Dark Souls Miracles Guide

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Ben Allen

Ben is our Soulsborne correspondent that takes on the crushing difficulty of FromSoft games so you don't have to. He's a master of crafting guides that will see you take on bosses like The Orphan of Kos, Malenia, Blade of Miquella and The Nameless King and live to tell the tale. However, it's not all doom and gloom when it comes to Ben's gaming habits. He's also into more whimsical games like Pokemon and Stardew Valley.

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• Dark Souls Miracles Guide - May 13, 2022

Miracles are a staple in the Dark Souls franchise. It’s as simple as that.

Clutching your talisman close and imbuing yourself with divine energy to hurl a lightning bolt at your opponents or envelop your allies in heavenly light to boost their attack power. Miracles allow a simple hollow to host incredible power through their undying devotion to their god. They are by far the most versatile type of sorcery in the entire game, but this comes at a cost…

Their raw power.

Out of all the types of magic in Dark Souls, Miracles contain more utility spells than offensive spells, unlike Sorcery or Pyromancy. Their spells are almost all offensive as opposed to defensive. Miracles play upon supporting the player or their summoned allies by healing, deflecting projectiles, and buffing weapons with various elements, such as lightning or Darkmoon Essence. It’s also the only type of magic that can cause lightning damage on top of magic damage.

To make things easier to digest, I’ll split everything up into segments:

• Miracles
• Talismans
• Useful Weapons & Rings 

Miracles

Time to get down to the basics.

 Miracles scale with the Faith attribute. Naturally, the more souls you pour into Faith, the more damage you’ll do with your offensive blessings, such as Sunlight Spear or Gravelord Sword Dance. Healing Miracles scale with the talisman or chime you are using instead of your actual Faith attribute, but this allows you to put more points into other attributes like Vigor or Attunement.

In more modern Soulsborne titles, like Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring, spell-casting uses the player’s FP, which can be restored by using a consumable that gets fully restored upon resting at a bonfire or teleporting to a different area. (Such as an Ashen Estus Flask or a Flask of Cerulean Tears)

In Dark Souls, you can equip any type of spell at a bonfire by selecting the ‘Attune Magic’ option and placing your desired spells in the relevant spell slots. On top of this, every spell, miracle, or pyromancy has a finite number of times it can be cast. For example, the Heal miracle has a limit of five spells uses. If you wanted to increase this number, you’d have to equip the same miracle more than once. You can also increase the number of spell slots by levelling up your Attunement attribute.

There are 23 miracles to collect in Dark Souls, and it really isn’t necessary to collect or use all of them as some miracles are effectively unusable in certain situations, but if you’re looking to grab the Prayer of a Maiden achievement; then it would be in your best interest to pick them all up:

• Heal:- Restores a small amount of HP to the caster.
• Great Heal Excerpt:- Restores a great deal of HP to the caster, but this Miracle has fewer casts.
• Great Heal:- Restores a great deal of HP to the caster.
• Soothing Sunlight:- Restores a great deal of HP to the caster and any nearby allies.
• Bountiful Sunlight:- Regenerates the caster’s HP and that of any nearby allies.
• Replenishment:- Slowly regenerates the caster’s HP over time.
• Force:- Creates an immediate blast of the force around the caster; it knockbacks any nearby enemies and deflects projectiles, including sorceries.
• Wrath of Gods:- Shares the same properties as Force but with a bigger AoE and additional magic damage. 
• Magic Barrier:- Protects the caster and dampens the damage taken from any type of magical attack.
• Great Magic Barrier:- A more robust version of Magic Barrier that weakens even the most potent spells.
• Emit Force:- Fires a large blast towards the target that creates an AoE and causes knockback.
• Seek Guidance:- Allows the caster to perceive more summoning signs on the ground.
• Homeward:- Allows the caster to return to the last bonfire freely they rested at.
• Vow of Silence:- Prevents the caster and any nearby foes from casting any type of magic for a time.
• Tranquil Walk of Peace:- Slows the movements of any nearby enemies.
• Karmic Justice:- Causes an AoE explosion around the caster that causes physical damage after taking repeated attacks.
• Lightning Spear:- Allows the caster to hurl a lighting-based projectile at their target; this miracle also gains an AoE effect if it connects with water.
• Great Lightning Spear: A bigger, more potent version of Lightning Spear that deals more damage still gains AoE properties when connecting with water. 
• Sunlight Spear:- The most potent lighting projectile in the game, it deals heavy damage lightning-based damage. 
• Lightning Blade:- Coats your right-hand weapon in lighting, letting it deal lightning damage on top of physical damage.
• Darkmoon Blade:- Coats your right-hand weapon in magic, letting it deal magic damage on top of physical damage.
• Gravelord Sword Dance:- Creates multiple swords to burst through the ground, hurting enemies randomly.
• Gravelord Greatsword Dance:- A more powerful version of Gravelord Sword Dance only with more oversized and more numerous swords

