I never thought that my first post to these forums would be about Dark Souls. The game always scared me away with people ranting about it's high difficulty. But the art style and atmosphere of the game was so intriguing to me that I would find myself thinking about the game constantly without ever having touched it. So I jumped in.

Now this is where I need a bit of help from the community. I've read many threads on here, Neogaf, reddit and many more so I will try not to repeat advice that has already been given. Also I would appreciate any secrets or spoilers kept to a minimum. I would like to experience the game and exploration for myself, so I don't want to know where the Drakesword is or other items (that might make my time easier or more difficult).

First off, I am a knight and my gift was the Witch's Ring. I have made it to fire link shrine (I apologize in advance if I make any mistakes with names) finally got through most of undead burg and the 2nd boss which is some sort of demon on a bridge. I died.

Here come some questions.

1) I had 10 estus flasks at Firelink, but my new bonfire in Undead burg is only giving me 5. Am I right in assuming that the bonfire at Firelink was already kindled?

2) Are the materials that you use to kindle bonfire's prevalent? Or should I be selective with what I kindle? Basically can I kindle all fires I come across?

3) I found an NPC that seems to sell spells or magic. I am going with a melee class. I was thinking about killing the NPC to see if he had anything great on him (I feel like i've picked up through osmosis that some NPC's if killed can provide you with great equipment), is this a bad idea.

4) I killed a Black Knight(?) last night and got a sword from him that I can't use right now as well as some other gear. Should I or can I sell this stuff?

5) When it comes to dealing more damage to enemies, should I upgrade my current weapon or will i find better gear throughout the game?

That's all I will ask for now since those may spawn new questions themselves. I find the game to be quite overwhelming to start. There's very little info to go on and after learning that one of the gift descriptions is in fact not true I feel like this game is out to screw me. Having said that, I played till 2am last night and went to bed thinking about how to kill that demon. Just getting to him will a full 5 flasks is proving difficult.

Thanks for any help or advice provided. Sorry for the long read. :)

1) You are correct

2) Kindle away, it will be helpful and you will get more humanity as you play.

3) That's a big part of what I love about these games, I'd advice you to do whatever you feel like on your first playthrough.

4) Save that bitch.

5) I was never good at making this decision. I always hoard the resources and am too afraid to use them. But if you find a weapon you really like I'd say upgrade it.

I'm no professional so other might disagree. But that's the best I got for you. Enjoy the game! :)

@joms5: In order:

1. You have already kindled the bonfire at Firelink Shrine (or rather it was kindled for you), therefore you have 10 instead of 5. You can do this at any bonfire by sacrificing 1 humanity to it, and even increase the kindling further but I won't go into that yet.
2. Humanity is fairly common and can be farmed; see also my response to #1.
3. I'm going to guess you're referring to Petrus of Thorolund. Not really worth killing. Even though you are a melee class, there are still some spells that are worth having.
4. You kinda sorta can't sell stuff directly in this game. The weapon you got is either very good or best weapon ever for a STR build, which may be what you're going for with a melee class.
5. It's not a bad idea to upgrade your starting weapon early in the game to +5. You can't really go wrong doing that, but you probably will come across other weapons that will outpace them as the game progresses.

1) Adequately answered already.

2) This depends on how you play through the game. If you've been dying a lot and using Humanity to restore yourself instead of helping other players beat bosses, then you'll use up a lot of Humanity. It's not a limited resource, but it can be a pain to get more of in large quantities. I would recommend kindling all your bonfires. Having more estus available will reduce the number of deaths you suffer, and help alleviate your need to use humanity on yourself.

3) If he only sells spells, then he probably won't drop anything all the useful to somebody who is melee-focused. You can always do whatever you want in Dark Souls, but it's generally best not to kill NPC vendors unless you know what you'll get out of it and have a specific use for it in the build you're attempting. For example, I wanted to make a samurai for one playthrough, so I killed the first Undead Merchant in the game because I already knew he dropped an Uchigatana.

4) Can't really sell it. Keep all your equipment in case you want to change playstyles later in the game.

5) You can finish this game with starter equipment without having any real trouble, but if you're looking to max out damage, you'll probably come across a better weapon/armor soon enough. I would advise that you upgrade your current weapon with only regular Titanite Shards. Stop upgrading once Large Titanite Shards are required. Keep playing that way and if you feel your damage output isn't good enough at some point and you still haven't found something with more potential than your current weapon, then upgrade with Large Titanite Shards, but stop before you start using up Titanite Chunks.

Each of these tiers of upgrade resources is rarer/more expensive than the last. Titanite Shards are plentiful, and later on Large Titanite Shards will become readily available through farming, or vendors. Titanite Chunks are relatively rare (although not a limited resource), and should be saved for equipment you plan on getting some real use out of. Don't feel like you can experiment with upgrading different weapons, but don't go too crazy either.

My advice is to wade in and make mistakes. Don't worry about doing everything right or in the right order. The more time you spend trying to divine out the right way to Dark Souls, the more the game will feel like a giant fucking chore.

Hi, I agree with the responses above, but I think the merchant you might be talking about is in the undead burg or that area (he looks like a skeleton sitting among crates and various merchant props), the very first one you come across. I'd buy the unique items off him (the stuff for multiplayer use) and a lot of arrows or bolts so you can get to the next vendor that sells them before you run out (so, 100+ arrows). Other than that, he's the only VENDOR (note I didn't say NPC) I'd recommend killing, but ONLY if you really want the (spoiler on what he drops, not a huge one at all, but I'll mark it just in case): Uchigatana way earlier than you can normally get it (a neat katana for dex builds - used it most of my first playthru).

I think you should know about the Drake sword, it's not THAT OP, but it's a bit OP. I'll let you look it up or not based on this info: you won't find it unless you look it up, and you'll miss it entirely rather soon if you don't know).

