In Lords of the Fallen, your primary objective is to take down the 5 Hallowed Sentinels to stop Adyr’s return. Just beyond the Forsaken Fen, through the poisons and fire, you will find your first Hallowed Sentinel — The Hushed Saint.
The Hushed Saint is a fearsome warrior who will put you in your place time and time again. Here’s what you need to know to defeat the mighty boss.
How to prepare for The Hushed Saint boss fight in Lords of the Fallen
The Hushed Saint is one of those bosses that constantly make you throw your hands out in front of you and exclaim, “What?!” The combos and attacks this boss will perform are nothing short of infuriating. If you’ve summoned help, from an NPC and/or another lampbearer, then the fight will be much easier. If you’d prefer to fight alone, like me, then you’ll have your work cut out for you.
You will want to be around level 50 to comfortably take him down, although it’s possible with lower levels. Don’t get into the habit of grinding away to get stronger, as at some point, you’ll need to face that you will simply need to “git gud.”
At this point, I’ll assume that you have vehemently practiced and utilized all of the combat techniques that you can pull off in Lords of the Fallen, and that you’ve experimented with your favored weapon. But what good is combat skill without the appropriate weapon to utilize it with?
The Hushed Saint is vulnerable to bleed and burn, so find a weapon with those status effects or apply bleed or burn salts to your weapon for enhanced damage (apply the salts upon entering phase two). These can be bought from NPCs or found from enemy drops if you’re running low. He is resistant to poison, so don’t even try.
Technically, any build can take on The Hushed Saint, although some will have it easier than others. Umbral builds will have a tough time taking him on, as any attacks do little damage and he is resistant to poison. Inferno and Radiant builds will have an easier time here. Ranged builds will also struggle, due to the ranged capabilities of The Hushed Saint, and how big and quick his attacks are.
It seems that getting up close and personal provides the best DPS and is the easiest to execute, although it is more dangerous.
High defense builds are favored here, as tanking the damage can be easier than constantly dodging the sweeping and extended attacks. Although, to be fair, The Hushed Saint likes to bully both blockers and dodgers with his range of AoE attacks, so you’ll have to be good in both to evade the most damage.
Fighting The Hushed Saint
The Hushed Saint is a quick and merciless boss who will use chains of combos and AoE attacks to destroy your posture and haunt your every dodge. You will need to have numerous practice runs until you can think about using consumables to seal the deal so you don’t waste them in discovering how awful this boss is.
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The First Phase
The first phase won’t last too long and is actually rather easy when you get the hang of it. If you can make it through the first phase without using any of your Sanguiniarix charges, you will be in good stead to defeat The Hushed Saint. Also, try not to use any consumables during this phase. For your success, it’ll need to be as bare-bones as possible.
Immediately, The Hushed Saint will charge at you with his horse. Don’t ever consider blocking or parrying, just dodge last second to evade all damage. The boss will then reemerge from the bog and will circle the arena. With a throw of his halberd, he’ll leap from the horse into combat. Again, simply dodge the weapon and charge toward the boss.
From this point on, The Hushed Saint will alternate between fighting you on the ground and charging at you with his horse until the second phase is triggered. Below is what to do in either section of this phase.
How to handle the horse
There are only three actions that can happen whilst The Hushed Saint is on his horse. They all must be dodged. You will not be attacking during this time. While the boss is submerged in the bog, you can follow where he is through the disturbance in the water he creates. Steer clear of this as it shoots to another side of the arena.
Horse Charge – The Hushed Saint will charge at you from another side of the arena. When the boss lowers his weapon to strike, dodge to the side.
Horse Stomp – The Hushed Saint will charge at you from another side of the arena, but will slow down when he is near you. When he stops, back away slowly. The horse will stomp on the ground, sending a wave of roots that will deal huge damage. Just dodge over them. The horse is invulnerable, so don’t think about attacking.
Halberd Throw – The Hushed Saint will ring around the arena and will throw his halberd at you. Simply dodge it before it lands.
When he gets bored of this, he’ll leap from his steed to face you himself.
Face to face with the Saint
When the Hushed Saint leaps from his horse, you’ll be engaged with him for a little bit. He will swing all manner of combos at you.
