Andre of Astora

Andre of Astora
Lore
Occupation	Blacksmith
Gameplay
Located in	Undead Parish
Drops	Blacksmith Hammer Crest of Artorias Humanity × 1
Other
Appears in	Dark Souls Dark Souls III
Voiced by	Sean Barrett

For the character in Dark Souls III, see Blacksmith Andre.

"Well, you must be a new arrival. I'm Andre of Astora. If you require smithing, speak to me."

— Andre of Astora

Andre of Astora is a character in Dark Souls. He is a blacksmith that will likely prove invaluable to the player throughout the game. Andre is voiced by Sean Barrett, who also voiced Ingward and Petrus of Thorolund.

Location

Andre of Astora is located directly below the bonfire in the Undead Parish, between Darkroot Garden and Sen's Fortress.

Plot

Often the first blacksmith new players come across, Andre of Astora can be a welcome sight. Andre of Astora is the only blacksmith that can ascend weapons down the Standard path from +5 to +6 and from +10 to +11. He is also the only blacksmith that can ascend weapons down the Raw, Divine and Occult paths.

He also sells some basic upgrade materials, as well as many weapons (some of which are unique to him). Finally, he sells the Crest of Artorias, which is required to open the door to Darkroot Forest, a more dangerous section of Darkroot Garden.

In Dark Souls III, he acts as the blacksmith in Firelink Shrine. At the beginning he is unable to infuse weapons without the correspondent coals found through the game to expand his services. Once the player has found a coal, returning it to him will unlock new infusion options.

Lore

Andre is from Astora; however, little else is known about him but his dialogue suggests that he was betrayed by someone some time ago, although he never elaborates on this. He is also acquainted with the Giant Blacksmith, as evidenced when he notices the player holding the Giant's Coal.

Strategy

Despite what common sense might dictate, Andre does not use his hammer to fight, preferring to simply use his bare hands. This certainly does not mean that he is a pushover, however; his heavier punches can knock players off their feet, while his jabs are fast and can quickly deal a lot of damage. Andre has a roster of moves unique to him, including a drop kick that has heavy knockback and deals high damage. He also sports unusually high health for a character of his stature, so it may take a while to wear him down.

Wares

• Items
• Key Items
• Weapons
• Ammunition

Item	Titanite Shard
Souls	800

Key Item	Crest of Artorias	Weapon Smithbox	Armor Smithbox	Repairbox
Souls	20,000	2,000	2,000	2,000

Weapon	Longsword	Broadsword	Bastard Sword	Battle Axe	Warpick
Souls	1,000	1,000	3,000	1,000	800
Weapon	Caestus	Pike	Large Leather Shield	Tower Kite Shield	Caduceus Kite Shield
Souls	200	2,000	800	1,000	1,000

Ammunition	Standard Arrow	Large Arrow	Wooden Arrow
Souls	10	50	3
Ammunition	Standard Bolt	Heavy Bolt	Wood Bolt
Souls	30	100	10

Character information

Health and souls

Health		Souls
NG	NG+	NG	NG+
1,065	2,664	1,000	5,000

Defenses

Physical Defenses				Elemental Defenses			Resistances
110	110	83	110	83	77	83	D	D	D

These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.

Drops

Item	Blacksmith Hammer	Humanity	Crest of Artorias
Drop Rate	Guaranteed	Guaranteed	Guaranteed (If not purchased)

Dialogue

Click to see dialogue (contains spoilers)

