Phase 1: The Dual-Wielding Pontiff
Pontiff Sulyvahn is relentless. He dual-wields a fire sword (right hand) and a magic sword (left hand), and his combo strings are long and varied.
Opening lunge incoming — he ALWAYS does this first. If you can parry, this is your free riposte. Time it to his hand dropping, not the wind-up. If you can't parry, dodge to the RIGHT.
The parry strategy: If you're comfortable parrying, the Pontiff becomes significantly easier. His opening lunge and several of his one-handed fire sword swings have generous parry windows. Use a small shield (Caestus, Target Shield) for the best parry frames.
Key attacks
- Opening lunge: Always happens first. Parryable. Dodge right if not parrying.
- Fire sword combo (3-5 hits): Roll backward for the first swing, then dodge through subsequent swings. Don't try to parry mid-combo.
- Magic sword thrust: Telegraphed by a blue glow. Dodge sideways — it tracks straight ahead.
- Dual-sword slam: Both swords raised overhead. Roll forward and to the side. Big punish window after (2-3 hits).
- Fire wave: Sweeps fire across the ground. Roll through it or get distance.
He's raising both swords — that's the dual slam. Dodge forward-right NOW. You have time for three hits after this one.
Phase 1 approach
- Stay aggressive. The Pontiff staggers if you maintain pressure. Backing off lets him start longer, more dangerous combos.
- Hug his left side. Many of his fire sword (right hand) attacks will whiff if you're on his left.
- Punish the slam. The dual-sword overhead slam has the longest recovery in his moveset.
Phase 2: The Phantom Clone
At roughly 50% HP, the Pontiff kneels and summons a phantom clone of himself. This is the hardest part of the fight.
He's kneeling — phantom summon starting. RUSH HIM. If you deal enough damage during the summoning animation, you can stagger him out of it and prevent the clone entirely.
Priority: kill the clone. If the clone fully spawns, focus it immediately. The clone has low HP but mirrors the Pontiff's attacks with a slight delay. Fighting both at once is a nightmare — two overlapping combo strings with different timing.
Dealing with the clone
- Best case: Stagger the Pontiff during the summoning animation. No clone spawns.
- Good case: Clone spawns, you immediately focus and kill it in 3-5 hits.
- Bad case: Both are alive and attacking. Maintain distance, wait for the clone to commit to an attack, then punish it. Don't try to fight the Pontiff until the clone is dead.
Clone is up — ignore the Pontiff, target the clone. It dies in a few hits. The Pontiff is winding up a combo behind you — dodge LEFT then keep hitting the clone.
Phase 2 patterns
The Pontiff's moveset stays the same in phase two, but the clone foreshadows his attacks. Watch the clone — whatever it does, the Pontiff will do the same thing a moment later. Use this as a telegraph to pre-dodge the real attack.
Recommended loadout
- Weapon: Anything fast at +6 to +8. Raw Astora Straight Sword, Irithyll Straight Sword, or whatever you've been upgrading.
- Shield: Caestus or Target Shield for parrying. Don't try to block — his combos drain all stamina.
- Rings: Chloranthy Ring, Lloyd's Shield Ring, any damage-boosting ring
- Summons: NPC summon Anri of Astora is available outside the fog gate if you've followed their questline. Splits aggro effectively.
He's below 25% and getting more aggressive. Stay patient — same patterns, faster execution. One more parry and riposte will finish him. Wait for the lunge.
Summary
Pontiff Sulyvahn rewards aggression and punishes hesitation. Learn to parry his opening lunge for free damage, stay on his left side, and rush the phantom clone when it spawns. Let Sidekick AI call out his wind-ups so you can focus on the timing.