Thread:Matsczon/@comment-26818056-20150725035958/@comment-4511886-20150726172743

Almost any strategy where you don't fight him head-on will work well against him. Taking him on directly is also possible, but will take a really long time and is quite difficult, especially if you're early into the game.

Havel can be chain-backstabbed pretty efficiently. Similarly, parrying is really useful to fight him. If you're parrying, make sure to base the timing on his hand, instead of the end of his hammer.

Lightning works well against him. You can get three pieces of Gold Pine Resin from a chest next to the chest. The Resin can be used to buff your weapon with a bit of Lightning. Just remember that you're on a timer and only have three uses.

Since he's probably going to kill you in one hit anyway, it may be a good idea to use the Red Tearstone Ring if you have it. It'll speed up the process a fair bit, and can even double your damage output if you're using good crit weapons like the Rapier or Bandit's Knife.

Hope this helps, and good luck! -Mats