Hit a bit of a wall, need some advice

Ok, so I'm a bit stuck on the ruin sentinels right now and I am wondering whether I should put the majority of my souls into levelling up or upgrading my weapons more. Here are pics of my current character and my two main weapons. Also a lot of the mobs on the boss run have stopped spawning, I am based at McDuff's workshop having come from No Man's Wharf... help

Have you tried killing the first Sentinel on the platform before dropping down to the ground? That's definitely a necessity i think for facing them on your own; you could also allow for a second Sentinel to jump up onto the platform once the first is dead, but the other will always follow soon after so you'd want to jump down whence that happens. Also, when they leap up it's with an attack so you'd have to be careful when they do.

Level-wise you're fine, though.

You can summon a NPC from one of the cells on the right before the gate. She is a spellcaster and can do some good damage.

Fight the first guy on the platform. Roll behind him as he is about to swing, and get a few hits on his back. The other two you just have to be patient when fighting them on the floor. Their attacks are slow and telegraphed, and the only one you really have to watch out for the the spinning attack.

The fight is all about patience. Do not hit more than you have to, backpedal and strafe until you have your open shot.

Yeah I've managed to kinda consistently kill the first one with the help of Pilgrim Bellclaire but as soon as we hit the floor it always goes badly wrong

@jothel: Well besides that the main strategy is to play with patience and of course be aware of where they both are at all times. Pretty much every attack of theirs should give you enough of an opening to get in a single counter-attack, maybe two, before you then have to roll outta there. But again, the most important thing is to stay aware of where they both are, otherwise just stay on the move until they're both within your sight. Their attacks are pretty easy to avoid with enough practise, so it again comes down to patience really.

BTW unequip your shield, as even having it resting on your back slightly negates stamina recovery, and with that wooden shield it's best you roll through their attacks rather than try to defend against them. EDIT: McDuff sells a shield with 100% physical reduction, but even still you're better off without one imo.

Also, should you note one is starting up that whirlwind attack, roll through it rather than away.

Well you're ok on soul level. Your weapon is also fine. Your shield is a bit lacking, try to either find or buy a better one. There is a 100% shield you can get before fighting the sentinels, but it also involves defeating a nasty boss (for melee characters anyway) if you haven't already, tho i assume you met him already in some form or another. An investment into a better armor set would also be recommended, but can be bypassed as you get a good set with the above mentioned shield.

Aside from that you only have 3 rings (including a weak covenant one). By the time you get to that point there are more then enough good rings to be found, so I assume you just haven't found them? If that is the case try to go back to previous areas and explore a bit.

This is tiny tiny bit spoilery, but you can move forward in the Bastille without engaging the sentinels sub boss, (tho i recommend you go back and kill them after). In the area right after them you can find a specific item to use on a specific npc that will allow you to craft from special souls, and you should already have a soul to make a decent greatshield.

For the fight itself stay on the first platform until you kill the solo sentinel, then wait for 1 more to jump up, you can then get the 2nd dude to 50-70% hp before the third guy joins, at which point you should jump down. With a 100% shield it should be a cake fight anyway.

Ruin Sentinels are far easier dodging than blocking. Might want to get that equip load percentage to 70% or less. Otherwise you're fine stats wise.

@adamwd: cheers will give that a go too

@tennmuerti: yeah these are all the rings I have will go back through and have a bit of a search, thanks!

@yummylee: Will give that all a go! thanks

Hopefully my next reply will be a triumphant one, thanks for all the info guys =D

You should go back to the Forest of Giants and find the chloranthy ring. Or kill the first ogre for the stone ring. Those would be a real help.

@jothel: Speaking of rings, I can at least tell you where two decent ones are that you've missed:

1. Cloranthy Ring, which'll give you slightly faster stamina regeneration; located in that area in Forest of Giants where all those ballistas are, though you need a Pharos stone item thing to collect it.
2. Soldier's Ring, which'll increase your equipment capacity. Located in No Man's Warf in a room where all of the poison vases are. There's a destructible wall in there with the ring behind it.

