Head for the one that leads downwards to find a room with a hole and pillar in the center of it.
Loot it to add aThe chest nearby is booby-trapped, and you'll be staring down the barrel of aGo back downstairs now and kill the trio of enemies lurking around at the otherInteract with the lever to open up the gate that's over in the corner, then goIf you go through the doors in front of you you'll come across a prisoner. This also prevents whirlwind attacks. Drangleic Castle was the central point and seat of power of Drangleic during the empire's height. They are probably easier to position next to the golem statues when they are using swords as they follow you more often while trying to attack. Note that the painting exudes a cure aura for a set area around it, so avoid approaching the painting. Equip a poison removal item just to be safe as the masks spit out poison (like the statues in earlier areas) and it can be very difficult to avoid the crossfire.
On the upper balcony above you when you walk into the room is a trapped chest containing Fire Greatarrows. They are similar to the royal soldier enemies in health but wield spears and shields so they attack a little differently.
Climb up the staircase next to this and at the top, ignore the turtle knight statue as it doesn't move either. The sentinels here will respawn with bonfire use and opened doors will remain open so you can see why this room can be dangerous if you open too many doors at once. The stone statues will come to life in pairs as you approach and will attack. Melee characters will want to rush the stairs and use the pillars as cover while dealing with the pairs of captains on either side before returning to the lower area and taking out the mastodon and syan knights. Don't worry about the ruin sentinel statue here as it thankfully won't animate. Inside five of the doors are ruin sentinels (same as the bosses from the lost bastille) who will be revealed when you open the golem doors. However, the small drop into the room should stop them attacking you directly (whenever they got close to the doorway, they raised their shields and backed away in my playthrough). Clever players will lure the sentinels one by one back to the hallway where the bonfire room was and use ranged attacks or back attacks as they try (and fail) to follow you. One contains an Old Knight's Hammer and the other holds Caitha's Chime and the Soul Greatsword sorcery. After falling through the floor, you will find the Faraam armour set on a skeleton on the floor. It may be better to just battle all three in the painting room (as you won't accidentally roll off the path) if you don't have any ranged attacks. A dark spirit called Nameless Usurper will appear behind you in the room with the Queen's painting. At the top of the next set of stairs you will be able to see a huge pool of yellow liquid below you to the left and a staircase directly ahead.
Don't worry about the ballistae here as they aren't loaded. Always keep a close eye on your other opponent, and move out of its attacking range whenever it approaches. In both games there are quite a few gimmick bossfights, which I classify here as boss fights that deviate from the standard "Hit the thing and dodge the bad" boss fight most commonly found. He is also another right handed boss, so rolling to the right is far more effective than rolling to the left. For now though, loot the chests in the room to obtain: Soul Vessel, Fire Seed, Great Magic Shield and the King's Passage Key (an item we will be using shortly).Head back down the lift to the three way split room and use the key on the large doors here. Targeting the statues on the right will cause all three to animate and attack. Long ago, before Drangleic; before the reign of King Vendrick, there was a kingdom of light in a long forgotten land.