Bonfire (Dark Souls)

The bonfire is a rest point and checkpoint for the player character in the *Dark Souls* series, a trilogy of action role-playing games from Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware. First appearing in the 2011 game *Dark Souls* and returning in its sequels, *Dark Souls II* and *Dark Souls III*, each bonfire looks like a pile of ash and bones with a coiled sword stuck into it, giving off an orange flame. Scattered across many areas, these fires let players save their progress, level up, repair equipment, and restore health, magic, and healing items called Estus Flasks. Resting at a bonfire brings back most enemies, and when players die, they reappear at the last bonfire they used. Miyazaki explained that the bonfire was designed for practical use and as a place to relax within a harsh fantasy world.

Since its introduction, critics have praised the bonfire for being a warm, safe center that players could feel connected to. It is seen as one of the most iconic elements of the *Dark Souls* series, influencing checkpoint systems in many other games and appearing as Easter eggs in titles that normally do not use them.

Bonfires function as the series’ checkpoints. They are large fires made of bones and ash, each holding a coiled sword, and they glow with a warm orange color that stands out against the darker surroundings. When a player first finds a bonfire, they can activate it, lighting the flame and saving their progress in that area. Many bonfires are placed throughout different locations, sometimes close together and sometimes far apart.

Using a bonfire fully restores health and magic points, and it refills the player’s limited supply of Estus Flasks, which are magical drinks that heal health. If the player dies, they respawn at the last bonfire they used, but they lose the souls they were carrying—souls act as both experience points and currency. The player must go back to where they died to retrieve those souls, but if they die again before doing so, the souls are lost forever. Resting at a bonfire also causes most enemies to reappear, though bosses and minibosses do not. The player’s ability to keep respawning at bonfires is explained by a curse called the Darksign.

At a bonfire, players can level up, improve attributes, or repair gear. They can also warp between bonfires to travel to places they have already visited.