How to Defeat Pontiff Sulyvahn - Dark Souls 3

We show you how to take down the tough Pontiff Sulyvahn. For more on the game, check out our wiki @ ca.ign.com/wikis/dark-souls-3
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IGN OFFICIAL APP: www.ign.com/mobile
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WEBSITE: www.ign.com/
GOOGLE+: plus.google.com/+IGN

[@bharatbenie]

you know what they say "30th time the charm" atleast for me =)

[@economicorderqty]

lol😂😂

[@economicorderqty]

lol😂😂

[@aaronanaya8980]

dude it took me like 6 tries to kill the very first boss fml this is my first souls game and I hated it like the first six to eight hours but now I can't stop playing lol

[@aaronanaya8980]

Dark Titan lol I don't know if I would agree with your analogy but I see what your saying dude.... I was so ready to call this game a piece of crap and impossible to pass but if you stay at it you definitely get better and begin to enjoy the environments and the combat..

[@DarkTitan9174]

Yea, I mean personally, DS3 is wayyyyyyy better than DS2, since 2 was just so brutal in so many ways. DS3 is still very hard, don't take me the wrong way, but not as brutal as 2, I reckon. I didn't really like DS2 at first, but once you get used to it, you begin to understand, and I'm basically addicted to 3 by this point lmao

[@Duskets]

"Miyazaki, we can't put this boss in -- the camera doesn't work!" ... "Do it anyway"

[@cipherover]

That is so true dude! Every time he does that dash jab I loose my lock-on, get punished, have to use an estus,get punished again, and die, and then I cry because I'm loosing embers :(

[@cipherover]

Not to mention but you only need to summon 1 NPC. DO NOT SUMMON 2! Londor pale shade is very frail and is a bad distraction and will die quickly if you leave him alone. Gotthard is the true NVP though! With his help, I almost beat this jerk! I guess you could say that this game... Got... Hard ;)

[@masa5300]

+Epicdoomer : Graser You can summon 3 NPC's with Pontiff and 2 that I'm aware of with Old Demon King. What are you talking about? ._.

[@issi529]

Terrible boss and game design.

[@Quiron1985]

first dark souls 3 ragequit for me yesterday... It all went fairly easy, untill this guy...

[@JustShotsForMeh]

Look at your name, that's the best advice, git gud.

[@Quiron1985]

***** you're a little late mate...

[@chincemagnet]

Same

[@Teeheehee093]

I just can't. It's like fighting two Martyr Logarius's at once.

[@NtiGame]

+Descendant of Kraff The hardest thing is the ghost doesn't fade away fast after killed. Its body still cling to the scene so I can't see what the boss is doing. T_T

[@westrosstark5249]

I am stuck on this his hp doesnt go

[@levihartman5351]

This boss would be so much easier if the camera actually worked.

[@RupertTheOctopus]

_Says to Aldrich_ "Sulyvahn was TWICE the scarer you'll ever be!"

[@rommeltj1367]

RupertTheOctopus proceeds to stunlock you straight to hell with arrows

[@petsontherocks]

How the F this boss does so little damage to you? He is basically twoshotting me and I have 1000 HP at this point and I am not using summons either.

[@KanyeEast09]

Probably the armor with better magic attacks negation

[@cwehden]

This boss was gross, so aggressive one of his combos is like 6 hits long.. I'm glad he's now in my past.

[@NtiGame]

Another tricky attack is his fire sword in right hand, with a little move to lure me to dogde then the real hit comes afterward. I was hurt that way every time.

[@santo2778]

Did this with a great shield and just closely circled around him - wasn't so daunting the 40th time

[@wintersotero9749]

haha

[@MrBorgas]

pro tip: dont two hand your weapon if the boss is this fast... one handed is faster so you can actually do better in DPS

[@baw285]

very challenging boss for sure

[@dingdangdong7108]

Remember Martyr Logarious? Yeah, I hate that guy...

