How to Beat the Old Demon King in Dark Souls 3
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How to Beat the Old Demon King in Dark Souls 3
Old Demon King Tips
The Old Demon King is Dark Souls 3’s quintessential optional boss — powerful enough to feel meaningful, straightforward enough that the under-body strategy makes it approachable at appropriate levels, and rewarding enough with its transposition options to justify the detour. The Smouldering Lake itself is one of the game’s more interesting hidden areas, accessed through a destructible rope bridge and housing the dangerous Carthus Sandworm and multiple powerful enemies. If you are following Siegward’s questline, his summon sign outside the fog gate makes this fight a 90-second walkthrough — if not, the fire aura management in Phase 2 is the one genuine skill test the fight presents. Defeating the Old Demon King before moving through Irithyll gives you a comfortable soul buffer and valuable transposition rewards.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Beat the Old Demon King
Stay directly beneath him and attack his legs — most of his fire attacks pass over or around you at close range. When he winds up a big slam, roll through it and attack from behind. In Phase 2 he gains a fire aura — back off and wait for the aura to fade before re-engaging. He is optional but drops the useful Old King’s Great Hammer.
1
Where to find him. The Old Demon King is an optional boss found in the Smouldering Lake — the underground fire area accessed by shooting down the rope bridge in the Catacombs of Carthus. The boss fog gate is at the far end of the Smouldering Lake’s central chamber. He is not required for main story progression but drops valuable souls and the Old King’s Great Hammer soul for transposition.
2
Stay underneath him during Phase 1. The Old Demon King is a large lava-encrusted demon wielding a massive hammer. The safest position is directly beneath his body between his legs — most of his fire breath, lava waves, and area blasts target players at medium range and completely miss at close range underneath. Attack his legs repeatedly from this position. Only reposition when he raises his hammer for a slam attack.
3
Dodge his hammer slam and punish the recovery. His primary dangerous attack is a two-handed overhead hammer slam that creates a lava explosion. The wind-up is slow and well-telegraphed — roll to the side or through the slam when you see him lift both arms. After the explosion clears (1–2 seconds), sprint back to his legs and attack during his recovery animation. This is your largest consistent damage window.
4
Phase 2 — fire aura requires patience. Around 40–50% HP the Old Demon King creates a persistent fire aura that deals rapid damage to anyone standing near him. Back off immediately and wait at medium range until the aura fades — approximately 10–15 seconds. Do not try to tank through it. Once the aura dissipates, return to the close-range under-body strategy. He repeats the aura 1–2 more times before dying.
5
Fire resistance and Yhorm’s Great Machete synergy. The Old Demon King deals almost exclusively fire damage. Equip the Fire Stoneplate Ring (reduces fire damage taken) and any fire-resistant armour for extra safety margin. Uniquely, if you completed Siegward’s questline to this point, he appears as a summon near the fog gate — his tank build makes this fight trivially easy with his assistance.
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Summon Siegward for an easy win: if you have followed Siegward of Catarina’s questline (found him in the Undead Settlement well, helped him at the Cathedral, freed him from Irithyll Dungeon), his golden summon sign appears just outside the fog gate. Siegward is an extremely durable NPC who tanks the Old Demon King’s attacks while you attack freely from the side. With Siegward summoned this is one of the easiest boss fights in the game.
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Lightning and Dark damage are most effective: the Old Demon King has high Fire resistance (everything in Smouldering Lake does) but low Lightning and Dark resistance. Lightning-infused weapons or weapons buffed with Lightning Blade miracle deal significantly more damage than Fire or Standard infusions. Dark Hand or Dark-infused weapons also work well against his low Dark defense.
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Watch for the lava ground slam: occasionally the Old Demon King slams both fists into the ground sending lava ripples across the floor in multiple directions. The ripples travel outward from impact point — sprint sideways to avoid them rather than rolling, as the spread pattern is wider than a single roll can clear. After the ripples pass, return to attacking his legs.
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Recommended level 45–60: the Old Demon King is a mid-game optional boss found in the Smouldering Lake. Arrive at Soul Level 45+ with a +6 or higher weapon. His health pool is moderate and his attacks are slow enough to read consistently — the main challenge is managing his Phase 2 fire aura without panicking and taking unnecessary damage.
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Old King’s Great Hammer transposition: defeating the Old Demon King yields his soul which transposes at Ludleth into the Old King’s Great Hammer — a Strength weapon with innate fire damage and a powerful fire explosion Weapon Art. It also transposes into the Chaos Bed Vestiges pyromancy — one of the highest-damage sorcery spells in the game for Pyromancy builds. Both rewards are worth the optional detour.
Where is the Old Demon King in Dark Souls 3?
The Old Demon King is in the Smouldering Lake — an optional underground fire area accessed by shooting down the rope bridge in the Catacombs of Carthus. Cross the fallen bridge to descend into the lake. The boss fog gate is at the far end of the central lava chamber. He is entirely optional and not required for main story progression.
Is the Old Demon King optional in Dark Souls 3?
Yes — the Old Demon King is completely optional. He is not on the critical path to any required boss or area. Defeating him rewards significant souls, his boss soul (used for Old King’s Great Hammer or Chaos Bed Vestiges transposition), and advances Siegward of Catarina’s questline if he is summoned for the fight.
How do you survive the Old Demon King’s fire aura in Phase 2?
Back off immediately when the aura activates and wait at medium range until it fades — approximately 10–15 seconds. Do not stay near him during the aura as it deals rapid continuous fire damage that depletes your HP faster than Estus can recover. The aura dissipates on its own — patience is the only requirement. Once gone, return to the under-body close-range strategy.
What does the Old Demon King drop in Dark Souls 3?
The Old Demon King drops the Soul of the Old Demon King, which transposes at Ludleth into either the Old King’s Great Hammer (a Strength weapon with fire damage and explosive Weapon Art) or the Chaos Bed Vestiges pyromancy (one of the highest-damage pyromancy spells available). Both are strong rewards for their respective builds.