The Ringed City, the final DLC for Dark Souls 3, has finally arrived, bringing a new area, weapons, and bosses for players to face off against. One of the bosses that players will encounter is Slave Knight Gael, a fast-moving, hard-hitting swordsman. This boss is easily one of the most difficult that Dark Souls players have encountered to date, and this guide will teach you everything you need to know to defeat Slave Knight Gael and beat The Ringed City.
How to Defeat Slave Knight Gael Phase 1
Slave Knight Gael has three main phases that players will need to complete. In the first phase, Slave Knight Gael will rush at players on all fours, with a sword in his left hand. Watch his movements carefully, and dodge any attacks that he makes. We also suggest starting the fight off by buffing your weapon with a Carthus Flame Arc or Charcoal, since Slave Knight Gael is weak to fire-based attacks. Make sure you wait to buff your weapon after entering the fight because the boss spawns deep into the arena.
While fighting Slave Knight Gael, try to rotate along with his body, and keep his non-sword hand closest to you. This will make it harder for him to hit you outright, which will save you a lot of trouble in the long run. Whenever you see him jump into the air, and his sword begin to glow red, this means he is about to charge. Dodge roll away to the side, and then counterattack as quickly as possible. After performing a 3-attack combo, the boss will slam his sword into the ground. Take this time to heal, or deal more damage.
How to Defeat Slave Knight Gael Phase 2
After one-third of his health is gone, Slave Knight Gael will transition to his second phase and become stronger. He also gains quite a few new abilities, and even becomes more agile. After the transition to phase 2, rebuff your weapons and wait for Slave Knight Gael to make the first attack.
Beware of the boss’s cloak as he tries to attack you. During this phase of the fight his cloak will swirl with each attack and deal extra damage if you let it hit you. He also uses a crossbow at this point, which shoots around 14 bolts. The best way to dodge this is to run in a zig-zag pattern, or roll side to side. Get close to him when he’s firing the crossbow, as it’s a perfect time to deal some damage.
Slave Knight Gael will also make use of the Way of the White Corona ability, which shoots off spinning discs of light. Watch out for these discs, and dodge out of the way when they come at you. They’ll also return to him, so always be on the lookout for them as they make their return trip. While it’s possible to stagger the boss, he has a very fast recovery time, so we don’t recommend trying that often, as things can easily turn from good to bad.
How to Defeat Slave Knight Gael Phase 3
Phase 3 of the fight begins when Slave Knight Gael only has one-third of his total health remaining. At this point he learns a few new abilities, and introduces them alongside the abilities that he already made us of in the first phase of the battle. Beware of his massive flying attack, which is usually predicated by him spitting out a mass of dark soul entities that takes up quite a large area of effect. Dodge this attack, and then watch for the flying attack to follow.
Slave Knight Gael also introduces a lightning attack during this phase, which causes several bolts of electricity to slam into the ground within the arena. Watch for this, as it is a devastating move, and get out of its way. While you can use the bolts to deal some damage to the boss, it only hits him for 1 damage per bolt, so it isn’t a reliable way to take his health down.
The best way to survive this phase is to continue dodging to his left (your right), and keep his sword-hand as far away from you as possible to increase the amount of time you have to dodge. From there, continue through the battle, scoring hits where you can until you take him down.
For more help in Dark Souls 3 be sure to return to our Dark Souls 3 guide, or take a look at our guide on how to get Lapp’s armor.
