Priscilla’s Tower
While trudging through the Painted World of Ariandel, you must have noticed a snowy colosseum in the distance at some point. That’s not just for decoration, you can actually head there. Fans of the original Dark Souls will remember this colosseum as Crossbreed Priscilla’s boss arena in the Painted World of Ariamis.
To get there, first you have to head to the bloody crypt of bugs. Make your way to the first floor, where you would pull the contraption to trigger the cutscene that opens up the area to Sister Friede’s boss fight. Hug the right wall, and start striking the walls towards the end of the path to reveal an illusory wall. Look out for the stationary bug that stares straight at the wall – the bug is meant to clue you in to the existence of the illusory wall there. Strike it, and you’ll find some stairs leading down to two crystal lizards. You’ll also see a doorway that leads outside.
Drop down to the snowy ledge below you, and continue dropping onto the overgrown tree roots. You’ll eventually reach the ledge of the colosseum where Crossbreed Priscilla once stood, or will stand, depending on how you interpret the lore. After all, in Lordran, the flow of time is distorted and convoluted.
Mad Pyromancer Dunnel
Aside from the two bosses available in Ashes of Ariandel, and Sir Vilhelm himself, there is another NPC that you can fight in the DLC. Once you’ve made your way to Priscilla’s tower, you should find a corpse that holds the Pyromancer’s Parting Flame. Reading the item description will let you know that Dunnel still wanders the land as a mad spirit.
If you haven’t already, use an Ember to enter cinder form, and soon you’ll receive a message that Dunnel has invaded your world. The NPC invader will show off the Pyromancer’s Parting Flame as you fight him. He’s not really integral to the story, but it’s still a nice little Easter egg you can trigger in the DLC.
The Longest Ladder
Interestingly enough, Ashes of Ariandel also features the longest ladder you’ll find in Dark Souls III. When you’re on the icy surface (after cutting the rope bridge and descending), take a left to find some giant ice crabs and the creepy tree ladies. You’ll find a slope heading upwards on the right-hand side, but ignore that for now. Continue on the ground path, and take out the tree ladies as you go. At the end of the path, kill the final tree lady guarding the Snap Freeze sorcery, then turn around and go up the slope you skipped earlier.
A ladder will spawn at the side, and you can climb up to collect a new Titanite Slab for upgrading your weapons. This is the same ledge that you explored earlier on in the game, where you encountered the flies and the Follower knights. Heading down the ledge will lead you to the slope that takes you to the Corvian settlement.
Published: Oct 26, 2016 09:11 am