[@VikramSingh-wi1tw]

he was a real og boss

[@shaquillepompey6013]

+Egie Alac the best boss in bloodborne for suree

[@dingdangdong7108]

Ventus Θ I agree. I said that because I've had the same level of frustration with Pontiff Sulyvahn as I did with Martyr Logarius.

[@VentusK]

Egie Alac i beat him an hour after writing that comment, and boy am i satisfied. i did it as a melee character, i wonder if the fight is any easier as a mage or ranged...

[@aicstaley3789]

yeah but i would rather fight him than this guy any day of the week.

[@famgusxxv743]

4 days, and he is still alive... 60k souls gone... arrrh...

[@masterspartan981]

you shouldn't fight any boss with that number of souls, always spend your souls

[@masa5300]

+Hussain Caesar I lost more tbh and also, sometimes you don't have a choice. For instance, when you summon an online player or someone invades you, you can't go to firelink shrine. You have to send the players home or kill the dark spirit. Also by the time you get to the boss, you would make a lot of souls anyway. Every time you go back to firelink shrine and come back, you would have to go through all the demons you just killed and get around the same number of souls again.

[@masterspartan981]

隠れ変質者 I see, but still if you carry too much souls and you fear that you could lose them just wear a ring of sacrifice

[@masa5300]

Hussain Caesar I don't mind losing souls as I find it easy to get my souls back.

[@epicnab]

Actually a shield is very handy in this fight, at least in the first half of it. You can just stay very close to him and hug his right side while holding your shield up and abuse his blind spots. This way you can get free hits with minimal risk, and holding the shield helps block those unpredictable sweeping strikes

[@WUZLE]

+Kyo This is truth. The old "stick to boss and rotate around him counterclockwise" trick works just fine on the pontiff. Things get a bit trickier when his clone appears but you may get lucky and take him out at point blank range despite it. I just did.

[@Warstub]

+WUZLE Yeah same. Second half I tried to stay close to real pontiff. Seemed to work.

[@BramJuggernautHaloR]

If you use an ember before the boss battle you can spawn a phantom to help you out, his sign is located just before the boss battle

[@shorter6093]

most badass pope in all time

[@RapTapTap]

Step 1: Git Gud Step 2: Profit.

[@sgcv]

+MonomaniacalNeedToKill Dark Souls 3 is already easy. So.. no need to Git Gud

[@DXYS95]

+MonomaniacalNeedToKill I thought the same at first. However, after several attempts, I realized I couldn't do better at all, unlike every other boss in the game. Then I understood one thing: the problem is not the fact that he is always in your face or the length of his combos. The problem is you don't see his attacks coming at all! They are friggin 1 frame attacks. And that's most probably the reason why everyone suggests to stay away from him. It would have been a cool fight, since you can parry him, but no. From f*cked up again imho

[@zombislayer42]

lol just parry him he is too easy lol

[@sgcv]

+Crippledfined gaming Are you casual? No need for parrying

[@zombislayer42]

+Fi☪†i☯N it is if you are speed running with no weapons

[@conman815able]

That is one of the best fashion souls I've ever seen. So cool with the katana and gear

[@StingOfDeath777]

you have to strafe left not right for his first stage and then you can shield any extra hits that get through, for his second pray they dont spam jump

[@maartenvdberg1205]

Just had it second try! Good video, but I didn't really struggle myself

[@yamibakura7296]

what isthe character load out? like armor weapons etc? do you have the milk ring equipped to disappear like that when you roll? I just beat the boss in the catacombs of carthus :D

[@UneekM8ker07]

Fought him on a pure mage build (as a sorcerer class) and found that using Great Magic Shield works pretty well guarding against Pontiff's successive attacks. But regardless, he's still one tough cookie! Not long before I fight him again on NG+5

[@nannyvarmint5341]

100% disagree. Use shield with 100 physical and good fire/mag def. first stage he won't be super aggressive as long as you stay toe to toe. Usually only taking 2 swings at a time. Manage stamina. Second stage keep your distance. Good luck!

