No-Death Playthrough Strat Sheet (SOTFS) (Incomplete)

Initial word: this sheet is for TRUE Scholar, not "Vanilla" Scholar. Strats will obviously vary somewhat, even on the same game version, but the general idea stands: leave nearly nothing behind. This isn't a steadfast guide, this is just what I'm trying to remember for myself and following to this standard is something I do. You can try it if you like, but your skillset or comfort zone may differ from mine. Also your OCD. Various RNG factors will also affect your level of upgrades (say, getting a Titanite Shard from Prism Stones). Obviously heal as needed. Lifegems aren't consequential. Death is.

I know most of this by heart. This is mostly a reference sheet for me. So using it as a guide might feel a bit obtuse.

***THINGS BETWIXT***
 - 1x Rusted Coin
 - 1x Small Smooth & Silky Stone
~Starting Class: Explorer
- GIFT: Healing Wares
 - 1x Human Effigy
 - 1x Torch + 1x Soul of a Lost Undead
~Light bonfire and rest
<---BACKTRACK
Strategy for ogre: 2H dagger, bait buttslam, use two to three R2's, repeat
 =| Stone Ring
 - 1x Gold Pine Resin
~Rest at bonfire again, equip ring, clean hotbar:
~Empty/Lifegem/Empty/Gold Pine Resin/Empty (second row fully empty)
**TREE #1**
 = Six two-R2 Undead Travelers, two three-R2 Undead Travelers
 - Dagger (equip in second weapon slot)
 - 1x Lifegem
~Kick ladder, redeem SS&SS and Prism Stones (praying for Titanite, do this as you find more)
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Solider (drop to)
**TREE #2**
 = One two-R2 Undead Traveler, three three-R2 Undead Travelers
 - 2x Amber Herb
 - 1x Cracked Red Eye Orb
~Light available sconces:
 ~ 5x on main path
 ~ 7x in Tree #1
 ~ 4x in Tree #2





***MAJULA***
 - 1x Divine Blessing
 - 3x Lifegem + 3x Homeward Bone (equip bones in 5th slot)
 - Morningstar + Cleric's Sacred Chime
 - Binoculars
 + 1x Titanite Shard
 - Estus Flask Shard
 - 1x Lifegem
 - 5x Homeward Bones
~Join Covenant of Champions
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier + 3x Lifegem
~Chat with Saulden, acquire Way of Blue covenant
 ~Learn gesture: "Welcome", equip Blue Seal, light bonfire, rest at bonfire
~Acquire Estus Flask, acquire another Estus Flask, equip Estus in first slot





***FOREST OF FALLEN GIANTS***
 + 1x Rusted Coin
 + 1x Human Effigy
 - 1x Homeward Bone + 1x Soul of a Lost Undead
 = Kill initial two Hollow Infantry, then kill the Ogre using the same strategy as earlier
 = Six more Hollow Infantry before the ladder
 - 1x Soul of a Lost Undead
--->UP LADDER
 = Thirteen Hollow Infantry having a sleep
 - 1x Green Blossom
 - 1x Lifegem
 - 1x Human Effigy
 - Broken Straight Sword
 - Broken Straight Sword
 = One Hollow Infantry on the ladder up, one Hollow Solider at top layer
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier
 - Shortsowrd + 1x Soul of a Lost Undead
~Un-equip all gear except for Blue Seal, heal to full, make the suicide jump to:
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Solider + 10 Throwing Knife (equip knives in 3rd slot)
~Re-equip gear, light bonfire, light torch, light sconce
 = Four Hollow Infantry
 - x20 Wood Bolt
 = One Hollow Infantry and Soldier
 - 1x Lifegem
 = Two Hollow Infantry and one Hollow Soldier
 - Buckler
 = Hollow Soldier
 - 5x Witching Urn
--->DOWN
 = Two Hollow Infantry
 - 1x Human Effigy
 - 1x Soul of a Lost Undead + 1x Torch
 = Seven Hollow Infantry and two Old Ironclad Soldiers await various locations
 - 3x Lifegem
 - Foot Soldier Shield
 - 1x Soul of a Proud Knight
 + Fire Longsword
<---BACKTRACK
~Light bonfire, buy key, return to Majula, unlock Blacksmith door, activate Lenigrast
~Reset area, buy Mace, reinforce if you have shards (+3 highly unlikely by this point, but I've done +2 here before)
 + Short Bow
~Equip Mace and unequip both Daggers, pop all available souls (should be 6200 + maybe some fading souls) return to FOFG


***DYNAMIC TIP FROM HERE ON***: Pop every basic soul you come across for a short period, and the second you are at 12,000 souls:
~Buy Fragrant Branch of Yore from Melentia, and talk to her afterwards for her ring + exhaust her dialogue
~Equip her ring, the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring +1 (ring setup pre-Pursuer should be Blue Seal/Life Ring/Chloranthy/Covetous)

ALSO: Use Repair Powder as needed. Mace upgrade level variance will cause where you need to use it to be different.


