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

Soul of Cinder 

So you’ve taken down all four Lords of Cinder, and now it’s time to end this once and for all. Warp to the Kiln of the First Flame – sound familiar? – and you’ll be face to face with the deadly Soul of Cinder.

This fight has several phases, so you need to be able to counter a variety of attacks. The Soul will begin the phase wielding a greatsword, and all his manoeuvres will include sweeping and slamming attacks. These are easily avoided by sticking close to him and rolling, but be sure to chip away at his health every chance you get.

After losing about 25% of his health, the Soul will switch to a sorcery move set. His spells will either be fast-moving Soul Arrows or a slower, frequent magic rain. Both of these can be dodged with a roll, but the timing is of course quite different. Try to get close and attack him as much as possible, but watch out for the burst.

At 50% health, he’ll switch his spells for a spear. His attacks now consist of stabs, lunges, and spins. For the first two, simply dodge to the side. For his spinning attack, back off until the move ends. As usual, chip away at his health after each dodge.

With just 25% health left, he’ll wield a curved sword and pyromancies. Be ready to dodge backward as he twirls around with his blade. And if he starts lobbing fire balls your way, dodge to the side to avoid the burning damage. He may also breathe a poison mist, so if it catches you, get out of there quickly before the poison effect sets in.

Once you deplete his health bar, get ready for one final form (and watch out for the burst of fire when he charges up!). Remember Lord Gwyn from Dark Souls? The Soul of Cinder will revive with full health and all of Gwyn’s moves at his disposal – plus Sunlight spells. The Soul may initiate a five-hit combo, and if you’re caught, you won’t be able to roll out. If you see this attack build up, stay back. He may also lunge forward and try to grab you; if he succeeds, he’ll sap a big piece of your health away, so make sure you roll aside. Finally, he may conjure up a Sunlight Spear. If he throws this directly at you, you can dodge it with a side roll. If he throws it into the area, mash the dodge button to avoid the lightning raining down on you. Throughout all of this, you need to take the pauses in between his attacks to deal damage of your own.

Souls of Cinder is the final boss of Dark Souls 3, so don’t expect an easy fight. Go in with lots of Estus Flasks, and keep yourself healed. Learn the array of attacks in the first half of the fight and be prepared for a variety of dodges. When he revives with new attacks, be wise with your dodges and attacks. It’ll take a lot of effort, but slaying the Soul of Cinder and finishing your journey is totally doable.

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.