[@roastchestnut5274]

How to actually defeat him: - parry until phase two - poison with storyteller staff while he is down - run away

[@Symnoptik]

Greatshield makes this fight very easy. You can block through the vast majority of his combo's, althought you will get chipped a little but by the fire and magic damage swords. But it's really only gonna be noticeable after the 100th block.

[@xDTHECHEMISTx]

so whats that effect you keep adding to the sword?

[@raulcg3]

I just sort of headbutted him(with a great axe +6) until he fell over. Took a couple attempts with the summonables npcs. Was using black knight armor and shield at the time as well. Was sitting at around 35str/vit and vigor at the time, maybe.

[@Dark2Zone]

i recommend parring it dose so much damage on this boss

[@budabead]

You know what Shawn, i appreciate that you put this guide together and all( i played the game solo, was just curious) But for crists sake, it would have made more sense to do it with a character that's not as tanky? No offence, but if ppl who need guides are likely new souls players who will likely be under-leveled and be unable to take a handful of hits - shrug it off with an estus. Might just be me i guess

[@zelenar1]

good tips..not looking forward to doing this in ng+ or++ etc

[@huskytzu7709]

he is a really cool boss

[@AquaWolve1]

Can someone tell me what kind of dodge that was? It looks mad useful. Also that blade, that was a magic sword right? Can a Knight use that?

[@ultimatedespairgamer6722]

It's a spell that puts a magic buff on a weapon, and the dodge is done with a special ring

[@jefftheslayer6141]

I watched fightin cowboy's walk through and I don't remember him encountering this boss...

[@smurfaka]

Best way is by far to range him with arrows, then when he summons his clone you pick a strong 2h and use strong attack. then continue with arrows

[@tylerhawkins9955]

Blocking with a shield and circling to stay behind him works WAY better.

[@sirpotato9052]

Parry = Win If you can't use the dragon Crest shield and strafe.

[@wintersotero9749]

parry is easy mode casuul..no shield and just rolling is the real chalenge..only me and other few can do it

[@reaper70707]

For the first phase I actually found that keeping really close to him on the side with the flame sword made the swings from the other one go over my head almost every time. 100% phys shield + fire resistance (I used flash sweat) made the 1st phase a joke. Just gotta manage that stamina! Second phase is bad the 1st time around but since you can see every attack he does twice because of the ghost, you pick up on the tells really quickly.

[@echoflame4279]

The only problem with the ghost is if you don't have a speedy enough double-dodge roll then you'll inevitably get hit by Pontiff himself, regardless of how well you dodge from his ghost.

[@tole8182]

What trousers is he using?

[@jessicacrawford6589]

um I keep getting to the second phase and I just keep dying any tips pls

[@shehzadk123]

shield doaent work? I killed him with the crest shield which did a tiny bit of dmg on me and hes quiet easy after he gets wings and spawns a clone because his clone and pontiff does the same attacks but the clone goes in first which is easy to dodge and then go for him (seperation)

[@Koops2245]

*My strat:* Fast weapon, Lightning weapon miracle, Light, fire/magic armour, Medium shield. Circle strafe towards his FIRE sword (because it's so high up that it misses often) Hold block, Counter attack ONCE when you can, When ghost appears, try to hit them both with each attack. #armpitsimulator

[@Minecraftor]

Using shield is more tolerant of mistakes and you don't need much of health thus you can spend more on Strength or Stamina.

[@IAmYous3f]

what was the character level on this fight?

[@thegodfather1077]

Dodge to his right hand it will put you behind him, once you are behind him he will stand still for couple of seconds and that will break his combo. Dodging to his left hand will not stop his combo :) so always go for his right hand.

[@absw6129]

Can't see how I beat this guy on my first try in both ng and ng+, but now I'm having tons of trouble with him

[@Rachet108]

What kind of class is that ?

[@ewanfraser]

The trick to this boss is to stay close and strafe to the right, always to the right. In the second stage in and out stick and move.

