Allow me to speak frankly. You will not find the Lords of Cinder here. They have left, gone. To their churning homes, converging at the base of this castle.
Exploring the High Walls[edit]
The right path[edit]
Open the door and head down the stairs. Light the bonfire and head to the right. Instead of heading down the stairs walk through the hole in the wall to a little wooden construction. To your right is a hollow with a crossbow. Dispatch him so that he doesn't become a problem later. After that and drop down and go further down the path. You will see some hollows praying to an idol of some sorts. They won't attack you on their own and can be killed by one to two strikes depending on your weapon. The two dogs can be pulled quite easily and should be dispatched seperately.
After this two dangerous hollows remain. One wields a Great Axe come up the stairs on the left and another from the other side of the path. They should be killed seperately, too. Both have strong attacks and even if your shield absorbs 100% physical damage, it drains a lot of your stamina. Dodging behind the enemy can prove quite effective. If they use a huge attack this can be a perfect opportunity for a backstab. After that, they have a short time, where they get up and are invincible. Use this time to charge a heavy attack to get another powerful hit. For most classes this is enough to dispatch them.
Once all enemies are dead follow the path and walk up the winding stairs. A hollow with a crossbow will shoot at you, but ignore him for now. Next to him another unarmed hollow will stand up and start transforming. You might recognizing this from the fight against Gundyr. It gives him more Hit Points, longer reach and makes him overall dangerous. Ignore this for now and kill him before he can transform. The crossbow-archer should run away meanwhile. Follow him and kill him, too. After that feel free to kill all the cowering hollows for a few souls and pick up the Longbow and 12 Arrows. Once you have done it, return to the bonfire. You will return later.
The left path[edit]
A lot of the hollows are idle, just a sword wielding one will charge at you. Dispatch him quickly and charge towards the other side. A hollow with a lantern will walk up and start screaming. If not killed quickly, this will wake up several hollows, that will attack you immediately. Running up to him, and then executing a heavy attack should kill him off quickly. After that kill the rest of the hollows at your heart's content and proceed going left up the stairs.
You will notice a dead wyvern and a few hollows. Again, deal with the lantern wielding one first with a running heavy attack. and deal with the four other hollows around. After that, walk up the stairs and prepare for an ambush around the corner. Keep your shield up and dispatch him. The cowering one wields a crossbow and only wakes up when the lantern-hollow is not killed quick enough. There you will find a pair of Binoculars. They are not needed at any point in the game.
Head back to the dead wyvern and walk past it on the left side. Drop down the ledge and pick up the 2 Gold Pine Resins. Drop down and you see two more hollows on the left side. Kill them and then head for the hole with the ladder. Behind it are a bunch of crates is another hollow, wielding a shield this time. Pick up the 2 Firebombs. After that drop down, pick up the Soul of a deserted Corpse and continure through the doorway.
Be cautious in the next area and beware of the crossbow shooter. Try to kill the hollow with Shield and Spear, as you do not want to trigger the upcoming wyvern yet. You can even choose to ignore the crossbow shooter entirely. Once ready, go up the stairs. There will be a lot of hollows around. Ignore them and run op to the gate and interact to open it quickly. Then Jump over to the other platform. Depending of how you have performed, you will be followed by some of the hollowed, while the others burn outside. If you managed the jump, they will take the long road, down the stairs and up the ladder. This gives you the time to deal with them one by one. If you didn't succeed the jump, head up the stairs immediately. Also before dealing with them, you can open the second door next to the ladder. It only opens from this side.
After this, ignore the room and leave through the other gate. To your left and right are a hollow each. They wake up if you come too close, so dispatch them before you decidee to fight the knight. But for now ignore him and run past him tino the tower. Keep right to the outside again and run up the winded stairs. There you will find your second Bonfire. Don't forget to loot the Titanite Shard in the corner behind.
Backtracking[edit]
Get back down and wait for the Knight to leave the room before killing the hollow in the corner. Don't forget the 3 Firebombs on the beam but don't drop down yet. Leave the room, where the Knight left. If you need space to fight, kill the three cowering hollows around. Pull the Knight back but be careful not to lure the hollow with the sword. It might take a while to effectively deal with these guys, but don't spend too much time on him. You can also decide to leave him be for now. Head back into the other tower.
Head down the ladder and destroy the interior by rolling around or attacking it. This will give you space for the upcoming fight. Then walk up to the chest, but do not open it! This would be a death sentence. A Mimic will arise from it. It has three kind of attacks. A flail, a kick and a grab with both arms. All attacks are well telegraphed. Dodge them by dodging behind the mimic and circle it, while attacking. Watch your stamina. The Mimic has a lot of Hit Points, but is ultimately very easy to deal with. Just make sure to never being grabbed. This will most likely kill you, too.
