The opening section of the Shaded Woods is littered with those annoying Goblins who love to hit you hard with poison clubs. Ranged or fire-based attacks are the preferred methods for dealing with these annoying creatures.

Once you’ve reached the opening in the pathway (where the ambush is); run up and left for a [Pharros Lockstone] on a corpse in the corner.

Keep your guard up as you push onwards, kill all Goblins stupid enough to give you trouble and then you’ll approach the most important Bonfire in the area.

After saving we recommend picking the left-hand doorway first (if you don’t have a Ring of Protection already), as there’s one hidden just up and to the left of where the three Goblin’s are hanging around.

Otherwise, the only really worthwhile route is into the woods itself. One word of warning though: If you plan on looting the Forest itself (you’ll find a [Clear Bluestone Ring] , [Old Sun Ring] , [2 x Lloyd’s Talisman] and a [Chloranthy Ring +1] dotted around the ages with the Bluestone Ring slap bang in the middle by a tree), you need to be wary of the numerous near-invisible ghost soldiers who can kill you very quickly.

If you’re looking for a much easier route through the woods, then we strongly recommend you stick to the left wall where you’ll first come across an opening that leads to the Head of Vengarl who will not only sell you his wares (including unlimited Gold Pine Resin ), but talk to him enough and he’ll give you his - very good - helmet (requires twinkling Titanite to upgrade though).

Vengarl will then give you his - very good - helmet (requires twinkling Titanite to upgrade though) and then if you look behind a nearby wall you’ll find a [Fire Seed] (for upgrading Pyromancy).

When heading back out, grab the [Human Effigy] and [Soul of a Proud Knight] from the corpse behind the tree on your left. Now stick to the left side and you’ll soon come across another exit; this time leading up some stairs.

Shaded Ruins¶

At the top, run up the nearby ramp and look behind the next ramp for a Bonfire . Rest here and then time to take in a few notes about this area before you go running off.

This upcoming area is packed with vases with faces on them that emit curse gas. Evidently, you either want to stay away from them, dash into them with a weapon swinging or hit them from afar with ranged weaponary (we like to use Throwing Knives ourselves).

There’s also numerous Lion Clan Warriors who can take - and deal - a good bit of punishment; so it’s wise to only ever take on one of them at a time. Luckily they telegraph their moves early and they’ve got fairly long cool down windows too.

Stick to the left side as you go forwards from the bonfire and be careful as you go up the hill as there’s several Lion Clan Warriors up here (about five in close [proximity). There’s also a Giant Basilik that you should ignore (for now at least).

Bait the warriors one at a time and lure them back to the bonfire to deal with them systematically. Once they’re all gone, go back up, look right, jump across the gap (destroying the cursed pot) and then open the wooden chest for a super rare [Titanite Chunk] and a [Petrified Dragon Bone] .

Dotted around the rest of this upper area you can find on corpses or in chests: [Flame Butterfly + 3 x Torches] , [Pharros Lockstone + Soul of a Brave Warrior], [3 x Human Effigies + 3 x Bleeding Serum], [Fragrant Branch of Yore + Lion Mage Robe, Cuffs & Skirt] .

Manscorpion Tark¶

You should spot a ruined building on the left with an open doorway. You need to be super quick running past the cursed pots (as there’s two in here) and down the stairway into the area below.

Once you reach the open area, head into the area to the left and around the corner you’ll find a Blue Crystal Lizard that you can kill. Jump up the ledge and then grab the [Dark Scythe] from a nearby chest (just be careful of the cursed pot up here too).

If you buy (or already bought) the Ring of Whispers from the cat in Majula then you can speak to the fearsome looking scorpion-man in the sand below (so DO NOT attack him!) Equip the ring to speak to him and he’ll offer his services in killing his fiance (to be fair though, she is the boss for this area…).

You can now go through the lower path and it’ll loop back to near the bonfire (or you can run back up through the house with cursed pots that you came from - your choice).

Right Path¶

To the right of the Giant Basilisk you’ll find a trap in the ground (look for the wooden panels across the ground). This crumbles when you stand on it and you’ll drop down into a pit full of Basilisks and durability-killing acid.

However, if you use a Fragrant Branch of Yore to get the Fang Key from the Lion Clan Warrior that’s been turned to stone (exit this pit via the hole in the wall and look left for the statue); you can use it to unlock the door down here and you can free blacksmith Ornifex inside. You’ll also find an [Estus Flask Shard] and a [Twinkling Titanite] down here too.

Back on the upper floor you’ll find more Warriors and on the right there’s a petrified warrior that if you free with a Fragrant Branch of Yore , leads to a metal chest with [Fragrant Branch of Yore + Lion Mage Robe, Cuffs & Skirt] .

Going through the archway and up the hill will lead to the boss room. If you’ve spoken with Manscorpion Tark earlier then his summons sign will be here too (if you’re human). Time to take on this boss!

Boss Fight - Scorpioness Najka¶

This semi-naked lady-scorpion likes to get physical and use some homing magic to boot. The real trick is in trying to bait her tail or claw attacks (both easily dodged and give you time to counter).

• When you see the five balls above her head; run around in a giant arc to dodge all five shots.
• If you see her use a single magic ball then you can simply dodge left or right as it’s in flight to avoid being hit by it.
• Have some Poison Moss on you in case her stingers get you.
• Stay close and to her side as she’ll use moves with a greater ‘tell’ on them; giving you time to dodge them and retaliate.
• Once she goes underground, keep running and if you here her getting ready to leap up then roll away!
• You can destroy her stingers by hitting them enough once they get temporarily stuck in the ground.
• And in case you were wondering; the item in the tree in the corner is only a [Flame Butterfly] so nothing worth getting killed or severely injured over.

Once she’s been put down for good; you can head up the stairwell and you’ll soon arrive in the next area. The PvP-tastic ’ Doors of Pharros ’.