Brightstone Cove Tseldora | Dark Souls 2 Wiki

Brightstone Cove Tseldora Walkthrough

NOTE: Ensure you aren't in the Company of Champions when you decide to head to the boss, as you need to summon an NPC here to complete their questline.

Obtaining the Wisest Staff

Entering from Doors of Pharros, you will find yourself in a room with a broken fountain and several jars. One of the jars to the left contains a corpse with a Radiant Lifegem. Exiting the room will bring you to an open area with the Royal Army Campsite Bonfire right in front of you. In this area are several Hollow Peasants, Hollow Falconers, and larger versions of the Undead Devourers (Pigs) that you might remember from Majula. While they may not appear to be too much of a threat, the Hollow Peasants have Dark-enchanted weapons, which make them not only swing pretty hard, but also cause curse build-up!

From the Bonfire, continue to the left and dispatch the first of many Hollow Peasants, standing by 4 corpses with a total loot of: 3x Soul Of a Nameless Soldier, 1x Large Soul Of a Proud Knight. While still using the tents and structures as cover from the archer enemies -feel free to take them out with ranged attacks- on the upper levels, proceed right, deeper into the camp to clear the ground floor of Falconers and Pigs. Once you have, attack the scaffolding with a corpse on it to drop the loot and grab the 15x Lacerating Arrows. Look for the ruined building and break the urns  beside it to reveal a corpse holding a Large Soul Of a Nameless Soldier. The doorway of this building is blocked off so we're heading to the well on the right, Instead. If you can't find it, it's beneath the ramp holding one of the archers. Loot the corpse hanging over the well for a Titanite Shard, then head up the ramp to run off it, and down the well. At the bottom of the well is a corpse holding 3x Holy Water Urn and another Pig. Continue on and up the ladder to enter the building with the entrance that was blocked by rubble. Inside is a Mimic that drops the Dark Leggings, and the best sorcery staff in the game, the Staff of Wisdom. Climb up the rubble to exit the house.

Handicapped Mini-Boss

From here, head back to the bonfire and to the right of it this time, to arrive at the cliff edge. Follow the path down until you see a ladder. BEWARE as there is a trap that sets a huge rolling boulder down the platform above, and if it connects, will knock you down to your death. Use ranged attacks to kill the Peasant at the bottom of the ladder then make a beeline for it, picking up the Soul Of a Nameless Soldier before you rush up. There's a total of three Peasants and two boulder traps -one has almost definitely been set off, so set the other off by breaking its wooden support,  to collect a Soul Of a Brave Warrior. Head back down and continue along the path ahead.

Hanging off the ledge on the right, is a corpse holding Large Titanite Shard. Continue on to find more Peasants guarding a large door. Once inside, head down past the first large room and into the second, which has multiple Ducal Spiders lying in wait, to ambush you. Kill them using a mix of range and melee attacks, then loot the Trap Chest for 20x Heavy Bolt. Continue through the iron door ahead to reach a room with a Boss Fog Gate. Breaking the urns here will grant you a Human Effigy. Before jumping in to progress, head straight from the door you just entered, to find an Illusory Wall -press the "use" button on your respective console to uncover it. Head up the stairs and down the hall (be carefull of the Ducal Spiders hanging from the walls) to find a Water Urn and a corpse holding Priestess Set. You can head back to the boss fog now, but there's one important link in a questline worth finishing , and extremely easy to miss or forget.

Summoning Benhart of Jugo

This is only one of four possible summons to successfully complete Benhart's questline, and you and everyone in Drangleic wants that shiny, shiny sword of his. Return back up to the Royal Army Campsite. Head inside the tent near the building that had the mimic in it to find the summon sign for Benhart of Jugo.

BOSS FIGHT: Prowling Magus and Congregation

Pate or Creighton 

Killing this boss nets you a nifty 7,000 souls and a Titanite Slab. Go through the door ahead and face immediately left to find a ladder in the alcove of the wall. Head up to reach NPC Cromwell The Pardoner, 3 more (non-aggresive) Ducal Spiders and multiple corpses to plunder a total of 1x Bonfire Ascetic, 1x Cleric's Small Shield, 3x Fading Soul, and 1x Skeptic's Spice. Speaking to him, if your Faith is above 35,  will grant you a Ring of Resistance. When you are ready, head back down the ladder. If you can do high range damage, you can move towards the cliff edge and try to snipe Crystal Lizard on the ledge below, but do not jump down to grab the loot, as you will be there very soon anyway.