***FOREST OF FALLEN GIANTS BOSSES***
 = Four Hollow Soldiers
 - 1x Soul of a Lost Undead
~Light torch, light sconce
 = One Old Ironclad Soldier, two Hollow Infantry (bow-man and axe flanker from below) Hollow Soldier Firebomber (knife him)
 = Two more Hollow Soldiers
 - 1x Green Blossom
 = Trip crossbow trap and deal with the three to four Hollow Soldiers
 - 1x Great Soul Arrow
 - 1x Large Soul of a Lost Undead + Blue Wooden Shield
~Activate Pharros contraption, break "wall"
 + 1x Titanite Shard (trapped chest, heal to full first; if it's ever the orange bomb, spam backstep, not roll)
 + Chloranthy Ring (replace Stone Ring)
 + 1x Titanite Slab
 = Knock, retreat to the double chest room, wait for the one Hollow Solider, then dispatch the other two Hollow Soldiers
 + Life Ring + Large Titanite Shard (replace Spell Quartz Ring)
~Use the middle Ballista to detonate the explosive barrels across the way if they haven't been already (can take a few tries)
 = One Hollow Infantry and One Hollow Soldier, hopefully killed in the explosion
<---BACKTRACK (you should hopefully have the Covetous +1 by now; if not, skip Pursuer until you do)
[THE PURSUER]
\ Climb ladder, quickly kill sleeping Hollow Solider on the right side
 \ Use Gold Pine Resin, and kill The Pursuer
  \ Last two Hollow Soldiers will rush you as soon as he's dead
 =| Soul of the Pursuer + Ring of Blades
~Equip Ring of Blades (replace Blue Seal), equip Aromatic Ooze in 5th hotbar slot
 - 1x Human Effigy + 2x Lifegem
 - 1x Torch
 - Estus Flask Shard
 - 1x Repair Powder
~Blow up barrels to activate shortcut if you have a firebomb; if not, return to Melentia and buy one
~Light torch, light sconce at Pate and down the ladder
 = Three Hollow Soldiers (one resting, two attacking the tree)
 - 1x Large Soul of a Lost Undead
 - Light Crossbow
 = Equip the Light Crossbow and kill the two Hollow Soldiers in the window
 < Invisible Hollow near the sconce
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier + 1x Torch
 = One more Hollow Soldier
 + Mail Breaker + Infantry Helm (equip helmet)
 = Taking the back way, kill the three Hollow Infantry and Hollow Soldiers
 > Invisible Wall
  + Sorcerer's Staff + 1x Amber Herb
 - 3x Aromatic Ooze
~Talk to Pate and obtain the White Sign Soapstone
 - 1x Lifegem + 1x Homeward Bone
 = Three Hollow Soldiers, one Old Ironclad Soldier, and the four surprise Hollow Infantry
 - 2x Amber Herb
 - Halberd + 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier
~Open shortcut, light torch, light sconce
 = One Hollow Soldier
 - Large Leather Shield + 1x Lifegem
 - 10x Fire Arrow
<---BACKTRACK (to the area with Cale)
 - 1x Torch
 = Three Hollow Infantry and Three Hollow Soldiers (varying degrees of weaponry and alive-ness)
 - 1x Human Effigy
 - 1x Amber Herb
 - 1x Titanite Shard
~Exhaust Cale's dialogue, obtaining his key in the process
<---BACKTRACK
~Return to the elevator to Last Giant, send it down without you
 = One Old Ironclad Soldier awaits you on the elevator and one Hollow Soldier at the bottom
[LAST GIANT]
\Summon Mild-mannered Pate
 \Buff with Aromatic Ooze
  \Kill the Last Giant
 =| Soul of the Last Giant + Soldier Key





