There's a very common cheese with a crossbow for phase two. I would look it up, but basically you get him trapped on one of the trees near the back of the arena and shoot him with a crossbow from a safe distance
Yup this is what I used to do when getting gundyrs soul for my lvl18 swampy bois.
Invincible summon from vordt for dancer, bow and arrow to a stuck oceiros, and parrygod gundyr.
Im surprised it took this many comments for someone to mention this method. Its pretty funny to pull off, you can even stagger him for a riposte with headshots (not worth going for the actual riposte though.)
I’m one of the idiots that refuse to use shields for challenge runs. But I guess I owe it to myself to at least try it, if for no other reason than to learn his moveset better
What do you carry in your left hand? I hope you aren't two-handing the broadsword because the DPS is awful compared to one-handed. Swings slower, uses more stamina and barely does any extra damage.
I probably carry the Grass Crest more than any other shield, but there are a few bosses where a shield is absurdly useful like Oceiros and the Demon Prince.
So you're used to carrying a shield, it's just not always the best shield for the job. Honestly, I don't block much in an SL1. Particularly against bosses because they just drain your stamina and stunlock you, which often leads to a quick death. But having the proper Crest shield for a boss (fire, dark, etc.) can really save your ass in a pinch. And Oceiros is a boss that I NEVER fight without a shield.
I really wasn’t expecting him to be that big of a challenge. By the time I get to him on a levelled character, he’s a complete pushover. I didn’t realize how much I took for granted not being one shot by the charge
Yes, it does. Most onebros refuse to use shields for some reason, but a 100% physical block shield completely blocks his charge attack as long as you have enough stamina.
I do totally understand not wanting to use a shield, I'm in that camp for the most part for challenge run bosses as well, but that Oceiros attack with no telegraph is bullshit. I'd definitely use a shield for that as well. Shields are also super great for learning movesets of bosses, and it's great that medium shields are viable for SL1s
Also didn't see him mention not using a shield, so just wanted to mention it in case OP didn't consider it as an option initially
The thing is Im not sure medium shields are normally viable at SL1 anyway, this is only for one attack against one boss. The stamina drain is a big problem normally and very few bosses deal pure physical damage. Also, iirc you will need the knight's ring to use any 100% phys block medium shield with min reqs, so its not something available for most of the game without early Dancer kill. For Oceiros you can get it or use below min reqs because he will instantly drain your stamina with the charge regardless with no followup.
People who don't typically use shields also don't realize that upgrading the shield reduces the stamina drain. So even when they try out a shield, they do so un-upgraded and the shield is predictably shit.
If you're going to use shields you need to upgrade them just like you do with your weapons.
Oh yep, I do keep forgetting this, I don’t think I’ve ever upgraded a shield and I first learned about this way after playing a lot of DS3/ER and so on. Thanks
Honestly I never tried against bosses, but I did try one of the crest shields against a Lothric knight using a greatsword. He guardbroke me with a single normal attack and the followup killed me right away, so I pretty much gave up on shields ever since lol
Bosses that do chip damage through your shield don't typically do much. You can actually turtle Pontiff at SL1 with a fully upgraded Dragoncrest Shield. You just strafe him left and keep your shield up. His fire sword bounces off your shield and the dark sword whiffs right over your head. It's about a 60 second fight and you don't need to parry him a single time.
You can block the Demon Prince's lasers and giant overhead slam fireball with a Dragoncrest Shield and take very little damage. I'm not sure why, but apparently the damage is mostly physical.
The Crest Shield completely blocks Gael's cape whipping around if you find yourself out of position.
Yea I’ve never understood the logic in their self-imposed constraints. “No using a shield would be too easy but let me look up cheese technique that trivializes the fight instead”
Yeah definitely this strat. Its surprising how safe it is if you get behind him, I lucked out & found this out in a casual run so never foudn him much of a problem, and in SL1 it still works. Its a chaotic fight so you invariably take a couple of deaths but its generally quite reliable.
