Dark Souls 3 is a hard game (really!?). You will constantly need Souls to increase your levels so that you can potentially turn the tables on your enemies (good luck with that). However, how the game doles out Souls normally is not enough to feel overpowered or even reach your target level for that perfect build. So let us discuss the 11 best methods to farm souls in Dark Souls 3.
The most effective way of farming souls in Dark Souls 3 is by defeating the 3 Winged Knights near the Grand Archive Bonfire. This method pulls in the best Souls amount. The other great way is by defeating the Knights near the Lothric Castle Bonfire.
Farming Gear
Before we get into the actual farming locations and strategies, you need to be aware of the items that will boost your Souls haul. Having these items on you while executing the farming runs we are about to tell you will definitely be fruitful and shouldn’t be ignored.
- Covetous Silver Serpent Ring – Increases souls absorbed for each kill by 10%; with higher versions, this can be increased to 35%. This Ring is stackable with other Souls boosting items. After killing a boss, there is a slight pause before you earn Souls. Equip the ring before the souls arrive, and the bonus will still apply.
- Symbol of Avarice – Increases Souls received by 50%. The downside is that it depletes 5 HP per second. So the best strategy, if you can’t manage this drawback, is to equip it right before you engage to save HP.
- Shield of Want – Increases souls gained by 20%. Stacks with other items. You do not need to meet the Strength requirement to gain the 20% bonus. The shield must be held for the Souls to count. Will still count if you dual-wield or two-hand a weapon.
- Mendicant’s Staff – Increases souls gained by 20%. It can be equipped as your secondary right-hand weapon. if you do not have a Sorcerer build, The trick here is to switch to your Mendicant’s Staff just as the enemy/boss dies so that the effect is active.
The total increase in souls gained by equipping all of these items is 237.60%. This is an insane addition to the tedious task of farming. We highly recommend that you use these items while Souls farming.
11. Great Belfry
To achieve maximum speed, remove all armor (unless you have the Symbol of Avarice on) and run across the walkway by the bell to reach the Man-Serpent Summoner. Attack him until he is almost dead, and wait for him to summon the rapier champion.
Defeat the champion and repeat the process. You can equip farming gear and use a switching strategy to increase the number of souls earned.
10. Keep Ruins Bonfire
For sorcerers or pyromancers in the early stages of the game, there is a great farming spot available. Start by eliminating the three Ghrus near the bonfire, then head to the bridge and turn right. You’ll see three Elder Ghrus in the distance. Jump onto the rocks bordering the path and walk to the third one.
From there, use your binoculars or bow to aim at the nearest Elder Ghru and use an arrow or long-range sorcery to aggro it. A well-aimed Soul Spear can also attract the leftmost Elder Ghru, speeding up the farming process or putting you in a tough spot, depending on your damage output.
Once the Elder Ghrus are within lock-on range, unleash your fire or magic attacks on them, repeating the process for the other two Elders. This farming method can yield around 6k souls or up to 10k if you have Soul farming gear.
You may also obtain a decent supply of Embers and (Large) Titanite Shards, which are crucial for upgrading your equipment.
9. Farron Keep Perimeter Bonfire
There are two ways of farming here; the fast and long routes
Fast route – Start by turning around from the bonfire and taking out the three enemies facing away from you before reaching the crystal lizard. This method only takes about 30 seconds per run, and with the Covetous Silver Serpent ring equipped, you can earn approximately 1200 souls per run.
Long route – proceed forward from the bonfire and position yourself at the doorway until the Darkwraith comes to attack you. Take him down, move to the right, and eliminate enemies.
Eventually, circle to the left where the other Darkwraith will be occupied with different enemies, making it easier to defeat him. This run takes approximately 2-3 minutes and yields around 2600 souls when using the Covetous Silver Serpent ring.
Bow Strategy
It is recommended to equip the Hawk Ring and the Black Bow of Pharis. Start by dashing through the doors and hiding behind a large tree before the Darkwraiths spot you. From this safe location, shoot arrows at the enemies to aggro them from a distance.
Remember that aiming higher is necessary when targeting the Ghrus sitting on the stairs near the Abyss Watchers’ bonfire due to the long distance.
Once the Ghrus have been aggroed, they will rush at the Darkwraiths, who will be waiting behind the doors leading to the Abyss Watchers. Take this opportunity to use rusted coins before attacking the weakened Darkwraiths.
You will have free time to do this since the Darkwraiths are unable to pass through the doors. With this strategy, you can farm souls in Dark Souls 3 efficiently while minimizing your risk of taking damage.
8. Boss Cooping
One of the most effective methods for farming souls, especially in the late game, is to place a white summon sign for co-op and defeating bosses. With 2-3 players, most bosses become a breeze, even with the increased difficulty scaling.
Long-range attacks like spells can make some bosses a cakewalk. Equipping farming gear will boost your soul gain. As bosses often give you ample time to equip the Symbol of Avarice before they perish, it’s definitely worth using it to increase your yield by 50%.
The Boreal Dancer is pretty decent as it can be accessed at nearly any point of the game, and if beaten in co-op, it drops 15,000 Souls (27,000 with farming gear).
7. Yhorm the Giant’s Bonfire
For a low-risk and high-reward farming run, consider taking on the white-robed jailers and gargoyles outside of Yhorm’s boss room. This method can yield up to 20K souls in just 2-3 minutes, making it an efficient strategy.
However, be cautious not to aggro the jailers while fighting the gargoyles, as this could lead to a more challenging and risky encounter.
