Additional lore on the giga-rat in the depths: My guess is that it was a normal-sized rat, and grew to a huge size due to feeding on an endless supply of meat that the butcher throws down the chimney hole. A mutually beneficial relationship: food for the gigarat, and a handy garbage disposal system for the chef. Also, if you look carefully, there's a battleaxe sticking out of its eye. Combining that with the spider shield found directly above, it suggests that a character of starting class Bandit became a recent meal.
garbage disposal? I was under the impression the chefs existed specifically to feed the rat, hence why they pyromancer is scared of becoming "her next meal" referring to the giant rat
@@ennayanne That's a really fascinating hypothesis I hadn't considered. I figured that the two butchers were female, or alternatively Maneater Mildred was the head chef, and the cooks were preparing steaks for her. I can't think of a consistent lore reason as to why this collection of butcher/chef cultists would be huddled in a sewer delicately preparing prime steaks for an angry overgrown mouse but I guess stranger things have happened in Lordran.
It was really fun to hide/lurk and see how people would get hurt by your npcs and traps, but it was also fun to try to get through them at high speed! I can't believe this idea was tossed out. Screw finding the stones for it though!
@@ianwilliams2632Rat King really had a terrific voice actor. I'm not just saying this either. I even looked him up and it's an English actor name of Steven Pacey
The royal rat covenant is one of the coolest coventants in all of souls. The idea of hosting in a world, and setting up traps while teaming up with npcs seems so cool. Its a same I only started playing it last year and the games ben rather dead for me to do that :/
When Ds2 first came out that is ALL I did, nobody really knew the mechanics so it was incredible to sneak up on noobs and backstab then 😂 Everybody would just permablock too (hangover from ds1 maybe) so I got a lot of free kills with the "new" guard break
@@trooper7160 Same here, I spent the most time playing multi-player in DS2 out of any fromsoft game. I miss how balanced and varied it was! I feel like the chances of a remake/remaster is very low though.
It's an amusing thought that the Rat King is so pissed at humans over breaking their "promise" when what he had probably got was a promise from 1 singular tribe's chief, and that particular tribe probably honored it, it's just that Humanity is very much not a singular obelisk of a civilization like the Rats seem to be.
Regarding DS3's Embers: they're essentially Unkindled Humanity. They're the same shape as the Humanity sprites in DS1 but, well, an Ember. It makes sense rats drop those just like they did Humanity. Because Embers ARE Humanity.
@@TheHonoredMadmanI know it's been a while, but I have a feeling you never got to read this. It's not especially important, but still: I believe I expanded at length before on my theory on who made the covenant with the Rat King; namely, it being the Sunken King. However, you are right; the theory should account for the existence of rats elsewhere, including in Lordran. Let us begin: The first thing we must note is that it is extremely unlikely for the Rat King to be the ruler of all ratkind. Why? Three reasons: 1. Humans are not unified. If rats are as prolific as we are and moreso, then it is unlikely they consist of exactly one civilisation. 2. The vast distance between Lordran and Drangleic. Whilst it is true the convergence would make the two continents closer together, there remains a vast stretch of ocean between them, insurmountable to most of ratkind. They could, perhaps, find their way through the ships of various expeditions, but keeping contact with the Rat King back in Drangleic would be near impossible. 3. The administration of rats in Dark Souls 1. What administration, you might ask? In one particular junction, three massive rats gather round a Channeler. Smaller rats hide in boxes and in corners, guarding the meeting. Once you enter, the Channeller immediately strengthens his large retinue, bidding them attack with his dance. In the past, one would've assumed the Channeller was the one controlling this horde. But as we now know, rats are perfectly sentient. This was an arrangement. Does this council of three follow the massive rat above? Or do they conduct affairs in his stead? Is he their Rat King, or a dangerous, hungry enforcer of their will? Who can say? But then, there is the even greater question: Why entertain the notion of allying with a Channeller? Are they not disgusted by humans? Well.... Whoever said Channellers were ever human? Have you ever had the chance to look under those curious masks? I suspect the rats likely know as much as we do about what is behind it. Nothing. All they see, all they need, is an ally.... To pacify the terrible beast beneath. The Gaping Dragon. _ This would not be the last time rats would create an arrangement with outsiders. You've mentioned the Gyrm, but let us take a visit to Irithyll Dungeon. The rats aren't hiding; they're wandering freely through the cells after the Giant. They are not attacked, nor do they attack; here, they are among friends. The Jailers. Most people would say the Jailers formerly Handmaidens of the Profaned Capital, are human, and while there is room to doubt that( look at them!), I don't think it would matter much. The Jailers may be human, but their greatest joy is human screams. So what if it comes from a rat chowing down live, fresh meat? _ The Royal Rat Authority is unlikely to have been a " pet" of his master, if only because his name implies a much more important role. Doglike or not, all rats run on four paws, and all are equal before the eyes of his grace, the Rat King. No. I believe( and it saddens me to say this) that the loyal guard has gone mad. Watch him move. Look at him killing his own soldiers by accident. His face, sick. His tongue, rolling out with no support. Half-blind. Half-dead. Like a sick puppy. Before, he may have been a formidable knight for his king. Now... He serves. He still serves, as well as he can. As well as he can still understand.
