Dark Wood Grain Ring

In Game Description

This special ring crafted in an Eastern land is made
of gold, but with a wood grain crest on its surface.

Agents of subterfuge in this faraway land are particularly
fond of the dark gold wood grain, which greatly
alters its wearer's rolling action.

Use

• Changes the quick roll (0% to 25% Equip Burden) animation to a cartwheel that has several properties:
  • More invulnerability frames (14 frames, compared to normal 12)
  • Recovers faster (8 frames, compared to normal 12)
  • While flipping across lava you take (roughly) half as much damage from lava as you would when you would run.

Availability

Dropped by Shiva of the East's ninja bodyguard

Walkthrough

• Darkroot Garden. Join Alvina's Covenant, Forest Hunter. Joining the Forest Hunter covenant spawns Shiva of the East in front of Alvina's keep and his ninja bodyguard behind him. The ninja bodyguard is difficult to see as he wears a Ring of Fog.

• If you talk to Shiva then leave the Darkroot Garden, Shiva will relocate to Blighttown, along with his bodyguard.

• Kill the ninja and he will drop this ring. Remember that attacking the ninja and the death of the ninja (even if you don't kill it directly) will break the Forest Hunter covenant, making Shiva hostile too. Be prepared for it.
  • Killing the ninja in Darkroot Garden: A few kicks (or a two handed strong attack from the Drake Sword) will send him over the edge, killing him. Reload the game to collect the ring.
  • Killing the ninja in Blighttown: The bodyguard is hiding on the other side of the wall that Shiva is leaning against. You can aggro the nearby fire-breathing Cragspider and stand next to him, he can get hit by the fire and die without turning hostile. Then you can loot the ring.

• If you want to obtain the ring without killing Shiva, thus keeping him as a merchant, assuming you do not wish to use the Cragspider method (stated above), use a Homeward Bone to quickly leave the area after looting the ring. Once you absolve your sins and rejoin the covenant, he will being selling his wares to you as if nothing happened.

• It is possible to get this ring quite early in the game, without buying the Crest of Artorias from Andre. After defeating the Hydra in Darkroot Basin, use the ladder near the waterfall to enter Darkroot Garden through the back way. Either going through the Great Felines or making a mad dash through the main forest and reloading by Alvina, you can join the Forest Hunter covenant and spawn Shiva and his bodyguard. Note that upon reloading to collect the ring, if you want to keep your souls and humanities, you will probably need to avoid Shiva (and the rest of the forest), using a Homeward Bone to return to your last bonfire. By getting the ring earlier in the game, you minimize the amount of souls need to absolve your sins if you plan on re-joining the Forest Hunter covenant.

• If you kill Shiva of the East in Blighttown, but die before killing the ninja, the ninja will return to Darkroot Garden and can be found in his original location (he will be hostile).