A Fine Dark Souls III to You [Finished]

[IGgy]

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.

[IGgy]

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.

@liquidypoo

I wanna note that when those gargoyles put their wing up, you can actually kick it away, like a regular enemy’s shield! It’s just that more often than not, you have to kick twice to stagger them. I mean, they’re stone gargoyles. They’re pretty burly.

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

[IGgy]

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.

[IGgy]

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.

[IGgy]

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.

[IGgy]

(Yes, I know that 40 is only the softcap for weapon scaling, it doesn’t stop, I worded it poorly in the video. Also: Bonus Video will come at some point later because I somehow could not arrange a recording session for several months now and I decided not to care about releasing them simultaneously anymore, I also have acquired further commentators I haven’t done anything with yet.)

[details=Name and Image of Boss]Dragonslayer Armor

[/details]

The Dragonslayer Armor is probably one of the more… for the lack of a better word “generic” bosses of the game. It’s a big dude in armor with a big weapon, the boss type Dark Souls II got so much flak for. In fairness most of its big dudes in armor with a big weapon were still unique enough and inmost cases spread out over the game.

As for its lore all we know that it’s being controlled by a Pilgrim Butterfly. As for what a Pilgrim Butterfly is I have a theory I went over in the video but in reality we know nothing for sure. We also know nothing else about the Dragonslayer Armor for sure except that it’s “true master” is long gone and as a result it is merely an animated suit of armor. No idea who that Dragonslayer that was its master was. While the armor design and the fact that it’s a Dragonslayer is reminiscent of Ornstein it fights nothing like him and uses a completely different weapon as such it has to be a different Dragonslayer. Since dragons went technically extinct before the events of the first Dark Souls it’s gotta have been a long time.

As a boss the Dragonslayer Armor is pretty basic. Essentially it uses its axe in all the ways you’d expect. It also uses a lightning AoE attack occasionally. It gains a few attacks in phase 2 but the pilgrim butterfly joins the fray. Not as an enemy you can attack it’s just two different attacks you need to worry about. The Butterfly can either rain a random pattern of fire on the arena or fire a laser

Soul of Dragonslayer Armor
Soul of the Dragonslayer Armour. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The Dragonslayer Armour, controlled by the Pilgrim Butterfly, lost its master long ago, but still remembers their sporting hunts.

Dragonslayer Greataxe
Melted iron greataxe that once formed part of the Dragonslayer Armour.
Thickly imbued with the power of lightning. Use skill to draw upon the techniques used to slay the archdragons.
Skill: Falling Bolt - Hold axe high in the air to gather fierce lightning, and smash ground to whip the bolts to the ground.

Dragonslayer Greatshield
Melted iron shield that once formed part of the Dragonslayer Armour.
The shield offers high protection to lightning, which the Dragonslayer commanded as his own, and its Skill has faint echoes of the Dragonslayer’s own fighting style.

Sunlight Straight Sword
Dark Souls III:
Straight sword imbued with the strength of lightning.
This featureless long sword contains the very power of the sun. Perhaps is a relic of one-sided adoration.
Skill: Oath of Sunlight - Raise the sword aloft when praising the sun to boost attack and damage absorption for self and allies in vicinity. The warriors of sunlight are co-operators from an ancient age.
Note: Somewhere between Dark Souls and Dark Souls III the sword must have turned from an explicitly normal piece of equipment with not special powers into this

Dark Souls II:
A well-forged long sword.
Of unknown origin, and exhibiting no special power, but sturdily crafted.
Perhaps it does not live up to its name, but nevertheless, merely wielding this sword seems to cause warmth to well up within one’s bosom.

Dark Souls:
This standard longsword, belonging to Solaire of Astora, is of high quality, is well-forged, and has been kept in good repair.
Easy-to-use and dependable, but unlikely to live up to its grandiose name.

Sunlight Medal
Dark Souls III:
A medal received by members of the Warrior of Sunlight covenant for victory over the final foe when summoned. The summoner also gains the same medal.
The medal, engraved with the holy symbol of the sun, is slightly warm and reminds one of the great honor of a shared victory.

Dark Souls II:
medal depicting the sun. Offer it to the altar to strengthen bond with your covenant.
The slight warmth of the medal makes valor brim within one’s bosom. The brave fighters who bore these medals are gone, but the sun never sets. On this day begins the contest to find the Sun’s truest son.

Dark Souls:
This faintly warm medal engraved with the symbol of the Sun, is the ultimate honor, awarded to those who summon the Warrior of Sunlight and complete a goal.
The symbol represents Lord Gwyn’s firstborn, who lost his deity status and was expunged from the annals. But the old God of War still watches closely over his warriors.

Irithyll Rapier
Thrusting sword bestowed upon the Outrider Knights of the Boreal Valley. This weapon is shrouded in frost, and causes frostbite.
Every Outrider Knight one day devolves into a beast, constantly hounded by Pontiff Sulyvahn’s black eyes.
Skill: Shield Splitter - Aim carefully, and attack in a large forward lunge to pierce through enemy shields and inflict damage directly.

Caitha’s Chime
Dark Souls III:
Sacred chime blessed by Caitha, goddess of tears.
Rare even amongst Carim clerics. Affected by intelligence, a rare thing for miracle catalysts, and also agreeable with miracles that lean towards the Dark. Its existence is concealed in the name of the Archbishop, as it is anathema.
Skill: Gentle Prayer - Recovers HP for a period of time, albeit extremely slowly. Works while equipped in either hand.

Dark Souls II:
Sacred chime blessed by Caitha, goddess of tears. Hex-dedicated catalyst.
Cannot be used to cast miracles. Caitha, the goddess of tears, is known as a compassionate being that is with us in times of tragedy, but some believe that she is a demoness that guides us toward misfortune.

Sacred Bloom Shield
A treasured antique of the Way of White, known to some as the Sorcerer’s Bane.
The large blossom design that graces the shield is said to be a sacred flame, and the shield is blessed with high magic protection.
Skill: Spell Parry - Repel an attack at the right time to follow up with a critical hit. Works while equipped in either hand. Also deflects spells.

Prayer Robes
Prince Lothric’s hood, robe and skirt.
The prince, destined to be a Lord of Cinder, was cherished by the royal family, despite being born into illness, a frail and shriveled child.
His swaddling, clothes were made of aged, coarse cloth used in ancient prayer, and are all that he has ever worn.

Winged Knight Armor Set
Armor of the Winged Knights, who swore themselves to the Angels.
Worship of the divine messengers was viewed as heresy in Lothric and unrecognized by any of the Three Pillars of rule.
This is believed to be why Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter, was imprisoned in the lofty cell of the Grand Archives.

Knight’s Ring
Ring engraved with a portrait of a knight. Increases strength.
In Lothric, the Knight has long been considered one of the Three Pillars of the king’s rule, and were thus allowed to rear dragons.

Red Tearstone Ring
Dark Souls III:
A ring set with a large rare tearstone jewel. Temporarily boosts attack when HP is low.
This stone is said to be a tear of mourning of the goddess Caitha, and of course, tears are always more beautiful near death.

Dark Souls II:
A ring set with a rare tearstone.
Reacts when the wearer is in danger, temporarily increasing its wearer’s physical attack power.
Caitha, goddess of tears, mourns the undeserving dead, shedding tears as red as blood. It is said that the stone set in this ring is one such tear.

Dark Souls:
The rare gem called tearstone has the uncanny ability to sense imminent death.
This red tearstone from Carim boosts the attack of its wearer when in danger.

Braille Divine Tome of Lothric
A sacred braille tome from Lothric, filled with miracles for use by knights.
Give to a storyteller to learn Lothric miracles.
It is said that no paladin inside Lothric castle could fall, owing to the divine protection they enjoyed.

[IGgy]

Oceiros, the Consumed King

Oceiros is the king of Lothric. As you can see here he went kind of nuts. He became a dragon and is talking to a baby that we can’t see. We can hear it though. We don’t know what exactly the significance of the child, Ocelotte. But since they were trying to breed a future Lord of Cinder that might be the purpose of Ocelotte. The reasoning for this will become more apparent later on. He looks a bit like a poor man’s Seath (one of the Lords from Dark Souls I, a dragon who betrayed is own and is responsible for making them go technically extinct. and doesn’t appear to have eyes, so he’s most likely blind an doesn’t know Ocelotte is invisible (or non-existent, then again, the baby’s screaming implies Ocelotte is real but invisible).

