Asylum Demon | Dark Souls
Asylum Demon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Undead Asylum |
| Health | NG: 813 |
| NG+: 2,195 | |
| Souls | NG: 2,000 |
| NG+: 10,000 | |
Asylum Demon Dark Souls Wiki Boss in Dark Souls and Dark Souls Remastered. This is the firs boss and can be found in the Northern Undead Asylum and wields the Demon's Great Hammer. As a greater demon spawned from the Bed of Chaos, it is one of the few demons that survived the war against Gwyn's Silver Knights. At some point, this demon managed to escape the ruins of Lost Izalith and eventually took up residence in the Northern Undead Asylum, a place designed to keep the undead isolated from the rest of the world.
A giant grotesque monster born from the Chaos Flame that guards the Undead Asylum. It stalks the dark hallways to imprison undead wanderers and prevent them from escaping to the land of Lordran.
Dark Souls Asylum Demon Overview
The large demon found during the tutorial in the Northern Undead Asylum. This boss is very similar to the Vanguard in Demon's Souls in both attack style and appearance in the story. After escaping from your cell and lighting the first bonfire, the next step is to open a large set of doors leading to another courtyard, surrounded by large vases.
If you stand in the doorway and look up, you will see the Asylum Demon waiting above the area at the far end. As you enter the room, he leaps down. You may either fight him then or escape via a gate that closes on crossing it, on the left side of the area. If you choose to evade, you will still have to face him a little later, but with the benefit of having more equipment.
During the second encounter, you will find yourself on a platform above him, giving you the opportunity to perform a powerful plunging attack to radically reduce his health and even the odds. Killing the asylum demon during the first encounter(not escaping through the door) will grant you the Demon's great hammer as discussed below, while killing him during the second encounter will not.
Asylum Demon All Drops in Dark Souls
- 2000 souls
- 1 Humanity
- Big Pilgrim's Key (Second encounter only. If slain during the first encounter, this key is instead obtained from Oscar of Astora).
- Demon's Great Hammer (only if killed during first encounter). Easy to obtain in New Game Plus.
Dark Souls Asylum Demon Defenses and Resistance Stats
| Physical | Slash | Strike | Thrust | Magic | Fire | Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 62 | 66 | 54 |
| Poison | Toxic | Bleed | ||||
| 104 | 104 | 75 | ||||
NOTE: This boss takes 20% increased damage from the The Black Knight weapons, as it is considered a Chaos Demon.
Dark Souls Asylum Demon Boss Guide and Strategies
Asylum Demon Attacks
Hammer Drive:
The Hammer Drive is a pinpoint attack used by the Asylum Demon, when standing directly in front of him. While it is impossible to block, it has both poor range and tracking, so simply move out of the way when you see the Demon raise his hammer vertically.Long Range Hammer:
The Long Range Hammer is used when the player is on the other side of the room OR is not within typical hit range, from the Asylum Demon; he raises his club above/behind his head and then launches a straight forward long range attack with his hammer, which has slight area of effect upon impact. This attack can track your movement somewhat so beware of dodging too early.Ground Pound:
The Ground Pound move is used when the player is very close to, and/or in front of the Asylum Demon. It is characterized by the Demon flying up into the air momentarily then thrusting his weight and hammer down into the ground, either crushing the player or damaging them with area of effect shock-waves. The resulting damage varies, depending on how far the character is from the Demon but ranges a maximum of 10 feet, or roughly a little less than two character's heights. This attack will also track you, including when the Demon is in the air, so continue moving.A variation of this attack involves the Demon flying up in the air, and then sweeping his hammer sideways from left to right while turning. This attack has good tracking and can easily knock a player down or into a wall. Rolling away from the attack at the beginning of the sweep is effective, but trying to circle past the Demon can result in a knockdown.
Platform Destruction (Only on Second Encounter):
If the player waits too long on the balcony overlooking the Asylum Demon, he will fly up into the air and perform an overhead smash destroying the platform. This can deal quite a bit of damage since the initial attack hurts a quite a bit; add that with the falling damage, and the lack of a plunging attack to even out the odds, and you're sure to find yourself in a bit of a pickle. When entering the fog again after fighting the boss and dying, or after resting at a bonfire, the balcony will be repaired.Asylum Demon Strategy
To receive the Demon's Great Hammer from the Asylum Demon, you must defeat him during your very first encounter, before proceeding through the gate on the left where most of your equipment is located. If you are unable to defeat him initially, don't worry—you can still obtain another Demon's Great Hammer later by trading a Sack to Snuggly the Crow after returning to the Asylum.When you face the Asylum Demon for the second time, you'll start on a ledge above the boss arena. Begin the fight with a plunging attack to take off a large portion of his health. It's recommended to two-hand your weapon for maximum damage and perform a jumping attack as you fall, instead of simply pressing R1; this combines the jump attack damage with the plunge attack.
The fight itself isn't too difficult, as the Asylum Demon is slow and predictable. Stay close to him and circle around either to his right or left. Wait for him to begin an attack, then counter or continue circling around him. Try to position yourself behind his left leg—this way, when he turns around, he will push you along with him, allowing you to continuously attack without needing to dodge. If you have offensive spells or pyromancies, you can also choose to stand back and defeat him with ranged attacks, though you won't have access to a proper catalyst or pyromancy flame until after the first encounter.
Defeating the Asylum Demon during the first encounter in New Game (NG) can be challenging due to the lack of good equipment and Estus flasks, but it is possible with careful maneuvering or by selecting a smart starting gift. Although the Master Key is often recommended as a starting gift, choosing Black Firebombs will make it much easier to defeat the Asylum Demon during the first encounter and obtain his Demon's Great Hammer.
- Notably, Thief characters automatically begin the game with the Master Key in addition to their starting Gift, so starting the game as a Thief and choosing the Black Firebombs is an easy way to obtain both the Master Key and the Demon's Great Hammer very early in the game.
Defeating the Asylum Demon during your first encounter in New Game Plus and beyond is trivial, as you begin the new game with all your equipment and spells retained.
Dark Souls Asylum Demon Notes, Tips, and Trivia
- Other Notes, Tips, and Trivia for the Asylum Demon in Dark Souls go here.
- Asylum Demon is the conceptual heir of Vanguard Demon.
