Es gibt einige Änderungen zwischen dem ursprünglichen Dark Souls 2 und der jüngsten Veröffentlichung von Darks Souls 2:Scholar of the First Sin. Eine Sache, die jedoch ähnlich geblieben ist, sind die zahlreichen Bosskämpfe, die im Spiel und im enthaltenen DLC enthalten sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben wir uns die Freiheit genommen, alle Bosskämpfe aus Dark Souls 2 zusammenzustellen, damit Sie die Strategien, die Sie benötigen, mühelos finden können.
Weitere Strategien finden Sie in Primas kostenloser Walkthrough zu Dark Souls 2 .
Wie man den letzten Riesen besiegt
- Belohnung:Seele des letzten Riesen, Soldatenschlüssel
Der Kampf gegen den letzten Riesen ist so einfach, wie Sie es sich machen. Es folgt einem sehr einfachen Muster, und Sie haben viel Platz, um herumzulaufen und seinen Angriffen auszuweichen, aber wenn Sie ungeduldig werden, ist dieser Kampf schnell vorbei. Wie bei jedem Kampf in Dark Souls 2 braucht es nicht viele Treffer, bis dein Charakter stirbt, also ist Vorsicht angesagt gegen den letzten Riesen.
Der Boss verwendet während der ersten Phase des Kampfes sechs Hauptangriffe. Aus der Ferne fällt es nach vorne und richtet massiven Schaden an, wenn Sie sich ihm nähern. Wenn Sie sich der Vorderseite des Last Giant nähern, streicht er mit seiner Hand horizontal über den Boden. Wenn Sie sich von hinten nähern, springt es zurück und beschädigt Sie, wenn Sie sich bei der Landung in der Nähe seiner Füße befinden. Wenn Sie sich aus nächster Nähe vor dem Last Giant befinden, versucht er, Sie mit seiner Faust zu zerquetschen. Wenn Sie direkt darunter oder leicht dahinter sind, versucht der Giant, Sie mit dem Fuß zu zerquetschen, der Ihnen am nächsten ist, oder tritt dreimal hintereinander auf.
Wenn der Last Giant nach vorne fällt, ist es schwierig, dem Angriff auszuweichen. Wenn es mehrere Stampfe verwendet, ist es auch schwierig auszuweichen, wenn Sie sich nicht bereits vom Boss entfernen. Wenn Sie auf beiden Seiten des Bereichs oder in einer Ecke eingeklemmt werden, sind Sie in Schwierigkeiten. Wenn man all dies weiß, ist Geduld der Schlüssel zum Sieg.
Renne schnell zum letzten Riesen. Sie müssen sich schnell genug bewegen, um sicherzustellen, dass es nicht nach vorne fällt. Sie möchten, dass es den horizontalen Sweep-Angriff mit der Hand verwendet. Wenn Sie sich mäßig nahe an der Vorderseite des Giant befinden, ist dies genau das, womit er versuchen wird anzugreifen. Laufen Sie zwischen seinen Beinen hindurch, um hinter den Riesen zu gelangen, und greifen Sie dann seine Knöchel mit einem oder zwei Angriffen an, je nach Waffe und Angriffsgeschwindigkeit. Sie können vielleicht drei oder mehr Angriffe ausführen, aber Sie möchten mit dem Angriff fertig sein und sich wieder in Bewegung setzen, bevor der Riese einen Stampfangriff beginnt.
Greife seine Knöchel ein-, zwei- oder dreimal an und weiche dann aus oder renne weg, um ein wenig Abstand zwischen dich und den letzten Riesen zu bringen. Sobald es den Stampfangriff abgeschlossen hat, renne zurück in die Reichweite seines horizontalen Schwungs, damit es erneut versucht, dich damit zu treffen. Laufen Sie erneut zwischen seinen Beinen hindurch und wiederholen Sie dieselbe Strategie, bis der Riese ungefähr 50 Prozent Gesundheit erreicht hat. Wenn Sie gierig oder ungeduldig werden und zu oft angreifen, riskieren Sie, von einem der Angriffe der Giants getroffen zu werden.
Bei etwa 50 Prozent Gesundheit reißt der Riese einen seiner Arme ab und fährt mit den gleichen Angriffsmustern fort. Der Hauptunterschied besteht darin, dass es jetzt aufgrund der Größe des Arms, mit dem die Kreatur angreift, mehr Reichweite hat. Befolgen Sie die gleiche Strategie wie zuvor, aber bewegen Sie sich etwas früher, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie genügend Zeit haben, dem horizontalen Angriff auszuweichen. Wage dich nicht zu weit vom Riesen weg, denn alle seine Armangriffe haben jetzt eine trügerische Reichweite.
Greifen Sie ein-, zwei- oder dreimal weiter an, während Sie den Riesen dazu bringen, seine horizontalen Angriffe einzusetzen, bis Sie ihn besiegen.
Wie man den Verfolger besiegt
- Belohnung:Seele des Verfolgers, Klingenring
Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Bosskämpfen in Dark Souls 2 besteht die beste Taktik gegen den Verfolger darin, sich von ihm fernzuhalten. Warte, bis er seinen Schild bereit macht und auf dich zustürzt, dann weiche nach rechts aus und kontere mit ein oder zwei Angriffen, je nach Geschwindigkeit deiner Waffe. Gegenangriff nur nach dem Sprint-Angriff oder nachdem der Verfolger eine volle Drei-Treffer-Angriffskombination oder seinen leuchtend blauen Stich verwendet hat.
All diesen Angriffen weichen Sie am besten aus, indem Sie sich vom Verfolger entfernen. Wenn Sie sich jedoch zu nahe befinden, um sich effektiv zu entfernen, weichen Sie den ersten beiden Angriffen der Drei-Treffer-Kombination aus und bewegen Sie sich dann hinter den Verfolger, um dem dritten Angriff auszuweichen. Um dem leuchtend blauen Stich auszuweichen, weichen Sie einfach nach rechts oder links aus, kurz bevor er angreift.
Dieser Kampf ist etwas länger als einige der anderen Bosskämpfe, aber das liegt hauptsächlich daran, dass es nur wenige Möglichkeiten gibt, sicher anzugreifen oder sich sogar zu heilen. Wenn Sie rücksichtslos angreifen, wird der Verfolger dies ausnutzen und Sie werden am Ende sterben. Haben Sie Geduld und begrenzen Sie Ihre Offensive, sodass Sie nur nach einer Kombination aus drei Treffern, dem leuchtend blauen Stich oder dem Dash-Angriff angreifen. Es gibt eine Armbrust (Balliste) in der Ecke, aber wenn du nicht zufällig direkt daneben stehst, mit dem Verfolger auf der gegenüberliegenden Seite des Bereichs, ist es die Mühe nicht wert.
Wie man den Drachenreiter besiegt
- Belohnung:Drachenreiterseele
Der wichtigste Aspekt des Kampfes gegen den Dragonrider-Boss ist die Tatsache, dass sein erster Angriff Sie von der Plattform in den Tod stürzen kann und wird. Jedes Mal, wenn der Dragonrider seinen ausholenden linearen Speerangriff einsetzt, stößt er dich zurück und stößt dich von der Plattform, wenn du zu nahe am Rand bist. Wenn Sie sich nicht etwa in der Mitte des Bereichs befinden, werden Sie wahrscheinlich niedergeschlagen, wenn Sie von diesem Angriff getroffen werden.
Es gibt zwei Hauptangriffe, die der Drachenreiter verwendet. Der erste ist der Longe-Angriff, der andere sind ein oder zwei horizontale Sweep-Angriffe. Die horizontalen Angriffe verursachen nicht so viel Schaden wie die linearen Angriffe, aber der Drachenreiter verwendet zwei hintereinander, in diesem Fall summiert sich der Schaden.
Die beste Vorgehensweise, um den Drachenreiter schnell zu erledigen, besteht darin, an seinem Rücken festgeklebt zu bleiben. Egal in welche Richtung sich der Drachenreiter bewegt, Bleib IMMER auf seinem Rücken. Wenn Sie sich direkt hinter dem Drachenreiter befinden, wird keiner seiner Angriffe Kontakt aufnehmen. Verwenden Sie zwischen Angriffen und Ihrer Bewegung, um hinter dem Drachenreiter zu bleiben, zwischen einem und vier Angriffen, je nach Geschwindigkeit Ihrer Waffe.
