# Bosses # Aava, the King's Pet ### Description --- *Each of the Ivory King's seven beasts was conferred a specific duty. Aava's was the guardianship of the King's beloved child of Dark.*1 ### Location --- **Frozen Eleum Loyce**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)8,93078,000
2 (NG+)12,502156,000
8 (NG+7)26,790312,000
### Drops --- - Soul of Aava, the King's Pet ### NPC Summons --- - Steelheart Ellie - Masterless Glencour ### Resistance --- - High dark resistance - Medium fire resistance - Poison immune (can be poisoned in SotFS) + Show details – hide block Experiments done with one character, same build, same equipment; only the urn was changed to determine damage. The assumption is that all of the urns below do 200+1.3\*bonus damage, as each of the pages indicates.
ItemDamageBonusExpected DmgResist %
Hexing Urn6710333480
Firebomb7310834079
Witching Urn5010633875
Lightning Urn437325073
### Attack Patterns --- - Roars and charges a large, fast moving version of Homing Crystal Soul Mass. Fires them after a brief delay. - Jumping bite attack. This is a grab attack and cannot be blocked. If the initial bite connects, you will be picked up in Aava's mouth and dealt high damage. - Jumping claw attack. - 180-degree claw attack. - AOE blast. - AOE Ice pillar attack ### Strategies --- - To see Aava, you need the Eye of the Priestess. - When Aava uses Homing Crystal Soul Mass, run left or right across the arena to dodge it. The statues will not block it. Alternatively, you can run directly behind Aava if close enough and all of the projectiles will miss. - When Aava stops and hunches slightly while in close range, it's preparing one of its AOE attacks, so roll away quickly. - When Aava jumps towards you (either for a bite, or a claw swipe), roll forward and right and hit it with a rolling attacking. Aava will most likely follow up with a 180-degree swipe, so step back a bit and roll away. Aava will usually then jump back, then jump forward for another attack, allowing you to repeat this cycle many times in a row. - Aava's tail will move up when it uses a claw attack. this is a good indicator that it is about to do a 180-degree swipe when standing directly behind it. - Unlike other DLC bosses, Aava does not seem to gain an overly large amount of HP/Defense from having summons present, and Steelheart Ellie can be somewhat useful. (Masterless Glencour, who can be found on the bridge toward the main gate, seems to be more useful, as he has more HP) - Aava is weak to fire, so it's recommended for melee classes to use charcoal pine resin for extra damage. - Weapons tend to lose durability rapidly in this fight. ### Notes --- - Aava is a White Tiger with saber teeth. - In order for other phantom players to see Aava, the host must possess the Eye of the Priestess. - As with all other DLC bosses, Aava's defences increase depending on the number of co-op phantoms present. - Aava CAN be killed without the Eye, but it is extremely hard, nearly impossible to fight an invisible, emaciated white tiger infused by the Dark. - You can only use the summons while possessing the Eye of the Priestess Footnotes 1. Soul of Aava, the King's Pet description. # Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, Cerah the Old Explorer ### Description --- Once a small band of heroic adventurers, the toll of countless years have hollowed them terribly, and will throw themselves at any intruder they see in an attempt to end their life. ### Location --- **Cave of the Dead** ### Stats --- #### Afflicted Graverobber ---
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,35060,000
2 (NG+)4,260120,000
8 (NG+7)8,094240,000
Equipment: - Full Alva Set - Power Stanced Berserker Blades #### Ancient Soldier Varg ---
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,31060,000
2 (NG+)3,972120,000
8 (NG+7)7,547240,000
Equipment: - Full Havel's Set - Havel's Greatshield - Dragon Tooth #### Cerah the Old Explorer ---
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)2,54060,000
2 (NG+)3,048120,000
8 (NG+7)5,792240,000
Equipment: - Lucatiel's Mask - Black Leather Armor - Leather Gloves - Leather Boots - Dragonslayer Greatbow - Estoc ### NPC Summons --- Both can be found near the gravestones after entering the Cave. - Rapacious Andrei - Ruined Aflis ### Drops --- - Petrified Dragon Bone x 3 - Twinkling Titanite x 3 - Titanite Slab ### Strategies --- Unlike most boss fights, there are three characters you must defeat in order to progress. - Cerah the Old Explorer switches to an Estoc if forced into close combat. - Focus on Cerah first as he has very low HP/defense compared to the other two and he deals a good amount of damage if left alone firing his Dragonslayer Greatbow - Keep moving, use the terrain and the whole boss area to your advantage. Varg and the Graverobber will chase you. Lead them around and take a shot or two at Cerah before the other two catch up then run a lap around when they do. Repeat this process to avoid being ganged up on. - Poison works well on Ancient Soldier Varg. - Have enough poise to not get stunlocked by Cerah's Estoc if you try to take him on in close combat. - Drop from a ledge to a watery level below to buy some time for healing. - Guard breaking them will give you an opening for a melee attack. - Cerah has low resistance to Bleed and takes a large amount of damage from it. - Bleed damage also is effective on Afflicted Graverobber, although it takes longer to build. Beware trading hits with him, as his own bleed damage on you can build much more quickly. - Never assume that whatever weapon you have will poise-break Varg. His poise is much higher than one might expect. - Attempting to parry Varg is advised against, as only certain attacks from his Dragon Tooth can be parried and he shows little to no indication as to which he'll be using. - All three of these enemies can cancel out of nearly all animations, whether attack or block or stagger, so beware. They can retaliate and recover much faster than is natural. - Pyromancies should be used quickly if any are available, as if any of these three end up in the water beneath the main arena, they'll gain a huge fire resistance. This generally isn't a problem with Cerah considering he tends not to follow you. - Varg's attacks are easily rolled away from (rolling forward and to his right seems to work best), leaving him vulnerable to devastating backstabs if Graverobber is not nearby. Use of summons to distract either makes this much easier. - The extra damage against hollows on the Old Whip will affect these three and can deal huge chunks of damage to them with each hit. - On the right hand side of the arena is a small pit filled with water into which you can drop and escape via a nearby ramp. If you enter it and stay in the water, Varg and the Graverobber will always move around to the same spot to drop in and follow you. Drop in near to the ramp, and they will run around, granting you valuable seconds. You can use this time to heal, or to draw the two into the pit giving you a few seconds to exit and attack Cerah uninterrupted. After Cerah is dead, you can use this technique to try and separate the Graverobber from Varg, allowing you to attack him alone in much the same fashion. When only Varg is left, use the two levels of the ramp to get easy hits on him as he follows you. - In Solo, kill Cerah first and so you only have to worry about the Graverobber and Varg one at a time; they both take turns as to whom will attack next, which is exploitable if you have an heavy shield. - In Solo, Graverobber and Varg don't use their Estus Flasks. #### Co-op --- \*If fighting with summons, use of the Redeye Ring to draw attention will allow the host/summons to easily backstab Varg and Afflicted Graverobber while the bait kites them. It also allows one player to kite 2 of the 3 enemies, leaving the host 1v1 or 2v1 against Cerah if you are worried about the Greatbow. If coordinated properly, this strategy all but trivializes this boss fight. \*In Co-op, Graverobber and Varg may use their Estus Flasks when having low HP. ### Notes --- - Unlike the appearance, Afflicted Graverobber is female and will groan in hollowed female voice when hit and staggered. - After the battle there are two metal chests containing Flower Skirt and Dark Greatsword - They are capable of backstabbing you; Ancient Soldier Varg's backstab will likely kill the player in one hit, as can the critical damage from Cerah's Estoc. - When fighting these bosses they may drop various DLC exclusive items such as the Puzzling Stone Sword. In Co-op this allows people who do not own the DLC to have access to such items. - Ancient Soldier Varg will start using Estus Flasks at less than half health. He has 7 flasks in total. - Neither Afflicted Graverobber, Varg, nor Cerah will get slowed down by the water in the arena, unlike the player. # Ancient Dragon ### Lore ---
*Soul of the great ancient dragon that stands magnificently, deep within the shrine.* *This powerful being stands and waits, for whoever may visit him.* — Description of the Guardian Dragon Soul *The magic of the ancient dragon allows one to delve into the memories of the withered.* — Description of the Ashen Mist Heart
### Location --- **Dragon Shrine:** From the bonfire make your way up the Shrine. The Ancient Dragon is found up a long set of stairs that is guarded by many enemies.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)19,840120,000
2 (NG+)23,800240,000
8 (NG+7)45,236480,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Shrine Entrance bonfire. ### Summons --- - Head of Vengarl - Found in the hallway right before the dragon. Survives surprisingly well against the fire breaths, but gets one shot when crushed. Only available if his quest was completed. - Melinda the Butcher - Found at the back of the platform to the right at the bottom of the giant staircase before the dragon. Only available if her invasion was defeated. - Bashful Ray - Small white sign. After dropping down to the chest with the Titanite Slab on the way to the Petrified Egg. The sign is in the corner of the courtyard near the chest. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* The added resistances to the boss due to their presence and the general inability of the AI to deal with a dragon makes their summoning unwise. ### Drops --- - Ashen Mist Heart (if you don't speak to him before attacking) - Petrified Dragon Bone - Soul of a Giant ### Moveset --- **Stomp:** Stomps with any of his feet. **Tail Smash:** Smashes with his tail. **Bite:** Bites. **Forward Fire Breath:** Breathes fire forwards, sways left and right slightly **Flying Fire Breath:** Starts to fly and breaths fire towards the ground. Large area of effect. **Below Fire Breath:** Stands on hind legs and breathes fire under himself. ### Strategies --- After you go through the fog, the boss will stand up and welcome you with a fire breath. While he's doing that, you want to run around and under him, and literally wedge yourself in the gap between the big and middle toes of his back leg. From here on get a hit or two in, wait until he lifts the leg to stomp on you and dodge it. Sprint to the other leg, once again get in between his toes, and get a hit or two in. He will proceed to lift the leg to do a stomp, dodge it and run to the other leg. Rinse and repeat for an extremely easy win. If done properly, he will NEVER use any of his other attacks, even the under-belly fire breath. If he does the fire breath under himself, back off to the outside of the leg you were attacking and hack away. The fire should not hit even if you're hugging the leg. If he looks like he's about to launch himself and rain fiery death on you, watch where the tail is and run towards it. If you start running early enough, the fire will not hit you. Don't stay directly under the tail, as it'll crush and kill you when he lands. When using his aerial fire attack, the Ancient Dragon will almost always attempt to be turning towards you, and by extension, turning his tail away from you. Use this to your advantage to turn the dragon and keep him from standing awkwardly on a ledge where you'll be in danger. Don't underestimate his massive amount of health. Consider bringing a second weapon, as it's quite possible that whatever you're using will degrade faster than he will. **890 Fire Defense:** If you have 890 fire defense you are 99% resistant to fire damage, so just keep your distance or roll through the physical attacks. As any kind of caster this tactic is very easy because you will have built in fire defense and spells that do damage from a distance, but it's possible to use with any build. Here is some equipment that will help you reach 890 fire defense: Pharros Mask (100 fire defence from being wet), Flame Quartz Ring +3 (150 fire defence), Dispelling Ring +1 (120 fire defence), Dragon Tooth (50 fire defence even without the Strength), Flash Sweat (300 fire defence for 60 seconds). Best armor that require Twinkling Titanite (298 fire defense): Penal Mask, Hexer's/Chaos Robe, Penal Handcuffs, Hexer's/Chaos Boots. Best armor using normal titanite (250 fire defense): White Hollow Mage Hood, Alonne Captain Armor, Alonne Knight Gauntlets, Alonne Knight Leggings. Best armor without using titanite (237 fire defense): Black Dragon Set. As of patch 1.06, it is no longer possible to obtain 900 Defense immunity to any forms of non-physical damage. See Fire Defense for more info on how to increase it. **Ranged Strategy with a Greatshield:** Required stats: 35 Strength (maybe 18 will work if shields work just as well when two handed as they do with proper Strength) and at least 20 Endurance. Stock up on as many spells as possible, and bring a couple spell restore items and Green Blossoms if you want. Required items: Gyrm Greatshield, which has 100% Fire resist. Cloranthy ring for stamina regeneration. IMPORTANT: Always two hand the greatshield when the boss is using his breath attack, it will do far less stamina damage this way. For this fight, you're essentially going to walk in a big circle for probably ten or so minutes. Just stick to the outer rim of the fight and you should be fine. He'll focus mainly on two attacks, his fire breath (ground) and fire breath (air). Stay roughly in his frontal cone, so that he will alternate between his two breath attacks only. When he's on the ground and using the fire breath, make sure you are out of the range of it and shoot away. After his breath is stopped, shoot once or twice more until you see his wings flap. At this point keep moving in your arc and switch to two hand shield. Wait until he's in the air, and flaps twice while moving as quickly as possible away from where you just were. After the second flap he'll start his fire breath, and if you were quick enough to get around the center blast, you'll take two hits of 0 damage, but become staggered. If this is the case, congratulations, you just won the fight. Now repeat this until he's dead. **Double Shield Tank Strategy:** Although very niched, this tactic works out if you have the prerequisite gear and stats. Get yourself a Gyrm Greatshield, as reinforced as possible (farmable in Doors of Pharros), and any shield with a Stamina Recovery effect. Equip the stamina shield in your left hand and the Gyrm Greatshield in your right. Two-hand the greatshield and attack by bashing his legs. If you position yourself directly below him and bash his back legs, he won't slam his tail, but be reduced to either stomping you, breath fire beneath himself, or fly up in the air for a shower of fire. When he stomps, simply roll away and bash the other leg. When he prepares to breathe fire beneath himself (stands on back legs only) roll outside and bash his feet. When he flies up into the air, hold up your shield and tank the damage. The fire does damage two to three times, seemingly random, and drains a lot of your stamina. An upgraded shield and the stamina regeneration should help you soak this without taking damage, worst case being staggered at the last tick. To hasten stamina regeneration during the breath, drop your guard for a short amount of time(1/4-½ second) and put it up again. Not recommended unless you feel you have a knack for the timing. This strategy IS doable (and recommended) naked, which improves your stamina regeneration and your running speed. Variation may include having a better weapon in your right hand and switching to the Gyrm Greatshield when he flies into the air for the fire breath attack. **Failsafe, No Health Loss, Strategy:** Initially run to his left side. Stay just outside the circle, at the level of his head and slightly to the front. The thing is, he must always see you. If you get it right, he will always turn towards you to do the ground fire-breathing attack. When he does, move to his opposite front leg, slice three times and move away to take the same position on his right side. He will turn again towards you. Move to the opposite front leg and attack thrice. Move away to his left… Rince and repeat until he's down. After the first two attacks do not use the circle as reference. Just try to maintain the distance and, most importantly, eye contact. The second he loses eye contact, he will launch in the air. If you're too close he'll move to bite. Nail the position, and you'll beat him bare foot, bare knuckled, bare chested. For additional safety you can combine this with the 890 fire defence strategy and Flash Sweat, if the dragon does his flying firebreath simply use Flash Sweat putting you fire defence at 890 and minimize the damage you take. **Scraps of Life Strategy:** Probably one of the faster strategies (which helps because this boss's sheer amount of health can be tiresome). Simply equip scraps of life (two scrolls of it if you can. In addition you can wear the hexer's hood for additional uses). When you enter the boss fight, run to where you are behind his back legs, then use scraps of life. In a moment, he will raise his back leg to try and hit you. Simply role to the other leg as fast as you can. Every once in a while, he will shoot fire behind him underneath his legs. This is easily telegraphed by his standing up on his back two legs before hand. Simply move to the outside, and as soon as he is done, attack his leg again. The trick is to remain under his legs as much as possible so he doesn't use his firebreath AOE. If he does, simply run in the direction of his tail. ### Notes --- - If you attack it, Cromwell the Pardoner can undo the sin and make it unaggressive again. - Its hostility and death does not cause the Dragon Knights to become aggressive. - Being in the area behind its heel will cause it to only do two attacks, one being the stomp and the other being its aerial fire attack between its legs. ### Dialogue --- ***All dialogue text is © From Software Inc.*** --- + Show Dialogue - Hide Dialogue - **First Encounter** The murk shifts and stirs. Yet another stands before us… Then so be it. For the curse of life, is the curse of want. And so, you peer… Into the fog, in hope of answers. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Belfry Gargoyles ### Lore ---
*Soul of a Gargoyle of the Lost Bastille.* *The elaborate stone statues on the belfry mysteriously came to life.* — Description of the Belfry Gargoyle Soul *Gargoyles are said to guard castles and forts from ill fortune, and they have appeared in many forms in all the great lands throughout history.* *Some of them are so meticulously crafted that they look as if they might come to life.* — Description of the Gargoyle Bident
### Location --- **Belfry Luna:** Past the gate opened by a lever atop the bell tower.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5x 1,40025,000
2 (NG+)5x 2,66050,000
8 (NG+7)5x 5,054100,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Upper Ramparts bonfire. **Drangleic Castle:** **One** is found in the area past the Central Castle Drangleic bonfire. On top of the building containing the Estus Flask Shard. Next to the Alonne Knight Captain. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)~30002,800
2 (NG+)??
8 (NG+7)??
**Aldia's Keep:** **One** is found in the secret lab across the hall from the Ritual Site bonfire; requires Aldia Key to access. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)?3,000
2 (NG+)??
8 (NG+7)??
### Summons --- - Masterless Glencour - Found under the second staircase in the tower inside Belfry Luna. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- **Belfry Luna:** - Belfry Gargoyle Soul - Covetous Gold Serpent Ring +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) **Aldia's Keep:** - Twinkling Titanite ### Moveset --- **Jump Strike:** Jumps up and downward slashes. **Evading Sweep:** Jumps backwards while sweeping in front of it. **Sneak Attack:** Jumps and gets behind you, then stabs. **Sweep:** Swings weapon from right to left (can follow up with second sweep or downward swing). **Thrust:** Thrusts bident forward (can follow up with a left-to-right sweep). **Tail Swipe:** Swipes tail once or twice if you're behind it. **Fire Breath:** Breathes a cone of fire in front of it (only when individual is below 50% health). **Aerial Fire Breath:** Jumps into the air and hovers while breathing fire (only when individual is below 50% health). **Aerial Sweep:** Flies up into the air with weapon pointing down and swings upward. **Divebomb:** Flies up into the air and charges at you. **Lighting Storm:** Possibly happens when low on health. Fires up a lighting storm that fires in the immediate vicinity of the caster. (Gargoyle will glow). ### Strategies --- Gargoyles spawn as follows: - The fight starts with two Gargoyles. - When the boss health bar reaches 90%, a third Gargoyle spawns. - When the boss health bar reaches 70%, a fourth Gargoyle spawns. - When the boss health bar reaches 50%, the fifth and final Gargoyle spawns. - If you hit any Gargoyle before the spawn conditions are met, it will join the fight immediately. - Focus only one Gargoyle at a time to maintain control, as therefore, focus on multiple targets will cause them to gather around you Kill them off one by one or you'll be swarmed very quickly. The full health ones tend to get in the way when you're using ranged attacks, especially since the hurt ones start breathing fire from the back. When the gargoyles are attempted early the first playthrough, Strength builds tend to have the easiest time. By far the easiest strategy is to use an upgraded strike-damage strength weapon (like the Great Club) and a Greatshield with high stability. The greatshield will make blocking attacks without running out of stamina easy, and the weapon will be able to take out gargoyles in just a few hits as you find openings to attack. Buff with a resin (ideally Aromatic Ooze, since the gargoyles' lowest resistance is to magic). Titanite Chunks from Belfry PVP can get your weapon to +9 without much trouble. If you're determined to get the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring +2 on the first playthrough by kindling the Belfry bonfire, a +9 Great Club with Aromatic Ooze can take out even bonfire intensity 2 gargoyles in 4 hits. It can be beneficial to bring consumables like Holy Water Urns and Witching Urns as they can damage multiple Gargoyles at once. Be very careful with this tactic. The AOE damage will decrease the boss bar quicker while not killing the Gargoyles fast enough, leaving you with many more gargoyles than necessary. Chaos Storm and Flame Swathe are quite deadly against them \*Note, if boss in Belfry Luna is not killed before heading up to The Salfort bonfire, you will see a gargoyle fly over head ### Notes --- ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Burnt Ivory King ### Description --- *The proud Ivory King was ever-merciful, and devoted himself to the protection of his great land, until he was devoured by the flames of chaos*1 The Burnt Ivory King is a boss of the Crown of the Ivory King DLC and resides in the The Old Chaos. ### Location --- **The Old Chaos**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)8,04092,000
2 (NG+)11,256184,000
8 (NG+7)24,120368,000
### Drops --- - Soul of the Ivory King ### NPC Summons --- - Lucatiel of Mirrah - Twiggy Shei ### Weakness --- - Lightning ### Resistance --- - High Fire Resistance - Medium Dark Resistance - Very high poison resistance ### Attack Patterns --- - Stabs sword into the ground, creating an AoE of ice crystals doing devastating damage. - 3-4 hit combo, easy enough to roll back from. - Buffs his sword with magic, giving extra magic damage on top of the physical damage. This buff is temporary - Impales player and throws them onto the ground. Does massive damage, only does this when buffed - Rushes towards player, does a leaping sword swipe. ### Strategies --- Before going for the final boss in the DLC, find at least two of the three knights that can be found after talking to the oracle which melts several locations under ice, meaning you must revisit all of Frozen Eleum Loyce. Each knight you find will help you in your fight, and seal portals where enemy knights will come out. One knight is already there, three can be found, and there are three portals to be closed. With enemy knights spawning the portals the fight gets much more difficult, even with two phantoms summoned. If you manage to find all three knights, one will be left to fight against the burnt ivory king. To fight the enemy knights, bring a shield with fire resistance, e.g. the Gyrm Greatshield, as they cast pyromancy too. There will be enough time to switch shields after the enemy knights and before the burnt ivory king is arriving. For the burnt ivory king, equip a shield which has 95%+ physical protection, high magic protection and high stability (e.g. Defender's Shield, Old Knight's Shield or Havel's Greatshield). Summoning at least one phantom is highly recommended. The king has similar attack patterns to Sir Alonne and the Old Dragonslayer: if he is rotating to your direction - then he is attacking you. So only heal, perform ranged attack, etc. when he is not facing you. It is possible (seen in one of the videos below) to get the boss killed by one of the friendly knights while freezing a portal shut. To do this, you must keep the boss busy in front of a portal while the knight is freezing it - a strong shield held in two hands is recommended, to keep the boss from moving too far. ### Notes --- - You must survive three waves of Charred Loyce Knights before the King arrives. - When the King arrives, more Charred Loyce Knights will spawn from any remaining unfrozen portals. - The Charred Loyce Knights before the fight tend to focus the host player and the phantoms, usually ignoring your allied Loyce Knights. - When he buffs his sword, he still takes full damage. - Sometimes the Burnt Ivory King will stand completely still for the entire fight. Footnotes 1. Soul of the Ivory King description. # Covetous Demon ### Lore ---
*The curved spine of the Covetous Demon is as hard as rock, and rather than slicing through flesh, this weapon seems to grind it apart.* *That thing that ended up as a monstrous fiend, what was it to begin with, and why did it never leave the queen? Perhaps it was entranced by some perversion of love.* — Description of the Covetous Demon Soul *Eating is an expression of desire. There once was a man whose deep affections were unrequited. He transformed into the Covetous Demon, which only made him lonelier than before.* — Description of the Bone Scythe
### Location --- **Earthen Peak:** At the end of the Harvest Valley.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)4,44013,000
2 (NG+)8,43626,000
8 (NG+7)16,02952,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: The Mines bonfire. **Frozen Eleum Loyce:**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)??????
