Vordt of the Boreal Valley

Vordt of the Boreal Valley is a boss in Dark Souls III.

Location
Found at the bottom of the High Wall of Lothric, opposite the castle.

Drops

 * Soul of Boreal Valley Vordt

Description
Vordt was once an Outrider Knight who served under Pontiff Sulyvahn and was one of many knights to receive the Pontiff's Left Eye, a bewitched ring that slowly transformed it's wearer into a mindless beast. Vordt served alongside the Dancer of the Boreal Valley until their transformation.

Strategy
Vordt spends the first half of the fight making sweeping attacks and overhead strikes. These are well telegraphed, so you usually have quite a bit of time to get out of the way. As with many bosses, you should avoid using a shield because you lose so much Stamina if you take an actual hit. Instead, stay out of range when you can and dodge at the last moment when an attack is too close for comfort.

Perform your attacks in small bursts of two or three strikes. Always keep enough Stamina free for one or two dodges so that you can get back to long range after your last swing.

Fill your Stamina gauge as fully as time allows between these series of strikes. It's very wasteful to begin these attacks when you only have partial Stamina. Also, spending time waiting for Stamina when you're within the boss' striking distance is incredibly dangerous.

Though Vordt can't close gaps instantly, he is still capable of charging over open terrain. If you see him lower and fix on your position, be ready to roll. You won't be able to outsprint him during these charges, so stand still and put all of your attention into the coming dodge. When he passes, turn and walk after him so that you have full Stamina when you get to his new position.

At very close to half health, Vordt glows with a strange fog. Get free shots while you can during this brief transition, and then back off to range once again. Vordt has more attacks during this portion of the fight, including several small, faster strikes. If you aren’t comfortable with your health pool and/or your dodging techniques, you may want to go back to a shield so that you can block the smaller blows (while still relying on dodge for the bigger windups).

Often, rolling directly underneath Vordt works well for avoiding his big attacks. He'll flop onto you if you stay down there long, but as a short-term solution, it's very effective.

It's too early in the game to have much gear for high Resistances, but in future New Game Plus runs through Dark Souls III, you should keep your Frost Resistance as high as possible when killing Vordt. This prevents you from getting frostbite.