As players approach the tail-end of their descent of Pilgrim’s Perch inLords of the Fallen, they’ll find a lonesome archer guarding a cave leading to the Forsaken Fen. Gentle Gaverus, the Mistress of Hounds, is a mini-boss type encounter against a recurring enemy type that’s made complicated by the overwhelming number of attack dogs players have to face.

There’s no shame in getting stuck in this fight. AnySoulslikeboss encounter that throws more than one enemy at a time is bound to be unfair, but not even thisLords of the Fallenfight is insurmountable. With a clear head and a simple strategy, all players will be able to get themselves out of this frying pan before plunging into the fire that comes right after.

Lords of the Fallen: Gentle Gaverus Boss Guide

On paper, fighting Gentle Gaverus is as simple as it gets. The only real problem here is the pack of dogs that will continuously hound players throughout the entire encounter. The dogs themselves are alsoeasy to deal with, but their steel muzzle armor and sheer numbers combined with Gaverus' ranged attacks makes for a very overwhelming fight.

The best way to deal with the dogs is to use a heavy two-handed weapon like a spear, staff, or any of the grand weapons. Not only are these better at hitting multiple enemies at once, but one-handers like short swords and hatchets will bounce off when they hit the dogs' armored snouts. Try to line Gaverus and her dogs up together so they can all be hit at once with a single swing.

Almost all of Gaverus' attacks can be dodged by simply running sideways, giving players the chance to save or recover stamina for long attack chains. When she kneels down, take the opportunityto sprint behind herand unleash a quick combo of hits.

Make liberal use of AOE ranged attacks in this. The Hallowed Knight’s grenades are particularly useful here as they can hit Gaverus and multiple dogs at once. The Blessed Reflections Radiance spell is also very strong, assuming players purchased it from Molhu back in Skyrest Bridge.

When fighting this boss, it’s best to focus on Gaverus while keeping the attack dogs within the player’s peripheral vision. The dogs themselves have telegraphed attacks that can be easily dodged. Always keep tabs on where enemies are and keep chipping away at Gaverus' HP until she goes down.

Lords of the Fallenis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.