Dark Souls 3‘s first DLC dropped this evening. Ashes of Ariandel offers a host of new weapons, armor, magic, enemies, and bosses for returning players. Oh and let’s not forget arguably the most exciting and long-awaited feature: the Player versus Player (PvP) arena.
After downloading Dark Souls 3‘s new DLC, one thing struck me. I knew the arena was coming, but I had no idea how to access it. Well, it turns out you unlock it — by beating the crap out of the first boss in Ashes of Ariandel.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to unlock the arena — every step of the way!
Ashes of Ariandel – How to Unlock the Arena
Begin by accessing the painted world by the Cleansing Chapel bonfire, in the Cathedral of the Deep. Follow the tunnel out of the cave and light you first bonfire. Hug the right cliff face, staying wary of enemies lurking in the blizzard. Eventually, snow will give out beneath you and you’ll fall a short distance.
Head to your left and up the hill from here, careful to take out the creepy killer trees and dire wolves. Follow along a fairly linear path until you reach the second bonfire hidden in a cave in front of a large, rope bridge.
Run across the bridge to the other side and whack it, a la Catacombs of Carthus. Once the bridge stops shaking, it turns into a ladder you can slide down. Be sure you have your Silvercat Ring equipped for this next area.
Carefully drop down the exposed tree roots until you reach the bottom of the icy chasm. The third bonfire is nuzzled into the corner from the direction you just came from.
From the bonfire in the depths of the chasm, head out and hug the right wall. You’ll come across an area filled with those red flowers you’ve seen everywhere, and a sort of monument in the middle. Prepare for a fight before dropping down.
Head into the monument to find the first boss of Ashes of Ariandel. Lower the Champion’s Gravetender to around 30% health and he’ll summon the Gravetender Greatwolf to join the fight. Finish them both off to receive the Champion’s Bones (and his weapon, Valorheart).
Return to Firelink Shrine and burn the Chapion’s Bones at the bonfire. This unlocks the Undead Match feature for the Firelink Shrine bonfire. And that’s how to unlock the arena in Ashes of Ariandel.
You can queue up and wander away or simply stay yourself at the bonfire for consecutive matches. Of course, there is more than simply Dueling (1v1) in the arena. There’s also 2-, 4-, or 6-player Brawls (Free for All), and even 2v2‘s and 3v3‘s.
What builds are you heading into Dark Souls 3‘s new arena with? I think I’ll test out a healer build, myself — for those 2v2’s and 3v3’s, of course! Join the Ashes of Ariandel discussion in the comments below.
