How to Farm Soft Humanity in Dark Souls: A Veteran’s Guide
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So, you’re chasing that sweet, sweet soft humanity in Dark Souls. Whether you need it to reverse hollowing, kindle a bonfire, boost your item discovery, or pump up your Chaos weapons, you’ve come to the right place. Farming soft humanity is a time-honored tradition for many Dark Souls players, and there are definitely strategies that are far more effective than others.
The most efficient methods involve exploiting enemy drop rates, using specific gear to enhance those rates, and targeting areas with readily available and relatively weak enemies. The Depths rats are a classic choice, particularly when coupled with the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring and a decent humanity count. Other options include the baby skeletons before Nito and the humanity phantoms leading to Manus, though these are generally considered less efficient for pure farming due to their location and enemy difficulty.
Prime Humanity Farming Locations and Strategies
Let’s break down the best approaches to maximizing your soft humanity gains:
1. The Depths Rats: A Beginner’s Paradise
- Location: The Depths (warp to the Depths bonfire)
- Enemies: Undead Rats
- Strategy: This is the go-to method for early-game humanity farming. The rats in the Depths are weak and plentiful. Simply run through the area, killing every rat you see, then either warp back to the bonfire or backtrack. With the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring equipped, the drop rate becomes quite reasonable.
- Gear: Covetous Gold Serpent Ring (Sen’s Fortress), high item discovery (up to 10 soft humanity)
- Pros: Easy, accessible early in the game.
- Cons: Can become tedious; lower humanity drop rate compared to later-game farms.
2. Tomb of the Giants: Baby Skeletons Galore
- Location: Tomb of the Giants (before Gravelord Nito)
- Enemies: Baby Skeletons
- Strategy: While the Tomb of the Giants can be a challenging area, the baby skeletons are weak and can be farmed effectively. This method is better suited for mid-game when you have a stronger weapon and can deal with the area’s darkness.
- Gear: Skull Lantern/Cast Light, Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, high item discovery.
- Pros: Potentially higher drop rate than Depths rats.
- Cons: More dangerous area, requires specific lighting.
3. Oolacile Township: Humanity Phantoms
- Location: Oolacile Township (before Manus)
- Enemies: Humanity Phantoms
- Strategy: Located in the DLC, this is a late-game farming spot. The Humanity Phantoms are tougher than rats, but they have a higher humanity drop rate. This method requires a decent build and knowledge of the area. This strategy can be used to teach others how to play games better, as explained on GamesLearningSociety.org.
- Gear: Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, Symbol of Avarice (mimic head), high item discovery.
- Pros: High potential humanity yield.
- Cons: Requires access to the DLC, more challenging enemies.
Maximizing Your Humanity Yield
- Item Discovery is Key: Your item discovery stat directly affects the chances of enemies dropping items, including humanity. You can boost this stat through:
- Soft Humanity: Up to 10 soft humanity increases item discovery.
- Covetous Gold Serpent Ring: Significantly increases item discovery.
- Symbol of Avarice: Obtained from mimics (wear at your own risk, as it slowly drains HP).
- Patience and Persistence: Farming humanity can be repetitive. Put on some music or a podcast to make the grind more bearable.
- Know Your Limits: Don’t push yourself to farm in areas that are too difficult for your current build. It’s more efficient to farm weaker enemies quickly than to struggle with stronger ones.
Understanding “Hard” vs. “Soft” Humanity
It’s important to understand the difference between hard and soft humanity. Hard humanity refers to the consumable item you hold in your inventory. Using it adds one point to your soft humanity counter, which is the number displayed in the upper-left corner of your screen. This counter affects your item discovery, defenses, and the scaling of certain weapons. Don’t get them mixed up!
The Importance of Kindling Bonfires
Kindling bonfires with humanity (requires being human) is a great strategy to make your life easier in the long run. Having more Estus flasks means less reliance on healing items and more survivability in tough areas. The first kindling brings the Estus count from 5 to 10.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What exactly is soft humanity?
Soft humanity is the numerical counter displayed in the upper-left of your screen in Dark Souls. It influences various aspects of the game, including item discovery, defense, and certain weapon scaling.
2. How do I increase my item discovery?
You can increase item discovery by having up to 10 soft humanity, equipping the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring (found in Sen’s Fortress), and wearing the Symbol of Avarice (found on mimics).
3. Where can I find the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring?
The Covetous Gold Serpent Ring is found in Sen’s Fortress. It is located in a hidden area near the top, requiring you to drop down onto a cage.
4. Is it worth it to farm humanity early in the game?
Yes, farming humanity early can be very beneficial. It allows you to reverse hollowing, kindle bonfires, and increase your item discovery, making the game easier.
5. What is the best starting class for farming humanity?
The starting class doesn’t significantly impact your ability to farm humanity. However, a class with decent starting stats and gear, like the Pyromancer, can be a good choice.
6. What does reversing hollowing do?
Reversing hollowing allows you to kindle bonfires (increasing Estus flask capacity), summon other players for co-op, and be invaded by other players.
7. How many Estus flasks do I get after kindling a bonfire?
The first time you kindle a bonfire, it increases your Estus flask capacity from 5 to 10. Subsequent kindling (requires the Rite of Kindling) increases it to 20.
8. How does humanity affect my defense?
Having soft humanity increases your overall defense, as well as your curse resistance (up to 30 humanity).
9. What are Chaos weapons, and how does humanity affect them?
Chaos weapons scale with humanity up to 10. The more humanity you have, the more damage they deal.
10. Where can I buy humanity?
Several NPCs sell humanity, including Patches, Marvelous Chester (in the DLC), and the female Undead Merchant.
11. What is the maximum item discovery I can achieve in Dark Souls?
The absolute maximum item discovery achievable in the game is 410.
12. Are Fire Keeper Souls worth consuming for humanity?
No, consuming Fire Keeper Souls for humanity is generally not recommended. It’s better to use them to upgrade your Estus flasks, as this provides a permanent benefit.
13. Is kindling a bonfire permanent?
Yes, the effect of kindling a bonfire is permanent on that bonfire for that character.
14. Do rats still drop humanity if I’ve already beaten the area boss?
Yes, rats will continue to drop humanity even after you’ve defeated the area boss.
15. Are there any glitches or exploits that can help with humanity farming?
While there are glitches and exploits in Dark Souls, using them can detract from the intended gameplay experience. It’s generally recommended to farm humanity through legitimate methods.
By following these strategies and tips, you’ll be swimming in soft humanity in no time. Remember to be patient, persistent, and have fun! And remember, understanding the mechanics behind games can be a learning experience in itself, a concept that the Games Learning Society explores in depth.