Ocelotte might also be a portmanteau of Oceiros and Shanalotte, Shanalotte being the real name of the Emerald Herald from Dark Souls II, who was supposed to be a dragon. But now we’re basically reaching really hard.

In his first phase Oceiros is slower and more predictable, he seems to be holding a baby, of course, not visible to us. He also holds a staff he is using as a weapon and occasional magic. He can summon a magic mist that will damage you as long as you’re in it.

In his second phase he throws away the invisible baby and his staff to go on all fours and become a Bloodborne boss. He’s now much faster and more aggressive. He will sometimes flail wildly around with his arms. In my opinion the easiest attack to punish is his spin, he will turn around fast twice, using his tail as a whip. If you get the timing right you can dodge through it and be close for some free hits. He might also breathe cursed ice, this builds up your curse meter. His last two notable attacks both cover ground. First off he can simply charge and bite at you. It’s best to dodge sideways here as dodging into him is likely to get you hit. Lastly, he can take to the air and bombard you with magic from above. He’ll fly in a straight line across most of the arena when he does that. it’s sometimes not possible to catch up with him before he recovers.

Soul of Consumed Oceiros
Soul of Oceiros, the Consumed King. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Oceiros went mad trying to harness his royal blood for a greater purpose, leading him to the heretics of the Grand Archives, where he discovered the twisted worship of Seath the paledrake.

Moonlight Greatsword
Dark Souls:
This sword, one of the rare dragon weapons, came from the tail of Seath the Scaleless, the pale white dragon who betrayed his own.
Seath is the grandfather of sorcery, and this sword is imbued with his magic, which shall be unleashed as a wave of moonlight.

Dark Souls II:
The blade of this greatsword shines like the brilliant rays of the moon. In the oldest legends, rarely spoken of today, it is said that the sword was born of a great white being
The strong attack unleashes its strength, launching a wave of moonlight.

Dark Souls III:
Legendary dragon weapon associated with Seath the paledrake.
Charge strong attack to its limit to unleash moonlight wave.
Oceiros, the Consumed King, was infatuated with the search for moonlight, but in the end, it never revealed itself to him.
Skill: Moonlight Vortex - Draw sword back and thrust to unleash torrential moonlight.

Note: Since the Moonlight Greatsword is in a lot of From Soft games and every Souls game, let’s have some bonus descriptions just for fun
Demon’s Souls:
The legendary large sword that reflects moonlight.
Widely known in association with Moonlight Knight Bito. It’s one of the few Revelations from God.
The blue crystal blade is composed only of light, so it’s impossible to block with a shield.

Bloodborne:
An arcane sword discovered long ago by Ludwig.
When blue moonlight dances around the sword, and it channels the abyssal cosmos, its great blade will hurl a shadowy lightwave.
The Holy Moonlight Sword is synonymous with Ludwig, the Holy Blade, but few have ever set eyes on the great blade, and whatever guidance it has to offer, it seems to be of a very private, elusive sort.

White Dragon Breath
Dark Souls:
Sorcery developed by Logan during his infatuation with Seath the Scaleless. Emit crystal breath of Seath the Scaleless.
Although it no longer causes curses, what madness caused old Big Hat to appropriate this frightful power of the ancient dragons?

Dark Souls III:
Sorcery of the deluded Consumed King Oceiros.
Emits crystal breath of Seath the Scaleless. Crystal breath has piercing qualities.
Seath’s research seemed to strike a chord with old Big Hat who, in his mad, disrobed state, made divine works such as this, his own. Oceiros was no doubt edified by this.

Dragonscale Ring
Ring of Oceiros, former king of Lothric. Reduces damage from backstabs.
In his later years, Oceiros became fascinated with dragons. After going mad, he was more commonly known as the Consumed King. Many assassins were dispatched to his domain, but none returned.
The Consumed King ascribed his resilience to the divine protection of the dragon scale."

Shadow Set
Dark Souls:
Black cloth garb worn by spooks from an Eastern land. Designed so as not to hinder their unique form of martial arts.
While it sacrifices defense for the sake of greater mobility, it does offer resistance to bleeding and poison among other things, perhaps due to the nature of espionage.

Dark Souls III:
Black cloth (Piece Name) worn by spooks from an Eastern land. Sacrfices defense for greater mobility.
The late King Oceiros was obsessed by dragons, to the extent that he would later be known as the Consumed King. Countless assassins were sent to end his reign, but none returned.
Note: There’s also a set called the Shadow Set in Dark Souls II, but it’s a completely different set of armor

[IGgy]

(Yes, there are weapon demos this time)

Champion Gundyr

Picture of Boss

Iudex Gundyr may be the hardest tutorial boss of any Souls game, but he wasn’t really on the top of his game when we fought him. Champion Gundyr, on the other hand, is very much ready for his encounter with us. He has a variety of slashes and thrusts often puncuated by a kick or a shor shoulder charge. Both of those come out really quickly and can be chained at the end of a lot of his combos. This can catch one off guard easily. He also has a grab he rarely does, he’ll stab and fling you with his halberd.

In phase two he gains some more combos and adding hits to some existing ones. He’ll usually start the second phase by charging at you to follow with a slash. This deals crazy amounts of damage. Champion Gundyr is probably one of the hardest bosses of the game and I find him more difficult than the other hardest boss of the game (which we haven’t seen yet, and that’s before the DLC, that added what’s probably the hardest fight of the series, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.). Champ Gundyr is one of those bosses that reminded me of how it was like to face a tough boss for the first time in Dark Souls. You just get closer and closer to victory with each attempt.

The two Firelink Shrines
The Untended Graves raise some questions. The most obvious first one may be a simple “What?”.

So if we have two firelink shrines that are exactly the same, which one is real? Are both real but in a different age? What’s even happening?

Personally, I believe both of them have to be real. I’m basing this mainly off of the fact that if you don’t talk to the shrine handmaid at all until you reach the Untended Firelink Shrine and talk to her there and THEN go back to the lit firelink shrine she will react as though she knows you. It’s not much, it’s just a single line “Oh thou’rt… Oh, no, 'tisn’t anything Ashen One.”

This would imply that we are coming from the future to link the fire in the past.

Many people we meet on our travels can travel to and from the live shrine. Returning from the dark shrine with the Firekeeper’s Eyes he says the following “The eyes show a world destitute of fire, a barren plane of endless darkness. A place born of betrayal. So I will’d myself Lord, to link the fire, to paint a new vision. What is thine intent?”. This kind of implies that maybe Ludleth had something to do with the creation of this “future” shrine. It might not necessarily be the actual future but more of a pocket dimension type deal but now we’re getting weird. The entire shrine vs. shrine thing is something fun to think about but it’s hard to reach concrete answers but I hope that osme of you have some interesting theories.

Soul of Champion Gundyr
Soul of champion Gundyr. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
Once, a champion came late to the festivities, and was greeted by a shrine without fire, and a bell that would not toll.

Gundy’rs Halbers
Halberd of Gundyr the Champion, received when he was charged with his duty.
This old cast-iron halberd has the power to break poise, and is said to never crumble, seeming to suggest that Gundyr was fated to eternal service from the beginning.
Skill: Champion’s Charge - Hold spear at waist and charge at foe, and use momentum to transition into sweeping strong attack.

Prisoner’s Chain
Portion of a steel chain used to restrain Gundyr. Gain vigor, endurance, and vitality, but take extra damage.
A prisoner is one who has staked everything on a belief, a proclivity most apparent in the greatest of champions.

Black Knight Glaive
Dark Souls III:
Glaive of the black knights who wander the lands. Used to face chaos demons.
The unique attack of this glaive greatly reduces enemy poise, reflecting the tremendous size of the enemies that the knights have fearlessly faced.
Skill: Spin Sweep - Sweep foes in a large spinning motion, and utilize momentum to transition into an overhanded strong attack.

Dark Souls II:
Halberd wielded by knights who served the 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:
Halberd 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.

