You must have faced the Dragonrider in Heide’s Tower of Flame at the start of Dark Souls 2; however, a pair of Dragonriders is waiting for you later in the Drangleic Castle. It is a boss fight similar to before, but there is a slight twist this time, giving this encounter a hint of heightened challenge.
Let us enlighten you on what this innovation is and how you should go about dealing with the boss.
Fighting Twin Dragonrider in Dark Souls 2
You are well acquainted with the Dragonriders in Dark Souls 2. As soon as you enter the arena, you’ll witness the familiar face of the giant bronze knight you have already bested before and, oddly, two boss health bars.
But before you reach the bronze knight, you’ll get shot in the chest by a giant arrow. It turns out that there is another Dragonrider (black armor) perched atop the golden platform to the left of the first.
The black Dragonrider will remain on top and continue to snipe you with his Great Bow. Only when the bronze one’s HP is lowered to 50%, will the other drop down and join the fray using his melee weapons. Both carry a giant halberd as their weapon and a massive shield to protect themselves.
The firing rate of the Great Bow Dragonrider is generously spaced, giving you a reasonable amount of time to fight the grounded one. As for the melee combat, both of them attack sluggishly, using highly telegraphed attacks with predictable and few movesets.
As the boss’s health decreases, he will start chaining more attacks with his regular moveset. Again, these are just typical halberd swings and slams that you have already encountered.
The only troubling bit is forgetting the archer and getting sniped when you least expect it. Additionally, reacting to their attacks and maneuvering this boss fight is no big deal.
Here are some tips and tricks to consider when facing the Twin Dragonriders in Darks Souls 2:
- If you lure the bronze Dragonrider under the archer’s platform, his wide halberd swings will destroy the pillar, dropping the Great Bow Dragonrider to the ground. This is handy for melee builds who can’t target or attack the boss when on the high point.
- You can use the smaller gargoyle pillars in the arena to take cover from the arrows.
- The Great Bow Dragonrider has around half the HP of the other. Prioritizing him will take him out much faster, providing you ease in dealing with the tougher melee one.
- They both are weak to Strike physical damage. Blunt weapons like clubs are preferred.
- Fire and Lightning elemental attacks will deal extra damage.
- They both are susceptible to poison and bleed.
- You can parry their melee attacks, although you can’t perform a critical strike or backstab them afterward.
- Two NPC summons are available for this fight: Pilgrim Bellclaire and Bashful Ray.
Boss Strategy
To handle the Dragonriders duo with ease, head straight for the archer’s platform as soon as the fight begins. Once you’re there, wait a moment; the Dragonrider on the floor will strike the pillar, breaking it and causing the second Dragonrider to fall down sooner than expected.
With the archer grounded, he won’t switch to melee, staying true to his bow. This gives you a prime opportunity to focus your attacks on him and end him quickly, especially since his health is lower, making the fight significantly more manageable.
Magic Caster Strategy
As a magic user, aim your spells at the archer right at the start. Spells like Great Lightning Spear, Soul Spear, or Dark Fog, will deal serious damage. Once the archer is out of the picture, shift your attention to the melee Dragonrider.
Keep moving sideways to dodge his attacks, then strike during the openings after he finishes an attack chain. His attacks are very predictable so you’ll get into the groove. Repeat until he’s defeated.
For a quick takedown, lock onto the archer from the entrance and cast Dark Fog. This can drain up to three-quarters of his health, giving you a big advantage early on.
Melee Strategy
If you’re playing melee, start by focusing on the Dragonrider on the floor. Keep an eye on the archer above and listen for his bow, dodging any incoming arrows. Finish off the first Dragonrider as quickly as possible so you can shift your attention to the archer when he jumps down.
The archer has less health, so he’s easier to handle once the first one is out of the way. Long, fast weapons like the Black Knight Greatsword or a buffed katana are ideal here, especially if they’re infused with Fire or Lightning to exploit their weaknesses.
Pyromancer Strategy
With a sufficiently upgraded Pyromancy Flame and spells like Great Fireball and Fire Orb, you can make quick work of this fight. Dash toward the Dragonrider Archer, getting within casting range, and hit him with as many Great Fireballs as possible before the melee Dragonrider can react.
With high casting speed, you can often land two hits in quick succession, causing the archer to fall from his platform. Once he’s down, finish him off with the remaining casts, making the battle with the halberd-wielding Dragonrider much more painless.
For even faster results, cast Toxic Mist (or one of its variants) or Chaos Storm on the archer. Just one cast is nearly enough to defeat him in NG mode.
Boss Moveset
These are all of the Twin Dragonriders attacks in Dark Souls 2 and how you must react to them:
| Attack | Description | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Poke | Points first and thrusts his halberd straight in front. He adds a horizontal slash follow-up when his health is lowered. | Dodge to the side or parry it. |
| Dual Horizontal Slashes | Rears his weapon and goes on to perform two consecutive horizontal slashes. Adds a follow-up overhead slam when health is lowered. | Dodge twice in the direction of the incoming slash or block with a shield. |
| Overhead Slam | Pulls his halberd back and performs a straight overhead slam in front after some delay. Adds a diagonal uppercut follow-up when HP is low. | Move to the side and let the attack miss you completely or dodge before it lands. |
| Wide Swipe | Raises his halberd then goes for a wide and extended spinning swipe. Adds another swipe when HP is low. | Dodge into the swipe to ignore the attack. |
| Shield Bash | When you continue blocking, the boss will bash his shield to break your guard. It will drain all of you stamina. | Do not keep blocking for long durations. Or you can use it to bait this attack and dodge away to get some hits in. |
| Archer | The Greatbow Dragonrider will continue to fire at you with his great arrows. | Keep an eye and an ear out for the incoming fire and dodge or run at the right time. |
Rewards for Defeating the Twin Dragonriders
Beating the duo of Dragonriders in Dark Souls 2 will reward you with:
- 26,000 Souls
- Dragonrider Soul – This can be given to Straid of Olaphis to unlock one of the four items:
- Dragonrider’s Halberd
- Dragonrider Twinblade
- Dragonrider Bow
- Dragonrider Greatshield
The Dragonrider was already a pushover boss when you initially faced him in Dark Souls 2. This iteration isn’t that far off since so many things are going against the boss.
You are more upgraded at this point in the game with more access to better spells and equipment, the archer is super weak, and the boss has no new attacks, making him predictable. I don’t know how they rode dragons when they could hit a measly Bearer of the Curse.