Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin Vendrick Easy

Vendrick
HP	11,450 | 14,885 (NG+)
Weakness	None
Resistance	Dark
Immune	Poison
Respawn	NO

Vendrick is a Boss and NPC in Dark Souls 2

Vendrick Information

Vendrick is an optional boss in Dark Souls 2. Encountered shortly after the Royal Aegis Velstadt boss fight, he walks in a circle in the Undead Crypt, moaning until the player deals enough damage to him. Vendrick himself deals enormous damage, and has an extremely high defense, therefore caution is advised when engaging him.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you keep your Giant Souls for Vendrick, as he divides your damage by 32/16/8/4/2/1 at 0/1/2/3/4/5 Giant Souls. It is recommended to have at the very least 4 Giant Souls when fighting Vendrick, if you have used any prior to this boss fight be aware that they do not respawn until the next playthrough.

Vendrick appears as an NPC if you have the Crown of the Sunken King DLC. You can access Memory of the King by using Ashen Mist Heart at his armor in Undead Crypt.

  Upon being defeated, he does not drop a soul. The Soul of the King can be found on a wooden chair in Shrine of Amana (after the second bonfire walk up towards the first large set of ruins and look to your left for a bridge that will take you to a wall of vines, then proceed through a door that can only be opened after killing Vendrick, and while the player is human). To the left of the soul is a chest containing the King's Set. Killing Venrick via Bonfire Ascetic doesn't get you another Soul of the King. Killing Vendrick will also unlock the 'Vendrick' trophy/achievement.

Location

• Second boss in Undead Crypt. He is non-hostile and will only walk around aimlessly dragging his sword. He will aggro after taking a few hits and a fog gate will close off the room.

Attacks

	Description	Counter Measures
Horizontal Slash	Vendrick swings his sword in a wide horizontal arc, sometimes twice and frequently 3 times. A greatshield will usually take 2 hits before being completely drained of stamina and when this happens Vendrick will usually kill the player with the third hit. Occasionally jumps back from the player if the player stays directly behind him.	Left leg
Curse Orb	His hand glows red and shoots a red orb that curses you (for a large amount of health).	Left leg
Leap Strike	If the player is some distance away from Vendrick, he may choose to jump towards the player and sink his blade into the ground, this attack can be easily avoided but drains a lot of stamina.	Left leg
Vertical Strike	He swings his sword over his head and smashes it vertically in front of him to the ground. Just roll to the right side when the blade is above his head. Often times he will follow up with a 3rd horizontal slash.	Left leg

Dialogue

- When spoken to in Memory of the King the first time

1. Seeker of fire, coveter of the throne.
   I am Vendrick, ruler of Drangleic.

- When spoken to in Memory of the King without having linked the fire or gathering any of the crowns

1. As flame rises, so does it fade. Such is the way of things.Do you intend to link the fire? Then you must first take the throne. Prove your worth. Find the ancient crowns. Seek adversity, and they will be yours. And your wishes, granted.

- Continues here if player has the King's Crown .

1. Seeker of fire, deliverer of crowns.
   What do you see in the flames?
   Find the crowns, and your own answers.
   The crowns hold the strength of lords from time long past.
   Seek adversity.
   As befits you, seeker of fire, coveter of the throne.
2. I am no king. I am more fit to be a jester…
   I was unaware of my own blindness.
   We are feeble vessels, with feebler souls.
   We would cast aside the prop of life, only to face greater hardship.
   Are you another such fool, or something more?
3. I fail to see your design, young moth.
   But I see very little, these days…

- Continues here if player has one DLC crown and the King's Crown

1. Seeker of fire, conqueror of Dark.
   I, too, sought fire, once.
   With fire, they say, a true king can harness the curse.
   A lie. But I knew no better…
   Seeker of fire, you know not the depths of Dark within you.
   It grows deeper still, the more flame you covet.
   Flame, oh, flame…
2. I am king of this wretched, unravelled kingdom.
   I subdued the Giants, and claimed their strength.
   So that I might step closer to fire…
   Drangleic will fall, the fire will fade, and the souls of old will reemerge.
   With Dark unshackled, a curse will be upon us…
   And men will take their true shape…
   (The last three lines are repeated when spoken to again.)

- Continues here if player has two DLC crowns and the King's Crown.

