A Leydia Witch is an enemy in Dark Souls II.
Location[]
Leydia Witches are found within the Undead Crypt.
Lore[]
The apostles of Leydia were a group adept at magic and were able to use miracles, pyromancy, sorcery and even hexes at high levels with their special staves[1]. They also worshiped Galib, God of Disease[2]. At one point they reached the Undead Crypt and were welcomed into the it by the Fenito, ending up residing in the crypt beside them[3], collaborating with them in their tasks and sharing their power of death[4]. However at a certain point the Leydia Witches grew conceived and began to manipulate both the onset and curing of disease, making themselves the effective gatekeepers of the crypt[5]. Their misuse of death[6] and their failure to treat it with the proper respect[7] invoked the ire of the Fenito, that branded them as transegressors[8], blasphemous[9] and traitors[10] and hunted them down, denying them a peaceful death and slaughtering them most of them[11].
Attacks[]
Affinity - At long range, they will conjure a group of five Dark orbs, which will hover for a short period of time before locking onto the player and approaching at high speed. These orbs have poor tracking after they begin flight and do not do much damage, however they also have extremely long range and can stagger the player, leaving them vulnerable to other attacks.
Lightning Spear - At medium ranges, Leydia Witches will conjure a lighting spear and hurl it at the player. They can be relatively easy to dodge through rolling.
Soul Shower - At medium to close range, Leydia Witches will cast forth a soul orb, which will begin releasing a shower of soul arrows after traveling a short distance. The arrows do not do much damage, but can stagger if they hit. Running to the other side of the Leydia Witch is the best counter to this spell.
Chaos Storm - At close range, Leydia Witches will cast this spell in order to force players to retreat and dodge. They will leave lava pools after erupting, presenting an area hazard after ending.
Dark Fog - When the player is within melee range, Leydia Witches may cast this spell, which builds up the Poison meter very quickly. Due to the dim nature of the Undead Crypt, it can be hard to see the fog itself, so try to retreat away and wait for the spell effects to end, using ranged attacks in the meantime.
At melee range, a Leydia Witch may also attempt to swing her staff at the player in a two-hit combo.
Strategy[]
Leydia Witches can be extremely deadly foes, as they have many ranged spells at their disposal that can deal tremendous damage to players. Furthermore, they are found in areas where the terrain and even enemies can prevent the player from directly approaching them; while the player is busy dealing with the lesser threats or attempting to find a way to approach the Witch, they will have free rein to cast their spells. Even once the player reaches their location, Leydia Witches have a surprising amount of health that makes them harder to kill than most other casters.
When approaching a Leydia Witch, try to use the terrain to block their spells, and then dealing with the melee foes that approach. Once other threats have been dispatched, the Leydia Witch can be engaged at leisure. As they have no Poise, any melee attacks are capable of staggering them, preventing them from casting most spells.
An easier way to kill Leydia Witches is to use arrows from long range, where their Affinity can be easily dodged and their other spells are unable to reach the player. Because they have high elemental resistance, it is best to use physical damage. Poison Arrows also work well, as four arrows is enough to inflict them with poison.
Drops[]
| Item |  Black Witch's Staff |
 Leydia Black Hood |
 Leydia Black Robe |
 Magic Stone |
| Drop Rate | - | - | - | - |
| Item |  Skeptic's Spice |
 Simpleton's Spice |
 Dark Quartz Ring +2 |
 Awestone |
| Drop Rate | - | - | - | - |
References[]
- ↑ Black Witch's Staff description.
- ↑ Leydia Black Hood description.
- ↑ Leydia Black Hood description.
- ↑ Magic Shield (shield) and Leydia Black Hood descriptions imply that Leydia Witches had access to the death-giving power of the Fenito to manipulate it.
- ↑ Leydia Black Hood and Leydia White Hood description.
- ↑ Leydia White Hood description.
- ↑ Magic Shield (shield) description.
- ↑ Leydia White Hood description.
- ↑ Black Witch's Staff description.
- ↑ Blue Flame description.
- ↑ Black Witch's Staff and Magic Shield (shield) and Blue Flame description.