One piece of advice: unless you KNOW you'll be doing another playthrough, I highly recommend using a wiki or the Guide ONLY AFTER you thoroughly explore and beat an area yourself. Then maybe use the wiki/guide to see what you missed and go back for it, or get it on the next playthru. There are a lot of neat, BIG, secrets in the game you'll miss if you never use a guide at all, which is the only design flaw worth speaking about in Dark Souls in my opinion! Some lore and secrets in the game are SUPER WELL HIDDEN, and you will miss them unless you're very lucky or you explore the game multiple times like a hardcore mofo! Also, if you end up struggling enough to feel like giving up, there's no shame in using a guide to help you a bit. Maybe just avoid the boss strategies and such, unless you're really having a hard time.

Sorry, one more edit: if you' replaying on PC, I assume you're using DSFix - if not, USE IT FOR SURE! Also if playing on PC: use the netcode mod (Coopfix or MPFix or something like that) so that you don't have to struggle to connect to others for coop or invasions. EMBRACE invasions - you'll probably lose some of the first ones that happen to you, but they're still really fun. There's nothing more intense than seeing you've been invaded, and the hunt for you begins, and your heart will race. And when you beat an invading mofo, there's no feeling quite like it :)

And finally, WELCOME TO THE SOULSBORNE brotherhood. If you give Dark Souls enough of a chance, you'll be hooked like nothing else. Try Bloodborne next if you have a PS4, or Demon's Souls if PS3. DS2 is decent as well, but I'd save it for last. You don't need to have played DS2 to like DS3, for sure.

Be a detective. Investigate everything. Item descriptions, the environment. Experiment with combat.

Take a break if you have to. But persist. :)

@joms5: If you got a black knight sword I used that through my entire first playthrough I believe.

The overwhelming feeling is one of adventure, just dive in. Have fun.

Thank you guys so much for the advice. I'm feeling a bit better now that I beat the Taurus Demon. Even kept all my souls after having fought him 10 or so times. And then I got destroyed by dragon fire, bit annoying.

Having said that I wish I had checked this sooner so that I learned a bit about humanity and kindling bon fires. Didn't know you lose humanity (that number in the top left) if you die a second time. I thought it was just the souls. So there goes 5. Arg. So then here's my next question.

1) Is there anyway to store humanity (i noticed that the vendor in Undead Burg sells a bottomless box) so that it's not actually on you?

I did figure out that you can jump by sprinting and then tapping roll. It allowed me to get into a house that had a crossbow and bolts. Next question.

2) Are arrows even useful in this game from a damage perspective? I haven't tried them yet but it seems like something that wouldn't shoot fast enough to be useful. Just would like to know if there's any point in investing in arrows or bolts?

Also for those interested PC version with the DSfix.

Currently in Undead Parish getting mauled by the steel boar. All I keep thinking about is all that humanity that I lost. Sigh.

@joms5: To your new questions:

1) Just don't use the humanity, and you'll be fine. You only lose humanity on death if you've used it. If it's sitting in your inventory, it's safe.

2) If you want to get someone from afar, they are useful. I didn't bother using a bow or crossbow at all on my first playthrough and I came out fine.

1) There is liquid Humanity (the number next to your health and stamina) and there is solid Humanity (the inventory item). Once Humanity is liquid, it stays that way until lost via death, used to kindle a bonfire, or spent under a specific circumstance later in the game. It can be gained by using a solid Humanity, beating bosses and invaders, and just through killing enemies in general. Higher liquid Humanity (up to 10, I believe) also slightly increases drop rates. Solid Humanity can be treated like any other item, which means it can be kept in the bottomless box, which is accessible at every bonfire after purchasing it. Unlike the liquid stuff, solid Humanity cannot be lost upon death, so it is generally better to keep it in item form unless you're about to use it immediately, as the drop-rate increase is very small.

2) Bows and crossbows function differently. Crossbows can only be fired at enemies you are close enough to lock onto. Bows are capable of free aim and have much greater range. Every weapon is potentially useful in Dark Souls, depending on your character build. Some people play the entire game with a bow, while crossbows are generally more for use in the off-hand, with a melee weapon in the main hand. There are dual-crossbow builds. Both weapon types can be devastating and can also make use of specialized ammunition that causes elemental damage or status effects.

Ass for the boar, look for the one un-armored spot. Wink

@joms5: You can gain humanity by using stocks of humanity from your inventory, or as a random drop from enemies in areas where you haven't defeated the area boss. Humanity only flows in one direction - once used it can't be stored back into your inventory. A bottomless box is just a means of moving stuff you don't want to see every time you open your inventory.

Arrows are definitely useful if you level up your bow significantly and the stats that scale with it (i.e. leveling up the Composite Bow and DEX together). Also, you don't have to go into first person mode to use it, you can lock on to your target and press the heavy attack button to ready it, then just rapid fire with the light attack (I think I have that right...?)

KILL THE DOGS FIRST.

You have to press L1 (raise shield, left weapon attack, etc.) to ready the bow.

The 'thing' about equipment is it's greatness is not only measured in the numbers (base damage), but also by how well it scales.

Apart from the start, you don't want to spend a ton of titanite shards on a sword that hardly scales. How well equipment scales is shown with a letter system. S scales the best, while E scales the least.

I've been playing the 1st on and off for about 3 years! Well really more on than off, curiously just picked it up again yesterday.

The bow is useful for (1) cheesing enemies from afar and (2) pulling enemies one at a time from distance

My advice is google if you get lost, i quit twice before because i just couldn't figure out wtf to do but this time i just googled where yo go after... and life is good! I used to be old school and try and figure out stuff but dark souls requires a little more patience than i have so running around lost was no fun for me. If you dont get the drake sword figure out what your build is and get to a blacksmith asap and upgrade a weapon as much as possible. Drake sword just saves time it doesn't make you OP and its shit mid game anyway. Dont worry about souls in a new area especially with lots of narrow platforms just take it easy and learn the layout.