1. Seeker of fire, I see you've subdued another foul creature.
   One of the Father of the Abyss' spawn, that confounded quintessence of humanity.
   The Abyss once had form, but then dissipated.
   And yet, traces of its existence endured.
   Each fragment, thirsting for power, spread Dark, with no relent.
   My dear Shandra… was one such fragment…
   A feeble, tiny thing that thirsted for power more than any other…
   Driven by insatiable lust for a worthy vessel.
2. Fire came to be, and with it, Disparity.
   Heat and cold, life and death, Light and Dark.
   Dark was seen as a curse.
   Shadow is not cast, but born of fire.
   And, the brighter the flame, the deeper the shadow.
   Inherit fire, and harness the Dark.
   Such is the calling of a true leader…
   (Repeats from line three.)

- Continues here if player has all three DLC crowns and King's Crown.

1. One day, fire will fade, and Dark will become a curse.
   Men will be free from death, left to wander eternally.
   Dark will again be ours, and in our true shape…
   We can bury the false legends of yore… Only…
   Is this our only choice?
   Seeker of fire, coveter of the throne.
   Seek strength.
   The rest will follow…

- If player attempts to attack Vendrick

1. Foolish…

Strategy

Make sure that at least two (have five for the best results) "Soul of a Giant" are in your inventory; this will weaken Vendrick's defense so that killing him isn't an impossibility. Pre-Patch 1.10 You can in fact farm giant souls from the two giants in black gulch, just use a Bonfire Ascetic on the first bonfire.
Stay close to his left leg and roll out of the way when he swings his sword in any direction. Attack only when he finishes attacking, then rinse and repeat. Casters and Archers can use this same method to beat him. In fact, casters can stand just behind his left leg and circle strafe him while casting; his leg will nudge you to safety. Another thing to remember is if Vendrick leaps back do not pursue him rather let him come to you and be prepared to dodge backwards, wait until the last second if straight slam or simply dodge left or right.

• Bring Aromatic Ooze to further increase damage.
• Do not get greedy with your attacks.
• (If Archer) Use Lightning or Fire arrows to achieve the most damage.
• (If Caster) Use the best spells you have or have multiple "Great Heavy Soul Arrow" slotted.
• (If Miracle Caster) For those doing so little damage the lost health doesn't change color, take note that Lightning Spear and Great Lightning Spear are still doing more than Emit Force; the Lightning Spear miracles do minor splash damage in addition to their primary damage, and this second number is always the one displayed when fighting bosses.
• (If Miracle Caster) Soul Appease is effective, doing 30-40% more than a Great Lightning Spear off the same catalyst.
• (If Miracle Caster) with 50 faith above, Sunlight Spear is better than Soul Appease.
• (If Hexer) with 43 attunement + 50int + 50 faith, Dark Hailcombine with Abyss Seal and +5 Dark Sunset Staff or +5 Dark Caitha's Chime will inflict above 1000 damage onto Vendrick per hit. (needs Certification)
• Note: Great Resonant Soul no longer inflicts 1000 damage on Vendrick after Calibration 1.06, only Dark Hail works. (needs Certification)
• Gower's Ring of Protection will help a lot for this fight if you plan on dodging.

Strategy: Caster 1

If using spells stand just far enough away from him while back peddling to cause him to swing at you. Once the swing has missed cast your spell. Repeat this for the horizontal swings, they are easy to dodge. Sometimes he will do two horizontal swings back to back. If you dodge the first horizontal swing the second should miss too giving more time to cast spells. Roll left or right when he does a vertical swing for an easy dodge if you are too close. (this attack seems to have a slightly longer range than the horizontal swing) otherwise the back peddling to dodge works as well. Be careful because sometimes he will follow up a vertical swing with a horizontal swing. Always have your shield ready to take the hit if you can't get away in time. Just wait for the swing to miss you and cast. Don't cast until the swing misses! There is plenty of time to cast most spells or miracles at that time, but usually only one cast. Also be mindful of your surroundings and the spot where you picked up the King's Ring, you don't want to get pinned against a wall. Sometimes you can get stuck at the spot where you pick up the King's Ring so it's best to avoid that area altogether. Keep this strategy up and the fight should take about 10-20 minutes with minor hiccups to heal, granted you have an ample supply of 'Soul of the Giant's. (I had 4 Soul of the Giants and it took me ~10 minutes using ~30 casts of Great Lightning Spear with Priest's Chime+10 and 45 Faith).
Strategy: Caster 2
He's attacks are very easy to dodge because he telegraphs them long before. If he swings sideways, roll back. If he leap strikes, roll to the right side and if he does the vertical strike (swings the sword over his head) roll to the right side too. The curse orb is also easy to dodge, just roll to any side. So in short: always roll to the right except when he's doing the Horizontal Swing, then you roll back. Cast after every roll and this will be one of the easiest fights in the game, if you have all 5 Giant Souls.

