Creating your character:

Your first steps in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin! Learn how to customize your character, find your first Human Effigy, and decide whether to tackle the optional beast.

Alright, so the intro cutscene is done and you're standing on that pedestal. Time to get moving! Head towards the light you see ahead. You'll notice a crevice on your right side – duck under it. There's a Rusted Coin waiting on a dead body. Grab it; these coins temporarily boost your luck and how often you find items, which is super handy early on.

Head back out and keep going towards that light. You'll see a couple of small creatures. Honestly, don't worry about them right now. They're way tougher than they look at this stage and will probably just get you killed. Just keep moving towards the hut. Inside, you'll finally get to customize your character's appearance and grab your very first Human Effigy. Once you're happy with how you look and have your Effigy, head upstairs. There's another Human Effigy waiting for you in a chest.

Quick heads-up: There are three old ladies in the hut. You *can* kill them for Human Effigies, but you won't get any souls. More importantly, if you kill them, you lose the chance to respec your character later on. So, think carefully before you decide to attack them!

Optional: The Beast

Okay, so there's a bit of optional content right near the start. If you want to tackle it, head back to that crevice you went under earlier, just to the left of the bridge leading to the hut. You'll see some large footprints heading up a hill. Follow them, and you'll find a massive beast with its back turned. If you're playing a ranged character, this fight is a breeze. You can use your ranged attacks to lure the beast back towards the crevice. It won't be able to follow you through the narrow opening, and you can just wail on it from safety.

For melee characters, this is going to be a tough one. Honestly, if you're struggling, it's probably best to just back off for now and come back later when you're stronger or have found a decent ranged weapon. If you're feeling brave (or maybe a little reckless!), you'll need to be almost perfect. Your best bet is to focus on dodging its attacks and only hitting it when you see a clear opening. But seriously, having better gear makes a huge difference here.

Once you finally take down this beast, it'll drop a Stone Ring. Keep an eye out nearby; there's a corpse hidden in the weeds that has some Gold Pine Resin. Plus, if you follow a path that leads down beneath the waterfall, you can find another treasure chest.