Hardest NPC Invaders In Dark Souls

Summary

Dark Souls features challenging NPC invaders that can hinder players' progress and add to the difficulty of the game.
Kirk, Knight of Thorns, Maneater Mildred, Xanthous King, Jeremiah, and Paladin Leeroy are some of the toughest NPC invaders in Dark Souls.
Marvelous Chester, a Bloodborne-like hunter, poses a dangerous threat with his sniper crossbow and throwing knives in the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.

Dark Souls is considered a difficult game by many for a few reasons, but one of the more popular reasons is that real-life players can hop in and invade those just trying to get to the boss room and give them a bad time. Yet, what if players aren’t online?

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By Ritwik Mitra

There are still NPC invaders in Dark Souls that will give players a run for their money, and with each bonfire scarce, they are truly something to fear. Players can encounter 5 NPC invaders in Dark Souls, but which of them is the hardest, and will they become an obstacle in the Chosen Undead’s story?

5 Kirk, Knight of Thorns

Beware The Prickly Roll

Locations: The Depths (Basilisk area), Demon Ruins (Capra Demons stairwell), Lost Izalith (Bed of Chaos fog wall)
Equipment: Armor of Thorns, Spiked Shield, Barbed Straight Sword
Drops: Spiked Shield & Barbed Straight Sword (not assured), Armor of Thorns (Found in Queelag’s Domain after defeating him 3 times)

Kirk is a persistent threat that plagues players in Dark Souls, as he will appear a total of three times. Kirk is nothing remarkable and remains as just a standard fighter with a sword and shield. However, he has a gimmick thanks to his armor, in which if he rolls into the player he will be able to damage them, so that’s something rather annoying to look out for, especially if players have low poise.

Whilst Kirk seems like an ordinary enemy with a red phantom hue, he spawns rather inconveniently, and in areas in which the player is going to have their work cut out for them due to the fact that there will already be enemies nearby, or they are in a vulnerable spot. Some may struggle with Kirk, especially after fighting him time and again.

4 Maneater Mildred

Immune To Swamp Poison & Slowed Effects

Location: Blighttown’s swamp bonfire towards the water wheel
Equipment: Butcher Knife, Wooden Plank Shield
Drops: 3 Humanity, Butcher Knife

Maneater Mildred is the icing on the cake for the Blighttown area. For those familiar with Dark Souls, everyone knows just how infamous Blighttown is. With the initial release on PS3 and Xbox 360, Blighttown was a horribly janky area where frames were non-existent. Even on PC and the remastered versions of Dark Souls, Blighttown remains a fairly infamous area, and Maneater Mildred just adds to the seemingly infinite displeasure of this area.

Whilst she may not be the hardest combatant players will face, Maneater Mildred has the environment on her side. Whether it’s monsters throwing piles of rocks, or a swamp that slowly poisons the player, Maneater Mildred uses it to her advantage. However, her lack of armor and decent shields makes her an easy target to smash and counter.

3 Xanthous King, Jeremiah

A High Magic Resistant Pyromancer

Location: Painted World of Ariamis main courtyard
Equipment: Great Chaos Fireball, Chaos Fire Whip, Chaos Storm, Notched Whip
Drops: Notched Whip, Xanthous Set (near the exit of the Painted World), 1 Humanity

It’s best not to be fooled by King Jeremiah’s silly name and ridiculous hat. The Xanthous Crown may look utterly dumb, but its wielder is far from it. King Jeremiah will spawn in the Painted World and seek out the player to immolate them and cause a fiery death, and considering the difficulties players have in trying to get to this area in the first place, it’s best that they keep their eyes peeled and their hands close to their weapons.

To those wielding pyromancy or any weapon that allows them to rush in and swing, King Jeremiah will be an easy opponent. However, to those that are dependent on magic, they may have a hard time, as he is highly immune to such damage. Even getting close, his flame spells and Notched Whip can make him a dangerous target.

2 Paladin Leeroy

A Tense Fight On A Narrow Ledge

Locations: Near the end of Tomb of the Giants
Equipment: Grant, Sanctus Shield
Drops: Grant, Sanctus Shield, 3 Humanity, Paladin Set (found in Gravelord Nito’s Tomb)

Venturing down to the Tomb of the Giants, Paladin Leeroy will invade the player and seek their demise. This only happens in a certain location, so players might be a little alarmed to see an enemy spawn on a narrow ledge. Either Paladin Leeroy or the player can plummet to their death if they are not careful, so it’s best to try and get out of there and do some damage.

Leeroy also has some heavy weapons that can hit the player overhead, so it’s best to dodge these attacks rather than block them. The animations may be slow, but they do hit hard. Paladin Leeroy is fairly easy to kill, as long as players are careful of where they step and where they move to get a hit in on Paladin Leeroy.

1 Marvelous Chester

A Good Hunter

Location: Oolacile Township’s descending walkway
Equipment: Sniper Crossbow, Throwing Knives,
Drops: Chester’s Set

Looking like he was plopped out of time straight from Bloodborne, Marvelous Chester looks like a Hunter from a land far from here. Marvelous Chester was plucked from time by Manus, Father of the Abyss, and players can find him in the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. Whilst he starts as a friend, he soon reveals himself as a fiend that needs to be vanquished.

Chester is dangerous, especially with the tight and narrow walkways of his spawning area. Chester uses a dangerous Sniper Crossbow that hits hard, as well as quick throwing knives that can rack up damage. His knives will build Bleed, and he can fire multiple bolts, causing players to lose stamina and health far too strongly compared to others.

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