Ashen Warrior

The Ashen Warriors are enemies in Dark Souls II.

Location
Ashen Warriors are encountered in the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC. They can be found throughout all of Brume Tower and the Iron Passage.

Description
Standing only a couple feet over the player, the Ashen Warriors are hollowed soldiers that roam Brume Tower and attack any intruders on sight. They can hide beneath the ashen ground in some places, and even in the sides of mountains, ambushing the player as they walk by. There are a few variants of the Ashen Warriors:

Battle Axe Wielders use dual battle axes and will attack mercilessly, leaping towards the player to close the gap between them.

Halberd Wielders use a single halberd and a shield, taking a more defensive approach to attack the player. They are able to attack with their shield raised, and have a dangerous spinning attack. They can be guard broken.

Sword Wielders use a single Ashen Warrior Sword and may sometimes be equipped with a bow that they will use at range. Their most dangerous attack is when they swing their sword four times in quick succession, potentially stunlocking the player and dealing heavy damage.

Strategy
An easy way to deal with Ashen Warriors is to dodge their attacks and backstab them while they are recovering. They only pose a serious threat when they surround the player, which may happen frequently as they are usually encountered in groups of three or four. All of the Ashen Warriors have thrusting attacks and their weapons have long reach, so rolling from side to side is more effective than rolling backwards.