Dark Souls III Boss Guides#

Dark Souls III has 25 bosses (19 in the base game + 6 DLC) — this chapter breaks down every boss in progression order, with the fight plan and key points for each one.

Base Game Bosses#

Iudex Gundyr#

Strategy:

• Phase 1 (human form): Gundyr wields a halberd — long wind-ups. Circle him with your shield up and punish with 1-2 hits once he finishes a swing.
• Phase 2 (serpent form): black tendrils sprout from Gundyr’s body — his reach gets much bigger. Don’t get greedy — the tendrils’ grab attack is dangerous.
• A Warrior or Knight start is recommended — the starting weapon and shield are enough to win.
• Drops: Coiled Sword + Embers

Vordt of the Boreal Valley#

Strategy:

• Stay under him for the whole fight — Vordt’s belly is a safe zone.
• Phase 1: roll forward under him as he attacks — none of his swings can hit you there.
• Phase 2: he starts charging and breathing frost — stay under him just the same; his frost breath can’t reach the spot directly beneath him.

Curse-Rotted Greatwood#

Strategy:

• Attack the white eggs (growths) on its body — that’s the only weak point.
• Phase 1: hit the eggs on its legs and sides — once they pop, the trunk topples to the ground.
• Phase 2: after it stands back up, new eggs appear — on its arms and back.
• Watch out for its grab attack and the fart slam — both deal heavy damage.

Crystal Sage#

Strategy:

• Phase 1: the Sage attacks with sorceries — rush straight in and slash away. It’s very fragile.
• Find the real body quickly and kill it — the clones cast spells. Don’t get bogged down fighting the clones.

Abyss Watchers#

Strategy:

• Phase 1: one red-eyed Watcher attacks you — but a second one (grey-eyed) soon joins in, and it attacks the red-eyed Watcher! It’s a free-for-all — wait until they’re trading blows, then backstab the red-eyed one.
• Phase 2: after you clear the first round, the whole company of Watchers dies → one Watcher revives with a flame buff.
• The flame Watcher has longer reach, flame combo slashes and a leaping chop. Roll through them — his biggest opening is the long recovery after he slams the ground.
• Drops: Soul of the Blood of the Wolf — transposes into the Farron Greatsword or the Wolf Knight’s Greatsword.

High Lord Wolnir#

• One of the easiest bosses in the game — attack the golden bracelets on his wrists.
• Smash all three bracelets and the boss dies on the spot.
• Watch out for his poison breath and his skeleton summons — don’t let yourself get cornered.
• If he pulls a hand back while you’re hitting it — switch to the other hand and keep swinging.
• Drops: Soul of High Lord Wolnir

Deacons of the Deep#

Strategy:

• When the red-glowing Archdeacon appears — focus him down immediately. Killing him is the only way to drain the boss’s total HP.
• The deacons throw up dark spell barrages — roll through them.
• Heavy armor plus a greatshield lets you just stand and trade — extremely forgiving.
• Drops: Soul of a Deacon of the Deep

Pontiff Sulyvahn#

Strategy:

Strategy:

• Open with a backstab: step forward once after entering the fog gate → Sulyvahn turns around slowly → use that moment to backstab him.
• Phase 2: Sulyvahn summons a transparent clone. Kill the clone the instant it appears — hitting the clone also damages the real body.
• His delayed slashes are real traps — don’t roll the moment you see the wind-up; roll when the blade is about to come down.
• If you’re not blocking, drilling your roll rhythm is the key — for most of his attacks the timing is “see the swing start → wait 0.5 seconds → roll”.

Yhorm the Giant#

Strategy:

• A special-mechanic boss — no ordinary hacking and slashing required.
• Equip the Storm Ruler → two-hand it → hold the weapon art button to charge → the blade gathers force → release to send out a shockwave.
• Each charged shockwave deals roughly 25% of his HP — 4-5 casts will end the fight.
• If you’ve done Siegward of Catarina’s questline — he shows up in the arena to fight alongside you with his own Storm Ruler, which speeds things up enormously.

