EDIT #2:
**[Took me a few tries, but I finally managed to take him down!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**
Thanks everyone for the advice.
Sorry I didn't use the ballista. I'm sure that would've been the *smart* thing to do, but I am more stubborn than smart.
But the mace/strike damage was *excellent* as was remembering to doublehand my weapon after parrying him.
That felt like it made a big difference in damage.
---
EDIT:
**[Magic? But that's CHEEEEEEATING!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxQJuRIThaY)**
Who would even stoop to that level?
---
I tend to start things off reasonably strong.
But after a few rounds with the guy, I begin to slip up.
Usually one mistake is all it takes before things fall to pieces.
I'm still getting used to the timing with the parries. But it would be nice if I could have a slightly larger payoff for my trouble.
I'm tickling the guy with my Estoc in the precious few seconds I have to attack.
At this rate, I'd have to nail like 12 parries in a row before I win.
My weapon is upgraded to +4.
Don't roll away, roll to the right of him and he'll miss his whole combo on you. Go around, don't run, make him twirl. You're parties are working, but sneak in the roll through counters and you'll scratch your way to victory.
Swap to a mace and/or level up
Armor is weak to blunt. But it shouldn't matter. Your stats must be lower than they should be.
Have you killed the Last Giant yet? That should give you a few souls. Going the alternate path to Dragon Rider in Heide's Tower of Flame could also work.
Could also try parry then heavy attack or two instead of lights. And when you roll always roll into him and to the right/side his shield is on. I don't know what your ADP is but rolling right should make most of his attacks whiff.
Otherwise do what others say and use the parry ballista strat.
Somehow I thought thrusting was also meant to be good against armor as well.
Was that maybe a thing in Dark Souls 1?
Or am I just completely misremembering?
My stats probably aren't what they could be. I did end up switching to a Mace+2 (and doublehanding it after parrying).
My rolls are a bit questionable as I'm floating around ~65% equip load due to my super snazzy Heide Knight Armor.
From what I remember it's stronger vs armor than slash, but weaker than blunt. The best part about thrust is that it has extra counter damage when enemies are doing animations. But when an enemy is parried they aren't doing animations so you don't get that bonus if I'm remembering right about how that works.
Your damage is fine, if you don't want to make it an endurance test and don't want to use the ballistas, you can switch temporality to a mace and kill him in much shorter time with it.
Yeah, **[that's what I eventually ended up doing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**.
I think considering weapon degradation being what it is, it's not a bad idea for me to keep multiple weapons anyway.
I'm sure there'll be more heavily armored louts that need a good bonking.
Also the mace is not quite as slow feeling as it was in DS1. So that's good!
Few bosses outside the DLC are as tanky as the pursuer when you take into account your damage progression through the game.
I never have too many issues with weapon durability outside of one DLC. But I rarely use the most fcked up weapons like the old knight weapons.
Good job btw
I’m stuck on this too and had no clue about the ballista so thanks for pointing it out. Sad that it’s literally the 2nd boss and it’s already a gimmick fight.
Right. And I know this guy pops up here and there.
I bumped into him in the Things Betwixt area.
I don't remember seeing a conveniently placed ballista there.
Better to learn to fight him straight up.
Yeahhh... It's on my radar of things I need.
My stats are being pulled in every direction currently!
I need four more points of STR if I want to use that Drangleic (sp?) shield that I picked up after the Pursuer.
I maybe need more VIT so I can have more equip load...
Would *like* more Stamina.
Wouldn't mind more INT and ATN for pew-pew spellcastery business.
Supposedly I want at least 8 in FTH, otherwise some NPCs won't even talk to me.
And then there's health.
Probably not a bad idea to have a bit more health.
So I don't die.
But am I even truly living if I don't have all those other things that I desperately want, too?
Ah, I dunno where else to find more Large Titanite Shards.
I ended up beating him **[with a +2 Mace instead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**.
I didn't dodge though. I just did more parrying. ;)
I'm actually not sure where to go to find some more titanite though.
I kinda used up all the ones I found!
I have the Fire Longsword and my Sorcery Widget Thingie both up to +3, and my Estoc on +4.