Chaos Blade
Dark Souls III:
A cursed sword of unknown origin bearing uncanny streaks on its blade.
Attacks also damage its wielder.
The sword is not unlike a thing misshappen, granted life, but never welcome in this world. In other words, chaos itself.
Skill: Hold - Assume a holding stance to rapidly execute a lunging slash with normal attack, or a deflecting parry with strong attack.

Dark Souls II:
A Katana of unknown origin. Damage to foes also damages its owner.
The peculiar pattern upon the blade suggests the sinister nature of this cursed blade. It is an alluring vortex and a lonely soul.

Dark Souls:
A curved sword born from the soul of Quelaag, daughter of the Witch of Izalith, who was transformed into a chaos demon.
This blade inherits only the chaotic nature of Quelaag, and has a unique speckled design.
Blade wielder erodes along with opponents.

Wolf Knight Set
Dark Souls III:
Armor of a knight tainted by the dark of the Abyss. The twilight blue tassel is damp, and will ever remain so.
A vanquished knight left behind only wolf’s blood, and legacy of duty. The Undead Legion of Farron was formed to bear his torch, and the armor of these Abyss Watchers suggests their own eventual end.

Dark Souls:
Armor of Artorias the Abysswalker, one of Gwyn’s four knights.
The death of the armor’s owner can be surmised from the corrosive Dark of the Abyss, and the tattered azure-blue cape, once a symbol of pride and glory.

Hornet Ring
Dark Souls III:
Ring associated with the Lord’s Blade Ciaran, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, the First Lord.
Boosts critical attacks.
The masked Ciaran was the only woman to serve in Gwyn’s Four Knights, and her curved sword granted a swift death to any and all enemies of the throne.

Dark Souls:
One of the special rings granted to the four knights of Gwyn. The Hornet Ring belonged to the Lord’s Blade Ciaran.
By boosting critical attacks, its wearer can annihilate foes, as Ciaran’s dagger laid waste to Lord Gwyn’s enemies.

Ashen Estus Ring
Gray crystalline ring crafted from shards. Increases FP restored by Ashen Estus Flask.
Once a treasure brought before Lothric’s Queen, she had it enshrined in the Cemetery of Untended Graves, so that one day an Unkindled might profit from its use.

Hidden Blessing
Holy water blessed by the Queen of Lothric.
Fully restores FP.
There is a grave in Lothric that sees no visitors, a dark place where rootless warriors rest. The Queen of Lothric alone cared to wish the poor souls good fortune.

Hollow’s Ashes
Umbral ash of a Hollow who faithfully served a woman, only to become separated from her. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
It takes but a brief glance at this thing to easily envision Londor, the foreboding land of Hollows.

Coiled Sword Fragment
Fragment of the coiled sword of a bonfire which served its purpose long ago.
Returns caster to last bonfire used for resting, or to the bonfire in Firelink Shrine. Can be used repeatedly.
Bonfires are linked to one another irreversibly, retaining their affinity long after their purpose is exhausted.

Eyes of a Fire Keeper
A pair of dark eyes.
Said to be the eyes of the first Fire Keeper, and the light that was lost by all Fire Keepers to come.
It reveals to the sightless Fire Keepers things that they should never see.

[IGgy]

Seath, the Scaleless
We didn’t really get much of a chance to talk about the original Lords yet. They were Gwyn - Lord of Sunlight, Nito - First of the Dead, The Witch of Izalith and Seath - The Scaleless Dragon. Let’s talk about him because he’s the most relevant to this episode. I talk about him in the video too but I might be able to add a little more here. But first let me get one thing out of the way: I don’t think that The Grand Archives and The Duke’s Archives are the same location.

Anyway, Seath was an Ancient Dragon born without what made the Dragons immortal: Their scales. Now, what immortality means exactly is not clear but it’s very likely that they were merely impervious to attacks due to their scales and would otherwise live forever. As we all know Gwyn, Nito and the Witch of Izalith eventually decided to commit genocide and kill all the Dragons for reasons that I’m sure sounded like a good idea at the time. But Seath, for I assume similarly compelling reasons, sided with the Warriors of Light and helped kill the Dragons.

The Big Boss Man Gwyn thanked Seath by giving him a place to hang out and do his thing as well as a fragment of his Lord Soul (Another fragment went to the Four Kings).

Seath spent the rest of his days doing research to get the one thing that he was denied from birth: Immortality. But not a half-assed “Oooh, you can’t poke me” Immortality. He wanted the real deal. His research consisted of kidnapping undead as well as other living things, which he transformed into other beings, stuck crystals into them and he also stitched people together with snakes. His choice of victims kind of makes sense. Undead are technically immortal and Serpents are imperfect dragons in the lore of the game, which means they might have some link to their more “perfect” brethren. As for the weird crystal stuff? Well, he eventually did use a primordial crystal to achieve a kind of makeshift immortality that only lasted as long as the crystal.

Seath’s research eventually drove him mad. When he went insane is not mentioned. It could be before he did the things described above, could be after. I don’t think it matters, really. But Seath, of course, documented all his findings and eventually a sorcerer, Big Hat Logan, set his mind to finding Seath’s Archives. And when he did find them and studied seath’s extensive notes, Logan went insane as well. He decided to be more like Seath he had to strip himself of all clothes, to mirror Seath’s scalelessness. He is, I believe, the only Dark Souls NPC that doesn’t go hollow and attack you, but actually goes mad and attacks you.

The last we see of Seath in Dark Souls is us killing him to get his Lord Soul shard. But this is not necessarily the end of the story.

While Dark Souls II tried to be more of a thing of its own and could very well have worked as a new Franchise otherwise it did include the Four Lords one way or another. Each of the four Old Ones drop an additional Soul on New Game+. The Duke’s Dearest Freja drops the Paledrake Soul, which is most likely Seath’s Soul. Seath does not physically appear in Dark Souls II but it’s implied that he somehow still has the power to influence people from beyond the grave, which might mean he actually did achieve immortality of the soul. But that is really just speculation. Dark Souls II is incredibly vague with its lore. Moreso than the rest of the series.

[IGgy]

Ludleth, the Exiled
Over the course of the game Ludleth has a some rare dialogue he only speaks under specific conditions, I was not able to show all of Ludleth’s dialogue because I was not willing to kill Ludleth. But we sure can discuss it here. Since Ludleth, much like ourselves, appears to be undead he can die over and over and still come back. All the non-death dialogue we’ve already seen, but it can help understand the meaning of it better. If you kill him and start talking to him after reloading the area he says the following:

“Ahh, it singeth, to the bone, it hurts… Please, help me. Be done with me… No, gods, no, I cannot bear it… It burns, burns, help me…
Ah, beg pardon. I must have dozed a while. So, happened upon any twisted souls?”

A common theory for that dialogue is that he’s remembering or dreaming of his experience of linking the flame, some others speculate that he is still feeling pain from us killing him. However, if we assume the former it gives is dialogue after finding the Eyes of the Firekeeper more meaning

“Ahh. Found her, did we? And the black eyes that shimmer within, I see? Tis as if it were but yesterday. We did all we could to spare her from them. Much has happened since. Mayhap I should apprise thee… Of what the thin light of these eyes might reveal to the eyeless Firekeeper. Scenes of betrayal, things never intended for her ken, visions of… this age’s end…
The eyes show a world destitute of fire, a barren plane of endless darkness. A place born of betrayal. So I will’d myself Lord, to link the fire, to paint a new vision. What is thine intent?”

it implies that he would rather burn alive to be fuel for a flame than live in a world without fire. Since he “will’d himself” to become a Lord of Cinder there’s a non-zero chance that he wasn’t supposed to be a Lord originally, but rose up to it anyway, possibly as a last resort. The dialogue we get after actually giving the eyes to the Firekeeper doesn’t confirm this, but it supports the theory.

“I took the mantle of Lord of Cinder of mine own volition. I speak these words with pride. Choose thy fate alone. Seize it with thine own hands. All the more, should thy fate entail such foul betrayal.”

So, if we kill him after defeating the Dragonslayer Armor his post-death dialogue changes a bit.

