Undead Parish

From the Undead Parish bonfire on the dragon bridge, head upstairs and defeat the Undead Soldier.

Backtrack slightly and turn right into a room. Instead of going down to the Undead Rats, go up.

Defeat the Greatsword-wielding Black Knight. Backstabs and strafing are effective. You will receive a Titanite Chunk and potentially its Greatsword.

In the next area, you will encounter Armoured Tusks. These large boars have a lot of health and charge at you. Use the environment to your advantage. Some can be backstabbed. They drop the Fang Boar Helm.

To progress, sprint right and up the stairs under the arches. At the top, run left, block arrows, and leap to the ground.

Run past the large open gate (which a Hollow will close if you get too close) and kill any aggroed Hollows.

The Basement Key is located on the stairs. At the top of these stairs, a Halberd can be found on the left. (Note: The Halberd is a powerful weapon for later use).

Enter the building to face Balder Knights. These enemies are well-armored and strong. Be wary of Rapier Knights attempting to parry you; avoid attacking when they point their sword at you. They can drop various items including the Balder Shield, Balder Sidesword, Rapier, Buckler, Light Crossbow, Balder Set, Titanite Shard, and Large Titanite Shard.

Bait out the two Sword Knights and one Rapier Knight to the left of the door one by one.

Go outside and run up the stairs to the right. Defeat the Balder Knight on the thin walkway, followed by the Undead Spear Soldier at the end.

Proceed through the door and turn right to kill an Undead Soldier.

Descend the stairs and enter the long corridor. A Rapier-wielding Balder Knight is at the end. A Black Firebomb can defeat it in one hit. The reward is a Knight Shield.

Return from the Knight and take the other exit. Ignore the fog wall and roll onto the lower walkway to find Alluring Skull x4.

Defeat the Undead Soldiers on this walkway. Below is the Armoured Boar encountered earlier.

Use the Alluring Skulls to lure the Boar into the fire below, dealing heavy damage. Alternatively, a plunging attack with the Drake Sword can nearly kill it. Finish it off if necessary.

Clear any surviving Hollows and proceed down the stairs next to the Boar.

In the following room, deal with several basic Hollows that attempt to swarm you.

Head up the stairs. Behind a table at the back is the Mystery Key.

Climb the ladder and kill any Hollows. Shimmy along the beam to acquire a Large Soul of a Lost Undead.

Go up the ladder again and through the fog wall to reach the bridge jumped down from earlier.

Backtrack to the narrow walkway where the Balder Knight and Undead Soldier were, then run across the bridge to a lower courtyard.

Defeat the three Undead Soldiers in the courtyard.

Enter the building. A new enemy will shoot magic from above on the left, and a Heavy Knight is on the right. Bait the Heavy Knight outside to avoid dealing with the magic-user. Heavy Knights are slow but tough, and do not respawn. They drop Titanite Shard, Large Titanite Shard, Tower Shield, Steel Set, Greatsword, or Greataxe.

Pick up the Titanite Shard from the Heavy Knight's corpse and the Fire Keeper Soul behind it.

Head up the stairs to the right. At the top, defeat another Rapier-wielding Balder Knight.

The next area is filled with basic Hollows and the magic-user (Channeler) from before, who can buff enemies. Bait out the Hollows one by one.

Once the Hollows are cleared, deal with the Channeler. These mages deal powerful magic attacks from a distance and can buff enemies.