Manus, Father of the Abyss

Location

Drops

Health
NG	NG+
6,666	10,464

Souls
NG	NG+
60,000	120,000

"If thine wish is to succeed poor Artorias, and challenge the spread of the Dark, then thou must face Manus, Father of the Abyss. The Dark emanates from Manus himself. Even if this land shall expire, thou may be able to prevent further corrosion... But even so, one day the flames will fade, and only Dark will remain. And even a legend such as thineself can do nothing to stop that."

— Hawkeye Gough

Manus, Father of the Abyss is a boss who is encountered in Dark Souls, but can only be fought in the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.

Description

Manus is the final boss of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, he is encountered in the Chasm of the Abyss where it is possible to summon Sif to aid the player in the battle. Sif's summon sign can be found in the arena where the player fights Manus.

Plot

Once the Broken Pendant is in their possession, Manus pulls the Chosen Undead through a rift in Darkroot Basin and into the past land of Oolacile.

He is discovered to have kidnapped Princess Dusk and is eventually confronted in the Chasm of the Abyss.

Lore

The people of Oolacile were fooled by a serpent, resulting in the upturning of Manus's grave and inciting his wrath.^[1] He is the cause of the Abyss, which threatened to swallow all of Oolacile.^[2]

Manus was once human and became the Father of the Abyss after his humanity went wild, eternally seeking his precious Broken Pendant.^[3]

After his defeat, his soul split apart and became fragmented. Eventually some of these soul fragments became self-aware and formed into their own entities. The fragments known to have done this became Nashandra, Elana, Nadalia and Alsanna.

Strategies

It is possible for the player to kill Manus from outside the fog gate. First, kill all the surrounding humanity spirits. Then, unequip all armor and equip a fully upgraded longbow. The player will need Feather Arrows and the Hawk Ring. The player then needs to stand on the right side of the bridge leading to the fog gate. Equip the Symbol of Avarice and the Red Tearstone Ring.

Unequip the Symbol of Avarice after the Red Tearstone Ring has taken effect. There are a set of ridges and on the 3rd one from the bridge, the red eyes of Manus will be visible to the player. Once the player has found him, they must undertake the difficult task of shooting at Manus until Manus has been hit. Then, shoot him until his health is low. Now the player has two options: 1) The player may traverse the white light just before Manus is killed and finish him off, or 2) The player may kill him from the ledge. The fog gate will disappear and the player will get the souls. When the player gets to the platform that Manus usually takes the player off of, the player can roll off and land with no damage.

If the player wishes to face Manus conventionally, then it is advisable to equip items that boost stamina such as the Cloranthy Ring as well as a decent shield that blocks physical damage. Only attack Manus after he has performed his jumping smash or "frenzy combo" or the player will be caught in the middle of his strikes and take heavy damage. Manus will start using his magic attacks at around 50% health, use the Silver Pendant to deflect them.

It is also a wise idea to only use Sif's summoning sign once Manus is down to half health,since it distracts Manus in a harder part of the fight and it's less likely the player will get hit by the Dark Orb barrage attack.

Notes

The Silver Pendant, although not necessary for this fight, can be of great help as it can block all of his magic attacks if used in the correct timing.

Great Grey Wolf Sif can provide some useful help in this battle. Whilst Sif's attacks are not very damaging, the extra summon can keep Manus distracted and give the player time to heal. Sif's summon sign is inside the arena with Manus directly to the left of where the player spawns, and can only be summoned during the fight as a result. Sif will be summoned instantly after touching the sign.

Boss Information

Attacks

Short Arm Slam

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Strike	No	Both	Medium

Long Arm Slam

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Manus will hold up his shadowy limb for a short period and bring it down toward the player. This attack can reach more than halfway across the boss arena and can break the guard of most medium stability shields, dealing moderate damage to the player. This attack can be dodged by rolling in any direction during Manus' downswing. This attack is telegraphed by rapid movement along his shadowy limb.

Back Swipe

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

If the player is behind him, he can twist his arm all the way around as a defense for his backside.

Uppercut

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Strike	No	Both	Medium

Long Arm Sweep

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Strike	No	Left	Medium

Triple Swing

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Strike	No	Both	Medium

Catalyst Smash

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Strike	No	Left	Medium

Manus quickly brings his catalyst into the ground, dealing moderate damage.

High Jump Slam

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Manus jumps high above the player, slamming down with his Catalyst and hand, this also causes the player to lose their target lock afterwards.

Berserk Combo

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
???	0	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Manus will let out a quick scream after which he performs four swipes and two downward smashes, potentially hitting the player six times in succession, dealing high damage and high stamina-drain if blocked.

Dark Orb Barrage

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
0	???	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Manus will cast a barrage of Dark Orbs similar to the sorcery Dark Bead using his Catalyst, Dark Orbs fire out in a fan shape, thus making it easier to evade by strafing/rolling while at close range. The Dark Orbs also drop to the ground after a moment, making this a spell of limited range. Manus telegraphs this attack by holding his Catalyst out to his left, (The players right) charging it for a moment before swinging it towards the player, releasing the Dark Orbs. This attack is capable of breaking the guards of most shields, so it is advised to block this attack with the Silver Pendant.

Abyss Rain

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
0	???	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Manus casts a dark sorcery, whereby multiple Dark Orbs appear in the air above Manus and rain down around Manus in a sizable area of effect. Each Dark Orb can home in on the player if they are allowed to enter a certain range. The player can utilize their invulnerability frames from fast rolling (12 invulnerability frames, 14 with the Dark Wood Grain Ring), or alternatively use the Silver Pendant, this does not stop the Dark Orbs, but merely holds them in place above the player if they remain still, rolling away before the Silver Pendant wears off will help the player avoid damage.

Abyss Cage

				Attack Type	Parryable	Tracking	Speed
0	???	0	0	Magic	No	Both	Average

Dark Orbs propagate from above Manus, surrounding the entire arena before homing back in on Manus, dealing high damage to the player. This attack covers the entire arena, except for the area right next to Manus himself, like an inverted AoE. it is dodged by getting as close as possible to Manus once he starts casting. The Silver Pendant blocks this attack.