Demon’s Souls players are able to progress through the game’s five Archstones in whatever order they want for the most part, but that doesn’t stop many from going through sequentially. As such, the fifth Archstone, also known as the Archstone of the Chieftan, is usually one of the last ones that new players complete. Despite this, it’s often regaled as the hardest of the five Archstones for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the constant threat of poison and plague that players will face as they trudge through the aptly named Valley of Defilement.
Surprisingly, the bosses in this area aren’t actually all that difficult, as it is the levels leading up to them that earn this Archstone’s place as one of the hardest in Demon’s Souls. Players will need to keep a good supply of Royal’s and Widow’s Lotuses in order to fend off the poison and plague status effects that nearly everything in the area can apply. As if that weren’t enough, there are even environmental hazards that can apply these effects, making the whole place a living nightmare. While the bosses may not stack up to others in the game, they are still rather challenging in their own right and offer up their own challenges.
Players will have a hard time getting to Leechmonger, but once they manage that, he’s actually really easy. Leechmonger’s claim to fame is its ability to regenerate health over time. While this can be problematic for many builds, it can be completely negated by others. If players have any fire sorcery, the fight can be won without ever stepping into its melee range, and even those that do need to get up close and personal won’t find his damage and other capabilities too overwhelming.
Thankfully, players should have plenty of Pine Resin by now if they don’t happen to have a fire weapon on hand, and they may even have acquired some Black Pine Resin earlier on in the level. With these buffs, even melee characters will be able to make quick work of Leechmonger. An unprepared player can certainly find themselves in trouble with this boss fight so it shouldn’t be underestimated, but compared to others in the Archstone and the rest of the game, the Leechmonger is one of the easiest around to defeat.
For those that thought the Depraved Chasm was awful, they’re in for a real treat in the Swamp of Sorrow. Just walking through the swamp will trigger the poison status effect pretty quickly, sometimes making it not even worth it to use antidote or a lotus to cure the effect. Like the Leechmonger before it, the Dirty Colossus is an incredibly easy boss, and players will have a much harder time with the level leading up to it than they will with the fight itself. It is once again extremely vulnerable to fire, so the same tactics above with one of Demon’s Souls catalysts apply here as well.
The key difference between this fight and the Leechmonger is that there isn’t really any truly safe spot that players can find. The various pillars and torches in the area can be used to block the Dirty Colossus’ ranged attacks, but since he’s mobile he will eventually move around them. His ranged attack does apply a damage over time and his attacks are powerful if players let them hit him, but it’s easy enough to just dance around him and attack him from behind with a fire weapon until he dies. Players with the Firestorm spell can even one shot him without too much investment in the Magic stat.
After beating the Dirty Colossus, fans will be happy to know there isn’t another level they have to trek through, as the next boss is straight ahead. Like the other Archdemons in Demon’s Souls, this isn’t really a head on fight. Instead, Maiden Astraea sends her faithful knight, Garl Vinland, to fight as her champion. Garl Vinland is capable of dealing heavy damage and has great gear, but ultimately falls victim to his lackluster AI. Players can simply chain backstabs on him until he dies, and his attacks can even be parried for big chunks of damage. Defeating him causes Maiden Astraea to take her own life in grief.
Alternatively, players can sneak past Garl Vinland and attack Maiden Astraea directly. She’ll fight back with some magic spells, including one of Demon’s Souls’ strongest Miracles, God’s Wrath, but her health isn’t very high so it shouldn’t take long to defeat her. What really makes this area dangerous is the red pool below, as stepping in it even for a few seconds will inflict the player with plague. This status effect is like poison but drains health much faster. As if that wasn’t enough, there are also hordes of plague babies hiding in the swamp that will quickly surround and kill the player.
If it wasn’t clear already, all of these bosses are actually fairly easy. The levels leading up to them are nightmarish, and some players even feel like certain enemies in these areas are tougher than the actual bosses, but that doesn’t mean much in terms of deciding which boss is the most difficult. Ultimately, Maiden Astraea and Garl Vinland claim this honor, as the plague in that area is enough to swiftly kill players that happen to fall into it.
The Leechmonger not only dies quickly to fire but also provides players with numerous safe spots where they can regroup should they need to. By contrast, the Dirty Colossus doesn’t have the same kinds of safe spots but is so slow and predictable that players will be running circles around him. Garl Vinland and Maiden Astraea aren’t terribly difficult either, but depending on how players choose to fight them it could be difficult. Not to mention trying to get the items in the swamp will quickly see the player suffering from plague and beset by enemies.
Demon’s Souls is available now on PS5.
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