One thing i love about DS1 is that it doesn't tell you straight away "go kill some bosses" like DS2 and 3 do, instead for the first half of the game you're just fulfilling the dying wish of the man who saved you from your cell, and his wish is to ring one bell, and then the Crestfallen Warrior tells you about the second bell, and the bosses you kill are just in the way, that's what makes the first half of DS1 perfect, because it feels like a personal journey and not a set of bosses to kill.
I agree so much with your sentiment. I remember in the beginning when the lore was still a mystery and vaati a small channel, I learned Oscar's word by heart and now that so much is uncovered they seem so meaningless when considered in comparison to the whole thing but they are so meaningful for the chosen undead.
The feeling I had playing dark souls 1 can never be recreated or replaced. It was my third souls game I played ds3 first then bloodborne and waited a long time for the remaster to come out so I can experience the game and I got to play alongside one of my friends who beat it a lot of times already giving me hints. I used the drake sword for alot of the first playthrough and switch to the nito sword.
Nothing compares to hearing the boss theme and then going on the journey through the trilogy just to get to the soul of cinder and hear that piano start back up all over again. Gives me chills every time, what a franchise
Gwyn in welsh also means "white", and his piano theme uses only the white keys. That's just pure attention to detail that not many besides Fromsoft have
The idea of Artorias being left handed indicating that we not only are fighting a shadow of his past self but that shadow is even handicapped makes you wonder even more how cool of a fight we would have if fought him in his prime
There's no evidence that Artorias was left handed, we could easily conclud that Artorias in reality was far closer to the tower knight in Demon's Souls, a great warrior, but heavily dependant on his shield. When his left arm is shattered in combat, his shield arm, he loses the ability to fight effectively, giving his young wolf the protection of a shield he could no longer hold, and forced to use a fighting style he has little experience in
@@Matt_History what are u smoking, the evidence is in the pudding, the sword description, the sword literally takes on a new moveset when in the left hand. Its spelled out for you. 2+2= what
@@Matt_HistoryThere are a lot of evidence that points out that he was left handed too, but I mean again this is dark souls there are many theories with evidence that back every one of them you can just believe what you want
I always get the feeling in all these games that if we fought any of the major players in their prime we wouldn't stand a chance. Some of the toughest fights are them on their last legs or at some clear disadvantage.
I think it got missed but a part of Hawkeye Gough's story is that he was blind by the time we meet him in Oolacile. Another reason why he was no longer a knight. Making the shot on Kalameet that much more impressive.
This is kind of up in the air but his helmet description might imply that he is not in fact blind. However I might counter the interpretation that his helmet is just covered up by saying that the ones who stuffed his helmet with crap to obscure his vision could have genuinely filled it with something to damage his eyesight.
@@TheSpectralForce Tbh maybe he is blind. But I think it’s way more impactful, sad, and kinda silly that the greatest archer in dark souls is being affected by something so easily fixable.
Gwyn’s theme is indeed very different from anything else in the game. It holds a much deeper meaning when you realize it’s played only on white keys further enforcing his fear of the dark. The game and the trilogy as a whole is the greatest story i’ve ever experienced in my life. Such unimaginable depth throughout.
I feel like Sif trying to kill you while trying to get the ring is less of him not wanting you to share the fate of Artorias, but more so him testing your mettle: if you can beat him, then you're worthy of stepping into the Abyss without risk of being consumed.
Considering if you the dlc first you meet little sif and when you fight her in the main game after she remembers you its more likely she just doesnt want you to share artorias,s fate she couldn't protect her master so in some way she wanted to do for others what she couldnt for artorias
I like that quote in the sense that some things were better as a mystery. I feel like ds3 added unsatisfactory answers to parts of the story which were good enough unanswered.
Excellent breakdown. Tackling the lore section by section based on gameplay. With the exception of the origins of the Dark Souls universe. Even adding commentary on bosses and environments. Very nice.
The Pisaca in the Duke's Archives are the maids of Gwynevere that Seath has experimented upon, hence the miracles. You can hear the one in the corner crying. Hints at the origin of Pricilla
I think that letting the fire fade in DS1 isn't the same as in DS3. In DS1 you don't just let the fire fade and let the natural process take place, you instead become the lord of the dark and rule this new dark world, kinda like Gwyn ruled in age of light. DS3 is the only game that has that natural ending of you not linking the first flame or becoming the dark lord but letting it all fade. So it's possible that both endings in DS1 can be canon, as if, if you become the dark lord your power will weaken over time and someone may defeat you and use your soul to again link the fire and so on...
Well actually, lordship doesn’t actually entail the unnatural perpetuation of an era, like in gwyn’s case. Ages come to an end, lords die, kingdoms fall, and other eras are born again. And no, letting the fire fade is also only natural. Letting it fade. LETTING. It’s an important distinction, because again, dark follows light just as night follows day. By LETTING the first flame fade, you aren’t forcing the hand of nature, like in the way Gwyn did, but rather letting time and nature take its course. The world would never had to have gone to shit if Gwyn didn’t refuse to let nature take its course. And so what if someone comes and takes the soul of the dark lord to reinstill the age of light? That’s not what the age of Dark meant, nor entailed. The age of fire is the age of lords, and with the lords gone, the fire fades. The linking of the fire only brings ruin, because it was never meant to be. And as such, the correct, but impossible outcome is to let the age of man begin, and to let the age of man, too fade when the time comes. To let the flow of time take its toll, without the destructive intervention of man, nor lord.
