The Warrior’s Conquest

Built with the Mimic's Ledger build helper; the numbers come from the Ledger's records. Chapters follow The Knight's Road and The Thief's Path so the guides line up.

Part I: The Warrior's Way

The Knight swears. The Thief counts. The Wanderer remembers. The Warrior conquers, and he chose where before he landed.

The Warrior lands at level 4 with Strength 13 and Dexterity 13 (the highest even split of the two in any class), a Longsword, a Heater Shield and armor that can take a hit. Every fight is won twice: once at the bonfire, once in the arena. It suits players who like to hit hard and plan harder: a heavy blade, a medium roll, and the homework done before the fog door.

The Three Vows

• Win it at the bonfire. Know what the boss hits with and what it can't stand before you walk in. Every boss in this guide has a "Before you walk in" line from the Ledger's records, and a roundup at the end. I spend the first life watching. Every swing it shows me is one it can't surprise me with on the second.
• Two hands when it counts. Two-handing multiplies your Strength by 1.5 and the swing itself hits harder: the Longsword's two-handed R1 lands about 31% harder than its one-handed one at the Warrior's starting stats. Two hands for anything slow enough to stagger or out-trade. The shield comes up for anything faster than me, and for every walk between fights.
• Press, but know the price. Pressure works on what can be staggered, cornered or out-traded, not on everything. The Capra Demon taught me that: I pressed into the dogs and the corner, and paid for it. Some rooms you clear before you conquer them.

Two Hands

Two-handing a weapon counts your Strength as 1.5 times its value, lowers its Strength requirement by the same proportion, and changes the moveset: for every blade on this road (straight sword, greatsword, ultra greatsword, great hammer, greataxe) the Ledger's motion-value records put the two-handed R1 at 120% against 100% one-handed. The price is the shield: no blocking or parrying until you switch back.

Attack rating is the Ledger's estimate; the two-handed R1 is that rating times the swing's motion value, before enemy defences. "Short of Strength" means the blade is only usable two-handed at those stats. The Lightning path removes all stat bonuses, so the Lightning Zweihander hits as hard at STR 16 as at STR 30; the Standard blades keep climbing with Strength. My favourite to two-hand is the Zweihander: it's in your hands before the Burg, and it never stops earning its weight.

Weight and the Roll

Up to 25% of your maximum equip load is a fast roll, up to 50% a medium roll, and above that a fat roll. By the Ledger's figures, maximum equip load is about Endurance + 40. The Warrior starts at a medium roll and is built to stay there.

Two heavy blades are the Warrior's price. Carrying the Zweihander and the Great Club in the starting armor needs END 41 for a medium roll, or END 14 with Havel's Ring (+50% equip load). With the ring, the stat plan's END 32 carries the Elite Knight Set and both blades (END 28 is enough). Havel's Ring and the Wolf Ring (40 poise) are the Warrior's pair; the Elite Knight Set (Darkroot Garden) adds 46 poise. I carry both, with Havel's Ring. Changing blades at the fog door is the cheapest preparation in the game.

The Blade's Road

The Warrior's road is short and heavy: every stage hits harder than the last, and the Longsword itself can come back at the end. By the late game he carries two blades for two kinds of enemy: Lightning for what can't stand it, the club for what can. By the Ledger's records lightning is the lowest elemental resistance of 10 of the 21 main bosses on this road, but not all: Ornstein's lightning resistance is 1,747, and he gets the club. Scout the room, then bring what it can't stand. Every chapter asks that question, and I like walking in with the answer already in hand.

By the end I carry both, and the boss decides which one comes out. Gwyn gets his own answer in Chapter 13.

