10 Insane Dark Souls Shortcuts You Totally Missed

Though Dark Souls II's level design is largely more linear than the others in the series, certain areas do have a lot more to them than they originally seem. With the game's unique torch mechanic, many of these are hidden in veils of pitch darkness, and, as its name suggests, Black Gulch doesn't have an awful lot to offer on the visibility front.

There are a couple of little drop-off points along Black Gulch's precarious cliff edges, but one you may never have known about is just a few paces away from the main bonfire. Using the torch to locate it, the player can plop down to a hidden tunnel that reaches right back up to the main path. If certain conditions are met, the NPC Lucatiel of Mirrah can be found taking shelter in this tunnel, and will offer you some useful advice for the journey ahead.

As far as shortcuts go, this one doesn't take you all that far, but it's certainly nice to have a break from being spat at by those goddamn poison statues.