Black Dragon Kalameet

Black Dragon Kalameet is a boss in Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss.

Encounter
''' Kalameet is a mandatory boss, you will need the Jewel of Kalameet to open the gate to Manus, Father of the Abyss. '''

The player first encounters Kalameet on the second stone bridge in Royal Wood.

Kalameet can be confronted opposite the Colosseum where Knight Artorias is fought. Beyond some Abyss Attack Dogs lies a ladder running parallel to a waterfall. Shortly after moving into the clearing, Kalameet will fly through the canyon and breathe black fire at the Chosen Undead. After this attack, speaking to Hawkeye Gough will convince him to shoot down Kalameet, so players can properly engage in battle on the ground. It is not necessary to be struck by the attack in order to receive Gough's help, only that Kalameet performs it.

It is possible to kill Kalameet without Gough's help. However, doing so will take an inordinately long time and a very large amount of arrows and the player will not receive any souls as a reward.

Summoning
After Gough shoots Kalameet down, the Royal Wood (including the arena where players fought Knight Artorias) becomes Kalameet's summoning area. While white phantoms become available for summoning (usually at the beginning of the Royal Wood, near Oolacile Sanctuary), it means that red phantoms may invade again also.

Lore
Black Dragon Kalameet is the last of the ancient dragons and bringer of calamity. Even Anor Londo feared to provoke his wrath.

Following Kalameet's death, the Dragon Knights, an elusive faction of warriors, used the deceased dragons scales to forge special weapons and armor for some of their knights.

Strategy

 * One of the most important things to note about Black Dragon Kalameet is that his "fire breath" is actually dark sorcery-based. It deals both magic and physical damage and deals high stability damage. As such, instead of fire defense, players should increase their physical and magic defense or just simply deflect the fire attack with the Silver Pendant.


 * Blocking Kalameet's fire breath is ill-advised: the magic damage will strike through the shield, damaging the player. Weaker shields will cause the player to have their guard broken, taking more damage than what the player would have initially taken. Only greatshields should be used to block Kalameet's fire breath and only Havel's Greatshield can reliably block it. Other options include the Cleansing Greatshield and the Stone Greatshield, but these can sometimes have their guard broken if the player is not careful in managing their stamina.
 * Kalameet is resistant to all elements including being resistant to lightning damage (Lightning damage is supposed be effective against dragons but this is not the case, probably because it became more akin to a dark servant due to the influence of Manus over Oolacile), so it is best to avoid lightning weapons as well as offensive miracles such as Lightning Spear. Therefore, it is recommended that players use purely physical weapons.


 * With the proper timing, all of Kalameet's attacks can be avoided with fast rolling.
 * Strafing to Kalameet's left is generally safest, as it is harder for his often-used Head Strike to hit the player.

Killing without Gough's help

 * Full Havel's Armor or Stone Armor (High poise)
 * Shield with high Physical and Magic defense and high stability (Havel's Greatshield, Cleansing Greatshield, Stone Greatshield).
 * Gough's Greatbow (just to kill Kalameet) or Dragonslayer Greatbow (to get special dialogue) with Gough's Great Arrows.
 * Hawk Ring could help, but only to get farther back, since it just adds range. Better ring choices would be Leo (for counter thrust damage (untested if Kalameet’s fire gets counter damage))/Spell Stoneplate (Magic Def if lacking)/Steel Protection (Phys def if lacking)/Favor and Protection (Stamina)/Cloranthy (Stamina regen (for low stamina))/Havel’s (For that weight you’re carrying)/Wolf (If you really think you need max poise).
 * The left side of the waterfall seems to have more spots with less fire hitboxes (a few spots only have one to block with whatever shield you have.)
 * The spells, Great Magic Shield and Great Magic Barrier, could seriously help in this situation. Great Magic Shield would let you use shields with less stability than Havel’s and a lighter weight. Only problem is any time you two hand the bow, Great Magic Shield will disenchant from your shield. Great Magic Barrier could help greatly to null out that residual 10% magic damage that no shield can block down to roughly 1.5-0.5% magic damage, though it has few casts and costs a lot of faith.
 * If you have it and are willing to swap weapons every time you block, the Moonlight Greatsword adds 40 points of magic defense when equipped (and out).
 * Power Within would be a little risky for this fight, only good if you really know where to block from and know for sure you will only block one hit from Kalameet’s fire, where you will have space to heal and keep yourself topped off.

Obsidian Greatsword
Severing Kalameet's tail and obtaining the Obsidian Greatsword can often prove more challenging than the battle itself, as the dragon's tail is mostly out of reach throughout the fight.
 * The tail becomes vulnerable to attack after Kalameet performs his Tail Smash, which is triggered when player is positioned under the tip of his tail, or during the Close Range Flame, which is triggered when standing directly in front of him. Of these, the Tail Smash leaves the tail most vulnerable.
 * It is recommended to use high damage attacks such as Great Combustion, Dark Bead, or weapon augmentations when performing this strategy, since it's unlikely to get more than 2 hits per opportunity.
 * Because the tail is almost always out of reach, it is recommended to use Halberds to cut it, as is with all tails.
 * As with most other boss tail weapons, obtaining the sword can be much easier with the help of a phantom.