Verwenden Sie magische Angriffe, um den größten Schaden zu verursachen. Dazu gehören Waffen mit magischen Eigenschaften, entweder vorübergehend oder dauerhaft. Normale Waffen funktionieren, aber es dauert länger, den Drachenreiter zu Fall zu bringen.
Wie man den Flexile Sentry besiegt
- Belohnung:Flexile Sentry Soul
Es gibt drei Schlüssel, um den Flexile Sentry zu besiegen. Die erste besteht darin, eine Waffe auszurüsten, die aus der Ferne eingesetzt werden kann. eine Lanze, Zaubersprüche oder irgendetwas, das nicht erfordert, dass Sie dem Feind direkt gegenüberstehen. Der zweite wichtige Punkt ist, den Mast in der Mitte des Raums zu verwenden, um zu verhindern, dass der Flexile Sentry mit seinen springenden Fernkampfangriffen zu nahe kommt.
Der dritte und möglicherweise wichtigste Schlüssel besteht darin, den Sentry mit mäßiger Geschwindigkeit auszuschalten. Im Laufe des Kampfes wird das Wasser im Raum höher. Je höher der Wasserstand, desto schwieriger ist es, sich fortzubewegen. Dies macht es viel schwieriger, den Angriffen des Sentry auszuweichen. Wenn der Wasserstand zu hoch wird, ist der Kampf praktisch unmöglich zu gewinnen.
Der Sentry hat zwei Angriffstypen, je nachdem, welche Hälfte dir zugewandt ist. Eine Seite greift mit zwei Stachelkeulen an, während die andere mit Doppelschwertern angreift. Beide Seiten haben ähnliche Angriffe, aber die Seite mit den Keulen ist die einfachere der beiden, da sie seltener weitreichende Angriffe einsetzt. Wenn Sie so oft wie möglich im Raum herummanövrieren können, um sich der Schlägerseite zu stellen, wird dieser Kampf ein wenig einfacher.
Verwenden Sie den Mast in der Mitte des Raums als Pseudo-Schild, um die Langstreckenangriffe des Wachpostens zu stoppen. In den meisten Fällen greift der Sentry mit einem einzigen horizontalen Wischangriff oder zwei vertikalen Angriffen an. Es darf jede Angriffsserie mit einem zusätzlichen Doppelkeulenangriff beenden. Dieser Angriff deckt eine größere Reichweite ab als alle anderen normalen Angriffe (abgesehen vom Langstrecken-Sprungangriff) und hat eine beträchtliche Menge an Erholung. Wenn Sie diesen Angriff sehen, kontern Sie schnell mit mindestens zwei eigenen Angriffen oder mehr, je nachdem, welche Art von Waffe Sie verwenden.
Bewegen Sie sich um den Mast in der Mitte des Raums herum, aber Zeit ist ein Faktor in diesem Kampf, also lassen Sie den Sentry nahe genug kommen, um anzugreifen. Wenn dies passiert, entfernen Sie sich, um dem Angriff auszuweichen, und kontern Sie dann mit Ihren eigenen Angriffen, nachdem der Sentry mindestens zweimal angegriffen hat. Es verwendet selten einen einzigen Angriff, also warten Sie immer mindestens zwei Angriffe, bevor Sie mit dem Angriff beginnen. Seien Sie vorsichtig mit dem dritten Angriff, der auftritt, wenn Sie dem Sentry zu nahe kommen. Es fügt eine beträchtliche Menge an Schaden zu, aber wie bereits erwähnt, hat es auch eine Menge Erholung.
Wie man die Ruin Sentinel Alessia, Ruin Sentinel Ricce und Ruin Sentinel Yahim besiegt
- Belohnung:Sentinel-Seele ruinieren
Sobald Sie den Nebel verlassen, lassen Sie sich auf eine erhöhte Plattform fallen, wo Yahim sofort angreift. Wenn Sie einen geeigneten Schild haben, können Sie den ersten Angriff blocken, ohne Schaden zuzufügen. Andernfalls müssen Sie ausweichen, wenn Sie auf der Plattform landen, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie Yahims anfänglichem Angriff ausweichen.
Bleiben Sie auf der Plattform, während Sie gegen Yahim kämpfen. Wenn Sie auf den Boden darunter fallen, werden sich Alessia und Ricce dem Kampf anschließen und es wird viel schwieriger sein, den Sieg zu erringen. Wenn Sie in der Nähe von Yahim bleiben, verwendet es nur einen von zwei Angriffen. Es verwendet entweder einen linearen Angriff mit einer mäßig langen Animation (leicht zu erkennen), gefolgt von einem kreisförmigen Angriff, der die Vorderseite von Yahim abdeckt, oder es verwendet zwei aufeinanderfolgende kreisförmige Angriffe.
Alle Angriffe können mit einem anständigen Schild geblockt werden. Der lineare Angriff ist mit einem gut getimten Ausweichen relativ leicht zu vermeiden, aber die kreisförmigen Angriffe sind besser mit einem Schild zu blocken, es sei denn, Sie können hinter Yahim gelangen. Selbst wenn Sie sich hinter Yahim befinden, deckt der kreisförmige Angriff einen Radius von fast 240 Grad ab, also gehen Sie etwas zurück, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie dem Angriff ausweichen.
Yahim fällt im Allgemeinen während des Kampfes einige Male in die untere Etage. Bleiben Sie auf der oberen Plattform, bis sie wieder hochspringt. Pass auf, dass du Yahims Angriff ausweichst, wenn er zurück auf die obere Plattform springt. Wenn es von der längeren Seite der Plattform fällt, springt es im Allgemeinen um denselben Bereich herum auf. Wenn es vom kürzeren Ende der Plattform fällt, springt es um diesen Bereich herum hoch. Behalte Yahim jedoch genau im Auge, um zu sehen, wohin er sich bewegt, um festzustellen, wo er wieder hochspringen wird.
Sobald Yahim unten ist, bleiben Sie auf der oberen Plattform. Wenn Sie einen Fernkampfangriff haben, rennen Sie zum kurzen Ende der Plattform und greifen Sie Alessia an, während sie sich auf den Weg zu Ihrer Position macht. Wenn es sich nähert, gehen Sie zurück, um einen Angriff zu vermeiden, wenn es auf die Plattform springt. Verwenden Sie die Säule an der Wand, um Ihre Entfernung zu beurteilen. Wenn Sie sich hinter der Säule befinden, sind Sie weit genug entfernt, um dem Angriff aus dem Weg zu gehen.
Auf der Plattform verwendet Alessia die gleichen Angriffe wie Yahim. Es wird jedoch seinen Schild verwenden, um Ihre Angriffe zu blockieren. Warten Sie also, bis es unten ist, bevor Sie Alessia angreifen. Greife Alessia sofort an, nachdem sie ihren anfänglichen Sprungangriff verfehlt hat. Abhängig von Ihrer Waffengeschwindigkeit können Sie normalerweise ein oder zwei Angriffe ausführen. Kreisen Sie um Alessia herum, um den linearen Angriff zu vermeiden, gefolgt von einem kreisförmigen Angriff. Greife Alessia zwei- oder dreimal an, nachdem du ausgewichen bist, und gehe dann in die Ecke der Plattform.
An diesem Punkt springt Ricce an der gleichen Stelle auf die Plattform, an der Alessia hochgesprungen ist. Sie haben zwei Möglichkeiten, wie Sie den Kampf fortsetzen möchten. Wenn Sie auf der Plattform bleiben, ist es ein Nahkampf, in dem die beiden Sentinels dieselben Angriffe wie Yahim verwenden, nur dass sie gelegentlich Schilde verwenden, um Angriffe zu blockieren. Wenn Sie auf der Plattform bleiben, schränken Sie Ihre Bewegung ein, schränken aber auch die Angriffsmöglichkeiten der Sentinels ein.
Wenn Sie auf den darunter liegenden Boden fallen, erleiden Sie bei der Landung Fallschaden. Kurz darauf lassen sich beide Sentinels fallen, um ihre Angriffe fortzusetzen. Wenn Sie sich von den Bossen fernhalten, verwenden sie einen Schildwurf, der schnell und äußerst schädlich ist. Sobald ihre Schilde geworfen wurden, verlieren sie jedoch die Fähigkeit, Ihre Angriffe zu blockieren. Aufgrund der langen Aufziehanimation lässt sich leicht feststellen, wann ein Schild geworfen wird.