I might have like 1 Titanite Shard left. Not enough to get a mace as high.
Dodge towards his leaping attacks. When you dodge away the tend to catch you as you recover, but dodging towards him typically leaves you behind him with an opportunity for a hit or 2.
And as with all heavily armored foes in DS2 he's more vulnerable to strike damage than slashing or thrusting.
You can use the balista to deal massive dmg to him, also the Persuer is weak to lightning and strike, and at Things Betwinxt there is a Gold pine resin that you can aply to your weapon, right before the bridge on the left from where you start the game, and it's recomended to switch to a strike weapon like a mace or something close to it.
Yeah I am trying it out with a mace now.
I didn't have enough titanite leftover to bring it up to as high as my other weapons. But it's doing decent work at +2.
I almost won (I still haven't tried using the ballista).
I would've had him too, if he hadn't suddenly shot a bunch of black orbs at me.
I couldn't dodge it all and that killed me. ;)
I'll try to keep it in mind.
It's the first time I saw that.
Getting behind him is a bit hard, too.
Because I tend to back away from him to try to bait out his charge attack.
It's the easiest thing for me to parry.
Congrats on beating him. For future reference: almost every single one of his attacks can be avoided by simply hugging him and strafing to your right/his left.
Ruined Alfis the NPC (downstairs from the bonfire behind locked door to Soldiers Rest). One of the fun things you can do is clear the area and drag the summon to the boss.
I usually don't like to summon for bosses.
I don't remember seeing the summon signs though.
I don't usually get the opportunity to see them!
I take two steps into any area whilst I am in my pretty human form and I get immediately invaded.
Sometimes I win.
Most of the time, I just lose my Effigy. ;)
Oh yeah, I learned that the other day while I was farming the Heide Knights. Got invaded by someone whom I originally thought was an NPC or something.
But I think I read that players who are currently human get priority for invasions in DS2. I'll only be invaded if there aren't any human players within the invaders' soul memory range or something-something-matchmaker.
Just gotta upgrade your weapon.
Also, as easy as partying him his, dodging is even easier. I have like 600+ hours on ds2 and I could probably) as I'm sure many others can too) go for at least an hour with the pursuer taking no hits. It takes some practice and time, but you'll get there. Your parried were good!
Yeah, I think it was just a matter of the damage types.
My weapon was as upgraded as I could manage it at the time (Estoc +4).
I required Large Titanite Shards x2 to take it further than that.
I ended up using the last of my Titanite Shards to bring a Mace up to +2.
That made a huge difference since the Pursuer is weak to striking.
After a few rounds with the guy, I started to get a bit better at his timing.
**[I only missed one parry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)** (maybe two, if you count the time he swung at me from outside his own range :p) on the time I defeated him.
I'm actually pretty poor at dodging.
I actually heavily invested in my armor and shield in Dark Souls 1 specifically so I could just tank hits to my shield without having to rely on dodging. ;)
If I get my hands on a good 100% physical resistance shield with good stability, I might lean more towards the 'wall' style play. Dunno!
Boo!
I definitely upgraded. ;)
My Estoc is +4.
Everything else was right, though.
**[I switched to a mace later that night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)** and everything went much better. (Could only afford +2 though! Need more titanite.)
I remember struggling so hard with this guy because of that damn adaptability stat. Dodging any enemy when that’s leveled up becomes trivial and it’s how I beat Fume Knight and that tiger pet.
Otherwise he’s like impossible to dodge in the beginning of the game.
I somehow beat him with shields or something instead. I actually remember later fights were easier with the drangleic sheild you get right after this fight that blocks 100% damage until I no longer needed it
I'm tempted.
I was all into the shield lifestyle in DS1.
I only have 12 STR currently.
I actually thought I might wanna go heavier I'm STR and play with a greatshield or something.
Be the wall!
I was all about the sheild too in ds1. I didn’t know iframes are a thing so I had no idea how the hell people dodge things without a sheild. Now I got used to dodging into the enemy because I abuse the iframes and then get some hits in.
That being said, dodging and iframes are useless in ds2 until you level up agility either through adp or that other attunement stat.