As a side note, a unique feature regarding Dark Souls miracles is called Miracle Synergy. While online, you may come across small white circles in the field. These curious circles boost the effects of the following miracles:

• Bountiful Sunlight
• Soothing Sunlight
• Wrath of Gods
• Emit Force
• Replenishment
• Heal
• Great Heal Excerpt
• Great Heal

You’ll notice that these circles have a specific number of rings when you look closely. Each ring increases the level of power your miracles will have:

• 1 Ring:- Level 1 Power Boost
• 3 Rings:- Level 2 Power Boost
• 6 Rings:- Level 3 Power Boost
• 10 Rings:- Level 4 Power Boost

For example, a Replenishment miracle affected by a Level 1 Boost will allow the caster to regen more HP than usual. In contrast, a Level 4 Boost will regenerate lots more HP per second.

Now that you know the effects of all the miracles in Dark Souls, it’s time to figure out where you can find them. Some can be simply brought by merchants, while others require you to defeat challenging bosses or explore every inch of hazardous areas:

Merchants

Petrus (Found in Firelink Shrine)

Petrus is a travelling clergyman found at the back of Firelink Shrine, near the lift. This is great because it allows the player to pick up a lot of valuable miracles very early on in the game. Upon first meeting Petrus, he will hand the player a Copper Coin and then ask them to join the Way of the White covenant. You can refuse his offer at first if you’d like, but it is still possible to enter it later. After joining, he will sell the following miracles:

• Heal:- Sold for 4,000 Souls
• Great Heal Excerpt:- Sold for 10,000 Souls
• Homeward:- Sold for 8,000 Souls
• Force:- Sold for 4,000 Souls
• Seek Guidance:- Sold for 2,000 Souls

Patches the Hyena

It wouldn’t be a Fromsoft game without Patches, would it?

He can first be found at the Catacombs, up a ladder, and just before the spiked bridge. After interacting with him, he’ll move to the Tomb of the Giants. Conversely,  if you decide to go to the Tomb of the Giants first, he will appear there instead. He won’t move from here until Gravelord Nito is defeated.

Patches will implore you to look down a hole to spot some treasure; after doing this, he’ll boot you down there, mocking you. After escaping, talk to Patches again, and he’d do his tried-and-true method of begging for forgiveness. Choosing to forgive him will make Patches move into Firelink Shrine after Gravelord Nito is defeated. Honestly, Patches isn’t worth all of the trouble for his meagre miracles unless you’ve killed Petrus or missed him entirely.

Patches will sell the following miracles:

• Heal:- Sold for 5,000 Souls
• Great Heal Excerpt:- Sold for 10,000 Souls

Reah of Thorolund

Reah is a character who is closely tied to Petrus and Patches. Like many characters in Dark Souls, her ending is not a happy one. She will first appear in Firelink Shrine alongside Petrus and her other companions, Nico and Vince after you have defeated the Capra Demon in the lower levels of the Undead Burg. She will only leave when talking to Petrus or killing Pinwheel in the Catacombs.

Reah can then be found in the hole Patches kicks you into in the Tomb of the Giants. She will request your aid to defeat Vince and Nico, who have gone hollow and turned hostile. Talk to Reah after defeating them, and she will reward you with the Replenishment miracle before moving to the Church of the Undead Parish that sits just above Firelink Shrine via the lift. She will only appear after you have defeated the giant sword-wielding knight that guards the church.

She will be here permanently until your buy all of her wares, after which she will relocate to the Duke’s Archives and become hollowed there. Or, if Petrus is still alive after Reah returns from the Tomb of the Giants, he will murder her at the church. He will do this rather quickly, so if you don’t want to rush and buy all Reah’s wares at once, I suggest killing Petrus as soon as Reah moves into the Undead Parish.

In the Undead Parish, Reah will sell you the following miracles:

• Seek Guidance:- Sold for 500 Souls
• Force:- Sold for 1,000 Souls
• Wrath of Gods:- Sold for 10,000 Souls
• Magic Barrier:- Sold for 6,000 Souls
• Heal:- Sold for 1,000 Souls
• Great Heal Excerpt:- Sold for 2,000 Souls
• Great Heal:- Sold for 10,000 Souls
• Homeward:- Sold for 1,000 Souls

Siegmeyer of Catarina

Siegmeyer is a joyful, bumbling, adventure-seeking knight of Catarina that can be first encountered sitting at the entrance to Sen’s Fortress before ringing both Bells of Awakening. After you’ve rung the two bells at both the Undead Parish and Queelag’s Domain, the gates to the fortress will open. You can talk to Siegmeyer again near the first boulder obstacle.