“See ye not? I am a lord… A wee flame, belike, but I shoulder the world… Forgive me. Oh please… I am not to blame. I’m not”

I wonder what the significance of it triggering after the Dragonslayer Armor is defeated is. Maybe he’s related to the Armor somehow? Maybe he was its user? Perhaps a friend? Could be nothing for all we know. Could just be a continuation of the previous revival dialogue. If the latter is the case that we can make some assumptions about what he feels guilty of. Maybe he was the one who gave the eyes to the Firekeeper originally and later regretted it so much he linked the fire after all. Then again, his previously quoted dialogue also mentions that they did all they could to spare the Firekeeper from the eyes.

Of course, Ludleth has more dialogue still, but we’ll see that. I just really wanted to bring up the dialogue you get once he revives after being killed. Especially after it’s been talked about in the thread.

In any case, Ludleth is a very interesting character and a pretty good example of Dark Souls-style storytelling. Giving us just enough to go wild with speculation, but too little to really confirm anything.

[smallfrozenthing]

I’d like to say I appreciate your LPs Iggy, they’re good, solid LPs with no weird gimmicks or annoying commentary, and pretty much let the games speak for themselves, which is important for games heavy on atmosphere like the Souls series.

[IGgy]

And with that we’re done with most of the main game. Next time we will go fight the final boss. But that won’t be the end of the LP. First we’ll go to one more optional area of the main game and then the two DLCs will follow. Since the second DLC is not out yet I don’t know how long it’ll take me, but I reckon this LP will go for another two or three months. Maybe more.

Lothric and Lorian, the Twin Princes

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This is an interesting fight hated by many, but loved by me. It’s just hard enough and the music is awesome. Fitting for the fight against the two princes of Lothric (ignoring Ocelotte, who could be a third). One of the implications of Ocelotte’s existence is that Oceiros desperately tried to produce an heir willing to link the fire, because Lothric never did link the fire and doesn’t intend to. He may be responsible for the dark shrine below the castle being… well, dark. There’s also Emma imploring us to tell Lothric to “be what he must be, a lord.” In the cutscene preceding the fight he also lets us know that “the mantle of lord interests [him] none”. Then there’s of course the description of their soul

His older brother Lorian, is behind his brother as far as not linking the fire goes. According to the description of their soul, their souls are nearly inseparable. Considering that they are twins and spent their entire life together this makes sense within the context of a fantasy work. Both brothers seem to be somewhat physically impaired, with Lorian being unable to fully stand while Lothric just sees to be in a weak state in general.

As for the fight itself: you start fighting Lorian on his own. He has some swings, a high powered range attach he needs to charge up, as well as the ability to teleport. He tends to wind up an attack, and then teleport to hit you with it from elsewhere.

Putting it into as few words as this does not do it justice, though, because it’s still fairly tough. Not only do you need to get used to dodging his swings, you also need to deal with him teleporting, which will slightly delay the swing. It can get pretty intense but once you got used to it it will seem much easier that it was at first, because this fight can be overwhelming at first.

Once Lorian is killed Lothric will come down (via teleportation) and revive his brother. They then continue to wreck your day as Lorian is carrying Lothric for a brotherly piggyback ride :3

Lorian keeps all his attacks just a bit more fiery and gets a new one that creates a small flame cone in front of him, however, Lothric being an adept spellcaster will use his magic to add another layer to the madness. While Lorian is attacking as usual Lothric can cast aa large amount of slow homing projectiles, or a heavenly soul spear which he will often do after Lorian does his long ranged charge-up attack just to catch you off-goard.

In this phase you can kill Lorian, but Lothric will revive him after a few seconds, so your objective is to kill Lothric. The hard part here is that Lothric is harder to hit than Lorian, it’s easier to hit him with some weapons than it is with others and magic, of course, works well. But if you happen to be unable to consistently hurt Lothric your best bet might be to kill Lorian to get a good opportunity to hit Lothric. Just be aware that upon revival there will be an AoE blast tht will damage you if you’re too close.

Overall, this is a really cool fight that keeps you on your toes. But judging from some reactions to him the twin princes can be a bit much for some people.

Soul of the Twin Princes
Soul of the Twin Princes. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The two princes rejected their duty to become Lords of Cinder, and settled down far, far away to watch the fire fade from a distance. A curse makes their souls nearly inseparable.

Lorian’s Greatsword
Ultra greatsword of Lorian, Prince Lothric’s older brother. Cast in smoldering molten steel, and stained black.
Before Lorian embraced his brother’s curse, he was a knight who single handedly slayed the demon prince, but the victory eternally scorched his sword with flame.
Skill: Flame of Lorian - Lunge forward to transform smolder into flame, and follow with strong attack to launch flame across ground.

Lothric’s Holy Sword
Prince Lothric’s straight sword, blessed by Emma with potent magic.
Young Lothric was meant to be a champion, and was expected to wield this platinum sword, but some things will remain distant dreams forever.
Skill: Sacred Lothric Light - Assume stance to imbue sword with sacred light, and use strong attack to release light together with a great thrust of the sword.

Twin Princes’ Greatsword
Sword forged from the reunion of the inseparable swords born from the souls of Lothric and Lorian, the twin princes.
Their union is rooted in a curse, and perpetuated by grief.
Skill: Sacred Light and Flame - While in stance, use normal attack to cast Sacred Lothric Light, and strong attack to cast Flame of Lorian.

Witch’s Locks
A whip fashioned from the black hair of a daughter of the Witch of Izalith, creator of the Flame of Chaos.
The long, shining locks woven together to create this whip are imbued with the essence of fire, which can be channeled through the use of its skill.
Skill: Flame Whip - Temporarily coat the whip in fire, the self-same fire as that which consumed the Witch herself, it is said.

Avelyn
Dark Souls III:
An extremely rare rapid-firing crossbow.
Fires three successive bolts by means of an elaborate mechanism. Inflict heavy damage by making all three shots count.
Despite its use as a weapon, this crossbow is also a priceless work of art, and it bears resemblance to a musical instrument.
Skill: Tackle - Lunge into a shoulder tackle, pushing back enemies to create distance.

Dark Souls II:
An extremely rare rapid-firing crossbow.
Fire three successive bolts. Inflict heavy damage by making all three shots count.
Fiorenza, the richest merchant in all of Volgen recreated this lost weapon after reading of it in an old book.

Dark Souls:
Repeating crossbow cherished by the weapon craftsman Eidas. Its elaborate design makes it closer to a work of art than a weapon.
Intricate mechanism makes heavy damage possible through triple-shot firing of bolts, but in fact each bolt inflicts less damage.

Golden Wing Crest Shield
A blue knight’s shield engraved with a golden wing crest.
This shield is exceptional amongst the enchanted blue shields; not only does it boast high magic absorption, but also enables its wielder to parry spells.

Sage’s Crystal Staff
Crystal catalyst presented as a gift from the Crystal Sages to their favorite pupil, Kriemhild.
Crystal spheres devour the will of the user, and this staff increases the potency of sorceries at the cost of increased FP consumption by Skills.
Skill: Steady Chant - Boost the strength of sorceries for a very short period. Works while equipped in either hand.

Crystal Scroll
Secret crystal scroll of the Grand Archives of Lothric.
Give to a sorcerer to learn crystal sorceries.
These sorceries are the work of the paledrake, Seath the Scaleless, whom Logan is said to have met, a branch of sorcery that has been carried on by the Crystal Sages.

Soul Stream
Dark Souls III:
Sorcery imparted by the first of the Scholars, when Lothric and the Grand Archives were but young.
Fires a torrential volley of souls.
The first of the Scholars doubted the linking of the fire, and was alleged to be a private mentor to the Royal Prince.

Dark Souls II (as Soul Geyser):
A secret art unleashes a gush of souls.
The homing soul mass pierces its target, then hits repeatedly for additional damage.
This blasphemous spell is a family heirloom of Lord Aldia’s. It was designed to pummel foes until its power is entirely exhausted

Onikiri and Ubadachi
The hunters known as the King’s Black Hands wielded paired weapons. These belonged to Kamui, who looked after the prince.
Kamui brought Onikiri with him to the Undead Settlement, where he forged Ubadachi, and was finally prepared to join the ranks of the royal hunters.
Skill: Onislayer - Leap forward and slash mercilessly with both blades, cutting open foes.

