Black Dragon Kalameet stands tall in our list as the second most difficult boss in Dark Souls Remastered. Funnily enough, this boss isn’t even necessary! You have to follow some obscure steps to make him fight you; otherwise, he’s fine flying freely.
In this boss guide, we will discuss how you can fight Kalameet, what strategies to employ, his attacks, and some tips and tricks to consider.
How to Trigger the Black Dragon Kalameet Boss Fight?
First things first, you need to know how actually to confront Black Dragon Kalameet. You’ll encounter Kalameet a couple of times along your journey through the DLC, but there is a specific way to face him as a boss. Otherwise, he’ll be more like an environmental hazard.
You need to first reach the area where you’ll fight Kalameet. It is opposite Artorias’s arena, towards the lower area left of the elevator shortcut to Chasm of the Abyss.
Keep going straight and take out the dog enemies on the way. Soon, you’ll reach a wooden gateway with a ledge looking over a gorge.
As you approach the ledge, you’ll witness Kalameet fly over the gorge. This is the only thing you need to trigger for the next bit. You can use the ladder on the left to drop down, but Kalameet will just burn you to death since the game hasn’t registered him as a boss yet.
Next, you need the Crest Key found after killing a mimic chest in Oolacile Township. Take the key to the top area of Arotrias’s arena, open the gate, and climb the ladder. You’ll meet Hawkeye Gough here. Talk to him and exhaust all of his dialogues until he mentions Kalameet.
He’ll soon ask you if the Black Dragon is troubling you. You must choose YES. He’ll ask you another question, and you should answer YES again.
This will trigger a cinematic where Gough will shoot down Black Dragon Kalameet. He’ll fall in the gorge you initially visited and is now a boss. The wooden gate from before will also turn into a fog gate.
Return to the gorge to begin the boss fight.
Fighting Black Dragon Kalameet in Dark Souls Remastered
Black Dragon Kalameet is a dark descendant of the primordial archdragons. He is all black with a huge single crest-like eye. This boss is quite agile for his size and has a ton of tricks up his sleeve.
He loves using his black flame breath, which deals both physical and magic damage. His flame attacks are brutal to counter and might stun lock you to an early grave.
Even though Gough has grounded him, he occasionally goes airborne to perform physical and flame attacks. He’ll also like to reposition from time to time to keep you on your feet. His spear-like head and long neck allow him to swing it like a weapon. His massive tail is another swiping weapon.
Kalameet has a special attack where he grabs you and applies a debuff on you which allows him to deal double damage for a limited time.
His sheer size, ferocity, and fire make this fight incredibly challenging, and only the most hardened of players will come out triumphant.
Here are some things to keep in mind when going up against Black Dragon Kalameet in Dark Souls Remastered:
- He is relatively weak to Lightning damage.
- Strike physical damage hurts him more slightly.
- He is immune to Poison and Toxic. Although it is possible to Bleed him, triggering it will take a while.3
- You must equip physical and magic-resistant armor to withstand his hybrid attacks.
- Only the Havel’s Greatshield is better suited for this fight to tank his flame and physical attacks. Other shields will succumb to his high-stability damage hits.
- Only after you shoot Kalameet down can you summon other players to aid you.
- Severing his tail will give you a reward.
- You must carry or equip stamina regeneration items to match his attack speed.
- Kindling the Oolacile Township bonfire three times is recommended to ensure you have enough Estus Flasks for the fight.
Boss Strategy
When facing Black Dragon Kalameet, avoid standing directly in front of him. Always strafe around him, preferably in a clockwise direction, so he’s slightly turned away from you. This positioning helps you evade his deadly charge attack and linear breath attack, which can occur unexpectedly, while also making it easier to dodge his rising attacks.
Mastering the evasion of all his attacks demands practice and results in many defeats. Keeping your encumbrance below 25% is essential, and equipping a stamina recovery item, like the Grass Crest Shield, is advisable.
Get to know all of his moves; you should roll through his head swipes, dodge to the left during his dive attack, and run to the left to escape his breath attacks, except for his vertical breath attack, where you should retreat.
He’s unlikely to use his tail slam unless you aim for a tail cut, but stay prepared to roll to the side if he does. Similarly, for his foot stomp, rolling backward is the best approach. Avoid using lock-on for this method.
Blocking his attacks is easier but demands superior equipment. A heavy shield with great stability, such as the Havel’s Greatshield, is essential. Where possible, steer clear of his fire attacks and don’t let his grab attack hit you. If you notice him sitting up, quickly move or roll to the side.
Beware that high poise may be a drawback, leading to multiple hits from lunge attacks that would normally stagger you; however, strong defense and magic resistance are beneficial.
