Dark Souls has quite a reputation for being difficult. The areas are expansive and confusing, the enemies hit harder than trucks, and it seems as if your weapons are made of plastic. It also doesn't help that the game barely tells you how to play it and simply expects you to learn the ropes as you go along. As such, many interesting and important elements can fall by the wayside. Shortcuts, gameplay elements...there is a lot of hidden content out there! Luckily, the more die-hard amongst us have figured it all out.
These are ten things you didn't know you could do in Dark Souls 3.
10 Trigger The Dancer Early
We don't know why you would want to, but you can actually trigger The Dancer of the Boreal Valley far earlier than the story requires. After receiving the Lothric banner from Emma, you can simply kill her where she sits. This in trigger the entrance of The Dancer, who will proceed to totally wreck you three ways from Sunday.
Yes, it is doable, but The Dancer is a tough boss at the best of times - fighting it when you're just starting out (especially if you're new to the game), is a borderline terrible idea. Of course, the rewards are nice and plenty, so at least there's quite a nice risk-reward ratio.
9 Kill The Carthus Sandworm
Most people enter the Smouldering Lake, see the gigantic Carthus Sandworm, and book it the hell out of dodge. The Sandworm is massive, it is deadly, and it seems literally un-killable. Hopwever, that is definitely not the case. There are in fact numerous ways to dispose of it. You can bait the Giant Avelyn to shoot it, resulting in a fairly quick and easy death. You can bait its lightning attack before running up and hacking away like a madman. You can take potshots at it with a bow from a safe distance. You can utilize thrust, magic, dark, or fire, all of which the Sandworm is weak against. In short, the Sandworm is definitely doable, and you are granted 6,000 souls, the Lightning Stake, and an Undead Bone Shard for your efforts.
8 Burn The Undead Bone Shards
This may seem like common sense, but trust us, more than a few people have gone through this game not knowing that you can increase the power of your Estus Flask. The thing about Dark Souls is that you have to read the product descriptions to get a better understanding of how certain items work. Some more casual players simply pick up an item and go about their day, thinking that they'll figure it out as they go. As such, they may not know what to do with the Undead Bone Shards. If you burn these in the Firelink Shrine, you will increase the power of your Estus Flask, allowing you to gain more HP from a single use. It's handy, and it is absolutely required.
7 Cure Hollowing
If you die while branded with the Dark Sigil, you will accumulate hollowing. If you reach level 15, you will become hollow, giving you an undead appearance. Aside from that, little else changes. Luckily, you can completely reverse the hollowing, should you wish to appear more human.
If you give the Fire Keeper the Fire Keeper Soul, she will remove both the Dark Sigil and the accumulated Hollowing, provided you have the souls for the process. You can also reverse your Hollowing by using Purging Stones, visiting the Purging Monument, or talking to Velka in the Undead Settlement.
6 Use The Shrine Handmaid To Consume Souls
You are given thousands of souls for defeating bosses, and some players like to stack and accumulate these souls rather than immediately consuming them. This, of course, if you decide to consume them in the first place rather than using them to buy weapons and abilities. Unfortunately, this can be quite the process, as you pick each individual boss soul to consume. Luckily, there is a much faster method to expedite the process. If you talk to the Handmaid, you can sell all of the souls in your inventory at once. And fear not - the Handmaid buys all of the souls at equal value, so it's not as if you're losing souls in the transaction. It definitely streamlines the process, and you are given hundreds of thousands of souls in a mere second.
5 Access The Roof Of The Firelink Shrine
Some people are rather stingy with their souls, and as such, are hesitant to pay 20,000 of them to obtain the Tower Key from the Handmaid. Luckily, there IS another option, although it is far more difficult and complex. Seriously, just buy the Tower Key. 20,000 souls isn't THAT much!
You need to go to the upper part of the Firelink Shrine, go outside to where a tree is leaning against the roof, and use the tree as a ramp to jump onto the roof. Of course, it is far more difficult than it sounds, as the game does not want you up there without the Tower Key! However, if you do manage to do it, you will be gifted with some amazing items, AND you save 20,000 souls! Now that's a win-win right there.
4 The Mound-Makers
This one is a little complex, so bear with us. Before killing the Curse Rotted Greatwood, you need to turn right at the burning tree in the Undead Settlement, go around the right side of the building after the bridge (you need to break some barrels), climb a ladder, follow the rooftops, and jump down in front of a monster carrying a giant cage on its back.
You then need to approach the cage and interact with it. Following this, your character will enter the cage and be transported to a secret area inhabited by Holy Knight Hodrick. He will gift you the Mound-Makers covenant, who "wish only to add to their mounds, becoming mad spirits whether summoned as co-operators or invaders."
3 Befriend The Giant Of The Undead Settlement
Players will undoubtedly hit a wall once they reach a certain area of the Undead Settlement. In this area, a nearby giant flings gigantic spears in your direction, and these deal a ridiculous amount of damage. You CAN run through the area and hope for the best, but that is generally unadvised. Instead, go make small talk with the poor, lonely thing!
If you travel to the top of the tower in the Undead Settlement, you can speak to him and "make peace." If you do that, he will give you a special White Birch Branch that prevents you from taking damage from his spears. Now you can watch the bodies hit the floor while you sit back and relax. Thanks, Giant Bro.
2 Use Your Torch To Shake Off Maggots
One of the most annoying enemies of the entire game are the Corpse-Grubs. These are giant slabs of writhing maggots that are located in the Cathedral of the Deep and the Smouldering Lake. Unfortunately, these are very deadly creatures, as one swipe of their arm leaves you covered in maggots. They are not only disgusting, but they slowly build bleed damage until you can shake them off. Luckily, much like the Corpse-Grubs themselves, they are insanely weak to fire. While they fall off naturally after applying bleed damage, you can shake them off early by simply whipping out your torch. This will burn all the maggots off your body, and you will be bleed-free. It's definitely a handy trick for making your way through the Cathedral early in the game.
1 Interact With The Fire Keeper
The Fire Keeper is your trusty companion throughout the game. You can speak to her to learn more about the game's world and its lore, and you can use her powers to level up your character, making you stronger, fitter, and healthier for the arduous journey ahead. Such a good friend deserves from recognition, no? Well, you can do just that by interacting with the Fire Keeper throughout the game. You simply stand in front of her and perform a gesture. She will respond a variety of ways, like twirling, bowing, and bringing her hand to her face. It's not much, and it's certainly not required, but it's a nice little something that helps you form a bond with your closest ally, and really, isn't that all you can ask for in grave times such as this?