On account of Demon’s Souls tying side quests to World Tendency, most players will miss out on the best content FromSoftware’s former PS3 exclusive has to offer. BluePoint Games’ PS5 remake is incredibly faithful when it comes to gameplay, preserving World Tendency as it was and making players work for their questlines. Selen Vinland is one of the most obscure NPCs in Demon’s Souls with a side quest set in the Valley of Defilement that pits players against Garl again.

The Valley of Defilement is already one of the hardest areas in Demon’s Souls – if not outright the hardest – which makes attaining & maintaining Pure White World Tendency extremely challenging. It’s worth keeping in mind that the reward for Selen’s questline isn’t especially useful for non-Faith builds, but getting deeper insight into the Vinland family is worth its weight in gold.

Defeat Leechmonger

In spite of how overwhelmingly difficult the Valley of Defilement often is for newcomers, the Archstone of the Chieftain might very well have the easiest boss fights across all of Demon’s Souls. Leechmonger does not do 5-1 justice, undercutting one of the tensest uphill battles in the game with a lackluster boss battle that can be slaughtered in seconds with a bit of fire.

Fire bombs, fire weapons, and fire magic (Firestorm especially) will utterly rip Leechmonger apart. Even without fire, the boss itself doesn’t have that much health nor does it do too much damage. If players wind up saving 5-1 for the end of the game, it’s even possible to tank Leechmonger’s attack while pummelling it to death. With Leechmonger killed, it’s time to build up Pure White World Tendency for 5-2.

Get Pure White World Tendency

Selen Vinland, like most NPCs tied to questlines, will only appear once players achieve Pure White World Tendency in the Valley of Defilement. Until then, she’ll be completely absent from 5-2. As the Valley of Defilement is Demon’s Souls’ overall hardest area and dying in Body Form lowers World Tendency, it’s advised to die in the Nexus if players want to build PWWT by defeating bosses. Otherwise, there alternative means:

  • Help a host phantom kill a boss and restore their body. Defeat Invading Black Phantoms.

While most players likely won’t need help with Leechmonger, 5-1 is bound to be populated with newcomers who want help through Demon’s Souls’ harshest archstone. Help out others to safely build up Pure White World Tendency and Selen will show up in no time.

Find Selen Vinland

Finding Selen Vinland in 5-2 can be a complicated process. Not only is the Swamp of Sorrow one of the darkest lit stages in Demon’s Souls, running through the swamp can potentially cause poison or plague, while the enemies themselves are extremely aggressive when compared to the Stonefang Tunnel or the Tower of Latria. Getting to Selen is actually a fairly easy process, however, with her hiding in plain sight.

  • Follow the walkway down to the swamp at the start of 5-2. Run from island to island to avoid status effects while killing any enemies along the way. Alternatively, hug the rightmost section of the swamp to casually walk to the fog gate. Be mindful of poison, however. Once past the fog gate, drop down into the swamp instead of continuing up the walkway. Selen Vinland will be sitting by a fire on a nearby island.

Selen won’t actually prompt the player to find her brother, but speaking with her builds up considerable tension for the Archdemon battle while also serving as an important trigger for the questline’s conclusion. With Selen spoken to, wrap up 5-2 and kill the Dirty Colossus.

Defeat The Dirty Colossus

The rest of 5-2 will be even worse than 5-1, as the back half of the stage past Selen is filled with aggressive enemies who will attack the player on sight. Worse, the swamp impedes movement, making it impossible to dodge roll off the walkway or islands. Thankfully, the Dirty Colossus is arguably even easier than Leechmonger.

Not only does the Dirty Colossus have the exact same weaknesses to fire – ending the fight in less than a minute – but it’s also possible to kill the Dirty Colossus from long-range. Upon entering the boss area, archers or mages can find a safe spot to just burn away the Colossus’ health from afar. Return to the Nexus after the boss is killed to lose Body Form for safety and then warp to 5-3.

Slay Maiden Astraea

Like all Archdemon stages, 5-3 is primarily composed of a single boss fight. That said, it does have a twist in the form of two potential bosses. Players can either fight their way to Maiden Astraea herself by carving a path through Dreglings and then braving the swamp, or they can challenge Garl Vinland to a one on one duel.

Fighting Garl is not only easier than confronting Astraea (who can kill players rather easily thanks to all the hazards leading up to her,) it’s simply more appropriate to kill him personally while doing Selen’s questline. Garl can either be parried to an easy death or fought valiantly. Once killed, warp to the Nexus and then back to the Sanctuary of the Lost for the finale.

Showdown With Garl Vinland’s Black Phantom

With Garl Vinland dead, his Black Phantom will rise where he once stood and challenge the player to a duel. Just like regular Garl, Black Phantom Garl Vinland is easy enough to put down. Once killed, he drops his weapon – Bramd – along with the Vinland Crest, proof of his family lineage.

Return to Selen in 5-2 where she’ll request the Crest. Although you can turn her down, there’s no in-game reward for doing so. If players have a Faith stat higher than 10, Selen will reward them with a Ring of Devout Prayer. Otherwise, she offers a measly Dark Moon Grass for all the trouble.

NEXT: 10 Awesome Areas That Most Players Will Never Find In Demon’s Souls PS5