Dragonslayer Armour#

Strategy:

Strategy:

• An armored warrior fused with a dragon’s head — a relentless melee rusher. Its attack rhythm is very standard — block/roll → 2 hits → block/roll.
• Mind his shield charge — dodge with a sideways roll.
• Phase 2: the dragon he summons breathes dark projectiles — watch for dark patches on the ground. The boss’s own moveset barely changes.
• Drops: Soul of Dragonslayer Armour — transposes into the Dragonslayer Greatshield or the Dragonslayer Greataxe.

Twin Princes#

Strategy:

• Phase 1 (Lorian): Lorian wields a flaming greatsword — he will teleport right next to you to attack. The key: don’t roll the instant he teleports — wait for the flash of the blade, then roll.
• He has a long-charged area explosion — when you see it, run away or chain backward rolls to get clear.
• Phase 2 (both princes): Lorian rides on Lothric’s back — adding ranged magic barrages. You have to grind down both of their health pools.
• High-DPS weapons are recommended — fast enough to hit the rider on the back during Lothric’s casting gaps.

Soul of Cinder#

Strategy:

Strategy:

• The final boss — he is the incarnation of every Lord who ever linked the fire.
• Phase 1: he cycles through four weapon stances.
  • Straight sword stance: standard combos — the easiest to handle.
  • Curved sword stance: rapid combos — back off and wait for him to finish.
  • Staff stance: ranged sorceries — close the gap and attack.
  • Spear stance: thrust attacks — roll sideways.
• Each stance change is your best damage window.
• Phase 2: the Soul of Cinder draws the Coiled Sword — gaining a fire buff. His signature five-hit combo is lethal — first a horizontal slash → then a vertical slash → then a horizontal slash → then a vertical slash → and finally a huge explosion — roll through every one of them.
• He also throws lightning spears and casts Sunlight Spear — roll sideways whenever you see him raise his weapon.
• Drops: Soul of the Lords

DLC Bosses#

Sister Friede#

Strategy:

• A 3-phase boss — patience is everything here.
• P1: Friede fights with a scythe. Her attacks have short wind-ups but clearly readable roll timing. Watch out for her invisibility — when she disappears, track her by the footprints in the snow.
• P2: Father Ariandel joins the fight — a huge, bloated mix of fire and frost attacks. Kill Father Ariandel first — when he’s stacked up with Friede in the same spot, both of them are within your reach.
• P3: Friede awakens — a black-flame scythe. She’s extremely fast, and her wide black-flame slashes demand perfect rolls. Watch for her leaping grab — the moment she jumps, roll backward.

Demon Prince#

Strategy:

Strategy:

• Phase 1: two demons attack at the same time — one spits fire from range, the other fights up close with claws. Use the pillars to keep them apart — kill the ranged one first.
• Key point: which demon you kill last decides the Demon Prince’s form in phase 2 — leave the melee demon for last, so the Prince uses the laser (much easier to dodge than the fire rain).
• Phase 2: the Demon Prince grows massive — his attacks cover an enormous area. His laser is easy to avoid: just run sideways while he charges it. The final hit of his 4-hit claw combo is your damage window.

Darkeater Midir#

Strategy:

• A massive dragon boss — enormous HP and dark-element attacks. The key: stay in front of his head — only head hits deal meaningful damage.
• Warning: striking his body and legs does almost no damage — and he never stops moving. You have to chase his head around the arena.
• His dark breath is a wide AOE — the moment you see him charge it, run sideways. His laser takes several rolls in a row to dodge.
• When he keels over — hitting the head can trigger a critical hit for massive damage.

Slave Knight Gael#

Strategy:

• The finale of the series — many players call this the finest boss fight in the entire Souls series.
• P1: Gael fights with a greatsword plus a crossbow. His swings are big and sweeping — the last hit of his three-slash combo covers a huge arc. Punish him during the recovery after his combos.
• P2: Gael goes berserk — wielding the power of the Dark Soul. He unleashes wide dark eruptions — jump or roll to dodge. His seven-hit combo is a lethal move; keep rolling backward to stay clear of it.
• P3: Gael calls down lightning — warning zones appear on the ground. Stay close to him — at a distance, his lightning and dark bolts are much harder to dodge. His biggest damage window opens after his leaping ground slam.
• Bleed weapons are recommended — Gael’s bleed resistance isn’t high.