DARK SOULS III: Complete Guide

This guide covers Dark Souls III from the first bonfire to the Soul of Cinder and both DLCs: stats, starting classes, build archetypes with real weapons and spells, area and boss order, missable NPC quests, the three endings, and what to know about PC online play.

Researched September 2026. Current as of App Ver. 1.15.2 / Regulation Ver. 1.35 (the final PC patch, January 2023). PC online features were restored in August 2022. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Any class works; Knight is the easiest start. Best starting stats and a shield with 100% physical block. Deprived is a challenge pick, not a trap.
• Burn Undead Bone Shards and collect Estus Shards. Give Estus Shards to Andre the Blacksmith to get more flasks, and burn Undead Bone Shards at the Firelink Shrine bonfire to make each flask heal more.
• Vigor first. For a first playthrough, getting Vigor into the mid-20s early is the best survival upgrade in the game.
• Upgrade one weapon. Titanite is limited early. Pick one main weapon and put your Titanite Shards into it instead of spreading them around.
• Stay under 70% equip load. Above that your roll becomes slow and heavy. Lighter is faster.
• Don't hoard Embers. Using an Ember boosts max HP and enables summoning. It's often worth using one before a boss.
• Summon for hard bosses. White summon signs near the fog gate (requires being Embered) add co-op help. It's not cheating.
• Don't overspend souls early. Level-ups, Titanite from the Shrine Handmaid, and key shop items matter more than cosmetics.
• Talk to every NPC twice. Many quests progress only by exhausting dialogue or visiting at the right time.
• Rest at bonfires often. Enemies respawn, but you get full Estus, and it sets your respawn point.

Stats and Soft Caps

Stat | What it does | Practical target

Vigor | HP, frost resistance | ~27 for a first run, 40+ for late game and PvP

Attunement | FP and spell slots | Only for casters. Slots at 10, 14, 18, 24, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80

Endurance | Stamina | Up to ~40 for melee builds

Vitality | Equip load | Enough to stay under 70% with your gear

Strength | Damage scaling, weapon requirements | 40 for STR builds (returns drop after)

Dexterity | Damage scaling, casting speed | 40 for DEX builds

Intelligence | Sorcery, pyromancy, dark and magic weapons | 40–60 for sorcerers

Faith | Miracles, pyromancy, lightning and dark | 40–60 for clerics

Luck | Bleed and poison buildup, item discovery | Only for Hollow and bleed builds

A common "online meta" soul level is around SL 120 with weapons at +10 (or +5 for boss-soul and unique weapons), which is where most co-op and PvP matchmaking happens.

Starting Classes

Class | Good for | Note

Knight | First playthrough, STR or quality | Best overall starting stats and gear

Mercenary | DEX | Starts with Sellsword Twinblades

Warrior | STR | High Strength start

Herald | Faith and melee hybrid | Spear, Kite Shield, and the Heal Aid miracle

Thief | DEX, bleed, Luck | Starts with a bow

Assassin | DEX and sorcery hybrid | Starts with Spook

Sorcerer | Pure INT | Soul Arrow and Heavy Soul Arrow

Pyromancer | Pyromancy (INT and Faith) | Pyromancy Flame from the start

Cleric | Pure Faith | Mace plus the Heal and Force miracles

Deprived | Challenge runs | SL 1 start with only a Club and Plank Shield

Burial Gifts

Popular choices are the Life Ring (more HP), Fire Gem (early fire infusion), and Divine Blessing (full heal). The Young White Branch and Cracked Red Eye Orb are more situational.

Weapon Upgrades and Infusions

• Regular weapons go to +10 using Titanite Shards, Large Titanite Shards, Titanite Chunks, and a Titanite Slab.
• Unique and boss weapons go to +5 using Twinkling Titanite and a Titanite Slab.
• Boss souls can be traded to Ludleth of Courland (Firelink Shrine) for weapons, spells, and rings.
• Infusions: give Coals to Andre to unlock infusion types, then use gems (Heavy, Sharp, Refined, Crystal, Fire, Chaos, Lightning, Dark, Deep, Poison, Blood, Raw, Blessed, Hollow, Simple) to change a weapon's scaling or element.
• Heavy for STR, Sharp for DEX, Refined for both, Crystal for INT, Lightning or Blessed for Faith.

