A Fine Dark Souls III to You [Finished]



The casual episode covers exactly what’s in the video. Only in eight minutes instead of roughly 30:00. The rest of the video is walking to the next area. Which isn’t in the main video. So if you only have a few minutes and maybe prefer a more casual atmosphere this is probably the way to go.

Crystal Sage


The Crystal Sage is an interesting boss. It’s almost like they saw Pinwheel from Dark Souls and tried to find a way to make him less of a joke. Full disclosure. I died to pinwheel once. In my LP of the game no less. The Crystal Sage is kinda similar after all.

The Sage is a spellcasting boss, it does have a melee attack but that one’s just kind of there. You might not even see it if you’re aggressive enough because he’ll flinch out of it every time you hit him. My general advice for Phase 1 is to dodge past all the purple stuff to reach the Sage to lay the smack down on his candy ass until he peaces out! Once teleported he’ll reappear at a different location. Though, the spots he can appear in are fixed the order is randomized. Crystals will appear to come from the ground, to my knowledge they do no damage whatsoever. Just touching them will break them.

Once he’s down to roughly 50% of his health the second phase starts, and now you also have to dodge blue stuff. The Sage will summon three clones. They have the same moves as the big guy himself only they die in one hit and their magic is blue instead of purple. A wise person will kill the clones before attacking the real boss because their spells are quite damaging. Always be on the move and ideally bring a fast weapon in case your main hand one is of the slower variety. This will reduce the time you’re just standing around in an attack animation, waiting to be killed by magic coming from a total of four sources. I found myself having trouble on my huge-weapon run for this reason.

Once the clones are dead continue to spam attacks on the Sage proper until he teleports and the whole game begins anew. Depending on how powerful you are you can kill him in 2-6 teleports on most characters. This is due to you being able to fight him much later in the game by going down a different route first. All in all he’s not too hard, but definitely not to be underestimated. That last part is true for every boss, but especially this one, because if things go south they go straight to the pole.

As we can learn from the description of his Soul and the spell and weapon we can make from it this was only one of two crystal sages. This one sided with the legion of Farron Keep, an area close by. Oddly enough he’s not guarding the path to Farron Keep but to the Cathedral of the Deep. The other sage, at this point, we don’t really know anything about.

A Brief History of Big Hat Logan
A lot of people drew connections to Big Hat Logan from Dark Souls when they saw the Crystal Sage and the hollow sorcerer’s with the big hats. Some went as far as saying that one of the sages was Logan himself. In truth it’s more like they are part of a big Logan fan club. So I find it best, for those not already aware, to describe who Logan is exactly.

In Dark Souls we first learn of him from Griggs of Vinheim, who admires Logan and tells us about how awesome of a sorcerer Logan is and how shit he is by comparison. Griggs paints us a picture of a Legend. And for all you know he may be just that. Logan is a fairly well hidden NPC. A lot of people might not find him on their first playthrough. I think this is intended to enhance the myth of the Big Hatted Sorcerer. On the other hand, they may not have made it that way for any specific reason. Another character, Rickert of Vinheim, will let you know that Logan is over 100 years old and shouldn’t even be alive. Thing is, he’s of course undead, which grants him some form of immortality. Interesting that the people who know him did not consider this. Is he really that awesome?

When we find Logan he’s in a cage in a room that has no real entrance (we have to bust a hole in the wall to get there), just hanging out there with his huge hat, being fairly chill, especially considering the situation he’s in. Once freed he’ll go to Firelink Shrine and set up shop near Griggs, who’ll just go “Noooo, don’t go to me, I suck, Logan’s right over there, go to Logan, he’s a basically demigod”. Naturally, Logan has much more powerful spells in stock than Griggs.

After the game progresses far enough Logan moves on. But not before telling us where to. In fact this would not be the first time he’s telling us he made his intentions clear form the start: He wants to go to the Duke’s Archives, which belong to Seath, the Scaleless Dragon who betrayed his own race and got granted the title of Duke by Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight. But I’ll find an excuse to talk about Seath in more detail at a later point, as he’s probably my favorite Souls antagonist, so for now I’ll stick to what’s essential for Logan’s story.

Logan was fascinated with Seath because he had attained true immortality. Logan describes him as a “true undead” in a later encounter. The source of Seath’s immortality is a crystal. In fact, Crystals are all over Seath’s archives. Once we find Logan he is, of course, captured again. This time in a cell befitting of the myth that surrounds the man. But it’s way too big for him. So of course, we rescue him again. And he moves to a different spot in the archives where he begins studying Seath’s research on immortality and begins to sell us crystal infused versions of his previous spells.

And here is where Logan’s story begins to mirror Seath’s. In the process of researching way to become immortal he went completely mad. His research included kidnapping people to experiment on them and fusing various monsters with people or other monsters. We have Man-Serpents and Cthulhu Nagas roaming about his place, for instance. Then there’s regular crystal infused hollows. While Logan doesn’t actually do that, delving into Seath’s research still turns him insane. This becomes apparent if you visit him again later, he’ll just ramble on about how great seath is and eventually his ramblings beome unintelligible. Once all of his spells are purchased he moves on to a final location: The room we first fought Seath in.

Logan decided in order to become immortal he must be more like Seath. Since Seath was a Scaleless, naked dragon, Logan stripped himself of all his clothes and hung around in the archives. Most other characters in the first Dark Souls go hollow and attack you somewhere once their stock is depleted, Logan doesn’t. He still attacks you but he’s specifically not hollow. Just bonkers. The only reason he’s still wearing his hat is so you can tell it’s Logan. And that’s where the tale of the legendary Logan ends. Pantsless and no idea what’s going on anymore.



Today well have us a bit of a quickie, we’re going back to Firelink Shrine and explore that belltower we couldn’t access before.

Fire Keepers
If you scroll down to the items you’ll see that all of them are related to Fire Keepers. So, what’s a Fire Keeper even? There isn’t too much we know, to be honest. They are women who tend to the bonfires. In the first Dark Souls specifically a Bonfire tended to by a Firekeeper actually extinguishes if the Firekeeper dies. Let’s just go over hte Fire Keepers that we know of.

Dark Souls had Anastacia, who hung out in a cave behind bars in Firelink Shrine, she was mute because her tongue was cut out. Over the course of the game she can actually get killed by a different NPC and later be revived. Being revived restores her tongue reveals that she hates to speak to us because she’s afraid her “impure tongue” might offend.

Then there’s the Fair Lady, or Queelags sister. Some call her Quelaan, but that’s just a fan name that sounds too similar to Queelana, an actual character in Dark Souls. Residing between Blighttown, The Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, The Fair Lady is a sickly, blind, spider lady who could only speak in her own tongue, which the player can understand by equipping the Old Witch’s Ring. She tells us that she is deathly sick because she sucked the poison out of a man. That man happens to be nearby (supposedly he’s responsible for ruining Blightown). Her Sister, Quelaag, is a more healthy spider lady who made it her mission to collect humanity to ease the suffering of her sister.

The last knwon Fire Keeper of Dark Souls is Lady of the Darkling who is found in Anor Londo. Whe is a Darkmoon Blade loyal to Gwyndolyn. Her entire body is hidden under brass armor which she wears because she’s ugly as fuck. To her words at least. If you clip through her helm somehow or change her equipment by tinkering with files it turns out she actually has a normal face. Anyway, she is so loyal to the Darkmoon Blades because Gwyndolyn welcomed her with open arms despite her exterior.

In Dark Souls II there’s only one active Firekeeper: the Emerald Herald, Shanalotte. Opposed to the other Fire Keepers we know from the first game she seems dedicated to guide the Chosen Undead, welcoming them as “the new monarch” basically out of the blue as soon as you talk to her for the first time. She is an artificial person created by Aldia, more specifically, she’s supposed to be a Dragon, who Aldia believed to be the key to overcoming the undead curse.

There are three more firekeepers in Dark Souls II but they are all retired. The three old women from the start of the game. Well, there’s a fourth but she only shows up in the intro cinematic (presumably). These retired Firekeepers all look very similar to the Shrine Handmaid in Dark Souls III. The three old ones help the player character find their identity by uh… allowing them to create a character. They also tell the player that they will die a lot und lose their souls because Dark Souls II sure is HARDDDDD lol.

In Dark Souls III there is only one Fire Keeper that we meet, she’s the level-up lady in Firelink Shrine and she happens to blind, which is now apparently true for all Fire Keepers. In this very episode we also find a corpse of a fire keeper on top of the belltower. We then find a couple more corpses on the ground floor of said belltower. I didn’t consider this when recording commentary but much like Shanalotte from Dark Souls II they may be artificially created, much like her. They could be a copy of that one we loot the Fire Keeper Soul from. Seeing as we can find so many dead ones in one spot and they seem to be taken to the trash like once they are no longer needed this may be the case. But this is just me theorizing without any research. But it is a possibility that they’ve been using the same Fire Keeper over and over every time the fire faded to help the Chosen Undead of the time and now the Unkindled. I could, however, be completely wrong with all of that.

In any case, if These Firekeepers are not born by natural means then Aldia probably is not responsible for it as he was against linking the Bonfire. Then again, there may be things we’ve yet to learn.

But I think I went a little too far with my theorizing. Let’s move on to the item descriptions.

Firekeeper Soul
Dark Souls III:
Soul of a Fire Keeper who is said to have returned from the Abyss.
This Fire Keeper preserves the bonfire, and serves its champion. She is said to have soothed and accepted the dark sigil, which has tainted her soul.
And yet, her soul will one day embed itself in the bosom another Fire Keeper.

Dark Souls (Regular):
Soul of a long-lost Fire Keeper.
Each Fire Keeper is a corporeal manifestation of her bonfire, and a draw for the humanity which is offered to her. Her soul is gnawed by infinite humanity, and can boost the power of precious Estus Flasks. Reinforced Estus Flasks capture denser Estus, allowing for increased restoration of HP.

Dark Souls (Anastacia of Astora):
Soul of the Ash Maiden, Fire Keeper of Firelink Shrine.
A Fire Keeper’s soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm.
Was the Ash Maiden locked in this dark prison for some transgression, or by her own will?

Dark Souls (The Fair Lady):
Soul of a Daughter of Chaos, Fire Keeper of Quelaag’s Domain.
A Fire Keeper’s soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm.
To her, the countless eggs which appeared were cradles for each tiny humanity.

Dark Souls (Lady of the Darkling):
Soul of the Darkmoon Knightess, Fire Keeper of Anor Londo.
A Fire Keeper’s soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm.
Her brass armor serves to disguise this ghastly form.

Fire Keeper Robes
Robe worn by the guardian of the shrine.
The Fire Keepers were robbed of light, to better serve as vessels for souls. Only those who cherish the writhing, searing darkness were given the keeper’s black attire.

Estus Ring
A green ring crafted from shards. Increases HP restored by Estus Flask.
This ring was entrusted to a certain Fire Keeper, but in the end she never met her champion, and the ensuing tragic farce became a favorite tale of the masses.


Darkstalker Kaathe

When Yuria dies she mentions that she failed Kaathe. Even if you played Dark Souls you may have never encountered Kaathe because in order to even find him you have are not allowed to give the Lordvessel to Frampt, who is much more readily accessible. But knowing who Kaathe is gives us a good idea of learning more about what the Hollows of Londor are up to, considering that their allegiance seems to be with him. First, here’s his dialogue upon meeting him in the Abyss, entered from the ruins of New Londo, after retrieving the Lordvessel:

"The truth I shall share without sentiment. After the advent of fire, the ancient lords found the three souls. But your progenitor found a fourth, unique soul. The Dark Soul. Your ancestor claimed the Dark Soul and waited for Fire to subside. And soon, the flames did fade, and only Dark remained. Thus began the age of men, the Age of Dark.

However… Lord Gwyn trembled at the Dark. Clinging to his Age of Fire, and in dire fear of humans, and the Dark Lord who would one day be born amongst them, Lord Gwyn resisted the course of nature. By sacrificing himself to link the fire, and commanding his children to shepherd the humans, Gwyn has blurred your past, to prevent the birth of the Dark Lord.

I am the primordial serpent. I seek to right the wrongs of the past to discover our true Lord. But the other serpent, Frampt, lost his sense, and befriended Lord Gwyn. Undead warrior, we stand at the crossroad. Only I know the truth about your fate. You must destroy the fading Lord Gwyn, who has coddled Fire and resisted nature, and become the Fourth Lord, so that you may usher in the Age of Dark!"

Even though Kaathe’s intentions oppose Frampt’s he tasks you to do the exact same thing. To kill Gwyn. But instead of linking the fire he wants you to just not do that. Once you did as you’re told, funnily, both Frampt and Kaathe show up to welcome you as their Dark Lord. I’m not sure this if this is supposed to tell us something about Frampt or the primordial serpents as a whole. But that’s something to ponder on for another time, really.

Kaathe seems to want to help humanity reach their true potential the Dark Soul he mentions most likely being the source of Humanity (Humanity being an in-game item and a mechanic in Dark Souls). So every human has a bit of the Dark Soul inside them. Souls games make clear thet humans are creatures of the Dark by their nature. Kaathe commanded the Darkwraiths to collect humanity, which is essentially synonymous with the Dark.

Embracing the Dark and possibly hollowing is seen as a means to end the age of fire for good and jumpstart a new age of man. We never really learn what happens after you become the Dark Lord, though, if you go through with Kaathe’s plan. At this point I should also mention that by killing Yuria we’ve locked ourselves out of one of the endings for Dark Souls III, but don’t worry, we’ll still see it and how to get it.

