Manus, Father of the Abyss

Manus, Father of the Abyss is a boss who is encountered in Dark Souls, but can only be fought in the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.

Description
Manus is the final boss of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, he is encountered in the Chasm of the Abyss where it is possible to summon Sif to aid the player in the battle. Sif's summon sign can be found in the arena where the player fights Manus.

Plot
Once the Broken Pendant is in their possession, Manus pulls the Chosen Undead through a rift in Darkroot Basin and into the past land of Oolacile.

He is discovered to have kidnapped Princess Dusk and is eventually confronted in the Chasm of the Abyss.

Lore
The people of Oolacile were fooled by a serpent, resulting in the upturning of Manus's grave and inciting his wrath. He is the cause of the Abyss, which threatened to swallow all of Oolacile.

Manus was once human and became the Father of the Abyss after his humanity went wild, eternally seeking his precious Broken Pendant.

Strategies
It is possible for the player to kill Manus from outside the fog gate. First, kill all the surrounding humanity spirits. Then, unequip all armor and equip a fully upgraded longbow. The player will need Feather Arrows and the Hawk Ring. The player then needs to stand on the right side of the bridge leading to the fog gate. Equip the Symbol of Avarice and the Red Tearstone Ring.

Unequip the Symbol of Avarice after the Red Tearstone Ring has taken effect. There are a set of ridges and on the 3rd one from the bridge, the red eyes of Manus will be visible to the player. Once the player has found him, they must undertake the difficult task of shooting at Manus until Manus has been hit. Then, shoot him until his health is low. Now the player has two options: 1) The player may traverse the white light just before Manus is killed and finish him off, or 2) The player may kill him from the ledge. The fog gate will disappear and the player will get the souls. When the player gets to the platform that Manus usually takes the player off of, the player can roll off and land with no damage.

If the player wishes to face Manus conventionally, then it is advisable to equip items that boost stamina such as the Cloranthy Ring as well as a decent shield that blocks physical damage. Only attack Manus after he has performed his jumping smash or "frenzy combo" or the player will be caught in the middle of his strikes and take heavy damage. Manus will start using his magic attacks at around 50% health, use the Silver Pendant to deflect them.

Berserk Combo
Manus will let out a quick scream after which he performs four swipes and two downward smashes, potentially hitting the player six times in succession, dealing high damage and high stamina-drain if blocked.

Arm Swipe
If the player is behind him, he can twist his arm all the way around as a defense for his backside.

Long Arm Slam
Manus will hold up his shadowy limb for a short period and bring it down toward the player. This attack can reach more than halfway across the boss arena.

High Jump Slam
Can jump straight above the player to smash them. Easily avoided by walking backwards.

Dark Orb Spread
He will cast a barrage of Dark Orbs using his Catalyst, where they will fire out in a fan shape, thus making it easier to evade by strafing while in close range. Activating the Silver Pendant is fairly easy to time with proper reaction.

Abyss Rain
Manus casts a dark sorcery, whereby multiple small orbs appear and directly home in from atop of the player, hitting multiple times. Fast rolling or using the Silver Pendant to block the spell is a good way to avoid damage.

Abyss Cage
Dark Orbs propagate from above Manus, surrounding the entire arena before homing back in on Manus, dealing high damage to the player. Extreme precision is required to evade this spell, as dodging the Dark Orbs becomes more difficult the closer the player is to Manus. The Silver Pendant blocks this attack.

Catalyst Smash
Manus quickly brings his catalyst into the ground, dealing moderate damage.