Dark Souls 1: How to Defeat the Asylum Demon

The Asylum Demon is the first boss you'll face in Dark Souls, and a deceptively hard one at that. The Asylum Demon has caused trouble to many a new player, including myself. For this guide, I will be providing my advice for each class. I will not do this for other bosses. Instead, I will include more general strategies and stat recommendations based on your build. All this information comes from me actively picking a class and defeating the Asylum Demon with it. Yes, I really killed the Asylum Demon with every class.

Encounter #1: Don't

The first time you encounter the Asylum Demon, don't attempt to fight it. Your weapon will deal essentially no damage to it. Instead, run to the left through an open gate. For more info, see my guide called Dark Souls 1 Beginner Guide: Character Creation & Northern Undead Asylum. Unless you picked Black Firebombs as your starting gift (in which case it takes 5 to defeat the Demon), you effectively cannot defeat the Asylum Demon here.

Encounter #2

The main thing the Asylum Demon tries to teach you is not to be greedy. There’s also some very important lessons in positioning and disengaging and attacking at the right time, but that lesson is core to the Dark Souls experience. Some quick general tips: - Only heal when you’re at less than half health - Try to have all 5 Estus on your attempts - Don’t wait too long before plunging - Stay close, but not too close - Cover does not protect you, only distance - Either dodge roll into or run away from the Asylum Demon’s attacks - Try to get behind the Demon as often as possible Another thing you’ll need is a list of attacks and how to respond: Hammer Drive: The Demon will raise its hammer vertically and then slam it down. Try to get out of the way, ideally behind the Demon, as soon as you see this happening. Long Range Hammer: If you get too far away, the Demon will raise its hammer above its head and launch a long-range attack at you. Practice dodging at just the right time. Sweep: The Demon will pull its hammer to one side and sweep in front of it. Try to get behind it when this happens. Ground Pound: The Demon will float up into the air three times, then crash down. Try to run away from it when this happens.

Now, I’ll get more specific. I'll be going by class here, in order of the list in the character creation screen, as the strategy can differ significantly, along with listing my opinion of that specific class in the fight.

Warrior

The Warrior is a very well-rounded class that I’m starting to reconsider not placing #1 in my class recommendations. Since you’re using a melee weapon, you can perform a plunging attack, in which you press R1 while falling. That’s important - while falling. Not before or after, while. It may take you a couple attempts to successfully perform a plunge attack, which will take off a significant portion of the Demon’s health. (I had a friend who could not successfully execute a plunge attack, no matter how hard he tried. If this is you, just ignore this part.) After that, you’re pretty well-balanced. Roll through its attacks if you can (if you’re struggling with this, try rolling into the attack while it’s swinging), run in the opposite direction (press R3 again to lock off) if you need to, and try to stay behind its back while hitting it, moving away when it starts floating. If you need to heal, try to run away from the Demon and create space. You can also use your shield to block attacks, but that takes a hefty amount of stamina, so use that as a last resort if you’d simply get hit otherwise. This one was the easiest for me.

Knight

The strategy for the Knight is a little different. While you have more armor, leading to better defense, you also roll slower and are invulnerable for less time while rolling. If this truly becomes a problem, take off your chestplate. Perform the plunging attack as before. Your shield and sword are stronger, so I’d recommend being more aggressive to make up for your lack of mobility. Try blocking the Asylum Demon’s attacks with your shield. Don’t get too aggressive, though: use a similar strategy to the Warrior, still using positioning to your advantage, disengaging when needed. Rolling is harder, though. Use normal instead of strong attacks to use less stamina. This one was similar to the Warrior for me.

Wanderer

The Wanderer is quite different from the other two classes we’ve done so far, as you have very light armor and a shield that doesn’t protect you from 100% of damage. The scimitar is a fast weapon but only works at very close range, so be sure to stay very close to the Asylum Demon when attacking. Perform a plunge attack, and try your best to rely purely on rolling and positioning to defeat the Demon, using your speed to outmaneuver its heaviness. This one was fun to use for me.

Thief

The Thief is surprisingly similar to the Wanderer, the main difference at the start being the weapon: a dagger, leading to even less range and less damage per hit but much faster swings. Use a similar strategy to the Wanderer, but try to maximize your hits. Roll through attacks, position yourself behind the Asylum Demon, and use your speed against its strength. This one was really hard for me.

Bandit

The Bandit is similar to the Knight, but with armor like the Wanderer and a much stronger weapon to make up for it. The Bandit makes a good Strength build, trading longer swing time and higher stamina costs for more damage. The fight with the Asylum Demon will teach you the importance of waiting for an opening, a very crucial skill that will serve you well throughout the game. Try to hit the Demon right after it attacks, when you’re behind its back. Only hit it when you feel safe; don’t get greedy and get caught in its attack. You can roll out of the way of some of its attacks thanks to your light armor. This one was pretty fun for me, though a bit slow.

Hunter

I keep forgetting this is a class. Ranged combat in this game (with bows and crossbows) kind of sucks and I would personally avoid it. Sorry, not to insult your class choice. Anyway, this one’s basically the Wanderer but with better equipment. So use your maneuverability, dodge as much as you can, block if you need to, and position yourself behind the Asylum Demon. This one was okay for me, though not that unique.

Sorcerer

Here’s where it gets fun. Magic is overpowered in the Souls games, maybe a little too much. Your melee strategy is similar to the Thief, but I would put your staff in your left hand instead of your shield, or switch away from your dagger after the plunge attack. Use rolling and sprinting to avoid the Asylum Demon’s attacks, and try to stay as far away as you can while casting spells. Beware, you will be staggered out of your spell cast and have to restart if you get hit. This one was very easy for me.

Pyromancer

A combination of the Bandit and the Sorcerer. Use the Bandit guide for melee, and the Sorcerer for pyromancy casting. Plunge attack, then switch to spells, staying far away from the Asylum Demon, but attacking up close if you need to/run out of fireballs. Put some space between you, but not too much space, or you’ll miss. This one was the same as the Sorcerer for me.

Cleric

The Cleric is similar enough to the Bandit that you can use that class guide for this. Position yourself carefully, don’t get greedy, and disengage frequently. The main difference is the Heal spell: much like Estus, get far away from the Asylum Demon before using it. Also, be aware that the Mace has an incredibly long swing recovery if you miss. This one was very slow for me.

Deprived

Come on, you did this to yourself. No armor, only a stick and a plank as a weapon and shield. Balanced stats, but not so great on the equipment side. Don’t pick this class if you’re a new player. Use your mobility, like with the Wanderer and Thief, to avoid the Asylum Demon’s attacks (which you’re far more vulnerable to without armor!). The club’s a pretty good weapon; see the Bandit section on how to properly use it for the Demon. Careful positioning behind the demon, frequent retreats, and patience. This one was quite slow and difficult for me. And there you go, that’s how to defeat the Asylum Demon with whatever class you choose! I got some good experience from it, too.