Leydia Pyromancer

Location

Drops

Health
NG	NG+
350	550

Souls
NG	NG+
750	1,875

Leydia Pyromancers are enemies in Dark Souls II.

Lore[]

The apostles of Leydia were a group adept at magic and were able to use miracles, pyromancy, sorcery and even hexes at high levels with their special staves^[1]. They also worshiped Galib, God of Disease^[2]. At one point they reached the Undead Crypt and were welcomed into the it by the Fenito, ending up residing in the crypt beside them^[3], collaborating with them in their tasks and sharing their power of death^[4]. However at a certain point the Leydia Witches grew conceived and began to manipulate both the onset and curing of disease, making themselves the effective gatekeepers of the crypt^[5]. Their misuse of death^[6] and their failure to treat it with the proper respect^[7] invoked the ire of the Fenito, that branded them as transegressors^[8], blasphemous^[9] and traitors^[10] and hunted them down, denying them a peaceful death and slaughtering them most of them^[11].

Description[]

Leydia Pyromancers are ghostly figures wearing navy-blue cloaks, and wielding a sword and shield. They are about the size of the Bearer of the Curse, if not a bit bigger. They levitate slightly above the ground and move quite fluidly.

Their attacks are comprised of fast and nimble swings with their swords, as well as advanced highly damaging magic spells that are better to dodge than to block. They also, as their name implies, cast Pyromancies.

These enemies drop some very useful gear, such as Blue Flame, a straight sword capable of casting Sorceries (but not Hexes), and Magic Shield, a small shield with exquisite stats for its weight, that when infused with magic blocks 100% magic damage. They also drop Faintstones and Darknight Stones, very useful infusion materials for casters.

Attacks[]

Soul Geyser - After a prolonged charging period, the Leydia Pyromancer will launch a volley of four Soul Spears, which travel slowly and home in on the player. The spears have moderate tracking, but can be easily evaded by running either left or right after the volley is launched.

Great Chaos Fireball - Leydia Pyromancers will occasionally attempt to launch a fireball at the player. Unlike other fireballs, the ones the Leydia Pyromancer casts will move in a straight line directly at the player. Upon impact it will explode and leave a large lava pool that can become an area hazard.

Fire Tempest - The Leydia Pyromancer will charge a pyromancy and point its sword straight up, causing a single pillar of Fire Tempest to spawn directly under the player. The spell materializes as a burning flame at the player's feet, and after a delay will erupt into a flame pillar. This can deal tremendous damage, but can be easily avoided by running in any direction to get away from the pillar before it erupts.

The Leydia Pyromancer also has various sword attacks that it can execute, from lunging thrusts to three-swing combos. Their sword attacks can deal surprising damage, however they will bounce off of even medium shields, leaving them open to counterattack.

Strategy[]

Leydia Pyromancers are by far one of the deadliest foes any player can encounter. They are capable of very damaging combos with their sword and often cast extremely powerful sorceries and pyromancies, often stunning the player from the damage and possibly killing them outright. The way they fight is especially peculiar as they seem to wander, circling the player, and they will do one of two things: cast a spell, if the player tries to keep their distance; or they simply lunge themselves with little warning or any sort of telegraph for the player to react.

What makes Leydia Pyromancers even deadlier, however, is that they can swarm the player and overwhelm them with massed spells and attacks. Any time one of the bells in their area is rung, a Pyromancer spawns from each of the large tombstones, and can all immediately aggro on the player. In particular, Undead Laborers can rise from the ground and move immediately towards a nearby bell and ring it.

To defeat Leydia Pyromancers, players must be patient and focus on one at a time. Consider approaching them to bait their melee attacks and blocking them (their attacks have very good tracking so dodging is ill-advised), and then responding with quick strikes to stun-lock and quickly kill them. Dodge only their magic spells, never their physical attacks. Due to the nature of the area players will fight them in (which is filled with rocks and tight spots), it is not a good idea to kill them with ranged attacks, unless the player is either using a fast firing bow, or has a reasonable spell casting speed as well as a good line of sight.

In order to permanently defeat Leydia Pyromancers, it is necessary to destroy their tombstones, as this will cause them to stop spawning. Getting too close to a tombstone will cause a Pyromancer to spawn, so a long-reaching weapon like a halberd or spear can allow a player to safely destroy a tombstone without spawning a Pyromancer. Before doing so, try to defeat all nearby enemies that may interfere with this, especially Undead Laborers who may attempt to ring a bell to summon the Leydia Pyromancers. Once a tombstone is destroyed, it will remain so for the rest of the game; every room will have multiple tombstones, so it can be a good idea to destroy one or two and then reset at a bonfire before resuming.

Keep in mind that Leydia Pyromancers have relatively short aggro ranges, and will rarely leave the rooms where their tombstones are located. If they threaten to overwhelm you, it may be wise to retreat out of the room, and then use a bonfire to reset and try again.

Location[]

Leydia Pyromancers appear only in the Undead Crypt. They spawn from the large tombstones in several chambers. They will continue to respawn until the tombstone has been destroyed. They will only appear if a player gets too close to the coffins, or if one of the bells scattered around the Crypt is rung.

There are also six pillars in the final corridor before facing Velstadt (four in Scholar of the First Sin). These can't be destroyed, but can be disabled, until one rests at a bonfire, by killing the Undead Laborer that rings the bell (three in Scholar of the First Sin). The bell is found under the stairs at the start of the room.