Dragon Knight

Dragon Knights are enemies in Dark Souls II.

Description
Dragon Knights are found defending the Ancient Dragon in the Dragon Shrine. They don the golden version of the Black Dragon Set.

Lore
The Dragon Knights were a seclusive syndicate of warriors that donned armor inspired by the Dragons, who they held a great esteem towards. Despite their reverence of the creatures, they were loyal to and served Gwyn during the Age of Fire. Some knights used the scales and tail of the later deceased Black Dragon Kalameet to forge their armor and weapons.

Strategy
These foes can dual wield, though their attack speed isn't that impressive. They can perform guard breaks on the player and will take an Estus when injured. The player can exploit their distance by using ranged attacks such as Poison Arrows. Sweeping weapons with high poise damage, such as the Greatsword, are also effective, allowing the player to stun-lock them with several strikes before moving back, completely avoiding damage. Due to their large health pool, it's best to lure them out one at a time to avoid being overwhelmed.

They are very weak to lightning based miracles such as Lightning Spear.

Scholar of the First Sin
In Scholar of the First Sin, a total of twenty-two Dragon Knights are found.
 * Two are encountered shortly after the first bonfire, in the same area as the sword and shield wielding Drakekeeper. One wields dual greataxes, the other a shield and warpick.
 * After ascending the stairs, two more are found near the hammer-wielding Drakekeeper. Both are equipped with dual greataxes.
 * Taking the interior stairs behind the last two Dragon Knights and past the wooden chest, two more Dragon Knights can be found within the gazebo structure where the Dark Priestess once was. The one at the top of the stairs wields a sword and shield, while the one inside the structure carries a Dragonslayer Greatbow but will switch to a sword and shield if the player gets too close to him while they are aggroed.
 * In the open area before the two wooden doors leading to the final set of stairs, two more Dragon Knights accompany a greatsword-wielding Drakekeepr. Both wield dual greataxes.
 * Dropping down from the previous area, another Dragon Knight can be found next to a hammer and greatshield-armed Drakekeeper, before the doors that lead up to the Petrified Egg room.
 * Dragonfang Villard will invade the player shortly before they reach the Petrified Egg.
 * The final area contains a total of eleven passive Dragon Knights, all armed with either dual greataxes or with a sword and shield. Eight are lined along the sides of the grand stairway (four with dual greataxes, the other four with sword and shield, with three more in the final corridor leading to the Ancient Dragon (two with swords and shields, one with dual greataxes).
 * An aggressive Dragon Knight wielding power-stanced greatswords can be found at the top of the stairs, and will challenge the player to single combat.

All but two Dragon Knights are passive, and will perform the Duel Bow gesture upon seeing the player. Only Dragonfang Villard and the dual greatsword-wielding Dragon Knight are inherently aggressive. Neither will respawn after being defeated once.

The Dragon Knights will remain passive if the player defeats their accompanying challenger in solo combat (either the Drakekeeper, or the dual greatsword-wielder), allowing the player to pass unmolested. However, they will become hostile if the player attempts to run past them without defeating the challenger, or by attacking the Dragon Knights themselves (this also applies to beneficial spells like Warmth). Only the Dragon Knights in the local area will become aggressive(e.g., each pair accompanying the Drakekeepers, or the entire group of eleven prior to the Ancient Dragon), previous or subsequent knights will not aggro on the player unless provoked.