As an interesting aside: Some people believe that Gwyn “resisting the course of nature” as Kaathe put it, was Gwyn linking the Fire to Humanity, which is why the curse of undeath appears every time the flame is fading. It makes sense and is a very interesting theory for sure. This could also be the “First Sin” that is being referred to in the Title of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.


Soul of a Crystal Sage
Soul of a Crystal Sage.
One of the twisted souls, steeping in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The twin Crystal Sages once serves as spiritual guides to the scholars of the Grand Archives, and one went on to ally with the Undead Legion.

Crystal Sage’s Rapier
Thrusting Sword with tiny crystals scattered across its blade, used by the Crystal Sages for self-defence.
The crystals boost the magic damage inflicted by the sword, and the item discovery of its wielder, fruit of the lifetime of research conducted by the sages.
Skill: Stance - From stance, use normal attack to back step and execute a surprise attack, or a strong attack for consecutive thrusting.

Crystal Hail
Unique sorcery developed by extraordinary preacher twins known as the Crystal Sages.
Casts a cascade of small crystal soulmasses from above. Crystal soulmasses have piercing qualities.
In a pact said to have been formed long ago, one of the Sages allied with the Undead Legion in order to train the sorcerers of Farron.

Butcher’s Knife
Butcher’s knife with an oddly large blade wielded by the madwoman haunting the Road of Sacrifices.
Squarely-landed hits restore HP.
Back in the Undead Settlement, the woman acquired a taste for human flesh, of which she took glee in partaking.
Skill: Sharpen - sharpening the blade increases HP restored with each successful hit.

Golden Falcon Shield
A metal shield fashioned in the form of a falcon with wings outstretched.
The golden falcon was the emblem of an ancient band of sellswords, and even to this day, many mercenaries remain who look upon it as a token of good fortune.
Skill: Parry - Repel an attack at the right time to follow up with a critical hit. Works while equipped in either hand.
Note: the description is most likely a reference to the Band of the Hawk/Falcon from Berserk

Exile Greatsword
Bloodstained greatsword wielded by one of the Watchdogs of Farron, who preside over the slumber of fallen warriors. The blade is a reminder of the exile’s past misdeeds.
Inhuman strength is required to wield this heaviest of curved greatswords.
Skill: Spin Slash - Slice into foes with a large spinning motion, and continue spinning to transition into a strong attack.

Great Corvian Scythe
Great scythe of the forlorn souls guided by heretical storytellers. The Mistress of the Painted World is said to wield a great scythe herself. Great scythes inflict profuse bleeding, such that the blood patters on the wielder.
Skill: Neck Swipe - This attack aims for the scruff of a foe’s neck, and when successful, functions as a head shot, inflicting heavy damage.
Note: The Mistress of the Painted World is Priscilla, from Dark Souls. She could be found in the Painted World of Ariamis, which was filled with human-bird hybrids, much like the enemies in the first stretch of the Road of Sacrifices

Black Knight Greatsword
Dark Souls III:
Ultra greatsword wielded by the Black Knights who wander the lands. Designed to face chaos demons.
The Black Knights constantly faced foes larger than themselves, and this sword’s unique attack greatly reduces enemy poise.

Dark Souls II:
Ultra greatsword wielded by knights who served a lord of light in a long forgotten age.
Even after their flesh was charred by flame, they remained as strong as ever, and stood watch, challenging visitors to their land.

Dark Souls:
Greatsword of the black knights who wander Lordran. Used to face chaos demons.
The large motion that puts the weight of the body into the attack reflects the great size of their adversaries long ago.

Black Knight Set
Dark Souls III:
Armor of the Black Knights who roam the lands.
The knights served the First Lord Gwyn, and followed him into the flame upon its linking. They became ash, but still wander the realms to this day.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the Black Knight who haunt Lordran.
The knights followed Lord Gwyn when he departed to link the flame, but they were burned to ashes in newly kindled fire, wandering the world as disembodied spirits ever after.

Fallen Knight Armor
Armor of an order of fallen knights who disbanded and fled but met untimely deaths.
The drab, tattered cloth conceals tough, black metal which provides dependable protection from fire. It is just possible to make out the majestic gold engravings on its surface.

Conjurator Set
Attire of traveling conjurators.
Conjurators were the predecessors to pyromancers, and spent their lives roaming the lands. No wonder their attire was designed to protect them from fire, poison, and other threats of nature.

Braille Divine Tome of Carim
A sacred braille tome from Carim, filled with advanced miracles.
Give to a storyteller to learn advanced Carim miracles.
In the Way of White, there is a tradition of placing great faith in the words of the blind, and braille tomes are not unusual.

Great Swamp Pyromancy Tome
Pyromancy tome from the Great Swamp containing advanced pyromancies.
Give to the old master pyromancer to learn advanced pyromancies of the Great Swamp.
Spells of the Great Swamp are passed down from master to pupil. Without a master, there is no pupil, but without a pupil, there is also no master.

Farron Coal
Coal used for weapon infusion.
Long ago, used to forge the greatswords of the Undead Legion of Farron.
Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for heavy, sharp and poison infusion.

Sage Ring
A ring given to Farron’s Undead Legion by one of the preacher twins, known more commonly as the Crystal Sages."
Shortens spell casting time.
The sorcerers of Farron’s Abyss Watchers were known to be lonesome warriors who would only rely upon more pragmatic spells.

Morne’s Ring
A malformed ring given to knights of Carim.
Boosts miracles.
Morne served the goddess Caitha and later became an apostle of the Archbishop. They labored together to provide comfort to the suffering.

Great Swamp Ring
Ring said to be chiseled from the bone of a flame salamander by blighted Pyromancers living in the Great Swamp.
Boosts pyromancies.
It is believed that salamanders are the descendants of demons, born of the Chaos Flame, from which Pyromancy is also said to have originated.


Let’s Compare Souls games to Castlevania
So, I mentioned that the Cathedral of the Deep reminds me a bit of the level progression in classic Castlevania games, where you start outside the castle and work your way inside (over the course of several levels), so let’s take this as an excuse to compare Dark Souls to Castlevania. There are people who would actually describe Dark Souls as a 3D Castlevania, though, I’m not sure if they mean the classic or the Metroidvania games, both of which are enjoyable in their own right, though in entirely different reasons. I’m going to focus the similaities of Souls games to classic Castlevanias here. Mainly the first one.

Castlevania is a rather slow paced action game. The challenge is less based on reflexes but mastering your movement, which has a very deliberate restriction that many people hate: The Jump physics. Once you jump you are commited to that jump, there’s no adjusting in mid air. And while Castlevania is not the only game to feature this by a long shot it’s one of the better known examples, mainly because it does the whole thing very right. The levels are built with that element in mind. There’s no weird precision jumping you need to do Additionally, there’s a brief delay before your attack, you also need ot keep that in mind when maneuvering through a level because even enemies that would be cannon fodder in other games can be threatening if you blink at the wrong moment. This isn’t so evident early on, as the game eases you into how it works but you’ll take more damage from enemies with every level. It is tough, yet fair and has a satisfying difficulty curve, which some would say is one aspect of what makes a well designed game.

You might now say “But IGgy, sure, these elements are somewhat similar, but that applies to many games!” And You’d be right. The Metroidvania comparisons holds up even less so in my opinion because those games are mainly exploration with there not really getting much of a challenge in combat. So let me throw you a curveball and tell you of another game that reminds me of Dark Souls.

The game is a fantasy game set in a bleak world. At the start you are given some vague direction and a weapon, though, you could just skip that if you like. Your job now is to find specific objects and if you find all of them something happens. Brilliant, right? Along your path there’s plenty of secrets to discover. So many that you can not be expected to find them all on your own. A few of them are required for progression too, so it’s especially cruel. There’s no friendly player messages that tell you that this is an illusory wall right there, or that you need to try jumping (if you want to die). No, this game is older. You went to school and found some nerd with the same game and he’d tell you that he’s heard from his cousin who heard from his friend whose uncle works at nintendo that if you set that tree on fire a secret passage appears. I’m talking about Zelda. The Original one. While I would agree that describing talking to some dude at school hardly constitutes a gameplay mechanic this aspect of Zelda is something that Dark Souls reminded me of in that regard. There’s many a thing to discover and a lot of them will not be found on your own. But we have the internet now, so secrets are dead. But if you choose to ignroe the internet here, aside from the online functionality of Souls games, you can get a bit of that sense of wonder back trying to decipher some message’s meaning and whether it was supposed to help or hurt you.

Yeah yeah, I know, not a very good comparison. Castlevania and Zelda have nothing to do with Souls games. Oh wait, both of those games are hard! Difficulty, such a Souls thing! Haha.


Deacons of the Deep


The Deacons of the Deep are a simple but unique boss fight. I’d say it’s a mob boss done right. Compared to the Royal Rat Authority or… well… the Magus and his Congegration from Dark Souls II this is downright glorious. It is an easy fight but it still manages to convince you that it’s dangerous with its atmosphere and the sheer number of opponents.

All but one of them are regular Daecons that we’ve fought in a few parts of the Cathredral. The don’t really do anything those don’t. Maybe they are a little less agressive to make them more manageable despite there being a lot. One of them will always have a read glow. that is the one that you have to attack to deplete the boss health bar. It’s safer to run headfirst into a group, but if that’s where the glowing one is don’t shy away from getting into the middle of them. Using your weapon to hit a lot of them at the same time is more fun than it should be.

Once you’ve taken out enough red glowing ones the Archdeacon will appear. That Archdeacon’s name is Royce. He wears different robes, a pope hat and is your new target. Hit him with your preferred means of dealing damage until he dies.

There’s one thing the Deacons can do that is dangerous: They can curse you. If you notice your curse meter bilding up slowly then find and kill the ones that channel darkness to the ceiling. I only died to the Deacons voice and that wos on my first attempt when I didn’t even notice the curse build-up.

The Deacon’s are guarding Aldrich’s coffin, which is huge, at the center of the room and completely empty. So technically you could say they guard nothing, though you do get a peculiar small doll for beating them…



Soul of the Deacons of the Deep
Soul of the Deacons of the Deep. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use it to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
After Aldrich left for the Boreal valley, Archdeacon Royce remained in the cathedral with the high priests, to keep eternal watch over their master’s coffin.

Deep Souls
Sorcery of Archdeacon Royce and his deacons, said to have been imparted to them by McDonnell of the Boreal Valley.
Fires dark soul dregs.
Souls which swell from the deep pursue their target, drawn towards life.

Cleric’s Candlestick
Candle stick used as both sword and catalyst. Used for worship by the Deacons of the Deep.
The deacons, under the guidance of Archdeacon McDonnell, became both Clergymen and sorcerers.
Skill: Guiding Light - A candle provides a temporary source of light which reveals additional guidance.

Small Doll
Small silverwork doll depicting a young squire.
In the legendary old city of Irithyll situated in the Boreal Valley, the Pontiff Sulyvahn gave this doll to valued subjects, so that they might use it to cross the barrier when they return home.
Listen carefully, and you can hear it say, “Wherever you go, the moon still sets in Irithyll. Wherever you may be, Irithyll is your home.”

Astora Greatswords
This greatsword, bestowed only upon elite knights, is a relic of the ruined land of Astora.
Designed for a focus on thrust attacks, this sword is hard and sharp, but not unusually heavy.
Skill: Charge - Hold sword at waist and charge at foe. Use strong attack while charging to extend the length of the charge.

Executioner’s Greatsword
Greatsword of a debauched executioner used for beheadings.
This sword retains a keen memory of its executioner’s duty, and absorbs FP from each fallen foe.
Skill: Stomp - Use one’s weight to lunge forward with a low stance and increased poise, and follow with strong attack for a spinning slash.

Saint-Tree Bellvine
Sacred chime for casting miracles of the Gods. A bellvine cut from a small saint-tree that has been meticulously tended to.
Saint-tree bellvines are customary in the far north, and allow for faster casting than ordinary sacred chimes.
Skill: Gentle Prayer - Recovers HP for a period of time, albeit extremely slowly. Works while equipped in either hand.

Saint Bident
A silver bident decorated by a holy symbol, formerly wielded by Saint Klimt. He discarded this weapon, that draws upon one’s faith, on the day that he put his own faith behind him.
Skill: Charge - Hold spear at waist and charge at foe. Use strong attack while charging to extend the length of the charge.

Drang Hammers
Paired hammers of the Drang Knights, descendants from the land known for the legend of the Linking of the Fire.
When the Drang Knights disbanded, they scattered across the lands as sellswords. They quickly became known for shieldless, aggressive tactics that struck fear in the hearts of men.
Skill: Spin Bash - Bash foes with a large spinning motion, and utilize momentum to transition into an overhanded strong attack smash.

Drang Armor Set
Dark Souls III:
Armour of the Drang Knights, proclaimed descendents of the land known for the legend of the Linking of the Fire.
Fine protection that is both light and strong, having been reinforced with rare geisteel.
The Drang knights were once feared sellswords, until treason meant descending into the abyss, and they were seperated forever.

Dark Souls II: (Llewellyn Set)
Armor reinforced with rare geisteel. Belonged to Chancellor Wellager.
Quality equipment that is both light and strong. Crafted by the castle’s resident master smith Llewellyn, and supplied only to a selected few.
His work easily identified by its lack of ostentation, Llewellyn focused solely on an economy of simplicity and strength.

