How to Get to the Ringed City in Dark Souls 3
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How to Get to the Ringed City in Dark Souls 3
What to Expect in the Ringed City
The Ringed City is FromSoftware’s finale for the Dark Souls trilogy — a bittersweet, beautifully crafted end-of-the-world setting that wraps up the series’ lore while delivering some of its most technically impressive content. Slave Knight Gael’s fight alone justifies the DLC’s price of entry and is worth experiencing for any fan of the series. The journey through the Dreg Heap and the ancient walled city to reach him is appropriately epic, with vistas and enemy designs that rival anything in the base game. If you have finished the main story and want more, this is the essential final chapter. Check our Soul of Cinder guide if you still need to clear the final main game boss before accessing the DLC’s primary route.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Access the Ringed City
The Ringed City requires the The Ringed City DLC installed. There are two entry points: rest at the Kiln of the First Flame bonfire (just before the final boss) and choose to travel, or complete the Ashes of Ariandel DLC and use the bonfire at the end. Both transport you to the Dreg Heap, the DLC’s opening area.
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Own The Ringed City DLC. This is the second and final DLC expansion for Dark Souls 3 — available separately on PC and consoles, or included in The Fire Fades Edition. Confirm it is installed before searching for the entrance. Without the DLC the entry points simply do not exist.
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Route 1 — Kiln of the First Flame bonfire (recommended). Progress through the main game until you reach the Kiln of the First Flame — the bonfire directly before the Soul of Cinder final boss. Rest at this bonfire and a new travel option appears — «Travel to The Dreg Heap». Select it to enter the DLC. This route is accessible once you have reached the endgame area of the main story.
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Route 2 — End of Ashes of Ariandel DLC. If you own both DLCs and have completed the Ashes of Ariandel, a bonfire at the very end of that DLC also provides a direct travel option to the Dreg Heap. This route requires completing Ariandel first but does not require reaching the main game endgame, making it available slightly earlier.
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Activate the first bonfire in the Dreg Heap. You arrive at the top of the Dreg Heap — a crumbling landscape at the end of the world, filled with Angelic enemies and deadly falling hazards. Activate the first bonfire immediately before exploring — the area is challenging with long distances between rest points and deadly fall traps everywhere.
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Progress through the Dreg Heap to reach the Ringed City itself. The Dreg Heap is the first half of the DLC — after surviving it and defeating the Halflight, Spear of the Church boss, you enter the actual Ringed City: an ancient walled city at the edge of time, containing the DLC’s major bosses and final confrontation with Slave Knight Gael.
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Recommended level 120+: The Ringed City is the hardest content in Dark Souls 3 — enemies are significantly more powerful than the base game and the DLC bosses are among the most challenging in the entire Soulsborne series. Arrive at Soul Level 120+ with a +10 or fully upgraded weapon for comfortable progression.
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Slave Knight Gael is the final boss: the DLC culminates in the fight against Slave Knight Gael — widely considered the best boss fight in the entire Dark Souls series and one of FromSoftware’s finest boss designs. His three phases feature incredibly complex patterns and an emotional weight that makes him the definitive final boss of the Soulsborne trilogy for many players.
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Dreg Heap Angels — use the ground: the Dreg Heap is patrolled by Angelic enemies that fire homing projectiles until you destroy their host bodies on the ground below them. Kill the small crawling bodies (not the Angels themselves) to despawn each Angel permanently. This is the most confusing mechanic for first-time visitors.
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Unique weapons and spells: The Ringed City adds some of the strongest weapons in Dark Souls 3 — the Ringed Knight Spear, Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords, Ledo’s Great Hammer, and the Frayed Blade katana. Exploring thoroughly rewards you with endgame options that rival or surpass most base game gear.
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Halflight boss requires online or offline mode: Halflight, Spear of the Church is a unique boss — in online play a human player can be summoned to fight you as the boss. In offline mode an NPC fills the role. The fight is significantly harder with a human player. Have a strong build ready regardless.
Do I need to beat the Soul of Cinder to access the Ringed City?
No — you only need to reach the Kiln of the First Flame bonfire, which is the bonfire directly before the Soul of Cinder fog gate. You do not need to defeat the final boss to access the DLC travel option from that bonfire. Alternatively, complete Ashes of Ariandel for the second entry route without needing to reach the main game endgame at all.
What is the Dreg Heap in Dark Souls 3?
The Dreg Heap is the opening area of The Ringed City DLC — a crumbling landscape at the literal end of the world where the debris of ages has accumulated. It is characterised by extreme falling hazards, Angelic enemies with homing projectiles, and a unique vertical structure as you descend through layers of accumulated ruins.
How do I destroy the Angels in the Dreg Heap?
Angels in the Dreg Heap are sustained by small crawling host bodies on the ground near their position. Find and kill the host body — a small slug-like creature — to permanently despawn the Angel above. The host bodies are always near where the Angel is firing from and can be identified by their glow or the Angel’s attack trajectory.
Who is the final boss of the Ringed City DLC?
Slave Knight Gael is the final boss of The Ringed City and the effective final boss of the entire Dark Souls trilogy. He is a three-phase fight widely considered one of the best boss encounters in Soulsborne history, combining emotional narrative weight with exceptional mechanical design across all three phases.