Darkroot Garden

Darkroot Garden (黒い森の庭) is a Location in Dark Souls. It is reached after location, and before location. 

Information

The Darkroot Garden is a dense forest located past the Undead Parish. This area is home to formidable enemies, key bosses like Moonlight Butterfly and Great Grey Wolf Sif, and significant NPCs such as Alvina the Cat and Shiva of the East. It also contains the Covenant of Forest Hunters and leads to the Darkroot Basin. Exploration requires caution, as the area includes hidden paths, ambushes, and environmental hazards.

Area Bosses

Moonlight Butterfly

• Location: Stone bridge in the Darkroot Garden.
• Drops:
  • 10,000 Souls
  • Watchtower Basement Key
  • Divine Ember
• Strategy:
  • Use ranged attacks or summon Beatrice the Witch.
  • Avoid or block its magic projectiles.
  • Attack when it lands on the bridge to recharge its energy.

Great Grey Wolf Sif

• Location: Behind the large glowing door in the Darkroot Garden.
• Drops:
  • Soul of Sif
  • Covenant of Artorias (ring)
• Strategy:
  • Stay under its belly to avoid most attacks.
  • Use fire-based attacks for increased damage.

Enemies

Tree Spirits

• Appearance: Resemble trees and ambush the player.
• Drops:
  • Moss Clumps (Green, Purple, or Blooming)
• Strategy:
  • Strike preemptively when spotted in their dormant state. Weak to Pyromancies.
    

Great Stone Knights

• Appearance: Large, armored knights that use powerful melee and magic attacks.
• Drops:
  •  600 Runes
    
  • Stone Greatsword (2%)
    
  • Stone Armor Set (2%)
    
• Strategy:
  • Use ranged attacks or dodge their slow swings.
  • Avoid their AoE spells.

Forest Hunter NPCs

• Includes warriors like:
  • Pharis: Drops Twin Humanities, Pharis's Black Bow and Pharis's Hat.
  • Clerics: Use healing miracles.
  • Rogues: Attempt backstabs.
• Strategy:
  • Lure one at a time to avoid being overwhelmed. There is also a rune farming method that can be used to lure them into running off a cliff and instantly dying, enabling the player to farm 1000-5000 souls per enemy.
    

Giant Cats

• Location: Found near the bridge in the Basin.
• Strategy:
  • Avoid their spinning roll attack by staying near narrow passages.

Mushroom People

• Appearance: Small and large humanoid mushrooms.
• Drops:
  • Gold Pine Resin
  • Magic Ember (from the chest near their location)
• Strategy:
  • Large Mushrooms hit hard; stay at range.

NPCs

Alvina the Cat

• Found in the stone building near the Forest Hunter area.
• Grants access to the Forest Hunter covenant.

Shiva of the East

• Appears after joining the Forest Hunters.
• Moves to Blighttown later in the game.
• Drops:
  • Murakumo (if killed)

Witch Beatrice

• Summon sign is located beneath the staircase before the Moonlight Butterfly boss fog.
• Assists with magic attacks.

Items

Key Items

• Seal of Artorias:
  • Sold by Andre for 20,000 Souls to open the Seal in the Darkroot Garden.

Armor

• Stone Armor Set:
  • Found near the entrance to Sif’s area.

Rings

• Wolf Ring:
  • Found past a hidden path near the Moonlight Butterfly route.
  • Increases Poise by 40.

Weapons

• Pharis's Black Bow:
  • Dropped by Pharis in the Forest Hunter area.

Upgrades

• Divine Ember:
  • Found after defeating the Moonlight Butterfly.

Walkthrough

From Undead Parish

1. Exit through Andre's smithy.
2. Bypass or kill the Titanite Demon.
3. Navigate the forest path and defeat the Tree Spirits.
4. Unlock the Seal of Artorias door using 20,000 Souls from Andre.
5. Use the hidden bonfire near the door to rest.

To Moonlight Butterfly

1. Take the side path past the Seal of Artorias.
2. Summon Beatrice for assistance.
3. Fight the Moonlight Butterfly on the bridge.
4. Collect the Divine Ember and Watchtower Basement Key from the rooftop.

To Sif

1. Enter the glowing door in the forest after defeating the Butterfly.
2. Approach the grave to initiate the boss fight.
3. Collect the Covenant of Artorias upon defeating Sif.

Covenants

Forest Hunter Covenant

• Leader: Alvina the Cat.
• Location: Inside the stone structure near the hidden bonfire.
• How to Join:
  • Speak with Alvina and answer "Yes" to her questions.
• Benefits:
  • Forest Hunter NPCs become non-hostile.
  • Grants the Cat Covenant Ring, which summons the player to invade trespassers.
• Penalties:
  • Attacking Forest Hunter NPCs or allies will result in being branded a traitor. Use absolution from Oswald of Carim to rejoin.

Shortcuts

Hidden Bonfire:

• • Found near the Seal of Artorias. Attack the wall on the left of the sealed door to reveal it.

Alternate Path to Sif:

• • Bypass the Seal of Artorias by traveling through the Basin.

Soul Farming

Forest Hunters:

• • After opening the Seal of Artorias, bait Forest Hunter NPCs to the ledge and force them to fall for easy Souls.

Stone Knights:

• • Farm near the bonfire in the forest for consistent Souls and armor drops.

Notes

• Defeating the area bosses (Moonlight Butterfly and Sif) affects multiplayer invasions in the area.
• The Cat Covenant Ring summons players to defend the forest.

Trivia

• Sif’s relationship with Artorias is central to the game’s lore. His appearance changes slightly when encountered after the DLC.
• The Forest Hunters’ half-visible aesthetic is meant to evoke the ghostly atmosphere of the cursed forest.