Dark Souls III Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

Dark Souls III is the culmination of FromSoftware's dark fantasy trilogy, combining the interconnected world design of the original with the faster, more aggressive combat of Bloodborne. The game features 19 main bosses and 6 DLC bosses, several of which rank among the best encounters in the Soulsborne catalog — the Nameless King, Sister Friede, and Slave Knight Gael are legendary fights. The build variety is enormous with over 200 weapons, dozens of spells across four magic schools, and an infusion system that tailors weapons to any stat spread. The Ringed City DLC provides the definitive conclusion to the entire Dark Souls saga.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — High Wall of Lothric

The first real area after the tutorial Cemetery of Ash. Teaches core combat against Hollow soldiers and Lothric Knights. Vordt of the Boreal Valley is the area boss — a straightforward dodge-and-punish fight. Contains several Estus Shards and the Lothric Knight Sword farm.

Level/Difficulty: SL 10-25 Key Rewards: Estus Shards, Lothric Knight Sword, Cell Key, Vordt's Great Hammer

What to Do in High Wall of Lothric

1. Learn weapon arts. Every weapon has a unique Weapon Art (L2/LT) consuming FP (Focus Points). Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Pyromancer as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. Raw infusion removes all stat scaling but increases base damage. A Raw Longsword outdamages every other infusion until you have 20+ in a damage stat, making it the best early-game infusion for any build.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Lothric Knight Sword or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand weapon arts fundamentals
• Pyromancer selected and functional
• High Wall of Lothric main content cleared
• Ready for Farron Keep

Phase 2: Early Game — Farron Keep

A dreaded poison swamp area requiring you to extinguish three flames to open the boss door. Movement is slowed in the swamp. Contains the Farron Coal (lets Andre do Poison/Bleed infusions) and Sage's Coal. The Abyss Watchers boss is one of the most cinematic fights with a phase transition.

Level/Difficulty: SL 30-45 Key Rewards: Sage's Coal, Farron Coal, Abyss Watchers Soul, Dreamchaser's Ashes

What to Do in Farron Keep

1. Work on ember system. Using an Ember item or defeating a boss grants Embered status — +30% max HP and the ability to summon cooperators or be invaded. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Lothric Knight Sword if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. The Sellsword Twinblades with a Pine Resin buff and L1 spam kills most bosses faster than any other strategy. Buy resins from the Shrine Handmaid and apply before fog walls.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Irithyll.
5. Consider whether Knight might suit your playstyle better than Pyromancer.

Phase 2 Checklist

• ember system integrated into gameplay
• Lothric Knight Sword acquired
• Farron Keep fully cleared
• Ready for Irithyll

Phase 3: Mid Game — Irithyll

A stunning moonlit city area with the Pontiff Sulyvahn boss — widely considered the first major skill check. The Irithyll Dungeon below contains Profaned Capital. The area is large with multiple shortcuts and hidden items. Pontiff's aggressive combos require precise rolling.

Level/Difficulty: SL 50-65 Key Rewards: Pontiff Soul, Ring of Favor, Excrement-covered Ashes, Dorhys' Gnawing miracle

What to Do in Irithyll

1. Master estus allocation. At Andre the blacksmith, you allocate Estus Flask charges between HP healing (Estus) and FP recovery (Ashen Estus). This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Sellsword Twinblades. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. Vigor to 27 (1000 HP) is the single most important stat investment for any build. The soft cap makes additional HP less efficient after 27, but reaching it early prevents one-shot deaths.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in covenant rewards for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• estus allocation mastered
• Sellsword Twinblades acquired or in progress
• Irithyll fully cleared
• Ready for Archdragon Peak

Phase 4: Late Game — Archdragon Peak

An optional area accessed by using the Path of the Dragon gesture near a dragon corpse in Irithyll Dungeon. Contains the Nameless King — arguably the hardest boss in the base game. Phase 1 is on dragonback, phase 2 is a relentless melee fight with delayed attacks that punish panic rolling.

Level/Difficulty: SL 70-90 Key Rewards: Nameless King Soul, Dragonslayer Swordspear, Dragon Chaser's Ashes, Twinkling Titanite farming

What to Do in Archdragon Peak

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Knight or Pyromancer with optimized gear.
2. Sellsword Twinblades should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Ember up before boss attempts for +30% max HP. If you're struggling, Ember also lets you summon NPC phantoms whose signs appear near boss fog walls.
4. bonfire warping optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Ringed City.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Sellsword Twinblades upgraded to max
• Archdragon Peak fully cleared
• Ready for Ringed City

Phase 5: Endgame — Ringed City

The final DLC area and conclusion of the Dark Souls saga. Contains Slave Knight Gael — a three-phase boss fight considered the best in the series. Also includes Darkeater Midir (an enormous dragon boss), Halflight, and the Ringed Knight set. The Ringed City is the most difficult area in the game.

Level/Difficulty: SL 90-120+ Key Rewards: Gael's Greatsword, Frayed Blade, Ringed Knight weapons, Filianore's Chime, story conclusion

What to Do in Ringed City

1. Ringed City tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. Chaos and Dark infusions scale with both Intelligence and Faith. A Chaos Longsword with 30/30 Int/Faith deals massive damage and is available very early — it's one of the most efficient weapons in the game.
3. The endgame loop: run Ringed City, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Cleric for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where bonfire warping mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Ringed City fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Leveling damage stats before Vigor — a dead character deals zero damage. Reach 27 Vigor before investing heavily in Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, or Faith.
• Fat-rolling because of heavy armor — keeping equip load under 70% is more important than armor rating. A medium roll dodges the same attacks that fat rolling cannot.
• Using shields as a crutch against bosses — most bosses drain full stamina through a shield. Rolling through attacks with i-frames is safer and more efficient than blocking.
• Not upgrading weapons at Andre — a +10 weapon with base stats deals more damage than a +0 weapon with 40 in the scaling stat. Weapon upgrade level is the primary damage driver.
• Fighting the Nameless King's dragon in phase 1 by locking on — the camera breaks. Stay unlocked and attack the dragon's head when it lands. Lock on only for phase 2.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. Raw infusion removes all stat scaling but increases base damage. A Raw Longsword outdamages every other infusion until you have 20+ in a damage stat, making it the best early-game infusion for any build.
2. The Sellsword Twinblades with a Pine Resin buff and L1 spam kills most bosses faster than any other strategy. Buy resins from the Shrine Handmaid and apply before fog walls.
3. Vigor to 27 (1000 HP) is the single most important stat investment for any build. The soft cap makes additional HP less efficient after 27, but reaching it early prevents one-shot deaths.
4. Ember up before boss attempts for +30% max HP. If you're struggling, Ember also lets you summon NPC phantoms whose signs appear near boss fog walls.
5. Chaos and Dark infusions scale with both Intelligence and Faith. A Chaos Longsword with 30/30 Int/Faith deals massive damage and is available very early — it's one of the most efficient weapons in the game.

For detailed build optimization, see Dark Souls III builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.