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Whether you’re new to the Dark Souls series, or coming back for a second round, it helps to get a few tips from the experts. We’ve been knee-deep in Dark Souls for years, and now we’re sharing our hard-fought knowledge with you — all in celebration of Dark Souls: Remastered. The new edition enhances the original with optimized FPS and 4k resolution to the current generation of consoles. If you missed out on Dark Souls, there’s never been a better time to get in.
“Prepare to Die” is right. Dark Souls is a series known for its difficulty. To make your undead existence easier, we’re going to provide tips and tricks for every single boss battle — including those totally optional ones.
[Work-in-Progress: Check back soon as we add more video guides.]
Table of Contents
- Asylum Demon
- Taurus Demon
- Capra Demon
- Bell Gargoyles
- Gaping Dragon
- Moonlight Butterfly
- Chaos Witch Quelaag
- Great Grey Wolf Sif
- Iron Golem
- Ornstein & Smough
- Ceaseless Discharge
- Centipede Demon
- Demon Firesage
- Pinwheel
- The Bed o f Chaos
- Four Kings
- Nito
- Seath the Scaleless
- Dark Sun Gwyndolin
- Crossbreed Priscilla
- Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Dark Souls Bosses – A Primer
In Dark Souls, not every boss is required to complete the game. There are four primary objectives in the story — ring the two bells, travel to Anor Londo to collect the Lordvessel, collect the four Lord’s Souls, and defeat Gwyn.
Many of the bosses are optional. Some can be easily defeated by changing your tactics, but all bosses can be defeated using standard melee fighting skills. The best (and easiest) way to play is to focus on mobility first. The faster you can move, attack, and dodge, the easier (most) bosses will be. Weighing yourself down with armor or relying on a shield too much are beginner traps.
Here’s a quick rundown of your goals, and the bosses you must defeat to complete the game.
- Objective: Escape The Northern Asylum
- Boss: Asylum Demon (Optional) – Die to escape the asylum.
- Objective: Ring The Two Bells – Open Sen’s Fortress
- Undead Burg -> Undead Parish
- Boss: Taurus Demon
- Boss: Bell Gargoyles – Bell #1 Location
- Undead Burg -> The Depths -> Blighttown -> Quelaag’s Domain
- Boss: Capra Demon – Drops Depths Key
- Boss: Gaping Dragon
- Boss: Quelaag – Bell #2 Location
- Undead Burg -> Undead Parish
- Objective: Obtain the Lordvessel – Unlocks Fast Travel
- Undead Parish -> Sen’s Fortress
- Boss: Iron Golem
- Sen’s Fortress -> Anor Londo
- Boss: Ornstein & Smough – Lordvessel Location
- Undead Parish -> Sen’s Fortress
- Objective: Obtain the 4 Lord’s Souls – Unlocks Kiln of the First Flame
- Firelink Shrine -> The Catacombs -> Tomb of Giants
- Boss: Pinwheel
- Boss: Nito – Lord’s Soul #1
- Anor Londo -> The Duke’s Archives -> Crystal Cave
- Boss: Seath the Scaleless – Lord’s Soul #2
- Firelink Shrine -> New Londo Ruins -> Abyss
- Boss: Great Grey Wolf Sif – Required to Access the Abyss
- Boss: Four Kings – Lord’s Soul #3
- Quelaag’s Domain -> Demon Ruins -> Lost Izalith
- Boss: Ceaseless Discharge
- Boss: Firesage Demon
- Boss: Bed of Chaos – Lord’s Soul #4
- Firelink Shrine -> The Catacombs -> Tomb of Giants
- Objective: Rekindle the First Flame
- Power the Lordvessel in the Firelink Altar -> Kiln of the First Flame
- Boss: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder – Last Boss
- Power the Lordvessel in the Firelink Altar -> Kiln of the First Flame
