Map

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The path to Champion Gundyr

Grid View

After following the only path forward and grabbing the Shriving Stone, swing left and pick up the Ashen Estus Ring. Walk to the center of the area to grab a Soul of a Crestfallen Knight — the left path houses a Titanite Chunk. On the right path are two Crystal Lizards (up from one), which will grant players rare materials as a reward (we got two Titanite Scales). Just bide your time, wait for one to isolate itself by charging, and then focus it down. If the other one approaches, play it cool and retreat until the next opportunity arises.

But the lizards aren’t the main problem here. The dual wielding ghouls here are killer, and can inflict nearly full-life damage combos even on characters that are above soul level 70. Wait until they lunge and then get a few hits in. No matter what path you take there is one patrolling each, but running past them into the next area will rubberband them back into their previous location where they will not pursue.

Once you’ve passed the clearing into the open area, you’re in a relatively safe place. The only enemies that inhabit this valley are modified versions of the cloaked ghouls from the beginning of the game, and can be killed in one or two attacks. There are no items here and the Soul reward for said cloaked fiends is on the low side, so hightail it to the giant arena straight ahead to take on Champion Gundyr.

Champion Gundyr boss fight

Short version: Practice your dodging as it is paramount for this fight.

Tactics: Full stop, don't rely on a shield for most of this encounter. While it is possible to block a few attacks early on in the battle, once he enters phase two (denoted by his red glowing eyes), his combos will break through most guards and deal a large amount of damage. It is crucial to avoid getting hit by one of these, including his dreaded stomp or kick, which only leads into more attacks.

Try to only poke him with one attack at a time at a very close distance, rolling into the boss once he telegraphs a strike. If you need a breather, run away completely and drink once from your estus flask or pop a healing item. That’s about all the time you’ll get, as Gundyr is very good at closing the gap with a few leaping attacks that can span half the arena. Prepare to roll right after grabbing a drink, and try to dodge to the side to avoid the splash damage of the plunge.

Here’s a tip: The fog door will not appear the first time you fight him, but it will be available to pass through on subsequent attempts (and thus, block enemies out of the arena). An NPC summon is available right in front of the room so long as you’ve defeated the Master to the left of Firelink Shrine.

CHAMPION GUNDYR BONFIRE

As is the case with most post-boss encounters, approach the large double doors right in front of you, after grabbing the Black Knight Glaive and the bonfire (don’t forget to go back to the shrine and spend your Souls). Near the tower to the left of the large structure ahead, you’ll find a Hornet Ring, as well as a Chaos Blade and the Soul of a Crestfallen Knight.

If you didn’t recognize your surroundings yet, you will now. Approach Firelink Shrine and touch the central zone to pick up one of the most useful items in the game, the Coiled Sword Fragment. With this, you can activate the effect of a Homeward Bone an infinite number of times. Also located peppered in the area is a Blacksmith Hammer.

This area eventually leads to a dead end, so you’ll need to teleport out. Why not use your new Fragment?