FAQ | Dark Souls Wiki

FAQs for Dark Souls are contained on this page. Sections contain answers and links to frequently asked questions. More answers can be found here. 

 

Getting Started

See our About page to get some general ideas on the concepts of the game. You should then visit the Classes page and select a class you believe would be approachable to your style. To proceed through the game, you can refer to our Places page for an overview of the recommended route, or check out the Walkthroughs provided. Also check out the Covenants page to get a feel for the different factions in the Dark Souls world and how they can help you.

 

What is the best class?

For those of you who have never played Demon's Souls, the starting class system doesn't limit what you can use in the game. For example, you can begin with a mage, but put all of your points into strength. Starting classes really only come into play when you're fine tuning a build for PVP or the meta game. Not enough is known about the metagame to judge at this point.

 

What starting gift should I pick?

It depends on your priorities. If you like the storyline or want to get the most out of NPC interactions, start your game with the Pendant or the Old Witch's Ring. An important NPC will want the pendant and the old witch's ring allows you to understand a mute NPC. If you want to explore, begin the game with the Master Key. If you want to defeat the very first boss encounter for the Demon's Great Hammer then the Black Firebomb is suggested. The rest are disposable items that you can find in the game. The master key is now buy-able from Domhnall of Zena for 5000 souls. (Patch 1.0.5)

 

Where is the jump button?

There is no dedicated jump button. To perform a jump you must run, release the run button and then tap it again. This will perform a jump. Details on the Control scheme can be found in our Controls Page.

 

What is a Bonfire?

Bonfires are the checkpoints of Dark Souls, but they also serve other useful purposes. When the player encounters a new Bonfire, it must be lit (activated) to serve as the new spawn point if the player should die. Players are also safe from the surroundings while resting at the Bonfire. Note however that the room with the Bonfire is not necessarily safe as enemies can still follow you to the Bonfire. See more information on our Bonfire page.

 

Souls? What's this?

Souls are a form of currency and experience points in Dark Souls. They are dropped by some enemies when they die, but can also be found as loot. Players spend souls to level up their character as well as to purchase items from merchants. Each level up requires an increasing number of souls. If the player dies however, all the souls that he's collected so far are lost, and are left at the bloodstain where he was killed. If the newly resurrected player can make it back to the bloodstain he can recover the lost souls. However, if he dies again on the way back to the bloodstain he will lose the souls permanently.

 

What is Humanity?

Humanity is a game mechanic which controls various aspects of the game, both off and online. The amount of Humanity carried by the player is represented by a number in the top left corner of the HUD. Humanity is also lost when the player dies but can be recollected along with the lost souls. An increased humanity level also increases the chance of item drops. Learn more about it on our Humanity page.

 

Is there a level cap in Dark Souls?

The maximum level is around 710, depending on the starting class. If you plan on doing PvP later in the game, going far above level 120 can make it harder to find other players in your level range. Level 120 is often seen as 'optimal' for PvP, and is usually reached on the second playthrough with normal progression. At this level your character has to specialize to be competitive, which in turn makes the PvP aspect of the game more diverse.
After From Software invaded players who got their hands on the game early, screenshots emerged showing the staff's character levels at 145, prompting journalists to begin claiming that the level cap was 145.

 

Can you sell items?

Yes. After you ring both bells (the one after Undead Parish and the one after Blighttown) Kingseeker Frampt will arrive at the Firelink Shrine. You can "feed" him items in exchange for souls.

 

Where should I go after I beat ___?

You can follow our Game Progress Route .

 

What is a good weapon?

That really depends on your character stats and style of play. You should get the drake sword early in the game by shooting the dragon on the bridge with arrows ( Video). It´s a powerful weapon (200 physical damage) that makes the first hours of the game a lot easier. However, you have to meet the required stats (16/10/0/0) and it does not scale on your stats, which makes it only decent after a few more hours of playing.

 

Gameplay

 

I'm Cursed! What do I do?!

Curse is a nasty effect that halves your life after being afflicted. Pre-patch 1.05 the effect would stack, leaving you with up to 1/8 your HP, but it was changed to halve once and once only . For a guide on removing this status, go here.

 

HELP! I have an Egghead!

