Darkeater Midir is one of the hardest boss fights in Dark Souls 3. It is an enormous intimidating dragon that you have to face head-on with no gimmicks. How to defeat the boss? What is he weak to? What strategies can you use to beat it? All will be answered in this ultimate guide to beating Darkeater Midir in Dark Souls 3.
Not only the fight against Darkeater Midir is harrowing due to his powerful attacks, but his overall defenses and HP is a challenge to overcome in their own right. Attacking his head and staying near it is the only potent way of dealing damage to this boss otherwise, his attacks will catch you off guard and make quick work of you.
Let’s take a detailed look at some of the best combat strategies and tips for defeating Darkeater Midir in Dark Souls 3.
Is Darkeater Midir Optional?
Darkeater Midir is an optional boss and doesn’t necessarily have to be defeated to complete The Ringed City DLC.
Strategies for Defeating Darkeater Midir
Here are some strategies for defeating Darkeater Midir you can use depending on the build you opted for in Dark Souls 3:
Melee Strategy
When you first encounter Midir, you will be on a cliff. He will breathe heavy flame as you approach so be sure to hide behind the initial rock. Sprint up and attack his left hand (your right) as it is generally safer than the right one. Position yourself to have a view of his body so you can react to his movement.
When he slams the ground, he will drag it towards you. It’s easy to read and react to, just hug the cliff, and it will pass by him.
He will then breathe fire in a trail, and you will need to move to where the other hand was to avoid it, but you can attack while he does this just be sure to move back to his left hand after the fire is gone.
Every now and then he will rear up and breathe flame direct in front of him however since you’ll be positioned at his left hand and away from it you won’t need to worry too much about it. Just hug the cliff and avoid the beam attack that follows.
When his health is at 30%, he’ll start flailing about and breathe fire. Sprint to the initial rock to get out of range from this onslaught and take cover from the flames. Watch for an opening and get back to the dragon ASAP. Put a few more hits into him to finish him off.
The second encounter is easily the hardest fight in the entire game. The size of Midir and the fact that you miss him quite often when you attack makes this fight extremely difficult.
The key to this fight is body language. You must learn to recognize what Midir will do with enough time to react, and you can’t afford many mistakes here so you’ll need to learn quickly.
When the fight begins he’ll rush you. The easiest thing to do is simply roll sideways and don’t stop until he’s passed by you. Rolling through this attack is possible, but you might be struck by an attack.
When he does a 2-hit combo, he will rear up and breathe fire onto the ground in front of him. When you see this combo, roll to dodge the strikes and then sprint to the back of his tail.
Make sure you are far enough not to be burned by the flame and get in some hits if you can. Also, turn around quickly as he may do a tailwhip which is usually fatal.
If he does his flying flame breath attack, avoid it by moving under him. However, moving under him isn’t always possible so having high fire resistance or a fire shield will be a lifesaver. Always get back to the dragon as fast as you can as his long-range attacks are much more deadly than his melee ones.
The safest way is to stand directly or inside his tail and then attack as it seems to lead to most misses. His other melee combo is a two-hit attack followed by breathing flame in a fan-like pattern.
This combo will afford you a good opportunity to put in some hits on his leg, just make sure to get far enough under them that you don’t get roasted.
When he gets around 50% HP, he will do an AoE that you do not want to get caught in so roll or sprint away as fast as you can. In this phase, he will add a couple of new ranged attacks so be sure to get back into melee range quickly. Keep an eye out for that AoE attack as he may do it again later in the fight.
Keep repeating the slow process of chipping away the boss’s health all the while keeping an eye out for his attacks. Soon the fight will be over. Do not worry if you die a lot, so take breaks and keep learning his patterns.
P.S. This boss has extremely high defense, so getting a weapon that hits hard is vital. It also helps to have a longer weapon so a spear or any great weapon is definitely the best way to go.
Hitting the dragon’s head doubles the damage of your swing roughly so hit it whenever you find an opening. Finally, don’t forget about the tail swipe when you are laying into him from the back. It will be the death of you.
Magic/Pyromancy Strategy
Both Sorcerers and Pyromancers will have a hard time facing this boss since he is resistant to both fire and magic. Pestilent Mist is the only spell that can deal consistent damage to the boss.
The spell also deals percentage damage based on the boss’s health, and since his HP is substantial, the tick damage he will receive is significant.
In the first encounter, move in when he has done his initial fire breath, cast the spell on his right arm, and make your toward his left hand so you are safe from the mist.
Watch as the health trickles away all the while keeping an eye out for his attacks to adjust your location, as mentioned above. Keep applying the mist as it fades away and you will be done with this encounter soon.
The second encounter and the actual boss fight is a bit tricky. However, learning the boss’s moves is the key here. Midir will generally stay in place while attacking, giving you plenty of time to cast Pestilent Mist. Move in under the boss and fire the mist and either run to the other side or to the back where his tail is.
The lingering mist will take away a large chunk of his health if he stays in the particular spot. If you get the opening, casting the spell near his head will deal the most amount of damage as it is his weakest spot. You can also target the legs or the tail for lower damage output if you want to be safe.
During the second phase, if you fire the mist right before he does his AOE, will lead to noteworthy damage accumulation. Just be aware of the boss’s moves, especially the ones with fire breaths and flying carpet flaming, and you will be good to go.
It is a lengthy process with this spell, but you are much safer and will be dealing consistent damage compared to all the other spells at your disposal.
What is Darkeater Midir Weak To?
Darkeater Midir is weak to the following damage types:
- Lightning
- Thrust Damage
- Farron Greatsword
- Wolf Knight’s Greatsword
- Pestilent Mist
- Critical Strike
- Head (Weak point)
What is Darkeater Midir Resistant / Immune to?
Darkeater Midir is resistant and immune to the following damage types:
Resistant to:
- Dark
- Fire
- Magic
Immune to:
- Poison
- Toxic
- Bleed
- Frost
Can You Parry Darkeater Midir?
Darkeater Midir can not be parried. He can be staggered by the end of the fight provided you have been dealing consistent hits to his head. He can then be riposted.
Can You Cheese Darkeater Midir?
You cannot cheese Darkeater Midir. He needs to be faced head-on. There are no two ways about it. You can use the Pestilent Mist strategy with another player to speed things along but that is no cheese either. You have to git gud!
Darkeater Midir is a boss fight right out of someone’s nightmare. It might as well be the hardest dragon fight in all of the souls-like genre and should not be taken lightly.
Take breaks during the fight if you are not feeling it. Although beating him will give you such a feeling of achievement, we say go for it if you are game.