Duke’s Dear Freja is the boss waiting at the end of the Brightstone Cove Tseldora in Dark Souls 2. This creepy crawly of a boss is not only scary but has a gimmick that will make this fight weirdly tricky.
There are only a few ways you could approach this boss fight, and we will discuss all of them and more in this boss guide.
Fighting Duke’s Dear Freja in Dark Souls 2
As you enter the arena, the cutscene will reveal a spider’s nest, only for the momma spider to jump out and startle the ever-living bejeezus out of you. This is Duke’s Dear Freja, a ginormous arachnid with two heads on either side of her body.
To boot, she has a thick exoskeleton all around her body that boasts high resistance to almost anything you throw at it. This means all your attacks on her body are entirely useless. The only way to hurt her is by punishing one of her two heads, the sole vulnerable points of the boss.
Wait, there’s more! She also brings her babies to the party too. Not only is the boss annoying because of the only head-weak point deal, but her eight-legged disciples will be just as irritating, constantly trying to swarm you while you are too busy finding Freja’s head, dodging her plethora of attacks, or
Here are some things of note to keep in mind when facing Duke’s Dear Freja in Darks Souls 2:
- Her heads are her only weak points. You must be positioned relatively straight in front of her faces to deal damage; otherwise, the arms beside them will block your swings.
- If you attack one of her heads long enough, it will fall off, leaving you with only one weak point to target. She will be staggered after losing her head, giving you ample time to lay down some punishment.
- She is weak to Strike damage type, Fire, and Bleed.
- She is immune to poison and can’t be parried or backstabbed.
- A far-reaching weapon like a spear is better to target her heads from a relatively safer distance.
- The tiny spiders will keep spawning throughout the fight; however, we recommend killing all the initial ones to give you some breathing room to fight the boss. Others will eventually respawn, so be vigilant.
- If you equip a Torch in your off-hand, the spiders will be afraid and won’t try to approach you. This makes fighting the boss much easier without interference from the spiders.
- You can summon three NPCs to aid in this boss fight: Ashen Knight Boyd, Manhunter O’Harrah, and Bashful Ray.
Boss Strategy
To take down the Duke’s Dear Freja in Dark Souls 2, you’ll need to play it smart and time your moves. Baiting her Magic Beam attack is by far the closest to a cheese strategy you can have in this boss fight.
She likes to use this attack a lot, so stick to her at mid-range, and she will go for this attack. As soon as she’s locked in the beam-firing animation, sprint around to her other head and strike. Rinse and repeat, and this will be enough to bring her down. This tactic is ideal for faster, more agile builds.
Freja only takes damage if you attack either of her heads, located on opposite ends of her body. Hitting her elsewhere will just make your weapon bounce off. The problematic bit is most of her attacks originate from her heads, so you need to be quick on your feet while attacking.
Lock-on is your friend during the fight. It latches on to the nearest head, helping you identify and stay focused on her ugly mug only.
Tankier builds can alternate standing between her front legs and her face. While she is busy attacking, you can move to the side and then quickly move back up to her face to deal some damage while she recovers and then get back to the safety of the legs.
You can use massive weapons like the Ultra Greatswords to carry out a few yet powerful strikes in these small windows. This is ideal for players with a slow character since running between the two heads is cumbersome. You only have to keep an eye out for her Acid Tantrum Attacks and Body Slam attacks.
While fighting, remember to deal with her smaller spider minions; they’re easy to kill but can cause severe damage if they gang up on you from behind. Clear them out first for a safer fight. After they’re gone, you’ll have a short window before another wave spawns, so use that break to focus on Freja.
Spell casters can summon any of the previously mentioned NPCs and let them draw the boss’s attention. Meanwhile, you run to the other side of the arena and lock-on to the head facing you. Now start casting projectile spells like Soul Spears towards the head and slowly whittle away Freja’s HP. You can even use AoE spells like Heavenly Thunder or Chaos Storm to remove the tiny spiders in one fell swipe.
Moveset
These are all of Duke’s Dear Freja moveset in Dark Souls 2 and how you must react to them:
| Attack | Description | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Stomp | She uses her front legs to stomp in front multiple times. | Dodge or run away. |
| Leg Thrusts | When you are standing farther away, she will extend her front legs to attack you. | Dodge to the side. |
| Pincer Swipe | She rears her head, opens her pincers, and thrusts toward you. | Run or dodge quickly to the side. |
| Body Slam | She jumps in the air and tries to land on top of you. | Pick a side and start running, and when she’s about to land, do a last-minute roll. Can be hard to avoid because of her vast body size. |
| Thrust Attack | She will rear up while raising her whole body, then swiftly thrust her body forward. | Run to the side and away from her. |
| Web Shot | Shoots out a bunch of web balls all over. If you get struck, your movement speed will be severely hindered. | While slow, stay away from her until the effect is worn off. |
| Acid Tantrum Attack | She will begin slamming all her legs while spitting out acid from any of her mouths. The acid will eat away your armor’s durability and might even destroy it. | Back off from her attack radius until it’s over. Repair armor if hit with acid. |
| Magic Beam | She will raise her two front legs and then fire a beam of magic horizontally from left to right. | This beam can not be blocked. Start running counterclockwise and begin dodging if the beams get near you. An excellent opportunity to run towards her other head |
Rewards for Defeating Duke’s Dear Freja
Squishing Duke’s Dear Freja in Dark Souls 2 showers you with these rewards:
- 42,000 Souls
- Soul of the Duke’s Dear Freja – Can be used to craft either the Spider Fang curved sword or Spider’s Silk piercing sword.
- When defeated in NG+, she drops the Old Paledrake Soul – This can be used to craft either the legendary Moonlight Greatsword or Crystal Soul Spear sorcery.
Duke’s Dear Freja in Dark Souls 2 is an arachnophobe’s nightmare of a boss fight. The bothersome nature of the fight’s gimmick, the head-weak point, forces everyone to play the same during this encounter. Not to mention, the constant running between the heads and the mobs of spiders pouring in makes this a hassle of a fight. Smash her beneath your foot and be done with it quickly.