2 (NG+)~8,400???
8 (NG+7)~1600018000
### Summons --- None. ### Drops --- **Earthen Peak:** - Covetous Demon Soul **Frozen Eleum Loyce:** - Ivory Warrior Ring ### Moveset --- ### Strategies --- Listen to the messages: *Weakness: Beating to a pulp* This gluttonous monster isn't very tough, but his massive body makes it difficult to avoid his hits without staying a good distance away. - His grabbing attack will probably not kill you, but it will remove all weapons, armor and rings that you have equipped. - You can use arrows, bolts or magic to break the pottery hanging from the ceiling. Each jar contains a prisoner that the Covetous Demon will track down and eat while ignoring you. Wooden projectiles won't break the jars, but Iron Arrows and Heavy Bolts work just fine. **Melee Strategy:** Try to bait him into attacking you from the front if possible. As he's busy with one of his various attacks, go to his sides or his tail and begin slashing away at him. If you stay near his tail too long, he'll begin smashing the ground with it. If you stay at his sides for too long, he'll roll over you causing hefty damage. If you get nice and friendly with his armpit he won't do a roll attack very often, and will try and attack as if you were in front of him but just ends up pushing you around without damaging you. Do not attempt this if you are heavily equipped, as you will need a good roll to get out of the way of his rolling attack when he does use it. Do not neglect his thrusting attack weakness; it's far *far* higher than you'd expect. Most thrusting swords can kill this boss within seconds, and adding the Old Leo Ring onto them can make this bossfight into little more than a formality. **Magic Strategy:** Bait him into attacking from the front as above, then cast Soul Vortex for heavy damage. He's so large each cast will deal full damage. It should not take more than 3-5 casts to bring him down. This also works with spells such as Heavenly Thunder and Scraps of Life. ### Frozen Eleum Loyce --- **NG++ Strategy:** In NG++ two red ice rats are joining the fight, which makes the fight much more difficult. For an easy win, just run up the path were the two red ice rats are coming from, pass two normal ice rats, run up the way and where the path splits, choose the left one. This one ends at a door, which opens to the front court, so you can easily reach this place again if you die. Dispatch the two red and two normal ice rats and then you can fire away from the small path on the covetous demon with spells or arrows without being able to get hit. ### Notes --- - He can be poisoned, but has high resistance to it. He can break the jars lining his room, causing him to poison himself. - He takes reduced damage while eating an Undead Laborer. - Enemies inside the vases spawn only once. - \[Tested with PC ver. 1.06, calibration ver. 1.10\] Defeating the Covetous Demon with a member of the Heirs of the Sun covenant in your party will not reward you with a Sunlight Medal. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Darklurker ### Lore ---
*Soul of what lurks in The Dark Chasm.* *The Dark Chasm of Old is the remnant of some ancient, dissipated being.* — Description of the Darklurker Soul
### Location --- **Dark Chasm of Old:** In order to access the area in which Darklurker is fought, you don't need to be Rank 2 in the Pilgrims of Dark covenant - the requirements is to light up the 3 braziers - you will get to the boss through the exit portal regardless of your Rank. See the covenant article for more info.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,77035,000
2 (NG+)6,92470,000
8 (NG+7)13,156140,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Under Drangleic Castle bonfire. ### Summons --- This fight can only be fought solo. ### Drops --- - Darklurker Soul ### Moveset --- **Shadow Blade:** Darklurker will generate a Magic-based longsword and will swing it one or two times at the player. If just out of melee range, this attack may be a quick piercing motion. These can be differentiated in two ways; the first being the early appearance of the Magic blade (slash), and the second being Darklurker's wind-up motion. If Darklurker winds up without first generating the Magic blade, it has an extremely high chance of being the forward piercing attack, which will need to be evaded much sooner than the slash. Deals reduced second-hand contact damage if not evaded precisely. **Teleport:** Darklurker will temporarily disappear, teleporting to a random location and reappearing. If Darklurker does not teleport too far away (or behind the player), your lock-on will remain. If Darklurker generates a large black circle, this typically indicates that it is teleporting farther away. **Hellfire Barrage:** Darklurker will raise both arms to create a large fireball above its head, which fires three explosive blasts in succession to random locations, typically in the player's current direction. Deals fire-based damage and can cause knockdown. **Dark Soul Bomb:** Darklurker will raise its right arm to create two small dark portals; one above his head and another at a random location. He then sends in a Dark Orb into the portal above his head. The Dark Orb will appear on the second portal and home in to the player. Explodes on contact with either the unfortunate player or the ground, dealing massive Dark damage. Can cause knockdown. **Dark Spear:** Darklurker will raise its left arm to cast a simple, non-tracking projectile similar to Soul Spear. Typically cast at range. Deals Dark damage. **Black Laser:** Performed when Darklurker goes airborne; a wide-sweeping laser that deals Dark damage. Slowly tracks the player's location. **Abyss Blast:** Darklurker will cross its arms across its chest and generate an AoE/area-of-effect explosion around itself with a large radius. Can cause knockdown. Performed when the player spends an excessive amount of time in melee range. **Clone:** At approximately 60% health, Darklurker will create a clone of itself, which shares a health pool and all abilities of the main Darklurker. Either Darklurker can be damaged at this point, or both at the same time if they are next to one another. The split can be interrupted if Darklurker is staggered at the beginning of it. ### Strategies --- - Shadow Blade is Darklurker's least-offensive attack, and can be baited by staying in melee range. If rolling beneath the attack with the right precision, no damage will be taken, and will leave Darklurker open for an attack. - Be wary of Abyss Blast if you spend too much time in melee range, and be ready to back away once Darklurker crosses its arms. - Yorgh's Ring has a chance of deflecting his attacks. **Dodging and Blocking:** *Shadow Blade* can be strafe-dodged entirely by sticking close to Darklurker and strafing against its body counter-clockwise, as it swings with the right hand. *Hellfire Barrage*, if not blocked, is best evaded by putting distance between Darklurker and yourself as it is prepared, and then running and/or rolling (whichever is faster) towards Darklurker to avoid the explosion and splash damage of each fireball. For *Dark Soul Bomb* evasion, quickly scan the skybox of the room for the second dark portal (the first is always above Darklurker's head.) The second portal will always be the one to emit a bomb. Put distance between yourself and this portal, and be ready to run or roll away from the following bomb. *Dark Spear* is more easily dodged from a distance, as it gives you more time to react. If in melee range, you will not be hit by this attack if you are right up against Darklurker. It will be fired over your head, no dodging or rolling is required. *Black Laser* slowly tracks the player, and should be avoided by immediately running to either side of Darklurker, and then to an ideal position for a counterattack once it lands (beneath Darklurker for melee builds, or a mid-range distance for ranged builds.) *Abyss Blast* does a lot of damage and is difficult to block, even with a lot of stamina and a shield with strong Dark defense. It is best evaded by putting distance between Darklurker and yourself. **Melee Strategy:** Dark-infused Rebel's Greatshield has 100% Dark defense, making the only ability you have to worry about his fire orbs, which you can easily dodge by sprinting. Keep close to him and strafe clockwise, this baits his sword attack, letting you get a few hits off after his combo, rinse and repeat. Staggering Darklurker will prevent it from splitting in two. \*\*Pyromancy Strategy:\* Take at least some of these Pyromancies with you: Chaos Storm, Fire Tempest, Firestorm, Flame Swathe. Simply whittle Darklurker down to 60%, and then do as much damage as you safely can prior to the split. Once he raises his right hand at his side to telegraph an incoming split, immediately cast the strongest of the aforementioned three spells that you have available in melee range. Ideally, it will be at the peak of its cast during the split, and hit both Darklurkers for immense damage. In NG, this one cast is often enough to end the fight, but a second cast may be necessary due to the random placement of the flame pillars. **Magic Strategy:** Strong spells like Soul Geyser or Great Lightning Spear will drain a lot of the Darklurker's health, and Soul Greatsword works wonders on him as well. Do not bother attacking with hexes, as he's resistant to them. If you have the hex Profound Still, you can prevent him from using any of his attacks except Shadow Blade. Keep strongest spells like Soul Spear until he creates a clone. If you can hit both clones with a single Soul Spear, 2 or 3 double hits might be enough to finish him ### Notes --- - Due to the fact that Darklurker deals purely magic damage, a set of armor with high elemental defense is preferred. Agdayne's Set accomplishes this effectively and is readily accessible to most players by the time they consider fighting Darklurker. - Once Darklurker has split in two, it's possible to hit them both with one Soul Spear if you line them up. If you're lacking high-damage Pyromancies, this is one way to take their health down fast before they start moving. - After the final blow is dealt, and the "Victory Achieved" message is displayed, you can still take damage from the attacks so be careful. - It's possible that Darklurker doesn't clone itself after reaching 60% health. - Once all three braziers have been lit and the Darklurker has been fought at least once, if not victorious, he can be fought again from any of the three locations by finishing the abyss dungeon located there. It's recommended to attempt this boss at Drangleic Castle dungeon because of its proximity to a bonfire. - Once Darklurker has been defeated, he can be revived by using a Bonfire Ascetic on the **Under Drangleic Castle bonfire only** - the other two bonfires do not work. This will revive the four enemies in this Dark Chasm of Old area, although the brazier will stay lit. After all four of them have been killed, jumping down the pit will lead to Darklurker. The other two Dark Chasm of Old areas will not lead to him. You still need to be a member of the Pilgrims of Dark covenant to enter the portal, but you will not need a human effigy. - There is a glitch that will cause Darklurker to stay still and never attack. This can happen both before and after the split, what causes this glitch is currently unknown. - The usage of any of the Clutch rings can be extremely effective for pure caster builds, as they will increase damage against Darklurker while the reduced physical defense will mean nothing, as he has no physical attacks. - After teleporting darklurker may "freeze" in place for 2-4 seconds, moving or healing seems to immediately triggering him to attack though it is an excellent window for a quick chug of estus ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Demon Of Song ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Demon of Song at the Shrine of Amana.* *When this demon developed a taste for human flesh, it was contained within the Shrine of Amana, but the line of priestesses who looked after the shrine and appeased the creature have died off.* — Description of the Demon of Song Soul *The Demon's sonorous voice, in stark contrast to its hideous form, is surely intended to lure people close so that it may devour them.* — Description of the Spotted Whip
### Location --- **Shrine of Amana:** From the Rhoy's Resting Place bonfire, follow the voice of the Song.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)6,18026,000
2 (NG+)8,03452,000
8 (NG+7)15,265104,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Rhoy's Resting Place bonfire. ### Summons --- - Felicia the Brave - Found inside a hut before the Rhoy's Resting Place bonfire. - Found directly near the Rhoy's Resting Place bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Lone Hunter Schmidt - Found inside a hut before the Rhoy's Resting Place bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Demon of Song Soul - Key to the Embedded ### Moveset --- **Leap:** Leaps high up and crashes down. **Charge:** Visibly prepares both legs and charges the length of the battle area in a straight line. **Grab:** Opens arms wide and attempts to grab player, smashing them repeatedly into the ground if successful. **Arm Swings:** Attacks once with each arm, then executes two wide-ranged sweeping attacks. This attack may be followed up by a fast downward smash. ### Strategies --- The boss can only be damaged by attacking the demon in its mouth. Wait until the mouth opens to attack. Bring a lightning weapon or a lighting buff. Stay close to the boss and circle left around him. His basic attacks should not hit you, but be aware of the body slam. When he finishes his attacks, hit him in the face or heal. Rinse and repeat. Bring light armor, under 70% weight. Most attacks can be easily dodged with rolling as the water in this area is not as deep as in the rest of the Shrine. Strafe and keep out of his reach. When he tries to body slam, you can easily avoid it by backing up, as with his two hit attack. Best times to attack are after his body slam and after his two hit attack but be sure to only hit two or three times as his random water bolts can deal high damage quickly. When you see him prepare his charge, sprint to the left or right and roll right before he reaches you, this should avoid the attack completely. His charge will not give you any openings so keep your distance. Melee players should keep their distance and avoid locking on to the Demon as a target. Wait for the face to appear and just circle back for a few hits before backing off again. Don't try to guard or run in too fast after his two slap combo, because he can extend it up to 5 hits. Caster builds should aim to stay within medium (melee) range to avoid triggering his charge attack, and follow the same strategy as above. Additionally, the pyromancy Toxic Mist can be used to deal significant damage to it. While it takes several casts for the poison to take effect, use of a summoned ally and a Wilted Dusk Herb or two will make the fight much easier, as Toxic Mist will poison it regardless of where it hits; the Demon of Song's skin cannot defend against it. ### Notes --- - Water in the arena will lower Lightning Defense and raise Fire Defense of the player and the Demon of Song. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Dragonrider ### Lore ---
*Soul of a Dragonrider, who faithfully served King Vendrick.* *Long ago, the dragonriders mounted wyrms, and were feared on the battlefield for their unparalleled strength.* — Description of the Dragonrider Soul *Greatshield of the Dragonriders, King Vendrick's royal guard.* *The rank of Dragonrider was reserved for honorable warriors who helped found Drangleic. Together with the king, they crushed its former inhabitants and erected a magnificent kingdom upon their graves.* — Description of the Dragonrider Greatshield *Aspiring Dragonriders who had not the mettle to handle their training were torn apart by their wyrms, and those who survived emerged with deific strength.* — Description of the Dragonrider Set
### Location --- **Heide's Tower of Flame:** Guarding the path to No Man's Wharf.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,05012,000
2 (NG+)6,40524,000
8 (NG+7)12,17048,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Heide's Ruin bonfire. **Drangleic Castle:** Guarding the path to King's Passage in the middle of the castle. (Halberd)
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,670-
2 (NG+)5,872-
8 (NG+7)11,157-
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Forgotten Chamber bonfire. **Drangleic Castle:** Guarding the path to King's Passage in the middle of the castle. (Greatbow)
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)1,47026,000
2 (NG+)2,35254,000
8 (NG+7)4,463108,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Forgotten Chamber bonfire. **Shrine of Amana:** Loyally guarding the wooden door that leads to the King's Set after the Crumbling Ruins bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,7302,700
2 (NG+)12,0335,400
8 (NG+7)22,86310,800
**Undead Crypt:** Guarding the fog gate to Velstadt, the Royal Aegis. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)??????
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
### Summons --- - Masterless Glencour - Found by the fog gate in Heide's Tower of Flame. - Pilgrim Bellclaire - Found by the fog gate in Drangleic Castle. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Bashful Ray - Found by one of the Golem statues in the Stone Soldier room of Drangleic Castle. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- **Heide's Tower of Flame:** - Dragonrider Soul **Drangleic Castle:** - Dragonrider Soul **Shrine of Amana:** - Titanite Slab ### Moveset --- **Halberd Swipe:** Swipes from side to side with his halberd. Parriable and blockable. ### Strategies --- ### Heide's Tower of Flame --- There are two levers that can be found in Heide's Tower of Flame before the boss area, which appear after defeating certain enemies. They can be used to expand the boss arena, eliminating the circular pitfall entirely if both levers are pulled. The first is by the second sword-wielding Knight, the second is by the Knight immediately after amongst the group of three, on the right hand side. **Cheese 1:** However, it may be beneficial to leave the pitfall, since it is possible to bait the Dragonrider into falling off. As soon as you walk in look at his feet and count 6 steps. On the 6th step, run between him and the pitfall, then circle around him. This will cause him use his thrust attack follow by turning to face you while on the edge, moving him slightly and he'll simply slide off into the pit. **Cheese 2:** You can also kill the Dragonrider without ever stepping into the ring (or at least damage him). On the walkway between the first switch and the circular room with three enemies, you can see him in the boss room through the arches. Shoot at him with a bow, and carry a stockpile of arrows. If you land all headshots, it should be around 50 arrows before his health is depleted. Note that you can not kill him this way; after a while he will turn towards you and raise his shield. When he does this, enter the boss fight and he will have only 1 HP left. **Melee:** Try to walk close in circles around him, and hit him when he does his slow overhead swing and misses. **Ranged:** For a player using ranged attacks, it is suggested to pull both levers to expand the arena. This will allow the player more safe room to back up and attack. ### Drangleic Castle --- **Melee:** While you're fighting the first Dragonrider, keep your eye on the second one up top. Try your best to avoid his arrows, which shouldn't be too difficult as long as you either listen for his bow being readied or looking up once in a while to see if he's aiming at you. You may use a shield if you want, but rolling towards the enemy to the left or right should dodge his attacks. Try to finish off the first Dragonrider as fast as you can so that you can focus on the second one. The archer is slightly weaker so he'll be much easier to take down once the first one is out of the way. **Caster:** Cast Toxic Mist or any of the variants on the archer. One cast is almost enough to kill him in NG. **Pyromancer:** If you have an adequately upgraded Pyromancy Flame (+6 or higher), and both Great Fireball and Fire Orb, you can make this fight fairly easy without summoning help. Simply dash toward the Dragonrider Archer until you are within range, then pelt him with Great Fireball as many times as you can before the Halberd-wielding 'rider reacts and begins to attack you. With enough casting speed, you can hit him at least twice easily, which should be enough to make him fall from the platform. Once he falls, simply finish him off with the remainder of your casts. This makes the fight with the stronger Halberd-wielding 'rider much more comfortable. Note that items that boost casting speed are essential if you have low casting speed. This strategy is great for Level-1 or low-level builds. ### Notes --- - The Greatbow wielding Dragonrider in Drangleic Castle will shoot down into the boss arena until you have taken the Halberd wielding Dragonrider down to 50% health. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Elana, Squalid Queen ### Description --- *When the Abyss dissipated, the things that called it home were fragmented and scattered across the realm. Eventually, these pieces regained form, in ways that hinted at humanity's true nature.*1 *This child of Dark accompanies the dragon, slowly amassing souls in anticipation of the coming day of vengeance.*2 ### Location --- **Dragon's Rest**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)9,28072,000
2 (NG+)12,992144,000
8 (NG+7)27,840288,000
### Drops --- - Soul of Elana, Squalid Queen ### NPC Summons --- - Steelheart Ellie can be summoned from near the entrance to the boss fight. - Benhart of Jugo's sign is between some rubble on the opposite side of the room from the fog door. ### Resistance --- - Very high Dark resistance - High Fire and Lightning resistance - Moderate Magic resistance - Vulnerable on the physical side, very weak to Strike attacks - Immune to poison ### Attack Patterns --- - Can cast Flame Swathe, Dark Orb, Chaos Storm, Darkstorm, Affinity, and Dark Hail. - Can summon skeletons. Three when the player is alone, four when there is a single Phantom and five when there are two Phantoms. - Can summon Velstadt, the Royal Aegis. This version will never power up, meaning he's restricted to physical attacks. - Can summon three Enslaved Pigs. This is the rarest summon. - Can teleport near the player and attack with her Wrathful Axe or cast a Dark Orb. - Attacks in melee with her axe, up to three swing combos. ### Strategies --- #### Summon NPCs, 2v1 and 1v1 --- When Elana summons Velstadt, or skeletons, it is helpful to have the NPC summons to distract Elana while you deal with Velstadt, or the skeletons. This made the fight much easier for mr, despite the boss and the enemies being more difficult. #### Melee --- As soon as her dialogue starts, get close and wait for it to end, then start attacking while she's summoning her axe. She uses her axe combo almost exclusively when you're at close range (this is not true for SotFS, she uses ranged abilities at melee range very often); dodge or block the swings then roll behind her for one or two hits (no more, she recovers quickly) and repeat. After a short while she'll start summoning, deal with the summons first. If she uses Darkstorm (telegraphed by raising her free hand for an extended period without summoning anything), rolling backwards twice will put you out of range, then close the distance and wail on her. **Important:** She will eventually start teleporting; when this happens close the distance before she uses any of her ranged spells. #### Skeletons --- At some point, she will summon either skeletons or Velstadt. This approach only works if she summons skeletons. You might be tempted to deal with the skeletons first, but it is actually easier to just leave them alone. This way, you prevent that she is summoning Velstadt, which makes the fight much harder. The skeletons are weak and can easily be outrun. If you get close to her, make sure you get a hit in because she will teleport away. That may be annoying, but it's actually to your advantage. This way, you automatically run away from the skeletons while you're chasing her. #### Alluring Skulls --- The Skeletons that Elana summons during her fight are as susceptible to Alluring Skulls as normal Skeletons. This means, with a good supply of them and good timing, you can keep the Skeletons off your back as you fight Elana. This also comes with the added benefit of Elana not being able to summon more Skeletons, Velstadt or the Piggies for as long as a single Skeleton is alive. #### Extreme DPS --- This approach aims to maximize your damage per second in order to keep the fight as short as humanly possible, since the fight is a lot more challenging if your dps is not high enough. One of the benefits of this approach is that Elana can summon only once during the fight. Helpful items/spells include: Flynn's Ring, Ring of Blades, Red Tearstone Ring, Chloranthy Ring, Slumbering Dragon Shield, Old Leo Ring (when using a thrusting sword), Engraved Gauntlets, Sunlight Blade, Crystal Magic Weapon, resins, Brightbug. Katanas work great due to their 150 counter damage and overall speed and stamina consumption. Alternatively, thrusting swords combined with the Old Leo Ring, or twinblades, also work. Offensive spells do not work very well in this approach due to limited casts, cast time, as well as Elana's high resistances. It's best to go with pure physical damage. Right after entering the room just rush Elana and keep hitting her until she starts making her first move. At melee range usually she would either swing her halberd a few times or teleport and follow up by spells. It's best to just dodge these attacks rather than block them. Keep in mind not to get hasty or greedy, however. She will eventually summon, usually when her HP reaches ~70%, or sometimes 50% - this depends on what attack she just used and how fast you can damage her. If she summons the Skeletons, just kill them as fast as you can, so that you can get back to her. You can quickly kill 2 of the Skeletons right away, right after they appear, since it takes them about 2 seconds to start moving. Same goes for the Piggies. It's trickier if she summons Velstadt, since her attack pattern will be different. She tends to teleport to next to Velstadt in order to engage in melee, rather than stay back and throw spells at you like when she summons the Skeletons or Piggies. As a result, it becomes harder to hit her in melee. If you can cast spells, you can certainly get one hit in on her from time to time while dodging the both of them, but as the fight drags on, she will eventually summon again. In case she summons the Skeletons, right after you kill all of them, she will cast Affinity - sometimes right away, sometimes after a few other attacks. It takes her a while to cast this so this is a very good chance to do as much damage to her as possible, even to finish her off. The missiles will start homing on you after about 10 seconds. These missiles can be dodged just by sprinting (at a right angle with their flying path). The drawback of this approach is that the chance of success depends heavily on Elana's exact actions. As mentioned earlier, the fight becomes much trickier if she summons Velstadt instead of the Skeletons. And sometimes the plan will fail simply because she casts Flame Swathe instead of Dark Orb. Also, if you utilize the Red Tearstone Ring, you will not want to get hit by anything - not even once. If you are not in the Company of Champions covenant the fight is not as punishing or stressful. **Video:** Elana and Velstadt **Video:** Elana and Skeletons ### Notes --- - Profound Still does not work on her. - She can summon Velstadt and skeletons at the same time. It is entirely random what she chooses to summon. - She cannot summon more skeletons or another Velstadt if the previous group is still alive. - (Xbox 360) She may summon Velstadt while the skeletons are alive if the game is glitched. - (PS3) on NG+, summoned Velstadt when one skeleton remained. (The same was seen at first playthrough, SotFS, PC) - (PC) on NG+, summoned 3 skeletons when Velstadt was alive. - Can cast multiple flame swath at once; be careful which way you dodge - Watch your Estus consumption. I found myself burning through them fairly fast, even to the point of running out, with just a few mis-timed rolls. ### Dialogue --- ***All dialogue text is © From Software Inc.*** --- + Show Dialogue - Hide Dialogue - **Entering Dragon's Rest** *Huh! You were not deserving of the mire…* - **Entering Dragon's Rest if failed to kill Boss previously.** *What brazen insolence!* *You…forever you shall rot…* **Voiced by:** Unknown Footnotes 1. Wrathful Axe description. 2. Soul of Elena, Squalid Queen description. # Executioner's Chariot ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Executioner's Chariot, that holds control over the Undead Purgatory.* *The Chariot was created only to torment Undead, and it took the form of a horrendous mad steed, a window into the soul of its master.* — Description of the Executioner's Chariot Soul *The executioner mercilessly put down countless Undead, but how could he know that it was never his own will, but that of the chariot horse?* — Description of the Executioner Set
### Location --- **Undead Purgatory:** Behind the boss fog gate when taking the path inhabited with Torturers, after leaving the Bridge Approach bonfire.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)4,14019,000
2 (NG+)7,45238,000
8 (NG+7)14,15976,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Undead Purgatory bonfire. **Drangleic Castle:** Found in the grand hall up the ladder near the Central Castle Drangleic bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)??????
