Iudex Gundyr

Iudex Gundyr is a minor antagonist and the first boss encountered in Dark Souls III.

Iudex Gundyr
Gundyr was an Ashen One who arrived too late to the Firelink Shrine without fire and a bell that would not toll. Gundyr decided to instead guard the entrance to the Shrine, waiting for another Ashen One to be summoned by the bell. When another was eventually summoned, Gundyr was bested and became a shealth to the Coiled Sword, impaled within his chest, judging the arrival of a chosen unkindled one. But sometime during his judging way, Gundyr was corrupted by a Pus of Man.

Many years later when the player Ashen One is summoned by the bell, Gundyr can be found at the end of the Cemetary of Ash near the entrance to the Firelink Shrine. He is in a kneeling position and unable to be interacted with until the Coiled Sword is pulled from his chest. Once it is removed, Gundyr rises to his feet to face the player.

Gundyr attacks by swinging his halberd at the player, occasionally performing combos with his attacks. Staying too far away from Gundyr is not recommended as he can unleash a quick charge that homes in on the player. While his attacks hit quite hard, most of them are slow and can be telegraphed easily. Staying at a small distance from him makes dodging his attacks easier, allowing the player to counterattack.

Once Gundyr's health has been depleted, the Pus of Man emerges from his body to attack the player itself. While it has a higher damage output, the phase has poor tracking, making it very easy to get behind him to where none of his attacks can reach the player.

Once Gundyr goes down, the doors of the Firelink Shrine can be opened. Planting the Coiled Sword in the center fireplace grants the ability to warp between bonfires.

Champion Gundyr
Found in the Untended Graves located past a hidden wall after defeating Oceiros in the Consumed King's Garden, the Ashen One encounters none other than Gundyr, taking place back when he was at his max strength, Champion Gundyr.

Unlike before, Gundyr will immediately become active once the player enters the arena. While fighting similarly to his first fight, Gundyr is far more aggressive as he attacks quicker, hits harder, and has a larger moveset using both his halberd and physical moves, such as a kick when the player is behind him. His second phase is now a barrage of even more aggressive attacks that quickly combo the player to death.

The best strategy to defeat Champion Gundyr is similar to the strategy with Iudex Gundyr, keeping a good distance away from him, attacking him after he finishes his combos. He is susceptible to being parried, allowing the player to ripost him for high damage. Once Champion Gundyr goes down, the player can enter the past Firelink Shrine and obtain the Eyes of a Fire Keeper, an important item to unlock one of the endings to the game.

Trivia

 * Gundyr can be staggered by hitting him enough times, but the player is not allowed to make a visceral attack for massive damage.
 * Iudex is Latin for "judge".
 * During the brief period where Gundyr is standing and his health bar appearing, shooting him in the head with a bow glitches Gundyr to become permanently frozen in place until he dies. This glitch does not work for Champion Gundyr.
 * Another glitch can occur during the battle with Champion Gundyr where summons can get stuck in the large coffin in the back of the arena. If Gundyr targets the summon, there is a chance that he falls through the map and dies.