You’re tearing through a corridor in a gothic castle or a literal demon tree, feeling like an absolute god because you just pulled off an SSS-rank combo. Then, you see it. A weird glowing glyph on a wall or a suspicious-looking piece of paper. You interact with it, the screen fades, and suddenly you’re tasked with staying in the air for twenty seconds without touching the ground. The music changes. The pressure mounts. Welcome to the wonderful, often infuriating world of Devil May Cry secret missions.
These aren't just little side distractions. Honestly, if you’re playing DMC and ignoring these, you’re basically playing half the game. They are the primary way—aside from grinding orbs—to max out your health bar through Blue Orb Fragments. But let's be real: some of them are designed to make you want to throw your controller out a window. From the original 2001 classic to Devil May Cry 5, these challenges have evolved from simple "kill all enemies" rooms into complex puzzles that demand a deep understanding of the game's physics and move sets.
Most people think these missions are just tests of combat. They aren't. They’re tests of knowledge. If you don't know that Dante’s "Enemy Step" resets his air actions, or that Nero’s "Gerbera" devil breaker has specific recoil properties, you’re going to have a bad time.
The Evolution of Frustration: From DMC1 to DMC5
Back in the day, the first Devil May Cry (2001) didn't hold your hand. At all. The secret missions were often tucked away in places you’d never think to look, like jumping into a random fountain or backtracking through a door you just came through. Take "Critical Hit" for example. You had to kill a Sin Scissors with a single shot to its mask. If you didn't know the exact timing of the parry, you were just shooting into a void for ten minutes.
By the time we got to Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, the developers at Capcom got creative. They introduced "Sky Walker," where you had to reach a hidden platform way up in the air. This was the first time many players realized that "Trickster" style wasn't just for dodging—it was a verticality tool. It changed how we looked at the environment. You weren't just looking for enemies; you were looking at the architecture.
Then came Devil May Cry 4. Nero’s "Snatch" ability changed the game. Suddenly, secret missions were about tethering yourself through the air without falling. It felt different. It felt faster. But then Devil May Cry 5 arrived and turned the "Secret Mission" concept into a literal perspective puzzle. You have to align weird red markings in the environment to even trigger the mission. It’s a cool touch, honestly, but it can be a pain if you’re missing that one specific camera angle by a fraction of an inch.
Why You Keep Failing "Intangible" and Movement Missions
There is a specific kind of Devil May Cry secret mission that everyone hates. It’s the one where you can’t take a single hit. In DMC3, this was Secret Mission 3. In DMC5, it's Secret Mission 4.
The mistake most players make? They try to be too stylish.
When the goal is "don't get hit," the game is no longer an action-brawler. It’s a bullet hell. You have to strip away the flashy stuff. Forget the "Million Stab." Forget the "Dance Macabre." You need to rely on the "Ebony & Ivory" pistols to keep enemies at bay and use your dodge frames religiously. In DMC5, playing as V makes these missions a joke because you can literally stand in a corner while your pets do the work, but playing as Dante requires "Royal Guard" precision or "Trickster" mobility that most casual players haven't mastered yet.
The Secret to Staying Airborne
Another massive roadblock is the "Stay in the air" mission. You’ve probably tried jumping and just... falling. It's frustrating.
Here is the thing: "Enemy Step" is the single most important skill in the entire franchise for these challenges. It’s a skill you buy in the shop that lets you jump off an enemy’s head. Why does this matter? Because jumping off an enemy resets your "Air Hike" (double jump) and your "Sky Star" (dash).
- Step 1: Jump.
- Step 2: Attack to stall.
- Step 3: Use an air dash.
- Step 4: Position yourself over an enemy.
- Step 5: Press the jump button to "Enemy Step."
- Step 6: Everything resets. Do it again.
Basically, as long as there is an enemy beneath you, you never have to touch the floor. Ever. This is how high-level players stay in the air for minutes at a time in those "Combo Mad" videos you see on YouTube.