I don't know how set you are on going solo, but if you're not too proud to call for help, the battle is MUCH easier with 2 or 3 people. Even if the other person/people do nothing but run around in circles, never attacking, they can keep one sentinel distracted while you focus on the other(s).

But if you want to go solo, @tennmuerti's advice is probably your best bet. I don't know that I'd call it a cake fight, but it at least feels manageable. The only thing I would add is that when you're on the lower level fighting the remaining 2 sentinels, make it a priority to keep them both in view at all times, and both on one side whenever possible. Most of my deaths to the sentinels were caused by my allowing one to sneak around and hit me from behind.

Just keep that shield up while dealing with the first guy and keep him on the ledge. Then, when you have to drop down to the floor and face the other two, just take it nice and slow and concentrate on hitting just one of them. It might take a while, but don't take any risks and you can pull on through this fight.

I see you're using the large leather shield (Which only has 90% damage reduction). I'd try and get a shield that has 100% damage reduction. It can go a long way in those boss fights. The Old knight's shield can be farmed off the knights in Heides tower, and the Drangleic shield can be found just past the pursuer boss fight when you drop down a hole. Both of those shields can block full physical damage and the Old knight's shield in particular has pretty high resistance for everything else as well. Hope that helps.

Use a strike weapon (morning star will do the trick), it will do a lot of damage. If you can afford a buff, do it, especially aromatic ooze.

If you're still having trouble, see this video, done at level 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FTzrRouG_w&list=UUKXqcI40NlIJYAmtzaieCFA

If you're still having trouble.... use a 100% shield that's been upgraded. It will trivialize the fight.

Yeah I have been searching for a 100% shield, knowing only about the one after the pursuer (tried that fight once and won't try it again for a while) and the one that McDuff sells you but I can't seem to get him to sell me stuff, even after lighting the torch. I've just gone to get the rings available in the forest - will go to the wharf next. Thanks again all! =D

@jothel: Riiight, I forgot he doesn't even sell stuff yet... You need the old ember, though that's located in the Iron Keep; without it he'll just keep mumbling to himself. Though you could also try farming the old knights in Heide Tower to get their shield; be sure to wear the Explorer hood you can buy from Melentia as it'll improve drop rates.

@jothel:If you don't want to farm for a 100% shield. You could get the Archdrake Shield it is 95% physical damage reduction. Then you can upgrade that with titanite

Go to the blacksmith and buy a mace. You can stunlock the sentinels with the powerstanced L2 attack. Dual maces will kill each of them in 3 hits if they are upgraded to +4.

You should be able to dual wield clubs, right? if not level a bit til you can, cant be far off. Then buy 2 clubs from the hag and hold triangle to go into power stance. If you have shards to upgrade, do so and go in solo. L2 the first one to death. Stay on the platform and wait for the second to come up, repeat. Well, if you can't kill him in time drop down before they gangbang you.

If you cant upgrade the clubs far enough summon the npc.

Thats it. Easy mode on the sentinels.

All the advice above is good. I would emphasize getting your equipment load under 70% . After that, I found the fight much easier.

My strategy was to be even more cautious than normal. Since there will be two of them at a time (killing the first one on the upper platform is almost mandatory), I stuck to single hits when I got the chance, unless both sentinels tried to swing at the same time and I knew I had more time to recover. This certainly made the fight last longer, but I never found myself in too much danger. It is funny how I can die what seems like a thousand times on a given boss, but when I do defeat him I barely get touched...

Are you using the Morning Star to fight them or the Fire Longsword? They are susceptible to strike damage so you should use the Morning Star. Just a heads up: Morning Star inflicts bleeding but it will take too many strikes to do it against them (if it even works on them). You might be better off using a different strike weapon like a Mace or Club against them. You'll do more damage.

Also, blocking them is nearly pointless. It will rock you for a second and allow the second one to also get a hit in breaking your guard, if not tremendously decreasing your available stamina. Dodging works a lot better. Hit them once, maybe twice if time allows it (don't get greedy) and get out. At no point in the fight should you ever have no stamina left to be unable to dodge.

