Giant Man Serpent

Giant Man Serpents, or Giant Gurds, are enemies in Dark Souls III.

Description
Towering above their lesser brethren, Giant Man Serpents conform the elite forces of the Gurd race. Contrary to what one would think of these types of enemies, they can be encountered in relatively large numbers, either it is with groups of normal Man Serpents or even with others of their own, large-sized kind.

They are surprisingly fast, almost equaling a sprinting player's speed, and will chase relentlessly for long distances once they engage in combat.

Their offensive capabilities are not restricted just to the weapons they wield, and even though rarely, they can suddenly reach out and snare the player with their long reptilian heads and bash them furiously from side to side for a devastating attack. Additionally, they have the ability to breathe large streams of fire, which they will unleash in all the general area in front of them.

There are two variants:

Chain-axe: A slightly thinner version that wields a retractable chain-axe. The long chain fastened to their weapons allow them to attack from a medium distance, giving them limited ranged combat capabilities. It should be noted that their weapons can frequently clip through walls and ceilings, allowing them to inflict damage even if the player is in an adjacent room.

Greataxe: The largest of all the Gurd race. These enemies wield an oversized greataxe and specialize in performing powerful wide swings one after another, draining huge amounts of stamina and easily breaking the player's guard in just a few attacks. They share almost the same moveset as the Winged Knights and can even perform the same devastating spinning attack.

Locations
Found in Archdragon Peak.
 * The first one, a greataxe-wielder, is found standing on top of an archway located in front of the Ancient Wyvern's boss arena, guarding the Ancient Dragon Greatshield.
 * A chain-axe-wielder and another greataxe-wielder can be found along the gauntlet of enemies that conforms the Ancient Wyvern boss battle.
 * Another greataxe-wielder can be found patrolling halfway along the exterior path that connects the Dragon-Kin Mausoleum with the Great Belfry.
 * About four Giant Man Serpents of both kinds are found among the large ambush that conforms the Gurds' last line of defense, guarding the highest point of Archdragon Peak where the altar to the dead archdragon lies.

Strategy
Giant Man Serpents are very dangerous enemies and should never be rushed; instead, they should be approached more strategically.

It is not recommended to confront them if there are other enemies around, so it is better to dispatch of all the hostiles in the vicinity before even attempting to deal with them.

Once a Giant Man Serpent engages in battle, they will relentlessly chase after the player with surprising speed. Their long-reach weapons and excellent tracking may even allow them to successfully hit a player at medium distance whilst they are attempting to escape.

Fortunately, in all the locations where they are encountered at, they can be lured near structures where it is possible to perform plunging attacks on them. Apart from receiving heavy damage, they will be left heavily staggered afterward and ready for a quick finish.

Even though they have a large amount of poise, that doesn't mean it can't be broken. If they are attacked continuously with a quick weapon, this will eventually give up, leaving them staggered and at the player's mercy for a short period of time.

As mentioned above, the greataxe-wielding variant shares almost the same moveset as the Winged Knights, and thus, the same strategies for dealing with them may be applied here.

Giant Serpent Men are notorious for their bad footing and frequently fall off ledges. This can be exploited by luring them into narrow spaces where they may fall to their demise.

Trivia

 * In the Souls series, snakes and serpents are generally conceived as a type of lesser dragons, perhaps explaining the Giant Man Serpents appearance in Archdragon Peak, their ability to breath fire, and why they worship the ancient dragons as their ancestors.
 * The greataxe wielded by the larger kind is actually just an oversized version of the normal Battle Axe.