One of the biggest changes made between and was overhauling how healing worked. In Demon’s Souls, players healed by eating Grass – a resource that came in multiple varieties that could be easily farmed (but had to be farmed consideringඣ its inconsistent drop rate across the game). To𒁏 remedy this fact, introduced the Estus Flask, which has since become a staple.
The Estus Flask allows Chosen Undead to heal themselves off a finite resource that fully replenishes at any Bonfire. ’ Estus Flask forces players to learn the level design of each area, removing the ability to brute force damage through copious healing. While the Estus Flask is meant to make healing more strategic in , Fire Keeper Souls allow players to strengt𒈔hen their Flask. There are only a few Fire Keeper Souls hiding around Lordran, however, requiring a keen eye for exploration.
Edited on August 27, 2021 by Renan Fontes: Fire Keeper Souls are incredibly valuable in Dark Souls, and you can only find a few per playthrough. Tracking down all seven Fire Keeper Souls in a single run is much easier said than done as the task requires understanding Dark Souls' world design to a T. Most players won't be able to find every Fire Keeper Soul on a first playthrough, but it's worth it and makes New Game Plus so much smoother.
Undead Parish Soul
Your first intended Fire Keeper Soul can be found in the Undead Parish. Inside of the Undead Church right across from Andre the Blacksmith’s Bonfire is an altar where a Fire Kꦯeeper Soul can be seen resting. Guarding the Fire Keeper Souls is a Berenike Knight, a large soldier who blocks most attacks🐭 with his Tower Shield.
Before confronting the Berenike Knight, make sure to kill every other enemy in the Undead Parish. The Berenike Knight is an aggressive foe and fighting him while other enemies are aggro'd is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, the Berenike Knight is slow enough where you can comfortably parry them or get in a combo before rolling out of the way. Once killed, the Berenike Knight won’t respawn in the Parish and you’ll be free to pick up the Fire Keeper Soul.
New Londo Ruins Soul
New Londo Ruins can actually be accessed as soon as you gain access to Firelink Shrine. Simply head down the Shrine’s hill to reach an elevator that’ll descend into New Londo Ruins. A flooded kingdom, New Londo Ruins is littered with ghosts who’ll shriek and aggro 🥃you on sight. The Fire Keeper Soul is found early in the level and can be seen in the distance as you’re crossing the wooden walkway into the main area. Simply walk towards it, avoid the ghosts, and head back up to fire Firelink Shrine.
Blighttown Soul
Blighttown’s Fire Keeper Soul isn’t particularly difficult to find, but it can be a challenge to obtain. From the Valley of the Drakes entrance is a hallway littered with enemies who shoot toxic darts from up above and fire dogs down below. If you're a ranged character, use magic of a bow to snipe the bandits before they can damage you. A single dart will drain your health and likely kill you on the spot.
If you're a melee character, go slow, have your shield up, and be sure to kill the bandits in one combo if you can. Once all the bandits have been taken care of, drop down below and kill the horde of fire dogs that'll be rushing you by now. Keep calm, then head deeper down the hall to find the Fire Keeper’s Soul.
Duke’s Archives Soul
While most Fire Keeper Souls are hiding in plain sight, the Duke’s Archives Soul is a bit trickier to find. This Fire Keeper Soul is caged all the way below the Archives’ Tower. The cell can be identified by the Pisacas huddling in front. You'll need to find the Archive Tower Giant Cell Key to unlock the gate.
The key can be found in a chest right by the exit to the Tower, before the ꦆoutdoor portion leading to Crystal Cave begins. With the Archive Tower Giant Cell Key in hand, head back into the Duke’s Archives and return all the way back to the room where you were originally imprisoned by Seath. Make your way to the𒀰 very bottom floor, unlock the Giant Cell, and plunder yet another Fire Keeper Soul.
Darkmoon Knightess’ Soul
There are three living Fire Keepers in Dark Souls who you can optionally to kill for their Souls. Fire Keepers’ lives are linked to the Bonfires they attend to, meaning that their death disconnects the Bonfire from the game. This prevents you from healing and warping from these 🍸Bonfires. The Darkmoon Knightess is the Fire Keeper of Anor Londo, one of the most convenient and often-used Bonfires in Dark Souls.
The only way to get her Fire Keeper Soul is to kill the Darkmoon Knightess, which in turn unlinks Anor Londo. While there are other Bonfires you can warp to in order to still access the area, the Darkmoon Knightess’ is the most convenient. To avoid the consequences as much as possible, save killing Darkmoon Knightess until after you've unlocked all four Lord Souls. The Darkmoon Knightess fights you in a tight arena and is surprisingly quick, so try to take advantage of parries above all else.
Daughter of Chaos’ Soul
The Daughter of Chaos is actually Quelaag’s Sister and the leader of the Chaos Servant Covenant. She can be found behind a hidden wall in Quelaag’s Domain after defeating Chaos Witch Quelaag down in Blighttown. Make y🧔o💖ur way down the Bell Tower and then roll through one of the illusory walls to find Eingyi blocking your path ahead.
Normally, meeting the Daughter of Chaos requires complying🔯 with Eingyi, but since getting her soul means killing her, feel free to cut down Eingyi. Once Eingyi is dead, you can simply walk up to the Daughter of Chaos and slay her without a fight. On death, the Daughter of Chaos drops her Fire Keeper Soul, disconnects her Bonfire, and locks you ou♛t of the Chaos Servant Covenant for the rest of the playthrough.
Anastacia’s Soul
Anastacia of Astora tends to Firelink Shrine’s Bonfire and can’t be killed through normal gameplay. If Lautrec has been rescued, however, he’ll slaughter Anastacia and return to his home world after you ring both Bells of Awakening or find two Fire Keeper Souls. This triggers the last chunk of Lautrec’s questline where you'll need to invade him to take back Anastacia’s Soul. To do so:
- Pick up the Black Eye Orb in Anastacia’s former cell.
- Warp to Ornstein & Smough’s Bonfire and exit the boss arena.
- Use the Black Eye Orb.
You’ll now invade Lautrec’s world and have to face off against him & his two Phantoms. With the Estus Flask locked this is an extremely difficult battle — so be careful, take your time, and don’t take chances. You only need to kill Lautrec, so it would be worth trying to bait him while losing his Phantoms. If things prove too difficult, use this strategy to take out the Phantoms first before aiming your sights on Lautrec (but be ready for an uphill battle). Ultimately, it's best to kill Lautrec as fast as humanly possible.
Once Lautrec has been killed, he’ll drop Anastacia’s Fire Keeper Soul and you'll be booted out of his world. From here, you're meant to return to Firelink Shrink so you can revive Anastacia, but feel free to reinforce your Estus if you don't mind losing the Shrine as a hub (the Kiln of the First Flame works fine enough, anyway).