Notched Whip
Dark Souls III:
A whip with thorny spikes that shred slaves, causing heavy bleeding.
The Cleansing Chapel uses whips such as these in order to produce the drops as puddles to wipe clean during its rituals.
Skill: Impact - Strike from the left to evade shields and deal a stinging blow that temporarily slows stamina recovery. The shackles of bondage lie deep in the hearts of all humankind.

Dark Souls II:
A whip covered in spikes. Shreds skin and causes bleeding. Very effective against bare flesh, but not against enemies with armor or like protection.

Dark Souls:
Whip with sharp spikes. Only slightly effective against armor and tough scales, but quite formidable against enemies with exposed skin. Also causes heavy bleeding.

Barbed Straight Sword
Dark Souls III
Sword of Longfinger Kirk, the infamous Knight of Thorns. This sword’s blade is lined with countless deadly thorns.
The thorns of this ominous weapon induce heavy bleeding.
Skill: Stance - While in stance, use normal attack to break a foe’s guard from below, and strong attack to slash upwards with a forward lunge.

Dark Souls:
The choice weapon of the infamous Darkwraith Kirk, also known as the Knight of Thorns for the gnarly spikes on his favorite weapon.
This frightful sword deals only thrust attacks, and causes heavy bleeding.

Armor of Thorns
Dark Souls III:
Armor of Kirk, the notorious knight of Thorns.
A dense patch of thorns grows form its surface.
A fitting item for the murderous Kirk, for even the simple act of rolling can damage enemies when wearing this attire.

Dark Souls:
Armor of Kirk, knight of Thorns and notorious member of the Darkwraiths. A dense patch of thorns grows from its surface.
It is a fitting item for the murderous Kirk, for by simply wearing it and rolling, one can damage enemies.

Spiked Shield
Dark Souls III:
Shield of Longfinger Kirk, the notorious Knight of Thorns. The surface bristles with thorns.
Its vicious design makes it an effective weapon, and its thorns can inflict heavy bleeding on those unfortunate enough to be struck.
Skill: Shield Strike - Use shield to attack enemies. Works while equipped in either hand.

Dark Souls:
Shield of the infamous Darkwraith Kirk, Knight of Thorns, Covered with spikes.
Can be used as a weapon. Sharp spikes cause heavy bleeding.

Curse Ward Greatshield
Dark Souls III:
Greatshield given to those who resisted the curse long ago.
Far too heavy for an ordinary person, perhaps it signifies the foolishness of resisting the curse.
And yet, those who bear the weight of this shield will not find its protections against curses wanting.

Dark Souls II (Pursuer’s Greatshield):
Greatshield of the Pursuer.
For those who can handle the weight of this shield, it offers resistance to curses.
The Pursuer hunts down those branded by the curse, as if each Undead soul that he claims will atone one of his sins.
Note: The shield seems to be rotated by 90 degrees in Dark Souls III, aside from that they look identical

Archdeacon Robes
Armor worn by an Archdeacon of the Cathedral of the Deep.
Presented solely to delegates of the gods. Of the three Archdeacons of the Deep, one cast off his white crown and left the cathedral to stand by Aldrich.
A sign of the Way of White’s highest rank. Of the three Archdeacons of the Deep, one stood over Aldrich’s casket, with hope that he would return one day.
Of the Archdeacons of the Deep, one attended to Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth, whom he deemed a goddess.

Paladin’s Ashes
Umbral ash of a worn-out paladin who sought the Cathedral of the Deep. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
This paladin paid quite a price for his headstrong justice.

Deep Braille Divine Tome
A braille divine tome of the Deep, belonging to the deacons of the cathedral.
Intended to teach divine protection to the deacons of the deep, but later, dark tales were added to its pages, such that it is now considered a thing profane.

Aldrich’s Sapphire
A malformed ring left by Aldrich, Saint of the Deep. Recovers FP from critical attacks.
Aldrich, infamous for his appetite for flesh, apparently had the desire to share with others his joy of imbibing the final shudders of life while luxuriating in his victim’s screams

Lloyd’s Sword Ring
Ring given to knights of the Way of White. Depicts Allfather Lloyd’s Sword of Law.
Boosts attack power when HP is full.
Much time has passed since the worship of Lloyd was common in the Way of White. The clerics of Carim had always strongly asserted that Lloyd was a derivative fraud, and that the Allfather title was self-proclaimed.

Deep Ring
A ring bestowed upon the Deacons of the Cathedral of the Deep. Allows attunement of additional spells.
In the Cathedral slumber things most terrible, and as such, the deacons require a grand narrative, to ensure they do not falter in their duty. A philosophy, to ward away the madness beckoned by the grotesqueries at hand.

Rosaria’s Fingers (Covenant)
Sacred seal of Archdeacon Klimt, who served Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth. Equip to pledge oneself to the Rosaria’s Fingers covenant.
Rosaria’s Fingers collect tongues in her name. Some do it to be reborn; others do it to help comfort their voiceless goddess.


The Swamps
Poisonous swamp areas, at this point are a staple of the Soulsborne games. Every game had some variation of that theme as a gameplay area.
It started in Demon’s Souls with the Valley of Defilement, feeling like a journey into the Heart of Darkness. Through a shantytown up above further and further down until you reach the vile swamp. If you go further still you’ll find another shanty town in the middle of the poison, fly’s buzzing as you trudge through. All of this is leading up to the Maiden Astraea fight, one of the most powerful moments in the Souls series, I’ve covered this in a previous post, though.

Dark Souls explored this idea again with Blighttown, a shantytown up above and you travel down into a swamp. Dark Souls II is the odd one out, while it has areas that mirror the swamp-area mechanically it doesn’t actually have a swamp area. Harvest Valley is, instead, a daylight area with several mining tunnels that have poisonous gas seeping out of them. Another area in Dark Souls II covers the Shantytown aspect: The Gutter. Blightown on the other hand skips the shantytown part and goes straight to the swamp in the Nightmare Frontier. I will not get into the latter here, mainly because it takes a different approach and I also haven’t played Bloodborne as much as the other games.

Dark Souls III brings us Farron Keep. Out of the swamp areas this is probably the most well designed one, though, I personally like the Valley of Defilement more due to the atmosphere and by association with the Astraea fight.

Whether there’s a shantytown or not, these areas always share a few of their elements. The Valley, Blighttown, The Gutter and Farron keep all guide you by placing fire to draw you to specific places. Dark Souls II being the exception/subversion to this rule. In the Gutter there’s barely any flame, instead you have to light sconces yourself allowing you to easily retread your steps in case you die. You do get to see a fog gate in the distance, at least, giving you a vague idea of where to go. Although I never liked the area when I played Dark Souls II, looking back on it it’s probably one of the better ones in the game.

The other areas, again, guide you with various fires around the area. The thing is that the swamps of the Valley of Defilement, Blighttown and Farron Keep are fairly open and potentially allow you to go places and get lost, so the path to progress is always lit. If you feel like wading through the poison later on or if you’re just feeling lucky you can ignore this and just get some treasure that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get depending on your build there may be some essential items, even. We haven’t found them yet but there’s two Socrcery Scrolls in the swamp of Farron Keep. Aside from those there aren’t really any treasures that are essential for other builds, just nice to have. Whether they are worth being poisoned is your call.

The shantytown part has been cut in more recent variations or, in case of Dark Souls II, it’s been relegated to being it’s own separate area. Valley of Defilement 1, Upper Blighttown and The Gutter are arguable more easily navigated. Here too, there’s some fire showing you the way. Mostly easily missed ladders. It’s easy to get lost here. They tend to be very vertical areas as opposed to the horizontal swamp aspect.

Generally, if you want to boil these areas down to one aspect they all share it’s that they try to push players out of their comfort zones. I mentioned in the video that when I played Demon’s Souls first I thought I was missing some kind of trick to get through the swamp, an item that makes me immune to poison, or a way around that I’m just not seeing. I thought the game wouldn’t make me do THAT! This is true for the vertical aspects of the areas too. They encourage you to drop down ledges, something you’d usually avoid, to get through the area more easily. One of the paths in The Gutter makes you actually jump over a large gap down onto a different platform. They include an area that does this in every game simply to teach players to be a bit more daring sometimes. They also want you to know that they don’t fuck around.


Oolacile
Oolacile is a land that has been long gone by the time Dark Souls rolls around, at least untl the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, which let us explore this past version of another area of the game. And there is a chance that in Dark Souls III we have returned here once more. Several things related to Oolacile can be found in Farron Keep.

We have a small island of dead Killer Mushrooms, the Crown of Dusk. Dusk being a character from Dark Souls who originates from Oolacile. Later on in a cave we can find another dead Mushroom that presumably is Elizabeth f´rom Dark Souls next to a chest that contains Dusks dress as well as a scroll with light sorceries that were previously sold by Dusk and Elizabeth (further proof of my ridiculous theory that Dusk and Liz are the same person! That or the corpse in the cave is Dusk, I dunno). We can also find a Darkwraith here, while Darkwraiths are more commonly associated with New Londo they are also associated with the Abyss, which ran rampant in Oolacile. Then there’s a sharpshooting giant helping us defeat a large enemy, but I’m not sure I should count that one. There are yet more details that would link the area to the Abyss but that’s something that we’ll see soon.

All of this might mean that it’s the same place or a place with similar roots. But what do we actually know of Oolacile?
From Dusk we learn that it is home to a gentler magic that takes it’s power from light. There’s a spell that illuminates the area around the player, spells that obscure them or their weapons. Then there’s Chameleon. Also some repair spell or whatever, not sure how that’s light related but I’ll take it. None of the spells are offensive, so it stands to reason that Oolacile was peaceful for the most part.

We also know that eventually someone dug around a bit too much and awoke Manus, Father of the Abyss, who many believe to be the Furtive Pigmy. This unleashed the Abyss on Oolacile transforming its inhabitants into monsters, even corrupting Artorias who came to stop the spread of the Abyss. Eventually some unknown hero succeeded in doing this (It’s us).

Years pass by and the Royal woods of Oolacile become the Darkroot Woods while the Oolacile Township disappears and roughly in its spot New Londo rises with the purpose to contain the Abyss. Eventually even that crumbles away. Who knows what happened here next? Eventually it may have become Farron Keep.


Abyss Watchers


And so we fight our first Lord of Cinder. A Lord of Cinder is somebody who has linked the fire before. In this specific case they are multiple lords of cinder, though technically they are united by the blood of the wolf that flows inside them. That wolf is the Great Gray Wolf Sif, loyal companion to Artorias, the Abysswalker and Wolf Knight. The Abyss Watchers’ duty is to fight against creatures of the Abyss. Considering that there is a part of the Abyss inside them too it’s quite ironic that they are locked in an eternal battle against each other. It is not too far fetched to assume that the Abyss Watchers, aka the Legion of Farron is what became of the Forest Hunter covenant from Dark Souls after Alvina, another of Artorias’ animal companions, left.

This link to Artorias shows in the fighting style of the Abyss Watchers. They use a weapon that looks very similar to the Greatsword of Artorias too and a lot of their moves mimic Artorias’ Style from the first Dark Souls. Even the opening of the music is reminiscent of Artorias’ theme.

As long as you learn to deal with their swings one Abyss Watcher isn’t going to give you a lot of trouble. But this is where the fun starts. A short time after the battle starts a second Abyss Watcher will join the fray. They don’t share a health bar so your job is to beat the first one. Fighting against two can be a much more difficult challenge, however, this being a relatively early boss fight the game is not too cruel. Because the third Abyss Watcher that joins the battle will be a red-eyed one, presumably corrupted by the Abyss. That third one will actually attack both the Abyss Watchers as well as you if you get too close. Mostly the third focuses on his colleagues, though. You can kill the second and third Watcher, but they will get back up after a short while. So it is wise to try and lock the second and third watcher into battle and take care of the first one while the other two fight.

Once he’s down the blood of the wolf begins coalesce into the dead body of one Abyss Watcher. Phase 2 begins and now the boss is on fire. Literally. There won’t be any additional Watchers joining in on the fun but the one that’s left is much more dangerous than the others. In additon to a few new moves the existing ones get powered up as well. The trail of flames his sword leaves behind now can actually damage you. What makes this fight fair, considering the point in the game we’re at, is that you can easily stagger the Abyss Watcher. If you can get one hit in you will usually also be able to get in a second or third before it’s smarter to get out for the time being and look for another good opportunity to attack.

This fight is pretty awesome all things considered. The music does it’s part. It’s a fair challenge but it still feels intense.


Soul of the Blood of the Wolf
Soul of the Blood of the Wolf. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The blood was spread amongst the Abyss Watchers, and their souls are one with the soul of the wolf blood master.

Farron Greatsword
Greatsword of the Abyss watchers which is atypically paired with a dagger.
The dagger is utilized as a wedge in the left hand while the greatsword is held in the right, a unique technique that was synonymous with the Undead Legion. Confounds foes the manner of wolves hunting prey.
Skill: Parry - Deflect an attack when timed properly and follow up with a critical hit, executed with the dagger.

Wolf Knight’s Greatsword
Dark Souls III:
Greatsword of Artorias tainted by the dark of the Abyss, and master of the wolf’s blood of Farron.
The wolf knight was the first Abyss Watcher, and his sword is more punishing against creations of the abyss.
Skill: Wolf Sword - While in stance, use normal attack for a low spinning slash, or the strong attack to leap forward in a vertically-slashing somersault.

