Maldron the Assassin is a dark spirit in Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King.
Location[]
Maldron will appear when attempting to access one of the secondary towers of Brume Tower, spawning behind a wall just near an iron chest.
He also makes an appearance in Frozen Eleum Loyce, near the Lower Garrison bonfire.
Appearance[]
Maldron is armed with a Heide Greatlance and a Rebel's Greatshield, and is wearing a combination of Alva Helm, Royal Swordsman Armor, Heide Knight Gauntlets and Royal Swordsman Leggings. In his second appearance, he is equipped with a White Ring as well.
Description[]
At Brume Tower, after taking damage he will retreat down the stairs and wait for the player at the bottom. The tower contains several Possessed Armors, Ashen Warriors and an Ashen Idol that inflicts Curse, making it incredibly risky to chase after him. Wearing the Hollow Skin will make the player immune to the curse. If the player hasn't acquired it yet, wearing the Ring of Binding while hollow may help alleviate HP reduction; caution should still be taken with the large amount of enemies at the bottom of the tower, though. If he is left alone long enough at the bottom of the tower, he may even use an Estus Flask to heal himself.
In Frozen Eleum Loyce, he will disguise himself as a White Phantom using a White Ring in order to trick the player, even performing a gesture in greeting. However, he will attempt to backstab the player as soon as they let their guard down, so it is advisable to attack him immediately. Once his ruse is discovered, he will flee from the player and try to ambush them as they explore the area. If the large gate near his location has been unlocked, he will retreat down to the pit with the Covetous Demon.
Strategy[]
Brume Tower[]
Before even attempting to fight Maldron, it's advisable to find and wear the Hollow Skin first. He has a considerable amount of HP, each successful backstab on him will only deplete about ⅓ of his health bar (depending on the player's weaponry and stats). He usually tries to chain his attacks in numbers of three or four, having excellent tracking on the player's current position. His attacks drain big amounts of stamina, so blocking them is not advisable lest the player risk suffering a guard break.
As mentioned above, once he has sustained enough damage, he'll try to escape to the bottom of the tower and stand right in front of the Ashen Idol to protect it, waiting for the player to come down. His escape routine may also trigger automatically once enough time has passed, however. If the player can keep him occupied while he's trying to escape, he'll stay to fight for a moment until he tries to escape again. The whole spiral staircase will be full of hindrances, though: four Ashen Warriors perched on cogs (two on each one) constantly throwing firebombs, two more double-wielding battle axes waiting throughout the stairs, and two immortal Possessed Armors which will come back to life every time shortly after being defeated until the Idol has been destroyed, not to mention the fast Curse buildup that affects almost the entire tower.
If the player immediately hugs the right wall after stepping off the iron chain bridge that connects to the tower, Maldron won't attack immediately, leaving the player enough time to clear out the tower before fighting him. Alternatively, and perhaps the best method to deal with him, is to simply use a Seed of a Tree of Giants when he makes his way down, and just wait for the rest of the enemies to kill him.
Maldron is susceptible to being poisoned, so Poison Throwing Knives are recommended for ranged attacks. Also, as most of his attacks require him to lunge, he often leaves himself open for backstabbing.
He is very easy to parry, so doing so is a good strategy as it will allow the player to do a lot of damage.
Frozen Eleum Loyce[]
Maldron's combat tactics will have greatly improved from when you met him at Brume Tower:
- He'll be wearing a White Ring to try to deceive you into thinking he's an ally.
- If you're wielding melee weaponry, he'll stand in front of you and do nothing. He'll just keep standing there without attacking and no matter where you go, he'll follow and continue with this behavior. The reason for this, is because he's waiting for you to attack first so he can roll forward and score some free hits.
- If you're wielding any type of ranged weaponry (a bow, for example) he'll be more aggressive and start attacking immediately.
- After sustaining enough damage, he'll escape and look for an enemy in the area to aid him in battle.
- Every time he escapes, he'll most likely heal with an Estus Flask.
- However, if the player is already giving chase to him at that point, he'll instead attempt to throw a Corrosive Urn at the player.
- His health will be gradually replenishing throughout the whole fight.
He awaits upstairs of the first building located on the second floor. The second building hosts a bonfire, so it's recommended to rest first to prepare for the battle, and also scout the area and kill every enemy around, as he'll try to lure you into them when his escape routine triggers. This time he's not considered to be an invader, so using a Seed of a Tree of Giants won't have any benefit at all and he also won't drop a Human Effigy upon defeat. He can be poisoned, though, so it's advisable to bring and equip Poison Throwing Knives. As soon as you meet him, he'll perform the "Righty-ho!" gesture, this leaves him open for you to score a free hit. If you turn your back on him while he's apparently non-hostile, he'll try to backstab you. If you turn again while he's attempting to do this, he may respond by performing another gesture.
A very easy way to defeat him is to bring a great hammer with you and hold it with both hands. As soon as you meet him, and while he's waving at you, backstab him. When he's trying to stand up, perform a strong attack to make him drop again; timing is crucial, as the attack won't connect if done too early, and he'll roll away if done too late. Just keep smashing him into the ground until he dies.
Notes[]
- In Brume Tower, if left long enough on his own, he will use a Silver Talisman to conceal himself as part of the surrounding and attempt to backstab the player when they attempt to open the chest near where he spawns.
- Maldron will use Corrosive Urns against the player at long range to destroy their equipment.
- Maldron can use an Estus Flask to heal himself. This happens usually after his escape and appears to have a cooldown. Maybe 15 seconds.
- A useful tactic is to use a Seed of a Tree of Giants to turn the enemies against him, as he often runs past or within attack range of several enemies whenever he retreats.
- He will perform gestures if he successfully kills the player: the "Mock" gesture if he defeats the player in Brume Tower and the "Decapitate" gesture if in the Lower Garrison.
- If Maldron manages to backstab you before starting the fight in Lower Garrison, he will do the "No Way" gesture. This is common if the player ignores him and tries to pull the lever for the large gate while he's right behind you.
- Despite owning a Heide Greatlance, he will not drop the weapon but his gear or a Human Effigy. His Heide Greatlance also lacks the Lightning Element, suggesting his weapon could have been a forgery.
- Even though he is using a White Ring to trick the player as a friendly White Phantom, Maldron can still be locked on like a normal enemy, revealing his true identity.