So, I actually just BEAT Dark Souls for the first time, after trying 2 or 3 times before, getting annoyed, and quitting. I honestly still think, other than the fantastic art and sound design, that it's not a particularly great game, but I felt like I needed to complete it. So, what I learned is this:

1. The camera in tight areas is horrible, and can be worse if you lock on. It's not a problem in very open areas, though.

2. Get good at walking on very narrow paths and doing the weird platforming stuff. Dark Souls can require this at certain points, which I thought was kinda ridiculous considering it can be pretty imprecise, but it is what it is, I guess.

3. When you're in a new area and there's a split in the path, I would recommend going down each path a little ways, but not very far, just to scout. More often than not, there will either be a bonfire or the path will be a dead end or loop back, but if you commit too far in on the path that ultimately leads towards a boss, it can be a hassle to get back to if you die and missed a bonfire on the way. I missed more than a few bonfires because I chose the wrong path and committed to it without exploring a bit first, and often the bonfires would have been easily accessible.

4. Any boss can be defeated without help and/or on the first try as long as you're prepared. Obviously without a FAQ you won't know the ins-and outs of each boss, but simple things like making sure you have plenty of Estus and being comfortable with your movement speed, rolling, and moveset can go a long way. I beat almost every boss on my first try, and never summoned anyone (even AI) for the latter half of the game.

5. Pay attention to rings! They will seem only marginally useful at first, but all varieties of rings will be useful as you go on. Changing rings depending on your current gear and whether you're fighting a boss or just normal enemies can be very helpful.

6. Most bosses will be the kind you just wail on 'til they die, but there are a few that aren't, and it's not made very clear when you encounter them. It's pretty shitty, and something I didn't realize was in the game and wish I knew ahead of time. Just be prepared.

7. BE CAUTIOUS. Don't charge headlong into things recklessly, and you'll be fine.

That's the main, broad stuff I learned, I guess. Hopefully you enjoy the game more than I did!

Play it blind, its the best way.

Ugh. Is it bad that I've never gotten past what you're referring to in a solo playthrough?

Regarding upgrading weapons. I'd say find a weapon that you are comfortable with, something with a moveset that works for you. High attribute scaling is a nice bonus but a good moveset is the most important thing. The bottom tier upgrade materials are plentiful so you shouldn't worry about spending those.

Okay well here's a small update as well as a few small and probably meaningless questions.

Looks like i've finished most of undead parish which was awesome. Can't get close to the dragon to kill it, burned every time. But a great place to farm souls. Tried hitting the armored bull in the tail since that was the only part without armor and only got 5 damage. Tried it a couple more times and the look on my face when my sword enters it's behind must have been priceless. Good lord. Killed the two black knight looking enemies in the parish atop the stairs. Explored it and found a jail cell in the upper floors. Refused to let the guy out inside because i'm worried its a trick. But I think i'm going to do it anyway. He said he'd pay handsomely so maybe the risk is worth the reward. But I did find a shortcut back to Firelink (can't express how good it feels to find a shortcut).

After a number of attempts i've killed the headless lighting scorpion thing just below the blacksmith. Entered Darkroot Garden. Found a secret bonfire behind a wall (happy I figured that out without a message). Found a wall of light, decided not to traverse it. Went to Darkroot Basin, got scared and went back up. Here comes some questions.

1) I've tried a ton of times to backstab the tree people. I'm guessing this is not possible. Am I wasting my time?

2) Are you stuck in a boss fight when you traverse the white light? Or can you run back?

2) Is it normal to be afraid as much as I am? Maybe it's because of the previous humanity I lost but I'm afraid to traverse any white light or go anywhere it's dark.

Now I haven't upgraded any weapons yet. Currently using the battle axe because it does a bit more damage. So let me get some things straight here.

So based on this comment. How do i know if something scales well? Someone mentioned the letters. S is the most best at scaling. I'm just trying to figure out what letter in the stats screen I should be looking at?

Then when I want to upgrade it basically costs souls and a piece of titanite?

But I should use shards first and then chunks? Is there a limit to how much a weapon can be upgraded?

Finally, all the comments about the dogs are scaring the hell out of me.

@joms5:

1. Can't backstab the trees, nope.
2. Not all fog gates lead to boss encounters, but the ones that do will lock you into that fight until one of you dies.
3. Dark Souls can have that effect on people, certainly. Brad plays Souls games super timidly. Here's the thing though: dying is not a problem. It's only a problem if you can't retrieve your souls. As long as you can get back to your souls, dying only makes you stronger in the end. Just relax, explore, and have fun. Worst case you lose a little souls or humanity. Don't sweat it, it's all replaceable.
4. If you look at the status screen for a weapon it shows the four scaling categories at the bottom: strength, dexterity, intelligence, and faith. A dash means no scaling, and a letter is the scaling rating from E up to S. If you look at the damage from your weapon it'll have the base number + a number. The plus number is as a result of your scaling.
5. Different weapons require different materials plus a small amount of souls. Common weapons use everyday titanite. Boss weapons use special titanite that is in more rare supply. This could be twinkling titanite, demon titanite like you got from the headless scorpion guy, or in some cases dragon scales. You really want to look out for crystal geckos as these are going to be your best source of twinkling, and more rare chunks.

1) Yeah, as a rule of thumb, only man-scale humanoids can be backstabbed.

2) Once you enter a boss fight, you can't just walk out, but you can use a Homeward Bone to leave. If you get hit while the Homeward Bone is activating, it'll be interrupted, so you have to be mindful of your positioning and timing when you use it to successfully to get out of a boss fight.