Build Archetypes

Quality (STR and DEX)

• Weapons: Claymore (High Wall of Lothric), Lothric Knight Sword, Farron Greatsword (Abyss Watchers soul).
• Stats: Vigor 30–40, Endurance 30–40, STR 40, DEX 40.
• Infusion: Refined, or keep standard with high STR/DEX.

Strength

• Weapons: Greatswords and ultra-greatswords, great clubs, and the Black Knight weapons.
• Stats: STR 40–60, Vigor 40.
• Infusion: Heavy.

Dexterity

• Weapons: Sellsword Twinblades, katanas, curved swords, the Estoc and rapiers.
• Stats: DEX 40–60, Vigor 30–40.
• Infusion: Sharp. Bleed builds use Luck and Hollow infusion instead.

Sorcery (INT)

• Trainer: Orbeck of Vinheim (found in Road of Sacrifices, moves to Firelink Shrine).
• Spells: Heavy Soul Arrow, Great Heavy Soul Arrow, Great Farron Dart, Crystal Soul Spear, Farron Flashsword.
• Catalyst: Court Sorcerer's Staff, Sage's Crystal Staff.
• Stats: INT 40–60, Attunement 20–30.

Pyromancy

• Trainer: Cornyx of the Great Swamp (rescued in the Undead Settlement).
• Spells: Great Combustion, Fire Surge, Great Chaos Fire Orb, Poison Mist, Power Within.
• Catalyst: Pyromancy Flame (upgraded at Andre with Titanite). Scales with both INT and Faith.

Faith

• Trainer: Irina of Carim (rescue her, then have her trained with the tomes you find).
• Spells: Lightning Spear, Sunlight Spear, Lightning Blade, Blessed Weapon, Sacred Oath.
• Weapons: Lightning-infused melee weapons or dedicated faith weapons.
• Stats: Faith 40–60, Attunement 20–30.

Key Rings Worth Grabbing

Rings are some of the biggest power spikes in the game, and several are easy to miss. Effects and locations below follow the Fextralife ring pages.

Ring | Effect | Where

Life Ring | +7% max HP | Burial gift, or buy from the Shrine Handmaid

Chloranthy Ring | Faster stamina recovery | Undead Settlement, in the Fire Demon area you clear with Siegward

Lloyd's Sword Ring | +10% attack while HP is full | Cathedral of the Deep

Carthus Milkring / Carthus Bloodring | +3 DEX and hides you while rolling / longer roll invincibility at the cost of absorption | Catacombs of Carthus

Covetous Silver Serpent Ring | +10% souls from kills | Firelink Shrine, behind an illusory wall

Silvercat Ring | Negates non-lethal fall damage | Reward from Sirris after the Creighton invasion

Ring of Favor | Small boosts to HP, stamina, and equip load | Irithyll, guarded by Sulyvahn's Beasts

Sun Princess Ring | Slow HP regeneration | Anor Londo, after Aldrich

Havel's Ring | +15% equip load | Ludleth trade for the Soul of a Stray Demon

Prisoner's Chain | +5 Vigor, Endurance, and Vitality, but lower absorption | Ludleth trade for the Soul of Champion Gundyr

Casters: the Sorcerer starts with the Young Dragon Ring (+12% sorcery) and the Pyromancer with the Great Swamp Ring (+12% pyromancy). Faith builds should pick up Morne's Ring in the Road of Sacrifices and the Ring of the Sun's First Born in Irithyll.

Online Play and Embers

• Embered state: using an Ember (or defeating a boss) restores your full HP bar and lets you use and place summon signs. It also makes you invadable.
• White Sign Soapstone places your co-op sign. You earn Embers and souls when you help a host defeat an area boss.
• Red Sign Soapstone and the Cracked Red Eye Orb are for PvP invasions. Expect invaders in popular areas like the High Wall and Farron Keep.
• Password matchmaking: set the same multiplayer password in the network settings to find a specific friend, even across a soul level gap.
• Sunlight Medals and other covenant items come from co-op and covenant play, and some covenants reward spells and rings.

