Old Monk, the banished husband of Queen of Lataria is a story boss in Demon’s Souls. This fight is an unusual one because there is a chance you will not be fighting an AI boss. Instead, you might find a real player posing a real threat.
In this guide, you are going to find all of the necessary information required to dig a permanent grave for this half-dead monster.
Fighting The Old Monk
While the boss looks dead already, it has a trick up its sleeve. You will not be directly fighting the Old Monk, instead, he will summon a Black Phantom to do his bidding.
If you are playing Demon’s Souls online, there is a good chance that Black Phantom will not be controlled by the AI and is a real player. The PvE battle will now turn into a PvP battle which is altogether a different ballgame.
If you are up for that kind of challenge, make sure you prepare well because the Old Monk’s summoned fighter is no joke if given in the hands of a real player.
The game might not always find a player for the match in which case this will be just another boss battle against an AI monster. You can also switch to offline mode and eliminate the possibility altogether.
If you are in the latter situation then you will be facing an enemy who has moveset similar to a common human enemy. The fight is going to be a quick and easy one if you know the following:
- Get yourself a 100% Physical Block shield regardless of your build type. Kite Shield and Heater Shields are some good options to consider.
- The Old Monk will only do ranged attacks if you are out of his melee range. If you don’t want to deal with Soul Rays then better stay close to him.
Moveset
Old Monk’s moveset is quite generic and most probably similar to you. These are the types of attacks that the Old Monk will use against you:
- Jab: He will try to punch you with his clawed hands.
- Reaction: Can easily be blocked.
- Uppercut: A powerful upward punch that can knock you down if it connects.
- Reaction: Block or roll to either side.
- Horizontal Slash: He will do a side swipe in the horizontal direction with his sharp claws.
- Reaction: Block with a shield or roll in the opposite direction to avoid it.
- Homing Soul Arrow: He will summon 2-3 Soul Arrows that will float for a couple of seconds and then come toward you.
- Reaction: They are slow moving so can easily be dodged by rolling at the last moment.
- Soul Ray: A Powerful Soul Ray shot in a straight line.
- Reaction: Roll left or right to avoid getting hit.
Strategy
In this guide, we are going to discuss the strategy to defeat the Old Monk in offline mode. This will be a quick and easy one. Just past the fog gate, the black phantom awaits you.
He will leap towards you the moment he sees you. If you took our advice and brought a shield then simply block the physical attacks. With a melee build you just need to stick to one simple strategy.
Block, attack, and repeat. Yeap! That’s pretty much it for the entire fight. All of the attacks of the Old Monk have a significant recovery time. During that time, you can deal a good amount of damage, then go back to blocking.
If you stay within the melee range then he will not use his Soul Ray but will occasionally spawn Homing Arrows. As soon as you see them float around him, take a few steps back and roll as soon as you see them coming.
Blocking the physical attack with a shield will make the Old Monk stagger and then you can do a backstab. This will the most amount of damage and staggering giving you a chance to land multiple hits before he can get back on his feet.
Do not get greedy and only land an attack once or twice every single time you parry his attack because that leaves you vulnerable to his attacks as well.
If you are fighting him from a distance using ranged attacks then I recommend you bring a shield that can block magic attacks. It is only when there is a gap between you two, the Old Monk will use ranged spells. The same block, attack, and repeat strategy will go here.
Be consistent in your attack and time them right to end this fight quickly and easily.
How to Cheese The Old Monk
If the fight against the Old Monk was not easy enough, here is a cool little trick to cheese the boss in Demon’s Souls. For this one, you will need Poison Cloud and a 100% physical block shield.
As soon as the fight starts, get close to him and release the Poison Cloud. It will slowly but surely chip away at its health. During that time, just block whatever attack he does while being mindful of your stamina.
Once you notice that also 900 damage has been dealt with, apply the poison cloud once again and go back to blocking. This is the simplest and easiest way to defeat The Old Monk.
Rewards for Defeating The Old Monk
Your fight against the summoned spirit of the Old Monk in Demon’s Souls will grant you the following rewards:
- x1 Golden Demon’s Soul
- +45% White World Tendency