Thread With No Flame - Let's Play Dark Souls 3

Please remember to tag spoilers this LP is intended for people going into Dark Souls 3 blind. This LP will contain spoilers for Dark Souls 1 and 2 but please still tag them in thread.


The Game
Dark Souls 3 is the third entry in the Dark Souls franchise and the fifth game in the spiritual success/predecessor series referred to as the Soulsborne series(Including Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls). Its setting is that of a grim world full of duality and twilight of opposing forces always on the brink of bringing about the end of the world. The apocalypse appears to always be happening and it is our goal as the Ashen One(Ash with no flame in Japanese) to save what remains of the mortals who inhabit this world. Come along on this dark fantasy adventure as we defeat important figures and fight our way through the lands of Lothric on a quest of great importance.

The LP
This LP will be a casual yet informative one. The goal will be to show off the game and to inspect the world of Dark Souls 3 closely. The thread will be encouraged to discuss lore and what appears in the videos, often I highlight parts of the world for further examination and leave some room open for discussion and speculation. I’m going to be doing more than one play through for the LP and will do supplemental videos to show off fights using alternative modes of combat(Sorcery, Pyromancy, different weapons, etc). I will also be showing off all main story paths and alternative endings to the game via these other play throughs.

Updates

Update 1: Cemetery of Ash and Firelink Shrine
Update 2: High Wall of Lothric
Update 3: Undead Settlement P1
Update 4: Undead Settlement P2
Update 5: Crucifixion Woods P1

1 Like

UPDATE 1: Cemetery and Shrine
Trigger Warnings: Depression, Gore, Violence, Horror

In this update the LP begins! Welcome to the Cemetery of Ash. This is a massive site full of graves and undead who are trying to cling to what is left of who they were before death. This is the tutorial zone for Dark Souls 3 where we will be learning how to play the game while being introduced to its concepts and mechanics. It is a very straightforward area which introduces us to backstabbing, dodging, attacking, blocking, estus flask healing, and bonfires.

Boss: Iudex Gundyr

Iudex Gundyr is an intimidating but ultimately easy boss. His attacks appear to carry a heavy weight to them yet despite that and his size he has remarkably low health and does not hit very hard. It is best to hug close to Gundyr and circle him as you fight him in his first or second form. His attacks are often slow to come out meaning you have to dodge later for most of them rather than sooner. Don’t be afraid to use the firebombs found in the cemetery they are especially useful for defeating his second form. Save Pyromancies or Spells for his second phase to hit him at a further range outside of the dangerous area surrounding the front of him. With a bow you want to let him swing then go for a shot then get ready to dodge. You need to be patient and understand it will take time. If you are accurate you can headshot Gundyr. On the left side of the arena there is a slight slope which makes it possible to headshot him while locked on. Parrying him can allow you to get in a critical arrow or two for heavy damage against him, the easiest attack of his to parry is his thrust.

Important NPC’s:
Fire Keeper
A lonely Fire Keeper bound to the shrine who lacks eyes. She is rather kind and sorrowful but tied to her duties. She allows us to level up.
Andre of Astora
Andre is a buff old man built like an ox with thick muscles and arms meant for pounding. He is the blacksmith and offers to repair, upgrade, and infuse weapons/shields. He can also increase you Estus’ number of chugs and lets you determine how many of each Estus type you want.
Hawkwood
A depressing warrior who appears rather crestfallen.
Shrine Handmaiden
An old mysterious woman who is attached to the shrine for an unknown reason with an unknown power. She is a vendor that sells commonly used items.

Important Item Descriptions:

Estus Flask:
“The Undead treasure these dull green flasks. Fill with Estus at bonfires, and drink to restore HP. The journey of an Undead has always traced the bonfires, and no journey of import has been made without an Estus Flask.”

Dark Souls 1 Estus Flask’s poem:
“An emerald flask, from the Keeper’s soul.
She lives to protect the flame,
And dies to protect it further”

Ashen Estus Flask:
“Undead treasure these dull ashen flasks. Fill with Estus at bonfires, and drink to restore MP. Quite befitting of an Unkindled, an Ashen Estus Flask turns a bonfire’s heat cold.”

Darksign:
“The Darksign is the sign of an accursed Undead.
The Darksign returns its bearer to the last bonfire rested at, or the bonfire at Firelink Shrine, but at the cost of all souls held.
Carriers of the Darksign are reborn after death, and eventually lose their minds, turn Hollow. And so it is they are driven from their homeland.”

Coiled Sword:
“Sword missing from the shrine bonfire.
Cannot be equipped as a weapon.
Thrust into the shrine bonfire to restore its power and enable travel between bonfires.
This sword is only bequeathed to chosen ash, as judged by the Iudex, who awaits the arrival of ash as a scabbard.”

