Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City – How to Defeat the Demon Prince

Find out how to take down the Demon Prince, as well as his first two forms, the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below.
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Dark Souls 3’s latest DLC has quite a few new bosses for players to take on, and the first set that players come across may prove to be quite a challenge. Since the DLC was created for high-level player, many of the enemies and bosses are much more difficult than the base game foes that players have previously run across. In this article we’ll break down everything you need to know to take down the Demon Prince’s various forms, and come out on top.

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To start off with, this fight will see players facing off against two different bosses, the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below. After defeating both of the first forms, the Demon Prince will spawn, and you’ll have to take it down without any chance for respite.

Boss Fight Tip: Use a Gold Pine Resin or Lightning Blade Miracle to buff your sword and increase the damage you do to the boss, as they are susceptible to lightning attacks.

We’ve already shown you how to get Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City started, but now it’s time to dive into the first boss fight. Upon entering the arena you’ll face off against the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below. To start things off the Demon from Below will charge after you, attempting to deal damage with some close-range attacks. At this point the Demon in Pain sticks in the back, and spits out acidic long-range attacks.

Dodge the Demon from Below and avoid any long-range attacks that the Demon in Pain throws at you. Use the dodge to set yourself up to attack the Demon from Below, and then once you damage it, the enemies will change positions, and the Demon in Pain will charge you. Dodge the attacks once more, and continue dealing damage to the demon that is focusing on close-range attacks.

Now, this is where the real trick of the fight comes into play. The Demon Prince’s attack types are determined by which demon you kill first. Killing the Demon from Below first will cause the Demon Prince to use fireball based attacks. Killing the Demon in Pain first will cause the Demon Prince to use laser based attacks. Due to the slower attack pattern included with the Demon Prince’s laser attacks, we suggest killing the Demon in Pain first to spawn this boss type.

Make your decision, and then continue witling down their health until the demon of your choice dies first. At this point the remaining demon will switch to close-range attacks and you can finish it off.

How to Defeat the Demon Prince

Stay in the back of the arena, away from the Demon Prince as it spawns, as a large explosion will set off, damaging you if you are too close. One the Demon Prince spawns complete, move to medium-range to try to bait it into its fly-back move. This move causes the boss to fly back and prepare his laser attack, giving you the perfect chance to swoop in and deal some damage. Beware of the Demon Prince’s slashes, and try not to get hit by the lasers as they deal large amounts of damage.

If you killed the Demon from Below first, and must fight the fireball Demon Prince, then wait for it to begin an attack where it spawns two fireballs and flies backwards. At this point, rush the Demon Prince and attack it until it staggers. If it happens to finish the entire move set, it will cast a massive fireball that spits homing Chaos Fireballs out at you, which are very hard to dodge.

Continue either of the strategies above until the Demon Prince goes down. Now that you know how to take down the Demon Prince, make sure you know how to help Lapp find his identity and get Lapp’s armor. You can also return to our Dark Souls 3 game hub, where we have plenty of other helpful guides to assist you on your journey to the Kiln of the First Flame.


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About the Author

Josh Hawkins

Josh has been exploring fantastic worlds and getting lost in video games for as long as he can remember. Starting out on the Super Nintendo with Super Mario World, and ending up in the world of next-generation gaming. He enjoys digging into the story and lore of massive RPGs, as well as getting lost just trying to make that last jump in any platformers he gets pulled into, as well as everything in between. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Entertainment.