The boss that doesn’t steamroll you with his array of different abilities. A nice change for a Dark Souls game.
Before going into the fight:
There are two switches, not that far from (near the closest bonfire) the arena area. By pulling them, you’ll raise two outer rings of the circular arena, where you’ll be fighting the Dragonrider, thus, allowing you to run freely and without the worrying of falling down. If you avoid them, the arena will be much smaller, reducing the chances of successfully dodging the boss.
Okay, to the fight. Dragonrider has few attacks, and all of them are melee. The only one to look out for with some extra attention would be Sweep Attack. That one can deal a hefty amount of damage to you, so just roll around him to avoid it. Use the opening to hit him. Don’t get too eager though, because Dragonrider will try to flank you with his Halberd thrust attack.
Other attacks are Overhead Smash and Shield Bash. Those are not that noteworthy; just avoid them by rolling to the direction of corresponding hand the Dragonrider uses to strike you, and try to find and close the opening with your attack.
Melee characters will fare well and the stamina bar is the main focus of this fight. That, and your survival. You’ll be rolling a lot. You’ll be dodging a lot. Just be patient and deliver your strikes, whenever it deems necessary.
