The Skeleton Lords |
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| HP | Scythe Lord = 780; Halberd Lord = 780; Staff Lord = 520. |
| Weakness | Strike, Fire |
| Weakness (Summoned Skeletons) | Strike, Yearn, Alluring Skull |
| Resistance | Thrust, Magic |
| Immune | Poison, Bleed |
| Respawn | NO |
The Skeleton Lords is a Boss enemy in Dark Souls 2 (DKS2). The Skeleton Lords reigned from deep within the Huntsman's Copse. The Old Iron King commanded the capture of all Undead, but those charged with the task were overcome by the curse. Bosses are unique and challenging Enemies that drop Boss Souls capable of being transformed into powerful Weapons, Spells, and Items for the player.
The Skeleton Lords Information in Dark Souls 2
The Skeleton Lords are a boss group of Dark Souls 2 consisting of three main enemies, and you'll also have to defeat many smaller enemies as well.
The main enemies are the Scythe Lord, the Staff Lord, and the Halberd Lord. These 3 large skeleton kings hold different weapons but are able to cast the pyromancy fireball. Each of the Skeleton Lord's death triggers the summoning of many smaller enemies near the spot where their Lord was defeated. Which enemies spawn depends on which Lord you defeat.
- Scythe Lord: Wields Great Scythe. Spawns a mix of Dual-wielding and Curved Sword and Shield Skeletons upon death.
- Halberd Lord: Wields Roaring Helberd. Spawns Thrusting Sword and Shield Skeletons upon death.
- Staff Lord: Wields the catalyst used by Aldia Warlock. Spawns Bonewheel Skeletons upon death.
When you first enter the boss room, the Scythe Lord will be to your left, the Staff Lord will be in the center, and the Halberd Lord will be on your right, the 3 Skeleton Lords dismount from thrones of bone and prepare to attack. Each uses different styles of combat, based off of weapon type, the Lords will use fire magic and chase after you in melee.
All of the Skeleton Lords and summoned minions must be defeated to complete the boss battle.
DKS2 The Skeleton Lords Location
- Huntsman's Copse, behind the waterfall area (past caves or narrow passage with red phantom)
The Skeleton Lords Drops in DKS2
- Souls Awarded: 15,000
- Skeleton Lord's Soul,
- Clear Bluestone Ring +2 (NG+)
Dark Souls 2 The Skeleton Lords Attacks
| Skeleton Lords: | Attack Name: | Attack Description: |
| Skeleton Lord Reaper (Great Scythe) | Great Scythe | Swipes with the scythe. Causes bleed damage buildup. Casts pyromancy fireball if at range. |
| Skeleton Lord Pyromancer (Aldia Warlock Halberd) | Fire Orb | Fires straight shot fire orb, also used by Skeleton Lord Knight. |
| Skeleton Lord Knight (Roaring Halberd) | Fire Orb | Fires straight shot fire orb.also used by Skeleton Lord Pyromancer. |
| Skeleton Lord Knight (Roaring Halberd) | Roaring Halberd | Swinging with Roaring Helberd |
| Skeleton Minion (Saber) * 4 | Dashing Slash | Dashes forward and slashes with its saber, causing bleed damage |
| Skeleton Minion (2h Sword) * 4 | Charging Stab | Rushes forward and stab with 2h sword |
| Skeleton Minion (Wheel) * 4 | Rolling Attack | Rolls forward and tries to ram player (Note: Mechanics are changed from original Dark Souls, as they only do 1 hit of damage now) |
Souls Awarded
| Bonfire Intensity | Souls Awarded |
| 1 | 15,000 |
| 2 | 30,000 |
| 3 | 37,500 |
| 4 | 41,250 |
| 5 | 45,000 |
| 6 | 48,750 |
| 7 | 52,500 |
| 8 | 60,000 |
- No changes to souls awarded beyond Bonfire Intensity 8.
NPC Summons
SotFS only(?): You can summon Creighton of Mirrah phantom to help with this fight, making it even easier. His summon sign is in the skeleton caves, near the gate/lever.
Strategy
1. Item spam strategy - You can buy Holy Water Urns from the NPC that lets you into the Blue Sentinel covenant. These items 2 shot the lords and 1 shot the smaller skeletons.
NOTE: Holy Water Urns have been modified so they no longer affect skeletons so DON'T TRY THIS.