Dealing with the Wyvern[edit]
Once the Mimic is dead, it will drop a Deep Battle Axe. The Mimic will not respawn. After that head back to the exit with the wyvern ontop. Run outside shortly to make the Wyvern blast fire over the place and get back inside immediately to not get hit. Deal with the hollows that survive inside and prepare at the exit. Once everything is dead, trigger the fireblast, wait for the flames to settle and start running for the next item. Once you have picked it up, run back to the entrance and heal up. The most difficult part is the item, that really matters: the Claymore in the far back of the area. Once the flames settle, start running. By the time the fire reaches you, you should be far enough to only get staggered shortly with minimal damage. Heal up after the flames settle and pick up the Ember down the ledge. Then run for the save spot on the wooden platform at the stairs, to not get hit by the wyvern anymore.
From the save spot you can equip the longbow and shoot at the wyvern. This is only viable, if you fulfil the bow's requirements. Otherwise the damage is too low. If you bought the arrows from the Shrine Handmaiden, you can shoot them all at the wyvern. Hitting the head deals more damage, but it's constantly on the move. The body is a much more reliable target. Once you depleted about 60% of its health, it will go away for good and leave behind a Large Titanite Shard. This also gives you the opportinity to loot the area above undisturbed but rids you of the opportunity for some easy Experience, as the wyvern will also incinerate all your enemies leaving the souls for you.
Exploring the Rest[edit]
Killing a Pus of Man[edit]
Head down the stairs, kill the three knife throwing hollows and leave through the exit. To your right are 8 Throwing Knifes, that are good for luring singular enemies. On the next platform are two praying hollows to your left and one climbing up the wall to your right. Run up to his position and hit him with an attack, that swings. Thrust attacks won't hit him. This way you can kill him before he is combat ready. By that time another hollow with shield and sword will climb up the ladder. If he doesn't you can kill him with a plunge attack.
On the next roof are a bunch of praying hollows, but one will turn into a Pus of Man and kill every hollow around during the transformation. Prepare yourself by equipping the Firebombs in one of your Quick Item-Slots. Walk up to the item and pick up 3 Firebombs that will now be put to good use. Once the hollow starts transforming, back up immediately. Five to six firebombs should put it out of comission. While it does get staggered on hit, it might still charge on you. If it does, dodge through it and run to the other side of the roof and resume attacking it. Once dead, it will drop an Ember and a Titanite Scale. While the Pus of Man does respawn, the drop, however, will not. The Pus of Man on the other Tower at the start of the area drops the same. With at least 6 firebombs you can try to kill it as well.
Now run up to the Crystal Lizard hidden behind the dormer. It will run straight away from you, but will not down the roof. Try to push it into a corner and attack it. An attack by a heavy weapon (like the Claymore) will flip it over and rendering it helpless. If you can't kill it in time, it will phase out of existence and only reappear upon reloading the area. Killing it will drop a Raw Gem.
Towards the Cell Key and Estus shard[edit]
After that climb down the ladder and deal with the crossbow hollow attacking you. There is another crossbow hollow waiting that - if walked up to - will have two other hollows ambush you. Kill them, but this is not nessecary. After that turn back to the latter, that leads to the rooftop, but get to the roof to the fountain with the Winged Knight patrolling it and loot the 3 Black Firebombs. Now head back to the ladder again and enter the room.
Ignore the Lothric Knight for now and turn left into the next room. Kill the crossbow hollow and then deal with the lantern hollow behind you. Hidden behind some pots is a cowering hollow and 2 Undead Hunter Charms to loot. Then head into the back room, dispatch the hollow and loot the Titanite Shard. Once you are done, get back into the dining hall and kill the Lothric Knight with a spear. As every enemy with shield and spear he blocks for most of the time. Kick the shield or try to fish for a backstab. Parrying an enemy with a spear can be really hard, so try to find your best approach. Don't forget the Soul of a Deserted Corpse.
Head to the back and walk left on next opportunity. You get ambushed by a hollow with a sword. Behind him hidden behind some boxes are is a Broadsword. Now follow the path. The room has quite a few dangerous enemies. From the platform you can lure up the patrolling undead dog and hollow with an axe. You can also wait for them to stay near an explosive barrel and throw a firebomb at him. Don't walk down the stairs, but follow the runway. Kill the two hollows and loot the Silver Eagle Kite Shield from the chest. The cowering hollow at the end would otherwise throw firebombs in to the area below. Now head back to where you found the Lothric Spear Knight. On leaving to your left is a path blocked by crates. Destroy them and follow the path to loot 2 Green Blossoms, roll through the other crates to drop a level lower and loot the Astora Straight Sword from the chest. This is the perfect weapon for a herald, who can equip it from the start.
Below you are two more hollows and an undead dog. You can wait for them to walk near an exploding crate or execute a plunging attack on one of them. The dog won't attack until approached. Next to the dog is the Cell Key that is needed to start Greirat's Questline. Don't forget the Estus Shard on the anvil. After that leave to the balcony, where the Winged Knight is patrolling if you haven't killed him. Roll through the crates drop down and execute a plunging attack into the direction of the wall, where a hollow rests. Loot the Rapier - a fair weapon for sorcerers - and the two seperate Embers. The Winged Knight can be avoided.