Youre wrong, 1: becoming the dark lord meant nothing about ruling the next age, the dark lord title was more of a herald, these lords are heralds of events. And 2 both endings are Canon in DKS1 because they neither matter, if you don't link the fire the next player will, and if he doesn't someone else will. Thats the point your choice didn't matter, the world and time was irrevocably broken by Gwyn. In cut content, Oscar of Astora, choses the opposite of everything you do, especially the ending. It doesn't matter what you choose the Gods will find someone else to do the bidding, someone else will believe the lie. "A Lie will remain a lie"
@@tonkagaiseric1609 you killed everyone who could allow for linking the flames, and they aren't undead, they don't respawn - so no, if you don't link the flame, the dark age starts - as the only thing to feed the fire is held by you cut content is cut for a reason, so the cut content isn't cannon - it was cut because of this - and the ending shows you bring the start of the dark age
I love this game i don’t think anything can replace it in my heart with the deep connection i have with it because how much it influenced my life when i was in a bad situation
I definitely never found Kaathe my first playthough. I had no idea that the dark ending was a thing and I never really questioned the narrative of Frampt and Gwynevere. They're some of the first beings you meet in the ENTIRE game that don't demonstrate some sort of negative feelings for you so to me they were obviously the ones to trust. LOL how foolish of me...
Mate, you have just established yourself as the new big name in fromsoft lore. I don't think I've seen someone explain the lore of these games as concisely, clearly, and compellingly as you do.
When you were talking about the 4 kings you forgot that the place being flooded was also why there are so many ghosts, that's why the skulls are at the bottom when you drain new londo
20:35 New Londo is truly one of the darker stories in the whole of Dark Souls. Not only did Kaathe corrupt the four kings and create the darkwraiths, when the Lords of Anor Londo discovered what had happened to the four kings, Artorias was sent to kill them. Instead, Artorias made a covenant with the kings, confining them to the Abyss but he also locked the entire city inside itself then filled it with water, drowning all the inhabitants. There is also a theory that New Londo was purposely placed below Firelink Shrine to allow the Lords to kidnap people from the city and sacrifice themselves to the first flame via the secret hole to Firelink Altar within the shrine. Artorias's "success" with New Londo is also the reason why he was sent to Oolacile where he eventually went mad. The funny thing about the DLC is that the entire legacy of Artorias sacrificing himself to keep the abyss away was a complete lie. It was done by the player character sent back in time and you kill Artorias when he has been corrupted himself.
@@glatykoffi6672 Because in the Dark Souls universe, Abyss and Dark are two different things. Even in the Age of Fire, Abyss still exists and you linking the flame doesn't end the Abyss, only prevents the Age of Dark.
I like your voice also how u focus on the big points and themes of the story. Although i luv dark souls for its subtlety it’s nice not having to discuss every detail ever to tell a story.
Dude!! I literally binge-watched your other Soulsborne videos today -- Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and Sekiro -- and subscribed because I'm so impressed with your attention to detail and ability to tie threads together for an outside observer. I'm so excited to check this one out too, it almost feels like a "thanks-for-subscribing" gift. 😁
This game is so unique, the music, the art desing, the gameplay. It trully a unique experience, and sometimes I would like to forget to play it again as the first time.
great video! just wanted to say that Velka isn't someone who was killed or thrown into the painting, but is rather the Goddess of Sin in Dark Souls. She has priests/pardoners such as Oswald and defines sins whilst also delivering punishment for them. Her symbol is the crow, which is why we see so many crows and crow-like creatures in the painted world as well.
Would be so awesome if a film director, who is a Dark Souls fan. Brought Souls lore to the silver screen! If done right, it could be 1 of the best film franchise's ever! And share the game/s the Souls community loves. With the rest of the world... Very much enjoyed this video! I look forward to watching more of your content.👍👍
Kind of late, but now that I reached the Solaire part I feel bad for not saving him in my New Game playthrough. You motivated me more than ever to save Solaire and achieve the ending he wanted. Praise the Sun !
Dark Souls 1 level design will always be an oddity to me. The first half of the game as well as the DLC are impeccable level design that can easily be considered the best level design in all of gaming. Then the second half of the game from Anor Londo onward (with the exception of the Painted World which is also great) is extremely mediocre. There are some visually good areas but it's very clear they got a bit taken away with the level design in the early game and couldn't quite find a way to bring it all together before their development deadline. I can't help but imagine what this game could have been with a bit more time to flesh those areas out. I think DS1 would easily stand above From's other games if it wasn't for a plethora of late game problems that just pull this game down in the long run when comparing it to their other titles which are more refined in so many ways but never returned to this type of level progression.
this one!!! o.q I love the early half so much. "teleporting" feels so lazy afterwards. I think the later maps can link cleverly too given time. Chaos catacomb, library forest
@zetta _ Fromsoft swamp is anything but pleasant historically speaking. At least Dks1 had the decency to use a key to skip the level. but yea.... swamp sucks.
That point about deadlines is why. The reason why DS1’s level design is only seen in this game is because the second half was rushed and they didn’t have the time nor budget to fully make the world interconnected, and the Effort to do so was so much it seems this is why you don’t see it in 2 or 3 and why Bloodborne comes close but isn’t The Same.
Actually the rest of the franchise can happen regardless of what ending you choose in ds1. They are both cannon. Like you said, things come and go in this universe so the age of dark will not be here to stay, soon fire will erupt again and not much of the history would've changed just that some additional things would've happened before we get to ds2 and then to ds3 which would be the new events and characters we meet. Amazing video!
Gwyn being easy to parry is the reason you can't parry Soul of Cinder. Miyazaki basically said as much in an interview. He doesn't say it exactly, but he expresses regret in the fact that that's how Gwyn's fight ended up, and Soul of Cinder is an obvious blatant homage to the fight that started it all. Miyazaki didn't make the same mistake twice.
