Ensure victory with even more swigs of the Estus Flask. The most useful, infinitely replenishable item in Dark Souls 2 can be upgraded. Find every hidden, remixed location with the Scholar of the First Sin locations guide.

Dark Souls 2 returns with reconfigured item placement and enemy layouts in the Scholar of the First Sin update, adding an extra layer of challenge for veterans and new players alike.

Exploring the cursed land of Drangleic was always a nightmare, but doing it without enough healing items makes things even worse. Follow our tips to find upgrade items, making the Estus Flask carry an additional charge per shard. Just hope that’s enough to keep you alive through Dark Souls’ frustratingly difficult challenges.

Learn how to encounter a grotesque new boss in Dark Souls 2 with our Scholar of the First Sin Alternate Ending Guide, giving every Undead Champion one final choice in the revamped version of Drangleic.

Estus Flask Shards Locations Guide

Estus Flask Shards increase the number of Estus Flask uses available to the player. There are 12 shards total.

Estus Flash Shard #1 – Things Betwixt

• Collect a Fragrant Branch of Yore and return to Things Betwixt. From the bonfire, enter the second fog gate on the left and remove the statue blocking the path. Follow this blocked road to reach the first Estus Flask Shard.

Estus Flash Shard #2 – Majula

• In Majula, check to the right of the locked mansion door. There’s a well with a large stone on the ledge. Attack it and a body will lift up, revealing an easy Estus Shard Flask.

Estus Flash Shard #3 – Majula

• The second Shard is in the basement of the locked mansion in Majula. To get the key to the mansion, explore the wooden scaffolding area beyond the Cardinal Tower bonfire in the Forest of Fallen Giants.
• There’s a cave on the rock wall with a strange NPC inside. Speak with him to get the mansion key, then return to Majula to unlock the door. The Shard is located on a pile of bones in the deepest basement, guarded by a skeleton.

Estus Flash Shard #4 – Heide’s Tower of Flame

• Moving through Heide’s Tower to No Man’s Wharf, there’s a passage blocked by another statue. Dissolve the petrified figure with a Fragrant Branch of Yore past the elevator. This area is guarded by a tough Elephant Knight and one hollow, so clear the room then take the shard off a body.

Estus Flash Shard #5 – Forest of Fallen Giants

• From the Cardinal Tower bonfire, follow the main path toward the exterior walls of the fort overlooking the ocean. On the way, you should see the flying Pursuer Knight land on a rooftop. Return here after the knight is defeated, one of the several dead bodies is carrying a shard.

Estus Flash Shard #6 – Huntsman’s Copse

• Start from the Bridge Approach bonfire and cross the nearby bridge. Take the lower path to the cave entrance near the waterfall. This area is guarded by multiple skeletons and specters. The shard is located on a body near the Skeleton Lords shortcut gate.

Estus Flash Shard #7 – Lost Bastille

• Beginning from the Exile Holding Cells bonfire, travel up the stairs to the outer wall. Along the left there’s a crumbling section where you can drop down onto a scaffolding tower.
• Fall into the grassy courtyard and look for a narrow passage next to a ruined jagged wall. It leads into a dead end with a treasure chest containing another shard.

Estus Flash Shard #8 – The Gutter

• Teleport to the Upper Gutter bonfire and cross two bridges until you spot a trio of poison statues below, next to a suspension bridge to the right of them.
• Cross the bridge below, step around the ladder, then drop through to the narrow section between structures. From this platform, there’s an open wall leading into a gutter interior with a hollow.
• From this room you can jump to a rocky path jutting from the stone wall. Move up this natural ledge to a tall ladder. Climb to the top and you’ll find a dead body to the left carrying a very secretive Estus Shard.

Estus Flash Shard #9 – Shaded Woods

• This location is unchanged from the normal version of Dark Souls 2. Star at the Old Akelarre bonfire and open the door on the opposite side of the stairs. There’s a chest inside with a useful Estus Shard.

Estus Flash Shard #10 – Brightstone Cave Tseldora

• At the Chapel Threshold bonfire, travel down the steps into a chamber where spiders drop from the ceiling. Kill the magician on the ledge, then use the zip-line to his left.
• Go right and drop down one ledge, then a second, then a third to a rocky area with a single raised building. Kill the magician near the door, and go inside the sand-filled home to find a body carrying another Estus Shard.

Estus Flash Shard #11 – Drangleic Castle

• Climb the ladder up beyond the Central Castle bonfire and enter the great hall guarded by the two-headed horse. Leave through the large front doors, and take the stairs down into a treasure room filled with fire-throwing witches. Clear the armory and grab the treasure.

Estus Flash Shard #12 – Shrine of Amana

• Warp to the Crumbled Ruins bonfire and push on to the ruins with the giant ogre monster. He’s visible before you reach the NPC hut. Clear the area of druids and kill the ogre, then carefully follow the path of pillars further right.
• Eventually you’ll find a long curved line of pillars guarded by multiple invisible creatures and two more druids. Keep a torch handy to see where you can stand — the last shard is found right past the two annoying druids.

Sources: [1], [2]

Kevin Thielenhaus is a freelance writer for The Escapist. Find him on Twitter here.