Dark Souls II (Majestic Greatsword):
An ancient greatsword of unknown origin. This sword was passed down through generations, until it reached Gordin, wandering knight of Forossa, and was lost upon his death.
Uncannily, every last one of the prominent swordsmen who inherited this weapon was left-handed.

Dark Souls (True Greatsword of Artorias):
Sword born from the soul of the great grey wolf Sif, guardian of the grave of the Abysswalker Knight Artorias.
Sir Artorias hunted the Darkwraiths, and his sword strikes harder against dark servants.

Dark Souls (Cursed Greatsword of Artorias):
Sword born from the soul of the great grey wolf Sif, guardian of the grave of the Abysswalker Knight Artorias.
The sword can damage ghosts, as it was cursed when Artorias joined a covenant with the creatures of the Abyss.

Dark Souls (Abyss Greatsword (of Artorias)):
This greatsword belonged to Lord Gwyn’s Knight Artorias, who fell to the abyss.
Swallowed by the Dark with its master, this sword is tainted by the abyss, and now its strength reflects its wielder’s humanity.

Soul of a Stray Demon
Soul of the stray demon. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The Stray Demon, now lacking even a trace of flame, was once the gatekeeper of Lothric.

Havel’s Ring
A ring for warriors keen on heavy acoutrements. Increases maximum equip load.
This ring was named after Havel the Rock, the battlefield compatriot of Gwyn, the First Lord.
The art of war has been a constant since ages past, and those who would follow in Havel’s footsteps are no fewer now than in his own day.

Boulder Heave
Art of a stray demon of a stifled flame. Spews a boulder from one’s mouth. The boulder is heavy, but shatters easily.

Watchdogs of Farron (Covenant)
Ancient medallion depicting the crest of a wolf. Symbolizes the pact with the Old Wolf of Farron. Equip to pledge oneself to the Watchdogs of Farron. The Watchdogs ensure that the warriors sleep in serenity, by taking the form of loyal spirits and hunting down those who would trespass the woods of Farron. Summoning takes place automatically while this is equipped.

Wolf’s Blood Swordgrass
A leaf signifying duty fulfilled by the Watchdogs of Farron, who stand beside the old wolf to ensure serenity to those at rest. Depicts a swordgrass leaf stained with dried blood.
Long ago, the swordgrass leaf quietly identified members of the Undead Legion. In the rotted forest rest the spirits of warriors past, their acceptance and gratitude toward their guardians is expressed eloquently by the humble leaf.

Black Bow of Pharis
Dark Souls III:
A black longbow named after a hero of old, known for the unusual stance from which it is fired.
Has a longer range than standard bows, but successful usage requires a trained, dexterous hand.
Skill: Pharis Triple-shot - Swiftly nocks three arrows with finesse after drawing the bow, firing them simultaniously.

Dark Souls II (Hunter’s Blackbow):
A black bow designed for long distances. Difficult to handle at first, and requiring some amount of practice to master.
The hunting Goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity.

Dark Souls:
The preferred black bow of the heroic archer Pharis.
Has a longer range than standard bows, but is more difficult to use. Without proper abilities, results will be underwhelming.

Pharis’ Hat
Dark Souls III:
Broad-brimmed leather hat. Traditionally used by master archers, and especially favored by forest-dwelling hunters.
The name Pharis is said to have once belonged to a hero, but is now more widely known as a style of hat.

Dark Souls:
Broad-brimmed hat favored by the archer heroPharis.
Pharis was an accomplished archer, and though he was human, he ranked alongside Hawkeye
Gough, one of the Four Knights of Lord Gwyn. His hat is universally popular among children.

Dark Armor Set
Dark Souls III:
Armor of the Darkwraiths, relics of a small country that fell to the dark long ago. Looks as if it may crumble to dust at any moment.
The Darkwraiths were the oldest of the Red Eye Invaders, and rumored to have served a Primordial Serpent.

Dark Souls II:
Armor of a knight subsumed by dark.
No one knows the true identity of these men who are said to freely manipulate dark. Old foreign legends describe them as poor souls who chased the lost art of life drain.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the Darkwraiths, former knights of New Londo who descended into Dark.
Their armor transformed, and remains a symbol of the Dark servants and their diabolical art of Lifedrain.
Some say the skeletal mask of an ancient Darkwraith is partially fused with the flesh of its face.

Antiquated Dress
Dark Souls III:
Dress sewn in a long-lost fashion.
The elaborately embroidered, ivory-colored silk is imbued with ancient magic power.
No protection is offered by this garment, as it was never intended for battle.

Dark Souls:
A dress from the ancient fallen land of Oolacile. Its ivory-colored silk features elaborate embroidery and is imbued with ancient magic power.
One cannot expect any physical protection from this garment, as it was not meant to be worn in battle.

Sage’s Coal
Coal used for weapon infusion.
The white magic flame produced by this coal was given to the Undead Legion long ago by one of the Crystal Sage twins.
Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for crystal, blessed, and deep infusion.

Golden Scroll
A golden scroll chronicling the vast research of the xanthous scholars.
Give to a sorcerer to learn the arts of Oolacile.
In the lost land of Oolacile, the sorceries orchestrated light, and were said to shine in golden hues.

Sage’s Scroll
Scroll containing sorceries of the Crystal Sages. Give to a sorcerer to learn Sorceries of the Sages. As any sorcerer knows, sorcery is a talent, and these sorceries were refined to nurture a very special talent.

Dreamchaser’s Ashes
Umbral ash of one who dreamt of joining the Undead Legion.
With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.In the end, the dream chasers who wandered aimlessly in the rotted forest found a sense of fulfillment.


High Lord Wolnir


Wolnir is a very large skeleton imprisoned in his own small part of the Abyss. A lot of people like to theorize that he’s the Player Character from Dark Souls II but I don’t believe that was the intention. That theory is mainly based on the description of the crown, which mentions that Wolnir defeated lords and ground the crowns of them to make his own crown. The idea here being that tose crowns would be the three crowns from the DL that would, when combined with the fourth crown, the one of king Vendrick along with Vendick’s blessing would grant immunity to the effects of the curse. But again, I don’t like that theory or believe it holds any ground because his story seems to be a different one in that he was a ruler of some kind and eventually conquered other kingdoms and ground the crowns of their lords to dust to make his own crown in order to crown himself high lord.

Fighting Wolnir can go quick either way. It’s possible to die really fast, and also to kill Wolnir quickly. In our fight he didn’t even get a chance to show off half of his attacks. If you attack Wolnir normally you’ll notice that your attacks do very little damage. What you need to do is to attack his bracelets, once one is destroyed Wolnir takes a huge chunk of damage.

It’s best to stay on the outside of his arms because if you stay on the inside you might get dragged into the fog of death by his attack and idle animations. Staying on the outside also makes all of his other attacks easier to dodge and less effective in general. He can sweep with his arm, which you can dodge through or run away from, he can breathe fog, which can either be dealt with by running or getting really close, there’s a bit of a sweet spot between the fog behind him and the one he’s spitting across the arena.

Wolnir will also summon skeletons on some occasions but he almost never does it for me. I find them very trivial to deal with as long as they stay on the inside for the arms while you’re on the outside. Another thing that we didn’t see was his sword. Wolnir can get out his sword, which extends his moveset somewhat but since all his attacks come out really slow anyway they should be simple enough to predict and dodge.

His most dangerous move is probably just moving forward. If you get too far away he will charge towards you, which also causes the fog behind him to advance. So if he actually catches up with you you’re dead. He can sometimes also do this regardless of your distance to him after destroying a bracelet, so it’s wise to get ready to run for a few seconds after a bracelet is dealt with. Aside from that it’s better to stay close rather than far away, because if he repeatedly charges you’ll eventually reach the wall behind you, making a comeback from that is incredibly hard. But destroying a bracelet makes him go back down a bit too.



Just wrapping up the Catacombs! Also a bit of another area we won’t be exploring fully until later.

Soul of High Lord Wolnir
Soul of the High Lord Wolnir.One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Lord Wolnir of Carthus sentenced countless souls to gruesome deaths, keen to outlive them all.

Wolnir’s Holy Sword
A holy sword eroded by the Abyss. When Wolnir fell to the Abyss, he was gripped by a fear of true darkness, and pleaded to the gods for the first time.
This holy sword, together with three armlets stripped from the corpses of clerics, gave him some semblance of comfort.
Skill: Wrath of the Gods - Thrust weapon into earth to emit powerful shockwave. The wrath of those swallowed by the Abyss is a thing to be wary of indeed.

Black Serpent
Pyromancy discovered from the Abyss by High Lord Wolnir that inspired the black arts of the grave wardens.
Releases undulating black flames that trace the ground.
Be it sorcery or pyromancy, all techniques that infringe on humanity lead to the same place. That is to say, they all seek a will of their own.

Wolnir’s Crown
Crown of Wolnir, the Carthus conqueror.
Once upon a time, such things were bequeathed judiciously to each of the rightful lords, until Wolnir brought them to their knees, and ground their crowns to dust. Then the crowns became one, and Wolnir, the one High Lord.

Grave Warden Pyromancy Tome
A pyromancy tome of the grave warden, from the Carthus catacombs.
Give to the pyromancer master to learn black flame sorceries.
High Lord Wolnir of Carthus succumbed to the Abyss, but the pyromancer later became a grave warden, and discovered the black flame.

Grave Warden’s Ashes
Umbral ash of the grave warden of the catacombs of Carthus. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
The old man began as a squire, carrying his master’s accoutrements. He ended his days a grave warden, and carried them still.

Soul of a Demon
Soul of a demon. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Demons were born of the Chaos Flame, but the flame has not survived, and the demons are a dying race.

Demon’s Fist
A demonic fist that burns with fiery essence. Its wielder can release this power through use of its Skill. When two-handed, fists are equipped in each hand.
Skill: Flame Whirlwind - Spin through opponents with abandon, flaming fists outstretched. Using a strong attack while spinning utilizes your momentum to slam the ground with both fists.

Demon’s Greataxe
Dark Souls III:
This greataxe, a favorite among demons, contains the strength of fire. The demons, born of Chaos, harbor fire, and yet they are twisted and malformed, such that they were never meant to be.
Skill: Demonic Flare - Briefly cause flame to flare, and smash it upon earth and foes.

Dark Souls:
Carved from the bones of fellow demons. Wielded by the lesser Taurus demons.
This axe is imbued with no special power, but can merrily beat foes to a pulp, providing you have the strength to wield it.
Note: This is a different weapon with the same name from the first game, I’m including it just because I can

Black Blade
Dark Souls III:
A short katana wielded by the swordsman and distinguished guest of High Lord Wolnir. This shiny black blade is thick, but shorter than the typical katana.
The swordsman was a master of a rare technique, traces of which can be observed in this weapon’s strong attack.
Skill: Hold - Assume a holding stance to rapidly execute a lunging slash with a normal attack, or a deflecting parry with a strong attack.

Dark Souls II (Berserker Blade):
The katana of a berserker, by its name.
The thick, shiny black blade cuts exquisitely. Its origins and owner are unknown, but at some point the blade became known by this name.

Old Sage’s Blindfold
Attire of pyromancers of the Great Swamp, particularly favored by old sages.
The large blindfold blocks out unnecessary light, allowing one to observe a pyromancy’s true essence.
The flame reveals all, and obscures all.

Carthus Milkring
Ring worn by the warriors of the sand kingdom, Carthus. Slightly boosts dexterity and obscures the wearer while rolling.
The sword technique of Carthus allows for fluid movement with a curved sword. Masters of the technique are said to dazzle their opponents by moving as weightlessly as a grain of sand. They live for their High Lord Wolnir, conqueror of most kingdoms known to their people.

Carthus Bloodring
Ring worn by warriors of the sand kingdom, Carthus. Boosts rolling invincibility, at the cost of defense.
The sword technique of Carthus allows for fluid movement with a curved sword. Masters of the technique are said to dazzle their opponents by moving as weightlessly as a grain of sand. They live for their High Lord Wolnir, conqueror of most kingdoms known to their people.

Carthus Pyromancy Tome
A pyromancy tome from Carthus
Give to the old pyromancer to learn advanced pyromancies of the Great Swamp.
Carthus pyromancies developed in isolation from other forms, explaining their divergent evolution.

Witch’s Ring
The Witch of Izalith and her daughters, scorched by the flame of chaos, thaught humans the art of pyromancy and offered them this ring.
Greatly boosts pyromancies.
Every pyromancer is familiar with the parable that tells of the witches espousing the need to fear the flame, and teaching the art of pyromancy to men in hopes that they might learn to control it.

Knight Slayer’s Ring
Ring of the savage Tsorig, more commonly known as the Knight Slayer.
Long ago, Tsorig engaged the guardians of an ancient city in a bloody confrontation, and returned with their rings as his prize, still frozen on their dismembered fingers.


Unsorted thoughts about Irithyll and what’s within:
Let’s head to Irithyll, the really pretty city that is home to Aldritch, Saint of the Deep as well as another major player that we haven’t met yet, Pontiff Sulyvahn. He was briefly mentioned in a few item descriptions. It’s also where Vordt of the Boreal Valley came from because… y’know Irithyll is in the Boreal Valley, an Outrider Knight. To know what an outrider knight is it’s best to just reread the description of the Pontiff’s Left Eye, a ring we can make of Vordt’s Soul

“Bewitched ring that Pontiff Sulyvahn bestowed upon his knights.
Recovers HP with successive attacks.
Knights who peer into the black orb are lured into battles of death, transformed into frenzied beasts. No wonder the Pontiff only provides these rings to those dispatched to foreign lands.”

