Highlights

• Dark Souls 3 introduces invading NPC phantoms that pose a tough challenge to players, showing up when certain criteria are met.
• Each invading NPC has unique abilities and tactics that players must learn to overcome, such as using ranged attacks or powerful weapons.
• Players can take advantage of AI pathing and weaknesses in order to defeat invading NPCs more easily, such as luring them off cliffs or using specific strategies.

The world of Dark Souls 3 is full of challenges of all kinds. Brutal bosses, obscure progression paths, and invaders from other worlds all hinder the Ashen One's progress. However, other Ashen Ones are not the only invaders to worry about, as the game will throw invading NPC phantoms at the player as well.

These are usually very tough foes with borderline broken AI that can be quite a hassle to deal with. They mostly only show up while the player is embered and while the area boss is alive, but there are plenty of times when these two criteria are met, and these phantoms can enter one's world.

Updated November 22, 2023, by Andy Chapman: With the release of the highly acclaimed Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3 has found an entirely new audience of fans looking to test their skills against the game's many dangers. This article has been updated to match the current formatting standards of Game Rant and the demand of the player base. An additional entry has also been added to complete the list of NPC invaders. There has also been relevant information added about each invader, such as their health stat, item drops, and how many souls the player will receive once the dark spirit has died. Dark Spirits invade the player's game in specific areas when certain criteria are met. These invasions don’t require the player to be online.

11 Holy Knight Hodrick

Leader of the Mound Makers

• HP: 914
• Drops: Vertebrae Shackle
• Souls: 3000

Hodrick invades the player near the Dilapidated Bridge bonfire in the Undead Settlement. He wields a Flamberge, shield, and a pyromancy flame.

Thankfully, the only spells he uses are Warmth and Power Within. It is not advisable for low-level characters to face him in melee combat, as he has potentially high damage output. However, any sort of ranged attack can be his undoing.

10 Alva, Seeker Of The Spurned

A Mysterious Invading Dark Spirit

• HP: 1069
• Drops: Murakumo (Curved Greatsword)
• Souls: 3658

Inconveniently, this warrior will invade the player while they are making their way down to the Irithyll Dungeon along the stairs by some steep cliffs. Alva excels at keeping the pressure up in a fight, as he has methods for both close and mid-range combat. If up close, he will repeatedly use weapon arts with his curved greatsword, and at a distance, he will fire bolts at the player with his deadly arbalest.

His armor doesn't have the best poise, so one can stagger him easier than many other enemies, but the simplest way to deal with him is to lob an Alluring Skull off a cliff and laugh as he chases it to his doom. Sometimes, the AI can be broken in one's favor. Alva also invades as the player explores the streets of The Ringed City.

9 Londor Pale Shade

The Pale Shades of the Sable Church are All Undying Hollows

• HP: Unknown
• Drops: Manikin Claws
• Souls: 7,196

If the player repeatedly attacks or kills Yuria, Yoel, or Anri, the Londor Pale Shade will invade both Farron Keep and Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. They wield sinister dark magic and slash at the player with long and sharp claws. The spells they use take a while to cast, which makes it easy to interrupt them.

Furthermore, while the claws can do a lot of damage, they can be blocked with little stamina lost. Try to attack during openings created by their casting or while they are stunned by a blocked melee attack.

8 Longfinger Kirk

Member of Rosaria's Fingers

• HP: 1,136
• Drops: Barbed Straight Sword, Spiked Shield
• Souls: 7,196

This spiky swordsman enters the player's world while on the ground floor of the Cathedral of the Deep. With a plethora of bleed effects on his gear and a penchant for breaking the Ashen One's guard with his barbed sword's Stance skill, it is best to be cautious when facing him.

His unique armor can even do damage to the player when he rolls and makes contact with one's hitbox. However, to make this fight hilariously easy, simply lead him towards any nearby room, where his AI pathing will cause him not to enter and backtrack slowly instead. Use this wide window to implement hit-and-run tactics.

7 Yellowfinger Heysel

A Finger of Rosaria and Xanthous Scholar

• HP: 817
• Drops: Heysel Pick, Xanthoud Crown
• Souls: 2,180

This sorceress will invade the player in the caustic swamp of Farron Keep and is a ranged threat who wields magic in one hand and a crossbow in the other. She has mostly high elemental defenses and is immune to poison and toxic, leaving the player little in ways of counter-attack.