I don't know how you did it. I tried playing it but I feel the graphics don't hold up well today at all. After playing Demon Souls on PS5 and Elden Ring, it is hard to play today
@@ds3ol706 agreed but the character's movements also are significantly slower compared to Dark Souls 3/ Elden Ring or BB. Coming from recent games and going back I couldn't continue. Demon's Souls on PS5 movements were slow but the environment, graphics etc were so breathtaking that I had to come back to it. I wouldn't play the PS3 version
If light means time, then that means all it needs is for fire to be lit once. The reason why Lordran's flow of time was at a stand-still was because the fire was fading. You could let the fire fade as many times as you want in subsequent playthroughs or in different realities, but all you need is one person to link the fire for the flow of time to continue on, and the fire being let to fade, would not have come to be.
Gwyn was my favorite souls character for the longest time, such a good character Edit : where is exactly the kiln of the first flame? It can't be underground because there's a sky and sun so is it just a a place very far away and down ground from lordran or a pocket dimension ? and is it the same kiln as ds3 ?
@@henrysmith8163 that's the point. He's barly a husk of the great God he used to be. There is no prophesy just a society that has had it too good for too long and now it's time to step down.
Damn, interesting take. He kinda killed a bunch of dudes cuz he didn’t like them, enslaved humanity and branded them with the dark sign because he didn’t like them. (The demons. They kinda kept to their own, but since Gwyn didn’t like that they were creatures of chaos, he trained knights to wipe them out because they didn’t fit HIS idea of the ‘glory of the fire’ or whatever.) Banished his firstborn because he rightly called out his hypocrisy. Rejected the course of all of nature and fucked the whole universe because he liked being powerful, and was afraid of the Dark, and of course perpetuated the subjegation of all the giants, such that not even Gough, captain of the Dragonslayers wasn’t spared.
We know from the cutscenes of Frampt taking us the Altar that it is far, far below the mountain where the bulk of Dark Souls takes place. Going from the Altar to the Kiln, you pass through a white void. An ethereal coir sounds as the spirits of Gwyn's most loyal knights walk across. Physically, a large wall surrounds the Kiln, and the Kiln itself appears to have been built on top of the stump of an Archtree. So I think the Kiln is probably in Ash Lake.
This is one of the best explanations for dark souls I've heard and seen.... It's also one of my favorite games in this genre ever since the PlayStation 3 demon souls I've liked from softwares adventure games.
My favorite part about the Curse of the Undead is that it can be interpreted as a metaphor for depression. Like, if you see someone go through major depression, they legit turn into a hollow on autopilot who's so dissociated from everything so much that they kinda lose their sense of identity. The reasons people go through depression also vary. Aside from the chemicals in the brain naturally not working like they're supposed to, there's also life beating people down too much (dying too many times), people failing to accomplish a self-ascribed sense of purpose, or even people achieving said purpose but thinking there's nothing to really do afterword.
I do wish DS1 would get "rebooted" by that I mean keep the entire game as it is except rework the entire Izilth part and make not only that entire dungeon but also the bosses and herself be what the devs envisioned, Myazaki himself said he was never happy with the final product but the studio was rushing them to finish it and release the game so we got what we got, its sad because as you mentioned in the video her lore is probably the best and the saddest of them all
With all the lore videos about elden ring on RUclips I'm very happy to see dark souls again Super thank you man and excited to see the rest in the future plus demon souls :D
Amazing video and thanks a lot for the narrative. Although there are massive amounts of spoilers if you haven't played the game. I really wanted to hear more about the NPCs that are helping you against the bosses. Like Béatrice in the four kings fight or the Moonlight Butterfly. Or some armor you continue finding throughout the game. Like my only question is Why Oscar's armor can be found in Darkroot Garden? Amazing video buddy I got captured from the beginning. Many things left out but already a 45min video jeje Nice video very nice video
You should totally watch a video about Demons made by Hawkshaw. It'll flip your perception of them upside down. And the rest of his videos also paint a much more detailed story than the one you'd pick on the surface.
Yeah I agree even though that Gingy isn't technically wrong, it's just there is a lot of evidence saying the contrary. That as a whole the whole family is ok with the changes. Though the one thing he got wrong(I feel anyway) is the fact that they're human. I mean the Witch and her daughters were already a thing before the spreading of the Darksoul. So they aren't humans. That and the origin of pyromancy which is a offshoot of Flame Sorcery that the witches were masters of.
I think the Darksign was a curse that makes humans lose their memories, it's explain in a similar way in DS2, and the reason Gwyn branded humans with the Darksign is to erase their memory in case they refused to link the flame, so basically if you chose the age of darkness ending the curse is triggered and you lose your memory and you're placed back in the Undead Asylum and the cycle starts over again.
If anyone has ever wanted to read a fantasy book that has similar vibes and uses cryptic storytelling similar to Dark Souls, here's a short list: -Malazan Book of the Fallen -Book of the New Sun -Prince of Nothing -Eleventh Cycle. This is the only one that's actually inspired by Dark Souls. You can tell just by looking at the cover art.
I think a theory I have that is worth bringing up is that since Filianore seems to have some control over time and it's flow, it's possible that she's been picking and choosing which timelines to keep going. It would be a good way to explain how Gwyndoline is still "alive" in DS3 and how the Age of Fire seems to keep happening, irrelevant of our choices
Gwendolyn is Al’s the god of illusions and is quite skilled at tricking and guiding people as he sees fit to. But what’s great about these games is most of the time, there isn’t any direct answer. Both are possible. Whose to say it isn’t both? Darks souls is all about not having all the information so your make your own translations Ala Mizaki’s child hood
Since Frampt joins you in the dark lord ending, it seems as of Khaate and Frampt aren't siding with dark or light outta preferences. They seem as sort of forces of nature. Like they understood that through this life one needs to guide people towards the light and one needs to guide them towards the dark. And so they fullfil what they took as duty not of preference but of mere necessity and duty. They agreed to side with the two opposite sides and see what fate shall determine for the state of the world. That's why Frampt joins you in the darklord ending him and Khaate. They're not opposites. Their real goal isn't to guide you towards what they believe is true. They have one goal both of them. Their goal is to give each side (light and dark) proper representation and witness fate no matter what it is.
