Welcome to the Fight Club - Guide to Hosting Fight Clubs Right

Tired of being summoned into a host's world where the dude doesn't even carry a Warmth spell to heal you & your rivals? Tired of being summoned into a host's world and being ganked by him + his two phantom lackies. Look no further, i've got you covered with this guide in how to have the best experience in fight clubs! This is mostly directed to players who want to host them, but i've got some good tips for you fighters out there as well.

The First Rule of Fight Club is...

You do not talk about the Fight Club?

First rule of a Dark Souls 2 Fight Club is to know what it takes to host one.

With this guide, I hope to teach you fellow PvPers about the beauty of Fight Clubs, what it takes to keep one alive, and most importantly how to make them fun but fair. Too often, i'd get summoned into a host's world where they either lack the means to control the situation or they'll purposely waste everyone's time. I would like to thank anyone and everyone for looking into my guide. If you want to ask me anything or give feedback on either the guide or facts on Fight Clubs, please do so!

With that said, let's get started.

Definition of 'Host' Ladies and Gentlemen

Hosting is not a simple task. It's a responsibility, and a risky one at that. There are no rules set in stone that any red invader has to bid by the Fight Club's rule. This is all done in good faith that all red invaders will respect your position as the Host.

But what is a 'Host' exactly? Well, here's a basic definition of what a host is.

Host - The only player within a server who can host a Fight Club. Their main duty as the host is to summon red invaders through the Red Soapstone and pin them against each other. How a Fight Club plays out is to allow 1v1 while the host and another invader stand back, observing. Once a winner is declared, the host will go and summon another invader, allowing the cycle to continue.

Blue Sentinels also count as candidates too, if they feel like the Fight Club is worth it.

Keep in mind that hosting also requires you to respect the red invaders. Lacking the proper tools to keep one going is most certainly going to make it fall apart and leave red phantoms stabbing your sorry hide. Let's make sure that doesn't happen, shall we?

That's a LOT of Prism Stones...

Although it should be a given ... majority of hosts do not have the tools needed to make a Fight Club last, let alone work out. So these are exactly what you need before starting up a Fight Club.

• Prism Stones - These colorful stones are what makes the difference between an invader realizing if you're hosting a Fight Club, or if you're about to 'plunge his Gapping Dragon with your Crystal Halbred(s)'. You do not need to go crazy with these, but at least setting three-four up where the safe zone for stand-bys will suffice. This is optional, but whenever a PvPer dies, place one Prism Stone there and continue doing so every time, so it gets the fighters motivated to not 'tribute' to your collection.
  
  
• Warmth - ... Everyone who did not know about this one already, go inside the Shame Car. NOW.
  
  
  
  This pyromancy spell is by far the most crucial thing to keep Fight Clubs alive. Whenever invaders fight, unless they're insanely good... most likely, they'll end up injured. If they aren't Clerics or carrying a healing spell, they will rely on you, the host, to heal them. Cast a Warmth in the safe zone (aka the place where you and others watch the fight) so the winner can be healed and continue fighting onward. I simply can't understand who hosts a Fight Club but wouldn't have this on them to begin with. This also helps heal the stand-bys when spells or attacks accidentally cross over the safe zone.
  
  
• Pyromancy Flame - By the time you're hosting any kind of Fight Club, you should already have one in your inventory. What's great about this unique weapon is that you do not need to upgrade it nor invest any stats to use it. All you need is 10 Attunement in order to have a slot for Warmth. Seriously don't complain about having to put 10 into Attunement when you're probably pumping 30 & over into Vigor which is a waste.
  
  
• Amber Herb - If your Fight Clubs go on for a long while, you will need to restock on Warmths. These beauties will replenish your spells thus allowing you to continue casting Warmth for the winners. Before you even complain about having to 'buy' items... remember each fallen invader grants you a crap ton of souls so, come now. Don't be like that.

Everything else is optional, such as the Carvings (Hello, Thank You, I'm Sorry, ect) and so forth. Personally, hosts who DO use carvings are 20% cooler in my book. Yes, 20% cooler ....

