Ya, one of the later patches made death cloud ineffective against most of the bosses.

Warding will make the fight a lot easier. Or do what I do, start with second chance, then cast Warding if he breaks it (as Warding casts must faster than SC). The timing between his lunge strikes are about perfectly long enough that if you munch on grass or spices he will hit you just before you have the ability to roll so get some distance on him before you attempt to refill with grass.

I find a shield which blocks 100% physical like the steel / purple flame / brushwood shield is quite handy as a safety net. Use the shield to protect yourself from the long range wind slashes, then strafe or roll to avoid his attack with shield raised so that if you mistime the roll you protect yourself from the majority of the damage, and if you avoid the attack you have the stamina to get in a few quick blows then roll away.

If you have the ability to play online you can play in soul form until you kill the fat ministers on the narrow walkway, then use a Stone of EE to get your body back and look for blue soul signs the rest of the way up to the throne room.

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