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

High Lord Wolnir 

You’ll fight plenty of skeletons in the Catacombs of Carthus, but High Lord Wolnir is by far the largest one you’ll face. And he doesn’t play nice.

High Lord Wolnir hovers in the back of his dark cave – which yes, does have boundaries. You might be tempted to go for his chest. Don’t. If you get to close, the mist around him will start rapidly sucking away your health. Instead, focus on the bracelets on his hands. Breaking all three will drain his HP bar.

Wolnir will start with simple swipes and fist slams, and these are easily avoided by rolling to the side. If he starts crawling toward you, roll backwards until he stops, as this will keep you away from the mist at his torso. He may also summon skeletons into the area, which only serve to get in your way, so you might want to get rid of them before turning back to the boss. The last of Wolnir’s attacks is a cloud of shadows he’ll spew from his mouth; keep your distance to avoid damage.

Once two bracelets are broken, Wolnir will draw a sword from the ground. During this phase, his basic attacks have a much farther reach, and deal more damage. He may also slam the sword into the ground, blasting yellow energy into the air. Like with his Shadow Breath, you’ll need to back away.

High Lord Wolnir looks very intimidating, but as long as you stay away from his deadlier attacks, you’ll be all right. Focus on the bracelets, and don’t stand too close.

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

Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 500 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.