How to Defeat the Taurus Demon Boss in Dark Souls

Last Updated: March 8, 2022

When you're just starting out, the game Dark Souls can seem insurmountable. Death lurks around every corner and bosses seem impossible to defeat. The Taurus Demon you meet early on in the game is no exception. To the novice, he has no weakness, but follow this guide and you'll breeze by him. Scroll below the jump to learn how to get started.

Steps

General Preparation

1
Find the area the Taurus Demon is in. The Taurus Demon is most likely only the second boss you will face, and as such, he is hard to miss if you follow the path through Undeadsberg. Once you have lit the bonfire in Undeadberg, follow the bridge past the fire bombing hollows, up the large stairs and through the city until you come to the large tower towards the end. On the second floor there will be a fog wall; the Taurus Demon will be through the door, but beware – you cannot return until you defeat the boss, so only enter if you are prepared.
2
Prepare to face the Taurus Demon. Whichever method you choose to fight the demon with, you'll want to have leveled up your Endurance and Dexterity stats a fair bit, as you'll be doing a good amount of rolling and running during your battle. Otherwise, you'll also want to stock up on firebombs (about 20 of them to be safe), which can be bought from the merchant under the two spear Hollows in Undeadsberg, not far from the bonfire there.

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3
Enter the fog door. You'll find yourself on a crumbling bridge with a guard tower ahead and a guard tower behind you with a ladder and two Hollow marksmen.
4
Clear out the Hollow marksmen on the guard tower behind you. Fighting the Taurus Demon with them shooting at you can be difficult, and two of the methods you can use to fight him need you to implement the guard tower, so killing the Hollows is easiest. Climb up the ladder and dispatch them both.
5
Move to the middle of the bridge. At some point you'll trigger the arrival of the Taurus Demon, who will climb off the far guard tower.
6
Run back to the cleared guard tower and decide which of the following methods you wish to kill the Taurus Demon with.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Firebombs

1
Use firebombs to kill the Taurus Demon. This method is by far the easiest, but is also slightly longer than the other methods.
2
Run to the first guard tower and climb the ladder to the top. The Taurus Demon will be waiting for you at the bottom of the tower.
3
Move to the edge of the tower and look down.
4
Lock on to the Taurus Demon using the right thumb stick on your Xbox 360 controller.
5
Select a firebomb and throw it at the Taurus Demon using the X button of your Xbox 360 controller. It will explode and take a small chunk of health off the beast.
6
Quickly run to the ladder and climb about a third of the way down it. Although it may be tempting to throw a second firebomb, usually it will take too much time to throw and the Taurus Demon will quickly kill you, or you'll accidentally fall off the tower, as throwing a firebomb moves you forward slightly.
7
Wait for the Taurus Demon to jump onto the tower and back off again. The Taurus Demon will jump onto the tower thinking you're still on it, but if you time it correctly and climb onto the ladder, he will jump back down onto the bridge soon after.
8
Climb back up the ladder and repeat the process until you have killed the Taurus Demon. It may take a little while, but this method is by far the safest and easiest way for newcomers to the game to defeat the boss.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using Plunging Attacks

1
Run quickly back to the tower after triggering the boss's appearance.
2
Climb the ladder to the top of the guard tower. The Taurus Demon should be waiting below by now.
3
Move to the edge and fall off onto the Taurus Demon's head.
4
Press the RB button as you are falling, initiating a plunging aerial attack which will make your character slam with weapon into the Taurus Demon's head and take a large amount of health off.
5
Escape from the Taurus Demon's clutches. After you finish the attack, you'll find you're stuck between the fog door and the demon himself. If you roll quickly through the Taurus Demon's legs, you'll be able to escape without taking damage. If you have time, you can also quickly slash his legs as you run by. Do not try to climb immediately back up the ladder as the Taurus Demon will hit you before you can finish climbing it.
6
Sprint all the way to the other end of the bridge and back again. The Taurus Demon will be following you quickly, so when you reach the end of the bridge, you need to the again roll through his legs and run back to the first guard tower.
7
Climb the ladder and repeat the process of plunging attacks and luring the demon away until you have defeated the Taurus Demon. It is a more difficult method overall as you will be within the reach of the demon more often than the firebomb method, but the large chunks of health you remove with plunging attacks will not only make the fight quicker, but allows you to save your firebombs for other enemies.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Backstep Blunder

There is another suicide method for the Taurus Demon Boss.

1
Begin by positioning yourself near the same edge as for the previous method. Wait for the Taurus Demon to attack you.
2
Dodge through his legs and slash him a bit while staying on the opposite side of the edge (with the Demon between you and the gap). There is a good chance he will jump back, and right off the edge.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Committing Taurus Demon Suicide

1
Lure the Taurus Demon to the area of bridge where the side has been destroyed. It is near the middle of the bridge and on the left side. You may have to run back to your own guard tower and then roll through the demon's legs before you can effectively lure him to this spot.
2
Stand near the edge of the broken bridge with the Taurus Demon rushing towards you.
3
Wait for the Taurus Demon to make a sweeping attack, then roll backwards. If you've timed it correctly, and the Taurus Demon is in the correct spot, the inertia from his club will propel him off the edge of the bridge and kill him instantly. This method is fairly hard and difficult to do. If you are unwilling to die, do not try this method. However, despite its difficulty, the method has both an element of humour worth viewing it and will reduce the fight with the boss to a quick melee.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Killing the Taurus Demon with Hollows at the Guard Tower

1
Get shot. In order to do this you will have to let the two snipers at the top of the guard tower shoot you a couple of times.
2
Go on the bridge. Once the snipers have shot you for a bit, cross the bridge until the Taurus Demon comes out.
3
Weave about. Once the Taurus Demon is on the bridge, get the snipers to start shooting you at the same time that you go behind, in front or underneath the Taurus Demon. The snipers will shoot the Taurus Demon. Keep on repeating this until the Taurus Demon is dead. It is a bit tricky to do but it's hilarious to see the Taurus Demon getting shot by his own teammates.

Community Q&A

Question

I'm on my 18th run at the Taurus demon! What should I do?

Community Answer

Plunging attacks are your friend here. Avoid using pine resin for this fight if you have any left, as the next boss will need it.
Question

What sword should I use and how do I get one?

Community Answer

Buy Rapier from the Undead Merchant. Anything should be effective at this point against the Taurus Demon though if you utilize the Gold Pine Resin before the tower you climb to the Fog Door.

Warnings

The game Dark Souls is difficult and meant to be so. It requires patience and effort, so do not be disheartened if you die on the first few attempts.

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Helpful 22 Not Helpful 5
Avoid getting too close to the edge of the bridge at any point unless you're planning to make the boss commit suicide. The sweeping attack of the Taurus Demon will often knock players off the bridge if they're not careful.

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