Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough: Complete Guide & Tips

Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough: Complete Guide & Tips

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Introduction

If you picked up Dark Souls 3 and felt equal parts awe and dread, you are not alone. This Dark Souls 3 walkthrough is designed to guide both newcomers and returning veterans through a clear, human-friendly playthrough. You will find practical tips on character creation, bonfire routing, boss strategies, builds, NPC quests, weapon upgrade advice and even DLC and NG+ guidance. The goal is to help you enjoy the lore-rich, brutal but fair world of Dark Souls III without missing vital NPCs or wasting time on avoidable mistakes.

1. Starting Strong: Characters, Stats, and Early Essentials

Your first choices matter. The right class and stat spread will make early progress smoother and set the tone for your DS3 journey.

  • Choose a starter that fits your playstyle: Knights and Soldiers are great for melee strength builds, while Sorcerers and Pyromancers favor intelligence or faith. The Deprived is a fun challenge run but not recommended for peaceful early progression.
  • Focus stats early: Invest in Vigor (HP) and Endurance for stamina and equip load, then commit to primary damage stats like Strength, Dexterity, Faith, or Intelligence depending on your weapon or spell choice.
  • Estus management: Upgrade Estus Flask uses by finding Estus Shards at bonfires and reinforce Estus effectiveness by giving Firekeeper Souls to the Fire Keeper. Remember the Ember state increases your HP and allows summoning co-op phantoms.
  • Early essentials: Get a reliable weapon you can upgrade with Titanite and practice parry and roll timings. Learn to use bonfires strategically for warp points and to rest when necessary.

Tip: Save rare items for when you know your build. Infusions and special weapon upgrades can lock you into a damage type.

2. Best Early Game Route and Playthrough Flow

A smooth playthrough follows smart routing. Here’s a practical path and tactics to reduce backtracking and get essential items fast.

  • High Wall of Lothric: Learn enemy attack patterns, and collect Titanite Shards and early rings. Take your time to open shortcuts and activate bonfires.
  • Undead Settlement: Prioritize rescuing NPCs and clearing the area for covenant and quest triggers. The settlement yields weapons and early upgrade materials.
  • Road of Sacrifices and Farron Keep: Focus on poison mitigation and a good shield if you prefer rolling less. Clear the swamp carefully and find the cleric ally if you plan faith builds or want pyro components.
  • Cathedral of the Deep and Cathedral of the Deep bosses: Learn to separate enemies and handle curse and status mechanics. Keep an eye out for Ashes and Ember fragments.

Example: If you plan a sorcery build, prioritize leveling Intelligence and collecting early sorceries from the High Wall area and sorcery trainers. If you play strength, find weapons that scale with Strength and purchase infusions for stability and poise.

3. Builds, Weapons, and Upgrades

One strength of Dark Souls III is build variety. Below are popular builds and practical tips for weapon selection, infusions, and stat distribution.

Strength Builds

  • Focus stats: Strength, Vigor, Endurance.
  • Weapons: Greatswords, Colossal weapons, Greataxes. Choose high base damage weapons and infuse with Heavy for better scaling.
  • Tips: Use rings that boost heavy weapons or equip load. Practice charged heavy attacks for stagger.

Dexterity Builds

  • Focus stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Vigor.
  • Weapons: Katanas, Curved Swords, Piercing Rifles. Infusions: Sharp infusion increases Dex scaling.
  • Tips: Dexterity reduces casting time for certain weapons and improves critical damage via riposte and backstabs.

Faith and Sorcery

  • Focus stats: Faith for miracles/pyromancy and Intelligence for sorcery. Attune slots matter.
  • Weapons and spells: Blessed infusions, Sunlight Spear, Lightning Stake for faith; Crystal Soul Spear and Great Heavy Soul Arrow for intelligence.
  • Tips: Manage attunement and raise FP with Ashen Estus flasks. Catalysts and talismans need upgrading for spell scaling.

Upgrade path: Use Titanite Shards, Large Titanite Shards, Titanite Chunks and Twinkling Titanite. Infuse to change scaling. Consider weapon art synergy with your build and Ring choices like Ring of Favor or Chloranthy for stamina regen.

4. Boss Guides and Combat Strategies

Boss fights are the core of any soulsborne experience. Here are universal strategies and select boss tips to apply during your walkthrough.

  • Universal tips: Learn patterns, bait attacks, and punish openings. Use backstep rolls and guard for heavy hits. Parry only when you are confident — it’s high reward but risky.
  • Use co-op and covenants: For tough bosses, summon NPCs or co-op players when possible. Ember and covenant benefits can provide phantoms or special items.
  • Adjust rings and consumables: Swap rings for increased defense, poise, or damage. Use resins, buffs, and consumables like Green Blossom for stamina regen.

