How to Beat Vendrick Easily: A Comprehensive Guide
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Beating King Vendrick in Dark Souls 2 can feel like an insurmountable task, but with the right knowledge and strategy, this optional boss fight can become surprisingly manageable. The key to defeating Vendrick easily lies in understanding his mechanics and exploiting his specific weaknesses. In essence, the simplest way to make this fight a victory is to collect Giant Souls, employ the right weapon, and utilize efficient dodging or blocking techniques.
Understanding the Fundamentals
Before diving into specific strategies, it’s vital to grasp what makes Vendrick a challenging opponent. Unlike many bosses, Vendrick’s defense isn’t just high; it’s massively amplified at the start of the fight. This defense is directly tied to the number of Giant Souls you possess. Without any Giant Souls, you will deal minimal damage, and Vendrick may not even initiate his full combat behaviors. For each Giant Soul you possess, Vendrick’s defense is drastically reduced, enabling you to inflict significantly more damage. Therefore, the most straightforward way to make Vendrick easier is to collect all five Giant Souls.
Essential Prep Work
- Giant Souls: The single most important step to make the Vendrick fight manageable is to collect all five Giant Souls. These can be found in specific areas of the game:
- The Black Gulch: This is where one of the Giants’ Souls is located.
- The Forest of Fallen Giants: There are two memory locations to obtain two Giant Souls.
- The Dragon Aerie: Located here is one Giant Soul.
- The Giant Lord Boss: This is found in the Giant Memory after using the Ashen Mist Heart and provides one Giant Soul.
- Weapon Choice: Select a fast-stabbing weapon such as a Rapier or a Katana. Katanas benefit from higher counter damage and have wider hitboxes than Rapiers. Weapons that inflict Bleed damage can also provide additional damage to Vendrick.
- Armor: Your armor isn’t as crucial here, focus instead on maintaining a light equip load to ensure you can dodge effectively.
- Shield: If you prefer blocking, a shield with a stability of 80-82 is a great option. However, dodging is more effective in the long run against Vendrick.
Combat Strategy
Once you’ve done the prep work, engaging Vendrick should be more approachable. The key to the battle is to stay behind him and punish his missed attacks. Here’s a detailed combat strategy:
Dodging Vs Blocking
- Dodging: Vendrick has a combination of horizontal and vertical attacks. The horizontal sweeps are best dodged by rolling towards him to gain an advantage. Circling to his back will effectively avoid his vertical strikes. Rolling through attacks offers a chance to counter-attack.
- Blocking: While blocking can work with a high stability shield, it’s not ideal. His attacks can quickly deplete your stamina, leaving you vulnerable. Blocking can be useful to learn the timing of his attacks but avoid this strategy if you can.
Key Positioning and Attack Windows
- Back Attacks: Vendrick’s attacks have long recovery times. After he swings, move in to his back and deliver one or two hits. If he starts another attack, quickly move behind him again. This is your prime window to do damage.
- Consistency: This fight is a war of attrition. Being patient and consistent in your attacks will bring success much faster than trying to force more hits than appropriate.
- Avoid Greed: Never try to hit more than 2 times at a time, even if he has a slow move. You’ll often get greedy and will get hit if you get too aggressive.
Bleed Damage
If your weapon of choice inflicts bleed, you might see a small burst of damage (approx. 200). While not essential, this is a nice bonus if your build allows it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are Vendrick’s weaknesses?
While Vendrick is highly resistant to most elements, Lightning and Dark elements might inflict marginally more damage (around 20-25%). However, the Giant Souls are the only real way to inflict significant damage.
2. What is the best weapon to use against Vendrick?
A fast-stabbing weapon like a Rapier or Katana is best. Katanas offer better counter damage and hitboxes than Rapiers.
3. Can I beat Vendrick with 4 Giant Souls?
Yes, you can. Although it will be a longer fight, beating Vendrick with 4 Giant Souls is very achievable. Having all 5 will simply make the battle significantly faster and easier.
4. Does killing King Vendrick end the game?
No, defeating Vendrick does not end the game. You can still explore and engage in other activities before starting New Game Plus.
5. How many Giant Souls do I need to fight Vendrick?
You can technically fight Vendrick with 0 Giant Souls, but you will deal extremely low damage, and he will be much less likely to aggro into combat. The more Giant Souls you have, the more damage you will inflict. Ideally, have all 5 Giant Souls to deal the most damage.
6. Should I fight Vendrick before DLC?
It doesn’t matter. However, if you want to fight Aldia, the secret final boss, you will need to have defeated Vendrick. The crowns only add more dialogue options, and Vendrick’s blessing applies to any of the 4 crowns you have.
7. Why can’t I hurt Vendrick?
This is because of his massive defense buff when you don’t possess Giant Souls. The developers designed it this way to reflect Vendrick’s incredible power. You will need to gather Giant Souls to weaken his defense to be able to fight him effectively.
8. Can you summon help for Vendrick?
No, you cannot summon other players to help fight Vendrick.
9. Why isn’t King Vendrick attacking me?
If Vendrick is not attacking, it’s because you are doing such low damage that he is not getting properly aggroed into combat. This happens when you have too few or no Giant Souls.
10. Does poison work on Vendrick?
Yes, Vendrick can be poisoned, but this is not the most effective way to hurt him. The real key is acquiring Giant Souls.
11. How do I lower Vendrick’s defense?
Collect Giant Souls. Each soul reduces his defense. Getting all five will make the fight much more feasible.
12. Can you block Vendrick?
Yes, with a shield that has at least 80-82 stability. However, dodging is more effective for this encounter.
13. Is Vendrick the final boss?
No, Vendrick is an optional boss. The final boss is Nashandra, found after obtaining the Ashen Mist Heart and Giant Lord Soul.
14. What happens if you light a torch in Undead Crypt?
In the base game, this will cause the lights to go out for a brief moment. It is mainly cosmetic and can help to give you more light, depending on the surrounding area.
15. What Souls make Vendrick Weaker?
The Giant Souls are the only souls that weaken Vendrick and are an essential part of any Vendrick strategy.
By understanding Vendrick’s mechanics, obtaining all the Giant Souls, and implementing a solid combat strategy, you’ll find that defeating King Vendrick becomes much more approachable. Remember, patience and proper preparation are the cornerstones of victory in this challenging battle.