by Sentiel Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:48 pmThis topic is intended to help those of you trying to complete a SL 1 run.
Everybody plays a bit differently.
Some may wish to use Pyromancies all the way, while some may want to use melee weapons only.
I will post things and tactics that I've used to get my SL 1 to NG+7 and divide them into different sections.
First off, let's start with equipment and how to get it.
Hand Axe
A rather weak weapon with very fast swings. Thanks to the speed of it's attacks, it will be very usefull in taking care of fast moving enemies, like dogs for example.
You start with this weapon, but you can purchase additional ones from Male Undead Merchant in Undead Burg for 450 Souls.
Reinforced Club
Strongest weapon a SL 1 can wield with one hand. Not only it has high damage, it also stuns like a Greatsword, making it great for stunlocking enemies, even bosses and with it's Strike attack type it will break through most shields easily. To make it even better, it has Bleed Aux effect, which upon activation damages your enemy for 30% of it's max HP.
Note that Bleed may be inflicted only on living enemies. You can usually tell by blood gushing out of enemies upon hit.
It is sold by Male Undead Merchant in Undead Burg for 350 Souls.
Light Crossbow
This is a long range weapon, used mainly to manipulate (pull, if you wish) your enemies and to make some fights much easier than with melee, or Pyromancy.
You will need to buy bolts for it and obtain Binoculars to make sniping possible. Using Binoculars and your TV logo, or just guessing where the center of your screen is, you can allign the shots for Crossbows (and other long range attacks).
As of patch 1.06 you will only need Heavy Bolts, because they now do damage on par with Lightning Bolts, yet they are much cheaper and easier to obtain.
They don't fly very far, but the damage is well worth it.
It can be found in Undead Burg on a balcony, which you have to jump to from a roof, or it can be dropped by enemies using the weapon itself.
Bow
Any you want, really. Just get one, for example as a drop from Bow wielding enemies, or you can find a Longbow in Darkroot Basin on a corpse of a Hunter. You can use Bows for manipulating enemies instead of Light Crossbow. It's much easier and faster this way, but your enemies will receive next to no damage, since you don't have Dexterity to use any Bow properly. There's no need to upgrade it, or worry yourself about arrow types.
Having a bow with you will make fighting Bed of Chaos much easier.
Balder Shield
It offers a maximum of 75 Stability, which is the highest possible for SL 1. However the shield is heavy, it weights 4.0 WU (Weight Units) and has ver low Damage Reduction against Magic of 20%.
It can be bought from Crestfallen Merchant in Sen's Fortress, or dropped by Balder Knight Hollows wielding it.
Crest Shield
To make up for Balder Shield's lack of Damage Reduction against Magic, we can use this shield, with it's high Damage Reduction of 80%. However, it has lower Stability, of 66.
It is dropped by hollow Oscar of Astora in Undead Asylum.
Dragon Crest Shield
Similar to Crest Shield, but instead featuring high Damage Reduction of 85% against Fire, which will be very usefull when fighting some enemies, like Quelaag for example.
It can be found near Undead Dragon in Valley of Drakes.
Grass Crest Shield
This shield's primary use will not be for blocking (it can be used to block of course), but to provide faster Stamina regeneration. It will be usefull in areas, where you have to cover a lot of ground, so you can do it faster and in cases when you need that extra Stamina for melee fighting.
It can be found on a corpse in Darkroot Basin, near the cave leading to Valley of Drakes.
Spider Shield
Another shield usable more for it's additional effect, rather than blocking. This shield negates all Poison and Toxic build up while blocking with it, making it ideal for areas like Blighttown.
It can be found on a corpse above the Giant Rat in the Depths, or on a corpse in Valley of Drakes.
Sanctus
This is a very usefull shield for experienced SL 1 players. While you can't use it for blocking because of stat requirements, it's HP regeneration is invaluable for a very specific tactic, which includes Sanctus, Cursed Body, Dusk Crown Ring, Red Tearstone Ring and Power Within. This allows you to get a 90% damage boost without the fear of having Power Within killing you. It can be boosted by additional 25% with Dragon Torso Stone. However Dragon Torso Stone affects only physical attacks, so If you wish to use spells instead, it would be better to use Crown of Dusk.
It is dropped by black phantom Paladin Leeroy, who invades you in Tomb of Giants, if you're in human form.
Ring of Favor and Protection
Most important ring in your inventory, that shall be equipped at all times, perhaps with the exception of Four Kings fight.
