By Reyadh Rahaman
Players meet (and are likely be killed by) many knights over the course of the Dark Souls trilogy — here are the strongest of them, going by the lore.
Knights are individuals who have been granted a title by royalty. There are many such armored warriors in the Dark Souls series and they can be found all across the games' worlds. Most have earned their rank through combat achievements, physical might, and faithful duty to their respective lords.
RELATED: Dark Souls 3: 10 Underrated Items (That Are Actually Very Useful)
Most are outfitted with heavy armor and finely crafted weapons, some of which can be looted from their remains after they are defeated by the player. The knights exist as challenges to test one's worthiness to continue, potentially even appearing as bosses in certain areas. However, only the most powerful tend to be remembered by gamers.
10 Knight Slayer Tsorig
Tsorig wields the weapons of a knight and wears the armor, though it is never fully explained who he is or why he has such a great desire to hunt and slay knights. Maybe he was wronged by them in some manner or maybe he is on a special quest that the player never is able to learn about. Regardless, he is a great threat, as he can unleash tremendous damage with the Fume ultra greatsword and can tank many hits with his Black Iron armor set and greatshield.
9 Silver Knight Ledo
This eccentric silver knight stood out from others of his order for his strength and interesting personality. He ventured further than most of his brethren, exploring the outskirts of the known realm, and befriended many including Havel the Rock and some Judicator Giants. Ledo wields a unique hammer with huge staggering potential and damage output. He is one of the only named silver knights that the player can encounter and is not easily forgetten.
8 The Pursuer
Hounding the steps of the Bearer of the Curse in Dark Souls 2, The Pursuer is a levitating lurker that can show up at the worst of times. The red glow of their visor may indicate their extreme rage. Red glowing eyes mean heightened aggression, which results in behavior like noticing the player from further away and chasing them for longer distances in addition to more frequent attacks while in combat. The Pursuer's aggressiveness toward the player is a nod to this mechanic and with this floating knight's ultra greatsword and greatshield, this anger should not be ignored.
7 Looking Glass Knight
A silent sentinel in service of King Vendrick, this knight tests the player's battle prowess in an unorthodox manner. They have ranged lightning attacks and the ability to summon NPCs, or even real players, through their King's Mirror greatshield to aid them against the Bearer of the Curse.
RELATED: Dark Souls: The 10 Most Powerful Demons In The Series, Ranked
Strong close combat attacks, unexpected shots of electricity, and calling upon allies make this boss fight a great test for any who believe themselves worthy of progressing.
6 Velstadt, The Royal Aegis
King Vendrick's right-hand man and arguably the most loyal knight in the realm. He guards the king's resting place in the Undead Crypt and will challenge any who dare approach his lord, despite Vendrick's hollowing. In the tiny room the player finds him in, Velstadt can be a difficult boss to defeat due to the lack of spacing. As if this combined with his huge mace isn't enough of a threat, he can buff himself to become even more deadly and has the ability to launch Dark Orbs at the player.
5 Sir Alonne
As opposed to many other knights that can be encountered, Sir Alonne was not a devout servant of a king but rather an ally. Long ago, he came from the far east in his travels and met a lord with great ambition. Alonne helped this lord build a kingdom of metal and become the Old Iron King. At the height of power, however, Sir Alonne left to resume his wandering. He can be encountered and dueled in the memory of the Old Iron King, where he will demonstrate the might he gained during his travels with swift strikes and nearly unparalleled maneuverability.
4 Fume Knight
Once he was known as Raime, left-hand man and loyal knight of King Vendrick, but due to a dispute with Velstadt, he left the king's service and was branded as a traitor. He was able to find a new purpose in serving Nadalia, Bride of Ash, and resides in Brume Tower defending her honor.
RELATED:
Now known as the Fume Knight, he is considered one of the hardest bosses in the Dark Souls trilogy. His immensely high resistances give the player little option in regards to combat strategies. However, his offense is even more daunting than his defenses because of his master swordsmanship, dark magic, and pyromancy proficiency.
3 Knight Artorias
His legend is bound to that of the Chosen Undead in the first Dark Souls. Long ago, in order to face the looming threat of The Abyss, he set out to defeat whatever evil was lurking in Oolacile, though was not up to the task. Of Lord Gwyn's four most trusted knights, Artorias was deemed the strongest in close combat, which the player can test for themselves in the Oolacile Township area in a memorable boss battle. Despite having an arm crippled and unable to wield his shield, Artorias puts up an incredible fight, attacking and evading like a rabid wolf. He becomes even more dangerous as he buffs himself with powers developed from being corrupted by darkness, increasing his already high damage and swift movements.
2 Slave Knight Gael
As a late-game boss, Gael is designed to be tougher than most other challenges the Ashen One will face. He is one of the few bosses that has three phases, with each becoming exponentially more deadly. Gael also acts as a father figure to The Painter who created the Painted World of Ariandel and quests to find them the correct black pigment to solve this world of its problems; a color that can only be found from the Dark Soul, the origin of humanity. Gael finds his way to The Ringed City and locates a potential source for the pigment in the pygmy kings of this land, though their dried blood was useless for painting. In desperation to complete his quest, he consumes the dried blood but its power corrupts him. Now radiating fell energy, Gael wields abilities granted by the Dark Soul in addition to his already mighty fighting style.
1 Havel The Rock
Havel is a bishop and a general in Lord Gwyn's army, hater of magic, and eternal enemy of all dragons. Anytime the player encounters him, or his knights donning his armor and weapons, there is cause for reservation. Dragon Tooth, his greathammer, deals more damage than the attacks of many bosses. His armor, hewn from solid stone, has the highest resistances of any in the series. On top of this, his greatshield can further increase these high resistances to ridiculous levels at the expense of mobility. His legend can also be encountered in every Dark Souls game, either as difficult enemies or through his overpowered equipment.
NEXT: 10 Strongest Dragons In Dark Souls (According To The Lore)
