Dark Souls’ Manus is one of the hardest bosses across the entire SoulsBorne library of games, and he’s your reward (if you can call it that) for getting to the end of one of the best pieces of DLC in the history of videogames. The Father of the Abyss isn’t just a ferocious fight, he has some fascinating lore behind him. As such, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know. After all, it’s only fair to know more about the guy that’s about to kill your virtual counterpart time and time again.
However, there’s more to the world of Lordran than this vile beast. If you want to know more about the Age of Fire and how it came to be, our Dark Souls Gwyn guide can shine a light on it. Or, to discover more about those that inhabit the dying lands today, our Dark Souls Ornstein, Dark Souls Quelaag, Dark Souls Nito, and Dark Souls Solaire guides are a treat. Praise the Sun!
Who is Dark Souls’ Manus?
Also known as the father of the abyss, Manus is a primordial human. After an unknown primordial serpent, presumably Kaathe (because, evil), influences the townspeople of Oolacile to explore the abyss. A chasm of pure darkness, where they come across the ghastly beast.
When the people meet Manus, he becomes so enraged that the first thing he wants to do is take over the local area while looking for his jewellery. Specifically the broken pendant we use to gain access to the Artorias of the Abyss Dark Souls DLC. This most likely explains why Manus grapples you like Homer Simpson grabs a tasty doughnut. The abyss corrupts the locals into crazy red-eyed monsters, and the town of Oolacile deteriorates into an unlivable state, so it’s up to you to… well, it all takes place in the past so you can’t exactly save the day, you mainly act as the exterminator of the abyss and euthanize what remains of Artorias.
Manus is also Latin for ‘hand’, and you’d better get used to seeing a lot of his giant, hairy, deformed left arm as he swings it at you with malicious intent at volatile speeds.
Where can I find Dark Souls’ Manus?
Being the final boss of Dark Souls’ DLC, Manus, expectedly, is at the very end of the final area in a deep, dark cave. After surviving the sub-areas of Oolacile, you enter the Chasm of the Abyss area, a massive pitch-black cave full of deadly Humanity glowing in the dark. Despite how scary this all looks, it’s a fairly straight shot to Manus. Although you may want to bring along the Skull Lantern or Sunlight Maggot to help light the way, it’s easy to take a wrong step and fall to your doom if you don’t.
Continue downward through the chasm, head towards the Humanities floating in the darkness, and you can find a makeshift stone bridge made of a fallen pillar marked by some colorful glintstones. At the base of the bridge, there’s a cave entrance. Continue heading down, where you ultimately find Manus’ boss arena fog wall, and since he’s such a nice guy, Manus even gives you a hand getting into the boss room himself.
Dark Souls Manus boss fight
Manus is no slouch when it comes to his boss fight. I hope you like reading ‘YOU DIED’ over and over again. Having no direct type of weakness and two phases, you need to prepare to deal with the variety of attacks Manus can dish out. He’s extremely quick and hits hard, so having a large shield and a lot of buffs supporting your stamina, such as the Cloranthy Dark Souls ring and green blossom consumable item, are very helpful here.
Many of his attacks come from his large left arm, which can grab and smash you into the ground, and also juggle you in a combo for massive damage. So circling around to the left (Manus’ right) towards his staff is the best course of action when it comes to dodging. Manus lets out a loud roar when he’s about to break into a five-hit juggling combo. The best course of action here is to use that large shield and back away, defending yourself from the first few blows. Be sure to manage your stamina here so Manus doesn’t break through your defenses.
In Manus’ second phase, he starts to use that staff of his, casting dark magic of all sorts. Although you can take a chance at dodging through Manus’ offenses, there’s one item that can heavily even the odds. You can find the Silver Pendant in Oolacile Township, which deflects Manus’ dark magic attacks if timed correctly, similar to a parry mixed with the Force miracle. Again, Manus has no direct weaknesses, not with spells, miracles, or weapon types. So any benefit to defend yourself while trying to deal any damage you can.
What if I said you don’t have to take on Manus alone? You can find a small sword-wielding Dark Souls Sif hiding behind several illusionary walls in the Chasm of the Abyss. By following the spirit of Alvina through the darkness, behind even more illusionary walls, you find Sif under attack by several Humanity being protected by Dark Souls’ Artorias‘ magic shield. Quickly deal with them so Sif can safely escape the abyss with a thankful howl. Inside Manus’ boss room, Sif’s summon sign appears to the left of the area as you crashland into the fight.
There you have it, everything you need to know about Dark Souls’ Manus. If you want to step out of the darkness of the abyss and into the light of Anor Londo, have a look at our Dark Souls Gwynevere and Dark Souls Gwyndolin guides.
If you want to step away from the land of Dark Souls, we have all sorts of content for you to enjoy such as our Genshin Impact codes, Coin Master free spins, Dark Pokémon weakness, steel Pokémon weakness, Bisharp evolution, flying Pokémon weakness, and fairy Pokémon guides.