Seeing as the game still has a fair number of new players everytime a sale comes out, i figured i’ll post a guide on how to optimize the amount of NPC questlines you can finish in one playthrough (It can be a ♥♥♥♥♥ to figure out how a questline interacts with one another). I wrote this out of memory so feel free to correct me if i missed anything. These are simply the order of which i do things in a playthrough, and i usually get all of these questlines done by the end of the game.
 
 
(*) = Means you can do this out of order or in another way, later.
 
 
(**) = Means that this is optional to the completion of the NPC quest.
 
 
(***) = The suggested timing to take a certain action.
 
 
(****) = Questline finished.
 
 

High Wall of Lothric :

1. Free Greirat from his cell.*
 
2. (Firelink) Talk to Leonhard.*
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : None.
 
 
 

Undead Settlement :

1. Give Greirat Loretta’s Bone.*
 
2. Free Cornyx.*
 
3. Send Yoel to Firelink Shrine.
 
4. Go up the elevator and help Siegward kill the fire Demon. Exhaust his dialogue to get a gesture.
 
5. Pick up a pale Tongue near the Fire Demon.*
 
6. Get Mortician’s Ashes and open the sewer. Free Irina.*
 
7. Get Mound-Makers covenant.**
 
8. Kill Rotted Greatwood.*
 
9. (Firelink) Talk to Leonhard. Kill the Darkwraith in the basement of Tower on the Wall bonfire.*
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Holy Knight Hodrick (Invasion).
 
 
 

Road of Sacrifices :

1. Grab Divine Tome of Carim.*
 
2. Talk to Anri and exhaust her dialogue.
 
3. Go to Firelink and send Greirat on a pillaging mission.*
 
4. Kill Crystal Sage.*
 
5. Talk to Sirris.
 
6. Level up 5 times from Yoel.***
 
7. Recruit Orbeck.*
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Exiled Watchdogs (Hostile NPCs), Yellowfinger Heysel (Invasion), Holy Knight Hodrick (Mad Spirit).
 
 
 

Farron Keep :

1. Grab Dreamchaser’s Ashes from the Old Wolf of Farron Bonfire.*
 
2. (Firelink) Talk to Sirris to get the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture.*
 
3. Kill Abyss Watchers.*
 
4. (Firelink) Talk to Hawkwood and exhaust his dialogue after putting Abyss Watchers’ ashes on the throne.*
 
5. Get Sage’s Scroll and/or Golden Scroll and give it to Orbeck.
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Yellowfinger Heysel (Invasion).
 
 
 

Cathedral of the Deep :

1.Cross the bridge that leads to Rosaria’s Bed Chamber. Get kicked down by Patches.*(**)
 
2. (Firelink) Go to the dilapidated tower and get locked in by Patches.*(**)
 
3. Open the door across Rosaria’s Bed Chamber and talk to Siegward in the well.***
 
4. Kill Deacons of the Deep.***
 
5. (Firelink) Buy Siegward’s armor from Patches and give it to Siegward.***
 
6. (Firelink) Exhaust Anri’s dialogue.***
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Longfinger Kirk (Invasion), Fallen Knight (NPC), Spider Shield Warrior (NPC).
 
 
 

Catacomb of Carthus :

1. Find Anri twice, and exhaust her dialogues.*
 
2. Cross the bridge to Irithyll after killing Wolnir.***
 
3. Send Greirat on a scavenging expedition.***
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Knight Slayer Tsorig (Invasion).
 
 
 

Smoldering Lake :

1. Kill Horace.**
 
2. Summon Cuculus.**
 
3. Kill Old Demon King.***
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Horace the Hushed (NPC), Knight Slayer Tsorig (NPC).
 
 
 

Irithyll of the Boreal Valley :

1. Heed Sirris’ summon sign.*
 
2. Find Anri in Yorshka’s Church and exhaust her dialogue.
 
3. Find Siegward near the Distant Manor and exhaust his dialogue.
 
4. Proceed to Irithyll Dungeon.*
 
5. Kill Pontiff Sulyvahn.*
 
6. (Firelink) Speak to Yuria about the wedding ritual.*
 
7. Find Anri and proceed with the ritual in the Darkmoon Chamber.*(****)
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Alva, Seeker of the Spurned (Invasion), Londor Pale Shade (Invasion, only if you’re on bad terms with Yuria), Creighton the Wanderer (Invasion), Drang Warriors (NPCs).
 