....................... That's totally not a reference to something. Nope. No sir.



Here's a chart to see what the items look like and where to find them at.

Items	Locations
Pyromancy Flame Found in a chest on the pirate ship in No-Man's Wharf.	Warmth Dropped by Undead Rats in Grave of Saints. Sold by Grave Warden Agdayne in Undead Crypt.	Amber Herb Sold by Weaponsmith Ornifex in Brightstone Cove Tseldora.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore- Girl, just use Map Quest!

Not much of an issue, but in order to have the best Fight Club experience... you'll need a great place to host it at. I won't even bother witholding this from you guys- the Iron Keep Bridge is by far the most popular spot among PvPers.

It's quite long, has plenty of space for a brawl, has a inside balcany for people to sit & watch, plus has a gap to fall off if you're not careful just for funzies. At levels 150 and up, you can find at least a dozen Dragon Eyes on the floor if not mixed with Red Signatures. Although this game is all based on Soul Memory for co-op so I wouldn't stress about what level you're at. Reccommended SM for Fight Club hosting is you being past 9 million, and in NG+ since that's where the real PvP is at.

Other locations that are worth mentioning for Fight Clubs are...

- Heide's Tower of Flame (platform right next to the first Bonfire)



- Aldia's Keep (Room where the giant Skeletal Dragon attempts a pathetic jumpscare).

".. Hehe, they'll never suspect me coming to life and biting their faces off. 2spooky4you."

- Dragon Aerie



Believe it or not, this is one of the coolest places to have a Fight Club in. Once you kill off all of those pesky Drakes, there's so much space along with zones, drops, and bridges to brawl in. Plus you've got like, background dragons flying about with the most eye catching scenery in the game. Do give it a try!!

- Grand Cathedral (Located in the Ivory King DLC)



To me, this is a remarkable place to PvP in. So roomy, an obvious safe zone to watch from, and it's the largest room in the game perhaps within a building. Deserves way more respect by having your fighters bleed each other out! Everybody wins that way.

Personally, any location can work out but the most active PvP areas are what i've listed above. Though it is fair to say you're hosting the Fight Clubs and if there's just enough strangers and / or friends seeking some action, you can totally make that place the next big thing for PvP.

Important Tip: Please make sure as the host, to kill ALL the npc enemies before hosting a Fight Club. To many have died in their own world because some Alonne Samurai Knight came out and sliced the dude in half. Clear them out for good, or just during a Fight Club to save yourself the hassle. Unlike invaders, npc enemies lack emotions as David Cage would say.

Wait .. you weren't invited! .. COME ON IN ANYWAYS :D

Just because someone, either in the Brotherhood of Blood or Blue Sentinels invades you- doesn't mean they cannot be reasoned with. There's a high probability that if they see a Fight Club going on, they'll actually join you guys instead.

Whenever I have invaded people and noticed a Fight Club going on... I simply wait until the 1v1 brawl is over until I approach the host with a gesture. Once that's understood, I go with the flow. If you see an invader approaching you, there are a few steps you can take....

Step 1: Do a gesture (either a bow, wave or something will do).

Step 2: Cast a Warmth spell to show you've inviting the invader into your Fight Club.

Step 3: Use the 'Hello' Carving just to make Solaire proud of yah.

Step 4: Watch as said invader either gets wrecked in the fight or gathers souls for you.

Step 5: Profit! Oh wait... step 4 already established that.

The worst mistake you can make as a host is let your guard down entirely. Just because the invader 'seems' friendly, doesn't mean he or she will remain friendly. Keep an Estus Flask on yah, and prepare to punish if needed be. Luckily, every time I was assaulted as the host (or even as an invader in a host's world) ... the noble duelists will come to punish the attacker. So keep calm and let the show go on!

... Wow this comic strip is long. I ran out of things to say for this category. Uh, keep scrolling down.

A little fight in ya ~ I like that

We've been focusing on the host throughout the majority of this Guide, but we can't forget about people who're doing the fighting now, can we? All in all, at the end of the day... it's the PvPers themselves that determines whether the Fight Club turns into a success or an epic fail.