Area and Boss Order

Main path:

Area | Boss

Cemetery of Ash | Iudex Gundyr

High Wall of Lothric | Vordt of the Boreal Valley

Undead Settlement | Curse-Rotted Greatwood (technically optional, but it drops the Transposing Kiln that Ludleth needs for boss-soul trades)

Road of Sacrifices | Crystal Sage

Cathedral of the Deep | Deacons of the Deep

Farron Keep | Abyss Watchers (Lord of Cinder)

Catacombs of Carthus | High Lord Wolnir

Smouldering Lake | Old Demon King (optional)

Irithyll of the Boreal Valley | Pontiff Sulyvahn

Profaned Capital | Yhorm the Giant (Lord of Cinder)

Anor Londo | Aldrich, Devourer of Gods (Lord of Cinder)

High Wall of Lothric (return) | Dancer of the Boreal Valley (triggers after you've beaten three Lords of Cinder, usually right after Aldrich; killing Emma triggers it early)

Lothric Castle | Dragonslayer Armour

Consumed King's Garden | Oceiros, the Consumed King (optional, but the way to Untended Graves and the End of Fire ending runs through his arena)

Untended Graves | Champion Gundyr (optional, hidden area)

Archdragon Peak | Ancient Wyvern, Nameless King (both optional)

Grand Archives | Lorian, Elder Prince & Lothric, Younger Prince (Lord of Cinder)

Kiln of the First Flame | Soul of Cinder (final boss)

DLC

• Ashes of Ariandel: talk to Slave Knight Gael at the Cleansing Chapel bonfire in the Cathedral of the Deep. Bosses: Champion's Gravetender & Gravetender Greatwolf (optional), Sister Friede. Recommended around the Irithyll stage or later.
• The Ringed City: use the new bonfire in the Kiln of the First Flame (before the Soul of Cinder), or the bonfire in the Ariandel chapel after Sister Friede. Recommended at around SL 100–120. Bosses: Demon in Pain & Demon from Below leading into the Demon Prince, Halflight, Spear of the Church, Darkeater Midir (optional), and Slave Knight Gael. Play Ariandel first for the story.

Boss Tips

• Iudex Gundyr: stay close and punish combos. When he transforms, fight aggressively and don't let the black goo phase drag on.
• Vordt: attack his back legs and rear. Frost buildup is dangerous, so roll through charges.
• Abyss Watchers: the red-eyed Watcher fights the others in phase 1, so let him. Phase 2 is aggressive, so dodge through the fire trails.
• Pontiff Sulyvahn: parrying works. Dodge toward him, not away. In phase 2, kill the clone quickly or keep your distance.
• Yhorm: use Storm Ruler (in his arena). Hold the weapon art to charge, then release.
• Dancer: stay close and roll into her swings, toward her body.
• Nameless King: in phase 1, attack the dragon's head. In phase 2, roll into his sword swings late.
• Soul of Cinder: changes styles (sword, sorcery, curved sword, lance, miracle). The final phase uses Gwyn's moveset, and it can be parried.

Missables and NPC Quests

• Siegward of Catarina: meet him at several points (Undead Settlement, Irithyll, Profaned Capital) and progress his quest to help with Yhorm.
• Anri of Astora and Horace: required for the Usurpation of Fire ending. Follow Anri's path through the Road of Sacrifices, Catacombs, and Irithyll.
• Greirat: a thief in High Wall who can be sent pillaging. Sending him too late or at the wrong time can get him killed.
• Sirris: tied to the Sunless Realms questline, with a summon for some bosses.
• Yoel and Yuria of Londor: Yoel (Road of Sacrifices) gives Dark Sigils. Ask him to "draw out true strength" 5 times before you kill the Abyss Watchers. He dies early if you enter the Catacombs of Carthus before finishing, so do it first.
• Eyes of a Fire Keeper: found in Untended Graves, needed for the End of Fire ending.
• Trainers: buy the spells you want from Orbeck, Cornyx, Irina, and Karla before doing anything that could get them killed or make them leave.