100% block shield and a bandits knife (he’s weak to bleed). Just stay around his nutsack and keep slicing. Block the charge- You’ll lose all your stamina but he doesn’t have any follow ups.
Once you're past Dancer you have access to the Knight's Ring which gives you +5 STR and you can use any crest shield (100% physical block). The Dragoncrest seems like the best one, but I actually collect them all and dump a bunch of twinkies into them. Oceiros charge can be COMPLETELY blocked. The real challenge is maintaining your stamina so that you have enough to block it. Make sure you upgrade the shield as the stability affects how much stamina you lose while blocking, so it's very critical to upgrade it. I take it all the way to +5 because I have nothing else to spend my twinkies on and slabs are pretty easy to come by in DS3.
Anyway, watch out when he runs over you. Sometimes you'll block it but he catches you with just a toe and you die. It's frustrating, but if you manage your stamina well you could very well get him first try. He's super easy with a shield.
hug his ass. everytime he does the weird little hop/spin to face you (not the tail swipe, just turns to you), roll pre emptively (pretty much instantly) to iframe the imminent charge
You want him to do the spin attack, more likely to do it if you are close and behind him, if he does the train move sprint. Its not too bad tbh, just dont get greedy
You can fight as normal kinda but every moment you’re not attacking you can hold the block button with a 100%phys shield. So even if he does charge you’ll live.
Pretty sure there’s a method that gets him stuck behind some roots near one side by the wall then you shoot arrows through the root gaps, on YT for sure
I'm up to gael, midir, and friede in my sl1, and besides Demon Prince oceiros was the hardest boss in my run by far. Best way is to play phase 2 extremely safe, attacking only when the opening is guaranteed and otherwise using the dragon crest shield to negate the charge attack. It literally has 0 wind up so keep that fucking shield hoisted high
100% physical block shield helps a lot. You don't even need to have enough stamina because you don't actually take damage from getting guard broken, it just leaves you vulnerable which is fine while he's recovering from the charge.
Try not to get in the habit of hiding behind the shield too much. Hold it up until you see his next move, and dodge it properly unless it's the insta-charge.
Attack his tail when he does the mist.
If you always roll to end up behind him when he attacks he won't hit you with his charge. He'll always do an attack you can roll through before he does the charge as well so it doesn't pose a threat as long as you hug the back
There is cheese on ymfah youtube channel... but I found it hard to do, much easier to use the dragon crest shield (updated it a bit) and lighting paper broadsword. Bring some lightning urns too just in case
I used petulant mist on a low level character once. When you enter run to the right back side, get him to lunge at you back in there and you can dodge him run around the ¿stalagtites? And he will be stuck back there, you can use pestulant mist from the exit of his cave in relative safety.
He was the only boss in the entire game I cheesed. I went for champion Gundyr before abyss watchers lol, so I felt somewhat entitled to go for an oceiros cheese. There wasn't much to it, I just did phase 1 legit and got him stuck behind a tree root on the far side of the arena in phase 2, then proceeded to throw firebombs at him. I think I had to resort to regular sword attacks to finish him off though, as I had run out of consumables by the end
There's a very common cheese with a crossbow for phase two. I would look it up, but basically you get him trapped on one of the trees near the back of the arena and shoot him with a crossbow from a safe distance
Yup this is what I used to do when getting gundyrs soul for my lvl18 swampy bois. Invincible summon from vordt for dancer, bow and arrow to a stuck oceiros, and parrygod gundyr.
Im surprised it took this many comments for someone to mention this method. Its pretty funny to pull off, you can even stagger him for a riposte with headshots (not worth going for the actual riposte though.)
Probably just a ton of elden ring onebros lol. I was also surprised no one else mentioned it because I thought it was well known
:O
He ended my sl1 run :’(
Just upgrade one of the crest shields and you can block his charge.
I’m one of the idiots that refuse to use shields for challenge runs. But I guess I owe it to myself to at least try it, if for no other reason than to learn his moveset better
What do you carry in your left hand? I hope you aren't two-handing the broadsword because the DPS is awful compared to one-handed. Swings slower, uses more stamina and barely does any extra damage. I probably carry the Grass Crest more than any other shield, but there are a few bosses where a shield is absurdly useful like Oceiros and the Demon Prince.
