This guide pretty much mirrors the well known Black Knight Halberd Speedrun method but, without the time requirements, this method makes for a very easy way to beat the first Bell Boss of Dark Souls. This is because rather than saving time (for the speedrun) and using the halberd after defeating the Gargoyles, one can simply farm up and use the BKH to utterly destroy these two annoying (and luck-based) opponents.

Originally posted by me to warn you:

Note: The Black Knight Halberd is a chance drop (there is roughly a 25-30% chance that the item will drop at the designated spot). If the Halberd isn't dropped one would simply have to restart the entire game, create a new character, and do the tutorial section (Asylum) of Dark Souls again.

This Guide may not be justifiable in terms of the time it may take, but in terms of the enjoyment received from crushing the spirit of an enemy that has made many a person grind their teeth in annoyance? Totally worth it.

Keep in mind that if you're unlucky and the Black Knight Halberd doesn't drop for you, you can always continue on and simply pick up the Vanilla-Halberd or Claymore to use against the Bell Tower Gargoyles. If you're still interested in attaining a strong, early-game weapon that can be used against nearly all bosses you should also look at the Crescent Axe, a fairly powerful divine weapon that doesn't drop based on luck.

If you're still not convinced that the Black Knight Halberd is worth the time I'll try to elaborate on why I enjoy using the weapon so much.

• The stat requirements are fairly low. You only need 22 strength and 18 dexterity to wield the weapon with both hands.
  
  
• The Black Knight Halberd also does extra damage to demon enemies such as the Taurus and Capra demon.
  
  
• Not only that, but the Halberd also has a higher damage multiplier and thrust property to its damage than the actual weapon states, giving it more damage than the actual rating stats provided ingame.

The Black Knight Halberd will easily carry you through the entirety of your first Dark Souls playthrough, but, like elemental weapons, it lacks the scaling seen by other weapons (such as the Greatsword of Artorias) and thus becomes practically useless come NG+. (So after meeting the required stats for the BKH stock up, plan ahead, and start choosing to focus on stats for a weapon with great scaling).

For a lower level character however (which is generally what occurs during your first playthrough), your stats will perfectly fit the playstyle for an elemental weapon or a weapon such as the Black Knight Halberd. The reason why I think that the Black Knight Halberd is better than elemental weapons is because it deals pure physical damage and thus receives the best bonus damage out of the two.

This is because elemental weapons lack a strength and dexterity modifier which the Black Knight Halberd still has (albeit a somewhat poor modifier, but a modifier all the same).

As a final example the Artorias Greatsword gets a C for strength and dexterity, and a B for intelligence and faith. For a lower level character (even one around level 100) this generally means nothing because the bonus modifier from your abilities will be terribly low -BUT- if you were to have all these stats at around 50 while using the greatsword you would practically be a God amongst men. This is why elemental weapons and the Black Knight Halberd prove so useful for your initial run through Dark Souls! High Damage early for minor investments!

This Guide revolves around four easily obtainable items which makes ringing the first bell of the game very easy.
These four items are:

Why these four items you may ask? Well, simply put, I don't believe that Dark Souls is a difficult game; I believe that Dark Souls is an annoying game. Most of Dark Souls is just pitting the player against gimmicky obstacles (such as insta-deaths, poison, toxic, and the chance/luck implemented into some boss battles). Once the player overcomes these initial parts of the game, or at least comes to understand them, the game becomes quite simple.

I'm not trying to make the game look inferior because of this chosen style of gameplay, I just personally believe that the difficulty attributed to Dark Souls is somewhat overhyped.

That's what this guide is for, helping new players get past the very first illusory obstacles of the game and providing old players with an enjoyable way to slaughter old enemies that were once perceived as quite troublesome.

Class: Unlike the speedrun method, which uses the Archer class, I recommend either the Warrior or Pyromancer.

I prefer Warrior because of his well rounded stats. This allows you to quickly use weapons like the Halberd, Claymore, and (most importantly) the Black Knight Halberd.

