[Dark Souls II] Old Shields%

[Dark Souls II] Shield Only Old Souls Any%
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Old Souls - finish the game while passing the shrine of winter via acquisition of the 4 Great Soul bosses (Rotten, Old Iron King, The Sinner, Duke's Dear Freja)

Shield Only - only deal damage to bosses with a shield (Dragonrider gravity and Pursuer ballista strats are fine)

Tseldora management - make sure to take off the gear whenever possible without a timesave, and to put it on after every boss fight for the soul boost.


Route
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Things Betwixt
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Start Warrior/Gift optional (Healing Wares or a Homeward Bone)
Grab the Torch under the cart beside the bonfire
Head to Majula


Majula
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Talk to Herald
Light Bonfire
Grab soul by the Blacksmith (optional)
Run to Heide


Heide
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Grab the soul/effigy (optional)
Dragonrider falloff strats
Talk to Licia
Warp to Majula


Majula
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Talk to Herald (just to cycle more dialogue)
Buy Twin Dragon Greatshield from Maughlin
Two-hand the shield in your right hand (makes jump attacks easier)
Kill Maughlin with the shield and grab the Tseldora set (L1, L1, L1 - he aggros, knock him down 3/4 more times with jump attacks)
Sort gear order/hotbar/pop souls at the gate
Head to Forest of the Fallen Giants


Forest of the Fallen Giants
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Grab the river bone (optional - you only need one to avoid a potential death at McDuff)
Buy 1 Brightbug, Leningrast's Key, 15-20 Firebombs from Melentia
Talk to her for the Silver Covetous Ring, exhaust her dialogue, light the cardinal tower bonfire
Blow up the wall and head to Last Giant
Pop brightbug/equip ring on the elevator
Kill Last Giant (L1 is safemode, L2 is getting stomped on mode)
Pop remaining souls on elevator
Grab the bone above Pursuer door (optional - you only need one to avoid a potential death at McDuff)
Roll Pursuer and ballista dat mista
Take the nest to Lost Bastille


Lost Bastille
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Light the bonfire, pop pursuer soul
Grab 1 large titanite (either ledge or ladder)
Kick the barrel towards the wall (get ready to backup-firebomb it)
Light the bonfire and try to rest (bone if bad doge stops your boning)
Light the sconce inside McDuff's room and rest at the bonfire
Grab the 5 titanite, 2 large titanite, and twinkling titanite in the chests
Warp back to Majula


Majula
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Buy the remaining 2 brightbugs from Melentia
Open the Blacksmith
Rest at the bonfire
Buy 1 titanite and 11 wood arrows from Leningrast and pick up the bow in the chest
Upgrade the TDGShield to +5
Level up some VIT/END 10/10 minimum (save 22k souls)
Buy the Cat ring, 10 bones, 10 skulls
Head down the pit


Gutter
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Take the first bonfire
Head down to the Black Gulch


Black Gulch
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Grab the branch
Take the first bonfire
Head to Rotten
Brightbug outside/inside (doesn't really matter)
Kill the Rotten (L1 is safety, L2/Jump Attacks for bigger punishes)
Head to Shulva


Shulva
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Light the first bonfire (optional you filthy peach)
Grab the Twinkling on the corpse past the second bonfire
Head down into Dragon's Sanctum (pop a soul on the fire-bridge)


Dragon's Sanctum
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Open the wheel-door via bow-shots
Grab the soul in the door to the left (optional)
Go down the right path and shoot the pressure plate on the roof (toss a skull or two during this)
Grab the twinkling in the chest that has been revealed
Head toward the puzzle sword room (throw a few safety skulls in here too)
Grab the twinkling from the right-hand chest (soul and effigy en route are optional)
Head back towards the Flynn's room, grab the 20 poison throwing knives off the body on the staircase, grab the ring
Head towards the dragon stone area, throw a skull to distract the caster, grab the twinkling in spikes, double back and bone out
Warp to the Black Gulch


Black Gulch
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Drop down to the giants underneath gandalf
Kill the Giants (4 knives will poison, 2 sets of poison will kill them, use firebombs to speed things up if you're feeling saucy)
Bone out
Warp to Gutter


Gutter
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Cross the first bridge, take a left (careful not to fall through the middle of this platform)
Jump off of the North-West corner of this platform towards the torch hollows below
Climb the ladder at the north-west of THAT platform
Open the door, bomb the shit out of the statues because fuck you stone-faced poison spitting shitlords
Grab Havel's gear from teh urn
Bone out
Warp to Majula


Majula
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Drop/item box the Havel set sans the Shield
Level Havel's Greatshield to +5
Buy 3 Brightbugs and X of lifegems
Level to 23STR, 14VIT, rest optional (pop souls if necessary, and save 2k for Licia)
Go pay to open the miracle mechanism
Equip the Flynn's ring if you haven't already
Head to Huntsman's (Hantzman Kappa) Copse


Hantzman's Copse
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Light the second bonfire (if you're a big peach)
Head to Skeleton Lords
Kill Skeleton Lords (go as fast as you want, you're a jump attacking beast at this point)
Pop souls at the lever
Head to Harvest Valley