This was truly like having your stoner friend passionately extol their niche interest to you in the corner of a house party after you've both had a couple shots. I love it, hella subbed
This sort of quirky unexpected subject is just what I always crave in Souls lore. You never know what could be relevant, in the most bizarre ways. Thank you, enjoying this a lot.
Thats actually incredible about the rat/gyrm alliance and is way more nice than I expected anything in DS2 could be. 17:26 wow. i was trying to find this shot of the rat working out in his cage after loving it the first time I saw that movie. I tried flicking through it years later but must have missed it as I convinced myself I had imagined it in my greened out state. Your use of that shot today confirmed something I had doubted; there WAS a janky effect of Splinter learning
"In fact, the Giant probably stomps shit into a fine soup-like mush, perfect for the rats to eat." I'm laughing so hard at this "tidbit" you threw in 😂 funny af
Just in case, here is a copy: I believe I expanded at length before on my theory on who made the covenant with the Rat King; namely, it being the Sunken King. However, you are right; the theory should account for the existence of rats elsewhere, including in Lordran. Let us begin: The first thing we must note is that it is extremely unlikely for the Rat King to be the ruler of all ratkind. Why? Three reasons: 1. Humans are not unified. If rats are as prolific as we are and moreso, then it is unlikely they consist of exactly one civilisation. 2. The vast distance between Lordran and Drangleic. Whilst it is true the convergence would make the two continents closer together, there remains a vast stretch of ocean between them, insurmountable to most of ratkind. They could, perhaps, find their way through the ships of various expeditions, but keeping contact with the Rat King back in Drangleic would be near impossible. 3. The administration of rats in Dark Souls 1. What administration, you might ask? In one particular junction, three massive rats gather round a Channeler. Smaller rats hide in boxes and in corners, guarding the meeting. Once you enter, the Channeller immediately strengthens his large retinue, bidding them attack with his dance. In the past, one would've assumed the Channeller was the one controlling this horde. But as we now know, rats are perfectly sentient. This was an arrangement. Does this council of three follow the massive rat above? Or do they conduct affairs in his stead? Is he their Rat King, or a dangerous, hungry enforcer of their will? Who can say? But then, there is the even greater question: Why entertain the notion of allying with a Channeller? Are they not disgusted by humans? Well.... Whoever said Channellers were ever human? Have you ever had the chance to look under that curious mask? I suspect the rats likely know as much as we do about what is behind it. Nothing. All they see, all they need, is an ally.... To pacify the terrible beast beneath. The Gaping Dragon. _ This would not be the last time rats would create an arrangement with outsiders. You've mentioned the Gyrm, but let us take a visit to Irithyll Dungeon. The rats aren't hiding; they're wandering freely through the cells after the Giant. Two massive ones in particular wait for you before you enter the main hall, filled with a congregation of Jailers, going round and round. These two are likely the parents, and rulers, of a significant portion of their kind here. They are not attacked by the Jailers, nor do they attack; here, they are among friends. Most people would say the Jailers formerly Handmaidens of the Profaned Capital, are human, and while there is room to doubt that( look at them!), I don't think it would matter much. The Jailers may be human, but their greatest joy is human screams. So what if it comes from a rat chowing down live, fresh meat? It would simply count as another, more creative form of torture. And one that cost much less, too. I imagine it did wonders for questioning. Sulyvahn was indeed always a clever bastard. _ The Royal Rat Authority is unlikely to have been a " pet" of his master, if only because his name implies a much more important role. Doglike or not, all rats run on four paws, and all are equal before the eyes of his grace, the Rat King. No. I believe( and it saddens me to say this) that the loyal guard has gone mad. Watch him move. Look at him killing his own soldiers by accident. His face, sick. His tongue, rolling out with no support. Half-blind. Half-dead. Like a sick puppy. Before, he may have been a formidable knight for his king. Now... He serves. He still serves, as well as he can. As well as he can still understand.