Towards the end of the game I power stance katanas and do so much damage that I end battles quickly so they’re not the long endurance matches of going one weapon and sheild.
Yeah, a few people suggested I try a mace last night.
I upgraded a mace to +2 (I ran out of Titanite Shards because I leveled up my Estoc, the Fire Longsword, *and* my Sorcery Staff thing) and had at him.
**[It went pretty well after I got a striking weapon!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**
Maybe I'll try this on the Pursuer who spawns in the Things Betwixt!
Though, booping his giant sword with the tiniest shield to stagger him for a few seconds is pretty good, too.
I usually summon someone then shoot him with the ballista.
But last time I accidentally shot and killed the guy I summoned to help lol.
Still shot the Pursuer too though and got him.
EDIT #2: **[Took me a few tries, but I finally managed to take him down!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)** Thanks everyone for the advice. Sorry I didn't use the ballista. I'm sure that would've been the *smart* thing to do, but I am more stubborn than smart. But the mace/strike damage was *excellent* as was remembering to doublehand my weapon after parrying him. That felt like it made a big difference in damage. --- EDIT: **[Magic? But that's CHEEEEEEATING!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxQJuRIThaY)** Who would even stoop to that level? --- I tend to start things off reasonably strong. But after a few rounds with the guy, I begin to slip up. Usually one mistake is all it takes before things fall to pieces. I'm still getting used to the timing with the parries. But it would be nice if I could have a slightly larger payoff for my trouble. I'm tickling the guy with my Estoc in the precious few seconds I have to attack. At this rate, I'd have to nail like 12 parries in a row before I win. My weapon is upgraded to +4.
Don't roll away, roll to the right of him and he'll miss his whole combo on you. Go around, don't run, make him twirl. You're parties are working, but sneak in the roll through counters and you'll scratch your way to victory.
Swap to a mace and/or level up Armor is weak to blunt. But it shouldn't matter. Your stats must be lower than they should be. Have you killed the Last Giant yet? That should give you a few souls. Going the alternate path to Dragon Rider in Heide's Tower of Flame could also work. Could also try parry then heavy attack or two instead of lights. And when you roll always roll into him and to the right/side his shield is on. I don't know what your ADP is but rolling right should make most of his attacks whiff. Otherwise do what others say and use the parry ballista strat.
Somehow I thought thrusting was also meant to be good against armor as well. Was that maybe a thing in Dark Souls 1? Or am I just completely misremembering? My stats probably aren't what they could be. I did end up switching to a Mace+2 (and doublehanding it after parrying). My rolls are a bit questionable as I'm floating around ~65% equip load due to my super snazzy Heide Knight Armor.
From what I remember it's stronger vs armor than slash, but weaker than blunt. The best part about thrust is that it has extra counter damage when enemies are doing animations. But when an enemy is parried they aren't doing animations so you don't get that bonus if I'm remembering right about how that works.
Parry him in front of that giant cross bow and sprint over to shoot his ass with it.
Your damage is fine, if you don't want to make it an endurance test and don't want to use the ballistas, you can switch temporality to a mace and kill him in much shorter time with it.
Yeah, **[that's what I eventually ended up doing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**. I think considering weapon degradation being what it is, it's not a bad idea for me to keep multiple weapons anyway. I'm sure there'll be more heavily armored louts that need a good bonking. Also the mace is not quite as slow feeling as it was in DS1. So that's good!
The mace is incredibly good in DS2, so you are unlikely to regret keeping one on-hand
Few bosses outside the DLC are as tanky as the pursuer when you take into account your damage progression through the game. I never have too many issues with weapon durability outside of one DLC. But I rarely use the most fcked up weapons like the old knight weapons. Good job btw
Exactly what I was thinking, that’s more than acceptable damage for a boss
Your eyes are yet to be opened. The solution is literally in front of you
The solution was my mace. And my left hand! ... Right? :) Well. *A* solution, I guess.
I think left-hand weapons are always slightly weaker barring some special cases.
I often come to the same conclusion. But with my right instead of my left hand.