Introduction Well, you must be a new arrival. I'm Andre of Astora. If you require smithing, speak to me. Farewell I'll be seeing you then. Be careful out there. Farewell (after buying) Don't get yourself killed, neither of us wants to see you go Hollow. Greeting Well, hello again. You seem to be doing all right. Need anything forged? Talk x1 Most weapons and armor are mighty sturdy indeed. But every hunk of metal has its breaking point. If you notice durability running low, it's time to repair. You can ask a blacksmith like meself, or do it on your own with a grindstone. The nice thing about weapons...they never betray you. So pay them a little respect, eh? Talk x2 There are two types of weapon reinforcing. There's reinforcement, and there's ascension. Reinforcement is simple. It strengthens the weapon and nothing more. A simple task for any blacksmith. Hell, you could even do it yourself with a smithbox. But ascension is a finer art. It alters a weapon properties. Ascension is the territory of we blacksmiths; a smithbox just won't do the trick. Start out with reinforcement. When that loses it's charm you can consider ascension. As you've noticed, this land is flush with the mad and wicked. You won't make it through the night without employing my services. Hah hah hah! Talk x3 You can forge armour just like you do weapons. Forging armour is even easier than forging weapons. Whether you forge armor or weapons first? Well that's up to you. But nobody wants to see you go Hollow. So, whatever you do, you'd better do it well. Hah hah hah! Talk x4 This is the old church. It was abandoned in favour of the church that you passed through. There are paths leading from here to two forbidden planes: Sen's Fortress, and Darkroot Garden. They attract all sorts of lunatics, no-one as cultured as yourself. It's fine to be Undead, but keep a level head, eh? Hah hah hah! Talk x5 Sen's Fortress is an old proving ground built by the ancient gods. It is the only route to the great Anor Londo. Of course, most fools can't even find their way into that fortified deathtrap. But they won't stop trying! Take that bumbling Sir Onion... Hah hah hah! Talk x6 I know little of the Darkroot Garden. Although, I've heard rumours of a divine blacksmith who resides there. Those who get stumped in the Catacombs seek him for divine weapons. Talk x7 (after retrieving the Divine Ember) Oh, yes, and one more thing about the Darkroot Garden. It is said to house the grave of Sir Artorias the Abysswalker. Only, of those who ventured into the forest, none has returned. Large Ember Ahh, why, that's a fine ember you have there. I could smith some mighty weapons with one of those. Why not lend it to me? Very Large Ember Well, I'll be! That's a brilliant ember you've got there! For all my years in the trade, that might be the finest! How's about... you leave that ember with me? I'm just an old smith. I'd give my left arm for a gem like that. Divine Ember My, that's a rare ember you have there. I've seen one of those before... It's the ember of a divine blacksmith. Might you consider leaving that with me? I could produce divine weapons with a flame such as that. Large Divine Ember Oh, my, what a brilliant ember you have there. I've only heard legends of such specimens... The embers used for the secret rites of divine blacksmiths... Perhaps you could lend it to me? I've long dreamed of forging divine weapons... Dark Ember Hrm? Show me that ember of yours... Well, I've never heard of a black ember. Hmmm... How about leaving that ember with me? I find it strangely fascinating. Saying "No" to giving Andre an ember I see... 'Tis a pity... But perhaps you'd... No, no, it's quite all right... Quite all right, indeed... Bringing him an ember he can't use Hmm, that's an odd ember you have there. Ahh, I know what you're thinking. But I'm no good with those. It won't be easy, but... I'm afraid you'll have to look for someone else. Attacking him Well you've got some nerve! Coming at me like that! I'll tear you to shreds, you bloody hollow! Killing him Curses, you damn backstabber.

Trivia

• Andre's stocky build, beard, dour demeanor and profession as a blacksmith of legendary weapons resembles popular depictions of the dwarves, originally of Norse myth, and later popularized by the works of Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons.
  • Andre's name is similar to that of the dwarf Andvari of Norse myth.
  • Bodies of blacksmiths closely resembling Andre are found in various locations, seemingly petrified. In Norse myth, dwarves are said to be turned to stone by sunlight. Two of the petrified dwarves in Dark Souls are located in ruined buildings which appear to have been exposed to sunlight due to structural damage.
  • Dwarves in Norse myth are famed for the creation of magic items, particularly magic weapons of unparalleled strength. These include Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Odin's spear Gungnir, the reforged sword Gram, and the cursed sword Tyrfing.
• Andre has a west country accent, a region in the UK famous as the supposed birthplace of King Arthur. While it's likely a choice of actor, the fact remains he is one of the few with a true regional English accent. Notably, the west country is frequently depicted/stereotyped as the countryside in media. The line by Rickert, "an old smith out in the country", may allude to Andre.
• Andre is one of the few characters that do not disintegrate when killed. This may be because he uses a unique model, or perhaps signifies he is not an Undead or monster.
• It was originally intended that Andre was to be a descendant of Gwyn and that he would have a key role in the story, but this idea was scrapped.
• Andre is one of the few characters in Dark Souls whose mouth moves when he speaks (the others being Quelaag's Sister, Kingseeker Frampt, Alvina and Darkstalker Kaathe).

Gallery

Promotional screenshot