PREPARE TO DIE LESS
Your journey through Lothric doesn't end here. Be sure to check out the rest of Polygon's Dark Souls 3 guide , which offers everything from tips for beginners and returning masochists to detailed walkthroughs of every area — including all of the secret, bonus content.
The walls and towers of this area are reminiscent of many of the castles in prior Souls games. As a contrast to all the well-lit, open areas, there are also lots of spacious, dark interiors. Noteworthy hazards include a dragon and a number of Lothric Knights. It can feel labyrinthine at first, but it becomes easier to navigate once you find a key shortcut.
Table of contents
Map
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HIGH WALL OF LOTHRIC BONFIRE
To begin, warp here from Firelink Shrine, open the double doors and head down the steps to the first bonfire.
There are several Hollow Soldiers along these walls and towers. How many you deal with is dependent on whether or not you take out the Hollows with the lanterns in time. If they raise their lanterns and chant, the Hollows nearby will head in your direction. They're not difficult, especially if you sidestep their stabs and downward strikes, which they use frequently. But, as we mentioned in our beginner's guide, it's best not to fight more than one at a time.
From the bonfire, take the stairs on the left. Grab the Soul of a Deserted Corpse on the left side of the wall. Taking the stairs to the tower interior (past the dragon head) will keep you on the critical path.
Before doing so, take the ascending stairs to the left of the tower entrance. There are two levels to this tower rooftop, featuring several Hollow Soldiers. The upper level has a pair of Binoculars. When you're done here, don't go down the stairs you came from. Instead, look for a ledge to the left of the dragon corpse's tail and drop down. Go through the tower doorway to find the Gold Pine Resin.
From here, you can drop down to the tower interior. Take out the two Hollow Soldiers on this level, including one hiding behind some boxes. Grab the Firebombs at the table. Go down the ladder, into the dark passage and grab the Soul of a Deserted Corpse. Enter the tower underneath the dragon and grab the Deep Battle Axe, provided you took out the Mimic guarding it. Exiting the tower by using the door on the right will take you back on the critical path.
Emerge from the other end of the passage. A dragon will appear as you move along this wall segment. You can take on the dragon with bow and arrows, if you have them. If you hug the left side of the stairs leading up to the dragon, you can aim for its more vulnerable wing rather than its body. Whenever you decide to take on the dragon, defeating it will give you access to the upper area, which features an Ember, a Club, a Claymore and a Steel Soldier Helm.
Run across the bottom portion of the wall segment to continue along the critical path. If the dragon is still alive, time your runs for when it isn't breathing fire. The fire should take out most of the Hollow Solders in your path. Take out the stragglers yourself, away from the path of the fire.
Ascend the stairs and take on a Lothric Knight. This is a great training enemy to prepare you for all the harder knights you'll come across. The most effective tactic is to constantly sidestep him with the lock-on enabled. This makes him frequently vulnerable to openings and a potent backstab. You can keep this a one-on-one battle if you lure the knight to the top of the steps. Grab the Soul of a Deserted Corpse from the corpse near the doorway where the knight emerged, then go through that doorway.
Inside the tower, there's a Hollow Assassin to your left and three Firebombs on the beam to your right. Before descending, take the stairs on the right and light the next bonfire. Grab the Titanite Shard tucked in one of the corners of the tower.
TOWER ON THE WALL BONFIRE
Head back down to the tower interior and take another flight of stairs down one more level. Take on two more Hollow Assassins. Pass through the doorway and approach the rooftops while taking on two Hollow Soldiers along the way. Grab the Soul of a Deserted Corpse to the right of the doorway.
As you make your way to a ladder on the right, you can take on a Pus of Man on the left for additional souls and an item drop. It's one of the more difficult non-bosses up to this point. If you can't take it on with ranged weapons, use melee attacks while relying on your shield often. Note that there is a Crystal Lizard on this rooftop as well, at the corner opposite the ladder. There are also three Firebombs and a Large Souls of a Deserted Corpse on this rooftop.
Go down the ladder and note the Hollow Soldier attacking you nearby. Kill the archer and his nearby comrades on the balcony. Backtrack and follow the wall on your right until you're on a rooftop overlooking the courtyard below, where you'll find Black Firebombs.
DOWN THE LADDER
Go down the long ladder near the archer you last killed. You'll come across a set of Firebombs as well as another group of Hollow Soldiers at the bottom. This route also places you in the path of the Winged Knight who is just as powerful as the Pus of Man. This knight is all about brute force from the front, so it's best to either get behind it or find openings after blocking its attacks. Take your time and don't try to kill it with a single combo.
THE PATH TO ITEMS
From the bottom of the rooftop ladder, turn around and head into the banquet hall. Note the Lothric Knight coming in from the opposite side of the room. Before you confront it, make a left. There are four Hollow Soldiers in this two-tiered space as well as some Undead Hunter Charms, a Titanite Shard and a small soul. After taking on the Lothric Knight, head through the doorway it came from. As you enter the next area, prepare for a Hollow Soldier ambush from the left.
