Summary
- Knight Lautrec's questline involves freeing him early on and hunting him down later.
- Reah of Thorolund's questline offers basic and advanced miracles in Undead Parish.
- Siegmeyer of Catarina's questline is one of the saddest, ending on a bitter note.
The Dark Souls franchise has been around for a very long time, and over the years it has garnered a huge fanbase thanks to the varied classes it features, the multiple weapons players can take advantage of, and the challenging bosses that await them at every turn.
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While it could be argued that the third installment has better rings for Dexterity builds and an overall larger pool of bosses, armor sets and weapons, the original kicked off a massive franchise that is still going strong to this day. Here are some of the hardest side quests to complete in Dark Souls.
6 Knight Lautrec's Questline
Players Can Free Him Early On
- He will kill Anastasia of Astora, triggering a small questline
- Defeating the Bell Gargoyles allows him to escape
When players first encounter Knight Lautrec of Carim, he is imprisoned in the Undead Parish. They can either choose to free him if they have the necessary tools to do it, or defeat the Bell Gargoyles, which will allow him to escape. After Lautrec is released from his prison, in one way or another, he can be found in the Fireland Shrine.
Once a second bell of awakening has been rung or the Fire Keeper's Soul has been retrieved from Blighttown, he will kill Anastasia of Astora, which triggers a questline where players will have to hunt him down to retrieve the Fire Keeper’s Soul in Anor Londo. A great strategy to face him is to get as many hits in as possible to bring him down quickly. Lautrec does not have the hardest questline in the original Dark Souls, but he still deserves a spot on the list.
5 Reah of Thorolund's Questline
An Important Side Character In A World Full Of Darkness
- Once her questline is completed, she will sell miracles to players in the Undead Parrish
- Finding her throughout the game can be difficult
Rhea of Thorolund is not only very interesting because she shares the same voice actress as Quelaag's sister and Sieglinde of Catarina, but also because she offers players a very interesting side quest. Like many other side quests in the Dark Souls trilogy, Rhea’s is not particularly difficult from many standpoints, but finding her in various locations and avoiding progressing too much through the story before completing it can be a challenge. She first appears in the Firelink Shrine after the Chosen Undead has defeated the Capra Demon. Players will have to talk to Griggs of Vinheim before Rhea leaves this location to learn interesting things about her.
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She can then be found in the pit Patches throws players into, where she will ask the Chosen Undead to defeat her followers who have turned Hollow. Doing this will award players the Replenishment miracle. From this point forward, she can be found in the Undead Parish, where she will consistently sell basic and advanced miracles. Although her followers aren’t a big challenge, having one of the most powerful weapons in the game can always help make the task of defeating them simpler.
4 Big Hat Logan's Questline
A Sorcerer Who Always Finds Himself In Trouble
- Big Hat Logan is fascinated by Seath the Scaleless
- Players must free him continuously throughout the story
Finding Big Hat Logan can, in and of itself, be quite a challenge, as he’s in a cage hidden behind a wall and Sen’s Fortress, one of the toughest areas to navigate in the game. To free him, players will either need the Cage Key or the Master Key. Once he’s been rescued, he will retreat to the Firelink Shrine and be next to Griggs of Vinheim. Players can purchase Sorceries from him if they wish to expand their arsenal.
After acquiring the Lordvessel, players will find that Big Hat Logan has once again gotten himself into trouble and is imprisoned in The Duke’s Archives. To free him, the Archive Tower Giant Cell Key is required. Once all his spells have been purchased and Seath the Scaleless has been defeated, he will go mad and seclude himself in Seath’s boss arena, where he will be hostile towards players. Those who’ve already completed this title and want a similar experience outside its universe can try some of the best games that play like Dark Souls.
3 The Darkwraith Covenant Questline
A Great Covenant That Requires Strategic Planning To Join
- Players must place the Lordvessel for Kathee instead of Frampt
- It's really easy to miss one or more steps to join the covenant
While not a side quest per se, the Darkwraith Covenant can be quite challenging to follow, as it requires players to complete various tasks. First, players must speak with Kaathe after getting the Covenant of Artorias ring, which can be obtained by killing Great Grey Wolf Sif. The Key to the Seal is also required, which can be obtained from Ingward after defeating the Four Kings. Players must also ensure that they’ve placed the Lordvessel for Kaathe instead of Frampt, as otherwise, he will not appear. They must also answer “Yes” to his questions to be transported to the Firelink Altar.
