Irithyll Dungeon

At the Distant Manor bonfire, there is a flight of dimly-lit staircase leading down to a big area where you'll a couple of enemies inching down the steps. Ignore these for the moment and instead try to quickly defeat the Pontiff Knight hiding around the corner. Soon enough the two enemies you saw on the stairs earlier will return with a Fire Witch. Eliminate them then proceed to the bottom of the stairs, where you'll see two more enemies blocking access to some loot on the right. Grab the Large Titanite Shard here, climb back up the stairs to drop off from the first landing to secure a Rusted Gold Coin.

The dungeon proper is just beyond the bridge outside. However, be mindful that the NPC Alva, Seeker of the Spurned may invade your game as you try to make it across the bridge. You will receive the Murakumo upon successfully defeating this character.

Once inside the dungeon itself, light the bonfire and skip that locked door to the right for now. Instead continue down the hallway to check out the cells. To the left is a Large Titanite Shard and a Rusted Coin. The nearby occupants will attack you for looting their stuff so be prepared to take them down. At the end of the corridor is a Torturer; these enemies are annoying and must be dealt with as quickly as possible. Don't be surprised if you end up dying a few times though. Past the doorway is a soul you can pick up on the ledge. Further ahead are more baddies including some zombies and a couple of Torturers, one of which is waiting near the bridge entrance. Try to isolate the Torturers and deal with them one at a time. Once the coast is completely clear, you're free to look at what awaits at the other side of the bridge, or explore the east side of the dungeon.

You can snag a Large Titanite Shard at the dead end here, plus a window that is unlocked with the Jailbreaker's Key. There is also a passageway off to the right, full of cage enemies. There is also a locked cell holding an item but you can't get that right now. So grab the some soul outside to the right instead. Next up is a hallway leading to a cell housing a Sorcerer equipment set, but is defended by a small horde of maggot zombies. Some ways further ahead is another open cell with a Maggot Beast inside. Kill it to score a Great Magic Shield spell. Going back to the bridge outside, go on across it.

Here, you'll find that the main route of blocked off, thanks to the door being locked. There will be some zombies defending a Large Titanite Shard, and a Torturer in the area waiting to attack as well. Back yo that locked door, you can actually go around through the crumbling walls of one of the cells. Grab the Pale Pine Resin and unlock the door in the far end so you can get to the other side of the locked door to open it. Head down to the cell at the end here to pick up the Jailbreaker's Key. At the bottom of some stairs nearby is a trio of Torturers. Clear them out before entering one of the cells where a deformed creature is waiting. It's nowhere near as aggressive as the other baddies in this dungeon, so go ahead try to defeat it so you can collect the Simple Gem behind it.

Proceed down the hallway and you'll find a Crystal Lizard to the left you can kill for a Titanite Scale. Further up the hallway is another one of those deformed creatures. Push past the doorway beyond and grab a pair of Homeward Bones on the ledge. Above this to the right is a window that can be opened with the Jailbreaker's Key and houses a Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring. Onward to the next section, there will be a Mimic you can kill for an Estus Shard and in the adjacent room are several Jailworkers armed with different weapons. Eliminate the melee variety first and leave the archers for last. Also in this room are cells with pits, one of which leading to a giant monster below. Just around the corner is a ladder that by heading down leads to the same place as the giant is. You can't deal with that thing safely yet so skip that for now. Instead go back up the ladder and search for a pit that's directly across from where you found a soul from.

Dropping down the pit leads to some remains carrying a Pickaxe. Ignore the bridge here as it connects back to the giant and head for the sewers instead. Move along past the rat hole for now and collect a soul along with spotting a couple of treasure chests. One of these chests is a Mimic that drops a Dark Clutch Ring when killed, while the other chest has an Old Cell Key. Turn around and enter the rat house, where you'll find a couple of those disgusting Giant Rats. Kill them so you go collect some Dung Pie from the remains. Open the gate which will lead to an area populated by a considerable number of enemies. Also, there is a shortcut here that you can make use of by going up the stairs to the left which emerges onto a plateau. You can pick up a Dragon Torso Stone. You will be coming back to this place to access an optional location later.

Continue along the path to an elevator. As the elevator ascends, keep an eye out for some remains hanging from one of the windows. Jump off to it so you can grab the Lightning Blade miracle. There is a soul at the top you can get, and at the same time you now have a shortcut you can use should you meet your demise from the Jailers in the lower level. If you prefer to avoid that mess altogether, enter the dark room to the left and kill some prisoner enemies. Collect the Profaned Coal then unlock the door leading back to that large room. The Mimic on the left will give you a pair of Titanite Shards when killed, and behind the urns to the right of the room is an Alva equipment set.

There are a couple of Embers in this room as well. You can try clearing out the Jailer horde if you want to collect the loot in this room. Otherwise, just make it past the Mimic at the left corridor and head for the exit. If you did kill off every last Jailer, enter the cell to the left of the Mimic and loot the two bodies in there for some Xanthous Ashes and a Dusk Crown Ring. If you move further along the corridor, you'll find a person in one of the cells. Can't open it yet. Continue out of the dungeon toward the Profaned Capital.