Dark Souls Walkthrough

Undead Burg

As you arrive in the Undead Burg area, you'll see two armed enemies ahead of you. They shouldn't pose much of a threat, so save your magic if you have any left and rely on melee attacks instead. If you take the initiative, you should eliminate the foes without taking any damage.

Beyond where you take down those soldiers, there's a pile of barrels and a path leading left. If you head left, you'll find a store room with nothing in it and two enemies, as well as a door of mist leading to the right (which you should ignore at present).

If you instead approach the barrels, you can smash them and then drop down through an opening behind them to land on a ledge where you can loot a corpse to obtain a Large Soul of a Lost Undead. Then you can drop down from there. Watch out, though; in addition to the two enemies that appear ahead of you, there's one that will come from a dead-end alley behind you. Take care of the enemies in one direction and quickly turn to avoid being slashed in the back by the other enemy or group.

When you have cleared that lower area of enemies, you should head in the direction from which the two enemies came. As you head along that route, you'll cross through an empty room and then come out on another stone balcony area. There's a corpse with a glowing point on it, just ahead of you and to the left. That item is Rubbish. Don't let it distract you. As you near it, several enemies will jump down from a ledge overhead and to the right. Take care of them quickly so they don't slash you to ribbons. Then you can grab the rubbish before heading up the nearby ramp.

At the top of the ramp, you'll find a ladder. Climb the ladder, then head toward the right along the high stone ledge. You'll find Humanity on a corpse against the far wall. Grab that precious item, then backtrack and note the hole in the low wall to the left. You can drop through that opening and then head back to the right along the path you followed a short time previously. This time, you should go ahead and pass through the white door of mist.

Through that wall of mist, you'll find an empty lower room. Look along the left side and there's a corpse that you can investigate to obtain a Soul of a Lost Undead. Along the wall that's ahead of you as you first enter the room, there are stairs leading to the building's higher level. Head up the stairs with your shield ready and start forward along the next balcony that you find. As you do, a dragon will swoop down to startle you. Its claw should just grace the stone ahead of you and then it is gone.

Continue along the walkway but be careful of the area ahead of you. There are enemies that lie in wait. You'll see a few of them, and one will crash out from behind some barrels. Take them out swiftly as you see fit, but note that there's an archer on a tower in the distance. He'll try to pelt you with arrows (and will succeed, if you let yourself be distracted). After you eliminate the enemies, you can head over to the tower, open the door and check inside to find a corpse on which rests a Wooden Shield.

Leave the small room and look along its side wall. There's a staircase that you can climb to reach the roof, where the archer is waiting. Hack him apart, then look off toward the left. In that direction, you can head through an opening and find a bonfire. Use it as you see fit so that you don't have to come all this way again, then consider backtracking to explore an are that you've not yet visited.

Remember the wide, open area that you crossed while avoiding shots from the archer? A ledge in that direction leads to a couple of armored soldiers with shields. You'll have to fight them carefully, as they're every bit as capable of blocking your attacks as you are theirs. Eliminate the two armored soldiers (from a distance with fire magic, if possible) and then look around the area that they were guarding. You can break apart some crates and find a stair that descends to a lower level.

As you arrive on that lower level, keep up your guard. An enemy will burst out from behind some crates, but you can dispatch of him quickly. Head through an opening to the left and you'll find a stone balcony where a merchant has set up shop. He has a lot of merchandise, including the Residence Key (priced at 1000 souls) that you can use to open residences in Undead Burg and a Repairbox (priced at a hefty 3000 souls) that you can use to repair weapons and armor at bonfires. The Short Bow is also available for 1000 souls, a good projectile weapon that could come in handy in certain circumstances to come. Plus there's some other general-purpose gear that can boost your defenses.

Purchase whatever you like from the merchant (you may have to come back a few times as you earn souls) and then return to the adjoining building. Head through the other opening to arrive at the top of some stairs. Descend the stairs to gain entry to a wide alleyway. Ahead, there will be two separate groups of swordsmen waiting. They like to charge as you get within range, so be sure to engage only two at a time or you may become overwhelmed. Past the soldiers, there's a ladder you can climb to reach a rooftop where you can salvage a Throwing Knife from a corpse.

Now you should backtrack. Make your way to the bonfire and now you're ready to proceed past it to see what else lurks in the burg.

Head back out from the bonfire and toward the area where the archer was positioned on top of the tower. Beyond that point and to the left, there's a narrow walkway that leads to an enclosed room. As you head along it, you want to move quick because soldiers will toss firebombs at you if you delay. When you reach the far side, you'll need to clear a room of soldiers. Make sure not to let any circle around behind you and strike from behind.

After you clear the room, head through the opening and along another open balcony area. Here, there's an opening to your right and just past it a stairway leading up to the higher level. Enter the opening first and take care of the waiting soldier. There are two more openings here, one straight ahead and one up some steps to the left. If you go straight ahead first, quickly turn left once you do and block an attack from a waiting soldier and follow that up with a killing blow. When he's gone, return and head through the other opening that was to the left.