Update 2: High Wall of Lothric
Trigger Warnings: Depression, Gore, Violence, Horror, Suicide


Welcome to the High Wall of Lothric, the battlements filled with undead and the smell of burning corpses fills the air. Early on we discover corpses that seem to be impaled by trees as if the trees grew upwards and into them. These corpses we find in positions of prayer surrounded by undead praying. Another instance of faith for these hollow creatures is their congregations around corpses of wyverns, often done while on their knees and bowing their heads. The High Wall is chocked full of thieves, some friends some foes. We also see the remains of the army of Lothric led by the former Lothric Knights, formerly dragon riding champions of the land. A mysterious church rests at the bottom which houses statues of knights offering their own heads with one decapitating themself. This church’s architecture is reminiscent of designs from Anor Londo of ages long past. Despite the best efforts of the sun, the moon still manages to shine here. We are told to raise a banner at the very edge of the High Wall and that this will push us further on in our quest to return the Lords of Cinder to their thrones.

Boss: Vordt, of the Boreal Valley

Vordt is considered to be possibly the easiest boss in the game. For the most part if you hug his groin or butt he will simply miss you. Other than that roll through his charges during his second phase he will charge three times each. When he does his breath attack don’t try to outrun it, its range is incredible. Instead get close to Vordt and strafe around him on whichever size is away from the breath.

NPC’s:
Greirat of the Undead Settlement
A thief who was jailed for unknown reasons(probably thievery). Greirat is a merchant that sells useful items like firebombs and arrows as well as weapons and armor.
Emma
A high ranking priestess of Lothric who wishes to see the lords of cinder returned to their thrones.

Important Item Descriptions:

Estus Flask Shard:
“A shard soaked in Estus.
Give to the blacksmith at the shrine to increase usages of the Estus Flask.
In the old days, it was rare to see an Estus Flask far from its owner, but this shard offers hope, however shattered.”

Blue Tearstone Ring:
“A ring set with a large rare tearstone jewel. Temporarily boosts damage absorption when HP is low.
This stone is said to be a tear of sorrow of the goddess Caitha, and of course, tears are always more beautiful near death.”

Cell Key:
“Key to a cell holding thieves and the like.
There is no shortage of brash thieves in Lotheric and these particular thieves likely scaled the wall from the Undead Settlement.
But they are only willing to practice their thievery on the High Wall, for their fear of Lotheric Castle, rumored to devour men, keeps them clear of its grounds.”

Small Lothric Banne:r
“Small banner held by Lothric messengers. Hold up outside the main castle gate to be greeted by an escort.
When the High Wall appeared, the path to the Undead Settlement was blocked, and messengers came bearing this banner. They were sent out with a duty, but had no way of returning.”

Way of Blue:
“Pale blue sheepskin parchment detailing the moon of an ancient accord. Equip to pledge oneself to the Way of Blue. Members of the Way of Blue are the beneficiaries of an ancient accord. When a dark spirit threatens them, a blue spirit will grant them assistance, and help root out the invader. Summoning takes place automatically while this is equipped.”

Update 3: Undead Settlement P1
Trigger Warnings: Depression, Gore, Violence, Horror, Torture, Ableism


Dog, why’s it always gotta be dogs? The Undead Settlement is a horrific place full of hanging corpses and tortured souls. Villagers can be found throughout who are the remnants of those who both lived here and who dealt with the undead. We discover corpses of what appear to be bodies made out of roots and tree. We learn that the villagers took to cutting up then burying the undead to get rid of them, perhaps this is what led to these deformed tree corpses. Up in the tower in the distance we spot a giant archer who appears to be, firing, arrows? How ridiculous. In any case we make our way through the settlement and meet up with a few new faces after dodging huge arrows and fighting our way past a dark phantom. After a lot of trouble we manage to discover a pit of hollows and corpses and are able to join the mound makers.

NPC’s:

Holy Knight Hodrick
Murder Grandpa
Siegward of Catarina
Battle compatriot and pondering old goofball.
Eygon of Carim
Spooky guard of a yet to be met priestess.

Important Item Descriptions:

Mortician’s Ashes:
“Umbral ash of a resident of the Undead Settlement who made a living burying corpses.
With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.”

Charcoal Pine Resin:
“Black charcoal-like pine resin.
Temporarily applies fire to right-hand weapon.
Used in the Undead Settlement to preserve Undead bodies after dissection, and to bury them.”

Evangelist Robe:
“Robe of an evangelist sent from the cathedral.
These teachers, all women, came to enlighten inhabitants of the Undead Settlement and sent carriers on the path of sacrifice.”

Worker Garb:
“Garb worn by inhabitants of the Undead Settlement.
Official attire for the dissection and burial of undead. Naturally the ceremonial significance of such work is long forgotten,
Indeed, no one could continue to entertain such horrors.”