The Pontiffs Right Eye has the exact same description, aside from the effect, and we get it from the Wolfgator, implying that this is either what an Outrider Knight looks like without armor or once they’ve fully transformed into a beast. Though, the description also reads that he only gives the rings to those dispatched to faraway places. Presumably for reasons of safety, or Sully doesn’t want those filthy beasts near him. I’d also like to draw attention to the fact that these Pontiff Beasts have gaping open bellies with teeth anf everything, reminiscent of the Gaping Dragon from Dark Souls. Although, the Gaping Dragon’s Story was that it was a dragon so gluttonous it developed new mouths to eat literal shit in the sewers with.

Greirat calls Irithyll “Home to moon-worshipping nobles”. There’s exactly one character linked to the Moon: Gwyndolyn, last surviving deity of Anor Londo from Dark Souls. She was born male but raised as a woman due to her affinity to the moon. Gwyndolyn is also the daughter of Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight. We also find a Proof of a Concord Kept as well as the Roster of Knights which make reference to Gwyndolyn’s Covemant, the Darkmoon Blades. The Darkmoon Blades both guarded Anor Londo and Gwynevere’s Illusion and hunted down sinners (players who invaded a lot).

Aside from that, there are a few other items that are connected to Anor Londo in Irithyll, though we haven’t found a lot of them yet. This gives fuel to a few theories regarding the nature of Irithyll. Maybe it was built in the place where Anor Londo once stood, or maybe the people of Anor Londo went here after The illusion of Sunlight was shattered and the truth that it’s cursed with an eternal night was revealed. The Pontiff Knights being what became of the Silver Knights or perhaps the Sentinels. Then again, it’s also night in Irithyll, and we can always see the moon hanging in the sky, so who knows?

While we don’t know everything yet it is quite an interesting place. It is actually one of my favorite areas in the game. It looks sweet and offers a decent challenge it’s also a place ware a lot of the lore comes together, concerning Aldrich and Outrider Knights such as Vordt. Then there’s Anri, whose questline will reach it’s conclusion later on in this area. It’s quite dense in that regard and I really like it for that. But we still have half of the area ahead of us. And then there’s the Dungeon below as well.


Pontiff Sulyvahn


Sully is the dick who sent out Vordt and the other Outrider Knights, one of which we’ve seen at the entrance to the Road of Sacrifices. According to the description of his Soul he also feeds gods to Aldrich. Sulyvahn is actually a sorcerer and the recently released DLC gives us a tiny little bit of extra lore concerning his young sorcerer years. But we’ll get to that.

When the game was first released a lot of people seemed to view Sully as the Ornstein & Smough of Dark Souls III in terms of the difficulty spike he provides. Now this line of thought has mainly vanished. I didn’t really find him very tough myself but he is one of the few bosses who get a kill in on me in almost every playthrough. In terms of gameplay he has a few similarities with Fume Knight from Dark Souls II. Much like him Pontiff Sulyvahn is using a bigger and a smaller sword and the backwards slashes he can do with both of his weapons is a lot like a similar move from Fume Knight.

Depending on who you ask the first phase is either the easier or harder one. He is fairly aggressive and will punish you if you turtle up behind your shield by just hitting you until you can’t block anymore, so getting comfortable with dodging his attacks is quite important. He can also be parried, if you’re not like me anc forget that you even have this move. Roll attacks work really well on him, when using slower weapons you may deal a majority of your damage with them.

In phase two he, like most bosses, gains a few extra move. Mainly he can do magic attacks. One of them is a Soul Spear the other is more like a wave. Additionally he can Jump up and and drop on you, causing a big explosion in the process.

But the main difference is that he can summon a clone. Whenever the clone is out he becomes less aggressive. Is clone will attack first and Sully will follow with the same attack, so expect to dodge the same attack twice every time. Getting all up in his face can help here, as it can interrupt either the clone or Sully himself, saving you a few attacks to dodge, though, you need to be aware of what the other is doing as you attack. If you find him easier without his clone you can just kill it, but he’ll summon it again after a short time. You can use this to your advantage by just attacking him while he summons is phantom, as he’s defenseless while he does it.


Aldrich, Devourer of Gods



With a title as metal as “Devourer of Gods” you’d expect something a bit more. He’s presented as a big all-devouring blob in the intro cinematic and I think a fight like that would be interesting. Think something like Phalanx from Demon’s Souls, only not lucicrously easy and maybe with some actual attacks instead of guarding himself with tinier versions of himself. But nah, we get a big naga-like version of Gwyndolyn, who, as far as we can tell, is still in the process of being eaten by Aldrich. I would say the slimy stuff in the arena is actually Aldrich’s body but once we kill him that substance remains, so that’s unlikely. The music is certainly reminiscent of the Moonlight Butterfly theme from Dark Souls, which was also Gwyndolyn’s theme.

While Aldrich is probbly among my least favorite boss fights in the game I would not say he’s THAT bad (It just happens that I like the game more than most people, apparently). He just has one attack that is not fun at all. I recall at the time the game came out where going on about how Aldrich is the first real villain in the Souls series (I mean, I think there’s several, but Seath is probably the best example of an actual objectively bad guy that did more than being flawed and/or doing a messed up thing once). It’s true that we’ve pursued him for the entire game until this point and the encounter has been foreshadowed by various characters and item descriptions as well as an entire area we’re led to believe he resides in. The Cathedral of the Deep. A church he founded while contemplating the fading fire when he began to receive visions of “an age of the deep sea”. An alternative to the cycle of rekindling the first flame over and over, which by this time shows diminishing returns.

What exactly the Deep is is not completely known. It could be a more extreme form of the Abyss, a Darkness without the humanity that is typically attached to the Abyss. Maybe some Cthulhu stuff, I’d dig that. Or perhaps something else entirely. I really hope that the second DLC will touch a bit more on it. What we do know is that the church that he founded in its honor had the sole purpose of feeding him more. A head figure of his church was Pontiff Sulyvahn, who had is hands in all kinds of business both related to Aldrich as well as his own endeavours. It is likely that, in addition to gods Aldrich also fed on orphans from the orphanage Anri and Horace are from, which is why they are after him. It’s also implied that Aldrich did not become a Lord of Cinder of his own will, but they forced him to fuel the first flame. Overall you could say he’s a rude, fucked up dude.

But let us talk about the fight, finally. Aldrich uses various magical attacks he can cast soul mass as well as a soul spear, which most players should be able to dodge easily. Then there’s the arrow barrage. Which goes covers the area in front of him. It’s quite devastating but can be avoided by just stepping behind him. Also a prime opportunity to get some hits in. As long as you stay close he will prefer is melee attacks, which are pretty useless all things considered, so to beat Aldrich get up in his grill and lay the smack down on him.

In phase two he gets set on fire. Which will cover the ground close to him in flames, that will damage you a bit. But the main problem with this second phase, and also the main problem I have with the fight, is his powered up arrow barrage. It no longer covers a cone in front of him. Instead the barrage homes in on you and the only way to dodge is to outrun it. Aldrich may now also cast his aforementioned spells, which you’ll also have to dodge. It’s pretty easy to get wrecked by this attack and it’s also not fun to deal with, because all you do is run. Which reinforces the fact that you should just stay close to bait his melee swings that are so easy to dodge you probably do it by accident at least once. Get in his face and go murdertown. Use fire if you have to, he happens to be weak to fire despite being on fire. An old Souls tradition.

He can be a bit random but as long as you stay close you’ll minimize the chance of him using one of his actually dangerous attacks.

Cinders of a Lord (Aldrich)
Cinders of a lord left by Aldrich, Devourer of Gods.
If the lords will not return to their thrones themselves, let them return as cinders.
Aldrich became a lord by devouring men, but was disillusioned with his throne, and so took to devouring gods instead.

Soul of Aldrich
Soul of Aldrich,
One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
When Aldrich ruminated on the fading of the fire, it inspired visions of a coming age of the deep sea.
He knew the path would be arduous, but he had no fear. He would devour the gods himself.

Darkmoon Longbow
Dark Souls III:
Longbow of Darkmoon Gwyndolin, who was gradually devoured by Aldrich. This golden bow is imbued with powerful magic and is most impressive with Moonlight Arrows.
Skill: Darkmoon Arrow - Infuse a readied arrow with Darkmoon essence, granting it magic damage and the ability to pierce shields.

Dark Souls (As Darkmoon bow, a short bow):
Bow born from the soul of the Dark Sun Gwyndolin, Darkmoon deity who watches over the abandoned city of Gods, Anor Londo.
This golden bow is imbued with powerful magic and is most impressive with Moonlight Arrows.

Lifehunt Scythe
Dark Souls III:
Miracle of Aldrich, Devourer of Gods.
Steals HP of foes using an illusory scythe.
Aldrich dreamt as he slowly devoured the God of the Darkmoon. In this dream, he perceived the form of a young, pale girl in hiding.

Dark Souls (as an actual equippable weapon):
cythe born from the soul of Priscilla, the stark white crossbreed trapped inside the Painted World of Ariamis.
Even the Gods feared Priscilla’s lifehunt ability, and in the hands of a mortal, its power will turn upon its wielder.

Human Dregs
Proof of a duty fulfilled by the Aldrich Faithful, who patiently await the Devourer of Gods’ return.
Dregs are the heaviest things within the human body, and will sink to the lowest depths imaginable

Aldrich’s Ruby
A malformed ring left by Aldrich, Saint of the Deep. Recovers HP from critical attacks.
Aldrich, infamous for his appetite for flesh apparently had the desire to share with others his joy of imbibing the final shudders of life while luxuriating in his victim’s screams.

Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn
Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn.
One of the twisted souls, seeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Pontiff Sulyvahn of Irithyll imprisoned a god of the old royalty in the abandoned cathedral, to be fed to the devourer.

Greatsword of Judgment
A ceremonial sword, held in Pontiff Sulyvahn’s left hand, respresenting the judgement of the moon, but with magic far closer to sorcery than any existing lunar power. Its dark blue hues, deeper than the darkest moon, reflect sorcerer Sulyvahn’s true nature.
Skill: Stance of Judgment - Assume stance to unleash dark magic. Use normal attack for a lunging thrust, and strong attack to emite side-sweeping wave.

Profaned Greatsword
A ceremonial sword, held in Pontiff Sulyvahn’s right hand, representing the Profaned Flame.
Long ago, when Sulyvahn was yet a young sorcerer, he discovered the Profaned Capital and an unfading flame below a distant tundra of Irithyll, and a burning ambition took root within him.
Skill: Profaned Flame - Temporarily summon the Profaned Flame. Lunge forward and use strong attack to enshroud blade in flame.

Pontiff’s Right Eye
Bewitched ring that Pontiff Sulyvahn bestowed upon his knights.
Boosts attacks, as long as attacking persists.
Knights who peer into the black orb are lured into battles of death, transformed into frenzied beasts. No wonder the Pontiff only provides these rings to those dispatched to foreign lands.

Smough’s Great Hammer
Dark Souls III:
Twisted great Hammer associated with Smough, the last knight to remain at his post, guarding the ruined cathedral.
Restore HP while attacking, a carryover from Smough’s past as an executioner.
Skill: Perseverance - Anchor weapon in earth to temporarily boost poise. Damage reduced while activated.

Dark Souls:
Great hammer from the soul of executioner Smough, who guards the cathedral in the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
Smough loved his work, and ground the bones of his victims into his own feed, ruining his hopes of being ranked with the Four Knights.

Leo Ring
Dark Souls III:
Ring associated with Dragon Slayer Ornstein, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, the First Lord.
Strengthens thrust weapon counter attacks.
Ornstein was the first knight of the sun’s eldest born, and his cross spear is said to have pierced scales made of stone.

Dark Souls II (Old Leo Ring):
The beloved ring of a dragon-slaying knight.
Strengthens thrust weapon counter attacks.
After many years of use, the ring’s face has worn down, but close inspection reveals an engraved lion.

Dark Souls:
One of the special rings granted to the four knights of Gwyn. The Leo Ring belonged to Ornstein the Dragonslayer.
This ring strengthens counters with pierce weapons. His lugged spear is said to have sliced a boulder in two.

Golden Ritual Spear
A ritual spear presented to Darkmoon Knights before Sulyvahn claimed the title of Pontiff.
Can also be used as a staff. Sorceries cast using this weapon channel the wielder’s faith.
Skill: Steady Chant - Boost the strength of sorceries for a very short period.

Dorhy’s Gnawing
Miracle of Dorhys the deranged evangelist.
Summons great insect swarm to feast on foes.
Those who linger too long on the brink of the Deep will often slip. Dorhys is sure to have wallowed in this darkness, intoxicated by its peril.

Witchtree Branch
The branch of a large, well-tended witchtree, used as a sorcery catalyst.
Witchtree staves are customary in the far north, and allow for faster casting than ordinary catalysts.
Skill: Steady Chant - Boost the strength of sorceries for a very short period. Works while equipped in either hand.

Yorshka’s Spear
This treasure, gifted to the Yorshka Church, is enchanted with a soporific spell, and was surreptitiously worshiped by Irithyll slaves.
As a weapon, it is part spear and part hammer, the former allowing thrusting, and the latter allowing strikes.
Skill: Pacify - With a prayer and an offering of this spear, temporarily wear down enemy FP with each strike.

