Your comprehensive companion to mastering every challenge, discovering every secret, and achieving every ending in the Black Souls series
Essential decisions that shape your entire playthrough
Your starting class in Black Souls determines far more than initial stats. Each class has unique dialogue options, quest availability, and even access to certain areas. The Scholar starts with lower combat stats but can decipher ancient texts that reveal secret passages and lore. The Warrior excels in combat but misses intellectual puzzle solutions. The Wanderer has balanced stats but unique exploration abilities.
When allocating your initial stat points, consider your long-term build goals. Physical builds should prioritize Strength or Dexterity early, while magic users need Intelligence or Faith. However, don't neglect Vitality and Endurance - survival trumps damage output in the early game. The mysterious Luck stat affects more than item drops; it influences certain story events and NPC interactions.
Save immediately after character creation. The first few choices you make are irreversible and affect the entire game. Having a backup save allows you to experience different paths without complete restarts.
The opening area seems deceptively simple but contains crucial items and encounters that affect the entire playthrough. Before leaving the starting chamber, examine every corner. The cracked wall behind the mirror can be broken to reveal the Pendant of Memories - seemingly useless but vital for the true ending. The first NPC you meet remembers whether you speak to them before or after acquiring your weapon.
Combat in the early game punishes aggression. Learn enemy patterns by observing from a safe distance. The basic hollow enemies telegraph their attacks with a slight pause - use this window to position yourself. Blocking is more stamina-efficient than dodging initially, but practice both techniques. Environmental awareness is crucial; many early deaths come from being cornered or falling off ledges during combat.
Your first real test and introduction to the game's dark narrative
The Corrupted Village serves as your first hub area, but unlike typical RPG towns, danger lurks everywhere. The village operates on a day/night cycle that affects NPC locations, enemy spawns, and available quests. During daylight, villagers maintain a facade of normalcy, but conversations reveal disturbing undertones. At night, the truth emerges as many NPCs transform into hostile creatures.
Essential locations include the abandoned church (contains the first covenant opportunity), the well (leads to an optional dungeon with powerful early-game equipment), and the mayor's house (critical for multiple storylines). The blacksmith appears friendly but charges different prices based on your choices - showing mercy to enemies actually increases his prices, while ruthless behavior earns discounts.
Every villager has a complex questline with multiple outcomes. The Little Girl's quest seems straightforward - find her lost doll. However, returning the doll triggers a chain of events leading to either her transformation into a boss or becoming a powerful ally. The choice isn't made when returning the doll but depends on seemingly unrelated actions like which enemies you've killed and items you're carrying.
The Merchant's questline intersects with multiple others. Buying specific items affects other NPCs' dialogue and quest availability. His inventory expands based on your exploration - discovering new areas adds corresponding items to his shop. However, some items are traps. The Cursed Ring he sells seems powerful but triggers a devastating event if worn during certain boss fights.
The village has a hidden timer. After completing certain objectives, the village enters an irreversible state change. Finish all side quests before defeating the area boss or advancing the main story past the church event.
Navigate the twisted paths and face your first major boss
The Forest of Nightmares earned its name through deliberately confusing design. Paths loop back on themselves, landmarks shift when you're not looking, and the fog obscures distant areas. However, there's method to the madness. The forest actually consists of three overlapping layers accessed through specific actions. Walking backwards through certain sections reaches the mirror layer. Dying in specific locations with certain items accesses the nightmare layer.
Key shortcuts dramatically reduce travel time and provide escape routes during difficult encounters. The hollow tree near the entrance contains a rope that, when cut, creates a bridge to the mid-forest bonfire. The seemingly decorative bells throughout the forest aren't just atmospheric - ringing them in the correct order opens a direct path to the boss arena, bypassing numerous enemies.
The Corrupted Huntsman represents a significant difficulty spike, testing everything you've learned. This boss has three distinct phases, each requiring different strategies. Phase one involves standard melee combat with predictable patterns. Learn the three-hit combo and punish the recovery window. At 75% health, he summons wolf companions that must be prioritized - they have low health but deal massive damage.
Phase two begins at 50% health, introducing ranged attacks and increased aggression. The arena's pillars become crucial for blocking projectiles. His charge attack now has tracking, requiring last-second dodges rather than early positioning. The wolf summons become more frequent but appear in predictable locations - pre-emptive attacks can eliminate them before they become threats.
The final phase at 25% health transforms the fight completely. The Huntsman merges with his remaining wolves, gaining new attacks and regenerating health. Fire damage becomes highly effective in this phase. The transformation animation provides a lengthy damage window - use your strongest attacks or items. Victory requires patience; his new moves have longer windups but devastating damage.
Major story decisions and game-changing revelations await
The Abandoned Castle presents Black Souls' most complex area design, featuring interconnected towers, hidden passages, and environmental puzzles. The main entrance is actually a trap - entering triggers a gauntlet of enemies and locks you in until cleared. The servant's entrance on the eastern wall provides safer access and immediate access to a bonfire. Veterans often skip the main entrance entirely, using the crumbling wall near the moat for early access to late-castle areas.
