Dark Souls III

Tips

• Start here

  Bone shards are permanent flasks

  Every Undead Bone Shard raises Estus healing for the rest of the run. The ones on the Road of Sacrifices, in Smouldering Lake, and by the Irithyll sewer are the ones people skip while chasing the next bonfire.

• Start here

  Raw infusion until you commit

  A Raw Broadsword or Longsword needs almost no scaling stats and will take you to Pontiff. Infuse for Keen or Heavy only after you have a 40 in the matching stat.

• Advanced

  Poise is hyper armor, not idle tanking

  Two-handing an ultra greatsword lets the R1 trade through curved-sword strings. Idle poise does almost nothing; the armor value only matters during the attack's hyper-armor frames.

• Advanced

  Weapon Art parries are the real window

  Caestus and small-shield parries have a more honest startup than Dark Souls. Farron Greatsword's spin art is still one of the best PvP trades if you only throw it as a punish.

• Secrets

  Siegward's tower and the well

  Buy the Tower Key from the Shrine Handmaid after you meet Greirat. Siegward's Undead Settlement roof scene has to happen before he shows up in the well, and that well unlocks his Irithyll and Yhorm beats.

• Secrets

  Aldrich Faithful basement

  The hidden Irithyll drop behind Pontiff's cathedral leads to the Aldrich Faithful covenant and a quiet farm. Smouldering Lake's Carthus Sandworm also drops the Lightning Stake if you snipe it from the ballista ledge.

• Bosses

  Pontiff's clone dies first

  Stay at mid-range so his string ends on the recoverable thrust. When the clone spawns, spend the whole stamina bar on it; fighting both at once is how the late combo catches your roll.

• Bosses

  Walk toward Twin Princes

  After Lorian fades for the teleport slam, walk (do not roll) toward his landing. The prince pair also gives a long punish when Lothric finishes a heal animation on Lorian's back.