This happens when you betray the Chaos Servant Covenant, or when an Egg Burdened attacks you with the "Maggot" on its back. The egg takes half of your souls after you defeat an enemy. You can track its growth by how many souls it "eats". By using the kick command, you shoot out larva that do small damage to enemies over time (when the egg has grown). The animation time is slow and it may leave you vulnerable for a short period of time. It is unclear what happens to the egg once it hatches. Using an Egg Vermifuge, players are able to remove the parasitic egg from their head. Obtaining one is as easy as talking to Eingyi (The Egg Burdened near the Daughter of Chaos) with an egg on your head. Afterwards, they are purchasable from him.
Alternatively, Egg Vermifuge is dropped by two-headed tree lizards in Darkroot Garden. One of these tree lizards can be found near the entrance to the Moonlight Butterfly area. From the bonfire in Darkroot Garden, walk towards the Butterfly area. Keep left in the area with the sleeping tower knights. Walk into the narrow dead-end path with the corpse at the end. There's a tree lizard guarding the corpse. It has a decent chance to drop an Egg Vermifuge.

 

Is this game open world?

Yes. The game allows you to visit any area at any time, but there is a difficulty degree associated with certain areas that would make progress on that direction hard. See our Recommended Routes and the World Interconnectivity.

 

How do I unlock this door?

See the keys page for a list of keys, where they are found, and the doors they unlock.

 

Where is the Bonfire in New Londo?

There is no bonfire in this area. You are expected to complete it travelling from the Firelink Shrine. You can open shortcuts as you progress that make it a rather short level.

 

My weapon broke!

Buy a Repairbox from the Undead Merchant, to repair Weapons and Armor at Bonfires, or visit a Blacksmith. Repair Powder can also be used to repair a weapon in the field. You can also buy the Spell Repair from Dusk of Oolacile.

 

Can I buy and sell items?

You cannot sell items at the start of the game, but there are several merchants available to purchase weapons, armors and consumables from. After ringing both bells of awakening, Frampt will appear at the Firelink Shrine whom you can sell items to, or rather discard them for a few souls. You can also do some simple trade with Snuggly. See our Merchants page for a full list of available shop items and their prices.

 

Farming

As in many rpgs, there are a few places that are better for farming. there are not a lot of "the best" farming areas in the game but there are a few better than others. Some Farming tips can be found in our Walkthrough section.

 

Online

How do I write messages?

You need an Orange Guidance Soapstone to write messages. Buy it from the Undead Merchant in the Undead Burg area.

 

How do I play with my friends?

The soul sign system has made a return and you cannot invite a friend from your friend's list to play with you. You have to hide your soul sign in a hard to find place and hope other players don't summon your friend before you. You get the White Sign Soapstone in the Undead Parish, from the Soliare Knight NPC.

 

Will there be voice chat?

Voice and party chat has been disabled for both PS3 and Xbox 360. Private chat is still possible on Xbox.

 

Why can't I heal?!

Invaders and co-op phantoms cannot heal with their own estus flasks. Lloyd's Talisman also prevents estus usage if used on a player. Healing miracles can still be used by phantoms or victims of a Lloyd's Talisman. White phantoms are healed when the host uses an estus flask. Consumption of humanity quickly restores HP as well, and is a popular healing alternative used by invading and co-op phantoms.

 

Is there a Skype chat for Dark Souls players?

Yes! A Skype chat is now available to help you find other players to co-op, pvp, or just chat with. You must have a Skype account to join. To access this chat, log onto Skype and add new contact "tramsportation", send the contact request along with a message saying you'd like to join the Dark Souls Skype Chat. The Skype chat is non-discriminatory to consoles, so it does not matter whether you are using a PS3, Xbox, or PC.

 

Information for players who missed out on Demon's Souls.

Trying to explain the mechanics of Demon's Souls can be daunting. Rest assured, even if these concepts confuse you in text, they are extremely simple to grasp in-game. Many of these mechanics have changed slightly in Dark Souls in terms of vocabulary and color, but its generally very similar.