Mit genügend Platz springen die Sentinels hoch in die Luft und starten einen linearen Angriff, wenn sie auf dich herabstürzen. Diesem Angriff kann mit dem richtigen Timing ausgewichen und sogar mit einem anständigen Schild geblockt werden. Es ist am besten, ihm auszuweichen, damit du kontern kannst, ohne dir Sorgen machen zu müssen, dass du durch das Blocken an Ausdauer verlierst.
Wenn die Sentinels anfangen, herumzuwirbeln, weichen Sie zurück oder schützen Sie sich vor dem Angriff. Dieser Angriff kann je nach Entfernung zwischen Ihnen und den Sentinels mehrmals treffen. Mit einem soliden Schild und genügend Ausdauer können jedoch alle Angriffe geblockt werden.
Der Kampf gegen die Sentinels im Erdgeschoss erfordert, dass Sie mäßig nahe bleiben und beide Sentinels jederzeit im Blickfeld haben. Kontere nach jedem geblockten oder ausgewichenen Angriff mit deinem eigenen Angriff. Im Allgemeinen können Sie die Sentinels nach jedem Angriff ein- oder zweimal treffen. Werden Sie nicht gierig und versuchen Sie nicht, mehr anzugreifen, sonst riskieren Sie, von ihrem nächsten Angriff getroffen zu werden.
Egal, ob Sie sich entscheiden, auf der oberen Plattform oder auf dem Boden darunter zu kämpfen, konzentrieren Sie sich auf jeweils einen Sentinel. Wenn der andere weit offen für Angriffe ist, schlagen Sie ihn ein paar Mal, aber konzentrieren Sie sich weiterhin auf einen Sentinel. Sie möchten einen ausschalten, damit sie sich nicht mehr zusammenschließen können, um Sie gleichzeitig oder in schneller Folge anzugreifen. Sobald nur noch ein Sentinel übrig ist, wird es ein viel einfacherer Kampf.
Wie man den verlorenen Sünder besiegt
- Belohnung:Seele des verlorenen Sünders
Sie werden nicht viele Gelegenheiten haben, den Lost Sinner anzugreifen, und wenn Sie angreifen können, werden es nur ein oder zwei Treffer sein, bevor Sie erneut blocken müssen. Drehen Sie die Helligkeitseinstellungen ganz nach oben, bevor der Kampf beginnt. Sofern Sie den Bastille-Schlüssel nicht bereits erhalten haben, findet dieser Kampf in einem sehr dunklen Bereich statt. Tatsächlich ist der Bereich so dunkel, dass Sie Ihre Erfassung des Verlorenen Sünders verlieren, wenn Sie auch nur die Hälfte des Raums durchqueren.
Zu Beginn des Kampfes stürmt der Lost Sinner auf dich zu. Blockiere oder weiche seinem ersten Angriff aus und bleibe dann so nah wie möglich bei ihm. Er verwendet zwei aufeinanderfolgende Angriffe, die einen kreisförmigen Bereich vor ihm abdecken. Gelegentlich folgt darauf ein heftiger, aber linearer Angriff, dem man leicht nach links oder rechts ausweichen kann. Er wird auch einen einzelnen Vorwärtsstich verwenden, der ebenso linear ist, und gelegentlich springt er über dich hinweg und greift von der anderen Seite an.
Bleiben Sie immer in der Nähe des Sünders und stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie immer mindestens ein wenig Ausdauer haben, damit Sie seine Angriffe blocken können, ohne Schaden zu nehmen. Greifen Sie niemals so stark an, dass Ihnen die Ausdauer ausgeht, und lassen Sie den Sünder nicht zu weit von sich entfernen. Kreisen Sie einfach kontinuierlich um den Sinner herum, bis er die beiden kreisförmigen Angriffe, seinen Sprungangriff oder seinen Laufstich verwendet. Nach jedem dieser Angriffe haben Sie Zeit für mindestens einen Gegenangriff. Die Angriffszeit nach dem Running Stab ist im Vergleich zu den anderen beiden Angriffen etwas kürzer, also musst du schnell sein.
Wie man den Glockenturm-Gargoyle besiegt
- Belohnung:Glockenturm-Gargoyle-Seele
Je länger du gegen die Gargoyles kämpfst, desto schwieriger wird der Kampf. Der Kampf beginnt mit nur zwei angreifenden Gargoyles. Im Laufe des Kampfes schließen sich jedoch insgesamt sechs Gargoyles dem Kampf an. Während sich die Gargoyles alle einen einzigen Gesundheitsbalken teilen, werden Sie am Ende des Kampfes gegen alle sechs gleichzeitig kämpfen, wenn Sie keinen der Gargoyles einzeln töten.
Es gibt vier Hauptangriffe, die die Gargoyles verwenden. Sie spucken Feuer auf den Boden oder in die Luft. In der Luft ist der Feueratem immer ein frontaler kreisförmiger Angriff, während die bodengestützte Flamme ein linearer Angriff oder ein kreisförmiger Angriff sein kann. Vermeiden Sie diese Angriffe, indem Sie einen mäßigen Abstand zu den Gargoyles halten, wenn sie sich darauf vorbereiten, Feuer zu spucken (beobachten Sie, wie sich ihre Köpfe drehen, um festzustellen, wann sie es verwenden werden).
Wenn die Gargoyles in die Luft springen, können sie zusätzlich zum Feueratem auf dich zu stürzen. Dieser Angriff hat keine große Reichweite, aber viel Erholung, was bedeutet, dass Sie den Gargoyle angreifen können, sobald er landet. Wenn der Gargoyle über dich hinwegspringt oder zur Seite springt, stelle dich sofort diesem Gargoyle, um den folgenden Angriff abzuwehren, oder weiche zu beiden Seiten aus.
Aus nächster Nähe verwenden die Gargoyles zwei verschiedene Angriffe. Sie verwenden einen frontalen kreisförmigen Nahkampfangriff, dem ein linearer Nahkampfangriff über Kopf folgen kann. Kein Angriff hat viel Reichweite und dem linearen Angriff kann leicht nach links oder rechts ausgewichen werden. Sie halten auch einen Moment inne, um Blitze zu kanalisieren, und verwenden dann einen Blitzangriff, der einen mäßig großen Radius um den Gargoyle herum abdeckt.
Während Sie zwangsläufig gegen mehrere Gargoyles gleichzeitig kämpfen werden, greifen sie nicht so oft an wie andere Feinde, insbesondere im Vergleich zum Kampf gegen mehrere Sentinels früher im Spiel. Verwenden Sie eine Waffe, die so viel Schaden wie möglich verursacht, auch wenn sie langsamer angreift als einige andere Waffen. Waffen, die problemlos mehrere Ziele treffen können (mit weitem Schwung), sind besonders effektiv. Wenn Sie jedoch über Fernkampfangriffe (entweder Magie, Pfeile oder Armbrustbolzen) verfügen, sind diese in diesem Kampf äußerst hilfreich. Mit Fernkampfangriffen kannst du auf Distanz bleiben und den größten Teil des Kampfes Schaden anrichten.
Wie man den Streitwagen des Henkers besiegt
- Belohnung:Streitwagenseele des Henkers
Der Kampf gegen den Streitwagen des Henkers ist insofern einzigartig, als Sie nicht sofort gegen den Streitwagen kämpfen. Stattdessen wird Ihnen ein längerer, geschwungener Korridor präsentiert. Verschiedene Skeleton-Feinde bewohnen den Korridor, aber sie sind nicht das Hauptanliegen. Der Streitwagen nimmt den gesamten Korridor ein und rast auf einer Kreisbahn durch das Gelände. Es passiert Ihren Standort etwa alle 10-15 Sekunden. Die einzige Möglichkeit, dem Streitwagen auszuweichen, besteht darin, sich in eine der kleinen Nischen entlang einer der Wände zu ducken.
At the onset of the battle, ignore the enemies and run ahead, keeping a close eye on the alcoves so you always know where to find the closest one. As soon as you see the fire from the chariot, duck into the closest alcove. Continue this process as you make your way down the corridor. If the Skeletons are in the way or become too much of a problem, you can take them out, but always be mindful of the chariot’s location.
When you get close to the end of the corridor (where there’s a large hole in the ground), you will see a door blocked by mist on the left. Just before you reach the door, there’s also a lever on the left. Pull the lever to lower the gate ahead. When the chariot hits the gate, it crashes, killing the Executioner. This leaves you to battle against the horse that pulled the chariot.
