Skeletons are enemies in Dark Souls.
Location
These undead foes are found in the graveyard area of Firelink Shrine, The Catacombs, and at the end of the Tomb of the Giants, during the Gravelord Nito boss fight.
Description
They can appear either as a simple patch of scattered bones that assemble suddenly when approached, or already assembled and ready to fight. Their eye-holes are marked by two tiny dots of white light that glow ominously in the darkness.
They wield either a Scimitar and Warrior's Round Shield, a Falchion and no shield, or a Longbow. Skeletons using the Scimitar or Falchion can induce the Bleed status. Unlike many other enemies, Skeletons will both parry and riposte and backstab unprepared players.
Skeletons in the Catacombs can be difficult to kill due to inexperience. Because they are tied to specific Necromancers, they will continually revive until the Necromancer is defeated, or if they are slain with weapons that have a Divine auxiliary effect, such as the Silver Knight Spear, Astora's Straight Sword, or weapons ascended down the Divine upgrade path. This is also true of the Skeletons encountered during the boss fight with Gravelord Nito, except that they have no associated Necromancer; instead, the Gravelord himself fills this role.
Strategies
- They take additional damage from Divine weapons in addition to being unable to revive continually if killed with them.
- Upon encountering them in the graveyard of Firelink Shrine and certain areas of The Catacombs, they will initially be a scattered pile of bones. When approached, they take a few seconds to assemble, during which they are completely defenseless.
- Inflicting heavy damage on a Skeleton, especially with a two-handed weapon, will cause them to disassemble for a few seconds, leaving them exposed to further attacks.
Enemy Information
Health and Souls
| Location | Health | Souls | ||
| NG | NG+ | NG | NG+ | |
| Firelink Shrine | 184 (Sword & Shield) 144 (Bow) |
??? | 50 | ??? |
| The Catacombs | 195 (Sword & Shield) 153 (Bow) |
??? | 50 | ??? |
| Tomb of the Giants | 171 (Sword & Shield) 126 (Bow) |
??? | ??? | ??? |
Characteristics
| Respawn | Yes |
|---|---|
| Backstab | Yes |
| Damage Types | Physical / Bleed |
| Abilities | Can parry and riposte. Can resurrect.[note 1] |
Attacks
| Attack | Damage | Attack Type | Status Effect | Parryable | Tracking | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow Shot | ??? | Thrust | None | No | Neither | Medium |
| Attack | Damage | Attack Type | Status Effect | Parryable | Tracking | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swing | 272 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Slow |
| Two Handed Slash | 326 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Slow |
| Roll | 50 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | No | Both | Fast |
| Attack | Damage | Attack Type | Status Effect | Parryable | Tracking | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Swing Combo | 198 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Medium |
| Overhead Slice | 210 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Medium |
| Double Slice | 214 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Fast |
| Spin Slash | 251 | Slash | Bleed: 30 | Yes | Both | Medium |
Defenses
| Location | Physical Defenses | Elemental Defenses | Resistances | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Firelink Shrine | 247 | 173 | 247 | 309 | 191 | 168 | 255 | S | S | S |
| The Catacombs | 264 | 185 | 264 | 330 | 204 | 179 | 284 | S | S | S |
These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.
Drops
| Item |  Scimitar |
 Falchion |
 Red & White Round Shield |
 Short Bow |
| Drop Rate | 2% (Sword and Shield Wielder) |
2% (Single Swordsman) |
1% (Sword and Shield Wielder) |
2% (Bowman) |
Trivia
- On rare occasion, when the player has been parried by a skeleton, an odd glitch could occur that sends the player falling through the ground and more times than not, it kills the player.
- Despite dropping the Red & White Round Shield, skeletons only actually wield the Warrior's Round Shield.
Footnotes
- ↑ They will respawn, when encountered in The Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants, shortly after being dispatched unless killed with a weapon upgraded down the Divine Path or one that is innately imbued with the Divine auxiliary effect, such as the Astora's Straight Sword, or until the Necromancer in the area is killed.