Flamelurker
Flamelurker
Click for his render

Description

Below the labyrinthine tunnels dug up by the Miners, within the very heart of Stonefang, a temple built by the burrowers to worship the bones of dragons is found and should any incautious explorer get too close to its gates, they'll find themself face to face with the fiery demon guarding it.

Offering his infernal spirit to Blacksmith Ed, he'll become able to enchant weapons with more Stones and even create new arsenals from Demon's Souls.

Location

Stats

Health Souls Drop
3720 22500 Red Hot Demon's Soul

Attack Pattern

  • Fire Slam - Smashes his left hand on the ground, creating an explosion. He can also cast a larger explosion by growling, rising both hands and then slamming them on the ground.
  • Retreat - After an attack, jumps away, damaging the player if he connects with them.
  • Swipe - Swipes either his right or left hand. Can be followed up by a second swipe from the other hand.
  • Pounce - Growls, crouches and then jumps at the player.

Recommended Equipment

A list of items effective against the Flamelurker that can be retrieved early into the game:

Weapons

Spells

Armors

Rings

Items

Strategies

Video Tutorial: Walkthrough

General Tips

  • High mobility is the key to fight this boss, as such a light set with decent fire defense like the Wizard's Clothes is recommended.
  • Characters with high Endurance will find themselves able to tank more damage as that stat raises Fire Defense massively with each level.
  • Attempting to dodge foward and through the Fire Slam will almost always fail, while dodging backward twice as he's about to cast his explosion is the safest way to avoid the attack, but it doesn't create an opening to punish the move in melee, so it's better to attempt to either keep the lock-on and dodge to the right (dodging to the left is risky as the Flamelurker's leg might block the character) or to unlock the camera and run behind him: the window of opportunity is small as one needs to position themself as soon as the Flamelurker raises his hand, but it'll give the chance to land a couple of hits as he's recovering from the attack.
  • Dodging toward the boss isn't recommended for any of his attack, except the Pounce. The Flamelurker will take a while to recover from this attack, so learning to exploit it will help immensely, especially since it'll become more common as the fight drags on.
  • As his health is depleted, the Flamelurker will get more and more aggressive and relentless, quickly closing distance with his Pounce attack and chaining the two-handed Fire Slam move more often. His body will also shine brighter and his attacks will deal more damage.
  • While keeping the shield up throughout the whole battle can help mitigating damage from some of his faster attacks, playing defensively without really high Endurance isn't recommended, especially since holding the guard lowers stamina regeneration, making it harder to both recover enough to guard the next attack and to counter-attack after a successful block.
  • Running away and using the architecture of the arena to slow down the boss is needed to find safe openings to use items and buffs during the fight.
  • The small pools of lava on the floor of the arena can damage the player.

Warrior

Bringing the Regenerator's Ring and Ring of Flame Resistance (and Water Veil if the build has a magic slot available) for protection and Sticky White Stuff (or Enchant Weapon) for offense, a melee character is ready to face the Flamelurker.

While all non-fire based weapons are equally effective against him, Daggers like the regular Dagger or Secret Dagger and Curved Swords such as the Falchion, Scimitar and Kilij will have an easier time building up DPS once buffed and Poles, the Halberd and Mirdan Hammer in particular, have the advantage of a long reach that turns evading after an attack safer. Katana too are a good choice for their speed. Fist weapons, instead, aren't recommended due to their short range. Heavy weapons like the Great Axe, Great Club and Great Sword are risky to use in this fight as their slow swings can easily be dodged by the boss and, even when a hit connects, the player will find themself exposed afterward, during the long recovery frames.

While Crossbow are too slow and don't deal enough damage against this boss, a bow like the Compound Long Bow is a good alternative to fight the boss from a safe range or behind the obstacles in the arena. The Holy Arrows sold by Graverobber Blige are particularly effective due to their pure Magic Damage.

Without high Strength, shield with 70% Fire Defense like the Kite Shield, Heater Shield, Knight's Shield and Dark Silver Shield are the best options, while more leveled characters can rely on the 90% Fire Damage Reduction of the Purple Flame Shield and Tower Shield (90%) or the complete immunity from fire of the Brushwood Shield. If one fights mostly by two-handing their weapon, the Adjudicator's Shield offers an useful health-regenerating buff just as long as it's equipped.

Magician

Given his extremely low Magic Defense, a spellcaster is particularly efficient against this boss.

The difference between Wooden Catalyst and Silver Catalyst here is merely preferring slightly more damage from the first or slightly more MP from the latter. The Kris Blade can be equipped to have the Magic Damage of spells increased by its passive effect.

Both Soul Arrow and Soul Ray have fast casting speed, long range, good tracking and don't consume to many MP per use. Homing Soul Arrow can deplete a large portion of the Flamelurker's healthbar in one use if all the orbs connect. Water Veil can also come in handy, even if the character should focus more on not getting in the range of the boss.

