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When it comes to Roleplaying games building the character is half the fun of the adventure. While some games accomplish this through character creation and allocating stat points into skills, others do this through selecting a job and a class and even further allow you to choose and pick parts of a build through equipment, skills, and leveling specific ways.
In Dark Souls, this remains the same as you get their intricate character creation; then, you can create unique and complex builds based on what stats you invest in and what equipment you choose to use. This choice provides variety in each playthrough because you can change builds from a strong two-handed weapon user to an intelligence-based caster or a faith-based cleric.
Of course, usually, you have to stick to one build per playthrough because, in Dark Souls, there is a level limit, but the price for leveling up gets exponentially more expensive the higher you go. This limitation means that investing in specific builds is a decision you must make from the beginning if you want to see the peaks of power.
Unless, of course, there was some way to refund those levels and put those stat points into other places. Welcome to the Dark Souls 3 guide to Respec.
Where to go to Respec
Respec can only be done in a mid-game zone known as the Cathedral of the Deep. It would be best if you talked to Rosaria, the Mother of Rebirth. However, you do not need to join the covenant to Respec, and you need to offer her a Pale Tounge.
You must go to Rosaria’s Bedchamber in more detail; if you have been here before, you can easily take the Bonfire as one is next to Rosaria. If you have not been there before, then here are the instructions on how to go to Rosaria.
Step 1 Go to the Cleansing Chapel Bonfire
Step 2. Head left towards the room with the elevator shortcut in it, and take it upwards
Step 3. Go outside the window on the right side and hug the corner as you go left along the outside of the tower.
Step 4. Climb the ladder.
Step 5. Dropdown onto the rooftop that bridges to the other side. Then cross to the other side.
Step 6. Head right, then immediately take the first left into the rafters of the Cathedral.
Step 7. Go across the stone arches and drop down to a platform on the other side of the room.
Step 8. Dropdown again to the area with guardrails.
Step 9. Hug the right wall until you are past a broken fence and past large iron doors.
Step 10. Take the Bonfire in front of Rosalia and speak with her.
So while the pathing is not that difficult, so long as you avoid taking too much damage from enemies. Remember that this takes place in the Cathedral of the Deep, meaning that you will have to pass by this zone eventually and that it is an insanely huge map that is the gate to various other zones.
It also holds the boss Deacons of the Deep and opens the path to the Crystal sage. So it is essential to have explored this place entirely to come back to Rosaria quickly.
Early game access
Assuming that you are casually going through the story and suddenly realize that you do not like the build you are going for, then perhaps a respec is in order rather than starting over and wasting those hours of hard work. So here is how to get to the Cathedral of the Deep.
Step 1. Assuming you have finished the Undead Settlement, you are led to the Road of Sacrifice.
Step 2. Either go straight to the following essential part or enter the woods to collect many items.
Step 3. Go up the skinny ramp, avoid the scythe-wielding enemy and cross the stone bridge,
Step 4. Through the doorway and into a clearing with a Bonfire and 2 NPCs, Anri of Astora and Horace the Hushed.
Step 5. Go straight, then head right along with the crumbling ruins until you find a hole in the wall.
Step 6. Drop down and kill the clear the room of hollows.
Step 7. Go outside across the stone bridge to the next building,
Step 8. You will encounter a hollow with a spear and shield. Defeat it.
Step 9. Go right of the hollow into an opening and stairs heading down.
Step 10. Kill the Crystal Lizard along the way, and go to the end of the hall.
Step 11. Drop down to your right, pick up the Ring of Sacrifice, and drop down to the next spot.
Step 12. Go back inside the ruins and go through the ground floor until you encounter a group of Hollows.
Step 13. Once they are cleared out, you will find the summon sign of Eygon of Carim behind a pillar.
Step 14. Exit towards the ascending path and go through a tall doorway to fight the boss Crystal Sage.
Step 15. Exit towards the left of the boss area, go up the path, then drop down from the bridge rather than cross it.
Step 16. Run past everything and go across the stone bridge with railings.
Step 17. Up the stairs and through the large doorway, then continue following the forest trail avoiding death along the way.
Step 18. Through the doorway with the lit braziers, watch out for the dogs. They have a very long aggro range.
Step 19. Follow the torches and braziers forwards and to the right. The path leads you to the entrance of the Cathedral of the Deep.
Step 20. Run straight in and open the door. It leads you to the Cleansing Chapel bonfire.