Before I even carry on, here's a video I found that sums up this section nicely. I'll still be covering the basics but upon coming across this video... just thought it'd be nice to share it with you all :).

Unless you just want to 1v1 people and nothing more, go with the Dragon Bro Covenant and have people summon you as a Dragon PvPer. At least this way, it's certain you'll never be ganked or ambushed. But we're talking about Fight Clubs, so you'll want to be summoned as a Red Phantom instead.

As the fighter though, I would highly advise for you to do one thing... check your surroundings.

No, i'm being totally serious now. Placing your sign down as a Red Signature invites you into anyone's world, meaning the host can either want to 1v1 you, invite you into a Fight Club or the alternative... it's-



... Thank you. Anyways, you have no idea how many times I was ambushed despite how 'set up' the Fight Club appeared to be. Usually the host will have a white phantom or so with them, or all the players will be wearing the Ring of the Living (aka it makes you appear as if you're the host, human). Be suspicious of this, especially if they're auto targeting you out of the blue in the midst of things.

Not much you can do if they decide to gank you. I mean you can 'try' to fight them, but ganks end up having the advantage unless you can parry + dodge like a boss. A good tip is ALWAYS having the Black Separation Crystal in your quick access slot so you can use it on the go. Sure it's cowardly in a way, but it'll prevent you from giving the host + his lackies your souls.

If it is NOT a trap, and you know it's a legit Fight Club... please follow these tips to ensure the host and other invaders respect you as a person. Biggest rule is avoid this:
To your right, you'll see someone using a Washing Pole. Don't be that person. Don't be the kind of guy who uses the cheapest, unjoyable weapon / set to fight against. If you personally wouldn't find joy in fighting someone using the equippement, why would you use it? Remember this isn't some sort of law that you have to follow by, but you'll get more out of Fight Clubs if you avoid such methods.

Might as well bring up other annoyances that people look down on. This isn't just me by the way, this is Fight Club 101 "Don't Be That Guy With This Set" common sense. Before I forget, I will not count poison knives / arrows, Great Magical Barrier, super long ranged weapons and heavy hitters in this list because they're legit. Poison takes a long time to build up, Great Magical Barrier is the only defense Faith builds have against magic, long ranged weapons are easy to get around and heavy hitters are easy to dodge from. Anyhow here are the actual 'Please no' list.

• Affinity - A hex spell that acts like Soul Mass except these follow you, do 3x more damage
  and are slow so the caster is likely to spam other spells / attacks while you're trying to dodge these. Again, this isn't something you're not 'allowed' to use, but feels taboo so avoid using it if possible.
  
  
• Washing Pole - Hitbox on this thing is broken. Unlike other katanas, the running R1 jab is so long it can hit you 4-6 feet away (has been tested too). Plus it's so long, it can catch people during their roll and inflict strong poise damage. Not a weapon people should brag about using.
  
  
• Any Self-Healing Spell such as Resonant Flesh, Replenishment, Warmth, ect. - Basically, it can be seen as cheating. Usually if a fighter does this in battle, I have seen hosts + stand-bys going in to kill the culprit. I strongly insist that you do not use any of these spells unless you want to look bad and get beaten to a pulp.
  
  
• Wrath of the Gods - Although this is somewhat difficult to obtain via through Blue Sentinels Covenant or reaching NG++, it's still a truly OP spell. Unlike most miracles or spells, even dodging past it will still hit you regardless. Not a major deal, since it's not cheap per say... but certainly makes people shake their heads. To simple of a one-hit kill I guess you can say. Best to be creative and use other means of killing foes instead.
  
  
• Any Straight Sword like the Sun Sword, Longsword, Drakekeeper Sword, ect. - They're way to brutal for their size and insanely fast hitters. Since they also consume little stamina, people simply spam the R1 while two-handing over and over and over until the rival drops dead. It's also uncreative, and not something you want to spend time mastering. This is up for debate, because pro PvPers are seen using this so I wouldn't call them out on being cheap. Rather, it's just to easy winning Fight Clubs with these beastly weapons. Food for thought really.
  
