The Dancer of the Boreal Valley is a boss in Dark Souls III.
In-Game Description
- The Pontiff Sulyvahn bestowed a double-slashing sword upon a distant daughter of the formal royal family, ordering her to serve first as a dancer, and then as an outrider knight, the equivalent to exile.[1]
Description
The Dancer is a towering, lanky being that more closely resembles her master, Pontiff Sulyvahn, than the other beastly armored knights from Irithyll, like Vordt. She stands upright instead of crawling on all fours and shambles with deceivingly slow steps. This unusual gait, paired with the caustic dark ooze that drips from her body whilst warping into the cathedral (very similar to the liquid that exudes from Knight Artorias), may imply a connection with the Abyss.
Location
Found in the High Wall of Lothric, in the cathedral where Priestess Emma resides. Starting the boss fight intendedly requires that the player has already defeated the first three Lords of Cinder: the Abyss Watchers, Aldrich, and Yhorm.
After the third Lord of Cinder has been defeated, a cutscene will play with Emma summoning the Ashen One to the cathedral. Once there, she will bestow them the Basin of Vows. Walking up to the statue of the beheading knight behind her with it in possession will make the Dancer reveal herself and initiate the boss fight.
Alternatively, the player may kill Emma at any time during the game, loot the basin from her body, and approach the statue to commence the battle.
Lore
This direct relative of the Anor Londo royalty,[2] thought to have been a maiden to Gwynevere,[3] was among those Irithyllians living in Irithyll when it was conquered by a resident of the painting named Sulyvahn. At some point after his takeover, Pontiff Sulyvahn forced her to become a dancer. He later conscripted her into his contingent of Outrider Knights, which was his version of exile,[1] and in accordance to her vows she was gifted with blades of power mirroring his own.[4] They were sent out, with her being accompanied by Vordt,[5] and they both eventually devolved into bestial fighters.[6]
Fight overview
Strategy
Since the room where this boss fight takes place is arguably small for fighting a boss of this nature, the player may opt in destroying most of the furniture inside beforehand in order to remove most obstacles that may hinder movement in precarious moments during the battle.
The columns around the chapel, as well as the walls surrounding the niche where the statue of the beheading knight lies, can be set on fire by hitting them with a Fire source, like the torch. This may be performed prior to the battle in order to have a better light source during the encounter. The flames emitted by the columns are completely harmless to the player and they are only there for aesthetic purposes.
Fast weapons are recommended for beginning players as they will allow to recover before she does.
For the first phase of the fight, it is best to stay near her right leg so that her grab is easier to see (although it doesn't reach far, it can reach far around her left side, making it a bad idea to side roll). Boosting fire resistance with the Flame Stoneplate Ring or Red Bug Pellet may be a good idea but not required as it is in your best interest to avoid her attacks altogether. Using stamina reinforcers like the Grass Crest Shield, Chloranthy Ring, or Green Blossoms are a good idea, as it will allow you to roll more as her attacks can false combo and some have a delay that can mess up your timing and would require two or three rolls to avoid.
Around half health, she will bring out her other blade that does Magic damage and dual wield both, so she won't do her grab. The particle effects may look like they can damage, but they won't so it is a prime time to punish, especially with a bleed build. Afterward, she most likely will start twirling. At the end of her second phase punish, you will want to stay behind her and wait until she does a roundhouse twirl. For the second phase, it is actually a better idea to stay right in front of her rather than attacking her back side, as it will be easier to read her attacks and a lot of her second phase attacks are twirls that can easily catch you.
Drops
| Item |  Soul of the Dancer |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed |
Notes
- Once the Basin of Vows has been obtained, just by approaching the statue of the beheading knight will start the boss battle, no actual interaction with it is required, which may take unprepared players by surprise.
- This is especially dangerous since the player is normally teleported to that location just after defeating the third Lord of Cinder and they may be weak from the previous battle.
- Defeating the Dancer early in the game gives access to two advanced areas: Lothric Castle and the Consumed King's Garden.
- Killing Emma has no negative storyline consequences in the game, as the player will still be summoned to the cathedral by her after defeating the third Lord of Cinder. However, Lion Knight Albert summon will become unavailable.
- Dancer can be staggered with enough blows, what breaks all of her attacks.
- However, if the player manage to break her poise by hitting her head, she will become open for a critical strike.
Trivia
- In Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, several ghosts of long dead knights can be seen wandering along the city streets. Two unique ghosts in particular, one male and the other female, can be seen departing from the cathedral at the end of the main street. They heavily resemble Vordt and the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, both of whom served together under Pontiff Sulyvahn's command.
- Given her movements and context, her actual task as "dancer" was likely of an erotic sort, possibly to dance for Sulyvahn himself.
- This would partially explain why he felt her important enough to give her swords similar to his own, but it could also be to respect her royal blood, though the latter is less likely.
- In the network test and early demos, the Dancer's name appeared as the "Dancer of the Frigid Valley".
- A unused set of audio files can be found that depict the Dancer laughing and shrilling as she enters the fight, as well as giving a haunting chuckle when she stares at the player. This laughter and shrill is of a multi-voiced female source.
- Her crown looks familiar too and may even reference the Iron Yahar'gul Helm from Bloodborne.
- If the player failed their first attempt at slaying the Dancer, then her flame-imbued sword will be visible through the fog gate before entering
Gallery
Videos
Music
Yuka Kitamura - Dancer Of The Boreal Valley (Extended) (Dark Souls III Extended Original Soundtrack)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Soul of the Dancer description.
- ↑ Dancer's Crown description.
- ↑ Soothing Sunlight (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ Dancer's Enchanted Swords description.
- ↑ Soul of Boreal Valley Vordt description.
- ↑ Dancer's Set piece description.