Dark Souls 3 is filled to the brim with challenging boss fights, so much so that it’s not uncommon to get stuck on a particular boss for hours, even days or weeks, especially if you’re not familiar with the Souls series.
The Old Demon King is one such boss that gives a lot of players trouble. Found in the pits of the Smouldering Lake, the Old Demon King is said to be oldest, and last, demon to witness the chaos of Izalith, and it shows. Here are a few handy pro tips to get the better of the Old Demon King and defeat the troublesome boss.
10 Summon
Many in the Dark Souls community are staunchly against using summons for boss fights but it’s a perfectly viable tactic when you’re struggling. There’s no shame in summoning.
There are two helpful NPC summons near the fog gate to the boss fight. The summon sign for Great Swamp Cuculus can be found right at the bottom of the stairs leading to the boss fight while the summon sign for Knight Slayer Tsorig is found by the bonfire near the fog gate.
9 Get Some Fire Resistant Gear
It seems like a no-brainer but it’s often easy to overlook equipping certain kinds of gear for different bosses. Since the Old Demon King does almost nothing but spout flames, it’s important to get yourself some gear that’s resistant to fire.
There are a few pieces of equipment that can increase your fire damage absorption that are also easy to obtain. For example, the Flame Stoneplate Ring found in the Undead Settlement and the Dragon Crest Shield found above the Old Wolf of Farron bonfire are great when you’re trying to mitigate fire damage.
8 Utilize The Arena’s Space
It’s important for every boss fight to get your bearings of the area you’ll be fighting the boss in. The same goes the Old Demon’s King’s boss arena. You fight the Old Demon King in a massive area and not using that space would be a waste.
If you find your health getting low, there’s plenty of space in this arena to back off and heal without worrying about getting interrupted. It’s also spacious enough that you can avoid its AOE attacks.
7 Exploit Its Weaknesses
If you’re having trouble with the Old Demon King, you need to make sure you’re using weapons that exploit its weakness.
The Old Demon King is weak to Dark damage. Infusing a weapon with Dark will do the trick, or you can use the Onyx Blade from the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, but there’s also a wide range of spells that deal huge amounts of Dark damage. The boss is also weak to Black Knight weapons.
6 Attack From Behind
Sometimes the best approach is not the most direct. Instead of trying to take on the Old Demon King head on, the best way to fight it is to get around it and attack from behind.
Attacking from behind would allow you to avoid most of its attacks from its giant club, but that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down, its fire attacks could still reach you.
5 Timing Is Everything
While equipping flame damage absorbing gear will help mitigate the damage from its attacks, it’s not going to block all the damage you receive. What can allow you to avoid damage is a well-timed dodge roll.
The Old Demon King’s fire attacks, specifically its ring of fire attack, can be rolled through to avoid any damage, so make sure you haven’t gone over your equip load so you can quick roll.
4 Pyromancy
It might seem counterintuitive to use pyromancy against a boss covered in flames, but there are two specific pyromancies that are helpful.
The first is Flash Sweat, which will increase your fire damage absorption by 30% for 30 seconds. It’s a useful spell that will mitigate the damage received from the Old Demon King’s fire attacks. The second is Poison Mist, but be aware that this boss is resistant to poison so it’s a slow (but safe) way to deal damage.
3 Puddles Of Water
You may have noticed that there are a few pools of water placed throughout the boss arena. These puddles aren’t just for show, as they can actually help you during the boss fight.
Standing in the pools of water actually reduces fire damage. So if you’re lacking in fire-resistant gear, it could be a good alternative. In addition to that, when the Old Demon King ignites itself to add fire damage to its melee attacks, you could lure it into one of these puddles to extinguish its flames.
2 Come Back Later
If you find yourself banging your head against a wall unable to defeat the Old Demon King, you might want to consider leaving it for later. The Old Demon King is an optional boss so you don’t have to defeat it the first time you reach the Smouldering Lake, you can come back later.
Progress a bit more through the game, increasing your stats and getting better gear, then come back with your new equipment and you might just find that you’ll have an easier time of it.
1 Learn Its Attacks
When it comes down to it, the best way to defeat the Old Demon King is to learn its set of attacks and use that knowledge to know when to attack, block, dodge, or when to roll away.
Spend some time getting familiar with the Old Demon King’s moves instead of rushing in to attack blindly. The Soul series is known for being challenging but fair, being able to read enemies and bosses is the cornerstone to success with these games.
NEXT: Dark Souls 3: 5 Best Locations For Soul Farming (& 5 Of The Worst)