2. Pyromancy Strategy - Put yourself in a position to cast Firestorm and proceed to watch everything burn around you
3. Spellsword Strategy - Use a "Magic Weapon" spell and simply take down the lords as fast as possible. When minion skeletons start to revive target the "Wheel Skeletons" first, once they're down you're easy for mobility, keep taking any lords down then target the skeleton minions with shoulder pads after and simply to clean up. Holy urns are a major bonus for clearing minions
4.Two-Handed Weapon Strategy- Kill the Skeleton Lord on the right side first, then kill the four minion skeletons as they are being 'built'. Rinse and repeat for the remaining Skeleton Lords and minions.
5. Lightning/Faith Strategy - Dispose of the left Lord as soon as possible, kill the skeletons. Use ranged/melee according to the range and stamina usage, Emit Force, and Lightning bolts are your greatest friends here. Kill another Lord, then skeletons - just make sure to watch your stamina and don't be afraid to take your time. Lifegems are great for this fight, no other items needed. Footage posted below.
6. Sorcery Strategy - the Required spell is Yearn and maybe Soul Spear (which is found in the area before this boss). It should take 2 soul spears to kill each lord with 50 INT and a good catalyst. If you're only able to kill 2 Lords with soul spears, start killing the third while backing away from it. After a few second cast Yearn so it goes as far away from you as possible. Finish the third Lord while keeping Yearn up at the other end of the room. Once the third one is dead, Soul Vortex is useful for taking out multiple minions at once. Don't get greedy and make sure you keep Yearn up to distract the minions.
7. Step by step strategy - Before entering the room, I suggest applying a buff to your weapon, whether it be magic weapon or a pine resin. Upon entering the room, immediately sprint to the skeleton lord on the left, (scythe lord) if your damage is good enough you should be able to kill him before he can do anything, if not just deal a little damage then step back. Make sure to kill the scythe lord first, his melee attacks are the hardest to dodge, and he does the most damage in melee. After killing him, a group of skeletons will spawn, dispatch them before killing the next lord, only fight the skeletons when the other 2 lords aren't near you. Next kill the spear lord, same strat as before, he just spawns skeletons with falchions instead of estocs. Now kill the final lord, he's squishier than the other 2 and is easily staggered. The hard part is after that, bonewheel skeletons spawn. If you let them spawn they will quickly overwhelm you. They can spawn in different places so look around for them, when you seem them rising out of the ground quickly kill them 1 by 1 before they get all the way up. Notes - Scythe and spear lord can use a slow-moving pyromancy. The staff lord will not go into melee range to fight you, he will attack you with spells the entire fight, though they are usually easy to dodge and if you hide behind the pillars to fight he won't move into position to hit you.
8. Easy Method:
Attune all your slots to Yearn (Carhillion of the Fold sells infinite after using a Bonfire Ascetic on the Home Fire after he's moved to Majula, or maybe its after opening the Shrine of Winter?), Otherwise, stock up on alluring skulls if you don't have Yearns. Equip the Lion Mage Set, Black Hood & Clear Bluestone Ring to make casting Yearns faster. Equip Lingering Dragon Crest to Prolong Yearn, and a Ring of Blades if you have one. Carry Your preferred anti-boss weapon to handle the 3 Lords, as well as a Large Club or Great Club, since they can one shot even the heavily armed skeletons & wheels which spawn, and take out several at once (I used a +3 Large Club in NG and a +10 Great Club in NG+, which I'm sure was overkill). Enter the Fog and run straight ahead to the Scythe Reaper on your left, hurt him badly but don't kill him. Just take his life down as far as possible without killing him; then do the same thing to the Spear Lord, and repeat it with the Pyromancy Lord. Once they are hurt but not dead, kill off BOTH the Scythe Reaper & the Spear Boss in quick succession. Wait for the Skeletons to start standing up then cast Yearn to a nearby Mountain in the middle of the room. Wait until the Skeletons are grouped around the Yearn and close in behind them. Quickly cast another Yearn on the exact same spot. Immediately pull out your Largest Wooden Club weapon and wipe them all out with a couple of swings. next, Finish off the Pyromancy Lord then put your back to a wall near one of the central mountains. Wait for the Wheels to Spawn then cast Yearn onto the Mountain closest to you. When the Wheels try to roll up the mountain, Smash them to bits with a swing of your club. Enjoy your new Ring (in NG+)
9. Scimitar strategy (relatively easy). Take a scimitar in your right hand (mine was upgraded with titanite to +5) and preferably a shield in the left. You may want to apply a stamina buff if you don't have a lot. I also used the stone ring which helps stagger enemies. The scimitar deals relatively high damage while being faster than the lords' huge weapons. When you enter the arena, run straight for the rightmost Lord and hit him with a combo of heavy attacks. He will die by the end of your combo. At that point, be wary of the second melee lord behind you. Your scimitar is faster than its scythe so again, a combo of heavy attacks should kill it in just one combo. That's two lords down and, if you have enough stamina, their minions haven't popped yet. Try to get some distance between yourself and the minions, don't attack them as they rise from the ground. I suggest walking behind the pillars so that the pyromancer lord can't target you. Minions will run at you and form a mob in the process. Use the scimitar's light attack to slash the whole front line at once. It takes 2-3 hits to kill a minion. Roll backwards as needed. Once the minions are dead, dash towards the last lord. I like to roll forward 1 meter before being in melee range to avoid any unseen attack. As with the others, go for a heavy combo and kill him. A few wheel skeletons will then spawn. Either slash them with the light attack as they arise, or use your shield to block them. The scimitar needs only 2 hits to kill one.
