Dark Souls III Beginner Guide#
Dark Souls III is many players’ first Souls game — this guide covers all the core fundamentals and the more advanced mechanics
Choosing a Class#
| Class | Level | Key Stats | Starting Gear | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight | 9 | Vigor 14, Endurance 11, Strength 13 | Longsword + 100% physical block shield | ★★★★★ Best pick for beginners |
| Warrior | 7 | Strength 16, Endurance 11 | Battle Axe + leather shield | ★★★★☆ High-Strength start |
| Herald | 9 | Faith 13, Vigor 12 | Spear + Talisman + healing miracle | ★★★★☆ For players who want to use miracles |
| Mercenary | 8 | Dexterity 16 | Dual curved swords | ★★★★★ Strongest late-game PvE weapon start |
| Thief | 5 | Dexterity 13, Luck 14 | Dagger + short bow | ★★★☆☆ High difficulty |
| Sorcerer | 6 | Intelligence 16 | Staff + Soul Arrow | ★★★☆☆ Rough early, strong late |
| Cleric | 7 | Faith 16, Vigor 11 | Mace + Talisman + healing | ★★★☆☆ Faith start |
| Pyromancer | 8 | Intelligence 14, Faith 14 | Pyromancy Flame + Fireball | ★★★★☆ Pyromancy is extremely strong early |
| Deprived | 1 | All 10 | Naked + club + wooden shield | ★★☆☆☆ Experts only |
Core Controls#
| Action | PS | PC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Attack | R1 | Left Mouse Button | Quick attack |
| Heavy Attack | R2 | ||
| Weapon Skill | L2 | ||
| Block | L1 | Right Mouse Button | Shield block |
| Roll | ○ | ||
| Sprint | Hold ○ | ||
| Jump | ✕ (while running) | ||
| Use Estus Flask | □ | E | Drink Estus to restore HP/FP |
| Switch Items | ←→ | Scroll Wheel | Cycle quickslot items |
| Switch Spells | ▲←▲→ | ||
| Two-hand Weapon | △ | Hold Alt | Two-hand a weapon — Strength x1.5 |
| Lock On | R3 | Middle Mouse Button | Lock onto enemies |
| Jump Attack | Sprint + R1 | ||
| Kick | Forward + R1 |
Core Mechanics#
Estus Flasks#
| Mechanic | Notes |
|---|---|
| Estus Flask | Restores HP — starts at 3 charges, upgradeable to a maximum of 15 |
| Ashen Estus Flask | Restores FP — used for casting spells and weapon skills |
| Split Ratio | Adjust the red/blue flask split at the blacksmith in Firelink Shrine |
| Upgrade Charges | Collect Estus Shards and hand them to the blacksmith — 11 in total |
| Upgrade Potency | Collect Undead Bone Shards and reinforce them at Firelink Shrine |
Death Mechanics#
| Death Consequence | Notes |
|---|---|
| Soul Loss | Dying drops all your souls — pick them back up where you died |
| Recovering Souls | Touch your bloodstain to reclaim them — die again on the way and they are gone forever |
| Embered State | Using an Ember raises max HP by 30% — also lets you summon co-op players |
| Dying While Embered | Death removes the Embered state — you return to normal |
Embered State#
| Effect | Notes |
|---|---|
| Max HP +30% | A major boost to survivability |
| Can Summon Co-op | Look for gold summon signs — summon other players to help |
| Can Be Invaded | While Embered you may be invaded by dark spirits |
| Getting Embers | Auto reward for beating bosses / found in the world / bought from NPCs / farm Lothric Knights |
Bonfires#
Bonfires are Dark Souls III’s checkpoints — they work much like Sites of Grace in Elden Ring
| Function | Notes |
|---|---|
| Rest | Restore HP/FP/Estus, respawn all non-boss enemies |
| Travel | Fast travel freely between any bonfires you have lit |
| Attune | Attune or forget spells at bonfires |
| Kindle | While Embered you can kindle — increases Estus restored at that bonfire (DS3 replaced this with the bone shard system) |
Beginner FAQ#
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Iudex Gundyr too hard? | The first boss — keep your distance and learn his moves. In phase 1, his human form can be blocked with a shield; in phase 2, after he transforms, roll to the left against the black tentacle attacks |
| Lost souls? | Souls can always be farmed again — the knights on High Wall of Lothric give roughly 1,000 souls per run |
