The final boss of the main game in Dark Souls 3 is the culmination of the lives and combat experiences of many powerful beings throughout the trilogy's tenebrous tales and deep lore. The Soul of Cinder possesses traits of Lord Gwyn from the first game in the trilogy as well as many that the players themselves have displayed in all 3 titles.

Battling this boss in Dark Souls 3 will span 2 full phases and 5 different boss movesets that will truly put the player's skills to the test. The first phase consists of 4 different tactics, each dominated by one of the main offensive stats: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith respectively. After the player drops the Soul of Cinder's health bar down to nothing, they will enter phase 2 and gain the 'Great Lord' moveset that is extremely reminiscent of a certain end-game boss from a previous title (cue the 'Plin Plin Plon's).

Updated on September 29, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: Despite the varied movesets being difficult to anticipate and counter, there are definitely some reliable ways to hold one's ground against the versatile Soul of Cinder. However, this battle is much more about being adaptable than unleashing huge hits against this boss.

Players that are still having trouble, even after learning the many attacks the boss can launch, should try to refine their build by trying out different weapons, spells, and tactics, as the Soul of Cinder is not the only one capable of great versatility.

Phase 1 Movesets

all the sets that boss uses in phase 1.

The Soul of Cinder possesses quite diverse movesets that the player must learn to defend from as well as launch counterattacks against in the small openings after each strike or spell. Here are all of them from phase 1 and how to deal with each.

Strength Moveset

Moveset Attacks Counters
Attacks by using a straight sword capable of slash and thrust damage
  • Use 1-on-1 dueling tactics that one would use in PvP
  • Wearing heavy armor (like Havel's Set) can be helpful as such gear possesses particularly great defense against slash and thurst damage
  • Cannot be parried or backstabbed, just like every other moveset the Soul of Cinder possesses

Dexterity Moveset

Moveset Attacks Counters
Attacks using a curved sword that only deals slash damage
  • Use 1-on-1 PvP dueling tactics here as well
  • Can parry the player, so don't spam attacks
  • Can do backflips and other evasive maneuvers to get in and out of combat range; let the boss come to the player instead of chasing them down
Casts the Fire Orb pyromancy Dodge-roll left or right as it approaches
Casts the Poison Mist pyromancy Stay out of the cloud that is produced in front of the boss
Casts the Power Within pyromancy Nothing can be done to prevent this buff, prepare for the boss to deal more damage with each attack for 30 seconds
Casts the Combustion pyromancy Fast and hard to see coming, if they do anything with the arm not holding the curved sword, get away from their front

Intelligence Moveset

Moveset Attacks Counters
Casts the Farron Hail sorcery Stay close to the boss and roll when needed
Casts the Homing Crystal Soulmass sorcery Since each soulmass begins approaching individually, it is awkward to time dodging them, so it may be worth equipping a shield with high magic damage reduction and block them as they come
Casts the Crystal Soul Spear sorcery Stay close to the boss' sides to easily avoid this mid-range spell
Casts the Soul Stream sorcery Stay close to the boss' sides for this one as well, for this long-range spell is easy to see coming and avoid if one is right next to the Soul of Cinder
Casts the Soul Greatsword sorcery Tricky to dodge as its wide horizontal slash has a huge hitbox, but can be evaded by staying close and rolling behind the boss

Faith Moveset

Moveset Attacks Counters
Attacks using a spear that only deals thrust damage Stay very close, as the spear is too long to hurt players who are nearly standing on the Soul of Cinder's toes
Casts the Heal miracle This will heal about 30% of the boss' health, so try to interrupt them the moment you see the Soul of Cinder kneeling by attacking with everything you have
Casts the Wrath of the Gods miracle The boss will tense up before unleashing this powerful shockwave, so try to roll away as fast as possible if the Soul of Cinder stops moving while standing

Phase 2 Moveset

boss wielding a fire greatsword and about to cast a lightning faith spell.