[@shrimp_jake]

I like how they made easy bosses for most of the game and out of nowhere BOOOOM

[@gajeelredfox2760]

Damn, I didn't see myself as that good at this game but after defeating this boss first try, I think I changed my mind

[@FrancoUnAmericano]

"Some people have trouble with the ghost. Try killing it..." You don't say. :P

[@MegumiHayashida]

dat BGM tho.

[@michaeldeluca8679]

Why is it that it seems like everyone secretly decided that the area outside of Pontiff sulyvahn bonfire is the best place to leave red signs for pvp. I mean I know it is a great area to pvp but I only ended up just finding out everyone was leaving signs their after back tracking the area before I continue onto Ng +.

[@brmbltbr4]

It's the most populat spot for fight clubs.

[@DANIEL117nm]

I think shield style is the best way to defeat this boss, but you need a big one.

[@Newsonix]

How is his sword blue?:)

[@LaneyNo9]

What about parrying?

[@nevamoth3384]

this boss was my first rage quit, so i am now expecting a big difficulty spike..

[@camhawk10]

Somehow I beat this boss on my first try.

[@assassinhunter1260]

holy moly

[@Floppy-Sockies]

"Suuu-Lah--vahn" I swear

[@snipe4lllife]

I think shields are a good thing in this fight

[@marcin123G]

Damn. Played so much Dark Souls that I beat this boss on my 2nd go, it's sad... I remember dying about 47 times to Ornstein and Smaugh back in the day and now I probably died 20 times in total in DS3.

[@rg03500]

Phew, finally beat this guy, only took 15 or so tries.

[@Ibbelino]

cried while watching this

[@Darkerxz]

SULLYVAN! GIVE ME THE LITTLE BRAT

[@IEatSkrubsMyGrub]

So maybe a curved great sword isn't the best weapon for this

[@nyan512]

How could he blink in and out like that?

[@ultimatedespairgamer6722]

There's a ring that has that effect

[@rookieodst5256]

I actually thought the shade helped me dodge real Pontiff's attacks.

[@Bennnnnnnnnnnnji]

What class is he playing here?

[@JustShotsForMeh]

Oh boy you have much to learn.

[@gfv]

I fought him with 23 endurance, 25 strengh , Claymore +5 and a Dragon Crest Shield and it was really not that hard. Kepp close to him, block the first attack, dodge/recover stamina at the others, attack 1-2 hits and repeat. The ghost is harder, but not that much

[@NoobOmegaGaming]

Only boss that's giving me trouble so far

[@vrok618]

For me it was easier with a shield.too many attacks to dodge as melee str build..he will miss his big swords attack when you are close and you just smack him in the face

[@oonmm]

I just put the best armour (against physical, fire and also magic) on me. 95% equipment load and then just face tank him. The only attack that screws you doing this is when he puts both his swords in the air and do the 10 hit combo. In the second phase just don't ever get far from him, be right in his face and he won't do much to you. You can't even afford to let him get distance on you when doing this tactic, you can't dodge his ranged attacks. Face tank, easy.

[@neomob5800]

God I've watched this video for some help or advice, but I gotta say the only thing that works is determination because after dying like 30time I knew every moves that he does and it became way easier to dodge. Parrying helps too but you gotta have lots of stamina. Good luck to everyone here who didnt defeat him yet ! ps: After beating dancer first try I wonder how could I struggle that much on sulyvahn :o

[@quinsey9211]

Ive yet to die by a boss more than once. And the only ones that ever got that one kill were the demon king and watchers cause i didnt see the second guy pop up.

[@MorsXPrincipiumXEst]

+Hayden Brookfield I bet someone gave you a cookie

[@harveymarvey3348]

Just stay close to him as possible and you don't even have to dodge most of his attacks. Just keep slicing and running in circles.

[@noaz13]

i found out that parrying his attacks is actually not that hard

[@coochiekatana3471]

What are you talking about? Ghost? Its not a ghost its a stand.

[@LINK1V4N]

Wow, he has more weakness than it looks.

[@ShitOwl]

i love how they dont even mention parrying lmao

[@MorphinGaming]

what armor is he using??