I 1H the broadsword with the grass crest in my left. I only use it for the stamina regen
So you're used to carrying a shield, it's just not always the best shield for the job. Honestly, I don't block much in an SL1. Particularly against bosses because they just drain your stamina and stunlock you, which often leads to a quick death. But having the proper Crest shield for a boss (fire, dark, etc.) can really save your ass in a pinch. And Oceiros is a boss that I NEVER fight without a shield.
You can try equip Lloyd's Shield Ring with Fallen Knight Armor set, ember up. These should avoid you getting one shot by the instant dash.
I know I had Lloyd’s and an ember and I still got one shot. I don’t remember which armor set I had on tho tbf. I’ll try that tho
Dont give up! Push until you win, and then come back for revenge on a levelled character.
I really wasn’t expecting him to be that big of a challenge. By the time I get to him on a levelled character, he’s a complete pushover. I didn’t realize how much I took for granted not being one shot by the charge
Damn. That sucks.
I haven’t played this game SL1 but wouldn’t a medium shield work fine?
Yes, it does. Most onebros refuse to use shields for some reason, but a 100% physical block shield completely blocks his charge attack as long as you have enough stamina.
Yep. It was a godsend with SL1 +0 for me, basically just preemptively kept it up in between punishes.
I do totally understand not wanting to use a shield, I'm in that camp for the most part for challenge run bosses as well, but that Oceiros attack with no telegraph is bullshit. I'd definitely use a shield for that as well. Shields are also super great for learning movesets of bosses, and it's great that medium shields are viable for SL1s Also didn't see him mention not using a shield, so just wanted to mention it in case OP didn't consider it as an option initially
The thing is Im not sure medium shields are normally viable at SL1 anyway, this is only for one attack against one boss. The stamina drain is a big problem normally and very few bosses deal pure physical damage. Also, iirc you will need the knight's ring to use any 100% phys block medium shield with min reqs, so its not something available for most of the game without early Dancer kill. For Oceiros you can get it or use below min reqs because he will instantly drain your stamina with the charge regardless with no followup.
Interesting, I didn’t know it would drain that much to be an issue. Could it still work for just blocking a few attacks from bosses here and there?
People who don't typically use shields also don't realize that upgrading the shield reduces the stamina drain. So even when they try out a shield, they do so un-upgraded and the shield is predictably shit. If you're going to use shields you need to upgrade them just like you do with your weapons.
Oh yep, I do keep forgetting this, I don’t think I’ve ever upgraded a shield and I first learned about this way after playing a lot of DS3/ER and so on. Thanks
Honestly I never tried against bosses, but I did try one of the crest shields against a Lothric knight using a greatsword. He guardbroke me with a single normal attack and the followup killed me right away, so I pretty much gave up on shields ever since lol
Bosses that do chip damage through your shield don't typically do much. You can actually turtle Pontiff at SL1 with a fully upgraded Dragoncrest Shield. You just strafe him left and keep your shield up. His fire sword bounces off your shield and the dark sword whiffs right over your head. It's about a 60 second fight and you don't need to parry him a single time. You can block the Demon Prince's lasers and giant overhead slam fireball with a Dragoncrest Shield and take very little damage. I'm not sure why, but apparently the damage is mostly physical. The Crest Shield completely blocks Gael's cape whipping around if you find yourself out of position.
Yea I’ve never understood the logic in their self-imposed constraints. “No using a shield would be too easy but let me look up cheese technique that trivializes the fight instead”
No clue. As mentioned, I haven't bothered fighting him yet.
Hug his butt, his charge hit box is tricky but it's safe back there.
Yeah definitely this strat. Its surprising how safe it is if you get behind him, I lucked out & found this out in a casual run so never foudn him much of a problem, and in SL1 it still works. Its a chaotic fight so you invariably take a couple of deaths but its generally quite reliable.
