Untended Graves | Dark Souls 3

Full Untended Graves Walkthrough

Untended Graves is a hidden, optional area in Dark Souls 3. The area can be accessed via an illusory wall behind a chest after Oceiros, the Consumed King's boss room. The area is a replica of Cemetery of Ash, but shrouded in total darkness and occupied by different enemies. Click here to go to the speedrun section.

Ravenous Crystal Lizards & NPC Invasion

From the Bonfire, proceed forward and head down the path to the left. You will encounter a group of Corvians that you first encountered in Road of Sacrifices guarding an Ashen Estus Ring. Head back in the opposite direction to find Soul of a Crestfallen Knight 1x on a corpse in front of a vessel.

Take a left up the stairs to engauge a fire casting hollow and dog. A corpse ahead will have a Titanite Chunk 1x. Ahead further you will find a another Titanite Chunk just past the stairs. If you head right into the pool here you will encounter some Undead dogs and Cathedral Grave Wardens.

Head to the right section of this area, where you encountered a Ravenous Crystal Lizard in Cemetery of Ash. There will now be two in this location after wading through the water.

Head out the center path, following it to the left up the hill. This will trigger invasion by dark spirit Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild. Defeat her and proceed down the path to the left. Down the drop in the corner, you will find a corpse with Hidden Blessing 1x. Defeat the remaining hollows and step into the arena. The Sword Master can be summon at the arena entrence for the Champion Gundyr boss fight.

The area boss, Champion Gundyr will be crouched, surrounded by candles. Approach him to start the battle. Defeating him earns you Soul of Champion Gundyr.

Loot the Untended Graves Dark Firelink Shrine

In this arena you can find the Black Knight Glaive on a corpse by the broken wall. Light the Bonfire and exit via the closed double doors. Take the path to the right up to find a Black Knight with a greataxe, and beyond another with a greatsword.

To the left of the Shrine's entrace, head up the series of stairs and another Black Knight will attack from the right. Kill it and head to the top of the stairs to find the Chaos Blade where the Sword Master spawned in the normal Firelink Shrine. Head back down the path hugging the left to go up some stairs. At the top you will find a corpse with Soul of a Crestfallen Knight 1x. In the graves in the grass in front of this area (where the dog spawns in normal Firelink) you will see a Black Knight guarding a Hornet Ring on a corpse.

Make your way into the entrance to dark Firelink Shrine. Approach the vessel where the bonfire would be to find Coiled Sword Fragment 1x. If you head down the hallway you will find an alternate version of the Shrine Handmaid. She has a unique inventory: Wolf Knight Set, Priestess Ring, and 2x Ember. Inside the shrine you can find the Blacksmith Hammer where Andre would be. If you head down the hallway where Irina had been you will come to an Illusory Wall. Beyond you will find Eyes of a Fire Keeper. In NG+2 behind the throne of Prince Lothric (largest and centermost throne), you can find the Life Ring +3. You can also find Hollow's Ashes on the hollow sitting where Yoel is located (if you have not progressed Yoel's Quest line). Upstairs and outside, there may be a Seed of a Giant Tree.

When you are finished exploring, you may port out via a bonfire, Homeward Bone, or your newly found Coiled Sword Fragment to continue your journey.

Untended Graves Lore Notes:

1. This seems to be a alternate version of the cemetery of Ash where the Flame has already been extinguished and the Age of Dark is already upon the world. According to Champion Gundyr's soul description it seems like he was the unkindled one destinated to link the Flame, but awoke too late and the world had already plunged into the Age of Dark. Perharps this place serves as a warning for future unkindled champions of what would happen if they choose to extingush the flame.
2. After talking to the Alternate Shrine Handmaiden return to Firelink Shrine and when you talk to her again she will ponderingly say "Wait, haven't I met you before?" before continuing with her regular dialog.

Untended Graves Other Notes

• Interestingly, and perhaps with lore significance, messages left here - be it in the graveyards, boss arena, or dark shrine - show up in the 'regular' versions as well, and vice versa. For example, leave a message in the dark shrine, and return to the Firelink Shrine. You will find this same message in the same location.
• Geographically, the area is still in the correct location. In this case, you have merely walked to the graves, rather than "woke up" or bonfire-warp to them.
• The tower key can be bought in this dimension, but the tower behind the dark shrine cannot be accessed; the door is noninteractive. Also the ladder is absent.
• You can still jump onto the shrine's roof using the tree behind the shrine. The Crow's nest on the rafters is absent.
• If you havent previously gone through the illusory wall or gotten the Silver Serpent Ring, doing so in Dark Firelink will do the same in normal Firelink.
• In the menu to quit the game where the character's profile appears with time played, the location will be "cemetery of Ash" and not "Untended Graves".
• From technical point of view Cementary and this location are the same. If you "noclip" (cheat allowing flying and ignoring collison) from your starting location in Cementary of Ash you will arrive at Oceiros boss room. If you try to return from there you will arrive at Untended Graves. Do note that under normal circumstances you can leave Cementary of Ash only through bonfire warping.
• Shrine Handmaid Temporal Situation: Although the Shrine Handmaid in the Untended Graves maintains a separate inventory from her counterpart in the standard Firelink Shrine, the two are narratively linked by a definitive temporal flag. If the Ashen One visits the Untended Graves and speaks to the Handmaid there before ever interacting with the merchant in the standard, illuminated Firelink Shrine, a unique encounter occurs. Upon returning to the standard Firelink Shrine for the first time, she will greet the Ashen One with surprised, unique dialogue "Oh, thou'rt..." as if she recognizes the Ashen One from the past. This interaction serves as a confirmation that the Untended Graves exists temporally in the past relative to the standard game world or atleast a different version of it.
• The Coiled Sword Fragment Slab Crow Exchange: While the Coiled Sword Fragment provides utility as an infinite-use Homeward Bone, its highest mechanical value lies in its trading potential. The Ashen One can take this fragment to the nest of Pickle Pee, Pump-a-Rum on the roof of Firelink Shrine, dropping it in the nest yields a Titanite Slab in return. Because Titanite Slabs are strictly limited per cycle and are essential for reaching maximum weapon reinforcement, trading the fragment for a Slab is highly recommended. Given that standard Homeward Bones can be purchased from the Shrine Handmaid for a trivial soul cost, this trade allows the Ashen One to secure a critical upgrade material without compromising their ability to warp or escape dangerous encounters.
• Kriemhild Invasion Lockout: The Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild will invade the Ashen One as a dark spirit near the cliff path in the Untended Graves. However, this invasion operates as a boss trigger flag: it requires the Ashen One to be in an Embered state while Champion Gundyr is still alive. If the Ashen One bypasses the graveyard and defeats Champion Gundyr first, the zone is flagged as "cleared," and Kriemhild will permanently lose the ability to invade for the remainder of the current playthrough. To ensure the invasion triggers, the Ashen One must traverse the graveyard perimeter while Embered before ever stepping through the fog gate to confront the boss.

Untended Graves Map

TheGadgetAddicts: Untended Graves Video Walkthrough

Untended Graves Speed Run Walkthrough

Starting from the Oceiros bonfire, follow the hallway until you find an item on the ground. pick it up, as it will allow you to access Archdragon Peak. Keep going and roll into the illusory wall immediatly behind the chest. follow the wall to the left to prevent fall damage, and then light the bonfire. Keep running, and if you need 4 titanite scales take a right where the ravenous crystal lizard was in Cemetary of Ash. keep going straight as if you were going to the Iudex fight. Enter the arena, and kill Champion Gundyr. Afterwards, open the door and head to where firelink shrine would be. In the bonfire pit, you will find the coiled sword fragment.