Be sure to kill the first one, then wait for the second one while you buff your weapon, hit him a couple of times and then drop down before the third one arrives. Heal yourself and go.

You can totally skip the Ruin Sentinels, you know? You just need a Pharros Lockstone and explore the areas before McDuff's bonfire.

@jothel:

If you want a tip on killing the Pursuer use the catapults they take off almost all of his health.

It's really about spacial awareness with the Ruin Sentinels. Try your best to keep both remaining ones in your sights when you land on the ground, and play as defensively as possible. A 100% phys. resist shield would be ideal, but not a literal must if you have a sturdy enough substitute and if you have enough healing items. Block when you know you'll only be hit by one, though if they do a leaping attack, be sure to roll half a second after the leap instead. Dodge if it seems that two are attacking you at the same time.

When attacking, don't worry about sticking with a single target if the second one is more vulnerable for a few moments. Always attack one when the other has just finished an attack cycle. Healing items should be used during these moments as well if you need to.

As for equipment choices, your fire longsword will be fine. Strike type weapons work better, the longsword works just fine if properly upgraded. Also get the cloranthy ring from the Forest of Fallen Giants as it boosts stamina regen. It will require a pharos lockstone and is located in the room with the ballistas.

Yip, if you arrived in Bastille by Sea you can skip the sentinels. First go left through the ogres and keep going all the way until you get to the archer with the dogs, drop down, go through door and get the key in the chest. then proceed to the other side of the ogres, smash wall, use key and keep on going. You will end up closer to the sinner bonfire than the gargoyles, so if you want to light sinners arena you will want to keep going left to backtrack to the servant quarters bonfire. Or keep going to sinner directly. With the improved lucatiel by your side she shouldnt be an issue.

Yeeeeees! Did it first time after I took all of your advice, thanks very much =D used the craftsman's hammer for it, was pretty effective - shall I continue to level it up or go back to the mace I was levelling?

Lol always late to these threads. I was going to say if you want it to be easy all you need to do is get the red eye ring. Kill first one up top, wait for the other two to jump up, jump down, heal, and use a good shield+back peddling to just keep them at a safe distance while Bellclaire rapes the crap out of them with spells. Because you have the redeye ring equipped they will never even look at her.

@jothel: Why not upgrade both and dual wield them? The items for upgrading are very easy to get from midgame on. I've got maybe 25 fully upgraded items and plenty of stones left over that I don't know what to do with.

@jothel: You can upgrade both the Mace and the Craftman's Hammer because they are both good when fully upgraded (assuming you'll continue to put points into STR) even later in the game. That is, if you want to stick to small/medium weapons. If you like large weapons then there will be better ones coming up. One of which you will obtain right after defeating Ruin Sentinels: Large Club.

Either way, Mace requires regular titanite and Craftman's Hammer requires Twinkling so you won't forsake materials for one or the other. That said, think carefully about investing in the Hammer just because it requires Twinkling. It is very rare. You acquire enough in one playthrough to upgrade 1 weapon fully. If you want more, you'll have to farm for them, which can obviously be tedious.

It's up to what you like best. If you're undecided about Mace or Hammer, then maybe it's better to leave the Hammer un-upgraded for now to avoid wasting Twinkling that you might want to use on something else later.

Let me just also add.... there are better weapons (yes in the "bash" catagory") that take twinkling than the Craftsman Hammer as well. If you REALLY want a twinkling upgraded bash weapon wait for something better, because there will be better. Additionally.... Speed runners like plain old clubs for a reason and that mace at plus 10 is quite nasty and much easier to achieve.

waaaa, the hammer takes twinkling? stay away. spend that stuff on something worthwhile. like smelters armor :)

Mace +10 is win.

Summon the NPC in front of the gate then run around drawing aggro and kiting the sentinels while she kills them. Easy.

Glad you beat them! As far as upgrading, as good as the craftsman hammer is it requires twinkling which is extremely rare to come by until later in the game so upgrading the good ole Billys club will be much easier and faster. Not to mention it rocks most enemies, regardless of their size.