| How to upgrade weapons? | See Blacksmith Andre in Firelink Shrine — use Titanite Shards |
| How to infuse weapons? | Once you have gems, infuse at the blacksmith — it changes the damage type and stat scaling |
| How to kindle? | Kindling does not exist in DS3 — the Undead Bone Shard system replaced it. It upgrades Estus Flask potency |
| How to summon allies? | Become Embered → look for a gold summon sign on the ground → touch it to summon |
Starting Class Stats#
| Class | Level | Vigor | Attunement | Endurance | Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Faith | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight | 9 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Mercenary | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Warrior | 7 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Herald | 9 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 11 |
| Thief | 5 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 14 |
| Assassin | 10 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
| Sorcerer | 6 | 9 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 12 |
| Pyromancer | 8 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 7 |
| Cleric | 7 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 13 |
| Deprived | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Recommended Beginner Route#
| Stage | Area | Recommended Level | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Firelink Shrine | 1-10 | Meet the NPCs — buy the key and explore the Undead Settlement |
| 2 | High Wall of Lothric | 10-25 | Grab Estus Shards + pick up the Raw Gem |
| 3 | Undead Settlement | 25-35 | Rescue the pyromancy master — get the Pyromancy Flame |
| 4 | Road of Sacrifices | 30-40 | Clear the Crystal Sage before heading to Farron Keep |
| 5 | Farron Keep | 35-50 | The three flames — Abyss Watchers |
| 6 | Cathedral of the Deep | 40-55 | Fight the Deacons of the Deep — watch out for red-eyed enemies |
Weapon Infusion Guide#
| Infusion | Recommended Builds | Best Weapons | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | Low stats early | All physical weapons | Base attack ×1.5 — removes stat scaling |
| Heavy | Strength builds | Hammers / greatswords | Greatly boosts Strength scaling |
| Sharp | Dexterity builds | Rapiers / curved swords | Greatly boosts Dexterity scaling |
| Refined | STR/DEX hybrid | Straight swords / polearms | Scales with both STR and DEX — highest combined total |
| Chaos | INT/FTH builds | Pyromancer weapons | Fire + dark damage — scales with INT and FTH |
| Lightning | Faith builds | Cleric weapons | Lightning damage — scales with Faith |
| Crystal | Intelligence builds | Sorcerer weapons | Magic damage — scales with Intelligence |
Boss Weakness Chart#
| BOSS | Weakness | Resistance | Recommended Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iudex Gundyr | Lightning | Dark | Parry in phase 1 — in phase 2 stay close and circle to his left |
| Vordt of the Boreal Valley | Fire | Frostbite | Stay under him — dodge the tail sweeps |
| Curse-Rotted Greatwood | Fire / Slash | Strike | Attack the eggs — when one bursts, move to the next spot |
| Crystal Sage | Behind | Magic | Close the gap fast — burst damage in phase 1 |
| Abyss Watchers | Behind | Dark | In phase 2, keep your distance and punish the recovery windows |
| Pontiff Sulyvahn | Lightning | Dark | Learn the parry — or circle the pillars |
| Nameless King | Frost / Lightning | Lightning (P1) | Phase 1: hit the head — Phase 2: keep rolling |
Common Beginner Mistakes#
| Mistake | Correct Approach |
|---|---|
| Afraid to use Estus — saving it for emergencies | Drink whenever HP drops below 50% — staying alive matters more than saving resources |
| Only looking at base stats, ignoring scaling | Watch the weapon’s scaling grades (S/A/B/C) — different builds need weapons with matching scaling |
| Rolling too early | Roll after the enemy’s attack starts — not the moment you see movement |