Drang Twinspears
Paired spears of the Drang Knights, proclaimed descendants from the land known for the legend of the Linking of the Fire. When the Drang Knights disbanded, they scattered across the lands as sellswords. They quickly became known for shieldless, aggressive tactics that struck fear in the hearts of men.
Skill: Charge - Hold spear at waist and charge at foe. Use strong attack while charging to extend the length of the charge.

Dragonslayer’s Greatbow
Dark Souls III:
Greatbow used by the Dragonslayers during the age of gods. Far greater in size than any normal bow, and far more devastating.
The bow must be anchored in the ground to be fired, a time consuming operation that leaves the operator vulnerable. Only specialized great arrows can be fired from the bow.
Skill: Puncturing Arrow - Masterfully fires off a great arrow that pierces through all enemies in its path, inflicting damage.

Dark Souls II:
A greatbow said to be used to down ancient dragons flying high above the clouds.
Extremely large for a mere bow, and more destructive than any ranged weapon imaginable.
Shooting this bow requires the grounding of its stability anchor, which takes time and leaves the shooter vulnerable.
Also requires great arrows.

Dark Souls:
Bow of the Dragonslayers, led by Hawkeye Gough, one of Gwyn’s Four Knights.
This bow’s unusual size requires that it be anchored to the ground when fired. Only uses specialized great arrows.

Painting Guardians Curved Sword
A weapon described in legends passed down amongst heretics, wielded by the Painting Guardians.
A uniquely shaped weapon with a flat tip.
Skill: Chained Dance - Execute relentless consecutive attacks while tracing a circle in a unique dance of deadly grace.

Painting Guardian Set
Dark Souls III:
Attire of the Painting Guardians, whose forms are described in the mythology of heretics.
A smooth pale hood that deters magic.
The hunchbacked teller of ancient tales describes unwanted souls who are unwelcome across the lands, and are eventually drawn into a cold, painted world.

Dark Souls II (Monastery Set):
Traditional sacred attire crafted at
the Lindelt Monastery. Made of a lightweight, flowing white fabric.
The ceremonial design suggests that they revered whatever it was they watched over.
The purity of the garment, however, neatly symbolizes the fraudulence found at the very heart of the monastery.

Dark Souls:
Apparel worn by the alabaster-clothed guardians of the paintings in Anor Londo. Offers substantial protection versus magic.
They have guarded the Great Paintings of Ariamis for ages, passing their duty down through the generations, but the reason for doing so passed from all memory long ago.

Brass Set
Dark Souls III:
Armor of a knight once known as the Darkmoon. It is said that this brass armor hides something hideous within.
Something about its silhouette suggests femininity.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the Darkmoon Knightess, Fire Keeper of Anor Londo.
After becoming Undead, she visited the Dark Sun Gwyndolin at the Mausoleum of the Spiral Depths, became a Blade of Darkmoon, and assumed the flame-keeping duty. She received this armor, which hides her hideous form and helps her hunt the guilty.

Silver Knight Set
Dark Souls III:
Armor of the Silver Knights allegiant to the royals of old.
It is said that even after the family’s passing, the knights continued to watch over their manor, and the ruined cathedral.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the Silver Knights who protect Anor Londo.
When Lord Gwyn departed to link the Fire, his knights split into two groups. The Silver Knights remained in the forsaken capital in the service of their goddess.

Magic Clutch Ring
Dark Souls III:
Ring depicting a hand grasping a blue stone. Increases magic attack, but compromises damage absorption.
An old fable in Londor claims that the lure of the clutch ring reaches out to the crestfallen, who might otherwise be overcome by despair.

Dark Souls II:
Ring depicting a hand grasping a stone. Increases magic attack, but reduces physical defense.
The origin of this ring is unknown, but its design suggests one of the darker deities. Effective use of this ring requires skill on the part of the wearer.

Ring of the Sun’s First Born
Dark Souls III:
Ring of the Sun’s first born, who inherited the light of Gwyn, the first lord. Greatly boosts miracles.
The Sun’s first born was once a god of war, until he was stripped of his stature as punishment for his foolishness. No wonder his very name has slipped from the annals of history.

Dark Souls:
Lord Gwyn’s firstborn, who inherited the sunlight, once wore this ancient ring. Boosts the strength of miracles.
Lord Gwyn’s firstborn was a god of war, but his foolishness led to a loss of the annals, and rescinding of his deific status. Today, even his name is not known.

Sun Pricnes Ring
Dark Souls III:
Ring associated with Gwynevere, princess of sunlight and eldest daughter of Gwyn, the First Lord.
The ring is vaguely warm, like a beam of sunlight, and gradually restores HP.
Gwynevere left her home with a great many other deities, and became a wife and mother, raising several heavenly children.

Dark Souls:
This ring is granted to those who enter a Covenant with Gwynevere, daughter of Lord Gywn and the Princess of Sunlight. This slightly warm ring boosts the synergy of miracles.
The Princess of Sunlight Gwynevere left Anor Londo along many other deities, and later became wife to Flame God Flann.

Ring of Favor
Dark Souls III :
A ring symbolizing the favor of the Goddess Fina, whose “fateful beauty” is mentioned in legend.
True to the fickle nature of Fina’s favor, her ring increases max HP, stamina, and maximum equip load.

Dark Souls:
A ring symbolizing the favor and protection of the goddess Fina, known in legend to possess “fateful beauty”.
This ring boosts its wearer’s HP, stamina, and max equipment load, but breaks if ever removed.

Proof of a Concord Kept
Dark Souls III:
Blood-drained, shrunken ear. Souvenir taken for subduing the guilty.
The knights called the Blades of the Darkmoon punish the guilt-soaked offenders of the Gods and take this proof of their conquest. The earless corpses of the guilty will be left behind as a warning to others, inspiring both fear and respect for the Gods. Such is the eternal mandate of the Dark Sun.

Dark Souls (Souvenir of Reprisal):
Blood-Drained, shrunken ear. Souvenir taken for subduing the guilty.

The knights called the Blades of the Darkmoon punish the guilt-soaked offenders of the Gods and take this as proof of their conquest. The earless corpses of the guilty will be left behind as a warning to others, inspiring both fear and respect for the Gods. Such is the eternal mandate of the Dark Sun.

Proof of a Concord Well Kept
Distinguished proof that one has hunted the enemies of the gods, as per the ancient accord with the Way of Blue.
The layered ear of a dark spirit is the mark of a particularly guilty offender, one who has flagrantly violated one god or another.
Use to acquire two Proofs of a Concord Kept.

Roster of Knights
Online play item. A roster of knights of the Darkmoon who have served since the age of the old Royals.
Use to discover the names of Darkmoon Knights, an order of elite knights shrouded in shadows.

Giant’s Coal
Coal used for weapon infusion.
It is said that the giant blacksmith of Anor Londo was once the blacksmith of the gods.
Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for lightning, simple, and chaos infusion.

Greirat’s Ashes
Umbral ash of Greirat of the Undead Settlement. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
Greirat was a thief who fancied himself a martyr for the poor, which is what drove him to climb the wall.
Note: this will only appear if Greirat actually dies in Irithyll

Excrement-Covered Ashes
Unclean umbral ash coated with excrement. Perhaps it’s possible the handmaid of Firelink Shrine could turn this into a few new things…
“Oh to savor the sweet pungency but once more…”

Easterner’s Ashes
Umbral ash of an armor merchant from an eastern land.
Surely the handmaid of Firelink Shrine can turn this into a few new things.The merchant, the captain of a clan of hunters, was fascinated with weaponry.


Difficulty in Souls Games and how it regulates itself:
There’s no boss to talk about here, nor is there any other pressing topic that needs discussing right this instant, so let’s talk about something a little more general.

Were you under the impression that Dark Souls is a hard game? Namco Bandai’s very subtle marketing might make you believe this is the case. The consensus of critics and players alike might even confirm this suspicion. it’s usually stressed that the series is not for everyone, which, duh… of course. I don’t think you needed anyone to tell you that about… well: Any game, really.

But calling it a game “not for everyone” still holds more merit than it would with most other games. Part of the series difficulty surely comes from its rather steep learning curve. The game does things just different enough from what’s expected of most players that the way the mechanics interact and even finding a suitable playstyle take some getting used to. From weirdos like me you’ll sometimes hear “Yeah, this boss really isn’t all that hard” and we can only say that due to the accumulated skill of multiple games carrying over. Even going fron one game or another with slightly altered rhythm are much more manageable by simply having played through a Souls game before.

Not a lot of people are willing to play other games in the series before getting into a game in the series. That’s a pretty high barrier of entry if you ask me. While you don’t HAVE to have played another Souls game before playing your… well, first Souls game, because that’s actually impossible, it just goes to reinforce the point that the games have a rather steep learning curve and it’s easy to forget that if you’ve already “gotten gud”

The world wants you dead and everything in it wants you dead, the game teaches you to be defensive. To counter, rather than initiate. Patience is key and will be rewarded thoroughly. Then how come I have such a blast being relatively reckless? I don’t feel this makes the game harder for me. I obviously still need to use my little head to succeed but for most encounters I’ll be the first to act. Because the best defense against this harsh cruel world they put you in is actually a good offense. This may just be my playstyle that works for me, and not other people but hbomberguy makes a good point about this in his video about how Bloodborne is so good He covers every Souls game except Dark Souls III in this video and makes the point that the Souls games only truly shine once you cast aside your shield. After I watched that video I found myself actually agreeing with that. I did my first shieldless run as my third or so run of Dark Souls it changed the way I approached encounters drastically and forced me to learn to dodge, but I would not call this approach harder. If you have the time I encourage you to watch that video it’s generally got some interesting ideas regarding the Souls series in it. It’s an hour and a half, come on!

But let’s move on to the question of whether Dark Souls needs an easy mode. The short answer is: “No.”, The long answer is: “Yes.”

See what I did there? The word yes is longer and the word no, thus it is the longer answer. I explained my joke and that makes it good. But let’s elaborate a bit. Because Souls games offer several ways for players to regulate their difficulty to some extent and a lot of people already use these options to make the games easier on them as they let everyone know that they play this really hard game for manly men that makes babies grow beards.

The most general way you can influence your difficulty is your soul- and weapon level. You are never forced to level up yourself or your weapon, so if you feel the game is too easy you can limit yourself to a certain level cap. People challenge themselves by doing SL60, 40, 30, 23, 1/we runs. Some may choose to simply keep their weapon a bit underleveled, which is the main way to influence your damage output. Conversely, if you’re having trouble you can "over"level. Grind a bit if you need to, but as long as you don’t lose your souls you’ll have more of them if you die a lot anyway, because you’ll be making your way back to where you were. You’ll usually be a higher level at the end of the first playthrough of any given Souls game because of that. It’s also the reason you’ll hear people being surprised that they were only level 70 at the end of Dark Souls III when they were at around 100 by the end of Dark Souls.

Then there’s the whole summoning thing. While there’s traditionally been a bit of a risk/reward thing going on by virtue of the fact that by turning human or embered you also invite invaders, summoning is a way many players chose to enjoy the game and it makes it easier for sure. On the other hand, you can also just stay embered and use the Dried Finger, which puts you up in invasion priority, and just not summon. So now you’ll have to deal with players of varying skill levels being able to jump you at potentially any time. It’s another way to make the game more difficult and exciting.

You could also simply limit your options. For instance try not using any ranged attacks whatsoever for a run. You just can’t pull enemies very easily anymore, forcing you into tougher situations.

The level design itself also sometimes allows you to pick a more difficult or an easier route. One of the best examples in the series is still the Iron Golem fight from Dark Souls. If you just head into the boss room without exploring you’ll deal with a big black armor wielding a giant axe that also has a ranged attack on narrow footing while a giant throws giant explosives on the central part of the arena that would allow you to maneuver some more. This is the fight at its hardest. Now, there is a NPC phantom called Black Iron Tarkus nearby, you can summon him and he’ll help you for the fight. If you want you can also take out the giant who explodes most of the arena over and over. If you do that Tarkus can basically kill the Iron Golem on his own. No interference on the player’s part needed.

There’s several more situations like this in the games, mostly it boils down to there being an NPC phantom available for a boss. But occasionally there are other ways to make the game harder or easier, not just for bosses. It can be a choice of path or a way to turn off or soften a prominent hazard in a level

So in a way the Souls games already have an easy mode. So I don’t think it needs a separate mode to make the game easier, however, I don’t think it would be hazardous to the health of any of us if there was a difficulty setting in the games.


The Kid Gloves are Off
Well, honestly they’ve been off for a while. But, for just a moment, I want to go back to my post about the High Wall of Lothric in which I walked you through how the game holds your hand throughout the area. Mainly because that’s not even necessary, but let’s talk about some of the areas right here.

The Undead Settlement does its best to guide you towards the optional boss fight against the Curse-rotted Greatwood by making sure you see a huge door if you go the other way first, Farron Keep tries to funnel you with lights as well as points of interest in form of the paths up to the towers, the Catacombs make sure you get an overview of the area as you enter to make sure you immediately know where you want to end up eventually. The Dungeon of Irithyll on the other hand takes away that guidance. Not for the entirety of the level, of course. The longer it goes the more it wants you to go the right way. In the beginning, though, it wants you to feel lost and forces you to explore. Honestly, there isn’t too much to the first section of the level. It certainly seems bigger than it is.

You could just go down the correct path by chance at first but even if you do you might not immediately find your way back if you die. both sides of the initial area are mirrored to some degree, so they appear very similar and most people are not able to immediately draw an accurate mental map of the place and there’s already a shortcut with in that section and multiple shortcuts to and from it. Alternatively I could argue that it tries to discourage you from going down the path to progress first by placing all these jailers there, but that obviously didn’t work on me because I was too busy not noticing that I have no health.