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
### Summons --- - Bashful Ray - (Small White Sign) Found in the first open domed hut after the Bridge Approach bonfire, near the corpse with the Morning Star. Considering the distance to the boss fog, it may be wise to clear the path before summoning him. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Creighton the Wanderer - Found next to the portcullis in the cave next to the Undead Lockaway bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- **Huntsman's Copse:** - Executioner's Chariot Soul - Chloranthy Ring +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) **Drangleic Castle:** - Gower's Ring of Protection ### Moveset --- **Dark Breath (Straight)** **Dark Breath (Sweep)** **Stomp** **Rear Kick** **Charge** **Bite** **Turning Bite** ### Strategies --- Lingering Flame is wildly effective against this boss during its first phase. If placed on its track, the chariot will always move just barely slowly enough to still take damage from the detonation. **Phase 1: Skeletons, Necromancers, and Closing the Gate:** This boss in his chariot keeps riding in circles on the track maiming everything in his way, while at the same time the player is having to deal with pesty skeletons who are getting reanimated again and again by two Necromancers sitting further behind on the track. While advancing the track clockwise, and hiding in those two-man-wide alcoves along the track, killing the Necromancers, who are hiding in alcoves (one at the middle of the track; the other, at the near end), is a top priority. On the left side near the end of the track there is a lever which, once pulled, will shut the sturdy gate tight causing the boss's horse to crash into and topple. Now is the time to strike. See phase 2 below. **Note:** The sorcery spell Yearn almost trivializes this first phase. Casting the spell as soon as you enter the fog gate lures the skeletons towards it and keeps them busy while they are getting maimed by the chariot. Recast the spell whenever you see skeletons ahead of you on the track. **Phase 2: Finishing the Boss:** You will now have the boss on the ground an no longer running in circles. The horse can do some major damage, but is mostly easy to dodge. If you are far away, the horse will rear up and charge at you. Roll to the right or left at the last second to be able to get a hit in. If you are near, the horse will rear up and stomp down. You will need to roll backwards to avoid this. Perhaps the best chance to strike is when the horse begins its Dark Breath attack. As soon as you see this starting, roll towards the horse to get next to it. Here the breath will not hit you and you are able to get several hits in before the attack stops. **Skipping the Second Phase:** After defeating the first Necromancer and his skeletons, you can simply sit in a gap near the entrance and shoot spells like Soul Arrow or Lightning Spear when you see the Chariot coming around the corner (use Binoculars to aim). Poison Arrows will also do the job. The other skeletons and their Necromancer will not aggro and you won't need to pull the gate down. At around 30% health he will not be able to make the jump in the arena and you'll find the horse hanging off the ledge, immobile for you to easily finish off in one hit. Homing Soulmass can also be used as it will fire off a guaranteed hit each time the Chariot passes by. It takes about 10-15 hits (depending on your stats) to take the boss down to 30%, so bring something to recharge spells, such as Amber Herb, Twilight Herb, or Wilted Dusk Herb. Other spells of note are Lingering Flame, Lifedrain Patch, and Dead Again. This is an extremely safe, easy, and foolproof way to take down the Executioner's Chariot. ### Notes --- - An Alluring Skull can be used to bait the Skeletons away from you while you go kill the Necromancers that raise them. - You can roll through the spikes in the Chariot's wheels and take no damage if you time it well. ## Videos --- ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Flexile Sentry ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Flexile Sentry.* *The Flexile Sentry is a merciless creature whose purpose is to punish the Undead.* — Description of the Flexile Sentry Soul *The sentry crammed inmates of the overflowing Bastille onto a rickety ship, and cast them out to the open sea.* *The majority of them drowned or starved, but a few hardy survivors made land o the south, and imparted their knowledge of sorcery to the people there.* — Description of the Warped Sword/Arced Sword/Barbed Club
### Location --- **No Man's Wharf**: Boss fight inside the ship.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,15014,000
2 (NG+)6,00028,000
8 (NG+7)11,97056,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Unseen Path to Heide bonfire. **Shaded Woods**: Mini-boss near the Shrine of Winter. *Only in Dark Souls II.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,1502,800
2 (NG+)6,0005,600
8 (NG+7)11,97011,200
**Sinner's Rise**: At the bottom of the elevator, in the second, leftmost room. *Only in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,1502,500
2 (NG+)6,0005,600
8 (NG+7)11,97011,200
**Frozen Eleum Loyce**: Two inside the same area as the Bone Fist.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)??????
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
### Summons --- - Lucatiel of Mirrah - She can be found near the shortcut portcullis in No-man's Wharf. In *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin*, her sign is found on the dock near the ship instead. - Bradley of the Old Guard - Found near the Hollow Infantry who fires flaming arrows as you enter No-man's Wharf. *Only in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.* ### Drops --- **No Man's Wharf**: - Flexile Sentry Soul ### Moveset --- ### Strategies --- This fight is quite simple: block or dodge his attacks, then attack him while he's recovering. Use the large pillar in the middle of the room to block his advances and force him to attack. It's recommended to finish this fight quickly. Two minutes into the fight (or after the boss is at 50% health), the water in the room starts to rise. The water will only rise to just below the shoulders, but once it gets that far, you will have an exceptionally difficult time maneuvering. After the boss is dead, continue through the next doorway and make sure to open the chest for a Pyromancy Flame. You can then use the ship's compass to sail yourself over to the Lost Bastille. You can buy some Poison Arrows from Lonesome Gavlan to make the fight even easier. ### Notes --- - There are two Suspicious Shadows with unique drops in the boss arena in NG+ and beyond. - Circling around to its "back" (non-active side) is a sane method of attack - if you time it with its cool-down period after its attack. - While on the docks, if you have Lucatiel summoned, make sure her path is clear and that you stay out of her way – she may fall into the water otherwise, depriving you of your phantom before you even reach the boss fog. - Water in the arena will lower Lightning Defense and raise Fire Defense of the player, the Flexile Sentry, and any Suspicious Shadows. - Suspicous Shadows use NORMAL-TIER. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Fume Knight ### Description --- *The rebel Raime, after his defeat at the hands of Velstadt, came to Brume Tower in search of greater strength. When he found it, it came not from a regal father figure like before, but from a newfound mother who gave him true purpose.*1 Fume Knight is a boss in the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC and resides at the bottom of Brume Tower. ### Location --- **Brume Tower**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)10,10084,000
2 (NG+)14,140168,000
8 (NG+7)30,300336,000
### Drops --- - Soul of the Fume Knight - Soul of Nadalia, Bride of Ash ### NPC Summons --- - Steelheart Ellie - Carhillion of the Fold ### Resistance --- - Extremely High Fire Resistance - High Magic Resistance - Medium Lightning and Dark Resistance - Immune to poison (This also includes Toxic) - Immune to bleed (Tested with 44 lacerating arrows) - **Note:** Damage calculation does not work like non-DLC enemies, meaning you actually do less damage with pure spells than mixed (infusion, enchantment) ### Attack Patterns --- He starts the fight dual wielding a Fume Sword and a Fume Ultra Greatsword. During this stage he randomly combos attacks with both weapons, usually ending with a slow greatsword swing. After he reaches 60% health, he discards the small sword and buffs the greatsword with a mix of Fire and Dark. At this stage he gains two special attacks, each accompanied by a distinct sound and visual effect; 1. A very slow horizontal swing with a large reach due to the buff. When you see it, walk towards him then roll diagonally forward and to your left, through the blade. You should end up right behind him, allowing you to get in a hit or two. 2. He thrusts his weapon into the ground and creates an explosion that sends out fireballs in an outward spiral. Back off then roll through the fireballs. His attacks also become much faster and aggressive, sometimes coming as a surprise when he seems to be recovering. He has two main sets of combos. He can choose based on your position on how far he goes into the combo, but you can tell which set of combo he'll use from the first swing: \*An overhead swipe going from his right shoulder to his left shoulder. Note that he has a very similar attack where he slashes down from his right down to his left. He will not chain that attack further. However, if the greatsword goes to his left shoulder, he'll follow up with downwards smash into the ground. When he does this, he leaves a window open to strike. He can however follow this attack by a 270 degrees right to left sweep, which he sometimes will follow up with another such sweep going from left to right. You can tell when he does this when he holds the blade for a moment ready to swing. This is a delayed attack, so don't dodge too early. The downwards smash leaves enough time to make a hit and dodge the sweeps in time, and right after his final sweep you can get another hit in. \*An overhead swipe going from his left shoulder to his right shoulder. This is an important difference to notice since that when he uses this attack he's locked into a different moveset for the combo. The second attack of the combo is the same as the first, but going into the opposite direction. What happens next is important: -Either he does a forward trust. When this happens, there's a very safe, but brief, moment, to counter. He'll not follow up this attack, as this move ends the combo. -He'll use a 270 degrees left to right sweep (again, left to right from his perspective). Note that this sweep has longer range. This attack too leaves a window open to make one strike. He can however combo this further into another one or two 270 degrees swipes, albeit these are a bit shorter in range. Again, after the final sweep he's open for another jab. It's important to note that he can break off the chaining of attacks at any time. He'll usually only do this for the first few attacks when you are far out of range, but the further you go into the combo, the further he becomes random with whether or not using follow ups. He always has tell signs when he continues on. ### Strategies --- There are four Ashen Idols just outside the boss arena. When Fume Knight gets close to them, he will be healed as if he were standing in range of the Warmth pyromancy, but much more quickly. To prevent this, destroy them with Smelter Wedges. Players who have already destroyed every Ashen Idol available while exploring the tower will be short one Smelter Wedge until after the Fume Knight is defeated, so it's recommended to leave the Ashen Idol encountered by the first bonfire at the top of Brume Tower alone. However, it's very possible to fight while keeping him away from a single remaining healing point. It is worth noting that taking more phantoms into this fight increases the Fume Knight's resistance to damage, just as all other bosses. Consider tackling this boss alone. His focus will of course be entirely on you, but he has quite easily dodged attacks and offers plenty of opportunities to strike after the ultra-greatsword swings. Furthermore, unlike other bosses (namely the Smelter Demon in Iron Keep), when he powers up, he **does not** become more resilient to attacks during the animation, thus this is a great opportunity to get several strikes in. However, this power up phase is very short, and he will most commonly end it by using his with his slow, empowered sweeping attack, which can deal a huge amount of damage to unaware players. #### Melee (Dodging) --- Acute timing with dodges is essential, as his attacks are highly damaging and will punish you heavily. Best opportunity to strike (only applicable after he discards his smaller sword): a) After he does his thrusting attack (he will sprint a bit and then thrust his sword towards you with one hand). Roll either side to avoid damage and then hit him once. Hit him twice and you may not have the time to avoid his side slash or his area of effect fireball attack. b) When he does the slow fire swipe, calmly roll TOWARDS him when sword reaches the center or roll through the flaming sword when it is still on his side. Careful though, as you roll through the flaming sword, you may get hit by it after he get his sword behind him. Especially if you are using a Greatsword as most of its attacks after rolling involves your character moving and automatically do a 180 degree swipe. c) His second special attack has two parts that can do damage. The first is an area of effect blast, roll away from him to avoid receiving damage, then roll forward to avoid the fire balls. He is vulnerable to strike weapons. Use weapons with fast recovery, such as a Mace or Blacksmith's Hammer, and the fight will be easier. A +5 Curved Dragon Greatsword or +5 Fume Ultra Greatsword is also quite effective against him. Just pick the right moments to attack, and be ready to dodge any incoming attacks. **Video:** Fume Knight Boss Fight - Melee #### Melee (Shield) --- Rolling is a better strategy, but if you have low Agility it is entirely possible to tank with a suitable Greatshield. This strategy becomes less and less viable in higher NG cycles. Equipment and items: Fully-upgraded Havel's Greatshield and Gyrm Greatshield are good choices of shield, due to their high stability and fire resistance. It might be worth infusing your Havel's Greatshield with Fire, or your Gyrm Greatshield with Dark. Use a relatively quick, stamina-efficient weapon. Hammers are a good choice, since they deal Strike damage, have a usable R1-R1 combo, and tend to scale off of the high strength required to hold your greatshield. Third Dragon Ring, Flame Quartz Ring, Dark Quartz Ring, Baneful Bird Ring, and Chloranthy Ring are all useful rings for this fight. Stamina conservation is of utmost importance. High Endurance is vital. To increase stamina regeneration, wear light armor to keep your equip load low, equip Chloranthy Ring, and use Green Blossom. It's a viable strategy to two-hand your shield for 5 extra stability, and exclusively attack with shield bashes. Both Havel's and the Gyrm Greatshield have respectable AR when fully upgraded. If you also have Baneful Bird Ring equipped this will give you an effective 90 stability. This also allows you to wear the Blossom Kite Shield on your back for even more stamina regeneration. The shield bashes deal a great deal of poise damage even without Stone Ring, so you will stagger him frequently. The downside to this approach is that shield bashes are slow and use a fair amount of stamina, so you will need to pick your openings more carefully. Gradual health regeneration items like Elizabeth Mushroom or Lifegems can be useful in mitigating chip damage when blocking fire and dark attacks. Strategy: The basic strategy is to lock on, hug him closely on his right side, and block his attacks if you can't outright avoid them. You want to avoid the FUGS in his left hand as much as possible, but the smaller Fume Sword in his right hand deals very little stamina damage. Stand behind him during the FUGS horizontal swings. After he completes a heavy attack or combo, get one or two hits in with your weapon of choice if you have the stamina. As a rule of thumb, if the combo finishes with a FUGS horizontal swing and you didn't need to block it, you have time for two Hammer R1s. Otherwise, you have time for only one. During the second phase, his attacks will drain more stamina and deal significant chip damage, but they are slow enough to allow two hammer swings or one swig of Estus afterwards. You can block the slow fire swipe, but you don't have to. Just walk behind him to your right, and you should avoid it without having to block it. There will even be time to get a hit or two in afterwards. The closer you are, the easier this becomes. If you react quickly, you can simply walk underneath it to the left at the beginning of the swipe. Strafing to the left with your shield up will often avoid his sprinting thrust attack. Worst case you end up blocking it, which is not that bad. When you see the explosion attack, roll backwards twice to clear the initial explosion, keep walking backwards to allow the fireballs to spread out, then step between the fireballs (block if you can't find an opening). There is enough time to drink Estus or use an item after you're clear of the fireballs. It is especially important to conserve stamina in the second stage. His multi-hit combos in the second stage can take out a huge amount of your stamina. Strafing to your left usually allows you to only block 1 or 2 hits out of 3, so with careful stamina management you shouldn't be guard broken. **Video:** Havel's Greatshield + Mace strategy (NG) #### Magic --- Be sure to bring a lot of cast-regenerating items with you. It is a long fight. Since he has high defenses against basically every sort of magic, you'll need heavy hitting spells whatever the type is. Preferably use either sorceries and/or hexes (faith and pyromancy builds will have an even harder time against him). Never run out of stamina, as you'll need to roll a lot. In general, you either want a high adaptability for more iFrames, a shield with high stability that soaks up high percentages of physical, fire and dark damage or preferably both. Don't bother too much with resistances in armor and/or resistance rings. If he hits you, chances are you'll not survive it no matter what you are wearing. Instead, clutch rings, Chloranthy Ring and Dragon Ring are your best friends. Especially in NG+ and beyond. -In the first phase, bait out his combos while staying out of range of them. If you see him moving his ultra greatsword (has quite a long wind up) and you are out of range, cast one and only one spell. Preferably use crystal soul spears, soul spears, and great heavy soul arrows. Don't use soul geyser since its casting speed is too slow,. Always wait for him to use his ultra greatsword while staying out of range, and you'll never get hit if you dodge roll his longsword attacks. I was able to fire off 4 crystal soul spears, 8 soul spears and 4-6 great heavy soul arrows before he buffed to second stage. -The second stage is tricky, and I honestly prefer using melee with my moonlight greatsword. You can however still use magic if you have the patience. Never attack between his normal combos; I've seen him going from a normal 3 hit combo standing still for 1 or 2 seconds before suddenly adding 2 horizontal attacks to it. Casting inbetween means death. Rather, wait for him to use his slow horizontal sweep. Roll through it and cast. Often when he finishes that particular attack, he jumps back and does a running thrust at you. If you have the stamina, dodge and cast right away again. If he doesn't jump back, prepare to dodge. His area of effect attack also leaves room for a cast, after a successful roll through the fireballs. Never ever get greedy and do only one cast or hit at a time. Even if you pull off multiple hits, chances are you'll run out of stamina which means death when he combos. #### Magic (Dark Orb) --- Dark Orb is the most efficient spell for hex users due to it's quick casting time and moderate damage. This spell is also easily available and can be obtained 3 times in a single playthrough. Although fighting the boss alone will grant more damage per spell it is recommended that the caster summons or gets summoned as to offer the boss an alternative target so the caster can use more Dark Orbs. One summon seems to be the better option as three would severely affect the damage output. Once in the fight, beware of casting too close to the boss as he may target the caster (< needs further testing). Circle him like any other ranged strategy and move/dodge backwards when being attacked. Cast Dark Orb whenever possible while watching stamina. An upgraded shield is also recommended but not necessary. #### Ranged --- While locked on, continuously circle diagonally back and right, dodging in that direction when needed. During his first form, attack after he does his 2 diagonal swings followed by either a stab or a sweep with his large blade. With low enough equipment load you can simply walk backwards from the third attack and cast while he is recovering. In his second form, attack when he does either an overhead slash into the ground, or when he does the slow fire sweep (similar to the first form, you only need to dodge backwards once to put yourself out of range, then attack while he is recovering). His fire sweep is also a good time to use any recovery items. ### Notes --- - Stats collected by FromSoft reveal him as the hardest boss in the game, sporting a 93% failure rate. - As with all of the Crown of the Iron King bosses, when his HP falls to approximately 30%, he will automatically stagger for a brief moment. - If you wear Velstadt's Helm, he will immediately buff his Fume Ultra Greatsword. - This applies only to the host player. Summoned phantoms wearing Velstadt's Helm will not cause him to immediately buff. - Furthermore, if you attack him long enough with spell casts while he's raising out of the ground, he'll prioritize attacking first instead of immediately buffing. If however left untouched for a very brief period, he'll take the moment to buff. - The Crown of the Old Iron King can be found in a small room after the boss has been defeated. - Summoning NPCs for this battle is not recommended as both of them have poor damage output and rarely dodge, although Steelheart Ellie can last longer against the boss than Carhillion of the Fold. - If he is within striking distance of a healing player, he often seems to instant-aggro to that player with a jumping or charging attack. This seems to happen most when he is powered up. - Redeye Ring does not seem to affect aggro. - Enchanted weapons such as fire, magic, and lightning, etc. will deal less damage than the non-enchanted +10 weapons. - As is the case with all bosses, should the player die shortly after or during the Fume Knight's death animation, the boss fight will be considered a failure and the player will need to try to defeat the Fume Knight again. - He may not buff his greatsword once reaching 60% health, three times in a row he only did so past 30% (PS3 SotFS edition, might be a bug of sorts? - Also seen it happen on the 360 version of SotFS - also confirmed on PS4 SotFS - Also confirmed on PC vanilla DS2, seems to be caused by dealing enough damage to him that his heal goes from ~61% to 50% thus skipping his buff - The overhead UGS smash which he often uses to punish item usage during Phase 1 buffs his UGS with a fiery effect, which cancels his second phase until the effect wears off as documented here.) - The fireballs from his special attack can be "parried" by a shield that can parry spells. Footnotes 1. Raime's Helm description. # Giant Lord ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Giant Lord, who once conquered Drangleic.* *Vendrick crossed the seas, took prisoner the Giants, and brought them back to his castle, clapped in irons. However, after this modest triumph, his countenance could be seen to grow darker with each passing day.* — Description of the Giant Lord Soul
### Location --- **Memory of Jeigh:** At the very end.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,97075,000
2 (NG+)7,164150,000