While you explore the fortress, the knight will travel to Anor Londo and will find himself in a spot of trouble. If you defeat the Silver Knights surrounding the room Siegmeyer is trapped in, he will gift you a Tiny Being’s Ring. Afterwards, he will travel to Firelink Shrine and ask whether you were the one responsible for opening the gates to Sen’s Fortress. If you answer yes, he’ll give you the following miracle:

• Emit Force:- Gifted by Siegmeyer

Oswald of Carim

Oswald of Carim is an enigma. He just shows up at the Bell of the Awakening tower after you beat the gargoyles and ring the bell. He never mentions anything about himself except that he can erase your sins. This allows you to leave covenants without suffering a penalty and reset hostile NPCs to their neutral state.

Oswald will only sell you one miracle:

• Karmic Justice:- Sold for 40,000 Souls

Discoverable Miracles & Boss Souls

These are miracles that you can find out in the world of Londor; they may be hidden away in corners or behind illusionary walls. Other miracles can only be obtained from defeating powerful bosses:

Soothing Sunlight & Bountiful Sunlight

Getting these two miracles is pretty convenient, although you can only gain access to them around the mid-game. Don’t forget that you need to be a member of Princess’s Guard covenant to use them.

From the Prison Cell bonfire:

1. Defeat the serpent prison guard and grab the key.
2. Open the door and head down the stairs.
3. Engage the serpent men that are blocking the way.
4. Keep heading down, past the Pisacas that are slithering up the stairs towards you
5. Once you reach the bottom, you’ll find a whole swarm of Pisacas sitting in an archway
6. Try luring them one by one to defeat them; you have more room to move than you did on the stairs, so feel free to keep your distance and use projectiles or spells if that’s your playstyle
7. After defeating all of the hostile Picasas, you’ll notice two docile ones sitting in the very back.
8. One will drop Soothing Sunlight, and the other will drop Bountiful Sunlight.

Great Magic Barrier

From the Stone Dragon bonfire:

1. Head down the path that runs along the shore (I hope you’re ready for a pleasant stroll!)
2. Eventually, you’ll reach a large, hollow tree. Keep an eye out for a branch that’s long enough for you to climb up it
3. Defeat the disgusting-looking Basilisk, don’t lose your composure from seeing its large eyes!
4. After that nightmarish encounter, you’ll notice a platform just below you, drop down onto it, and head into the tree.
5. You’ll find the Great Magic Barrier miracle lying on a body as you enter the tree’s trunk.

Vow of Silence

After obtaining the Annex Key, you’ll be able to open a previously locked door in the central courtyard of the  Painted World of Ariamis.

From the courtyard:

1. Unlock the door and head up the staircase.
2. Once you reach the top, go through the doorway and take an immediate left.
3. Head up another flight of stairs and defeat any Crow Demons you encounter.
4. Take the last flight of stairs and take out the four Crow Demons sitting at the top of the building.
5. You’ll find the Vow of Silence miracle sitting on a body.

Tranquil Walk of Peace

From the Catacombs bonfire:

1. Head out of the doorway and cross over the bridge
2. Enter the building and head down the stairs
3. Breakthrough the stone wall and drop down
4. Ignore every enemy and take a right as soon as you see a doorway.
5. Head up the slope and through the doorway.
6. Climb the ladder, turn around and keep going forward.
7. Roll past or block the spikes from the nearby statue and turn the corner.
8. You’ll find the Tranquil Walk of Peace sitting on a body.

Sunlight Blade

Defeat Dark Sun Gwyndolin at Anor Londo.

Sunlight Spear

Defeat Gywn, Lord of Cinder, and be at least ranked 1 in the Warriors of Sunlight covenant.

Covenants

Some miracles are only obtainable by joining certain covenants and increasing your rank within them.

Blade of the Darkmoon

You can only join this covenant when you reach Anor Londo and access the massive, rotating lift. You’ll find a room filled with giant, immaculate statues by making it turn twice and taking the staircase down. The centre statue depicting Gwyn will disappear when you approach it, providing you’re wearing the Darkmoon Seance Ring. You’ll be able to kneel in front of the fog gate to interact with the covenant, but a boss battle will occur should you enter through the fog.

You can find it in the depths of the Catacombs:

1. Head out of the doorway and cross over the bridge
2. Enter the building and head down the stairs
3. Breakthrough the stone wall and drop down
4. Ignore every enemy and take a right as soon as you see a doorway.
5. Continue going forward until you see a lone coffin. You’ll find the ring sitting on the body inside.