Using lock-on will aid in directing your shield properly, but stay alert for his airborne vertical breath attack, as it can push the camera skyward, making escape challenging. Keep in mind that you will need to unlock the camera to land any melee attacks.
Moveset
Black Dragon Kalameet has the following moveset and how you are supposed to react to each of his attacks in Dark Souls Remastered:
| Attack | Description | Reaction |
| Flying Fire Breath | This attack is only used when facing without downing him with the help of Hawkeye Gough. He’ll continuously fly over the arena and spew fire that lingers on the ground. It is meant to kill you in one or two hits owing to its extremely high damage. | Don’t try to face him without first shooting him down. There is still a way to fight him at this point, but you need to be really prepared. Not recommended. |
| Linear Fire Breath | He’ll charge the flame in his mouth, stand up slightly, spread his wings, and breathe a straight line of fire towards you. Usually performed when you are at a distance. | Don’t try to block, or else you’ll be stun-locked to death. Dodge to the side right before the flame hits you and, make a run toward him, and attack until the animation is over. |
| Sweeping Fire Breath | He’ll turn his head to your right and start breathing medium-range fire from right to left. Usually performed when you are mid-range. | You can tank the breath with a good shield. Better to run next to him as he starts breathing fire and attack him until the attack finishes. |
| Close Range Fire Breath | He’ll stand on his hind legs and spew fire on the ground under his head. Usually performed when you are near his head. | You should quickly rush between his legs, out of the fire range, and start attacking till he stops. A good time to sever his tail. |
| Airborne Fire Breath | He’ll fly in the air, hover, and start breathing fire directly underneath him. The fire will spread out a short distance in a circular zone. | You can block it with a Greatshield only. It is better to run away, out of the fire zone, as soon as he goes airborne. |
| Charge to Flame Sweep | He’ll charge forward, then turn around quickly while breathing fire similar to Sweeping Fire Breath. The charging does a lot of damage. | You can easily dodge to the side as he charges. If there is more area behind you, he’ll stop at a farther point, and the flame sweep won’t reach you. You can use this window to heal or cast spells. However, if a wall is close behind you, he’ll stop at the wall and breathe fire, which is more dangerous. |
| Swiping Headbutt | He’ll rear his head and use his long neck to swipe his head from left to right. He can follow it up with another swipe in the opposite direction. It is usually performed when you are near his front. | A shield can block it but only block the first swipe. Start moving to the right as he rears his head and the initial swipe will miss. Quickly run under him and attack while he performs the next swipe and miss again. |
| Stomp | When standing near his front legs, he’ll rise, stand on his hind legs, and quickly smash his front legs on the ground below. | Just back away from the ground beneath the legs, and you are golden. |
| Tail Slam | When you are behind him, he’ll look behind, pull his tail up, and slam it in a straight line after a slight delay. | It can be blocked by a shield. Roll to the side before the tail lands and use the long recovery window to attack the tail and try to sever it. |
| Tail Swipe | When you are on his side, he’ll straighten his tail and swipe it over to the side. | It can be blocked. Or, it can be avoided if you run under or behind him. |
| Lunging Head Swipe | When you are at medium range, he’ll rush towards you and perform a similar attack as Swiping Headbutt but will have a much longer range. | It can be blocked with a good shield, though it will send you flying. Timely roll to the right into the swipe, and the I-frames will save you. |
| 360-Degree Tail Swipe | He’ll assume a “getting ready” stance, then jump back while swiftly rotating while swiping his tail right to the left across the ground. | Put up your shield as he starts rotating. Or, timely roll right towards the swipe, and it will go over you. |
| Airborne Thrust | He’ll go airborne, hold his position, stretch his head straight, and then swoop toward you in an attempt to hit you with his head. | Dodge to the side as his head is about to hit, and he’ll blow past you. Avoid standing where he lands. |
| Mark of Calamity (Grab Attack + Debuff) | He’ll stand on his back legs with his wings and arms wide open and his eye glowing red. He’ll then shriek and close his arm while his body glows the same. If you are near him at this point, you’ll levitate toward him and receive a bunch of damage. After you drop, you’ll have a mark of Calamity, which will lead to receiving double damage for the next 60 seconds. | You must run out of the grab range as soon as he stands up. |
Rewards for Defeating Black Dragon Kalameet
Defeating Black Dragon Kalameet drops the following rewards in Dark Souls Remastered:
- 60,000 Souls
- Calamity Ring
- If you cut his tail, you’ll receive the Obsidian Greatsword.
Black Dragon Kalameet felt like an impossible boss fight to me in Dark Souls Remastered. It felt like an environmental hazard from which you were supposed to run. I had to look it up online to realize there was a way to defeat him, and then my grueling battle began. He bested me a bunch, but soon I was able to beat him. Hopefully, you guys won’t face the same problem with the help of this boss guide.