1. About online: If you are connected to the internet, the game acts as a perpetual lobby. Rather than sitting on a lobby screen waiting for people to play with you (like in shooters, or fighting games) you are able to walk through the world and interact with others seamlessly through "signs" and apparitions. Signs are glowing messages left on the ground - their color determines their function. Blue signs (soul signs) are players who are wanting to be summoned into your world in order to help you beat that level. Pink glowing text are hints left by other players to help you on your journey. Bloodstains allow you to see how other players have died. On occasion you will see a transparent outline or "ghost" walking around your world. These are other players playing at the same time as you. They do nothing but remind you that others are struggling as well. There are also red signs that allow you to summon someone for a PVP match. While connected to the internet you can also be "invaded" by other players. Invasions happen randomly (you can be at any point in the level except for the boss room). However, there are level limits that prevent someone of a high level to help you beat a boss or invade you in PVP.
2. Body Form and Soul Form: This was a feature introduced in Demon's Souls and is being replaced with the humanity system. You may see some members of the community bring this up in reference to online play. When you die, you loose your physical body. This doesn't prevent you from continuing on your journey as you respawn from the start of the level as a phantom. You have 50% of your total health (there is an item that raises it to 75% while in phantom form). In this form you have a new objective: to obtain your body. This can be done in 3 different ways. You can put down an item called a "Blue Soul Stone" which allowed other players to summon you into their game. They quite literally see your stone on the ground exactly where you placed it. If you help the player defeat the boss of that stage, you get your body back. The second is to invade someone's world with the "Black Soul Stone". You kill the host to regain your body - if you kill any players helping the host you are rewarded with a portion of the souls. The third is by beating the boss in your phantom-like state. You cannot summon other players or be invaded while in soul form.
3. Connecting with friends: Connecting with friends is difficult in Demon's Souls as you cannot invite someone from your friends list. They have to put their soul sign down and hope not to get summoned by anyone else before you can reach them. In Dark Souls it is much more difficult than in the previous game. The servers on dark souls are peer to peer, and thus, you can play with anyone, anywhere. The downside of this, however, is that it is extremely difficult for people, no matter how close they live to each other, to play with the same people over and over again. Understand that this is not particularly a bad thing, and was actually intentional to make the playthroughs individually interesting every single time. To make an attempt to join another player, one of you must be alive, and the other dead. The dead must place his soul sign in a specific place, usually a low traffic, hidden area, and assuming the sign actually shows up, must be the first person to do the summon. Considering the game is peer to peer, the chance you'll be the only ones doing this are drastically slim.(In some cases like for me its very simple Just fall within the level range of your friend I've even play in pvp ith my buddy that was level 101 and i was 86)
4. Voice Chat: Dark souls and Demon's Souls doesn't allow voice chat in any way, shape, or form. Xbox live will not permit private chat, or party chat during the session. Any attempts to join a party, or join private chat while on the game will result in you being shifted back to the dashboard. PS3 players have similar restrictions. Message sending is still ok to use. CORRECTION: Xbox Live does in fact allow private chat. The simplest way to use this if three friends are playing together is for the host to invite each of his/her friends to a chat, and simply alternate between them if they wish to strategize in some way.
5. Humanity: Humanity is new to the series. It is a universal, rare drop from all the enemies. Upon using it you will return to full health and gain 1 humanity; 2, if you use a Twin Humanity. Humanity is also used to kindle bonfires, and restore your human state. The difference between being undead and human is simple. You have higher resistances, and a higher drop rate when you're a human.
6. Humanity and Souls: When you are undead, and lack humanity to return to being human, there are ways to get it, rather than searching for it and killing leagues of enemies. You can either invade a player, kill him, and take all of his humanity that way, or you can lay down a white soul sign, be summoned, and assist a player in killing an arch demon. Invading will cost you most of your souls if you fail. Certain enemies also have a higher drop rate for humanity, such as the undead rats or baby skeletons.
7. Souls: Souls are a player's currency and experience points. Different enemies give different amounts of souls when you slay them. When you die, you lose your souls and will leave a blood stain. If you recover by touching your bloodstain you get all of the souls you lost back; however, if you die while trying to recover your body, you lose all of those souls forever.
8. Covenants: Different covenants give different ways of invading and assisting people. You can see a list of the different covenants here.

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