Summary
TheDark Soulsseries has made a bit of a trend out of the unique ways that FromSoftware makes many of the tutorial locations play double duty throughout a single playthrough. However, as the starting point for many longtime fans, theNorthern Undead Asylum in the firstDark Soulsset the stage for these tutorials reappearing later on in the game as a secret dungeon.
Along with the Undead Asylum playing double duty inDark Souls, this location also boasts a second boss that players will see much earlier than they will be able to come back and fight. This is the Stray Demon, who some might have already assumed they beat in their first run through this area, as the boss looks and behaves very similar to the Asylum Demon that blocks the way to Lordran right at the start.
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Hanging the Stray Demon Chekhov’s Gun
The introduction to the Stray Demon is an odd duck amongDark Souls' more generally obscured bosses, in that it is actually the very first enemy that some players will see. This does technically depend on which direction the players initially look when coming through the Undead Asylum’s initial cell, but the boss is immediately to the right at the start of this area. However, while the boss can be seen right away, there is a set of walls and gates that keep the player from being able to jump into the arena and challenge the Stray Demon right off the bat.
Instead, the player will make their way up through the higher levels of the Undead Asylum, where they will find the Asylum Demon, that at first glance looks like it might be the same enemy. Given that both are giant demons with oversized weapons that prowl around the Undead Asylum, confusing the two to be the same boss isn’t too farfetched of a conclusion to come to. That is until players sit in the giant crow’s nest to head toDark Souls' first secret area, which is right back to the return version of the Northern Undead Asylum.
Firing the Chekhov’s Gun with Stray Demon’s Boss Fight
Upon returning to the Northern Undead Asylum, which can be accomplished anytime after making it to the end of Undead Parish, players will first be introduced to a group of hollows and an empty boss room. However, as the player walks into the center of the arena where they had originally beaten the Asylum Demon, the floor will fall away and reveal a secondary boss arena. This is where players will fight the Stray Demon, in one ofDark Souls' most unfair arena designs, as dropping down into the fight causes the player to take a hefty amount of fall damage.
After that, Stray Demon might seem like a reskin of the Asylum Demon, just with more health and dealing more damage, but the originalDark Soulsunderstood the importance of elevating repeating boss fights. So, instead of having the same moveset, the Stray Demon picks up some of theAsylum Demon’s attackslike its powerful slam, but adds moves like a series of magical blasts that can encompass most of the arena. It’s these additions to the more basic moveset that make challenging the Stray Demon feel like a new boss, even if it looks and behaves very similar to the original.
One thing that makes it difficult to judge exactly when the player is supposed to fight the Stray Demon, though, is the strange balance between the boss' damage and the prize for winning. The overall health and damage are considerable, too difficult for a player to challenge right out of the first visit to the Undead Asylum, but not so far that the boss can’t be challenged with a weapon somewhere around +6 or +7. However, the reward is the strongest upgrade material in theDark Soulsseries, the Titanite Slab, which gives the idea that the Stray Demon should be delayed until after New Londo ruins.
Dark Soulsis available now for PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