it makes me sad that the Dark Souls series is done. Not because it nesicarilly needs more sequels, but because when it came to feedback from Dark Souls 2, they seemed to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Thanks for talking about this underated lore that could've been expanded on.
@@FumblsTheSniper What are you talking about? They just made a sick sequel, it's even on PC and Xbox! Weird choice to make the protagonist the doll's little brother.
yeah its really sad to me. honestly trying to play ds2 is mostly suffering for me, i really wish they’d kept some of the more creative aspects of it around instead of making ds3 just ds1-2
The H.P. Lovecraft story "Dreams in the Witch House" had this man-rat-demon hybrid called Brown Jenkin, who had a brown furry body, and hands on his fore and hind legs and a rat-like human face. He was the familiar of the titular witch of the story. I always thought the rats in Dark Souls were something like that. Some sort of demon or less than human hybrid creature. Maybe it eats humanity to become more human.
I definitely agree. And i gotta admit i hadnt thought of that connection before about them rating humanity and by dsrk souls 2 theyre in fact depicted as more humanlike so i wonder if that was intentional, either way this is a great insight
@@stickamateur you are both correct. The cat Lovecraft had when he was a child and the cat of the protagonist of "Rats in the walls" had the same name.
feel like getting 1/4th of ur subscribers in views in 6 hours is impressive for a small channel, especially when it’s not clout chasing the newest game(s). keep up the good work, madman. we’ll be here
I was a little bummed that there were no rats in Dark Souls 3 that had the humanity they ate “go wild” a la the Pus of Man. On the other hand, the sheer genocide Gael must’ve undertaken to collect all those tiny pieces of the Dark Soul back from rats must’ve been obnoxious.
In Elden Ring the Rat Spirit Ashes are one of if not the only Spirit Ashes picked up off the ground in the overworld instead of somewhere underground or given be an NPC.
Hey man I just want to say I love your analysis, especially the way you do examined environmental storytelling. You made a lot of connections I would have never even thought twice about, and said a lot of interesting things about a topic that could have just been a summary of "this item description says this" or "this NPC says this" and I really dig that. Loved the video
The rats are a reference to "The Rhizome" from D+G's 1000 Plateaus; there's a church of rats in Pynchon's "V.", converted by a character called Father Fairing. It's the same chapter where Benny Profane hunts alligators in the sewer (Gaping Dragon).
My theory has been that Pharros was the human that originally made a covenant with the rats. Seems to be no coincidence that the most Pharros doors are where all the rats are.
Dude I have been waiting literally months to find a way to send you money, please get that ko-fi link on your channel page asap! Love your work, your unique takes and your smooth delivery. Makes my day to see you pop up on my feed.
I feel the rat king is a sadly lost opportunity, with the ability to maintain the relations of above and below ground, it really could’ve fitted the “what makes a king” theme, allowing us to instead summon the Allies across the game radahn style for throne watcher and defender, imagine watching a few rats show up, with a speech on valor or whatever “kill these filthy imposters” or something, as if the final boss really did show off everyone you help
It would be cool if you could summon The Rat King and defeat Nashandra with him as a: "You controlled your monster to kill us, take the revenge of the rat kind" and would be amazing if depending on the character you summons on a Fromsoft game you get a different ending
I used to think that rats don't gain humanity by eating corpses but for their overal lifestyle. Like some kind of metaphor. Rats are earnest creatures, they live day by day doing anything trying to survive. Humans' greed and heavy dependance on the gods made them weak and thus lose their humanity. Then the next creature on the food chain absorbed their humanity. I may be beating around the bush. Don't know, I'm sleepy. Great video btw, very interesting topic as always.
Rats and similar rodents can actually pop their eyes out of their head quite a bit, they sometimes do this of their own accord in a behavior known as "boggling". The first time I saw a pet do this it freaked me out. Anyhow yeah, that undead rat definitely has its eye sticking out a bit more permanently.
