5. Restoring health Dark Souls III Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
The most important thing about health points in the game is the fact, that they do not regenerate automatically. Furthermore, the "regaining" mechanic known from Bloodborne is absent from Dark Souls III - if you are hit, performing a counterattack won't restore any of your health points. The only way to regenerate health in the game is to use an Estus Flask. The same rule applies for Focus Points, required to, for instance, cast spells - you can regain "mana" by drinking an Ashen Estus Flask. Those two items are the basic ones when it comes to healing.
Another way to restore the health of your character is to visit the bonfire. Additionally, it will refill all of your flasks. There's a price though - all nearby enemies will respawn. What is more, you can use Miracles, as well as Blessings to heal your character, especially if your build focuses on magic. Finally, keep in mind all the various items and pieces of gear that either increase the maximum health of your character, or allow you to slowly regenerate lost health.
The Blacksmith Andre allows you to change the proportion in the number of Estus Flasks and Ashen Estus Flasks your character carries. It's a very important thing to do, and you should use it to adjust them to your preferred playstyle. For instance: if you are playing as a Knight, a build having neither spells nor special abilities using focus points, you should carry more "regular" healing flasks. The same blacksmith will allow you to increase the overall limit of the flasks you can carry. In order to do so, you will need an Estus Fragment each time. Having the said item in your inventory, speak with the blacksmith and select the appropriate dialogue option, which will permanently increase the amount of flasks your character carries.