Key to Valley of Drakes.

[737]

When I try to google it it only shows people on the other side of the gate trying to get to Londo Ruins.
What I what is to go TO Valley of Drakes. I am in New Londo already, but the gate is locked. I killed that guy with the red armor to get the seal key, I thought that was the one, but it's not. Where do I get the key to open the gate to cross to Valley of Drakes?

[737]

Thank you.

[Groen90]

Wait I messed up, I didn't read properly... To get in the valley from fire link you needed to choose the master key as a gift at the start of the game, there's no way to open that door from new Londo's side

[sekai]

The key the sealer in New Londo gives you is the one that allows you to progress further into New Londo and eventually reaching Four Kings.

The gate into Valley of the Drakes from New Londo can only be unlocked by 2 keys:
1. Master Key
2. Key to New Londo Ruins.

The Master Key is either a starting gift or can be purchased later via Domhnall of Zena.

The Key to New Londo Ruins is a key found in a chest Blighttown, rather close to the gate it unlocks actually, as there are only 3 enemies between the gate and the chest, with a distance of about half minute of sprinting.

.....

In the normal order of playing the game, the player will venture across The Depth into Blighttown and eventually find the Key to New Londo Ruins at the very end of their journey across Blighttown at its "exit". They then use the key to unlock the New Londo shortcut and return to Firelink Shrine.

However, speedrunners can speed things up through unorthodox clearing methods via the "Blighttown-skip" where they access the Blighttown through the "exit", doing it in reverse of the typical order; such as what you're trying to do as described in the OP.

However, this can ONLY be achieved if you choose the starting gift as Master Key. The reason for that is because obviously the Key to New Londo Ruins is impossible to obtain before unlocking the New Londo shortcut if you don't access the Blighttown the "normal way", as well as that Domhnall of Zena only sells Master Key after Blighttown is cleared and he moves location.

All in all, if you want to use the New Londo shortcut in "reverse" direction and before Blighttown is cleared, you need to have the Master Key as starting gift.

[737]

Ok sorry for the noob questions, but I'm trying and in order to get to Blight Town I need to cross that gate don't I? Am I missing something? I keep seeing videos of people going TO Blight Town, but they cross the gate, it's opened already. Just to make sure I'm not being clear here, the gate I'm talking about is this one: https://youtu.be/B5Yzi2uCpu8?t=75
I just defeated the gargoyles, rang the bell, and now I'm not sure where to go to ring the second bell. I know there's a boss in Blight Town but I can't go there.

[737]

I didn't try to use any shortcuts, I just ended up here after killing the twin gargoyles

[sekai]

Originally posted by 737:

Ok sorry for the noob questions, but I'm trying and in order to get to Blight Town I need to cross that gate don't I? Am I missing something? I keep seeing videos of people going TO Blight Town, but they cross the gate, it's opened already. Just to make sure I'm not being clear here, the gate I'm talking about is this one: https://youtu.be/B5Yzi2uCpu8?t=75
I just defeated the gargoyles, rang the bell, and now I'm not sure where to go to ring the second bell. I know there's a boss in Blight Town but I can't go there.

That is not the "official" way of accessing the Blighttown, that shortcut is meant as the "exit" of Blighttown AFTER you're finished with it. This is why the Key to New Londo Ruins is placed IN Blighttown, and at near the "exit" to be picked up and used to unlock the shortcut for the player to EXIT Blighttown and ENTER New Londo (though not to actually enter New Londo, but to use it to return to Fireline Shrine).

The "official" way of accessing Blighttown is via The Depth. And The Depth is accessed via accessing Lower Undead Burg.

To access the Lower Undead Burg, the entrance is on the bridge where you meet the knight Solaire of Astora, or where you meet the Hellkite Drake who burns the entire bridge, depending on which one giving one the more impression. The entrance is a locked door inbetween the Solaire and Hellkite Dragon, and is the first thing you should see if you enter the bridge from the default Taurus Demon route.

It is this door
https://guides.gamepressure.com/darksouls/gfx/word/466136062.jpg

The door is locked and needs to be unlocked via Basement Key. It is a key found right outside the Undead Parish (where at the top lives the 2 Gargoyles), on a corpse right next to a gate right outside of the front entrance of Undead Parish.
https://d2skuhm0vrry40.cloudfront.net/2018/articles/2018-05-31-17-56/Undead_Parish3.jpg/EG11/resize/690x-1/quality/75/format/jpg

I think that door can also be opened via Master Key hence you can skip finding the key if you have it as the starting gift, but I am not sure so don't quote me on that. Just find the key, it's right outside of the Undead Parish.

Once you open Lower Undead Burg, make you way past which at the end you will have to defeat Capra Demon in order to advance. Then Capra Demon will give you a key that lets you access The Depth.

And at the end of The Depth sits Gaping Dragon, which defeating it will give you the key to access Blighttown.

And that's how you do it the "normal" way.

[sekai]

Also, a minor spoiler but one you probably need against nonsense bosses like Capra Demon:

There are 2 shortcuts in Lower Undead Berg that makes accessing bonfires a whole lot easier.

.....

The first shortcut is immediately entering the Lower Undead Berg after going down a ladder that goes on forever, you will notice a stair that will link you back to the bonfire that is right next to the Undead Male Merchant (the one you'd sat at when making your way to the Taurus Demon) by opening a gate in the building right next to the one that holds the bonfire (just across a small bridge that other throw Firebombs onto, in the building that stands 2 Battle-axe wielding hollows).

This first shortcut is highly recommended for when you're clearing the Lower Undead Berg because you won't have to waste your time going all the way around Taurus Demon's bridge every time you die, and you just go from the bonfire straight into Lower Undead Berg after a 20 second walk from a familiar bonfire.

.....

The second shortcut is once you make it to the fog gate of Capra Demon, on the right there should be a path with some stairs. On this path there awaits only 3 enemies in total (1 of which is a really weak archer hollow that dies in 2 hits and is incredibly slow), another merchant, and a shortcut that will leads you directly back into Firelink Shrine via the water way where you use to enter Undead Berg to begin with, but from the opposite direction.

It's actually quite a bit of running, so calling it a "shortcut" is rather false. But the path is incredibly safe and a good portion of it has no enemy nor hazard.

This shortcut is also highly recommended, because then every time you run to Capra Demon after you respawn, 80% of the mobs you have to deal with are easy and elementry starter hollows, the very first enemies you meet after reaching Firelink Shrine (excluding skeletons).

.....

I am spoiling you with the shortcuts because you will need it with the kind of bulls that goes around Lower Undead Berg, especially Capra Demon.

Also, get the Residence Key from Undead Male Merchant before you make your way down to Lower Undead Berg. The reason for that is because 1 character is locked somewhere in Lower Undead Berg and needs that key to free them (and apparently not even Master Key can open the door despite opening any other doors in Lower Undead Berg just fine).

[sekai]

Typically it is a good idea to read the item description of the keys you pick up, they usually directly tells you what it is supposed to unlock and where the door is. This is also the case with say, the Basement Key that unlocks the Lower Undead Berg.

But then again, I was stuck a bit after Gargoyles in my very first playthrough too, because we generally don't have a habit of reading item description to find progression clues these days.

But hey, take your time, you don't have to go to Blighttown right away, there is always the Darkroot Forest and other places for you to explore after finishing Gargoyles, there is no "oh you have to do this right now" in this game.

[737]

Thank you. Had Dark Souls getting dust in my library since 2014 and I'm just now discovering what a great game it is, altough very frustrating as I already expected.