Forest of Fallen Giants

Now is a good time to think about your main weapon. The Greatsword is among the best melee weapons in the game for dealing with most enemies. You won't obtain it until some time later in the game. However, you should still work towards having 28 Strength and 10 Dexterity in order to properly wield the weapon. The two-handed attack of the Greatsword is effective at handling most enemies. The one-handed attack is a horizontal swing, useful for crowd control and fighting rather short enemies. Every now and then, pump a few points into Strength and Dexterity, but don't forget Vigor, Endurance, and Vitality.

2. Forest of Fallen Giants, Dark Souls II: SotFS

Before you open the gate to the Forest of Fallen Giants, look for a treasure chest tucked away in a corner. Open the chest and grab one Rusted Coin, a consumable useful for farming rare items. Near the beginning of the Forest of Fallen Giants you would find an Ogre. Leave it alone for the moment as it is very strong, your character is weak, and your damage output is paltry. This Ogre can be farmed for Titanite Shards, an upgrade material used to reinforce your weapons to +3. Head for the Crestfallen's Retreat bonfire and light it, then continue on your way to the Cardinal Tower bonfire.

3. Cardinal Tower, Dark Souls II: SotFS

Merchant Hag Melentia sits near the Cardinal Tower bonfire. Exhaust her dialogue and purchase the following items: Pharros' Lockstone, Fragrant Branch of Yore, and Lenigrast's Key. Spend at least 10,000 souls by purchasing items from Melentia, exhaust her dialogue again, and she would gift you the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring+1. Following the defeat of The Last Giant, she would relocate to Majula. Another important NPC is Cale the Cartographer, who is located inside a cave near the Cardinal Tower bonfire. Exhaust his dialogue to receive the House Key, which opens the Abandoned Mansion at Majula. You will find Mild-Mannered Pate sitting in front of a raised iron grate. Exhaust his dialogue, but don't go through the entrance; an ambush awaits. Return to Majula to unlock Lenigrast's workshop, inside which can be found the Short Bow. Use the Short Bow and arrows to lure enemies to you one at a time. Next, explore the Abandoned Mansion and collect all treasures, especially an Estus Flask Shard.

Notable loots:

• Fire Longsword. A useful early game weapon found inside a treasure chest in a cave. However, a Flame Salamander guards the entrance to the room containing the chest.
• Estus Flask Shard. Found on an elevated platform near the Cardinal Tower bonfire. As soon as you ascend a ladder to the platform, a mini-boss called the Pursuer would be dropped onto the platform. The Pursuer is difficult for an early game character. Expect your character to die during your first encounter with the Pursuer. You don't have to fight the Pursuer at this point. Climb halfway up the ladder then climb down. After a while the Pursuer would despawn and you only need to deal with the Hollow Soldiers.
• Use a Pharros' Lockstone to reveal an illusory wall, behind which are two chests. One chest contains the Chloranthy Ring. Grab the ring and equip it immediately to boost your stamina recovery. The other chest contains a Titanite Slab, used to upgrade your weapon to +10. One Pharros' Lockstone can be purchased from Melentia. Another Lockstone can be collected from inside the Abandoned Mansion at Majula.
• Life Ring. Within a chest inside a locked room, whose door your character can't open. Attack the door a few times until the Hollow Soldier x 3 inside open the door. Dispatch of the enemies, grab the Life Ring, and equip the ring immediately to boost your HP. The same chest also has a Large Titanite Shard, used to upgrade your weapon to +6.

4. The Last Giant, Dark Souls II: SotFS

The Last Giant

This boss is weak against dark so apply Dark Pine Resin to your weapon. Otherwise apply any of the other Pine Resins to your weapon or use the Fire Longsword you collected earlier. Defeat the boss to obtain the Soldier Key, which opens two locked doors at the Forest of Fallen Giants as well as open a third door that leads to the second boss, i.e. the Pursuer.

5. Cardinal Tower unlocked areas, Dark Souls II: SotFS

6. The Pursuer, Dark Souls II: SotFS

The Pursuer

This boss is weak against lightning. Use a weapon that has a thrust attack or a slash attack. Defeating the boss would reward you with the Ring of Blades, an item that boosts your physical attack. Equip the ring as soon as you have defeated the Pursuer. You will encounter the Pursuer as a mini-boss at various other areas in the game.

Behind the arena where you fought the Pursuer you should find a crow nest. Interact with the nest and you would be brought to The Lost Bastille. Light the Tower Apart bonfire and return to Majula to restock on Lifegems and unlock Lenigrast's workshop. Melentia should have relocated to Majula after the defeat of The Last Giant.