Even if one doesn't intend to go melee (for which the following weapons are effective backups), it's recommended to pick up either the Crescent Falchion +1 from World 4-1 or the Phosphorescent Pole from Black Phantom Rydell as either offer a passive mana-regenerating buff while equipped. As a weapon, the Moon Short Sword +1 in the Maneaters' arena is also a decent choice.

As MP management is a focal point of a magic-based playstyle, in case one doesn't own the Fragrant Ring, it's also suggested to save Ostrava in World 1-1 to get his Brass Telescope as it can be traded with Sparkly the Crow in World 4-1 for the ring.

Stack up on Fresh Spice and Old Spice from the Mind Flayers, the Once Royal Mistress, Graverobber Blige or Patches before the fight. It'll get harder as the Flamelurker's health lowers and he gets more aggressive to find a safe chance to consume them, so running behind an obstacle on the further side of the arena before thinking of using one is the best course of actions. The Ring of Magical Sharpness from World 3-1 is also recommended.

The Wizard's Clothes is a fine low-equip weight set against Fire Damage and the Silver Coronet in particular grants an MP boost, but the Monk's Head Collar is also a good alternative as it raises Magic Damage.

Cleric

A Faith-based build should collect the Blessed Mace +1 from World 5-1, as it deals Blunt and Magic Damage at the same time, both of which are effective against the boss, and it also offers a passive health-regenerating buff. The Large Sword of Moonlight is also particularly effective as it only Magic Damage exclusively while also scaling on Faith only. The Halberd the Temple Knight starts with is also a solid choice, especially for its range. It isn't recommended to go after the Istarelle as it doesn't offer much in term of damage or range.

If one aims to build their character around health regeneration, it's suggested to forgo a defense-efficient shield for the Adjudicator's Shield. Otherwise, the Kite Shield, Heater Shield, Knight's Shield and Dark Silver Shield are the best option at low Strength, while the Purple Flame Shield, Tower Shield and Brushwood Shield at higher levels.

While Miracles are too slow to be used during the fight with the Flamelurker, Regeneration can be stacked with other source of health-restoring equipment. Second Chance is also a great choice, but both being self-buff means only one can be active at the time.

For maximizing regeneration, the Regenerator's Ring is also an obvious choice, paired with the Ring of Flame Resistance for some defense.

Turle Tank

With high Endurance and Strength, a combination of a fire-resistant shield like the Purple Flame Shield (90%), the Tower Shield (90%) or the Brushwood Shield (100%) and the Winged Spear, buffed with Sticky White Stuff, can be an effective defense-based setup that allows one to fight the boss while behind the safety of a powerful guard. The defense boost against Fire given by the high Endurance can be further increased with Water Veil and Ring of Flame Resistance. Killing Old King Doran for his Eternal Warrior's Ring would also help with stamina management.

Hypermode

Purposely entering the fight with less than 30% of HP, while wielding the Morion Blade and having the Clever Rat's Ring equipped will grant the player an attack boost of 140%. While it can also be used while fighting melee (in which case Poles are the best suited weapon choice), it's easier to exploit for builds that fight from a safe distance with Bows or spells (particularly effective when used to buff Homing Soul Arrow, as each individual orb will have its damage increased). Second Chance is highly recommended for this setup. The Magic Sword "Makoto" can be used to deplete HP to the the treshold.

Fireproof

By stacking Water Veil, the Ring of Flame Resistance and high Endurance, one can become nearly immune to Fire Damage, but it's worth nothing that the melee attacks of the Flamelurker still deal a portion of Physical Damage.

Glitch Method (Long Range Battle)2

Video Tutorial: Walkthrough
It's possible to easily exploit the poor pathfinding of the Flamelurker to get him stucked against an obstacle of the arena, but it requires bow and arrows (to at least gain the aggro) and also Soul Arrow or Soul Ray if a character is more oriented toward magic damage. Once entered the area, run immediately to the right, behind the gigantic ribcage and draw the attention of the boss with an arrow. When he too gets inside the ribcage, run behind the spinal cord on the other side of the arena, but remain close to the obstacle: trying to catch up with the player, the Flamelurker will now be stucked on the other side of the object, unable to traverse it. At this point it's only a matter of depleting his healthbar with either arrows or free-aimed magic.

Glitch Method (Melee)3

Video Tutorial: Not-hit Run
While this exploit doesn't require any long range weapon or item to damage the boss, it does require one to draw the aggro correctly. Equip the Thief's Ring before entering the arena and walk to the right, as close as possible to the wall, to get behind the Flamelurker undetected. Get behind the first small debris on the staircase behind him, remove the Thief's Ring and draw the attention of the boss with a long range attack. The Flamelurker will find itself stucked by the debris: it's important to not use ranged attacks in this situation, as they'll prompt the boss to sidestep, fixing the pathfinding issue, but to rely entirely on melee combat, as this will only trigger him to back off every now and then, before charging back against the obstacle. It's also vital to not get greedy, as the lower his health gets the more damage he'll deal and the more attacks he'll chain.

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