If you decided to join the Pilgrims of Dark covenant, by following the quest line you’ll get access to Darklurker -- depending on some, one of the harder bosses of Dark Soul II.
Upon entering the area, the Darklurker will hit you with a ranged magic attack, Fire Orb. Avoid his first two Fire Orbs and rush towards him. You’ll get a room for one or two hits.
The Darklurker teleports, making the fight harder. Upon teleporting, you’ll lose player lock-on, so be careful and prepare for him to appear anywhere. He’ll appear in a puff of smoke.
This fight essentially is easiest while using hit and run tactics. Just avoid his attacks, and you’ll get plenty of opportunities to hit him. Be careful, though. The Darklurker has few attacks, which can turn the tide of the battle in a matter of seconds, so whenever you see him lifting his arms, run and be prepared to dodge.
Luckily enough, the Darklurker’s moves are easy to predict;
- whenever he raises all of his four arms, you’ll be avoiding the previously mentioned, Fire Orb attack;
- If he raises his left arm, you’ll get a taste of Soul Spear attack. Like the name implies, it’s a spear-like attack, with some homing properties. Be careful of this one, because it’s the quickest that he has in the arsenal;
- A blade of souls extends from its left arm, before Darklurker strikes out. Can strike once or twice in succession, usually a slash then a thrust;
- The Soul Greatsword slash/thrust attack happens whenever the Darklurker extends his left arm -- it turns into a massive sword. The Darklurker usually uses it when you get too close to him, so know time your moves carefully
- If he’s lifting both of his arms, he’ll open a dark portal, which acts as a catalyst to the Dark Soul Bomb attack. They’re relatively easy to avoid, so just know when to jump.
The tricky and annoying thing with this boss, is that when you get his health down to 50%, he’ll split and clone himself. For the remainder of the battle you’ll have to fight not one but two Darklurkers.
Though, happily for you, they both will share one health bar. So when there’s an opening to deliver a blow, don’t hesitate.
Of course, the main problem that you’ll encounter will be the lock-on and the Orb and the Soul Bomb attacks. Be careful of your lock-on. Avoid the Orb and the Soul Bomb attacks at all costs, as they’ll overwhelm you and you’ll be decimated.
If you want to have the edge in this battle, keep in mind this: the Darklurker is extremely vulnerable to lightning attacks. Have a Lightning Spear in your arsenal? Just avoid his ranged attacks and destroy him from a distance.
Besides the lightning, the Darklurker is also vulnerable to fire attacks. By using pyromancies, you can easily defeat much faster than in more conventional means.
If you have a bow, use lightning and/or fire arrows - those will burn the Darklurker the most.