The video, by itself, was pretty good. Only issue is that some of the information/assumptions, can be proven wrong by item descriptions and some dialogue during npc quests. For example, about Nito's role. Still, very entertaining video.
20:52 small correction The mass of souls are not a result of the dark consuming New Londor but is a result of the flooding, the mass is literally a bloated slime of piled up drowned corpses
It wasn't Kaathe that destroyed New Londo. Kaathe just capitalized on the situation. He did tricked the four kings but he wasn't the one who did the deed. New Londo was one of the places that the abyss outbreak happened. Soon the darkwraiths appeared and because they were extremely dangerous Gwyn order the destruction and lockdown of the city.
I never realised before that Nito is a big skeleton and the small skeletons are just some kind of strange jewelry and not part of his body. I always thought he was a mass of skeletons. Lost Izalith always felt unfinished. I just say Lava and Undead Dragon Asses.
The humanity shaped grave is also just pretty much more shapely coffin. Human can fit into it if they're laid to rest straight. I wouldn't put too much credit on the shape.
The atmosphere in dark souls 1, particularly firelink shrine, for me has never been topped since. There is something the first game has that the others do not and I never could work out what it was. Firelink shrine just has a sense of place that I felt was missing from later games in the series. They recaptured a different vibe for Bloodborne, but I never quite connected with the horror themes like I did wth the fantasy themes of this world
One thing about the ending though, both are canon. DS2, DS3 and DS1 itself heavily imply that the choice of becoming The Dark Lord or The Lord of Cinder doesn't matter at all. If you don't link the fire then another Undead will go through the same trials as you and kill powerful beings and get their souls and ultimately defeat you. It is a pointless choice, the Age of Fire will continue due to the religious nature behind it. Frampt outright says that he will be summoned when another individual decides to link the flame. Also, New Londo didn't fall because of The Abyss, it actually thrived from it and started to grow too powerful. At some point Knight Artorias defeated The Darkwraiths and drove them deeper into the city then Gwyn ordered the city to be flooded, killing the people inside it.
It's incredibly funny how I'm about to start the warcraft 3 campaign, and say out loud "For Lordraaaaan" only for this to appear in my youtube feed the next moment. Will be listening to this during the campaign now xd
I really think the beauty of this epic is on par with the lord of the rings, the Nibelungen Lied, the Ilias or the Artus saga. It is one of THE fantasy fictions of all time and should be specated as such.
A great video. The only thing that stuck out to me is that you probably should have specified that Velka, whose title is simply goddess of sin, is responsible for punishing sin. Which puts quite a spin on why exactly her followers are trapped in the painting.
That feel when you hear a Western man say that he has no idea that the Moon and lunar magic are mythologically associated with the female/the feminine, and he wonders if it's a Japanese thing. So sad. Ancestors cry. 😢
One thing i love about DS1 is that it doesn't tell you straight away "go kill some bosses" like DS2 and 3 do, instead for the first half of the game you're just fulfilling the dying wish of the man who saved you from your cell, and his wish is to ring one bell, and then the Crestfallen Warrior tells you about the second bell, and the bosses you kill are just in the way, that's what makes the first half of DS1 perfect, because it feels like a personal journey and not a set of bosses to kill.
I agree so much with your sentiment. I remember in the beginning when the lore was still a mystery and vaati a small channel, I learned Oscar's word by heart and now that so much is uncovered they seem so meaningless when considered in comparison to the whole thing but they are so meaningful for the chosen undead.
I definitely agree to this one. DS1 not being too fixated on bosses works really well. It gives more value on every adventure and boses you face.
The feeling I had playing dark souls 1 can never be recreated or replaced. It was my third souls game I played ds3 first then bloodborne and waited a long time for the remaster to come out so I can experience the game and I got to play alongside one of my friends who beat it a lot of times already giving me hints. I used the drake sword for alot of the first playthrough and switch to the nito sword.
Yeah sure scrub
I killed him before he could tell me the lies about the "Chosen Undead"
Nothing compares to hearing the boss theme and then going on the journey through the trilogy just to get to the soul of cinder and hear that piano start back up all over again. Gives me chills every time, what a franchise
PLIM PLIM PLOM INTENSIFIES
PS: in begining of ER main theme that plim plom is awesome nod to fans
Correction: Nothing compares to the firelink shrine music and the "a moment's peace" soundtrack on the character creation screen
Except you literally just spoiled that moment for people, lmao
@@goontoagoblinlol the games like half a decade old lmao
@@goontoagoblinlol grow up
Gwyn in welsh also means "white", and his piano theme uses only the white keys. That's just pure attention to detail that not many besides Fromsoft have
😅
😅😅😅😅😮😮😮😅😅😅😅 o
White keys because they are all for light idk about all that welsh meaning lol
Bit of a stretch
Gwyn is also associated with the "wild hunt", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt
Gwyn was so afraid of the dark that he killed himself. Just get a nightlight, dude.
"Sun Light for Life!"
He BECAME the nightlight
But he did get a nightlight. After all, he created the Sun for that very reason lmao
This made me laugh for like 5 minutes straight
Why have a nightlight when you can have a humanity-fueled bonfire?