  
• Ice Rapier - ...
  
  
  
  Screw this weapon. It's ... it's the essence of what 'cheap' looks like. The weapon is a spam-fest poking machine, with no other means but to poke, poke, poke, freaken poke you. Then it has a very deadly R2 ranged attack that can automatically send another one without delay. It's so bad, I truly do not feel anyone with skill should rely on this. I'd rather fight someone using Affinity, while having a buffed Washing Pole than fight another user with another god dang Ice Rapier.
  
  That's not even including the fact people buff this with dark and wear Havel's armor-
  
  
  
  STOP IT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN DARK SOULS. STOP!!

But what's the Catch, Doc?

Honestly? ... Apart from having more reason to play Dark Souls 2, allow players to test their characters through PvP scenarios and most likely make friends this way- you, as the host gain SO MUCH from this. Here's the truth mate...

Every time a Red Phantom dies, you get souls equal to what SM they are at. If you're doing NG+ Fight Clubs around SM levels 2.4 billion or so, you're getting roughly 330,000 souls or more per person. Meaning you're being FED without even working for it.

After patch 1.10, now Red Invaders / Red Phantoms (even summoned ones) drop Human Effigies.

Do you know, what this means? You're getting free, infinite Human Effigies man!!

Never again will you have to farm for them in Shrine of Amana, where enemies eventually go away after 15x anyhow ... and you want to try farming that zone with Bonfire Astetics? HA! Never again will you have to beg a hacker friend for more human effigies.

And never again will you have to sit for minutes trying to get summoned, and survive the entire journey with the host JUST to become human again. You're in good hands now my friend.

Praise the Fight Clubs!!

Additional Tips

• Behave - So simple, yet goes unchecked. As fun as it 'could' be trolling hosts or trolling your fellow fighters, remember this... they'll never trust you in a Fight Club again. In other words, you will not be trusted to participate in a Fight Club, or have Red Phantoms willing to go along with you. Pretty much ensure they can trust you, or else you'll have a hard time finding a proper Fight Club, let alone hosting one.
  
  
• Save the Host from Assaults - Sometimes, there will be someone who wants to just kill the host. If the host is in danger, act like a body guard and protect him/her. Although you don't have to, do you really want the Fight Club to end and not likely get back in? Odds are, you'll want to ensure his / her survival at all costs for the sake of the Fight Club continuing.
  
  
• Don't try summoning Red Phantoms during a fight - Unless the Red Signature is right next to you... going in to summon someone during a brawl is risky. At times, fighters might think you're trying to kill them for some given reason. Another reason this is a bad idea is because you might get caught in the crossfire. Best to wait until there's a victor, use Warmth to heal him / her, and only then may you go to seek another successor (aka fighter).
  
  
• Taunting like a ♥♥♥♥ ... - Even if you pull off the sickest parry, or best looking combo ever... just don't taunt to upset your rivals. This is a duel, therefore treat it like a proper duel. Even if you don't want to bow or pay respects, at least do a funny taunt. A straight up dickish taunt ends up backfiring as you might face the same person again, or the host + stand-bys decide you've got to go, the hard way.
  
  
• Give your winners a Prize - This is totally optional, but since you ARE getting free Human Effigies per fallen fighter, give your winning Red Phantom 1 Human Effigy. This will make you look like Jesus and they'll totally respect you like a king. I've started doing this and ended up getting several friend requests. People appreciate that sort of kindness, remember that.
  
  
• Help a fighter out - If you notice that said fighter is struggling based off a weak weapon, or their style isn't clicking... try befriending them personally and offering friendly advise. Heck, if you're not using weapons / armor that they could benefit from, offer giving them the stuff. It'll totally pay off, as I did this once. A month later, the guy I helped ended up being a PvP champion and wrecked my crap. He thanked me after of course, and totally become buds.
  