Equipped with a fully upgraded pyromancy flame, magic-infused Staff of Wisdom, and Red Tearstone Ring, have Great Combustion x2, Flame Swathe, Soul Greatsword, and Soul Arrow x2 attuned. You will also want herbs that will refresh your spell casts. Run through the antechamber leading to Vendrick, and allow either the spear or sword-wielding Syan Knights to injure you to the point that the Tearstone activates. This will add some good damage to your attacks. I would also have rings or armors that increase your casting speed, just for the small boost. I used the Defender Shield for those oopsy moments, although my poise was low enough that it would stagger me.

The simplest way to beat Vendrick is to move counterclockwise (i.e. to the right) of him. Lock on and get behind him, and begin casting your spells. The Red Tearstone ring will boost damage respectably. When he gets close to a wall (making circling difficult), run away from him after an attack sequence and draw him back towards the center of the room. Refresh your spell casts when needed. Flame Swathe, followed by Soul Greatsword, does the most damage here, so you can also just bring enough herbs to constantly cast it on him. Combustion can sometimes not connect -- I found it easiest to be next to his right knee and then use it. Spells like Firestorm, Fire Tempest, or Chaos Storm can work, but I found that they take a while to complete, and it's possible that he will come around and attack you before you can dodge to the right. Rather than risk it (after about ten tries), I went with the above strategy.

With this strategy it took me approximately 5 minutes to kill him. Getting the rhythm of his attacks can be difficult initially, but once you've got it, he is actually a very easy boss to kill. Just remember: ALWAYS GO TO THE RIGHT. As with many Dark Souls 2 battles, don't get greedy. He's not going anywhere fast, and you gain nothing by getting him down to low health and then dying because of impatience.

Strategy: Light Melee

Heavy Melee is not viable for this fight. Even with high Vigor and heavy armor you will only be able to be hit once or twice as his attacks are very very powerful. If you try blocking you'll be knocked off balanced and have your stamina completely drained from one hit. Because you can only block one attack it's best to do so if you absolutely need to, just make sure there is enough time in between his next attack for you to recover your stamina otherwise a follow up will take you down. NG+ with upgraded gear and high health you'll be able to take a lot more hits and block but for the first time fighting him you'll most likely be squishy considering his damage output.
This strategy is something I like to call "I Give Up." I found this out by using a sword and just staying close to him, circling him (moving right), and surprisingly, It worked.
For this, I used a +7 Varangian Sword, and tried it with each element. Fire does the most damage (225), with Lightning second (222). A bleed weapon does 79 damage with the occasionally 200 bleed damage, so while it's not exactly worthwhile, It can still help. Another thing to note is that Vendrick is Immune to poison damage. With these in mind, equip a short sword of your choosing, preferably fire/lightning, and the rest is fairly simple.

As soon as you walk through the fog gate, Run straight to him, while moving a bit to the right, and after move behind him. He will most likely do a horizontal swing, but if you can manage getting behind him, his swing will fall just a bit short, missing you. This gives you the opportunity to get in 3-4 swings. Immediately after, lock on and strafe to the right, not the left. He swings towards to left, so you will most likely get hit. Occasionally, he will jump back and do a jump attack, and if you don't react fast enough, this will most likely end your run. When he jumps back, run straight to him, going back to your position of behind him. Repeat this, and the rest is a cake-walk. In the event that you get hit, repeat the same process, but instead of attacking, use two estus flask (if available), so you quickly regain all of your health. (Mine was +4 at the time, and after one hit, using one estus flask wasn't enough to heal me). This will take about 5 minutes, so you must have patience.