The Titanite Budget

Two blades eat two blades' worth of titanite. What the whole road costs, from the Ledger's upgrade tables:

The Slabs are the bottleneck: the Warrior needs 2, one for Lightning +5 and one for the Great Club's +15. Titanite Slabs: the Stray Demon (a guaranteed drop), a chest in Kalameet's arena (DLC), Sieglinde of Catarina's gift on completing her questline, a chance from Crystal Lizards in the Great Hollow, and a very rare drop from the Darkwraiths in New Londo. Titanite Chunks: guaranteed from certain Black Knights and Giants, an 8% drop from Royal Sentinels, an uncommon drop from Darkwraiths (sometimes two), and treasure in Anor Londo and New Londo. The Stray Demon's Slab goes to the blade you'll swing most. The rest of my titanite I farmed from the Darkwraiths in New Londo.

A Stat Plan for the Road

HP and stamina first, then the blade's requirements, then more weight behind every swing. Stats not listed stay where the Warrior starts them.

Soul costs come from the published level table (to level 12) and formula (above it). Each chapter lists a suggested level drawn from these stages. If a boss keeps flattening you, buy Vitality sooner. Nobody conquers from the bonfire.

Part II: The Road to Gwyn

Every boss below comes with a "Before you walk in" line, read from the Ledger's boss records: the damage types in its attacks, its lowest resistance, what it's immune to, and the ring that answers it. I take Darkroot before the Depths: the Elite Knight Set and the Wolf Ring make the Depths a friendlier place.

Chapter 1: The Northern Undead Asylum

The Asylum isn't a prison. It's the first door I kick in.

Suggested level: 4–6

The Warrior's Kit

• The Peculiar Doll. In your old cell, on your return. It opens the Painted World (Chapter 8).
• Titanite Slab. A guaranteed drop from the Stray Demon. Keep it: it's what takes the Lightning Zweihander to +5.
• Black Knights (on your return). By the Ledger's records, a Red Titanite Chunk is a guaranteed drop from the Black Knights here.

Foes and Bosses

• Asylum Demon. Drop onto him with the plunge, then stay behind him; his overhead slams leave a long recovery.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: physical; lowest resistance: lightning (54). Nothing to bring yet. Your best weapon in this fight is the ledge above him.
  Warrior's answer: Plunge, then stay behind him and keep swinging. He's slow to turn; you're not.
• Stray Demon. On the return trip. His hammer swings are physical but his explosions are magic. Roll away from the butt slam, and get behind or under him for the blasts.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: magic; lowest resistance: lightning (168); bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). The Spell Stoneplate Ring won't be yours this early. Come back with the Zweihander and some Vitality.
  Warrior's answer: Stay behind him, roll the butt slam, and keep moving when he blasts.

The Blade's Road

The Longsword is enough to start. Andre can take it to +5 with Titanite Shards. Three levels of Strength (STR 16, 2,223 souls) put the Zweihander in both hands. Save the shards, though. The Longsword only has to carry you three levels; they belong to the Zweihander.

If you only remember one thing: Come back for the Slab. It's one of the two the Warrior needs, and the cheapest you'll ever earn.

Chapter 2: Firelink Shrine

Firelink is the last quiet place in Lordran. Enjoy it for a minute, then rob its graveyard.

Suggested level: 4–7

The Warrior's Kit

• Zweihander. On a corpse in the graveyard behind Firelink Shrine, in front of the large tombstone at the far right of the stairs down, guarded by two Skeletons and a dormant Giant Skeleton. STR 24 / DEX 10, or STR 16 two-handed, 10.0 weight: the Warrior's first real blade, three levels of Strength away. Sprint in, grab it, sprint out. You're not here to fight the dead yet, just to rob them.
• The starting gift. Black Firebombs. I never walk in without a little extra fire.
• Petrus offers the Way of White here. The Warrior starts sworn to nothing. It changes little on this road. Join or don't; your sword won't notice.

The Blade's Road

Three levels of Strength as soon as you have the souls. The Zweihander should be in both hands before the Burg sees it.

If you only remember one thing: The Zweihander is the whole chapter. Get it, and get out.

Chapter 3: The Undead Burg

The Burg was built to keep things out. Nobody told it about me.