Finding the Unfindable: The Hunt for Blue Orb Fragments
Let's talk about the search. If you’re trying to find every Devil May Cry secret mission without a guide, you’re a braver soul than most. The developers love hiding these things in "Mission 10" and "Mission 11" of almost every game—the mid-game slog where you're tired and just want to get to the next boss.
In Devil May Cry 5, there are 12 missions in total. Some are hidden behind breakable walls that look exactly like unbreakable walls. Others require you to use Nero's "Punch Line" rocket arm to fly across a gap that looks like a death pit.
Is it worth it? Yeah. Maxing your health bar is the difference between surviving a hit from Vergil on "Dante Must Die" difficulty and seeing the "Game Over" screen in three seconds. Plus, there’s a certain satisfaction in seeing that "Secret Mission Clear" text pop up. It’s a badge of honor. It means you actually understand the mechanics, not just that you’re good at mashing the triangle button.
The Mental Game of the Secret Mission
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the execution. It's the repetition. You fail. You load back in. You fail again. The music loops. It can get under your skin.
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I remember a specific mission in DMC3 where you had to use enemies as "boards" to ride them across a room filled with spikes. I must have tried it fifty times. I was overthinking the controls. I was trying to steer the enemy like a car. The trick was actually to stop moving the analog stick and just let the momentum do the work.
That’s the beauty of these missions. They force you to stop playing the way you want to play and start playing the way the game demands. It’s a subtle tutorial disguised as a challenge. It teaches you about i-frames, hitbox manipulation, and gravity. By the time you finish all the secret missions, you aren't just a player with more health; you’re a better player, period.
Ranking the Difficulty (Roughly)
- DMC3 Secret Missions: The absolute hardest. High technical demand and very punishing.
- DMC1 Secret Missions: Difficult mostly because of the clunky (by modern standards) camera and strict requirements.
- DMC4 Secret Missions: Moderate. Nero’s grab makes many of them trivial.
- DMC5 Secret Missions: Generally the easiest, though a few require specific Devil Breakers or Styles that you might not have equipped on your first run.
Actionable Tips for Clearing Your Remaining Missions
If you’re stuck on a specific Devil May Cry secret mission right now, stop banging your head against the wall. Take a breath. Try these specific tactical shifts:
- Change your loadout: In DMC5, some missions are borderline impossible without the right Devil Breaker for Nero. If you're struggling to reach a high place, bring "Gerbera." If you need to stay in the air, "Rawhide" increases your air-time during attacks.
- Upgrade your mobility first: Don't even attempt most secret missions until you have "Air Hike" (the double jump) for all characters. It is the fundamental building block of 90% of these challenges.
- Watch the floor: In missions where you need to collect Orbs in a time limit, the path is usually marked by the camera's initial angle. Don't deviate. The developers usually lay out a "perfect path" that gives you exactly 0.5 seconds to spare.
- Abuse the Camera: In many DMC games, enemies cannot attack you if they are not on screen. If you're in a "don't take damage" mission, manipulate the camera so you're only facing one enemy at a time. It feels like cheating, but it's a core mechanic of the engine.
- Check your Style: If you're playing as Dante, "Trickster" is your best friend for 99% of these. The "Sky Star" and "Air Trick" moves provide mobility that "Swordmaster" or "Gunslinger" just can't match.
The journey to 100% completion in a Devil May Cry game always goes through these secret rooms. They are the soul of the franchise—weird, stylish, and occasionally very annoying. But once you hear that chime and get your fragment, it’s all worth it.
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Go back to the mission select screen. Look at the ones you missed. You probably have the tools to beat them now; you just didn't have the perspective. Go get those Blue Orb Fragments.
Next Steps for Players:
Start by revisiting Mission 02 in Devil May Cry 5 to find the first secret mission if you missed it—it's a simple combat trial that rewards you with a fragment. If you're playing the HD Collection (DMC1-3), focus on unlocking the "Air Hike" ability for Dante immediately, as it is required for nearly every secret mission after the first few levels. For those stuck on "stay in the air" challenges, practice the "Enemy Step" timing in the Void (DMC5's practice mode) until you can jump off an enemy's head three times in a row without falling. This single skill will make the rest of the secret missions significantly more manageable.