Would be cool to get lore discussing about the natural and unnatural fauna of the Dark Souls series. Who are mythical beasts, who are animals, what the hell are the bush people?
Unlike humanities, Runes are contemporaneous to all life. As such, it is no special surprise to find some of them in non-human enemies. That said, such a piece was not likely gained by them during the Shattering, but stolen. It seems rats here are clever enough to open things like chests, at least.
Did RUclips sell their soul to the ad revenue gods? The increase in the commercials they play is bad enough. But just went to click the thumbs up on this video and it pulls up a page for turbotax.
Additional lore on the giga-rat in the depths:
My guess is that it was a normal-sized rat, and grew to a huge size due to feeding on an endless supply of meat that the butcher throws down the chimney hole. A mutually beneficial relationship: food for the gigarat, and a handy garbage disposal system for the chef.
Also, if you look carefully, there's a battleaxe sticking out of its eye. Combining that with the spider shield found directly above, it suggests that a character of starting class Bandit became a recent meal.
garbage disposal? I was under the impression the chefs existed specifically to feed the rat, hence why they pyromancer is scared of becoming "her next meal" referring to the giant rat
@@ennayanne That's a really fascinating hypothesis I hadn't considered. I figured that the two butchers were female, or alternatively Maneater Mildred was the head chef, and the cooks were preparing steaks for her.
I can't think of a consistent lore reason as to why this collection of butcher/chef cultists would be huddled in a sewer delicately preparing prime steaks for an angry overgrown mouse but I guess stranger things have happened in Lordran.
@@ennayannethe chefs are cannibals as well he was for the butcher
@@thetitaniumviper4734 interesting, what's the evidence you have for that?
@@ennayanne the sack item description calls them man eaters and Miyazaki himself said they were women
The rat covenant is such an interesting concept, cause you just set traps and keep intruders out
Ds2 is an interesting take deserves a remake
It was really fun to hide/lurk and see how people would get hurt by your npcs and traps, but it was also fun to try to get through them at high speed! I can't believe this idea was tossed out. Screw finding the stones for it though!
The sheer amount of rat lore is probably my favourite thing about DS2
And that King's voice, my god. Pure dripping comfiness.
@@ianwilliams2632every Ds2 voice actor absolutely killed their role
@@ianwilliams2632Rat King really had a terrific voice actor. I'm not just saying this either. I even looked him up and it's an English actor name of Steven Pacey
Skaven
@@theHedgex1reddit
Theres a million fromsoft lore vids about gods and npcs and the history of the worlds.
But this is the lore vid we needed.
The royal rat covenant is one of the coolest coventants in all of souls. The idea of hosting in a world, and setting up traps while teaming up with npcs seems so cool. Its a same I only started playing it last year and the games ben rather dead for me to do that :/
When Ds2 first came out that is ALL I did, nobody really knew the mechanics so it was incredible to sneak up on noobs and backstab then 😂 Everybody would just permablock too (hangover from ds1 maybe) so I got a lot of free kills with the "new" guard break
been waiting for a remake just to relive the pvp experience, i hung out there all the time, one the best times ive had out of all souls games
I really liked that covenant, most fun I’ve had in the game
@@trooper7160
Same here, I spent the most time playing multi-player in DS2 out of any fromsoft game. I miss how balanced and varied it was! I feel like the chances of a remake/remaster is very low though.
@@JacksongirardI feel like one day we will get one. Maybe another 10 years or so. Sucks I didn’t play souls back then ( didn’t start until 2017)
It's an amusing thought that the Rat King is so pissed at humans over breaking their "promise" when what he had probably got was a promise from 1 singular tribe's chief, and that particular tribe probably honored it, it's just that Humanity is very much not a singular obelisk of a civilization like the Rats seem to be.
I can't believe that im actually watching dark souls RAT LORE at 3am
one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us one of us
Beat me to it. 3 : 12, back from a bar. Home after 7 day business trip. Sleep? No, DS rat Lore it is.
That's me right now at 00:03
Relatable 😭😭
My favorite part of this video is when you said “The Rat King” before RUclips cut to an ad with Ryan Reynolds.
Regarding DS3's Embers: they're essentially Unkindled Humanity. They're the same shape as the Humanity sprites in DS1 but, well, an Ember. It makes sense rats drop those just like they did Humanity. Because Embers ARE Humanity.