Suggested level: 7–14

The Warrior's Kit

• Undead Merchant (Male). Sells Firebombs, the Repairbox and the Bottomless Box. Killing him closes his shop for good. Buy the Repairbox, the Bottomless Box, the Residence Key and a few Repair Powder first; decide about him later.

Foes and Bosses

• Taurus Demon. A plunging attack from the tower above is the classic opener. Keep him in the middle of the bridge, and roll his leaping slam: it hits harder than his swings.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (67). The Black Firebombs, saved from the start for exactly this.
  Warrior's answer: Plunge from the tower, then stay under him and swing the Zweihander two-handed.
• Capra Demon. Clear the dogs first; they make the fight worse. The stairs at the back of the arena let you take them one at a time.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (106). Decide where you're running before the fog. Deciding in there is how I died.
  Warrior's answer: Up the stairs, kill the dogs, then bring the Zweihander down on him. Don't press him in a corner.
• Hellkite Dragon. At this level, run. Sprint down the middle of the bridge when he lands and don't stop.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire). The Flame Stoneplate Ring is in Sen's Fortress, chapters away. Bring nothing but your legs.
  Warrior's answer: Run. Conquest can wait for a bigger blade.

The Blade's Road

Two-hand the Zweihander and the Burg gets shorter. Hollows die before they reach you. Reach is the first armor the Warrior gets.

If you only remember one thing: The Capra Demon is a room problem before he's a boss problem.

Chapter 4: The Undead Parish

The Parish has a bell and a blacksmith. I came for both.

Suggested level: 12–17

The Warrior's Kit

• Andre sells the Longsword and takes Standard weapons to +5 with Titanite Shards; +6 and up need the Large Ember from the Depths.
• Balder gear. The Ledger places the Balder Set (25.0 weight) in the Undead Parish. The Balder Shield (stability 63, 4.0 weight) is a 1% Balder Knight drop, or 4,000 souls from the Crestfallen Merchant.

Foes and Bosses

• Bell Gargoyles. Fought on the church roof. Cut the first one's tail for a weapon, and hit them after they land. The second joins partway through, so save stamina for it.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: physical; lowest resistance: fire (98). Any Black Firebombs the Taurus didn't get. Spend them here; they won't get more useful.
  Warrior's answer: Two-hand the Zweihander on the first, cut the tail if it swings close, and keep half your stamina for the second.

The Blade's Road

Take the Zweihander to +5. It has to reach +10 before the Giant Blacksmith can make it Lightning. The Longsword has done its job; let it rest until the Abyss calls for it.

If you only remember one thing: The bell is the goal; the Zweihander at +5 is how you ring it.

Chapter 5: Darkroot Garden and Basin

Darkroot is where the Warrior gets dressed for the war.

Suggested level: 16–24

The Warrior's Kit

• Elite Knight Set. Darkroot Garden. 26.8 weight, 46 poise for the set.
• Wolf Ring. Darkroot Garden's secret area. +40 poise.
• Havel the Rock, through the watchtower basement in Darkroot Basin. His ring raises equip load by 50%.

Foes and Bosses

• Moonlight Butterfly. It fights at range with magic. When it lands it stops attacking: that's your window. Step back before its glow ends.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: magic; lowest resistance: fire (110); immune to bleed, poison and toxic; bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). Patience. It comes to you when it lands, and that's the only time it does.
  Warrior's answer: Wait for the landing. Two-handed swings until the glow says leave.
• Sif, the Great Grey Wolf. Fought at Artorias's grave, beyond the Crest door. Stay close under his legs and roll through his swipes. He gives you the Covenant of Artorias, which you need for the Abyss.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: physical; lowest resistance: fire (182). Two hands and a full stamina bar. He gives openings; you need the stamina to use them.
  Warrior's answer: Stay under him, two-hand, and swing when his combo ends. I respect the wolf. I still want what he's guarding.

