As if Dark Souls 3 wasn’t difficult enough already, every once and a while on your journey through Lothric, when you’re in embered form, you’ll be invaded by hostile NPC phantoms that will chase after you and try to kill you. Some of these NPC invaders are also normal NPCs within the game so you might see some familiar faces trying to attack you.
These NPC invaders can be quite challenging and they also have a tendency to appear at the most inconvenient times. This list compiles all the NPC invaders that players can come across and where to find them, as well as some helpful tips for defeating them without too much trouble.
12 Holy Knight Hodrick
Kicking off this list is Holy Knight Hodrick, the first NPC invader you can face in the game. While Hodrick can be found as a regular NPC as the leader of the Mound-Makers covenant, he will also invade your world as a mad spirit near the Dilapidated Bridge in the Undead Settlement.
Because he’s a mad spirit, Hodrick will not only attack the player,but he will also attack regular enemies, so you could lead him to some of the stronger enemies in the area and let them weaken him.
11 Yellowfinger Heysel
Veterans of the Dark Souls series are already familiar with the imposing mushroom-like form of the Xanthous Crown approaching in the distance. In Dark Souls 3, players have the chance to be invaded by Yellowfinger Heysel. She will actually invade the player’s world twice: in the Crucifixion Woods and again in Farron Keep.
What’s importanat to remember about facing Heysel is that she will invade from a distance and cast Chameleon so that she can get the drop on the player, so knowing the general area where she’s going to appear is vital to prevent her from sneaking up on you.
10 Longfinger Kirk
Longfinger Kirk bears a striking resemblance to Kirk, Knight of Thorns from the first Dark Souls, and he will invade players’ worlds on the ground floor of the Cathedral of the Deep, between the two giants.
Kirk hits hard and his sword causes the bleed status effect but on top of that, coming in contact with armor when he rolls causes damage. The best way to take him on if from a distance with magic or pyromancy, or to only attack when he’s open.
9 Moaning Knight
The Moaning Knight, who looks exactly like, and probably is, Eygon of Carim, can be found near the Shared Grave bonfire of the Ringed City DLC, in the spiral tower past Darkeater Midir.
Instead of taking him on head on, you could run to the edge of the collapsed stairway where you can easily kill him with arrows without the worry of getting hit.
8 Daughter Of Crystal Kriemhild
Judging by her appearance, it’s likely that Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild, who wears the firekeeper set, was once a firekeeper, but what caused her to go from firekeeper to red phantom is a mystery.
Kriemhild will invade along the cliff path of the Untended Graves, and while she can use powerful spells to attack you from a distance, she can also parry you if you get close. The easiest way to deal with her is to simply kick her off the cliff that she appears on.
7 Livid Pyromancer Dunnel
Finding Livid Pyromancer Dunnel can be a bit tricky. In the Painted World of Ariandel, you can find an illusory wall in the bug crypt that leads to a path of roots, and at the bottom of those roots you’ll find a colosseum where he will invade.
The easiest way to beat Dunnel is find yourself a weapon that has a charge weapon art, like the halberd or the Saint Bident, and charge at Dunnel repeatedly until he falls off the edge of the colosseum.
6 Knight Slayer Tsorig
Knight Slayer Tsorig, who invades in the Catacombs of Carthus by the locked gate near the rats, is a heavily armored, ultra greatsword carrying knight reminiscent of Black Iron Tarkus from Dark Souls.
Tsorig can be tough to fight because he spends a lot of time behind his greatshield but there is one really easy way to beat him. All you have to do is open the gate in the room he spawns in before letting him invade then leading him over the collapsing bridge and he’ll fall to his death.
5 Silver Knight Ledo
Silver Knight Ledo is as tough to fight as he is intimidating. Seeing him charge at you wielding a massive great hammer is a terrifying thing and his attacks do massive amounts of damage.
Luckily, there’s a simple way to defeat him without much risk. You could lead Ledo to the nearby ledge outside, target lock him, and repeatedly cast poison or toxic mist at him to kill him safely.
4 Alva, Seeker Of The Spurned
If you’ve played Dark Souls 2, you should recognize Alva. He was mentioned in the second game and you could get his armor but he shows up here as a red phantom trying to kill. Armed with the Murakumo and a crossbow, Alva, Seeker of the Spurned can be found just before the entrance to Irithyll Dungeon.
There is, however, a really easy way to kill him. Just toss an Alluring Skull near the edge of the cliff and he’ll run right toward it and fall off the cliff.
3 Seeker Of The Spurned
Alva invades a second time, this time on the streets of the Ringed City, only for this invasion he’s dropped his name and is only going by Seeker of the Spurned.
He attacks exactly as he does in his first invasion only this time, there’s no cliff to knock him off of. Instead, it’s recommended that you roll around him and attack from behind.
2 Creighton The Wanderer
Another familiar face from Dark Souls 2, Creighton the Wanderer will invade your world in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, behind the Church of Yorshka near a massive gravestone. However, he does not spawn if you haven’t helped Sirris fight him as part of her questline.
For whatever reason, red phantoms seem to love spawning by the edge of a cliff because Creighton is yet another red phantom that you can easily beat by knocking off the cliff he spawns right next to.
1 Londor Pale Shade
Londor Pale Shade can be either an ally or an enemy. He’s an ally if you follow the Lord of Hollows questline but if you start it and either aggro or kill Yuria, cure the dark sigil, or kill either Yoel of Londor or Anri of Astora, he will invade in both Farron Keep and in Irithyll.
This phantom is best fought from a distance since he’ll only throw poison knives when you’re far away, but if you have to fight close range be sure to be aggressive and stay on the offensive. Londor Pale Shade doesn’t have much poise so he’ll stagger easily.
NEXT: Dark Souls 3: 10 Pro Tips For Soul Farming