Thats a great point. Its the evolution
@@TheHonoredMadmanI know it's been a while, but I have a feeling you never got to read this. It's not especially important, but still:
I believe I expanded at length before on my theory on who made the covenant with the Rat King; namely, it being the Sunken King. However, you are right; the theory should account for the existence of rats elsewhere, including in Lordran.
Let us begin:
The first thing we must note is that it is extremely unlikely for the Rat King to be the ruler of all ratkind.
Why?
Three reasons:
1. Humans are not unified. If rats are as prolific as we are and moreso, then it is unlikely they consist of exactly one civilisation.
2. The vast distance between Lordran and Drangleic. Whilst it is true the convergence would make the two continents closer together, there remains a vast stretch of ocean between them, insurmountable to most of ratkind. They could, perhaps, find their way through the ships of various expeditions, but keeping contact with the Rat King back in Drangleic would be near impossible.
3. The administration of rats in Dark Souls 1.
What administration, you might ask?
In one particular junction, three massive rats gather round a Channeler. Smaller rats hide in boxes and in corners, guarding the meeting. Once you enter, the Channeller immediately strengthens his large retinue, bidding them attack with his dance.
In the past, one would've assumed the Channeller was the one controlling this horde. But as we now know, rats are perfectly sentient.
This was an arrangement.
Does this council of three follow the massive rat above? Or do they conduct affairs in his stead? Is he their Rat King, or a dangerous, hungry enforcer of their will?
Who can say?
But then, there is the even greater question:
Why entertain the notion of allying with a Channeller? Are they not disgusted by humans?
Well....
Whoever said Channellers were ever human?
Have you ever had the chance to look under those curious masks?
I suspect the rats likely know as much as we do about what is behind it.
Nothing.
All they see, all they need, is an ally....
To pacify the terrible beast beneath.
The Gaping Dragon.
_
This would not be the last time rats would create an arrangement with outsiders. You've mentioned the Gyrm, but let us take a visit to Irithyll Dungeon.
The rats aren't hiding; they're wandering freely through the cells after the Giant. They are not attacked, nor do they attack; here, they are among friends.
The Jailers.
Most people would say the Jailers formerly Handmaidens of the Profaned Capital, are human, and while there is room to doubt that( look at them!), I don't think it would matter much.
The Jailers may be human, but their greatest joy is human screams.
So what if it comes from a rat chowing down live, fresh meat?
_
The Royal Rat Authority is unlikely to have been a " pet" of his master, if only because his name implies a much more important role. Doglike or not, all rats run on four paws, and all are equal before the eyes of his grace, the Rat King.
No. I believe( and it saddens me to say this) that the loyal guard has gone mad.
Watch him move. Look at him killing his own soldiers by accident. His face, sick. His tongue, rolling out with no support.
Half-blind. Half-dead.
Like a sick puppy.
Before, he may have been a formidable knight for his king.
Now...
He serves.
He still serves, as well as he can. As well as he can still understand.
This was truly like having your stoner friend passionately extol their niche interest to you in the corner of a house party after you've both had a couple shots. I love it, hella subbed
This sort of quirky unexpected subject is just what I always crave in Souls lore. You never know what could be relevant, in the most bizarre ways. Thank you, enjoying this a lot.
The rat king is a class act.
That rat jumping out of nowhere made me drop my phone laughing ! 😂😂😂 00:45
Thats actually incredible about the rat/gyrm alliance and is way more nice than I expected anything in DS2 could be.
17:26 wow. i was trying to find this shot of the rat working out in his cage after loving it the first time I saw that movie. I tried flicking through it years later but must have missed it as I convinced myself I had imagined it in my greened out state. Your use of that shot today confirmed something I had doubted; there WAS a janky effect of Splinter learning
"In fact, the Giant probably stomps shit into a fine soup-like mush, perfect for the rats to eat."
I'm laughing so hard at this "tidbit" you threw in 😂 funny af
I mix up the royal rat authority and vanguard names in this video. makes things kinda funny
A very easy mistake we all make.
Just in case, here is a copy:
I believe I expanded at length before on my theory on who made the covenant with the Rat King; namely, it being the Sunken King. However, you are right; the theory should account for the existence of rats elsewhere, including in Lordran.
