Dark Souls 3 - Catacombs of Carthus and High Lord Wolnir
How to kill High Lord Wolnir, along with a step-by-step walkthrough for making it through the Catacombs of Carthus region of Dark Souls 3.
Approach the altar and the wall will pull back, revealing a set of steps.
As a general rule you need to be on the lookout for skeletons throughout this entire area. They litter the place, and even previously vanquished ones will eventually reassemble themselves and come back for more. Standing still for too long is not recommended!
Head down and follow the path to the left. Cross the bridge, but watch out for the guy at the far end. He can travel through the ground and flank you, so if he vanishes keep an eye out for telltale sparks as he moves.
Head through the door and take the stairs ahead. Turn left at the top, and then right towards the top of a ladder. There's a pressure plate on the floor just in front of it that'll unleash crossbow bolts at you.
Descend the ladder and follow the tunnel around to the right.
There's a scythe-wielding skeleton here with a jump attack that involves him throwing knives at you. The fight is complicated further by an archer opposite him, so try and draw the fight away from the starting point towards the ladder if you can.
In the next room you'll come across a dual-scimitar skeleton standing in an archway to the right, and a second one just down the stairs. Once you get on the stairs, though, just run - a giant ball of bones will roll down behind you and make short work of you if it makes contact.
Jump to one side when you reach the bottom of the stairs to let it pass. It'll travel through the arch into the tunnel and then bounce back out, so wait for it to pass a second time.
(An alternative, and generally far safer, strategy is to just run for it. When you've crossed the first bridge, run diagonally across the room to the right, take the stairs down, sprint past the skeleton ahead, and hurry down the stairs ahead of the ball of bones.)
Once in the tunnel, turn left at the grating. Follow the passageway fighting off more skeletons, keep following it around to the right and then drop down the hole and turn around.
This area features skeletons, giant rats and spiked wheels, and is another prime candidate for just sprinting along to keep ahead of trouble. Whether you choose to flee or fight, follow the tunnel until it turns left.
Head into the arch ahead to collect an Ember before returning to the tunnel. Head for the arch to the right when you reach the end and head down the slope - about half way down the tunnel is a gem bug.
Take out the enemy on the ledge ahead - being careful not to fall off - then head into the bone-strewn cavern to the right.
Turn left and head up the slope, make your way across the rickety bridge, and then open the doors ahead. Enter the large room and touch the goblet on the table in front of the stairs.
After the cinematic you'll be transported to a dark and mysterious area for another boss fight.
How to kill High Lord Wolnir
This is one of the more straightforward boss fights. Avoid his hands as they come crashing down, and then focus your attacks on his glowing bracelets.
After breaking the first one, he may summon a wave of skeletons. After breaking the second he'll occasionally draw a giant sword from the ground. If you can break his bracelets quickly enough though, you can skip both of these elements of the fight entirely.
We'd recommend concentrating on his right arm with the single bracelet first, particularly if you have a weapon with a sweep attack. You can damage both the bracelets on his left arm in one go, and the skeleton phase is easier to deal with than the sword.
Once he's dead, light the bonfire and return to Firelink.
- The next part of our walkthrough explains how to survive Dark Souls 3's Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and Pontiff Sulhyvan.
- Head back to the first page for the rest of our Dark Souls 3 guide.