Dragonslayer Armour

See also: Iron Dragonslayer

For the armor piece, see Dragonslayer Armor.

The Dragonslayer Armour is a boss in Dark Souls III.

Description[]

A suit of armor that belonged to a dragonslayer from times long past. It is controlled by the Pilgrim Butterflies that soar high above Lothric Castle and guard the entrance to the Grand Archives. It wields a gigantic shield and a greataxe infused with lightning.

Lore[]

The Dragonslayer Armor is what remains of an ancient warrior belonging to the most remote times in the history of the kingdom of Lothric. During this time the soldiers of the Lothric army found themselves facing large numbers of wyverns and had to become more than normal knights^[2]. Thus their first armors were crafted to fight the dangerous creatures rather than other humans. They were heavy masses of iron capable of withstanding dragon fire and similar in design to the ancient armor of the dragonslayers of Anor Londo while their shields were capable of absorbing the high lightning emission of wyverns^[3][4]. The old knights of Lothric turned to the Firstborn of Lord Gwyn, once venerated as a god of war and the sun^[5], and built an altar for him inside their city^[6], beginning to worship the ancient deity who in return gave them the tools to face the wyverns^[7]. From the sun god they would how to infuse their weapons with the power of lightning, lethal against dragons, and the ancient techniques for hunting archdragons developed in the war between the gods and the Everlasting Dragons^[8].

Armed and protected to counter the wyverns, the dragonslayers of Lothric devoted themselves to the covenant of the sun god^[9] and finally learned to use his miracles which allowed them to manipulate the power of lightning as if it was their own^[10]. The army of Lothric thus successfully hunted the wyverns that resided in their region^[11] and they even learned how to tame and ride them, thus gaining a terrifying arsenal and advantage over other human armies^[12]. Thanks to their support of the royal family the knights were granted permission to befriend the wyverns^[13] and even keep them in their barracks inside the city^[14], as the creatures would became part of their army and rode into battle^[15], leading the knights and their dragons to become the symbols of Lothric^[16].

As the dragonslayer's reason for existence was lost when the wyverns became domesticated by Lothric's knights and the kingdom's main enemies became other human knights, the army's weapons and armor changed accordingly^[17]. The armor of an ancient Dragonslayer, however, remained in the barracks of the Lothric army, after the temple of Lord Gwyn's Firstborn and before the Grand Archives and the Royal Castle^[18], becoming a monument to the legendary past of the kingdom's knights.

During the last days of Lothric kingdom, when the First Flame was at the limit of its strength, the sun itself above Lothric would have weakened, transforming into an dark eclipse barely contained by the remnants of light at its contours^[19]. Inside the city flocks of Pilgrim Butterflies would manifest, gigantic humanoid insects^[20]. These beings with immense branch-like wings would infest the skies of the dying kingdom, migrating towards the tip of the Castle and they would take control of the Dragonslayer Armour through their dark magic^[21]using it as a puppet to eliminate anyone who attempted to proceed to the top of the castle.

Theories[]

• It is possible to theorize that the Dragonslayer Armor is the armor of one of Lothric's early kings from the kingdom's dragonslaying past. This is because his immense armor was preserved for centuries despite its model no longer being in use^[22] and placed in the center of a small bridge as a monument. Furthermore, the armor is located between the army barracks with the temple of Lord Gwyn's Firstborn and the last section of Lothric Castle where the royals resided^[23], implying cultural value for the history of knights and worship in the heir of the Sun but also for the royals of the kingdom, acting as a literal and metaphorical bridge between the two.

Location[]

Found on the highest level of Lothric Castle, along the path that leads to the Grand Archives.

Fight overview[]

Strategy[]

The Dragonslayer Armour uses attacks that are characterized by gulf swings and occasional overhead attacks. It deals large amounts of damage to any character regardless of their resistances. The best tactic for dealing with this boss is to constantly roll away from its attacks and land one of your own. It also deals a huge amount of stamina damage if you try blocking.

It is essential when fighting this boss to remain under 70% Equip Load so that you can roll at a fast pace. Since the fight will be characterized by dodging, it would be advisable to not be overencumbered and have a slow pace roll.

The boss uses its greataxe for overhead chops and wide gulf swings, but it will use its shield with startling speed to break your defense. In the second stage of the fight, it will use shield combos or use its shield before its greataxe.

When fighting this boss, it is necessary to remember not to get greedy with attacks and to have a faster roll speed.

Summons[]

• Eygon of Carim - Only if the player has not purchased any dark miracles from Irina.
• Sirris of the Sunless Realms - If the player has progressed through her questline and accepted her offer to serve as their knight.

Drops[]

Item	Soul of Dragonslayer Armour
Drop Rate	Guaranteed

Notes[]

• The Dragonslayer Armour has a few parryable attacks, but will not become open for a riposte after successfully performing one. In the same manner, he can be staggered after sustaining enough consecutive hits, taking Instability damage for a short time, but will not become open for a riposte for this duration.
• The Dragonslayer Armour is an abyssal enemy, rendering him weak against the Wolf Knight's Greatsword and the Farron Greatsword.
• Using only Pestilent Mist against the Dragonslayer Armour will not activate the second phase of the fight and will also trigger a unique death animation.
• If the Dragonslayer Armour is interrupted during its stagger animation that transitions into the second phase, it will not buff its greatshield with lightning and will continue to use its first phase moveset, making it considerably easier to fight.

Trivia[]

• The description of the Iron Dragonslayer Set, dropped by the Iron Dragonslayer in the Ringed City, reveals both are the same entity from Lothric Castle, having eventually ended up in the swamp and been reanimated by its memories.
• The Dragonslayer Armour may be the armor once worn by the dragonslayer who served Lord Gwyn's Firstborn and Dragon Slayer Ornstein in the description of Sacred Oath.
• The Dragonslayer Armour will occasionally spurt blood when hit, and grunt when attacking. It is unknown whether this implies that the owner's body was still inside the armor when it was possessed, or if it's simply a developer oversight.
• The Dragonslayer Armor bears a strong resemblance to the Berserker Armor from the Berserk anime/manga.

Gallery[]

Dragonslayer Armour

Pilgrim Butterfly

Iron Dragonslayer Armour

Videos[]

Music[]

Yuka Kitamura - Dragonslayer Armour (Full In-Game version) (Dark Souls III Complete Original OST)

Yuka Kitamura - Dragonslayer Armour (Alternative Unused version) (Dark Souls III Unused Soundtrack)

See also[]

• Iron Dragonslayer

References[]