Vanguard is technically the first boss you are going to take on in Demon Souls. You will face him while you are finishing the tutorial. It does not matter if you defeat him or not because the game will continue either way.
It is a very easy fight if you know what you are doing, so make sure you take your time to defeat this boss because you only get one shot at it.
If you are willing to go that extra mile and defeat Vanguard in Demon Souls, here is how you can do the deed.
Fighting Vanguard in Demon Souls
You will find Vanguard in the Shrine of Storms. This is the area where you are going to complete the tutorial for Demon Souls. As discussed earlier, you do have the option to simply just die and move on with the rest of the game.
If you are one of the sweaty tryhards, then you would be happy to hear that it is relatively easy to take him down if you are armed with the right knowledge and you know what you are getting yourself into.
Since this is quite literally the start of the game, you won’t have many options in terms of what to do before you face your nemesis. So whatever tools of destruction you bring to the fight will do just fine.
These are a couple of things you should know if you do not want your soul to be smacked into oblivion.
- Do not get hit by his attacks because 1 or 2 hits, depending on your starting class, will be enough to kill you.
- Vanguard’s attacks will get through any obstacle so hiding behind one will backfire.
Moveset
Vanguard is quite generic when it comes to moveset. You won’t be caught off-guard because the giant sure takes his time while moving around. Without further ado let’s look at what this giant mammoth can do:
- Side Swipe: He will swing his axe either from left to right or vice versa.
- Reaction: Don’t block or try to parry the attack. Even a shield will not work. You can only try do maintain a distance or dodge at the right moment
- Overhead Smash: Raising his axe above his head and smashing it on the ground.
- Reaction: Blocking or parrying will not work. It is best to dodge the attack.
- Booty Slam: If you keep sticking close to its arse, Vanguard will fly in the air and slam his bum on the ground. You can either get hit directly or if you are in the area of effect, you will get stunned.
- Reaction: Lift-off takes a couple of seconds so you have time to run and get out of the danger zone.
Strategy
There is no particular strategy you can follow to take Vanguard down. Also, how you fight him depends on the kind of build you are currently running. We are going to generalize the classes between ranged and melee and give you some pointers on how you can get that W in both situations.
Melee
If short-ranged or melee are more your style then here is how you can do it. The trick is to keep circling around Vanguard. He is slow and takes his time to move around. Use this to your advantage and stay very close to his legs or back.
He does have a good amount of HP so it will take a bit of time to deplete at your current level. You will have to be patient while also making sure that you do not get hit.
One thing you can do is to stay on its back and keep attacking. Just be vary of the Booty Slam attack, which you can easily avoid due to long prep time. Occasionally, you will have to get away from him because he will face you try to cut you to pieces with his axe.
Keep at it and eventually, you will bring him down to his knees.
Magic/Ranged
If ranged spells are more up your alley then it is particularly easy to defeat Vanguard. You can use something like a fireball. Chuck as many as possible from a distance and run when he gets close.
The only thing you need to keep in mind is MP. You will run out of Mana so be sure to have something on your person to recharge your Mana. Other than that, everything else remains the same.
How to Cheese Vanguard in Demon Souls
There is a straightforward way to defeat Vanguard. You will need some ranged attacks for this strategy to work. Here is what you are going to do.
As soon as the fight starts, run to the opposite end of the arena and start attacking. Use as many attacks as possible. When you think you are in Vanguard’s range of attack, run to the other end of the room.
Rinse and repeat. If you follow this strategy, you will come out on top without breaking a sweat.
What Happens If You Beat Vanguard in Demon Souls?
After the long and arduous battle with Vanguard, here is what you will be rewarded with:
- 1x Grey Demon’s Soul
- 958x Souls
While dying at the hands of Vanguard will not affect the rest of your demonic journey in Demon Souls, killing him does with a slight perk. Once you are done with the battle and have collected your reward, you will see an Archstone in the middle of the arena.
Interact with it and you will be teleported to the Unknown Egress. As soon as you spawn, you will see a dead soldier. Loot the body to get 1x Iron Helm. Move forward and you will find Full Moon Grass (used to restore HP).
You will also see Dragon God peeking through the wall in front of you. Go downstairs and you will find the following items:
- 3x Hardstone Shard
- 3x Sharpstone Shard
- 3x Renowed Warrior Soul
Now the only thing you can do is approach the Dragon God and get slapped. You will die instantly but once you respawn at the start of the story, you will retain all of the loot you just grabbed. This will give you a headstart on things.
With that said, you have successfully defeated your first boss (hopefully) in Demon Souls. There are many more bosses to come during your adventures in Demon Souls. So, stick with GV for all the help you’ll need.