Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough - Boss Guides, Tips, & Help

Out of all the games that the legendary developer FromSoftware has released, Dark Souls 3 has arguably been played the most by gamers the world over. This is due to this third game in the series being the climactic end with appropriately worldshaking lore reveals, a massive armory of weapons, a veritable library of spells, and the most epic boss fights to date.

With so many different options for builds, there is potentially an infinite number of playthroughs that one can enjoy, for each run will be different, unique, and challenging in its own way. For those wishing to get the most out of their Dark Souls 3 experiences, it is best to explore, discover, and innovate in whatever way one desires, which makes having a quick reference guide for the many specifics bits of information needed to progress through the game all the more useful.

For the best and most detailed advice on how to traverse Lothric like a boss, be sure to bookmark this complete walkthrough for quick and easy access to crucial, time-saving information. Check back often, as one would not want to miss updates packed with new tips and tricks!

Tips For Beginners & Commonly Asked Questions

game box art and the character creation menu.

For those who haven't yet had a chance to get immersed into the deep, dark, and delightful world of Lothric, be sure to check out these handy guides on how to get started and avoid the most common pitfalls that trouble new players. Dark Souls 3 is not a game for casuals and it will pull no punches for players who have not experienced the previous games in the franchise, though, one can get around the difficulty curve by educating themselves on how this incredible game works.

What Is Hollowing?

The Ashen One's body will become increasingly decrepit the more they die and this process is linked to the infamous Dark Sigil; the mark upon one's body that allows the player to return after death as well as the cause of the withering upon being revived.

There are quite a few mechanics tied to hollowing and the Dark Sigil, many of which pertain to the player's Luck stat, the effectiveness of certain weapons, as well as more. For a clear guide on all the ins and outs of this mechanic, be sure to check out the below guide for everything you need to know.

How To Heal The Dark Sigil

Can You Respec? (Respecialize You Character)

Thankfully, unlike the first Dark Souls game, players can respecialize their character, albeit through a typically tedious FromSoftware manner. One will need to access the Cathedral of the Deep area and speak to Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth, who is a large silent woman resting upon an extravagant bed near to a bonfire on the 2nd floor of the area.

The Ashen One needs to join her covenant and then invade the worlds of other players to slay them and be rewarded with a Pale Tongue item each time that they are successful in their hunt. After acquiring 5 Pale Tongues, players can return to Rosaria and select the "Reallocate attributes" option to trade in the disgusting covenant items for the chance to redistribute their stat points.

Which Starting Class Should You Choose?

Depending on the player's personal preferences, there are different ways to start one's journey through Lothric. As opposed to many other traits of this marvelous yet macabre game, most of the starting classes all come with some solid weapons, armor, and spells that let one both stand a chance against early game threats as well as not overwhelming them with complex mechanics.

Each class is described pretty well in-game, however, those looking for more advice on which one to choose for their next (or first) playthrough in Dark Souls 3 should check out some of the information that veteran players have gathered in the years since DS3's release. Keep in mind that throughout the game, one will need to evolve and specialize their character to accommodate stronger tactics, weapons, and armor, which can lead to a novel and fun build.

What is Poise?

Poise is a subtle yet crucial mechanic that has a separate and hidden health bar from one's HP known as "Poise Health". The player, NPCs, and enemies (including bosses) all have a hidden Poise Health bar which depletes by varying amounts when they take damage. Each being has different max Poise Health, but when theirs gets completely drained, they get staggered, which often leaves them open to critical attacks like ripostes or renders them immobile for a few seconds and allows the Ashen One to get a few extra hits on them before they can recover.

Every weapon also does different amounts of poise damage (and also possesses their own poise health) depending on their hidden stat relating to this mechanic. A good rule of thumb is that the bigger and heavier a weapon is, the more poise damage it will do. Spells can also stagger enemies, however, they work a bit differently in that one needs to do a certain amount of HP damage to a target to stagger them from spell-based attacks. Armor is important to consider as well, as heavier sets and pieces will usually grant greater Poise Health.

In addition to pertaining to staggering and stunning foes, Poise Health also affects how much damage one can take before their attacks get interrupted via staggering or stuns. The weapons that deal the greatest poise damage on average have higher weapon poise health that combines with the player's Poise Health to determine how much incoming poise damage is needed to halt their strikes.

Covenants

The Old Wolf on the left and Yorshka on the right.

As with a lot of the non-vital information in this cryptic and challenging game, covenants are not really explained clearly and their obscure nature tends to cause many players to ignore them completely. However, covenants are important to the gameplay as they can offer great PvE aid, PVP objectives and rewards, as well as unique weapons, rings, and spells. They can extend one's playtime by a great margin, which adds lots of replay value to this already lengthy and stimulating dark fantasy adventure.

Maps & Areas

In this twisted and warped world, there are tons of areas to explore, each with many map secrets to uncover for the adventurous and fearless. Every location holds its own dangers, whether it be poisonous swamps, hidden traps, or just greater legions of powerful foes. Knowing where the best loot can be found will alleviate a lot of the misguided stumbling that can sometimes occur when traversing the organic mazes this game presents.