The idea of Artorias being left handed indicating that we not only are fighting a shadow of his past self but that shadow is even handicapped makes you wonder even more how cool of a fight we would have if fought him in his prime
There's no evidence that Artorias was left handed, we could easily conclud that Artorias in reality was far closer to the tower knight in Demon's Souls, a great warrior, but heavily dependant on his shield. When his left arm is shattered in combat, his shield arm, he loses the ability to fight effectively, giving his young wolf the protection of a shield he could no longer hold, and forced to use a fighting style he has little experience in
@@Matt_History what are u smoking, the evidence is in the pudding, the sword description, the sword literally takes on a new moveset when in the left hand. Its spelled out for you. 2+2= what
@@Matt_HistoryThere are a lot of evidence that points out that he was left handed too, but I mean again this is dark souls there are many theories with evidence that back every one of them you can just believe what you want
I always get the feeling in all these games that if we fought any of the major players in their prime we wouldn't stand a chance. Some of the toughest fights are them on their last legs or at some clear disadvantage.
@@Matt_History he only have 1 shoulder pads. Singular should pads are usually placed on the sword arm and its on his broken hand
Dark Souls 1 might be my favorite game of all time. That opening scene is legendary.
@Hidetaka Miyazaki nah, the real Hidetaka is loving the 12 mil copies he sold of Elden Ring, that's one hell of a paycheck
I think it got missed but a part of Hawkeye Gough's story is that he was blind by the time we meet him in Oolacile. Another reason why he was no longer a knight. Making the shot on Kalameet that much more impressive.
Funny thing is, he isn’t actually blind. Some people just smeared mud over his helmet, and since he hasn’t taken it off… he thinks that he’s blind.
@@tuncqboi he also is still a knight. Just retired. Because all the dragons got killed.
This is kind of up in the air but his helmet description might imply that he is not in fact blind. However I might counter the interpretation that his helmet is just covered up by saying that the ones who stuffed his helmet with crap to obscure his vision could have genuinely filled it with something to damage his eyesight.
@@TheSpectralForce Tbh maybe he is blind. But I think it’s way more impactful, sad, and kinda silly that the greatest archer in dark souls is being affected by something so easily fixable.
@@TheSpectralForce he is blind
Gwyn’s theme is indeed very different from anything else in the game. It holds a much deeper meaning when you realize it’s played only on white keys further enforcing his fear of the dark.
The game and the trilogy as a whole is the greatest story i’ve ever experienced in my life. Such unimaginable depth throughout.
I feel like Sif trying to kill you while trying to get the ring is less of him not wanting you to share the fate of Artorias, but more so him testing your mettle: if you can beat him, then you're worthy of stepping into the Abyss without risk of being consumed.
How? The ring literally protects you from the abyss
@@Beebok_Beebop it doesn’t protect u it allows u to traverse the abyss u can still lose ur mind and humanity to it
I honestly at first just thought of it as being sif wanting to protect the grave of his beloved owner, but that also makes sense.
Considering if you the dlc first you meet little sif and when you fight her in the main game after she remembers you its more likely she just doesnt want you to share artorias,s fate she couldn't protect her master so in some way she wanted to do for others what she couldnt for artorias
As dartigan said.
“After playing Darksouls. I learned that the story is none of my damn business.”
I like that quote in the sense that some things were better as a mystery. I feel like ds3 added unsatisfactory answers to parts of the story which were good enough unanswered.
Excellent breakdown. Tackling the lore section by section based on gameplay. With the exception of the origins of the Dark Souls universe.
Even adding commentary on bosses and environments. Very nice.
Elden Ring may be a massive success but for me this will always be my comfort zone.
The Pisaca in the Duke's Archives are the maids of Gwynevere that Seath has experimented upon, hence the miracles. You can hear the one in the corner crying. Hints at the origin of Pricilla
There's only one Priscilla, not copies or clones or something, she is one of a kind
@@tonkagaiseric1609 she is an experiment that was locked away. Seath made multiple attempts you can read that across items in archives
@@tonkagaiseric1609 Of course. But that doesn’t disprove a possible connection between seath, Gwynevere and Priscilla.
I think that letting the fire fade in DS1 isn't the same as in DS3. In DS1 you don't just let the fire fade and let the natural process take place, you instead become the lord of the dark and rule this new dark world, kinda like Gwyn ruled in age of light. DS3 is the only game that has that natural ending of you not linking the first flame or becoming the dark lord but letting it all fade.
So it's possible that both endings in DS1 can be canon, as if, if you become the dark lord your power will weaken over time and someone may defeat you and use your soul to again link the fire and so on...
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT
Well actually, lordship doesn’t actually entail the unnatural perpetuation of an era, like in gwyn’s case. Ages come to an end, lords die, kingdoms fall, and other eras are born again. And no, letting the fire fade is also only natural. Letting it fade. LETTING. It’s an important distinction, because again, dark follows light just as night follows day. By LETTING the first flame fade, you aren’t forcing the hand of nature, like in the way Gwyn did, but rather letting time and nature take its course. The world would never had to have gone to shit if Gwyn didn’t refuse to let nature take its course. And so what if someone comes and takes the soul of the dark lord to reinstill the age of light? That’s not what the age of Dark meant, nor entailed. The age of fire is the age of lords, and with the lords gone, the fire fades. The linking of the fire only brings ruin, because it was never meant to be. And as such, the correct, but impossible outcome is to let the age of man begin, and to let the age of man, too fade when the time comes. To let the flow of time take its toll, without the destructive intervention of man, nor lord.
