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Location
- Chasm of the Abyss - Final area.
Description
The main antagonist of the Artorias of the Abyss content, Manus is a primeval human and an abyssal creature. He became the Father of the Abyss after his humanity went wild, but it is unknown what caused this. According to Marvellous Chester and Hawkeye Gough, Oolacile awakened him at the urging of a Primordial Serpent. Upon awakening, he flew into a rage, seeking to expand his domain while also seeking out his precious Broken Pendant. His influence corrupted the citizens of Oolacile, whose humanity was warped in turn, mutating them into ghastly creatures. His first appearance is in the Darkroot Basin, where his hand appears from a temporal portal and drags the player into the past.
Sometime before the player's arrival into the past, Artorias faced off against Manus. However, Manus was able to overpower the knight, but not before he sacrificed himself to protect his wolf compatriot, Sif. Manus, having defeated Artorias, corrupted him against his will.
Stats
| Playthrough | Souls | HP |
|---|---|---|
| NG | 60,000 | 6,666 |
| NG+ | 120,000 | 10,464 |
| NG++ | 128,401 | 11,322 |
| NG+++ | 149,698 | 13,200 |
Drops
Summoning1
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Notes
- Manus has the highest HP of any boss in the game.
- Though he has a tail, it cannot be cut off.
- He will start using his dark magic attacks once he is below 60% HP.
Attack patterns
- Sweeps with his giant hand in a wide arc. This can happen at any range, so roll back to avoid it.
- Slams the ground with his hand. Like his sweeping attack, he can hit you at any range.
- Reaches around with his hand if you are behind him.
- Performs a jumping smash that has a long range and tosses you back if you're blocking (Not that it matters as the whole area is surrounded by walls of black flame)
- Performs a three-hit combo. If you are a melee class focus on strafing him until the final hit of his 3-hit combo. You should be able to get 1-2 hits in on his back.
- Performs a six-move combo. You can escape from parts of it in a fast moving character with a good shield (+5 Silver Knight Shield, was able to back out of the combo while taking hits maybe 3-4 times instead of all 6, especially easy to dodge the last hit). With a good great shield the whole combo can be blocked (Greatshield of Artorias or Havel's Greatshield) without trouble.
- His left, oversized hand glows, and will use any three Dark magics: he will launch black orbs at you, summon them from above, or around you. Use the Silver Pendant to deflect his attacks. It is sometimes more advantageous to simply try and block the attack where he shoots orbs straight at you as it is difficult to use the Silver Pendant in time.
Strategies
It is highly recommended that you obtain the Silver Pendant before facing Manus, thus enabling you to defend yourself against his Dark Magic attacks.
The Crest Shield blocks most of his Dark Magic attacks and the Cloranthy Ring makes sure that one has enough stamina to block most of his attacks
Effortless with Ranged
From the right-side ledge in the cave just before the white boss portal that leads to Manus, if you look downward into the darkness, you can see Manus's red eyes glaring back at you. Manus can be damaged before you enter the portal, and damage taken by him remains even after you enter the portal. In short: you can take Manus down effortlessly with a bow from this ledge. Equip a bow and aim at his red eyes. Just be sure to carry enough arrows with you. Recommended equipment: Black Bow of Pharis, Hawk Ring, and dozens of Feather Arrows.
Video: Demonstration
Melee
This guy is extremely aggressive, much like the Flamelurker in Demon's Souls. You'll need a stable shield with 100% physical, armor with some good poise, a decent weapon (Black Knight Sword in my case), and the Silver Pendant if you have not obtained it already.
Stamina is key to this fight. Lower your shield to recharge stamina. Do not raise it unless he's about to attack. However, sometimes it's better to dodge his attacks. Strafe him at all times, only pulling back to recover. Note that even if you are behind him, he can still hit you with his hand. When he roars, get away from him immediately; the first half of his six-strike combo can be blocked, but he'll likely smack you around silly on the second half. When you've knocked down a fifth to a sixth of his health, he will start using his Dark sorceries. Use the Silver Pendant to deflect them. If you don't have enough time to use the Silver Pendant (casting time is about one second and the duration of the barrier is about three), either get away from his line of fire when he's shooting Dark orbs right at you or from above, or look from an opening when you're surrounded by a ring of orbs.
Take it slow with this guy. If you have Sif summoned, it may make the fight easier, since you can use him as a distraction while you're healing or attacking.
Video: Melee Demonstration
Mage Strategy
You will likely have to practice this strategy
Having these spells is recommended:
Soul spear and/or crystal soul spear
Homing soulmass and/or crystal homing soulmass
Cast soulmass and wait until around a second before it blasts after Manus. When that moment comes, cast soul spear so it hits him directly after homing soulmass. With different dexterity levels, it may be a different time in which you must cast. The reason it should hit after is so that he still gets hit even of he dodges homing soulmass. Despite him having more health in NG+, more spells being available will make the fight even easier. Make sure to have light armor to dodge. If you summon Sif he will not help much, but will be somewhat more effective than for a melee class.
Video: Mage Demonstration