The Blade's Road

Wear the Elite Knight Set and the Wolf Ring. I like finishing the swings I start, and with that much poise, most of Lordran can't talk me out of one.

If you only remember one thing: Havel's Ring and the Wolf Ring are the Warrior's pair, and both live here.

Chapter 6: The Depths, Blighttown, and Quelaag's Domain

The Depths smell like the bottom of a war. Blighttown smells worse. Both pay.

Suggested level: 19–30

The Warrior's Kit

• Large Ember. In a chest in the Depths, near the table with raw meat, guarded by the Butcher. Unlocks +6 to +10 on Standard weapons.
• Great Club. Blighttown treasure. In the swamp near the entrance to Quelaag's Domain, guarded by two Infested Barbarians. STR 28, or STR 19 two-handed (three more levels of Strength), 12.0 weight. The Warrior's second blade, for what lightning can't touch.
• Greataxe. The club's alternative: Depths treasure, 8,000 souls from the Crestfallen Merchant (Sen's Fortress, Chapter 7), or a rare Heavy Knight drop (2%, or 0.67% in the Undead Parish; they also stand in Sen's Fortress and the Painted World). STR 32 / DEX 8, or STR 22 two-handed, 14.0 weight. I take the club: less Strength, less weight, and it's on your road.

Foes and Bosses

• Gaping Dragon. At the bottom of the Depths. He gives the Blighttown Key. Fight at his flank, never in front of his jaws, and be moving sideways when he rears.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (84); immune to poison and toxic. Armor, HP and every Estus you own. The Depths take their cut before he does.
  Warrior's answer: Flank, swing, keep moving. His face is the one part of him you never stand in front of.
• Chaos Witch Quelaag. Her fire is the danger. Stay close, strike between her sweeps, and back away when she rears to spit lava.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: physical and fire; lowest resistance: lightning (205); immune to fire, poison and toxic; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire). The Flame Stoneplate Ring is in Sen's Fortress, after this. Full HP every time she rears.
  Warrior's answer: Lightning is her weak point, not yours yet. Two-hand the sharper blade, stay at her side, and give ground when she rears.

The Blade's Road

With the Large Ember, the Zweihander can go to +10, the step before Lightning, and the club can follow it. Two blades share one supply of titanite. Split the shards between them. Keep both blades close, and neither lets you down in the wrong room.

If you only remember one thing: The Great Club is in the swamp. Don't leave Blighttown without it.

Chapter 7: Sen's Fortress

Sen's Fortress was built to kill heroes. Good thing I'm not one.

Suggested level: 30–36

The Warrior's Kit

• Ring of Steel Protection. Sen's Fortress, in a chest at the top of the long outdoor boulder ramp, in a room with a Serpent Mage. +50 physical defense.
• Flame Stoneplate Ring. Sen's Fortress, near the top bonfire. +50 fire defense.

Foes and Bosses

• Iron Golem. Atop the fortress, past the last boulder run. Stay close but not underneath, roll away when his empty hand pulls back for the grab, and hit the recovery after his big swings.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (245); immune to bleed, poison and toxic. Take the Ring of Steel Protection from the boulder ramp first. Everything he swings is heavy.
  Warrior's answer: Stay at his ankles, two-hand the club, roll the grab. He's iron. I brought the answer.

The Blade's Road

Carry both blades into Anor Londo: the Zweihander at +10 and ready for the Giant Blacksmith, the club close behind it.

If you only remember one thing: Sen's Fortress gives you two rings. Anor Londo gives you the storm.

Chapter 8: Anor Londo (and the Painted World)

Anor Londo is the richest city I've ever walked into. I plan to walk out richer.

