How to Beat the Ruin Sentinels in Dark Souls 2

Welcome to the world of Dark Souls. Hopefully you knew about the hell you were getting yourself into when you purchased the game. If you are reading this, it’s likely that you have been punished repeatedly by the three awful, hammer-wielding sentries that patrol the Lost Bastille in Dark Souls 2 known as the Ruin Sentinels. Not to worry, here is a helpful guide to beating the triplets and getting that oh so lovely, “Victory Achieved.”

First off, when you reach the telltale wall of mist that indicates a coming boss fight, you’ll want to summon some help. A sign can be found in one of the jail cells leading up to the door of mist along with various other signs that others may have left for you if you happen to play online. However, they can only be used when you are a human, so be sure to restore your humanity with a human effigy.

When you step through the mist, you’ll notice that you are on ledge that is not large by any means, along with the Ruin Sentinel called Yahim. Although it’s a small space, don’t be scared (at least try!), there is just enough room to dodge the onslaught Yahim will throw at you and to deliver some counter attacks.

Avoid dropping down from the ledge at all costs until after the first Sentinel is defeated. If you drop down, all three will come after you at once. Staying on the ledge is the only way to take out one of the bosses by itself.

The Sentinel has two major moves that it will throw at you while on the ledge. One being a powerful, downward swing from straight above the head, and two sweeping strokes that cover a broad area. Here, as always, wait for the Sentry to wind up for his attack and use your rolling move to dodge like a boss! After a successful dodge, look for your opening to strike on the defenseless Sentinel.

Keep at it and it shouldn’t be long before you have taken down Yahim. Now the fun begins. Once Yahim is destroyed, the second Sentinel, Alessia will drop from the opposite ledge and approach you. At this point your follower may jump off the ledge and attack for you, which is good. Jump off of the ledge and prepare for the challenge!

Once on the ground, you will have to take on the final two Sentinels, Alessia and Ricce, at the same. The spirit you summoned should come in handy here, taking some of the Sentinels attention off of you. It is very important that you focus on one Sentinel and take it out before the helper is destroyed. You should avoid taking on two Sentinels by yourself at all costs!

If you can even up the fight to one-on-one, the rest should be pretty manageable. On the ground, the Sentinels have one more devastating move in their arsenal that you have to watch out for. They rear way back (just like in the picture below), and unleash a spinning tornado attack that lunges huge distances in the direction they attack.

In my experience, you cannot dodge this attack going backwards or to the side. However, if you stay in close quarters, it can be avoided by diving in the direction of the Sentinel but just to the left or right of it. You will end up behind the Sentinel while it foolishly spins off in the other direction. Now it will be left wide open for a counterattack.

Be elusive, careful, and, most importantly patient! Continue to avoid and counter the Sentinel and, before long, it will fall before your almighty power! If done correctly you should get one of these bad boys:

Good luck, and Praise the Sun!!!