Shrine of Winter

The Shrine of Winter is a location in Dark Souls II.

Description
The Shrine of Winter is a small area leading to the steps of Drangleic Castle. It is found in the Shaded Woods by taking the northern path at the Ruined Fork Road bonfire and is initially blocked by a door that demands a number of strong souls to open.

The door can be opened in one of two ways. The first is by defeating the four Old Ones - The Lost Sinner, The Old Iron King, The Rotten, and The Duke's Dear Freja. This is the most linear option and will ensure all areas are visited beforehand, leading to the possibility of more loot and souls.

The second is by accumulating more than one million souls, regardless of how those souls are earned or spent. On New Game + and beyond, the requirement for opening the door this way will increase by another one million souls.

Strategy
Obtaining one million souls is not as hard as it sounds; most players will earn this amount naturally over the course of one playthrough and may even reach it before beating any of the Old Ones. Playing online as a white phantom is a good way of earning souls; defeating bosses will usually earn players a few thousand or more.

Offline players may find a few good farming spots and use particular equipment to maximise their soul gain maximum. The Iron Keep is an excellent location and can easily yield 30,000 souls and more by progressing from the first bonfire to the Belfry Sol  bonfire while wearing the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring +1 and the Jester's Gloves.

This can be done up to fifteen to twenty times before enemies stop respawning. Of course, confident players can also purchase a Bonfire Aesthetic from Stone Trader Chloanne and continue to farm until the respawn limit is reached once again.

By following this strategy, the player also has the added bonus of possibly finding Large Titanite Shards dropped by the Old Ironclad Soldiers. The Covetous Gold Serpent Ring +1 and the Jester's Cap, both obtained from Magerold of Lanafir, will prove useful in this endeavor.