The Deacons of the Deep are the easiest boss fight in Dark Souls 3. They can not be considered bosses in our books but what can we do? How to defeat the boss? What he is weak to? What strategies can you use to beat it? All will be answered in this ultimate guide to beating Deacons of the Deep in Dark Souls 3.
The Deacons of the Deep are a mob of undead clerics in Dark Souls 3 that will die quickly. In the first phase, look out for the Deacon with the Red aura and leave the rest. In the second phase, focus all your attacks on the Archdeacon. There is nothing special to this fight, so mow down these freaks.
Check out this detailed guide on how to beat the Deacons of the Deep Boss in Dark Souls 3 using these effective strategies.
Are Deacons of the Deep Optional?
The Deacons of the Deep are not an optional boss in Dark Souls 3. They are supposed to be defeated to get the key item, Small Doll, used to gain access to the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley.
Strategies for Defeating Deacons of the Deep
Here are some strategies for defeating Deacons of the Deep you can use depending on the build you opted for in Dark Souls 3:
Melee Strategy
In the first phase, there will be enemies with a red aura around them. These will be your primary target and are easily killed. Once killed, the aura will jump to another enemy. Simply, sprint or roll to these red enemies and kill them quickly. The rest of the mob will do minimal damage, so don’t worry about them.
The Archdeacon will spawn in the second phase, and that is your final prey till the end of the fight. The mob will encircle him, acting like a meat shield for the boss. Move around the boss to find an opening in the barrier to him or mow them down with your weapon to make your own path towards the boss.
Another easy thing you can do is just roll into the mob since they will stumble from your rolling contact giving you ample time to damage the boss.
The only thing you need to look out for is the black mass spell the casters will fire together. Additionally, you need to be vigilant when they start pooling their magic individually to cast a curse debuff fog. This spell can insta-kill you. To counter it, merely kill one of the casters, and the rest will stop aggregating.
You can heal off the mob by using the Pontiff’s Left Eye, which will let you restore some health from each dead enemy. Having a large enough weapon with a significant horizontal attack will make things incredibly easy.
You can effortlessly stay near the boss, and the damage received will be offset by the healing from the Pontiff’s Left Eye.
Items that boost stamina regeneration will be a godsend and will further allow you to stay in the mob without having to retreat and recuperate.
Magic Strategy
Sorcerers will have a hard time in this fight since the boss is resistant to magic damage and the sheer number of the enemies and their fireball attacks will make it a challenge for you to cast your spells.
The only worthy spells here are:
Soul Spear, White Dragon Breath, and Soul Stream are good choices and can take out many enemies at once. However, the tons of enemies on the screen will make it difficult for you to lock on to the red aura/Archdeacon; therefore, you might end up killing the worthless mob.
The Pestilent Mist is exceptionally good if you are able to set up a trap for it. Using the Aural Decoy/Alluring Skull, you can force the enemies to walk into the damaging mist.
The best way to approach this is by standing behind a pillar and casting the mist first (since it lingers on for longer) and then using the luring item to force them to walk into the trap.
Nevertheless, the most practical spell at your disposal is the Soul Greatsword. You can even use it behind the safety of the pillars. Just use it to whack off the aura boys in the first phase and seek cover behind the pillar to restore FP. It has a nice slash attack that will clear a large group of enemies.
In the second phase, you can use the Soul Greatsword to clear your way to the boss and use a backup faster weapon like the Farron Flashsword to attack the Archdeacon.
Pyromancy Strategy
The Great Chaos Fire Orb and the Flash Sweat spells will make this fight a walk in the park for Pyromancers.
The orb spell has a huge AOE thus allowing you to lob it in the crowd of enemies without having to specially target the red aura bosses. The AOE will also kill many of the enemies at once, clearing your way to the target at hand.
The Flash Sweat spell will nearly negate all the potential damage from the fireballs fired by the enemies. This will give you more time to stay within the mob and cast your spells.
Use the corners of the massive sarcophagus to lure the cluster and break them off from the main boss for you to circle around the structure to catch him. Kill the Blue Deacons with the Great Chaos Orb as soon as you can, as they will heal the boss.
What are Deacons of the Deep Weak To?
Deacons of the Deep are weak to the following damage types:
- Physical-type damage
- Frostbite
- Vow of Silence
What are Deacons of the Deep Resistant / Immune to?
Deacons of the Deep are resistant and immune to the following damage types:
Resistant to:
- Dark
- Magic
- Bleed
- Poison
- Toxic
Immune to:
- None
Can You Parry Deacons of the Deep?
The enemies around the boss can be parried and can be riposted and backstabbed. However, the red aura-possessed boss cannot be parried as they won’t perform any attacks.
Can be parried, which allows to perform a riposte, backstabbed, or pinned down. note The possessed deacon can’t be parried since it doesn’t attack the player.
Can You Cheese Deacons of the Deep?
It is shameful to even think of cheesing this boss since it is so easy to kill. For how easy it is, any of the strategies mentioned above can be considered cheesing, especially the Pyromancer’s Great Chaos Fire Orb strategy.
The Deacons of the Deep are another somewhat gimmick boss in Dark Souls 3. You shouldn’t even bother killing the crowd, just focus your attention on the respective phase targets for the fight and you will be done in no time.