It's raise of HP and Stamina by additional 20% is a must, because without that additional Stamina you won't be able to block some attacks, even with Balder Shield.
It is dropped by Knight Lautrec of Carim, or can be traded with Snuggly the Crow by giving him a Xanthous Crown.
I recommend getting this ring as soon as possible.
Red Tearstone Ring
This ring raises damage of all your attacks by 50% when your HP is below 1/5. Since some enemies, especially bosses can kill you with one hit, it's best to fight them with low HP and utilize the effect of this ring to get some extra damage.
It can be found on top of a tower in Valley of Drakes.
Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring
This ring raises the damage of your Pyromancies and Sorceries (if you decide to use any) by 20% - 25%. It can be a good substitute for Red Tearstone Ring, especially in non boss fights. That additional 20% of damage may be just what you need to kill local enemies with one Combustion.
It can be bought from Griggs of Vinheim for 20,000 Souls.
Hornet Ring
This ring raises your Critical damage, meaning backstabs and ripostes by additional 30%. Similary to Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring, Hornet Ring may give you just enough damage boost to kill some enemies in one hit and it is also invaluable when fighting Gwyn.
It can be found on a corpse behind the giant tombstone in the area where you fight Great Grey Wolf Sif.
Ring of Fog
This ring makes your character transparent and hard to see. It is best used to avoid enemies, or to aggro separate enemy from a group, without alerting the rest of them.
It is given to members of Forest Hunter Covenant for killing three players as a reward, or traded with Snuggly the Crow for Skull Lantern.
Combustion
A very simple close range spell, which is very handy at clearing weaker enemies without the need to use melee weapons. It is sold by both NPC Pyromancers, which makes you able to stack 32 casts of the spell.
Sold by both Laurentius and Quelana for 500 Souls each.
Great Combustion
Stronger version of Combustion with half the casts (8). It is very strong and casts quickly, making it ideal for bossfights and tougher enemies.
Sold by Quelana for 15,000 Souls.
Great Fireball
Madium range spell with great Area of Effect explosion upon ipmact, or upon reaching maximum range. Another great spell for bossfights, especially if combined with Great Combustion. It is also usefull for handling groups of enemies.
However, the spell has only 4 casts, making some players want to switch to one of it's weaker versions, if they don't trust their aim.
It is sold by Quelana for 20,000 Souls.
Power Within
This spell raises all your damage by 40% for 100 seconds and raises your Stamina regeneration speed, but it will also drain 1% of your HP per second for the whole time of it's duration.
This means, that unless you heal, the spell will kill you and it cannot be cancelled!
It is important to keep a close watch of your current HP and heal accordingly. While it may seem as a very risky spell, it's damage bonus is well worth it, especially in hard bossfights.
The spell can be found in upper part of Blighttown near Wallhugger Parasite (I really don't know it's name, but you can't miss it).
Crown of Dusk
This a very strange headpiece that raises damage of all spells by 20%, but it also lowers your Magic Defence by 30%. Lowered Magic Defence is of no issue, as you're not supposed to get hit in the first place and you can always use Crest Shield to protect yourself against Magic Damage.
It's effect stacks with Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring.
It is found on a corpse in Darkroot Basin, in the area where you fought a Hydra and later a Golden Crystal Golem (must be defeated first), or where the acess to the DLC areas is found.
Sunlight Maggot
Another strange headpiece. This one emits light all around it's wearer, which is extremely usefull in dark areas, like Tomb of Giants, as you don't have to bother yourself with using a Skull Lantern (which can be used to get Ring of Fog instead).
It is dropped by one of the insects in shortcut to Lost Izalith.
Dragon Torso
While this is not actually a piece of armor, it does cover your body. It doesn't provide much in the form of protection, but it allows you to use a roar-like attack, which pushes enemies away from you (similar to Miracle Force) and raises your physical damage by 25% for a few seconds.
However, you cannot wear any armor at all while Dragon Body is active, so if you wish to wear something else you have to die, as death is the only way to remove Dragon Body from your character.
It is given to members of Path of the Dragon Covenant, who have reached the Covenant level of +2, by offering 30 Dragon Scales.
It works even while you're outside of the Covenant, but the damage boost effect will be lowered from 30% to 25%.
Everybody plays a bit differently.
Some may wish to use Pyromancies all the way, while some may want to use melee weapons only.