6. Church of Yorshka Bonfire
To start, exit the bonfire and take the left path (not the one that leads to the stairs). Follow the left path until you see a hole in the balustrade. Jump down onto the Boreal Immolator (Irithyllian Fire Witch) with a drop attack, and if necessary, deal a few additional hits. After that, go up the stairs and return to the bonfire.
This run takes about 45 seconds and yields 3564 souls with farming gear equipped. While the soul yield may not be as high as other spots, this run is simple and suitable for lower levels.
You can easily stun-lock the enemy after the drop attack and finish them off. Additionally, there’s a chance to obtain large Titanite Shards.
5. Anor Londo Bonfire
This Souls farm is accessible by climbing the stairs from the bonfire and confronting the Silver Knights. Begin by luring the Spear Silver Knight down and defeating it before proceeding to the Sword Silver Knight.
After that, make your way through the arch on the right to face a challenging red-eye Sword Silver Knight. If you have the farming gear ready, you can gain 9900 souls by eliminating the spear and sword knights on the stairs in just 32-45 seconds, assuming you are an SL100 pyromancer.
Additionally, taking out the red-eye Knight will net you an additional 7920 souls, bringing the total to 17820.
However, this will add an extra 15-25 seconds per run, so it may not be worthwhile unless you can quickly dispose of the first two knights within 25 seconds. If you encounter difficulty with the first two knights, you can skip the third and return to the bonfire.
Bow Strategy
Equipped with the Black Bow of Pharis and the Hawk Ring, you can employ a strategic approach to defeat the Silver Knights and their red-eyed counterpart. Start by ascending the stairs and drawing the attention of the spear knight.
Once the Knight begins pursuing you, retreat down the stairs and use the bow to take aim at the sword knight at the top of the stairs.
The Silver Knights cannot cross the bridge that connects the bonfire area to the stairs, so you can safely use the bow to lure the red-eyed Silver Knight to the bridge’s edge, causing them to fall to their death.
Once the first two knights have been dealt with, focus on the two you have lured. The Great Chaos Fire Orb spell is particularly effective here, as it can significantly damage both knights and any lingering pools of fire.
Doing this for 10 Minutes will net you 184k Souls, and in an hour, you can get 1.1 million souls.
4. Dragon-Kin Mausoleum Bonfire
For those focusing on strength and dexterity builds, there is an exceptional spot for farming souls located right next to the bonfire at the base of the stairs. A summoned knight will appear, granting you a base of 4000 souls per kill.
The beauty of this spot is that as long as you leave the bellringer alive, the Knight will respawn infinitely, allowing for continuous farming.
An effective strategy is to equip the Hornet Ring and a high attack rating large weapon, allowing you to backstab the Knight as soon as the summoning sound cue ends and the light begins to fade.
This can result in swift and efficient kills, making it possible to farm souls here indefinitely. With persistence, you can accumulate a significant number of souls, which can prove invaluable in your adventures ahead.
With all the farming gear equipped in NG, you can make 9,500 Souls per kill, which takes around 20 seconds. 28k Souls in a minute and 1.7 million Souls in an hour.
3. Archdragon Peak
To effectively farm souls in Dark Souls 3 using this method, you need to invest at least 48 points in Intelligence and equip the four soul-boosting items. The Mendicant’s Staff is your go-to weapon, so upgrade it to one-shot the snakes. Your spell of choice is Crystal Soul Spear.
Start by heading to the nearest bonfire, then turn back and target the snake on the right. Position yourself to kill both snakes simultaneously with the spear. Afterward, finish off the snake on the left before returning to the bonfire. This strategy can yield a significant amount of souls with each run.
A single run can take up to 12 seconds if everything goes according to the plan and will rake in 11k Souls per run. This can go up to 500k in 10 mins and 3+ million in an hour.
2. Lothric Castle Bonfire
The best and easiest farming spot is killing the Knight near the bonfire, repeatedly resting and killing again. Equip the farming gear for 5900 Souls per run (15-20 seconds) and many sellable items (use Covetous Gold Serpent Ring to optimize). Achieving 240,000 Souls per 10 minutes on an SL 100 build is doable.
If you have a sorcerer build then using the Soul Stream spell can make this even easier. Keep in mind you need to be at Intelligence level 45 for this.
At Lothric Bonfire, use Soul Stream to one-shot both knights and return to the bonfire in under 10 seconds. With Symbol of Avarice, Shield of Want, and Silver Serpent Ring+3, earn 12k/run, 72k/min, and 4.3 million/hour. A little practice is required to establish a rhythm, but it becomes a reliable method.
1. Grand Archives Bonfire
Instead of crossing the bridge to where the Twin Princes’ bosses are, use the elevator to ascend and reach the upper level. There, you’ll find three Winged Knights that can be farmed for valuable loot and Souls.
Backstabbing them is relatively easy as they have slow attacks, making it an effective tactic for swift kills. These knights are known to drop guaranteed large titanite shards, and you may even come across some titanite chunks.
After clearing the area, use a homeward bone or coiled sword fragment to return to the bonfire and send the elevator down to minimize wait time on subsequent runs. On the first occasion, when you successfully kill all three knights at once, they will drop a titanite slab, which is a rare and valuable find.
If you’re having difficulty defeating these foes, try using the Rapport pyromancy to charm them and turn them against each other for easier kills. This farming method can be a reliable way to acquire essential resources for upgrading your weapons and gear.
This will give you 30.000 Souls per kill in NG alone, totaling 90k if you take out all three.
As you can see, there are many different ways you can farm Souls in Dark Souls 3. Depending on your progress and playstyle, you can find the right farming spot for you. Just get as many Souls as you like and do not let anyone tell you that it is unfair; the whole game is unfair to you, so why not level the playing field a bit?