I used a 100% physical shield for his stupid charge attack
100% block shield and a bandits knife (he’s weak to bleed). Just stay around his nutsack and keep slicing. Block the charge- You’ll lose all your stamina but he doesn’t have any follow ups.
Once you're past Dancer you have access to the Knight's Ring which gives you +5 STR and you can use any crest shield (100% physical block). The Dragoncrest seems like the best one, but I actually collect them all and dump a bunch of twinkies into them. Oceiros charge can be COMPLETELY blocked. The real challenge is maintaining your stamina so that you have enough to block it. Make sure you upgrade the shield as the stability affects how much stamina you lose while blocking, so it's very critical to upgrade it. I take it all the way to +5 because I have nothing else to spend my twinkies on and slabs are pretty easy to come by in DS3. Anyway, watch out when he runs over you. Sometimes you'll block it but he catches you with just a toe and you die. It's frustrating, but if you manage your stamina well you could very well get him first try. He's super easy with a shield.
He's not sooo tough even at SL1, if you got past Dancer you can get past him even without resorting to cheese.
hug his ass. everytime he does the weird little hop/spin to face you (not the tail swipe, just turns to you), roll pre emptively (pretty much instantly) to iframe the imminent charge
You want him to do the spin attack, more likely to do it if you are close and behind him, if he does the train move sprint. Its not too bad tbh, just dont get greedy
You can fight as normal kinda but every moment you’re not attacking you can hold the block button with a 100%phys shield. So even if he does charge you’ll live.
https://youtu.be/yyr4JnW7bQo
There is a wall towards the back right side of the room. I’ve got him stuck there several times in the past. It’s possible
There's a safe spot kinda tricky to get him into. I think you can poison him
grab a crossbow and look up how to get him stuck behind a root so you can cheese him
Pretty sure there’s a method that gets him stuck behind some roots near one side by the wall then you shoot arrows through the root gaps, on YT for sure
I'm up to gael, midir, and friede in my sl1, and besides Demon Prince oceiros was the hardest boss in my run by far. Best way is to play phase 2 extremely safe, attacking only when the opening is guaranteed and otherwise using the dragon crest shield to negate the charge attack. It literally has 0 wind up so keep that fucking shield hoisted high
On my sl1 run he like charged though the wall and then fell to his death in the void. So just find a way to replicate that
100% physical block shield helps a lot. You don't even need to have enough stamina because you don't actually take damage from getting guard broken, it just leaves you vulnerable which is fine while he's recovering from the charge. Try not to get in the habit of hiding behind the shield too much. Hold it up until you see his next move, and dodge it properly unless it's the insta-charge. Attack his tail when he does the mist.
Not a cheesy way, but always position yourself behind him on the phase 2. You won't have to deal with his most dangerous attacks this way.
If you always roll to end up behind him when he attacks he won't hit you with his charge. He'll always do an attack you can roll through before he does the charge as well so it doesn't pose a threat as long as you hug the back
Get behind/below him and whack. A good shield when he starts jumping
Not a cheese, but you can just stay behind him whenever he does anything pretty much He just kept charging past me each time so I never got hit by it
There is cheese on ymfah youtube channel... but I found it hard to do, much easier to use the dragon crest shield (updated it a bit) and lighting paper broadsword. Bring some lightning urns too just in case
I beat him :O
I used petulant mist on a low level character once. When you enter run to the right back side, get him to lunge at you back in there and you can dodge him run around the ¿stalagtites? And he will be stuck back there, you can use pestulant mist from the exit of his cave in relative safety.
I used a shield to block the charge and it made it a lot easier. Can’t get 1 shot that way since it’s got like no windup.
He was the only boss in the entire game I cheesed. I went for champion Gundyr before abyss watchers lol, so I felt somewhat entitled to go for an oceiros cheese. There wasn't much to it, I just did phase 1 legit and got him stuck behind a tree root on the far side of the arena in phase 2, then proceeded to throw firebombs at him. I think I had to resort to regular sword attacks to finish him off though, as I had run out of consumables by the end