I will post things and tactics that I've used to get my SL 1 to NG+7 and divide them into different sections.
First off, let's start with equipment and how to get it.
Weapons
Pyromancer has low Dexterity and can't use a lot of great weapons because of that, so you are limited to a very small arsenal of weapons to choose from. I will list only the best here.
Since SL 1 has base stats, it has to use it's melee weapons in one of the elemental upgrade paths. I strongly recommend getting all your melee weapons in both Lightning and Fire, so you can exploit weaknesses of each of your enemies with all of your weapons.
The reason for choosing Fire instead of Chaos is simple. While Chaos does a bit more damage, it relies on your Humanity. It means, that in case you die, your weapon will do less damage than a Fire one by a noticable amount. It's safer to go with Fire, because you will not have to worry about collecting your bloodstain if you die.
Pyromancer has low Dexterity and can't use a lot of great weapons because of that, so you are limited to a very small arsenal of weapons to choose from. I will list only the best here.
Since SL 1 has base stats, it has to use it's melee weapons in one of the elemental upgrade paths. I strongly recommend getting all your melee weapons in both Lightning and Fire, so you can exploit weaknesses of each of your enemies with all of your weapons.
The reason for choosing Fire instead of Chaos is simple. While Chaos does a bit more damage, it relies on your Humanity. It means, that in case you die, your weapon will do less damage than a Fire one by a noticable amount. It's safer to go with Fire, because you will not have to worry about collecting your bloodstain if you die.
Hand Axe
A rather weak weapon with very fast swings. Thanks to the speed of it's attacks, it will be very usefull in taking care of fast moving enemies, like dogs for example.
You start with this weapon, but you can purchase additional ones from Male Undead Merchant in Undead Burg for 450 Souls.
Reinforced Club
Strongest weapon a SL 1 can wield with one hand. Not only it has high damage, it also stuns like a Greatsword, making it great for stunlocking enemies, even bosses and with it's Strike attack type it will break through most shields easily. To make it even better, it has Bleed Aux effect, which upon activation damages your enemy for 30% of it's max HP.
Note that Bleed may be inflicted only on living enemies. You can usually tell by blood gushing out of enemies upon hit.
It is sold by Male Undead Merchant in Undead Burg for 350 Souls.
Light Crossbow
This is a long range weapon, used mainly to manipulate (pull, if you wish) your enemies and to make some fights much easier than with melee, or Pyromancy.
You will need to buy bolts for it and obtain Binoculars to make sniping possible. Using Binoculars and your TV logo, or just guessing where the center of your screen is, you can allign the shots for Crossbows (and other long range attacks).
As of patch 1.06 you will only need Heavy Bolts, because they now do damage on par with Lightning Bolts, yet they are much cheaper and easier to obtain.
They don't fly very far, but the damage is well worth it.
It can be found in Undead Burg on a balcony, which you have to jump to from a roof, or it can be dropped by enemies using the weapon itself.
Bow
Any you want, really. Just get one, for example as a drop from Bow wielding enemies, or you can find a Longbow in Darkroot Basin on a corpse of a Hunter. You can use Bows for manipulating enemies instead of Light Crossbow. It's much easier and faster this way, but your enemies will receive next to no damage, since you don't have Dexterity to use any Bow properly. There's no need to upgrade it, or worry yourself about arrow types.
Having a bow with you will make fighting Bed of Chaos much easier.
Shields
Unlike weapons, SL 1 can use wide variety of very usefull shields.
There are many more shields that SL 1 can use than I will post here.
Unlike weapons, SL 1 can use wide variety of very usefull shields.
There are many more shields that SL 1 can use than I will post here.
Balder Shield
It offers a maximum of 75 Stability, which is the highest possible for SL 1. However the shield is heavy, it weights 4.0 WU (Weight Units) and has ver low Damage Reduction against Magic of 20%.
It can be bought from Crestfallen Merchant in Sen's Fortress, or dropped by Balder Knight Hollows wielding it.
Crest Shield
To make up for Balder Shield's lack of Damage Reduction against Magic, we can use this shield, with it's high Damage Reduction of 80%. However, it has lower Stability, of 66.
It is dropped by hollow Oscar of Astora in Undead Asylum.
Dragon Crest Shield
Similar to Crest Shield, but instead featuring high Damage Reduction of 85% against Fire, which will be very usefull when fighting some enemies, like Quelaag for example.
