Farron Keep

Farron Keep is one of many blighted areas in the game. The whole area is a massive puzzle: you must defuse 3 fires in order to open the gate that leads to the boss arena. Make the following preparation before heading to Farron Keep:

• Stock up on Purple Moss Clump. Having 20 Purple Moss Clumps in your inventory should be more than enough. You will pick up Purple Moss Clumps as you explore Farron Keep. You should have grabbed the Paladin's Ashes and given them to the Shrine Handmaid in order to purchase as many Purple Moss Clumps as you want. This consumable can also be farmed from the Lesser Crabs in the swamp near the Crucifixion Woods bonfire.
• Have at least 6 Titanite Shards and upgrade your Caestus to at least +2.
• Grab the Blessed Gem located at the Cleansing Chapel. Farron Keep has an item that allows Andre to infuse weapons with Blessed Gems.
• Stock up on bolts and/or arrows. Ranged weapons can help you to defeat the Elder Ghrus as shown in the video below.
• Have the Bandit's Knife ready. The weapon art of this weapon allows you to quickly traverse certain parts of Farron Keep that would otherwise slow your movement to snail pace.
• Stock up on consumable fire weapons such as Firebomb, Black Firebomb, and Charcoal Pine Resin/Bundle.

12. Farron Keep, Dark Souls III

Your Raw Claymore is more than capable of dealing with most enemies at Farron Keep. As you explore the area, your character would usually be poisoned. Most of the time, you don't need to cure the poison by consuming a Purple Moss Clump. Let your character be poisoned and let the poison bar slowly decrease. A +2 or +3 Blessed weapon can help to counteract the slow draining of your HP. If you have been dumping most of your points into Vigor and Endurance, you should have enough HP to help you explore Farron Keep. Chug an Estus whenever your HP bar is near 50% empty.

Be sure to grab the following items:

• Estus Shard
• Undead Bone Shard
• Sunlight Talisman
• Sage's Coal. This item allows Andre to infuse weapons with Blessed Gems. Grab this item as soon as possible, give it to Andre, infuse your Caestus with the Blessed Gem you grabbed at the Cleansing Chapel, and equip your Blessed Caestus in place of the Blessed Red and White Shield+1. Leave the Blessed Red and White Shield+1 in your inventory; no need to place it in storage. Whenever you need to regenerate your HP, have the Blessed Caestus in your left hand and equip the Blessed Red and White Shield+1 in your right hand. The effect of these items stack, resulting in faster HP regeneration. Later on in the game when your Broadsword, Claymore, Caestus, and crossbow (or bow) are each at least +3 you should upgrade the Blessed Red and White Shield+1 to at least +3.
• Sage's Scroll. Give this item to Orbeck before you fight the area boss.
• Golden Scroll. Give this item to Orbeck prior to fighting the area boss.
• Dreamchaser's Ashes. Give this item to the Shrine Handmaid and she would sell an unlimited number of Titanite Shards. Rest at a bonfire, warp back to Firelink Shrine, and you should see Sirris. Exhaust her dialogue to advance her questline. Rest at a bonfire, warp back to Firelink Shrine again, and she should have left the Shrine.

Above Farron Keep is a mini-boss, i.e. the Stray Demon. Sooner or later you would confront this mini-boss. Defeat it now to obtain its soul. Ludleth can transpose the Stray Demon's soul into Havel's Ring+0. While equipped, this ring increases your maximum equip load, allowing your character to wear heavier armour items.

The area boss are the Abyss Watchers. Upgrade your Raw Claymore to at least +4 and your Blessed Caestus to at least +3. Summon one NPC phantom to help you distract the boss. Buff your weapon with fire. At the start of the second phase, consume a Red Bug Pellet to boost your fire defense. Equip the Flame Stoneplate Ring if doing so keeps your weight ratio below 70%.

After defeating the Abyss Watchers, return to Firelink Shrine and exhaust Hawkwood's dialogue to advance his questline. He should give you a Heavy Gem (if you haven't obtained it from him previously) and the Farron Ring. Sit at a bonfire, warp back to Firelink Shrine again, and Hawkwood should have left the Shrine. You want this to happen so he would co-op with you against a late-game boss.