DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin

DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin

38 Achievements

1,000

80-100h

Xbox One
Xbox Series
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Smith for Life

Smith for Life

Inherit Steady Hand McDuff's equipment

30

8.92%

How to unlock the Smith for Life achievement in DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin - Definitive Guide

Steady Hand McDuff is located in the Lost Bastille. To access this blacksmith you must either obtain the Bastille Key or you can (This option is easier) use an explosive barrel to destroy a cracked wall. Skip to the section marked 'From McDuff's workshop' if you know how to access McDuff.

Bastille Key Location

The Bastille Key is situated after the Ruin Sentinels boss fight. Instead of going down the ladder into the Belfry Luna follow the path further into the Bastille, as if you were headed to Sinners' Rise. There will be a broken bridge with some boxes at one end and a tower at the other. Break the boxes and a corpse will have the key.

Location of McDuff and Barrel Method

You must either travel to the Exile Holding Cells bonfire or The Tower Apart bonfire. From the Exile Holding Cell bonfire progress as though you were travelling to the petrified statue at the building containing the ruin sentinels. On your journey you will reach a large staircase with a barrel and a mummy at the top. If you are coming from The Tower Apart this is located if you also go towards the ruin sentinels, but instead of turning left past the tower and going to the petrified statue, you continue straight. There is a gate next to the cracked wall that can be opened with a key. If you push the barrel atop the stairs down to the cracked wall and detonate the barrel using firebombs the wall should fall, also allowing you through.

From McDuff's Workshop

As for the achievement itself, the Dark Souls II guide states that you must give McDuff 14,000 souls and then talk to him and he will give you a titanite slab and the achievement will be yours. Apparently the achievement is bugged though, and consensus is that you must pay 14.000 souls on upgrades only
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07 Apr 2015 14:04

13 Comments
I just spent over 17,000 on arrows, exhausted his dialogue repeatedly but no slab and no achievement. Bugged?
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By Quadrahands on 08 Apr 2015 01:03
That's really strange! The official guide in achievements says 14,000 is the magic number. If it helps, I did it all in one go to be safe, and I spent it on upgrades to my armour. Additionally I had lit the sconce to his left which made the blacksmith get up from his chest and reposition himself towards it.
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By Memedude on 08 Apr 2015 02:59
I went to try again. He is in second location, I spent 15,000 on large titanite shards and spoke to him without leaving his 'options' and again got nothing. Another 15,000 on upgrades... and Boom! I got it. It looks like only upgrades count towards it now, by all means try yourself for confirmation, I might have just got a weird bug
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By Quadrahands on 08 Apr 2015 11:15
Okay, cool. Glad it worked for you! smile I've added that I highly recommend to do exactly as I did
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By Memedude on 08 Apr 2015 22:07
I had to buy 14, 000 in upgrades only for it to work
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By COGFr0stbite on 09 Apr 2015 20:21
Thanks for letting me know, I've updated the solution again.
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By Memedude on 10 Apr 2015 00:14
I got mine from upgrading as well. Thanks for the heads up.
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By WayzoftheRaven on 14 Apr 2015 13:14
Can confirm Upgrading is the way to go, don't buy stuff from him.
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By Nighthawkaz on 17 Apr 2015 07:37
I got the titanite slab after talking to him but did not get the achievement.... any help?
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By OLDxREAPER on 24 Feb 2016 00:20
Unfortunately I believe this may mean you need to start up a new save and attempt the achievement again. This is since I assume the 'trigger' for the achievement is the dialogue/slab. You could try shopping at the blacksmith more though.

Also it is possible that the achievement has been unlocked, but isn't showing it is unlocked yet. I know this can happen on any game on xbox one from time to time, so it may just take a few days for the achievement to register unlocking.
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By Memedude on 24 Feb 2016 09:44
-_- Just went to new game plus and got the slab again.... No achievement, guess I am making a new character.....
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By OLDxREAPER on 24 Mar 2016 17:49
http://www.ign.com/wikis/dark-souls-2/Steady_Hand_McDuff
is not buggy, you have to spend on services and not to buy items
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By Pawa7ThEbEsT on 02 May 2018 17:52
I did not get the achievement on my first run, even though McDuff gave me the slab.
After I beat the game I started NG+ and ran straight to McDuff again. This time I made sure that I spent 14000 souls on infusions and about 6000 souls extra on upgrades BEFORE I choose the "Talk" option. I got the slab and the achievement right after. To me it seems that he may give you the slab before the requirements for the achievement are met and this will mess it up. Hope this helps if anyone has the same problem as I did.
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By Leech lord on 17 Jun 2023 17:39
View all 13 comments Show less comments
A quick video guide on how to obtain the achievement.

