Notes from author
Build for casual races, not hardcore speedruns. Start as Warrior, take Master Key, acquire Uchi from Undead Merchant, and you're pretty much good to go for the rest of the game in terms of gear. You can use your standard Heater Shield for the whole game if desired, but the Tower Kite Shield has better stability and is sold by Andre, who you'll be doing business with anyways. Having a bow is optional, but if you can pick up the Black Bow while in Darkroot then it'll be a great bonus. None of these items require going to optional areas (minus the minor diversion of fighting Havel), and thanks to the Master Key you can skip Lower Burg, Depths, and a chunk of Blighttown altogether. Challenge your casul friends to a race and watch them cry as you leave them in the dust.
