Dark Souls 3 boss guide - how to defeat every top tier enemy

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Take down every Dark Souls 3 boss with our complete walkthrough guide

Pontiff Sulyvahn 

Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is a dangerous place, and the church overlooking the city seems like it would be a good place to rest – except it’s run by the deadly Pontiff Sulyvahn.

Pontiff Sulyvahn is a difficult boss, mostly due to his fire- and magic-infused swords. He will mostly attack using the flame sword, using sweeps and swords and vertical slams. He may also charge forward with the magic sword; that’ll pierce you and explode with magic damage if you don’t move. Here’s the good news: all of these attacks are best dodged by sticking right up against the Pontiff and dodging around him. It may seem counterintuitive to press against a swordsman, but it’s the safest place to be.

When he reaches about 80% health, Pontiff Sulyvahn will curl up briefly – stay back during this time, as he buffs himself while releasing a cloud of dark energy. Once buffed, he gains new attacks. With the fire sword, he’ll leap into the air and either lunge at you or slam into the ground, releasing a burst of flame. For the lunge, you need to roll under his arch; for the slam, you need to keep your distance. With the magic sword, he may fire Soul Arrows or send a wave of purple magic at you. You can roll aside to avoid the arrows, and under the wave.

But it’s his last trick that really makes the Pontiff a pain in the butt: during this second phase, he may summon a phantom version of himself. This phantom has far less HP, but it can do all the same attacks. And because it hangs behind the Pontiff for most of the fight, every attack coming your way will come twice. You need to be extra, extra smart about your dodges when the phantom is active. If the two of them get separated, try to take it down. Pontiff Sulyvahn may summon a new phantom to take its place, but at least you’ll get a brief break.

This fight is tough, and there’s no other way to put it. Stick close to Pontiff Sulyvahn during phase one and be smart with your attacks. Keep a little more distance during phase two and be even smarter with your dodges. With some patience and persistence, you’ll come out victorious.

Jump to Boss:

Iudex Gundyr
Vordt of the Boreal Valley
Curse-Rotted Greatwood (Optional)
Crystal Sage
Abyss Watchers
Deacons of the Deep
High Lord Wolnir
Old Demon King (Optional)
Pontiff Sulyvahn
Yhorm the Giant
Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
Dancer of the Boreal Valley
Oceiros, the Consumed King (Optional)
Champion Gundyr (Optional)
Dragonslayer Armour
Lothric, Younger Prince
Ancient Wyvern (Optional)
Nameless King (Optional)
Soul of Cinder

Tony Wilson
Freelance Writer

Tony lives in Maryland, where he writes about those good old-fashioned video games for GamesRadar+. His words have also appeared on GameSpot and G4, but he currently works for Framework Video, and runs Dungeons and Dragons streams.