Dark Souls III is out and it is the only thing that matters in my life at the moment, so much so that I have progressed quite far into the early parts of the game.
Along the way, I have encountered certain things that I think everyone should know about – things that might save you some frustration, or even a few souls. There are also two very powerful weapons in the early part of the game that you really should get your hands on as soon as you can.
Some spoilers may follow.
Do not rush to purchase the Dilapidated Key from Shrine Handmaid
As much as you think you will need the Dilapidated Tower Key, it is not really necessary to get it until much later in the game. The key costs 20,000 souls, which is quite a lot for early parts of the game.
20,000 souls? Rather level up for now.
I bought the key and was a little let down with what the tower at the back of Firelink Shrine had to offer. There is armour which is not great, and another item which has zero use until much later in the game. Save yourself the hassle and leave the key until 20,000 souls becomes more affordable.
Grab the Deep Battle Axe and Irithyll Straight Sword
In the early parts of the game, decent weapons might seem like a dream to you, but there are two very powerful weapons which you can make use of to help get past the first two bosses.
The Deep Battle Axe is located under the dragon in the High Wall of Lothric. To get to this item you will need to wait until the dragon spews fire all over the place, then run up the stairs to the left, across the courtyard, and into the gate right under the dragon.
Yes, it is behind all that fire.
In this room your challenge is not over yet, as the chest inside is really a mimic – an over-sized giant who will try and kill you. Hit the box and kill the Mimic, who will then drop the Deep Battle Axe.
As for the Irithyll Straight Sword, this is found in the tower where you meet the Onion Knight, Siegmeyer of Catarina. He will appear as he rides an elevator up and mentions that he is trying to reach the top of the tower. This tower is in the Undead Settlement, right before the Road of Sacrifices.
And it is pretty too!
When Siegmeyer has finished his dialogue, proceed down the lift in which he came up. Enter the doorway and face off against a ferocious frost knight who is extremely tough. Once you beat him, he will drop the sword.
Reinforce and allocate Estus Flasks
Unlike the previous Dark Souls titles, this time you have MP, which is used for all abilities that are not physical based. Magic, skills, pyromancy – they all cost MP.
The nectar of life…and magic.
Luckily, in Dark Souls III you get a separate MP Estus Flask. As you progress through the game and get more Estus Flask shards, be sure to head on over to Blacksmith Andre at the Firelink Shrine and let him grant you more Estus Flasks with the shards you bring him.
After you have collected a reasonable amount of flasks, you can then allot them, which will let you decide how many MP and HP flasks you need for the road ahead.
Save all the NPCs, Especially Greirat
There are three NPC characters that you can save in the first area of the game. These three characters all are vital to survival as they all sell items and teach you new spells and pyromancer abilities.
Irina of Carim, Yeol of Londor, and Greirat of Undead Settlement are all easy to find as you explore the Undead Settlement and High Wall of Lothric.
He will sell you stuff, most of it you will probably need
It is important to save Greirat as he will task you with a quest to find Loretta, who you find dead. After you return to him, he will be very sad but get over it in time.
As he recovers from his depression, he will then be able to venture out into the world and gather crafting items for you.
We know how rare these items are, and he can gather them for you so you don’t have to.
You can then use these items to reinforce your weapons and gear, without chasing those darn lizards, who you should chase anyway.
Kill the Gigantic Crystal Lizard
Right at the start of the game, while you are exploring the Cemetery of Ash, you will find a path to the right that says “turn back”. Of course you should not turn back, as there is a rare creature there that can be killed and looted for rare crafting items.
Yes, that is the beast you need to kill – good luck
Try and lure it back into the starting area and get it stuck behind a wall, you can then spam shots through it and kill it. You can however, if you are not up to the challenge, leave it be for a while and come back when you think you can handle it.
Explore Outside Firelink Shrine
If anything, Firelink Shrine has many secrets, one of them being a crystal lizard and a few items which you need for your journey.
Instead of heading right into the action, take some time to explore around the area and pick up all the items you find. Be sure to kill Sword Master Saber, as he can be summoned to help you fight a boss battle later on in the game. He also drops the Uchigatana, a pretty decent weapon for the early game.
Your home away from home
Again, do not worry about the locked gate that needs the Decapitated Tower key, as leveling up is far more important.
So there, you have a couple of tips for the first part of the game. Are you playing Dark Souls III? Let us know in the comments and forum.
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