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Grave of Saints:
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

Grave of Saints:

Navigate the Grave of Saints in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, defeat the Royal Rat Vanguard, and find key items like the Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier.

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Navigate the Grave of Saints in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, defeat the Royal Rat Vanguard, and find key items like the Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Move ahead to the circular area and pick up the Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier.
  2. 2
    Move towards the corridor and loot three Small Smooth and Silky Stones from the corpse on the left.
  3. 3
    Backtrack to the ladder you used earlier and use a lockstone on the Pharros Contraption there to cross a bridge leading to a room with loot.
  4. 4
    In that room, head right to find two Poison Mosses.
  5. 5
    Continue upstairs to find a Whisper of Despair and a Torch.
  6. 6
    Backtrack to the bridge and climb the next ladder.
  7. 7
    Once on top, defeat the invader and the giant rats.
  8. 8
    Move to the other side of the corridor to loot three Homeward Bones from the coffins.
  9. 9
    Make your way towards the opposite end of the corridor and light the Bonfire.
  10. 10
    Proceed through the misty door to face the boss.

Boss: Royal Rat Vanguard

Upon entering the fog gate (a barrier that signifies the start of a boss encounter), you will not see a health bar (a visual indicator of enemy health) on your (the Heads-Up Display, or HUD (heads-up display — the on-screen icons showing health, ammo and the minimap), which shows game information) or any enemies. Shortly after, many normal rats will attack. These rats can easily swarm and stunlock you (render you unable to act) and cause poison buildup. The indestructible rat statues in the room block movement. Keep moving to avoid being trapped and only stop to attack, aiming to hit multiple enemies at once. Bringing Poison Moss, Dragon Charms, or Common Fruit will help greatly against their poison attacks.

After killing 10 rats, the boss' health gauge will appear, and the Royal Rat Vanguard will fall into the room. It looks similar to the other rats and is difficult to distinguish in a crowd, but it has low health and is easily killed with a powerful weapon. Killing multiple rats at once can provide momentary breathing room.

Keep a close eye on the Vanguard once spotted to help find it amongst the melee. The actual boss deals more damage and causes more poison buildup than the other rats.

If you have access to Firestorm or another high-damage Area of Effect (AoE) spell, attune it for use during the fight. A long-range weapon can be used to attack the Vanguard from a distance, but you must constantly monitor the positions of the remaining rats.

If you possess the Ring of the Evil Eye (a +1 version is obtained in the deep pit), this fight becomes easier as you can kill rats and regain health rapidly if you have a high enough damage weapon.

Once the Royal Rat Vanguard is defeated, the remaining rats will exit the arena.

Tips
  • Do not waste your lockstones (items used to activate Pharros Contraptions) on every Pharros Contraption; use one on the contraption near the initial ladder to access a bridge with loot.
  • Giant rats can petrify you, so prioritize dealing with them.
  • The Royal Rat Vanguard is difficult to distinguish in a crowd of rats; keep it in sight.
  • Consider using high-damage AoE spells like Firestorm or a long-range weapon for the boss fight.
  • The Ring of the Evil Eye can aid in health regeneration during the fight.

Reward: Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier, Small Smooth and Silky Stones (x3), Poison Moss (x2), Whisper of Despair, Torch, Homeward Bones (x3), Bonfire (checkpoint (an auto-save point you restart from on death)).

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