Originally posted by me to provide extra information:

Note: The only reason that the Hunter is chosen over Warrior in speedruns is simply because the Hunter starts with the bow and thus saves time for the speedrun. Stat-Wise, both the Hunter and Warrior have a total of twenty-six points allotted to strength and dexterity (just distributed differently).

I also recommend Pyromancer, because of his near indispensible spells in PVE (and PVP if used skillfully). Although it will take longer to be able to wield the Black Knight Halberd, nearly all bosses (especially some of the most troublesome) have a weakness to fire. If used correctly with proper positioning, one can quickly disperse of most bosses that would normally require different and potentially more difficult methods to kill.

Originally posted by me to provide extra information:

Tip: Pyromancy scales off of an item rather than stats, making the spell that much more powerful while allowing for many diverse build choices.

Gift: Mastery Key (this is very is very important)
In terms of gifts (for any playstyle) I think it's safe to say that the master key is the best choice, and also a requirement to access the Black Knight Halberd early in the game.

(The only other gift worth mentioning is fire bombs, but only if you want to defeat the Asylum Demon on the first attempt to attain his weapon.)


Congrats! Youv'e created your character and are on your way to the tutorial section of Dark Souls.

Very straightforward area. I won't post in-depth spoilers as to item locations because you can easily find those yourself via the Dark Souls wikis (if you so desire). Simply read the Orange messages and make your way to the Asylum Demon.

After beating the Asylum Demon and arriving at the Firelink Shrine there are two ways you can reach the Halberd wielding Black Knight (located in Darkroot Basin), but I'll simply be focusing on my preferred method.

After resting at the bonfire at Firelink Shrine head directly straight until reaching the stairs, proceed down to New Londo Ruins and take a right. You should arrive at another portion of tower and stairs that will lead you to the Valley of Drakes.

Originally posted by me to provide extra information:

Note: There will be a gate that requires the use of the Master Key to get through, that's why the gift is so useful, it provides players with access to many hidden routes throughout Dark Souls.

Upon arriving at the Valley of Drakes head across the narrow planks and take a left (don't go straight into the creepy tunnel, that leads to Blighttown and you don't need to go there (yet)).

Navigating past the Drakes for the first time can be tricky, they have a ranged attack in which they spit out lightning at the player. It's a fairly narrow form of attack and easy to dodge. For the first Drake bait out the attack and hug the right wall, you'll be able to slip directly past him. Keeping to the right in general is a safe bet for this area. For the second Drake you should have enough room to simply avoid him entirely.

After navigating past the second Drake head right into the ruble and look for the tower entrance inside the cavern (tucked away neatly to the left). Use the elevator and you'll arrive at a nifty little bonfire inside of the tunnel.

Originally posted by me to elaborate on personal preference:

Note: This is one of the reasons I prefer this route, it allows for mistakes to be made when fighting the Black Knight rather than constantly being forced to run past Havel.

Before going onwards to fight the Black Knight I suggest running back to the elevator and navigating your way across the Dragon laden bridge (run and roll). You'll see a ladder to your right which allows you to reach a very nifty ring for fighting bosses such as the two Gargoyles at the Bell Tower.

Originally posted by me to further elaborate on personal preference:

Note: This is the second reason I prefer this route, it allows you to reach the Red Tearstone Ring while travelling to the Black Knight. This ring gives +40% damage when HP is below 20% and, if used skillfully, can make fighting bosses a breeze. Even if you're new to the game you'd be surprised at the luck this ring provides when it comes down to final blows between you and a nasty, cheating, spamming, boss.

Now that you have the ring, return to the bonfire, head straight, and face the Halberd Wielding Black Knight. The Black Knight is slightly above you, so make sure when exiting the cave, that he doesn't drop on top of your head (unpleasant to say the least) or get a free stab at you because of his positioning to your right.

The best way to deal with the Black Knight is by blocking his attacks and standing on the rounded outcropping of the cliff, you'll notice a jagged edge a few steps in front of this, this is where the Black Knight will fall when running at you or trying to attack you. You can also simply push him (while blocking) to the edge of the cliff. His attacks are awkward enough to where he'll fall if positioned correctly and you'll simply gain all of his souls and item drops after he falls to his death. Easy! :D

Alternate Method: In case the Black Knight is giving you trouble and refuses to fall, simply circle around him, and backstab him off the cliff ( should take about two stabs to throw him off, but don't fall of the cliff yourself).