Loretta’s Bone:
“Old, discolored human bone with several holes bored into it.
A woman’s corpse in the Undead Settlement was found clutching this bone. Her name was Loretta.”

Undead Bone Shard:
“Undead bones that yet burn.
Cast it into the shrine bonfire to boost the recovery provided by the Estus Flask.
The bonfire’s cinders are the bones of Undead, and a bone that still burns is a fresh cinder indeed. Before feeding upon death, one must first pray to it.”

I wanted to run a poll to get some feedback from anyone interested. I started this LP a little while ago but it’s only 3 episodes in. I was curious if people wanted me to just continue from where I am, or would it be more entertaining if I started fresh for the forum, and let readers vote on things like starting class, build, what weapons I’ll use?

  • Just Continue
  • Restart Please

0 voters

Update 4
Trigger Warnings: Depression, Gore, Violence, Horror, Torture

Let’s continue on in the Undead Settlement. Today we discover just what was going on at the top of the tower and aid Siegward in his quest of doing, something. We also discover lots more corpses, the Undead Settlement can be seen as quite alike to a factory of death. They even ship the bodies that they dissect and dismantle. After a bit of exploring we stumble across a part of the settlement which has been ravaged by a demon, which we rush to fight with the aid of Siegward. After more exploring and tying up of loose ends we finally fight the area boss. Afterwards we talk to NPC’s and learn more about Yoel, Ludlith, and see Greirat’s despair.

Boss: Curse-Rotted Greatwood

[spoiler]The Cursed-Rotted Greatwood is a boss with a slight gimmick to it. Attacking its body does not harm the boss, instead you have t attack fruits/seeds/eggs/??? across its body to deal damage. You will find them on its hands, ankles, knees, back, and belly. It is easy to pinpoint them with a ranged weapon and I highly advise bringing one for hard to reach spots.

After taking roughly a third of its health in damage the Curse-Rotted Greatwood will slam its body into the ground and destroy the arena bringing you to the pit of hollows. The fall is perfectly safe, then the boss will grow an arm out of its chest. This arm can grab and crush and will often seek you out more accurately than its other limbs.

There isn’t much to this boss, it is slow moving and lumbering making it really telegraph any attacks it is about to make. By just backing off you can watch and learn its patterns in relative safety. During the second phase the white arm does not break so it can be used to kill the boss if you can’t reach any more key points to target.[/spoiler]

NPC’s:
Giant Archer
Friend
Yoel of Londor
Mysterious creepy monk and sorcerer.
Leonhard
Suspicious murderer

Important Item Descriptions:

Transposing Kiln:
"An old transposing kiln from Courland, crafted with stitched crystal lizard hide

Give to Ludleth, Lord of Cinder to conduct soul transposition. This kiln can transpose twisted souls to craft special items with their concentrated essence.

Deemed forbidden by those unable to make proper use of it."

Soul of the Rotted Greatwood:
"Soul of the Curse-rotted Greatwood.

One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.

Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.

Ever since its establishment, all manner of curses have managed to seep into the Undead Settlement. The worst of them were sealed away inside a spirit tree, but eventually the curses took their toll."

Pale Tongue:
"Proof of a red orb invader’s victory over a Host of Embers.

Claiming tongues as trophies was originally the practice of an infamous troupe of invaders, who offered them to their speechless goddess."

Cracked Red Eye Orb:
“Online play item. One use only. Become a dark spirit and invade another world.”

Wargod Wooden Shield:
"Wooden shield reinforced with metal. The largest of the wooden medium shields.

The bizarre pattern featured on the shield is the mark of a mad god, revered as a god of war in remote regions.

Skill: Weapon Skill
Equipping this shield in the left hand allows one to perform the Skill of the right hand weapon."

Mound Makers:
"A malformed vertebra found by the mad, with a queer symbol on its inside, proof of the shackles of the Gods. Equip to pledge oneself to the Mound-makers covenant.

The mound-makers wish only to add to their mounds, becoming mad spirits whether summoned as co-operators or invaders.

They are blithe to those around them, for in their minds, any kill might lead to another shackle."

Vertebra Shackle:
"A special bone collected by members of the covenant of Mound-makers, discovered in the corpses of their victims.

Only one such bone is found in the vertebrae, and the Mound-makers believe it to be a shackle of the gods. In their minds, each victim is another connection, an addition to the family."

Warrior of Sunlight:
"An ancient talisman depicting a holy symbol bestowed upon the Warriors of Sunlight. Equip to pledge oneself to the Warrior of Sunlight covenant.

Warriors of Sunlight are brilliantly beaming co-operators who place their golden signatures to help those in need, for it is their duty to deliver a great conquest to their summoner."