Endings

Ending | Requirement

To Link the First Flame | Default ending after defeating the Soul of Cinder

The End of Fire | Find the Eyes of a Fire Keeper in Untended Graves (reached through Oceiros's arena), give them to the Fire Keeper and exhaust her dialogue, then summon her after the Soul of Cinder fight

The Usurpation of Fire | Get 5 Dark Sigils from Yoel of Londor ("draw out true strength") before killing the Abyss Watchers. Complete Anri's questline (kill Horace in the Smouldering Lake cave, then choose "Tell Anri of Smouldering Lake"), then do the wedding in the Darkmoon Tomb (3 more sigils). Never cure your Hollowing at the Fire Keeper. Interact with the First Flame holding 8 Dark Sigils

Unkindled variant | Do the End of Fire steps, then kill the Fire Keeper at the end of the cutscene. No achievement

Covenants

Covenant | What it does

Way of Blue / Blue Sentinels | Get help or defend others against invaders

Warrior of Sunlight | Co-op summoning

Blade of the Darkmoon | Defend Way of Blue members

Mound-makers | Chaotic co-op and invasion

Rosaria's Fingers | Invasion

Watchdogs of Farron | Defend Farron Keep

Aldrich Faithful | Defend Anor Londo

Spears of the Church (Ringed City) | Defend the Halflight arena

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Neglecting Vigor. A glass-cannon first playthrough makes every boss harder.
• Upgrading too many weapons. Titanite is limited early.
• Rolling away from attacks. Most attacks are easier to dodge by rolling into or past the enemy.
• Overloading equip load. A heavy roll gets you killed.
• Missing NPC quest steps. Read the wiki if you want every ending.
• Keeping Embers unused forever. Use them before bosses for extra HP and summons.
• Trading boss souls before checking all their options. Some bosses have several weapon and spell options at Ludleth (you need the Transposing Kiln from the Curse-Rotted Greatwood first).

Advanced Tips

• Parry and riposte: many humanoid enemies and some bosses (Pontiff, the Soul of Cinder's final phase) can be parried.
• Hyperarmor: many heavy weapons have poise during attacks. Use it to trade hits.
• Stamina management: never empty your stamina bar completely. Leave enough to roll.
• Weapon arts: learn your weapon's weapon art (FP cost). Some, like Storm Ruler, change fights.
• Ashen Estus allocation: casters should visit Andre to split flasks between Estus and Ashen Estus.
• Use the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring for more souls while farming.

FAQ

Are PC online features working? Yes. They were restored in August 2022 after a security issue. The final patch is App Ver. 1.15.2 / Regulation 1.35.

Which starting class is best? Knight for most first runs. Pick Pyromancer or Sorcerer if you want a caster.

How do I get more Estus? Collect Estus Shards and give them to Andre. Burn Undead Bone Shards at Firelink Shrine to make each flask heal more.

What's the best soul level for online play? Around SL 120 with +10 weapons is where most online play happens.

Do I need the DLC? No, but Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City add some of the best bosses in the series (Sister Friede, Darkeater Midir, Slave Knight Gael).

What carries over into NG+? Your level, equipment, and inventory (except key items tied to the story). Enemies get tougher, and some rings appear as stronger +1, +2, and +3 versions in later cycles, so NG+ is also how you complete a ring collection. You can pick a different ending each cycle.

How do I get the Usurpation of Fire ending? Get Yoel of Londor's 5 Dark Sigils before the Abyss Watchers, complete Anri's questline and the Darkmoon Tomb wedding (8 sigils total), and interact with the First Flame after the Soul of Cinder.

Sources

• DARK SOULS III Steam news (Patch 1.15.2, online reactivation)
• Patch 1.15.2 Patch Notes (Jan 2023)
• Online features for the PC version of Dark Souls III have been reactivated (Aug 2022)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Endings (Fextralife)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: The Ringed City (Fextralife)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Bosses (Fextralife)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Fextralife)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Classes (Fextralife)
• Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Rings (Fextralife)