Suggested level: 36–42

The Warrior's Kit

• Black Iron Set. Anor Londo. 40.0 weight, 79 poise for the set: the heaviest the Warrior can reasonably wear. Mix its pieces with the Elite Knight Set until your Endurance can carry the whole thing: the full set, both blades and the Heater Shield need END 46 with Havel's Ring for a medium roll. This guide's stat plan stops at END 32, so on this road, mixed pieces is where you stay.
• The Giant Blacksmith makes boss-soul weapons and the Lightning path: bring him the Zweihander +10 and it comes back as the Lightning Zweihander.

Foes and Bosses

• Crossbreed Priscilla. Optional, in the Painted World. She won't attack unless you strike first. Hit her and she turns invisible; watch for her footprints in the snow.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: bleed; lowest resistance: fire (195). Come in at full HP, and make the first hit count: it's the only one she won't see coming.
  Warrior's answer: Strike first with the club while she's still peaceful, then follow the footprints.
• Ornstein and Smough. Split them with the pillars, and never trade blows with Smough's hammer. Kill Ornstein last for his Soul and the Leo Ring, or Smough last for his. Smough's lowest resistance is lightning (108); Ornstein's lightning resistance is 1,747, so the Lightning Zweihander is for Smough and the Great Club for Ornstein. The club deals strike damage, and Smough's strike defence (224) is higher than his regular (180): one more reason the club goes to Ornstein. Kill Ornstein first and Smough takes his lightning: Smough's lightning resistance rises to 359, and fire (125) becomes his lowest.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: Ornstein: magic (226); Ornstein giant form: magic (221); Smough: lightning (108); Smough lightning form: fire (125). Both blades on your belt, and the pillars memorised before the fog.
  Warrior's answer: A pillar between you and Smough, and never stand where both of them can reach you.
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin. Optional, in the Darkmoon Tomb. His bow shots are the safest attack to advance through, pillar to pillar; his large magic blasts go straight through the pillars.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: magic; lowest resistance: fire (155); bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). Stamina for the long corridor, and the patience to walk it.
  Warrior's answer: Advance on the bow shots, pillar to pillar, and save your swings for when you reach him.

The Blade's Road

Lightning Zweihander +0: 468 two-handed, against the Zweihander +10's 347 at STR 16. Two routes. Smough first: the Lightning Zweihander takes him, then the club takes giant Ornstein, and the Leo Ring is yours. Ornstein first: the club takes him, then Smough powers up and lightning stops being his weak point, so it's the club again, start to finish.

If you only remember one thing: Decide who dies last before you walk in. The blades follow from that.

Chapter 9: New Londo Ruins and the Abyss

New Londo was drowned to hide something. The Warrior drains it.

Suggested level: 40–45

The Warrior's Kit

• Ghosts can only be hit while cursed or under a Transient Curse (Undead Merchant Female, 4,000 souls each; Ingward, 1,000), or with a ghost-hitting weapon.
• Very Large Ember. In the lower ruins after the water is drained. Unlocks +11 to +15.
• The Abyss kills you outright unless you wear the Covenant of Artorias; keep it on for the whole Four Kings fight.

Foes and Bosses

• The Four Kings. In the Abyss, beneath New Londo. They arrive one by one; drop each king fast, or face them together.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (177); immune to bleed, poison and toxic. The Lightning Zweihander in hand, and every point of Vitality you've bought.
  Warrior's answer: Two-hand the storm and race them. Every king you drop fast is one you never fight in pairs.

The Blade's Road

With the Very Large Ember, the Great Club can go to +15, and +15 takes a Titanite Slab. So does Lightning +5, the Lightning Zweihander's last step. Feed both as the chunks come. The Stray Demon's Slab finishes whichever blade you swing more; the Darkwraiths pay for the other.

If you only remember one thing: The Covenant of Artorias goes on before the jump, every time.

Chapter 10: The Duke's Archives and Crystal Cave

The Duke's Archives are a library. I can't read the books, but I can read the room.

Suggested level: 44–49

The Warrior's Kit

• Crystal Lizards live in the Duke's Archives, among other places (the Undead Burg and Darkroot Basin have them too); they drop the titanite you'll want for higher upgrades.

