Dark Souls III: Andre, Coals and Infusions

Andre is beside the Firelink bonfire. Use his Reinforce Weapon option to raise a weapon’s basic level; use Infuse Weapon only after you understand what the gem changes. Reinforcement makes a familiar weapon stronger. Infusion changes its relationship with attributes or elements, so it is a build decision.

Bring coals to Andre through dialogue. Each one expands the infusion options he can perform. After the hand-in, return to the infusion menu with the weapon and a suitable gem. Read the projected attack values and scaling letters with your current attributes in mind. Raw removes scaling in exchange for higher base damage. Fire and Deep also do not scale with your damage attributes. Those paths can suit a character that has not committed to an attack stat, but they are not a reason to keep levelling one.

Do not change a weapon just because a new gem dropped. A physical build often wants a different result from an Intelligence, Faith, or Luck-focused character. Keep the old version if it is working and test a spare compatible weapon when unsure. For the material ladder, see Weapon Upgrades; for the next boss route, use Base-Game Progression.