I really can't beat the abyss watchers

[Asghar]

Please give tips or something, I've managed to beat all the previous bosses (Including the curse rotted greatwood) Without dying yet somehow I can't for the life of me get past these bastards. Whenever I attack there's always another one to hit me in the back and if I get hit once I get stunlocked until I die and the few times I've made to the second stage I've had little to no health and estus remaining, am I missing some kind of secret item that utterly murders them like the deep battle axe for Vordt? Is there some kind of secret sword that does extra damage against gangrapists somewhere in the swamp?

[sleevey]

Okay! First phase, dodge and get damage in, then run in circles until the add starts helping, then get some damage in. Second phase, sprint a little bit away from all his attacks, so you are out of range, than wait for him to do his jump smash. When he does that either whack him a few times or backstab him. Good luck!

[Asghar]

Thanks man, gonna try this now!

[Evilcheesewheel]

Backstab him.

[Blake]

There isn't a weapon that does extra damage ( For Yhorm there will be a weapon that does a crapload of damage to him with the weapon art) but my suggestion is to go after one and let the "ally" abyss watcher that attacks the other to keep him busy as you kill the other. Roll out of the way and try to go for backstabs if you're having trouble fighting them normally, I think they're parryable but that's probably going to be difficult. Just keep trying and learn the boss patterns because that's what Dark Souls is about tbh, you die die die and die some more but you learn from your mistakes eventually and you get better.

Good luck

[Pirate]

Different tactical suggestions:

The Abyss Watchers can be parried and riposted. They can also be backstabbed.

They are also susceptible to being knocked down by charged strong attacks (may require a large weapon like an Ultra Greatsword). Knock him down, take a step forwrds, begin charging the next attack right away. By the time he finishes standing up, your next charged strong attack will go off and knock him down again before he can do anything (trivializing the fight).

[Asghar]

All of your advice has helped me a lot, I'm now much more consistently getting to his second phase but it seems the constant stunlocking is still happening because his fire damage happens a little bit after his initial swing, so if I block an attack I tend to lose all my stamina but not half my healthbar but then before I can dodge or run or attack, the fire damage does a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of damage to me and by the time I'm able to dodge, heal or run I get hit by another attack and then the fire damage from THAT attack kills me and all keeping my distance does is make him do a charge attack that somehow hits me no matter which way I dodge, even if it's out of the way of the swing because physics. Was it this hard for anyone else because compared to the other bosses I've faced it seems pretty poorly designed and feels more like a bloodborne boss but with dark souls controls.

[Dapper Thief]

do you still need help?

[sleevey]

Don't use a shield, it makes it harder and ends up being a crutch.

[Evilcheesewheel]

My first time I nuked the Abyss Watchers using Vordt's greathammer.

[Nitaire]

Get any phantom in there with you, couple his/her skills with yours and dodge what you know you can dodge. Second phase swings around and you're basically at a point where I'd linger mid-range to bait his combo, continue to backpedal until the other guy/girl gets behind and backstabs him, if this fails then his attention will (hopefully) shift.

Then they bait his attacks or distract him, alternatively consider my next option kinda carefully if you will.
Just fight normally dodging only what you know you can, aim to dodge through his blades near the end of the combo (not at the end or he'll likely start up again) and lock back on for a backstab, he should still be swinging his current move or moving to the next if you dodged right in the middle of his attack and it won't insta 180.

Best advice though is just be a solid dodge roller, combos are not something normal shields expect to withstand. It can be advisable to keep a shield raised in case an attack does clip you as you backpedal away but otherwise, just dodge.

[Asghar]

Alright, I'm going to bed and I'm going to try again in the morning, got the claymore from the high wall of lothric and am going to reinforce it until it can cut through the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ fabric of reality and then, I'm going to beat these ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Thanks for all the advice, it really has helped, thank you.