  
• Laggy Fellow aren't yah? - There is a current issue when hosts or summoned red phantoms will have lag. Nothing much you can do about this, but if you're the one lagging ... I suggest you do not engage in Fight Clubs. You'll either get killed often or you'll simply take advantage, leaving everyone to hate you personally. Get better connection and ensure that nothing in the background is running, includings apps or music if they're the problem. As for hosts being laggy, just teleport out of their Fight Club. It'll only get messy for you if yah stay.
  
  
• Play music in the background - Mark my words, playing music in the background on either your computer, youtube playlist, or personal Iphone, whatever will make you better at PvP. Music is something unique, for it'll cause you to perform better. In all of my PvP matches, I play music on my youtube playlist... and I usually win more often than if I wasn't playing any form of music.
  
  Try it, seriously! Here, i'll give yah some links here for you to check out! Can't hurt, right?
  
  Epic Legendary Intense Massive Heroic Vengeful Dramatic Music Mix - 1 Hour Long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4un7Jedpicg
  
  Vol. 4 Epic Legendary Intense Massive Heroic Vengeful Dramatic Music Mix - 1 Hour Long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7zPiF149q8
  
  5-Hour Music Mix | Epic Music Mega Mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP0D5u3EMfA
  
  
• Host to Improve - What I mean is, host matches to learn from other fighters. There's so much you can gain from seeing someone use a set you've never thought could work. I learned more from just Fight Clubs than I could from Dark Souls 2's wiki itself. Also rather than being hateful and hard on yourself, accept losses and improve until you're literally a beast with your given set. Do you really think in one setting, you can suddenly own anyone? This is Dark Souls, you get better as you continue failing until you fail no more. Even then, you WILL lose at times. But that's the thing, this is for fun. Don't hate on others, even if they were cheap or poor sports. Be the best you can be, alright?
  
  

We are the Champions~

Would just like to say, thank you all so very much for reading my Guide. If you feel there can be improvements, want to give me feedback about Fight Clubs themselves, or just want to ask me something ... please do so! I truly find comfort in what people have to say and I always try my best improving in terms of organizing and grammar, if not being more creative.

It's because of you guys that I am a huge Dark Souls 2 fan ... well, actually that goes to Vaati and SunlightBlade- BUT that's besides the point. Keep being awesome and again, you have my thanks.

Let's finish this Guide off by letting you all see a Dark Souls 2 PvP submission by SunlightBlade.

[Firefly]

Fight club is a scam

[BQ]

Good guide on fight clubs! Made many great experiences and friends!
10/10

[Karamell]

@Muffin: Yeah, people in NG+ can totally hook up with those in NG (although this is only for the SotFS version, not the Dark Souls II game this guide is based off of). As for the 9 million? While you can totally do the 2-5 million souls, people haven't found or maxed their builds (shocker I know) so around 9 million is when people are truly settled and upgraded everything along with having the stats they want.

[Muffin]

9 million? That's a bit high, I was expecting it to be in the 2-5 million range. And about NG+, can people in ng+ connect with people on normal NG?

[Karamell]

@Muffin: Reccommended SM for Fight Club hosting is yourself being past 9 million, and in NG+ since that's where the real PvP is at. Since we aren't talking about when people co-op for bosses, it can range vastly from 15k to beyond that.

[Muffin]

Nothing about SL?

[Zaedinho]

hey awesome guide :D i did my first ever fight club and it was a success! I even distributed prizes for the winners and in return they helped by giving herbs os prism stones x) anyways, great guide and it's awesome to create our own fight clubs

Here's the link to a picture of it (obligatory trident dance): First Fight Club [gyazo.com]

[RockyMMXVI]

This guide is now more important than ever.

[DeadLegion]

"First you have to give up, first you have to *know*... not fear... *know*... that someday you're gonna die." - Tyler Durden

[Karamell]

@Casual Girl: Yeah I understand, don't get me wrong which is why that's up for debate (pros of the PvP recommending it and all) so no one can call you wrong on that. The only weapon I feel is broken is either the Washing Pole or Ice Rapier ... *shutter*