The Demon Prince, the formidable boss of the Demon's Ruins in The Ringed City, presents a unique set of resistances and weaknesses that You can exploit to gain an advantage. Understanding these vulnerabilities is crucial for optimizing your damage output and shortening this challenging encounter. In its first phase, the two demons that comprise the Demon Prince, the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below, share a significant weakness to dark damage and are also highly susceptible to bleed buildup. Weapons infused with dark or those that naturally inflict bleed, such as the Carthus Curved Sword or the Onikiri and Ubadachi, can make this phase considerably easier.
Moving into the second phase, the unified Demon Prince retains some of these vulnerabilities but also develops new ones. While it is still somewhat susceptible to dark damage, its most pronounced weakness becomes lightning damage. Weapons enchanted with lightning, lightning-infused weapons, or lightning miracles like Lightning Spear or Great Lightning Spear can deal substantial damage. Additionally, the Demon Prince is vulnerable to frostbite. Applying frostbite can significantly reduce its defense and stamina regeneration, creating valuable openings for attack. Conversely, the Demon Prince exhibits high resistance to fire damage, making fire-infused weapons or pyromancies less effective.
It is also important to note that the Demon Prince has a high resistance to poison and toxic buildup, so investing in these status effects is generally not recommended. Its physical defenses are considerable, but exploiting its elemental weaknesses is the most efficient strategy. For players relying on pure physical damage, weapons with high stagger potential can be beneficial, as interrupting its attacks can create crucial windows for damage. Ultimately, a combination of exploiting its elemental weaknesses and mastering its attack patterns will lead to victory against this challenging foe.