8 (NG+7)13,612300,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: The Place Unbeknownst bonfire. ### Summons --- - Captain Drummond and Benhart of Jugo can be summoned for this fight. - You will first have to speak to them and exhaust their dialogue in both Memory of Vammar and Memory of Orro. Both of them can't be summoned at the same time. ### Drops --- - Giant's Kinship - Giant Lord Soul - Ring of Giants +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Stomping** **Sword Slash** **Foot Swipe** **Downward Stab** ### Strategies --- **Melee Strategy:** Lock onto his left leg and stay behind him while somewhat close to his left leg, and circle left. He will rotate and try and hit you with the right foot swipe, which misses if you are close to the left leg, and can be easily dodged. Just keep hitting that left leg, but be cautious when he goes for the swipe, as it is often lethal. If he goes for a stomp, roll out of the way and keep repeating the same pattern. **Ranged Strategy:** As you approach the boss, he will do a downward chop attack, dodge this and get to the ledge adjacent to him. From here, he will only do two attacks: a sweeping slash and a downward chop. Simply roll to dodge them and attack twice in between. **Magic Strategy:** Using pyromancy with a +10 Flame and 8 slots he can be killed within 5 minutes. Also using a high Faith and Intelligence build he can be repeatedly killed without any problems, as his moves are very predictable. Start by running to the platform next to him. He will start off with an over head swing, so dodge up the stairs and cast any pyromancy you have attuned. The only attacks you will have to worry about in this area are his over head and sweeping swing, both of which are easily dodged. Keep in mind that he wastes no time between attacks, so try to limit yourself to one spell between each attack. His weakness is Fire, though he is still easy to kill with Miracles and Sorcery, especially with a high casting speed. **Miracles Strategy:** Using a Lightning Dragon Chime +5, three slots of Great Lightning Spear, one slot of Heavenly Thunder and light armor, proceed to the platform near the boss. Stay as close as possible to the boss without falling from the platform and when he starts to swing his sword, run back to the wall behind you and cast Great Lightning Spear. Repeat this until you're out of uses, then descend from the platform and stay below him waiting for his foot stomp. Avoid it and then cast Heavenly Thunder, which will hit them at least twice due to his size. Repeat this proccess and you can easily kill him within about 5 minutes if you're good enough on rolling. **Farming Strategy:** Using a Bonfire Ascetic at the Place Unbeknownst bonfire will make the items and enemies within all three memories respawn. This includes the Giant Lord. Simply follow the strategies stated before and it becomes one of the easiest boss fights in the game with a rather large reward (use the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring to maximize earned souls). Since there is an ascetic inside the Memory of Jeigh (up the left stairs as you first go through the fog gate) you can do this forever. Don't forget about the Twinkling Titanite just off the ledge as you approach the giant tree from the bonfire. Remember, the items in other memories will respawn when you do this, so you can go and grab them every time. However, the giants in other memories will eventually get strong enough to easily kill you in one hit, so be careful. How to get 500k+ souls from the Giant Lord in 5 minutes ### Notes --- - Be careful not to walk into his sword after he stabs it into the ground, it can still damage you. - His downward sword smash will not go through rock, nor create a straight shockwave if you stand on the platform next to him. - With a full set of extra Souls gained gear, you will receive 507,882 souls by killing the Lord at Bonfire Intensity 8. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Guardian Dragon ### Lore ---
*Soul of a dragon that guards the path to the shrine.* *Do the dragons watch over the land of their own will, or are they in the grip of one of Aldia's spells?* — Description of the Guardian Dragon Soul
### Location --- **Aldia's Keep:** At the end of the keep.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,27037,000
2 (NG+)6,85174,000
8 (NG+7)13,017148,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Ritual Site bonfire. **Dragon Aerie:** Non-boss version.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)~5,3004,000
2 (NG+)-8,000
8 (NG+7)-16,000
**Heide's Tower of Flame:** Non-boss version. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)~16534,000
2 (NG+)36608,000
8 (NG+7)661216,000
### Summons --- - Sellsword Luet - Found on the first floor near the dragon skeleton. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- **Aldia's Keep:** - Guardian Dragon Soul **Dragon Aerie:** *Dark Souls II only.* - Petrified Something - Petrified Dragon Bone - Twinkling Titanite - Flame Quartz Ring +2 (rare) - Fire Tempest (rare) **Dragon Aerie:** *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* All drops are guaranteed - First Dragon - Flame Quartz Ring +2 - Second Dragon - Fire Tempest - Third Dragon - Twinkling Titanite, Petrified Dragon Bone, and Petrified Something ### Moveset --- **Breath of Fire:** Conic attack at the ground that spreads out as it comes towards the player. **Flying Fireball:** Mid-air area of effect attack. **Tail Whip:** This attack has a wide radius of effect, try to stay away from the tail. **Bite:** Swings its head while biting. **Stomp:** Stomps with either leg. ### Strategies --- This boss is relatively easy, as long as your dodging is good. Try to stay close to the back legs, but not too close to its tail. **Melee Strategy:** Stay between the dragon's legs as much as possible, attack its legs and watch your stamina. When the dragon stomps, roll towards the dragon's other side, providing an opening for attack on its other foot. If the dragon flies up to rain fire on you, just strafe to his side, or attempt to sprint directly under the dragon. **Sorcery Strategy:** When you enter the boss arena, walk a few steps to the left then lock-on to the boss and start casting spells. Your second and third cast should hit its head, causing massive damage. Keep your distance while the dragon is waking up. Once it notices you, begin by strafing in front of it to bait out its straightforward fire breath (its head will rear up for 1-2 seconds) then roll under it and start casting spells. Move back in front once the attack finishes, and repeat. You'll also have a good opportunity to hit the dragon with one or two casts of Soul Spear while it's perched on the side of the cage, as well as immediately after its airborne flame breath attack. ### Notes --- - You can cut off the dragon's tail, preventing the use of tail attacks for the rest of the fight. - In Dragon Aerie, the fire breath attack can go through solid rock. - If you kill the dragon during one of its fire breath attacks, the fire itself will persist for the duration of the attack even after the dragon is dead. This can hurt you, so watch out. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Looking Glass Knight ### Lore ---
*Those who wish to serve the king as loyal warriors must take the King's Passage and face the Looking Glass Knight.* *Those who fail the test are sacrificed by the merciless specular monstrosity.* — Description of the Looking Glass Set *Fearing something wicked, the King fled the castle and never returned. But his warrior forever true to his command, stands ready to expunge those who would challenge him.* — Description of the Thorned Greatsword *Soul of the Looking Glass Knight, who challenges visitors to the lordless castle.* *Long ago, the King's Passage was a route taken by the bravest warriors to prove themselves, but now it only prevents one from pursuing the runaway king.* — Description of the Looking Glass Knight Soul *The Looking Glass at the castle is said to have been passage to another world.* — Description of the King's Mirror
### Location --- **King's Passage:** Past the door opened with the Key to King's Passage in Drangleic Castle.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)6,54034,000
2 (NG+)9,15668,000
8 (NG+7)17,397136,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Central Castle Drangleic bonfire. ### Summons --- - Benhart of Jugo - Found on the left in front of the boss fog. - Ashen Knight Boyd - Found on the right one pillar back from the boss fog. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Sellsword Luet - Found as a shade in the room past the giant mechanism. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Looking Glass Knight Soul - Ring of Steel Protection +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Jumping Smash** **Running Jumping Smash** **Running Stab** **Sword Slashes + Stab** **Lightning Volley** **Lightning Slash** **Lightning Chain** **Summon** **Backstep** ### Strategies --- All attacks bounce off and do no damage if you hit his shield. The deflected sorceries/pyromancies/miracles/hexes can damage the host or friendly phantoms. Hitting the shield appears to do a lot of durability damage to weapons. At around 50% health or if enough time has passed, a phantom image may form in his shield, and then he slams his shield to the ground and to start summoning Mirror Squires. After this point, he may perform another summon if enough time has passed, so defeating him quickly is ideal. The summoning animation can be canceled if he is staggered. ### Notes --- - To get summoned for the boss fight, use a Red Sign Soapstone in Drangleic Castle, though you may also be summoned via Cracked Red Eye Orb. - Upon being summoned, a message prompt appears: "The Looking Glass Knight summons you! Become a mirror squire, and vanquish the world master." - Be aware that some time may elapse between actually being summoned and the loading screen itself, so you may be vulnerable before you see yourself. Also, the boss may die before you are successfully summoned: "Summoning canceled. Area boss has been vanquished." - Putting your sign down every 10 seconds may increase your chances of being summoned by resetting your server priority, and decreases your chances of being summoned by a player instead. - Burning a Human Effigy before the fight does not appear to prevent it from summoning a player. - NPCs or players he summoned disappears upon his defeat. - As a mirror squire, you can heal the Looking Glass Knight with any variety of spells, including Warmth and Great Heal. - He was called the *Mirror Knight* before the game was released. - Rain in the arena will lower Lightning Defense and raise Fire Defense of the player, the Looking Glass Knight, and any summons. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Lud & Zallen, the King's Pets ### Description --- Lud and Zallen are giant, black saber toothed cats. ### Location --- **Frigid Outskirts**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)Lud: 5,070 Zallen: 5,07056,000
2 (NG+)Lud: 7,098 Zallen: 7,098112,000
8 (NG+7)Lud: 15,210 Zallen: 15,210224,000
### Drops --- - Soul of Lud, the King's Pet - Soul of Zallen, the King's Pet ### NPC Summons --- Head of Vengarl Abbess Feeva Manhunter O'Harrah *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin* only ### Resistance --- - Medium to High Lightning Resistance - High Dark Resist - Medium to High Magic Resistance - Resistant to (but can be) Poisoned ### Weakness --- - Fire ### Attack Patterns --- - Left Paw Swipe, 180 Degrees - Delayed Right Paw Swipe, 180 Degrees - Leaping Left Paw Swipe, 180 Degrees - Homing Ice Pillars - Summoning ice pillars from the ground. - AoE similar to Wrath of the Gods - Leaping bite attack. Will grab the player between its jaws and take away a devastating amount of health. - Enrage mode. ~50% increased defenses, ~150-200% increased physical damage, and 60% health regeneration ### Strategies --- - Both have a similar move set if not the same to Aava, the King's Pet - Zallen will enter the battle part-way through the fight depending on how many phantoms you have. If you have 1 phantom helping you, he will come out when Lud reaches 50% health. If you have 2 phantoms, he will come out when Lud reaches 66% health. Having no phantoms makes him come out when Lud reaches 33% health. (Needs Confirmation, Zallen sometimes enters the battle even when Lud is at 80% health with one Phantom and at 50-60% when alone.) - Killing either Lud or Zallen causes the other to enrage, giving him increased damage and defense, and health regeneration. This only happens when they reach 15-20% health and the other is dead. The buff is temporary. - Evading Homing Ice Pillars can be done by simply strafing to the right, they will all miss as long as you are not close range. Close range behind the boss also causes all to miss. - Strategy 1 - (Works on Aava, The King's Pet as well.) - Summon both NPCs - Run along the right snow wall to get there. Watch the cliff! (This keeps everything but horses from bothering you.) (Recommend: Two handing greatshield) - Once at the fog door unequip everything except for your weapon (make sure to have a repair powder in belt). (Recommend: Ruler's Sword or Curved Nil Greatsword.) Make sure you have low weight (Recommend: <30%) - After that desummon both npcs. Vengarl last since he is usually still fighting horses this keeps the horses from getting to you before you enter the fog.(by desummoning, the bosses are "easier" and less sporadic) - By having less than 30% weight you can roll into them dodging ALL physical moves expect for magic ones. (It will take some practice to get the timing down, just watch the paws.) - Once you've rolled into one wait 1 second for a reset in order to avoid performing rolling attacks.(less damage and control) Only attack once!!! - Then look as to what the boss will do next, if physical just do a timed roll and if magic start running. - Since you have no summons Lud will be pretty low on health, before Zallen jumps in. - Only attack when you have an opening, and only attack once. - With both attacking you, now you have to be picky with what attacks will be safe. - Focus on Lud to get him out of the way, but make sure you have BOTH of them on your screen at all time. - After Lud is dead, and Zallen is at 20% he will regen to about ~60%. Dont attack at this point, let it run its course. - When the regen is done just end the fight how you started it. - Watch stamina, only attack once, and dont get greedy. - Works up to NG+4, if you're a high enough level you should be able to take multiple hits without dying from most of the attacks. (Without armor) **Vulnerable Underbelly** Staying underneath and just behind the front paws of either enemy will cause their clawing attacks to whiff away from your character. This method is only reliable as long as you can roll back into position when they jump away and charge again. ### Notes --- - One of the main difficulties of this fight is the journey to the boss arena, through the Frigid Outskirts. # Mytha The Baneful Queen ### Lore ---
*Soul of Mytha, the Baneful Queen, who lives in the Earthen Peak.* *The Queen sought the King's affection, even poisoning herself to attain beauty, despite the monstrous consequences. All for the compelling madness known as love.* — Description of the Mytha, the Baneful Queen Soul *Dagger forged from the soul of Mytha, the Baneful Queen, Coated with a potent poison.* *Mytha was the fairest queen in the land, until something unhinged her. Was it the poison found deep within the earth, or the passion that consumed her heart?* — Description of Mytha's Bent Blade *That creature, she was human, once, you know. Hmm, in fact, she was wed to the Prince of that nearby castle. But her husband, hmm, he had feelings for another. The Princess was desperate, and sought eternal beauty. Hoping that it would restore the Prince's, ah, affection, ha you see what I mean. Before long, the Princess' ire transformed her into a monster.* — Laddersmith Gilligan Dialogue
### Location --- **Earthen Peak:** At the top of Earthen Peak, by the Upper Earthen Peak bonfire.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,65020,000
2 (NG+)6,85040,000
8 (NG+7)12,88880,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Upper Earthen Peak bonfire. ### Summons --- - Jester Thomas - Found outside the fog wall in the poison pit. He is a pyromancer and very helpful for this fight, even capable of soloing the boss sometimes. - Devotee Scarlett - From the Lower Earthen Peak bonfire, proceed to the narrow bridge where a Grave Warden is waiting at the other end. Devotee Scarlett's summon sign is a few steps behind the Warden. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Bashful Ray - Found near the wooden fence by the ledge where Laddersmith Gilligan is found. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Mytha, the Baneful Queen Soul - Covetous Silver Serpent Ring +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Spear Stab Combo:** Stabs twice with her spear, and sometimes ends with a downward strike. Has good tracking, so be sure to dodge at the right moment. **Spear Lunge:** Rushes quickly forward with her spear and stabs. This attack has long range and is carried out quickly. **Tail swipe:** Done when the player is behind her, she swipes her tail to the left. Dodge by rolling to the left or right. Her tail can be cut off stopping her from using her swipe attack with it, making the fight easier. **Spear Spin:** Lifts up her spear and quickly spins it around 3 times. **Scream:** Raises her severed head and shoots out multiple bolts of magic with a scream, that fan out horizontally. **Soul Spear:** Raises her head and shoots out a single homing bolt. **Backward Jumping Swipe:** Slashes horizontally with her spear while leaping backwards. **Head Throw:** Throws her severed head in front of her in which then it explodes. Be sure to dodge the attack, as it can do a lot of damage. Mytha then lunges to grab back the tossed head (during which she is highly vulnerable) **Constrict:** Grabs the target in front of her and drops them after dealing high damage (try baiting this, highly punishable) ### Strategies --- Before entering this battle, head to the Central Earthen Peak bonfire. Use the bonfire to light a torch. Now across from the bonfire, you will see a large windmill spinning. Go as close as you can to it with the torch equipped, and you will get an option to set it on fire. Do this, and most of the poison in the area will drain. This helps immensely for this battle, as the poison heals Mytha. Keep in mind there will still be some poison, but only on the outer rim of the arena. **Melee:** Equip light armor so that you can dodge attacks quickly. Usually dodging to the left or right should suffice in evading most of her attacks. **Stunlock:** You can dual wield Maces or other hammers like Clubs and and use the dual strong attack. This can be used to stunlock Mytha until she's dead. **Shield & Melee:** It is possible to kill Mytha using a shield. The most recommended shield is the Drangleic Shield. Keep in mind that you will still get damaged from magic, so make sure you know when to dodge her magical attacks. It should be easy, as long as you're not too close when she's about to drop her head or use her magic. This tactic works best for those that are tanks or not too good with/don't want to do dodging. The main objective here is to keep circling her but not get behind her, just one of her sides and keep your distance (don't get very close or you'll surely get grabbed and die or get huge amounts of damage if you have enough HP), block her spear stabs and then hit her one or two times. Make sure you save up at least 50% of your stamina. When she lunges, you can either try blocking it or dodge it. Her lunge attack reduces a lot of stamina, at least half of it, so it is recommended to dodge if you want to keep your stamina. If you keep circling her, maintain your distance, dodge her magical attacks and block her spear stabs and then attack her after blocking them, you'll surely survive with no HP loss. **Co-op:** Wearing the Redeye Ring as a summon makes this fight very easy for the world master. You can tank her from range, and most of her attacks won't even land or can be easily blocked or avoided. If you are a summon you want to instruct the host in how to light up the windmill to get rid of the poison (as phantoms cannot set the windmill on fire), this is any easy way to do so. Grab their attention using the "I Won't Bite" gesture. Have them follow you to the bonfire. Once there, alternate lighting your torch, equip your weapon, light torch again until they catch on. Walk over to the windmill and us the "Point" gesture for where they need to go. **Caster:** Low equip burden is recommended for mobility. Roll to the sides to avoid her attacks and counter with spells, stay in her melee range but just far enough to safely cast your spells. Especially spells with long cast times. Soul Spear, etc. (Be careful not to fall in the poison water). Fire pyromancies are recommended spells for this battle. Or as an alternative summon phantoms (ex: Jester Thomas mainly for his pyromancies) and provide magic support while they tank the boss. Once again do not walk in the poison and also watch out for her powerful spells. ### Notes --- - Her tail can be severed to prevent a few of her attacks. - If she enters the poison, she will start regenerating health slowly. - If she is killed during her thrown head attack, another will appear in her hand to complete the death animation, meaning that she will briefly have two heads before disappearing. - Firebombs deal nice damage to her but are slow and you will likely be hit during the recovery animation so therefore are not recommended for this fight without high defense/poise. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Nashandra ### Lore ---
*Soul of Nashandra, Queen of Drangleic.* *The fragments of the abyss, of untold origin, nourished their beings by the sides of would-be monarchs. Perhaps they were simply ordeals on the road to kinghood.* *One day, the flames will fade, and only darkness will remain. Unless, of course, an heir arrives.* — Description of the Soul of Nashandra *The old one of the Abyss was reborn in death, split into minuscule fragments, and spread across the land. After regaining their shapes, they crawled forth, yearning for strong souls, in search of greater power.* — Description of the Scythe of Want *After taking their shapes, they courted monarchs of considerable power, which they desired to make their own.* — Description of the Chime of Want *Light and Dark are two sides of the same coin, much like the soul and the curse. The beings who presented themselves to those in search of kinghood were drawn to their awesome strength.* — Description of the Bow of Want
### Location --- **Drangleic Castle:** Encountered in human form sitting in a faraway throne, right before the dual Dragonrider boss fight arena. Disappears after obtaining the Giant's Kinship. **Throne of Want:** To access Nashandra, you need to have defeated Throne Defender and Throne Watcher and the Giant Lord.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)8,77090,000
2 (NG+)10,524180,000
