Demon’s Souls | How To Beat Phalanx

Phalanx is the very first boss you fight in Demon’s Souls - and probably the easiest. However, if you are struggling to defeat it, there are some tricks to make this boss a breeze.

Demon's Souls - How to beat Phalanx

The most important step of fighting Phalanx is to come prepared. You’ll need two consumables found throughout level: Firebombs and Turpentine.

Five firebombs are found right before the two Boletaria soldiers guarding the first fog gate. You’ll have to attack the crates and break them to get the firebombs off the corpse.

The second consumable, Pine Resin, is found immediately after the dragon bridge. Pass the lever room, take a left, and run down the corridor. Swing your weapon to break the blockade and run up the stairs to grab four Pine Resin.

Now that we have our consumables be sure to equip them. You’ll want to slot Firebombs first, then Pine Resin so you can use them in the midst of combat. Be sure to equip any grass you have in the last slot so you can heal up quickly if you take damage.

In the fight itself, Phalanx and the Hoplites surrounding him are weak to fire. Your strategy is to soften up Phalanx with firebombs, then deal with the surrounding Hoplites, before swooping in to finish the job.

• The first thing you want to do after entering the fog gate is to throw all your firebombs at Phalanx, while trying to hit as many Hoplites as you can.
• Once you’re out of firebombs, hide behind a pillar so you don’t get hit with the spears Hoplites throw and heal if you need to. Then, switch to your Turpentine and use it on your weapon to buff it with fire damage.
• You should be able to shred through the Hoplites and start doing some real damage on Phalanx. Be sure to hit the Hoplites behind their shields to do extra damage to them.
• Once Phalanx has no Hoplites protecting him, he is vulnerable. Run up and attack to finish the job and defeat your first real demon.

After Phalanx is defeated, an Archstone will appear. Interact with it to receive the Lead Demon’s Soul, which can create the Scraping Spear. Interact with the Archstone once more to continue your journey.

For more help with Demon's Souls, here's our run-down of the best weapons for the early, mid, and late game.

Or we also have a page on how to craft the best character builds.