If, like me, the first time you encountered the Pursuer involved getting blindsided while attacking a Hollow Soldier ready to lob a firebomb at you, then you’ll probably be fairly hungry for revenge. I certainly was. Unfortunately, when I returned to show him who’s really the boss, he had vanished. Although I knew we were destined to meet again, the bitter taste never fully washed out of my mouth, and as such I feel it my duty to help you all take care of this guy in the simplest and most effective way possible.
This guide is for the second time you encounter The Pursuer, after defeating the Last Giant. Though he’s only the second boss in the game, he can be extremely tough to beat even once you know what his attack patterns involve. Our basic guide to defeating him can be found here, but this guide takes it one step further and shows you how to defeat him in mere seconds.
As this method of defeating The Pursuer only takes around 10 seconds at its quickest, there’s no need to waste all your Human Effigies to bring yourself back up to full health: if all goes according to plan, he won’t even manage to hit you once.
What you will need
A good one-handed weapon, preferably a club (Melentia sells them for 800 souls, next to the Cardinal Tower bonfire), or a sword and shield combination that you feel comfortable parrying with.
Light armour is a bonus if you have it, but if not simply ensure your Equip Weight is below 50% so that you aren’t drastically slowed down.
A firebomb is an optional addition to carry along to make things even easier. Make sure you have it equipped in your item slot when going into the boss fight.
How to kill the Pursuer quickly
Ensure you have your club or one-handed weapon of choice equipped and being wielded in power stance (press Y or Triangle).
After you traverse the white mist, look towards the middle of the area on the left hand side and you will see a cart and a barrel. Head towards them as The Pursuer locates you and stand with them a little way in front of you. You should be almost lined up with the Ballista at the far end of the area; take a look at the image below to get an idea of the positioning you should aim for.
Stand your ground as The Pursuer advances to attack. He will move forwards, then begin one of his dashing attacks. Your goal here is to parry his dashing attack, which will stun him. This can take a little practice, so don’t worry if you don’t get it first time. The benefit of this method is that it doesn’t matter how many times you die and lose a piece of your health bar as once you do get it right, you’ll do it without being hit.
Once you have successfully parried The Pursuer, he will be stunned for a few moments. This will allow you time to dash past him towards the Ballista, which, if you positioned yourself well, he should be directly in front of. I personally found it better to parry him while not locked on, so that I could dash away faster. Use the Ballista on The Pursuer by pressing A (Xbox) or X (PS3) twice: once to crank it back and again to fire. If the bolt hits, it will take off over 90% of his health in one go.
This is the time to finish him off. If you brought a firebomb to the fight, lock on and throw to finish the battle. If you want to kill him in a more traditional manner, be careful of his final few last-ditch attacks, stay on his shield side and get in an attack where possible, and you’ll cut him down to size in no time at all.
Here's a handy video we put together showing exactly how this method works and where to get the best early weapon, armour & shield!
Did this help you to defeat The Pursuer? What other bosses are you having difficulty with? Let us know in the comments section below!
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