Pinwheel is a boss in Dark Souls. It is found in The Catacombs. Players must defeat it in order to reach the Tomb of the Giants.[note 1]
Defeating him gives you The Rite of Kindling which can give you 5 more estus flasks at any bonfire, the limit being 20.
Lore
Not much is known about Pinwheel, but there are some clues about its nature and goals. This being is seemingly composed of three separated consciousnesses; after noticing the Chosen Undead, the three masks look at each other and twitch lightly as if discussing what to do with the intruder. Its body looks swollen and has three pairs of "arms", hinting that it's composed of three bodies or skeletons fused together. Judging by the amount of tomes and skeletons (all shackled to the ceiling and one on its operating table) inside its lair, we can assume that it isn't hollow and it is doing some kind of necromantic research.
Summoning
It is possible to summon Paladin Leeroy to help out in the fight.
To find Paladin Leeroy you need to jump down on a ledge.
Strategies
Pinwheel is a very frail boss, with the fifth lowest hit points of any boss in the game, only beaten by the Asylum Demon, the Taurus Demon, the Capra Demon and the Bed of Chaos. However, he can quickly become dangerous as he can summon an unlimited number of clones, all of whom deal the same amount of damage as he does. Therefore, a good strategy for fighting Pinwheel is to rush at him right when the fight starts and do as much damage as possible. When he teleports after summoning his clones, it's still possible to land some hits on him before he disappears. A simple tactic to identify the clones from the real Pinwheel is to lock on to him when possible.
There is a bonfire close by if you jump down certain ledges.
Boss Information
Attacks
Quick Fireball
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Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 291 | 0 | Normal | No | Both | Medium |
His six arms will glow and spin before firing it. This is easy to dodge with the right timing.
Cleansing Fireball
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Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 326 | 0 | Normal | No | Both | Medium |
Slower, larger fireball that does more damage and has a bigger hitbox, though it takes Pinwheel longer to charge. Note that Pinwheel can also use this while jumping at a downward angle.
Combustion
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Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 384 | 0 | Normal | No | Both | Medium |
A close range melee attack that does big damage. Pinwheel will telegraph this by moving in close and begin spinning and igniting his arms.
Flamethrower
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Attack Type | Parryable | Tracking | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 291 | 0 | Normal | No | Neither | Medium |
Extremely powerful mid-range attack. There is a long delay before this attack is executed. Blocking it is unwise, as it hits multiple times, breaking the player's guard, and potentially dealing a fair bit of damage.
Clone
Pinwheel will spin in the air and give off a purple light before conjuring an identical clone of himself. The clones are exactly the same as Pinwheel and there's no easy way to distinguish one from the other without keeping track of the original. The clone can also use all of Pinwheel's attacks but will disappear instantly when hit. There is no known limit to how many clones Pinwheel can spawn.
Vanish
When the real Pinwheel is approached he may attempt to flee by disappearing, leaving the player at the mercy of his clones. A short time later he will reappear in a fashion similar to the spawning of the clones.
Defenses
| Physical Defenses | Elemental Defenses | Resistances | |||||||
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| 151 | 151 | 151 | 151 | 128 | 121 | 99 | B | B | B |
These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.
Drops
| Item |  Rite of Kindling |
 Mask of the Child |
 Mask of the Father |
 Mask of the Mother |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed | 34% | 33% | 33% |
*One of the masks will always drop
Footnotes
- ↑ Technically, Pinwheel is optional since it is possible to bypass him through a glitch. However, since glitching is not accepted as canon, Pinwheel is designated as a required boss.
Gallery
