Talk:Starting Gifts/@comment-211.30.218.198-20140326003535/@comment-3492791-20140417065111

It only "ruins the game" if you let it. The biggest thing is it lets you access Darkroot Basin (and Havel) early. You can get to Darkroot Garden through Undead Parish, and from there the Valley of Drakes, and from there Blighttown. After Blighttown you can just buy the Master Key anyway.

Or you can just choose to ignore all this and go through the Depths like you're supposed to, then not have to go through half the dungeon to get the key to the bonfire.

The only options on par with the Master Key would be Black Firebombs or the Old Witch's Ring, since the Demon's Great Hammer (which you'd use the firebombs to get) and the ring can only be obtain otherwise through trading.