of time to hit them with your scythe until the Lance has recharged, and using it again will normall kill any stragglers. Colchis' Trap III can lockdown any non-boss except for Mace Wights and even a surprising amount of bosses if you get them in a corner with it. Elizabeth's Fangs and Vlad's Impaler III are also extremely good at giving you breathing room, albeit for a shorter time.

Step 3: Cleaning Up
After finishing Witchslayer you'll have more than enough souls to have all your Witchcraft upgraded fully and should have the kill achievements, most of the finisher achievements and most of the other combat achievements. At this point it's just a matter of doing the gimmick achievements like Eye Candy and Ring Around the Rosie, then grinding out any Finisher achievements and Souls United/Her True Strength - and getting your Spirit Cannon if you didn't do it earlier.

S Rank Tips
Getting S ranks for every episode may seem daunting at first, but after you get the necessary Witchcraft, it's actually quite easy. The best tip I can give for getting S ranks is some advice that I myself followed which got me S ranks for every mission on Hexen Knight. It's rather simple. Just don't actively try to get Finishers. If you spend time whittling away at individual enemies and then using a Finisher, you'll only end up wasting time. Though if one pops up while you're killing regularly, go for it.

With maxed Witchcraft it should be no problem to finish an episode with an S rank time with no deaths. That only leaves combos and kills you need to concentrate on. Enemies should be strong enough that an S rank for combos comes naturally, and as long as you don't skip any enemies you should get an S for kills. S for time, S for combos, C for Finishers, S for kills and S for retries will get you an overall S. Zero Finishers will leave you with a C for Finishers.

Conclusion
Knights Contract isn't an extremely challenging 1000, but Witchslayer difficulty can be a hassle Once you wrap that up, though, you can bask in your newest completion!

 

[x360a would like to thank xf02 for this road map]

Knights Contract Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
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There are 50 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Fright

     

    25

    Acquire the Scythe of Imperial Massacre

    Refer to Soul Keeper.

  • Collect 10,000 souls

    Refer to Soul Reaper.

  • Collect 100,000 souls

    Souls are the currency which is used to upgrade your spells. Every enemy defeated will upon death release a set amount of souls which are automatically added to your pool.

  • Beat the game on Witchslayer

    All of the difficulty achievements are stackable. Witchslayer is the fifth and final difficulty, and must be unlocked by beating the game on Hexen Knight difficuty. Hexen Knight must be unlocked by beating the game on Squire or Knight difficulties, so you'll need to beat the game a minimum of three times for these achievements.

  • Acquire Spirit Cannon

    The second and final scythe upgrade. Unlocked after defeating the fifth witch, Rapunzel, in episode 11.

  • Terror

     

    20

    Acquire the Scythe of the Assassin Queen

    The first scythe upgrade. Unlocked after defeating the second witch, Trude, in episode 5.

  • Catch and defeat five enemies at oncewith Mag Mell's Rose

    Mag Mell's Rose is the first spell in the spell list. This achievement is easiest done with the spell at level 3 but is possible with level 1 or 2. To do this you'll need to round up five or more enemies, either low on health or weak Homunculi. Once you have five weak enemies in a small group, hold to lock on to one of them and cast the spell. With luck all five of the enemies will get grabbed by the spell and a finisher will trigger. Press when prompted to complete the finisher and get your achievement.

  • Collect 100 Recovery Items

    Recovery Items look like floating green stars around head height and are occasionally dropped by defeated enemies. To collect one, simply walk into it with Heinrich and once you touch it it will fly to Gretchen and heal her a little. Collect 100 for your achievement.

  • Defeat 200 enemies with Knight's Fury

    Knight's Fury is the spell used by holding and pressing either or when the Witch Points bar (the blue bar underneath Gretchen's health bar) is over half full. Heinrich transforms into a demonesque creature. Pressing will produce chainable standard attacks, will cause Heinrich to jump forwards and spin with his scythe attacking anything below or infront of him, will make Heinrich jump directly upwards and spin his scythe around him to damage all enemies in his vicinity. will dash forwards further than regular Heinrich can. Gretchen will disappear while in Knight's Fury and consequently none of her spells will be available though any already out will continue their effect. To earn the achievement, you need to defeat 200 enemies while in this mode. The easiest way to do this is to go on the easiest difficulty, Page, and start episode 3. The first group of enemies you encounter is seven Dendrites, which are very weak. Activate Knight's Fury and kill as many of the seven as you can. Once Knight's Fury finishes, press and choose to return to the episode select screen. The amount of kills will stay, and you can restart episode 3 for fast and easy kills. This technique will also work for Her True Strength.