8 (NG+7)19,996360,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: King's Gate bonfire. ### Summons --- - Benhart of Jugo - Found to the left of the boss fog. Only available if you've progressed his quest. - Head of Vengarl - Found to the right of the boss fog. Only available if you completed his quest. - Bashful Ray - Small white sign. In the Ruin Sentinels/Stone Soldiers room, near one of the two torch-holding golem statues in the back. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Pilgrim Bellclaire - Small white sign. Outside of the Dragonriders boss room. Can be brought down to this boss fight if the path is cleared first. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Bradley of the Old Guard - Found to the left of the fog gate. Only available if Aldia is ready to show up after Nashandra. Check his page for additional information. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* Note: A maximum of 3 summons can be used at once. ### Drops --- - Soul of Nashandra ### Moveset --- **Downward Scythe Strike** **Horizontal Three Swing Scythe Combo** **Horizontal Dark Beam** **Vertical Dark Beam** **Dark Explosion** **Summon Curse Orbs** ### Strategies --- **In order to avoid a two-part boss fight, kill the Throne Watcher and Defender before you kill the Giant Lord.** Following these general tactics and tips will help: - Immediately when you enter, she will summon Curse orbs. Avoid standing near them, they will curse you and do damage over time. **Hitting them destroys them.** - Bring plenty of Lifegems to counteract the damage done by the orbs. - Make use of the Ring of Binding or Hollow Skin to reduce the effect of curse. - If you're helping someone else with co-op, focus on the curse orbs. Phantoms cannot be cursed. - Not every weapon can be used to destroy her curse orbs. Whips and spells in particular will not destroy them, however melee attacking with spellcasting tools may. - Watch out for the edges of the arena, it's easy to accidentally fall into the water and die. - If you stay out of her melee range, she tends to use her beam attacks which are easy to dodge. This is a good time to heal. - If you kill the Throne Defender and Watcher prior to fighting Nashandra, you have an opportunity to make the fight completely trivial. Before Nashandra spawns, hurl any type of projectile towards the point at which she first appears during the fight. If you time it right and the projectile is within Nashandra's model when she spawns, then she will remain inactive throughout the entire fight. **Melee Strategy:** This tactic is to be done solo or with phantoms who know what they're doing: - First order of business is to get rid of the curse orbs them; if you don't, your curse bar will raise and raise and raise AND you'll take damage (as long as you're in the circle). One swing and the orbs will disappear (a light weapon in a second or third weapon slot is recommended for hitting the orbs quickly). Also, don't worry about getting cursed; it comes with the boss. Lock on to her so you can keep an eye on her and circle around, cutting the orbs as you go. - Once the orbs are gone, heal and get close to her. She has two scythe attacks: one is a strong downward strike, easily dodged to the left or right. This attack leaves her open. Hit her once or twice. The second attack is a horizontal three swing combo. Her first two swings are rather rhythmic, but the third swing lags a bit. Make sure you wait a couple extra (milli)seconds before attempting to dodge it. Again, follow with one or two hits. - Be wary of her beam attack. She has two types: one moves horizontal, one moves vertical. If you see her about to shoot the beam, sprint towards her and attempt to get behind her. If you can't do that, still move towards her. You can dodge under the beam if it's horizontal. If it's vertical, be ready to dodge to the left or right. - Also be wary of her dark explosion attack; you can tell she's about to do it when her chest AND hand glows. She'll bring her hand to her chest, nod her head, and blow up. Thankfully, it's easy to read and doesn't have very large range so it can be dodged easily. - If you're slow to kill her, she'll most likely spawn the curse orbs again later in the fight. At this point, all that's required is repetition. - Note that she will follow you around the room at certain points. It is possible to position yourself by the entrance wall, giving yourself space to dodge, and being out of range of the curse orbs, allowing for a less frantic fight. When she spawns more orbs, they will likely be out of range as well. **Tank Strategy:** For those with low offense but high defense, this boss becomes a trivial if long winded one. Use a shield that has high physical resistance or just roll to avoid attacks. When she summons curse orbs get far out of their range and wait for her. She will attempted a few beam attacks which you can either just dodge or take the opportunity to fire a few arrows. When she approaches you keep your shield up. She will slash twice in a row side to side, and normally finish off with a powerful downward strike. When up close dodging the downward attack is easy and leaves her open to one or two attacks. Rinse and repeat this until she re-summons the curse orbs. The original orbs will be gone so head over the other side of the arena and repeat the strategy. Note: that after losing 50% hp she will use an AOE shockwave attack when you are strafing her. Its highly telegraphed and has a short range. Also she can perform an additional third slash into her two hit combo so wait for the downward strike. ### Notes --- - This NPC has many unused dialogue lines. - If following the Benhart of Jugo questline then this is the fourth encounter for him, not the Throne Defender and Throne Watcher. - Defeating Nashandra while having a member of the Heirs of the Sun covenant in your party will reward you with a Sunlight Medal. \[Has Been Tested With 2 Party members both in Heirs of The Sun patch 1.07\] - Speaking to her in Drangleic Castle will make all bonfires visible in the travel menu, even the ones not found yet. - If Throne Defender & Throne Watcher are defeated with the Giant's Kinship already in the player's inventory, Nashandra will enter the arena in a special cutscene after the previous boss battle. Summoned phantoms will not fulfill their duty until Nashandra is slain, if this happens. - If you throw a firebomb onto the exact spot where Nashandra spawns before the cutscene plays, she may glitch, and be stuck standing still for the entire fight. This makes the fight easier, of course. ### Dialogue --- ***All dialogue text is © From Software Inc.*** --- + Show Dialogue - Hide Dialogue - **When met in human form at Drangleic Castle** You have fought admirably on your journey, cursed Undead. I am Nashandra, Queen of Drangleic. A true monarch carries the weight of their souls. The last king of this land, King Vendrick, as he was called… He was less of a king than you might imagine. He found the strength to rule his people, and when the Undead were born, cursed… He found more strength, to face them. But in the end, he never took the true throne. - **When talking a second time during the first encounter** Visit Vendrick. We have no need for two rulers… - **When coming back and talking after first encounter, having not activated other triggers** … - **When talking after killing or just visiting Vendrick** Drangleic is no longer. - **When talking after obtaining the King's Ring** Brave Undead, seek the throne. Follow the symbol of the monarch, and do what must be done. - **When talking after meeting the Ancient Dragon** Brave Undead, what did that dragon tell you? That thing is a prop, a false deity. Don't be fooled, my Undead. - **When talking while the Ashen Mist Heart is in inventory** Seek the forest, you, where those wretched Giants slumber. - **Boss introduction cutscene** Brave Undead, you have proven yourself to me. Now, be one, with the Dark… **Voiced by:** Harriet Kemsley ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Old Dragonslayer ### Lore ---
*The Old Dragonslayer is reminiscent of a certain knight that appears in old legends.* — Description of the Old Dragonslayer Soul
### Location --- **Cathedral of Blue**: In the cathedral at the end of Heide's Tower of Flame.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)2,88020,000
2 (NG+)5,76040,000
8 (NG+7)10,94480,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: The Blue Cathedral bonfire. ### Summons --- - Devotee Scarlett - Found near the staircase on the route to the Cathedral. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Old Dragonslayer Soul - Old Leo Ring ### Moveset --- **Spear Stab:** Stabs his spear towards the player. Can occur whilst jumping. Parryable and blockable. **Upwards Slash:** Follows a Spear Stab. Parryable and blockable. **Horizontal Slash:** Follows a Spear Stab. Parryable and blockable. **Spear Slash:** Slashes his spear across the player. Can occur twice. Unparryable and blockable. **Crush:** Drops down to the ground, attempting to crush the player. Can occur whilst jumping. Unparryable and not blockable. **Charge:** Dashes forward with his spear pointed towards the player. Unparryable and blockable. **Impale:** When close, he will attempt a stab with a longer windup. If he hits the player is skewered and electrocuted. Unparryable and not blockable. **Dark Slam:** Jumps into the air, emenating with Dark. Once he lands the Dark is released. Unparryable and not blockable. **Dark Bolt:** Raises his spear, imbues it with Dark and throws the a Dark Bolt at the player. Spell Parry and not blockable. ### Strategies --- **Dodging and Blocking:** With a high physical resist and stability shield you can stick close to the Dragonslayer and circle him counterclockwise. You can easily block all of his normal attacks and the only thing you'll need to run away from is his area of effect Dark attack. Pay close attention to his opening lunge strike with the spear as it does tremendous damage to low level characters. **Melee:** Most of his attacks can be dodged by rolling behind him. Staying as close as you can to him is usually the best course of action due to the fact that he likes to lunge at the player if you're far. The only attack that you have to watch out for from close is when he begins charging his Dark AoE attack. He will jump into the air and land on the ground releasing an energy wave that can damage you from a good distance. Roll away when you see him doing this. ### Notes --- - Some of his attacks can be parried, but not riposted. His stun from the initial parry is extremely short and has a very quick recovery. ## Videos --- ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Old Iron King ### Lore ---
*The earth spouted fire, and a beast arose from the flames. The short-sighted king was incinerated by the creature in one swing, and his castle devoured in a sea of flames.* — Description of the Smelter Sword *Soul of the Old Iron King, who succumbed to the flames that swallowed his castle.* *The Iron King's flesh was charred, and his soul possessed by the things that lurk below.* — Description of the Old Iron King Soul
### Location --- **Iron Keep:** Inside the lava at the end of the keep.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)6,07048,000
2 (NG+)10,32096,000
8 (NG+7)19,607192,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Eygil's Idol bonfire. ### Summons --- - Manhunter O'Harrah - Found in the final trap room immediately before the fight. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Old Iron King Soul - Old King Soul (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Fist Pound (Single)** **Fist Pound (Double)** **Horizontal Swipe** **Fist Pound (Firestorm)** **Forward Lava Stream** **Flame Breath** **Shockwave** ### Strategies --- Old Iron King highly telegraphs his attacks. However the small arena size causes difficulty. Always be mindful of how close you are to the edge especially when he uses his flame breath or lava stream (which track you). It is easier to deal with him, when solo, if he is standing near the initial fog gate, as you can use the L-Shaped wall to help block some of his fire attacks. When he burrows in the lava, he'll reappear near where you're standing a few seconds later. Just simply stand near the fog gate until he surfaces to keep him in that part of the area. - Some sort of ranged attack is recommended. - On entering the boss arena there is a 'L' in the wall to your back. Hiding behind this wall is an excellent escape from most of his attacks (note: the lava stream is not blocked by the wall). - Make sure to always roll sideways to evade his attacks, or else you will roll into the puddle of lava in the back of the platform. - Using a high fire resistance shield (ex: Gyrm Greatshield) + fire resistance ring can help to block his fire attack including the beam attack but it takes a lot of stamina. - (**Scholar of the first sin**): Summon Manhunter O'Harrah. Her summoning sign is located in the closet floor to the bonfire floor. She cannot survive past one or two strong attacks from the boss especially if she is knocked into the lava. To extend her help in the fight, while she attacks the boss from afar, the host or someone else should attract the boss's attention. Though this strategy may not necessarily involve the person tanking a boss's attacks but instead attracting the boss's attack to a different location to hers and then dodging the boss's attacks. **Melee Strategy:** The stage you fight him in is pretty small and makes it easy for you to misstep and fall into the lava, so be careful in this fight. His moves listed above are all slow and easily avoided: - Fist pound single or double - roll sideways. - Fist pound (Firestorm) - roll away and try to avoid the fire columns. - Horizontal swipe - roll towards it. - Straight Flame Breath - move to the fog gate at the door used to exit the boss battle and hug the fog. The arc around the door will protect you regardless of the boss' position. - Sideways Flame breath - back out of the range of the flames, or by roll through it; rolling works best if you're very close to him, but be careful not to fall into the lava. - Lava Stream - back away or avoid sideways - very punishable. - Shockwave - when he crosses his hands (only when you're close to him), move away. Easily dodgeable if noticed in time. He's generally more likely to use the beam and fire-breathing attacks if you're farther away from him, and if you avoid them by backing away, he will start using ranged attacks exclusively, making it difficult to get close again. If you hug him too long he will use his shockwave attack which is easily dodged but isn't punishable. Keeping the target lock on him makes it easier to roll sideways through his attacks without losing sight of him and/or falling into the lava, but when he brings one of his fists down, turn it off so you can attack the arm from the side. Then immediately lock on again so you can avoid his next attack. Do note that when he emerges from the lava the lava splatters can damage you (about 700 damage on NG++). **Easy Melee Strategy (No Hit):** Best used with a Lightning Infused or Gold Pine Resin buffed weapon while two-handing it, as you will not be using your shield. - Immediately after zoning in run behind the L shaped section of the wall and angle the camera to face the boss. - Stay behind the wall until you see the boss prepare his Lava Stream (Palm Laser) attack. - Before his arm is fully out-stretched move to your right, you should be to the right side of the beam as it is firing. During this time attack the boss' arm, and then retreat to the wall once he begins to pull it back. - When the boss ducks under the lava, run to where he was located in order to make him resurface in the same spot. - Repeat the steps above until the boss is defeated. **Easy Ranged Strategy (No Hit):** Using the +1 Lighting shortbow found in the fire traps down the ladder from Eygil's Idol and about 100-200 wooden arrows, you can take down the Old Iron King without taking damage. - After dying once, the boss will spawn directly next to the fog gate. - Run straight to the L shaped wall, and take 3-4 shots with the bow, ducking behind the wall to avoid the flame attacks. - You can usually get 1 or 2 extra shots in at the end of each flame breath attack once the flames start to dissipate before the next attack. - Wait for the lava beam attack, and walk to the right into the arena. the reason for this being, he can't move fast enough to target you so walking will evade him, and he will stay in that position long enough for another 4 shots. If you walk left you're stuck behind the wall and miss the biggest opportunity in the fight to cause damage. - He will eventually dive under the lava, immediately run to the little wall on the far side of the fog gate. He will re-emerge in the same spot. Every time he comes back up, he will always do a short range melee or flame attack, so you can stand in the arena near the L wall for 4 hits. - After 3 or 4 lava dives, he will ALWAYS resurface on the side near the L wall. Stand near the fog gate a couple of feet out. His attack pattern is as follows - Flame sweep from (your) left to right. Run to behind the L shape wall, and attack for 4 shots. He will not turn that far. - Lava beam. Run back to where you were standing for the flame sweep, he will miss you while running giving you time to attack for another 4 shots - Flame sweep - Lava beam - After a few times running back and forth, he will give up and dive into the lava. stand near the fog gate so he will come up there. - Repeat until flawless victory ### Notes --- - He must be defeated to access the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Prowling Magus & the Congregation ### Lore --- *This boss fight is a combination of two bosses. One is a Dark sorcerer, the Prowling Magus. The other is the Undead Laborer horde of enemies that surround him, and crawling Undead Supplicants. Among them there are two Hollow Priests.* ### Location --- **Brightstone Cove Tseldora:** At the end of the path past the first bonfire, inside a building.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)Magus: 1,100 Priest x2: 900 Laborer x5: 280 Supplicant x3: 3007,000
2 (NG+)Magus: 1,760 Priest x2: 1,440 Laborer x5: 448 Supplicant x3: 48014,000
8 (NG+7)Magus: 3,344 Priest x2: 2,200 Laborer x5: 852 Supplicant x3: 91228,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Royal Army Campsite bonfire. **Resistance:** **Prowling Magus:** - 50% Magic Defense - 10% Lightning Defense - 30% Fire Defense - 50% Dark Defense **Hollow Priest:** - 50% Magic Defense - 50% Lightning Defense - 30% Fire Defense - 30% Dark Defense **Undead Laborer:** - 10% Magic Defense - 30% Lightning Defense - 30% Fire Defense - 30% Dark Defense **Undead Supplicant:** - 10% Magic Defense - 30% Lightning Defense - 30% Fire Defense - 30% Dark Defense **Weakness:** **Prowling Magus:** - 100% Strike - 100% Thrust - 100% Slash **Hollow Priest:** - 100% Strike - 135% Thrust - 135% Slash **Undead Laborer:** - 100% Strike - 135% Thrust - 135% Slash **Undead Supplicant:** - 100% Strike - 100% Thrust - 100% Slash ### Summons --- - Benhart of Jugo - Found in a tent at the Royal Army Campsite. ### Drops --- - Titanite Slab ### Moveset --- **Prowling Magus** **Dark Wrath of the Gods:** A Dark-powered Force that sends the character flying, only used at close range. **Dark Orb:** Sends a ball of Dark at the player that does moderate damage. **Dark Arrow:** Fires a fast-moving projectile vaguely resembling the Soul Arrow sorcery; has a slightly longer range than the Dark Orb spell. **Hollow Priest** **Sunlight Spear:** A high damage Lightning Spear. **Great Med Heal:** Greatly replenishes health of nearby allies. **Undead Supplicant** **Melee Attacks:** Low damage. ### Strategies --- As soon as you enter the boss room, you begin in a church-like area. In front of you is a bunch of crawling hollows which are easy to dispose of. Then there are the three enemies you seriously need to worry about: the two Hollow Priests, and the Magus. The best way to go about this is to get rid of the Priests first as they can cast an area of effect heal miracle. Watch out for their Sunlight Spears that can deal heavy damage. Use the pews in the room to your advantage. If you place yourself behind them, spells cast by the Hollow Priests will hit them instead of you. This is a good opportunity to heal or cast your own spells. **Melee:** This is a strength in numbers boss battle. The best method here is to just go nuts. Attack as many of them as you can. Their poise is low so any strong weapon can break their poise. **Magic:** Flame Swathe or Scraps of Life work wonders, as does any area of effect spell. Be patient and unload your spells after the sorcerers cast their spells. Because all enemies in the room are hollow, Soul Appease also works very well. Well-placed Dark Fogs or Toxic Mists will poison and eventually kill all the enemies. Sorcerers can use Soul Greatsword as it will consecutively hit most enemies and do a decent amount of damage. ### Notes --- - A good boss to co-op for Sunlight Medals, as the boss is quite easy. - Magus and the priests can be backstabbed. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Royal Rat Authority ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Rat King Authority, of the underground realm.* *Those who choose to serve the Rat King must have the courage to face His challenges.* — Description of the Royal Rat Authority Soul *A loyal servant of the Rat King and the enforcer of his authority, this gargantuan Dog Rat is also responsible for testing the strength and virtue of visitors to his lord's domain. He is alarmed to the presence of intruders by his four rat minions who he guards with his life.* — Dark Souls II Collector's Edition Guide Description
### Location --- **Doors of Pharros:** Near Ordeal's End bonfire.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)4,33014,000
2 (NG+)6,92828,000
8 (NG+7)13,16456,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Ordeal's End bonfire. ### Summons --- Note that summoning of any kind is not possible in Doors of Pharros, so this boss has to be fought solo. ### Drops --- - Royal Rat Authority Soul - Rat Tail ### Moveset --- **Head Lunge** An extremely hard-hitting attack with an equally bad hitbox and fast start-up animation which can also hit if the player is near the boss's mid-section and front legs. **Forepaw Two-Combo**: The boss strikes first with his right forepaw, then his left. Both forepaw swings whiff completely if the player is located underneath the beast's belly; if he isn't, they seem to be partly unblockable for some reason. **Acid Barf**: The boss emits a large pool of poisonous acid from his mouth which triggers automatically whenever the boss reaches a low enough health threshold. This attack cannot only kill the player by poison if exposed to it for too long, but it will also wear down the durability of any equipment wielded. After vomiting, the Royal Rat Authority will perform **slower, lazier attacks**. ### Strategies --- It is highly advised to aggressively rush in and take out the rat minions first as they can inflict poison. Stay under the belly of the boss where his forepaw strikes are rendered ineffective. **Melee:** To dispatch the rat minions as a melee character, the player has to use a wide-swinging, hard-hitting weapon. The first step in this fight is running to the right side of the room and baiting two or three of the rats to attack, then dispatching them two or three with one swing; if the player fails, it is advised that the player divert his attention towards the larger rat and run away towards him and dodge his incoming attacks, since the smaller rats can be killed safely if the player sticks to the left side of the boss (near his left hind leg) and attack the minions there. A bow can be also used to kill the minions. After killing the smaller rats, the player should run and stick to the left side of the rat (near his left hind leg) and hit. There are dangerous spots in the middle and front of the rat, so staying there is risky. Another thing to avoid is letting the rat dodge or stay far away, since he his dangerous in that distance. If the player can successfully stay near the left hind leg, getting hit is nearly impossible unless the players lets the rat run away and initiate the head lunge. To dodge the head lunge, the player has to anticipate the animation (the boss will stick his head down and charge) and immediately run backwards and dodge in the same backwards direction at a precise timings. This attack can also hit the player if he is near his mid-section and front legs. The rat boss will initiate his acid barf attack at low health. This can kill the player, had the latter decided to stay there and land the finishing blow. **Caster Strategy:** If you're a hexer, use Scraps of Life to kill the four mongrel rats, then use Dead Again to kill the boss in one or two casts. A sorcerer can lock onto and kill the small rats in one hit from distance with Great Heavy Soul Arrows before the boss jumps to the arena. **Pyromancy Strategy:** Neither the boss nor the small rats attack you when you enter the boss area, only once you initiate combat yourself. Take advantage of this by setting up a wall of Lingering Flame orbs between yourself and the rats. Draw the rats into your wall of lingering flame orbs - such as with a bow - and the orbs will explode when the rats come close, killing them off. This allows you to fight the boss itself without the small rats being a problem. ### Notes --- - You can use this boss to farm Pharros' Lockstones and Rat Tails. Unlike the other rats in this area, the four rats at the boss will not stop respawning after you kill them 15 times. Use an area-of-effect spell like Firestorm and kill the four rats, loot their corpses fast and collect the dropped items, then die to the boss. It is advised to increase the drop rate by wearing equipment such as Jester's Cap and the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring which raise item find. Rinse and repeat as needed. - If you die to the vomit after inflicting the killing blow, victory is not achieved and you will have to kill the boss again. - Souls series veterans shouldn't have any problems with the boss once the minion rats are vanquished as his moveset is extremely close to the move set of Great Grey Wolf Sif in DS1, only has lesser range. - The four smaller Rats use NORMAL-TIER. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Royal Rat Vanguard ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Rat King's Vanguard, of the underground realm.* *The Rat King's loyal servant judges the worthiness of those who seek royal audience.* — Description of the Royal Rat Vanguard Soul
### Location --- **Grave of Saints** By the Grave Entrance bonfire.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)1,41011,000
2 (NG+)2,67922,000
8 (NG+7)5,09144,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Grave Entrance bonfire. ### Summons --- None. ### Drops --- - Royal Rat Vanguard Soul - Rat Tail ### Moveset --- **Bite** ### Strategies --- The boss is a Rat that enters the arena after killing ten regular rats. You can distinguish him from the rest of the rats by the mohawk-like fur he has on the top of his body. At the beginning, only rats appear to attack. After ten rats die, the Royal Rat Vanguard will spawn. He spawns close to the entrance a couple seconds after the boss health bar appears. Identify him by the "mohawk" running down his back and his slightly larger ears. Also when locking on to him, he does not show a health bar like the other rats. When the boss dies, any remaining rats scurries away back into the walls. Note: the regular rats' attacks builds up Petrification, and the Vanguard's builds up Poison. **Melee:** Go in for a few hits, no more than two or three, then jump back and avoid his counter. Repeat this process while trying to avoid the other rats and he should fall quickly. **Magic Strategy:** Go into the middle of the room and whenever the rats are closing in cast Soul Appease. This spell will kill the regular rats in one or two hits and deals heavy damage to Vanguard himself. For hex users, the use of Lifedrain Patch, Scraps of Life, and Darkstorm is recommended. For maximum effectiveness, run around until you have all of the rats gathered in a tight group. **Ranged Strategy:** Strafe along the outside of the crowd. This minimizes your chance of taking damage and allows you to target the Vanguard specifically. The statues make things a bit tricky. ### Notes --- - After killing 100 rats in the arena, they stop spawning, so then you are only left with the boss. Though the fight can be ended sooner just by fighting the boss. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Ruin Sentinels ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Ruin Sentinel, a creation of the jailer.* *The Ruin Sentinel has no corporeal form. It is only an empty soul that haunts the armor.* — Description of the Ruin Sentinel Soul
### Location --- **The Lost Bastille:** Found at the end of the path from either McDuff's Workshop bonfire or the Tower Apart bonfire.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3x 2,33010,000
2 (NG+)3x 4,19420,000
8 (NG+7)3x 7,96940,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: McDuff's Workshop bonfire. **Drangleic Castle:** Immediately after the first bonfire, five inside rooms with soul-devouring doors.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)??????
