Conquering Prince Lorian and Lothric in Dark Souls 3 can be a brutal experience. Many players resort to "cheesing" the fight to overcome the challenging mechanics and difficult boss AI. This guide isn't about simply how to cheese Prince Lorian, but how to make your cheese strategy even more effective, ensuring a smoother, less frustrating victory. We'll focus on maximizing your chances of success with popular cheese methods while addressing potential pitfalls.
Understanding the Common Prince Lorian Cheese Tactics
Before we dive into enhancing your cheese, let's quickly recap the prevalent strategies:
The Bridge Cheese:
This method utilizes the bridge separating the arena's levels. By staying on the upper level, you can exploit Lorian's AI limitations and attack him while he struggles to reach you. This is generally considered the most popular cheese tactic.
The Lothric Knight Cheese (Early Game):
This less common method focuses on taking advantage of the Lothric Knights that spawn during the fight. Using these knights as a distraction and carefully positioning yourself can create openings for attacks. This is more challenging and requires precise timing.
Enhancing Your Chosen Cheese Strategy: Maximizing Success
No matter which cheese method you choose, these tips will dramatically improve your chances of success:
1. Optimize Your Build:
- High Dexterity: Faster attacks are crucial when aiming for precise hits and avoiding damage.
- Sufficient Strength: Use a weapon that suits your chosen tactic; some weapons may need more Strength than others to be effective from range.
- Essential Stats: Prioritize Vitality for survivability and Endurance to manage stamina consumption.
- Weapon Choice: Fast weapons with reach are generally preferred for these cheese methods, maximizing damage per opportunity. Consider a weapon with bleed or frost for extra damage over time.
2. Master the Timing and Positioning:
- Practice Makes Perfect: The most crucial aspect of any cheese strategy is precision. Spend time practicing your attack timings and positioning to maximize damage while minimizing risk. Familiarize yourself with Lorian's attack animations.
- Learn Attack Patterns: Even with a cheese tactic, understanding Lorian’s attack tells is essential to avoid stray hits.
3. Utilize Consumables Strategically:
- Estus Flasks: Efficient Estus management is key. Use Estus only when necessary, conserving it for critical moments.
- Ashes of War: Consider using ashes of war that enhance your damage or provide defensive buffs, depending on your build and chosen tactic.
4. Embrace the Environment:
- Bridge Positioning: For the bridge cheese, find the sweet spot where Lorian struggles to reach you effectively. Experiment with different locations to find optimal range.
- Environmental Hazards: Consider using environmental hazards like the falling debris to your advantage, interrupting Lorian’s attacks.
5. Summon Help (Optional):
While cheesing is typically a solo endeavor, summoning a phantom for additional distractions might provide a tactical advantage, depending on the chosen method. This can be risky, however, as a summoned player might inadvertently trigger Lorian's aggressive behavior.
Addressing Potential Pitfalls
- Aggro Management: Be mindful of your positioning; sometimes aggressive attacks can pull Lorian closer than desired.
- Lothric's Interference: In the Lothric Knight method, Lothric's attacks can disrupt your cheese; be prepared to react to this unexpected event.
- Unexpected Lorian Movements: While rare, Lorian might occasionally perform unexpected actions; being prepared for some variability is important.
By implementing these tips, you'll significantly increase your chances of success when employing your preferred Prince Lorian cheese strategy. Remember that patience, practice, and understanding the boss's AI are just as important as the chosen tactic itself. Good luck, Ashen One!