Hellfire Sweep
Used only if the player attempts to enter the gorge before having Hawkeye Gough shoot down Kalameet. Kalameet flies overhead and bathes the entire area in flame then flies away. He will continue to use this attack as long as the player stays in the gorge.

Straight Flame
Triggered when at long range, Black Dragon Kalameet will direct his flames toward the player. This does not track, so it can be easily avoided. Being caught in the flame will often result in a stun-lock, fatal outcome. Blocking will result in a guard break unless the player has a strong shield and high stamina. Kalameet may stunlock the player and use this attack between 1-3 times in a row which will result in a quick death.

Sweeping Flame
When the player is in medium range of Black Dragon Kalameet, he will breath a surge of his flame, sweeping it from his left to his right. This is a good opportunity to rush and strike him where he is open, but blocking is also possible.

Close Range Flame
When the player is under Kalameet's head, he will stand on his back legs and breath fire in a large area right in front of him. A safe spot is to rush under his head or between his legs.

Rising Inferno
Triggered when the player is very close and is one of Black Dragon Kalameet's most devastating attacks. He will fly upwards into the air and hover, before breathing fire directly below him. The flame spreads in a circular pattern from the impact point and deals an extreme amount of damage. Running away is recommended, although blocking is also possible with greatshields. Shields will take two hits in close proximity and a single hit further away.

This can be particularly frustrating, due to the lock-on breaking right at the edge of the danger zone. This causes players trying to run away to turn back into the line-of-fire, or blocking players to turn their backs to the flames. The best way to prevent the lock-on from breaking is to back away from Kalameet as soon as possible. Blocking players may choose to simply stand their ground to avoid breaking the lock. This can also be avoided by simply unlocking and running, or continually rolling away when Kalameet shows signs of the attack.

Flame Feint
Kalameet will lunge past the player and once behind them turn around to sweep the area in front of him with fire. When Kalameet lunges however he will usually go far past the player, making the latter part of the attack harmless. Players can take this opportunity to heal or cast spells. If the player stands in the way when Kalameet lunges they can still take considerable damage from the collision.

If a wall is behind the player, it will stop Black Dragon Kalameet's progress, leaving him in the player's near vicinity. This is extremely unsafe, as it will put the player in a position where escaping the flame is not possible.

Head Strike
When the player is near, Kalameet will swing with his head from his right side to his left, using his snout as a spear. He may afterwards follow up with a swing in the reverse direction. This can be blocked, however. Due to Kalameet's long neck, the second swing has a tendency to strike the player in the back if they are too close.

His right flank is safe during this and leaves him open for attack.

Foot Stomp
When the player is too close to Kalameet's anterior underside, he will stomp his feet. These stomps don't reach out to the player, so just not being directly under Black Dragon Kalameet is enough to avoid this attack.

Tail Smash
Black Dragon Kalameet will attempt to crush players with his tail if they remain underneath or behind him long enough. Kalameet's tail will remain on the ground for several seconds, providing one of the best opportunities to cut his tail off.

Rush Strike
Similar to the Head Strike, but without the follow up and covers a greater distance; Black Dragon Kalameet will lunge forward, swiping the player with his head and claw. This attack can be surprising, as he throws it very fast and from a rather long distance. Blocking is possible, but will greatly push the player back.

Evasive Tail Whip
Black Dragon Kalameet will speedily rotate in a full circle, swinging his tail at the player while jumping away. The actual tail sweep comes late, making difficult to time dodges correctly.

This is similar to Great Grey Wolf Sif's attack.

Swooping Charge
Black Dragon Kalameet will rise off the ground before charging at the player. Players can take damage from the swoop itself, by being under Black Dragon Kalameet when he lands, or by both in succession.

Kalameet is most likely to use Tail Smash or Tail Sweep after this attack.

Mark of Calamity
Black Dragon Kalameet's signature move. He will rise on his hind legs while the crest on his head glows intensely and produces a high frequency noise. If captured the player will then levitate in front of Kalameet and receive some damage. Afterwards, the player will have the Mark of Calamity for about 60 seconds, during which they will receive twice as much damage. Players can avoid this by running away as soon as he begins to stand.

Trivia

 * While the crest on Kalameet's head is referred to as an eye and consequentially being called the "one-eyed black dragon", Kalameet in fact has two "normal" red eyes on either side of his head. This is never addressed in-game.
 * If you kill him without Gough's help, there is a special Dialogue.
 * He is theorized to have been what the Millwood Knights referred to as the Abyss Dragon: despite the existence of Midir, it is also true that Kalameet show evident sign of Abyssal corruption: aside from dark and oily scales, which are resistant to Lightning damage (usually the bane of all Dragons) its central eye glows of a sickly orange light and its breath is a flame which cause physical damage just like all abyssal sorceries.