Foes and Bosses

• Seath the Scaleless. He regenerates while the crystal in his arena stands, so break it first. His breath can curse you, which cuts your maximum HP. Keep moving and don't get pinned among the crystals.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: curse and magic; lowest resistance: fire (207); immune to bleed, poison and toxic; bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic) and Cursebite Ring (curse). A Purging Stone in your pocket, in case the breath catches you.
  Warrior's answer: Crystal first. Club on the flank. Keep moving through the breath.

The Blade's Road

The Crystal Lizards here pay in titanite. Hunt them like the treasure they are.

If you only remember one thing: Break the crystal first, or don't bother starting.

Chapter 11: The Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants

The dead keep their best things in the dark. I brought a lantern and an empty bag.

Suggested level: 46–52

The Warrior's Kit

• The Rite of Kindling and the Skull Lantern. Pinwheel drops the Rite of Kindling, which lets your home bonfire's kindling go further. The Skull Lantern lies at the pit where Patches kicks you, and it lights the Tomb.

Foes and Bosses

• Pinwheel. Past the Skeleton Wheel valley. He falls fast, but his clones add up if you give him time.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire; lowest resistance: lightning (99); bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire). Nothing special: he's fragile. The Lightning Zweihander ends it before the clones get going.
  Warrior's answer: Rush him before the clones multiply. He doesn't survive a raider who gets there first.
• Gravelord Nito. At the end of the Tomb of the Giants. Heal up from the drop, and stay near where you landed: wander and the giant skeletons join in. Slip behind him for free hits, and keep moving once he screams, before the sword.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: toxic; lowest resistance: fire (221); immune to bleed, poison and toxic. A Blooming Purple Moss Clump: it cures the toxic, and plain Purple Moss won't.
  Warrior's answer: Get behind him, two-hand the club. Move the moment he screams.

The Blade's Road

Nothing new to forge down here. I spend the souls on Vitality and save my patience for Nito.

If you only remember one thing: Light the Tomb with the Skull Lantern, and stay where you land.

Chapter 12: The Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith

Izalith burned down chasing fire. I'm only here to pick up what didn't melt.

Suggested level: 52–58

The Warrior's Kit

• Grab the Gold-Hemmed Black Set, and kill the Centipede Demon for the Orange Charred Ring.
• Collect the Large Flame Ember, and pick up the Red Titanite Slab in Lost Izalith.

Foes and Bosses

• Ceaseless Discharge. Taking the Gold-Hemmed Black Set wakes him. Run back toward the fog door: he follows and grabs the cliff edge with one hand. Strike the hand until he drops, and don't stand under the grab.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire; lowest resistance: magic (220); immune to bleed, fire, poison and toxic; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire). Patience. Let him come to you at the cliff; that's where this fight is won.
  Warrior's answer: Let him grab the edge. Club the hand until he lets go.
• Demon Firesage. Fought in the Demon Ruins, on the way to the Centipede Demon.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: physical and magic; lowest resistance: lightning (166); bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). Full Estus. He's a toll on the road to the Centipede, not the destination.
  Warrior's answer: The Lightning Zweihander, two-handed. Stay close and out of the blasts.
• Centipede Demon. Cut off the Centipede's tail and kill the small worm that falls from it for the Orange Charred Ring early, which lets you endure the lava in his arena; otherwise he drops it when he dies. Stay between his legs, where his leaps are weakest.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire and magic; lowest resistance: magic (174); immune to fire; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire) and Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). The nerve to go for the tail first. Everything after it gets easier.
  Warrior's answer: Ring on, stay between the legs and swing.
• Bed of Chaos. Not a fight but a climb. Destroy the glowing roots on each side, watch the floor more than the boss, then make for the Chaos Bug at the end. Destroyed roots stay destroyed.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire and magic; immune to bleed, poison and toxic; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire) and Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). Keep the blades for the roots. This is a climb, not a fight.
  Warrior's answer: Roots, floor, Chaos Bug: in that order, and don't get greedy at the edges.