Harvest Valley
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Run to Covetous (do coolboy OoB if you're not a peach)
Bash the fatboy to death (L1 safe.... yeah same shit again, just don't die to this guy ffs)
Head to Earthen Peak


Earthen Peak
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Light your torch at the first bonfire
Dodge Manikens and Grey dudes, get up the ladder and light the windmill
Pop a brightbug before the Pyro grills
Kill Mytha (protip: 2 L2 staggers her)
Head to Iron Keep


Iron Keep
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Take the bonfire (if you're a huge pea... wait I take this one, yeah take this bonfire for strategic purposes)
Jump attack those 2 dudes at the door for teh lulz
Do the Smelter jump (always good practice)
Jump back across and head towards turtle tunnel
Don't panic, 1 jump attack kills the guy in the tunnel, L2 his buddy around the corner if you fancy it
Head to Iron King
Pop a brightbug
Kill Iron King (easy game easy life)
Bone out
Warp to Majula (or Lost Bastille if you wanna skip a set of brightbugs)
Buy 3 brightbugs
Level up some more (12ADP, then END/VIG)
Warp to Lost Bastille


Lost Bastille
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Head to Sentinals
Kill Sentinals (2 L2 staggers lel, just wait upstairs if you want full safety)
Head to Salt fort (OpieOP)
Pop some souls at the gate
Skip the bonfire (cmon)
Take the elevator down to Sinner, pop a brightbug en route
Kill Sinner (bit of a pain, but if you time jump attacks you can poise through some attacks and destroy her)
Bone out
Warp to Majula


Majula
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Buy 3 brightbugs
Run to stoned pyro grill
Head to Shaded Woods


Shaded Woods
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Light crossroads bonfire
Head to and grab the Chloranthy ring
Light Najka bonfire (if you're a huge peachasaurus rex)
Head to Najka
Pop a brightbug
Kill Najka (hug dat butt)
Head to Doors of Pharros


Doors of Pharros
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What a pointless few lines of this pastebin, but whatever, I'll add it for consistency
Head to Brightstone Cove


Brightstone Cove
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Head to Congregation
Suuuuhmashhhh Congregation with your mighty shield
Head to Freja
Pop a brightbug
Go blow up Freja's head(s), use skulls as necessary
Bone out
Warp to crossroads if you took another bonfire


Shaded Woods
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Run to Shrine of Winter


Shrine of Winter
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Pass through the shrine OpieOP
Head to Drangleic Castle


Drangleic Castle
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Open front doors, pop souls during
Take first bonfire
Warp to Majula


Majula
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Buy 3 Brightbugs
Level up w/e
Warp back to Castle


Drangleic Castle
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Kill Dragonriders (3 L2 = dead grey rider)
Light bonfire
Start elevator
Bone back
Pop remaining souls (wait we're not even gonna level again, nevermind that)
Get on the Elevator
Engage in top tier Mec-Approved Peestrats (you've got about 40 seconds to empty that bladder)
>>>WASH YOUR HANDS<<<
Grab the key, bone back, head to Mirror Knight
Pop a brightbug
Kill Mirror Knight (L1 is king if you have trouble avoiding the shield)
Head to Shrine of Amana


Shrine of Amana
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Take the bonfire (you'll thank me later)
Head through and grab the second one if you're feeling peachy (I won't judge in this case)
Kill the caster by the foggate and do sneaky strats OR kill both and try to jump attack the drakes (hero-strats)
Take off that Flynn's ring (stupid bugs)
Head to Frog
Requip Flynn's
Kill Frog (slow shield makes this annoying, just play safe and jump attack + L2 (or 2 L2) after attacks)
Head to Undead Crypt


Undead Crypt
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Take second bonfire (optional, but won't call you a massive peach here either)
Head to Velstadt
Get through the fucking gate
Pop a Brightbug
Crush Velstadt like peasant grill
Grab King's ring, bone out
Warp to Crossroads

Shaded Woods
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Run to the King's door
Head to Aldia's Keep


Aldia's Keep
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Run to Guardian
Pop a brightbug if you feel like it, meh
Kill Guardian (can be hilariously easy or tediously hard - gluck)
Head to Dragon Aerie


Dragon Aerie
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Light the first bonfire you nutcase, jesus
Do the Ela yump (first time or rito)
Head to Dragon Shrine


Dragon Shrine
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Light THIS first bonfire too you crazy mofo, dayum
Run to Ancient Dargon
Chit-chat - get the Ashen mist
Bone out
Warp to Cardinal Tower


Cardinal Tower
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[If you're a pro go for the ledge-jump and skip the next 3 lines]
Drop off down the ladderhole
Head to the King's door
Skip the bonfire (amagad teh risk)
Enter the memory
Kill Giant Lord (easy game easy life)
Bone out
Warp to Drangleic Castle first bonfire


Drangleic Castle
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Head to the King's door
Head to Throne of Want
Brightbug outside (summon Benhart if you want)
Destroy Watcher/Defender
Get rid of Benny if you summoned
Re-brightbug if you've got any spares (I've not been counting so far o_o)
Kill Nashandra
Flex for 15 seconds
Split
GG WP


Credits
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Play Yatta and/or run ads o_O