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05 Aug 2015 17:33

This trophy unlocks for spending 14,000 souls on infusing weapons. Many have spent 14,000 souls on services (i.e. buying goods, repairing, etc.) and still not gotten the trophy. Once the souls have been spent pick the "Talk" option until he gives you a Titanite Slab and the trophy should pop.
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08 Jun 2016 05:03

2 Comments
You do get the trophy by reinforcing weapon/armor, i just did, dragonrider bow+1, ultra greatsword +7, drangleic sword +1 and tower shield +5 for a total that is in between 14 000 and 15 000 souls and got the trophy, didnt infuse or buy anything from him
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By ForcefulOliver on 10 Oct 2018 05:58
Reinforcing weapons and armor works.
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By maytresix on 19 Dec 2018 20:54
You can find McDuff in The Lost Bastille just after the section where you encounter the pursuer and some undead/dogs in a small courtyard. To access his room simply trick the Enemy at the top of the nearby stairs into rolling the barrel down at the wall, thus destroying it and granting you access to the McDuff bonfire and the man himself.

To earn the achievement you will need to first give him a dull ember to access his services, then you will need to spend 14000 souls upgrading your weapons and armour, after which exhaust his dialogue and he will give you a titanite slab.

Achievement Unlocked!
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23 Mar 2016 00:00

For this trophy, you must inherit equipment from the Blacksmith McDuff. He is found in the Lost Bastille close to the start of the area. If you do not have the Bastille key, you need to let the enemy at the top of the staircase outside his worskshop knock the explosive barrel in to the wall, revealing a bonfire and an entrance to his workshop.

Find the Dull Ember, which has been moved to a chest at The Tower Apart bonfire and give it to McDuff. You then need to spend a total of 14,000 souls on upgrading/infusing weapons with him in order to inherit his equipment, he will also give you a Titanite Slab if you talk to him after fulfilling this.

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McDuff can be found in the Lost Bastille (from the tower where Lucatiel is found just go straight ahead down the steps and his cell is at the bottom on the right) either by using the Bastille Key (found in Belfry Luna) to open his cell or by using the explosive barrel at the top of the stairs nearby to blow open the wall to get in. Once there speak to him repeatedly and light the torch in here to get him to move off the chest he is sat on. You now need the Dull Ember.

Originally the Ember was on a corpse in Iron Keep, but now it is substantially easier to get. You need to kill The Pursuer in the Forest of Fallen Giants (either on the battlements near Cale the Cartographer where an eagle drops him in, or behind the fog gate on the upper battlements with the ballista). Once he is dead you can find a nest just past his fog gate location - examine it and an eagle will pick you up and drop you by the Tower Apart bonfire in the Lost Bastille. There are two chests here and the Ember is in one of them.

Take it back to McDuff and he will then be able to infuse your weapons (if you have the correct stones). You then need to spend at least 14k worth of souls with him (I chose to use it all on infusion which some people state is required, but equally people have had it unlock by just buying items/arrows) and then chose the regular talk option. He will give you a Titanite Slab and the achievement is yours. 

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You need to give the guy the Ember Dull Ember to start with. It is located where the huge bird brings you. One of the iron chests. We give the coal to the blacksmith. Then, we need to stake a weapon worth 15k souls from him. Then talk to him a couple of times and he will give you his trinket. That's it, you got the trophy.
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21 Apr 2015 02:15

1 Comment
to gain 15k you can harden and improve (sharpen) weapons. Then we click to talk and he will give titanite and the achievement will fall.
By the way, if you light a lamp in his closet with a torch, he will stop waving a hammer and muttering nonsense, and go to work, after which it will be possible to mend the chest on which he is sitting, there is a flickering titanite there.
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By Arteg0r on 13 Nov 2018 11:53
You need to spend 14,000 souls in McDuff to improve and harden your weapons. Purchasing items does not increase this meter.

To find MacDuff you need to either open the grate with the same key you use to open the doors near the Sinner, or blow up the wall of his cell with a barrel that lies at the top of the stairs near the mummy guard.

In addition, coal is needed. Unlike the original DS2 on pastegen, you will find him right in the same location where MacDuff himself is. Coal is in the chest that the bird brings you to. To access the bird you need to kill the second boss of the Forest of Fallen Giants - the Pursuer.
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17 Jul 2015 18:31