Dark Souls: Why You Can‘t Skip the Infamous Four Kings Boss Fight
As a Dark Souls veteran across multiple journeys through Lordran, I‘m often asked by newcomers – "are the Four Kings optional?" As much as I wish we could bypass fighting four giant wraiths at once deep in the New Londo Abyss, I always have to confirm that no, defeating the Four Kings is absolutely mandatory before facing Gwyn.
Attempting to progress the game without their Bequeathed Lord Soul will leave you at an impassable wall, barring entry to the Kiln of the First Flame. So don‘t put it off – defeating the four fallen kings corrupted by forbidden magic is unavoidable for any Chosen Undead.
The Legacy of New Londo and the Abyss
To understand why Frampt demands the Four Kings‘ soul, we first need to dive into New Londo‘s tragic history. This once bustling city of masters and apprentices thrived on soul sorcery, before its leaders discovered lifedrain magic and an insatiable Abyss.
"New Londo Ruins was once a glorious city, until it was flooded and drowned by the Darkwraiths creation - the abyss."
- Dark Souls DescriptionAs the table shows, the Four Kings and their followers fully transformed into feared Darkwraiths after unleashing the Abyss, gaining the ability to steal humanity while losing their corporeal form.
| Name | Role | Corruption Impact | Boss Strengths | Boss Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of New Londo | Leader of New Londo, melee attacks | Fully transformed into darkwraith, uses power attack slam | Fast movement speed, high poise | Weak to fire |
| King of Lifedrain | Inventor of lifedrain, ranged attacks | Gained humanity stealing through ghosts | Curse cloud explosion, grabs | Vulnerable after big attacks |
| King of Sealed Magic | Oversaw magic seals and wards | Corrupted by the Abyss | Multiple target homing magic missile | Low poise, weak to lightning |
| King of Soulbrandt | Master weaponsmith | Imbued weapons with dark | Instant transmission teleport ability | Bleeds easily |
This lore backdrop sets the stage for why defeating the four fallen kings is so critical to rekindling the First Flame. After devastating New Londo and its inhabitants, the corrupted kings became living embodiments of the Dark Soul itself, threatening all kingdoms.
Acquiring the Key to the Abyss
Before we can challenge the Four Kings, gaining access to their watery abyss battlefield is essential. Players will first require:
- Covenant of Artorias Ring – Received after defeating Great Grey Wolf Sif in Darkroot Garden, its enchantments allow temporary traversal of cursed floodplains
- Key to Seal New Londo Ruins – Obtained from NPC Ingward after lowering the water, this unlocks the lock to the Four Kings arena
- Adequate Preparations – Recommended to be around soul level 70 with at least a +10 primary weapon before attempting this boss fight
I‘d highly suggest kindling the Firelink Shrine bonfire to have 10 estus flasks on your journey to the abyssal maw. Make sure your preferred armor has high magic defense as well since the kings alternate between physical and magical attacks.
Strategies to Defeat the Four Kings
Finally, it‘s time to enter the former city of New Londo and take on its terrible rulers. When battling the Four Kings, the most critical element is speed – as each king is felled, the next takes less and less time to spawn. I‘d strongly recommend a fast roll build below 25% equip load.
My strategy after fighting the kings across 5 characters relies on burst damage through critical hits. Here were my key tactics:
- Equip Hornet Ring – This ups critical damage by a whopping 30%, leading to massive ripostes after parrying
- Reinforce a Thrusting Sword to +15 – I used the Balder Side Sword for quick attacks and strong counter damage
- Only attack the king who spawns – Frantically switching targets leads to losing lock-on and whiffing attacks
- Tank exactly 1 magic attack – Their Homing Soulmass can be circled around for a backstab punish
- Save gold pine resin for last king – Lightning buff prevents drawn out final phase
Let‘s analyze some key attack patterns to watch for when taking on each king:
King of New Londo
- 3 Hit Combo => Side Roll => Backstab
- Power Slam => Roll Back => 2 Hit Punish
King of Lifedrain
- Curse Cloud => Unlock => Sprint outside AOE
- Grab Attempt => Roll Backwards => Charge R2
King of Sealed Magic
- Soulmass => Circle Strafe => Backstab
- Rain of Magic => Timeout => 3 Hit Combo
See the full Four Kings boss guide here for detailed attack analysis: [redacted]
| Four Kings Boss Tips | |
|---|---|
| Lightning Weapons | Recommended |
| Summon Witch Beatrice | High DPS Mage |
| RTSR or Power Within | Risky but faster kill times |
| Crystal Halberd | High counter damage |
| Crest Shield | Best magic defense |
Consequences of Skipping Four Kings
Now let‘s speculate – what if we ignore the warnings and try pressing on without the Four Kings‘ Lord Soul? Surely we might still light the First Flame…right?
Unfortunately, that‘s wishful thinking. Here‘s what happens next:
- Kingseeker Frampt will coldly reject placing the Lordvessel, refusing to transport us without the complete set of Lord Souls
- All bonfire warping, including Oolacile Township, Duke‘s Archives, Demon Ruins, and more will be locked off
- Enemies do not scale up in NG+ meaning we‘ll always be under-leveled as our hero goes hollow
- Knight Lautrec will laugh menacingly from Firelink Shrine until the end of time
So for the sake of our poor Chosen Undead‘s fate, the Four Kings Lord Soul remains unavoidably essential. Not even a secret jump glitch through the Kiln barriers could bypass needing their soul.
TL;DR – The Kings Must Fall
While veterans may love to despise New Londo‘s dark rulers for the grief they‘ve caused, I hope this guide has shown precisely why skipping Four Kings stops our quest dead in its tracks. We must descend fearlessly into the Abyss to extinguish their spreading dark essence.
What other archtrees or fading Lords may lie ahead after defeating the Four Kings? For that Ashen one, we press on!
Credit: Special thanks to VaatiVidya, FightinCowboy, Fextralife community members, and Elden Ring support groups for their dedicated research into Lordran‘s secrets over the years.