3) Fear is good! It's fun! Sometimes your fears will go unfounded, other times they'll serve you well. That's part of the excitement of Dark Souls.

Regarding weapons, I say you shouldn't worry about scaling as much as you seem to be. Most weapons will scale at least moderately, and the damage difference between moderate scaling and big scaling is not huge. Scaling is more something for build min-maxers to fret over, not first time players. If you want to know though, the letters are the scaling degrees (D -> C -> B -> A -> S). The scaling letter will typically improve gradually as you upgrade a weapon. Each letter corresponds to an attribute that it scales with. The attributes are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith. If a weapon has no letter for a given stat, it means it simply does not scale with that stat at all. Remember though that upgrading will still typically boost the base damage of all weapons by 10% per upgrade, so scaling is usually only a minority of your weapon damage.

Yes, it costs souls and upgrade materials each time you upgrade a weapon. Initial upgrades cost Titanite Shards, while latter upgrades will require different and rarer forms of Titanite. At various later points in the game, you may unlock the ability to upgrade down various further upgrade paths to add elemental damage or other effects to your weapons. You're still too early in the game for that though.

You'll meet the dogs in time, don't worry about it yet.

small update.

I've only been playing since Monday. Playtime is at approx. 45 hours. This game is amazing. I won't go into everything that makes it a phenomenal experience, because most of you have known for years now. All I will say is that i've never felt so responsible for each and every death of mine that takes place. As someone who gets mad pretty easily on difficult games, I have yet to actually get angry. So onto the important stuff.

Still rolling with the battle axe upgraded now to +5. Feel like i've done everything around Undead Burg except for the Valley of the Drakes (just don't do enough damage of the dragons to explore it enough yet) and Darkroot Garden (I can't even get close to that squid like water monster that shoots projectiles at you). So i'm not sure if there's anything i'm missing over there. Also have to purchase that talisman that opens that door in Darkroot Garden. But given that it's 20,000 souls i figured that's late or end game content. We'll see. So a couple questions:

1) When or if I want to upgrade my battle axe more, it doesn't seem like I can use the shards anymore. So then do I move onto chunks? Or can those weapons only be upgraded to +5?

2) Also whenever I go to the blacksmith he keeps asking if I would like to give him my ember (I believe it's the one I picked up off the Butterfly). It says that it can use it to create a unique weapon or exchange it for a ton of souls. Recommendations?

While i'm on the topic of the Moonlight Butterfly, wow. What a boss. A bit on the easy side but the music combined with the atmosphere of that bridge gave me goosebumps. Something that I will always associate with Dark Souls. Fought the two Gargoyles on the roof of parish (beat them on my first try!!), same with the Demon and dogs (i panicked when I immediately saw them thanks to many people in here) which was probably intended as an early boss given how easy he was. Explored the depths fully, which sucked really hard. Fell down a hole and got my cursed. Didn't have a stone on me to get rid of the curse so went back down like a hero to recover my shit, and succeeded like a boss. Oh yeah and also found the Drake Sword by accident. Haha spent about an hour firing arrows into that damned dragon on the bridge, worth every minute.

Right now i'm trying to find Blighttown. I refuse to look it up online because exploring in this game is half the fun. But i could be looking in the complete wrong area. I have a key to it so i'm starting to think it's hidden behind a door. But while looking for it I decided to traverse New Londo Ruins. F************K that place. Easily the worst area of the game so far. I pray that I never have to venture back there ever again. I can't tell you how many times my curse wore out and I didn't notice, only to be slashing away not noticing that my hits weren't registering. Some more general questions:

3) I seem to be seeing a lot of items (loot on bodies) around the world that I can't get to. Specifically at Firelink (on top of roof), now without telling me how to, will i eventually find a way to reach that or is there a platforming sort of trick to make my way to that area? There also seems to be a staircase just opposite the bird that you can make your way to the top, or maybe you get in from the top to get to the bottom, not sure. Should I worry about this stuff now or will I come back to it?

4) I keep picking up souls of nameless soldiers and other soul consumables. Should these be saved for later or emergencies or can they be popped right away and used to level my character? Is there a best practice with these?

5) Is it ever helpful to enchant(?) your weapon with lightning or fire? Do enemies have weaknesses to these and if so is it just trial and error to figure out what they're weak to?

6 Finally, I bought some magic (pyromancy) off a guy in Firelink. I'm super confused on how to use it? I still have the up button on the D-pad empty. I can't figure out if that's where it belongs or even if i can use pyromancy. I didn't really spec my character to use magic so did I just waste souls? Super confused on all the spells and elemental stuff in this game. Any help is appreciated as always.

Thanks again guys. The best part about falling in love with this first title is that I know i've got DS2, DS3 and Bloodborne all waiting for me when i'm done. :)

@joms5: 1) You'll come across larger embers which can take your weapon further.

2) That's your decision. Boss weapons are powerful but you have to consider you may be too weak to wield them. There's always NG+

3) Yes. If there's an item out of reach, its accessible at some point.

4) I save consumable souls for emergency repairs or to top up your soul count to gain an extra level. Although you're never too far away from more souls.

5) Yes. Some bosses and enemies have elemental weaknesses. Remember the intro?

6) Equip your pyromancy flame in your right hand. This will allow you to use your selected pyromancy spell. To have a spell ready for use, you need to atune it at a bonfire. Effectively, you're adding spells to your loadout and the amount of spells you can have depend on your atunement slots. For magic, replace the pyromancy flame with a talisman.

Glad to see you're enjoying it. One hint I'll say for exploration is to check your keys and their descriptions from time to time. See what they open up.

3) The items in Firelink -> you should be able to get to all of them with some lateral (platformy) thinking. I recommend investigating further after Blighttown.

