Dark Souls 2 - Farming, Titanite, Human Effigy, Bonfire Ascetic, Fragrant Branch of Yore

Spread throughout Dark Souls 2 are some extremely helpful items. Some of them allow you to add just a little more potency to your weapons and armour, while others will help you gain access to new characters. Whatever you're hunting down, we've pulled together a list of the most useful items in Dark Souls 2, from precious fragments of Titanite to boss-reviving Ascetics.

Human Effigies

Human Effigies are used to reverse Hollowing, a process that will remove any HP penalties you've acquired as a result of being hollow. Unlike in the first Dark Souls, you can make use of a Human Effigy at any time while playing the sequel. If you don't want to be invaded, you can also burn Effigies at a bonfire to prevent enemy invasions for a limited amount of time.

[60fps] Dark Souls 2 PS4 vs Xbox One Gameplay Frame-Rate Test

Where to find Human Effigies

Where to buy Human Effigies

Where to farm Human Effigies

There are a few creature types you can farm if you want to get your hands on a few more Effigies. Here's what you can kill, and where you can find them.

If you want to efficiently farm Human Effigies, consider burning a Bonfire Ascetic in Majula. The skeletons below the mansion here are guaranteed to drop the item you're after. You can also burn another Ascetic in the Forest of Fallen Giants - doing so will allow you to open the chest in the cave at the start of the area all over again. If you don't mind grinding out the enemies, you should also consider going to the second bonfire in the Undead Crypt region to kill lots of hollows.

Titanite locations

Titanite items are used to reinforce your armour and weapons. Here's a breakdown of where you can find each flavour of Titanite.

Where to find Titanite Shards

Where to buy Titanite Shards

Where to farm Titanite Shards

Where to find Large Titanite Shards

Where to buy Large Titanite Shards

Where to farm Large Titanite Shards

Where to find Titanite Chunks

Where to buy Titanite Chunks

Where to farm Titanite Chunks

Where to find Titanite Slabs

Where to buy Titanite Slabs

Where to farm Titanite Slabs

Where to find Twinkling Titanite

Where to buy Twinkling Titanite

Where to farm Twinkling Titanite

Bonfire Ascetic locations

You can use Bonfire Ascetics to force enemies in an area to respawn, even after you've destroyed them all. Great news if you're looking to farm some items, although be advised that the enemies will return in a much stronger form. Here's where you can get hold of these handy farming tools.

Where to find Bonfire Ascetics

Where to buy Bonfire Ascetics

Where to farm Bonfire Ascetics

You can also use Bonfire Ascetics to revive bosses in the game. Here's a complete breakdown of who you can bring back to - temporary - life, and which bonfire you need to use to make it happen.

Fragrant Branch of Yore locations

Fragrant Branch of Yores are used to remove petrification effects from NPCs or yourself. Here are all of the currently known locations of these powerful items.

Where to find Fragrant Branch of Yore

Where to buy Fragrant Branch of Yore

We've got an essential Dark Souls 2 covenant guide to help you choose your next faction. The first page of our strategy guide contains even more help.