1. Block only when dogding isn't a viable option
2. Fire defence is recommended
3. NPCs work as a great distraction
4. Lighting(and maybe poison and bleed*) damage dealing weapons/miracles are recommended
5. Everything I wrote is totally useless but hey, he is slow so don't go over 70% equip load and I recommend rolling to the side rather than away from him.

Use an upgraded thrust weapon like a rapier. The rotten is very weak to thrust weapons.

You can roll through most of his attacks, I suggest rolling towards whichever direction he is swinging from and then using your atks, there should also be an npc you can summon before the fight

*ahem*
get
*drumroll*

GOOD

seriously though the Rotten is one of the easiest bosses in the entire game

only losers and fanboys say "get good" when someone simply asks for tips.

Really it's a matter of rolling and having a decent damage weapon I suggest leaving the rotten until near the end also lucatiel can be summoned and she is a good distraction and does ok damage

I use unupgraded broadsword with help of lucatiel to get drakeblood cosplay early. This boss is easier than jester thomas

here's my tip: Get a good weapon. In the room, light the oil on fire. Tally around until he swings. Get some fire damage. Over 70% is bad. Over-spamming weapon is bad. Don't be greedy. now go back and read all the capital letters in my tips.

+10 Fire Zweihander easily kills it

A scratching post legit though use lightning practically every enemy in dark souls 2 is weak to the sweet Zeus juice

I'm probably way late on this, but all dlc enemies and bosses are highly resistant to elemental damage. Best bet is to go online and summon a couple of human players.

Yes I have seen it but when he did it for me his sword released humanities at me

Yes it is?! I just picked it up at the bottom of the lift on the first left it is on a corpse against the wall.

Me too and I'm on SOTFS as well.

Wtf is an Xbox?

Part of that is because this game allows you to go to most areas right from the start but I would recommend going to the Forest of Giant first, kill the last giant, git gud with whatever class you're using, then move on to the heide's tower of flame and kill the dragonslayer and then from there, it honestly doesn't make much a difference where you want to go next, pretty much personal preference.

soul level doesn't count for interaction between players in ds2. your total collected souls or "Soul Memory" is the important part. Means the process of just gaining souls already pushes you up the virtual "multiplayer ladder". @all people who read this: get the Agape Ring as soon as possible. It's essentiel if you are interested in a balanced multiplayer experience.

pretty much what 24 Jul wrote. I recommend sl120 and not investing more than 100k extra souls on items or loosing via double death and you are good to pvp or invade in shrine of Armana (relativly lively there). Problem is if you want to stay on this soulmemory you need the agape ring and farm all your stuff from there on. The thing that turned me away from pvp in DS2... (a friend not caring about SM and dropping stuff for you could be a solution for this problem...)

right here bud

yes