4) Using consumable soul items -> my strat with them is generally to hoard them until I'm buying/upgrading stuff; sometimes you'll happen upon a vendor with something you really want and it's good to have some cash in the bank, as it were. You're not screwing yourself particularly if you just use them as you go though. Don't consume any boss souls you happen upon though.

5) Lightning/Fire/Boss Weaknesses -> there's often common sense to boss weaknesses (e.g. it can be clear from an enemy's appearance/abilities what they might be vulnerable/resistant to), but at other times it's down to looking at guides/trial and error. Using Gold Pine Resin (applies temporary lightning damage to your equipped weapon) is something I've seen people do in many videos to get an edge against certain bosses. Broadly, Lightning is effective against most enemies; I think there are more enemies that you will encounter who are resistant to Fire damage.. However, I never really bothered with that approach; the trouble with using consumable items for a temporary boost is that when you die they are gone, so you can't rely on them for multiple attempts.

6) How does Pyromancy/Magic work -> there are 3 types of spellcasting in the game: 1) Magic (damage tied to Intelligence level, requires catalyst to be equipped); 2) Miracles (damage tied to Faith level, requires talisman to be equipped); 3) Pyromancy (damage tied to Pyromancy Flame level, requires Pyromancy Flame to be equipped). Up on the D-Pad switches between your attuned spells. Any spells you buy/pick up go into your inventory like any other item. At a bonfire, select Attune Spells (?) to equip spells into your attunement slots (to get more slots, level-up Attunement but only do that if you're serious about using spells).

So, to use Pyromancy spells you've acquired, you need to find and equip a Pyromancy Flame (you'd have started the game with one if you'd started as a Pyromancer). The guy you bought the pyromancy off of in Firelink should have also gifted you a Pyromancy Flame, riiiight? Sort of swampy-looking fellow? Equip the Pyromancy Flame as a weapon (e.g. right hand so you can switch between it and your main weapon), attune the spell at a bonfire and then switch to the Pyromancy Flame in general gameplay and press R1 to use the spell (whichever spell is selected by the Up position on the D-Pad).

You can upgrade your Pyromancy Flame to increase damage....is there a swampy person in the game you could ask about that? ;)

First of all, let me say that the game's difficulty is overblown. The game's biggest hurdle is patience. As for your questions...

1) I had 10 estus flasks at Firelink, but my new bonfire in Undead burg is only giving me 5. Am I right in assuming that the bonfire at Firelink was already kindled?

Yes.

2) Are the materials that you use to kindle bonfire's prevalent? Or should I be selective with what I kindle? Basically can I kindle all fires I come across?

You DO get a lot of them, but keep in mind that the Humanity that you use in order to kindle is the same resource needed for multiplayer, so if you plan on doing that a lot you should be more discerning, especially considering how shortcuts work. Some bonfires become a 30 second walk from each other once a route is unlocked.

3) I found an NPC that seems to sell spells or magic. I am going with a melee class. I was thinking about killing the NPC to see if he had anything great on him (I feel like i've picked up through osmosis that some NPC's if killed can provide you with great equipment), is this a bad idea.

Most NPCs (especially vendors) don't really drop anything spectacular. There's only one person that I recommend killing and they don't sell anything. Won't say who since you asked for as little info as possible. There's also the fact that if you attack an NPC and die, they're still going to be aggro when you respawn, so if this person is at firelink then you might have a problem.

4) I killed a Black Knight(?) last night and got a sword from him that I can't use right now as well as some other gear. Should I or can I sell this stuff?

You can sell stuff later, though most equipment doesn't go for much (50 souls). I think the Black Knight equipment goes for more (1000?).

5) When it comes to dealing more damage to enemies, should I upgrade my current weapon or will i find better gear throughout the game?

Most of the best weapons (in my opinion) can be found in the first hour of arriving at Firelink. As well, there are vendors that sell first and second tier upgrade materials. If you want to spend all you current materials on whatever you're using right now to gain an edge, go ahead, because you can easily just buy back what you need later at a price that, by the time you need it, won't mean much. As well, you might consider using that Black Knight sword once you have the stats for it.

All in all, it's a great game that can only be made worse by letting people get in you head about it. Just play it and enjoy.

Glad to hear you're enjoying it by the way; I've just ended a few year's love affair with the game with the Platinum on PS3. It is one of my favourite videogames evar.

I forgot to answer 1 and 2 before.

LOL

1) Weapons like the Battle Axe (most, in fact) can be upgraded beyond +5 by acquiring the Large Ember. Then you can use Large Titanite Shards to upgrade from +6 to +10. See 2).

2) I think maybe there is a little bit of confusion here? When you killed the butterfly you would have been given its boss soul. In its item description, it will say you can consume it for souls or take it to a blacksmith to help forge a unique weapon. a) it's a different blacksmith to the one you're talking about and b) if you consume it, you won't get THAT many souls and you'll be making a trophy/achievement for getting all unique weapons harder to get on this run (if you care). The actual weapons you can make from the butterfly soul are not that great if I recall correctly, in fact most of the boss weapons are not that great aside from a few cases where you spec your character in a specific direction. Up to you.

The confusion -> Andre the Undead Parish blacksmith will be asking you for an ember that you have picked up in addition to the boss soul, i.e. the boss soul is really nothing to do with Andre the blacksmith and he's not asking you about that....not sure which ember he's asking about in your case but will be the Large Ember or the Divine Ember (or both). If you give him the ember (s) then he will gain new upgrade options (e.g. once he has the Large Ember he will be able to ascend +5 weapons to +6 then keep upgrading them up to +10). There is no drawback to giving him these embers, so say yes.