[@tomirussell4257]

+MorphinGaming Not sure but the chest piece looks like the undead legion one

[@MorphinGaming]

+Tomi Russell thats what i thought, that hood looks beast asf thk

[@the.kobester]

whats causing him to disappear when he rolls?

[@Laggu]

The Carthus Milkring

[@the.kobester]

+xDerpyHooves32 preciate it. gotta start reading item discriptions lol

[@jsanchez2590]

Its a ring that obscures your rolls or something like that

[@masterspartan981]

I've found using both the milkring and the bloodring together making boss fights a breeze

[@blackraven625]

man i beat him with 2 estus and a ember cause i ran out of estus on my first try

[@Warstub]

Don't bother with the ghost - just makes the fight longer. 100% shield (Lothric Knight Greatshield), stay close and circle around - even in the second stage, just stay locked onto the real pontiff, dodge through ghost attacks towards the pontiff and strike or stay behind him. Just uploaded a video to show it.

[@JustShotsForMeh]

What? When I circled around him me and the camera both got penetrated, getting too close means that the ghost looks at you, and Pontiff tries to attack where the ghost didn't, making them come from two sides.

[@humongousego3026]

How to bear Pontiff Sulyvahn: Git Gud.

[@AJC-Plays]

The run from church of yorshka the most annoying part

[@knurdig]

Please somebody Tell me this boss is opitional, or else i wont finiah this game

[@red-hairshanks6019]

He is _not_ optional

[@snipe4lllife]

git gud

[@297fihsy]

Fantastic boss, a great example of teaching players to change tactics through design

[@vvatchout1]

yes we get it you gonna upload a boss walkthrough everyday. why didnt u just doing it all in one in order

[@zacharybrumbaugh9953]

Anyone else think DS3 wasn't too bad in terms of difficulty? I found Bloodborne and DS2 to be a lot harder.

[@Warstub]

+Zach B Some of the boss fights in Bloodborne were pretty poor, but Amelia and Gherman gave me the most trouble (and heart-pumping action!)

[@Joreselin]

Parry him -- the easiest way to kill a sword-wielding boss is parrying. It makes the fight way too easy. And don't use a shield: two-hand and dodge.

[@ZiphiaZ]

Use a small shield and parry, then this boss fight is "easy"

[@javs4422]

Kill the Dancer first, go to lothric castle get some chunks and upgrade you weapons I used +8 ugitachana and a +3 shield easy kill

[@bakurawthesupersaiyanhair937]

Underrated Pigeon idek where to go. all I have is the dungeon and then I'm on this boss...it's my first DS and it's punishing, but fun when you beat a boss.

[@xanders3083]

It actually was much easier for me. The dancer has less combos that are easier to read and is far less aggressive

[@conor9745]

Xander Searcy She 3 shots you at a low level and takes barely any damage lol

[@ctBundy]

I lost 48000 souls doing this fight. Died at the boss then got stuck on shortcut door and the two ghosts took me out. You just have to laugh!

[@yawyeet7101]

try this on ng+7.

[@s1a1n1d1i]

this boss is more hard then any of the ones before i dint die more then 5 times on any boss and i died 6 times on this one,the best was i got him to 25% health and that was lucky,i build ST character now i need to farm souls to get my stamina and health up i guess because i dont think i can kill him like this well i can but i dont want to try 20-30 times lol

[@Mastho5]

5th attempt and he died for me :D, just keep on rolling and rolling and rolling.

[@killoflen]

parrying is the absolute best against this boss

[@hex1531]

get poise

[@VordtMan]

I've never even made it to Phase 2...

[@VordtMan]

CANCEL THAT BOI'S

[@VordtMan]

My strat, Equip the crest shield and hold it up while literally 100% of the time rotating counterclockwise. Every time he does the lunge with the purple sword, take two swings. My weapon was strong enough to kill the clone before it even moved so that part was easy. GL BOIS

[@canweget1subplease624]

Got one hit and died