Bonfires
General Information
Bonfires act as checkpoints in Dark Souls, scattered strategically across Lordran. Most bonfires are unlit when you first find them. You need to light it first to be able to rest at it and access its features. "Resting" occurs when golden smoke obscures the screen.
Resting at a bonfire has several effects:
- Refills your HP and stamina
- Removes your Status Ailments except Curse (although it can remove your Curse buildup)
- Recharges your Estus Flask uses
- Recharges your attuned Sorceries, Miracles, and Pyromancies uses
- Resets and respawn enemies (except some unique enemies and bosses)
- Registers the bonfire to the Warp menu
- Sets your respawn point to that bonfire
These are also applied when you respawn at a bonfire.
When resting, you can access the bonfire menu. Initially, you can only attune spells, change to human form, and kindle the bonfire once. After obtaining certain items, you may perform other activities such as managing or repairing your equipment.
Kindling
By offering accumulated Humanity, you may regain human form (reverse hollowing) or kindle the bonfire. Kindling increases the maximum number of Estus Flask charges by 5 and up to a max of 20. To kindle a bonfire more than once you need to have the Rite of Kindling. The bonfire's flame grows each time it gets kindled. Appearance and level of kindling stay upgraded, even after proceeding to New Game+.
Kindling your bonfire when online will also give a free single Estus charge to other players who previously rested at the same bonfire. If this happens, the receiving player will see a "soul-sucking" animation but colored orange.
Notes
- Using Homeward Miracle, a Homeward Bone, or the Darksign will teleport you to the last bonfire rested at and applies the "resting" effect as if you just died.
- You cannot use a bonfire when an enemy (hostile NPCs included) enters the bonfire area or you have another player online connected to your world (whether it's for co-op or PvP). The bonfire will shrink to its unlit state until the enemy is gone or the guest player(s) leave your world, where the bonfire will return to its previous state accompanied by the bonfire kindling sound effect.
- Similar to multiplayer items, this can also be used for signalling invasions: the bonfire will shrink even before the invasion message comes out.
- Warping to another bonfire does not count as resting at that bonfire, so you will respawn upon death on the last bonfire rested at, although some of the effects of having rested at one (like respawned enemies, life bar restored, etc.) will still occur when you warp. Your Estus Flask won't be refilled, though.
- Four bonfires have an active Fire Keeper. These are bonfires tended by Anastacia of Astora, Lady of the Darkling, Quelaag's Sister, and the Stone Dragon. When the Fire Keeper is dead, you will be unable to use their bonfire (though the Stone Dragon is immortal and cannot die). You can, however, respawn and warp to that bonfire.
- After reviving Anastacia of Astora, the bonfire located at Firelink Shrine will still remain upgraded even if it was kindled before she was killed by Knight Lautrec of Carim.
- Resting at a bonfire to respawn enemies can be used to farm souls if necessary. Check the Soul Farming page for more details.
- To fully upgrade all bonfires, 108 Humanity is needed, assuming you do not die and lose human form. With Additional Content, 120 is needed.
- To make a bonfire available for warping, you have to rest on it. Simply light it will not be enough.