Youre wrong, 1: becoming the dark lord meant nothing about ruling the next age, the dark lord title was more of a herald, these lords are heralds of events. And 2 both endings are Canon in DKS1 because they neither matter, if you don't link the fire the next player will, and if he doesn't someone else will. Thats the point your choice didn't matter, the world and time was irrevocably broken by Gwyn. In cut content, Oscar of Astora, choses the opposite of everything you do, especially the ending. It doesn't matter what you choose the Gods will find someone else to do the bidding, someone else will believe the lie.
"A Lie will remain a lie"
@@tonkagaiseric1609 wrong
@@tonkagaiseric1609 you killed everyone who could allow for linking the flames, and they aren't undead, they don't respawn - so no, if you don't link the flame, the dark age starts - as the only thing to feed the fire is held by you
cut content is cut for a reason, so the cut content isn't cannon - it was cut because of this - and the ending shows you bring the start of the dark age
I love this game i don’t think anything can replace it in my heart with the deep connection i have with it because how much it influenced my life when i was in a bad situation
I cannot believe you’re doing the soul series. Words can’t describe how excited I am!
Lmao he has like one left
I definitely never found Kaathe my first playthough. I had no idea that the dark ending was a thing and I never really questioned the narrative of Frampt and Gwynevere. They're some of the first beings you meet in the ENTIRE game that don't demonstrate some sort of negative feelings for you so to me they were obviously the ones to trust. LOL how foolish of me...
Mate, you have just established yourself as the new big name in fromsoft lore. I don't think I've seen someone explain the lore of these games as concisely, clearly, and compellingly as you do.
He did a great job, but the most common name i hear is VaatiVidya
@@jasonbliss6030 that’s what I’m saying Vati is the established guy and has been for a while. Cool to see new creators deliver quality work too
When you were talking about the 4 kings you forgot that the place being flooded was also why there are so many ghosts, that's why the skulls are at the bottom when you drain new londo
20:35 New Londo is truly one of the darker stories in the whole of Dark Souls. Not only did Kaathe corrupt the four kings and create the darkwraiths, when the Lords of Anor Londo discovered what had happened to the four kings, Artorias was sent to kill them. Instead, Artorias made a covenant with the kings, confining them to the Abyss but he also locked the entire city inside itself then filled it with water, drowning all the inhabitants. There is also a theory that New Londo was purposely placed below Firelink Shrine to allow the Lords to kidnap people from the city and sacrifice themselves to the first flame via the secret hole to Firelink Altar within the shrine.
Artorias's "success" with New Londo is also the reason why he was sent to Oolacile where he eventually went mad. The funny thing about the DLC is that the entire legacy of Artorias sacrificing himself to keep the abyss away was a complete lie. It was done by the player character sent back in time and you kill Artorias when he has been corrupted himself.
Oolacile and new londo really makes me wonder why people don't get gwyn linking the flame
@@glatykoffi6672 Because in the Dark Souls universe, Abyss and Dark are two different things. Even in the Age of Fire, Abyss still exists and you linking the flame doesn't end the Abyss, only prevents the Age of Dark.
Yooo that's crazy... I didn't even realize that until your comment & it's actually a huge lore point
I like your voice also how u focus on the big points and themes of the story. Although i luv dark souls for its subtlety it’s nice not having to discuss every detail ever to tell a story.
Dude!! I literally binge-watched your other Soulsborne videos today -- Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and Sekiro -- and subscribed because I'm so impressed with your attention to detail and ability to tie threads together for an outside observer. I'm so excited to check this one out too, it almost feels like a "thanks-for-subscribing" gift. 😁
Watch Hawkshaw
Its weird that the primordial serpents never reappeared again in the other two games.
Also, only true chads beat Gwyn without parrying him.
True chads tank all of his hits with a shield or stunlock him with a greatsword
True chads beat him with their bare fists and don't use estus
True chads beat off to him@@brandoncolon1160
Man... This felt as beautiful as it did the first time, 10 years ago...
Thank you, forever more
This game is so unique, the music, the art desing, the gameplay. It trully a unique experience, and sometimes I would like to forget to play it again as the first time.
great video! just wanted to say that Velka isn't someone who was killed or thrown into the painting, but is rather the Goddess of Sin in Dark Souls. She has priests/pardoners such as Oswald and defines sins whilst also delivering punishment for them. Her symbol is the crow, which is why we see so many crows and crow-like creatures in the painted world as well.
Would be so awesome if a film director, who is a Dark Souls fan. Brought Souls lore to the silver screen! If done right, it could be 1 of the best film franchise's ever! And share the game/s the Souls community loves. With the rest of the world... Very much enjoyed this video! I look forward to watching more of your content.👍👍
I don't know how, But you do an excellent job at explaining the lore of soul's game's! Keep workin on these great vids!
Kind of late, but now that I reached the Solaire part I feel bad for not saving him in my New Game playthrough.
You motivated me more than ever to save Solaire and achieve the ending he wanted. Praise the Sun !
Dark Souls 1 level design will always be an oddity to me. The first half of the game as well as the DLC are impeccable level design that can easily be considered the best level design in all of gaming. Then the second half of the game from Anor Londo onward (with the exception of the Painted World which is also great) is extremely mediocre. There are some visually good areas but it's very clear they got a bit taken away with the level design in the early game and couldn't quite find a way to bring it all together before their development deadline. I can't help but imagine what this game could have been with a bit more time to flesh those areas out. I think DS1 would easily stand above From's other games if it wasn't for a plethora of late game problems that just pull this game down in the long run when comparing it to their other titles which are more refined in so many ways but never returned to this type of level progression.
this one!!! o.q I love the early half so much.
"teleporting" feels so lazy afterwards.
I think the later maps can link cleverly too given time.
