Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Walkthrough#

“Seek the king, that is the only way.”

Dark Souls II offers enormous route freedom — you can head for the capital after defeating the four Great Souls, but your route choices shape the whole experience. This chapter provides the recommended optimal route.

Route Overview#

Recommended Main Route#


After defeating the four Great Ones:

Stage-by-Stage Walkthrough#

Stage One: Majula → Forest of Fallen Giants#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Majula	Touch the monument to gain the Estus Flask	Talk to the Emerald Herald to level up
2	Majula well	Pick up Estus Shard #1	You need to knock down the corpse
3	Forest of Fallen Giants	Defeat The Last Giant	Grab the key to the right of the fog gate
4	Forest of Fallen Giants boss	Defeat the Pursuer (first encounter)	He appears again later
5	King’s Gate	Open the shortcut from the forest	Requires the Soldier Key

Stage Two: Forest of Fallen Giants → Lost Bastille#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Forest of Fallen Giants	Defeat the Pursuer (second encounter)	The ballista makes it much easier
2	Nest transport
3	Lost Bastille	Push on to Sinner’s Rise	Light the torches on both sides
4	Sinner’s Rise
5	Return to Majula

Stage Three: Huntsman’s Copse → Earthen Peak → Iron Keep#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Majula → Huntsman’s Copse	Defeat the Skeleton Lords	Kill them one by one
2	Shaded Woods	Push on to Earthen Peak	Plenty of poison pits; bring antitoxins
3	Earthen Peak	Defeat Mytha, the Baneful Queen	Critical: burn the windmill first to drain the poison pool
4	Iron Keep	Defeat the Old Iron King	Second Great Soul

Stage Four: Brightstone Cove#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Majula → Brightstone Cove	Collect enough souls to open the door	Requires 20000 souls to open
2	Brightstone Cove mines
3	The Duke’s Dear Freja	Defeat Freja	Third Great Soul

Stage Five: Black Gulch#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Majula → The Gutter	Descend into Black Gulch	You need to land on the platforms
2	Black Gulch
3	The Rotten	Defeat The Rotten	Fourth Great Soul

Stage Six: Drangleic Castle → The End#

Step	Location	Objective	Tips
1	Majula → Drangleic Castle	Great Souls open the gate	You must hold at least one Great Soul
2	Castle gate	Defeat the Looking Glass Knight	Watch for invaders
3	Aldia’s Keep	Push on to the Undead Crypt	One of the most disgusting water zones
4	Undead Crypt
5	Throne of Want
6	Final choice	Link the fire/leave/dark	See the “Endings” chapter

Required NPC Interactions#

NPC	Location	Role	Questline
Emerald Herald (Shanalotte)	Majula	Leveling up	Runs through the whole game
Blacksmith Lenigrast	Majula	Weapon upgrades	Requires a key to unlock
Pyromancer Rosabeth	Majula	Sells pyromancies	Must be rescued from petrification
Cleric Licia	Majula	Sells miracles + opens the path to Brightstone Cove	20000 souls to open
Merchant Maughlin	Majula	Sells armor and the smith box	Stock updates over time
Blacksmith Steady Hand McDuff	Lost Bastille	Weapon upgrades + sells titanite	Requires lighting his workshop
Cale	Forest of Fallen Giants	Gives keys and information	Can settle in Majula

Speedrun Route Reference#

Any% Main-Story Run#

Majula → Forest of Fallen Giants (The Last Giant only) → Lost Bastille (Sinner) →

All-Boss Speedrun#

Detailed Area Exploration Guide#

Forest of Fallen Giants#

Exploration Point	Details
Estus Shards ×2	One behind the Soldier Key door, one behind the Pursuer’s arena
Blacksmith key	Found near the undead hunters
Soldier Key	Dropped by The Last Giant
Pursuer first encounter	Rooftop meeting; you can skip the fight
Ballista vs the Pursuer	Lure him under the ballista; 3 shots kill him

Lost Bastille#

Exploration Point	Details
Blacksmith McDuff	Requires lighting the workshop torch
Straid the merchant	Sells boss soul weapons after being unpetrified
Estus Shard	Break the crates opposite McDuff
Sinner boss	Light the torches on both sides to shrink the dark zone

Shaded Woods + Earthen Peak#

Exploration Point	Details
Antidote moss	Huge poison zones; stock up on antidotes
Burn the windmill before Mytha	Must burn it first to drain the poison pool
Flame seed	One on the upper level of Earthen Peak
Smelter Demon	Optional boss; bring fire resistance

Iron Keep#

Exploration Point	Details
Archer packs	Advance behind a shield and kill them one at a time
Smelter Demon	Optional boss; fire resistance + rolls
Old Iron King	Great Soul boss; stand on the platform edge
Flash Sweat ring item	Reduces lava damage

Drangleic Castle#

Exploration Point	Details
Entry fight	Kill the gargoyle pair to gain a Great Soul
Looking Glass Knight	Summon NPC phantoms to help
King’s Ring	Obtained after defeating Velstadt
Vendrick	Optional boss; requires Giant Souls

Recommended Level Guide#

Area	Recommended Level	Difficulty	Estimated Time
Forest of Fallen Giants	SL 15-30	★★☆☆☆	2-4 hours
Lost Bastille	SL 30-50	★★★☆☆	3-5 hours
Shaded Woods + Earthen Peak	SL 50-70	★★★★☆	3-5 hours
Iron Keep	SL 60-80	★★★★☆	3-5 hours
Brightstone Cove	SL 60-80	★★★☆☆	2-4 hours
Black Gulch	SL 70-90	★★★☆☆	2-3 hours
Drangleic Castle	SL 80-100	★★★★☆	3-5 hours
Aldia’s Keep	SL 90-110	★★★★★	3-5 hours
Undead Crypt	SL 100-120	★★★★☆	2-4 hours
Throne of Want	SL 120-150	★★★★★	1-2 hours

Recommended Boss Order#

Order	Boss	Area	Level
1	The Last Giant	Forest of Fallen Giants	SL 15
2	The Pursuer	Forest of Fallen Giants	SL 20
3	The Pursuer (Rewards)	Majula basement	SL 25
4	Ancient Guardians	Majula basement	SL 30
5	Belfry Gargoyles	Lost Bastille	SL 40
6	The Lost Sinner	Sinner’s Rise	SL 50
7	Skeleton Lords	Huntsman’s Copse	SL 55
8	Mytha, the Baneful Queen	Earthen Peak	SL 65
9	Smelter Demon	Iron Keep	SL 70
10	Old Iron King	Iron Keep	SL 75
11	The Duke’s Dear Freja	Brightstone Cove	SL 75
12	The Rotten	Black Gulch	SL 80
13	Looking Glass Knight	Drangleic Castle	SL 90
14	Demon of Song	Aldia’s Keep area	SL 100
15	Velstadt	Undead Crypt	SL 110

Speedrun Key Techniques#

Technique	Details
Minimum boss count	Only 8 bosses are needed to finish the game
Ballista vs the Pursuer	3 shots kill him, skipping the fight
Cliff-drop skips	Jump off cliffs at specific spots to skip areas
Fast dialogue skip	Mash the roll button to skip conversations
Bonfire Ascetic + Giant Souls	Quickly farm Giant Souls to weaken Vendrick
Skip optional bosses	Saves time