FromSoftware’s games are always a tier above the rest when maintaining consistent difficulty. However, the adrenaline boost in such games is immense whenever you engage in different battles. From its predecessors, Dark Souls 3 carries the legacy of making the player work his sweat and tears for every task.
This can be a cause of distress for you as a player. However, it is also a good way to gain a genuine sense of achievement during your conquest of the game. Certain places are relatively harder to access in Dark Souls 3 than others.
Archdragon Peak is one such place where the Nameless King resides. You get to engage him in a battle for glory. Since it is ultimately a FromSoftware game, you must be prepared to die a lot before successfully defeating him. However, the hardest part is not the battle itself. Rather, it is the path one must take to reach the Archdragon Peak.
As secretive as it might be, it is not impossible to find and reach Archdragon Peak. To teleport there, one must do the following:
- Kill Oceiros
- Get the Path of the Dragon Gesture
- Locate the Dragonkin Statue / Corpse
With that said, there are easier ways to perform the mentioned task. This guide will show you a complete in-order walkthrough of the method to reach the hidden Archdragon Peak.
Reaching Archdragon Peak: A Step-by-Step Guide
You need to take the following steps to reach the Archdragon peak. Your starting position will be Lothric Castle. May lady luck smile upon you, O’ Ashen One.
Kill Oceiros, The Consumed King
Oceiros is a boss found in the Consumed King Garden tight below the Lothric Castle. He is technically blind and is found guarding a shrine. Oceiros likes to talk a lot, especially about the imaginary baby he cradles in his arm.
How to Kill Oceiros
Oceiros features a total of two phases, the first one is weaker than the second. However, it can be just as deadly if not dodged properly. It is relatively easier to beat him for Rangers and Pyromancers as long as they maintain their distance.
First Phase
Oceiros will initially start attacking with a staff in his early phase. Therefore, stay underneath him for as long as possible while holding your shield up as a Melee character. You will be able to find your opportunity to counterattack as soon as he finishes his attacks.
Maintaining a lot of distance is generally not recommended as a Caster since his quick charges can catch you off guard while chanting. He also possesses innate magic resistance making it difficult for you to damage him.
There is a small window that you can abuse in between his attacks. However, don’t get greedy and run for it as soon as he stabs his Staff in the ground. He will cast a large scare AoE breath attack. While it is relatively easy to dodge, you will most likely lose more than half of his health bar if hit.
Therefore, maintain caution and try to maintain your distance. Once he takes a decent chunk of damage, The consumed king will begin his second stage.
Second Phase
The second phase will start with the cry of a baby; the consumed king will crush his Staff and get on all fours. He will start attacking like a ferocious beast in this stage. Make sure to dodge as many attacks as possible by getting under him as a melee character. Target his legs as much as possible as a melee or a ranged player. He would no longer do his rush attacks if you get close to the back legs.
The primary weakness of Oceiros is uneven terrain. Therefore, try to lure him towards the piles of rubble located around the stage. Try to inflict damage from the backside. His tail is quite long; therefore, capitalize on his hitbox. Oceiros is much less dangerous in close combat, but you should not take this for granted. Keep dodging his attacks to win.
Oceiros: All Abilities/Attacks
Here are all the attacks and abilities the consumed king can perform in his initial phase:
| Attack Name | Attack Description |
| Bonk | Deals a relatively quick front-vertical strike with his staff, just like an old man |
| Leap Bonk | He uses this move against anyone attacking his behinds. Leaps in the backward direction and uses Bonk |
| Tail Sweep | He tries to whiplash you with his tail |
| Pestilent Mercury | Large area attack caused by the mist from his staff. |
| Leaping Freeze | Leaps and freezes those under him |
Phase 2 can get much scarier as Ocerios uses his claws, fangs, and tails instead of a staff. Here are his attack patterns for phase 2:
| Attack Name | Attack Description |
| Irritated swipes | Attacks with his arms and slashes in an erratic manner |
| Air Strike | Flies in the air while shooting crystal magic below |
| Charge | He will dash at you on all fours |
| Crystal Dragon Breath | Unleashes a torrent of crystal breath. This attack will apply curse, so it is better to dodge it. |
| Spin | Performs a 720 rotation attack. You will need to have impeccable timing to dodge this one. |
Make sure to equip a Cursebite ring since Oceiros is one of the few bosses that can kill you with curses alone.
Get the Path of the Dragon Gesture
After defeating Oceiros, the Consumed King, you can find this gesture on a corpse. This corpse is in the center of the room, before a vessel. You will be able to access thor room directly after the bonfire. This gesture is the main key to unlocking the Archdragon peak.
Even after unlocking the Archdragon peak, this gesture will aid you in claiming the Calamity Ring and the Twinkling Dragon Torso Stone. This can be done by performing the Path of the Dragon gesture in front of the two shrines in the Archdragon peak.
Locate the Dragonkin Statue / Corpse
The final step in unlocking the Archdragon peak is the Dragonkin statue. This is located in the Irithyll Dungeon and is the key to teleporting to Archdragon Peak. Here is how it all works:
How to Get to Dragonkin Statue
Make your exit from the door near a bonfire and leave the sewer. Take the stairs heading downwards. Move towards the left till you find the outside path. The Dragonkin Statue is located here. Simply use the Path of the Dragon Gesture here, and a cutscene will begin. You will reach the Archdragon peak as soon as the cutscene finishes.
Quests to Complete in Archdragon Peak
The Ashen One’s journey is never-ending, and Archdragon Peak is just the start of another epic battle. Therefore, knowing about the trials that will await you on your journey is recommended. That said, here is what you will encounter in the new area. Make sure to skip this part to avoid any potential spoilers.
- Facing The Wyvern: You will have to fight an ancient wyvern. Do not tackle this enemy directly or it will be really hard to get by. Once the wyvern is defeated, a cutscene will start, and you will be teleported to the Dragonkin Mausoleum Bonfire.
- Defeating the NPCs: You will be duking it out against several NPCs like Drakeblood knight or Havel the rock. Defeat them in order to obtain good loot.
- Sniping the Wyverns: A wyvern will be lingering to attack you. It will not come extremely close and will continuously fire steady bursts of fireballs. Killing it would earn you a decent amount of souls but it will be hard and time-consuming to do so.
- The Path of the Dragon: You will get the chance to attempt Path of the Dragon at different altars in order to reap the rewards. Calamity Ring and the Twinkling Dragon Torso stone will aid you in your fight with the nameless king.
- Face the Nameless King: Upon pulling the level, you will trigger a cutscene and the game will lead you to the Nameless King. Defeating him will be hard but very worth it at the same time.