Hollow Soldier

The  is an enemy in Dark Souls, which can be found in the first few areas of the game.

Basic Information
The Undead Soldier is an enemy located in the Undead Asylum, Fireink Shrine, Undead Burg and Undead Parish. There are three varieties: Sword, Spear, and Crossbow.

Strategy
Undead Soldiers have low health, but can still be a considerable threat to new characters. They usually attack in small groups, augmenting their effectiveness.

Magic such as Soul Arrow is effective against them; some damage goes even through their shields. This is best used out of their reach, or before they are aware of the player.

Critical attacks, the Parry and Riposte and Backstab, are exceedingly efficient methods to dispatch these enemies.

Another simple tactic is to kick their shields, staggering them for a few moments, and thus leaving them vulnerable to attack. This is particularly useful on those that use spears, as they spend most of their time in a defensive stance.

Undead Soldiers that wield Crossbows often are positioned in out-of-the-way locations (usually on high ground) and act as a support class to the melee-focused Soldiers. When approached, they will either retreat and continue shooting, or draw a sword and act as a shield-less Sword-wielder.