Dark Souls 3: Ringed City - Dreg Heap
Our complete walkthrough and boss strategies to Dark Souls 3's final DLC.
The Dreg Heap is the first area you'll encounter in Dark Souls 3's Ringed City DLC. It's fairly packed with enemies and several Titanite items, acting as the first bit of setup for the rest of the Ringed City content. If you need help with other parts of the DLC meanwhile, then take a look at our Dark Souls 3: Ringed City guide and walkthrough hub for plenty more.
Dark Souls 3: Ringed City - Dreg Heap
As soon as you enter the Dreg Heap it sets the tone for the rest of the DLC: you're going down into the abyss. Head down the path towards the twisting spires jutting out of the horizon. On the edge, there's an NPC called the Stone-Humped Hag. You can trade with her to get embers, or chat to her to get some more exposition.
Once you're done with the NPC, you can drop down onto the ledge below. Underneath that, there's another ledge, but it's quite a drop. Don't worry, though - there's no fall damage here, as a pile of snow breaks your descent. Head down onto the castle ramparts, and watch for a swarm of ghostly specters who materialise. They will crawl and hack at you with scythes. There are also spellcasters at either side. The best tactic is to run straight for the ranged enemy on the far right, cut it down, then sprint for the one on the left. Deal with the crawlers after.
Afterwards, head up the stairs to the left, and watch out for the big lad up there. He will jump down and attack you. He's pretty slow, but he chains attacks together into vicious flurries. Dodge two or three times when he attacks. Circle around him and take advantage of the big windows you get when he belly flops for a cool 5,800 souls. Alternatively, head up the stairs behind him and do a plunging attack right in his face. Grab the Titanite Chunk from the ground, then head up the stairs for an Aquamarine Dagger.
Head back down and take the route to the right, towards a glowing item balanced precariously on a corpse hanging from a ledge. When close, the ledge crumbles, sending you falling through the glass roof of a library. As soon as you grab the item that fell with you, a Soul of a Weary Warrior, you'll be set upon by more ghosts. Some of them have learned a new attack, which fires out what looks like sentient Humanity. Roll out of the way and hit back.
At the back of the room sits another item - approach it and back off. An enemy will spawn next to you. Kill it before it can respond, then back off, as another enemy is about to drop down from above. Kill that too, then scoop up the item: Twinkling Titanite. In the opposite corner of the room is a Titanite Scale, along with two more enemies who will spawn when you get close.
Nearby, there are some stairs - walk up the stairs, then hop the over half-buried bookcases for another item.
Again, watch out for an enemy who will spawn on the ceiling above it. It's a Murky Hand Scythe. Now head outside and watch for the flying angel thing - it will fire projectiles as soon as it sees you. Drop down and roll backwards immediately, scooping up the Divine Blessing on the ground, then run to the next bit of cover for a breather. When ready, sprint forward and grab the Lightning Urn. You're safe where it's located so don't panic about getting hit by projectiles.
From here, there's a door nearby, or there's a wooden walkway by the angel. You might be tempted to go stand by the corner of the wall and peek around at the flying monstrosity, but just know that a ghostly specter will appear from the ground and grab you if you do. Along the walkway is a Ring of Steel Protection+3, but you can disable the angel first if you want.
Through the door are two knights, twisted and corrupted by vines curling around their armour. Instead of approaching cautiously, run straight up and get a free backstab on the one closest to you, then take them both on in a tough duel. Try take the healer out first, for obvious reasons. He's also easy to backstab, if he does attempt to heal. If you do die, this areas is, thankfully, super easy to sprint back to. Both drop Titanite Chunks when felled.
Head through the door, and up to your right, watching out for enemies as you go. On the upper level in this room are more Titanite Chunks. Keep going through for a Murky Longstaff. Enemies will spawn in from all directions and attempt to ambush you, so fight through them until you're back outside. Once done there, head down, until a tower topples over above you. Keep going and kill the weird enemy rooted to the ground - this will disable the angel, allowing you to head back for the ring. Now go back into the room with the two knights and cross the toppled tower to speak to an NPC called Lapp.
Keep heading in that direction and you'll come to a bridge. Kill the enemies there, then drop down, using a drop attack on the big boy below, if possible. It should almost kill him outright, but finish him off if not, then deal with the smaller enemies around. There's another Titanite Chunk nearby, and the big fella should have dropped one too. At the edge of this area, there's a handful of Homeward Bones. Walk to the ledge, and drop off once you have them. It's a long fall, but you'll be fine.
Make your way down and you're at a new bonfire and the next section, the Earthen Peak Ruins.