Head back to the boss door but this time enter the cave via the entrance on the right. Turn left before the ladder to access the Chapel Threshold Bonfire. Head down and look under the stairs to find Ducal Spider, and a corpse holding a Soul Of A Proud Knight. There will also be another passive Ducal Spider on the wall; this could possibly be an indicator of things to come. The room through the doorway, holds some urns containing 2x Wilted Dusk Herb, but most importantly, an ambush of Spiders as soon as you enter. Move forward to a Hollow Mage facing away from you, on the ledge, a very easy backstab target.

Take a zip-line which will bring you to the Crystal Lizard mentioned before. Head left towards the jars. Inside the building will be Mild Mannered Pate and Creighton Of Mirrah battling it out (if you have fully followed their storyline thus far). Choose an NPC to side with and attack the other:

• Loot the dead NPC and talk to the living NPC after the battle, exhausting their dialogue to receive the Tseldora Den Key.
• If you sided with Creighton, you'll also receive his armor set.
  • Unless you've already collected his set from Earthen Peak, killing Pate will also grant you his armor set.
• While it may feel scummy, it is generally a good idea to also kill whoever you sided with, because (as you probably already know) they are both scumbags and wish you death.

Break the jars in this room to reveal a corpse holding 3x Charcoal Pine Resin. There is a small room behind half-broken wooden door which does not contain any loot, however houses a Spider that emerges from a hole in the wall when the bookshelf hiding it, is destroyed. Leave this small room and head into the far left corner of the bigger room, into the bigger hole in the wall. Go through the first door and to find a corpse holding a Torch, on the right. Past the second door is another Crystal Lizard, killing it yields 2x Titanite Chunk and a Twinkling Titanite. On the left side of the ledge, kill the Spider Drone sitting there and the Spider hanging on wall. From here you can notice another ledge down below (there is a jar on it), drop down carefully. This ledge is circular so it does not matter which way to go, just pay attention to the Spiders on the wall. You will end up in the room with two more Spider Drones and a Spider. Smash a bookshelf to reveal the lever which will lower a platform above. To reach it, head back up the small stairs and make a carefully aimed jump towards it. In the chest is a Southern Ritual Band +1. From here the best things to do next is to simply Homeward Bone and head back across the zip-line.

An Orn Friend

Next three parts are optional, which can be done now, and will require Homeward Bone usage, or skip and return after second bonfire is opened. You will always start from the ledge outside the house where Mild Mannered Pate and Creighton Of Mirrah fought (zip-line brings you there), this place will be referred to as the starting point.

1. Right beside the entrance to Pate's house, across the gap, you can see two stone platforms. Sprint to the first platform (you do not have to jump) and then drop down to the second. Loot a Titanite Chunk and a Twinkling Titanite from the corpse. Homeward Bone to the starting point.
2. From the center of the ledge jump across the gap to the corpse in a small building on a wall (at first glance it will look like distance is too big for a jump but in reality its not). Grab the Large Titanite Shard.  Homeward Bone to the starting point.
3. Head left past the zip-line onto the wooden platform and drop down to reach a corpse holding a Large Titanite Shard. You need to drop down again, now onto the platform where a Hollow Mage resides, but this time it requires more precision, take it slow. Grab the Estus Flask Shard from the corpse. Homeward Bone but now do not take the zip-line.

Standing where the zip-line starts, turn right and drop down to the ledge below. Enter the doorway to reach a room with a big hole in the floor and two Hollow Mages standing near it. Notice all the Spiders in the hole and on the ceiling. It is recommended to kill them all now or they will ambush you later. Go through the small doorway ahead to reach a ladder. Climb down to reach a room with the third Bonfire and a door. Head out the door to reach the big open area with a sand pit in the center. There is a chance Bowman Guthry will invade you at this point.

Before going any further its a good idea to wipe out all enemies in this area: a Hollow Mage in front, several Ducal Spiders to your right, a hidden Basilisk, a red Red Crystal Lizard and a Hollow Mage to your left. To your right, you'll find a corpse holding a Petrified Dragon Bone, grab it and go back, then proceed into the first door. Inside you'll find an old friend if you freed her from the Shaded Woods, Weaponsmith Ornifex. In her room, you'll find jars and bookshelves to the left. Break them to find corpses holding a Flame Butterfly and a Pharros' Lockstone. Head back outside and carefully go around the sand pit. To your left, you will notice another door, open it to enter a room with several Ducal Spiders and a Spider Drone. Near the bracier, there is  Bashful Ray's summon sign , behind the bookshelves ahead is a room with another Spider and a chest containing the Crescent Axe and Soul Vortex. Back in the main room, up the small hill, is a ledge that allows you to drop down to a small room with a corpse holding a Titanite Chunk on the left, and a door to the right (note that once you drop down this ledge, the only way to return to the earlier part of the level is to do an angled jump back to the ledge).