Outrider Armor Set
The knights were given the eyes of the Pontiff, but the eyes transformed them into savage, raving warriors who only knew how to serve as mindless guards.

Fleshbite Ring
One of the bite rings native to Carim. Raises poison, bleed, frost and curse resist.
The crafting of these rings is forbidden, perhaps owing to a fear of malleable stone. Clerics, however, dabble freely in the art.

Hunter’s Ring]
Ring engraved with a portrait of a hunter. Increases dexterity.
The hunters serve Lothric on the fringes and in the shadows. For generations, rulers of Lothric have relied especially upon the Black Hand hunters to punish enemies in ways that the king’s Three Pillars cannot.

Divine Pillars of Light
Miracle of Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter.
Brings down multiple pillars of light in vicinity.
The Queen’s holy maiden Gertrude was visited by an angel, who revealed this tale to her.
Despite losing both her sight and voice, she was determined to record the tale. Ordinary men cannot decipher her fragmentary scrawl, nor comprehend how it became the foundation of the Angelic faith of Lothric.

[IGgy]

This is it! The end of Dark Souls III but as you may know not the end of the LP. We’ll be seeing all four endings, one of which they tried to hide that hard it doesn’t even have an achievement. There will be no weapon demo in this one as I didn’t want to include it over or after the credits, but I’ll be covering the lore of it in this post and some of it even in the video.

[details=Name and Picture of the Final Boss]Soul of Cinder (Yep, it’s the guy from the cover art)

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When playing through a Souls game. You’ve died, fought, struggled, endured, suffered and lived through all of the challenges. Now there’s only one enemy left to beat and you know it. But now you’re wondering what it’ll throw at you, if it will make you go through it all again. Gwyn was ferocious but had one glaring weakness, Nashandra tried to fight smart but not smart enough. But now Dark Souls III delivers what I think is a great final boss.

The Soul of Cinder is what could very well be the final boss of the Dark Souls games, given the fact that, at least according to what we’ve been told, there are currently no plans for a Dark Souls IV. And as much as I love those games that is probably a good thing. This is a good place to end it.

The Soul of Cinder is clearly meant to mirror the player. When you first see it it will sit at a bonfire, just resting, as we did numerous times. Upon getting up to fight it will be ready to assume one of four fighting styles that an actual player might be want to use. This is because the Soul of Cinder is everyone who has ever linked the fire. The Description of the Soul of the Lords we get for defeating it as well as that of the Firelink Greatsword we can make of it reinforce what could legitimately be what you just assume by observing it fight.

“Since Lord Gwyn, the first Lord of Cinder, many exalted lords have linked the First Flame, and it is their very souls that have manifested themselves as defender of the flame.” (Soul of the Lords)

“The Lords of Cinder linked the First Flame, and this Greatsword was wielded by their deific manifestation. This coiled sword, found thrust in the bonfire, existed long before the throneless lords themselves.” (Firelink Greatsword)

Of course, as the Souls description lets us know: The very first one to link the fire was none other than Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, head deity of Anor Londo. So he too will take part in the fray.

When entering the fight the Soul of Cinder will always use the STR/Knight style using a straight sword and nothing else. If you get close yourself you need to learn to read its movement to dodge its swings effectively. In this state it can use several different combos.

The INT/Sorcerer style has The Soul focusing on simply casting a variety of spells. Soul Spear is is basic projectile, Farron Hail basically just zones you out of whatever area it’s cast on, Soul Stream can be devastating but if you see it charging just run behind the Soul and wail on it as the stream goes into nothingness. Finally, he can also cast a Homing Soulmass. This one is special in that it will regenerate itself for a set amount of time and can be active even when transitioning to a different style

If it becomes a DEX/Pyromancer it uses a curved sword as a weapon. It attacks fast, though only at a closer range. Up close it’s probably harder to deal with than the STR phase. It’s also able to cast Power Within, Poison Mist as well as some fireballs.

Finally, it has a FTH/Cleric style. The weapon of choice this time is a spear which it can use to great effectiveness. If you get used to dodging the charge you can retaliate with some easy free hits. It also has a horizontal swipe that comes out real fast to zone you out a bit. Additionally it will sometimes cast A healing miracle as well as Wrath of the Gods, which it sometimes spams. It’s best to just gain some distance when it happens.

The Soul of Cinder switches between those four at will during the first phase. If you manage to empty its health-bar completely it… just fills up again and Phase 2 beings (I know in the video it transitions to phase 2 with some health left, but that’s the only time that happened to me). Now The Soul of Cinder mirrors Gwyn, though, the moveset is a bit more intense. When the phase first begins it usually favors a wide reaching five-hit combo that ends with a large AoE blast after its sword is thrust into the ground… or you if you get hit. Because just getting hit once by this combo means you are being air juggled. Aside from some other, less devastating attacks with the sword it has several lighting based attacks. First up, the classic Sunlight Spear, which is just a projectile flung your way, then there’s Lightning Stake, driven into the ground in front of him for a small AoE, but great damage if hit directly. Lastly, it can throw lightning up into the air only for it to come back raining down, homing in on your position.

If you manage to best the Soul of Cinder despite everything it throws on you, you get to choose what to do with the first flame.

You may Link the Fire, just sitting there, slowly burning away. Contrast this with the Link the Fire ending for Dark Souls where it was an eruption of fire. Ever since then, throughout multiple cycles, it seems there’s not that much fuel left. And eventually, even if we struggle over and over, the flame will fade and only dark will remain.

Which brings us to the End of Fire, which you can introduce early by simply not linking the fire. To do this you need to find the Eyes of a Firekeeper in the Untended Shrine and give them to the Firekeeper. After defeating the Lord of Cinder you can now summon her to End Fire. But it may not be that simple, according to the Firekeeper there are still tiny flames in the distance left by past lords.

But that’s not all, we can also Usurp the Flame. This is equivalent to the Dark Lord ending from Dark Souls, in which you side with Kaathe, who claims to be on the side of humanity. Humanity is represented by Londor here, of course Kaathe is also behind them, as we learn when killing Yuria. She laments failing Kaathe. The steps to reaching this ending are fairly involved, you need to use five of Yoels free level ups to befriend Yuria. You also need to guide Anri to the Darkmoon Tomb to “marry” her. Some people say that Anri is even in this ending, but I’m just not seeing it.

Finally, there is an ending that doesn’t even have an achievement. What you need to here is to trigger the End of Fire ending, and in the final moments, when the camera centers behind your character you have to attack the Firekeeper. This ending has you literally walk over her, in a reference to one of the endings of Demon’s Souls and take the flame for yourself. I guess it’s like with dogs chasing a car, though. If they catch one they have no idea what to do with it.

Soul of the Lords
Soul of the Lords.
One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire numerous souls, or transpose to extract it’s true strength.
Since Lord Gwyn, the first Lord of Cinder, many exalted lords have linked the First Flame, and it is their very souls that have manifested themselves as defender of the flame.

Firelink Greatsword
The Lords of Cinder linked the First Flame, and this Greatsword was wielded by their deific manifestation. This coiled sword, found thrust in the bonfire, existed long before the throneless lords themselves.
Skill: Ember - The fading flame momentarily illuminates and launches itself forward.

Sunlight Spear
Dark Souls III:
Miracle of Gwyn, the First Lord. Hurls a sunlight spear.
The tales of Gwyn’s Archdragon hunts describe the inception of the Age of Fire.

Dark Souls II:
A miracle that launches a spear of sunlight. Powered with immense wondrous souls.
One of the ancient original miracles, said to have existed from the infancy of the very world.

Dark Souls:
Miracle born from the fading soul of Gwyn.
Hurl sunlight spear.
In the war that marked the dawn of the Age of Fire, Gwyn wielded these rays of sunlight, which remains fierce even as they fade.

Skull Ring
One of Courland’s transposed wonders. Derived from the soul of a Soulfeeder.
Easier to be detected by enemies.
The Soulfeeder was a beast that insatiably absorbed souls to feed its own power. Even after its accursed corpse was burned, it is said that the pungent stench of souls left the air permanently stained."
Note: Can be collected from Ludleth’s throne. Even though he’s burnt to cinders you can still make boss weapons at this spot

[IGgy]

While we’re not quite up to date with the Bonus Episodes I’m finally able to present you the first batch of the sessions I did with shibbotech and Skippy Granola.