Well not much of an update to give. I finally got through Blighttown which is without a doubt my most hated area of the game so far. I'd take New Londo Ruins any day of the week. Defeated Quelag which was a long fight. Talked to her spider sister who made me feel really shitty about killing her sister. Got to the lava area (forget it's name) and had that boss down to half health before he basically took me out with 1 hit. I feel like he should almost be the end boss but clearly not if you get to him this early. Will attempt at a later date.

So i'm getting my ass kicked in Sen's fortress now, falling to my death more times than I can count and those f**king swinging axes. Lost 12,000 souls which was probably the first time in the game I felt true rage. But onward and upward. So i'm thinking about upgrading some weapons here to make some parts a bit easier. I need a bit of advice.

Option 1: Battle Axe (currently+5) - I've used this for almost most of the game so far and love it. I just don't know if after upgrading it to +10 whether or not it will be as powerful as the Darkesword which i'm currently using to get through Sen's.

Option 2: Drake Sword (default stats) - It does a shitload of damage and i've got 2 dragon scales to upgrade it. Looks like the first one will add +20. So i'm guessin 240 when all is said and done.

I just don't want to waste any of my Titanite if those weapons won't be able to carry me to the end game.

The other problem i'm having is reading the weapon stats screen. I've read a number of explanations but they're either contradicting what users are saying or simply don't make much sense to me. So there's 2 columns of numbers. The first one is just raw damage that the weapon does, the second column is what? I see that the Black Knight sword has -177. I don't understand what that is supposed to signify. My upgraded weapons seem to have a +40 or something like that beside them which looks to be what the Titanite Shards have added to it. If that's true then why would the Black knight sword have a -177 next to it?

Some clarifications:

1) Can that creature in Blighttown be killed that is stuck to the wall? I've tried ranged attacks with nothing. Then I tried hitting it from behind (again nothing) as well as from the front (surprise, nothing) which led to my death. A simple yes or no will suffice. Don't need to know how.

2) My bonfire at Firelink is out and cannot be relit. What's going on? Is that normal? Did I do something wrong?

The Black Knight Sword is probably so negative due to not meeting the stat requirements for it.

This will help. Note that the R Weapon damage numbers will change depending on whether your character is one or two-handing the weapon. You can get upgrade materials from other means and vendors will sell it throughout the game. Also, if a weapon doesn't scale well its not always a bad thing as it could have high base damage.

1) Its killable.

2) Some bonfires are tended by a firekeeper. If that firekeeper dies, their respective bonfire ceases to function. Firekeeper souls allow you to upgrade your Estus Flask with some assistance from a firekeeper.

Like most (but not all) weapons in the game, the battle axe can see you through to the end of the game just fine if you keep upgrading it and using it well in combat. The Drake Sword is one of the few weapons that will not really serve you all the way through, since it can only be upgraded to a limited degree and has absolutely no stat scaling.

All dragon weapons, like the Drake Sword, come from cutting off the tail of a dragon. They can only be upgraded to +5 using Dragon Scales, which are quite rare, and they almost all have no stat scaling. They also all can perform special attacks when you you press the heavy attack button. Usually they have high base damage to make them viable for much of the game, but the Drake Sword is the weakest of all the dragon weapons and does not have very high base damage, so it is the least viable one.

Personally, I recommend against upgrading the Drake Sword. You're as far into the game as that weapon will carry you, so it's time to ditch it and move on to something else. Hopefully you've been trying out some other weapons to see what movesets you like.

The number in the first column is the base damage of the weapon. This number goes up about 10% with each upgrade. The second column is your bonus scaling damage due to your stats (STR, DEX, etc.). The Black Knight Sword has a negative value because you must not have the requisite stats to wield it one-handed. The total damage you deal is the sum of these two columns (which is then reduced according to the defense rating of the enemy you hit).

1. Rule of thumb in all Souls games: if you can hurt it, you can kill it. So, yes.

2. That is a normal possible occurrence, not a bug. You did not necessarily do anything wrong. Every bonfire remains lit through the efforts of a Firekeeper. Some places in the game you can see and even talk to these Firekeepers. If a bonfire's Firekeeper is killed, that bonfire will flicker and die. Only the restoration of the lost Firekeeper can reignite that bonfire. The issue is that the souls of Firekeepers are quite valuable and thus coveted, just as Humanity is in Dark Souls, by both player characters and NPCs. So just as you can choose to kill a Firekeeper for her powerful soul, so too may an NPC. If that's what happened, your only chance for repairing the Firelink bonfire is hunt down the slayer of its Firekeeper to see if you can take back her stolen soul. If you look around Firelink Shrine, you should be able to find a clue that will later help you on this hunt.

Thank you both for the explanation. Weapon stats makes so much more sense now.

WOW! So this is a scripted event?

Will I get more clues at the games goes on? I'd hate to kill an NPC that it may be only for it to be the wrong on. Although I have a fairly good idea of who it is. He's no longer at Firelink anymore and even when he was he didn't really do anything for me there. Now that I say that though, there are 2 people like that. But one of them is still at Firelink the other is missing.

I knew i should have let that guy rot in the cell.

I'm at around 41 hours into the game and I am currently here. Absolutely stunning. I would assume this is the halfway mark, but who knows. All I know is that whenever Dark Souls gets brought up, I hear the words Anor Londo. Either it's one of the best or worst areas of the game or its just simply gorgeous.

It wouldn't have mattered. He escapes anyway. On subsequent playthroughs I just kill him in his cell without provocation. But you're in for a ride now. Be sure to read your item descriptions.

Some of the NPCs at Firelink will endeavor to complete their own personal quests after you exhaust conversation with them beyond certain points in the game. The Pyromancer you rescued from the Depths and the Crestfallen Warrior, namely. You'll likely see them again one way or another.

Anor Londo is my favorite sequence in the first Dark Souls. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as well. It's the first section I remember playing through where I couldn't get by with half-assing any longer. Anor Londo is where I truly learned how I was meant to play Dark Souls.