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
### Summons --- - Pilgrim Bellclaire - Found in a cell near the fog gate in The Lost Bastille. ### Drops --- **The Lost Bastille:** - Ruin Sentinel Soul **Drangleic Castle:** - Ruin Set - Awestone (Company of Champions) ### Moveset --- **Power Strike:** Will charge up one strong overhead attack, covers a lot of distance. Blockable. **Overhead Strike:** Raises it's halberd above its head and strikes downward. Blockable. **Dual Slash:** Slashes it's halberd upward and down then upward from behind. Blockable. **Forward Lunge:** Lunges forward, stabbing with it's halberd. Blockable. **Spin Strike:** Spins in a circle holding its halberd out. Blockable. **Shield Toss:** Throws it's shield out in a parabola. Blockable. ### Strategies --- **Boss Run:** From McDuff's Workshop bonfire in the Lost Bastille, go past the Undead Jailer on top of the stairs and kill the three Dogs: two in the front, one to the right. Stand where the dog to the right was. Peer down and in the building nearby there will be a locked door. This door can be opened from the other side and serve as a shortcut to the boss if you can land on it from above. Next time after the Ruin Sentinels mercilessly slaughter you, all you need to do is run past the dogs to the right hand side dog and jump from one building to another and then go up the stairs. **General:** You start off the fight by dropping onto a small platform. Ruin Sentinel Yahim attacks as soon as you enter, but he is alone. Dropping down from the platform or killing Yahim triggers the aggression of the two other Sentinels. After killing Yahim, the second Sentinel should jump up on the platform shortly thereafter, allowing you to solo it for a bit before the third one jumps up. When both make it up there, it's time to leave the platform and fight on the floor below. When fighting in the arena below, keep both Sentinels in sight. Counterattack when both Sentinels are recovering from their attack. You'll want to learn their telegraphs, these will let you dodge or block effectively. Stick close to one of the other two and try to bait out their two handed slam, leaps, or one handed combo. These have about two seconds of recovery animation that you can exploit. Otherwise just kite them away from each other, keep them in your vision If you have a summon either try to keep the two remaining Sentinels busy at opposite ends of the arena or focus both of your attacks on one to try and kill it quickly. One on it's own is not particularly challenging, just keep calm and watch for the telegraphs. **Tank and Caster:** Get the Redeye Ring so that the Sentinels will be paying full attention to you. Use a shield that has good physical resistance and stability, a greatshield of any kind is the best choice. Summon Pilgrim Bellclaire for the fight. She deals nice amount of damage, especially if her AI decides to spam Soul Spear. You should be able to block all attacks with no problem. Lower your shield every now and then to improve stamina regeneration. At the start of the fight lock Yahim to a corner so he will be focusing all of his attacks on you, leaving his back very vulnerable for Pilgrim Bellclaire to unload her powerful spells. When the second Ruin Sentinel jumps over to the ledge, lock on to her and tank her blows. Make sure Bellclaire is safe from harm. When the third Ruin Sentinel joins the fun, drop down and one of them will follow you. Just keep tanking the one that does while Bellclaire finishes the other one. After Bellclaire finished her opponent, she'll come over and help you kill the last Ruin Sentinel. ### Notes --- - The fight against Yahim, Alessia and Ricce in The Lost Bastille is optional. It is skipped by using the Antiquated Key to take the cage elevator up to Straid and the bridge to Sinner's Rise, but this method does not allow access to the Servants' Quarters bonfire or Belfry Luna. - In *Dark Souls II*, whilst in Drangleic Castle, the Ruin Sentinels will not respawn at Bonfire Intensity 2 or above. This was fixed in *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin*. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Scorpioness Najka ### Lore ---
*Soul of Scorpioness Najka.* *Najka was born of the misdeeds of an ancient being, frail soul from the beginning, that soon succumbed to madness.* — Description of the Scorpioness Najka Soul *The wife of Manscorpion Tark, a fragile soul created long ago by an ancient being in the throes of madness. Najka herself has succumbed to the very affliction which felled her master and has devolved into a ferocious beast, a threat to all living things.* — Dark Souls II Collector's Edition Guide Description
### Location --- **Shaded Woods:** At the end of the Shaded Ruins.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,74123,000
2 (NG+)10,04746,000
8 (NG+7)18,82892,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Shaded Ruins bonfire. ### Summons --- - Manscorpion Tark - If you have spoken to him while wearing the Ring of Whispers to receive his quest, his sign is just outside of the boss fog. - Bradley of the Old Guard - If all Forest Guardians past the Shaded Ruins bonfire have been killed, his sign is under the stone archway leading to the boss. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Scorpioness Najka Soul - Southern Ritual Band +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Forward Thrust** **Melee Staff Slash** **Stinger Forward Stab** **Stinger Sweep** **Stinger Grab:** Causes toxin buildup. **Homing Soulmass** **Soul Spear** **Tunnel Underground:** Move to the concrete flooring to avoid damage. **Stinger Thrash** Happens from a certain distance only, very rare. She flails her tails wildly up and down, smashing the ground. ### Strategies --- When she stabs her two stingers into the ground you have an opportunity to chop them off. It is not recommended that you do so, as this will cause her to use her Homing Soulmass more often, and there is no reward for cutting off the stingers. If her stingers curl to the sides, get away from the opposite side that she is curling because she is about to do a sweeping attack. If the stringers move up, she is about to plunge them at you. When she burrows beneath the ground, stand on the chunk of concrete.. She will not be able to burrow up beneath you. Roll away when she reappears and take advantage of her recovery time. It's possible to have Najka stand on an area slightly higher than the player. If she does so, try baiting her into using her staff combo. None of her attacks will be able to hit lower than her, meaning you can hug up close to her and use whatever attack you like while she misses. **General Strategy:** Once you work out her attack pattern, Najka is a fairly simple fight. Firstly, choose one of the tree trunks and kite Najka around it, attacking after she attacks. You should roll backwards to dodge all of her melee attacks. Eventually she will cast Homing Soulmass. Make sure her line of sight goes through the tree trunk, which will now tank most of the Soulmasses. Roll into the trunk on the second wave of soul masses, to ensure you don't get hit. If she tunnels underground, run around until she re-surfaces and lure her back to the tree trunk. Repeat this until she is dead. Another strategy is to circle her as close as you can, as she is then less likely to use Homing Soulmass. Just remember not to get behind her, as she will swipe you with her stinger. Always start backing off whenever she starts attacking, especially when she takes a few steps towards you. If she does use Homing Soulmass, start strafing and roll if necessary. When she uses her other magic attack, run at her. It should go over your head. ### Notes --- - To get the item from the body hanging from the tree in her boss arena, you need to bait her to knock it down with a melee attack. Don't worry if you miss it, it's only a Flame Butterfly. - Both of Najka's stingers may be cut off, but there is no reward. - Manscorpion Tark rewards you with a Fragrant Branch of Yore after Najka is dead. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon ### Description --- *The King erected a magnificent city, and the dragon slept soundly.* *Until Sir Yorgh disturbed it with a single great strike, and the dragon could bear its store of poison no longer.* *The rain of death toppled the city, but restored the dragon's purity.*1 Sinh is the final boss of the Crown of the Sunken King DLC and resides just after the Dragon's Rest bonfire. ### Location --- **Dragon's Rest**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)10,03096,000
2 (NG+)14,042192,000
8 (NG+7)30,090384,000
### Drops --- - Soul of Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon ### NPC Summons --- - Transcendent Edde - Abbess Feeva ### Resistance --- - High Fire resistance - Moderate Magic and Dark resistance - Low Lightning resistance - Immune to Poison ### Attack Patterns --- **Standing** - **Firebreath**: Breathes fire straight forward with long range. Shakes its head a few times before using it. - **Arcing Firebreath**: Retracts neck a bit while turning to the left. He then proceeds to breathe fire while sweeping the flame towards the right through an arc. Shakes its head a few times before using it. This attack can be rolled under, much in the way that The Duke's Dear Freja's beam attack can. - **Standing Firebreath**: Sits up on its back legs and breathes fire on the ground below it. The area of effect covers its rear legs, so be careful if you're planning on standing behind him. - **Backwards Fireblast**: Cranes its head around and shoots a shorter ranged burst of fire towards its flank and between its legs. - **Bite**: Keeps head mostly in place and attempts to bite the player, sweeping from its left. - **Lunging Head Swipe**: Rears up and lunges far forward, swinging its head and neck from its right side. Stomps the ground with its front legs as it finishes. This attack cannot be blocked. - **Single-leg Swipe**: Swings at the player with either its left or right front leg. Good tracking, dangerous even by its rear legs. - **Double-leg Swipe**: Swings at the player with either left or right leg, then slashes downwards with the other one. - **Tail Swipe**: Spins its body around once, swiping with its tail. Attack is mostly nullified if the player cuts off its tail. - **Tail Double-swipe**: Jumps and spins tail around twice. Attack is mostly nullified if the player cuts off its tail. - **Tail and Leg-swipe combos**: Strings together several claw and tail attacks, for example a single claw swipe, single tail swipe and then a double tail swipe. - **General movement**: Player will take damage if they're in the way as Sinh leaps from one spot to another. More of a risk during co-op. **Airborne** - **Diving Attack**: Dives straight at a target after which it lands on the ground. Cannot be blocked. Upon landing it skids on the ground and spins to face the other direction. Its tail can catch you as it's spinning. - **Fireball**: Hovers and shoots a single exploding fireball at the player. This leaves a poisonous smoke. - **Airborne Firebreath**: Flies in a straight line over the player raining down a stream of fire. Remains airborne afterwards. - **Landing**: Falls straight downwards to land after a fireball or firebreath attack. Nearby targets will take damage if they're caught underneath. ### Strategies --- Sinh's breath attacks buildup toxic and some of its attacks leave a cloud of toxic-inflicting gas behind. Add some Poison Moss to your quick inventory in case you get poisoned. Sinh's skin is corrosive and melee attacks against its torso, legs and tail will decrease the weapon's durability rapidly. Exceptions are its head and neck. Keep some Repair Powder with you. Each hit on his body does around 1.5 durability damage to your weapon. Durability will be a problem for most weapons if you are doing less than around 400 damage per hit. (NOTE: durability loss not evident in newest patch. Needs testing confirmation. No durability loss with several greatswords noticed when striking any part of its body) Alternatively, you might want to use Santier's Spear for this battle, assuming you already broke it. Infinite durability, Sinh's mediocre resistance to slash and spear's decent reach and moveset makes it a great weapon versus Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon. 2H attacks are especially effective while you're underneath or behind him. #### Melee --- Sinh always starts the fight with the lunging head swipe attack. Once you enter its room start running towards it, keeping to your left (no need to be intimidated by its opening fire breathing animation). Sinh will lunge past you and you can get a few easy hits on its rear legs. Sinh is easier to maneuver around if you don't lock onto it. While airborne however, locking on may be an easy way to keep track of him. When Sinh is in the air you should always be moving towards it, while also keeping off to its side, aiming to get nearly underneath it. If it does any of its attacks roll even further to the side to get out of the way. The closer you are to being underneath it the more likely its dive and fire strafe attacks will have already gone over you before they get dangerous. Being nearby also puts you in the best position to attack as if it drops down to land. If you're fighting Sinh solo it's risky and a bit of a hassle to constantly try to run around it to attack its rear legs. A more cautious approach is to stay back and bide your time and wait for safe chances to hit it. For the most part you'll just have to focus on avoiding its aerial attacks, which at least give you plenty of time to heal from if they hit you. Stay back from Sinh when it's on the ground and wait for it to do a lunging head swipe. Roll back from it and then hit Sinh's head after the attack finishes. Watch out for a possible bite counterattack. Sinh is also vulnerable when it shakes its head to indicate it's about to perform a long-range breath attack. When it does so, run towards and past its head and get a few hits in on its body, and then run away before it can swipe at you. Finally, if you wait nearby when Sinh drops down to land from the air you can step in and get off a hit or two - usually on its head because that will be closest - before it resumes attacking you. If you're fighting Sinh with phantoms it's much easier to focus on its rear legs while it's distracted by other opponents. Attack the tail when possible as it close to nullifies its chance to hit you with tail attacks. Cutting it off, however, might be difficult without a downward-striking/slashing weapon, due to Sinh generally keeping its tail a bit above ground. An alternate strategy for a Melee build is to use the Avelyn +10 and the Grym Shield +10, Flame Ring & Poison Bite Ring. The shield will fully negate his flame attacks - including the diving flame attack. Ideally, you should attempt to stay in the middle of the board with Sinh flying from end to end over your head swooping down to burn you. You will take no damage as he passes then immediately turn around to re-target him. Wait for him to land (he may shoot a toxic ball or two which you can simply strafe to avoid) then as soon as he lands take a shot. Lightning or Magic bolts work best. He may shoot his flame which gives an opportunity to strafe and take another shot. If he does the side to side sweeping flame, simply use the shield to block it and do not take a shot - you need to keep some stamina. Eventually, he will rise up and do his swooping flame attack again. Repeat the process. The only attack that you can be damaged in this strategy is sometimes after he lands and you take your shot, he will get upset and charge you with his head flick attack. You can avoid this by rolling backwards. Patience is key. #### Faith --- This is a hard fight for the Miracle caster because Sinh seems to be resistant to lightning. That being said, summon both NPCs and let them tank while you spam him with miracles. Be sure to bring items that restore uses of spells because you will run out of casts quickly. ### Videos --- ### Notes --- - After Sinh is defeated, Crown of the Sunken King lies on the ground, glowing radiantly. - Sinh's tail can be cut off, but there is no item reward for it. - Yorgh's Ring can be found on a corpse in the boss room. - The dragon has Yorgh's Spear pierced through its body. Footnotes 1. Soul of Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon description. # Sir Alonne ### Description --- *Sir Alonne came to this land from the east, chose to serve a little -known and unestablished lord, and helped him become the Old Iron King. Then, at the very peak of his sire's rule, Sir Alonne set out again, in search of land yet unknown.*1 Sir Alonne is a boss of the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC and resides in the Memory of the Old Iron King. ### Location --- **Memory of the Old Iron King**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)10,14080,000
2 (NG+)14,196160,000
8 (NG+7)30,420320,000
### Drops --- - Soul of Sir Alonne - Alonne's Set (Single pieces, co-op phantoms only) ### NPC Summons --- - Drifter Swordsman Aidel - Steel-willed Lorrie ### Resistance --- - Very High Fire, Magic and Lightning Resistance (Lightning > Magic > Fire) - High Dark Resistance - Appears to be most vulnerable against Thrusting damage - Immune to poison ### Attack Patterns --- - Two diagonal slashes followed by either; - A jump backwards and then a thrust, or; - A delayed, horizontal slash which covers a wide angle around him. - A downwards diagonal slash, followed quickly by a more weighted slash back up. - A jump backwards and then a thrust. - A jump backwards and then an upward swing. - When at long range, his sword will glow, and he will fire a Dark projectile. - Kick, low damage. - His sword will glow, and he will do a thrust. If it hits he will become buffed the same as the Bewitched Alonne Sword. - It does not work on NPC summons. - After 60% health; a jumping downward plunge, usually followed by ~2 seconds of not moving, though rarely he will immediately do a horizontal swing. Has a small area of effect explosion. - When he holds his sword low to the ground, he can parry your attacks and follow up with a riposte. ### Strategies --- The key to this fight is to learn when to dodge his charging attacks, which have wildly different speeds. When he is lowering his blade to prepare for a dash attack, if he lowers it slowly, then there will be a slightly longer delay before his dash. After he jumps away from you to do a charge (holds his sword horizontally) it is best to roll backwards. Afterwards quickly close the gap and you have a prime opportunity to do damage. When he does his two diagonal slashes, if you roll forward and right on the first, the second should go over your head without needing to roll; saving stamina for a counterattack. He will occasionally attempt to impale you (telegraphed by his sword glowing); roll towards or sideways to avoid. If this move connects, he'll buff his weapon with the same effect as the Bewitched Alonne Sword buff. Be careful of getting too close to the wall while locked on, as if you move in front of a pillar the camera will move upwards and point into the ground, making it difficult to see. Every time you dodge his attack, try to roll forward and slightly to the right, then hug his back side. His attacks become much less efficient when you're behind him (or behind his left side). **Video:** Sir Alonne Boss Fight - Melee No Shield There are several points in the room where if Sir Alonne loses vision of you, he will no longer attack you or make any moves. If he is backed into either of the two corners on the side of the room with the entrance, standing on the other side of the pillar closer to the door such that you can't see him will give you a chance to heal, cast miracles, or even re-equip. Take note that if he isn't in the corner and you can still see the edge of his sword, he will still try to hit you through the wall, some of these attacks can hit you, so be sure you can't see him at all. ### Notes --- - Has to be defeated to acquire the final Smelter Wedge. - If you manage to kill him without taking damage, he performs Seppuku. One can try this by quitting and reloading upon getting hit, as the player will just appear outside the boss fog upon reloading. That aside, there is no special reward for defeating him this way. The Seppuku animation is invalidated if you took self-damage, like from the Chaos Blade for example. - As with all Crown of the Old Iron King bosses, once his HP falls under 30%, he will briefly be staggered for 2~3 seconds. - if you dodge his stab attack (the one that buffs him if it hits you) he may instantly use it again up to three times in a row Footnotes 1. Alonne's Helm description. # Skeleton Lords ### Lore ---
*Soul of a Skeleton Lord, who reigned from deep within the Huntsman's Copse.* *The Old Iron King commanded the capture of all Undead, but those charged with the task were overcome by the curse.* — Description of Skeleton Lord's Soul
### Location --- **Huntsman's Copse:** Behind the waterfall near the end.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)Halberd: 780 Scythe: 780 Staff: 52015,000
2 (NG+)Halberd: 1,560 Scythe: 1,560 Staff: 1,04030,000
8 (NG+7)Halberd: 2,964 Scythe: 2,964 Staff: 1,97660,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Undead Lockaway bonfire. ### Summons --- - Bashful Ray - (Small White Sign) Found in the first open domed hut after the Bridge Approach bonfire, near the corpse with the Morning Star. Considering the distance to the boss fog, it may be wise to clear the path before summoning him. His pyromancies and rapid attacks can make quick work of the boss. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Creighton the Wanderer - Found next to the portcullis in the cave next to the Undead Lockaway bonfire. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Skeleton Lord's Soul - Clear Bluestone Ring +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- ### Strategies --- This boss exhibits strength in numbers. If you're not careful, the sheer amount of enemies on the field can overwhelm you. You first face off against the Lords themselves, who use pyromancies and melee attacks. They take a long time to actually start attacking you, so use this to your advantage to get in one or two hits on them. Use the mounds of skeletons as cover. Each Skeleton Lord spawns a different type of smaller skeleton when killed: - Halberd-wielding Lord will spawn regular Skeletons. - Scythe-wielding Lord will spawn slightly stronger, taller, Armored Skeletons, in fewer numbers. - Staff-wielding Lord will spawn Bonewheel Skeletons. The lives of these smaller skeletons count towards the boss health bar, so you have to eliminate every last skeleton to beat the boss. Try killing one Lord at a time, and then kill the newly spawned skeletons. Otherwise you'll find yourself surrounded very fast. **Melee Strategy:** A greatsword/ultra greatsword is preferable for this fight because you can kill large numbers of skeletons in one swing. Strike weapons also work well due to their natural strength against skeletons. Move around the perimeter of the area, using the mounds of skeletons as cover, and finish off the enemies one by one. Try using Alluring Skulls to group enemies together if you use a large melee weapon. It is best to take the mage out last as Bonewheel Skeletons are very difficult to deal with in the midst of a horde. **Sorcery:** Equip Yearn and use the Lingering Dragoncrest Ring to extend the time Yearn is active. Use the bone pillars as cover. Then, once you've got some space, attack the Lords with your spells or heal as needed. Once the smaller skeletons spawn quickly switch to Yearn and cast it somewhere across the room. The skeletons will ignore you while it's active. This will give you time to finish them off one by one. If you are slow to cast it you might have to dodge one or two Bonewheel Skeletons before they are distracted. You probably won't be able finish them all before the spell wears off. Yearn makes a noise while it's active. Once you hear it stop, quickly cast it again. If you have trouble with the NG+ skeleton wheels, use the hex Darkstorm. Simply use it as soon as they start to appear or charge you, and they will be one-shot without a chance of hitting you. **Miracle:** Equip Heavenly Thunder and stand in water to draw the skeletons around you, the area of effect of each pillar will mostly kill one or more skeleton each strikes. Use the default mace or a lightning infused mace to deal with the bonewheel skeleton as they spawn as they are quick and will deal a huge amount of damage if not blocked or dodged. The Mace is great to backstab the skeleton lords themselves dealing a huge chunk of their health if not killing them outright. Don't try to crowd control with the mace as it's reach is ridiculous. ### Notes --- - Water in the arena will lower Lightning Defense and raise Fire Defense of the player, the Skeleton Lords, and any spawned skeletons. - Skeletons use NORMAL-TIER. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Smelter Demon (Iron King DLC) ### Description --- Smelter Demon is a boss of the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC and resides in the Iron Passage. ### Location --- **Iron Passage**
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)9,26075,000
2 (NG+)12,964150,000
8 (NG+7)27,780300,000
### Drops --- - Smelter Demon Soul ### NPC Summons --- - Steel-willed Lorrie - Drifter Swordsman Aidel ### Resistance --- - High Magic resistance (How high is unconfirmed, but it is noticeably higher than other elemental defenses (To compare, a magic attack on the normal Smelter Demon that does 460 damage only did 84 on the blue one.) - Medium resistance to Lightning / Fire / Dark (Lightning being the higher resist, and Dark the lower one. But the difference among these 3 resists is really small) - Resistant to Slash damage - Weak to Strike damage - Can be poisoned ### Stages --- - During the fight, the Smelter Demon will apply a body buff that deals magic damage around him and a weapon buff that extends his range and damage. - As soon as his flame becomes lit, a timer begins. - After **30 seconds** *OR* approximately **13% of its health** has been depleted, the Smelter Demon will apply his first buff after its current action. - After another **30 seconds** *OR* approximately **35% of its health** has been depleted, the Smelter Demon will apply his second buff after its current action. - The first buff can be skipped altogether. To do this, you must deplete **35% of its health** as the **30 seconds** pass during one of its animations. The Smelter Demon will step back, stand still for a second and then perform the second buff. ### Attack Patterns --- Has all of the attack patterns of the Smelter Demon in Iron Keep, though this one deals Magic damage instead of Fire. When the Demon kindles the first time, it will explode. This Demon does have increased defenses during the kindle animations like the original does. Additionally, some of the Demon's sword combos are slightly slower or have long delays compared to the original, which can catch you off guard. Its sword range is also longer.