List of Bonfires
Lordvessel warpable bonfires in bold
| Area Name | Bonfire Name | Landmark | Notable For… | Nearby Areas… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undead Asylum | Undead Asylum 1 | courtyard | Firelink Shrine | |
| Undead Asylum 2 | after boss room | |||
| Firelink Shrine | Firelink Shrine | central hub | Fire Keeper Anastacia of Astora, Way of White Covenant | Undead Burg, Undead Parish, Catacombs, New Londo Ruins, Lower Undead Burg, Undead Asylum |
| Firelink Altar | Lordvessel | Cannot be kindled | Firelink Shrine, Kiln of the First Flame | |
| Undead Burg | Undead Burg | below Hellkite Dragon bridge | Undead Parish, Lower Undead Burg | |
| Sunlight Altar | after Hellkite Dragon | Warrior of Sunlight Covenant | Undead Parish | |
| Undead Parish | Undead Parish (1.06/PtDE only) | by Andre of Astora Blacksmith | Sen's Fortress, Darkroot Garden | |
| Darkroot Garden | Darkroot Garden | illusory wall by Crest of Artorias door | Forest Hunter Covenant | Undead Parish, Darkroot Basin |
| Darkroot Basin | Darkroot Basin | by Valley of Drakes elevator | near Hydra | Undead Burg, Valley of Drakes, Sanctuary Garden |
| Depths | Depths (1.06/PtDE only) | door after slimes and torch hollows | need Sewer Chamber Key or Master Key | Lower Undead Burg |
| Blighttown | Blighttown Catwalk | swaying catwalk | The Depths | |
| Blighttown Swamp | drain pipe near elevator | Queelag's Domain, The Great Hollow | ||
| Quelaag's Domain | Daughter of Chaos | illusory wall below bell | Fire Keeper Quelaag's Sister, Chaos Servant Covenant | Blighttown, Demon Ruins, Lost Izalith |
| The Great Hollow | The Great Hollow | before tree descent | Blighttown | |
| Ash Lake | Ash Lake | after tree descent | near Black Hydra | The Great Hollow |
| Stone Dragon | end of Ash Lake | Path of the Dragon Covenant | ||
| Demon Ruins | Demon Ruins Entrance | before Ceaseless Discharge | Queelag's Domain | |
| Demon Ruins Staircase | before Demon Firesage | guarded by rockworm | Lost Izalith | |
| Demon Ruins Catacombs | before Centipede Demon | below Daughter of Chaos elevator | Queelag's Domain. Lost Izalith | |
| Lost Izalith | Lost Izalith Lava Pits | after Centipede Demon | Solaire of Astora | Demon's Ruins |
| Lost Izalith 2 | illusory wall in the dino pool | Demon's Ruins | ||
| Heart of Chaos | after defeating Bed of Chaos | |||
| Sen's Fortress | Sen's Fortress | upper path | Anor Londo | |
| Anor Londo | Anor Londo | downstairs from large open area | Fire Keeper Lady of the Darkling | Sen's Fortress, Duke's Archives |
| Darkmoon Tomb | statue room near spiral staircase | Blade of the Darkmoon Covenant | Painted World | |
| Anor Londo Residence | fireplace room | Solaire of Astora | ||
| Chamber of the Princess | after defeating Smough & Ornstein | Princess's Guard Covenant | ||
| Painted World of Ariamis | Painted World of Ariamis (1.06/PtDE only) | after entrance bridge | close to Phalanx shortcut door | |
| The Duke's Archives | Duke's Archives 1 | before fighting Seath first time | Anor Londo | |
| Duke's Archives 2 | prison cell | |||
| Duke's Archives 3 (1.06/PtDE only) | balcony near Crystal Caves | Crystal Caves | ||
| Crystal Cave | Crystal Cave | after defeating Seath | ||
| Catacombs | Catacombs 1 | first necromancer | Firelink Shrine | |
| Catacombs 2 | illusory wall | |||
| Catacombs 3 (Remastered only) | by Vamos Blacksmith | Tomb of Giants | ||
| Tomb of the Giants | Tomb of Giants 1 (1.06/PtDE only) | by Patches | Catacombs | |
| Tomb of Giants 2 | ||||
| Altar of the Gravelord | after defeating Gravelord Nito | Gravelord Servant Covenant | ||
| The Abyss | The Abyss | after defeating Four Kings | Darkwraith Covenant | New Londo Ruins |
| Sanctuary Garden | Sanctuary Garden | Oolacile Sanctuary | ||
| Oolacile Sanctuary | Oolacile Sanctuary | after defeating Sanctuary Guardian | Sanctuary Garden, Royal Wood | |
| Oolacile Township | Oolacile Township | after defeating Artorias | Royal Wood, Battle of Stoicism Gazebo | |
| Oolacile Township Dungeon | past the Chained Prisoner | Chasm of the Abyss | ||
| Chasm of the Abyss | Chasm of the Abyss | after defeating Manus | Royal Wood, Oolacile Township |