Giant Lord

"Did you see him? That towering monster among them. That is most certainly their King. He will be a thing to topple, hah hah hah hah, even if I should die trying!"

- Captain Drummond on the Giant Lord.

The Giant Lord, also known as the Last Giant, is a major antagonist in Dark Souls II. The leader of the giants, it was him who was responsible for laying waste to the kingdom of Drangleic in retaliation for Vendrick's cruelty to his land and people.

Prestory
Long ago, beyond the north sea of the kingdom of Drangleic, lived a kingdom of giants that lived peacefully under rule by the Giant Lord. Under manipulation by Nashandra, Vendrick was tricked into believing the giants would cease catastrophe to his kingdom. He ventured to the giant kingdom and destroyed it, stealing their precious artifact and taking many prisoners, who he experimented on and turned into his golem slaves.

Enraged by Vendrick's assault, the Giant Lord and his soldiers invaded Drangleic to avenge his kingdom and reclaim his stolen artifact. The war lasted multiple generations until the Giant Lord was defeated and the rest of the giants were pushed back, at the cost of Drangleic being almost completely destroyed and thousands of innocent casualties. The Giant Lord was imprisoned away within the ruins of the Great Fort stronghold, chained by his hands and feet while a large stone was impaled through his chest. While the giants passed away and grew into trees, the Giant Lord survived thanks to his soul, remaining magnificent from the testaments of his former strength.

Memory of Jeigh
From obtaining the Ashen Mist Heart from the Ancient Dragon, the Bearer of the Curse can enter inside memories of Drangleic's past. From the Place Unbeknownst bonfire in the Forest of Fallen Giants, the player can enter a certain memory near the war's end right before the Giant Lord's defeat. At the end of a long hallway past two giants fighting a group of soldiers and the catapulted head of a large statue is the Giant Lord. While a slow opponent, the Giant Lord's sword deals very heavy damage should he strike the player. The best strategy is to dodge his sword before hacking away at his legs, although the player should be cautious of how long they stand under his legs, as the Giant Lord can stomp on the player. Upon defeat, the Giant Lord drops the Giant's Kinship, which is an important item for the ending, as it allows the Bearer of the Curse to gather Vendrick's giants to form a bridge to the Throne of Want.

Forest of Fallen Giants
The Giant Lord, now called the Last Giant, can be found at the end of the Forest of Fallen Giants. Impaled through the chest and restrained by chains, he recognizes the player as the one who defeated him many years ago. Enraged, the Last Giant breaks through his restraints to claim his vengeance. While slightly faster, the Last Giant still attacks relatively slow, but due to how early he is encountered in the game, his attacks hit extremely hard. While his stone-like skin blocks most damage from melee weapons, his head takes the most damage from ranged attacks. When his health drops halfway, the Last Giant rips off one of his arms and swings it around like a weapon. Upon defeat, he drops the Soldier Key, allowing the player to open multiple locked doors across the Forest of Fallen Giants.

Trivia

 * In the regular version of Dark Souls II, the Last Giant and the Giant Lord were believed to be the same character given their similar design, attacks, and battle music. This was later proven correct through the Soul of the Last Giant's description in Scholar of the First Sin.
 * The Last Giant and Giant Lord are extremely weak to dark type attacks.
 * The Last Giant's sounds are reused from the Ceaseless Discharge from Dark Souls.
 * In New Game Plus runs, the Giant Lord drops the Ring of Giants +2, which increases the player's poise by 30.
 * Despite being called the Last Giant, two giants can be found residing in the Black Gulch.
 * The walkway where the player battles the Giant Lord in is the same area where the Pursuer was fought.