Episode K: In Memoriam (Lothric Castle)
Episode L: Soul of Dignified Commentary (Consumed King’s Garden + Untended Graves)
Episode M: Canadian Dominatrix (Grand Archives)

[IGgy]

A few of the missed opportunities
The fight against the Ancient Wyvern is a bit of a missed opportunity. It could have done so many things but instead it’s essentially just a stage hazard that you are required to take out before progressing because it has a boss healthbar. Actually attacking the head will do a reasonable amount of damage, but most builds won’t be able to do that reliably. Plus, it’s easier to just walk through the area to land a plunging attack on him. I’ve seen people miss this in the past, so it’s important to keep in mind that you can only hit the plunging attack if the dragon isn’t doing anything else at the time, like breathing fire. He’ll stay put for a bit after every action, so just wait for him to finish then go drop the beat into his face. I really want the Souls series to pull off a fight against an extremely huge boss at one point but Iron King was kinda meh, Ancient Dragon was just bad, Ceaseless Discharge wasn’t especially good either. The huge bosses in Demon’s Souls (Storm King and Dragon God) were more setpieces than fights. I mean, they are cool, but I really hope the final DLC will give us a huge opponent worth fighting.

Since I’m already being a negative Nancy here why don’t I go over a few more missed opportunities. Obvously not all of them, just one from each game that pops to mind.

Bed of Chaos and Lost Izalith (Dark Souls): I mean, this one is kinda obvious. It’s evidently unfinished and could have been really cool given some more time. Bed of Chaos also happens to be a huge boss and a notoriously bad one at that. the area itself is just bland. While some of the enemies are cool (Chaos Eaters, hell yeah) none of them are the kind of challenge I’d expect from an endgame area.

Frigid Outskirts (Dark Souls II): When people first described this area to me, cleverly omitting that it sucks, I imagined something actually cool. There’s this big blizzard going on and if you go out into it bad things happen, so you’ll have to go from building to building to stay safe. I thought you’d be in a small town going from house to house while trying to get somewhere, avoiding the outside whenever the blizzard comes back up, meanwhile the game incentivizes you actually going out in various ways (with treasure, shortcuts, w/e). Instead we got an area with three pieces of cover total that are relatively far from one another, you are forced to be outside while the blizzard is up and you’ll get murdered by magical raindeers. The fact that this is one of the co-op areas means that they’re not really holding back.

Smouldering Lake (Dark Souls III): So it’s Lost Izalith again? See, it’s much better than its original incarnation but it still is one of the worst areas in the game. It feels like a Chalice Dungeon from Bloodborne, a lot of samey corridors with a few lore relevant bits sprinkled here or there. But I liked the aesthetic of the original Izalith / Demon Ruins, it’s just the encounters sucked. Now it’s the other way around, the encounters are decent but the aesthetics suck. You know what would have worked really well as Lost Izalith if you just added a firey visual to it? Shulva from Dark Souls II. Or something like it anyway. While Dark Souls III is overall more consistent and has nothing as blatantly unfinished as Izalith from Dark Souls, this game’s version of the area is still a bit of a stain on the game becuase it’s below the standards it’s set with the other areas.

Please don’t read the following under any circumstances until someone explained the elevator to me, please: I actually know of the purpose of the elevator in Archdragon Peak. I mean, it’s still pointless, just bringing you back and forth between two bonfires. It’s just so pointless that I didn’t even think to activate it for the LP. I could have mentioned it in commentary but I finally wanted to be called out for missing something in a Souls LP. It’s the one still on my bucket list. I also missed a lightning infusion stone, that one I just completely forgot about even when doing commentary.

[IGgy]

Here we have the last bit of Main Game content and with it one of the bosses that many people view as the hardest in the game. The next few videos will cover the first DLC. There might be a break between the first and second DLCs in terms of updates, depending on how long it takes us to get through the DLC (it’s at least five videos)

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King of Storms and Nameless King

Picture of Boss

For many years the identity of Gwyn’s first born son has been a mystery. People wanted answers so bad that they looked far and wide. The disowned first born of the god king of Anor Londo has to be a pretty important character after all. Many bought into the theory that Solaire was Gwyn’s son, personally I just always thought he was just crazy. Others thought he was Andre, because that was actually the original plan in the first game. He was supposed to take a more active role helping the player by moving a statue that blocked the path of progress out of the way.

Gwyn’s two other children (that we know of) have been somewhat accounted for. We met Gwyndolin in Dark Souls (and his fate is clarified in III)and Gwynevere has married some flame god called Flan but we’ve never actually seen her. For all we know she might look nothing like the illusion we’ve seen in Dark Souls. There was a room in Anor Londo, in wich we also fought Ornstein and Smough, that had satues of Gwyn, Gwynevere and, to Gwyn’s right, an empty pedestal. For a long time we didn’t know what prompted Gwyn to exile his own son.

Now we know that he’s allied himself with the dragons. Why exactly he did that is something that we still don’t know. Maybe he just thought dragons were rad. In any case, dragons have been basically extinct for a long time. Dark Souls’ definition of dragon is an odd one, when it talks about dragons it mostly means ancient dragons, of which we only ever encounter two: Seath as well as the infant ancient dragon in Ash Lake. There’s many dragon-like things, like drakes and wyverns and occasionally some Kalameet or Sinh which the game itself calls a Dragon. At this point it’s basically better to not care what’s a dragon and what not. In any case, Gwyn’s son, let’s just call him Gwyn Goku, found himself a trusty steed.

Which he’s riding in the first phase of the fight. This phase is by far the easier one and once you got a handle of things it can be beaten rather quickly. Gwyn Goku can perform various swings from the back of the King of Storms, he can follow one swing up with another but there’s a lenghty break between two hits. He can also charge his weapon with lighting and create a small AoE. It is brief enough to dodge through but when in doubt just get away a bit. It’s nowhere near the best attack to get hits in. Sometimes the King of Storms will fly up and brathe fire downwards. This is not the only flying attack, though. Sometimes he will circle around you while the Nameless King throws a lightning spear. The King of Storms will usually follow this with a dive attack. The best attack to get hits in, though, is definitely the ground based fire breath. The drake will breathe fire from its left to its right. Once you know the tell for this attack you can just run in, stand near its neck and wail on it. If you land enough hits on its head there’s a chance for it to get stunned and can be visceral attacked for a really great deal of damage. This’ll usually finish it off.

Phase 2 is where the real fun begins. Mechanically it’s completely seperate fight from phase 1, in fact it has its own health bar. The fact that the first phase doesn’t prepare you for the second due to how different they are is a pretty common complaint about this fight. I personally really like it. However, you have to beat the first phase every time you want to challenge the Nameless King. It’s not a big deal to me but a lot of people also complain about that and I’d have no issue with the game just skipping phase 1 once you’ve defeated it once.

With the King of Storms dead the Nameless King absorbs the power of his fallen friend. Outside of his attacks the Nameless King is relatively slow moving. A pretty good idea is to just circle around him (Ideally counter-clockwise, away from his dominant hand). He’ll still attack but you should be able to get a few easy hits in that way. His melee swings should be simple enough to dodge if you managed to make it this far. If you are at a long or medium range from him he can perform a Stinger type move where he just rushes towards you to impale you. He can also jump into the air and dash at you from there.

Ocassionaly, usually at around half health, he will be ripostable, after a successful visceral attack he tends to smash his spear onto the ground, which causes waves of lightning to move away in eight directions. He can also do this attack whenever he pleases but this is the situation he’ll do it in most. Another great moment to get hits in is when he raises his spear upwards. This will be followed by lightning coming from above, this is tough to dodge, but the buildup to this attack lasts for a long time and you can easily get two or three hits in.

Since most of his attacks are lightning based it might be worth a try to use a shield with high lightning resistance if this boss gives you trouble, which seems to be the case for a lot of people. I’ve heard people go as far as saying that the fight requires specific builds to beat, however, I beat this fight using both light and heavy weapons, with and without a shield and using magic. But maybe that’s because I got gud somewhere along the road. Overall I quite enjoy this fight. I like the way it’s presented.