Though she is weak to fire, making pyromancies effective. She also lacks a shield, so melee can be a great combat method as well. Furthermore, if one gets up in her face, she may try to hit the player with her catalyst, which is an attack just asking to be parried.

6 Creighton The Wanderer

An Alleged Serial Killer

• HP: 1,403
• Drops: Dragonslayer's Axe
• Souls: 8000

Creighton The Wanderer is first encountered on the bridge towards Irithyll of the Boreal Valley during Sirris's questline. She will summon the player to aid her in defeating Creighton. This fight is simple as Sirris will do most of the work while the player can concentrate on backstabs. If beaten here, Creighton The Wanderer will later invade the player's world behind the Church Of Yroshka.

This is a tougher fight than the first. Creighton can inflict a large amount of damage with the Dragonslayer's Axe, but as with many larger weapons, it is relatively simple to dodge. A good strategy here is to knock this invader over the cliffs that he spawns next to.

5 Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild

Favorite Pupil of the Crystal Sages

• HP: 1,369
• Drops: Sage's Crystal Staff
• Souls: 7,543

Dwelling in the Untended Graves, this foe will unleash a torrent of sorceries upon the player, including Crystal Hail, Crystal Soul Spear, and Homing Crystal Soulmass. If one tries to avoid these hugely damaging spells by getting in close, be careful, for Kriemhild holds a parrying dagger and will use it upon the Ashen One and will follow up with a riposte attack.

If one is having trouble with her in a real fight, it is possible to end the battle before it even begins. While she is invading on the edge of the cliff, she can be knocked off very easily using kicks or shield bashes.

4 Livid Pyromancer Dunnel

The Wandering Mad Spirit

• HP: 1,795
• Drops: Floating Chaos (Pyromancy)
• Souls: 5,000

This petulant pyromancer will find the player as they are exploring the colosseum above the Champion Gravetender's bonfire. With a wide array of pyromancies and the Chaos Blade in hand, Dunnel is a dangerous foe to dance with. Ironically, he is weak to fire damage, so this might be a scenario where fighting fire with fire may be the best approach.

Keep an eye out for when he tries to cast Chaos Storm, not only because it can be a devastating attack but also due to this is a great opening to land a backstab on him.

3 Knight Slayer Tsorig

Engaged the Guardians of an Ancient City in a Bloody Confrontation

• HP: 1,146
• Drops: Knight Slayer's Ring, Fume Ultra Greatsword, Black Iron Greatshield
• Souls: 4000

Tsorig can be encountered as an invading phantom in the Catacombs of Carthus, near where the skeleton boulder does its rounds, and again as an aggressive NPC in the Smoldering Lake, down the stairs from where all the basilisks are. With an ultra greatsword, greatshield, and heavy armor, he is not a foe to take lightly.

In combat, he can take a great deal of damage while outputting a ton himself. Thankfully, like many invaders, he can be cheesed using the terrain. In the catacombs, one can lead him to the skeleton ball and let this trap do all the work, and by the lake, he can be lured into the lava or pitted against the nearby black knight.

2 Moaning Knight

Clad In Morne's Armor and Wielding Morne's Weaponry

• HP: 1,637
• Drops: Blindfold Mask
• Souls: 16,272

This dark spirit will invade the player near the Shaded Grave bonfire, shortly past the bridge where one first encounters Darkeater Midir. In the hallway where a crystal lizard appears, if the player chases it, the stairs will collapse, and this is when the knight will enter the world. With a heavy weapon and shield, he can be a tough foe.

Especially if the fight ends up on the narrow staircase. He is weak to lightning, which makes this battle a bit easier. However, he won't try to chase the player after a certain distance and will simply stand by the broken stairway. The Ashen One can take advantage of his stillness with any ranged attack.

1 Silver Knight Ledo

Ledo, An Eccentric Who Traveled Across the Outskirts

• HP: 2,210
• Drops: Ledo's Great Hammer
• Souls: 17,448

As the invader with arguably the most powerful weapon, Ledo will happily use it to crush the player. He can be encountered in a ruined castle near The Ringed City swamp, below where one finds Shira.

His hammer has surprising range for both its hitbox and weapon art, which makes a melee fight arduous for many. If one does not wish to duel him, he is susceptible to poison and toxic. For a particularly insulting defeat, one can even toxic him with dung pies.