JT is a gamer that usually sticks to the more indie offerings out there, however, if he does go mainstream, it's usually because a huge-scale RPG has sunk its hooks right in. This usually leads to JT binging FromSoft's latest offerings and taking on the challenging bosses within.
Dark Souls‘ Lautrec is the poster boy for suspicious-looking characters. Boasting a golden set of armor, a maniacal laugh, and a penchant for ruining your Dark Souls run, this evil knight is best killed on sight.
In this Dark Souls Lautrec guide, I’ll be going over the universally loathed golden knight and how to complete his evil quest. Alternatively, I’ll detail how to kill Lautrec early to obtain the best ring in the game.
Bottom Line Up Front:Â Kill Lautrec early by attacking him in Firelink Shrine after freeing him from his cell or ringing either bell of awakening to obtain the ring of favor. Otherwise, use the black eye orb in Anor Londo in the room preceding the Ornstein and Smough fight to reclaim a stolen firekeeper soul and the ring of favor.
Lautrec is a mysterious, sinister knight with ambivalent motivations beyond making our lives miserable. While we can save him from his imprisonment and fight bosses together, he rewards our generosity by stabbing us in the backing and killing our firekeeper. In short, the only good Lautrec is a dead Lautrec.
Equipment and Rewards
Armor
Armor of Favor – Shiny golden armor radiating an aura of smug deceit, Lautrec’s armor of favor set boasts decent protection for a medium equip load and an admirable aesthetic. While players seeking armor with increased protection should instead seek the Havel Armor nearby, the armor of favor’s light equip load makes this armor a viable option for players who cannot afford the heavy equip load of Havel Armor. Armor of Favor lies in the room above Ornstein and Smough to the opposite end of the nearby bonfire after finishing Lautrec’s questline.
Dingy Set –Â This pathetic armor set serves little purpose for players except those seeking to roleplay as firekeepers. The low equipment load may aid players going for <25% equip burden; however, many other armor types are much more protective. The Dingy lies on Firelink Shrine’s firekeeper corpse after Lautrec kills her.
Rings
Ring of Favor and Protection –Â Arguably the best ring in Dark Souls, the Ring of Favor and Protection grants its users increased health, endurance, and equip load. This ring stacks with Havel’s Ring and can be acquired early on by killing Lautrec or completing his quest. The only catch is that taking off this ring breaks it, thereby forcing you to wear this ring for the rest of the game.
Consumables
Firekeeper’s Soul –Â This special firekeeper’s soul is obtained after invading Lautrec in Anor Londo and killing him. This soul can revive our firekeeper at Firelink Shrine, provide five humanity when consumed, or reinforce our Estus flask.
Humanity – This rare but valuable substance enables us to restore our humanity, increase our estus charges, and find more items from corpses. We acquire 5 humanity after finishing Lautrec’s quest.
misc
Souvenir of Reprisal –Â Used to increase one’s rank in the Blade of the Dark Moon covenant, we obtain Souvenir of Reprisals after killing sinners (ie, players who have killed npcs or players other players). After invading Lautrec in Anor Londo, we’re rewarded with a Souvenir of Reprisal for killing him.
Sunlight Medallion – Used to increase one’s rank in the Warrior of the Sunlight Covenant, this covenant rewards players with sunlight medallions after assisting other players with boss fights. After freeing him from his cell, Lautrec rewards us with a sunlight medallion in the firelink shrine.
Lautrec’s Quest
Step 1: Unlocking a Prisoner
(**Note this next section is entirely optional to progressing Lautrec’s quest. Lautrec will still escape his cell and murder our firekeeper regardless of rescuing him. If we save him, however, he rewards us with a sunlight medallion and provides his summon sign for the nearby boss fight)
We first encounter Lautrec as a prisoner in the undead Parish, rightfully imprisoned for crimes too heinous to detail in this article. The key to his cell is in the Parish’s basement behind a table guarded by several hollows. Acquiring the key can turn into a suicidal endeavor, so spend any leftover souls leveling up beforehand.
Once we get the key, we can find Lautrec on the Parish’s 2nd floor with nearly two dozen hollows and a mage. I recommend taking out the hollows one at a time to make this section easier. After killing the mage and proceeding to the 2nd floor’s back area, we’ll find a wooden door blocking the entrance to Lautrec’s cell.Â
Deliver a few punches to break down the door, head upwards, and we’ll encounter Lautrec sitting in his cell awaiting his release. After releasing him, Lautrec thanks us for his rescue and promises us a vague reward.
Lautrec will now relocate to Firelink Shrine and, after talking with him there, will assist us in the Bell Gargoyle fight should we choose to summon him.
Step 2: Firelink Meetup
**Note – If we neglected to rescue Lautrec in the Undead Parish or rung the daughter of chaos’ bell of awakening first, we’ll still encounter him in Firelink Shrine.
After freeing Lautrec from his cell in the Undead Parish, we can find him in firelink shrine, sitting across from the firekeeper. Talking to him grants us some unique dialogue regarding Patches and he promises to reward us in the future.Â
Following his outright lie and a trip to the next bell of awakening, we’ll return to firelink shrine to find the fire extinguished, the firekeeper dead, and Lautrec long gone. Lautrec killed the firekeeper, stole her soul, and left us alone to curse his name and swear our revenge.
After interacting with the firekeeper’s corpse, we’ll obtain the dingy set and a black eye orb we can use in Anor Londo to invade Lautrec’s world and reclaim our firekeeper’s soul. Prepare yourself; this will take some time.
