Many know about the difficulty of From Software's Dark Souls series, but these games are just as much about uncovering secrets. The game's lore is fragmented and tasks players with putting the pieces together, and many of the game's items are locked behind obscure locations or characters.
One such hidden location is Dark Souls 3's Archdragon Peak. This late-game area houses many tough enemies and one of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls 3. The rewards far outweigh the difficulty, however. A great number of upgrade materials, rings, and even a stone that morphs players into a dragon can be found here. Here is everything you need to know about Dark Souls 3's Archdragon Peak.
10 Endgame Zone
Before anyone attempts to enter and conquer Archdragon Peak, this zone is one of the hardest areas in Dark Souls 3. The enemies that reside here deal loads of damage, have reasonably large health pools, and contains one of the hardest bosses in the game in the form of Nameless King. Players will need to be rather far into Dark Souls 3 before entering this zone, but be warned that many should only enter here near the end of their first NG run.
9 Requires A Gesture To Enter
If players wish to enter Archdragon Peak, they must first obtain a unique Gesture. To obtain the Path of the Dragon Gesture, players must first defeat Oceiros, the Consumed King. He can be found in Lothric Castle after defeating Dancer of the Boreal Valley. Once slain, the room behind Oceiros will have a corpse that bestows the Gesture. Make sure to equip it for the next step. Players will not need to kill Oceiros to access this area on subsequent NG+ runs.
8 How To Enter
Once the Gesture is acquired, players must make their way to the Irithyll Dungeon. An elevator to the right of the bonfire can be used to reach the exterior of the area, although this elevator needs to be activated first through a shortcut later in the zone. Players will find a dragon corpse sitting in a manner similar to the Path of the Dragon Gesture. Use this Gesture near the corpse for a few seconds and a cutscene should play. This will take players to Archdragon Peak.
7 Serpent-Men
The first enemies players will find in Archdragon Peak are Serpent-Men. These enemies use a wide mix of weapons to deal damage, and they can also use their sharp fangs to attack players from a distance. Worse, many of these Serpent-Men have Shotels that bypass shields. Parrying or dodging will be critical skills for completing this area with as few deaths as possible.
6 Rock Lizards
Speaking of dodging, the various Rock Lizards that inhabit Archdragon Peak are deadly for any players exploring the area for the first time.
Rock Lizards will roll forward and force the player to stagger while dealing moderate damage. Standing near a ledge is guaranteed death if a Rock Lizard lands its rolling attack, so its best to lure it away from ledges and stab it after it finishes its rolling attack. These enemies have a high Poise value, meaning they'll be near-impossible to stagger for most characters.
5 Bring Lightning-Infused Gear and Miracles
Dragons are known for having a major weakness to lightning in the Souls series, so it should come as no surprise that most of the enemies at Archdragon Peak have the same weaknesses.
Using weapons with lightning infusions or any Miracles that deal lightning damage can make Archdragon Peak significantly easier. Lightning Pine Resin can also be used to buff weapons with lightning temporarily to deal with tougher enemies. If players decide to opt for Miracles, bringing Great Heal or similar restoration effects might prove beneficial.
4 Ancient Wyvern Fight
Ancient Wyvern is the first boss players will fight in Archdragon Peak, and it is easily one of the easiest bosses in Dark Souls 3. Instead of fighting the Wyvern head-on, it should instead be damaged through a plunging attack. Running through the arena will reveal a path that goes upward until the player is on a wooden platform right next to the Wyvern's head. Jump down and attack to instantly kill the boss. Be warned that this will cause players to teleport to a new location.
3 Hawkwood's Questline
Hawkwood is one of the first NPCs players can talk to in Dark Souls 3. Originally a sworn member of Farron's Undead Legion, Hawkwood would desert them and become infatuated with the power of dragons.
Players that enter Archdragon Peak can obtain various Dragon Stones that allow the player to morph into a dragon. Finding the Twinkling Dragon Torso Stone in Archdragon Peak will cause Hawkwood to become hostile and wish to battle the player at the Abyss Watchers' boss arena. Killing Hawkwood is the final task in his questline.
2 Contains A Titanite Slab
Titanite Slabs are essential for upgrading a non-boss item to +10, the highest rank an item can achieve. These items are exceedingly rare, and it just so happens that Archdragon Peak has a Slab for players to earn.
Obtaining it is no small feat. A side area in Archdragon Peak has a ladder that leads to a dead Wyvern. Overlooking its corpse is an NPC impersonating Havel, complete with the character's iconic armor and Dragon Tooth weapon. Parrying this NPC or dodging their attacks is best for taking them down, as blocking will lead to a depleted stamina bar quickly. Slaying this NPC will allow players to safely grab the Titanite Slab the dead Wyvern is holding.
1 The Nameless King Fight
Many players know the Nameless King as one of the toughest bosses in the Dark Souls series. A rather easy first phase quickly turns into a dance of death once the Nameless King enters his second phase.
Defeating this boss is incredibly challenging, requiring near-perfect rolls and great stamina management to take down. Players can opt to use lightning-infused gear as he is weak to lightning or focus on an unrelenting assault using rapid-attacking blades with the likes of the Onikiri and Ubadachi katanas. Upgrading Estus Flasks and having a large stamina pool are essential for taking this boss down. Summoning phantoms can help take down the Nameless King if winning this fight seems impossible.