Let us begin:
The first thing we must note is that it is extremely unlikely for the Rat King to be the ruler of all ratkind.
Why?
Three reasons:
1. Humans are not unified. If rats are as prolific as we are and moreso, then it is unlikely they consist of exactly one civilisation.
2. The vast distance between Lordran and Drangleic. Whilst it is true the convergence would make the two continents closer together, there remains a vast stretch of ocean between them, insurmountable to most of ratkind. They could, perhaps, find their way through the ships of various expeditions, but keeping contact with the Rat King back in Drangleic would be near impossible.
3. The administration of rats in Dark Souls 1.
What administration, you might ask?
In one particular junction, three massive rats gather round a Channeler. Smaller rats hide in boxes and in corners, guarding the meeting. Once you enter, the Channeller immediately strengthens his large retinue, bidding them attack with his dance.
In the past, one would've assumed the Channeller was the one controlling this horde. But as we now know, rats are perfectly sentient.
This was an arrangement.
Does this council of three follow the massive rat above? Or do they conduct affairs in his stead? Is he their Rat King, or a dangerous, hungry enforcer of their will?
Who can say?
But then, there is the even greater question:
Why entertain the notion of allying with a Channeller? Are they not disgusted by humans?
Well....
Whoever said Channellers were ever human?
Have you ever had the chance to look under that curious mask?
I suspect the rats likely know as much as we do about what is behind it.
Nothing.
All they see, all they need, is an ally....
To pacify the terrible beast beneath.
The Gaping Dragon.
_
This would not be the last time rats would create an arrangement with outsiders. You've mentioned the Gyrm, but let us take a visit to Irithyll Dungeon.
The rats aren't hiding; they're wandering freely through the cells after the Giant. Two massive ones in particular wait for you before you enter the main hall, filled with a congregation of Jailers, going round and round. These two are likely the parents, and rulers, of a significant portion of their kind here. They are not attacked by the Jailers, nor do they attack; here, they are among friends.
Most people would say the Jailers formerly Handmaidens of the Profaned Capital, are human, and while there is room to doubt that( look at them!), I don't think it would matter much.
The Jailers may be human, but their greatest joy is human screams.
So what if it comes from a rat chowing down live, fresh meat?
It would simply count as another, more creative form of torture. And one that cost much less, too. I imagine it did wonders for questioning.
Sulyvahn was indeed always a clever bastard.
_
The Royal Rat Authority is unlikely to have been a " pet" of his master, if only because his name implies a much more important role. Doglike or not, all rats run on four paws, and all are equal before the eyes of his grace, the Rat King.
No. I believe( and it saddens me to say this) that the loyal guard has gone mad.
Watch him move. Look at him killing his own soldiers by accident. His face, sick. His tongue, rolling out with no support.
Half-blind. Half-dead.
Like a sick puppy.
Before, he may have been a formidable knight for his king.
Now...
He serves.
He still serves, as well as he can. As well as he can still understand.
it makes me sad that the Dark Souls series is done. Not because it nesicarilly needs more sequels, but because when it came to feedback from Dark Souls 2, they seemed to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Thanks for talking about this underated lore that could've been expanded on.
Never heard that phrase before, will now be using it always
Have you heard the tragedy of Bloodborne?
@@FumblsTheSniper What are you talking about? They just made a sick sequel, it's even on PC and Xbox! Weird choice to make the protagonist the doll's little brother.
yeah its really sad to me. honestly trying to play ds2 is mostly suffering for me, i really wish they’d kept some of the more creative aspects of it around instead of making ds3 just ds1-2
im sobbing at the bong rip before talking about the windwaker rats. shit caught me so off guard
Thank you I was searching for this comment like “I don’t think rats sound like a bong rip?” 😂
i was the pied piper in shrek the musical so I am something of a rat expert and this video passes my rat test
... odd
Lol that bong rip at 24:40 was epic
Hate to be slightly off topic… but the music is from The Under, an underground city, in Pokémon Colosseum. Perfect touch!
The H.P. Lovecraft story "Dreams in the Witch House" had this man-rat-demon hybrid called Brown Jenkin, who had a brown furry body, and hands on his fore and hind legs and a rat-like human face. He was the familiar of the titular witch of the story. I always thought the rats in Dark Souls were something like that. Some sort of demon or less than human hybrid creature. Maybe it eats humanity to become more human.