 
Note : I choose to proceed with Yuria’s questline since the only advantage of picking Anri’s “Slayer of Aldrich” ending is an extra battle with Aldrich and some random dialogue.
 
 
 

Irithyll Dungeon and Profaned Capital :

1. Get the Old Cell Key.
 
2. Get Jailer’s Key Ring.*
 
3. Free Karla.****
 
4. Kill an NPC for Logan’s Scroll.*
 
5. Free Siegward from his cell.
 
6. Kill Yhorm the Giant.(****)
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Gargoyle Flame Hammer Mage (NPC).
 
 
 

Anor Londo :

1. Kill Aldrich.
 
2. (Undead Settlement) Heed Sirris’ summon sign.****
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : None.
 
 
 

Consumed King’s Garden :

1. Kill Oceiros.
 
2. Get Path of the Dragon.*
 
3. (Irithyll Dungeon) Proceed to Archdragon Peak.
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild (Invasion, Untended Graves).
 
 
 

Lothric Castle :

1. Pick up Braille Divine Tome of Lothric.*
 
2. Kill Dragonslayer Armor.*
 
3. (Firelink) Buy all Miracles from Irina.****
 
4. (Firelink) Send Greirat to Lothric Castle.*
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : None.
 
 
 

Archdragon Peak :

1.Kill Ancient Wyvern.
 
2. Summon Hawkwood and get the Twinkling Dragon Torso Stone.*
 
3. (Firelink) Talk to Andre to get Hawkwood’s Swordgrass.
 
4. (Farron Keep) Kill Hawkwood in Abyss Watchers’ room.****
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Drakeblood Knight (NPC, only once), Ricard Knight (NPC, only once), Havel Knight (NPC).
 
 
 

Grand Archives :

1. Kill the Crystal Sage and give Crystal Scroll to Orbeck.*
 
2. Find Orbeck’s body.****
 
3. Give Yuria Orbeck’s Ashes.**
 
4. Find Greirat’s Ashes.****
 
5. Kill Twin Princes.
 
6. Retrieve Sirris’ items.**
 
7. (Rosaria’s Bed Chamber) Offer a Pale Tongue to Rosaria and talk to Leonhard.*
 
8. (Rosaria’s Bed Chamber) Find out that Rosaria has been killed.*
 
9. (Anor Londo) Kill Leonhard.****
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Lion Knight Albert (NPC), Daughter of Crystal Kriemhild (NPC), Black Hand Kamui (NPC).
 
 
 

Kiln of the First Flame :

1. Talk to Yuria and exhaust her dialogue.
 
2. Summon Yuria.**
 
3. Kill Soul of Cinder.****
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : None.
 
 
 

Dreg Heap :

1. Talk to Lapp near the broken tower.*
 
2. Reload the game and talk to Lapp near Earthen Peak Ruins bonfire.*
 
3. Homeward Bone 3 times or retrieve the Titanite Slab in Earthen Peak.*
 
4. Talk to Lapp one more time.*
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Desert Pyromancer Zoey (NPC).
 
 
 

Ringed City :

1. Talk to Lapp near Ringed Inner Wall bonfire.*
 
2. Talk to Shira and exhaust her dialogue.**
 
3. Transform into a sprite of humanity to solve the “Show your Humanity” puzzle and discover the Purging Monument.*
 
4. Talk to Lapp in a room far to the right of the Purging Monument and tell him about it.*
 
5. Talk to Lapp one last time in Shared Grave.****
 
6. Knock Darkeater Midir off the bridge.*
 
7. Kill Darkeater Midir.*
 
8. Touch the Embraced Shell.*
 
9. Go to the far right of Slave Knight Gael’s boss arena before you triggered the boss fight or after you kill Gael to kill Shira.****
 
 
Hostile NPC/Invaders : Silver Knight Ledo (Invasion), Seeker of the Spurned (Invasion), Moaning Knight (Invasion), Shira (NPC).
 
 
 

Fin

I hope this helps. Note that breaking progression (e.g. skipping to the Dancer early) affects NPC questlines very little.
 
 

 
 
I hope you enjoy the Guide we share about DARK SOULS™ III – Tips & Tricks – NPC Questlines Achievement Guide; if you think we forget to add or we should add more information, please let us know via commenting below! See you soon!