Dark Souls 1 Beginner Guide: Firelink Shrine to Undead Burg

Welcome back to my Dark Souls 1 beginner guide! Whether you followed my previous guide or got here on your own, today I'll be walking you through how to take the next step to Undead Burg.

First, you'll want to level up. Check out any of my guides that have "top 10" in the name to learn more about that, but to summarize it quickly, level Vitality (health), Endurance (stamina), and one other stat (that's not Resistance). Then, talk to the Crestfallen Warrior. This is important - talk to him until he starts repeating his lines. You'll want to learn to do this with NPCs to avoid missing crucial information. From there, you'll want to nab the item over by the well, then double back and go up the steps. There'll be three different steps; take the middle one. Exhaust Petrus's dialogue. Accept his offer of miracles: they'll prove useful later.

Go back out to where the Crestfallen Warrior is, and stick as far to the right as you can, eventually going up a natural ridge. Walk up the steps and be prepared for combat. You'll immediately find a Hollow waiting to attack you. Take it out, but beware of the Hollow near the tunnel - it's throwing firebombs at you. Retreat if you see one flying towards you. If you think you can, take out the Hollow solider behind the knife-wielding one you killed. Climb up the stairs (carefully) and rush the firebomb-throwing Hollow. Then, turn your attention to the one sitting behind the stairs. Lastly, take out the one who started out on top of the steps and probably jumped off by this point. Try your best not to fall off. Of course, this is a guide, you don't have to do it exactly this way. Climb the stairs and go past the tunnel to pick up a Soul of a Lost Undead. Double back and enter the tunnel. Turn to the left to kill a rat (you may have some issues with your weapon hitting the wall), then move down the tunnel until you encounter an opening to your left. Climb up those stairs. Congratulations, you're in Undead Burg! But we're not done yet. Take out the two Hollows with axes (maybe practice your dodge rolling here), then move forwards and take out the third. A lightly armed soldier will pop out from the house to your left. Take it out, then (nothing else's in the house) continue through the fog wall. You'll see an item slightly below you; I don't recommend going and getting it right now. Go under the awning in the house and find the Soul of a Lost Undead. Climb up the stairs and almost get walloped by the Wyvern in front of you.

That dragon-like being is called the Bridge Wyvern. Despite all dragons being wiped out in the opening cutscene, wyverns are not dragons. (Fun fact of the day.) Continue onwards, taking out the Hollows along the way (beware the archer in the tower!). When you get to the stairs, open the door below the tower and go to the balcony to pick up the Wooden Shield. Afterwards, take out the crossbower and enter the enclosed area to the left. Light the Undead Burg bonfire. Congratulations! You've gotten to Dark Souls's second (well, third) area!