Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City walkthrough - dragon bridge and Shared Grave
Escape dragon on the bridge as we continue through Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City.
Our Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City walkthrough continues on out of the swamp now, crossing a bridge over a ravine guarded by a huge dragon, wandering through a burial tower, finishing an NPC quest, and meeting a nasty dark spirit NPC.
At the end of this section we'll land at a new bonfire, and after that it's just a little further to unlock the second shortcut gate and lay the level bare.
This area is dominated by Darkeater Midir, the dragon you'll definitely have noticed if you attempted to cross the bridge.
You may remember an NPC at the top of the grand stairs asking you to dispatch this foe, and we'll certainly come to that - but not right now. Now we just want to get past him without having our bollock hairs roasted.
Alright; lower your equip load and be ready to mash that sprint key; we're going across.
Crossing the dragon bridge from Ringed City Streets
Head out the newly opened shortcut gate and towards the ravine. Rather than approaching the bridge, search the right side for a path leading to an item glow. A ringed knight patrols up as you begin on this path. Stay out of sight and wait for him to begin walking back down, then run up behind him for an arrow or backstab before running back to hide near the bonfire for an easy cheese; he often falls off the ledge in his excitement. The item is a titanite scale, and if you continue on down the path and under the bridge you can grab the Dragonhead Greatshield, too.
Peer across the bridge – you’re safe as long as you’re one step back from the line of sunken bricks. Look ahead to spot an item glow against the wall on the right. It’s hard to see, but there’s a crack in the wall here you can duck into. Stand to the left of the bridge and use binoculars to see it.
What we need to do is trigger the dragon, move as far forward as we can without taking damage, wait for the flames the dragon leaves behind it to fade, and then sprint on over and roll into this crack, avoiding the wretch waiting in ambush there; he shoves you back into the flames. Getting past the wretch is the hardest part as the timing is otherwise pretty generous as long as you’re not super slow and heavy.
Inside the little cave beyond you’ll find some titanite scales, and between gouts of flame you can duck out to grab the soul of a weary warrior which was just outside.
The next bit is comparatively easy. If you peek out the door a little way you’ll see a lower path to the left of the one the dragon flames over. Step out a bit to trigger the dragon, then hop back in while it does its thing. As soon as the flames die down, rush on over to drop down onto the lower path. Don’t worry about the item glow along the way; it’s only some rubbish.
Grab the titanite scale and proceed cautiously, killing the wretch waiting to ambush you. Walk slowly up to the rise to trigger a patrolling wretch on the level above you; if he doesn’t hear you, you can creep up a bit further and have the dragon take care of him for you.
Now just sprint up around the corner and duck into the lit doorway on your left. Be sure to get all the way in or the dragon’s flames can still get to you - but don't topple into the hole ahead!
This new are is the Shared Grave itself. It's a tower encircled by a spiralling staircase. Rather then rely on left and right, which are relative, we'll usually guide you with upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs progresses us through the level, while upstairs takes us on an optional loot with a dark spirit NPC.
The Moaning Knight
This section is optional so skip it if you like; we'll meet back at the door to the Shared Grave in a few minutes.
Head up the stairs towards the crystal lizard; the floor collapses under you before you can reach it. When you drop down you’ll be invaded by the NPC dark spirit Moaning Knight. He patrols up and down the stairs here so you will either need to use stealth of some sort (hidden body remains amazing) or else quickly clear a safe spot to duel him. Alternately: do both, as we describe here.
Immediately head down the stairs to dispatch a skeleton, then go on up and into the first room on the left, clearing the two skeletons as soon as possible. If you do this quickly you'll be done before the Moaning Knight arrives.
Hold very still and listen; Moaning Knight’s footsteps are soft. Stay well back from the door on the side of the room he’s approaching from, and he'll walk right past without noticing you. You can sneak the whole way up the staircase, avoiding him altogether, with this tactic – but it’s also great for cheesing him.
To cheese the Moaning Knight, wait until he turns around at the bottom of the stairs, then keep still and let him walk past again, heading upwards. Sneak up behind him quickly, before he reaches the next room up, and backstab him (or alternately headshot him with an arrow), then sprint back to hide in your room. If you’re lucky (or have hidden body), he will lose you and resume patrolling, and if not, well, you’ve got a head start on the duel. He drops the Blindfold Mask, for some reason, which may explain why he so rarely sees you.
Whether you kill the Moaning Knight or just advance using the side rooms and gaps in his patrol, the next room up on the left contains a skeleton and nothing else. It rises up even if you’re stealthed, so you’ll probably have to deal with it, but note that it’s pretty open to backstabs if you lure and hide. Just outside the second room is a simple gem.
The third room also holds a skeleton, and then there’s the drop back down to the next floor, where you started.
Lapp's NPC quest and the Shared Grave bonfire
From the door to the Shared Grave tower, turn downstairs and climb the rubble to drop a short way. If you’ve been doing his NPC quest, then Lapp is waiting in the room here for a chat. If his voice didn't tip you off, his posture might.
After chatting with Lapp, hem hem, you want to drop down to the next level near the red pennant nearby. Depending on your existing relationship to the NPC Lapp turns out to be, you'll see a scene play here, but you end up where you need to be no matter what. In either case, once we get to the next bonfire you can come back to where Lapp was and take some nice items he leaves for you.
Having dropped down one level from where Lapp was, go upstairs, and drop down another level. Turn downstairs to grab a Blessed Gem. There’s nothing further in this direction, so just turn around and go upstairs.
There’s a treasure chest in the first room you come to and it is, of course, a mimic. Kill it (easier said than done, if you don’t have hidden body) for the Ring of the Evil Eye +3.
Continue up the stairs and enter the next room to fight a skeleton. At the back of this room is a short flight of stairs leading up to two skeletons. Continue past them and emerge back out in the central area; if you have been to a bonfire or ignored the optional path, there’s a crystal lizard on your right – but the ground will crumble under your feet and drop you back onto the Moaning Knight path, so ignore it for now. It's just a trap.
Instead, head upstairs to find the Shared Grave bonfire. Don't go traipsing out the other door without a care in the world; Midir is still waiting for you.
One thing you should do before leaving this place is go back to where Lapp was to collect the items for finishing his quest. You can either bonfire back to Ringed Streets and walk back, or use the path where the Moaning Knight patrols; obviously, if you haven't beat up the Moaning Knight, the former option is by far the safer route.