| Spreading points too evenly | Do not spread points before your main stat hits 40 — early on only invest in Vigor + your main damage stat |
| Equip load above 70% | Stay under 70% — ideally below 30% for a fast roll |
| Refusing guides and brute-forcing | Using guides to save time is fine — just avoid spoiling the key experiences |
Advanced Combat Tips#
| Technique | How | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two-handed backstab | Circle behind and light attack while two-handing | Deals 20% more damage than a one-handed backstab |
| Parry riposte | Parry with a small off-hand shield → step in and heavy attack | Riposte damage depends on the weapon’s attack power |
| Skill canceling | After certain weapon skills you can roll to cancel the recovery | Cuts your vulnerable window — advanced PvP tech |
| Plunging attack | Press attack while dropping from a height | Bonus damage + forces enemies to the ground |
| Ranged pulls | Use a bow to pull a single enemy back and fight it one-on-one | Avoids getting swarmed — essential for new players |
Upgrade Materials Quick Reference#
| Material | Used For | Early Farming |
|---|---|---|
| Titanite Shard | Weapon +1 → +3 | Dropped by the knights on High Wall of Lothric |
| Large Titanite Shard | Weapon +4 → +6 | Dropped by the slaves in Undead Settlement |
| Titanite Chunk | Weapon +7 → +9 | Dropped by the mushrooms in Farron Keep |
| Titanite Slab | Weapon +10 | Limited across the map — roughly 10+ per playthrough |
| Heavy Gem | Heavy infusion | Dropped by the hollows on High Wall of Lothric |
| Sharp Gem | Sharp infusion | Dropped by the crow-people in Undead Settlement |
| Raw Gem | Raw infusion | Chest beside the High Wall elevator |
| Chaos Gem | Chaos infusion | Dropped by the demons in the Demon Ruins |
Bonfires and Shortcuts#
| Area | Key Bonfires | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| High Wall of Lothric | Tower on the Wall + before the boss room | Elevator straight to the boss room + iron door on the rooftop |
| Undead Settlement | Road of Sacrifices entrance | Elevator under the great bridge + shortcut up the giant tree |
| Cathedral of the Deep | Cleansing Chapel | Rotating staircase straight to the boss room |
| Farron Keep | Farron Keep Ruins | Lighting the three flames opens the underwater passage |
| Irithyll of the Boreal Valley | Before Pontiff Sulyvahn | Church main gate + underground prison passage |
More Beginner Tips#
Stat Allocation Advice#
| Stat | Recommended Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor | 27-50 | The most important stat for survival |
| Endurance | 20-40 | Affects how many attacks you can chain |
| Vitality | 15-20 | Equip load management |
| Strength | 20-60 | Core of Strength builds |
| Dexterity | 20-60 | Core of Dexterity builds |
| Intelligence | 10-60 | Core of magic builds |
| Faith | 10-60 | Core of miracle builds |
| Luck | 10-50 | Drop-rate builds |
Common Beginner Errors#
| Error | Consequence | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Pumping stats too early | Weak damage output | Upgrade your weapon first |
| Ignoring your shield | Frequent deaths | Learn to parry |
| Not exploring the map | Missed items | Search every corner carefully |
| Getting greedy | Getting punished | Attack 1-2 times, then roll |
| Never upgrading weapons | Insufficient damage | Prioritize upgrading your main weapon |
Weapon Selection Advice#
| Stage | Recommended Weapon | How to Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Longsword | Starting area |
| Mid-game | Lothric Knight Sword | Lothric Castle |
| Late | Greatsword | Catacombs of Carthus |
| Endgame | Firelink Greatsword | Final boss |
Exploration Tips#
| Tip | Notes |
|---|---|
| Hug the walls | Hidden items are usually tucked into corners |
| Listen for sound | Places with sound usually hide enemies or items |
| Use a torch | Dark areas may hide secret passages |
| Try interacting | Some items require a specific action |
| Mark locations | Important spots can be noted down |