But the game does try to make the jailers as scary as possible. They drain your max health for a short duration, their attacks slow you down and most likely kill you if you let them follow up. So naturally, you’d walk the other way if you see one first, to see if you can avoid them. But eventually you’ll have to dare or/and die. This all culminates in what I call the boss fight of Irithyll Dungeon. That one freaking room with a lot of them. To be fair, you can just walk around. If you wait for long enough they’ll walk past and be on the other side of the pillar in the middle allowing you to escape from the room towards progress.

As you can probably tell, the above is much less structured than my post about the High Wall. The game now directs you less, though, it still tries to show make the paths that lead to bonfires more appealing. In this case specifically by not being a dozen healthdrain jerks. Don’t get me wrong, this level and all the others still guide you to some extent using all the tricks we already know and some unique ones occasionally but the game doesn’t hold your hand anymore.

And I know it’s weird to say that a Souls game holds ones hand, the truth is it also jerks you around a bit, but for the most part it’s not your enemy. It can be a dick at times, and the frequency with which it attempts dick moves increases over time. One of my favorites is the bits earlier on in Irithyll, when we first encounter Silver Knights, there is one staring at a painting of Gwynevere with his back to you. A lot of players will just walk up to him to backstab him only to have a Greatbow Silver Knight pin you to the ground with a giant arrow prompting the first Knight to turn around and attack you. It’s easily avoidable, but a lot of people don’t for the first time.


Linear Souls
Instead of heading right to the obvious place let’s explore a more hidden part of this area. Frankly. While Dark Souls III is often described as “Linear Souls” it actually offers you a lot of opportunities to explore bits of areas that you never have to go to. I’d argue that Dark Souls III isn’t truly linear but it’s certainly true that it is non-linear in a different way than the first two games.

In Dark Souls you had this interconnected, very cohesive world. Right off the bat you had access to three areas. The Catacombs were a newbie trap but offered some ways for experienced players to get some gear early, New Londo is a late game area, but again, experienced players could run in and grab some stuff. The last one was the Undead Burg, the way you are expected to go. If you chose the master key as you starting gift you had a few more options because you could go to via the Valley of Drakes: Darkroot Garden and Basin, Undead Parish and Blighttown. While more difficult than the starting area they expect you to go through most of these areas are doable for most players provided they had some time to get a hang of the mechanics. While you have more options of areas to travel to the levels themselves are mostly linear and there’s also the problem that a lot of them can’t simply be played through very easily when you first get access to as you are supposed to come back later. But they are mostly used to run in and get some gear before leaving again.

This results in higher replayability due to a larger equipment pool from the start. Dark Souls II accomplished the same thing by using Demon’s Souls approach, only instead of teleporting to one of five areas from the start you walk to them. (Also you don’t have all paths right from the start but they open up quickly. By the time you get access to a path you can usually also play through it. It’s balanced fairly well in that regard.

Now Dark Souls II is the one where you basically go from one area to the next area and there are few branches. But I’d argue that the levels themselves are the most open, granted most of them are still fairly linear but especially earlier levels have large chunks of the area that you never have to go to. The best example is probably the Undead Settlement, which only requires you to go through less than half of it and you don’t even need to fight a boss. I would say that Dark Souls III has the best individual areas of the series. However, the fact that you don’t usually have much of a choice of different places to go means that you are kind of railroaded into using some specific equipment before reaching the later game where more diverse options open up. The introduction of the first DLC actually mitigates this problem somewhat, as the entrance to it is in the Cathedral of the Deep. Don’t get me wrong, it’s end-game content, but if you know where to go you can get some cool stuff early on, as well as upgrade materials you’d otherwise only get a fair bit later into the game. Almost like how Dark Souls offered you the option to go to New Londo or the Catacombs from the start. Hell, there’s even another endgame area you have access to early on in Dark Souls III (we’ll be seeing that relatively soon)

That said, yes, the progression of Dark Souls III is the most linear of all the Souls games, but the individual areas tend to be more open. And while the game certainly gives you a lot of options to pick from some of the more interesting things open up fairly late, which is why a lot of people complain about the game being too linear or having less replay value.

This is the part where I say: I had no idea. I never thought their wings worked like shields, even though they block.


Yhorm the Giant

I both like and dislike this fight at the same time. On one hand it’s incredibly easy, on the other hand it’s awesome.

When entering the room Shorm gets up moves towards you to attack, you’ll notice pretty quick that your attacks a barely hurt him. Unless you manage to hit his head, that is. You can only do that with ranged attacks, like from bows, magic or throwables, though. Now, assuming you don’t have a decent raged attack you may eventually explore the room as you dodge Yhorms relatively easy to avoid attacks and come across is throne at the end of the room. On the floor is a message that reads “Only a storm can fell a Greatwood” as well as a corpse holding the Storm Ruler.

If you played through Demon’s Souls you’ll immediately know what to do… well, you’d think. In Demon’s Souls one of the Archdemon bosses was the Storm King a giant flying monstrosity, launching giant spears towards you on the ground. If you had no means of ranged attack you too would eventually explore the rather sizeable room and come across a sword stuck in the ground. Pull it out and you get the Storm Ruler, a sword without stat requirements that has a special attack that works only in this boss arena. It’s heavy attack will weaponize the storm against the Storm King, dealing massive damage, taking him down in just a few hits.

In Dark Souls III the Storm Ruler works a little differently. In order channel the power of the storm you need to enter and hold the weapon stance until it’s fully charged, then attack. This took me some figuring out. I thought, at first, merely entering the stance and attacking would do the job. It’s unfortunately not very clear, as it’s the only weapon in the game that charges this way.

Anyway, once you figure that out you can go defeat Yhorm easily. The music, and the idea of wielding the storm to defeat a giant make this fight feel like a climatic moment regardless. I just wish there was a bit more of a challenge to it. Even when not having Siegward by your side, which is very likely, you still won’t have a lot of trouble charging the Storm Ruler. Especially since you can just charge it again in the time it takes Yhorm to recover from a successful attack. If you use the Storm Ruler this may be the easiest fight in the game, but even if you don’t, his attacks are easy to dodge.


Soul of Rosaria
The soul of Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth, stolen by Ringfinger Leonhard.
Return this to her extant corpse, and mother Rosaria will spring back to life.
As if nothing had ever happened.

Bountiful Sunlight
Special Miracle granted by the Princess of Sunlight.
Gradually restores a large amount of HP for self and those in the vicinity.
The miracles of Gwynevere, loved as both mother and wife bestow their blessing on a great many warriors.
Note: Since I won’t show it, this is made from Rosaria’s Soul. It’s quite interesting that we get a miracle related to Gwynevere from her Soul. Rosaria coulc be another haindmaid of Gwynevere, some of which we’ve seen in the Duke’s Archives as betentacled monsters. There is, however, no proof for this. At all.

Soul of Yhorm
Soul of Yhorm the Giant. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Yhorm is the descendant of an ancient conqueror, but was asked by the very people once subjugated to lead them, serving as both a weighty blade and a stone-hard shield.

Yhorm’s Great Machete
Great machete wielded long ago by Yhorm the Giant.
Yhorm once lumbered on the frontlines with a greatshield. But one day, in place of his shield, a left-hand notch was added to his machete, enabling the smashing technique that would become the legacy of his later years.
Skill: Warcry - Let out a spirited warcry that temporarily boosts attack, and enables a crushing strong attack.

Shorm’s Greatshield
Greatshield used long ago by Yhorm the Giant. Increases the user’s poise.
As a lord, Yhorm risked everything and fought unflinchingly as a one-man vanguard. Following the loss of the one he wished to protect, he forsook his shield.

Profaned Coal
Coal used for weapon infusion.
Remnants of the fire that burned down the Profaned Capital, preserved in an icy skull.
Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for dark, blood, and Hollow infusion.

Profaned Flame
Dark Souls III:
Pyromancy deriving from the Profaned Flame. Engulfs foes at range and burns them to ashes.
The Profaned Capital was consumed by fire after Yhorm the Giant became a Lord of Cinder. The fire, born of the sky, is said to have incinerated naught but human flesh.

Dark Souls II (Flame Swathe):
One of the pyromancies devised by Straid, the great mage of ancient Olaphis. Great flames envelop and immolate faraway foes.
Straid, always immersed in magic, never accepted an apprentice. As a result, much of his extensive knowledge is permanently lost.

Eleonora
A strange weapon found among malformed inhabitants of the Profaned Capital.
The Profaned Flame was triggered by the curse of these women, relatives of a certain oracle, but despite their culpability, they went on living, without any cares.
Skill: Feast Bell - Hold up axe and wave to emit a solemn chime to temporarily make weapons lacerating, and to restore HP for each hit.
Note: That certain Oracle may be Alsanna, from Dark Souls II final DLC, Crown of the Iron King. She watched over the Old Chaos, which presumably was the chaos flame the Witch of Izalith lit in an attempt to recreate the first flame

Murakumo
Dark Souls III:
The curved greatsword of Alva, Seeker of the Spurned, specially forged in an eastern land. Sharp but heavy, this sword requires extreme strength and dexterity to wield.
The search for the spurned had no end, and so the wayfaring knight warmed to a most deformed weapon.
Skill: Spin Slash - Slice into foes with a large spinning motion, and continue spinning to transition into a strong attack.

Dark Souls II:
A curved greatsword said to have been brought to this land by a foreign warrior.
Hold with both hands to make parrying possible.
The exquisitely crafted wide blade makes deadly use of both its weight and smooth slicing action.
A tough training regimen is required to master this sword.

Dark Souls:
Giant curved sword forged using special methods in an Eastern Land.
This unparalleled weapon cuts like a Katana but is heavier than a Nata machete. Requires extreme strength, dexterity, and stamina to wield.

Lightning Blade
Dark Souls III:
Miracle allegedly wielded by a certain dragonslayer knight in the Age of Gods.
Reinforces right weapon with lightning.
Tales of dragonslayers are now a rare thing, told only in fragments and whispers in remote regions.

Dark Souls II (Sunlight Blade):
An ancient miracle of the sun. Reinforces weapon in other hand with sunlight, in the form of lightning.
The sun grants life to all things upon the earth, even if the worshipers of sunlight no longer bless the surface with their presence.

Dark Souls (Sunlight Blade):
Miracle wielded by Lord Gwyn’s firstborn. Boost right weapon with rays of Sun.
The power of sunlight, manifested as lightning, is very effective against dragons.
When the eldest son was stripped of his deific status, he left this on his father’s coffin, perhaps as a final farewell.

Wrath of the Gods
Dark Souls III:
Primal form of Force. Creates a powerful shockwave.
Wrath of the Gods is an epic tale, while Force is but a woefully incomplete version of that yarn.
This primal account of profound fury emits a shockwave that also inflicts damage.

Dark Souls II:
Miracle that releases local shockwave, staggering nearby foes and causing heavy damage.
Little is known about the origins of this miracle, except its shared roots with the Force spell. It makes mention of certain Gods, but alas, their actual names are long forgotten.

Dark Souls:
Primal form of Force. Create powerful shockwave.
Wrath of the Gods was an epic tale that tattered over time and devolved into the modern Force. This primal form of Force emits a shockwave that also inflicts damage.

Old Sorcerer Set
Traditional attire worn by sorcerers of the Vinheim Dragon School.
Long ago, sorcerers were said to always dress properly, even while on distant journeys of discovery, even before such journeys were establisehd curriculum.

Alva’s Armor Set
Dark Souls III:
Protection of Alva, seeker of the spurned. This steel body armor was trimmed to reduce weight.
To this day, troubadours sing of tales of the wandering knight Alva and his travels, and of his involvement with the saint and the witch. Needless to say, the songs traditionally end in tragedy.

Dark Souls II:
Armor worn by Alva the Wayfarer. Light but offer very high defense.
Alva crossed many a land in search of a cure for Saint Serreta’s sickness, but failed and relinquished his knighthood.
Alva was once wracked with guilt and remorse, but rediscovered his purpose in life with the aid of the witch who once plotted against him."

Jailbreaker’s Key
Key to the barred window in the Irithyll dungeon.
But the window only leads to a bottomless black pit below, and above, a paltry view of the ruined Profaned Capital.
The very architecture appears to be a cruel joke the jailers played on would-be escapees.

Old Cell Key
Key to the oldest cell in the Irithyll dungeon.
The first prisoner of the dungeon was a lone giant. Cells for men were built at his feet.

Jailer’s Key Ring
Ring of keys to the Irithyll dungeon held by the jailer.
Opens most cell doors.
On what grounds do they remain imprisoned, considering that by now they are mindless Hollows, or unrealized, gibbering fools?

Xanthous Ashes
Umbral ash of a sorcerer who explored the golden sorceries of a long-lost land. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
They were called xanthous scholars, but some foolishly imitate them by simply dressing in yellow.

Prisoner Chief’s Ashes
Umbral ash of the prisoner chief of the catacombs.
With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
The prisoner chief used this clout to hoard all manner of things, but died without putting them to use.

Dusk Crown Ring
Leaf-colored crown ring bestowed upon the princess of Oolacile, ancient land of golden sorceries.
Reduces consumption of FP, but also lowers HP.
Oolacile is synonymous for its lost sorceries of which the xanthous sorcerers are dedicated scholars. This crown ring is a rare artifact of great magic heritage.