To rank up in Blade of the Darkmoon covenant, you’ll have to offer Souvenirs of Reprisals to the Dark Sun Gwyndolin. You’ll be given rewards on how many you offer:

Rank 0 (No Souvenirs Offered)

• Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring
• Blue Eye Orb

Rank 1 (10 Souvenirs Offered)

• Darkmoon Blade
• Darkmoon Talisman

Rank 2 (30 Souvenirs Offered)

• Darkmoon Blade’s power is increased.

Rank 3 (80 Souvenirs Offered)

• Darkmoon Blade’s power is further increased.

Warrior of Sunlight

You need to have at least 25 points in the Faith attribute to join this covenant. You can find the Sunlight Altar in the Undead Parish past the bridge behind the imposing Hellkite Dragon. You can make the monster move from here by either shooting its tail off or defeating it head-on.

Funnily enough, after achieving Rank 1, this covenant offers nothing else. You can still provide Sunlight Medals, though, if you so desire.

Rank 0 (No Sunlight Medals Offered)

• Lightning Spear
• Sunlight Spear (Only obtainable if you have the Soul of Gwyn in your inventory)

Rank 1 (10 Sunlight Medals Offered)

• Great Lightning Spear

Gravelord Servant

It is pretty easy to miss this covenant, but it shouldn’t be too difficult if you follow the same path used to find the Tranquil Walk of Peace miracle. Note that you have to be carrying at least one Eye of Death in your inventory.

1. Head out of the doorway and cross over the bridge
2. Enter the building and head down the stairs
3. Breakthrough the stone wall and drop down
4. Ignore every enemy and take a right as soon as you see a doorway.
5. Head up the slope and through the doorway.
6. Climb the ladder, turn around and keep going forward.
7. Roll past or block the spikes from the nearby statue and turn the corner.
8. Head into the leftmost corner and drop down into a corridor
9. Sprint forwards until you spot a Titanite Demon in the distance.
10. There should be a slightly open coffin on the left; jump inside.
11. Wait for about 30 seconds, and a cutscene should play
12. Upon leaving the coffin, you’ll find yourself in Gravelord Nito’s boss room.
13. Interact with Nito, lying in his coffin, to join the covenant.

Rank 0 (No Eyes of Death Offered)

• Gravelord Sword Dance
• Gravelord Sword

Rank 1 (10 Eyes of Death Offered)

• Gravelord Greatsword Dance
• Increased damage for all Gravelord-based miracles

Rank 2 (30 Eyes of Death Offered)

• Further increased damage for all Gravelord-based miracles

Rank 3 (80 Eyes of Death Offered)

• Further increased damage for all Gravelord-based miracles

Useful Weapons, Rings, and Equipment

Weapons

Regarding weapons, there aren’t any decent ones that scale with the Faith attribute aside from the Astora Straight Sword. The next best thing would be a fast-acting weapon coated with the Darkmoon Blade miracle, like a spear or longsword. The Occult Club is also a popular mid-game weapon for Faith/Miracle builds.

Talismans

I cannot overstate how vital Talismans are for miracles! There are quite a few to pick from; some even state that the Canvas Talisman is the best since it is straightforward to get, and its damage never really falls off, even towards the mid/end game.

If your Faith attribute is very high, then the Darkmoon Talisman is the way to go, but if you don’t want to do PvP or repeatedly farm Crow Demons for Souvenir of Reprisals, then the Ivory Talisman is the next best option.

Rings

There are quite a few good rings for miracle build:

• Ring of Favor and Protection:- Increases HP, Stamina, and Maximum Equip Load by 20%
• Dusk Crown Ring:- Increases the number of spell castings but cuts HP in half.
• Ring of the Sun’s Firstborn:- Increases the power of Miracles
• Darkmoon Seance Ring:- Adds spell slot, also grants access to the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant
• Ring of the Sun Princess:- Increases Miracle Synergy
• Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring:- Increases magic damage by roughly 20%

Miracles can be pretty fun and challenging to use in Dark Souls. They spice up a playthrough, forcing you to think and strategise instead of bulldozing your way through everything with Pyromancy or Sorceries.

They are a fantastic complement to a solid right-hand weapon that Sunlight Blade or Darkmoon Blade can buff. On top of that, having access to regenerative spells and your Estus Flasks is an absolute lifesaver in practically every situation.

FAQs

Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:

• Gaping Dragon Dark Souls Guide
• Dark Souls 3 Greirat Guide
• Dark Souls 3 Respec Guide
• Demon’s Souls Weapons Guide – Understanding the Game