Farming Gravewarden Skeletons in the Catacombs of Carthus (offline method) Invading and killing other players as a purple phantom (online method)
We’ll give you an exact walkthrough for both methods down below.
Farming Gravewarden Skeletons (Offline Method)
The fastest way to collect Vertebra Shackles offline is by repeatedly killing Gravewarden Skeletons in the Catacombs of Carthus. Before you get started with this method, you should find the right gear to make farming as fast as possible. It’s vital that you equip gear that boosts your item discovery, the stat that controls how likely enemies are to drop rare items. For a complete rundown on gear that speeds up farming, check out our Dark Souls 3 farming build guide. Once you’ve put together a suitable build, warp to the Catacombs of Carthus Bonfire to get started. From the Bonfire, walk forward up to the corridor with the rolling Skeleton ball. When it’s safe to do so, turn right and then make a left to enter a tight corridor. At the end of this corridor is a room with two Gravewarden Skeletons, the targets of the farm. Get their attention, then run back into the Skeleton ball corridor. If done correctly, the Skeletons will follow you into the corridor with the Skeleton ball. Stay alive in this corridor until the ball returns and strikes the Skeletons, killing them in 1-2 hits. With the Skeletons dead, loot their corpses and hope that they’ve dropped a Vertebra Shackle. Once they’re looted head back to the Bonfire and sit down to respawn the skeletons, ready for another run of the farm.
Killing Other Players as a Purple Phantom (Online Method)
If you’re playing on consoles, you’ll have access to Dark Souls 3’s online features. The fastest way to gain Vertebra Shackles is by using these features to invade and kill other players while taking the form of a purple phantom. To become a purple phantom, you’ll need to join the Mound-makers Covenant and equip their pledge. If you already have the Mound-makers pledge, skip ahead to the section titled ‘Invading Other Players’.
Joining the Mound-makers Covenant
There are two different ways to find the leader of the Mound-makers and collect their pledge. Which method you’ll use depends on whether or not you’ve faced the Curse-rotted Greatwood in the Undead Settlement. If you haven’t yet fought the Greatwood, here’s how to join the Mound-makers: If you’ve already killed the Greatwood, joining the Mound-makers is much more complicated: If you need a breakdown for Sirris’ questline, you can find a detailed walkthrough on the Dark Souls 3 Wiki.
Invading Other Players
Once you’ve acquired the Mound-makers Pledge, equip it to join the Covenant. Once you’ve joined the Covenant, you’re now free to invade other players’ worlds in search of Vertebra Shackles. You’ll need an item to enable you to invade. The most popular item for this is the Red Eye Orb, dropped by the Darkwraith underneath the Tower on the Wall Bonfire in the High Wall of Lothric. With the Pledge equipped and the Red Eye Orb in your quick menu, you can use the Orb to start the invasion process. Due to Dark Souls 3’s increasingly empty servers, this may take a while. I recommend heading to Anor Londo or Irithyll for the best chances at finding a match. Once you’ve successfully invaded another world, you’ll take the form of a purple phantom. To get a Vertebra Shackle, you’ll have to find the Host of Embers in this world and kill them. This can be tough, but with a decent build and some practice, you’ll be gathering Vertebra Shackles in no time.
