Dark Souls 2 - Velstadt, Royal Aegis, King's Ring
We've got some essential tactics to help you beat Velstadt, the Royal Aegis. We'll also make sure you enter the fight wearing the right gear.
This boss represents one of the slower moving targets in Dark Souls 2. To make life a little easier for yourself, consider equipping a shield capable of absorbing 100 percent damage - a decent chunk of stamina won't hurt either.
How to kill Velstadt, the Royal Aegis
The boss's biggest weakness by far is the downtime between each one of its attacks. Most of those attacks are pretty slow to play out as well, so if you're feeling agile it's worth switching over to light armour if you have a decent set on you.
If you remain close to the boss during the fight, you can expect it to make use of either one big attack or a two-hit assault. These attacks come at you comparatively slowly and will only drain about 40 per cent of your stamina at this point in the game - that's if you want to directly block the damage. Alternatively, you can simply evade each whallop. Either way, you should be able to get at least three solid whacks in before going back on the defensive.
Should you choose to maintain distance from the boss, he'll come at you with a relatively faster lunging attack. This is always comprised of one single hit, and it can also be evaded or blocked outright. If you block it, expect to lose more stamina than usual, although you should still be able to survive one more follow-up attack.
Critically, make sure you rush straight in and deal maximum damage whenever he drops down onto one knee to summon a dark power. If you're following our tactics, don't worry about taking any damage from the summoning circle or the aura. If you've got a full stamina bar, you should be able to remove a good 20 percent of his health bar while he's down. Once he's finished summoning, expect the one or two-hit attacking pattern to continue.
How to get the King's Ring
Once you've killed Velstadt, make your way downstairs and then go into the next room along. Ignore the giant, and instead grab the King's Ring from over by the edge of the battle area. Go back upstairs and talk to the woman at the top. You can now pass through that door that demanded proof of the king, so pack up and get ready to return to the Forest of Fallen Giants.
Don't miss our essential guide on how to kill Nashandra, the final boss of Dark Souls 2. Find the rest of our Dark Souls 2 walkthrough from the first page.