Anor Londo makes and breaks you.

Okay so it's been a while but i've been busy and I seem to have gotten a hang on the game.

Went back to a number of areas to defeat certain bosses as well as explore areas that I didn't feel i was high enough level to explore. Needless to say i'm still in Anor Londo. Just outside of a white gate in a huge cathedral. Pretty sure it's a boss. For those interested of my exploits:

- went back to the Hydra looking boss and wrecked shop since I was a bit overpowered

- defeated Sif and got the Astorias (sp?) ring that allows be to enter the Abyss. Entered the Abyss (which I had to look up because Castlevania II). Immediately died and haven't looked back to the Four Kings fight. Will go back after Anor Londo prolly

- went down below Quelag's Lair and fought this giant lava boss (i'm sorry I don't remember his name). Got him down to about halfway and got ruined in 1 hit. Again I will have to go back to him

- FINALLY found the murdered of the Firelink Shrine firekeeper and killed him. Man was that satisfying. Had to kill his ranged buddy first though, since he was a real pain in the ass. Didn't realize how difficult this game was when you can't estus.

So i'm guessing i'm reaching the end game soon. But I have a couple random questions for those still following my progress. All your help these last couple weeks has been wonderful and has really made this game a bit easier to wrap my head around.

1) So i'm prepping weapons for the end game. Got my mind set on the Black Knight sword and still rocking that Battle Axe. Currently my battle axe is at +15. And I don't have the option to upgrade it more unless I go down the lighting route which doesn't do as much damage. So is +15 the max I can upgrade this?

2) Is there any benefit to upgrading strength or dex above the minimum of what you need to use a certain weapon. At this point when I level up i just keep putting it into Endurance. Not sure if i'm wasting my time doing that.

Dude, get ready for the boss fight of your life.

1) I'll admit, I never tinkered around too much with the intricacies of weapon reinforcement in this game, but unless you upgrade to one of the special paths (lightning, crystal, magic, which all have varying effects and change your scalings (I address this more below), either getting rid of them, or changing which stats they work off of), +15 is the max for the Battle Axe in particular. It varies between weapons, like how most boss/special weapons only go to +5, but for you, that's the cap. Actually, now that you've reached Anor Londo, and I assume you've found the giant blacksmith, you should consider looking into the weapons you can make using boss souls, some of them are pretty cool (though looking this stuff up on a wiki would probably be best, it can be really cryptic)!

2) Yes, absolutely! In case you didn't know, most weapons have stat-specific scalings (these can be seen on the weapon's stat screen) that add damage to the weapon based on how many points are in that stat. Your battle axe has a C scaling in strength, and a D scaling in dexterity, meaning it will get stronger as you upgrade those stats. Those scalings in particular aren't super high, they can reach up to S, though most don't pass A, but in any case, upgrading your strength is a good idea because it'll make your damage output better. As I mentioned, the scalings on the battle axe aren't super high, so it might not be the biggest concern right now, but some weapons utilize these scalings to reach hideous amounts of damage.

Hope I could help some!

EDIT: Worth mentioning, after you beat the boss in Anor Londo, you can warp between bonfires. Save any significant traveling you might want to do until after.

You fucking said it.

Holy shit. I really hope this is the hardest boss in the game because it's defeated me for the night. Been playing for about 2 hours straight and I can say without 100% absolute certainty that this fight is BS. Any before you say "git gud", let me explain.

First, I am going with the strategy to kill Ornstein first because killing Slough first is damned impossible. I have no problem killing Ornstein. So that's not the issue. The problem is after about 20 minutes of carefully placed hits, I get to Slough who I can't get even close to, and when I do it's like a 1 hit kill. Did I mention that he gets all his health back? WTF? I haven't even got him down to 1/5th health yet. It's mainly his AOE butt slam that kills me because I just can't get away from him fast enough. When i'm not dying because of that it's any one of his other attacks. I can't block his attacks because I still take lightning damage and anytime i try to get close to him get does the butt slam.

I've given up for the night because I find myself just getting more angry and it's making all my runs worse.

Please tell me other people here pulled their hair out fighting these guys. It's bad enough that I hate games that through 2 bosses at you at the same time. But this is masochistic. HE GETS ALL HIS HEALTH BACK!!! Give me a break. I'll update if I ever beat them.

@joms5: Smough and Ornstein are generally considered to be the toughest bosses in Dark Souls 1. I remember not touching the game for a month after dying to them over and over :)

@joms5: I kinda feel bad saying that it was my favorite fight in the game! Don't worry though, they are the make-or-break boss of the game. I spent days trying to beat them, and I was determined to kill Smough first so I could get Ornstein's armor. Beating them is definitely going to require a lot of patience though, as many people, myself included, would consider them the hardest fight in the game. I'm unfortunately not experienced with fighting Smough's second phase, but if it wasn't clear already, try not to focus on blocking. Really work to get your dodges right, in fact, my brother beat the fight wearing no armor so dodges would be faster. Personally, I would just two hand your weapon for the extra damage, the best use of a shield in that fight is dealing with Ornstein since he has a spear. Again, sorry if this isn't super helpful, I'm not terribly familiar with how the lightning works in Smough's 2nd phase, all I know is that it's the same moveset.

Something else that you should consider is summoning. In the room before the boss fight, there should be a summon for Solaire of Astora. It'll make the first phase a whole lot easier, and apparently he'll just go after Ornstein if you distract Smough (this is from a dark souls wiki, not speaking from experience). If you haven't done it before, summoning is done by being in human form and using a summon sign. Solaire's is up the stairs opposite to the ones you come down I believe. Unfortunately, from personal experience, this isn't foolproof, as actually summoning is a pain; it takes a while for Solaire to appear, and in that room full of aggressive enemies, they always came and killed me or attacked Solaire before I could make any use of it. I didn't try it that many times though, and I've heard a lot better things about summoning from other people. If you aren't determined to do it yourself, consider giving it a shot if you aren't super low on humanity.

