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The Catacombs

The Catacombs (地下墓地) is a Location in Dark Souls. It is accessible via Firelink Shrine, and leads to the Tomb of the Giants. 

Information

The Catacombs is a treacherous area, filled with traps, reanimating skeletons, and perilous paths. It serves as the gateway to the Tomb of the Giants and features critical NPCs and items for progression. The area is challenging due to its dark atmosphere, undead enemies, and environmental hazards.

Area Bosses

Mandatory

Pinwheel:
  • A relatively weak boss found at the end of The Catacombs.
  • Uses fire, lightning, and dark magic attacks, while creating clones to confuse the player.
  • Drops Rite of Kindling, increasing Estus Flask capacity to 20, and one of the Masks of the Father, Mother, or Child.

Enemies

Reanimating Skeletons:
    • Revive indefinitely unless their associated Necromancer is killed or a Divine weapon is used.
    • Common strategies include knocking them off ledges or using Force to push them.
Necromancers:
      • Non-respawning enemies controlling the skeletons.
      • Drop lanterns required for visibility in the Tomb of the Giants.
Exploding Floating Skulls (Vengeful Skulls):
    • Explode upon proximity, damaging nearby enemies as well as the player.
Wheel Skeletons:
    • Spin towards the player at high speed, inflicting heavy damage and stamina drain.
Titanite Demon:
Black Knight:
    • Found in the lower levels, wielding a Greataxe. Beware of high damage and fast attacks.

Merchants

Trusty Patches/Patches the Hyena:
  • Found near the rotating spiked bridge. Attempts to kill the player by rotating the bridge.
  • After the trap, apologizes and offers items for sale, including:

NPCs

Paladin Leeroy (Summon):
    • Summon sign appears near the Titanite Demon area if the player is Human. Useful for the Pinwheel boss fight.
Vamos the Blacksmith:
    • Located in a lower chamber. Specializes in Fire and Chaos weapon upgrades.

Items

Key Items:
  • Rite of Kindling: Dropped by Pinwheel. Increases Estus Flask capacity to 20.
  • Skull Lantern: Dropped by Necromancers. Necessary for navigating the Tomb of the Giants.
Weapons and Equipment:
  • Lucerne: Found in a small room near the bow-wielding skeletons.
  • Great Scythe: Near the second bridge, accessible by jumping from the middle of the bridge.
  • Divine Weapon: Essential for preventing skeletons from reanimating.
  • Mask of the Mother/Father/Daughter: 1x randomly dropped by Pinwheel.
Consumables:
  • Humanity: Dropped by enemies or found in various locations.
  • Soul of a Proud Knight: Scattered throughout the area.

Walkthrough

  • Enter The Catacombs and descend the spiral stairs. Beware of two skeletons on the way.
  • Follow the path until reaching a ladder leading to a room with Necromancers and skeletons.
  • Turn left and break the crumbling wall to find the first bonfire.

Progressing to the Second Bonfire

  • Navigate through the spiked bridge area. Trusty Patches will appear nearby.
  • Rotate the bridge using the nearby lever and cross carefully.
  • A hidden bonfire is located behind a destructible wall near the ladder.

Reaching the Boss

  • Descend through the skeleton-infested caves, eliminating Necromancers to prevent reanimation.
  • Look for Paladin Leeroy’s summon sign near the Titanite Demon room.
  • The boss fog gate for Pinwheel is directly ahead.

Shortcuts

Titanite Demon Room:
    • Drop from a small ledge near the first bridge to skip several areas.
Wheel Skeleton Area:
      • From the Titanite Demon’s location, jump to the ledge below to reach the Wheel Skeleton chamber directly.
Backtrack Shortcut:
    • After defeating Pinwheel, climb the ladder near his arena to return to earlier sections of The Catacombs.

Quests

Nito’s Covenant:
  • Located near the Titanite Demon area. Enter a coffin with an active Eye of Death to meet Nito.
  • Covenant rewards include Gravelord Sword and the Gravelord Sword Dance miracle.

Soul Farming

Wheel Skeletons:
    • Farmable in the lower chamber. Effective with ranged attacks or AoE spells.
Necromancer and Skeleton Loops:
    • Clear Necromancer-controlled areas, return to the bonfire, and repeat.

Notes

  • Divine weapons are helpful for preventing skeletons from reanimating. A Divine weapon can be created from the Astora’s Straight Sword or upgraded via Andre of Astora.
  • Be sure not to miss Trusty Patches' dialogue, as it enables the player to access rare items later in the game.
  • Killing the Nectromancers will permanently stop Skeletons from reviving. 

Trivia

  • Paladin Leeroy is a reference to the infamous meme “Leeroy Jenkins.”
  • The Masks dropped by Pinwheel represent a father, mother, and child, symbolizing his tragic backstory as a failed necromancer.
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