Giant's Kinship

The Giant's Kinship is a key item that grants you access to the fight against Nashandra. This item is obtained upon defeating the Giant Lord, a fight that is unlocked after obtaining the Ashen Mist Heart.

Throne of Want

Before fighting the Giant Lord to obtain the Giant's Kinship, you might want to fight the duo Throne Watcher and Throne Defender. Defeating this gank boss now wouldn't force you to immediately fight Nashandra.

Throne Watcher and Throne Defender

SL1 Throne Watcher and Throne Defender, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

The duo are weak against lightning. Use any weapon you want, but the Rapier is recommended due to its fast attack animation and its reach. Buff your weapon with Gold Pine Resin or use a weapon that has been infused with a Boltstone. This gank boss presents you with few windows to get in a hit. Consider two-handing the Ice Rapier and R2 for a projectile attack (and have plenty of Repair Powder). Aim to have the HP of both enemies be roughly the same. When one enemy is defeated, it would kneel down to wait for the other to revive it. After defeating one enemy, kill the other as quickly as possible to prevent the revival of the defeated enemy.

Forest of Fallen Giants

You have two objectives. First, collect Soul of a Giant x 3 from the various giant memories. The more Souls of a Giant you have in your inventory (not storage), the lower would be Vendrick's defense. Second, defeat the Giant Lord to obtain the Giant's Kinship, which unlocks the fight against Nashandra. Enter the Memory of Vammar to collect a Soul of a Giant, the point of entry being near the Cardinal Tower bonfire. Enter the Memory of Orro to grab a Soul of a Giant, the point of entry is located after the arena where you fought the Pursuer and near the crow nest. Enter the Memory of Jeigh and defeat the Giant Lord to obtain the Giant's Kinship, then collect a Soul of a Giant. The point of entry is near The Place Unbeknownst bonfire.

Giant Lord

SL1 Giant Lord, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

The boss is weak against dark. Stay underneath him, hit one leg, then move to the other leg. A disadvantage of this strategy is that the camera won't help to telegraph the boss' attacks. Don't lock on to the boss. Practice the boss until you learn to use visual and audio cues to help you dodge his attacks.

You should now have Soul of a Giant x 5. Having all five Souls of a Giant in your inventory would significantly reduce the defense of Vendrick, but Vendrick can still one-shot you.

Location of Durgo's Hat, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

SL1 Cheese the Giant Lord, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

The Memory of Jeigh is the best area for farming souls and Divine Blessing. A Bonfire Ascetic is found near the fog wall after entering the arena. At SL1, the Giant Lord can one-shot you. A safe strategy is to cheese the boss using the (Lightning) Short Bow together with Poison Arrows and Lightning Arrows. Ensure all enemies are defeated first, wait for the giant stone head to roll and stop, then stand to the left of the stone head. Fire a Lightning Arrow at the boss, followed by Poison Arrow x 3. The range of Lightning and Poison Arrows are far enough to hit the boss. Whereas the boss is weak against dark, the range of Dark Arrows isn't far enough to hit the boss. You need to hit the boss with Poison Arrow x 3 for him to be poisoned. While the boss is poisoned, shoot as many Lightning Arrows as possible until the poison wears off. Rinse and repeat with the Poison and Lightning Arrows strategy. While equipping the (Lightning) Short Bow, you must equip Durgo's Hat and the Hawk Ring to extend the range of arrows far enough to hit the Giant Lord. As a further boost to your damage output, equip the Red Tearstone Ring and lower your HP until the effect of the ring is activated. One means of safely lowering your HP is to use a few Dung Pies until your character is poisoned. Another way is to use the Sanctum Mace, which builds up your poison metre with every attack. You can also use the Bewitched Alonne Sword, but at this point in your SL1 playthrough Sir Alonne would most likely still be alive. Furthermore, you won't be able to properly two-hand the weapon so the seppuku attack would only chip your HP. The Sanctum Mace seems to be the better option. Once poisoned, wait for your HP bar to decrease until the effect of the Red Tearstone Ring is activated, then consume a Poison Moss.