10 Intriguing Things You Need To Know About Irithyll Dungeon

Main Bosses

With 13 mandatory bosses, the Ashen One will need to bring their best weapons and tactics, for each of the main bosses pose their own unique brand of danger and destruction. Every one of these powerful adversaries will need to be defeated in order to complete the game in each playthrough, so avid fans of this immensely fun title will need to get good if they ever wish to reach New Game+ and beyond. Thankfully, there are multiple tactics that can aid players and builds of all kinds in every boss fight.

Optional Bosses

old demon king, nameless king, and champion gundyr.

In addition to the main bosses, there are 6 optional ones that the Ashen One can also take on in order to gain their unique drops, massive quantities of souls, and possibly even a few other items that can be immensely relevant to one's enjoyment of the game, like the Transposing Kiln that grants access to mighty boss weapons. However, be warned that these non-mandatory bosses are, on average, a fair bit more difficult than their mandatory counterparts. Some are so tough that many players opt to use cheesy strategies against them in order to circumnavigate their heightened level of challenge.

There are also quite a few minibosses that pose tremendous threats to the player and can be almost as, if not more, challenging than actual bosses. These lesser yet still formidable foes are the toughest non-boss enemies in the game and players should take similar approaches to deal with them as true bosses, for they can unleash deadly attacks and possess insanely aggressive battle tactics.

All Minibosses & How To Defeat Them

DLC Bosses

After the release of each DLC for the game, Dark Souls 3 gained new weapons, new areas, and (most importantly) new bosses. In Ashes of Ariandel, there were 2, while in The Ringed City there were 4, and in each of these 6 new boss battles, players had to push their limits in order to deal with some of the biggest threats in the entire franchise. Not only do all of these new bosses deal a great deal more damage than the main-game bosses, but they also possess greater HP as well as less conventional tactics that both excite and terrify players in equal parts.

Ashes Of Ariandel

The Ringed City

Melee Weapons (By Type)

The arsenal that the Ashen One has access to is staggeringly impressive with well over 150 different weapons across over a dozen types. Regardless of one's preferred playstyle and build, there will always be a melee weapon available that suits the player's needs. Such variety adds a great deal of replay value, for only a few weapons can be fully upgraded per playthrough, forcing players to start a new game or enter New Game+ to try out more of what Dark Souls 3's armory has to offer.

This also makes it easy for players to swap out weapons without having to re-specialize their character if they are stuck at a particular boss. The notable differences of each weapon, even among those in the same type, offer different damage types, movesets, and weapon skills that offer untold depths of versatility to any given build and situation.

Melee Weapons (By Group)

As well as the weapons fitting neatly into different types, quite a few are also grouped together by their lore, effects, or general usage. Many of these are unique armaments that usually can only be upgraded to +5 as opposed to the usual +10 cap, though possess special traits that make them more powerful than many ordinary options. These can be particularly useful against many bosses and should be tried out by players having trouble with specific powerful foes.

Ranged Weapons, Catalysts, & Spells

dragonrider bow, lightning stake miracle, and old moonlight sorcery.

There are many more options for combat than only melee weapons, as there are tons of ranged weapons and spells that players can use in place of, or even in conjunction with, melee weapons. Depending on the boss, the effectiveness of each kind of non-melee tactic will vary, though, like the massive trove of armaments, there are enough ranged weapons to make any hunter faint with delight as well as a whole library's worth of spells for aspiring sorcerers, pyromancers, clerics, and dark mages.

Rings & Other Useful Items

Weapons, catalysts, and armor are crucial for every build, however, no character should go without rings, for these shiny trinkets grant excellent effects and buffs that can push any build to its maximum potential. For greater damage, defenses, and even some neat auxiliary traits, be sure to pick up every ring one finds.

Additionally, there are a ton of other objects, including consumables, quest items, and keys, that can be tremendously beneficial for any given playthrough. This is due to Dark Souls 3's cryptic nature and obscure in-game instructions partially hiding some great tools that can be helpful in taking down even the strongest bosses.

Farming & Upgrades

No player will get very far in this game without farming for souls, enemy drops, and upgrading their equipment, as these are vital tasks that all will need to do in order to become stronger. This is especially true if one intends to use multiple weapons in a playthrough, so be sure to take note of the optimal areas and best enemies to farm for precious resources and souls.

All Endings For The Game

cut scene screen shots from each of the major endings in the game.

While the most common ending can be attained after defeating the Soul of Cinder, regardless of circumstance, there are some alternate paths that one can take to get different outcomes that determine the fate of this fading world.

Everything will eventually turn to dust and ash as can be seen in The Ringed City, the final point of converging timelines where everything ends, however, the player can still choose whether or not their canon ending is one of fire or darkness. Each of these alternate endings is quite tedious to achieve, therefore players needing help with them should take a look at this step-by-step guide.

Dark Souls 3 Guide: How to Get Each Ending

Mods

For veterans looking to for something new and interesting in their Dark Souls 3 experience, one should definitely check out some of the incredible mods that have been created since the game's release. There are those that aim to increase difficulty, others that add humorous elements, and even more that introduce radically new aspects of gameplay like libraries-worth of new spells, armories of new weapons, as well as ridiculous abilities and changes to vanilla assets.

NEXT: The 15 Hardest Dark Souls 3 Bosses, Ranked