DLC | Dark Souls 3

DLC in Dark Souls 3 is a full guide to the game's additional downloadable content that is released post launch. Players may purchase a Season Pass to access all DLC, or the Dark Souls 3 GOTY (Fire Fades) Edition, that includes the base game and DLC in a bundle.

Dark Souls 3 Editions

• The first DLC is titled Ashes of Ariandel and was released on October 25th, 2016. It is priced at 15 USD for the single item.
• The second DLC is titled The Ringed City and was released on March 28th, 2017. It is priced at 15 USD for the single item.
• Both DLCs are sold together for a total of 25 USD as Season Pass Bundle, saving players 5 USD.

Dark Souls 3 DLC Ashes of Ariandel Information

Ashes of Ariandel is the first of two DLCs in Dark Souls 3, released on October 25th. The developers recommend this expansion for players who have cleared Lothric Castle.

To access Ashes of Ariandel, players must purchase and download the DLC, then speak to an NPC at the Cleansing Chapel in the Cathedral of the Deep. Talk to him and agree to receive a rotten scrap of painting, which will transport you to the beginning of the DLC. If you have completed the events of The Ringed City beforehand, a piece of a painting will be at the corner of the shrine instead. Note: Completing this DLC is not required to finish the game or obtain any trophies.

Dark Souls 3 DLC Ashes of Ariandel Gallery

Dark Souls 3 The Ringed City Information

The Ringed City is the second and final DLC for Dark Souls 3. Announced by Bandai Namco on January 23rd, 2017, it was released on March 28th, 2017. The developers recommend this DLC for players who have cleared Lothric Castle.

The Ringed City DLC is accessed by traveling to the Kiln of the First Flame and finding a new bonfire before the Soul of Cinder, which transports you to the DLC location. Alternatively, you can find a bonfire in the Painted World of Ariandel, in the chapel by Sister Friede. For this method to work, ensure you are teleporting to the Sister Friede bonfire first. If you last saved there and then start the DLC, the bonfire will not appear. Simply teleport to Firelink Shrine and then back to the Sister Friede bonfire, and it will be there.

Dark Souls 3 The Ringed City Gallery

The Ringed City Concept Art

General DLC Notes, Trivia and Tips

• A mechanical difference in Dark Souls 3 is the absence of Bonfire Ascetics. In previous titles, the Ashen One could burn these items at a bonfire to raise an area's difficulty to the next cycle, respawning defeated bosses and refreshing rare loot. This mechanic does not exist in Dark Souls 3. The only way to respawn a defeated boss, acquire variant rings, or increase the Soul yield of enemies within a zone is to advance the entire world into the next new game plus.
  
• The ability to interact with a bonfire is disabled while any form of multiplayer session is active. If the Ashen One has summoned friendly phantoms for cooperative play, or if an aggressive dark spirit has invaded the world, bonfires lose functionality. The Ashen One cannot rest to restore Estus Flasks, attune new magic, or fast travel until all phantoms are defeated, sent home using the Black Separation Crystal, or the area boss is vanquished. Cooperative groups must rely on current Estus Flasks and healing miracles to survive between encounters.
• Unlike earlier entries in the series where individual bonfires could be independently kindled to provide healing items for a specific zone, Dark Souls 3 utilizes a global upgrade system tied to a single location. The Ashen One cannot upgrade or alter the intensity of standard bonfires found throughout the world. To increase the restorative power of the Estus Flask, the Ashen One must retrieve Undead Bone Shards and burn them at the Firelink Shrine bonfire. Burning a shard permanently increases the healing yield of the flask globally, meaning all bonfires across every region provide the upgraded healing potency without requiring individual kindling investments.