Talk:Old Knight/@comment-1265392-20140506031635

Running around them in counter-clockwise direction with little to no armor is the best against the shield ones, and the same or a tough shield for ultragreatsword ones, although you have to keep a mid-range and dodge only the frontal attack, jumping back at the other moves, for this strategy to work.

Ultragreatswords are a legitimate pain in the ass early in the game, but I'd still recommend Heide as a beginner area.