Demon's Souls is currently the talk of the town for every PlayStation 5 owner. Considering few other exclusive PS5 games are on the market at the moment, plenty of newcomers are experiencing this brutally difficult adventure for the first time.
While overcoming the challenge is a part of the joy in FromSoftware's games, it can prove too much for some who simply want to progress even the tiniest bit in the remake of this 2009 classic. For those having trouble even making it past the first area in Boletaria, the following guide should alleviate the stress and help overcome any roadblocks. Passing this is an important milestone, because the game only really opens up once you beat the first boss.
The Best Class For Newcomers
If you are at the very beginning of the adventure or are restarting and picking a new class, we cannot recommend royalty enough. This class starts out with great offensive magic which can pick off enemies from a distance.
They also come equipped with the Fragrant Ring, which steadily restores magic over time. When it comes to picking a starting item, Bright Water or the Providential Ring are two good choices. The first restores MP over time and the second raises item discovery. If you are already a different class, do not fret; the walkthrough will still be plenty helpful in terms of what to expect from the area.
Some General Tips
Before diving into Boletaria, some general gameplay tips should help make the entire game more manageable. When it comes to areas with several enemies, always try to egg them on one at a time. Inch forward until you attract one enemy's aggression and then deal with them before moving towards the next one. Taking on two or three foes can prove devastating.
Additionally, keep your finger glued to the shield button, only attacking after an enemy has struck. Parrying is a feature, but it is not as essential as it is in games like Bloodborne. Instead, play more defensively. Mages and Archers will have the biggest advantage in this respect because of their long range capabilities. Lastly, be sure to pick up any items you find along the way. With all this out of the way, let's get down to guiding you through the actual level.
Up Until The First Fog Door
After the small cinematic plays, go forward until you fight the two dreglings. These foes have little health, so you should have no problem killing one before the other gets in close, since they come at you from opposite sides of the bridge. Be sure to stay away from the fire, because walking over it will damage you. Take this path to the gate slowly, attracting the dreglings one by one until they are all gone. At the closed gate take a left and then another left (the closed gate here will be opened later on for a shortcut).
The next group of foes includes an archer and several dreglings. Lure the dreglings around the corner where you came from to take care of them out of the archer's sight of fire. Afterwards, make a rush towards the archer and he should put up little resistance. Mages should be able to take him out from far away. Do not fall into the hole on the left. In case you didn't already know, the game has no qualms about letting players fall into an infinite abyss.
Keep your shield up in this door way and look to the right while entering to defend against the dregling's ambush. In the next room are two dreglings, so take them out one after the other. After exiting the room, destroy the wooden tables in front of you and collect the Firebombs underneath. Save these for one area later on and the first boss fight. Before the first fog gate up the stairs are two soldiers. Try attracting only one at a time. With them out of the way, step through the fog gate.
Up To The Second Fog Door
The soldiers in this area throw firebombs, so stay agile. Even with a shield up you take some damage from these attacks. Go under the stairs and take the items before taking on the first soldier. For melee attackers, rush him once he has thrown a firebomb. Further on up the stairs is a dregling, who you should take out quickly and then focus your attention on the soldier behind you throwing firebombs. On a platform above you is yet another soldier with firebombs. Run up the stairs out of his range towards the two dreglings at the top. Take them out at the start of the staircase and you should be out of range of any soldier throwing firebombs.
At the end of the corridor turn left and take out the dregling on the walkway. Lure the soldier up ahead out to the walkway, kill him, and then head inside the dispose of the soldier using firebombs with the same strategy as the prior enemies. The final staircase is a trap, so head about half way up before running back down again to avoid the boulder. Face the staircase, turn around, and drop down to collect the item before continuing.
Kill the soldier at the top of these stairs and then head behind you to take out the archer. Turn around again - the side of the bridge with the spear soldier and archer is useless until much later in the game - and you'll come upon the a Blue Eye Knight. This is the first enemy who really puts up a fight, so be careful. Mages can exhaust their magic and shoot spells until it breaks his guard. Melee attackers are best served keeping their shield up and constantly circling around him, attacking right after he does and leaves himself vulnerable.
Before Going Through the fog door, head through the other doorway and down the stairs. Let the first dregling kill itself with the barrels and proceed downstairs. You'll likely take on several dreglings at once here, so just keep your shield up and always try to move backwards. Usually their swings will miss and give you the chance to strike. After defeating them, pull the lever to make a shortcut and collect the Cling Ring in front of you. Equip this since it will give you more health in soul form. If you die, use this shortcut to bypass most of the area you just crossed. Now go back and enter the fog gate.
Up To The Third Fog Door
Turn right and down the stairs. Vault over the railing to greet Ostrava of Boletaria, who asks you to take out the enemies below. Mages and Archers will have no trouble taking these folks out from above. Melee characters should thin the heard with a couple of firebombs before dropping down into the fray. Proceed side by side with Ostrava for the time being. Two soldiers will ambush you from two wooden doors, but they should not be too much trouble. The Blue Eye Knight further ahead is made significantly easier if you let Ostrava take the lead, since he attracts all of the enemy's aggression.
To the right of the room with the Blue Eye Knight are a ton of dreglings. You can completely ignore this area. There's only one soldier in the next room, despite its big size. Once back outside three dreglings await. Take them out before heading up the stairs.
Here there is a path to the left and a path to the right. To the left is a merchant with some goods if you feel like buying some healing items, but it is entirely optional. Up the stairs to the right is an archer, so move quick to dodge his arrows. At the top of the next flight of stairs is a Blue Eye Knight. Lure him down the stairs where you came from to fight him in a more open area and use the same strategy from the first fight with this type of enemy. Then proceed up the stairs, take out the archer to the left, turn around and head through the fog.
Up Until Phalanx
Up ahead are a bunch of boulders held back by wooden planks. Smack the wood and watch as the boulders tumble down and kill numerous enemies ahead. Go the way the boulders rolled and head up the stairs. Two soldiers wielding spears will attack from the left. These guys are harder than most other soldiers, but keep your shield up and make sure your endurance does not run out while attacking. Do not head left where they came from, but instead go up the stairs.
On this bridge are a ton of enemies, but do not worry, because a dragon will come and destroy them with its fire breath. However, you also have to be careful not to end up in its way. You can tell where the fire will hit by the burn marks on the ground. Do not be standing where the floor is charred when the dragon comes. Wait at the start of the bridge until the dragon flies in. The moment it starts breathing fire run back down the stairs.
To make it across the bridge, start sprinting across it either right after it has attacked or before it even has a chance to fly towards the bridge. You'll know it is safe once you are at the point with the archers. Take them out and head down the stairs, collecting the item to the right before the doorway. Inside is a lever. Pull it to open the gate at the beginning of the level, which leads to Phalanx.
Head behind you and down the stairs. Two dreglings wait on opposite sides here, so be careful not to be ambushed. After killing them, follow the path to the right and lure the spear-wielding soldiers out. Once they are taken care of, go inside and kill the soldier to the right. Head down the stairs, take care of the two dreglings and kill the hoplite by rolling behind it to attack its weak spot. Further down the stairs are two more hoplites who can be dispatched with the same strategy. At the bottom, pull the lever and you are back at the first area, ready to take on Phalanx.
Phalanx
For a more detailed explanation on how to fight Phalanx, read our boss guide. For some simple tips, just know the boss is vulnerable to fire, which makes all those firebombs you collected really come in handy. After beating it, all the other Archstones are unlocked and you are now knee-deep in the full game, free to take on each level as you see fit.