In that direction, you'll find the Black Firebomb item in a chest. Then you can head outside of the building and climb the stairs that you previously ignored. As you reach the top of the stairs, you'll find an open area where three guards are waiting. One of them likes to stand back and toss firebombs, so be careful as you tend to him and his two cohorts. Then you have some options about how you proceed.

There's a wall to the right with a ladder. Ahead, there's a locked door that you can open with the Residence Key if you purchased it from the merchant. To the left from there, you'll find a stone walkway leading down to an area with some waiting guards.

Start by opening the locked door, if that's an option. Head carefully through the room along the right side to reach an outside balcony. There's a chest that you can open there to obtain the Gold Pine Resin. Then you can return to the previous area.

Next you should climb the ladder. At the top, walk around on the roof and investigate a corpse to find a Soul of a Lost Undead. Then return down the ladder. You're now ready to head forward to the left of the building (the one that had the locked door) and around the other side.

As you start in that direction, look to your left. There's an opening to a cylindrical tower. Enter and climb the stairs with your shield held at the ready. As you reach the top of the tower, you'll find an archer. Take him out, then descend the tower and resume your trek along the path. There are several armored soldiers waiting. You need to lure one of them toward you at a time, so that they don't overwhelm you. Eliminate each of them until all three are gone, then continue along the path that they were guarding.

That path soon splits. There are stairs leading up and straight ahead, or you can descend some stairs toward the lower right. Start with the lower path. It leads down toward a long hallway. Near the end of that hallway, standing in a doorway, you'll see a knight with his back to you. This fellow is able to hit hard if you attract his attention, so make sure that you do so only when you are dealing a first blow. Sorcery works well to make sure that each hit does some good, especially if you can get him when he doesn't have his shield up. After that initial blow, you'll need to backtrack while making sure to block any blows he sends your way. When he misses on a lunge, that's your chance to hit him with an attack of your own.

Once you defeat the knight, grab the Titanite Chunk he drops and then check the room that he was guarding. You'll find that it's a dead end, but you can obtain the Blue Tearstone Ring from the corpse. Then you should backtrack to the split in the path. This time, you're ready to consider the stairs.

As you look to the stairs, know that they lead to a trap. There's a boulder at the top of the stairs and a soldier will push it down the stairs as you approach. Quickly backstep and dodge to the side to avoid it. Then head up the stairs and kick the soldier's butt. Beyond him, you'll find yourself in the base of a tower. Ahead, there's a locked door. To the side, a spiral staircase ascends a couple of floors to a mist-shrouded door. To open the locked door, you'll need the Watchtower Basement Key, obtained in the Undead Parish area.

If you come back later and open the door, you can head inside and find a ridiculously powerful enemy. Just descend some stairs that circle in a spiral as they descend. At the base of those stairs, you'll see a stone enemy. He'll spot you and give chase. You can get ahead of him and drop down from above to hit him with an attack, but even that doesn't do much damage. The enemy, meanwhile, is capable of hitting through your shield and doing tremendous damage with his stone club. You need to battle him in an open area where you can dodge the club and then counter with a few slashes before retreating and repeating the process. You need to try to hit it in the back if you want to do any real damage, but even that can be tricky.

On your first visit, of course, you won't have that key. Climb the stairs that lead to the upper floors instead. Pass through the mist on the tower's third floor and you'll emerge on a lengthy walkway. The walkway is guarded by some archers who are positioned on the tower that you've mostly just climbed. They'll try to hit you from behind with arrows as you head along the walkway, but you can climb up a ladder on the side of the tower to reach their level. Once you've arrived, block any opening attacks (they'll see you coming up over the ladder) and then take out the two archers.

Now is your chance to catch a breather. Refill your life and steady your nerves, then descend the ladder and start down the walkway. As you near the far end, you'll attract the attention of a powerful new boss monster: the Taurus Demon.

Taurus Demon

The Taurus Demon will charge you on sight. There are a number of strategies that can work against him, but first we'll offer some notes on how things will go if you try to battle the Taurus Demon the “fair” way.

If you fight the Taurus Demon using standard melee attacks (which is not the best way to defeat him), keep in mind that his spiked club isn't the only hazard. He can also knock you around with his feet and legs, which are girded with spiked gauntlets. You need to try to avoid both attacks, of course, but there's limited space. Lock your target onto your foe, roll around (or between) his legs and slash at his feet or tail when you can get in a hit without leaving yourself open to take a possibly-fatal hit from your massive foe. You need to be ready to dodge out of the way if he tries to pounce you, too.

None of your weapons do enough damage to really matter as you battle the demon, and your magic also isn't especially useful, either. Therefore, some cheating is in order. You have two options. The first is to trick him into charging through the hole in the wall partway along the tower. If you can get him to rush through it (without falling yourself), that's an easy kill.

