Once you’ve rested at the bonfire, make your way through the tunnel, but be sure to kill all undeads you see on the way (otherwise they’ll sneak attack from behind – the cheeky beggars). You’ll eventually run up some steps towards a house.

Be very careful inside this dark house as there’s an archer across the room from you and another enemy to your left. Draw him outside then mop up all the enemies below and across from you (just don’t fall in to the pit in the middle of the floor).

To get back to the start of the house you’ll have to climb up the ladder to the roof, kill the enemies here and then drop down to the path below (use a Lifegem as you’re falling to minimize the damage taken).

Go back inside and approach the door on your left, but jump back as an enemy will slash through the door and break it down for you. Kill him and then go left and you’ll be outside again. Hang a right, slide down the ladder and then go under the bridge and another bonfire will be waiting for you in an alcove.

To the Next Bonfire¶

Go back outside and then run down the hill towards the bridge in the distance. Watch out for the enemy on your right and the undead carrying the torch that comes over the bridge.

There’s a lot of Great Moth’s hanging around the trees above you in the forest; so you need to be very careful as they spew poison droplets down from above. Your best bet is to lock-on from a distance and hit them with arrows or other ranged-weapons.

You also need to keep an eye out for the dual sickle-wielding Artificial Undead enemies who can damage you regardless of whether or not you’re blocking their attacks with a shield.

Also keep an eye out for Bandits who usually hide behind trees and will throw knives at you from a distance and then will switch to dual quick attacks if you get close (usually with a 3-hit combo that finishes with a leaping attack).

The left side of the forest contains all of the above and a few pieces of loot worth looking for (just be sure to take your time and stay alert at all times). Just after the first bridge you walked over (where the undead carrying the torch came over); there’s actually a path leading up and to the right where another bridge is.

Push onwards and take your time as you go up the hill that curves to the right, there are quite a few Bandits up here and they’ll make short work of you if you get mobbed by them. Look for a small hut to the left of the hill (near the top) as there’s a lever inside.

Before pulling this lever make sure you wait for the Bandit that drops down from the roof and tries to ambush you. Once the coast is clear; pull the lever and then wait for the bridge to drop. Once it’s down, run across to the other side and now you have a choice to make.

Ignore the hill going up and left as whilst there’s a Blue Crystal Lizard up here, it’s actually a trap with numerous Bandits lying in wait for you (so do your health bar a favor and ignore it).

Stick to the lower ground and you’ll eventually spot an opening on the left inside the mountain ridge. Clear out the Bandits first and open the chest for a key. Double-back to the burning bodies and look nearby for a hut with a locked door.

Open it and not only will you find a bonfire inside; but also a new NPC character with a rather interesting story to tell (and a new gesture to learn too)!

Go back across the bridge again and make your way along the bottom pathway once more. As you approach the waterfall you’ll trigger a battle with a CPU-controlled invader known as Merciless Roenna .

If you decide to fight her then be warned that her scythe will cause bleed damage (even if you have a shield) and you’ve got very little room to roll around (as you’ll be on the side of a cliff). She’ll also use loads of Estus flasks if you move away after hurting her, so either parry her and riposte or go for a backstab as she’s using an Estus Flask.

Another viable option is to simply keep running until you go under the waterfall, up the stairs and through the boss fog gate ahead…

Boss Fight – Skeleton Lords¶

What might seem like an unfair fight is actually a fairly simply one – with the right strategy of course…

• NEVER kill more than one major skeleton boss at a time (as they’ll spawn more, smaller skeletons on death). You don’t want to get over-crowded in this fight.
• So immediately take down the first Skeleton on the far left and then take some cover. When he dies several smaller skeletons will spawn nearby; so take them out as a priority (use any of the nearby mounds as cover or to heal if need be).
• Now pick on the next Skeleton that homes in on your position (preferably the one holding the Halberd). Again, it should only take a few hits to kill it, but don’t ever get greedy and be ready to roll away and heal if need be.
• If that Skeleton drops regular Skeletons then repeat the steps from before and pro-actively attack them as they’re rising from the ground.
  If you kill the Staff-wielding Skelton then it’ll spawn pin-wheel skeletons upon death so be super quick to run to where each one is rising from the ground and you’ll likely get two of the three before they fully spawn.

Once the boss is dead, look for the newly opened archway (to the left of where you came in) and head through the tunnel to the raised bridge. Pull the lever, run across the bridge once it’s down and then get ready to enter the next poison-tastic area! (FROM certainly seem to love their poison-themed areas).