Dark Souls 2 Walkthrough Guide: Part 19

BOSS: THRONE WATCHER AND THRONE DEFENDER

The last three mandatory bosses in Dark Souls II are found in the Throne of Want. To find this place, travel to the King’s Gate bonfire in Drangleic Castle. Make a left upon exiting the bonfire room. With the King’s Ring equipped, approach the door, which will open automatically. You can now unequip the ring and replace it with your combat ring of choice. Assuming you have restored your Humanity, you can summon two phantoms at the same time, though defeating these remaining bosses aren’t much of a challenge solo. Note: There is an optional quest in a place called The Dark Chasm of Old that will demand multiple Human Effigies from most players, so if you’re a completist, you might want save as many Human Effigies as you can.

The challenge in dealing with these two bosses is in managing your lock-on. With proper baiting, you can take advantage of your best sweeping attacks and spells with large areas of effect to damage both the Watcher and Defender at the same time. The Defender moves much slower than the Watcher, which is something to keep in mind when trying to separate them.

Not only does the Watcher move around the battlefield quickly, he also attacks with great speed. If he holds his sword behind him, he’s readying a dash attack. If he runs at you, be ready for a jump attack. If he’s pointing his sword at you from a distance, he’s reading a lunging stab. By contrast, the Defender’s attacks are lighter on finesse but heavier on brutality. You know you’ve gotten his attention when he puts away his shield and starts wielding his sword with two hands, so be ready for a lethal combo. If he is still holding his shield, he might be prepping for a blunt, yet effective bash move.

Ideally, you should get both bosses to 10% health or less without either boss dying. Why? Both the Watcher and Defender can cast Revive spells that resurrect the partner to full health. As you can guess, this can create a cycle of mild grief for you. The good news is that it takes time for them to cast Revive, making them open to attack. Staggering the Revive caster will interrupt the resurrection but hopefully you can just kill that remaining boss in the process.

FINAL BOSS: NASHANDRA

You’ll find this final battle to be either anticlimactic or a welcome reprieve from all the suffering you’ve endured up to this point. Compared to the likes of the Ruin Sentinels and the Ancient Dragon, Nashandra is surprisingly easy. This is especially the case if you’re good at managing your health while being cursed. It also helps to be cognizant the floor space you have to work with and where you could potentially fall to your death.

Nashandra take several seconds to prepare herself at the start of this fight, which is a prime opportunity to take off as much as a quarter of her health. You’re in luck if you prefer long ranged combat--you’ll have more than enough time to react to her beam attacks, whether she uses a straight beam or the sweeping beam that encompasses a 180-degree arc.

Melee combatants are at a slight disadvantage because of the increased likelihood of being cursed. Your close proximity to Nashandra will also encourage her to use her scythe more often. She gives herself away by lifting up her scythe before attacking. If she’s holding up the scythe at a near vertical angle, be ready to roll backward as it’s her most lethal attack.

With her defeat, you’ve beaten Dark Souls II, congrats! As with most RPGs these days, you have the opportunity to choose a New Game+. You can get this option in the Far Fire bonfire in Majula. A new menu option will appear: “Begin journey 2 to Drangelic”. Before you take on Dark Souls II a second time, you might want to consider two optional loose ends: King Vendrick and The Dark Chasm of Old.

Guide Home

Class Breakdown

30 Items to Collect Before Your First Battle

Part 1: The Forest of Fallen Giants, The Last one (Boss), The Pursuer (Boss)

Part 2: Heide's Tower of Flame, The Dragonrider (Boss), The Old Dragonslayer (Boss)

Part 3: Down Heide's Tower, No Man's Wharf, The Flexile Sentry (Boss)

Part 4: The Lost Bastille, Ruin Sentinels (Boss), Sinner's Rise

Part 5: Belfry Luna, Bell Keeper (Invader), Belfry Gargoyles (Boss), Vorgel The Sinner (Invader)

Part 6: Huntsman's Copse, the Greatsword Phantom, Merciless Roenna (Invader)

Part 7: Skeleton Lords (Boss), Executioner Chariot (Boss), Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, Covetous Demon (Boss)

Part 8: The Crescent Sickle Phantom, Mytha The Baneful Queen (Boss)

Part 9: The Pit, Grave of Saints, The Gutter, Rhoy the Explorer (Invader)

Part 10: Royal Rat Vanguard (Boss), The Gutter (Part 2), Melinda the Butcher (Invader), The Rotten (Boss)

Part 11: Iron Keep, Smelter Demon (Boss), Belfry Sol, Old Iron King (Boss)

Part 12: Shaded Woods, Scorpioness Najka (Boss), Doors of Pharros, Bowman Guthrie (Invader), Royal Rat Authority (Boss)

Part 13: Brightstone Cove Tseldora, Prowling Magus (Boss), The Porcine Peasant (Invader), The Duke's Dear Freja (Boss), The Lost Sinner

Part 14: Shrine of Winter, Drangleic Castle, Nameless Usurper (Invader), Dual Dragonriders (Boss), Looking Glass Knight (Boss)

Part 15: Shrine of Amana, Undead Crypt, Peculiar Kindalur (Invader), Demon of Song (Boss), Nameless Usurper (Returning Invader)

Part 16: Aldia's Keep, Velstadt, The Royal Aegis (Boss), Aslatiel of Mirrah (Invader), Guardian Dragon (Boss)

Part 17: Dragon Shrine, Dragonfang Villard (Invader), Ancient Dragon (Boss)

Part 18: Memories of the Ancients, Memory of Vammar, Memory of Orro, Memory of Jeigh, Giant Lord (Boss)

Part 19: Throne Watcher and Throne Defender (Boss), Nashandra (Final Boss)

Part 20: King Vendrick (Boss), Dark Chasm of Old, Darklurker (Boss)