It can be found near Undead Dragon in Valley of Drakes.
Grass Crest Shield
This shield's primary use will not be for blocking (it can be used to block of course), but to provide faster Stamina regeneration. It will be usefull in areas, where you have to cover a lot of ground, so you can do it faster and in cases when you need that extra Stamina for melee fighting.
It can be found on a corpse in Darkroot Basin, near the cave leading to Valley of Drakes.
Spider Shield
Another shield usable more for it's additional effect, rather than blocking. This shield negates all Poison and Toxic build up while blocking with it, making it ideal for areas like Blighttown.
It can be found on a corpse above the Giant Rat in the Depths, or on a corpse in Valley of Drakes.
Sanctus
This is a very usefull shield for experienced SL 1 players. While you can't use it for blocking because of stat requirements, it's HP regeneration is invaluable for a very specific tactic, which includes Sanctus, Cursed Body, Dusk Crown Ring, Red Tearstone Ring and Power Within. This allows you to get a 90% damage boost without the fear of having Power Within killing you. It can be boosted by additional 25% with Dragon Torso Stone. However Dragon Torso Stone affects only physical attacks, so If you wish to use spells instead, it would be better to use Crown of Dusk.
It is dropped by black phantom Paladin Leeroy, who invades you in Tomb of Giants, if you're in human form.
Rings
Apart from rings that you have to get, like Covenant of Artorias, there are many rings that a SL 1 can use. However, I'm trying to keep the character under 25% Equip Burden even without raising Equip Burden limit with rings, so that I can freely switch rings at any given time, without the need to change the rest of my equipment.
Again, just like shields, there are many rings a SL 1 can use, but I will post only the most crucial ones.
Apart from rings that you have to get, like Covenant of Artorias, there are many rings that a SL 1 can use. However, I'm trying to keep the character under 25% Equip Burden even without raising Equip Burden limit with rings, so that I can freely switch rings at any given time, without the need to change the rest of my equipment.
Again, just like shields, there are many rings a SL 1 can use, but I will post only the most crucial ones.
Ring of Favor and Protection
Most important ring in your inventory, that shall be equipped at all times, perhaps with the exception of Four Kings fight.
It's raise of HP and Stamina by additional 20% is a must, because without that additional Stamina you won't be able to block some attacks, even with Balder Shield.
It is dropped by Knight Lautrec of Carim, or can be traded with Snuggly the Crow by giving him a Xanthous Crown.
I recommend getting this ring as soon as possible.
Red Tearstone Ring
This ring raises damage of all your attacks by 50% when your HP is below 1/5. Since some enemies, especially bosses can kill you with one hit, it's best to fight them with low HP and utilize the effect of this ring to get some extra damage.
It can be found on top of a tower in Valley of Drakes.
Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring
This ring raises the damage of your Pyromancies and Sorceries (if you decide to use any) by 20% - 25%. It can be a good substitute for Red Tearstone Ring, especially in non boss fights. That additional 20% of damage may be just what you need to kill local enemies with one Combustion.
It can be bought from Griggs of Vinheim for 20,000 Souls.
Hornet Ring
This ring raises your Critical damage, meaning backstabs and ripostes by additional 30%. Similary to Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring, Hornet Ring may give you just enough damage boost to kill some enemies in one hit and it is also invaluable when fighting Gwyn.
It can be found on a corpse behind the giant tombstone in the area where you fight Great Grey Wolf Sif.
Ring of Fog
This ring makes your character transparent and hard to see. It is best used to avoid enemies, or to aggro separate enemy from a group, without alerting the rest of them.
It is given to members of Forest Hunter Covenant for killing three players as a reward, or traded with Snuggly the Crow for Skull Lantern.
Note:
There really are many other rings you can use, each with it's own benefits, but the ones above, are more than enough to complete the game.
Pyromancy
You can do great damage with your Pyromancies to make lot of your fights easier. SL 1 has 2 Attunement Slots for you to use (number of Attunement Slots can be raised by equipping Seance Rings [White / Darkmoon]), which gives you plenty of possibilities.
All your Pyromancy requires is Souls, to purchase new spells and to make your Pyromancy Flame stronger. However, you must first acquire services of one of the NPC Pyromancers Laurentius, or/and Quelana to strenghten your Pyromancy Flame.
There really are many other rings you can use, each with it's own benefits, but the ones above, are more than enough to complete the game.
