I just picked up Dark Souls and it looks like I can either stay in "hollow" form or become "human" by using a special item that I gained after defeating a boss. But from googling a bit and finding only ways to obtain it, I couldn't find any clear information on what it actually does. I also found that bonfires have an option to "kindle" them, but that requires humanity.

What effects does "humanity" have on me? And what about kindling bonfires with it?

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1 Answer

When you are human, you gain the following benefits:

• Ability to summon phantoms (essentially co-op play)
• Ability to invade other worlds (PvP) and be invaded in turn.
• Ability to kindle bonfires, increasing the amount of Estus Flask charges it restores.

Note that this is different from "holding humanity". In the upper-left corner of your HUD, there should be a number. This number determines how much "hold humanity" you have. If you choose to be human, you subtract one "hold humanity" and turn human. Holding humanity has its own effects. You do not have to be human to enjoy these benefits (you can be undead).

• Increased resistance to status effects (poison, bleed, etc.)
• Curse resistance. Unlike other status effects (bleed, poison), curse resistance can only be increased through wearing certain armors, rings, or gaining humanity.
• Increased item drop rates (drop rates increase as you gain more and more humanity)
• Increase damage dealt by Chaos weapons, scales to humanity.

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