Notes from author
PvE Build - Highly well-rounded defense (Phys/Magk/Fire/Ltng) and status guard (Bleed/Poison/Curse) while staying within ninja-roll weight. Wolf Ring and Catarina Gauntlets give ideal poise of 53.
If it's your first time, farm Undead Burg then buy everything of value from the male hollow vendor (repair box, key, many stnd arrows & bow + ...) then drop him for the Uchigatana his body leaves. Kill Knight Lautrec (the guy with golden armor) when you open his prison cell to acquire the Ring of Favor and Protection and never remove it. Second ring is preference/utility.
Stamina is king. Blocking multiple heavy hits then having enough stamina left to roll once is such a huge advantage. Rush your END and DEX to about 30 as you gather souls. Get your Uchi to +10 and then get 40 in END followed by DEX and VIT. Put points into STR and INT slowly; maybe one every 5 of DEX, END, or VIT. Eventually get Uchi+15 with the Crystal Magic Weapon spell from Big Hat Logan.
I choose to farm the spear & shield glob-hollows (Phalanx) in the Painted World of Ariamis (Portal in Anor Londo) to boost my stats quickly. Once the shortcut doors to the Phalanx are open, from the bonfire kill the three hollows on the right then sprint into the courtyard around the statue anticlockwise then strike the backsides of 4-6 of the Phalanx (near the Undead Dragon) at a time and rotate, sweeping with the Uchi's light attack. This will net you almost 10k souls per run but will start to drag on after about SL80-85.
I keep my humanity around 5 for some DEF and item discovery chance. 10 is ideal but I worry about losing so much at a time.
Stockpile Lost Souls and similar pickups to help get the last bit of a Level Up or to buy arrows. They're also super helpful to make weapon repairs if you get trapped at a particularly nasty spot and you can't escape the reach of your bonfire. Frequently repair your weapons and armor.
This is my take on a well-rounded build for PvE. Thanks for taking a look.
