Secrets help keep a fanbase engaged with a game for years after its release. Hidden walls, secret items, or even remnants of cut content are all it takes to cause a community of passionate fans to search every corner that a game has.
Dark Souls is a great example of this. Each game has hidden areas with powerful items or entire zones that most players would never find. Dark Souls 3 had arguably the most amount of hidden areas in the series. Dark Souls hides things with illusory walls, fake walls that can be removed by rolling or hitting them. From boss fights to new endings, here are the 10 most important illusory walls players can find in Dark Souls 3. Major spoilers ahead for Dark Souls 3.
10 Firelink Shrine’s Hidden Ring
One of the first illusory walls in Dark Souls 3 is in the hub town itself. Firelink Shrine has a well-hidden illusory wall that contains a fantastic early-game ring.
After unlocking the tower thorough the Tower Key or making a skilled jump near a tree, players will find Pickle Pee, Pump-A-Rum in a crow’s nest. Head inside of Firelink Shrine and head to a wall connecting the archways. One of these is an illusory wall. Hitting it reveals a path that leads to a small jump. Past this is a chest holding the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring, a great early-game ring that grants 10% extra Souls on kill.
9 Chapel to Crypt Shotcut
Inside the crypt that is filled with Giant Flies, run through the flies and stick to the wall on the left. One fly will be staring at an illusory wall.
Down this path leads to a switch that can be interacted with, opening a new shortcut in the Chapel bonfire.
8 Ariandel’s Titanite Slab
After slaying the Gravetender Greatwolf, players can unlock a unique passageway that grants a Titanite Slab. From the Depths of the Painting bonfire, run down the tight ice corridor filled with tree enemies. The tree at the end of the path must be slain.
This will reveal a ladder to the right of the passage. Climbing up this ladder reveals a Titanite Slab. While not an illusory wall, it’s an illusory passage nevertheless that grants an endgame upgrade material.
7 Firelink Shrine’s Hidden Eyes
Past the Ocerios illusory wall lies two more hidden walls. This is one of Dark Souls 3’s most hidden secrets in the game, and its impact is massive.
After beating Champion Gundyr in Untended Graves, players can enter Firelink Shrine in this dark dimension. Heading to Irina of Carim’s room will show nothing, but that wall is illusory. Damaging or rolling through it reveals yet another room that, once again, should be rolled through. Once the second illusory wall is passed, the player will find the Eyes of a Fire Keeper that can be used to unlock the Betrayal ending for Dark Souls 3.
6 The Dreg Heap’s Illusory Wall
The start of the Ringed City DLC has a shortcut that grants some fantastic loot. After players fall into the cathedral with Lothric Knights, run to the right. Once outside, head beyond the fountain opposite of where the falling tower is.
While the end of this path looks like a dead end with a corpse, there is an illusory wall to the left of the room. Striking it reveals a passage that grants Great Soul Dregs and the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring +3.
5 Smouldering Lake’s Pyromancy Tomb
Pyromancers will want to head to the Smouldering Lake to obtain Quelana’s Pyromancy Tome.
Head to the Demon Ruins bonfire. Run to the flaming orb room filled with demon pyromancers and head to the hallway. Go through a door to the right and an illusory wall will be dead ahead that can be rolled through. The left side of this room will have a petrified version of Dark Souls 1’s Fair Lady that is holding the Pyromancy Tome.
4 Aldrich Faithful Illusory Wall
Covenants are a core part of the Dark Souls franchise, specifically for the game’s PvP elements. To join these Covenants, players must talk to certain NPCs or find their badges through the world.
Aldrich Faithful is one such Covenant that players can join. Players can find Archdeacon McDonnell, the NPC responsible for Covenant initiation and rank-ups, near the Pontiff Sulyvahn’s bonfire. Past the sleeping giants and deacons is a building the player must enter to run up the buttresses next to Anor Londo. Instead of heading up the stairs, run left and hit the back-left wall. It will reveal a ladder that players can climb down. After slaying two Sulyvahn Beasts, players can talk to Archdeacon McDonnell to join the Aldrich Faithful Covenant.
3 Untended Graves
From Software typically leaves one of their levels as a secret for players to find. Dark Souls 3 has two hidden areas in the base game: Archdragon Peak and Untended Graves.
Both areas can be accessed right after killing Oceiros, the Consumed King. The room past the boss arena grants a Gesture to access Archdragon Peak. Behind that corpse is an illusory wall that can be broken. Running through the wall reveals Untended Graves, a dark variant of the tutorial area and Firelink Shrine that is much harder.
2 Anor Londo’s Marriage Ceremony
While technically in Irithyll in the Boreal Valley, this next hidden wall is hiding a boss arena from the first Dark Souls.
From the Anor Londo bonfire, take the elevator down to the valley. After entering a circular room, a statue of Gwyn will be visible. Striking it will reveal Gwyndolin’s chamber from the first Dark Souls. It is here where the Ashen One can choose to marry Anri of Astora and unlock the Usurper ending for Dark Souls 3.
1 Midir’s Hidden Arena
Ringed City’s greatest illusory wall hides one of the toughest bosses in the entire Dark Souls franchise. After unlocking the elevator shortcut for the Ringed Inner Wall bonfire, take the elevator down. Just before the elevator ride finishes, leap off the elevator to the last doorway on the left. Heading up the elevator and rolling inside is also an option.
This will lead to a dead-end, but the statue that isn’t holding a sword is an illusory wall. Strike it to reveal the boss arena for Darkeater Midir, easily the toughest dragon boss out of any Souls game.
NEXT: 10 Things Dark Souls & Demon’s Souls Took From Berserk