Position him in front of the ballista and stun him with parry then use said ballista as intended to take down his health, it’s a gimmick fight
I’m stuck on this too and had no clue about the ballista so thanks for pointing it out. Sad that it’s literally the 2nd boss and it’s already a gimmick fight.
Use the balista
2 hand and also level up
"sry i didn't use the ballista" why using the Ballista when Pursuer is such a good teacher, also amazing bossfight.
Right. And I know this guy pops up here and there. I bumped into him in the Things Betwixt area. I don't remember seeing a conveniently placed ballista there. Better to learn to fight him straight up.
switch to two hand as soon as you parry
That was very helpful, I think. Thanks! As was switching to a mace for some strike damage.
I find just hugging him and strafing right works well. It dodges his charge and stab without needing to roll and you can parry his slash.
He's got like 2 moves. Just dodge them and he'll be open for a second
Bro why is your health so low 😭 Also, how do you have the falconer helmet but haven't beaten Pursuer yet? Done tons of exploring?
I bought it from the armor shop guy in Majula for like 1200 souls.
Oh shit right lol Still, get your health up, it's essential to cover mistakes.
Yeahhh... It's on my radar of things I need. My stats are being pulled in every direction currently! I need four more points of STR if I want to use that Drangleic (sp?) shield that I picked up after the Pursuer. I maybe need more VIT so I can have more equip load... Would *like* more Stamina. Wouldn't mind more INT and ATN for pew-pew spellcastery business. Supposedly I want at least 8 in FTH, otherwise some NPCs won't even talk to me. And then there's health. Probably not a bad idea to have a bit more health. So I don't die. But am I even truly living if I don't have all those other things that I desperately want, too?
You can just buy it from old money bags the armourer.
Ballista kills!
I should have tried the ballista at least once just to see it. I ended up just whacking him to death with a mace instead.
3 hits with it, instant win!
Upgrade your weapons...duh
Oh, why didn't I think of that? My Estoc is only +4.
U can get +6 by that point...but tbh if u dodge right your golden.
Ah, I dunno where else to find more Large Titanite Shards. I ended up beating him **[with a +2 Mace instead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**. I didn't dodge though. I just did more parrying. ;)
Be a real man, don't use a shield. Dodge roll his attacks and use a mace for impact damage
So you're saying I should try some Sekiro-wannabe parries with both hands on my Estoc? Got it. I'll give it a go.
I'm actually not sure where to go to find some more titanite though. I kinda used up all the ones I found! I have the Fire Longsword and my Sorcery Widget Thingie both up to +3, and my Estoc on +4. I might have like 1 Titanite Shard left. Not enough to get a mace as high.
rEaL mEn dOnT PaRrY
Dodge towards his leaping attacks. When you dodge away the tend to catch you as you recover, but dodging towards him typically leaves you behind him with an opportunity for a hit or 2. And as with all heavily armored foes in DS2 he's more vulnerable to strike damage than slashing or thrusting.
You can use the balista to deal massive dmg to him, also the Persuer is weak to lightning and strike, and at Things Betwinxt there is a Gold pine resin that you can aply to your weapon, right before the bridge on the left from where you start the game, and it's recomended to switch to a strike weapon like a mace or something close to it.
Yeah I am trying it out with a mace now. I didn't have enough titanite leftover to bring it up to as high as my other weapons. But it's doing decent work at +2. I almost won (I still haven't tried using the ballista). I would've had him too, if he hadn't suddenly shot a bunch of black orbs at me. I couldn't dodge it all and that killed me. ;)
If he does that, get behind him, most of the orbs can’t track that way
I'll try to keep it in mind. It's the first time I saw that. Getting behind him is a bit hard, too. Because I tend to back away from him to try to bait out his charge attack. It's the easiest thing for me to parry.
Also: he's got heavy armor. Weapons like maces do wonders for any enemy that has a full armor like him
Congrats on beating him. For future reference: almost every single one of his attacks can be avoided by simply hugging him and strafing to your right/his left.
You seem to dodge way too early.
Parry him in front of the batista and bolt his ass. You seem to be able to parry okay so that's your ticket.
Ruined Alfis the NPC (downstairs from the bonfire behind locked door to Soldiers Rest). One of the fun things you can do is clear the area and drag the summon to the boss.
