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The Old Dragonslayer is an optional boss in Dark Souls II.

Location[]

The Old Dragonslayer can be found in the Cathedral of Blue. He is opposite to the Dragonrider and is accessible after raising the lever to lower the drawbridge.

In SotFS, a Guardian Dragon is present on the platform which has to be killed in order to lower the bridge.

Description[]

The Old Dragonslayer's appearance and moveset is nearly identical to Dragon Slayer Ornstein's with the exception of dark magic attacks, as well as his armor being black instead of golden.

Lore[]

The Old Dragonslayer is a mysterious figure with little to no available information on him. It is unknown if this is the same Dragonslayer encountered in Anor Londo in Dark Souls, or perhaps an imposter using Ornstein's influence and equipment, or something else entirely.

Summoning[]

Masterless Glencour can be summoned from a ledge just to the right of the Dragonrider's arena. A fearless tank knight wielding a greatsword and a shield, Glencour will immediately rush the Old Dragonslayer after stepping through the fog gate, and continue to distract and inflict moderate damage throughout the battle, making him an invaluable ally to those having trouble conquering the Old Dragonslayer in a one-on-one situation. 

In Scholar of the First Sin, Devotee Scarlett can be found at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the spear-wielding Heide Knight and the Guardian Dragon

Strategy[]

The fight is very similar to the Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough battle without Smough. There are slight differences in how the Old Dragonslayer fights compared to Ornstein. An example would be that the Old Dragonslayer uses a dark magic attack, while Ornstein uses lightning. Otherwise, Old Dragonslayer has the same sort of movement and similar attack patterns as Ornstein in the original Dark Souls should the player slay Executioner Smough first. If one takes his time fighting him, he will shoot three dark magic orbs at the player from the tip of his spear.

Blocking until the Dragonslayer misses an attack may prove to be beneficial to the player, as well as backing away when he begins to cast his magic attack. Using a bow or crossbow may result in being able to stun-lock him by shooting him in the head. The Old Dragonslayer is weak to magic and is also vulnerable to lightning-based attacks. Sorceries can work out to be a viable tactic, if the player is able to anticipate his movements. Magical augmentations work very well against him.

Just as The Pursuer's cursing lunge is unblockable, so is the Old Dragonslayer's dark impaling lunge. It is predictable, and has some starting lag, so evasion is paramount to not suffering the massive damage of this move.

One highly effective strategy is strafing counterclockwise (player's right), as most of his attacks come from his right, making it especially hard to hit the player. It is possible to not have to block using this.

Attacks[]

  • Charge (Fast Lunge): While the player has some distance between him, he will kneel down and charge at the player lunging his spear towards the player. Can knock down players if it connects. Blockable, at the cost of moderate stamina loss.
  • Jump Strike: Leaps into the air and slashes his spear on the ground. Hits hard, often stunning players who do not dodge in time, and the attack inflicts a fair amount of stamina loss if blocked. 
  • 2-hit Combo: He swings his spear horizontally, twice in a row. Connects twice, but can be blocked.
  • 3-hit Combo: Charges forward with his spear, then performs up to 3 horizontal swings. Can be blocked.
  • Lunging Uppercut: Lunges his spear forward and afterwards proceeds to perform an uppercut.
  • Impale: Grips his spear with 2 hands and lunges it at the player. Unblockable; if the attack connects the player will be impaled, lifted up in the air, and thrown back down. This attack is similar to 'super' Ornstein's lightning impale technique in Dark Souls. Has a defense boost for a few seconds during the attack. This attack can instantly kill players who don't have very high max HP.
  • Dark Banzai: His body will emit a dark aura, then he will proceed to jump into the air and land on the ground, exploding in a dark AoE attack. Very similar to 'super' Ornstein's banzai move from Dark Souls, except this one explodes in dark energy, and not electricity. Evading this attack entirely is highly recommended.
  • Dark Barrage: The spear glows in a dark aura and he lunges it forward, and doing so will fire off several dark bolts at the player. It is highly recommended to evade the bolts entirely, if nimble enough, or block the attack with a shield that provides both decent stability and dark defense.

Defenses[]

Physical Defenses
Physical Defense Strike Defense Slash Defense Thrust Defense
488 0% 0% 0%
Elemental Defenses
Magic Defense Fire Defense Lightning Defense Dark Defense
30% 30% 30% 50%
Resistances
Poison Resist Bleed Resist Can be Backstabbed Can be Parried
30% 30% No Yes
(Stats are from Param Studio and are not estimated)
Strike/Slash/Thrust defense are applied on top of Physical Defense.

Drops[]

Item Old Leo Ring
Old Leo Ring
Boss Soul
Old Dragonslayer Soul
Drop Rate Guaranteed Guaranteed

Notes[]

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Dark_Souls_II_-_Walkthrough_5_-_Heide's_Tower_of_Flame-1

Dark Souls II - Walkthrough 5 - Heide's Tower of Flame-1

Old Dragonslayer Melee Strategy (Skip to 41:30)

Bosses
Aava, the King's PetAfflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer
Aldia, Scholar of the First SinAncient DragonBelfry Gargoyles
Burnt Ivory KingCovetous DemonDarklurkerDemon of SongDragonrider
Elana, the Squalid QueenExecutioner's ChariotFlexile SentryFume Knight
Giant LordGuardian DragonLooking Glass KnightLost Sinner
Lud, the King's Pet & Zallen, the King's PetMytha, the Baneful QueenNashandra
Old DragonslayerOld Iron KingProwling Magus and Congregation
Royal Rat AuthorityRoyal Rat VanguardRuin SentinelsScorpioness NajkaSinh, the Slumbering Dragon
Sir AlonneSkeleton LordsSmelter Demon
Smelter Demon (Iron Passage)The Duke's Dear FrejaThe Last Giant
The PursuerThe RottenThrone Watcher and Defender
Velstadt, the Royal AegisVendrick
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