[OLD] Dark Souls II: SotFS - Any% Old Souls (Dark Rapier +10)

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - Any% Old Souls (Dark Rapier +10)

I] USEFUL LINKS

Based on PrepayingDeath's former world record in 1:09:59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFNozdSm5og
All credits to him for this route

Watch the current WR in 1:09:04 by FujoHoraire, which is the most up-to-date run concerning techniques and pathing: https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94

Make sure to lock your FPS to 60 & display it on your screen by using a software like RivaTuner: https://www.guru3d.com/files_details/rtss_rivatuner_statistics_server_download.html

Timestamps from WR video will be set along this notes for a visual overview of some parts of the run.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

II] THE RUN

[THINGS BETWIXT & MAJULA 1]

- Start Explorer with Healing Wares
- Unequip clothes, dagger and ring

- Kill Maughlin with Witching Urns & get Tseldora's Set
- Talk to Shanalotte for Estus Flask & light bonfire

Don't forget to equip Tseldora's Set for extra souls after each fight (useless for Prowling Magus and Congregation) until Old Iron King include

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[FOREST OF FALLEN GIANTS]

- Pull lever & menuing (leave Dagger, Magic Ring, some clothes, remove useless in items bar)
- Take soul and bone in the river & equip soul
- Proceed through Forest
- Open Cardinal Tower door
- Pop soul while talking to Melentia, buy 1 axe & 2 firebombs
- Light bonfire and destroy wall with a firebomb
- Pass the foggate, take elevator
- Equip Tseldora's Set and apply Aromatic Ooze on Axe
# Last Giant (Axe, Witching Urns)
- Darksign ASAP to keep the souls

- Use Last Giant Soul while talking to Melentia
- Buy Blacksmith Key, 2 Brightbugs, talk to her for Serpent Ring & trigger her to Majula

# Kill Pursuer (Ballista)
- Equip Serpent Ring, Blades Ring, Pursuer Soul & warp to Lost Bastille using the nest

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[LOST BASTILLE 1]

- Take Dull Ember in the chest on the right
- Destroy wall by pushing exploding barrel (use the 2nd firebomb if it didn't exploded)
- Light bonfire & rest at it to remove enemies aggro

- Take 2 Great Titanite Shards in the first chest on the left
- Give Dull Ember to McDuff & buy 4 Great Titanite Shards
- Warp to Majula

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MAJULA 2 & HEIDE'S TOWER OF FLAME]

- Open Forge's door

- Proceed through Heide
# Dragonrider (Gravity)
- Use Pursuer soul right after
- Talk to Licia to trigger her to Majula
- Bone back to Majula

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MAJULA 3]

- LEVEL UP: 18 End, 12 Dex
- Take bow in the forge chest
- Pop soul of Dragonrider while talking to Leningrast
- Buy Mace, Rapier, 11 arrows, 6 shards
- Increase Rapier +6
- Buy Cat Ring, 3 bones, some skulls to Shalquoir
- Equip Cat Ring & perform Pitdrop

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[GUTTER & BLACK GULCH]

- Kill Lizard on the bridge with Mace & get Darknight Stone
- Proceed through Gutter, take Branch before Black Gulch
# Rotten (Rapier, Ooze)
- Bone back

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MAJULA 4 & SHADED WOODS]

- Buy Branch & 3 Brightbugs to Melentia

- Pull lever, menuing, alluring skulls for enemies, kill the basilisk
- Use Rotten soul, equip bow, light bonfire
- Shoot the tree to distract enemies
- Get Chloranthy Ring +1 & equip it
# Najka (Rapier, Ooze)
- Proceed through Doors of Pharros

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[BRIGHTSTONE COVE TSELDORA]

- Alluring skull for enemies in front of the door
> Prowling Magus and Congregation (Rapier, Ooze)
(3 R1 for Clerics if they didn't buffed, can also use alluring skull for hollows)
- Equip Mace, kill Lizard with a plunging mace attack
- Take Charcoal Pine Resins in the jar in home
- Take Titanite Chunk next to the spider on the left
- Take Titanite Chunk in the house
- Take Titanite stuff in the spike area
- Open the door, alluring skull for spiders
- Pull lever on the left & climb ladder
# Freja (Rapier, Charcoal Pine Resin, Brightbug)
(kill little spiders first using alluring skull: https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=1395)
- Take great soul next to Dragon carcass & bone back
- Warp to Majula

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MAJULA 5]

- Use Najka's Soul while talking to Melentia and buy her 3 Brightbugs & 31 lifegems
- LEVEL UP: 18 Vgr, 24 End, 8 Int, 8 Fth
- Rapier +10 with Leningrast
- Open the way by giving 2k souls to Licia

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[HUNTSMAN'S COPSE]

- Buy Archdrake Staff, Dark Weapon spell & 2 Dark Pine Resins to Felkin
- Proceed through Huntsman's Copse
- Pull lever to put down the bridge
- Cross the bridge & go in the cavern
- Out of the cavern on the left (next to the skeleton with a rapier)
# Skeleton Lords (Rapier, Dark Pine Resin)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[HARVEST VALLEY]

