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Pontiff Sulyvahn is not an optional boss in Dark Souls 3. He can be found in the Boreal Valley.
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Once he is defeated you gain access to the last part of the Boreal Valley and a path toward Anor Londo and the next boss – Aldrich, Devourer of Gods. This guide will show you how to beat Pontiff Sulyvahn in Dark Souls 3, which rewards to expect.
How to beat Pontiff Sulyvahn
Name: Pontiff Sulyvahn Area: Irithyll of The Boreal Valley The closest Bonfire: Church of Yorshka Rewards: Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn, 28,000 souls
Once you find yourself in this part of the Boreal Valley, be sure not to enter the boss area before you unlock a nearby shortcut, the metal gate. You can spot the boss area easily as there is a fog at the entrance before you even enter it. This shortcut will open the shortest path from Church of Yorshka to the church where Pontiff resides.
Pontiff Sulyvahn is an aggressive boss that uses two swords. The larger, fiery one is his main source of the damage. The shorter, purple sword is mainly used for poke attacks and is hardest to avoid. The winning tactic requires sticking to the boss all the time. Pontiff’s attacks make him move forward all the time, making dodging easier. You shouldn’t be too greedy with your attacks during the first phase. Stick to the boss, watch its movement, dodge/block, attack once or twice and repeat.
Pontiff likes to dance with his swords.
Poke attack is rather hard to dodge.
The transfer into the second phase starts once Pontiff gets on his knees and explodes with dark magic, knocking back nearby players. Shortly after, he summons a copy of himself to the fight. These actions give you a time window of almost 15 seconds where you are not attacked by the boss directly. Save up and use your stamina as best as you can. While his low-health copy is alive during the second phase, Pontiff seems less offensive. You can take advantage of this situation by attacking Pontiff as the main target, while dodging the attacks of the copy. You could also try attacking the copy, as Pontiff doesn’t like being without it and will summon another one shortly after you kill it.
This is when the 2nd phase starts.
Attack like there is no tomorrow at this point.
Pontiff Sulyvahn Rewards
The soul you get from him can be transposed into two greatswords:
Greatsword of Judgment: This is a 9.0 weight standard Greatsword that does physical and magic attack. It requires user to have at least 17 strength, 15 dexterity and 12 intelligence in order to be used properly. It has the Stance of Judgment skill that unleashes dark magic.
Profaned Greatsword: This is a 13.5 weight standard/thrust ultra greatsword that does significant physical damage. It requires users to have at least 22 strength and 10 dexterity. It has the Profaned Flame skill.
Greatsword of Judgment
Profaned Greatsword
List of Pontiff Sulyvahn Attacks
Phase 1
Fire sword attacks – The pontiff likes to swipe a lot with this weapon – attacks comes in series more often than as single strikes.
Magic sword attacks – He likes to poke with this weapon, usually right as he steps back. He will also sometimes slice with this weapon using a cool backflip.
Phase 2
Darkness explodes arround him – an AoE attack at the start of the 2nd phase.
Pontif Copy – Right after the AOE darkness explosion, Pontiff will raise the magic sword and summon his copy. You want to save stamina for this moment and attack them both while they are next to each other. It seems like the Pontiff is a little more relaxed while the copy is alive.