AttackDamageDamage TypeParryable?\*SpeedTracking (left/right)
Sword thrustMediumMelee/MagicNoFast
Horizontal swing (left to right)MediumMelee/MagicNoFast
Backhand swing (right to left)MediumMelee/MagicNoFast
Overhead smashHighMelee/MagicNoMedium
Plunging sword impaleHighMelee/Magic-Medium
AOE Magic burstHighMagic-SlowNone
### Strategies --- Healing should only be done immediately after the Demon finishes attacking or else its next attack will be a fast thrust while you're immobile. For additional defenses, have the Spell Quartz Ring +3 equipped, which you should have gotten in Brume Tower on the way here. When infused with Magic, both the Magic Shield and the Rampart Golem Shield offer 100% magic damage protection, which can help greatly in this fight, since once the demon's sword is buffed, it seems most of its damage is magic rather than physical. These shields are good options if your character does not have the STR requirement for the bigger shields. The Magic Shield has low stability, so it is best to use it to block the occasional hit when you think dodging is risky, specifically when the boss is about to do his backhand slash, which has two alternate timings - it could either have a long delay, or be almost instantly. After this attack, the next attack is usually a jump smash, or just a vertical smash, both of which are easy to dodge. #### Melee --- It is probably best to fight the Smelter Demon alone if you plan on using melee attacks. The NPC summons don't do enough damage or survive long enough to justify increasing the demon's defenses. A good player summon could be helpful, but if they die early you're just setting yourself up for a longer fight requiring perfect timing throughout. All attacks can be evaded by hugging the demon's left hip (your right), circling right, and rolling past the demon on the right when it attacks. Roll away from the jump attack, either rolling far enough to avoid the AOE blast, or timing your roll to go through the blast. Smelter Demon will harshly punish you if you get greedy with attacks. With a slow weapon you can only get one attack in most cycles. Even with a fast weapon it is important to save enough stamina to be able to dodge up to three times. You may have the best luck staying slightly outside your melee range and baiting it to do the single thrust or the upward sweep to jump attack, as these are easier to dodge and punish. If you aren't good at rolling, using Havel's Greatshield infused with magic will nullify most of his damage. Combined with some Elizabeth's Mushrooms for chip damage and the damage over time from being near Smelter Demon, you should be able to stay at full health with no problems. Use his plunging attack into AOE burst as an opportunity to heal or use a mushroom. #### Ranged --- In NG, this version of Smelter can be very effectively fought with bow and arrows, so long as you summon both Steel-willed Lorrie and Drifter Swordsman Aidel. You will need: - Fully upgraded bow. - A stack of regular arrows and Poison Arrows. - Warmth, Great Heal or some other way to heal the summons before beginning the boss fight. From the bonfire, go through the long route with both summons methodically, taking out every enemy. Do your best to keep your summons' health bars as full as possible. Once you reach the boss fog, heal both summons to full health. This is very important; they are cannon-fodder for this fight and the longer that they stay alive, the easier the fight is. When you enter, fire a Poison Arrow or two and be prepared to dodge Smelter's opening attack. Once the summons get through the fog gate, they should hold the boss's attention. Start firing away with your arrows - never stop firing arrows. Use Poison Arrows until you see the telltale 15 points of damage that let you know Smelter has been poisoned. Switch to regular arrows until the poison ends, then poison the Demon again. Repeat this until the boss is dead. Always stay on the far side of the arena and never stop firing. More than likely Aidel will not survive, but Lorrie should hold out until the end. As long as one of the summons is alive, Smelter will likely not pay any attention to you. Just be sure to dodge any magic projectiles that inadvertently come in your direction and you should be good. It's quite easy to win the fight without taking any damage this way. In NG+ with a +7 longbow and Iron Arrows, when not poisoning, this strategy is also viable. Summons may both die, very close towards the end, so be prepared to switch to melee. **Video:** Smelter Demon - Poison Arrows + Dark Orb ### Notes --- - This boss has generally the same appearance as the Smelter Demon in Iron Keep, but with a number of notable changes. Firstly, it has a vibrant blue fire different from natural fire's regular appearance, as to suggest its prowess in Magic instead of Fire. The pauldrons are symmetrical, the horns curve upwards, and its ligament armor components are linked together by chainmail. - If you can get its health down to 50% fast enough, it will skip its immolation type action and go straight to buffing its weapon. # Smelter Demon ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Smelter Demon, that haunts the castle that sunk into a pool of iron…* *The Old Iron King's life was taken by a mass of iron that had been given a soul. Was this metal goliath here from the beginning, or as it a product of the king's conceit?* — Description of the Smelter Demon Soul *The earth spouted fire, and a beast arose from the flames. The short-sighted king was incinerated by the creature in one swing, and his castle devoured in a sea of flames.* — Description of the Smelter Sword
### Location --- **Iron Keep:** In a relatively small circular room, after lowering the chain bridge in the large open furnace area.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,97032,000
2 (NG+)8,35864,000
8 (NG+7)15,881128,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Threshold Bridge bonfire. ### Summons --- - Lucatiel of Mirrah - Found directly before the fog gate to the boss. Sign only appears after 3rd encounter with her. ### Drops --- - Smelter Demon Soul ### Moveset --- **Sword Thrust** **Horizontal Swing (Left to Right)** **Backhand Swing (Right to Left)** **Overhead Smash** **Plunging Sword Impale** **AoE Fire Burst** ### Strategies --- **The Fight:** This battle starts as a fairly straight forward melee fight. He is able to combo nearly all of his attacks, but with some rules: - Any attack, with the exception of the AOE burst, can be executed without any set-up attack. - AOE burst can only occur after the plunging attack. - Overhead smash, sword thrust and the AOE attacks are used at the end of a combo and have no follow-up. After a short period of time, or after the demon takes about **1/4** damage, he will charge up and light his abdomen on fire. During his charge up animation, he takes less damage. This doesn't change his attack pattern, but it does increase the speed of his swings and his damage output. Starting in this stage, being in close proximity (melee range) will deal Fire damage to your character. Once he loses about **1/3** of his health bar, he will do another charge up and plunge his sword through his abdomen. Again, he takes reduced damage during this animation. With fast enough damage output, it is possible to skip directly from Stage 1 to Stage 3 of this encounter. While his attack patterns don't change during this stage, all attacks begin to deal significant Fire damage. In addition, his thrust and overhead smash attacks will also gain a fire projectile that travels in a straight line from the tip of his sword and that will most likely one shot you. Be careful for the AOE attack: it gets delayed in this stage. **Strategies:** When his core begins flaming, he will do Fire damage to you if you stay close. If you have Flash Sweat and a Pyromancy Flame, this is a good time to use them. If you do not currently have these items/spells, there is a Pharros Contraption before the fight on the building where you find the Dull Ember. It releases water which you can walk in to. While "damp" you can see your foot steps and you will take significantly reduced Fire damage. Some vases around the Keep also contain water. Equip the Flame Quartz Ring if you have it. Heal when necessary, two Lifegems should be enough to counteract the damage he does by being close to you. The Gyrm Greatshield will allow you to avoid damage from all of his hits that you block throughout the fight with its 100% physical and fire resistance. Recommended for tank builds. **Melee:** Stay locked on and close to him throughout the battle, only leaving his proximity when he does his AOE attack where he slams into the ground with his sword and creates a delayed explosive blast, or when you have to heal. Roll out of the way when he uses any of his other attacks. **Sorcery Strategy:** Stay close to him in the first phase and try to dodge his attacks: you have room for error in this stage, as he shouldn't kill you in one strike, so learn his patterns since they will remain unchanged for the rest of the fight. When he enters phase 2, just stop hugging him, but stay close to him. You can bait his overhead slash by staying in front of him: just dodge left/right and use your spell of choice. When he does the jump attack, avoid it and run away from him, and you'll have the chance to cast many spells. If he goes for the AOE you can cast another two or three times. ### Notes --- - There are several occasions where he takes increased damage, one is after the overhead smash, the second is after the plunging attack. To be safe from the AOE burst after his plunge, stay close to him for a short time and then roll away to bait out the AOE. Now he'll take longer to recover and takes increased damage for the duration. There is also a very small duration after his lunge attack where he takes increased damage. - Avoid rolling into the walls of the arena, if at all possible. There is a glitch that can cause your character to get trapped in the wall. It is possible to escape this by rolling, but it is unreliable. More likely, it is a death sentence when this happens. if this happens do a jump attack, it works much better than rolling to free your self - After defeating the Smelter Demon, rest at the bonfire and go back downstairs to the arena and you will be able to fight the Pursuer for a second time. You cannot summon help for this fight. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # The Duke's Dear Freja ### Lore ---
*The Writhing Ruin is an ancient thing whose shadow remains cast over the land. Tseldora is a place burdened by terrible misdeeds, and those who remained there were transformed beyond recognition.* — Description of the Soul of the Duke's Dear Freja *Supposedly, the duke himself, an eccentric soul fascinated with spiders, went on to take a form that was far from human.* — Description of the Spider Fang
### Location --- **Brightstone Cove Tseldora:** At the end of Brightstone Cove.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)4,22042,000
2 (NG+)6,75284,000
8 (NG+7)12,829168,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Lower Brightstone Cove bonfire. ### Summons --- - Ashen Knight Boyd - Found behind a pillar opposite of the fog gate. He can take care of the small spiders, freeing you up to attack Freja. - Bashful Ray - Found in the house next to Ornifex's. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Manhunter O'Harrah - Found on the left side in the room with a lot of spiders before you enter the cave to the Boss. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Soul of the Duke's Dear Freja - Old Paledrake Soul (Bonfire Intensity +2) ### Moveset --- **Beam Attack:** Mid-long range, high damage beam attack. Easy to evade if you circle Freja counterclockwise. Cannot be blocked. **Web Spit:** Shoots forth 3-4 projectiles that will make you walk very slowly if you're hit. **Acid Lunge:** Shoots forth a gush of acid, this will degrade armor durability severely. **Acid Spit:** Stomps lightly around and spits acid from both heads. **Mandible Crush:** If you're close to one of the heads, she will lunge forward a small distance and snap her jaws shut. This attack does fairly high damage, but can be rolled right through. **Forward Stomp:** If you're at a semi-close distance she will stomp her front legs four times. **Berserk Stomp:** If you're very close and under her sides she will stomp with all her legs a few times. She will also periodically spit acid for the duration of this. **Full Body Lunge/Swing:** Freja will plant all her legs into the ground, raise her body and will swing at you. Her legs will not move after having planted them and begun preparing this attack. **Jump Attack:** Occasionally, she will jump in the air and put some distance between you and her. Be careful as this does a lot of damage and can kill you but it is also easily blocked or rolled out of. **Body Slam:** A rare attack where Freja will leap into the air and slam her body into the ground. She is stunned for a while after this. ### Strategies --- - Only her heads can be damaged. - At the start of the fight five small spiders are in front of you. - More small spiders spawn later in the fight, be ready for them. - It is quite safe to stand at her sides. You only need to worry about her legs skewering you if you stray too far from her. If you're close enough when she turns around you'll get caught on her mandibles and be pushed along, further ensuring you stay out of harms way. Beware the little spiders though. Her huge leaps however can kill you depending where she jumps to, but in general no matter where you are in the room you're not at huge risk of dying. - Be outside her range and she will only use the beam attack, this leaves her other face completely defenseless. This also gives an opportunity to kill the smaller spiders. - When using ranged weapons, keep in mind that her legs can block your spells or arrows. It's safer to stay out of her melee range, but when at close range most of your attacks will actually hit the head and do damage. - The small spiders can be kept at bay by sacrificing use of the left hand, and wielding a lit torch for the duration of the fight. This only works in Scholar Of The First Sin. Will not work in base game. ### Notes --- - From NG+ and beyond, Freja will appear once outside the boss fight room, similar to the Pursuer. She will appear on a cliffside right before the entrance to the chapel where Prowling Magus & Congregation is fought. If you hurt her here, the amount of damage you do to her will continue to the "true" boss fight. This damage is permanent and will remain on your next attempt if you die in the fight proper. - Her heads can be cut off if enough damage is dealt to them. In order to further damage Freja, one has to aim for the other head. The cut-off head won't disappear when Freja's defeated, remaining in the stage as a trophy. - The beam attack is capable of passing through everything, even the fog wall. - The small spiders may have a limit to how many will spawn, but the limit is very high. - It is possible to knock off both of Freja's heads, but only if she is healed through the pyromancy Warmth. Note that doing so will make her impossible to kill, and will cause her to continuously spam her Berserk Stomp attack. She can be killed if attacked with weapons that ignore armor. - If you do not kill the small spiders outside the boss room, they will swarm you once you kill Freja, as the fog wall will disappear. Be prepared to run or heal quickly if you finish the boss fight with low health. - When Freja performs her jumping attack, it's possible that she'll land exactly on top of you and you will get trapped inside her shell. You can't be hurt and you can't hurt her, you just have to wait for her to jump again so you can run away. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # The Last Giant ### Lore ---
*Soul of the surviving giant, who was bound below the Forest of the Giants.* *The lord of the Giants, who had brought wrack and ruin to the entire kingdom, was said to have been felled by an unknown warrior. His beaten and broken remains were then dragged beneath the stronghold, where he was sealed away.* — Description of the Soul of the Last Giant *Drangleic's been a pile o' rubble since the war fought long, long ago. When the Giants crossed the sea.* *Seemed like the battles would never end.* — Merchant Hag Melentia Dialogue
### Location --- **Forest of Fallen Giants:** At the Cardinal Tower bonfire, climb down the ladder and head left through the formerly locked door, take the elevator down and walk on through the fog wall.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)2,53010,000
2 (NG+)5,31320,000
8 (NG+7)10,09540,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Cardinal Tower bonfire. ### Summons --- - Mild Mannered Pate - Found by the fog gate. Appears only if you have completed his gauntlet in the Forest of Fallen Giants. - Sellsword Luet - Found by the fog gate. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Soul of the Last Giant - Soldier Key ### Moveset --- **Left Foot Stomp:** A stomp from above with his left foot. Unparryable and not blockable. **Right Foot Stomp:** A stomp from above with his right foot. Unparryable and not blockable. **Alternating Foot Stomp:** Multiple stomps switching from left to right. Unparryable and not blockable. **Arm Swipe:** Swipes across the room with his arm. Unparryable and blockable. **Forward Fall:** Falls towards the player, whilst facing forwards. Unparryable and not blockable. **Desperate Arm Swipe:** Once below 50% health, he will rip his left hand off and use it as a club whilst swiping. This gives it greater range. Unparryable and blockable. ### Strategies --- **Dodging and Blocking:** Watch out for his stomps. Sometimes he does it only once, but he can do three stomps in rapid succession, alternating the leg that he uses. These can one shot you if you have low Vitality or are at 50% HP due to hollowing. **Melee:** The sweet spot is behind the left leg. Wait for him to stomp and dodge towards the right leg; it is safely out of range of the left leg stomp. After, return to the left leg quickly and land a couple hits. Be wary of his arm attacks. Sometimes if you're on the outside of either of his legs, he'll swing his arm and send you flying. If you see him about to try this attack, dodge inwards, aiming towards his opposite side. The trick is dodging or maneuvering around his leg stomps. Generally, when he lifts his leg, moving across to his other side is safe. If you stay under him, you should be able to avoid his falling attack rather easily. If you stand behind him and attack his left leg, he will do almost nothing except stomp with his left leg and backstep. This allows you to do large amounts of damage in relative safety. **Ranged:** He is slow enough that you can target his chest and simply backpedal around the room to kite him. Doing this you will mostly only have to deal with his sweeping arm attack and can get off one to three bow attacks, consumable throws, or spell casts per swing. **Firebombs:** Stockpile thirty or so Firebombs. This gives you an excellent ranged advantage. Stay away from him and aim for his chest. Keep chucking the bombs at him until he dies. ### Notes --- - Doing enough damage to the left arm can cause it to fall. This prevents him from using it as a club. - Oddly, the Last Giant resembles the Giant Lord more than any other giant. With the new description gained from the Soul of the Last Giant it is very likely that the Last Giant is what remains of the Giant Lord which would explain his anger at seeing the player. - Despite his name there are two other giants left, residing in Black Gulch. ## Videos --- ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # The Lost Sinner ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Lost Sinner, prisoner of Sinner's Rise.* *The Lost Sinner eternally punishes herself for the sins of her past.* — Description of the Soul of the Lost Sinner
### Location --- **Sinner's Rise:** At the end of the path inside a large building.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,56045,000
2 (NG+)6,40890,000
8 (NG+7)13,338180,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: The Saltfort bonfire. ### Summons --- - Lucatiel of Mirrah - Found at the bottom of the elevator. - Sellsword Luet - Found inside one of the open jail cells. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Soul of the Lost Sinner - Old Witch Soul (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Jump Slash:** Jumps and downward swings. **Thrust:** A simple thrust attack. **Combo:** Two hit combos of sword attacks. **Parry:** She can parry and riposte the player, rarely happens. ### Strategies --- If you have the Bastille Key from Belfry Luna, you can open the two doors just outside the boss arena. Use a torch to light the oil in both rooms to create enough light to allow locking on the Sinner even when she jumps away. Doing this is recommended for archers and mages, as the lock-on range is very short when the room is dark. In New Game plus, two Prisoned Sinner pyromancers will enter the battle when the Lost Sinner reaches 60% health. In regular DS2 (not SotFS) they do not spawn in New Game if a Bonfire Ascetic is used. **Video:** The Lost Sinner & Prisoned Sinners - NG bonfire intensity 2 **Melee Strategy:** It is recommend to use a shield with high physical resistance. If you prefer dodging her attacks, circle her clockwise. With a shield in hand or good rolling skills, there's not much to this battle. Be careful not to overuse your stamina so you always have enough left to roll or block. **Lucatiel Strategy:** Lucatiel can deal significant amount of damage to the boss while you draw the aggro with the Redeye Ring. With a Tower Shield equipped the Sinner can't deal damage to you if you manage stamina well. Counterattack only when the Sinner finishes a combo attack. You have to attack from time to time even with Redeye Ring equipped, as Lucatiel can still get some aggro. Try to be near to the boss as much as possible. You will not have much time to run for a hit. Do not rush and be patient, Lucatiel can kill the Lost Sinner alone as long as you keep aggro. If you do not have a Tower Shield or enough Strength to wield it, you can use any normal shield as long as it has high damage protection. Tower Shield is preferable due to the Greatshield's stability. ### Notes --- - She can be parried, but not riposted. She'll be stunned for a moment. It should be noted however, that the window of time during which she is stunned is far shorter than most other parryable bosses, so parrying isn't worth the risk in most cases. - The insect demon that crawls into her eye in the introductory cutscene is very similar to the demon inside the Bed of Chaos in the first game. - Profound Still Can prove very useful on NG+ if you are having difficulties with the two pyromancers. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # The Pursuer ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Pursuer, who lurks in Drangleic.* *The Pursuer, who seeks the bearer of the sign, will not rest until his target is slain.* — Description of the Soul of the Pursuer *The Pursuer hunts down those branded by the curse, as if each Undead soul that he claims will atone one of his sins.* — Description of the Pursuer's Ultra Greatsword/Greatshield
### Location --- **Forest of Fallen Giants:** There are two places you can fight the Pursuer here: 1. Behind a locked door you need to open with the Soldier Key near the end of the Forest of Fallen Giants. 2. From the second bonfire, continue til you reach the raised stone arena. This is a one-time encounter and he will not re-appear if you are defeated or leave the arena. Killing him here gives all the normal drops and the main boss fight will not occur.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)3,11017,000
2 (NG+)6,22034,000
8 (NG+7)11,50068,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Cardinal Tower bonfire. **Things Betwixt:** Unblock the final tree on the left as you attempt to exit Things Betwixt by unpetrifying the hollow. Continue through and kill the two Ogres by the shore. The Pursuer will spawn after the second Ogre is dead. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)???6,000
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
**The Lost Bastille:** The Pursuer appears in four places here: 1. In the courtyard by the Exile Holding Cell bonfire 2. From the Tower Apart bonfire, in the room with the chest containing the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring 3. From the Servant Quarters bonfire, go up and through the illusionary walls to the ramparts overlooking the sea. 4. From the Servant Quarters bonfire, go down into the room below. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.*
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)???6,000
2 (NG+)??????
8 (NG+7)??????
**Iron Keep:** Smelter Demon boss arena. When you return here after resting at a bonfire, he will appear. This fight can be repeated until he has been beaten. If you leave the circular area, he will disappear and you will have to go back to the bonfire to reset him. This fight can only been done solo, if phantoms are spawned there will be a boss fog to get into the room and phantoms will be returned home if host enters.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)5,6003,000
2 (NG+)???6,000
8 (NG+7)???12,000
**Drangleic Castle:** In the throne room at Bonfire Intensity 2 and above. Two Pursuers will spawn as you enter. If you leave the throne room, they will disappear and you will have to go back to the bonfire to reset them.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)--
2 (NG+)6,95812,000
8 (NG+7)??????