The castle's four towers each contain essential items and lore pieces. The Library Tower houses spell trainers and the intelligence-boosting Crown of Wisdom. The Prison Tower contains powerful equipment but requires keys found in other towers. The Observatory Tower provides the telescope item, revealing hidden elements throughout the game world. The Throne Tower hosts the area's climactic encounters and major story branches.
The castle's throne room presents Black Souls' most impactful decision point. Three claimants to the throne offer different covenants and story paths. The Prince promises power through might, locking you into a combat-focused storyline. The Princess offers magical knowledge but requires sacrificing physical prowess. The jester's claim seems like a joke but leads to the game's most revealing storyline about the nature of the world itself.
Your choice affects not just immediate rewards but fundamentally alters remaining areas. Siding with the Prince makes certain NPCs hostile but opens warrior-exclusive areas. The Princess path grants access to hidden libraries and magical secrets. The Jester path is the most complex, requiring specific prior actions to unlock and leading to areas that don't exist in other routes. This decision point essentially splits Black Souls into three different games.
Deep dive into Black Souls' faction system and its far-reaching consequences
Covenants in Black Souls go beyond simple faction allegiance. Each covenant fundamentally changes game mechanics, available equipment, and story outcomes. The Order of Ash grants pyromancy abilities but makes you vulnerable to water-based attacks. The Crystal Sages provide intelligence boosts and unique spells but halve your health permanently. The Blood Oath increases damage but requires constant combat to avoid health drain.
Ranking up within covenants requires specific actions aligned with their philosophy. The peaceful Healers' Union advances through showing mercy and helping NPCs. The chaotic Nightmare Cult demands spreading madness and defeating enemies in cruel ways. Some covenant requirements conflict directly - advancing in one may lock you out of others permanently. The hidden True Covenant requires maintaining neutrality, paradoxically the hardest path.
Each covenant offers exclusive rewards unavailable elsewhere. Beyond equipment and spells, covenants unlock entire areas and storylines. The Abyss Watchers covenant grants access to the Void Between Worlds, containing the game's most powerful equipment. The Solar Knights unlock the Radiant Citadel, a complete alternate version of the main castle with different bosses and layout.
Maximum covenant rank provides game-changing abilities. Rank 3 Chaos Servants can walk through lava unharmed. Rank 3 Moon Priests can manipulate the day/night cycle at will. These abilities aren't just combat benefits - they allow accessing otherwise impossible areas and secrets. The commitment required is substantial, often requiring multiple playthroughs to experience all covenant content.
Final builds, secret bosses, and ending paths
Endgame Black Souls demands optimized builds to handle escalating challenges. Pure builds focusing on single stats reach their potential here. A 60 Strength build with the Giant Crusher weapon can one-shot many enemies. 60 Intelligence builds gain access to reality-warping spells. However, the soft cap mechanics mean hybrid builds become viable with proper stat distribution.
Equipment synergy becomes crucial. The Cursed Set appears mediocre individually but provides massive bonuses when worn complete. Certain weapon combinations unlock special movesets - dual-wielding the Sun and Moon blades creates unique attacks. Ring selection can make or break builds; the four-ring limit requires careful consideration. Some rings have hidden effects only discovered through experimentation.
Black Souls hides several optional super bosses that surpass the main story's difficulty. The Nameless God requires collecting seven fragments scattered across hidden areas. The Void Dragon only appears after defeating all other bosses without dying. The True Final Boss requires completing an obscure questline spanning the entire game. These encounters test mastery of all game mechanics and often require specific builds or strategies.
Preparing for super bosses involves more than just leveling. Specific items counter their unique mechanics. The Mirror Shield reflects the Nameless God's instant-death attack. The Temporal Ring slows the Void Dragon's speed. Understanding lore provides tactical advantages - the True Final Boss's attacks correspond to the seven sins, each requiring different responses. Victory rewards include the game's best equipment and extremely rare achievements.
Before triggering any ending, ensure you've completed desired side content. Most endings lock you into sequences where exploration becomes impossible. Create multiple saves to experience different conclusions. The journey matters more than the destination in Black Souls - each playthrough reveals new layers of the intricate narrative.
This walkthrough covers essential progression, but Black Souls contains countless secrets awaiting discovery. The community continuously uncovers new interactions, hidden mechanics, and obscure lore connections. Experiment with different approaches, question everything, and remember that failure teaches valuable lessons. Every death, every mistake, every choice contributes to your understanding of this complex world.
For specific build guides, detailed maps, and community discussions, connect with fellow players through forums and social media. The collaborative effort of the Black Souls community has documented incredible depths of content that no single guide could encompass. Share your discoveries, seek advice when stuck, and contribute to the ever-growing knowledge base of this remarkable game series.