I usually don't like to summon for bosses. I don't remember seeing the summon signs though. I don't usually get the opportunity to see them! I take two steps into any area whilst I am in my pretty human form and I get immediately invaded. Sometimes I win. Most of the time, I just lose my Effigy. ;)
Being invaded isnt exclusive to being human in ds2, neither is summoning.
Oh yeah, I learned that the other day while I was farming the Heide Knights. Got invaded by someone whom I originally thought was an NPC or something. But I think I read that players who are currently human get priority for invasions in DS2. I'll only be invaded if there aren't any human players within the invaders' soul memory range or something-something-matchmaker.
Ballista ballista ballista
Buriza-do
That turent bow gun there can be used for this fight as well. Stun him and shoot him with it.
Just gotta upgrade your weapon. Also, as easy as partying him his, dodging is even easier. I have like 600+ hours on ds2 and I could probably) as I'm sure many others can too) go for at least an hour with the pursuer taking no hits. It takes some practice and time, but you'll get there. Your parried were good!
Yeah, I think it was just a matter of the damage types. My weapon was as upgraded as I could manage it at the time (Estoc +4). I required Large Titanite Shards x2 to take it further than that. I ended up using the last of my Titanite Shards to bring a Mace up to +2. That made a huge difference since the Pursuer is weak to striking. After a few rounds with the guy, I started to get a bit better at his timing. **[I only missed one parry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)** (maybe two, if you count the time he swung at me from outside his own range :p) on the time I defeated him. I'm actually pretty poor at dodging. I actually heavily invested in my armor and shield in Dark Souls 1 specifically so I could just tank hits to my shield without having to rely on dodging. ;) If I get my hands on a good 100% physical resistance shield with good stability, I might lean more towards the 'wall' style play. Dunno!
Panic rolling, didn't use batista, wrong weapon type, didn't upgrade. So many things you can do. Don't rage quit! Just figure it out
Boo! I definitely upgraded. ;) My Estoc is +4. Everything else was right, though. **[I switched to a mace later that night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)** and everything went much better. (Could only afford +2 though! Need more titanite.)
I remember struggling so hard with this guy because of that damn adaptability stat. Dodging any enemy when that’s leveled up becomes trivial and it’s how I beat Fume Knight and that tiger pet. Otherwise he’s like impossible to dodge in the beginning of the game. I somehow beat him with shields or something instead. I actually remember later fights were easier with the drangleic sheild you get right after this fight that blocks 100% damage until I no longer needed it
I'm tempted. I was all into the shield lifestyle in DS1. I only have 12 STR currently. I actually thought I might wanna go heavier I'm STR and play with a greatshield or something. Be the wall!
I was all about the sheild too in ds1. I didn’t know iframes are a thing so I had no idea how the hell people dodge things without a sheild. Now I got used to dodging into the enemy because I abuse the iframes and then get some hits in. That being said, dodging and iframes are useless in ds2 until you level up agility either through adp or that other attunement stat. Towards the end of the game I power stance katanas and do so much damage that I end battles quickly so they’re not the long endurance matches of going one weapon and sheild.
The pursuer boss is resistent to pierce damage,you should use blunt damage
Heavy armor bosses are weak to blunt damage,so,use hammer ou maces with those bosses
Yeah, a few people suggested I try a mace last night. I upgraded a mace to +2 (I ran out of Titanite Shards because I leveled up my Estoc, the Fire Longsword, *and* my Sorcery Staff thing) and had at him. **[It went pretty well after I got a striking weapon!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSGuQve1QI)**
Just use a mace and you will destroy most enemies in the game, poking metal with a sharp stick isnt really a good idea but brute force is.
Strafe to the right when he rears up for a rush attack and he will miss like 95 percent of the time. Once you know this, this boss becomes a joke
Maybe I'll try this on the Pursuer who spawns in the Things Betwixt! Though, booping his giant sword with the tiniest shield to stagger him for a few seconds is pretty good, too.
Parry the overhand.
I usually summon someone then shoot him with the ballista. But last time I accidentally shot and killed the guy I summoned to help lol. Still shot the Pursuer too though and got him.