Always stay to either side of the horse. Never stand in front of or behind the horse to avoid its main attacks. When the horse stands on its hind legs, dodge to either side to avoid the stomp attack that follows. You also need to dodge to avoid the head butt attack that comes after the horse pauses for a moment. Both of these attacks inflict significant damage even if you’re attempting to block.
Occasionally the horse sprays a dark mist from its mouth. This is the best time to attack it from the side as the horse moves slowly to the left or right in an effort to hit you with the mist. Stay at its side and attack relentlessly to inflict as much damage as possible.
How to Beat The Rotten
- Reward:Soul of the Rotten
The battle against the Rotten is more about the environment than the enemy. There are several fire pits scattered throughout the battleground. If you touch any of the pits you will take considerable damage. If you continue to linger in the pits you will certainly perish. Most of the battle is spent locked on to the Rotten, which means you may have difficulty determining when a fire pit is behind you. To avoid backing into a fire pit, circle strafe around the fire pit in the center of the battleground. If you stay close to the center pit, you’ll have plenty of room to avoid the other pits.
The Rotten only uses a handful of attacks. If you have a shield that absorbs 100 percent damage, this is a much easier fight. However, even if this is the case, many of the Rotten’s attacks drain your stamina bar completely (or very close to it). Your best course of action is to dodge the attacks with specific timing so you don’t take any damage, then strike once or twice depending on the speed of your weapon. If you wish to take a more careful approach, only dodge the linear attacks and block the horizontal sweeping attacks. It’s much easier to dodge the linear attacks, but you’ll have fewer opportunities to counter attack, which will draw out the fight.
When the Rotten is close to you, it uses a single, horizontal sweeping attack that drains your stamina bar almost completely if it’s blocked. This should be dodged if at all possible. It also uses a single linear chop, and three chops in rapid succession. The single chop is easily dodged to the left or right, while it’s best to block the first two chops, then dodge the third one. You can technically dodge all three, but the timing is fairly strict.
If you back away from the Rotten, it uses a variation of the single linear chop, but it has deceptive range. Also be ready to block or dodge when you see the Rotten pull its weapon back over its head. It’s very difficult to get far enough away to avoid this attack completely. In almost all cases you must either block the attack or dodge it. If you block, it drains your stamina bar almost entirely. If you see the Rotten begin to regurgitate, back away to avoid two dark spits that happen back to back. As soon as the spits conclude, rush back in to counter attack.
Once the Rotten reaches approximately 50 percent health, it adds two attacks to its arsenal. The first is a variation of the long-range chop. This time a dark fog emits from its weapon and extends outward rapidly. This is a linear attack, but it’s difficult to dodge without precise timing. You must dodge to the left or right. If you dodge back, it will still hit. However, if you hug the Rotten, the attack misses completely. This can be risky if your timing is off.
The other new attack the Rotten uses is a burst of dark mist that emits from its body. This happens when the Rotten makes a motion similar to the regurgitation animation. Simply back away from the Rotten to avoid this attack. It does not have much range.
How to Beat the Royal Rat Vanguard
- Reward:Royal Rat Vanguard Soul, Rat Tail
This boss battle is not just against the Royal Rat Vanguard. You must face off against a horde of rats, as well as the Royal Rat Vanguard. If the rodents attack too many times (even if you’re guarding their attacks), they will petrify you. To avoid this, equip gear that increases petrification resistance, such as the Ash Knuckle Ring found in the Gutter. In addition, then Royal Rat Vanguard poisons you with each attack, so poison prevention gear and items should also be used if available.
Luckily, this is one of the easiest boss battles in the game. While normal rats continue to pile into the area, you only need to defend against them for a short time. Kill any rats within your immediate area, as you move around the room to avoid getting ganged up on. After about a minute has passed, the health bar for the Royal Rat Vanguard appears.
Once the health bar is visible, look for the rat with a lot of fur on its back. It’s the same size as all of the other rodents, so it may be difficult to spot at first, but it’s the only rat with a lot of black fur on its back. As soon as you spot this rodent, lock on to it and don’t change targets.
While this rat has more health than the others, it’s not by much. You should be able to take it down by continuously attacking until your stamina bar is depleted. In the worst case scenario, it should only take two stamina bars worth of attacks. If you need to bars, back away after depleting the first bar. If you move to the opposite side of the room, you’ll have time to use a health item while the rats catch up. Heal up, then go back in for the kill. Once the Vanguard is down, the remaining rats retreat. Kill them as they flee for additional souls.
How to Beat the Scorpioness Najka
- Reward:Scorpioness Najka Soul
Rush toward the boss and immediately attack her while she’s stuck in the sand. If you linger at a distance, she uses powerful ranged magic attacks, which can be difficult to avoid. Attack her a couple of times, then back away as she bursts out of the sand. If you’re too close you will take damage as she emerges.
Najka uses a few attacks that are relatively easy to evade or block. If you’re good at evading magic attacks, stay at maximum range and evade her magic projectiles. If she gets close, continue to back away. If you’re a melee character, stay just outside of her melee attack range. She uses a three hit combo that starts with two attacks from her mandibles, followed by an attack with her spear. Block the two mandible attacks, then evade her spear and counter with several attacks of your own.
When her tails wiggle, back away to avoid being caught by them. If you’re caught, they drain a significant amount of health. However, while both tails are stuck in the ground, she is vulnerable to multiple attacks.
If she goes underground, stand on any of the stone pieces sticking out of the sand. There is a large piece near the corner, but any of the stone slabs will work. If you remain on the sand, she bursts out of the ground beneath you, inflicting significant damage.
She uses this same attack pattern throughout the battle. However, you can cut off both of her tails. When this happens she uses more magic attacks. If you’re not skilled at dodging these attacks, make sure you aim your attacks at Najka’s body instead of her tails.
How to Beat the Royal Rat Authority
- Reward:Royal Rat Authority Soul, Rat Tail
When you enter the mist, the boss battle does not begin immediately. Four rats wait on the far left side of the room, with the Royal Rat Authority on the platform just above them. The rats inflict toxic, so be ready to combat that if necessary.
The best strategy against the rats is to use a weapon with a wide attack range that can hit them all if they’re grouped together. It’s very important to kill the four rats as quickly as possible so you can focus on the Royal Rat Authority, but you only have a short time to do this before the Authority begins attacking.
Head toward the rats or use a ranged attack to engage the enemies. Back up until at least three of them are grouped together close enough to hit them all with a single attack. If you’re decently geared, a single attack should take the rats down. Even if you need two attacks, as long as you’re hitting more than one rat at a time, you shouldn’t have trouble taking the rats down before the Authority begins attacking.
Once the rats are down, you can properly deal with the Royal Rat Authority. The best course of action is to run between its legs, stand directly under its body and attack the hind legs aggressively. If you linger in front of the Authority, it uses two horizontal swiping attacks with its front paws. If blocked, the attacks consume a large amount of stamina when combined. However, there’s enough time after the second attack to recover your stamina before the Authority attacks again.
If you get too far away, the Authority charges you, diving head first in your direction. If you block this attack it consumes all of your stamina. However, like the paw attacks, you have time to replenish stamina before the next attack.
All of the Authority’s attacks are difficult to evade, which means your best bet is to block the dive attack and immediately move into place directly under the boss. Stay there as long as possible, attacking the hind legs, then move with the boss if it jumps away. Keep in mind, if it jumps too far away, it may attempt the diving attack again.
When the boss is close to death, it vomits an acidic liquid that must be avoided. It spreads quickly, which means you need to move away, essentially resetting the fight and allowing the boss an opportunity to use the dive attack again. It’s best to finish off the boss as soon as you see the yellow vomit appear. If you can’t finish it off, you’ll need to move away, wait for it to come to you again, then reposition yourself under its legs for another attack.
How to Beat the Prowling Magus and his Congregation
- Reward:Titanite Slab
This is more of a mini-boss battle than anything else. You face off against Magus, two members of his Congregation and a slew of followers. Both Magus and the Congregation use ranged magic spells. Unless you have a shield that absorbs 100 percent magic attacks, you need to evade at least some of the attacks.
Head to the benches on the far side of the room, taking out any of the followers that get in your way. The followers should all go down in one or two attacks, but the ones crawling on the floor may be a little more difficult to given their low stature. The benches provide protection from any spells cast in your direction. However, you still need to attack the followers, which means you’ll eventually destroy all of the benches, especially if you’re a melee class.