A more consistent method is to hit the demon from the roof where you killed the archers. When the fight begins, as soon as the demon lands, rush back toward the tower and climb up the ladder. If you didn't move quickly enough, he will damage you but you should still be able to get to the top of the tower. Now turn and face the edge of the tower. You'll see the demon standing below you. Quickly step off the edge of the tower and press the required button to use your weapon as you descend. It will strike a fearsome blow to your foe. As you land, gulp down a potion if needed and then roll between his legs. Run away from him and when he follows, you need to lead him toward the other side of the wall. Then roll through his legs and run like crazy back for the tower so that you can repeat the process.

It's important to note that if you take too long climbing the tower and jumping down (if you stop to enjoy a potion, for instance), there's a chance that the demon will leap up to the tower and join you. Of course you don't want that. So move fast, get in your hits and finish the fight in style.

Once you defeat the demon, head along the walkway he was guarding. You'll soon reach a set of stairs that descend toward a lower floor. At the top of the stairs, there are some crates you can break open to reveal a corpse. Investigate to obtain a Large Soul of a Lost Undead, then descend the stairs.

At the base of the stairs, you can head left (down another wide rampart) or right. Start by heading right. Descend some steps and meet with a knight named Solaire. Talk to him twice and (as prompted) agree to his suggestion that the two of you should work together. You'll receive the White Sign Soapstone for doing so. You can use the item to summon Solaire to assist you.

Head back up the steps to the area at the base of the stairs. Since you can't open the nearby door (it's locked by the Basement Key that you'll find in the Undead Parish area), you'll need to start along the guarded walkway ahead of you. However, there are unexpected complications. Rather than just walking forward, which will attract the attention of archers, you should run forward with your shield held high. Halfway down the corridor, you'll see two stone railings that extend to either side of the main walkway. You want to veer right (ignoring the archers) and head down some stairs that wait there. If you move fast enough, you'll beat the dragon flames that come scorching through the area just behind you.

Descend the stairs now and you'll arrive in a square room with two doors branching off from it in different directions. One door leads to the top of a flight of stairs. The other will take you outside, where you'll see that you're on a high ledge with drop-offs to either side. Start by following the first route, down the stairs. You'll come to the top of a ladder in a room with a bonfire below you. Stand near the ladder and press the button prompted on-screen to kick the ladder. You'll cause it to extend so that you can descend to the bonfire, which is the one that you used prior to your battle with the Taurus Demon. You've just created a helpful shortcut. Now climb back up to the room beneath the dragon and this time head out the door that takes you onto the outside ledge.

Now it's time for a special activity that's completely optional and completely recommended. If you have a bow equipped and you're carrying plenty of Large Arrows (it's not a bad idea to have at least 50, though around 30 or 35 will kill the dragon; remember that you can purchase the large arrows from the merchant not far from the bonfire for 50 souls apiece), you can obtain the Drake Sword.

To claim the sword, head along the right edge of the outside area, just near the door that you use to arrive. Look ahead and you'll see the dragon perched on the tower with his tail handing and swinging back and forth like a cat's tail. You can hit it with an arrow from this distance (a few shots are almost sure to miss, but you should be able to hit it on most attempts). If you hit it enough times, you'll receive the item as a reward. At this stage in the game, there's simply not a better melee weapon, though you'll need a STR attribute of 16 or higher in order to wield it.

When you're ready to actually proceed, you can head along the left or right side of the ledge. There are huge stone columns along the way, so watch them as you proceed. Ahead and along the left side of the outside wall, you'll see an armored soldier waiting. As you approach, keep an eye to your right. Another soldier is waiting there behind the stone column. Round that corner with your shield ready and take care of him, then turn toward the other soldier who likely saw you coming and will by now be approaching to try and kill you.

When the soldiers are slain, continue along the route they were guarding, beneath the dragon's overhead perch. Ahead, you'll spy an opening in the wall. There are several ways to proceed here. You can enter the opening slowly, which will lead to a group of rats rushing you and possibly pushing you back out the opening and to your death (by way of a long fall). You can instead rush the opening yourself, roll into the room and try to slay the rats as a group. Their attacks have a chance of poisoning you, and you're all but guaranteed to get poisoned if they mob you. That's just not good. Therefore, you may prefer a third approach to the chamber.

From where you killed the armored soldiers, you can stand on the edge of the ledge and notch an arrow. Then you can aim in the cave and you should see one of the rats. Release the arrow and if it hits the rat, the critter will rush out and charge you by itself. This allows you to kill it and you can repeat the process for a second rat, as well. Then it's safer to enter the area where the rats were gathered and to kill a third rat that will be waiting for you.

After you kill the rats, you can climb up a ladder and then you have two choices as to how you will proceed. One option is a narrow staircase leading upward, while another option is a wide passageway with a waiting soldier. If you head for that soldier, you'll arrive in the Undead Parish area.

You can proceed however you like, of course. If you decide to climb the stairs, you'll find that they ascend for quite some time before finally arriving at the top of the tower. There, you'll find a heavily armored knight like the one that you may have defeated earlier in the stage in order to reach the Blue Tearstone Ring. You can try your hand at him and perhaps win a Titanite Chunk as a reward for defeating him, or you can go ahead and enter the Undead Parish.