Videos
The Skeleton Lords Notes and Tips in Dark Souls 2
- The Large or Great Wooden Clubs crush all minions & wheels in a single shot (may need to add a bit of reinforcement).
- Fire resistance/fire resistant shields should be very helpful.
- You can use the hill to the right from the entrance to circle around and get cover from the ranged attacks while also funneling the large mobs.
- Use the pile of bones to your left to defend yourself from bonewheel skeletons, it's incredibly helpful when you kill every lord before any of the minions.
- Alluring Skulls seem to be rather effective on the minions, but only last for 2 seconds. But enough to drink an Estus Flask.
- The Yearn spell is also effective on the minions. Just target some wall with the spell and the bonewheel skeletons, etc, will rush there, use Lingering Dragoncrest Ring to prolong the effect.
- High poise plus high defense when taking out the minions.
- The Lords can be backstabbed and parried.
- In NG+, to get to the Skeleton Lords quickly, go across the bridge when leaving the bonfire, take the path that leads up to the left, go down past the Crystal Lizard, and leap across to the platform. From here you can snipe the Invader, then drop down and arrive at the fog gate, bypassing the 2 respawning giant sickle-wielding maniacs from Harvest Valley. (Moon Butterfly Skirt makes the jump to the edge much easier)
- Due to the water pools in the cave, the miracle Heavenly Thunder can be extremely effective at clearing all of the enemies that spawn after each Lord dies. For best results, the player may lure a Lord to a water pool before it dies.
Anonymous
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1. Item spam strategy - You can buy Holy Water Urns from the NPC that lets you into the Blue Sentinel covenant. These items 2 shot the lords and 1 shot the smaller skeletons.
NOTE: Holy Water Urns have been modified so they no longer affect skeletons so DON'T TRY THIS.
Great job guys. I like that the money you are scamming from people for the Elden Ring map is going to a good place.
- Anonymous
Simple but entertaining fight with uncharacteristically decent music, and you get a badass weapon for beating it. Unironically one of the highlights of the game for me.
- Anonymous
Had to keep myself from killing them too fast because the song was too good
- Anonymous
Soul Greatsword works wonders on this fight in NG+ and beyond.
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I like to imagine there's a different group of skeletons performing the boss theme off camera.
- Anonymous
Thank god this fight doesn't start spawning Skeleton Beasts from Ds1, this fight would quickly turn into an absolute pain in the ass if it did.
- Anonymous
One thing I love about this fight is the skeleton rolls in DS2 doesn't stagger you for 1 million poise damage. Imagine how cancerous this gank squad is if it did.
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People love to talk crap about this boss and how it's "easy". Go fight it in NG+ and beyond *******s.
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Boy howdy does this fight suck. The overwhelming impression, like most DS2 bosses, is lazy and uninspiring.
- Anonymous
What the crap? The description at the top says his resistances are only magic. Then at the bottom it says weak to mag/lig. Wtf?
- Anonymous
My +5 Mace turned the lords into Smough's favorite seasoning. The bonewheels still spawned even tho I killed the middle one first
- Anonymous
Best advice is kill the kings one at a time, leaving the mage (which spawns the bonewheels) for last. Also, kill off the spawns from each king before killing the next king. Keep circling to avoid getting mobbed by the spawns and use the obstacles in the room to heal or recover stamina as needed. Easy fight to solo if you do these things.
