Dark Souls 3 guide

Update January 2017

We've added a link to Polygon's Dark Souls 3 maps, which will walk you through every item and enemy in the game.

Also, Dark Souls 3 expanded in October 2016, thanks to Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel, the game's first downloadable content. Our walkthrough continues in our guide.

Dark Souls 3 is here, and From Software's notoriously difficult action role-playing game series is bigger than it's ever been.

We've scoured every inch of the Kingdom of Lothric to help you uncover its mysteries and overcome odds stacked to beat you down. We've organized our guide into a few different sections, based on what you might need at any given moment.

If you're just starting out, be sure to read through our Beginner's Guide, which will teach new and experienced players what you should know in your first hours. Lothric is brutal, and this will help you overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. And we'll teach you how to build the best character we've ever built in a Souls game.

Our full walkthrough of the game begins with the enemies, items and secrets in the Cemetery of Ash and Firelink Shrine. Then it guides you through all of the the areas you'll visit in Dark Souls 3, from the required to the optional and secret — and there's more than a few of the latter. Stuck on a boss? Just visit the section it appears in, and you'll find strategies and videos.

From its earliest days, the Dark Souls series asked players to prepare to die. We've done that plenty. We suspect you will, too. But with Polygon's Dark Souls 3 guide by your side, you can prepare to die a lot less than you otherwise would have.

Fire Keeper

Table of contents

Dark Souls 3's maps are a confusing, intriguing mass of overlapping spaghetti. But with this guide, you'll be able to find your place — as well as every enemy and item — on every map. You'll also find links to every part of Polygon's full walkthrough, so you can find your way to where you need to be.

What class should you choose? What starting item? Our guide will make your first dozen hours in Lothric much easier. Think of this as a way to learn the language of Dark Souls 3 without cheating — or a way to even the odds in a game where you're always outnumbered, always outgunned.

You'll see most of Dark Souls 3 as you progress through its bonfires, but there are a few hidden, optional areas reserved for the most daring players. Most have challenging foes. Some end with optional boss fights. All of them balance out the difficulty with great rewards.

This guide will teach you how to maximize your crafting output based on your particular style of play. We'll also teach you about the game's basic stats, explain what each gem does and tell you where to find them.

Knowing how multiplayer works can make you a better, richer players. In this guide, we'll teach you everything you need to know about multiplayer.

Covenants return in Dark Souls 3 more focused and streamlined than in previous installments. You may pledge your allegiance to any of eight, and each comes with its own optional tasks and rewards. We'll teach you about all of them in this guide.

At first, Dark Souls 3's Status screen looks like an intimidating chart of mathematical equations. Read this guide, and you'll understand and use it to craft a character specifically tailored for your style.

Dark Souls 3's invasions can be deadly or helpful. In this guide, we'll explain how the system works and how you can use it to help or hurt others.

We've corralled every Dark Souls 3 ring into this guide, explained their effects and showed you exactly where to find them.

Walkthrough

Ashes of Ariandel

Expansions

Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel, the first expansion to developer From Software's action role-playing game, is brutal. No big surprise there. There are surprises, though, and Polygon's Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel guide will help you deal with them all.