Trip to Freja

Through the door is a large courtyard, ahead is a Basilisk and another Spider Drone. Kill them and then head through the half broken wooden door ahead. Kill the Ducal Spiders inside then head up the stairs. In  on of the Jars is a corpse holding 2x Torches and open the door to find a corpse with a Large Titanite Shard. Drop down back to courtyard. Ignore the obvious bridge for now and head towards the last closed door in this area. Trying to open it gives you the message "Too heavy to open". Smash that piece of kindling down with ranged attacks or else an un-dodgable sand burst will hit you.

Go through the door and open the other door ahead with your Tseldora Den Key you received from either of the scumbags from earlier. Two chests are  found in this room. The wooden one to the left is a Trap Chest containing 10x Rusted Coin, and the metal Chest contains the Engraved Gauntlets (upon opening the trap chest, you'll hear the dialogue between Pate and Creighton. However it does not occur if you killed both of them.) Collect them and head outside. Go through the archway to the bridge. You will notice two corpses to the right, lying in the spikes. Try to kill all the Hollows nearby before dropping from the bridge. Spikes will constantly do damage while you are moving so prepare to use healing items. Loot a Titanite Shard, 3x Titanite Chunk, and a Titanite Slab from the first corpse, and 3x Torch from the second one.

Now head towards the building, open the door and look up to find multiple Ducal Spiders are on the ceiling, so use ranged attacks or move ahead and let them drop down. To the right is a locked iron door, you need the Brightstone Key obtained after the boss battle to open it. To the left are Urns containing 15x Poison Arrows, on the right, behind one of the benches, is a corpse containing a Soul of a Hero and a Gold Pine Resin. Here you can also summon Manhunter O'Harrah for the upcoming boss fight. On the far wall are two doors, each with it's own lever. The door on the right holds an unnamed Red Phantom, and a corpse with 3x Homeward Bone. The door on the left holds a Spider Drone and a ladder heading up. Climb it to reach Freja's Lair.

In this room, you'll find many spider webs which serve as bridges, which as you step on, will trigger Ducal Spiders to engage you. This area is also very dark, so be sure to bring a lit Torch with you. Drop down from the ledge and move left, hugging the wall. Move down the first web and reach the far side. Behind the first pillar is a corpse holding a Torch. Careful, aa s Spider will drop down near here. Move forward towards the Jars on the far side. In them is a corpse holding Pharros' Lockstone . Move across the web to the left. At the end, drop to the large web to your left and follow it down. Halfway down is a corpse holding Radiant Lifegem. Go down to ground level and kill any spiders that attack. To your left is a small but wide web leading up to a platform above. On the far side, you'll notice a corpse holding a Twilight Herb. Return to the ground level and underneath the large web is a corpse holding a Simpleton's Spice. From here, head to the far right side of the room and behind the last pillar is a corpse holding 5x Corrosive Urn. As you may have noticed by now, there is a large Fog Door ahead; what you may not have noticed however, is the summon sign for Ashen Knight Boyd behind one of the pillars.

BOSS FIGHT: The Duke's Dear Freja

Death of Freja

Defeating her, means you can move towards the dragon and pick up the great soul. Head through the cave to the right to reach the Lord's Private Chamber where you will find Duke of Tseldora, back turned to the player while focusing on a table in front of him. Defeat the hollowed Duke to receive the Brightstone Key, a Fragrant Branch Of Yore and the Dark Quartz Ring +1. Down the stairs to the right is a Primal Bonfire - light it. If this is your fourth primal bonfire you've accessed, which means Aldia will appear. Keep in mind that his emerging knocks you back and interrupts bonfire lighting, so after you exhaust his dialog, don't forget to actually light the bonfire. Note: Don't forget to head back to Manscorpion Tark to get the Black Scorpion Stinger.

Now its time to come back to the locked iron door in the first chamber of the building and unlock it with the Brightstone Key you have just acquired. Once inside the room open another door and prepare for another Spider ambush. Kill them and loot the highly-valuable chest in the room for a Black Knight Ultra Greatsword, a Great Fireball, and a Fire Seed. There is no way to backtrack out of this area, so either Homeward Bone out or use the Primal Bonfire to get to Majula. Assuming this was your fourth Old One slain, head on to the Shrine Of Winter.

Return when you have the Ashen Mist Heart and activate the crystal within Freja's room to access the Memories of a Dragon.