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Killed every boss on the first try so far, except for Ruin Sentinels which was 3 tries. Honestly, the hardest part of DS2 is having the patience to deal with the regular enemies while you're exploring. Still loving it though... I'm playing the series in the order of 3,1,2.
- Anonymous
Just came across these guys... was expecting to get rekt so used a Homeward Bone to get out and spend my souls first. Went back and then killed all 3 within a few seconds and picked the minions off one or two at a time after. There's so much room in this arena, it's great.
- Anonymous
NGL I like gank bosses because they are so chaotic. Much different than the typical "if main bad do X then u do Y." DS boss fights can feel robotic like that.
- Anonymous
Killed it on my first try on my first run, so I was completely new to this. Was running strength build and twohanding great club + heavy attacking. I rushed down all of them at once then killed all the skeletons with normal attack sweeps. Only used two flasks.
- Anonymous
If you want to play cheap, a mace that you can buy from the blacksmith at majula will do short work of the boss and skeleton minions
- Anonymous
This boss was surprisingly easy but only because I totally forgot about it, fought it at sl 115 using nothing but mah fists and the vanquiisher seal. 2 hit each Lord then proceeded to one shot their baby minions lol a greatsword or something that swings wide prolly would work here well tho at lower sl
- Anonymous
This guide is outdated. I'm just playing DS2 SotfS for the first time, NG no Bonfire Ascetic. When I killed the first Lord, shortly after not four, but many more - I say 10 or 12 - skeletons spawned, nearly got me killed as I was standing right in the middle of them and barely escaped. After cleaning up and killing the second lord, 6-8 big skeletons spawned. Couldn't get the exact numbers as I was busy surviving. After the third Lord only two Bone Wheels shown up. That was a pleasant surprise, as I was expecting hell at this point.
Still a manageable boss fight, got them in first try, but it was a close call as I was expecting way less enemies.
- Anonymous
what they don't have is a good fight and difficulty, they have a great input and amazing music
- Anonymous
4? It summons way more than 4 minions when you beat one, wtf is this guide talking about?!
- Anonymous
hey uh i know i sound like im bad at the game but i kinda need help with this boss because im doing a sorcery only and im over whelmed by the amount of enemies so if someone could put their summon sign outside the boss that would be great thanks. my character is called sorcerer noob
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I did this at NG+ just to get the Clear Bluestone Ring +2 for my sorcerer. I hadn't used Yearn on my first encounter with this boss but in NG+ I was surprised how easy it was with Yearn (slot at least 2 Yearn spells or for 10 usage). I killed the 2 skeleton melee lords (around 3-4 hits with Soul Spear each lord) at the beginning, leaving the pyromancer one. When the minions spawn, Yearn (one cast last 10 secs if i'm not mistaken) on the wall, kill them with Great Heavy Soul Arrows one by one (you can 1-hit some skeleton but the shield ones and wheels need 2 hits) and repeat until dead and lastly kill the pyromancer.
- Anonymous
I destroyed this damn, boss so hard with a broken Santier's Spear +3 but I literally almost died and had 1 Estus Flask left.
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I love DS2 as much as everybody here but you gotta admit most bosses are pretty garbage
- Anonymous
First tried this boss in a long battle, no idea how I managed it, I ran out of estus halfway during the fight, broke my weapons, had to run behind a pillar and rush through the menu to equip a new weapon, used lifegems and spent most of the time running around the arena picking off the skeletons bit by bit. The boss room is one of the nicer looking ones in the game with the water puddles reflecting the lights.
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Demon’s Great Hammer with aromatic ooze one-shots the lords and can kill many skeletons at once. The wheeled skeletons at the end are a little tricky for it though
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Uhh,what's up with the random equipment stats on the drop section?
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It's a fun boss battle with no one-hit kills, no pressure of needing to block or roll constantly, gives plenty of time for me to switch around to different weapons and equipment. This fight is real neato (pun intended).
- Anonymous
King's Ultra Greasword+5 takes out each lord in 3-4 hits on NG+. You can backstab them as well. Any blunt weapon in general hits like crazy too.
