Dark Souls 3 Ringed City - Slave Knight Gael Boss Battle (NG++)

The Dark Soul will shine! Me versus the final boss of the Ringed City DLC. This fight was pretty fun to do, and took me maybe like 7-10 tries. Once I dropped my Dragonslayer Greataxe for something a little faster, this became cake. My Bastard Sword was my go-to weapon for Dark Souls 2, so it felt a little thematic for me. Phase 1 is just vanilla old Gael, pretty much what you'd expect from someone holding back their full power. Take the time to learn his base attacks and you should have no issues. Do keep in mind his frontal rush from far away is a grab attack. The second phase (~ 2/3 of his health remaining) places you where you originally found him. This time, he has a cloak that serves as a ranged additional attack to his sword swipes. While not too terribly damaging, it does give him added reach, so try not to roll in the same direction as his swings. He'll also start to pull out a ranged crossbow on you, Bloodborne style. The final phase (~ 1/3 health left) is when he'll stand still for a bit and release a ton of souls outward. When these souls hit the ground, they will eventually be struck by lighting. Beyond that, he gets a few more follow-ups to his attacks. Gael is also vulnerable to bleed damage, so use that to your advantage. He can be poisoned, too.