Andre of Astora

Andre of Astora is a character in Dark Souls. He is a blacksmith that will likely prove invaluable to the player in the early game.

Location
Andre of Astora is located directly below the bonfire between the Undead Parish and Sen's Fortress.

Plot
Likely the first blacksmith the player comes across, Andre of Astora can be a welcome sight. Andre of Astora is the only blacksmith that can ascend weapons down the regular path from +5 to +6 and from +10 to +11. He is also the only blacksmith that can upgrade weapons down the Divine and Occult paths. He also sells some basic upgrade materials, weapons, and armor. Finally, he sells the Crest of Artorias, which is required to take the shortcut to the more dangerous areas of the Darkwood Forest.

Wares
Andre of Astora sells some weapons and one upgrade material.

Weapons
Incomplete

Strategy
Despite what common sense might dictate, Andre does not use his hammer to fight, preferring to simply use his bare hands to pummel you into submission. This certainly does not mean that he is a pushover, however; his heavier punches can knock players off their feet, while his jabs are fast and can quickly deal a lot of damage. Andre has a roster of moves unique to him, including a drop kick that has heavy knockback and high damage. He also sports unusually high HP for an NPC of his stature, so it may take a while to wear him down.

Drops

 * Crest of Artorias (if player has not purchased it from him yet)
 * x3 Humanity
 * Blacksmith's Hammer

Backstory
Judging from Andre's accent and choice of words, it appears that he was inspired by Gaelic influences. Little is known about Andre, but his dialogue suggests that he was betrayed by someone some time ago, although he never elaborates on this.

Trivia

 * Andre is one of the few NPCs that do not disintegrate into nothingness if you kill him. This may be because he uses a unique model.