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Argul, also known as The Deposed King, is a character featured in Darksiders II. He is the former ruler of the Kingdom of the Dead and created the dragon Frostbane until he was overthrown by The Lord of Bones, and the Deposed King was banished to a tomb under the Dead Plains. Centuries later, Death, one of the Four, was tasked by Thane to find and destroy him. After a long search, Death fought Argul and destroyed him once and for all.

Biography

Origin

Argul was ruler of the Kingdom of the Dead for countless eons, collecting rare artifacts and powerful Magics and hoarding them in his tomb. His servants included Frostbane, a Soul of the Abyss incarnated in the form of a dragon via Argul's will that existed for no other purpose than to serve him, and the Lord of Bones, who would one day turn on him.

Argul was considered utterly insane by most of creation, constantly ranting of the Four Horsemen as a coming Darkness that would spread throughout creation, similar to Corruption. His enemies referred to him as a "Mad beast in need of killing" or "Too mad to be kept on the throne".

It has been stated that Argul indulged in many strange requests, such as having Frostbane infuse some of his power into a pair of scythes known as Lifebane, for one of his dead lords. Argul was also stated to be the past owner of The Crown of the Dead.

Argul's rule came to a end with the betrayal of the Lord of Bones, his second in command. Very few subjects remained loyal to him, such as Frostbane who continued to guard Argul's tomb for millennia, and the Soul Arbiter who kept watch over Argul's crown.

It was widely believed that the new Dead King has killed Argul, but the truth was that he was entombed below the Dead Plains, with his original tomb, along with Frostbane, being cast out of the realm so that he could not draw power from it.

Darksiders II

While most believed that Argul had been destroyed, Thane suspected otherwise. He asked Death to finish what the Dead King started and put Argul down like the mad dog he was. Death eventually succeeded in hunting down Argul, facing him and his powerful weapon, the Scepter of the Deposed King, in combat. In the end he fulfilled his end of the bargain and destroyed the monster forever.

Ostegoth later offered Death a great reward for journeying to Argul's tomb and destroying the source of his power in order to avoid him resurrecting Frostbane, of which he soon did.

The Chancellor also requested that Death kill the Soul Arbiter and bring him the crown in exchange for a specific name for the Angel Nathaniel, but Death refused to fulfill the bargain even after killing the Soul Arbiter and finding out that the crown had once belonged to Argul while also learning of its foul reputation for inciting greed.

Powers and Abilities

Argul is a powerful warrior, wielding a large legendary mace and a massive icy shield. Argul can freeze his victims instantly with just a touch and will take advantage of this by attempting to smash them.

Strategy

The battle with Argul is considered by many fans as one of the hardest bosses in the game, as all of his attacks are super strong and can make quick work of the player.

It is recommended to be at least Level 15 and to have Bheithir's Talons before fighting this boss, as they do massive inferno damage, and can kill him twice as quick. After the cutscene of Argul breaking free, he always does a massive overhead swing which sticks his hammer into the ground and it will take him several seconds to wrench it out. Be wary of this attack--it will freeze you and continue to do damage even after you break free. If you have the Teleport Slash, use it as soon as you come out of the cutscene and you see Argul set his feet. Assuming you manage to dodge that first hit, Argul has several different moves.

• Argul will do two overhead hammer swings. He'll try to turn to follow you as he swings. Put some distance between you when he does this.
• If you attack him for too long, or stand in front of him, he'll set his shield into the ground and then try to shield-rush you. As soon as you see him jam his shield into the ground, dodge sideways to him, because he's going to rush straight ahead.
• He will do that massive overhead swing. He'll often lunge it, so that he'll travel forward a ways. It can freeze you--even in Reaper form (and pull you out of Reaper form when he does)--and does horrendous damage as well as a high damage-over-time effect. It can also hit you in a huge area - you don't actually have to be anywhere near the mace for it to hit. The major saving grace is that he telegraphs the swing--he stands up straight, sets his feet, and holds his hammer up. The only really safe place to be is behind him. When he tries this one, use Teleport Slash to get behind him and then attack him for all you're worth. You should be able to get in two full attack sequences on him.
• When he's down to about half-health, he'll begin to use a tornado spin; he'll look up, raising his hammer up to thy sky, then let it drop to his side with a distinctive clang whereupon he'll then start spinning while moving toward the player. This is fast and hard to dodge, but it can be done. Keep the camera focused on him but don't use combat-focus as it will limit your mobility, especially if he winds up and catches you in confined spaces. Let him start moving for you, then start dodging sideways to him. He will only travel for so far and he can't turn past a certain point. If at all possible, try to keep him on the ends of his arena so that he's eaten most of his range getting to you. As soon as he starts the setup for this attack, do a few dodges in the opposite direction to get a bit of extra distance between you.
• Also a great strategy for fighting him is when he is about to use his high damage Massive Hammer Strike, roll/dodge forward before he lands it. Be sure you're right in his face or underneath him as the direction you roll. Any other way may put you in danger. If timed right, you'll completely evade all damage or possibility of being hurt. Also it eliminates the problem of not being able to dodge away fast enough to get out of reach of his Massive Hammer Strike. Once underneath him it's easier to grant critical hits along with time to dodge away as well after he recovers.

Argul has a pattern he follows. It pretty much always runs: Massive hammer strike, shield rush, double hammer strike, and then another massive hammer strike. When his health is low enough, he begins to use his tornado spin attack before he does the massive hammer strike. The only attack that can truly give trouble is the tornado attack, but always, always fight him cautiously.

He isn't the fastest enemy in the game, but he moves faster than you think, and has a lot of reach. Also, as a general rule, he only uses an attack if you're within range. If you try to keep away, he'll slowly walk towards you until you're in reach. If possible, set your equipment for wrath regeneration, and use the Redemption pistol to build your wrath while he's walking towards you.

Another useful strategy against this formidable foe is to rely on a pair of armblades, specifically the charge attack of said weapons. This ranged attack allows you to inflict massive amounts of damage without having to expose yourself to Argul's devastating attacks too often. This technique works especially well when your armblades have a decent critical hit chance and/or damage modifier. However, note that when employing this method it is important to keep your distance at all times, as using the charge attack leaves you rooted in place for a few seconds. Follow the instructions above to dodge his attacks and get away from him when he gets too close.

Argul has a lot of health (more so then the final boss) and he does a lot of damage, so patience is the greatest weapon for fighting him. Find a pattern or a counter for all his attacks that works for you, and keep at them. A good strategy is to stick to your right (his left). This keeps you out of reach of his freezing hammer swing and an excellent chance to dodge his two hammer attack. When he's down to the very last bit of his health, don't get greedy for the kill and try to rush him. He can still end you in only a few hits, so stay patient and stick to your pattern.

Trivia

• There is a DLC called "Argul's Tomb" which revealed a great deal of information about him; in spite of the name the tomb was not Argul's final resting place thanks to the actions of the Lord of Bones.
• Unlike most other bosses, he does not have a prompt to press a button in order to be executed.

Gallery

Concept art of Argul