Pyromancy
You can do great damage with your Pyromancies to make lot of your fights easier. SL 1 has 2 Attunement Slots for you to use (number of Attunement Slots can be raised by equipping Seance Rings [White / Darkmoon]), which gives you plenty of possibilities.
All your Pyromancy requires is Souls, to purchase new spells and to make your Pyromancy Flame stronger. However, you must first acquire services of one of the NPC Pyromancers Laurentius, or/and Quelana to strenghten your Pyromancy Flame.
Combustion
A very simple close range spell, which is very handy at clearing weaker enemies without the need to use melee weapons. It is sold by both NPC Pyromancers, which makes you able to stack 32 casts of the spell.
Sold by both Laurentius and Quelana for 500 Souls each.
Great Combustion
Stronger version of Combustion with half the casts (8). It is very strong and casts quickly, making it ideal for bossfights and tougher enemies.
Sold by Quelana for 15,000 Souls.
Great Fireball
Madium range spell with great Area of Effect explosion upon ipmact, or upon reaching maximum range. Another great spell for bossfights, especially if combined with Great Combustion. It is also usefull for handling groups of enemies.
However, the spell has only 4 casts, making some players want to switch to one of it's weaker versions, if they don't trust their aim.
It is sold by Quelana for 20,000 Souls.
Power Within
This spell raises all your damage by 40% for 100 seconds and raises your Stamina regeneration speed, but it will also drain 1% of your HP per second for the whole time of it's duration.
This means, that unless you heal, the spell will kill you and it cannot be cancelled!
It is important to keep a close watch of your current HP and heal accordingly. While it may seem as a very risky spell, it's damage bonus is well worth it, especially in hard bossfights.
The spell can be found in upper part of Blighttown near Wallhugger Parasite (I really don't know it's name, but you can't miss it).
Armor
With base HP of SL 1, even if boosted by Ring of Favor and Protection, you really can't afford to get hit. With that in mind, you should focus on mobility, rather than defence, or Poise. It is best to achieve under 25% Equip Burden to get Fast Roll, so you can evade attacks faster and easier. As long as you do that, you can wear whatever you want.
However, there are few pieces of armor, that deserves to be mentioned.
With base HP of SL 1, even if boosted by Ring of Favor and Protection, you really can't afford to get hit. With that in mind, you should focus on mobility, rather than defence, or Poise. It is best to achieve under 25% Equip Burden to get Fast Roll, so you can evade attacks faster and easier. As long as you do that, you can wear whatever you want.
However, there are few pieces of armor, that deserves to be mentioned.
Crown of Dusk
This a very strange headpiece that raises damage of all spells by 20%, but it also lowers your Magic Defence by 30%. Lowered Magic Defence is of no issue, as you're not supposed to get hit in the first place and you can always use Crest Shield to protect yourself against Magic Damage.
It's effect stacks with Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring.
It is found on a corpse in Darkroot Basin, in the area where you fought a Hydra and later a Golden Crystal Golem (must be defeated first), or where the acess to the DLC areas is found.
Sunlight Maggot
Another strange headpiece. This one emits light all around it's wearer, which is extremely usefull in dark areas, like Tomb of Giants, as you don't have to bother yourself with using a Skull Lantern (which can be used to get Ring of Fog instead).
It is dropped by one of the insects in shortcut to Lost Izalith.
Dragon Torso
While this is not actually a piece of armor, it does cover your body. It doesn't provide much in the form of protection, but it allows you to use a roar-like attack, which pushes enemies away from you (similar to Miracle Force) and raises your physical damage by 25% for a few seconds.
However, you cannot wear any armor at all while Dragon Body is active, so if you wish to wear something else you have to die, as death is the only way to remove Dragon Body from your character.
It is given to members of Path of the Dragon Covenant, who have reached the Covenant level of +2, by offering 30 Dragon Scales.
It works even while you're outside of the Covenant, but the damage boost effect will be lowered from 30% to 25%.
Note:
I have considered adding Masks of Pinwheel, but ever since they got nerfed, their effects aren't that usefull, especially for a SL 1 character.
I have considered adding Masks of Pinwheel, but ever since they got nerfed, their effects aren't that usefull, especially for a SL 1 character.
Last edited by Sentiel on Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:08 pm; edited 4 times in total (Reason for editing : Edited Dragon Torso Stone damage boost. Credit to ChizFreak.)
! I knew it!
