Dark Souls Remastered: Undead Burg map

Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon

After the tutorial of the Undead Asylum and the hub of Firelink Shrine, Undead Burg becomes your first experience out in the “real” world of Lordran. It’s a pretty “gentle” (nothing in Dark Souls is gentle) introduction to Dark Souls Remastered’s level design philosphy — lots of verticality and paths that loop back to connect with earlier areas.

There are a few items to pick up while you explore — mostly consumable soul items and a couple weapons — but not as many as some other areas. Undead Burg is pretty densely populated with low-level enemies, so it serves as a great place to farm for souls early in your game.

There’s only one bonfire and a merchant nearby. The merchant gives you access to a lot of new weapons to further customize your gameplay style. You can also buy the Heater Shield — the earliest shield you can find with 100 percent protection against physical damage.

After you defeat the area’s boss, the Taurus Demon, you’ll find the area’s only other NPC, the grossly incandescent Solaire of Astora (Praise the Sun!) who will give you the White Soapstone item that allows you to aid other players in online play.

From here, you’ll be able to continue on to Undead Parish. When you pass back through here later, you’ll be able to unlock the doors into Lower Undead Burg.