Black Gulch

This area is reached by heading down through the Gutter.

Description
There is a bonfire immediately on the left, shortly after there is a large area with many poison statues and a battle with multiple enemies. It's all very green. There are black puddles in the first area from which strange creatures come out and attack you. They look like they're from Beyond Good and Evil. Watch out for their grab attack--it hurts! Kill them, then look to the left. A little tunnel, not very easy to see, hides a chest containing a Shotel and a scroll for Great Magic Weapon. Further ahead, larger eel-like creatures come out of the wall. They hit hard, but move slowly. Up ahead, there's a more open area, and you can summon the NPC Lone Hunter Schmidt near a fog wall. There's a small cave adjoining the area where you can find a divine blessing (restore HP and status). One of the enemies here also drops a large titanite shard. A path off to the right, near the cliff, leads to another bonfire and a Pharro's Lockstone.

If you turn around here, you might be able to see some message down below the main area. There's a locked door on the first cliff, if you drop down from where one of the worms comes out. Drop down again, and then again to another cliff. This cliff leads to a cave with some huge giants. They hit very very hard, but you can snipe them from a little room behind them. In the room you get a Ring of Giants+1 and a petrified bone. Kill the giants for 4k souls each, a Forgotten Key, and a Soul of a Giant. If you poke around the giant's area more, you'll find another room with two big jars across a cliff, as well as an elevator. Break the jars BEFORE you try to jump to them, or you'll fall to your death. One of them contains 4x Silver Talismans. Take the elevator to a room that lets you drop back into the main area.

The forgotten Key opens up locked door on the first drop down from the second bonfire. Here you'll find an old dude in a wheelchair. Keeps talking about deeper darkness, but doesn't explain much. I'm sure we'll see him more later. Second NPC to want Dark, or mention dark but doesn't give many speaking options, nor does he seem to want to speak. Unsure what either character want.

Beyond the fog wall is a boss called The Rotten. He's kind of crazy, is either made of or has attached to him many human-looking people. He kind of slides around on them too. He apparently wants to make stone statues but isn't very good at it, and this angers him. He has an attack where he grabs you and then snaps you and it takes away a great deal of health. Don't get caught by it. Lightning barely hurts him, but Emit Force does hurt him. There are fires on the ground that will kill you quickly if you don't notice you're standing on them!

Beyond the Rotten is another Primal Bonfire and sublime bone dust.

Items
Shotel

Great magic weapon sorcery

divine blessing

face hugger dropped a large titanite shard and a chunk, may be a great place to farm

Scraps of life hex