Finally, players must talk to Kathee again in the Abyss to join the Darkwraith Covenant. The road to joining the covenant is full of perils, but the hardest part of it is to plan every move carefully to avoid making an irreversible mistake that blocks this option until NG+. Traveling through the many difficult areas required to reach the point where players can join the Darkwraith Covenant can be tricky, so carrying a good weapon and one of the best shields in the game can go a long way in making this easier.
2 Domhnall Of Zena's Questline
An Eccentric Peddler Who Sells Valuable Goods
- His armor set is very interesting
- He can sometimes stay in the Depths for unknown reasons
One of the things that make the Domhnall of Zena’s questline so difficult is not particularly the challenge it poses to complete, but rather an unknown bug that can throw players off considerably. He can be found first in the sewers of the Depths in a room that leads to Blighttown. Once players have rung both Bells of Awakening, Domhnall will relocate to the Firelink Shrine beneath the aqueduct. However, this is sometimes not the case, as he might sometimes remain in the Depths, even after ringing both bells, and to this day, no one knows the reason behind this.
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Domhnall’s questline is rather short compared to others in the game. However, players should seek to find him, as he sells rare crystallized equipment and boss armor, which unlock as players defeat different bosses. He can be a little eccentric, but is far from being one of the scariest humans in the Dark Souls trilogy, so players should shop with confidence and leave him be afterward.
1 Siegmeyer Of Catarina's Questline
Arguably The Saddest Quest In The Entire Game
- An incredibly hard quest to complete due to how many things can go wrong and interrupt it
- The quest ends on a bitter note that will hit players hard
Players who've already completed Dark Souls 3 before completing the original Dark Souls might be confused thinking that Siegmeyer and Siegward are the same person—not only because they’re wearing the same armor, but because their names are similar, and they seem to hail from the same location. However, this is not the case, as it’s assumed that thousands of years pass between Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3.
Siegmeyer of Catarina’s questline is one of the longest and hardest to complete in Dark Souls, as he can be found in various locations. First, he can be encountered at the gate of Sen’s Fortress before the Bells of Awakening are rung. After the bells have been rung, he’ll be at the first boulder obstacle in the same location. This alone, makes finding him tricky, as players will most likely be focused on survival rather than looking for an NPC. After reaching Anor Londo, players can find him near the third bonfire, where they can help him and then find him at the Firelink Shrine’s bonfire. There, players should talk to him until they exhaust his dialogue, which will prompt him to move to Blighttown, near the ramp to the Great Hollow area. Helping him in Blighttown will result in him relocating to Lost Izalith, where players can save him. Finally, he and his daughter Sieglinde can be found at the first bonfire in Ash Lake.
Siegmeyer’s questline is extremely challenging to follow, as there are other aspects to completing it. For example, if he jumps down to the pit with the Chaos Eaters in Lost Izalith with less than half his health, he will succumb to his wounds, finishing his questline there. Chaos Eaters are not particularly challenging, but there's no arguing that they could have been one of the trickiest bosses in the Dark Souls trilogy if they'd had their own boss fight. If players manage to keep him alive and well until the Ash Lake area, they’ll find he’s gone Hollow and attacked his daughter. Sieglinde will mourn him and conclude this side quest with a bitter note that players will always remember.
Dark Souls
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 22, 2011
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
WHERE TO PLAY
Re-experience the critically acclaimed, genre-defining game that started it all. Beautifully remastered, return to Lordran in stunning detail. DARK SOULS: REMASTERED includes the main game plus the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. This marks the franchise’s debut on a Nintendo platform, and for the first time ever can be played on-the-go with Nintendo Switch™.
Deep and Dark Universe— Delve into an epic dark fantasy universe stricken by the Curse. Explore its intricate world design, full of hidden passages, dungeons and secrets.
Each End is a New Beginning— Each playthrough surprises you with new challenges and discoveries.
Gameplay Richness and Possibilities— Use hundreds of unique weapon, armor, magic, and crafting combinations to create your own playstyle and gaming experience.
The Way of the Multiplayer (up to 6 players)— Whatever your motivations are to play online – collaboration or confrontation, support or betrayal – you’ll find your true home among the nine covenants.
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Adventure
