The most reliable way to make King Vendrick manageable in Dark Souls II is to carry four or five Souls of a Giant, stay close to his left rear, and attack only after he commits to a move. Four is a practical target; five gives the fullest defense reduction described by the guides. No particular weapon or armor set is established as best, so prioritize a familiar upgraded weapon, enough stamina to evade, and a repair plan for a long fight.
Prepare before triggering the fight
Vendrick is optional after Velstadt. You can take the King’s Ring and leave Vendrick alone rather than start the encounter. GameSpot describes attacking him for a while before his health bar appears and the fight properly begins (GameSpot’s Part 20 walkthrough).
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - PlayStation 4 | $21.39 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Dark Souls II Game Guide: Complete Walkthrough, Secrets, and Strategies to Master Every Boss, Build,... | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Dark Souls II: Design Works | $28.34 | Buy on Amazon |
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Carry Souls of a Giant
The key preparation is keeping Souls of a Giant in your inventory. The Dark Souls II Wiki says each soul halves Vendrick’s defense, with the effect capped at five; a player-written challenge-run guide likewise emphasizes that the souls must be in inventory, not storage (Dark Souls II Wiki; quacksouls/ds2-sl1). These are reported mechanics, not a promise of identical damage numbers across builds.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Gamer Guides recommends at least four Souls of a Giant, saying five returns Vendrick’s defense to normal and that four still leaves a weapon dealing half damage (Gamer Guides’ King Vendrick strategy). Treat four as a practical preparation threshold and five as the fullest cited reduction, not as a requirement to win.
#1 Best Overall
- All 3 DLC Pack Contents: Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, Crown of the Ivory King
- Additional NPCs Added For Enhanced Story Experience To Assist Guiding Players Through Level
- Parameter Setting Adjustments for Improved Balance
- Augmented Item Descriptions
- Increase in Maximum Online Players
Where the souls come from
The walkthroughs describe four souls from the Memories and a fifth associated with Black Gulch’s cave containing two Elite Giants. Gamer Guides also lists the optional Ancient Dragon among the five-soul sources. Routes and details vary between guides, so use the route that suits your progress; the sources do not establish that collecting the fifth is mandatory (GameSpot; Gamer Guides).
Where to stand and when to attack
Stay close to Vendrick’s left rear, near his left foot. Both walkthroughs recommend this position; if he pushes you toward a corner, move back around to that side rather than continuing from a bad angle (GameSpot; Gamer Guides).
Play reactively. Wait for Vendrick to begin an attack, evade it, then use the recovery window for a safe hit or two. GameSpot warns that initiating an attack can give him time to turn and deliver a frontal blow. His broad horizontal swings are especially dangerous because of their reach. Avoid long attack strings: keep enough stamina available to dodge the next move.
Choose a weapon you can use safely
No cited guide establishes a universally best weapon or damage type for this fight. Use an upgraded weapon whose timing and reach you know, and favor attacks that leave stamina for an immediate evade. The fight can be slow, so Gamer Guides suggests carrying Repair Powder as a contingency if durability runs low near the end. It is optional, not a required item.
Armor, shields, and the stamina tradeoff
The cited guides do not identify a best armor set. As general gameplay advice rather than a Vendrick-tested ranking, choose armor that does not compromise your ability to move and evade. Armor should not be treated as a guarantee that a hit will be safe; your position and dodge timing matter more.
A greatshield may prevent a hit from killing you, according to Gamer Guides, but blocking can consume enough stamina that you have none left to dodge a follow-up. Use a shield only if you can manage that cost; blocking is not automatically safer than evading.
Rank #3
Four or five Giant Souls: which should you collect?
| Preparation | What the guides report | Practical tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Four Souls of a Giant | Gamer Guides recommends at least four and says a weapon still does half damage at this count. | A practical stopping point if you want to avoid the extra route for a fifth. |
| Five Souls of a Giant | The wiki says the defense reduction caps at five; Gamer Guides describes five as returning defense to normal. | Offers the fullest cited reduction, at the cost of collecting one more soul. The guides do not say this is required to win. |
Keep whichever souls you collect in your inventory for the fight; do not consume them for their soul value beforehand.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Why the fight may still take time
Even with preparation, Vendrick can be a long fight. The safe approach—hold position, wait for an attack, punish recovery, and reset—limits opportunities to deal damage at once. That patience is preferable to a greedy combo that leaves you unable to evade. If you are relying on one weapon for the full encounter, the repair contingency matters more than chasing an unsupported “best weapon” recommendation.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
