Note: This content assumes you already completed the first portion of the Dark Souls 2 DLC using our free Crown of the Sunken King walkthrough.
Head over to the large bridge in Shulva, Sanctum City, the same bridge where the dragon attacked the two enemies your first time through. Move across the bridge and use the Eternal Sanctum Key you found in your first run through to open the door to the left.
When you enter the room beyond, two sorceress enemies attack. One is very close, while the other is on the far side of the room. Defeat the two enemies, then open the chests in the room to obtain a total of 10 Dried Roots and a Lightning Clutch Ring (increases lightning attack damage).
Pick up the items, then head up the ladder at the far end of the room and continue up the stairs directly ahead. Climb up the next ladder on the left at the end of the hall. Three insect enemies await when you reach the area above.
Defeat the insects, then climb up the next ladder directly ahead. At the top is a chest that contains a Sanctum Shield. Head back down the ladder, then go left at the junction and make your way across the bridge to enter Shulva, Sanctum City again.
When you reach the end of the bridge, Rockshield Baldyr invades and attacks. He attacks quickly with a spear and will use ranged attacks if you move too far away from him. Move past him into the more open area so you aren’t handicapped by the narrow bridge. Wait until his initial series of spear attacks subsides, then circle around him and attack. As soon as he starts attacking again, roll or use your shield to defend against his barrage of strikes, then continue your assault until he goes down.
Light the bonfire just beyond the bridge. Then continue forward and hit the glowing pillar near the cave ahead. This activates the lift and gives you easy access to the Cave of the Dead from the area close to starting point of Shulva, Sanctum City. With the lift activated, head into the cave just beyond.
Cave of the Dead
Head through the cave and into the mist at the end. Drop down into the room ahead and continue through the next room where you will drop down again. At the end of the hallway is a room with three enemies and a few petrifaction statues. There are also holes in the ground that lead into the rooms below, so be careful while fighting the enemies.
If you have a ranged attack, use the holes in the floor to take out as many statues and enemies as you can in the room below. Once you’ve circled every hole to kill off as many of them as possible, drop down and finish off the rest. In one corner of the room are three Bonfire Ascetics, in another corner are two Brightbugs and across the room is a chest that holds three Petrified Somethings.
Head through the cave perpendicular to where the chest is located (it’s the only cave you can move through). At the end of the cave, drop down into the room below. Just ahead are several more enemies. Take them out, then continue making your way through the cave. There are petrifaction statues lining the walls, so be careful as you push forward. If you have a ranged attack, use it to clear both walls as you move. In addition, there’s a worm hole in the middle of the cavern on the left. The worm will pop out and attack as you approach.
Just past the worm hole is an alcove on the right with three Alluring Skulls at the end. Pick up the item quickly to avoid the giant petrifaction statue close by. Collect the items and continue into the mist at the end of the cave to do battle against three bosses.
Boss Battle: Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, Cerah the Old Explorer
Reward: Twinkling Titanite (3), Petrified Dragon Bone (3), Titanite Slab
As soon as you enter the boss battle area, Varg rushes you, followed closely by the Graverobber. Varg is equipped with heavy armor and uses a shield and large weapon. This means he’s relatively slow and has plenty of openings after each attack. He should be your first target, but always attack the closest enemy to you if the others are far enough away to allow for a safe attack.
The Graverobber uses dual swords and attacks very quickly. If you have a large weapon that can knock him off his feet, this isn’t a very difficult battle. If not, you’ll need to circle around him, using a shield to defend against his onslaught of attacks. As soon as you see a pause in his attack pattern, use one or two quick attacks. If you’re using a weapon that attacks slowly, you’ll need to back away before you can get a clean hit in, and the battle is a bit more challenging (unless that weapon knocks the Graverobber down).
If you get in a bind and have to fight the Graverobber and Varg at the same time, your best bet is to back away from them and wait for Varg to miss with an attack. As soon as Varg misses, quickly move within striking distance of Varg and inflict as much damage as you can before the Graverobber closes in. If you move quickly, you should be able to get in at least two attacks (depending on the speed of your weapon) before you need to guard against the Graverobber.
You have a lot of room to work with, so take your time with the first two enemies. Cerah will stay back and attack with his bow. You don’t have to worry too much about him until you’ve defeated the Graverobber and Varg. Once they’re both down, close in on Cerah.
When you get close to Cerah, she switches from her bow to a long sword. She’s more agile than Varg and attacks quickly with her long sword. However, her lunging strikes have quite a bit of recovery (although not as long as Varg’s recovery time). After a lunging strike, you have time to attack her with at least one or two quick strikes.
If your health gets low, there are plenty of rock formations and walls to hide behind while you use a health item. Additionally, if you’re having trouble with this boss battle, ignore Varg and the Graverobber and focus solely on Cerah at first. She doesn’t move much, and because there’s so much room to maneuver, you can run around the area, getting a decent distance away from the Graverobber and Varg, then attack Cerah while the others catch up. When they reach you again, repeat this process until Cerah is down.
While fighting just Varg and the Graverobber, if you continue running around, they will naturally separate themselves. This allows you to attack them one at a time while the other catches up. If you’re having trouble with Varg’s shield, continue moving around and he will eventually switch to wielding his weapon with two hands, placing his shield behind him. This makes it much easier to attack him.
With the bosses down, continue through the cave to find three Blackweed Balms on the left, in the next room and a chest just beyond that contains a lower Skirt. Drop down through the opening ahead to find yourself in Shulva, Sanctum City, somewhat close to the bonfire that led to the Cave of the Dead.
Published: Jul 24, 2014 02:10 pm