[CBumEnjoyer]

Originally posted by SpaceCorgi:

Please give tips or something, I've managed to beat all the previous bosses (Including the curse rotted greatwood) Without dying yet somehow I can't for the life of me get past these ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s. Whenever I attack there's always another one to hit me in the back and if I get hit once I get stunlocked until I die and the few times I've made to the second stage I've had little to no health and estus remaining, am I missing some kind of secret item that utterly murders them like the deep battle axe for Vordt? Is there some kind of secret sword that does extra damage against gangrapists somewhere in the swamp?

listen up here get some frirends together
the abyss watchers attack eachother so dance around them he can be parried and backstabbed
i suggest that one boulder pyromancy as you can stunlock him

[Pirate]

Originally posted by SpaceCorgi:

... Was it this hard for anyone else ...

This is the story of a Pirate vs the Abyss Watchers...

I tend to prefer dextrous melee types, so in the beginning I was using light fast weapons, with a leaning towards katanas. The first time I entered the arena, I got destroyed. However, I did notice before I died that their attacks had a vague similarity to those of Artorias from Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition (and in that battle a shield is a detriment unless it was fully upgraded with very high stability). I decided a shield would be a detriment in this fight. I thus spent the next 10 or so lives throwing myself into the fray, with a focus more on lerning their moves, how to dodge them/roll through them, learn their combos, and where it was safest to be when close to them... for both phase one and phase two. The first few times with NPC summons so that I could watch their attacks on them (and recover during the distractions) and boy was it a fluster cluck of a fight that way! When I had the chance to land a blow, I took it, but only ever hit them once. A few times I got greedy and whent for more hits, but was always punished for it. A few attempts later I managed to emerge victorious.

NG+1, by this point I've played with a few different weapons and discovered how easy it is to knock (relatively) normal sized humanoid enemies prone with ultra great swords. The Abyss Watchers are not too much bigger than normal humans, so I thought I'd give it a try. Charged up my 2 handed strong attack after entering the fog and boom, Abyss Watcher is knocked on his back. Take a step forwards and charge up again, as he stands up, BOOM, down he goes again, unable to react. Second abyss watcher hasn't even spawned yet. Another hit, and another, and he's going into phase two. Phase one backup never had the time to get to me. Phase two, same as the first. His fire was not a problem because he could not attack. He was on his back, trying to stand up, and getting knocked back down again. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Like, hilarously easy. Almost dissapointingly so.

NG+2. This time, I didn't want an easy win. I wanted to earn the victory again and feel the rush of overcoming a foe through skill and effort rather than demolishing them by overpowering them. By this point I've discovered than many bosses can be parried, and sometimes even riposted as well (some can be parried but not riposted). I figured the Abyss Watchers, being corrupted humanoids with swords, should be able ot be parried as well... so my challenge this time was to learn the parry windows of their attacks. Died a few times while learning the timings, died a few times to dumb mistakes, and died once because I was about to kill him, but wasn't satisfied with my ability to parry (and couldn't bone out in time before his attacks disrupts the escape animation) so intentionally tossed the fight.

I'm still not happy with my parry skills, but I no longer fear ay foe, and know if I wanted to I could beat them silly with the variety of tactics I've discovered work really well (like UGS 2 handed charged attacks vs the Abyss Watchers).

Good luck on your attempt tomorrow! Don't let death get you down, keep at it, and Praise the Sun!

[Ceistebi]

What I've found helps a lot with Abyss Watchers were these two things: 1. put the shield away or on your back. Using the grass crest shield on your back (2 handing your wep) is fine, but do not try to block stuff. 2. Roll INTO a lot of their attacks. When they do the gap closing dash and slide move, roll into them and you'll end up behind them often, get a few hits in, and then get rdy again. In phase 2 this is a bit trickier to do because of the fire trail, but it is possible. Also, be a bit aggressive with them. They can be super aggressive so knowing when to dodge is important, but when you have those openings, use them. If you have a heavier wep, i think it's possible to make them stumble and then riposte.

[Watermelons]

Originally posted by Ry:

hey man if you need some help you should join our discord @ https://discord.gg/E6XqJRh . Everyone in there would be more than happy to play! :D

Shut the ♥♥♥♥ up with your spamming.