- Anonymous
Tactic (because Bonewheel Skeletons are PAIN - especially in NG+): 1. Light armor, Sweeping wepon (with good poise) + fire, pyromancy (not necessary) 2. Kill quickly first Lord then small skeletons (repeat with two other Lords) 3. Bonewheel Skeletons: - run and hide behind those bone pillars near wall - kill them 1, max 2 at time - wait untill they start rolling then when near you - dodge and when they stuck on wall finish them - you can cast Lingering Flame if you have enugh time and then run toward another pillar
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For those who have trouble in the wheel mob, just kill the 1st summoner in the middle to get rid of the wheel mob 1st and the rest will be easy af.
- Anonymous
Now this is bull*****mob spam done right. Tons of enemies, crowd control is necessary, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming as long as you stay on the move and focused on the task at hand. While sentinels of ruin felt obnoxious and unnecessary, this fight is that moment when the DM goes "eh, you guys have done good. Here's a horde of level 1 kobolds. Have fun."
- Anonymous
3 guys hit 1 person, then a bunch of bullies appeared and I decided to gather enough souls to buy 50 fire bombs to throw and run.
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Halberd+3 buffed with aromatic ooze makes this fight a joke as well
- Anonymous
why were they nerfed to oblivion in the SoTFS?! they were the sp00pyest boss in DS2. hell they even brought back the bonewheels! also, i don't know if i'm the only one that died of laughter when killed the mage first and saw the bonewheels raising from the ground, i screamed "PALADIN LEEROY, I NEED YOU AGAIN!"
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To beat then NG+ as a level 19 sorcerer I purchased about 30 alluring skulls, took out one skeleton lord, used the skulls to distract the first mob, shot them all, took out the next skeleton lord, used the skulls again to distract and pick-off the next army, finally I took out the skeleton lord that raises a mob of bone wheels. Right before I killed him I threw several alluring skulls to the other side of the room. I was able to pick off a few bone wheels, retreat, then throw more alluring skulls and pick off the rest. Not easy at level 19 (base level sorcerer is level 11).
- Anonymous
The boss is pretty easy.. I guess that's what happens when you bring an ultra greatsword and Creighton.
The easiest way to beat those guys in SOTFS at least in NG is to clear the path to them then go back and summon Bashful Ray, then dash through skeleton cave and summon Creighton, then dash to the fog door. The attention of enemy will be split among 3 targets what gives you plenty of time to run around and attack priority targets from behind.
- Anonymous
Easy boss battle, just have to kill spear and sycthe lords, kill their skeletons using yearn then soul great sword or a blade and same for staff lord
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The best spell for this location is the dead again spell and th lightning spear. Just mak sure you know where you murdered those skeletons minions, lure a lord there and trigger th spell. Watch the madness.
- Anonymous
I'm on NG+, with the curved dragon sword +5, and havels greatshield +5, easiest way I've found to beat these guys is to leave the mage for last (his death spawns the wheels skellies) take out one of the other two, then run and hide behind one of the corpse pillars so the little skelly spawns group and come to you. A sword with decent damage output (first playthrough I had my Drangleic sword at least +3 I think) and a sweep attack will take out the skelly horde quite easily. get a couple sweeps in and run behind another corpse pillar so the skelly lords can't get you with their pyromancy. repeat for the second lord, then just take out the mage lord and the two skelly wheels should be easy so long as you keep both of them in front of you. No weapon buffs needed, bringing an NPC into it is just overkill and wasteful as you don't get as many souls from beating the boss (confirmation on the souls?)
- Anonymous
I'm level 61 and don't even know where to get this stuff. I haven't beaten the pursuer either. I've only beaten cathedral of blue, tower of flame and last giant
- Anonymous
Large or great club makes this fight a frikkin' joke!! RB for lords and RT for spawned minions....no need to thank me!
- Anonymous
If u get a lightning falchion +7 and the twin dragon greatshield pretty much a 30 second battpe just watch out for the pinwheels. If u have the blacknight halberd its eben easier. Just kill the them lords and spin to win the minions.
- Anonymous
I love killing all the bone lords then fighting the army of the dead, most people who I summon hate it but, its my favorite boss fight.
- Anonymous
Clear Bluestone Ring +2 drops only in NG+ I suggest making it say: Clear Bluestone Ring +2 (NG+)
- Anonymous
It is worth noting that the skeletons spawn around the corpse of their associated lord. This includes the Bonewheel skeletons. The spawn area is not random. Knowing this makes it easier to off them before they fully spawn.
- Anonymous
on my file i only have enough strength to wield a rapier but this deals with swarms please help
Cuz I'm bad to the bone
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