- For the character in Dark Souls III, see Longfinger Kirk.
Kirk, Knight of Thorns, also known as Knight Kirk, is an enemy in Dark Souls.
Location
Kirk is an invader that can assault the player three times in a playthrough:
- Area with several Basilisks in the Depths.
- Demon Ruins, shortly after the first Capra Demon (only invades after placing the Lordvessel).
- Lost Izalith, next to the Bed of Chaos.
As with other dark spirits, Kirk will not invade in the respective areas if the boss of the area has been defeated, or if the player is Hollow.
Plot
Kirk invades the player in the aforementioned places. He has no dialogue whatsoever and does not contribute to the story at all, probably being present only to give the players a taste of PvP experience.
Lore
Kirk is part of the Darkwraith covenant and is known for his murderous tendencies.[1]
Other sources state that Kirk is actually a Chaos Servant, and is invading other worlds in order to gather Humanity so that he may offer them to Quelaag's Sister.[2]
Strategy
Kirk is a standard melee fighter. When he rolls his armor deals minimal damage on contact, but will stun low-poise players, so keeping a shield up makes fighting him considerably easier.
Kirk's damage output is unremarkable, making him good practice for parrying. However, his weapons do cause the Bleed effect. He also attacks fairly slowly, giving many opportunities for backstabs.
Kirk invades at very inconvenient places: in the first and third instances, he is likely to invade while the player already has their hands full fighting other enemies, and in the second, he fights on the edge of a ledge, making it likely for the player to accidentally launch either him or themselves off. Keep these in mind when fighting him and plan accordingly.
Notes
The Set of Thorns spawns in the Daughter of Chaos area in Quelaag's Domain if Kirk has been defeated all three times; however, his sword and shield are not definite drops and may never be dropped for the player.
The locations at which Kirk invades are not a set order, it is contingent on which order player has chosen to visit while being in a non-hollowed state.
Character information
Health and souls
| Location | Health | Souls | ||
| NG | NG+ | NG | NG+ | |
| Depths | 682 | 1,051 | 5,938 | 5,938 |
| Demon Ruins | 719 | 1,107 | 26,950 | 26,950 |
| Lost Izalith | 719 | 1,107 | 26,950 | 26,950 |
Defenses
| Location | Physical Defenses | Elemental Defenses | Resistances | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| The Depths | 195 | 189 | 205 | 195 | 142 | 161 | 135 | D | D | B |
| Demon Ruins | 305 | 296 | 321 | 305 | 231 | 253 | 212 | C | C | B |
| Lost Izalith | 305 | 296 | 321 | 305 | 231 | 253 | 212 | A | A | B |
These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.
Equipment
| Right Hand | Left Hand |
 Barbed Straight Sword +6 |
 Spiked Shield +6 |
| Head | Chest | Hands | Legs |
 Helm of Thorns |
 Armor of Thorns |
 Gauntlets of Thorns |
 Leggings of Thorns |
| Right Hand | Left Hand |
Barbed Straight Sword +15 |
Spiked Shield +15 |
| Head | Chest | Hands | Legs |
Helm of Thorns +5 |
Armor of Thorns +5 |
Gauntlets of Thorns +5 |
Leggings of Thorns +5 |
Drops
| Item | Barbed Straight Sword |
Spiked Shield |
|---|---|---|
| Drop Rate | 33% | 33% |
Trivia
- One of the promotional pictures for Kirk features him invading a player in New Londo Ruins; however, he never invades there in-game.
- It is entirely possible for Kirk to drop both his sword and shield in a single encounter. Due to its high chance of being dropped, using the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, will boosts these chances further, and aid players in obtaining his equipment in a single playthrough.
Gallery
References
- ā Set of Thorns description.
- ā Stated by game director, Miyazaki Hidetaka, in an interview.