Killing Lautrec Early:
Killing Lautrec as soon as he appears at firelink shrine may be the better course of action. While this option removes access to Lautrec’s armor, a Souvenir of Reprisal, and the firekeeper’s voice, it also immediately grants us several boons.
These rewards, like the valuable Ring of Favor and Protection, five humanity, and the security of our firelink shrine bonfire, vastly outweigh the benefits of completing Lautrec’s quest.
Furthermore, defeating Lautrec is relatively easy. Attacking Lautrec causes him to dodgeroll backward through an open window to his death. Reloading the game spawns a golden orb near his death that drops the Ring of Favor and Protection and the other rewards mentioned above.
Step 3: Anor Londo Revenge
Significantly later, after ringing both bells of awakening, climbing to the Top of Sen’s Fortress, and fighting through Anor Londo, we arrive in a hall preceding the Ornstein and Smough boss fight.
After entering this hall, we get a message that the black eye orb is quivering. Activating the orb in our inventory will transport us to a darkened version of Anor Londo. After briefly taunting you, Lautrec attacks you and sends
Shortcut to the hall
If you want to avoid making the arduous trek back to Lautrec’s fight location from a faraway bonfire, you can perform a jump from this section of the railing in Anor Londo to quickly retry the fight after dying.
Be warned, a silver knight will follow you up the staircase, so be sure to either execute the jump speedily or deal with the knight before jumping.
Lautrec’s Fight
This fight is particularly tricky. In addition to Lautrec, we’re fighting a mage and barbarian. While taking on all three at once is a guaranteed suicide, we can bait Lautrec into attacking just behind the nearby pillars.Â
These pillars will block the mage’s spellcasting and create a small barrier between Lautrec and the barbarian. The best way to beat this fight is to bait Lautrec away from the other two, dealing a hit or two, then flee and repeat until he dies.
After finishing the fight, we’ll receive a Souvenir of Reprisal, our firekeeper’s Soul, and many souls for our trouble. To acquire Lautrec’s armor we’ll have to head to the floor above the Orstein and Smough fight. The armor of favor set is to the right of the nearby bonfire and past the railing.
Step 4: Save the Firekeeper
After reacquiring our firekeeper’s soul, we can revive her by returning to Firelink Shrine and interacting with her corpse. After saving her, the firekeeper thanks us for our hard work and curses her unworthiness. Unfortunately, her death dealt a hefty blow to her self-esteem, but at least she can speak now.
Alternatively, we can forgo reviving her to reinforce our estus flask. After acquiring the firekeeper’s soul, speak with the Daughter of Chaos’s firekeeper or Anor Londo’s firekeeper to increase estus’s health regeneration.
While we’ll be unable to rest at the firelink shrine bonfire for the remainder of the game, we’ll have a stronger estus flask to carry us through more challenging bosses.
Anastacia’s Quest – While technically just the end of Lautrec’s quest, returning the firekeeper’s soul we reclaimed in Anor Londo enables us to resurrect Anastacia, completing her quest.Â
Memorable Quotes
First Encounter: “Oh? Still human, are you?
After Freeing: “I guarantee a reward, only later.”
Maniacal Laugh:Â “Keh heh heh heh.”
Betrayal: “I thought you were wiser, but I thought wrong!”
After Killing you: “How many times will these lambs rush to the slaughter?”
Key Relationships
Trusty Patches
(Foe) From in-game dialogue, we can deduce that Patches had previously bested Lautrec, leaving the golden knight spiteful and full of vengeance. While we never learn the story behind the two’s feud, we can suspect that Patches was responsible for the golden knight’s imprisonment in the Undead Parish. Regardless, Lautrec takes surprising care to warn us of Patches deceitful nature.Â
Fina
(Devotee) While this goddess remains absent throughout Dark Souls, Lautrec’s armor description suggests that he was a firm devotee to Fina. Lautrec’s equipment portrays Fina as a loving but fickle deity that instigated Lautrec’s heinous deeds, making him a monster.
Anastacia of Astora
(Foe) For reasons we never truly understand, Lautrec kills Anastacia and steals her soul after we ring the second bell of awakening. While I wouldn’t put it past Lautrec to kill her for fun, we never truly learn why Lautrec kills Anastacia.
FAQs
Question: Why is the Firelink Shrine Bonfire out?
Answer: Lautrec killed the firekeeper causing the fire to go out. To relight the bonfire, we’ll have to kill Lautrec in Anor Londo and interact with the firekeeper’s corpse beneath the shrine. If you kill Laturec before ringing the second bell of awakening, the fire will remain lit.
Question: Why Won’t the Ring of Favor and Protection Spawn?
Answer: If you killed Lautrec early, you must reload the game to ensure the ring spawns. The item will appear as a glowing orange orb you can pick up in place of Lautrec’s corpse.
Question: Where is Lautrec’s Armor?
Answer: After invading Lautrec’s world and killing him, we can find his armor on the railing above the Ornstein and Smough fight in Anor Londo.Â
Question: Why Does Lautrec Betray us?
Answer: To serve the goddess Fina and curry her favor. Lautrec’s equipment suggests he was a firm acolyte of the goddess and committed heinous deeds to stay in her good grace.
Conclusion
Well done. We got our revenge and saved the firekeeper from Lautrec’s evil clutches. While we never learned Lautrec’s real intent behind murdering our firekeeper, why he was locked in the Undead Parish, or his plans for Anor Londo, we still foiled the golden knight and saved the day.
Now, with the best ring in all of Dark Souls and a sociable firekeeper, we can stand firm against the game’s final bosses with friends and vital equipment at our side. The fire awaits!