  • Attain the highest possible combo rating

    The highest possible combo rating is an S+ which should come naturally during play. If not, it can be acquired easily. In a room with multiple enemies such as armoured Wights, activate Colchis' Trap III followed closely by a Mag Mell's Rose III cast without a target. This will cause Mag Mell's Rose to damage every enemy in the vicinity multiple times. If this didn't earn a S+ rating just follow up the Mag Mell's Rose with a Colchis' Trap II and use scythe attacks on the trapped enemy until you either get the S+ or get a finisher.

  • Perform a 30-hit combo

    Refer to Combo Master.

  • Perform 10 counterattacks while takingenemy attacks

    A counterattack is performed when an enemy grabs Heinrich and you are prompted to repeatedly press one of the face buttons. If successful, Heinrich will throw off the attacker and damage them. Do this 10 times.

  • Beat the game on Hexen Knight

    Refer to Legendary Executioner.

  • Force Faust to retreat

    Unlocked after defeating Faust, the boss of episode 8.

  • Defeat the witch Trendula

    Unlocked after defeating Trendula, the boss of episode 10. The quick time event sequence is , , (up), , (mash).

  • Defeat the witch Rapunzel

    Unlocked after defeating Rapunzel, the boss of episode 11. The quick time event sequence is , , (right), , .

  • Defeat the witch Straeggele

    Unlocked after defeating Straeggelle, the boss of episode 2. The quick time event sequence is , (mash left and right), , (up), (mash).

  • Defeat the witch Trude

    Unlocked after defeating Trude, the boss of episode 5. The quick time event. sequence is (down), , (mash), .

  • Defeat the witch Holda

    Unlocked after defeating Holda, the boss of episode 7. The quick time event. sequence is , (left), (right), (up), (mash), .

  • Beat the game on Page

     

    Refer to Legendary Executioner.

  • Beat the game on Squire

     

    Refer to Legendary Executioner.

  • Beat the game on Knight

     

    Refer to Legendary Executioner.

  • Defeat the witch Verderinde

    Unlocked after defeating Verderinde, the boss of episode 16. The quick time event sequence is , , (mash), (right).

  • Defeat Faust

    Unlocked after defeating Faust, the boss of episode 19. The first quick time event sequence is (right), . The second quick time event sequence is , , , (left), , (mash), (down).

  • Repel an enemy's attack 10 times

    To repel an enemy's attack you need to press just before an enemy's attack connects with Heinrich, which will cause a slowdown effect and push the enemy back a little while leaving them vulnerable to subsequent attacks. Do this 10 times.

  • Experience your first revival

    Refer to It's Just a Flesh Wound!

  • Revive 50 times

    Since Heinrich is immortal, he doesn't die. When he takes too much damage he will fall to his knees and be unable to effectively attack. If he takes further damage while on his knees he will explode into a pile of blood and body parts. After being incapacitated you will be prompted to repeatedly press to revive, but if Gretchen is alive you can hold and when she is next to Heinrich she will sacrifice some of her health to instantly revive him. While on his knees, Heinrich can attack but it is a single, slow overhead swipe of his scythe. It's really only useful if an enemy is grappling Gretchen right infront of Heinrich.

  • Land 100 Perfect Finishers

    A perfect finisher is when you press the prompt with perfect timing during a Finisher. There is a larger window of opportunity for this on easier difficulties. Heinrich will glow blue if you execute a perfect Finisher.

  • Bash the same enemy into a wall five times

    There is an easy strategy to earn both this and Get 'Em Up. Clear a room of all but one enemy and grab the lone enemy with then while holding it, press to start charging forward. Use this charge to hit an enemy on the wall and they will fall to the ground. Pick the enemy up again with and just repeat the technique until both achievements pop. May not work on some weaker enemies on the easier difficulties. Enemies with a shield or armour can't be grabbed.

  • Pick up the same enemy five times

    Refer to Head Bangin', as picking enemies up is part of the process of banging their head into the wall.

  • Damage both yourself and an enemy with Witchcraft

    Refer to Careful With That!

  • Damage both yourself and an enemy with Witchcraft 10 times

    Only certain spells will work for these achievements. To do it you need to grab an enemy with and have Gretchen cast a spell, such as Vlad's Impaler I which will damage both Heinrich and the enemy on easier difficulties and will incapacitate Heinrich on the harder difficulties.

  • Carry Gretchen around for a long time

    To carry Gretchen around you need to press when she is near Heinrich and he will pick her up. While carrying her, both of them will heal at an accelerated rate and you don't need to worry about Gretchen lagging behind Heinrich and taking damage. To unlock this achievement you need to carry her for 2 hours. You don't need to move around at all and the achievement does not need to be done all at once. If you're going for all difficulties then this should come naturally during play. If you're really desperate to get the 20 then you can pick Gretchen up in a safe area and go do something else for a couple of hours. If you want to do it this way you'll need a wired controller or play and charge kit so the controller doesn't turn itself off.

  • Save Gretchen from enemy attack

    Refer to Guardian Knight.

