Dark Souls 2: How to get the Boss Soul Weapons

When you manage to finally defeat a boss in Dark Souls 2, you gain not only an acute sense of self-satisfaction, but also your ex-tormentor’s very soul. The further you progress through the game, the more of these souls you will end up hoarding in your inventory, so why not do something useful with them like crafting boss souls weapons? Probably because it’s rather unclear how to actually do such a thing. Well, never fear, friends; here’s a guide to walk you through exactly what to do with Boss Souls in Dark Souls 2!

The first thing to note is that while crafting the Boss Soul weapons is generally the best use of your spare Boss Souls, some of the weapons may not benefit your particular build or style of play. If, for example, you are playing a character with a low strength stat like a Sorcerer, the benefits of owning the Pursuer’s Ultra Greatsword will probably be lost on you and you may be better off simply using the item to gain additional souls. Choose wisely which Boss Souls to keep, which to use to gain extra souls, and which to trade for Boss weapons.



Where can Boss Souls be traded in Dark Souls 2?

There are two NPCs in Dark Souls 2 who will trade Boss Souls for weapons: Straid of Olaphis and the Weaponsmith Ornifex. These trades require not only the Boss Souls, but an additional number of souls as payment for the NPCs' services.

Straid can be found in the Lost Bastille, just before the walkway leading to Sinner’s Rise. In the room above the entrance to the walkway, there are numerous exploding zombies in a room lined with prison cells, and a statue blocking the way to a bonfire that is visible in one of these cells. If you haven’t obtained a Fragrant Branch of Yore by this point, you will simply see a message saying “A statue blocks your way” when you examine it. Return with a Fragrant Branch of Yore to unpetrify Straid, allowing you to purchase spells from him. If your Intelligence stat is 3 or below, Straid will not trade with you, so ensure you have a few points invested in INT for this purpose.

Ornifex is first encountered in The Shaded Woods, and a Fragrant Branch of Yore is also required in order to gain access to her cell. In the area with the giant Basilisk, there is an area of the ground that will collapse if you stand on it, dropping you into a nest of regular-sized Basilisks. Kill them and locate a door at the end of the passageway near where you fell, which leads to Ornifex’s cell and is initially locked. Be careful of the puddles in this area, as they will degrade your equipment if you touch them. Follow the path away from Ornifex’s cell and bear to the right at the end to drop out onto the pathway that you could see (but not access) from the Shaded Ruins bonfire. Approach the petrified Lion warrior and use a Fragrant Branch of Yore to bring him back to life, before killing him to obtain the Fang Key. This key will unlock Ornifex’s cell, and you can now head back there to rescue her and obtain a free trade.

After this initial encounter, you can find Ornifex in Brightstone Cove Tseldora. She resides in a house that faces out onto the giant sand whirlpool by the third bonfire, and will remain there for the rest of your playthrough.



Click here for the concluding part of this article, detailing all of the Boss Souls and what weapons you will receive in return for trading them to the NPCs!

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