What was Lovecraft's black cat character named again...?
I definitely agree. And i gotta admit i hadnt thought of that connection before about them rating humanity and by dsrk souls 2 theyre in fact depicted as more humanlike so i wonder if that was intentional, either way this is a great insight
@@chrislevack405;)
@@chrislevack405 It wasn't a black cat character it was his actual cat xD
@@stickamateur you are both correct. The cat Lovecraft had when he was a child and the cat of the protagonist of "Rats in the walls" had the same name.
feel like getting 1/4th of ur subscribers in views in 6 hours is impressive for a small channel, especially when it’s not clout chasing the newest game(s). keep up the good work, madman. we’ll be here
What a noble rat.
Thanks 4 my missing ds2 lore.
Excellent video.
I have an insatiable appetite for more souls lore.
Cool video man! Rats in video games are always interesting so it's cool to see they have some lore is fromsoft games.
Hahahaha you freaking killed me with the Casey Jones clip, showing off his opposable thumb skills!
Love your videos, and they just keep getting better
Fun fact the termites of kings field learned how to build stairs
I never thought i'll want a 1 hour video of a 3d model of a Dark Souls rat spinning to the Gwyn's theme.
Subscribed
based eva-01 pfp
I cracked up at "Meth Sif." Never heard that one before.
I was a little bummed that there were no rats in Dark Souls 3 that had the humanity they ate “go wild” a la the Pus of Man.
On the other hand, the sheer genocide Gael must’ve undertaken to collect all those tiny pieces of the Dark Soul back from rats must’ve been obnoxious.
In Elden Ring the Rat Spirit Ashes are one of if not the only Spirit Ashes picked up off the ground in the overworld instead of somewhere underground or given be an NPC.
The other being the rotten stray in caelids swamp
This is not true at all. There are at least four summon found on the ground in the over world
@@blizzardgaming7070 true that, I was sure I was missing some!
Hey man I just want to say I love your analysis, especially the way you do examined environmental storytelling. You made a lot of connections I would have never even thought twice about, and said a lot of interesting things about a topic that could have just been a summary of "this item description says this" or "this NPC says this" and I really dig that. Loved the video
The rats are a reference to "The Rhizome" from D+G's 1000 Plateaus; there's a church of rats in Pynchon's "V.", converted by a character called Father Fairing. It's the same chapter where Benny Profane hunts alligators in the sewer (Gaping Dragon).
Was not expecting Deleuze references in a Souslore video
My servant! By the grandness of this video, you have proven yourself to me. I'll allow you to serve me, don't disappoint me human!
"I would trust thee as I would any rat."
Pokémon Colosseum music? Man, your taste in background music is the best!
Great vid, great outro, bonus Zelda talk? Good shit
Rats were rats were the rats....
I never thought I’d be this invested in learning the lore of rats of a video game. ❤❤❤
Love your videos man! Great work! 🤘🫧🫧
Definitely didnt expect to hear a nice rip in my headphones at the end 💀
Your use of the original Turtles movie has given me no option but to sub
I love how dark souls have Rat lore, Snake lore pretty sure also Wolf and Craws lore
I still feel like rats have parallels to humans in DS. Both basically desire the daek but want more. This DS2 make this seems like more from its lore.
Mfw I didn’t connect the video to dark souls at first so thought the plauge spreading vermin In london had a secret society
I always end up with the Rats in DS2, I just vibe with them. Great vid man!
Love getting Stoney bologna and watching your videos, then it gets me playing the game
My theory has been that Pharros was the human that originally made a covenant with the rats. Seems to be no coincidence that the most Pharros doors are where all the rats are.
That bong rip was satisfying
I will forever love you for referencing Pikmin stuff in this video lol
The fact that DS2 has the giant rat that makes all the rules just solidifies how it is the best souls game tbh.
I love rats and it makes me happy there is such a deep lore in general from Dark Souls.
The giant rat has a great axe berried in its face
Dude I have been waiting literally months to find a way to send you money, please get that ko-fi link on your channel page asap! Love your work, your unique takes and your smooth delivery. Makes my day to see you pop up on my feed.
Conclusion: Don't join the 'Rat King'. Join the Horned Rat instead, yes-yes!