After one has fully depleted the Soul of Cinder's health bar, get back, for they will then enter phase 2 in a fiery explosion and their health will be fully restored. Many of the attacks that the boss will now use are very similar to Lord Gwyn's moveset from the first Dark Souls game, therefore players who have experience with this end-game boss will be at an advantage here. Though, parrying is sadly not an option against the Soul of Cinder, so don't bother trying. Here are the boss's phase 2 attacks and how to defend against them:

Great Lord Moveset

Moveset Attacks Counters
5-Strike combo When the boss stands upright without moving, get as far away as possible, for this string of slashes has a huge range and will end in an AoE blast of fire
Exploding Grab Keep an eye on the boss's offhand, as they will sometimes reach out to grab the player and then cast an explosive spell while holding them that will deal a lot of damage; roll away to avoid this
Jumping Attack Similar to the one used by players wielding a greatsword, but launches the boss higher and farther; roll towards the Soul of Cinder when they are in the air to pass under them and find their back for an easy couple of hits as they land and readjust
Forward Kick Annoying and hard to see coming, try to constantly be circling the boss to avoid getting hit by this stamina-draining stun move
Sunlight Spear Hurls a bolt of lightning at the player which must be dodged at the last second to avoid damage
Sunlight Spear Storm Launches a Sunlight Spear into the sky, which explodes into many smaller bolts that chase the player with excellent homing which the player must also dodge at the last second to fully evade
Lightning Stake Throws a huge bolt of lightning down at point-blank range that causes an electric explosion with a smaller radius than one expects; can be dodged by rolling away or even rolling behind the boss

Melee Strategy

player fighting the final boss with the havel greatshield's special effect.

What exact weapon the Ashen One uses does not matter a great deal as long as it is not a fire, bleed, or poison armament, as the Soul of Cinder is resistant or immune to these. It is recommended to use a lightning or dark weapon since the boss is weak to those elements in both phases.

A faster weapon would be better, as this game's final boss has quite a lot of poise and can't really be bullied by greatweapons easily, therefore only perform 1 or 2 hits at a time and focus on evading attacks more than launching them.

Lightning Weapon Suggestion

Weapons that innately possess lightning attack or have been infused with a Lightning Gem would be decent choices here, however, as mentioned above, faster ones would be better to use against the Soul of Cinder. The Dragonslayer's Axe is a one-handed axe that has an even split between physical and lightning attack along with relatively fast swing speed. This weapon's Warcry skill will give players a quick and easy buff that will aid in taking chunks out of the boss' HP bar.

Dark Weapon Suggestion

The Murky Hand Scythe could be pretty handy in a similar manner as other one-handed weapons, though, with enough dark attack to deal noticeably more damage against the Soul of Cinder. This dagger possesses the Quickstep weapon skill, which can be very helpful in dodging many of the boss' melee attacks and even some of the front-facing spells.

Spellcaster Strategy

fighting the final boss with lightning spells

Spellcasters will have a tougher time, as the Soul of Cinder is quite aggressive while using a melee moveset and can easily out-shoot players with the ranged movesets. As pyromancies are out of the question (for the most part), players should use either sorceries, miracles, or dark spells; the latter 2 being the most effective. Select spells that have low cost and can be cast quickly, for evasion is of utmost importance in this boss fight.

Pyromancy Suggestions

Fire, poison, and toxic are useless against the Soul of Cinder, thereby meaning that most pyromancies will be ineffective here. However, the Boulder Heave pyromancy deal purely physical damage and can hurt the Soul of Cinder with both the large stone of the initial attack as well as the smaller rocks that appear after the initial boulder shatters.

Sorcery Suggestions

Great Heavy Soul Arrow is often a sorcerer's bread and butter spell, and it can be of great use here as well. Blasting the Soul of Cinder with one of these magical arrows every time they finish an attack will help one whittle down the boss' HP slowly yet surely. It should also be mentioned that the Soul Greatsword sorcery can be a quick way to cleave decent chunks out of the Soul of Cinder's HP bar if timed properly to avoid getting hit by a counterattack.

Miracles Suggestions

Healing miracles of all kinds can be helpful in this fight, as they always can be when timed accordingly, though, for offense, Great Lightning Spear can pack quite a punch but should be used at a distance due to its somewhat long casting time. If one needs a lightning-based spell that has faster casting, players should try Lightning Arrow, though keep in mind that this spell trades power for speed.

Dark Miracle Suggestions

Lifehunt Scythe is a great dark miracle to use, for it deals a decent amount of dark damage and simultaneously heals the player. Its range does not extend very far in front, but is quite wide, so players should use it similarly to how they would use Soul Greatsword. If one is further away from the Soul of Cinder than would be optimal for using Lifehunt Scythe, players could try using Dorhy's Gnawing, as this dark miracle has great homing. Its bleed effects won't be helpful, but the dark damage is enough to be worth a cast at safe ranges.

Dark Souls 3 is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

MORE: Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough - Boss Guides, Tips, & Help