Catacombs of Carthus

After defeating the Abyss Watchers in NG+0, consider using the skeletons in the Catacombs of Carthus to farm Titanite Shards in order to upgrade any weapon to +3. Equip the Silver Serpent Ring+0 and the Blessed Red and White Shield+1. After you have farmed enough Titanite Shards, consider upgrading this shield to +3 as well. The Symbol of Avarice is not necessary here because the route is rather long and many of the skeletons are very dangerous. Some skeletons also drop Embers. Starting from the Abyss Watchers bonfire, kill all skeletons in the general area and make your way to the Catacombs of Carthus bonfire. The very first skeleton you encounter along this route has white eyes, meaning that unless you have a Blessed weapon you must kill it twice for it to be dead. Using only the Silver Serpent Ring+0, each round earns you approximately 6,303 souls.

Farming souls: Catacombs of Carthus part 1, Dark Souls III

In NG+0, use the large skeletons from the Catacombs of Carthus bonfire onward to farm souls, Large Titanite Shards, Sharp Gems, Vertebra Shackles, as well as Embers. Sharp Gems, Embers, and Vertebra Shackles are rare drops even when you have 14 Luck and the Symbol of Avarice, but Embers drop more often than Vertebra Shackles. This route is dangerous because the large skeletons are strong and can trigger bleed. Only use this route if you want to farm Large Titanite Shards. The large skeletons are easily staggered by an R1 when you 2-hand a Raw infused Claymore+3. A Claymore is much heavier than a straightsword, so you must strike a balance between damage output and damage absorption. While equipping a Claymore, Silver Serpent Ring+0, Symbol of Avarice, an armour chest piece, gauntlets, and leggings you might find that further equipping the Blessed Red and White Shield+1 would put your weight ratio over 70%. Don't equip this shield unless you can get an armour set having decent damage absorption while maintaining a weight ratio below 70%.

Starting from the Catacombs of Carthus bonfire, keep right and kill the 2 greatsword-wielding skeletons patrolling near the gigantic skeleton ball. Another greatsword-wielding, white-eyed skeleton can be found nearby; unless you have a Blessed weapon you must kill it twice for it to be dead. Now follow the path of the skeleton ball down the stairs and kill all nearby rats. Head to the end of the hallway and kill the shotel-wielding skeleton. Proceed on to the path where you would find a Crystal Lizard and kill the greatsword-wielding skeleton standing near a cliff. By now you would be low on Estus and/or HP so consider ending your round here. Using the Silver Serpent Ring+0 and the Symbol of Avarice, each round earns you approximately 4,139 souls, which is worse than the soul farming routes for Crucifixion Woods and Farron Keep.

Farming souls: Catacombs of Carthus part 2, Dark Souls III

Below are some data on the approximate amounts of souls you would obtain if you use the above route for soul farming in various NG cycles. Note that the route starts from the Catacomb of Carthus bonfire. The data were gathered while equipping the Silver Serpent Ring+3, Symbol of Avarice, and Shield of Want.

• NG+0: 6,094