If the benches go down, make sure all of the followers are down soon after. You don’t want to have to deal with followers while taking on the three mages with minimal shielding. Once the followers are taken care of, focus on the two Congregation members first. They don’t have much health and should go down in a few hits depending on your stats. Once the Congregation is down, focus on Magus.
All three mages can be stunned with relative ease, so even if they’re in the middle of casting, continue attacking. Watch out for Magus to begin charging an aura around him. When you see this, back away to avoid the close-range burst attack that covers a short radius around him. Aside from the ranged magic attacks all three mages use, this is the only attack you need to watch out for.
How to Beat The Duke’s Dear Freja
- Reward:Soul of the Duke’s Dear Freja
At the beginning of the battle, several spiders attack. Unlike most other boss battles that feature ancillary enemies, do not attempt to take out all of the spiders before engaging the boss. Freja doesn’t give you much time to focus on the other spiders before it engages you with attacks that can drain a significant amount of your health bar, if not kill you in one shot. Take out one or two spiders (more if you’re fast enough), then focus on Freja to ensure you’re not about to get hit with an attack.
Freja attacks from the heads on either side of her body. Only one head is active at a time, so the best strategy is to move close to one head, then as soon as it flinches, make a beeline to the other side to attack the dormant head. By repeating this process, you avoid almost all of Freja’s attacks. The only attacks you need to concern yourself with while using this strategy are the beam of light and jumping attacks.
The beam of light covers nearly 180 degrees in front of the head that initiates the attack, so you have to move quickly to the other head to make sure you avoid the attack. It cannot be blocked and it’s difficult to evade, so your best bet is to get behind Freja when it executes. The jumping attack doesn’t happen as often, but it’s also difficult to avoid. Your best bet is to run under Freja and dodge when she’s about to land.
If you see any spiders as you move back and forth between the heads, take them down quickly and continue on to the target head. When Freja is down for good, finish off any remaining spiders.
How to Beat the Skeleton Lords
- Reward:Skeleton Lord’s Soul
The Skeleton Lords boss battle consists of three main skeletons that go down fairly quickly, then a horde of lesser skeletons that go down even faster, but are much larger in number. As soon as you enter the boss arena, head straight for the first Skeleton Lord and take it down quickly. You should be able to kill it before the other Skeleton Lords give you much trouble. Do the same to the next two Skeleton Lords, but as you attack one, keep the other in sight so you can evade any ranged attacks.
Once all three Skeleton Lords are down, target the lesser skeletons with wheels first. These are the most troublesome enemies in the battle. They race toward you on the wheels and inflict considerable damage. They should be take down as quickly as possible, but stay on the move and keep as many of them as possible within view. If they race towards you, dodge out of the way to avoid taking damage.
Defeat the mobile skeletons, then focus on the remaining enemies. Don’t try to fight them all at once, instead continue moving around so you can do battle in small groups. This makes the last portion of this fight much easier to deal with.
How to Beat the Covetous Demon
- Reward:Covetous Demon Soul
This boss battle is one of the easiest in the game so long as you stay to either side, standing just past its arm. Standing in this position means that you automatically move when the Demon moves toward you. It won’t be able to face you because its arm will always be in the way, pushing you back as it continues to move.
Eventually the Demon shifts its weight to the opposite side. When you see this, put up your shield or back away as quickly as possible to avoid the coming attack. The shift in weight signifies that the Demon is about to roll in your direction. If the roll is blocked it consumes all of your stamina. If it’s not blocked, you take heavy damage.
Continue attacking the enemy, but always leave yourself some stamina so you can block the roll attack if it comes. Follow this strategy and the boss goes down with very little fight.
How to Beat Mytha, the Baneful Queen
- Reward:Mytha, the Baneful Queen Soul
Watch out for the poison the encircles the battlefield. If there’s poison all over, it means you haven’t burned the windmill earlier in the area. If you die, make sure you go back and burn the windmill to remove the poison from everywhere except the outer edge of the battlefield.
Stay close to Mytha unless she backs up to the edge of the battlefield where the poison is found. She uses three-hit combo attacks with her spear, as well as a full body spin at close range. Both of these attacks can be blocked with only moderate stamina loss. However, there isn’t much delay between her attack cycles, so you won’t be able to hit her more than one or two times depending on your weapon of choice.
If she backs away, prepare for one of two attacks. Expect either a dashing spear attack that can be blocked or evaded to the left or right, or a magic attack with her head. If you see the head glow, prepare to move quickly to the left or right, then dodge as the attack approaches. The magic projectiles move quickly, so you won’t have much time to react.
If you stick close to Mytha you avoid many of these attacks. However, she will back away and you also need to be mindful of the poison surrounding the battlefield. Just be prepared to handle her ranged attacks and stick close to her as much as you can, and this battle isn’t too difficult.
How to Beat the Smelter Demon
- Reward:Smelter Demon Soul
The best way to take down the Smelter Demon is to have a shield equipped that absorbs 100 percent damage, and light armor so you can strafe around the Demon quickly. The Demon doesn’t have a wide range of attacks, but you need to be able to either quickly strafe to avoid them, or dodge effectively more often than not. If you can do this, the fight is relatively easy.
When the battle begins, the Smelter Demon’s body is on fire, but the flames are fairly small. If you stand right next to its body you may take minor fire damage, but it’s nothing to really concern yourself with. Once you’ve inflicted enough damage on the Demon, it pauses to increase the flames on its body. At this point you don’t have to stand quite as close to suffer damage, and you take a little more damage compared to the start of the fight. Inflict a bit more damage to get the Demon down to around 50 percent health, and it sticks its sword in its body to engulf the sword in flames.
Throughout the entire fight, the Demon uses a small set of attacks. It has a three hit combo that consists of two horizontal attacks, followed by a vertical attack that can be grounded or follow a jump. The jumping variant is more difficult to avoid, and the Demon may sometimes create a burst of flame following the jumping attack.
The jumping attack can also be used by itself and the flame burst doesn’t always follow the jumping attack in either situation, but you have to always assume it will occur in order to avoid the damage. If you’re close to the Demon during the flame burst you take considerable damage. Once the Demon’s body flame increases, so does the range of the flame burst. At that point, you need to be roughly halfway across the battlefield to avoid it.
If you stand a moderate distance away from the Demon, it uses a linear attack that breaks your guard. However, the Demon doesn’t follow it with anything, so you have time to regain stamina and avoid taking damage. Once the sword is on fire, this attack shoots flames in a linear manner. It can still be avoided by sticking close to the Demon or dodging to the left or right with proper timing.
Your main attack pattern should be to stick close to the Demon, circling it as quickly as possible. If you’re light enough, you move fast enough to block the first horizontal attack of the three hit combo, then the second attack will completely miss and sometimes the third attack won’t happen at all. As soon as you see the Demon pause, hit it with two or three attacks depending on the speed of your weapon.
More than likely you will not inflict significant damage with each attack, and you’ll constantly take damage from its flaming body. This is a battle of attrition. If your health gets low due to the Demon’s flaming body, take the next opening to use a healing item or ability. As long as you’re evading the Demon’s attacks, it will go down before you do.
How to Beat the Old Iron King
- Reward:Old Iron King Soul
As with most of the recent boss battles, this fight is fairly easy compared to some of the previous engagements. The Old Iron King uses a very limited set of attacks. It almost always attacks twice, so be prepared to dodge two attacks before you attempt to counter attack.
Its combo attacks consist of a vertical fist slam and a horizontal swiping attack. It uses these two attacks in random order, so you might see two vertical attacks, two horizontal attacks or one of each. Dodge to the left or right to avoid both types of attacks. When the second attack is a vertical fist slam, move in to attack the fist as quickly as possible. It remains on the ground long enough to hit it three or more times depending on the speed of your weapon.
If the King lights its fist on fire before using a vertical attack, this generally means there will only be one attack instead of two. However, in addition to dodging the attack, you must wait until the flames go out before you move in for a counter attack. In addition, if the boss leans back, this indicates a horizontal fire attack is coming. Wait near the middle and move to the right as soon as the attack begins to ensure you avoid all of it.
As long as you time your dodges well, you won’t take much damage during this battle. With a decent weapon the Iron King takes fairly decent damage with each attack, meaning this fight won’t last very long.