As you can tell, the Road of Sacrifice is chock full of things to explore and items to gather. This pathing is a quick run to it while ignoring everything else in the area. It is so large that two entire forest zones are barely mentioned and a swamp zone to explore. It even has a path to Farron Keep if you want to head there rather than the Cathedral.
Of course, for this article, we want to focus on getting to Rosaria and the Cathedral of the Deep, but on your own, you can explore the Road of Sacrifice and all it has to offer.
How to Respec
Now that you know how to get to the Respec, it is quite a simple task. Speak with Rosaria and select “Reallocate Attributes” this puts you back into the character creation screen with as many skill points as you have levels and your level being put back to LVL 1.
If she declines to respec for you, that is because you do not have a Pale Tongue in your inventory. You can find these items all in the Cathedral of the Deep. So if you have finished exploring the Cathedral, you should have two tongues to use.
Note that you can only respec five times. Rosaria will decline the sixth time, saying that any more rebirths will turn you into a grub.
Why Respec
Rather than take those hours of gameplay farming souls and grinding gear then throwing them out the window, you can get a respec to get a full refund on those levels and reallocate those skill points into anywhere else. To respec also means that you do not get those souls back, and instead, the levels are straight converted into skill points.
It allows you to keep your progression in the story, the items you have found, the NPCs that you have either befriended or slain and anything else that has happened in the game.
It allows for a sense of freedom in the game, even more so when you consider that Dark Souls is meant to be a game wherein you go through multiple new game cycles to experience those power peaks.
Why Not to Respec
From a player’s perspective, there is no reason not to Respec when all it does is allow you to change your build and try out others. However, this is a Souls-like game, which means that there is a cost for doing so more than just the tongues, and it locks away a great ally that can help you as she turns hostile.
Sirris of the Sunless Realms turns into your enemy when you spend a Pale Tongue at Rosaria. People say that with the latest patch, she only turns hostile if you spend it on upgrading her covenant, but I cannot confirm it is not a bug or a glitch.
So why is turning Sirris into an enemy a bad thing? Well, aside from the fact that the player could have brought her to the Firelink Shrine. Sirris is an NPC you will and have probably met along the entire journey. She is someone who is on her adventure but will be encountered over and over in the story of Dark souls 3.
While allied, she can be summoned in many boss fights, making it more convenient as she tanks and dishes out damage for you. She can be summoned in the Abyss Watchers, Deacons of the Deep, Dragonslayer Armor, and the Twin Princes(so long as you have completed her questline). Basically, she makes the boss fights more even as most of these bosses have at least two bosses within the arena.
As an enemy, she does drop all the items she uses while fighting, which, to be fair, looks aesthetically pleasing but performs averagely. This means that whenever you meet her, she will instantly try to kill the player, at least until she is slain.
Where to get Pale Tongues
Now that we know the good and bad about Respec-ing in Dark Souls 3, it is time to discuss where you can get the materials to perform Respec-ing.
- It can be dropped by Darkwraiths (5% drop). These are found in High Lothric and Farron Keep.
- One is located in the Undead Settlement, where you fight the Fire Demon with Siegward. It is hanging on one of the corpses.
- One is found next to the second chained Giant that is in front of the stairs in the Cathedral of the Deep
- One is located on the upper level of the roof, at the end of the walkway by the rafters entrance in the Cathedral of the Deep
- One is obtained each time the player invades and defeats the host of the world while having no covenant or as a member of Rosaria’s covenant.
FAQ
Question: I Invaded a player; why did I not get a Pale Tongue?
Answer: Check if you are in a covenant. If you are, you do not receive a Pale Tongue. Only Rosaria’s covenant counts in attaining a Pale Tongue. Additionally, it would help if you defeated the host of the world; any allies he summons do not give other Pale Tongues.
Question: Is there any way I can get Sirris back?
Answer: No, there is no going back once you offer a Pale Tongue. However, once you finish the game and enter New Game +, you can do Sirris’s questline as it is a new world.
Question: Should I respec before NG+?
Answer: So long as you understand that Sirris will no longer be available, go for it. You get 5 Respecs in every world, so if you NG+, you go back to 5 Respecs. After all, it is meant to be a way to either fix a build or try out a new one.
Conclusion
All in all, it is very straightforward to get to Rosaria and have the option to Respec. The problem comes from acquiring the material for the process and the consequences of doing so. If you do not like your current build or want to try something new, this option is available for you. It is easy to access so long as you explore and are willing to bear the consequences.
Go forth, Ashen one!
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