True there is a LOT of rat lore in these games
3:29 kinda looks like the rat is tryna bang you backshot
I am a rat enjoyer
Absolutely ratpilled
I'm ratmaxing so hard rn
Bro the bong rip at the end 💀
I’ve spent thousands of hours across the souls game and never once thought of…rat lore.
I love rats and FromSoft!
Awesome video.
💖
rat king struck a deal with godfrey....you never know
1:37 I pm pretty sure there's only like two other sizes between those extremes
The Rat Spirit Ashes go pretty hard in Elden Ring.
Rats in DS1 remaster are rage inducing on new game.
They either knock you off the edge or poison your ass.
I wish Dark Souls 3 wouldve picked up more threads from 2. The Rat King and the stated history between humans and rats was kinda cool.
I didn't expect I'd watch all of that.
Fuck yes another HMM drop
Rats, we’re rats. We’re the Rats. We pray at night, we stalk at night; we’re the rats.
I’m da giant rat dat makes all da rules.
He got the boss names mixed up
Someone call Grimbeard and tell him a video has been made especially for him
Rats keep eating the apples from my goddam apple tree. Little bastards.
I feel the rat king is a sadly lost opportunity, with the ability to maintain the relations of above and below ground, it really could’ve fitted the “what makes a king” theme, allowing us to instead summon the Allies across the game radahn style for throne watcher and defender, imagine watching a few rats show up, with a speech on valor or whatever “kill these filthy imposters” or something, as if the final boss really did show off everyone you help
It would be cool if you could summon The Rat King and defeat Nashandra with him as a: "You controlled your monster to kill us, take the revenge of the rat kind" and would be amazing if depending on the character you summons on a Fromsoft game you get a different ending
I had no idea there even was rat lore in DARKSOULS, let alone how hard it goes. Now I kinda want to play DS2.
In DS1 the snow rat does toxic rather than poison
Very well done.
I wonder if we’ll get more Elden ring rat lore in shadow of the erdtree
Have you done a video on the Age of the Deep Sea Aldrich had visions of? Super interesting topic to me
I used to think that rats don't gain humanity by eating corpses but for their overal lifestyle. Like some kind of metaphor. Rats are earnest creatures, they live day by day doing anything trying to survive. Humans' greed and heavy dependance on the gods made them weak and thus lose their humanity. Then the next creature on the food chain absorbed their humanity.
I may be beating around the bush. Don't know, I'm sleepy. Great video btw, very interesting topic as always.
Rats and similar rodents can actually pop their eyes out of their head quite a bit, they sometimes do this of their own accord in a behavior known as "boggling". The first time I saw a pet do this it freaked me out.
Anyhow yeah, that undead rat definitely has its eye sticking out a bit more permanently.
I would watch any ds2 lore
4:21 Not a Skull Throne?
The Dark Souls Capybara is real and it will hurt me.
The dog rats are adorable.
Would be cool to get lore discussing about the natural and unnatural fauna of the Dark Souls series. Who are mythical beasts, who are animals, what the hell are the bush people?
the lore of dark souls 2 is so nice
I think the rat king is the same VA as the corvian friend in DS3's DLC who gives the Slab
Ahh that was some good lore there
In ds1 they had humanity drops and elden ring they drop rune arcs. What did miyazaki mean by this?
Humans are similar to rats as compared to God's both rats and humans hide away in the dark
Continuing the theme i imagine. But i totally forgot about the rune arcs, i have to admit that i barely used the great runes
Unlike humanities, Runes are contemporaneous to all life. As such, it is no special surprise to find some of them in non-human enemies. That said, such a piece was not likely gained by them during the Shattering, but stolen. It seems rats here are clever enough to open things like chests, at least.
12:54 I think that's an anvil, not an anchor
Can you do the Odin Analysis? Honestly I would love one for all characters
Honored madman day is the best day of my week/month
Giant rat in undead settlement, my beloved ❤
METH SIF LMAO.
never heard that one before.
Did RUclips sell their soul to the ad revenue gods? The increase in the commercials they play is bad enough. But just went to click the thumbs up on this video and it pulls up a page for turbotax.
Same shit happened to me like 10 mins ago on a video lol i feel it.
@Honored Madman i love your vids my man! They are always peak❤
We don't get a rat dlc for Elden ring we riot.
im da giant rat that makes all of tha rules
Thanks for the deep rat lore
Farming Humanities in the Depths...good times
Despite all my rage...
14:57 what movie was that from