Undead Crypt

The elevator down from Shrine of Amana leads to this dark, torch-lit area. The early hex-casting witches and hollows don't provide much resistance. I've switched over to the Black Knight Ultra Greatsword which seems to swing slower than the Large Club but I figured the fire damage might be good in an undead area. Following a couple of drops I found an obscured route to a sconce, the burning of which triggers a load of statues to light up. No idea what this does or if it sis even necessary to progress!

Ended up in a room full of crumbling headstones with zombies seemingly spawning when I came within range. Mixed in with these were larger stone tablets that spawned pyro ghosts who packed a punch. At one stage I entered a room with 4 tablets spawning endless pyro ghosts - I was splatted in seconds! Fortunately the tablets don't respawn when destroyed so it was just a matter of attrition. I really enjoyed this dynamic as the ghosts were a real threat but I think having the tablets not respawn was a mistake.

I came to a corridor lined with paintings housing ghosts, felt a bit Castlevania and not in a good way, followed by two hulking knights brandishing two tower shields apiece. Some flame swathes absolutely tore them to shreds. Having unlocked a shortcut back to the bonfire I came across a gauntlet of knights guarding the boss fog. Upon entering pyro ghosts started spawning and it all ended in a mess. Thanks to a helpful soap sign message I found if I killed the zombie ringing the bell the ghosts wouldn't spawn. Then ti was just a matter of drawing out the greatshielded knights one by one.

The boss reminded me of the Penetrator from Demon's Souls in his aggression and pillar chopping attacks. He has quite a bit more HP than the aforementioned though and even with a buffed weapon it was taking a lot of swings. I was getting 3/4 of my dodges no problem but the one I'd miss would see me lose most of my life which meant an estus break and it was becoming a chore. Summoning some Sun Bros (and basically I'm thinking of this as cheating as it makes it so easy summoning help) and he was Tiddles the cat.

Following that I came across the ultra hollowed King Vendrick. He didn't aggro so I swiped his ring and decided to leave him be in hope that it may be the "good ending" path.