Best Case Scenario: Halbred (woot!)

Worst Case Scenario: No Halbred (pls no)

In either case you can continue on and simply use a different weapons (there is another easily obtainable but weaker halberd near the Gargoyles) or prepare yourself to use your newfound and ungodly power.
After defeating the Black Knight make sure to pick up Grass Crest Shield, which the Black Knight was also guarding. In my opinion, whether or not you get the Halberd, the Grass Crest Shield and Red Tearstone Ring make this a worthy trip. Both items are fantastically helpful for players that usually use two handed weapons.

(You can pick up the shield and equip it before the fight if you're quick enough, but I don't really see the point).

There are two ways one can exit Darkroot Basin, the first is by heading upwards which will eventually lead directly to the Undead Parish and first Bell Tower, the other way is across the ravine of Darkroot Basin which will lead to the Undead Burg and put you closer to your original starting point in the game.

Regardless of the way you choose I recommend heading upwards towards the Undead Parish because of the Crystal Lizard hiding along the road. This provides you with two Twinkling Titanite which can be used to upgrade the Black Knight Halberd. I prefer going the long way towards the Undead Burg because you can farm a lot of souls along the way and it also gives you an opportunity to obtain a rather strong weapon easily (the Claymore).

After defeating the Black Knight and killing the Crystal Lizard simply head straight (away from the winding cliffside) and remain somewhat close to the left of the map (to avoid the crystal golems). This route will take you to a tower, enter the tower and run or roll up the stairs to your left as quickly as possible (there is a tooth-wielding madman hiding exactly to the right of the door who will try to hit you with his incredible range (Also known as Havel)). He'll also keep chasing you up the tower, so keep this in mind and don't stop running.

After running up the tower you'll arrive at a skeleton standing behind a barrel to your right, and a Grey Door further up the tower to your left. You have two options, go to the right and trace your way back to Firelink Shrine where you can officially continue your journey from its proper starting point, or continue on and face the evil boss (Taurus Demon) behind the grey mist.

Originally posted by me to explain sneaky path:

Note: If you decide to continue onward there is usually an encounter with a fire-breathing Hellkite Dragon further along a bridge after defeating the first Taurus Demon. This encounter will not happen if you have continued on without retracing your steps, as you have not set off the very first encounter with the Dragon. This makes it very easy to obtain both the Claymore, and easily access the Altar Of Sunlight Bonfire (and the Undead Burg Bonfire by kicking down the ladder tucked away on the right path along the bridge).

I recommend continuing on if you didn't receive the Black Knight Halberd but decided not to restart because this option provides you with another very strong weapon early in the game that the warrior class can already wield.

(You can also opt for getting the Drake Sword from the Dragon which is also a strong early weapon alternative, but when you have the opportunity you'll want to replace the Drake Sword with the Lightning Spear, because the Drake Sword's early game power falls off dramatically by the time one arrives at Sen's Fortress).

Assuming everything has gone your way, you're know exploring the Undead Parish with your trusty Halbered, Shield, and pretty Ring. On your way up to the top you may notice a bunch of Orange Signs which all say "liar," or "do not trust," or "don't listen to his lies," which will eventually lead you to a knight in golden armor locked away in a cell.


*Whispers* Kill this bro >.>

Yes, it will change the storyline and you won't be able to summon him for the boss fight against the Bell Gargoyles or Gaping Dragon, but it's worth. (Trust).
I consider it worth changing the story for your first playthrough because it gives you an incredibly strong ring (Ring of Favor and Protection) early on very easily (it should take about three hits to kill Lautrec with the BKH).

Now that you have these four items you're ready to take on the Bell Gargoyles and continue your journey through the realm of Lordran!
(If everything works out well you should be able to kill both Gargoyles in about five hits).

Praise The Sun!