Sample Boss Tactics

  • Iudex Gundyr: Aggressive opening attacks, bait the second phase spin and punish after telegraphed lunges. Stay close to his sides to avoid sweeping hits.
  • Vordt of the Boreal Valley: Stagger-heavy boss. Keep close and dodge snow-based area moves. Use fire damage for quicker breaks.
  • Abyss Watchers: Fight them one at a time if possible. Manage bleed and study their combos. They are fast; parry attempts are risky but can work against certain openings.
  • Pontiff Sulyvahn: Two-weapon style. Learn to bait his teleport and punish after his combo plunges.

Tip: For DLC bosses like Nameless King or Sister Friede, expect complex phases. Upgrade your gear fully and consider co-op for the first clear. Knowing when to be aggressive versus passive saves estus.

5. NPC Quests, Covenants and Important Missables

Dark Souls III has layered NPC questlines that affect endings and rewards. Missing certain events can lock you out of transposing items or covenant progression.

  • Talk to NPCs often: Save dialogue triggers by visiting bonfires after major events. NPCs can move to Firelink Shrine where their questlines continue.
  • Covenants: Each covenant (Warrior of Sunlight, Blue Sentinels, Mound-makers, Rosaria’s Fingers, etc.) offers unique items and multiplayer roles. Joining early can grant access to special gear and summon mechanics.
  • Notable missables: Pay attention to the Siegward and Anri questlines, and avoid killing friendly NPCs accidentally. Some NPC rewards require you to complete events in a specific order.

Example: If you want the Aldrich-related rewards or certain miracle spells, follow the NPC path carefully and avoid skipping catalyst/dialogue events. Co-oping can sometimes force NPC movement, so be mindful of how multiplayer affects progression.

6. DLC, NG+ and Advanced Tips

If you crave more challenge, the DLC packs Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City deliver tougher encounters and legendary loot. Here’s how to prepare for endgame content.

  • Prepare for DLC: Finish mainline NPC quests before jumping into DLC if you want to carry certain quest rewards or dialogue to The Ringed City.
  • NG+ planning: When starting New Game Plus, expect enemies to be stronger and scale up. Keep your build flexible and consider respecs early using Rosaria’s Fingers if you want to try new stat distributions.
  • PvP and invasions: Learn to read invader patterns and utilize backstabs and parries. Covenants like Blue Sentinels offer some protection if you enjoy cooperative PvP.
  • Advanced mechanics: Understand infusions and how they change scaling. Use Ashen Estus management for spellcasters and watch for status effects like bleed, poison, and frostbite introduced in DLC encounters.

Tip: Farming Titanite and Resins early makes endgame upgrades less grindy. Join a covenant that complements your playstyle for repeated summoning or PvP practice.

FAQ

Q1: What is the best starting class for beginners?

A1: The Knight or Soldier are excellent for beginners. They provide good armor, reliable shields, and strength-based weapons that are forgiving while you learn enemy patterns and stamina management.

Q2: How do I upgrade my Estus Flask?

A2: Find Estus Shards at bonfires to increase the number of uses. To increase the healing amount, give Firekeeper Souls to the Fire Keeper at Firelink Shrine. You can also allocate Ashen Estus to restore FP for spellcasters.

Q3: Should I parry or dodge enemies?

A3: Both are viable. Parry is high reward but high risk—use it against predictable human-like enemies. Dodge and roll are safer for many bosses and enemies with wide sweeps. Practice timing in early areas.

Q4: Are there important items I can miss?

A4: Yes. Some NPC questlines and covenant items are missable if you kill or ignore NPCs. Complete dialogue triggers and rescue events early, and be cautious with invasions that might alter NPC behavior.

Q5: Can I respec my character?

A5: Yes. Rosaria’s Fingers covenant allows a limited number of respecs by using Pale Tongues after joining. Use this if you want to switch from a strength to a magic-based build in NG+ or mid-playthrough.

Conclusion

This Dark Souls 3 walkthrough balances practical route advice, build recommendations, boss strategies, and questline cautions to help you through Lothric and beyond. Use bonfires wisely, upgrade weapons regularly, and learn from each defeat. Whether you focus on sorcery, pyromancy, faith miracles, or a heavy strength build, DS3 rewards patience, practice, and curiosity. Embrace the challenge, explore every corner for lore and loot, and remember: every victory is earned.

Good luck, Ashen One. May your Estus always be full and your rolls be well-timed.