To get to the next boss Fault needs to return to the Boreal Valley and fight past a bunch of ghost zombie swordsmen who can unleash brutal multi-hit combos. On my non-gimmick file I absolutely hated fighting these things but as a rapier wielding Luck Knight I find I can actually stun lock most of them to death. Light fast weapons certainly do shine in the right situation.
This gives me a relatively easy path to the much dreaded Pontificate Sulliman, a super-aggressive swordsman who barely gives you time to breath and has very few openings for fighting back. He was probably the toughest boss I fought on my normal file and was responsible for countless deaths. I can only imagine how much worse it will be with Fault.
In fact, I know for a fact my first attempt will be doomed since I used up all but three of my Estus Flasks just getting to him. I should probably retreat and come back later with full supplies, but I have 30+ embers so I figure I as long as I’m here I might as well burn one and summon the nearby phantom so he can teach Fault his unique gesture. And I figure as long as I have a phantom I might as well drop in on the boss to refresh my memory on how he moves.
Fault emerged victorious, first try, with basically no healing items.
I can only assume this is a miracle of muscle memory from my last playthrough mixed with a little bit of luck. The enemy really left himself open a few times and let me get in a couple free combos and that really can make all the difference.
Have you ever wondered what Dark Souls would be like as a politically charged cyberpunk adventure? No? Okay then…