How Many Giant Souls Do You Need to Fight King Vendrick in Dark Souls 2?
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The question of how many Giant Souls you need to effectively combat King Vendrick in Dark Souls 2 is a crucial one for players venturing into the depths of Drangleic. In short, while you can technically initiate a fight with zero Giant Souls, to do meaningful damage and truly engage in the battle, you need at least four Giant Souls, but ideally all five. Let’s delve deeper into why this is the case and what implications it has for your journey.
The Purpose of Giant Souls
The Giant Souls in Dark Souls 2 aren’t just collectible items; they are a core mechanic intertwined with the Vendrick boss fight. Vendrick possesses an incredibly high defense, significantly reducing the damage you can inflict upon him. This is where the Giant Souls come into play.
Each Giant Soul you possess reduces Vendrick’s defense, making him significantly more vulnerable to your attacks. The game applies a multiplicative defense reduction based on the number of souls held, not a flat subtraction:
- Zero Giant Souls: You will deal extremely low damage, to the point where Vendrick may not even become truly aggressive.
- One Giant Soul: Damage increases noticeably but remains quite low.
- Two Giant Souls: The increase in damage is substantial but still below optimal.
- Three Giant Souls: You’re starting to see decent damage, but the fight will still take some time.
- Four Giant Souls: This is the point where most players will be able to comfortably defeat Vendrick without an overly long and tedious battle.
- Five Giant Souls: This allows you to inflict normal damage, negating Vendrick’s heightened defense.
Why You Need at Least Four Souls
While the game allows you to technically start the fight without any Giant Souls, doing so makes the battle exceptionally drawn-out and frustrating. Vendrick won’t effectively engage in combat because you’ll be doing such minuscule damage. Having at least four Giant Souls reduces his defenses to a level where the fight is manageable.
Having all five Giant Souls is the optimal setup, enabling you to inflict the damage you would expect from a boss encounter of his difficulty. The fifth Giant Soul ensures the most efficient and least time-consuming battle.
Gathering the Giant Souls
The Giant Souls are found throughout the game, mostly within Giant Memory areas:
- Giant Memories: Three Giant Souls can be found by progressing through the memories of the giants, accessed through the Ashen Mist Heart.
- The Ancient Dragon: Defeating the Ancient Dragon yields a Giant Soul.
- The Giants Before The Rotten: Two giants lurking before the boss known as The Rotten give another soul.
It’s important to keep the Giant Souls in your inventory; do not consume them for souls. They function specifically as a prerequisite to lowering Vendrick’s defenses.
Fighting King Vendrick
Once you have secured at least four Giant Souls, and ideally all five, you can initiate a meaningful fight with King Vendrick. He resides in the Undead Crypt, accessible after defeating Velstadt. To initiate combat, you need to inflict a certain amount of damage.
Vendrick’s attacks are slow but powerful; focus on dodging his strikes and positioning yourself behind him. You can exploit his slow movements to deal consistent damage. Additionally, while it doesn’t lessen the need for souls, the use of bleed damage, such as that applied by Bleeding Serums can be helpful to provide a small damage boost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I fight Vendrick with zero Giant Souls?
Yes, you can technically enter his boss room and attempt the fight with zero Giant Souls. However, you will do so little damage that you will likely not even trigger his aggression properly.
2. Does each Giant Soul reduce Vendrick’s defense by a set amount?
No, each Giant Soul applies a multiplicative reduction to his defense, leading to exponential damage increase with each acquired soul.
3. Where do I find the Giant Souls?
You can find three Giant Souls in the Giant Memories, one from the Ancient Dragon, and one from two giants before the boss The Rotten.
4. Do I need to consume the Giant Souls to fight Vendrick?
No, do not consume them. You must keep them in your inventory for their defense-reducing effect against Vendrick.
5. Can I beat Vendrick with only four Giant Souls?
Yes, many players have successfully defeated Vendrick with four Giant Souls. While the fight will be slightly longer, it is still very manageable.
6. Is the Ancient Dragon fight required to fight Vendrick effectively?
Technically, no. You can beat him with four giant souls, without defeating the Ancient Dragon. However, the fifth soul from the dragon will make the fight far easier.
7. Is Vendrick the final boss of Dark Souls 2?
No, Vendrick is an optional boss. The final bosses are Nashandra and Aldia if you meet the right conditions.
8. Does fighting Vendrick lock me out of anything else in the game?
No, defeating Vendrick does not end your game. You can continue playing afterward and explore new content, even before heading into New Game Plus.
9. Do I need a specific item to access King Vendrick?
No specific item is required to access King Vendrick in the Undead Crypt; however, you must first defeat Velstadt, the Royal Aegis.
10. What is the best strategy for fighting Vendrick?
The best strategy involves dodging his slow attacks and consistently attacking his left leg/back, ensuring you stay behind him.
11. Can I summon help for the King Vendrick fight?
No, you cannot summon other players to assist you in the fight against Vendrick.
12. What happens if I fight Vendrick immediately after Velstadt?
If you were to fight him immediately after Velstadt, without having fought the Giant Lord, he would be in a weakened state as though you had 5 souls. This effect was removed in later patches however.
13. Can I still fight Vendrick after defeating the final boss?
Yes, you can still fight Vendrick after defeating Nashandra or the optional final boss, Aldia.
14. What does killing Vendrick unlock?
Killing Vendrick is necessary to unlock the final boss of the game: Nashandra. Also, killing him allows you to obtain his soul and gear.
15. What are some good weapons to use against Vendrick?
Weapons with higher counter damage like Katanas are a good choice due to their strong counter damage and wider hitboxes, allowing you to efficiently strike while moving.