***FOREST OF FALLEN GIANTS MOP-UP***
<---BACKTRACKING
**DOOR #1**
 < Crystal Lizard (2x Titanite Shards)
 - Hollow Solider Helm
 - Hand Axe + 1x Radiant Lifegem
 = One very lonely Hollow Soldier
 + Small Leather Shield + 1x Repair Powder
 + Small White Sign Soapstone + 2x Radiant Lifegem
 - 1x Divine Blessing
**DOOR #2**
 + Ring of Restoration + 3x Torch
 - Grand Lance
 + 2x Amber Herb
 = One Royal Guard
**DOOR #3**
 = Three Royal Swordsmen and two Hollow Soldiers
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier + 3x Lifegem
 - Drangleic Sword + Drangleic Shield + Drangleic Mail + Drangleic Gauntlets + Drangleic Leggings
~Un-equip Crossbow, equip Drangleic Gauntlets and Leggings
**DOOR #4**
 = Six Skeletons
 - 3x Black Firebomb + 1x Homeward Bone
 - 1x Torch
~Light torch, light sconces
 = Three Old Ironclad Soldiers up, three Hollow Infantry and one more Old Ironclad Soldier, then finally one Hollow Soldier
 - Whip
 - 1x Human Effigy
 - Bastard Sword
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier + 3x Cracked Red Eye Orb
 - 1x Amber Herb + 1x Green Blossom
 + 1x Large Soul of a Proud Knight + Hunter's Hat + Leather Armor + Leather Gloves + Leather Boots
[ARMORER DENNIS]
\Replace Chloranthy Ring with Spell Quartz Ring before approaching the tree (switch back post-fight)
 \Activate him and run back to the tunnel that had skeletons
  \Kill him, carefully (remember to roll sideways to dodge Soul Spears, not backwards)
~Reload area to check tree for Seed of a Tree of Giants (Do this after every invader)
~Light bonfire
<---BACKTRACK
~Take the nest out to The Lost Bastille
 + 2x Human Effigy
 + Dull Ember
~Light bonfire and return to Majula; get Bloodbite Ring from Saulden upgrade Mace to +4
~Level VIT to 13, level ADP to 23, place the rest in VGR; equip Drangleic Mail
**HOUSE**
 - 1x Pharros Lockstone
 + 3x Titanite Shard + 3x Torch (can be obtained earlier if you lack the shards for +4)
 = One Skeleton
 - Estus Flask Shard
 - Soul Vessel
~Return to the bonfire, upgrade Estus twice, light torch, light sconce below the house, and return to rest at the bonfire
~Pop remaining non-boss souls and level STR to whatever you can, make return trip to the nest (invisible hollow loot)





***HEIDE'S TOWER OF FLAME***
 + Crimson Parma
 - 1x Soul of a Lost Undead + Broken Thief Sword
 = Three Old Knights and two Heide Knights
 - 1x Lloyd's Talisman
 - 1x Soul of a Nameless Soldier + 1x Human Effigy
 = Three Old Knights; then on the left: One Old Knight and two aggressive Heide Knights, with a final Guardian Dragon
 - 1x Divine Blessing
 =| 1x Petrified Dragon Bone + Watchdragon Parma
 - 1x Old Radiant Lifegem
 + 5x Human Effigy
[OLD DRAGONSLAYER]
\Buff with Aromatic Ooze
 \Kill him
 =| Old Dragonslayer Soul + Old Leo Ring
 + 3x Cracked Blue Eye Orb
 + Cleric's Parma + Tower Shield
~Light bonfire
<---BACKTRACK
 = Two Heide Knights and one Old Knight
 + Ring of Binding
[DRAGONRIDER]
\Just kill him. Buffless, with the levers pulled. It's Dragonrider. Honestly.
 =| Dragonrider Soul
~Chat with Licia, light bonfire
 - 1x Monastery Charm
 = One Old Knight
 - 1x Human Effigy + 1x Dark Troches
 - 1x Soul of a Proud Knight
 - Old Knight Halberd
 = One Royal Guard
 + Sublime Bone Dust
~On elevator down, pop any non-boss souls
 = Three Hollow Infantry, one Basilisk, and a Petrified Undead Traveler (un-petrify him); then one Old Mastodon
 - Estus Flask Shard
 + Knight Helm + Knight Armor + Knight Gauntlets + Knight Leggings
~Light bonfire and return to Majula
~Burn Sublime Bone Dust, get another Estus, level VGR to 20, END to 10, then put the rest into STR





***NO MAN'S WHARF***
~Initial tip: Equip a Varangian Helm if you get one
 = One dog, four Hollow Infantry, and two Vangarian Soldiers
 - 1x Soul of a Proud Knight
 + 1x Titanite Shard
 - 1x Large Soul of a Lost Undead + 1x Lifegem
 = Five Hollow Infantry, a Varangian Soldier, and a Torch Hollow
 - 10x Iron Arrow
 - 3x Dark Pine Resin
 = Three Varangian Soldiers, two dogs, and one Hollow Infantry
~Speak with Lucatiel
 = One Hollow Infantry, dog, and Varangian Soldier
 = Three... things, one Varangian Archer, and two Varangian Soldiers
 - 1x Large Soul of a Lost Undead + Emit Force
~Pull the lever of boat