Key Takeaway
To easily defeat the Asylum Demon, take Black Firebombs as your starting gift and use them on the demon in your first encounter with it.
The Asylum Demon is the first boss players will encounter in Dark Souls. You may think of it as the game’s tutorial boss. It is seemingly undefeatable when you first encounter it. However, there is a trick to taking it down without using weapons.
Table Of Contents
Dark Souls Asylum Demon Black Firebomb Strategy Video Guide
The Best Strategy for Beating the Asylum Demon
If you want to beat the Asylum Demon the first time you encounter it, you’ll need Black Firebombs. Black Firebombs are among the choices you get as a starting gift when you first create your character. That being said, choose the Black Firebomb as your starting gift before starting your playthrough.
From here, simply start the game until you get it to the Asylum Demon.
During the fight with the demon, stay locked on to it and maintain a fair distance from it so that its attacks cannot reach you. Whenever it finishes a swing, get a bit closer to it and throw one Black Fireball at a time. The Asylum Demon rarely strings attacks together—so you will be safe from getting hit.
You only need to do so four to five times to make the Asylum Demon fall.
How to Beat the Asylum Demon Normally
If you want to choose a different starting gift, there is still another way to defeat the Asylum Demon, but it’s a lengthier process.
When you make it to the Asylum Demon, do not face it head-on. Your attacks will deal very minuscule damage to it. Instead, run to its left and you’ll find an open door. Pass through it and you’ll find another bonfire.
From here, simply keep progressing forward. You’ll receive your first proper weapon and shield here, and your first set of Estus Flasks.
As you progress through this section of the Undead Asylum, you’ll reach an ascending staircase where an undead will roll down a massive metal ball. To its right is another staircase that leads down. Take this staircase, open the door at the end, and you’ll see the bonfire where you first arrived. Rest at this bonfire in case you die later on.
With that done, continue progressing through the Undead Asylum. You’ll eventually arrive before a fog door that, once you traverse inside, you’ll be situated on a ledge directly above the Asylum Demon.
While jumping down, be sure to hold the attack button to land an attack from above. This will deal a ton of damage to the Asylum Demon. Be sure to do this quickly, otherwise the Asylum Demon will jump and attack you. After that, all that’s left to do is to fight the demon normally.
The Asylum Demon’s Attack Patterns
The Asylum Demon only has three attacks. All of them are slow, which gives you ample time to dodge.
- Hammer Sweep – This is when the Asylum Demon swipes its hammer horizontally on the ground in front of itself in a sweeping motion. It does this from right to left and vice versa. This attack gets triggered when you are close to it. Regardless of the direction of the Hammer Sweep, dodge to the direction of where the demon’s swipe comes from. Once dodged, land an attack or two.
- Hammer Slam – This is when the demon raises its hammer up high before slamming the ground in front of itself. Simply move away from the demon to avoid getting damaged. Run towards it right after to hit it once or twice.
- Ground Pound – The Asylum Demon will hover in the air before butt-slamming to the ground. Like the previous attack, simply move away from the demon and run towards it afterward to land your attacks.
Asylum Demon Rewards
You’ll receive the following for defeating the Asylum Demon:
- 2,000 Souls
- 1 Humanity
- 1 Big Pilgrim’s Key – This is used to open the massive door behind the Asylum Demon.
However, if you defeat the demon when you encounter it for the first time, you will instead receive the following:
- 2,000 Souls
- 1 Humanity
- 1 Demon’s Great Hammer
If you defeat the Asylum Demon in your first encounter with it, you will instead receive the Big Pilgrim’s Key from Oscar of Astora—along with the Estus Flasks.
FromSoftware’s Souls series isn’t a stranger to awesome and challenging boss fights. The Asylum Demon is the right amount of awesome and challenging to welcome you into the world of Dark Souls. Now that you know how to best it, you can move on with this game and see the rest that it has to offer!
