[Dark Souls II] How To Beat Elana, the Squalid Queen

This battle took place during NG++ This is a really tough battle but if you're lucky, it might just go your way. I recommend equipping your strongest weapon as you won't have to attack very quickly most of the time and you could really use the power in this battle. As soon as you enter the fog gate, rush up to Elana and hit her 2-3 times depending on the speed of your weapon (I used a great sword and safely hit her 3 times). After that, she becomes a wildcard, and sifts through her repertoire randomly. Her magic attacks are easy to avoid and usually have a pretty obvious tell just before it hits you: -She will shoot a horizontal arrangement of dark magic orbs that can be avoided by either positioning yourself within the gaps between the orbs or by simply running/rolling away from the attack altogether -She will shoot 3 dark orbs in succession that can be avoided by rolling sideways or simply running to the side -She will summon red explosive fire orbs (sometimes more than one). They will start out as a glowing dot and become bigger as they're just about to explode. Very easy to avoid by simply running away from the dots before they explode. -She has an AOE dark magic attack that can be spotted when her staff glows bright. You simply need to stay away from her when this happens -After the 50% health mark, she will summon 3 homing dark orbs above her head. It will take about 5 seconds before she sends them your way, but these can be avoided by running constantly to the side. Her physical attacks can be avoided by simply rolling behind her. She has a 1-hit, 2-hit, and 3-hit combo, so be vigilante. The absolute WORST part of this battle is that she can summon 3 possible enemies to aid her. 1. VELSTADT, THE ROYAL AEGIS!!!! That big honking bell ringing doofus in the Undead Crypt can make an appearance in this battle, and if he does, you will most likely die a painful death. Although his health is a joke compared to his actual boss battle, it's the fact that you have to juggle two very powerful bosses at the same time which is extremely difficult especially considering that Elana has both magic and physical attacks that wield quite a bit of damage. It is possible to do it though, just expect a hard fight! Try to lure them away from each other as much as you can if you decide to go for it. 2. She will summon 3 sword and shield skeletons. These guys aren't so bad, but try not to get distracted too much by them or else Elana will get the best of you. Try to eliminate them while Elana is busy using a magic attack. 3. She will summon 3 Enslaved Pigs, those little tiny pigs you find in Majula. This is the best possible scenario. Although it's rare, if she does happen to summon these guys, DO NOT KILL THEM! Chances are she will stop summoning enemies altogether and you'll have yourself a very easy battle as you won't have to worry about additional enemies. Killing her on NG will net you 54,000 souls and Soul of Elena, Squalid Queen.