Leave through the big archway. To your right is a crossbow hollow and one with a sword. Kill both of them, then leave to the other side into the direction of the cathedral. You will see two Lothric Knights patrolling. If you feel confident, pull them upstairs, one after another. If not, dash through the way to the path of the other side. You will find a single Lothric Sword Knight. Kill him, loot the Lucerne - a good halberd - and follow the path. In the cathedral you must talk to Emma, who you a Small Lothric Banner. Talk to her again to get the Way of Blue covenant. If you play online, it doesn't hurt to immediately equip it.
Once you are done, head back outside. To your right in a corner is a Lothric Knight with a blue cape. You will notice red glowing eyes. This means, that the enemy is stronger and dangerous than its kin. He will enchant his blade, which you can use for a backstab. Follow with a charged heavy attack once he gets up. This might not outright kill him, but drains a good chunk of his health.
Now head back to the archway and walk up the stairs where you killed the crossbow hollow earlier. To your right you get up to some roofs again. Loot the Large Soul of a Deserted Corpse. Make a running jump onto the small roof to get a Ring of Sacrifice. Drop down to the fountain and beware the Winged Knight, if he isn't dead. Then get back to the shortcut. Keep your shield ready and start running. You will be followed by a bunch of hollows. In the tower you will find a platform with a switch to walk on. Turn around and keep your shield up to prevent hits from the pursuing hollow. This elevator brings you up, where you can loot 6 Throwing Knifes and open the gate. Beware the hollow with Axe and the resting with a sword. Kill them, loot the remaining item and you are done in the area.
This is the perfect opportunity to head back to Firelink Shrine.
Back to Firelink Shrine[edit]
You can run to the nearby bonfire or use a Homeward Bone. The latter allows you to skip the two dogs and hollows between you and the bonfire.
In the shrine you can spend all your souls on two to three level-ups. You can also use your Titanite Shards to upgrade your weapon one or two levels. Titanite Shards are not that uncommon, but at the beginning they are quite rare. ASlso don't forget to use your new Estus Shard. Now head up to the middle Throne of Prince Lothric, where a new NPC awaits you. He will gift you 5 Cracked Red Eye Orbs.
Feel free to use them in the High Wall of Lothric. If you are lucky you find a world to invade. Your goal will be to kill the Host of Embers - the other player. For that purpose the enemies are now your allies. On your first time you will probably fail, but it can give you a sense of what can await you. A good way to deal with them is to lure them to a strong enemy and attack them from behind, while they deal with them.
Greirat of the Undead Settlement[edit]
With the Cell Key in your pockets, teleport to the Tower on the Wall bonfire and head downstairs. You will find a hole with a ladder. Head it down and defeat the hollow with a halberd. In the next room you find a bunch of barrels, many of those of the explosive kind. Run through the room and kill the hollow as quick as possible, before looting 8 Throwing Knifes. Kill the hollow in the next room and loot the Mailbreaker. Then head to your right where you find a cell with someone inside. Open it and talk to Greirat. He is asking you to deliver the Blue Tearstone Ring to Loretta. But for now you can equip it. Accept his request and he will leave for the Firelink Shrine.
You are now ready to face the Boss. Return to the High Wall of Lothric Bonfire and go through the shortcut into the direction of the cathedral. Skip enemies if nessecary and save up your Estus.
Boss: Vordt of the Boreal Valley[edit]
Accross the cathedral downstairs, as you approach the outer gate, a cutscene will play and the Boss spawns. This four-legged creature has a great hammer, that causes frostbite. If your frostbite bar is full, you are dealt some damage and have a lowered stamina regeneration until the bar is depleted. Both fire and dark damage deal increased damage. Both the Deep Battle Axe and a weapon infused with a Fire Gem are perfect for this boss. If your weapon does not deal any additional damage, you can make use of the Gold Pine Resin to deal some more damage. Firebombs also deal some damage, but are better saved.
His swings are mostly immediately and mostly strike in front of him. He has one attack that is delayed, but can also easily be dodged. Sticking to his rear and staying below him is the safest spot. From there you can get some strikes. Once he drops to 50%, he will roar and deal frostbite to all enemies nearby. From there he will start charging at you quickly running you over three to four times. This can easily be dodged. Afterwards he roars once more and breathes frost that, again, deals frostbite. This is the perfect opportunity to run behind him and deal some damage. He will repeat these attacks throughout the rest of the fight and will be generally more aggressive. Once he is dead light the bonfire and head out of the gate.
You can make this fight easier by summoning allied phantoms. Lion Knight Albert is found next to the archway near the fountain. You can always summon him. If you decide to sequence break, as described above, he will leave you immediately. If you already defeated the Sword Master at Firelink Shrine, you can summon him next to the gateawy to the Boss arena. Once you are ready, trigger the fight. They can not enter until the boss has appeared. If you don't see their summoning signs, you might not be in the kindled state. Use an Ember from your inventory to trigger it. Your Ember is a limited ressource that is best aquired by invading players. Be economical with them. It might be a good idea to fight Vordt a few times unembered to learn how to survive his attacks.
After the Battle[edit]
Walk up to the ledge behind the boss arena and interact near it. You need the Small Lothric Banner from Emma to be transported into the next area.