Phalanx

Location

Drops

Health
NG	NG+
335	525

Souls
NG	NG+
500	1000

Phalanx is collectively an enemy in Dark Souls.

Location[]

Encountered beyond the first gate in the Painted World of Ariamis.

Description[]

The name Phalanx generally means a tight formation of individuals. Similar to the military distinction, Phalanx faces their shields and spears outward, away from the less protected areas. They will always appear in the starting formation from the first encounter each time enemies are re-spawned. Phalanx is comprised of 14 naked, slug-like hollows with deformed heads and limbs sticking out.

Strategy[]

Fighting all of them at once can be tricky as their large numbers mean that they can hit the player with many attacks in a short span of time. They block and deflect the majority of the player's attacks, so the better way to deal damage to them is by attacking anywhere behind the shield.

They are extremely slow moving aside from their attacks so arrows may prove effective if the player is unaffected by throwing spears. Alternately, if the player has access to the Poison Mist or Toxic Mist Pyromancies, it can easily poison a large portion of them, slowly killing them with no major risks to the player. Even if not all of them are killed, their numbers will get cut significantly, greatly reducing their threat.

Alternatively, scattering Phalanx will make for easy pickings. Attacking from the direction of the bonfire puts the player behind Phalanx with several concrete blocks in the way. These will effectively divide the group as they make their way towards the player and prevent others from attacking at range.

Wrath of the Gods is a very useful way of dispatching this enemy as each wave of force stuns the enemy while simultaneously doing a substantial amount of damage to a large portion of them.

An excellent way to deal with the Phalanx is to have an Ascended Pyromancy Flame and equip one of the 'Storm' spells, Chaos Storm in particular is excellent due to the lava patches left behind. From the bonfire, run in, kill the Hollows guarding the door, and then on into the courtyard. Ensure you are at full health, and if you have any, equip high-poise armor or the Wolf Ring. Run into the courtyard, and slightly to the side as the Phalanx breaks apart. Two-handing your weapon, swing in to kill one or two at the front, then switch to your Pyromancy Flame, and start channeling your Storm, while stepping into the center, near the statue. You are likely to get hit a couple of times, thus why poise is useful. The storm should take out the vast majority of the Phalanx, leaving only a few left to be picked off with ease.

Another method is to cast Fire Tempest with an Ascended Pyromancy Flame, then followup with the Dragon Tooth, upgraded to at least +3. During the initial casting phase of Fire Tempest, you can still move, so start casting as you approach the Phalanx. Stop close to it, just within range of the spears; too close, and most of the Fire Tempest will overshoot them. A fully ascended Pyromancy Flame will do overkill damage to any members of the Phalanx within range. If Fire Tempest is cast at the right position, only three members of the Phalanx will remain, which can be dealt with quickly using the Dragon Tooth. The two handed weak or strong attacks of the Dragon Tooth typically hit three enemies at once, commonly hit four, and sometimes hit as many as six. With a high enough Strength, a hit from even the two handed weak attack is a guaranteed overkill, which stacks with the Symbol of Avarice and the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring for a reliable total of 12,096 souls in 40 seconds (including the run to and from the bonfire), when the entire Phalanx is destroyed. Killing two or three Hollows on the way to or from the Phalanx will net another 514 souls each, for a regular total of just over 13,000 souls in no more than 45 seconds, arguably the fastest method of farming in the game.