Homeward Bone:
"Bone fragment reduced to white ash.
Return to last bonfire used for resting, or to the shrine bonfire.

Bonfires are sustained by bones of the Undead.
In rare cases, their previous owner’s strong urge to seek bonfires enchant their bones with a homeward instinct."


Time for a Poll! What sort of build would you like to see me create for the LP?

  • Strength
  • Dex
  • Pyro
  • Sorcerer
  • Cleric
  • Dex/Sorcerer
  • Cleric/Strength

0 voters

Everyone knows fire’s out of style. Holy warriors are all the rage nowadays.

Oddly enough, I think Dark Souls is the first game where I’ve seen a tree utilizing a butt slam.

Shakes fist Why did I have to put in a faith build option why did I do this to myself.

Everything can butt slam in the Souls world. Anything and everything.

Update 5
Trigger Warnings: Depression, Gore, Violence, Horror, Torture


With the Undead Settlement done we move onto the Road of Sacrifices. This road is used by the Cathedral of the Deep to transport sacrifices. Evangelists have taken to escorting the sacrifices On this road we discover the Corvians, strange humanoid bird creatures that grow wings from their backs and attack in flurries. These blood creatures guard the road of sacrifices and almost appear to prey upon the sacrifices intended for the Cathedral of the Deep. After that we end up meeting Anri and Horace, two warriors on a quest to go to the Cathedral. Anri seems quite friendly while Horace is a mysterious man of snarls and howls. Inside of the Crucifixion Woods we run afoul of dogs, crabs, beetles, big hats, and an invader. All are rather swiftly dealt with an along the way we run into the sorcerer Orbeck of Vinheim. After promising to find him scrolls we run into the boss.

Boss: Crystal Sage

[spoiler]The Crystal Sage is somewhat of a puzzle boss which is easy once you know the puzzle. At first they will teleport after taking damage to escape from you. Rushing the boss and staying on them is the most effective method of dealing with them. During the second phase things change slightly.

In the 2nd phase decoys will spawn whenever the boss teleports that look identical to the Crystal Sage. However there is a tell, the real Crystal Sage has purple spells while the decoys have blue spells. They still deal damage and are a threat but vanish whenever the boss is hurt enough.[/spoiler]

NPC’s:
Anri of Astora
A questing knight of Astora on a similar journey to yours. Appearance is based on your selected gender.
Horace
Weird Bazuzo lookin motherfucker
Orbeck of Vinheim
Sorcery teacher and spell nerd.

Imprtant Item Descriptions:

Great Corvian Scythe:
“Great scythe of the forlorn souls guided by heretical storytellers. The Mistress of the Painted World is said to wield a great scythe herself. Great scythes inflict profuse bleeding, such that the blood splatters on the wielder.”

Corvian Greatknife:
"Dagger of the unwanted, those guided by heretical storytellers.

A rather large dagger with a powerful attack, but this transparent attempt to intimidate foes reveals much about its owner’s fears."

Heretic’s Staff:
"Catalyst used by generations of heretic sorcerers.

Sorcery is a logical academic discipline, and the power of sorceries depends heavily on the caster’s intelligence."

Braille Divine Tome of Carim:
"A sacred braille tome from Carim, filled with advanced miracles.

Give to a storyteller to learn advanced Carim miracles.

In the Way of White, there is a tradition of placing great faith in the words of the blind, and braille tomes are not unusual."

Farron Dart:
"Variation of Soul Arrow developed by sorcerers of the Undead Legion of Farron.

Fire a soul dart.

Well known among the Farron sorceries, it is learned far and wide due to its ease of use."

Sage’s Big Hat:
“Enormous hat that completely obscures the face. Belonged to the twin gurus known as the Cystal Sages. The Pair are said to be successors to the great sage Logan, and this big hat is a symbol of their pedigree.”

Heysel’s Pick:
"Choice weapon of Yellowfinger Heysel, a Finger of Rosaria and xanthous scholar.

It`s both a weapon and sorcery staff. The gold specks are remnants of lost sorceries."

Xanthous Crown:
"Crown made in imitation of a divine creature of Oolacile, land of ancient, golden sorceries.

Xanthous clothing is the mark of a researcher of lost sorceries, and the oversized crown is emblematic of their work. Such a curious pursuit is surely nothing to be ashamed of."

Great Farron Dart:
"Sorcery which improves upon Farron Dart. Fires a more powerful soul dart.

Entrusted to the leader of the Legion’s acolytes, and apparently a sorcery of his daughter, Heysel, that was refined by a Crystal Sage."

I really like the Crystal Sage’s design/general aesthetic. Nice that you get their hat as well.

It also makes you look like a duck. For some reason the Sages have sort of duck faces.