Valley of Drakes

Quick Reference

Boss	NPCs	Notable Loot	Enemies
none	none	Dragon Crest Shield Astora's Straight Sword Red Tearstone Ring Brigand Armor Set Beatrice's Catalyst (after defeating The Four Kings) Witch Set (after defeating The Four Kings)	Drake Undead Dragon (Mini-Boss)

Description

This is a small optional area, but you should probably be at least SL 50-60 before you try to tackle it unless you have a good supply of poison arrows and are good at kiting, in which case you can clear this area at any level. Because there are few enemies and little in the way of loot, it's also easy to snatch and run everything in the area, as long as you can take a hit or two from a lightning blast. The drakes have a lot of health points (1115 each) and can deal a good amount of partially unblockable lightning damage. Most people will probably come here for the special loot and Dragon Scale farming.

Early players may want to come here to get Astora's Straight Sword before they head to the Catacombs, because of the weapon's divine properties which help to deal with the skeletons.

That said, everything in this area can be killed with poison arrows, and the sub-boss Undead Dragon dies very quickly to them as well.

Connections

• Darkroot Basin
• Blighttown
• New Londo Ruins (Key Required)

General Notes

• Bonfires: The closest bonfires to this zone are Firelink Shrine, Blighttown Swamp, and in the tunnel between here Darkroot Basin.
• When you enter the area for the first time, there's a good chance that you won't do much damage to the enemies (Soul Level 15-25). The two drakes in between the Darkroot Basin entrance and the entrance to Blighttown/New Londo Ruins are relatively easy to run past.

Important Tips

• There are no requirements for this area and only serves as a connector. It's not worth fighting the drakes unless you are farming Dragon Scales. It's also easy to reach from Firelink Shrine (with the Master Key), so play until you have nothing worth losing and just run for it. If you don't have the Master Key, then when you start from the Darkroot Basin or New Londo, just race for the Firelink Shrine and unlock the door before returning for the loot. Run past the Undead Dragon without waking it; get its loot and kill it last. You can get high enough on the ladder before the drakes catch you to get the ring, but you are probably doomed on the return trip. Lightning Defense will be helpful and Effigy/Eagle Shield, because you are almost guaranteed to be hit by a lightning blast at least a little bit. Note that Fall Control Sorcery does not work when jumping off the ledge with the Red Tearstone Ring; it is too high.
• Even though the drakes can fly, they can die by falling off the cliff.
• The Undead Dragon will wake up if the player goes for the item closest to its head. The item by its claw is safe to get. Upon getting the item closest to its jaws, it will attack with its right claw, so be prepared to dodge. If you're near the edge of the lock-on range, it will only spit poison at you, which is simple enough to avoid and only dangerous if you let it build up. It is possible to stand outside of the range of its poison attack but remain within lock-on range, making ranged attacks easy.
• There is a small pass you can take if you hug the wall while trying to avoid the Undead Dragon if you're coming from New Londo Ruins. This pass ends opposite the head of the dragon but on a higher level. It is possible to do a plunging attack from this location.
• The easiest way to beat the Undead Dragon with a melee weapon only is to use a spear or halberd, or anything with a long reach. Stand on the side closer to New Londo Ruins, right where the narrow path starts to open up into the area with the dragon. Wait for the poison breath to dissipate after he uses it, then 2H your weapon and take a stab at his claw, which should be stationary right in front of you. Back away, so you don't get hit by the next poison breath, then repeat.
• Draining the water from New Londo Ruins will open the large gate behind the drakes on the bridge.

Walkthrough

Valley of Drakes Map The walkthrough begins from the Darkroot Basin entrance, which will probably be the first place you enter the Valley from and is the easiest to get to from Lordvessel hubs. It is recommended to bring around seventy poison arrow and two hundred normal arrows for the area. 10 poison arrows for each drake, and a few spares for misfires. As you exit the lift that brought you here, note the drake on the left down below. If you can, poison him by shooting him 5 times with poison arrows, then, relax and wait. Depending on his pathfinding, though, he might be able to chase you up to the lift, in which case you'll have to engage him. This can best be done by staying on the steep incline of earth that you enter the area on, and keeping the drake at the base of the slope. This will often cause the drake to use its lightning breath into the ground, letting you get a few shots in with your bow, or circle around it and hit it point-blank. Note that you can hit the wings for the same amount of damage, and this is often a better idea than walking all the way around to its back. Watch out for the drake's bite attack. Once this one is dead, you will see a bridge in front of you with another drake on it, who will engage you if you move any small distance into the area. Deal with it the same as above. To your right, there is a very narrow ledge leading up the Valley. Go up with caution, because there will be a well-hidden drake ready to pounce on you. You can bait this drake back to the main landing you started on and poison it. Its movements are very awkward on the narrow ledge, and you can even poison it twice to kill it. Once you've killed it, get the Humanity from the small alcove on your left as you go up the ledge. Back in the initial clearing, you will see three drakes at the end of the bridge. Standing just before the beginning of the bridge, you can poison all three at once without aggroing any of them. Do this twice (total of 30 arrows, give or take 5 to gauge the range), and give it 10 minutes, and you're done! Collect the full set of Brigand Armor and a Spider Shield. If you haven't killed the Undead Dragon already, go ahead and do so now. You can get to it by going up the ledge to the left, or by coming down the other way from either Blighttown or behind the Hydra's waterfall in Darkroot Basin. The Undead Dragon is perched rather precariously, and will not react to arrow fire, so go nuts. Unless you're cheap on arrows or you're doing this first thing in the game, there's no reason to do a suicide run to get Astora's Straight Sword and the Dragon Crest Shield. One final thing: go up the ladder past the clearing with the three drakes at the end of the bridge. You should find your Red Tearstone Ring. You've now cleared the area, well done! Head out any way you choose. Items Astora's Straight Sword and Dragon Crest Shield are found here, nesting in the embrace of a sleeping dragon. (The dragon will wake up if the player goes for the items, so need to be quick) It can be accessed quite easily early in the game provided you have the Master Key and travel from Firelink Shrine, through the New Londo Ruins, and into the Valley of Drakes. The Red Tearstone Ring is located here, located past the bridge with the blue drakes on the other side and up a ladder on the right. It is possible to run to the ladder and live but coming back alive is another story without killing the drakes. Beatrice's Catalyst and the Witch Set can be found on a cliff immediately in front of you after entering the area from the New Londo Ruins upper shortcut. They will only appear after defeating The Four Kings. There is a nook along the cliffside path containing a humanity.