Dark Souls 2 Walkthrough Guide: Part 20

OPTIONAL BOSS: KING VENDRICK

King Vendrick’s defense is based on how many Souls of a Giant you have. The more you have, the weaker he is. Aside from the four Souls of a Giant you get in the Memories quests, you can also get a fifth soul in Black Gulch. Walk down Black Gulch until you reach the first giant worm, also known as the Razorback Nightcrawler. Fall off the cliff to your right and you’ll land on one of a series of hidden platforms. Keep dropping until you can access a cave with two Elite Giants. Defeat the giants to the get the fifth soul.

When taking on King Vendrick, you’ll have to attack him for a few minutes before his lifebar appears and the battle can start proper. His vertical attacks are easy to avoid. What makes him one of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls II are his horizontal attacks, which have an adequate reach both far and wide. Whatever your fighting style, we only have one reliable tactic to defeating King Vendrick: stay very close to his left rear end AT ALL TIMES. This is also a very reactionary fight--make a move only after he makes one. If you act first, Vendrick will have time to swing around and deal a frontal blow.

ACCESSING THE DARK CHASM OF OLD

Gaining access to The Dark Chasm of Old is a multi-step process that requires travelling to Black Gulch, the Shaded Woods, and Drangleic Castle. Our video shows each step in that order, although you’re not required to visit these areas in that specific sequence. Your first step is to get the Forgotten Key from the two Elite Giants in Black Gulch, the same giants you have to kill in order to get the fifth Soul of a Giant. When you have the key, go back to Black Gulch and drop down to the first hidden platform near the Razorback Nightcrawler. Use the Forgotten Key on the locked door and look for Dark Diver Grandahl, an elderly man in a wheelchair. Talk to him, and like all NPCs, exhaust all his conversations.

Your next destination is Shaded Woods by way of the Shaded Ruins bonfire. Exit the opposite end of the narrow structure and veer to the right, essentially making a 180 turn toward the outdoor area. You’ll know you’re on the right path when you’ve encountered two Lion Clan Warriors. If you walk around the grassy area at the end of the path, you’ll eventually fall through a weak floor. There you’ll meet Grandahl once again for another conversation. Now travel to the King’s Gate bonfire at Drangleic Castle.

Remember that troublesome room in Drangleic Castle with the six doors and the Ruin Sentinels? You’ll unfortunately have to take them on again to reach Grandahl. When you enter the room, make your way to the furthest door on your left. Open the door and drop down the hole. Again, there’s Dark Diver Grandahl. This third conversation will give you the option to join the Dark Pilgrims and thus, access to the Dark Chasm of Old.

The biggest challenge in the Dark Chasm of Old is how you access and revisit the chasm. Activating each portal requires the donation of a Human Effigy Grandahl. Every time you exit the chasm, the portal deactivates. There are no bonfires in the chasm so dying means having to spend another effigy.

For a reliable method of stocking up on Human Effigies, you can clean out Merchant Hag Melentia and Grave Warden Agdayne. If you need more, use the Bonfire Ascetics in Majula to respawn the skeletons that appear in the basement of the two-story building near The Pit. These skeletons drop Human Effigies 100 percent of the time and they increase in numbers with each respawn.

THE DARK CHASM OF OLD: BLACK GULCH, SHADED WOODS, DRANGLEIC CASTLE

You’re in the Dark Chasm and you’re part of the Dark Covenant, but that doesn’t mean you can’t light your way with a Flame Butterfly. It will be a huge help because all three areas of the chasm are full of insta-death pits. Again, dying means having to spend another Human Effigy. Torch or not, tread carefully, look down, and note that there’s no shame in turning up the gamma (brightness) on your video settings.

All your opponents in the chasm are intimidating and aggressive Dark Spirits (as well as Forest Spirits). It’s likely that you’ll have to defeat all of them in order to exit each area. If you move slowly and methodically enough, you won’t have to deal with more than two enemies at a time. You’ll need all the help you can get, given the pits and the diverse mix of spirits with blunt melee attacks and ranged magic spells.

The goal in each area is to find the Abyss Beacon and use Flame Butterflies to light the beacons. While you’re exploring each cave, note where the mist barriers are--these are your exits, which will be accessible once you’ve lit each respective beacon.

Note: Do not use Homeward Bones to exit each cave. Instead, you have to fall through the pits that lie beyond each cave exit. You’ll know they’re the right pits by the dark mist emanating from below. When you’ve fallen through the third pit, you’ll end up at the boss fight.

OPTIONAL BOSS: DARKLURKER

The Darklurker is one of those bosses that clones itself. This won’t happen until you get its health below 60%, so you’re better off saving your most potent attacks until then. The brightside is that these dual Darklurkers share the same lifebar, so you don’t have to worry about focusing on one over the other (and they both have the same repertoire of attacks and spells). Better yet, using attacks with wide areas of effect can potentially hit both Darklurkers, doubling the impact on their HP.

No matter your preference of melee or ranged combat, anticipating the Darklurkers’ actions is is surprisingly easy. The two colored orb spells can be avoided with aggressive rolls to the side. Same goes for the straight-travelling Black Laser and Dark Spear attacks, the latter being reminiscent of the Soul Spear. Up close, the Darklurkers will use the Shadow Blade, a blockable magic sword, which can also be avoided by rolling under it. Be ready for a possible follow-up strike. If either Darklurker crosses their arms, prepare of a dark-based explosion. While it’s blockable, you’re better off rolling away.

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)