- "Please, avert thine eyes. I will snuff out these ashes for good."
- — Friede
In-Game Description
- Friede was the first Ash to enter the painting, but together with the good Father, they chose rot over fire.
Sister Friede is a character and a boss in Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel.
She is voiced by Amara Karan.
Description
Friede wears the Ordained Set and is armed with a scythe. She has burn marks on the right side of her face.
Location
Sister Friede is found sitting on a chair in Ariandel Chapel in the Painted World of Ariandel.
Lore
Friede is the eldest of the three sisters who founded the Sable Church of Londor, the others being Yuria and Liliane.[1] Sister Friede is an Unkindled,[2] suggesting that she attempted to link the First Flame or usurp it but failed, resulting in her being resurrected as ash.
Having abandoned the Sable Church, she happened upon Ariandel's Painted World. There, she tricked Father Ariandel by convincing him that the only way to preserve the Painted World was by suppressing the fire with his own blood to prevent it from being burned to the ground,[3] and resulting in the rot that afflicts it.[4]
Despite giving ample warning, Sister Friede is ultimately forced to wield her scythe and confront the meddling Ashen One, not before asking Father Ariandel to turn his gaze away from the imminent carnage. When she collapses the first time, an enraged Ariandel sparks the flame he bled so much to prevent in a desperate attempt to revive her. Now rekindled, she comes back from death to fight by his side. After falling a second time, Friede rises yet again and tinges her flame black with the Dark in one final struggle to defeat the second ash and prevent the painted world from being eventually replaced with a new one.
Strategy
First Phase: Sister Friede
Sister Friede in the first phase.
First of all, it is suggested to use a light weapon (such as a straight sword, a greatsword, etc.) to avoid the risk of being stun-locked by her fast attacks, and also a greatshield with high stability to minimize some stamina damage.
After the beginning of the fight, be careful and learn her attack patterns while blocking with your shield (be careful anyway, cause her scythe inflicts Magic damage).
The boss has very little poise and will be stun-locked from almost every attack by the player. You can give her two or three rapid hits, but be sure to keep an eye on the stamina bar to dodge her next attack. As this boss can be backstabbed, it is highly suggested to do some backstab-fishing, perhaps with a weapon with a high critical bonus,and using a straight sword can stun lock her for 2 hits but after the 3rd she will jump out of the way to use an attack, so it is best to preserve stamina.
After some time, she will become invisible and move rapidly through the room, and after a short time she will perform a grab with her scythe that inflicts heavy damage if not stopped and is difficult to dodge roll away from. The player can avoid this attack by listening carefully. Another way is to run straightforward at her when they see Sister Friede turning invisible, as being near to her will make her become visible again,or to run after her after she jumps (already invisible)by seeing the frost she kicks up,then follow her movements while staying near to her (mostly her jump), and when she starts to build-up her attack, get behind her and give her a backstab or simply hit her a few times.
Second Phase: Father Ariandel and Friede
Sister Friede and Father Ariandel in the second phase of the fight.
After killing Friede in her first phase, a cutscene will play in which Father Ariandel enters a berserk state, expands the arena, resurrects Friede, and begins to fight the player alongside Friede. During this phase, both Father Ariandel and Sister Friede will share the same health bar, and both will die once the health bar is depleted.
Sister Friede will fight the player just as she did in the first phase, and as such the same tactics will apply.
Father Ariandel fights by using his Bowl like a weapon, and uses it to try and crush the player. He also has several Area of effect attacks that are best avoided by staying either away from him, or behind him. He moves slowly and will charge at the player if they are too far away from him to be hit by any of his attacks.
-If the player has used Slave Knight Gael's summon sign, he will be summoned into the arena once the second phase begins.
-The first time the player defeats this phase, they will be rewarded with a Titanite Slab
Third Phase: Blackflame Friede
Blackflame Friede
After defeating the second phase, Friede will resurrect a final time. She will now fight with two scythes. Her original scythe will typically be coated in "Black Flame", and will deal significantly more damage than before. Her secondary scythe will deal heavy frostbite damage, as well as wielding multiple ranged attacks freezing the ground and building up your frost bite meter. she will also go invisible and continuously freeze the ground running up to you and won't stop until attacked. Many of her attacks will gain an area of effect and become incredibly damaging. She will also fight far more aggressively than before.
Attacks
Defenses
Drops
| Item |  Soul of Sister Friede |
 Titanite Slab |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed | Guaranteed |
Dialogue
| Click to see dialogue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Notes
- Ariandel can be poise-broken and riposted, if hit enough times in a short amount of time.
- Friede is fully affected by the Sacred Flame pyromancy in all three phases of her boss fight.
- However, she is only partially affected by the Dark Hand, taking the first instance of damage, but not entering the full animation or taking the full damage.
- Sister Friede is a hollow, what renders her weak against the Hollowslayer Greatsword.
- The Titanite Slab is a reward for completing phase 2 for the first time. It can only be obtained once per NG cycle.
- During the second phase, one can use the Storyteller's Staff and Toxic Mist on Ariandel with almost instant activation.
- Repeatedly casting the poison of the Storyteller's Staff on Friede as she burns and revives can poison her as the third phase starts, making the fight against her much less stressful, wherein one can get hits when they can and let the poison work at the same time.
Trivia
- She has been known as "Friede" and as "Elfriede", although the reason is not certain.
- Blackflame Friede bears several attacks that practically mirror those of Lady Maria, a boss in Bloodborne.
- Her sentence after killing the player is different if the player is Embered or Hollowed.
Gallery
Music
References
- ↑ Yuria dialogue.
- ↑ Gael dialogue.
- ↑ Forlorn Corvian Settler dialogue.
- ↑ Soul of Sister Friede description.