Explore the upper ledges for a Broadsword and Green Blossoms. Break through the stacked barrels nearby to create a path that will let you drop down to another walkway. It's there that you'll find an Astora Straight Sword. If you don't drop down to the walkway and stick to the main route, you'll find a chest with a Silver Eagle Kite Shield inside. Note the Hollow Soldier throwing fire bombs your way. When you reach the kitchen below, prepare for a fight.
You have two Starved Hounds, a Hollow Soldier and two Hollow Soldiers to deal with.
The reward for surviving is the freedom to explore this room, which contains a Cell Key and an Estus Shard This will lead you to the courtyard. Consult our Estus Shard Guide for all the shard locations. Exiting the area will lead you to the courtyard and the aforementioned Winged Knight. Look for a Hollow Soldier at one of the corners of the courtyard. There you'll find a Rapier.
Before progressing further, hang a right when you leave the courtyard. You should see a set of ascending stairs guarded by two Hollow Soldiers. After going up one set of stairs, make a right up more stairs. This will take you to another rooftop overlooking the courtyard. Grab the Large Soul of a Deserted Corpse. Jump across the gap to the wood awning to grab the Ring of Sacrifice.
Head back to the stairs that was guarded by the two Hollow Soldiers. Instead of going up the second set of stairs on the right, go down the hallway this time. Go the lone Hollow Soldier to bring the other Hollows out of hiding. Grab the three Green Blossoms while you're here.
Enter the tower and ride up the elevator. At the top, grab the six Throwing Knives. Unlocking the door at the top of the tower will create a shortcut to the first bonfire at High Wall of Lothric. Be ready to take on an axe-wielding Hollow Soldier. There are a couple more Hollows and Starved Hounds along this path back to the bonfire. Grab the Soul of a Deserted Corpse outside the tower with the elevator.
If you make a left at the top of the wall, you can find a Longbow and 12 Standard Arrows at the top of the nearby tower. Watch out for the Pus of Man next to the Hollow Archer.
Freeing Greirat the thief
High Wall of Lothric also features Greirat, an NPC you can befriend and can join your roster at Firelink Shrine. From the Tower on the Wall bonfire, head to the very bottom of the tower interior and follow the linear path. Get ready take on a few Hollow Soldiers including one throwing firebombs. Grab the eight Throwing Knives in the room with the firebomb thrower. Before making the forced right, grab the Mail Breaker.
You'll find Greirat at the end of the path. Use the cell key to open his cell. Befriending him involves running an errand in the next area, the Undead Settlement. He'll give you a Blue Tearstone Ring and a request to find someone named Loretta. Unfortunately, Loretta has long since perished, but if you give Greirat her bones (see the Undead Settlement walkthrough), he will let you keep the ring and he'll serve as one of your merchants.
Aside from his initial batch of inventory, he'll offer to pillage the Undead Settlement, Irithyll and Lothric Castle to add more to his wares. This is a test of greed on your part. If you send him to Lothric Castle, he'll die and won't return. If you send him to the Undead Settlement and Siegward isn't there, Greirat will die, leaving his ashes in the sewer. He will also die in the Undead Settlement if you don't tell Unbreakable Patches where he went. Lastly, Greirat will drop Ashes of Greirat and a Bandit's Knife if you kill him.
To resume your progression along the critical path, return to the courtyard and as you exit, head left, toward the church. Confront the two Lothric Knights along the way. You can also find a Lucerne on the upper ledge on the right on your way to the church.
If you’re up for a challenge, go up the steps to the left of the church entrance. Take on the blue Lothric Knight. He doesn’t behave differently than the other knights with the exception that his offense and defense are very high. Defeating him will reward you with a Refined Gem.
When inside the church, Speak to Emma, the High Priestess of Lothric to receive the Small Lothric Banner. Exit the church, stay on the current path, down the stairs and through the large open gate at the bottom of the steps. Be ready to take on a few Hollow Soldiers.
This will lead you to the next boss fight. If you've restored an ember, you can summon the Sword Master phantom, provided you defeated him in outside the Firelink Shrine.
VORDT OF THE BOREAL VALLEY
Short version: Focus on his rear and his stomach.
Tactics (first phase): As a boss with an affinity for ice, it helps to have fire spells on hand. Vordt uses wide frontal attacks, but they're easy to block. The challenge is in keeping up with his unpredictable movements, especially when his stomach and rear are his most vulnerables areas. This can be accomplished by rolling toward him or using sidesteps frequently while having the lock-on enabled.
Tactics (second phase): When you've taken its health down to about 65 percent, Vordt will howl, signalling this next phase of the fight. It will add a lethal ramming attack to its repertoire, which is avoidable with dodge rolls to the side. If it appears to be taking a deep breath, keep your distance. Vordt is about to breathe out a damaging ice attack. Continue to focus on its stomach and rear during this phase as well.
When you've defeated Vordt of the Boreal Valley, light the bonfire.
Vordt of the Boreal Valley bonfire
Pass through the open double doors and use the Small Lothric Banner to travel to the next area, the Undead Settlement.