How to Beat the Dragonrider (x2)
- Reward:Dragonrider Soul
Fighting the Dragonrider boss is very similar to the first time you fought him in Heide’s Tower. The main difference here is that there are now two of them. One uses a bow and remains in the corner of the room for the most part, while the other is almost identical to the one you fought originally.
The best strategy is to take down the ranged Dragonrider first. However, to do this you need to lure the other one to the far side of the room. When he misses an attack, quickly run over to the ranged fighter and inflict as much damage as possible. If you stay as close to the ranged fighter as possible, its arrows will not hit you.
Keep a close eye on the other Dragonrider and move away when it approaches. Repeat this process until the ranged Dragonrider is down. At this point you can focus exclusively on the melee Dragonrider. Simply strafe around him or dodge to avoid its attacks, then counter with two or three strikes depending on the speed of your weapon. It won’t take long to finish off the remaining Dragonrider.
How to Beat the Looking Glass Knight
- Reward:Looking Glass Knight Soul
The battle with the Looking Glass Knight is fairly similar to most other boss battles. Start off the battle strafing in circles around it. Most of its melee combos consist of two or three waits. However, occasionally there’s a pause before the third attack, so be weary if you attempt to counter attack after blocking or evading two attacks.
When the Knight holds its sword high into the air to charge it with lightning, back away from it quickly. The following attack is lightning charged and has a very wide, circular attack radius. It can be difficult to avoid if you remain too close to the boss. Luckily there’s enough recovery time after the attack to move back into close range and even hit the boss once or twice.
Once the Knight reaches approximately 50 percent health, the charged lightning attack adds a lightning-based projectile that shoots out straight from the sword. It’s a very linear attack and easily avoided if you’re off to the side or behind the Knight.
When the Knight places its shield on the ground. A guard is about to come out of the shield and attack. The guard doesn’t take many hits to bring down, but the Knight doesn’t stop attacking while you’re engaging the minion. To avoid having to deal with multiple enemies, take down the minion as quickly as possible, while keeping an eye on the Knight so you can avoid its attacks if need be.
How to Beat the Demon of Song
- Reward:Demon of Song Soul, Key to the Embedded
The Demon of Song is essentially a frog with a demon in its mouth. When its mouth is closed (which is about half the fight), the Demon cannot be damaged. The Demon’s main attacks consist of two-hit combos using its arms, and a jumping attack that looks more like a falling attack.
Unlike most other boss battles, stay back far enough to avoid the Demon’s arm-based attacks. After its various two-hit combos, move in and attack is as much as possible until the mouth closes. Stay close until the Demon appears again, then move back out of range. You need to remain close while its mouth is closed to ensure you have time to run under it if the falling attack begins.
As soon as the Demon stands up on its hind legs, run under it to avoid the falling attack. At the completion of the attack, head back around to its head and continue with the original strategy. It shouldn’t take much to bring the Demon of Song down so long as you’re patient.
How to Beat Velstadt, the Royal Aegis
- Reward:Soul of Velstadt
Velstadt, the Royal Aegis is one of the slower bosses in Dark Souls 2. If you have a shield that absorbs 100 percent damage and a decent amount of stamina, there isn’t much to this battle. If you don’t have those things available, one has to question how you made it this far in the game.
The biggest weakness Velstadt, the Royal Aegis has is that all of his attacks have a great deal of recovery. Most of them are even slow to execute. Make sure you’re as agile as possible during this fight, even stripping down to lighter armor if you have to. If you stay close to Velstadt, he generally uses a single attack or a two-hit combo attack. All of these attacks are relatively slow, only drain about 40 percent of your stamina if you block (and have decent stamina), and once blocked or evaded, you can hit Velstadt at least three times before he recovers.
If you stand a little bit away from Velstadt, he uses a moderately quick, but linear lunging attack. This is a single hit attack and can be blocked or evaded. If it’s blocked it drains a bit more stamina than his other attacks, but you still have enough stamina to counter with at least one or two attacks.
When Velstadt takes a knee and summons a dark power, go to town on him. The summoning circle does not inflict damage, and the dark aura doesn’t impact the fight if you follow the previous tactics. While he’s down on one knee, you can drain a good 20 percent of his health with a full stamina bar. Just be careful when you attack, as his attacks have some delay and he may not be done with his current combo. As previously mentioned, most of his attack combo consist of one or two swings, so be ready.
How to Beat the Guardian Dragon
- Reward:Guardian Dragon Soul
There’s one simple strategy that works extremely well against the Guardian Dragon, stay by its hind legs. This avoids the Dragon’s grounded fire breath attacks and the swiping attack from its mouth. If it lifts one leg up, move away slightly to avoid the stomp, then move back in and continue attacking.
If the Dragon takes flight but hovers over you, move away to avoid the ground stomp that follows. If the Dragon flies to the side of the area, move as far away from it as possible to avoid the long-range fire breath that follows. While you can remain directly under the Guardian Dragon to avoid the fire, you will still get hit when it lands and stomps the ground. If you stay on the far side of the area, you avoid the fire breath and the ground stomp that follows.
When you move back into close proximity, be mindful of the Dragon’s various close-range attacks. If you approach from a distance, the Dragon may attempt to bite with its mouth or breathe fire straight ahead. If you’re not quick, either attack may occur before you can get under the Dragon to attack its legs. Dodge to the side to avoid the fire breath, and dodge forward or back to avoid the swiping attack depending on your distance from the Dragon. If you’re close enough to dodge under its legs, dodge forward. If not, dodge to the back.
How to Beat the Giant Lord
- Reward:Giant Lord Soul, Giant’s Kinship
The fight against the Giant Lord is almost identical to the battle against the Last Giant. Stay by its feet, dodge when it attempts to stomp and continue to hack away at its feet until it’s down. This strategy avoids all of the Giant Lord’s attacks aside from the foot stomp. When you see the foot stomp coming, dodge away to avoid taking any damage, then close in again to continue the battle. Repeat this strategy and you’ll have the Giant Lord down in no time!
How to Beat the Throne Watcher and Throne Defender
Reward:Throne Defender Soul, Throne Watcher Soul
Going up against both the Watcher and the Defender can be tough. The Watcher is fairly agile, while the Defender is slower and slightly more powerful. Keep both bosses in view at all times and focus on whichever is closest to you. Although, if you can manage it, take down the Watcher first. It’s important to take them down nearly at the same time. You have a short time before the downed boss stands back up if the other boss isn’t defeated. Focus on the Watcher, but deplete both health bars as evenly as possible.
Both enemies attack with standard two or three hit combos at close range, and lunging attacks from a distance. The key is to get them far enough apart that you have time to attack one without having to worry about avoiding an attack from the other. Fast ranged attacks work very well here. If that’s not an option, make use of a spear or similar weapon that allows you to block with your shield while still attacking.
Continue to strafe in circles around both enemies, keeping them within view at all times. When a brief opening presents itself, attack once or twice depending on the speed of your weapon. You need to be patient during this battle to ensure you do not take unnecessary damage.
How to Beat Nashandra
- Reward:Soul of Nashandra
At the beginning of the final battle, stay near the entrance and let Nashandra come to you. She summons three objects that create Dark and will curse you if you’re too close to them. If you remain by the entrance, you’ll be far enough away from the first batch of these objects.
Nashandra attacks with two horizontal swipes, or a single vertical attack that’s fairly linear. Block or evade these attacks, then counter with one or two attacks of your own depending on the speed of your weapon. If you back away from Nashandra, she uses a linear projectile-like attack that’s essentially a line of Darkness.
About halfway through the battle, Nashandra’s hand becomes engulfed in Darkness. Back away immediately to avoid the following attack. Shortly afterwards, she summons the objects that emit Darkness and you need to move to the far side of the room. Wait for Nashandra to approach again and repeat the above strategy to finish her off and complete the main game so you can move on to the DLC.
How to Beat Elana, the Squalid Queen
- Reward:Soul of Elana, Squalid Queen
As soon as you enter the boss battle area, rush toward Elana and inflict as much damage as you can. She takes a moment before her attack begins, and you can inflict a good amount of damage before her health bar even appears. She summons skeleton helpers and uses various flame-like attacks, as well as her spear when you get close to her.
Once the skeletons appear, back away to avoid being ambushed. Unless the skeletons run directly at you, ignore them for the most part. While you attack Elana, you’ll inevitably hit the skeletons as well. Stay on the move to avoid Elana’s ranged spells and make your way toward her. Try to stay behind her while you attack to avoid most of her attacks, as well as the skeletons.
