As is expected from the Soulslike genre, Lords of the Fallen is filled to the brim with immensely challenging boss fights that cap off stretches of perilous exploration. While you’ll engage in a simple boss encounter during the tutorial, the first real showdown that you’ll have is with Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal, who will test your reflexes and patience to prepare you for even tougher fights to come. Here are some tips for how to beat her.
When you’re ready to face off against Pieta, you’ll want to be sure you’ve prepared first by using up any Vigor you’re carrying by leveling up at the closest vestige. Also, make sure you’ve spoken to the Iron Wayfarer just before the ladder leading to the ramparts where you face the boss. If you’ve spoken to him there and exhausted his dialogue, you’ll be able to summon him beside the boss door to help you in the fight. He’s great at keeping aggro and dishing out a bit of extra damage, though you can expect he’ll perish around the time you reach the second phase of the fight.
When you’re all set, engage Pieta and get in close to her. Her first phase is fairly easy, consisting primarily of slow, telegraphed melee combos that are easy to dodge once you have the rhythm down. She will, however, occasionally hold her sword up for a moment, at which point you’ll need to wait a split second before dodging left or right to avoid a high-damage beam of Radiant magic. Otherwise, wail away on her until you reduce her health to around the 70% mark, at which point she’ll slam her sword into the ground and begin her second phase.
Pieta’s second phase is considerably more dangerous than her first, as she not only takes flight and moves around more quickly, but she also adds plenty of new attacks to her arsenal. Immediately upon entering the second phase, she’ll show off the first of these new attacks by heading to the back of the arena and flying in a straight line while showering Radiant swords down the middle of the area. The windup for this attack is lengthy, though, so you’ll have plenty of time to move to either side of the arena to stay out of her way.
During this phase, Pieta will also occasionally summon two additional Radiant versions of herself, who will pick one of three lanes in the arena to perform the sword shower attack. Make sure you position yourself in the clear lane and face Pieta to be sure you’re prepared for her upcoming attacks. Similarly, she can summon Radiant knights who will do slam attacks and homing bolts on the ground that will chase you down, so you’ll need to dodge these attacks quickly or risk taking substantial damage.
The most important thing to remember during Pieta’s second phase is that it’s unwise to attack her during any of her summoning attacks or while she’s in the midst of a melee combo. Instead, focus on dishing out damage after she performs the combo, with your best opening being after she slams the ground, as she’ll stay still for a few solid seconds afterward. She’ll also have a decently long recovery animation after her dashing grab attack, so if you manage to evade that, turn around and get a few hits in.
Magic and ranged attacks can help you chip away at Pieta’s health, but due to how quickly she can close gaps, they are best used if the Iron Wayfarer or a co-op companion has her attention. Due to how much damage she does with each attack, you don’t want to get caught in the middle of casting or throwing something.
Play defensively and keep taking advantage of Pieta’s openings to eventually bring her down. Afterward, you’ll gain access to Skyrest, which functions as the game’s main hub.
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