Dragon Torso Stone
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, used in a secret rite by dragon worshippers.
Gain the torso of a dragon and a dragon’s roar, a transformation that is irreversible until death.
From ancient times, the path of dragon worship was walked by warriors. It is said they envision Archdragon Peak in the depths of their meditation, and at times, they even hear the distant sound of the great bell at the peak.

Court Sorcerer’s Staff
Dark Souls III:
Catalyst used by the court sorcerers of the Profaned Capital. Very powerful when wielded by an exceptionally intelligent sorcerer.
The court sorcerers laid claim to the legacy of the renowned Big Hat Logan, going so far as to emulate him with copies of the staff he used.
Skill: Steady Chant - Boost the strength of sorceries for a very short period. Works while equipped in either hand.

Dark Souls (Logan’s Catalyst):
Catalyst of Big Hat Logan, the great sorcerer and seeker of knowledge.
Originally the same catalyst employed by the Vinheim sorcerers, only terribly strengthened over time due to Logan’s use. Very powerful when used by one of superior intelligence.

Court Sorcerer Set
Armor worn by court sorcerers of the Profaned Capital.
The tall, dark headpiece and formal gold stitching suggests they may have also been oracles.
There are many sorcerers who claim to heirship to the great sage “Big Hat” Logan, and the Profaned Capital houses on of two leading schools.

Logan’s Scroll
Secret tome of the Profaned Capital court sorcerers, containing sorceries of Logan.
Give to a sorcerer to learn Logan’s sorceries.
The court sorcerers used this scroll to claim heirship to Logan’s legacy, though how that claim stands up to closer scrutiny is another story.

Covetous Gold Serpent Ring
Dark Souls III:
A gold ring depicting a snake that could have been,
but never was, a dragon. Fallen foes are more likely to drop items.
Snakes are known as creatures of great avarice, devouring prey even larger than themselves by swallowing them whole.
If one’s shackles are cause for discontent, perhaps it is time for some good old fashioned greed.

Dark Souls II:
A gold ring depicting the snake, both the servant and manifestation of the god of desire, Zinder
Greed is traditionally viewed as a vice, but only a coward sees every chance as something to fear

Dark Souls:
The serpent is an imperfect dragon and symbol of the Undead. Its habit of devouring prey even larger than itself has led to an association with gluttony.
This gold ring, engraved with the serpent, boosts its wearer’s item discovery, so that more items can be amassed.


Old Demon King

So, this is what happens if a Asylum Demon/Stray Demon/Demon Firesage gets old. This is the last chaos demon, the chaos flame, after all, is fading. He just hangs out around the mountains of corpses of his fellow demons and he himself appears to be dead. Before, y’know, he starts moving.

The most obvious attack you’ll expect the bosss to have is for it to swing his giant hammer. He can also do a short range fire AoE, a bit like combustion.
He can also smash his hammer into the ground. I’m not sure if the fight has a proper phase two, but I never saw him do his ring of fire attack above half health. He’ll hit the ground with the tip of his hammer multiple times, a ring will extend from the point of impact and close back in on it again. Another rarely seen attack is a meteor storm. He’ll wave is hammer in the air and meteors fall down from above. As long as you keep moving it won’t hit you.


Soul of the Old Demon King
Soul of the Old Demon King. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The shriveled Old Demon King is now like a clump of burnt ash, but he is the last living witness of the Chaos of Izalith.

Old King’s Great Hammer
Great Hammer of the Old Demon King.
This weapon has survived since old Izalith, and is imbued with remnants of the Chaos Flame.
Skill: Molten Perseverance - Anchor weapon in earth to temporarily boost poise, and use strong attack to repeatedly stab earth to trigger molten explosions.

Chaos Bed Vestiges
Dark Souls III:
Traces of the tumultuous seedbed that birthed the beings known as Demons.
Hurls chaos flame that scorches vicinity.
Demons born from fire bore its smoldering essence and perished soon after. Man shares this rapport with the flames to this day.

Dark Souls II (Forbidden Sun):
Pyromancy developed in Aldian rites. Fires a giant fireball with a widely encompassing explosion.
What could possibly justify such excessive destructive power? In all likelihood, the madmen of Aldia never even questioned the need.

Black Knight Sword
Dark Souls III:
Greatsword wielded by the Black Knights who wander the lands. Designed to face chaos demons.
The Black Knights constantly faced foes larger than themselves, and this sword’s unique attack greatly reduces enemy poise.
Skill: Perseverance - Raise sword in the name of the First Lord to temporarily boost poise. Damage reduces while activated.

Dark Souls II:
Greatsword wielded by knights who served a lord of light in a long-forgotten age.
Even after their flesh was charred by flame, they remained as strong as ever, and stood watch, challenging visitors to their land.

Dark Souls:
Greatsword of the black knights who wander Lordran. Used to face chaos demons.
The large motion that puts the weight of the body into the attack reflects the great size of their adversaries long ago.

Black Knight Shield
Dark Souls III:
Shield of the Black Knights who roam the lands. A flowing canal is chiseled deeply into its face.
Long ago, the black knights faced the chaos demons, and were charred black, but their shields became highly resistant to fire.

Dark Souls:
Shield of the Black Knights that wander Lordran. A flowing canal is chiseled deeply into its face.
Long ago, the black knights faced the chaos demons, and were charred black, but their shields became highly resistant to fire.

Izalith Staff
Dark Souls III:
Ancient catalyst of the Witch of Izalith and her daughters, used long before the dawn of chaos and of pyromancy.
With the birth of the Chaos Flame, the flame witches were at once both sorcerers and shamans. Faith adjusts the power of sorceries cast using this catalyst, and the staff also seems to boost the power of dark sorceries.
Skill: Steady Chant - Boost the strength of sorceries for a very short period. Works while equipped in either hand.

Dark Souls (Izalith Catalyst):
Catalyst of the Witch of Izalith of long ago, when her daughters were still flame witches, before they were engulfed by the Chaos Flame. Before the birth of pyromancy, their wands were mediums for sorcery, but knowledge of this flame sorcery has long since vanished.

Fume Ultra Greatsword
Dark Souls III:
This twisted sword, the heaviest of all ultra greatswords, resembles black slate.
This weapon, said to belong to a traitor from long ago, was so heavy that it found no owner, and became a forgotten relic of history.
Skill: Stomp - Use one’s weight to lunge forward with a low stance and increased poise, and follow with a crushing strong attack.

Dark Souls II:
Ultra Greatsword forged from the soul of the Fume Knight.
The Exile swordsman Raime had the ability to expunge the black fog, but chose to live alongside it, in company of the child of dark that haunts his sword.

Dragonrider Bow
Dark Souls III:
Longbow of the Dragonriders, who served the Old King of Want.
The Dragonriders were the Old King’s royal guard, and great strength was demanded of them. Merely drawing this bow calls for inhuman strength. The worthy few who can master this bow, however, use it to devastating effect.
Skill: Puncture - Pull the arrow even further back for a more powerful shot that can also pierce shields.

Dark souls II:
Bow wielded by Dragonrider, King Vendrick’s royal guard.
Merely drawing this bow requires inhuman strength, but each shot has deadly potential.
Demands great skill of its wielder, and thus served to test the worthiness of those who aspired to join Dragonriders.

Lightning Stake
A lost dragonslaying miracle.
Strikes with a stake of lightning.
This tale describes the lost practices of ancient dragonslayers, who found that in order to pierce dragonscale, lightning should not be hurled as a bolt, but rather be thrust as a stake directly into the dragon’s hide, to be truly effective.

Toxic Mist
Dark Souls III:
Unique pyromancy of Eingyi that never gained currency in the Great Swamp.
Creates an intense poison mist.
Driven from the Great Swamp, they say that at the end of his journey, Eingyi happened upon a virulent poison and a young lady.

Dark Souls II:
A fringe pyromancy of unknown origin. Creates a powerful cloud of poison mist.
The poison gradually erodes the target’s body, inflicting damage all the while.
Whoever created this spell did not believe his enemies deserved a swift death.

Dark Souls:
Unique pyromancy crafted by Eingyi, considered a heretic even at the Great Swamp. Create intense poison mist.
Why was Eingyi driven from the Great Swamp? One only need cast this pyromancy, a perverse diversion from the art of fire, to find out.

White Hair Talisman
Talisman made from a lock of white hair.
This lock of hair belonged to a deformed member of the chaos witches, mothers of the art of pyromancy. Fashioned into a talisman, it enables the wielder to cast both miracles and pyromancies.
Skill: Combustion - Creates a powerful flame in the wielder’s hand. One of the most basic pyromancies, and for this reason, the flame created is fierce. Works while equipped in either hand.

Sacred Flame
Pyromancy taught among savages. Flame burrows inside foes and ignites.
Originally used in a ceremony for cleansing sacrificial impurities, thereby lending the spell its name.
As barbaric as it seems, this may in fact be quite fitting for the savage pyromancers who consider themselves servants of the divine.

Shield of Want
Dark Souls III:
Shield of an ancient king who was cursed by an all-consuming thirst. In the end, he was no king.
The residue of the king’s lust still smolders within this shield, increasing the number of souls absorbed when enemies are defeated.
Skill: Weapon Skill - Equipping this shield in the left hand allows one to perform the Skill of the right hand weapon.

Dark Souls II: (King’s Shield):
Shield of Vendrick, King of Drangleic.
One fragment of Dark, having taken human shape, became obsessed with the King’s soul. Impelled by its own cravings, it sought souls, and strove to make the strength of the Giants its own.

Quelana Pyromancy Tome
A pyromancy tome of Quelaana containing her unique spells. These pyromancies can only be taught by a female master.
Give to a female pyromancy master to learn Quelana’s pyromancies.
Quelana, the sole surviving witch of Izalith, once accepted a human pupil, but after the pupil moved on, she never took another.

Izalith Pyromancy Tome
A pyromancy tome from Izalith containing pyromancies of the witches.
Give to the old master pyromancer to learn chaos pyromancies of Izalith.
Chaos pyromancies manipulate lava, and birthed all later forms of pyromancy.


Dancer of the Boreal Valley

The Dancer of the Boreal Valley has been alluded to by the game ever since we acquired Vordt’s Soul in which she was mentioned for the first time as that fleeting Dancer that is never far from Vordt. In Irithyll we could see the phantoms of two outrider knights, one of them wearing the Dancer’s crown, walking towards the exit of Irithyll, presumably to leave for the High Wall of Lothric where both of them would eventually assume more beast-like features and become what we’ve seen when we fought Vordt and the Dancer.

But who exactly is this Dancer? The descriptions of her soul and the items we can make of them answer some questions, but then raise some more. Let’s first read the descriptions.

Soul of the Dancer
The Pontiff Sulyvahn bestowed a double-slashing sword upon a distant daughter of the formal royal family, ordering her to serve first as a dancer, and then as an outrider knight, the equivalent to exile.

Dancer’s Enchanted Swords
Paired enchanted swords that Pontiff Sulyvahn bestowed upon the Dancer of the Boreal Valley. These blades, symbolic of the Dancer’s vows, are enchanted with dark magic in the right hand, and fire in the left, mirroring the Pontiff.

Soothing Sunlight
Special miracle granted to the maidens of the Princess of Sunlight.
Restores a large amount of HP for self and those in the general area.
The miracles of Gwynevere, the princess cherished by all, bestow their blessing on a great many warriors.

First up we learn that she’s royalty, and that in becoming an Outrider Knight she got exiled, which would lead me to believe that she’d not be too happy about it and only begrudgingly fulfill her Duty, or, which I found more likely, she switched sides and is working for a different party. But then the swords imply that she was close enough to the Pontiff to have her swords be imbued with the same magic as the Sulyvahn’s swords.

Lastly, the miracle Soothing Sunlight implies a connection to Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight. Who was present in the first game only as an illusion, so we have no clue as to what she actually looks like. this led a lot of people to assume the Dancer is Gwynevere, however, it was a miracle mainly given to her handmaids, of which there were plenty (The tentacle monsters from the first game were Gwynevere’s handmaidens before being transformed into, well, tentacle faced monsters). Now Royalty wouldn’t become a haindmaid, but it can’t be Gwynevere because she’s not some distant daughter, but an actual goddess and princess. So the actual identity of the Dancer is still up to debate, but I also don’t think it’s very important.

As for Gwynevere herself? While it is speculation many people seem to think she’s accounted for in Dark Souls III. But this is something we might come back to at a later time. Let’s actually, finally, talk about fighting the Dancer of the Boreal valley.

She moves slowly, circling around you at almost all times. Her sword swings are simple enough to dodge if you made it this far (this is assuming you do not fight her as your first boss, which is possible if you kill Emma and take the Basin of Vows to the statue behind her). What really makes her dangerous is her grab. And it has one of the more questionable hitboxes in the game. Mostly when there’s whining about hitboxes I just chuckle a bit and unironically think “git gud, scrub” but I’ve been caught by this grab when being nowhere near where it looks like it should get me. Most of her other attacks are just swings, notable exceptions are a thrust that shoots flames at a medium range as well as an fire AoE.

In the second phase she pulls out a second sword, meaning her grab is now gone completely. She’ll have a different variety of swings now, one of which is the twirl she usually does as one of her first attacks after initiating the second phase. She also has multiple attacks with an AoE now. She can thrust one of her swords into the ground to create two small explosions, she can also perform a jump attack with a minor AoE. The overall frequency of attacks also increases in the second phase but as long as you are confident in dodging her most common attacks, the swings, you should be fine. She is also very weak to bleed in both phases.