Alright. So this guide isn't on how to beat the game in record time, just how to get to a certain point in record time. I use this step-by-step process each time I make a character and want to get into the darkwraiths and the lord vessel as soon as possible. Note that this guide is meant for PEOPLE WITH DEFAULT EQUIPMENT. If you take the time to level up and upgrade all your weapons and armor, then this guide won't be of any use to you. It's heavily recommended to be at <25% weight unless stated otherwise. ALWAYS pick master key as your starting present. Oh. And just skip to the steps you might be interested in.
Step 1.) Defeat Taurus Demon.
Step 1a.) Run to Hellkite dragon bridge. Run across the bridge and until you reach the black stain nearest to you and then run back. Dragon should fly over.
Step 1b.) Run down the steps to the right. Kick down ladder for shortcut.
Step 1c.) Run up the stairs, against the wood, and hide behind the wall to protect you from the dragon's fire. Wait a few seconds, the dragon will land on the bridge. Wait 1 more second after it lands and run right past it and pull the lever on your left to open the shortcut. Rest at bonfire if you want.
Step 1d.) Make sure to get the gold pine resin behind the locked room directly behind the group of 3 hollow soldiers.
Step 2.) Defeat Bell gargoyles and get ring of FaP(optional).
Step 2a.) Run past undead guard and roll through the iron boar. Race to the gate before the undead closes it.
Step 2c.) Run up the steps and take the small doorway on your left for less fighting.
Step 2d.) Heal at bonfire if you want
Step 2e.) Summon one or two phantoms and kill the bell gargoyles.
Step 2f.) Grab Firekeeper soul
Step 2g.) Take the elevator down to firelink, kick Lautrec off the map(reload if he isn't there). Reload again for Ring of FaP.
Step 3.) Kill Quelaag.
Step 3a.)Go through valley of the drakes and head down to the bottom of Blighttown
3b.) Rest at bonfire and defeat Mildred when she invades.
3c.) Attempt to summon at least 1 phantom.
3d.) Summon Mildred right before Quelaag's room.
3e.) Apply gold pine resin for a significant boost in damage(you'll still be weak) hope your phantom(s) can beat quelaag.
3f.) On your way back up, run through the tunnel full of toxin blowdart snipers to grab firekeeper soul. Die if you need to.
4.) Kill Iron Golem
4a.) Run up the first walkway with the rolling boulders and into the next room.
4b.) Run through the small hallway with the trap and roll to the left to avoid the arrows and the snakeman.
4c.) Keep running down the path and run into the small room to your left at the bottom to avoid boulders.
4d.) Wait until boulders pile up and break through the wall. Attack the Maneater chest and run to the room that the boulders opened up. Lure the chest into the path of the boulders and let the boulders kill it. If the chest falls into the small hole, plunging attack it and immediately climb back up and repeat until it's dead. Claim your lightning spear.
4e.) Summon Tarkus, kill the boulder throwing giant, defeat Iron Golem with minimal effort on your part.
5.) Kill Ornstein and Smough
5a.) Killing the gargoyle should be relatively easy.
5b.) Make your way up into the church and kill all painting guardians in your way. To deal with the two painting guardians on the narrow walkways(the 2 after the one near the chandelier) go near a corner and block their throwing knives. Eventually they'll run to you and try to attack when they get close enough, falling off the walkway.
5c.) Lower the bridge and kill the 2nd gargoyle.
5d.) Run past the giants and the demons and keep running straight through the arrows and they won't hit you. Run toward the silver knight archer to your right and roll through any arrows he shoots. Get close and keep rolling until he pulls out his sword. Parry and riposte until he's dead.
5e.) Don't bother summoning phantoms unless you can't kill silver knights yourself. Rest at the bonfire and go through Anor Londo until you unlock the door that leads to the room with the Silver Knight set in it(it's also a shortcut to O&S). Make sure to collect Havel's gear.
5f.) Return to the bonfire and rest to get back any estus you wasted. Kindle it if you haven't. Summon 1 or 2 phantoms.
5.g) Using the shortcut you unlocked, go to the big room leading to Ornstein and Smough. Run up the stairs and around the room and defeat the silver knight. Run halfway down the stairs and then drop down to the second flight to fight one giant without attracting the attention of the other. Defeat the other giant and then summon Solaire if you only have 1 phantom.
5.h) Defeat Ornstein and smough with the help of your phantoms.
6.)Defeat 4Kings
6a.) Defeat Sif(it should be relatively easy)
6b.) Defeat Pinwheel. If you want a shortcut, all you have to do is run down the first path in the catacombs right after the first bonfire. Before you go inside the room, there should be a little bit of land to the right, right outside the wall that you can walk on. Look down and roll onto the land that you see below you. Heal, then look down again and you should see a white summon sign in the dark. Roll toward the summon sign and summon Paladin Leroy to help. Run straight to Pinwheel and avoid the bonewheel skeletons.
6c.) Reinforce the firelink bonfire to +20 estus. Take the 2 transient curses from the body in a vase closest to the water. Either speedrun through all the ghosts and directly toward Ingward, or put on Havel's armor and slowly and carefully kill the ghosts. Pick up the Firekeepers soul.
6d.)Once you drain new londo, die and reinforce your estus(it should be at +3). Also reinforce your lightning spear if you picked up any titanite chunks.
6e.) Unequip Havel's armor and run past the first two ghosts. To the right of the stairs you should see the ground you can land on. Jump off and run past the first darkwraith and to the stairs to your left. Run past and roll through the blob thing, other darkwraiths, and ghosts. Once you go through the fogwall, run down the stairs a little way so the ghosts don't follow you. Equip Havel's armor and the covenant of artorias ring and drop down.