Chaos catacomb, library forest
You said it yourself "a bit more time", the second half of the game got massively rushed due deadlines and shows (specially lost izalith)
@zetta _ Farron Keep is actually pretty decent as far as swamp levels go. Much better than Valley of Defilement or Lake of Rot.
@zetta _ Fromsoft swamp is anything but pleasant historically speaking. At least Dks1 had the decency to use a key to skip the level. but yea.... swamp sucks.
That point about deadlines is why. The reason why DS1’s level design is only seen in this game is because the second half was rushed and they didn’t have the time nor budget to fully make the world interconnected, and the Effort to do so was so much it seems this is why you don’t see it in 2 or 3 and why Bloodborne comes close but isn’t The Same.
Actually the rest of the franchise can happen regardless of what ending you choose in ds1. They are both cannon. Like you said, things come and go in this universe so the age of dark will not be here to stay, soon fire will erupt again and not much of the history would've changed just that some additional things would've happened before we get to ds2 and then to ds3 which would be the new events and characters we meet. Amazing video!
Gwyn being easy to parry is the reason you can't parry Soul of Cinder.
Miyazaki basically said as much in an interview. He doesn't say it exactly, but he expresses regret in the fact that that's how Gwyn's fight ended up, and Soul of Cinder is an obvious blatant homage to the fight that started it all.
Miyazaki didn't make the same mistake twice.
I just beat dark souls remastered today. It was a blast.
I don't know how you did it. I tried playing it but I feel the graphics don't hold up well today at all. After playing Demon Souls on PS5 and Elden Ring, it is hard to play today
What about DS2
@@danielcharles3553 graphics aren’t everything.
@@ds3ol706 agreed but the character's movements also are significantly slower compared to Dark Souls 3/ Elden Ring or BB.
Coming from recent games and going back I couldn't continue.
Demon's Souls on PS5 movements were slow but the environment, graphics etc were so breathtaking that I had to come back to it.
I wouldn't play the PS3 version
Thanks for giving us a summary of the video in the thumbnail, really saves a lot of time.
I love video essays like you do with your videos. Always a treat when I'm grinding on a game, doing homework, or driving.
If light means time, then that means all it needs is for fire to be lit once. The reason why Lordran's flow of time was at a stand-still was because the fire was fading. You could let the fire fade as many times as you want in subsequent playthroughs or in different realities, but all you need is one person to link the fire for the flow of time to continue on, and the fire being let to fade, would not have come to be.
Gwyn was my favorite souls character for the longest time, such a good character
Edit : where is exactly the kiln of the first flame? It can't be underground because there's a sky and sun so is it just a a place very far away and down ground from lordran or a pocket dimension ? and is it the same kiln as ds3 ?
Too bad his boss form is such a pushover
@Henry Smith He was meant to be as you are his successor, you have bested all challenges before you and he's in a weakend state due to his sacrifice.
@@henrysmith8163 that's the point. He's barly a husk of the great God he used to be. There is no prophesy just a society that has had it too good for too long and now it's time to step down.
Damn, interesting take. He kinda killed a bunch of dudes cuz he didn’t like them, enslaved humanity and branded them with the dark sign because he didn’t like them. (The demons. They kinda kept to their own, but since Gwyn didn’t like that they were creatures of chaos, he trained knights to wipe them out because they didn’t fit HIS idea of the ‘glory of the fire’ or whatever.) Banished his firstborn because he rightly called out his hypocrisy. Rejected the course of all of nature and fucked the whole universe because he liked being powerful, and was afraid of the Dark, and of course perpetuated the subjegation of all the giants, such that not even Gough, captain of the Dragonslayers wasn’t spared.
We know from the cutscenes of Frampt taking us the Altar that it is far, far below the mountain where the bulk of Dark Souls takes place. Going from the Altar to the Kiln, you pass through a white void. An ethereal coir sounds as the spirits of Gwyn's most loyal knights walk across.
Physically, a large wall surrounds the Kiln, and the Kiln itself appears to have been built on top of the stump of an Archtree. So I think the Kiln is probably in Ash Lake.
This is one of the best explanations for dark souls I've heard and seen.... It's also one of my favorite games in this genre ever since the PlayStation 3 demon souls I've liked from softwares adventure games.
Ever since the Dark souls 3 Retrospective been lookin forward the Souls series videos. Keep bringing the fire bro 🔥
This game is really a masterpiece
My favorite part about the Curse of the Undead is that it can be interpreted as a metaphor for depression.
Like, if you see someone go through major depression, they legit turn into a hollow on autopilot who's so dissociated from everything so much that they kinda lose their sense of identity.
The reasons people go through depression also vary. Aside from the chemicals in the brain naturally not working like they're supposed to, there's also life beating people down too much (dying too many times), people failing to accomplish a self-ascribed sense of purpose, or even people achieving said purpose but thinking there's nothing to really do afterword.
Great story breakdown and personal inferences as always!
I stumbled upon your Retrospektive videos and i just love them. Gonna watch them all!
43:53 look its not plainly stated but its heavily implied that gwynevere became the queen of lothric after she abandoned anor londo
I do wish DS1 would get "rebooted" by that I mean keep the entire game as it is except rework the entire Izilth part and make not only that entire dungeon but also the bosses and herself be what the devs envisioned, Myazaki himself said he was never happy with the final product but the studio was rushing them to finish it and release the game so we got what we got, its sad because as you mentioned in the video her lore is probably the best and the saddest of them all
With all the lore videos about elden ring on RUclips
I'm very happy to see dark souls again
Super thank you man and excited to see the rest in the future plus demon souls :D
15:00 best way to describe how i felt my first time here
@2:08 "You may have noticed I forgot to talk about the pygmy..."
I see what you did there
Yesss I've been wanting this video!!