She disappears from time to time, and usually uses another spell when she reappears. Most of her spells take a decent amount of time to cast, which means you can hit her once or twice before moving to avoid the attack. Again, stay behind her to not only avoid her spells, but also her melee attacks. If you focus primarily on Elana and continuously move to avoid her spells, you shouldn’t have much trouble bringing her down.
How to Beat Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon
- Reward:Soul of Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon
Sinh fights very similar to the other dragon bosses throughout Dark Souls 2. Begin the battle by attacking his feet. When he flies into the air directly above you, watch out for the fire breath that’s likely to follow. It’s best to remain under Sinh or directly behind him to avoid the fire and be ready to attack again as soon as he lands. Keep in mind that if you’re directly underneath him, you need to move away before he hits the ground to avoid taking damage.
If Sinh flies away from you, it’s likely that his dive attack is coming. You need to stay on the move and possibly roll out of the way as soon as you see him dive towards you. If he stands on his hind legs, he’s about to breathe fire directly in front of him. Use this as an opportunity to run toward the dragon and attack his legs or tail.
While you’re attacking Sinh’s legs, it’s important to stay on the move as soon as he’s done with whatever attack he’s currently using. When you’re behind him, he may quickly turn around, inflicting moderate damage if you’re not ready to roll out of the way. The key to this battle is to move in an attack while he’s in the middle of a lengthy attack animation, then quickly move out of harm’s way when the animation is complete.
How to Beat Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, Cerah the Old Explorer
- Reward:Twinkling Titanite (3), Petrified Dragon Bone (3), Titanite Slab
As soon as you enter the boss battle area, Varg rushes you, followed closely by the Graverobber. Varg is equipped with heavy armor and uses a shield and large weapon. This means he’s relatively slow and has plenty of openings after each attack. He should be your first target, but always attack the closest enemy to you if the others are far enough away to allow for a safe attack.
The Graverobber uses dual swords and attacks very quickly. If you have a large weapon that can knock him off his feet, this isn’t a very difficult battle. If not, you’ll need to circle around him, using a shield to defend against his onslaught of attacks. As soon as you see a pause in his attack pattern, use one or two quick attacks. If you’re using a weapon that attacks slowly, you’ll need to back away before you can get a clean hit in, and the battle is a bit more challenging (unless that weapon knocks the Graverobber down).
If you get in a bind and have to fight the Graverobber and Varg at the same time, your best bet is to back away from them and wait for Varg to miss with an attack. As soon as Varg misses, quickly move within striking distance of Varg and inflict as much damage as you can before the Graverobber closes in. If you move quickly you should be able to get in at least two attacks (depending on the speed of your weapon) before you need to guard against the Graverobber.
You have a lot of room to work with, so take your time with the first two enemies. Cerah will stay back and attack with his bow. You don’t have to worry too much about him until you’ve defeated the Graverobber and Varg. Once they’re both down, close in on Cerah.
When you get close to Cerah, she switches from her bow to a longsword. She’s more agile than Varg and attacks quickly with her longsword. However, her lunging strikes have quite a bit of recovery (although not as long as Varg’s recovery time). After a lunging strike you have time to attack her with at least one or two quick strikes.
If your health gets low, there are plenty of rock formations and walls to hide behind while you use a health item. Additionally, if you’re having trouble with this boss battle, ignore Varg and the Graverobber and focus solely on Cerah at first. She doesn’t move much, and because there’s so much room to maneuver you can run around the area, getting a decent distance away from the Graverobber and Varg, then attack Cerah while the others catch up. When they reach you again, repeat this process until Cerah is down.
Fighting just Varg and the Graverobber, if you continue running around they will naturally separate themselves. This allows you to attack them one at a time while the other catches up. If you’re having trouble with Varg’s shield, continue moving around and he will eventually switch to wielding his weapon with two hands, placing his shield behind him. This makes it much easier to attack him.
How to Beat the Fume Knight
- Reward:Soul of the Fume Knight
Approach the sword in the ground near the middle of the area to begin the boss battle. During the first phase of this fight, the Fume Knight uses a light rapier-like sword and an ultra greatsword. Stay close to the Fume Knight and strafe around him to the right to avoid a good number of his greatsword attacks. These require considerably more stamina to block compared to the rapier attacks. Usually the Fume Knight will attack twice with the rapier, then once or twice with the greatsword. He has considerable windup before he swings the greatsword, so if you watch carefully you’ll know when he’s about to swing it.
There are times when he’ll just swing the greatsword. This attacks comes from the opposite side and can hit even if you’re strafing to the right. This attack consumes a large amount of stamina if you block it, and the Fume Knight will not hesitate to do it two or even three times in a row. It’s best to roll to avoid it if possible.
If you back away the Fume Knight will use a lunging attack with the rapier or a huge swing with the greatsword. Both attacks have considerable reach so don’t relax just because you’ve created some distance between you. If any of the Ashen Idols were left untouched, do not let the Fume Knight near them or he will be healed.
After a short time the Fume Knight powers up. When this happens the rapier disappears and his ultra greatsword becomes engulfed in magic. From this point until the end of the fight, all of his sword attacks inflict magic damage.
Continue to stay close to the Fume Knight and strafe around him to the right. However, if you were blocking his attacks before, it’s far more important to dodge them now. All of his attacks have a lengthy startup animation and are easy to see coming, so rolling to avoid them should not be overly difficult.
If the Fume Knight plunges his sword into the ground, you have two options. The following attack is a 360 degree spell that sends a bevy of fireballs along the ground in every direction. If you opt to stay close to the Fume Knight, you must roll with extremely precise timing to avoid the fireballs. If you decide to back away, you have a little bit more room to avoid them, but it can still be difficult if you aren’t paying attention. If you’re hit with a single fireball it inflicts tremendous damage.
Between fireball attacks, continue to strafe around the boss attacking when you can. He takes decent damage if you’re geared well enough, and shouldn’t take too many attacks to go down. This battle is about avoiding his magic greatsword attacks. If you can do that, there isn’t much else to worry about.
How to Beat the Smelter Demon
- Reward:Smelter Demon Soul
This isn’t the first time you’ve fought against the Smelter Demon. When you played through the Iron Keep originally, you faced off against the Smelter Demon there as well. Since the new DLC extends from the Iron Keep, it makes sense that you would run into this guy again.
Luckily, the Smelter Demon fights exactly the same way he did during the original encounter. The main difference is that he’s covered in magic instead of flames, and has considerably more health. It’s a good idea to equip armor and a shield (if you’re using one) that have high magic defense. Magic damage is unavoidable throughout this fight, even if you plan on attacking from a distance, so a shield with 100 percent physical damage reduction isn’t going to protect you taking damage when you block some of the Demon’s attacks.
If you summoned your two helpers just after the bonfire, they can essentially tank the Demon while you attack from behind or with ranged attacks. As you probably already know, the helpers in this game aren’t super useful. They will almost certainly die before you can kill the Smelter Demon, even if they both enter the boss battle with full health.
Early on in the battle, the boss stops attacking and bends over slightly. When this happens, move away as he’s powering up the magic in his torso. When the power up is complete, a burst of magic damages everything within a short radius of the boss. Make sure you’re clear of this or at least have a shield up that absorbs a good amount of magic damage.
After his initial power up, anytime you’re close to the Smelter Demon you will take magic damage in moderately small doses. Shortly after the power up, the Smelter Demon plunges his sword into his torso and gives it the effect of magic damage as well. At this point, anytime you block an attack from the sword, it will deal magic damage. Once again, if you don’t have a shield that absorbs magic damage, you will still take some damage even if you block.
The difficulty in this battle lies solely in the amount of health the upgraded Smelter Demon has. It will take some time to chip away at his health bar, and with his powered up magic abilities, you’ll almost certainly take damage throughout the fight. The key is to inflict as much damage as possible while your two helpers keep him occupied.
If you’re using ranged attacks that inflict less than 200 damage, when one of the helpers goes down, move in for close-range melee attacks. If you can’t inflict at least 200 damage per hit, more than likely the boss will have at least 40 percent of his health left by the time both helpers die. At this point you need to dodge his attacks as often as possible so you have time to get in as many hits as you can before he readies another attack.