- Put down bridge, use some bosses souls
- Proceed through Harvest Valley
(You can pickup the torch on the cliff and burn the windmill using a bonfire in Earthen Peak if you don't want to fight Mytha in poison pool)
- OoB at the top of the ladder: https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=1864

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[EARTHEN PEAK]

# Covetous Demon (Charcoal Pine Resin)
- Use Brightbug while the boss dies (if you are going straight to Mytha !)
- After the bridge, climb ladder on the left (watch out about the manikins !)
- Climb ladder at the second floor
- Dodge enemies before bossfight
# Mytha (Rapier, Charcoal Pine Resin, Brightbug)
- Use lifegems to counter poison damages if you didn't burned the windmill, can heal after by using Poison Moss
- Take elevator (use bosses souls, heal, use Repair Powder for Rapier)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[IRON KEEP]

- Open Keep's door
- Go through the first room
- Jump on the stairs on the left
- Climb ladder
- Enter the room & climb the two ladders to skip Smelter Demon
- Cross the bridge & don't use lever
- Enter foggate and pull guillotine lever

> Iron Keep optimal pathing: https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=2082

- Use Brightbug right after entering boss arena (you cannot until now due to Fencer Sharron/Armorer Dennis invasion)
# Old Iron King (Rapier, Dark Pine Resin, Brightbug)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MAJULA 6 & LOST BASTILLE 2]

- LEVEL UP: 35 End, 10 Att, 18 Int, 15 Fth
 (It can be less in END if you decide to skip killing Alonne Knights in Iron Keep 2nd part)
 (All the others levels must be accurates)
 (Make sure to keep 2k souls to infuse Rapier with McDuff)
- Attune Dark Weapon while warping to McDuff Workshop

- Infuse your Rapier in Dark with McDuff
- Equip Archadrake Staff
- Use Branch of Yore on petrified hollow & use Dark Weapon on your Rapier during it
# Sentinels (Dark Rapier)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[SINNERS' RISE]

- Pull levers to open doors & go to Sinners' Rise
- Take elevator & use a Brightbug
# Lost Sinner (Dark Rapier, Brightbug)
- Darksign back

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[DRANGLEIC CASTLE]

- Warp to Shaded Woods & open Shrine of Winter
- Open Drangleic Castle door (Cast Dark Weapon)
- Open door with stone knight and light King's Gate bonfire
- Take healing stuff at the bottom of the stairs
# Dragonriders (Dark Rapier, Bow): https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=2816

- Light bonfire & climb ladder
- Don't get memed by the manikins & trigger elevator
- Pass Chariot & climb ladder on the right
- Rest at bonfire

- Take elevator (menuing during it)
- Get King's Passage Key on the chest on the left & darksign back
- Open King's Passage
# Mirror Knight (Dark Rapier, Consistent Knight Strat): https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=3054
- Take elevator to Amana

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[SHRINE OF AMANA]

- Safe Amana bonfire if you want
- Proceed through Amana
- Use a Brightbug right after killing the big mushroom
# Demon of Song (Dark Rapier, Brightbug)
- Kill Syan Knight and open Undead Crypt door

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[UNDEAD CRYPT]

- Run through Undead Crypt
- Distract Shields Knight by shooting an arrow: https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=3476
- Buff your Rapier before the great walk to Velstadt
- Enter boss arena & use Brigthbug asap (you cannot before due to Nameless Usurper invasion)
# Velstadt (Dark Rapier, Brightbug)
- Pickup King's Ring and darksign back

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ALDIA'S KEEP]

- Warp to Shaded Woods, road to Aldia's Keep, equip King's Ring
- Take RTSR & equip it, setup with Syan's Knight in front of the door
- Jump over the handrail by using the dragon skeleton
# Guardian Dragon (Dark Rapier, Brightbug, RTSR): https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=3744

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[DRAGON AERIE & SHRINE]

- Climb ladder before bonfire & use the zip-line to skip Dragon Aerie
- Darksign while talking to Ancient Dragon and get Ashen Mist Heart

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MEMORY OF JEIGH]

- Warp to Forest of Fallen Giants
- Distract hollow with an alluring skull or just kill him
- Bow Jump to Memory of Jeigh (without Cat Ring if you're using RTSR for Giant Lord): https://youtu.be/OLCrPj9Xw94?t=3953
# Giant Lord (Dark Rapier, (RTSR: risky ,consider it))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[THRONE OF WANT]

- Warp to Dragleic's Castle
- Take a dew damages by jumping to skip stairs to be able to use Old Radiant Lifegem to tank damages
- Before the foggate, in this order: cast Dark Weapon, use a Brightbug (1 for the 2 bossfights), use an Old Radiant Lifegem after
  entering the boss arena
# Throne Watcher & Throne Defender (Dark Rapier, Brightbug)
# Nashandra (Dark Rapier, Brightbug)