For ranged and magical fighters, don’t spam your attacks. He has many moves to close the distance or strike you from afar. You must only take shots once he has finished a move that missed you.
For melee fighters, be careful of his shield. He will make great use of it to quickly attack you when you’re about to swing, staggering you. You will need to know when to dodge and when to block. In the first phase, you can get away easier by dodging and side-stepping attacks in sequence rather than blocking.
Here are the most notable attacks in this phase:
Halberd Charge – He will briefly charge an attack before lunging toward you. If he gets you, the surge will deliver huge damage. Always dodge this attack.
Halberd Throw – Like before, he can suddenly launch his halberd toward you if you’re at a distance. Be careful.
Root Blast – At the end of a certain combo, a blast of roots will provide AoE damage. it is best to avoid the end of his weapon after any attack he performs.
Root Surge – Back off when he sinks to his knees and charges up an attack. Like the Horse Stomp, he will unleash a devastating surge of roots that you’ll have to dodge. Panicking during this bit will get you hit.
Bog Leap – He will sink into the bog momentarily only to leap from the bog and deliver incredible AoE damage. Follow the water disturbances to predict where he is, and dodge into it when he leaps to steer well clear of all damage.
The Hushed Saint is so quick that you’ll have little choice but to only attack or shoot once or twice at a time, even for quicker builds, between his attacks.
Before too long, The Hushed Saint will sink back into the ground. Try to get as many hits as you can during this. He will be on his horse in seconds, so prepare for that.
The Second Phase
You’ll know when The Hushed Saint has entered his second stage, as he will strike the ground. Light will shine from his weapon, and you’ll see that his weapon and armor have had a bit of an upgrade. This phase is intense and will be exclusively The Hushed Saint on foot.
Whilst he is donning his upgrade, take that time to heal and apply any weapon effects you have, such as fire salts, or a spell that enhances your weapon. You may also want to pop a health or mana consumable to alleviate the pressure from your Sanguiniarix. Essentially, prepare. Remember to only do this when you feel that you are experienced enough to actually take down the boss, to save on you wasting consumables.
During this fight, you must steel your nerves. It may be tempting to hold block or dodge constantly, but that will only ever get you killed. The combos are complex enough that each stage requires a separate reaction to save your skin.
This phase is almost exactly the same as the first phase, although the intensity will be taken up a notch, and the more complex and damaging attacks will happen a lot more frequently. Also, he does have some new tricks.
Horse Summon – He will bash his shield a few times, and his horse will be summoned from the bog to charge at you. Like before, just dodge out of the way.
Halberd Pulse – After a lunge, the halberd’s blade may pulse, dealing more damage. It is a subtle attack. You should be staying away from his halberd after each attack by now, anyway.
He will be sinking into the bog a lot, so use that time to reload, recharge your stamina, or pop a consumable. Be quick, though, you can’t be preoccupied when he leaps from the bog to crush you.
Between each of the above attacks, including those of the first phase, The Hushed Saint will be swinging his combos. Please just dodge and block until it’s over, then get in a quick strike or two. The one-handed stance is the best for this fight for most weapons, unless you have fists or are dual-wielding.
During the second phase, make good use of your Soulflaying. You can only get away with a few attacks here, as you’ll need your stamina to avoid or block the retaliation blow he’ll perform when it ends. Be patient, and strike at the perfect moment to deliver all of that wither damage.
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Things to keep in mind during The Hushed Saint boss fight
Take breaks. This may sound infuriating, but taking breaks allows for the muscle memory to settle, which will allow you to perform better on your next attempt.
Don’t be greedy. The motto to all Soulslike boss battles. That “safe one extra hit” can easily turn into your death.
Be careful of the parasites. When in Umbral, the arena is littered with parasites. Upon hitting these, you’ll suffer a moderate amount of wither damage. Be careful.
Know when to dodge and when to parry. For any strong or AoE attacks, it’s always best to dodge and steer well clear. You can parry (or dodge) all other attacks. Parrying is favorable to work up to that grievous strike quicker, although you must be careful of your health withering.
I wish you the best of luck, lampbearer, and may Orius guide your efforts. For more help on your journey through Lords of the Fallen, pay PC Invasion a visit.