6f.) Double-hand the spear and spam r1 until the king dies. Don't bother trying to roll out of the way. Always heal when you get down to 50%. When you run out of stamina, let it fill all the way back up before you hit again and you'll end up with more damage per minute. When you kill a king, keep attacking it until it disappears completely because the health bar will keep going down. The 4 kings should be an easy fight.
Step 1.) Defeat Taurus Demon.
Step 1a.) Run to Hellkite dragon bridge. Run across the bridge and until you reach the black stain nearest to you and then run back. Dragon should fly over.
Step 1b.) Run down the steps to the right. Kick down ladder for shortcut.
Step 1c.) Run up the stairs, against the wood, and hide behind the wall to protect you from the dragon's fire. Wait a few seconds, the dragon will land on the bridge. Wait 1 more second after it lands and run right past it and pull the lever on your left to open the shortcut. Rest at bonfire if you want.
Step 1d.) Make sure to get the gold pine resin behind the locked room directly behind the group of 3 hollow soldiers.
Step 2.) Defeat Bell gargoyles and get ring of FaP(optional).
Step 2a.) Run past undead guard and roll through the iron boar. Race to the gate before the undead closes it.
Step 2c.) Run up the steps and take the small doorway on your left for less fighting.
Step 2d.) Heal at bonfire if you want
Step 2e.) Summon one or two phantoms and kill the bell gargoyles.
Step 2f.) Grab Firekeeper soul
Step 2g.) Take the elevator down to firelink, kick Lautrec off the map(reload if he isn't there). Reload again for Ring of FaP.
Step 3.) Kill Quelaag.
Step 3a.)Go through valley of the drakes and head down to the bottom of Blighttown
3b.) Rest at bonfire and defeat Mildred when she invades.
3c.) Attempt to summon at least 1 phantom.
3d.) Summon Mildred right before Quelaag's room.
3e.) Apply gold pine resin for a significant boost in damage(you'll still be weak) hope your phantom(s) can beat quelaag.
3f.) On your way back up, run through the tunnel full of toxin blowdart snipers to grab firekeeper soul. Die if you need to.
4.) Kill Iron Golem
4a.) Run up the first walkway with the rolling boulders and into the next room.
4b.) Run through the small hallway with the trap and roll to the left to avoid the arrows and the snakeman.
4c.) Keep running down the path and run into the small room to your left at the bottom to avoid boulders.
4d.) Wait until boulders pile up and break through the wall. Attack the Maneater chest and run to the room that the boulders opened up. Lure the chest into the path of the boulders and let the boulders kill it. If the chest falls into the small hole, plunging attack it and immediately climb back up and repeat until it's dead. Claim your lightning spear.
4e.) Summon Tarkus, kill the boulder throwing giant, defeat Iron Golem with minimal effort on your part.
5.) Kill Ornstein and Smough
5a.) Killing the gargoyle should be relatively easy.
5b.) Make your way up into the church and kill all painting guardians in your way. To deal with the two painting guardians on the narrow walkways(the 2 after the one near the chandelier) go near a corner and block their throwing knives. Eventually they'll run to you and try to attack when they get close enough, falling off the walkway.
5c.) Lower the bridge and kill the 2nd gargoyle.
5d.) Run past the giants and the demons and keep running straight through the arrows and they won't hit you. Run toward the silver knight archer to your right and roll through any arrows he shoots. Get close and keep rolling until he pulls out his sword. Parry and riposte until he's dead.
5e.) Don't bother summoning phantoms unless you can't kill silver knights yourself. Rest at the bonfire and go through Anor Londo until you unlock the door that leads to the room with the Silver Knight set in it(it's also a shortcut to O&S). Make sure to collect Havel's gear.
5f.) Return to the bonfire and rest to get back any estus you wasted. Kindle it if you haven't. Summon 1 or 2 phantoms.
5.g) Using the shortcut you unlocked, go to the big room leading to Ornstein and Smough. Run up the stairs and around the room and defeat the silver knight. Run halfway down the stairs and then drop down to the second flight to fight one giant without attracting the attention of the other. Defeat the other giant and then summon Solaire if you only have 1 phantom.
5.h) Defeat Ornstein and smough with the help of your phantoms.
6.)Defeat 4Kings
6a.) Defeat Sif(it should be relatively easy)
6b.) Defeat Pinwheel. If you want a shortcut, all you have to do is run down the first path in the catacombs right after the first bonfire. Before you go inside the room, there should be a little bit of land to the right, right outside the wall that you can walk on. Look down and roll onto the land that you see below you. Heal, then look down again and you should see a white summon sign in the dark. Roll toward the summon sign and summon Paladin Leroy to help. Run straight to Pinwheel and avoid the bonewheel skeletons.
6c.) Reinforce the firelink bonfire to +20 estus. Take the 2 transient curses from the body in a vase closest to the water. Either speedrun through all the ghosts and directly toward Ingward, or put on Havel's armor and slowly and carefully kill the ghosts. Pick up the Firekeepers soul.
6d.)Once you drain new londo, die and reinforce your estus(it should be at +3). Also reinforce your lightning spear if you picked up any titanite chunks.
6e.) Unequip Havel's armor and run past the first two ghosts. To the right of the stairs you should see the ground you can land on. Jump off and run past the first darkwraith and to the stairs to your left. Run past and roll through the blob thing, other darkwraiths, and ghosts. Once you go through the fogwall, run down the stairs a little way so the ghosts don't follow you. Equip Havel's armor and the covenant of artorias ring and drop down.
6f.) Double-hand the spear and spam r1 until the king dies. Don't bother trying to roll out of the way. Always heal when you get down to 50%. When you run out of stamina, let it fill all the way back up before you hit again and you'll end up with more damage per minute. When you kill a king, keep attacking it until it disappears completely because the health bar will keep going down. The 4 kings should be an easy fight.