Besides the usual enemies and bosses in Dark Souls 3, there are special kinds of NPC adversaries known as “Invaders”. These glowing silhouetted foes appear like how a human opponent would look in PvP and are similarly deadly, if not more so.
They employ tactics like evasive rolling, parrying, and even backstabs upon the unwary. They also have reflexes of literal machines, thanks to being controlled by the game’s AI. However, there are ways to deal with each of the 11 invaders in the game, whether in direct combat or taking advantage of the terrain.
As this holy knight (of sorts) is encountered in the early area of the Undead Settlement, Hodrick may be the first NPC invader that the player encounters. Regardless of one’s experience with the game, this purple phantom is not one to underestimate due to his wicked Flamberge, deft guard with a shield, and usage of pyromancies.
Luckily, he does not have any offensive spells to use against the Ashen One and simply buffs himself with Power Within or casts Warmth, the latter of which the player can heal from as well. Using PvP tactics like ripostes and backstabs can be effective, however, since Hodrick has no ranged attacks, he can be easily killed with spells, arrows, bolts, and even consumables.
This spellcaster will find the player in the fetid Farron Keep’s poisonous swamp. They are a ranged build that uses both sorceries and a crossbow to deal magic and physical damage from mid and long-range.
Their Heysel Pick acts as both a catalyst and a melee weapon since it is technically a hammer, though Yellowfinger themself is far from a Strength Build, meaning that melee is the best way to deal with Heysel.
A spiky assailant who will accost the player in the Cathedral of the Deep, Longfinger Kirk is a sharply barbed fellow with armor that can hurt the player when he rolls into them, however, it is more annoying than dangerous. Kirk fights like the average melee build that utilizes a shield and straight sword, therefore typical PvP tactics would be effective here.
If one does not want to face him up close, he has no ranged attacks, meaning that he can be defeated easily with most spells or projectile weapons.
Wielding a Murakumo and an Arbalest, Alva does not mess around; he even uses the weapon skill of his curved greatsword liberally and aggressively. Since he is deadly at any range, this warrior can be tricky to deal with for some builds.
His armor does not have much poise, therefore a hyper-offensive tactic like damage-trading the Seeker of the Spurned will likely stagger one’s foe and can be repeated as long as the player has healing items. If that isn’t working out, the Ashen One can use any number of ways to trick Alva into falling off of the cliff near where he invades right before the entrance to Irithyll Dungeon. However, when he invades in the streets of The Ringed City, this won’t be an available tactic.
This black-iron warrior possessing the monstrous Fume Ultra Greatsword is encountered both as a hostile NPC and an invader later on. He’ll cross into the player’s world as a phantom in the Catacombs of Carthus and trap one in a hallway leading to a dead end, which will force the Ashen One into a confrontation with him.
Also equipped with the Black Iron Greatshield, he is very resistant to physical and fire damage. Magic, lighting, or dark damage would be the best types to use here, however, one does not need to fight him. When he invades, if one can get around him, he can be led into the path of the skeleton ball repeatedly.
Most know this invader from his role in the questline of Sirris of the Sunless Realms as a foe who must be defeated after one gets summoned to Sirris’ world as a defender. However, if one does not do this quest, he will invade the player’s world near the Church of Yorshka bonfire.
He wields a Dragonslayer’s Axe and will two-hand it for most of the fight. He’s pretty aggressive, so be prepared for him to constantly apply pressure, though, the player can use this to lead him into a terrain-related demise if he is encountered in the player’s world by knocking him off one of the many cliffs near where he invades.
This dark spirit will invade the player’s world as they are traversing the Untended Graves. Kriemhild is a fierce sorcerer that unleashes magic spells at mid and long-range while using a dagger in her offhand to parry and ripostes careless players.
Regardless of her parrying potential, the best method to take down the Daughter of Crystal is still by melee, as she takes a lot of damage from pretty much any physical weapon. Since she crosses into the Ashen One’s world near some cliffs, she is yet another invader that can be tricked into rolling into the abyss and to their death.
The Londor Pale Shade is an adversary that only shows up after one has committed the sins of attacking, and possibly killing, multiple killable NPCs. This vengeful spirit will invade in both Farron Keep and Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. They wield wicked claws and devastating dark spells, making them offensively powerful.
However, their focus on offense leaves them very weak defensively. If one can land a solid hit, the Londor Pale Shade can be staggered easily enough. Their claws also don’t do very much stamina damage when blocked, meaning that their most dangerous aspect is their dark spells, though, these take a while to cast and can be interrupted by proactive players.
After one defeats the Champion Gravetender and his Greatwolf, an area can be accessed above the colosseum where one will get invaded by Livid Pyromancer Dunnel, who, appropriately, will cast many fire spells at the player. He also wields a Chaos Blade, so be careful of him at any range.
He can even cast the mighty Chaos Storm spell, which can decimate one’s health, so be sure to stay on him and not give him time to unleash the fiery columns of destruction. He can’t take too many hits, being a spellcaster in fabric clothing, therefore any tactic combined with aggression and careful evasion can help players defeat him.
Encountered in The Ringed City DLC, the Moaning Knight will ambush the Ashen One as they are chasing down a crystal lizard not too far from where one first meets the powerful dragon, Darkeater Midir. Since the corridor and nearby staircase are relatively narrow, fighting this great hammer and greatshield-wielding foe can be tricky.
If one is having trouble with this stalwart adversary, try using lightning damage, as the knight is weak to this kind of attack. Also, utilize the stairs and closeby walls to position oneself at angles that make it hard for the Moaning Knight to hit one with his huge weapon.
Another foe with a great hammer, however, one that is a fair deal more powerful. Silver Knight Ledo can also be encountered in The Ringed City DLC and is arguably the strongest NPC invader in the game due to his colossal damage output and huge poise.
He also has great resistance to physical damage of all kinds, though, is very susceptible to the toxic and poison status ailments. Weapons that apply these conditions would be useful but consumables like Poison Knives and Dung Pies can also be used effectively, and hilariously, to defeat this dark spirit.
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