This brutal prison can be a pain to traverse in every playthrough of Dark Souls 3. The tight confines, twisted abominations, and relentless jailers are but only some of what makes this area connecting Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and the Profaned Capital a sinister section of the map. With only a single bonfire to rest at, all deaths will send the Ashen One back to the same familiar flames to try the gauntlet of grimy stone bricks, clanking iron manacles, and hideous enemies once more.
In one's feverish attempt to leave one of the most hellish locations in the game, it is possible that a few players have missed some of the finer details hidden among the muck of this unwashed bastion of restraints. Bits of information that can scratch a lore itch or enlighten players enough to give them an easier time passing through Irithyll Dungeon on their next playthrough.
10 Invaded By Alva If Embered
Probably the last thing anyone wants to deal with as they are just about to enter the torturous dungeon is an invading dark spirit. If one is embered, Alva, Seeker of the Spurned, will cross into the player's world and hunt them down likely before they can even so much as get a whiff of the decrepit prison.
He wields a Murakumo and an Arbalest, so gamers know he means business. At close range, he will attempt to overwhelm players with his weapon's Spin Slash skill, which can be devastating. If the Ashen one tries to engage him at long range, Alva will launch a few bolts at them. It might be better to pass through this part without an ember active. That is, unless one wants his Murakumo, for it is a guaranteed drop upon defeating this seeker.
9 Unlock Archdragon Peak
Although Irithyll Dungeon exists as a path from Irithyll of the Boreal Valley to the Profaned Capital, there is a very important secret location that all players should check out. On a ledge outside of the prison, which can be found as one heads into the lower areas of the dungeon, players can find many dead bodies and statues facing a huge mountain with the corpse of a dead dragon resting upon it.
By interacting with the most draconic of these, one can learn the Path of the Dragon gesture, which allows one to sit in a meditative pose very similar to the humanoid dragon resting nearby. Imitate them while facing the impressive sight to be transported to Archdragon Peak, an optional end-game area full of powerful foes and some of the most ancient and mighty bosses in the franchise.
8 One Step Closer To Becoming A Dragon
For those seeking to become a true traveler along the Path of the Dragon, one of the mandatory items for dragon form can be found in Irithyll Dungeon. Upon the very same meditative corpse that one finds the gesture that can lead to Archdragon Peak, players will find a Dragon Torso Stone.
When used, this stone transforms one's body, taking up the chest, leg, and arm slots for armor, into that of a humanoid drake. This form does nothing for one's physical damage reduction, however, boosts one's defenses against magic, fire, and dark damage by varying amounts as well as resistance to the build-up of all status ailments. It also drops one's damage reduction against lightning, so should not be used around enemies that unleash such attacks.
7 Keys
With many physically locked areas, this jail understandably needs quick a few items to fully explore. The three keys needed to collect everything in this horrid place are the Jailbreaker's Key, the Jailer's Key Ring, and the Old Cell Key. The first of these can be found in one of the earliest hallways, inside one of the cells with a broken stone wall leading into it.
The Jailer's Key Ring is a pain to get, as it involves the player having to go down to the Profaned Capital, crossing the toxic swamp, ascending the chapel within, and then heading through a hole in the wall and fighting two invisible jailers to find the key ring at the end of the corridor. Lastly, the Old Cell Key can be found in the sewage system swarming with rats very close to a mimic chest. Be warned, as picking the key up will cause a bunch of basilisks to attack.
6 Jailbreak
Locked away behind one of the metal grate-like cell doors is an immensely valuable NPC merchant for spellcasters seeking new and powerful dark sorceries and pyromancies. Karla the witch can be broken out from her cell in the lower area of Irithyll Dungeon, not too far from the huge room with many jailers right before the exit.
However, one cannot free her immediately, for the Jailer's Key Ring resides in the Profaned Capital and must be acquired before one can open her cell door and send her off to Firelink Shrine. When met up with later, she will sell the player many spells that embody the power of The Abyss.
5 Too Many Mimics
Out of all the areas in Dark Souls 3, Irithyll Dungeon possesses the most mimics. These lanky foes disguised as chests can be obnoxious to deal with, especially when surrounded by other enemies. This dank dungeon houses a quartet of these tall and fast fiends.
A crawling version can be found near the end of the sewage draining area opposite a real chest. This one drops a Dark Clutch Ring. The next is found near the dormant giant slave as well as many rats and holds ten Dragonslayer Lightning Arrows. The third, worth slaying for its valuable Estus Shard, is found after passing through the first cell block of the area before one reaches a hallway crowded with peasant hollows. The last one is located on the left side of the big room with seven jailers on patrol and can be defeated to gain two Titanite Scales.
4 Where Crystal Lizards Lurk
Possessing upgrade materials makes crystal lizards an alluring sight for all players seeking to improve their weapons. Two of these slippery skinks can be found in Irithyll Dungeon, though both are in annoying spots. The first one, holding a Titanite Scale, can be found fairly easily as one is progressing through the first part of the dungeon. Though, be wary, as it will lead past an open prison cell where a wretch will lunge out and stab at the player.
The next, even more inconveniently, is located upon the stony shelf where the giant slave is resting. Attacking the crystal lizard will awaken his behemoth who will pound at the player with massive fists. If one cannot take out the little crystal creature with melee before the giant awakens, it is recommended to use a ranged attack.
3 Attainable Ashes
Throughout the game, players can find the remains of past adventurers in the form of their ashes. An appropriate leaving for individuals in a world where fire and embers are life. These can be given to the Shrine Handmaiden in Firelink Shrine in order to increase the number of goods that she sells.
Both obtainable piles within Irithyll Dungeon are found relatively close to one another near the big room with the patrolling jailers near the end of the area. The Prisoner Chief's Ashes can be found on a corpse locked in a cell and allows the Shrine Handmaiden to sell Karla's set as well as Pale Pine Resin and Rime-blue Moss Clumps. The Xanthous Ashes are found towards the exit of the prison and grant the Handmaiden sellable items such as the Xanthous set, Gold Pine items, and Young White Branches.
2 Collectible Coal
Some more crucial upgrade items are called coals, which are scattered around the world and need to be brought to Andre of Astora in Firelink Shrine to unlock more ways to infuse weapons. The Profaned Coal can be located across from the cell where one rescues Karla, within a much larger cell. This coal is guarded by a few wretches, so be sure to clear them out before picking it up.
When given to Andre, it will unlock dark, blood, and hollow infusions if one has the respective gems to do so. This makes the Profaned Coal vital for players intent on putting together a bleed or hollow build, along with those seeking to deepen the darkness of their being.
1 Torturous Tales
It's no leap of imagination to come to the conclusion that the jailers of Irithyll Dungeon are also torturers, for they carry weapons that hurt immensely yet cannot kill by themselves. Their Soldering Irons, which they use as brands, can decimate a player's maximum health in only a few short seconds. How they use these red-hot tools on prisoners is likely similar and gruesome.
This jail was most likely set up by Pontiff Sulyvahn, the controller of everything in the area. He likely imprisoned people here who did not bow before him or his master, Aldrich, the Devourer of Gods. Instead of reforming them, like how prisons are meant to be used in real life, those shoved into cells here are condemned to rot in solitude and agony for all time.