Soul of the Nameless King
Soul of the Nameless King. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The Nameless King was once a dragon-slaying god of war, before he sacrificed everything to ally himself with the ancient dragons.

Dragonslayer Swordspear
A dragon hunting weapon from the age of the gods. The earliest form of the cross spear, serving as both a sword and a spear.
Its owner was the Nameless King, a deific hunter of dragons. The swordspear is imbued with lightning, of which he was the heir.
Skill: Falling Bolt - Hold swordspear high in the air to summon fierce lightning that descends upon distant foes.

Storm Curved Sword
Curved sword imbued with the strength of the Stormdrake.
The Nameless King, ally of the ancient dragons, fought beside the Stormdrake in countless battles. When the great beast fell, the king claimed his soul, as was the custom in the age of gods
Skill: Tornado - Imbue blade with the wrath of storm in a spinning motion, and follow with a strong attack to bear that wrath upon foes.

Lightning Storm
Miracle of the Nameless King, ally to the ancient dragons.
Calls forth furious bolts of lightning.
Once a slayer of dragons, the former king and wargod tamed a Stormdrake, on which he led a lifetime of battle. This miracle is likely a tale of their bond.

Dragonslayer Spear
Dark Souls III:
Cross spear associated with Ornstein the Dragonslayer. A weapon of the gods imbued with the strength of lightning.
Two-handed thrust utilizes the support of the cross and requires great might, but can pierce deep into the flesh of dragons, and send mere men flying.
Skill: Lightning Charge - Charge with spear at waist to enwreathe with lightning, then release bolts with final thrust.

Dark Souls II:
A ranseur forged from the soul of the Old Dragonslayer.
The spear of the knight known as the Dragonslayer was imbued with the power of lightning, and shattered the stone scales of dragons.
Strong attack unleashes its latent power.

Dark Souls:
Cross spear born from the Soul of Ornstein, a Dragonslayer guarding Anor Londo cathedral.
Inflicts lightning damage; effective against dragons. Two-handed thrust relies on cross and buries spear deep within a dragon’s hide, and sends human foes flying.

Dragonslayer Set
Dark Souls III:
Golden armor associated with Dragonslayer Ornstein, from the age of gods, and imbued with the strength of lightning.
In the dragonless age, this knight, who long guarded the ruined cathedral, left the land in search of the nameless king.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the dragonslayer Ornstein, who guards the cathedral in the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
Ornstein is believed to be the captain of the Four Knights. His golden lion armor is imbued with the power of lightning and should provide good protection against it.

Dragon Tooth
Created from an everlasting dragon tooth that will never break.
Left by Havel himself, along with his boulder-like great shield. Grants its wielder resistance to magic and fire.
Skill: Perserverance - Anchor weapon in earth to temporarily boost poise. Damage reduced while activated.

Havel’s Greatshield
A tremendously solid and heavy greatshield, cut straight from a great slab of stone.
Said to be a relic of the legendary Havel the Rock, along with the Dragon Tooth. The shield is imbued with a special power reminiscent of Havel himself.

Great Magic Barrier
Dark Souls III:
The tale which was later interpreted as Magic Barrier.
Greatly increases magic damage absorption by covering the body in a strong white protective coating.
Said to be a tale of Havel the Rock, arch enemy of Seath the Scaleless. Havel despised magic, and was never complacent in preparing means to counter it.

Dark Souls II:
Superior miracle to Magic Barrier. Increases resistance to magic, lightning, fire, and dark.
The knights of Mirrah are expected to fight honorably, with reliance only upon swordsmanship. They only resort to magic the only time they truly need it: to face the magic of an enemy.

Dark Souls:
Miracle of Bishop Havel the Rock. Cover body in powerful def. magic coating.
Havel the Rock, an old battlefield compatriot of Lord Gwyn, was the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He despised magic, and made certain to devise means of counteraction.

Ancient Dragon Great Shield
A wooden shield bearing the image of an ancient dragon. Very slowly regenerates HP.
The painting is the result of an exquisite but painstaking technique. Lingering, undying traces of the ancient dragons can still be seen in their descendants, the man-serpents, though they have fallen far from grace.

Dragon Head Stone
Dark Souls III:
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, used in a secret rite by dragon worshippers.
Gain the head of a dragon and , 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.

Dark Souls II:
A stone containing the strength of dragons. Transforms the head into that of a fire-breathing dragon, an effect that will remain until death.
The zealots who sought everlasting life are said to have conducted rites to imbue stones with the strength of dragons, but there are no records confirming their success.

Dark Souls:
Stone imbued with the power of the dragons. Rite of apostles of the ancient dragons. Gain head of dragon. Emit dragon breath.
The dragon apostles seek transcendence of life itself, attainable by transformation into an ancient dragon. This rite is only one step, but it cannot be reversed until death.

Twinkling Dragon Head Stone
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, the second of its kind, offered to a towering dragon.
Gain the head of a dragon and emit breath alongside an archdragon mirage. The transformation is irreversible until death.
The illusion achieved was the first case of a human imitating the form of an ancient dragon, and it revealed the smallness of human existence. The road to the old dragons is long and arduous, and only one can complete the journey.

Twinkling Dragon Torso Stone
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, offered to a towering dragon. This stone shows signs of a nascent light.
Gain the torso of a dragon and roar alongside an archdragon mirage. The transformation is irreversible until death.
Yet true imitation will require a dragon head, as well.

Dragon Chaser’s Ashes
Umbral ash of the fallen warrior who chose the path of the ancient dragons. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
Whatever it is, it is sure to grant strength to the most unrelenting warriors.

Ring of Steel Protection
Dark Souls III:
Ring of the Knight King of ancient legend. Increases physical damage absorption.
The Knight King was said to be lined with steel on the inside, such that even the talons of mighty dragons did him little harm.

Dark Souls II:
Wearer gains the protection of steel. Increases physical defense.
Said to be the ring of the once legendary Knight King, though his tales are long forgotten, and even the greatly wizened have no recollection of his exploits.

Dark Souls:
This ring belonged to the Knight King Rendal. It grants its wearer protection by boosting defense against physical attacks. Of the many legends surrounding the Knight King Rendal, one of the more well-known speaks of his standing down a giant drake and slashing it to pieces.

Calamity Ring
Dark Souls III:
A ring made from the orange eye of a calamitous dragon. Receive double damage.
This ring has no useful powers, and is merely a symbol of dragon worship, a thing quietly passed down amongst its most fervent adherents, some of whom become convinced the task has been bestowed upon them as a sacred duty.

Dark Souls:
A ring enchanted by the orange eye of Kalameet, the bringer of calamity. Doubles damage received by its wearer.
A useless ring befitting of no finger. Best left unknown, or at least well hidden.

Thunder Stoneplate Ring
Dark Souls III:
Stoneplates are symbols of true knights, and yellow stoneplates are granted to those who would become dragons.
Increases lightning damage absorption.

Dark Souls:
Stoneplates, the symbol of a true knight, grant the strength to face various hardships
The yellow stoneplate symbolizes souls, and boost defense against lightning.

[IGgy]

I’ve recorded more with shibbo and Skippy.

It’s bad.

Episode N: Don’t Try This At Home - Kiln of the First Flame
Episode O: Time Is Convoluted In This Let’s Play - Archdragon Peak

Feel free to use the below audio for anything.

[IGgy]

We’ve finished the main game and it’s time to tackle the first of two DLCs (The second of which, at the time of writing this, has not come out yet). Traditonally the DLCs are considered the best parts of their games. And to some extent. Dark Souls III’s first DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, got a rather lukewarm reception, unfortunately. The most common complaint being that it’s too short. But I actually liked it and felt it was just the right length. Not the best part of the game but to me that speaks more for the quality of the main game than against that of the DLC. And since we’re starting the DLC I’ll go a bit over what each of the DLCs added to their respective games and what sets them apart, if anything. I won’t cover them all at once, though.

