Bonfire Kindling in Dark Souls: How to get more Estus Flask charges
Kindling a bonfire in Dark Souls allows you to increase the number of Estus Flask charges you have, but it’s not as simple as just hitting the ‘Kindle’ option while resting at a bonfire as there are some requirements and limitations to the mechanic, which you can learn about in this guide.
Quick summary: Kindling a bonfire when Human provides you with five extra Estus Flask charges each up to 10 and then a maximum of 20 once you’ve acquired the Rite Of Kindling. Keep on reading below for more in-depth information!
What Does Kindling A Bonfire Do?
Kindling a bonfire in Dark Souls allows you to increase the number of Estus Flask charges you can use by five charges. By default, all bonfires – excluding those helmed by Fire Keepers – provide you with five charges (5). At the beginning of the game, Kindling your bonfires boosts them to 10. Then, once you’ve acquired the Rite Of Kindling, you can Kindle bonfires twice more for 15 and 20 charges each.
The only exception to this rule is the three bonfires helmed by Fire Keepers at Firelink Shrine, Anor Londo, and Quelaag’s Domain, which give you the maximum number of Estus Flasks you can carry at your point in the game: 10 and then 20 after acquiring the Rite Of Kindling.
How To Kindle A Bonfire
While the idea of Kindling all bonfires may be tempting, it’s important to know that you can’t freely Kindle them as they require limited resources: Humanity. You can only Kindle bonfires when you’re in a Human state, which means you’ll need to consume a lot of Humanity to do so.
For example, you’ll need to use at least two Humanities to Kindle your bonfire to 10 (One to turn Human and then another to Kindle the bonfire from five) and use a total of four to Kindle your bonfire to 20 (One to turn human and three for Kindling).
The game does provide you with plenty of Humanity to use throughout the game, and it can be farmed or bought at several points, but Humanity is also used for summoning NPCs and other players for boss fights. If you’re someone who is struggling with bosses or simply wants to play along with a friend, you’re going to have to make decisions about when to use Humanity, and that can affect your bonfires.
To Kindle a bonfire, all you need to do is:
- Consume as much Humanity as needed to Kindle your bonfire to the level you want (Check above for details)
- Rest at the bonfire you want to Kindle (There’s no point doing this at Fire Keeper bonfires as they’re already maxed out!)
- Select the ‘Reverse Hollowing’ if you’re not Human (Skip to the next step if you are Human)
- Select ‘Kindle’ as many times as you need to Kindle your bonfire to the desired level
How To Get The Rite Of Kindling
The Rite Of Kindling is an item that can be acquired in The Catacombs once you’ve defeated Pinwheel. Although Pinwheel is relatively easy (Just make sure to use some fire-resistant armour), the journey through The Catacombs, past reviving skeletons and necromancers, can be difficult, which is why I suggest you take on Pinwheel around the midpoint of the game as said in my Dark Souls boss order.
While the Rite Of Kindling is a very important item, you can safely complete the first half of the game with 10 Estus Flasks (Ringing the two Bells Of Awakening), so I wouldn’t worry about rushing towards it as quickly as possible as an under-levelled journey down into The Catacombs with no fast travel to leave can be frustrating.
Now you know what Kindling does in bonfires and why it’s important. Remember to check the remainder of our Dark Souls guides!