The Smelter Demon fights with a standard two swing combo that ends with a more powerful third attack in the form of a grounded or jumping strike. Occasionally, after the jumping strike the Demon will pause in a kneeling animation. This indicates another magic burst is about to occur, which means you should move away. Once the Demon is powered up, the magic burst has significantly more range, so keep this in mind.
Using a standard melee attack build with a Greatbow and Greatarrows, we attacked from a distance until the first helper was down. At this point we moved in and used two-handed attacks (inflicting a little over 200 points of damage with each swing). By the time the second helper was down the Smelter Demon only had roughly 10 percent of his health remaining. A few dodged attacks later and the battle was over.
How to Beat Sir Alonne
- Reward:Soul of Sir Alonne
There are two ways you can engage Sir Alonne. You can fight him up close with continuous strafing, or you can fight from a distance and dodge his ranged attacks. If you fight him at close-range, you can strafe to either direction to avoid most of his attacks. However, sometimes he’ll use a single lunging attack, and other times he’ll use a combo consisting of two or three attacks. Pay close attention to his attack animations to determine what he’s doing, then attack him during the brief pause between his attacks.
Sir Alonne doesn’t like to fight at close range, so he will jump back through the battle. When this happens, be prepared for a long-range lunging attack. This can be dodged with good timing, and you generally have enough time after rolling to land an attack or two (depending on the speed of your weapon).
You can use a shield and block Sir Alonne’s attacks, but it’s not recommended. All of his attacks inflict bleeding damage, so if you block too many in rapid succession, you’ll take damage. Blocking his attacks also takes considerable stamina unless it’s one of his combo attacks. Even when blocking his combo attacks, if you block all three you won’t have much stamina remaining to counterattack.
Occasionally Sir Alonne will use a projectile attack from a distance. This attack travels at a decent speed, but he does charge up before using it. If you’re ready for it you can dodge to the left or right to avoid it. It’s easier if you start moving left or right as soon as Sir Alonne starts charging, then roll in the direction you’re moving as soon as you see the projectile attack.
From a distance you simply have to worry about the projectile attacks and Sir Alonne’s various lunging attacks. Wait for the dash that precedes the lunging attacks and roll to the right or left of Sir Alonne just as he’s about to reach you. Do not roll directly right or left, you want to aim your roll so you’re moving toward Sir Alonne. This will keep you close enough to attack him while he’s recovering from his lunge. It’s also possible to roll backward, but the timing is a bit more strict.
Sir Alonne may also use a jumping attack, which is a bit faster and harder to dodge. As soon as you see him jump into the air, dodge to the right or left. Do not hesitate or you will take damage from the attack.
How to Beat Aava, the King’s Pet
- Reward:Soul of Aava, the King’s Pet
There are a few different ways you can approach this boss battle. Aava has several long-range attacks, as well as a few close range attacks. All are magic based, even Aava’s basic claw attacks. While your allies will help during the battle, they may not be able to draw Aava’s attention away from you. If you battle at close range, watch out for Aava to pause briefly and enter an almost prone-like stance. This is your only warning that Aava is about to emit a burst of magic that will damage anyone in close proximity. If you see this, move away quickly.
Aava uses two different magic projectile attacks. From a moderate distance Aava will summon a series of floating crystals. Once all crystals are visible, they fire magic bolts at Aava’s current target. If you get hit by the first bolt, it will knock you down and the rest will miss. You can also block all of the bolts if you have a good magic absorbing shield. While it’s possible to dodge the bolts, this is not recommended unless you’re extremely agile and skilled at dodging. Even if this is the case, it’s very difficult to avoid all of the bolts. Shortly after the bolts have been shot, small flame pillars erupt.
The second projectile attack places several magic points on the ground surrounding Aava. Once all of the points are in place, they erupt with flame pillars similar to the other magic projectile attack. Keep your distance until the flame pillars die down (which doesn’t take long).
From a distance, Aava will charge toward you, then jump with a biting attack that cannot be shielded against. If you see Aava running toward you, be prepared to dodge to the left or right. If you’re caught by the biting attack, it will inflict significant damage and almost assuredly be fatal if you’re not at full health.
Attacking Aava from close range is your best bet, unless your allies can get Aava’s attention. If this is the case, use ranged attacks from as far away as you can. From this distance you should have plenty of time to put up a shield or be ready to evade any of Aava’s attacks, should her focus of interest shift to you.
At close range, get behind Aava and attack its hind legs. Do not perform more than one or two attacks at a time, depending on the speed of your weapon. Aava will not hesitate to quickly turn around and use a claw attack against you. This happens very quickly, so you will not have time to react to it. Attack once or twice from behind Aava, then be ready to dodge. If Aava doesn’t turn around and attack, continue to target its back legs.
Aava runs around quite a bit, so you’ll have to decide if you want to stay as close as possible, or alternate between ranged attacks and melee attacks. Aava doesn’t have a ton of health, so this should be a difficult battle so long as you have solid magic defense and can evade or shield Aava’s attacks. If your allies can grab Aava’s attention for most of the battle, things become even easier as you can focus more on attacking and less on evasion.
How to Beat the Burnt Ivory King
- Reward:Soul of the Ivory King
The battle against the Burnt Ivory King is fairly straightforward. At first he attacks with a basic sword. If you stay away from him, he lunges forward with a charging attack that should be dodged to either direction. Angle your dodge diagonally forward to stay close to the boss so you can easily attack after dodging.
After a few attacks, the Ivory King imbues his sword with magic. At this point equip any magic defensive items you have to lower the damage inflicted by the weapon. In most cases it’s relatively easy to evade all of the bosses attacks, but it’s still good to have increased magic defense just in case.
If you stay away from the boss, he still uses a lunging attack that can be dodged, but all of his attacks have increased range now, so you need to dodge a little earlier than before. When the Ivory King pauses and begins to glow, move away as quickly as possible. A magic-based spike attack erupts from the ground in a circular formation around the boss.
At close range, simply circle around the boss until he attacks. He generally attacks with a two or three hit combo. Dodge all of the attacks, then counter with at least two of your own attacks. Depending on the speed of your weapon, you may be able to get more attacks off, but don’t get greedy. If you have armor with good magic defense, you won’t take huge damage from the initial attacks, but the last attack will usually remove at least 40 percent of your health bar.
If your allies have the King’s attention, back away to maximum ranged attack distance. While the boss may redirect his attention toward you, from this distance you have plenty of time to react accordingly.
How to Beat Lud, the King’s Pet and Zallen, the King’s Pet
- Reward:Soul of Lud, the King’s Pet and Soud of Zallen, the King’s Pet
If Lud seems familiar, that’s because it fights very similar to Aava, the King’s Pet who you was the first boss you fought in the DLC area. The main difference here is that shortly after the battle begins, Zallen appears. Like Lud, Zallen is essentially identical to Aava, which means you’re basically playing the same boss fight again, only with two bosses instead of one.
Like the fight against Aava, you can approach this battle multiple ways. Deal as much damage to Lud as possible before Zallen appears. Both enemies have several long-range attacks, and a few close range attacks as well. All of their attacks magic based, so make sure you have defensive gear that reduces magic damage.
Your allies will help to distract both bosses during the battle. This gives you time to attack from behind them or use ranged attacks from a distance. It’s a bit harder to use ranged attacks here because there are two enemies and the area you’re fighting in is smaller. However, if you can separate yourself from the bosses while they’re occupied with your summoned allies, use ranged attacks to inflict as much damage as possible.
Try to focus on one boss more so than the other. This fight become much easier when it’s down to only one boss instead of two. The battle begins with only Lud, which means it should have the lowest health when Zallen appears. Continue to focus on Lud until you’ve defeated it, then shift your attention over to Zallen.
If you battle at close range, attack from behind and always keep an eye on the other boss. They can attack from quite a distance away, and their lunging attacks inflict significant damage, just like Aava’s. You do not want to get caught by ranged attacks or the lunging attack while you’re busy trying to defeat the other boss. It’s very easy to lose track of the second boss, so always make sure it’s in visual range.
Any allies you have with you will go down quickly, so make sure every attack counts. This battle isn’t all that difficult by yourself so long as one of the bosses has been defeated. This is essentially the same fight as before, so you’ve already defeated the boss. What makes this encounter difficult is that you’re facing off against two of them simultaneously. It is imperative you take out at least one before your helpers die or else you’re going to need expert evasion ability to dodge attacks from two bosses at once.