Dark Souls 2 - Lost Sinner, key, location, tactics
You need some very specific equipment to take down the Lost Sinner the easy way. Use our guide to gear up and take the fight to your enemy.
We hope you're ready for a tough fight, because you're certainly going to get one when you go toe-to-toe with the Lost Sinner. If you're continually coming unstuck against this formidable opponent, take a look through our guide to all the tactics involved in this tricky boss battle.
How to kill the Lost Sinner
There's one very important tip for removing a huge amount of the danger in this fight: pack a shield that's capable of absorbing 100% of the damage it blocks. One prime example of this kind of shield is the Drangleic Shield, and you'll be able to loot it after killing the Pursuer.
The item can be found in the area just beyond where you fight the Pursuer, down a hole in the floor. When you get to the bottom of this pit, you'll find a body that contains all the pieces of the Drangleic item set - including this all-important shield.
The reason for equipping such a gloriously powerful shield is pretty simple really. The Lost Sinner attacks hard, attacks fast, and darts around you like a slippery weasel. It's imperative that you block as much of the enemy's incoming damage as possible, and this won't be a quick fight either. You'll only be able to throw a couple of your own whacks at a time, before heading straight back into defensive mode.
"The Lost Sinner attacks hard, attacks fast, and darts around you like a slippery weasel."
Another tip that will help you out is that you should turn the brightness way up on your television before engaging the enemy. If you haven't already picked up the Bastille Key, you'll be fighting in a very dimly-lit area. It's so impenetrably black, in fact, that if you get more than half a room's distance away from the Lost Sinner you'll lose your lock on it entirely.
When the fight itself begins, expect the Lost Sinner to come racing towards you. The best way of dealing with this opening assault is to simply evade or block what's coming your way. After that, make sure you stick like glue to your target.
Watch out for the pair of attacks that come one after another, swiping a circular area ahead of the boss. This is occasionally followed up by a heavy, straight-aimed attack that you can dodge away from to the left or right. There's a piercing, lunging stab to watch out for too, and the cheeky blighter will even jump over your head and attack from behind from time to time.
As long as you delicately dance around these attacks, and stay as close as possible to the Sinner so you can chip away with your own damage, you shouldn't have too much trouble finishing the fight. Just whatever you do, make sure you keep a little stamina in the bank at all times - if you suddenly find that you can't block an attack with your shield, you're in serious trouble.
So don't attack so hard that you can't defend, and make sure you stay close to your target. If you keep circling around the Sinner, it'll work through its repertoire of moves, and you'll have an opportunity to throw a hit the boss's way between each one. Just keep in mind that your window of opportunity is a little smaller following the stabbing attack.
Meandering in Majula? Flummoxed in the Forest of the Fallen Giants? Head back to the first page of our guide to Dark Souls 2.