Dark Souls Tips – #1: Open Up and Farm Darkroot Garden as Early as Possible

The area guarded by the Forest Hunters past the door unlocked by the Crest of Artorias is the most famous and best farming area in the game.  Initially you may think that you cannot get enough souls for the Crest until you dispatch a couple of the first bosses. However by using the Master Key, collecting all early game soul items and avoiding the temptation to level up, you can buy the Crest very early in the game.

With the door unlocked, farming is pretty easy and fast, once you get the hang of it.  The trick is to make the hunters chase you and then stand against the ledge next to the stairs by the door.  The hunters will try to jump over you and fall to their deaths.  Be aware that in rare occasions they will land on the edge.  You can kick them off or put up your shield and let them bounce to their deaths once they attack.

During your first farming run, you can collect 10,000 souls counting a knight that will not re-spawn.  Other runs will then yield you 7,000 souls.

In the back of the area, there are 2 additional enemies that do not re-spawn: another knight and Pharis.  I usually ignore these two until later in the game when I come back with better equipment.

Watch this video that shows how to buy the Crest of Artorias as early in the game as possible.  I use a Pyromancer build and successfully farm with a Level 1 build.  I end by almost recouping all of the 20,000 souls, plus possession of the Stone Set and the Hornet Ring.

This is my #1 tip for Dark Souls.  Use it to level up your character very quickly in early game, or load up on souls for equipment purchases or upgrades.  I truly hope it makes your Dark Souls experience more enjoyable.