### Summons --- - Ruined Aflis - Found in the dark corridor between Cardinal Tower and Soldiers' Rest. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- **Forest of Fallen Giants:** - Soul of the Pursuer - Ring of Blades **Things Betwixt:** - Twinkling Titanite **The Lost Bastille:** - Twinkling Titanite **Iron Keep:** - Ring of Blades +1 **Drangleic Castle:** - Ring of Blades +2 - From the left-hand side Pursuer. (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Dash:** Dashes towards the player with his sword forward, dealing medium damage. Parryable and blockable. **Swing:** Swings his sword towards the player. Parryable and blockable. **Impale:** Impales the player on his sword, dealing Curse. Not parryable or blockable. **Triple Swing:** Does a mix of a swing, shield bash, spin swing, slam and jumping plunge. Order differs. Parryable and blockable. **Magical Bolt:** Fires a magical bolt towards the player from his sword. Spell-parryable and blockable with high Magic Defense. **Dark Orbs:** Fires two waves of dark orbs, causing Curse. Not parryable, but is blockable with high Dark Defense. ### Strategies --- **Dodging and Blocking:** Some general tips: 1. His rush attack is by far the easiest to avoid and all you really have to do is move towards him and to the right. 2. His horizontal swing is trickier, but rolling towards him works. 3. For his triple combo, you can either roll three times for each swing or stay back for the first two swings and then try rolling behind him for his final swing. 4. When you see his sword start to glow blue, you should either circle or roll towards his shield hand. This attack inflicts Curse and lets the boss use a Dark magic attack. ### Forest of Fallen Giants --- **Ballista Strategy:** There are two ballistae in the Forest of Fallen Giants arena. The ballista fires three projectiles each dealing around ~200 damage with a maximum damage output of ~900. This can be done rather easily solo or with a phantom. To do it solo, bait him over to the fog door. Once he is there, sprint towards the ballista and you should have time to fire it at him taking off a large chunk of his health. When used in co-op, have one player draw his attention and keep him in front of the ballista and have another fire it. Be warned that players can harm each other with them. To do this solo, the easiest way is to position yourself in front of one of the ballistae and wait for him to do a dashing attack. The parrying time for this attack is quite easy and he will be stunned for ~5 seconds. This will allow you to shoot him if you hurry. **Parrying Ballista Strategy:** There's an easy method to kill this boss in two shots: 1. Get a shield, preferably the Buckler or the Small Leather Shield as they have larger parry windows. 2. As soon as you enter his fog gate, run by wheel of the wagon on the left of the arena. 3. He will always start with a dash toward you, so hit the parry button when he's about a meter away from you. 4. If the parry is successful he will be stunned for about 5 seconds, so go shoot the ballista for 90% of his HP. 5. Finish him with a Firebomb or just hit him once or twice. If you mess up and the ballista misses him due to your poor positioning, remain calm and don't stand near the ballistae as he'll break them. Go around and bait him to dash somehere in front of them again. ### Iron Keep --- **Melee:** Once the fight starts, stay locked on and keep circling until he goes for the rush attack or curse stab. Dodge them and hit him once or twice, then back off and continue circling. Repeat this until he's defeated. **Faith/Magic:** Start by locking on and circling until the metal staircase leading to the second bonfire is behind you. Go through the archway and bait out his dashing attack until he enters the archway. Lure him up to the top floor, then position yourself so that his dash takes him back down the steps, then move to the stairs, where you'll have time for one or two casts of a miracle/sorcery, and move back into position afterwards. Rinse and repeat. ### Drangleic Castle --- Bringing phantoms evens the odds quite well. In Scholar of the First Sin, small white sign NPC phantoms Bashful Ray and Pilgrim Bellclaire are available even if you've defeated Nashandra/Aldia. The NPC phantoms at the Throne of Want boss fog will leash back to the fog if you attempt to bring them backwards down the path, making them unusable for the Twin Pursuers. If you just want the Ring of Blades +2 and the titanite drops rather than the masochistic thrill of fighting two Pursuers at once, then there is a way to get them one by one. When the Pursuer uses the impaling curse attack, just let him hit you. The second Pursuer will leave, turning the fight into one on one(This is no longer effective) You can make one of the pursuer to leave without getting cursed by leaving the room when one of the pursuer is attacking (while the other one doing nothing) and then enter the room again. The reason for this is because if The Pursuer is doing an attacking animation it will not trigger his "leaving" animation. Best time to do this is when one of the pursuer is doing an attack with long animation like the curse stab, the shield combo, or the charge (with shield raised). After beating the first Pursuer, if you come back to the throne room again, the second will spawn in and fight you one on one, so you won't lose out on any drops. ### Notes --- - HP/Souls values are only for the Forest of Fallen Giants encounter. - There are no boss fog walls in the optional encounters. Phantoms can be used, though they may need to be small white sign phantoms if the area boss is already defeated. - However, the Pursuer at Iron Keep can only be fought solo; summoning help of any kind will spawn a fog wall that banishes any phantoms that are present upon crossing it. - When you fight him as a summoned Phantom during his one-time encounter near Cardinal Tower bonfire, you will get a full drop of souls (17,000 on NG) instead of usual 25% that you would get in the main boss fight. You also won't be sent back to your world. - Dying at the same time as one of the Pursuers on the Twin Pursuers fight will make you unable to get the item that time around. - Wearing the Hollow Skin prevents hollowing from the curse stab. - Even though the one time encounter and the actual boss fight in the Forest of Fallen Giants appear to yield identical drops, souls, and be otherwise interchangeable, the one time encounter Pursuer has slightly lower defenses than the actual boss fight. - When fighting him in the Forest of Fallen Giants, he can backstep off of the ground. He will stay floating in the air, however. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Hide All Comments Unfold All Fold All Fold Extra move for Pursuer ![]()Steven Nelson 17 Apr 2017 14:23 He also does a turtle stab attack from behind his shield, up to three times and he does another combo (cant describe it as its rare but it involves flipping over finishing on a plunge attack when the combo results in him being roughly above the player) If the player flees to the other side of the arena, Pursuer will chase the player down and has done this combo. YouTube will probably give a better idea. **Reply**Options Unfold Extra move for Pursuer by ![]()Steven Nelson, 17 Apr 2017 14:23 Fold Grab atack ![]()Myroslav Ilienko 27 Feb 2023 05:06 Fought him countless times, and all this times when he did dark atacks he is not nesseserly impaled me. Maybe it connected to doing that atack, but not landing it for sure **Reply**Options Unfold Grab atack by ![]()Myroslav Ilienko, 27 Feb 2023 05:06 Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # The Rotten ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Rotten, who writhes deep within the Gutter.* *The Rotten embraces all, in his sanctuary for all things unwanted or tossed away.* — Description of the Soul of the Rotten
### Location --- **Black Gulch:** At the end of the Black Gulch.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)7,08047,000
2 (NG+)10,62094,000
8 (NG+7)20,178188,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Hidden Chamber bonfire ### Summons --- - Lucatiel of Mirrah - Found next to the second bonfire. She's good at tanking the boss's attacks and is able to do a bit of damage herself. - Lone Hunter Schmidt - Found underneath the large skeleton near the second set of oil pools. Although he does next to no damage, he can distract the boss a fair bit. - Bashful Ray - Found in-between the first and second Razorback Nightcrawlers. He uses pyromancy. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Soul of the Rotten - Old Dead One Soul (Bonfire Intensity 2+) - Pharros' Lockstone (Left Arm Drop) ### Moveset --- **Light Vertical Cleaver:** One of his faster moves, he raises his left arm quickly in the air then smashes it down in a short range towards the player. This move can either be a single action or be chained into **3** quick consecutive strikes. Will only do this if the player is in range. The horizontal tracking of each swipe isn't that great, but because there are a series of attacks in quick succession it ends up tracking pretty well. **Hard Vertical Cleaver:** A move almost solely reserved for players at range, he raises his cleaver in the air, smashing it down in a long range attack towards the player. This move is rather deceiving in nature as it has a tendency to move forward after the strike makes contact with the ground. Is capable of hitting players up to 1/3rd of the room away but it cannot be chained. Tracks extremely well, the boss will practically turn 180° to face a target. **Horizontal Cleaver:** Moving his cleaver to his side, he sweeps 170° in front of him. It cannot be chained. Not much tracking, just a huge amount of coverage. **Fist Smash:** Similar to the *Light Vertical Cleaver* attack, he raises his balled fist in the air and smashes it towards the player. This move has quicker start up than any cleaver attack and will send the player flying away. It cannot be chained. Does not track horizontally very well. **Fist Grab:** Moving his open hand to his left side he attempts a sweeping grab motion 150° in front of him. If it connects with the player, he will grab and wring them over his mouth dealing massive damage (iIf your vigor is low, you will be killed outright). Poor timing while dodging left can result in the grab to connect after the dodge motion is finished. It cannot be chained nor does it track horizontally very well. **Dual Side Smash:** Slams the ground directly to his sides with first the left hand, then the right, regardless of which side you're currently on. Because it has no tracking and a long animation, it is very easy to dodge and punish with multiple hits. **Has Occurred Before Half Health** **Oil Vomit:** If this attack hits you it will douse you in oil. If you then step into the fire periodically throughout the boss arena, you will combust violently and will be knocked onto your feet and take a large amount of damage. It is easy to avoid and even easier to avoid the effects though so this attack should not be too much of a danger. **Only Occurs After Half Health** **Dark Energy Explosion:** Slouching into himself, he creates a ball of dark energy from his core and after a second releases a blast in every direction. Blast radius is about two back rolls, and will cause unshielded affected players with a guard broken-esk stunned effect. It cannot be chained. **Dark Energy Cleaver Wave:** Pulling his cleaver to his side, he infuses it with dark energies and thrusts it at the player. Similar to the *Hard Vertical Cleaver* attack, he almost solely reserves this move for players at range. The wave releases from the end of the cleaver 45° towards the player. It cannot be chained. ### Strategies --- While his motions are extremely telegraphed, his damage is extremely punishing. **Melee Strategy:** His attacks are slow and have a long cool down, so the player will have plenty of time to recover, though the player must be aware to avoid the Fist Grab attack. His ranged attacks are his slowest by far, so backing far away is a fine option if the player is in need of healing. By far the best melee strategy for this boss is moving in a straight line forwards and backwards rather than circling around him. Keep your shield up, provoke an attack by moving towards him, and step backwards out of range, rushing forwards to strike at his cleaver arm at the end of his attack. After dealing the arm enough damage, it will be cut off. The Rotten will still attempt to attack with his missing limb, completely ineffectively, leaving him open to attacks. The limb will regrow shortly afterwards, however. **Ranged Strategy:** Stay close enough to The Rotten where you can roll away from his attacks then fire off your spells or arrows. Make sure to pay attention to where the burning ponds are, because they will kill you as often as the boss will, if you're not careful enough. Alternatively, try keeping your distance. He is resistant to Dark magic, but sorceries do decent damage. At medium or long range, he will mostly try to do the heavy overhand cleaver to come after you, but if you're far enough away, he won't even come close to hitting you The only thing you really have to watch for is the dark energy cleaver attack, which has an extremely obvious tell, and you can run towards him to get behind. Mostly you just need to watch our for the pools of fire, and that he doesn't corner you. Pyromancy will work wonders on him as well, but requires getting in closer, which puts you more at risk. You'll be spending a lot more time and stamina dodging attacks than you would be further away. ### Notes --- - Both of his arms can be chopped off, though they will regenerate. When both arms are gone the only attack you need worry about is his dark energy explosion - which is not much of a problem, as he keeps himself busy swinging his useless stubs trying to hit you. The cleave arm drops after around 1300 - 1500 damage has been dealt to it. - If you chop off his left arm, a corpse will fall that has a Pharros' Lockstone on it. - The burning oil puddles in the room are nowhere near as deadly as the lava present in Iron Keep and can be crossed without major risk of death if needed. - If you listen closely when standing next to the mist before his room, you can hear wind blowing, chains creaking, and the sound of eerie moaning. - What appears to be an Undead Prisoner can be found on his left shoulder seemingly commanding the Rotten, mimicking its movements. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Throne Defender and Throne Watcher ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Throne Defender.* *The throne of the King is sacred, and requires an appropriate guardian.* — Description of the Throne Defender Soul *The Defender has stood by the throne for ages. Will his wait be worth the while?* — Description of the Throne Defender Set
*Soul of the Throne Watcher.* *The throne of the King is sacred, and must be observed closely at all times.* — Description of the Throne Watcher Soul *The Watcher waited by the throne for ages. Will all his waiting ever be rewarded?* — Description of the Throne Watcher Set
### Location --- **Throne of Want:** To access the Throne of Want, you need the King's Ring.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)Defender: 3,910 Watcher: 2,76068,000
2 (NG+)Defender: 4,692 Watcher: 3,312136,000
8 (NG+7)Defender: 8,915 Watcher: 6,293272,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: King's Gate bonfire. **Resistance:** Throne Defender has 30% Magic Defense. Throne Watcher has 50% Magic Defense. ### Summons --- - Benhart of Jugo - Found to the left of the boss fog. Only available if you've progressed his quest. - Head of Vengarl - Found to the right of the boss fog. Only available if you completed his quest. - Bashful Ray - Small white sign. In the Ruin Sentinels/Stone Soldiers room, near one of the two torch-holding golem statues in the back. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Pilgrim Bellclaire - Small white sign. Outside of the Dragonriders boss room. Can be brought down to this boss fight if the path is cleared first. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* - Bradley of the Old Guard - Found to the left of the fog gate. Only available if Aldia is ready to show up after Nashandra. Check his page for additional information. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* Note: A maximum of 3 summons can be used at once. ### Drops --- - Throne Defender Soul - Throne Watcher Soul - Ring of the Evil Eye +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- ### Strategies --- One will bring the other back from death **to full health** if you take too long to kill the other, though it takes around 15-20 seconds before they go heal their companion. Make sure to deal enough damage to both before focusing on one of the bosses. At half health, the Throne Defender will imbue his sword with Lightning and the Throne Watcher will imbue her sword with Magic. **No Shield Melee Strategy:** This is really a suicide strategy in a sense. Two handing your strongest weapon and wielding heavy armor, you unleash fury on both bosses. Try to aggravate them into attack, dodge the attacks with rolls and when they've stopped, unleash two hits on either just one or both if they're in close proximity to each other. When your health is low, run away from them and heal. Aggravating one enemy, then leading the other one away is also a good strategy, but is difficult to accomplish. **Video:** Throne Watcher & Throne Defender Boss Fight - Melee No Shield **Shield Melee Strategy:** Using an upgraded greatshield will make this battle fairly easy. You can just walk with your shield up, wait for one of them to hit your shield and as soon as their attack animations are done, you can get one or two hits on them. It's recommend to bring both to low health (20-30%) before killing one of them. If you kill one and take too long to kill the other one, the dead one will be revived by his companion. Therefore bring both to low health, kill one and then kill the other one. **No Shield Ranged/Melee Strategy:** This strategy works well with a short ranged melee weapon (fists, daggers) and a strong bow and poison arrows, you can get both of their health down to under half with two poison rounds on a primary target. Poison one, then switch focus to the other and poison. Switch focus again and do a second round of poison on the primary target, which may bring that target to it's knees but don't lose focus on the secondary. The secondary will panic and run around trying to heal the primary. Keep its focus on you and not the fallen partner. Switch to melee and take out the secondary. **Pyromancy Quick-kill Strategy:** Assuming you upgraded your Pyromancy Flame to +10, all you need is Chaos Storm and Iron Flesh attuned. When you enter the fight, stay where you enter and cast Iron Flesh. By time the spell casts, both bosses should be within range. Simply switch and cast Chaos Storm as much as possible, then rapidly chug your Estus Flask to offset their damage. If you are lucky, you should down at least one of them; simply switch to another Pyromancy to quickly finish the other off, or tank and exchange blows until it falls. If you do not have Chaos Storm, you can substitute it for Fire Tempest. This strategy is great for level-one runs, especially if you couple it with a Brightbug to further offset their attack damage and boost your own. ### Notes --- - If fought after defeating the Giant Lord and having obtained the Giant's Kinship, the Nashandra fight will start soon after the Watcher and the Defender have been beaten. - It is possible for Throne Watcher to fall off the ledge of the arena, keeping her from being revived. Simply stand in the left corner of the arena, on the fog door side. Block her attacks until her thrust. If dodged correctly, she will go right off the edge. - Both Throne Watcher and Throne Defender can be parried and, like all bosses, they cannot be riposted. However, they will become stunned long enough to get a few hits on them or to take some of the pressure off of you when solo-ing them. ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Velstadt, the Royal Aegis ### Lore ---
*Soul of the Velstadt, defender of the King inside the Undead Crypt.* *Velstadt was always at the King's side, as if he were his lord's own shadow. After the King retired to the Undead Crypt, Velstadt followed, never to return.* — Description of the Soul of Velstadt *\[…\] worn by the Royal Aegis. Originally imbued with the power of miracles, now soaked with dark after extended exposure in the Undead Crypt.* *A knight from a faraway land was lured to this accursed land, but forgot even why he came, eventually reduced to a shadow of his former self.* — Description of Velstadt's Set *Sir Velstadt, known as the Royal Aegis, gave himself to the King in both life and death.* — Description of the Sacred Chime Hammer
### Location --- **Undead Crypt:** Loyally guarding King Vendrick.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)6,29050,000
2 (NG+)8,177100,000
8 (NG+7)15,537200,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Undead Ditch bonfire. **Dragon's Rest:** Can be summoned by Elana, Squalid Queen as part of her boss fight.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)2,600-
2 (NG+)3,550-
8 (NG+7)7,600-
### Summons --- - Grave Warden Agdayne - Found behind the left pillar near the boss fog wall. - Devotee Scarlett - Found next to a pillar in the room with the two Leydia Witches and a group of worshipping Undead Laborers. Use the shortcut from the Undead Ditch bonfire to the boss area to make sure she follows you all the way. *Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin only.* ### Drops --- - Soul of Velstadt - Royal Soldier's Ring +2 (Bonfire Intensity 2+) ### Moveset --- **Overhead Vertical Smash:** Can be comboed into a side-swipe if blocked. He will do a horizontal sweep, two in succession. This is his most difficult attack to avoid. **Lunging Attack:** Don't try rolling backwards or you'll get hit. This attack has a very long reach. **Foot Stomp:** Can be comboed into an overhead swing. **Phase Transition:** At around **50% health**, he will kneel and **begin charging dark magic**. This gives time for risk-free attacks on him. However, he takes less damage while charging. **Charging Spell:** Stands still and hoists his weapon into the air to cast. This will unleash a wide arc Dark magic attack that is easy to avoid by simply getting to the side or behind him. This is also an opening for some free hits. Don't use the pillars for cover, the spells will break them. ### Strategies --- **Faith Strategy:** Velstadt is weak to Lightning, so a Faith build has an advantage here. Wait for him to initiate a swing of his weapon, then roll towards and behind him and throw your best Lightning Spear. He is somewhat slow at walking, so if you run away you should be able to create some distance and get a spell or two off before he approaches. **Melee Strategy:** Start off by locking onto the target right away. Get as close to him as you can and when he begins preparing his attack, roll towards him to the left side. This should dodge if not all, most of his attacks. There is one attack in particular where he will swing twice. Rolling once will not suffice as he will most likely hit you with his second swing. Roll twice; both times towards his rear. When he reaches around 50% health, he will begin channeling dark energy to strengthen his attacks and slightly speed up his movements. Use this opportunity to unleash attacks on him. He will be open for attack for about ten seconds. If you use a shield, keep blocking while moving backwards. This way only the overhead smash will break your guard. His other attacks will hit you once but by backing away you'll avoid the rest. **Sorcery Strategy:** This boss battle should be a comfortable one for any sorcerer as the Aegis' attacks are slow and easily dodged. In the first half of the fight Velstadt will only use his hammer attacks, which must be dodged by rolling diagonally forward, never backwards (it is convenient to not lock-on during dodging to keep the camera movement in check). After dodging, lock-on again and keep moving away from the boss while spell-casting. Upon half health, Velstadt kneels down to either charge his Dark Hail magic or buff himself. Both are lengthy animations, but for the Dark Hail attack, it is recommended to circle around him before initiating an attack, as he tracks your direction for a small while before firing. Don't get greedy, as both his Dark Magic and buffed great-hammer are likely to greatly damage. Do NOT use the pillars to hide from the Dark Hail attack; they will not block it. After the charging animation, the boss becomes moderately resistant to damage in general, so keep your sorceries handy for the second half of the fight. Keep to the dodging, spell-casting while moving away strategy and the Aegis should fall in no time. **Bow Strategy:** This assumes a +8-+10 Longbow and no shield. Velstadt's attack patterns are incredibly easy to dodge when at range, simply kite him from one end of his room to the other, dodging backwards whenever he thrusts his mace or you feel he may hit you with one of his sweeps. You'll need around 30 Poison arrows to kill him, poisoning him around 4 times while damaging him with Iron Arrows. Fire an arrow at him whenever he is recovering from a non-combo attack, and be sure to keep him poisoned. It takes around 5 or so arrows to poison him, so it will take a few cycles of him attacking and you counter attacking to get him poisoned. When he goes into his Dark mode, simply roll through or run around to his back during his Dark Hail attack and continue pelting him with arrows. He's not an especially hard boss for a Bow user, but summoning the NPC summon is recommended against as he will simply stand in front of the boss and die before Velstadt gets to his dark phase, leaving you with a very powerful boss to fight on your own. This strategy may take a few minutes, but as long as you don't falter the boss should die without much effort. ### Notes --- - He can be parried but not riposted. Parrying him leaves a very small window to attack him. The parry is useful as an alternative block and not so much an opening to attack, as he recovers from it quickly. - Similar to Garl Vinland from Demon's Souls in both function and appearance. - *Aegis* is a noun meaning *the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization.* ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete # Vendrick ### Lore ---
*Soul of Vendrick, King of Drangleic* *The King was wasted away, a shadow of his former self, but still held something dear.* — Description of the Soul of the King *What makes a king? Some say that it is birthright, while others call it destiny.* *Perhaps it is not important, as long as the king's name serves to unite his people.* — Description of the King's Set *A true monarch is much more than a ruler of men. A true monarch carries the weight of their souls. The last king of this land, King Vendrick, as he was called… He was less of a king than you might imagine. He found the strength to rule his people, and when the Undead were born, cursed… He found more strength, to face them. But in the end, he never took the true throne.* — Nashandra Dialogue
### Location --- **Undead Crypt:** After the Velstadt, the Royal Aegis boss fight.
Bonfire IntensityHealthSouls
1 (NG)11,45090,000
2 (NG+)14,885180,000
8 (NG+7)28,282360,000
Bonfire Ascetic respawn: Undead Ditch bonfire. **Memory of the King** Can be spoken to here. Activate Vendrick's pile of armor in Undead Crypt. Requires the Ashen Mist Heart and Crown of the Sunken King DLC. If the player attacks him in this memory or tries to leave his room, the ashen mist will quickly fade and cause the player to return to the present. ### Summons --- This fight can only be fought solo. ### Drops --- None. ### Moveset --- **Vertical Sword Smash:** Vendrick smashes vertically with his sword on the ground. Roll to the right to avoid. **Tracking Vertical Sword Smash:** Vendrick smashes vertically with his sword on the ground. This move has slight player-tracking abilities. Roll to the right to avoid just as the move comes down. **Sweeping Sword Slash:** Vendrick slashes horizontally from left to right. Vendrick can extend this move at will into a two-hit or three-hit combo. Roll to the right to avoid. **Dark Fireball:** Vendrick casts a fireball which causes Curse. Roll to the right to avoid. ### Strategies --- The King's defense is linked to the number of Souls of a Giant in your possession. If you have none, Vendricks' defenses are increased to **32 times** the normal amount. This multiplier is halved for every Soul in possession, until his defenses are at normal levels when five Souls are possessed (32x/16x/8x/4x/2x/1x). It's recommended to have at least four of them before attempting to kill Vendrick. Due to the incredible damage and range of his sword, the best way to nullify Vendrick moves is to stay really close to him, hugging his left leg and keeping him rotating leftwards. This will ensure that his vertical and horizontal swipes completely miss. Most players will not have enough health or defenses to survive more than two or even one hit from his melee attacks. **Melee Strategy:** Use the Red Tearstone Ring by getting your health under 30% before entering the fight. This gives you a 20% damage boost. As Vendrick's attacks deal so much damage, it doesn't really matter if you have 30% or 100% health. Buff your weapon, wield it in two hands and use all the offensive rings and armor you have. Hug Vendrick's left leg during the fight to avoid his attacks. If you're having trouble avoiding his attacks, you can roll through both of Vendrick's horizontal slashes, provided your equip weight is sufficiently low. Ideally you should start rolling just before the attack connects (in the middle of his swing). ### Notes --- - His soul in Shrine of Amana can be collected only once per playthrough. - Spells and items that specify bonus damage versus hollow enemies such as the Old Whip and the Soul Appease miracle do bonus damage against Vendrick. - His defense debuff from Giant Souls is calculated when he is loaded in. Summoning player phantoms for Velstadt will also lower Vendrick's defenses regardless of Giant Souls. - Due to the non permanent nature of the fog wall: - If you die your souls will be outside the boss gate. - Vendrick can be reset if aggroed, either by burning a Bonfire Ascetic at the Undead Ditch bonfire or requesting absolution via Cromwell the Pardoner. - Giant Souls will not be lost when going to NG+, but having more than five has no effect on Vendrick's defenses. - If the player owns all three DLC Crowns a small cutscene will play. ### Dialogue --- ***All dialogue text is © From Software Inc.*** --- + Show Dialogue - Hide Dialogue - **When spoken to in Memory of the King** 1. *Seeker of fire, coveter of the throne. I am Vendrick, ruler of Drangleic.* 2. *Seeker of fire, deliverer of crowns. What do you see in the flames? Find the crowns, and your own answers. The crowns hold the strength of lords from time long past. Seek adversity. As befits you, seeker of fire, coveter of the throne.* 3. *I am no king. I am more fit to be a jester… I was unaware of my own blindness. We are feeble vessels, with feebler souls. We would cast aside the prop of life, only to face greater hardship. Are you another such fool, or something more?* 4. *I fail to see your design, young moth. But I see very little, these days…* - *Continues here if player has one DLC crown and the King's Crown.* 1. *Seeker of fire, conqueror of Dark. I, too, sought fire, once. With fire, they say, a true king can harness the curse. A lie. But I knew no better… Seeker of fire, you know not the depths of Dark within you. It grows deeper still, the more flame you covet. Flame, oh, flame…* 2. *I am king of this wretched, unravelled kingdom. I subdued the Giants, and claimed their strength. So that I might step closer to fire… Drangleic will fall, the fire will fade, and the souls of old will reemerge. With Dark unshackled, a curse will be upon us… And men will take their true shape…* (The last three lines are repeated when spoken to again.) - *Continues here if player has two DLC crowns.* 1. *Seeker of fire, I see you've subdued another foul creature. One of the Father of the Abyss' spawn, that confounded quintessence of humanity. The Abyss once had form, but then dissipated. And yet, traces of its existence endured. Each fragment, thirsting for power, spread Dark, with no relent. My dear Shandra… was one such fragment… A feeble, tiny thing that thirsted for power more than any other… Driven by insatiable lust for a worthy vessel.* 2. *Fire came to be, and with it, Disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, Light and Dark. Dark was seen as a curse. Shadow is not cast, but born of fire. And, the brighter the flame, the deeper the shadow. Inherit fire, and harness the Dark. Such is the calling of a true leader…* (Repeats from line three.) - *Continues here if player has all three DLC crowns.* 1. *One day, fire will fade, and Dark will become a curse. Men will be free from death, left to wander eternally. Dark will again be ours, and in our true shape… We can bury the false legends of yore… Only… Is this our only choice? Seeker of fire, coveter of the throne. Seek strength. The rest will follow…* - **If player attempts to attack Vendrick** 1. *Foolish…* **Voiced by:** William Houston ### Comments --- Show comments Hide comments Show Comments Add a New Comment Permanent Link Edit Delete