  • Save Gretchen from enemy attack 50 times

    Enemies and bosses like to grab Gretchen. When they manage to grab her the game will let you know by giving the screen a red pulsing border. While grabbed, Gretchen's health will deplete at different rates according to which enemy grabbed her and what the difficulty is. To release Gretchen from the grab you just need to hit the enemy. How many times you need to hit it will depend on which enemy it is and what the difficulty is.

  • Use Witch's Embrace when no enemies are present

    Simply use Witch's Embrace when there are no enemies present for the achievement. Refer to Her True Strength for an explanation of Witch's Embrace.

  • Land 1,000 Finishers

    A Finisher is performed by reducing an enemy to low health (enemy health can be seen by holding to target them) and using a certain Witchcraft. If the enemy is sufficiently weakened you will be prompted to press and pressing in time will kill any and all non-boss enemies caught in the Witchcraft that triggered the Finisher. All ranks of Mag Mell's Rose, Vlad's Impaler, Colchis' Trap and Enoch's Hammer can trigger Finishers. No other Witchcraft can. On Squire, weaker Homunculus enemies such as the ones on episode 8 are a good source of Finishers. After only a few scythe hits, a level two trap will trigger a Finisher on one. Killing multiple enemies with one Finisher will count for as many Finishers as there are enemies. Take advantage of Mag Mell's Rose III on easier difficulties for easy Finishers. For an easy way to grind out your Finishers, go to episode 19 and use Colchis' Trap I and II repeatedly against demon Faust's legs.

  • Acquire all Witchcraft

     

    Witchcraft are collected by spending souls to level up the six Witchcraft that have multiple versions (the first versions of these spells are given to you as you progress in the game), collecting them during levels (they look like small coloured patches of mist in the air and count as collection items on the episode select screen) for the first five extra Witchcraft and earning the achievement The Witch's Ultimate Weapon for the final extra Witchcraft. Locations of Witchcraft coming soon. To buy every version of the first six Witchcraft you'll need to spend 232,600 souls. Refer to this guide for the Witchcraft locations.

  • Acquire all equipment

     

    Equipment is gathered in two ways - some are given to you by Minukelsus at certain points in the game, some are collected during levels as collection items although they look like floating patches of coloured mist rather than golden items. Refer to this guide for the equipment locations.

  • Acquire a collection item

    Refer to Information Junkie.

  • Defeat 200 enemies with Witch's Embrace

    To use Witch's Embrace, you need to hold and press either or when the blue Witch Points bar below Gretchen's health bar is full. Using this when enemies are present will kill any living non-boss enemy. Refer to Souls United for a strategy.

  • Defeat 50 enemies with the help of Minukelsus

    For two episodes (12 and 14) Minukelsus will replace Gretchen as your companion, and he follows the same basic rules except if you dash with while carrying him, he will be dropped. He has four attacks that replace Gretchen's Witchcraft. + will have him throw an explosive flask at either the targetted enemy or the nearest enemy to him. + will have him run forwards and wildly swing his sword until either a certain amount of time has passed or there are no enemies alive. + will make him do one powerful thrust with short range that will instantly kill weaker enemies, do large damage to strong enemies, instantly destroy the armour on Wights, and instantly destroy a Shield Wight's shield. + will make him throw a flask that upon contact with an enemy will freeze any non-boss enemy unless they have a shield and frozen enemies (with the exception of Gold Wights) can be killed with a single hit from either Heinrich or Minukelsus. Frozen Gold Wights on easier difficulties can be killed instantly with a + from Minukelsus. On higher difficulties, this will simply do a large amount of damage to a Gold Wight.

  • Upgrade a Witchcraft

    The first six Witchcraft on the Witchcraft screen each have three different levels. The first level is initially available, and you have to spend souls to unlock the next two levels. The amount of souls varies a little from one Witchcraft to the next. It costs around 6,000 souls to upgrade one Witchcraft to level two and around 33,000 souls to upgrade one to level three.

  • Defeat 1,000 enemies

    This will come naturally if you intend to get all the other achievements. If not, you can just replay the first episode over and over again on the easier difficulties as it is full of extremely weak zombies.

  • Land a Finisher

    Refer to Expertly Executed.

  • Land 100 Finishers

    Refer to Expertly Executed.

  • Acquire all collection items

     

    Collection items are small glowing golden items on the floor hidden in each episode (a few are Witchcraft and a few are equipment, both of which look like coloured mist rather than golden items). You can see how many there are in each episode on the episode select screen. Dimmed lights under the episode portrait are items you have yet to collect, bright lights indicate items you have collected. Refer to this guide for the collection items locations.

  • Defeat an enemy

    Refer to Bloody Massacre.

  • Defeat 100 enemies

    Refer to Bloody Massacre.

 

Secret achievements

  • Defeat your true enemy

    Unlocked after defeating the final boss, in episode 20. The first quick time event sequence is (mash), (up), . The second quick time event sequence is (left), , , .

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