Dark Souls 3 - PvP character creation guide/checklist by Warmag2

Simply put, this is a guide for creating a PvP char in DS3 with the minimum hassle recquired, it fulfills these recquirements:

• grants most of the spells
• grants all gestures
• grants all multiplayer items
• keeps the maximum amount of areas multiplayer-capable (i.e. the boss is alive)
• 14/+9 estus if you want to keep Aldritch alive, full 15/+10 otherwise

This guide is not in-depth and not concerned with finding specific items of any kind, because it assumes you can transfer everything down from your NG++ characters. Neither does it list detailed locations for the items it recommends to find. It is meant to be a time-efficient way to run through the game in an order, which produces an optimal result in the PvP sense and following it fulfills all the requirements for granting untransferable, once-per-playthrough features and items.

As such, the guide does not recquire NG+, but being in NG+ has obviously some advantages (such as the possibility of being able to obtain all the spells).

I will try to keep updating this as errors are noticed. The formatting is as such that first I tell what to do in the area and then, whether the boss should be kept alive or not.

Cemetery of Ash

• Sit on a bonfire -> GESTURE Rest

KILL Iodex Gundyr

Firelink Shrine

• Get an Estus Shard from the rafters near the crows
• Talk to Andre -> GESTURE Hurrah
• Talk to Crestfallen Warrior -> GESTURE Collapse

High Wall of Lothric

• Get Estus Shard from the anvil
• Save Greirat (get key from near the estus shard)
• Talk to Emma -> COVENANT Way of the Blue

KILL Vordt of the Boreal Valley

Undead Settlement

• Get Undead Bone Shard near the white birch the giant is shooting at
• Get Estus Shard near the tree with the crowd
• Invite Yoel to Firelink Shrine
• Talk to Yoel in Fireling Shrine -> GESTURE Beckon
• Invite Cornyx to Firelink Shrine
• Talk to Cornyx in Firelink Shrine -> GESTURE Welcome
• Give Loretta's Bone to Greirat
• (somewhat later) Talk to Greirat -> GESTURE Curl Up
• (somewhat later) Send Greirat to pillage Undead Settlement
• Talk to the cage carrier -> COVENANT Mound Makers
• Find item in kitchen -> COVENANT Sunbro
• Find Mortician's Ashes and buy the Cell Key from Shrine Handmaid
• Use the Cell Key to invite Irina of Carim to Firelink Shrine -> GESTURE Prayer
• Find Siegward and help him beat the demon -> GESTURE Toast, GESTURE Sleep
• Die enough times to get all of Yoel's levels

DO NOT kill Curse-Rotted Greatwood

Road of Sacrifices and Farron Keep

• Get Undead Bone Shard inside a tower with slugs at Keep Ruins bonfire
• Get Estus Shard near a collapsed tower within basic progression route
• Get Estus Shard near a bonfire close to Crucifiction Woods bonfire
• Braille Divine tome of Carim down a jump just before Halfway Fortress
• Find Great Swamp Pyromancy tome to the right of the Farron Keep entrance
• Find Sage's Scroll by going forward from the Keep Ruins bonfire and hugging the left wall
• Find Golden Scroll in a cave below a broken wall near Farron Keep Perimeter
• Talk to Anri and Horace -> COVENANT Blue Sentinels
• Invite Orbeck of Vinheim to Firelink Shrine
• Give Golden Scroll / Sage's Scroll to Orbeck to prevent him from leaving prematurely
• Talk to Sirris at Firelink Shrine
• Find Dreamchaser's Ashes near the Old Wolf of Farron and give them to Shrine Handmaid
• Talk to Sirris again -> GESTURE Darkmoon Loyalty
• Talk to Old Wolf of Farron -> COVENANT Watchdogs of Farron, GESTURE Legion Etiquette
• Talk to Ringfinder Leonhart for the first time

KILL the Crystal Sage
IMPORTANT -> DO NOT kill Abyss Watchers yet! <- IMPORTANT

Cathedral of the Deep

• Get Undead Bone Shard near the white birch tree the giant shoots arrows at
• Get Estus Shard near the obelisk just outside the Cleansing Chapel bonfire
• Get Deep Braille Divine Tome from a mimic