The Blade's Road

The Large Flame Ember and the Red Titanite Slab feed fire and chaos blades, not yours. Take them anyway: conquest includes the loot.

If you only remember one thing: Cut the tail, wear the ring, and the lava stops being a wall.

Chapter 13: The Kiln of the First Flame

The Kiln is the last room in Lordran. Every room before it was practice.

Suggested level: 58–64

The Warrior's Kit

• Five Black Knights, respawning. They can be backstabbed and parried. Use them for parry practice until you're ready for Gwyn. Every parry you land on a Black Knight is a rehearsal.

Foes and Bosses

• Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. Parryable: his opening jump and any swing you can read. Otherwise wait for a combo to end.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: fire; lowest resistance: fire (249); immune to bleed, poison and toxic; bring Flame Stoneplate Ring (fire). Full Estus, and nothing in your hands you haven't parried with before.
  Warrior's answer: Parry the jump, riposte, repeat. A king, and a predictable one.

The Blade's Road

I carry whichever blade is in my hand when he jumps. The parry chooses, not me.

If you only remember one thing: I practise the parry on the knights. Gwyn gets the finished version.

Interlude: Artorias of the Abyss (Optional)

Every raider chases one legend. This one is mine.

Suggested level: 50 and up

The expansion is separate content. Its key is the Broken Pendant, dropped by a respawning Blue Crystal Golem near the start of the Duke's Archives. Take this road before the Kiln: these fights are harder than Gwyn.

The Warrior's Kit

• Abyss Greatsword. The Soul of Artorias, a +10 dagger, straight sword or greatsword, and 5,000 souls, at the Giant Blacksmith. The Warrior's starting Longsword qualifies, so the first blade becomes the last. STR 22 / DEX 18: five levels of Dexterity the stat plan leaves out.

Foes and Bosses

• Knight Artorias. Fought in a stone building in Royal Wood. Punish him after his leaps and slams, and when he kneels to gather darkness, strike hard to break the gathering.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (591); immune to bleed, poison and toxic. Spend a life watching. Some of his swings can be parried, but it's a gamble unless your timing is sure.
  Warrior's answer: Punish the recovery, break the gathering, and never trade with him.
• Black Dragon Kalameet. Hawkeye Gough can ground the dragon, but only if you set it up: his tower is in Royal Wood, reached with the Crest Key from a Mimic in Oolacile Township.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: no damage type named in the records; lowest resistance: lightning (762); immune to poison and toxic. Set up Gough first, or don't come at all.
  Warrior's answer: Let Gough ground him, then two-hand the club and swing while he's down.
• Manus, Father of the Abyss. The Silver Pendant, in a hidden room early in Oolacile Township, repels some of his dark attacks.
  Before you walk in: its attacks: dark and magic; lowest resistance: fire (624); immune to bleed, poison and toxic; bring Spell Stoneplate Ring (magic). The Silver Pendant, and every point of Vitality you own.
  Warrior's answer: The Silver Pendant for the dark, then stay close and swing between his combos.

If you only remember one thing: The Abyss Greatsword is a legendary side quest, not a stop on the main road. I landed with a Longsword; I mean to leave with a legend made from it.

Know Your Enemy

Every main-game boss, read from the Ledger's boss records (the expansion's three have their own lines in the Interlude): the damage types named in its attacks, its lowest elemental resistance (lower lets more through), and what it's immune to. Bosses with more than one form list each.

The Warrior's Rings at a Glance

Sources

Stats, weights, attack-rating estimates, upgrade costs and boss records come from the Mimic's Ledger, gathered through its build helper. Facts were cross-checked in October 2026 against Fextralife and the Dark Souls Wikidot, with two independent fact-check passes; the Great Club's location is the site owner's own check in game. Routes and tactics are the site owner's, written in our own words; check anything important in game.