The Nameless King is one of the most challenging bosses in all of From Software games. This boss has made life miserable for many players. How to defeat the boss? What is he weak to? What strategies can you use to beat it? Are there any ways to cheese it? All will be answered in this ultimate guide to beating The Nameless King in Dark Souls 3.
This boss has two phases, each with a unique name. In the first phase, the boss is called King of the Storm, and he will be fighting you on top of his trusty dragon. Once defeated, the dragon will die, and the actual boss will emerge on foot aka The Nameless King. The fight is extremely brutal, and you will have to learn the boss’s every move to make a difference.
Let’s take a detailed look at some of the best combat strategies and tips for defeating The Nameless King in Dark Souls 3.
Is The Nameless King Optional?
The Nameless King is an optional boss.
Strategies for Defeating The Nameless King
Here are some strategies for defeating The Nameless King you can use depending on the build you opted for in Dark Souls 3:
Melee Strategy
When the fight starts the Nameless King will swoop in on King of the Storm, his dragon. In the first phase, you will need to defeat the dragon. Its head is the weak spot, and you will want to hit it hard and often.
Stay near the dragon and bait attacks from it and the boss, rolling as necessary to avoid them, and get in 2 or 3 attacks on the dragon’s head immediately afterward.
The lock-on and camera angle makes this much harder than it should be, so be prepared for that and try not to get frustrated. At some point, he will take flight, hurl a lightning spear at you and then charge you. Be ready to dodge both attacks and then return to the strategy.
A couple of notes about his attacks here: He has a particularly deadly attack where he charges his spear and tries to slam you with it. This attack has some serious AoE, and the best tactic is to stay close to the head and roll into the dragon’s body when he does this.
He has a couple of standard swipe and thrust attacks which can be easily dodged but hit hard, and every now and then the dragon will breathe fire. It’s great when it does this as you can roll through it and get in a good 3 or 4 hits with no problem.
DO NOT get far away from the dragon as he may lift into the air and breath fire onto the ground, which spells almost certain death.
Once the dragon is killed, phase 2 begins. Usually, the boss will send 2 tremors waves at you, so keep your shield up and block both, or roll to the side. Close the distance and roll through his attacks, getting in an attack here and there.
You should have this concept down by this stage of the game, you just simply need to learn his specific timing here. If you mistime your rolls, just roll again immediately after and you should still come out ok.
Once he gets to half health here, you will want to back away and roll to avoid his slam attack with an attached lightning AoE. It has a much larger radius than you would think so roll more than you think you should.
Immediately after he will do his lightning attack, he will charge his sword, raise it into the air and the screen will flash. Roll just after you see the flash, not before or you will most likely die. From this point on it’s just more of the same with these two new attacks mixed in, usually following one another just like that.
He does have a point-blank lightning AoE as well that he will do when you are up close, so look for that. It’s easy to dodge, and you can get in a couple of attacks afterward.
Magic/Pyromancy Strategy
Since this boss is near the end of the game, all Sorcerers and Pyromancers must have good upgrades allocated to their respective stats. You also must have upgraded your casting weapon i.e. Staff or Chimes/Talismans. Additionally, equipping the best set of rings to compliment your playstyle is a must too.
The first phase is easier since the dragon is weak to magic attacks. Maintain distance from most of the dragon’s attacks and lock on to its head. Keep the best-ranged spells you have at your disposal, Crystal Soul Spear is recommended, and fire it every chance you get.
The tracking will be a problem while he is flying, but when he is on the ground the spells should hit just fine. The boss will go down in a few well-placed hits.
The second phase is relatively harder cause The Nameless King is much more aggressive and hard-hitting. However, the boss sucks at covering distances, and you need to exploit it. Move away from his melee radius, and he will have very few attacks that can catch you off guard.
The only attacks you have to worry about are; his short charge attack which can be rolled quite easily, and the waves he sends out which too can be dodged with ease. Maintain the distance and fire away your spells.
The boss will have a hard time reaching you, and you could obliterate his health from the right length. It will take some time, but the fight will be over without much trouble.
The arena poses some threat as there are no physical walls to indicate the borders and you might get cornered unintentionally. You can also wear the Thunder Stoneplate Ring to minimize the Lightning damage from the boss.
What is The Nameless King Weak To?
The weaknesses of The Nameless King differ depending on the phase you are in:
- King of the Storm (Phase 1)
- Lightning
- Frostbite
- Weak Spots: Head, Neck, and Wings
- The Nameless King (Phase 2)
- Fire
- Dark
What is The Nameless King Resistant / Immune to?
The resistance and immunity of The Nameless King differ depending on the phase you are in:
Resistant to:
- King of the Storm (Phase 1)
- Poison
- Toxic
- Bleed
- Fire
- The Nameless King (Phase 2)
- Lightning
- Frost
- Bleed
Immune to:
- King of the Storm (Phase 1)
- None
- The Nameless King (Phase 2)
- Poison
- Toxic
Can You Parry The Nameless King?
The Nameless King can not be parried in either of his phases. He can however be staggered and riposted for higher damage.
Can You Cheese The Nameless King?
The approach mentioned in the Magic Strategy section can very well perform as a cheese. To make it even more effortless you can do the following:
Equip an upgraded bow with tons of arrows and maintain distance from the boss in both phases. Simply keep firing at the boss using manual aiming, and it will go down with ease. Whenever the boss closes the distance just run away to the opposite end.
The first phase will be harder to pull off since the dragon can fly around and charge at you but even then it can be outrun. The second is easy as pie. The boss walks slowly towards you and you can use this opportunity to lob as many arrows at him as you can.
The occasional ranged wave attacks in the second phase will force you to dodge but can be done without trouble. It is a slow process but really makes things more painless.
On the flip side, you can use the Pestilent Mist spell too. In the first phase, wait for the dragon to land and approach its legs and fire the mist. The spell will slowly burn away his health, and soon it will die.
As for The Nameless King, fire the mist and move back. The boss, in his effort to reach you, will have to walk through the mist resulting in his health whittling away. Keep setting up this trap and watch out for his ranged attacks. Although tedious, the boss will pose no threat and will die soon.
The Nameless King is extremely hard to beat in Dark Souls 3 if you are going up against him mano a mano. Contrary to that, if you exploit his lack of ranged attacks, things will get almost trivial. Use whatever strategy works best for you. Many players would like the challenge of the face-to-face fight and really earn their victory.