KILL the Deacons of the Deep

• Open the main door and meet Patches, fall into his ploy
• After you met Patches, get a Pale Tongue from behind the giants
• Talk to Ringfinder Leonhart again and get the Cell Key
• Kill the Darkwraith in the Undead Settlement
• Talk to Ringfinder Leonhart again -> GESTURE Applause
• Meet Rosaria -> COVENANT Rosaria's Fingers
• NOTE: Patches may be outside Rosaria at this point! You need to talk to him here, if he is.
• Kill Rosaria's passive grub to get the Red Sign Soapstone
• Give one pale tongue to Rosaria
• Buy the key and get the firekeeper soul
• Patches should lock you in now
• Talk to Patches -> GESTURE Prostration
• Buy Catarina Armor and give it to Siegfried -> GESTURE Rejoice
• Talk to Patches again -> GESTURE Patches Squat

Farron Keep

• Kill Yellowfinger Heysel and summon him -> GESTURE Proper Bow
• Summon Londor Pale Shade -> GESTURE Duel Bow
• Summon Gotthard -> GESTURE By My Sword

KILL the Abyss Wathcers

Catacombs of Carthus and Smouldering Lake

• Get Undead Bone Shard from the skeleton ball
• Get Undead Bone Shard from the sandworm
• Get Undead Bone Shard from the long hallway in Demon Ruins
• Get Estus Shard near the Antechamber bonfire behind an illusonary wall
• Get Carthus Pyromancy Tome
• Get Quelana Pyromancy Tome
• Get Izalith Pyromancy Tome
• (somewhat later) Get Grave Warden Pyromancy Tome from the Wolnir bossfight
• In Firelink Shrine, meet Yuria -> GESTURE Dignified Bow
• Buy Londor Braille Divine Tome from Yuria
• If you like being a zombie, follow Yuria's questline, otherwise KILL Yuria and/or ignore her questline
• Talk to Anri in the catacombs
• Kill Horace in Smouldering Lake
• Talk to Anri again, just before High Lord Wolnir. Tell about Horace
• Kill or lose to Knight Slayer Tsorig -> GESTURE My Thanks

DO NOT kill Old Demon King
KILL High Lord Wolnir

Irithyll of the Boreal Valley

• Get Undead Bone Shard by turning right after going down from Church of Yorshka
• Talk to Anri in Church of Yorshka bonfire -> GESTURE Quiet Resolve
• Follow questline (either kill or do not kill assassin)
• Meet Siegfried in the kitchen
• Send Greirat to pillage Irithyll
• DO NOT reach Irithyll Dungeon before killing the Pontiff, as this will get Greirat killed

KILL Pontiff Sulyvahn

Anor Londo

• Get Estus Shard from a chest in the final hall
• Go to Water Reserve bonfire -> COVENANT Aldritch Faithful
• Go to Prison Tower -> COVENANT Darkmoon
• Follow Anri's/Yuria's Questline (either take his/her dark sigils or help him/her)

If you need crystal class spells this playthrough, KILL Aldritch. Otherwise DO NOT kill Aldritch.

Irithyll Dungeon and Profaned Capital

• Get Undead Bone Shard from corpse near bonfire -> GESTURE Stretch Out
• Get Estus Shard from mimic beside the normal progress route
• Get Logan's Scroll from the top of the tower
• Save Siegfried - key is in the rat tunnel with the basilisks
• Save Karla - key is further on in the tunnel near Siegfried

If you need crystal class spells this playthrough, KILL Yhorm. Otherwise, DO NOT kill Yhorm.

Lothric Castle
KILL the Dancer of the Boreal Valley

• Get Undead Bone Shard from under the bridge near the dragons
• Find Divine Tome of Lothric at the platform the white dragon is on
• Find Sunlight Altar -> GESTURE Praise the Sun

If you need crystal class spells this playthrough, KILL Dragonslayer Armour. Otherwise, DO NOT kill Dragonslayer Armour.

Grand Archives (if you needed the crystal spells)

• Get Undead Bone Shard from the chair beside normal progression route
• Get Estus Shard from the very back of the rooftop
• If you have access to Grand Archives and don't like Greirat, you can send him to pillage Lothric Castle. In any other case, DO NOT send him to pillage Lothric Castle

DO NOT kill the Twin Princes

Consumed King's Garden and Untended Graves

• Get Estus Shard by jumping off midway in the first elevator
• Pick up GESTURE Path of the Dragon

KILL Oceiros, the Consumed King
DO NOT kill Champion Gundyr

Archdragon Peak
KILL the Ancient Wywern
DO NOT kill the Nameless King

FINAL ITEMS

• Buy spells from Orbeck (Aural Decoy, Farron Flashsword, Hidden Body, Pestilent Mercury and Spook) -> GESTURE Silent Ally
• Trade the speaking stones from Pickle-Pee and Pump-a-Rum (Divine Blessing, Hidden Blessing, Alluring Skull, Shriving Stone, any chime)

SOURCE