Ornstein and Smough Guide

Credit: Die Letzte

Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough

No other challenge in Dark Souls left me sweating harder, breathing heavier, or heart racing faster.  A true test of a player's willpower, Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough will crush your soul if you aren't careful. However, the satisfaction of finally beating them was so glorious that I physically danced around the room in front of my roommates with zero shame.

Recommended Gear

• Heavy Armor with decent poise
• Havel's Ring (Or just make sure you can dodge quickly)
• Pyromancy (If you have any, now's the time)
• A fast weapon (Fire upgraded would be a bonus)
• Ten Estus Flasks

Move Set

Ornstein

1. Dash Thrust - Ornstein literally flies across the entire room and tries to stab you.  This is very difficult to dodge and moderately damaging. He will continue after you no matter if he hits a pillar or not.
2. Three Slash Combo - Using a variety of horizontal and vertical swipes, he attacks the player only if they are close.  Easy to dodge and moderately damaging.
3. Spear Slam - He will jump in the air and bring his spear down hard on the ground. Again, if you see him jump towards you, dodge. 
4. Hard Thrust - This is fairly slow move for the character but heavily damaging.  If your close and he pulls his spear back, get away from him
5. Lightning Spear - A fast, ranged move that zaps the player and is slightly damaging and easy to dodge.
6. Homing Lightning Spear - A ranged move that homes in on the player and is slightly damaging. These are harder to dodge so position yourself between a pillar and Ornstein whenever you can.
7. SUPER Ornstein's Butt Bomb - He will jump into the air and land, detonating a wide electric AoE.  This attack is heavily damaging so get out of there as fast as you can when he jumps.
8. SUPER Ornstein's Electric Thrust - If you get hit by this, you can kiss your ass goodbye.  This attack has a limited range and a minimal attack box but is utterly devastating.  If you see him lean backwards and lightning coating his spear, dodge to the side immediately.  This is usually a one-hit KO if it gets you so make it your main priority to dodge it. 

Smough

1. Overhead Smash - A heavily damaging smash attack that will stun the player.  Get away when he raises his hammer over his head. Directly after this attack is a great time to get some free hits on him.
2. Charging Slam - Smough holds his hammer in front of him and rumbles across the arena, intent on tossing you into the air and then crushing you.  This attack is heavily damaging, extremely dangerous because it also literally throws you around, and is hard to dodge.  The best method is to get between a pillar and Smough and let it interrupt his animation.
3. Horizontal Swings - A horizontal swing move that either happens once or twice depending on your proximity to him after his first swing.  It's moderately damaging but the second swing can be surprising.
4. Butt Bomb - He jumps up in the air and lands on his butt with a very small AoE.  When he jumps, don't be underneath him because it is heavily damaging.
5. SUPER Smough's Butt Bomb - His regular butt bomb has been given an electrical boost creating an AoE.  If your too close to dodge, block it and most of the damage will be absorbed. 

Strategy

The first and most important thing that I found while dying to these guys over and over again was that you must have them both in your view.  If you don't know where one of them is, focus all your energy on finding out.  Secondly, you have to decide who you want to kill first because as soon as you kill one of them, the other one regains all of their health and becomes more powerful.  Whichever one you kill last, you will be able to purchase their armor later in the game.  Also, if you kill Ornstein second, you will receive the Leo Ring, which boosts counter attacks (an attack during an enemies attack animation).  This is as of Patch 1.05.  If you kill Smough (the big guy) first, Ornstein becomes giant and gains a devastating, electric butt bomb attack with a wide AoE (Area of Effect).  If you kill Ornstein first, Smough gains electric damage to all of his attacks and his previous butt bomb attack gains the same AoE.  After you've decided, try and maintain a lock on of the one you want to kill while also trying to keep a pillar between you and the other one.  Wait until the other one is busy recovering from an attack or shooting lightning at you, then try and bate an attack out of the one you want to kill.  Dodge their attack and lunge in, hitting them once or twice but no more and then run away.  Rinse and repeat.  If you get greedy, they will punish you, either leading to your death or the use of valuable Estus flask.  

Super Ornstein

Once you've dealt with Smough, Ornstein grows to an enormous size but is still quick, only meaning that he has increased range with all of his attacks.  If you have a ranged attack of any kind, now's the time to utilize it.  When he's shooting lightning at you, something that he does much more often in super mode, hide behind a broken pillar and angle so your attacks can hit him.  His lightning will harmlessly bounce off the pillar while you do this.  If your a melee character, the same principle applies, block or dodge until he starts to shoot lightning.  When he does, get in close for one or two hits but be aware of his butt bomb attack and an absolutely devastating stab that could One-Hit you.  The tell for this attack is that he leans backward right before the attack.  Roll backwards or sideways immediately.  

Super Smough

Generally considered the easiest of the two super modes, his attacks are crushing nonetheless.  However, he is slow.  When he brings down the hammer vertically, dodge to the side and put in a couple of shots.  If he's attacking vertically, dodge out of the way and wait till he attacks vertically.  I know its a pain but trust me, when you've been fighting him for half an hour, it's worth the extra couple of seconds.  If he's about to do his butt bomb, either roll away to safety if you think you have time.  If not, stand still and hold your shield up to where he is going to come down.  Make sure your shield has at least 58 stability.  You'll take a little damage but it won't kill you.  This also offers a great opportunity to pile on a few free hits.  

Notes

You may summon Solaire for this fight as long as you talked to him in the Undead Burg.  His summon sign is located where Black Knight archer is sniping you in the room before the boss.  Make sure that he's near you when you go through the fog because sometimes he doesn't follow if he's far away.