While Code Vein 2 may call them Revenants, you are very clearly playing a game with vampires. While your own character is not strictly a Revenant, they’re not fully human, either. And they needs some way to harvest all that sweet blood.
To that end, you have Jails. These also existed in the original game, though the game has been changed this time around to fit their new context. And there are quite a few more of them this time, too.
What Are Jails?
On the back of your character, you might have noticed the, you know, exposed heart. This is your Jail, poetic as it sounds. Technically not your Jail, as the intent is to be able to hold aspects of other Revenants inside so you can use their powers. This is the basis of the new Partner Assimilation system.
In terms of gameplay though, Jails actually refer to the equipment you use to perform Drain attacks and gather up Ichor for your formae. They take up a dedicated slot in your equipment and are activated with the RT/R2 button. Every Jail can be charged as well to increase the amount of damage dealt and Ichor drained.
Jails can also be upgraded back at MagMell with the use of special materials. This increases their scalings, improves the damage your partners deal, and at level ten, unlocks a second weapon slot.
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Your partner’s level is determined by the highest level Jail you own, whether it is equipped or not. The same applies to the second weapon slot.
Drain And Bleed Factor
A core part of the Jail gameplay loop is building up Bleed, and then using a Drain attack. Unlike other games with similarly named effects, Bleed here works a little differently.
Rather than being a status effect that is triggered, it is one that is continually stacked purely for the purposes of Drain attacks. The more Bleed you have built up on an enemy, the more Ichor you will drain from them.
Without certain traits or Boosters, you cannot see the amount of Bleed you’ve stacked on an enemy. That said, it builds up very quickly, and decreases relatively slowly. Every weapon has a Bleed Factor, and the higher this number is, the more Bleed you’ll deal in a single hit.
Since Bleed remains on an enemy for a while, it can be helpful to get a series of hits in early to build up Bleed so that when you get low on Ichor, the enemy is already prepped for draining.
Every Jail And What It Does
There are a total of six different Jails for you to find and use in the game. Not only are all of them visually distinctive, they all come with unique effects that help you create a variety of different playstyles. Every Jail also increases your defense, though some more than others.
Here’s each of them, and what they do:
|
Jail |
What It Does |
|---|---|
|
Ogre |
Pulls out quickly while traveling a short distance ahead. |
|
Bat |
Low damage and stagger, but can be used at a distance with some tracking. Bats remain on the target to continually drain Ichor every few seconds based on Bleed stacks on enemy. |
|
Reaper |
Performs a parry and then does a wide spinning slash that can hit multiple enemies. The parry has fairly generous timing and can parry most attacks. Blocks those that cannot be parried |
|
Stinger |
Travels in a straight line and can pierce multiple enemies, draining from all of them. Has very poor tracking, but can be used at a distance. A Charged Drain attack can knock down or briefly stagger most enemies. |
|
Ivy |
Sends out a series of spikes from the ground to impale enemies. Instead of charging, holding RT/R2 lets you place where the spikes will appear, letting you safely use it at a distance regardless of enemy positioning. |
|
Hound |
Performs two attacks with each Hound head, draining with each attack. Has decently high damage, can briefly stagger enemies, and gives you increased disruption resistance during the attack. Also gives the highest defense boost. |
Because of the variety they offer, it can sometimes be helpful to adjust the Jail you use when you change your Blood Code or Bequeathed Formae. You’ll gain plenty of materials to upgrade most of them anyway.
Where To Find Every Jail?
Aside from your very first Jail, Ogre, the rest must be found by yourself. No more are given to you as part of the story. You can find them all fairly early in the game, though they’re also very easy to miss if you’re not going out of your way to find them.
Now, let’s get searching. They can all be acquired before you’ve even finished off your first hero, so you’ll have access to them all for the majority of the game.
Bat
Bat is likely to be the first of the Jails you’ll pick up. Rather than being out in the world for you to find, it’s actually in the Confluence, the area in which you speak to Lou.
This area can be accessed at just about any time from any Mistle. After the first few obligatory visits, on your first or second optional visit, you should find the Bat jail simply resting on the desk by the mirror.
Reaper
Reaper is the first Jail you can find actually hidden in the world. It’s found in a chest in the Underground Water Plant on MagMell Island. This is right beside where the bridge appears that leads to the mainland.
Once inside, make your way along the path until you enter a wider room. When the room exits to the north, instead head to the east to find a chest right beside a solitary chair. The Reaper Jail is inside.
Stinger
Stinger is the next closest Jail you can find. This one is located in the Sunken City, right in the middle of Josée’s Outpost. This can only be found in the Present Era, so pick it up before you head into Josée’s Era.
It is found on the lowest level, where there is a giant hole in the floor. The path splits to the left and the right. Before taking any direction, you can find Stinger sitting right in the middle of both paths, ripe for the taking.
Ivy
Next up, we have Ivy, one of the most unique of the Jails. This one is thankfully fairly hard to miss, as it’s in a location that you go to as part of the main story, and right at the very end of it, too.
Josée will ask you to travel to an Electricial Substation to the west of the Sunken City. After beating the boss of this area, you can enter into the final room of this area. The quest item you need is here, as is the Ivy Jail.
You can also come here and pick up this Jail in the Present Era if you missed it during Josée’s Era.
Hound
Hound is the final Jail you can find in the game, and it is fittingly in the final dungeon of Josée’s Era. Like with the Ivy Jail, you can come back here in the Present or Free Exploration Eras.
This is found in the Sunken Pylon area, in the south of the Sunken City where you go to fight the Metagen Remnant. From the Mistle near the beginning of the area, you will encounter a locked gate. The Hound Jail is just beyond this door.
For now, you’ll have to travel through the area as normal until you’re given the option to take an elevator upwards. This will bring you back to this area on the opposite side of gate, opening up a shortcut and nabbing you the final Jail in the game.
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