Also remember to have 5 Souls of the Giants. You can get 3 from the memories, 1 from the giants under the Black Gulch, and one from the Ancient Dragon. The Ancient Dragon is optional, as if you use a Bonfire Ascetic in Black Gulch Mouth, you can fight the giants again, netting you another soul, as well as leaving the area boss in NG instead of NG+.

Strategy: Heavy Melee

The other guide suggests that using Heavy weapons is not an option. However, I was able to defeat Vendrick (with 5 giant souls) using +5 Curved Dragon Greatsword and +1 Ring of Blades without a shield (you can equip a shield which boosts stamina recovery and just put it on you back) with <50% load on NG doing 750 damage on hit. Any curved greatsword with decent stat scaling (I do not know about other heavy weapons, but I guess that they won't be much different or even maybe better, as some heavy weapons have better attack range than curved ones) will work fine, just be sure that you can enchant them with fire or magic damage (you can also try lightning, as other strategies suggest). Here are my , so you can compare with yours. (I also confirm this. I killed him with a +5 Lighting Pursuer Greatsword, going about 250 damage each hit. Heavies just need to make sure it keep at his rear and be careful when he jumps back)

When you walk through the mist, run behind the boss and stay on his

left side and always be close to him

(he has his sword in the right hand, so you are basically safe) and when he tries to do a horizontal swing, dodge it in the direction of his left hand (basically you will be out of his sword's reach), when do 1-2 hits (depends on your stamina) and start walking behind him (actually, getting as close as you can to his back is best). This way, he'll mostly try to do his heavy attack (in front of him), which has big recovery time and very easy to roll out of. After this attack, you can snatch 2-3 hits ( do not get greedy though!). With good enough weapon (if you are maxing both STR and DEX, Murakumo will work greatly too) you can kill him very fast ( 1:10 is my time). Just be sure to dodge his attacks, watch your stamina bar (save it for 1-2 rolls, depending on your AGI) and if you were hit, run to his back and heal

after

his attack and you will be totally fine!

Hints

• Because his attacks are so easy to predict and to avoid by moving to the right, try to use the Red Tearstone Ring and high damage weapon to your advantage. Buff your weapon, attack once, and then circle again. This battle is one where patience is definitely rewarded.
• It is recommendable that you wear the best armor you can without getting past 70% load (in order to do the fast roll) because this way you can probably endure at least 1 hit (which in a long battle like this can happen and will probably kill you otherwise),RIng of steel protection helps too. If he one hits you anyways, you can just use Tseldora gear for the extra souls, or whatever else helps.
• Vendrick  divides your damage by 32/16/8/4/2/1 at 0/1/2/3/4/5 Giant Souls.
  Key Note - Do not use the giants souls otherwise you will lose the defense reduction which is supposed to occur to Vendrick, I figured this out after going into battle and dealing ~25 damage per hit before using them and back down to ~13 with none of the souls in my inventory.
  (Edit: When first fighting him his defense is equal to you having the 5 Giant souls, if you die during this first fight you will need to pick up the 5 souls to inflict the same amount of damage on the next fight.)
• -> At NG, with soul level 145, a pyromancy flame +10 and 5 giants souls it takes about 2 chaos storms and 2 fire storms to kill him. He will very likely not one-hit kill you if you upgraded your armor to +5 or more (no guarantee for mages). A shield that can block 100% physical is still highly recommended and the faster cast ring is almost required with this tactic. If you managed to kill the dragon for the 5th soul, then this will be childs play.

  Stay to his left, your right. Roll accordingly forwards as if to get behind him, His attack will never hit you if you continue rolling to your right, and his left to try and get behind him.

Trivia

• The boss is believed to be modeled after Gwyn from Dark Souls, however, he isn't a direct reincarnation of Gwyn (this goes to Old Iron King), and his moveset is much close to a enlarged hollow wielding a normal ultra greatsword.
• Oddly, the "defenseless" and hollowed nature of him makes him similiar to Gwyn, while the nature of him being defended by Velstadt (Garl Vinland), makes him similiar to Maiden Aestraea from Demon's Souls.
• The Scholar referred Vendrick as a near monarch, as he was near to success to seek the cure of the Undead Curse.
• Produces the same ambient breathing noise as the Heide Knights. It is unknown what this means lore-wise.

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Source: https://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Vendrick

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