Crown of the Sunken King
As far as Dark Souls DLC areas go, this is my favorite. This might surprise those who know that Dark Souls II is by far the Souls game I like the least, one of my chief complaints being that the level design is lacking. But that is the part that Shulva gets right. From the very beginning it tries to establish that you can go anywhere in this vast looking area. You enter and immediately see a Ziggurat, which is your destination without a doubt. Since you’re standing there staring at the thing already you also look around a bit. Looking down into what might at first assumed to be a death pit you see creatures walking around. Even though it’s ultimately not that big of an area it gives you the impression of being huge.

You’re quickly introduced to this areas mild puzzle elements. Hit weird swith things and pillars get raised or lowered. They can damage enemies or create platforms for you to walk on. Some do both. This slight puzzling continues on once you enter the shrine, which is why some people compare it to a Zelda temple. By hitting switches you unlock an item needed for progression, some neat extras here and there as well as a bonfire.

In retrospect, the bosses weren’t THAT great, but a welcome breath of fresh air in Dark Souls II, as the game didn’t have an awful lot of monster bosses. They are still fun to fight, though. Elana likes to summon adds (one of which can be a previous boss) and can wreck your day with Pyromancies and Hexes. Sinh is a cool fight against a dragon that can actually go airborne, as opposed to Kalameet from the first game’s DLC. Then there was the co-op area but all the co-op Areas from Dark Souls II’s DLCs were shit and the boss for this one is just three NPCs that do NPC things and are very tedious to solo. I am still baffled that some people apparently liked this boss fight.

[IGgy]

[details=Boss Name and Picture]Champion’s Gravetender

[/details]

And so we meet our first boss of the DLC. If you don’t know what this fight entails ahead of time it can be really tough. If you don’t it’s gonna be really simple. Compared to bosses of past games’ DLCs this one is comparatively easy. I believe this is due to the fact that this boss drops the Champion’s Bones, which you need to access the PvP arena.

At first glance this boss seems like it’s just a random NPC accompanied by a couple wolves. It’s wise to kill the wolves first. Then deal with the guy who acts exactly like a standard NPC. Or how a standard NPC would act with a unique Weapon. He uses the Valorheart, a Shield and Sword combo. As in, this one inventory item is both sword and shield. But all in all he’s just that: A regular NPC. He doesn’t even have all that much health for an NPC. That’s because the Champion’s Gravetender is only half the fight.

At about half health the Gravetender’s Greatwolf, which you can meet twice before this fight, joins the fray. For each of the two previous encounters you defeat the wolf at he’ll start with a little less health. If you didn’t focus down the Gravetender while the Wolf showed up you’ll now have to deal with two opponents, which is where this fight can get tough. In that case I recommend dealing with the Gravetender first. Because while the wolf has the same moveset as in the previous encounters at first, that’s just phase one.

Once the wolf heats up he becomes much more aggressive. Chaining dashes together more frequently and more times in a row. In addition to that he also gets an ice breath which, as long as you’re in the right spot at the time, allows you to get in a quick combo or two. It bears mentioning that he’s vulnerable during his howl he does to transition into the second phase and he CAN be stunned into a state where he can be visceral attacked. This may allow you to flat-out skip phase two. It’s my prefered way of dealing with this fight because Phase 2 of the Wolf is the hardest part of the fight by far.

After winning the fight we don’t get a Boss soul. Instead we just straight up get the Valorheart as well as the Champion’s Bones.

Thinking about it now I really think it would have been cool if they recycled the gimmick of the Old Monk from Demon’s Souls, where the Old Monk was actually another player with a Boss’ health bar. I think that’d be a really cool way to spice up this encounter somewhat.

Valorheart
Weapon once wielded by the Champion of the Undead Match. A special paired set consisting of a broad sword and a lion shield.
the champion fought on, without rest, until he lost his mind. In the end, only his page and a lone wolf stayed at his side.
Skill: Lion Stance - While in stance, use normal attack to thrust forward with shield up, and strong attack to execute a shield bash with a lion’s roar.

Champion’s Bones
The charred but warm bones of a champion.
Long ago, an Undead declared a fight. A fight to celebrate their undeath, and so to preserve what remained of their souls. So it was that the Undead Matches were born. The merit of an Undead is measured in deaths. Could there be a greater gift for such a creature, than a fight that has no end?
Note: Burning this at the Bonfire in Firelink Shrine lets us join a PvP arena. I actually recorded PvP footage including the Arena, but because the video I made with that footage also features parts of the DLC we haven’t seen yet I’m gonna post it once we’re done with the DLC

[IGgy]

We’re gonna go to an interesting bit of the DLC today and below I’ll give you my thoughts on the rest of the DLCs, which were the best parts of their respective games.

Crown of the Iron King
After the first Dark Souls II DLC did so well Crown of the Iron King needed to live up to that. For me personally it didn’t, but I’ve heard quite a few people naming it as their own favorite. The area itself is very long and quite big. First we are working ourselves down Brume Tower, finding several Ashen Idols of a child of dark along the way. The challenges are relatively varied but I’m not that big of a fan of the areas itself. It’s a good jump up in difficulty from Crown of the Sunken King. At some points I felt that the enemies were too plentiful and what could have been an interesting part of the level became more tedious as a result.

For all my gripes with the level design, which I don’t really want to go into much further, it also falls a bit short in terms of two of its three bosses (if you want to count the blue Smelter Demon). I’ve gone on record saying that I don’t really like Fume Knight. I always found the fight kind of bland. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of the hardest fights of the game, but I never really found the boss very interesting.

However, this DLC also has my favorite Boss Fights of Dark Souls II: Sir Alonne. It’s set up nicely, has cool music and feels very dynamic. It’s a shame the area leading up to him is a slog and not worth actually fighting through. Just running to the boss is basically the way to go. It is one of the co-op areas, Iron King having two of them, and all of them are very bad. However, it’s also the only co-op area with a unique boss (The others feature straight up NPCs, a palette swap, and two of another boss we already fought).

Crown of the Ivory King
This one takes us to the frozen over city of Eleum Loyce with a blizzard raging. At release a few people thought it was supposed to be Anor Londo. While that turned out to be false, considering that Irithyll is also a frozen city, it wasn’t too far off. The area itself is fairly straightforward, but pretty long. And that’s just the first run through it. Because unless you want to either fight an invisible first boss or a second boss with powerful adds you’ll have to go through it twice. The second time with the blizzard gone. This removes some of the chunks of ice that either hid paths or additional enemies. There’s several lenghty new paths that unlock at this point. As a result this DLC is definitely the longest. I might even say too long. But it also has a part where you roll a snowball down a mountain and it grows large enough to kill several enemies on a bridge and fill a gap within said bridge so you can cross it, unlocking a shortcut back to a place you don’t wanna go back to anyway (But you totally could).

The incentive for going through it all again and explore all the additional parts, of course, is to find Knights to assist you during the final boss of the DLC. Otherwise the fight would be you kiting up to four enemies. The idea being that you find the Knights who then sacrifice themselves to shut three portals that constantly spawn tough enemies with a fourth Knight (that is unlocked from the start) being there to help you out with the boss if they’re still alive. If you have all the Knights the actual boss will only come out once your Knights have either died or sealed the portals, which can take several minutes. The actual boss fight is actually cool but what comes before every single time you want to fight it is… meh.

Artorias of the Abyss
To many this is the holy grail of Dark Souls DLC. The area itself is solid and more Dark Souls, back when it came out there wasn’t much more to ask for besides that. We explore an area we’ve technically already seen in parts only now we’ve travelled to the past and it looks quite different. While the initial area is a pretty forest we soon see signs of the Abyss running wild and over the course of the DLC we go deeper and deeper until we eventually end up in the Chasm of the Abyss.

On the way there we have to fight what many find to be the best boss in the series: Artorias of the Abyss. While I disagree on the “best” part it’s definitely a great fight and I have to relearn it at least partially every time I play the game again, which is a good thing. The other three bosses aren’t bad either. The Sanctuary Guardian greets us right at the beginning of the DLC and with it’s aggressiveness is a sign of things to come. Manus is a larger but still very ferocious opponent while Kalameet slows it down a bit again but is still tough and feels like a climax of its own, despite being kind of a bonus fight.

The plot, funnily enough, is a mushroom telling us to save a princess. When I first played this I was half expecting there to be a reference to Bowser instead of Manus at the end.