Dark Souls 2 Tips & Tricks
A beginner's guide covering the optimal starting class, two early-game routes out of Majula, how to safely fall into The Gutter, efficient early soul farming with fire and Poison Mist, and how to bypass the Shrine of Winter without collecting all four Great Souls.
13 Tips · 5 categories
4 tipsProgression
Choose Knight and Pick Healing Wares as Starting Gift
Knight is the strongest starting class for new players. For your starting gift, choose either Healing Wares for a supply of consumables, or skip the gift entirely. Every other combination is a weaker starting position.
Return to Majula Merchant at 10,000 Souls for Health Ring
Once you have accumulated around 10,000 souls, go back to Majula and speak with the merchant there. He will give you a health ring that increases your maximum HP.
Jump From Majula Cliff to Obtain Fragrant Branch of Yore
Strip your armor down to just two health rings to maximize survivability, then jump from the cliff near Majula to reach a pickup area below containing a Fragrant Branch of Yore. Use the Branch to free the petrified NPC nearby, who then sells you the Poison Mist pyromancy.
Bypass Shrine of Winter With 1 Million Soul Memory
The Shrine of Winter normally requires collecting all four Great Souls to pass through. If your total accumulated Soul Memory reaches 1 million, the door opens regardless of how many Great Souls you have collected, letting you skip a significant portion of the required boss progression.
4 tipsExploration
Visit Heide's Tower Early for a Free Shield
From Majula you can head to Heide's Tower of Flame instead of the Forest of Fallen Giants. It is harder, but faster if you know the route. Head down the stairs and loot the chest at the bottom to grab a useful shield early.
Use Attack Animations to Fall Safely Into The Gutter
Starting a melee attack animation at the edge of a ledge causes the game to teleport you slightly downward, canceling fall damage for that initial drop. Use this at the relevant ledge near Majula, then roll and drop the remaining sections to reach The Gutter without dying.
Grab Pyromancy Flame and Dark Fog in The Gutter
The Gutter contains two bonfires in quick succession. The area around the first bonfire has a free Pyromancy Flame pickup, and near the second bonfire you can grab the Dark Fog hex. Both are worth collecting before continuing.
Find Hidden Health Ring and Staff in the Forest
In the Forest of Fallen Giants, knock on a specific door to reveal a second health ring. A staff is also hidden behind a nearby illusory wall. Both are easy to miss on a first run and worth grabbing before moving on.
3 tipsEconomy
Roll Into Targets With a Torch to Farm Early Souls
In the area near the first boss, light your torch and roll into the hanging cloth targets to set them on fire for a quick burst of early souls. Equipping soul-boosting armor increases the payout per run.
Buy the Snake Ring for 20% More Souls
In the Forest of Fallen Giants, you can purchase the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, which increases the souls earned from kills by approximately 20 percent. Spend your accumulated souls here and equip it as soon as possible.
Farm Cave Enemies With Poison Mist One at a Time
Drop into the cave accessible after obtaining Poison Mist and use it on the large enemies inside. Kill only one at a time, since enemies permanently stop respawning after 20 kills. If you accidentally exhaust a spawn, join the Covenant of Champions to restore respawns. Poison damage scales independently of your stats, so this method stays effective throughout the run.
1 tipCombat
Swap Poison Mist for Dark Fog Once Leveled Enough
When your Intelligence or Faith is high enough to use the Dark Fog hex, replace Poison Mist in your spell slot. Dark Fog casts significantly faster and applies four stacks of poison instead of two, making farming sessions noticeably quicker.
1 tipMultiplayer
Loop the Lift to Outlast Invaders Without Fighting
When an invader enters your world near a vertical lift, position yourself beside it and force them into a loop. If they try to follow you onto the lift, circle around the shaft repeatedly. Most invaders will eventually give up and leave rather than continue chasing.
Verified: 2026-05-26 · All content is original with full credit to original creators.