The average Souls game goes all out when it comes to boss fights, but there’s something to be said for Dark Souls 3’s roster of bosses. Taking a page out of Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3 sports much faster combat than its predecessors. FromSoftware’s games have always been reflex based to some extent, but Dark Souls 3 is more action than it is action RPG.
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This can be seen best in the game’s two DLC expansion packs, Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City, both of which add an assortment of new boss fights to Dark Souls 3. While both expansions are great in their own right, The Ringed City plays out like a love letter to the entire franchise – closing the page on a chapter in gaming history.
Part of what makes The Ringed City so compelling is that it offers Dark Souls 3 an alternative final boss: Slave Knight Gael. One of the single most challenging boss fights in the entire Souls series, Slave Knight Gael is a three phase gauntlet that only gets harder the longer the battle persists. Gael is a final exam like no other.
Phase 1
Slave Knight Gael is an aggressive boss who chains heavy hitting combos together that’ll quickly kill you if you aren’t careful. The first phase of the fight is the easiest, but it can be overwhelming to get through on a first playthrough. Gael’s telegraphs are intentionally hard to read and require unorthodox timing to counterattack. Do not expect to win your first few matches. Instead, take the time to study Gael’s patterns. You need to be able to get through Phase 1 by taking as little damage as possible. Otherwise, you won’t survive the rest of the battle.
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The easiest way to keep Gael at bay is by keeping left. Don’t bother standing still because he’ll lunge right at you. Bait Gael towards you and always dodge to the left. Once he chains his combos, dodge repeatedly to the left to avoid, only stopping once you’re sure Gael is done striking. As soon as Gael finishes attacking, deal as much damage as you can while maintaining enough stamina to dodge away. Gael can actually be staggered, but you shouldn’t count on this – focus instead on dealing the damage you can while preserving health.
Phase 2
After dealing enough damage to Gael, you’ll trigger a cutscene that transitions the battle to phase 2. Gael will go from exclusively using his Greatsword to using a crossbow and magical spells. Gael’s combos also become much longer and deadlier, offering very little room in terms of counter opportunities. Worse, Gael has a “one-two punch” pattern where trying to counter right after a single attack will just result in you taking damage.
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The safest way to handle Gael during phase 2 is by sticking close and dodging into his attacks (for the most part). Gael will teleport towards you otherwise, so it’s best to just stay close, especially since his close-range strikes actually have poor reach. Stick to dodging left and Gael shouldn’t be able to deal too much damage. Try to clear this phase with as much Estus as possible, because phase 3 gets very intense.
Phase 3
As you bring Gael close to death, lightning will start striking the arena while magical projectiles fly around to deal damage. You need to keep an eye on both Gael and the environment, because everything is trying to kill you. While lightning can also damage Gael, just try not to get fried. Gael’s combos will get even longer and his patterns more erratic, so you need to be ready to strike whenever possible.
Gael’s final phase is one of the hardest challenges in the Souls series, so don’t feel bad if you need to summon others for help. It can be incredibly difficult juggling Gael yourself, but it’s not impossible to beat him solo. Study his combos, master dodging, and don’t whiff your hits. It’s important to stay patient, so this phase of the battle will likely last a while if you’re alone, but Gael is just too dangerous to be aggressive against.
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