Sorry I couldn't help more, in the end, this fight's just going to take a whole lot of patience, practice, and determination. I believe in you!

The AoE is best rolled away from. Key to that first phase is keeping eyes on both of them.

So you're still using the Battle Axe? Can you post a picture of your stats? I don't know how powerful the Battle Axe gets when it gets up to +15, but I seriously doubt it's the most powerful you could be right now. You say you've dumped a bunch of points into endurance, so you ought to have a pretty high equip load and you ought to be able to roll a lot.

I find the Ornstein and Smough fight to mostly be a challenge in managing stamina. Don't blow it all trying to damage him, and don't forget to leave your shield up unless you need it so that stamina will come back faster. Also, use those pillars to your advantage - they can be kinda tricky and not always a hundred percent reliable, but keeping a pillar between yourself and O&S helps a lot when trying to find a half-second to breathe. When you've finished off Ornstein and you're just facing Smough... hug the fucker until he gets ready to butt stomp. I beat him a few weeks ago with a Bastard Sword and Elite Knight Armor and I found it way easier to plant my face in his plentiful thighs and hit him once or twice. Maybe I got lucky. When he gets ready to butt stomp, start rolling as far away as you can get. It's still not easy, nothing in this fight is easy and there isn't really a way to make it easy that I know of, but you can do it! Do give it a break, though, if you're frustrated you'll never beat them. I think Artorias is a more difficult (and much better) fight. Honestly, I think the Bell Gargoyles are way worse than O&S if you're not going to summon or abuse firebombs. O&S aren't really bullshit, they just demand the kind of perfection from the player that's usually reserved for bonus bosses.

If you need Titanite Shards, Andre of Astora sells an unlimited number. There's a guy in Sen's Fortress that sells an unlimited number of Large Titanite Shards - to find him, go to the bridge, there's a part where it's broken and you have to jump to the other side, he's in a room on the other side. Kind of an asshole, but whatever, he sells unlimited Titanite shards. If you need to grind for souls, go to that door that opens up the area where you can get to Sif, get one of those ghostly bandit guys to chase you, stand right under the stairs at the door near the cliff, and watch them run off into the abyss. Wham, a few thousand souls, no real work done.

Also, on the topic of the Ceaseless Discharge, there's a really easy way to beat him - run up to the stairs, run back, and stand in the corner near the fog gate. If you're lucky, he'll jump and try to hit you. He can't reach you there, he'll grab the ledge, punch him a few times and he'll fall right off. If you're not lucky, you'll die on the stairs or on the way back to the door, but whatever - it shouldn't take many tries to beat him this way, although this way is much easier if you haven't alerted him yet.

You may want to fast roll for that fight. It makes rolling away from his AoE much easier. Havel's ring is great for this, as it increases your max equip load thus lowering your percent equip. Don't go in too hard - take a swipe then back off and be ready to dodge the AoE, then back in again. Greed equals death in Dark Souls. Also, use those pillars to your advantage - he can't plow through them.

Oh, the joys of your first meeting with the Dragonslayer and the Executioner.

@joms5, what you're feeling is exactly what everyone feels when they hit that boss for the first time. As @justin258 has already explained, you'll eventually come to find that this obstacle is much less a fight against bosses and much more a fight against your tendencies and limitations as a Dark Souls player to this point. Nothing before Ornstein and Smough challenges your knowhow or decision making acumen with the intensity that this boss fight does.

And, frankly, this boss fight is the game's crucible.

Beyond this point, you're born again. Beyond this point, your playstyle will be hardened and codified. Ornstein and Smough are going to force you to master all the mechanics and techniques you've learned up to this point, and they may just help you learn a couple new ones.

--

In my mind, there are "shittier" bosses in the game, bosses whose tricks are a lot less straightforward, or who seem to operate outside the game's adherence to "tough but fair." The Four Kings you ran into in your travels, and another boss you've yet to encounter, are two stark examples of that. Once you have a "system" for beating Ornstein and Smough, I actually feel like something like the Bell Gargoyles becomes a harder and less manageable fight.

You'll get it, though. You're getting a ton of great tips in here. Just remember, there will be some cases in Dark Souls where the closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm.

Smough is one of those cases.

amazing chest ahead

I actually thought you couldn't fight the Four Kings until after beating Ornstein and Smough. I thought they had one of those yellow doors blocking off the boss. Huh.

In any case, I'd save them for last if only because tanking the Four Kings is pretty much the best way to beat them.

I'd always thought that too. But I guess the only things preventing you from getting to them are Sif's Artorias Ring and the red-robed dude who has the key to lower the water. He won't give you the key if you don't have the Lordvessel, but he drops the key if killed.

Which, presumably, means OP ganked him.

Also, I'm with you. Iron Flesh/Power Within + Two-handing the beefiest weapon I've got is the only way I deal with that fight. And I typically save New Londo as my last location post-Anor Londo.

I fucking hate the Four Kings.

Surprisingly, the last time I fought them - which was only a few days ago - I managed to beat them with a +7 Zweihander, Havel's chest piece and legs, the legs and helmet of Favor and Protection (talk about an ugly getup!), and of course Havel's Ring and the Ring of Favor and Protection. I didn't expect to beat them, I just drained New Londo to get the Very Large Ember, and thought I'd take a shot at it just for the hell of it with only eleven Estus Flasks. And I beat them. Didn't expect that.

Pretty much everything after Ornstein and Smough feels pretty easy, though. I beat all four bosses and Gwyn in an afternoon. It will probably take longer if this is your first run through the game - probably one afternoon for each area and boss.