| Wandering Nobles are among the weakest opponents you'll face, as well as the most ubiquitous-they can be found in nearly every area from the beginning of the game to the end, and unlike other fodder enemies such as Commoners, they're neither particularly devious with their tactics nor nuanced in their behavior. Most Wandering Nobles won't go out of their way to look for trouble, and are usually content to leave you alone if you show them the same courtesy, even in situations where they are hostile to you, it's often simply not worth your time or resources to fight them because they pose no significant threat and will rarely drop anything other than Rowa Fruit or Ruin Fragments (the nobles wielding Straight Swords and Thrusting Swords can drop their weapons, but these aren't significantly better than any other armaments obtainable in the early game).
Wandering Nobles have paper-thin defense and so little health that they usually won't survive long enough for status ailments to take effect against them, so if you do have a reason to challenge them, one or two light melee attacks will get the job done. Spells and Skills are wasted on these enemies unless you're expressly farming them for their equipment or crafting materials, although inexpensive and easily replaceable projectiles like basic arrows and crossbow bolts are useful for picking off individuals without rushing headlong into a large group.
Wandering Noble (Unarmed) Unarmed nobles will either flee from you when they see you or cower on the spot and wait for you to leave. They're completely helpless, so it's up to you whether to spare or slaughter them.
Wandering Noble (Sword) These nobles wield long slender Straight Swords. They'll defend themselves when cornered, but generally won't attack you simply for passing through their vicinity, nor will they give chase if you leave the area after they've detected you. In combat, they'll shamble listlessly from side to side while occasionally performing slow, awkward slashes and thrusts which are heavily telegraphed and generally easy to avoid. They aren't much of a threat without Kaiden Mercenaries or local soldiers to protect them, so feel free to dispatch them using any means available once you've dealt with their escorts.
Wandering Noble (Thrusting Sword) Nobles carrying Thrusting Swords are capable of a single slow horizontal slash and a series of up to three forward thrusts, all of which have long windup animations that leave plenty of time for you to dodge them on reaction. These foes move with the same geriatric lethargy as their counterparts, and are just as easily dispatched in any manner you see fit.
Wandering Noble (Bannerman) Bannermen wear noticeably different clothing from other nobles and can be immediately identified by the large, tattered flags they carry. They have no weapons and are incapable of attacking you directly, but are always accompanied by at least a small group of armed nobles and usually either Kaiden Mercenaries or soldiers of the current region's ruling faction, whom they will rally by sounding their hon if they detect you. When facing large processions of these enemies, eliminate the bannermen first, preferably using ranged attacks.
Wandering Noble (Treasure Chest) Nobles carrying treasure chests are an extremely rare sight, and are only encountered in a small number of fixed locations throughout the world. They are unarmed and will always flee, once they establish a bit of distance from you, they will attempt to conceal themselves using an invisibility perfume which makes them undetectable beyond a radius of approximately four meters. Defeating them will yield a consumable rune item of moderate value, but only on the first kill.
Wandering Noble (Torch) These nobles have no real weapons, and their only means of defending themselves is by desperately swinging their torches at you or holding them out at arm's length in an attempt to ward you away. In the latter case, the torch can continuously hit you until the nobleman withdraws it and returns to their neutral animation, so avoid walking into it or you'll take damage, Simply wait for them to lower their torch, then close in and cut them down.
Noble Sorcerer These nobles typically travel in processions guarded by other enemies. When encountered at camps, ruins or other permanent locations, they tend to occupy high perches from which they can snipe targets across a wide area with rudimentary Glintstone Sorcery. At specific locations such as the Kingsrealm Ruins in Liurnia, Noble Sorcers can become temporarily invisible, and will use this ability both to ambush you and to flee when cornered Spells are their only means of attack, and they are completely defenseless at close range.
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Noble Sorcerers are one of the first types of spellcaster enemies that you'll face off against. They can drop Glintstone Staffs, which make for a decent early game Sorcery casting armament should you need one.
Since these enemies only drop a few Runes and some weak equipment, it's usually not worth going out of your way to kill them. Due to their exceptional weakness, however, they make easy targets during traversal especially when riding Torrent in the overworld.
The Noble's Slender Sword and Noble's Estoc are some of the rarest weapons in the game due to their extremely low drop rates. They drop from the Sword and Thrusting Sword variants respectively, which are thankfully easily dispatched and farmable in most locations that they appear should you desire to add these swords to your arsenal.
Sword wielding Wandering Nobles are found very commonly throughout Limgrave and other regions. Their attacks are very slow and generally non-threatening which makes them a decent enemy to practice on if you're trying to better understand parrying or using Guard Counters.
While they may not seem like it, torch-wielding Wandering Nobles can be somewhat hazardous, particularly when riding Torrent. The continuous damage of their torch when held out can easily cause Torrent to become staggered, resulting in you being dismounted and falling to the ground, where you'll be vulnerable to attacks for several seconds.
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