The Great Hollow

The Great Hollow (大樹のうつろ) is a Location in Dark Souls. It is accessible via Blighttown and leads to Ash Lake. 

Information

The Great Hollow is a vertical labyrinth connecting Blighttown and Ash Lake, filled with hazardous drops, valuable loot, and rare enemies. This area requires careful navigation due to the many opportunities for falling to your death.

Enemies

Standard Enemies

Basilisks:

• • Found in three main areas.
  • Attacks:
    • Curse Mist: Inflicts curse, instantly killing the player if the meter fills.
  • Drops:
    • Eye of Death (rare)

Large Mushroom Men:

• • • Slow-moving but deal massive damage with punches.
    • High health pool.

Small Mushroom Men:

• • • Low health and easily dispatched, but travel in groups.

Crystal Lizards:

• • Found throughout the area.
  • Drops:
    • Twinkling Titanite (100%)
    • Various titanite chunks and slabs (low chance).

Items

Shields

• Wooden Shield:
  • Found early in the area in a treasure chest.

Rings

• Cloranthy Ring:
  • Found by dropping from the starting path to a hidden area below.
  • Effect: Boosts stamina regeneration.

Consumables

• Eye of Death:
  • Dropped by Basilisks.
• Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier:
  • Found near the Basilisk pits.

Upgrade Materials

• Twinkling Titanite: Guaranteed drop from Crystal Lizards.
• Titanite Chunks: Drops from Crystal Lizards.
• Titanite Slabs: Rare drop from Crystal Lizards.
• Red, Blue, and White Titanite Chunks: Dropped by Crystal Lizards.
• Green Titanite Shards: Dropped by Crystal Lizards.

Walkthrough

Getting Started

• Access The Great Hollow from Blighttown's poison swamp.
  • Look for a large tree root near the leech area.
  • The first wall behind the chest containing the Wooden Shield is illusory. Strike it to reveal the path.
  • Beyond this is another illusory wall hiding the entrance to The Great Hollow.

Progression

• Bonfire: The only bonfire in The Great Hollow is located just past the entrance.
• Use branches and roots to navigate downward:
  • Beware of falling damage. Use Fall Control or Cat Ring to minimize risks.
  • Avoid walking too close to edges.
• Encounter Basilisks at three points:
  • Prepare for curse buildup by equipping the Cursebite Ring or managing spacing.

Climbing Back Up

• Backtracking is possible but challenging due to tricky ledges.
• Use backsteps to scale certain obstacles.

Ash Lake Path

• The final large root at the bottom leads to Ash Lake.
• Encounter Mushroom Men near the final descent.

Shortcuts

• Drop Method: Instead of following the full path, carefully drop between branches to quickly descend.
• Illusory Walls: Reveal shortcuts or hidden items by striking walls.

Soul Farming

Crystal Lizards:

• Reloading near their spawn points allows multiple attempts at farming their drops.
• Equip the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring for higher drop rates.

Notes

• Equip the Rusted Iron Ring for better footing on slippery surfaces.
• Use ranged attacks to deal with Basilisks from a safe distance.
• Manage your health and stamina carefully to avoid fatal mistakes during falls.
• Avoid fighting Mushroom Men directly if you're under-leveled.

Trivia

• The Great Hollow is one of the few areas with no boss fight, focusing instead on platforming and exploration.
• The abundance of Crystal Lizards makes this an essential area for farming rare titanite.