" you may have noticed i forgot to talk about the pygmy "
nice...
Brilliant touch puttin the outro music as firelink
Amazing video and thanks a lot for the narrative. Although there are massive amounts of spoilers if you haven't played the game. I really wanted to hear more about the NPCs that are helping you against the bosses. Like Béatrice in the four kings fight or the Moonlight Butterfly.
Or some armor you continue finding throughout the game.
Like my only question is
Why Oscar's armor can be found in Darkroot Garden?
Amazing video buddy
I got captured from the beginning.
Many things left out but already a 45min video jeje
Nice video very nice video
You should totally watch a video about Demons made by Hawkshaw. It'll flip your perception of them upside down. And the rest of his videos also paint a much more detailed story than the one you'd pick on the surface.
His videos are fun, but they are more like good fanfiction than any likely truth about the lore.
@@autobotskyflame6287 so basicly every single lore video and theory ever made in this franchise?...
Yeah I agree even though that Gingy isn't technically wrong, it's just there is a lot of evidence saying the contrary. That as a whole the whole family is ok with the changes.
Though the one thing he got wrong(I feel anyway) is the fact that they're human. I mean the Witch and her daughters were already a thing before the spreading of the Darksoul. So they aren't humans. That and the origin of pyromancy which is a offshoot of Flame Sorcery that the witches were masters of.
@@autobotskyflame6287 ?
I think the Darksign was a curse that makes humans lose their memories, it's explain in a similar way in DS2, and the reason Gwyn branded humans with the Darksign is to erase their memory in case they refused to link the flame, so basically if you chose the age of darkness ending the curse is triggered and you lose your memory and you're placed back in the Undead Asylum and the cycle starts over again.
how can start again if the lords are already dead?
@@azliaheavenHave new lords take their place.
My favorite thing in this review is watching you win the fights while fat-rolling. I love it.
The absolute giga-chad coming through with a clutch upload 😎
If anyone has ever wanted to read a fantasy book that has similar vibes and uses cryptic storytelling similar to Dark Souls, here's a short list:
-Malazan Book of the Fallen
-Book of the New Sun
-Prince of Nothing
-Eleventh Cycle. This is the only one that's actually inspired by Dark Souls. You can tell just by looking at the cover art.
this is my favorite explanation of dark soul's story
I think a theory I have that is worth bringing up is that since Filianore seems to have some control over time and it's flow, it's possible that she's been picking and choosing which timelines to keep going. It would be a good way to explain how Gwyndoline is still "alive" in DS3 and how the Age of Fire seems to keep happening, irrelevant of our choices
Gwendolyn is Al’s the god of illusions and is quite skilled at tricking and guiding people as he sees fit to. But what’s great about these games is most of the time, there isn’t any direct answer. Both are possible. Whose to say it isn’t both?
Darks souls is all about not having all the information so your make your own translations
Ala Mizaki’s child hood
Since Frampt joins you in the dark lord ending, it seems as of Khaate and Frampt aren't siding with dark or light outta preferences. They seem as sort of forces of nature. Like they understood that through this life one needs to guide people towards the light and one needs to guide them towards the dark. And so they fullfil what they took as duty not of preference but of mere necessity and duty. They agreed to side with the two opposite sides and see what fate shall determine for the state of the world. That's why Frampt joins you in the darklord ending him and Khaate. They're not opposites. Their real goal isn't to guide you towards what they believe is true. They have one goal both of them. Their goal is to give each side (light and dark) proper representation and witness fate no matter what it is.
I wrote an Essay for game design class on Dark souls and I cited this video as a source.
I've watched 10 retrospectives of this game... And im ready to watch more lol
Hey man i love your channel and your videos. you deserve millions of subs! hope to see you grow like you should!!
You are becoming my favorite new youtuber.
man your videos are intense, keep it up
Great content, I love all the effort you put forth in your videos, keep up the great work! Looking forward to the next upload!
Great video man, keep it up!
the idea that quitting the game is the character going fully hollow is super cool, i never thought of it that way.
This mean that if we beat one playthrough and then just stop playing we still go hollow?
The video, by itself, was pretty good.
Only issue is that some of the information/assumptions, can be proven wrong by item descriptions and some dialogue during npc quests.
For example, about Nito's role.
Still, very entertaining video.
20:52 small correction
The mass of souls are not a result of the dark consuming New Londor but is a result of the flooding, the mass is literally a bloated slime of piled up drowned corpses
13:51 "easily the most infuriating area in the game" excuse me blight town and the great hollow would like to speak with you
It wasn't Kaathe that destroyed New Londo. Kaathe just capitalized on the situation. He did tricked the four kings but he wasn't the one who did the deed. New Londo was one of the places that the abyss outbreak happened. Soon the darkwraiths appeared and because they were extremely dangerous Gwyn order the destruction and lockdown of the city.
36:15 I feel like Artorias was placed at the beginning to try and emphasize his failure
I'm becoming somewhat addicted to this channel
I never realised before that Nito is a big skeleton and the small skeletons are just some kind of strange jewelry and not part of his body. I always thought he was a mass of skeletons. Lost Izalith always felt unfinished. I just say Lava and Undead Dragon Asses.
Awesome video man. Scratched that DS itch for me. Looking forward to 2
Another well in depth breakdown of a Souls game. Good work Gingy 👍
The humanity shaped grave is also just pretty much more shapely coffin. Human can fit into it if they're laid to rest straight. I wouldn't put too much credit on the shape.
This is honestly my comfort game at this point
The atmosphere in dark souls 1, particularly firelink shrine, for me has never been topped since. There is something the first game has that the others do not and I never could work out what it was. Firelink shrine just has a sense of place that I felt was missing from later games in the series. They recaptured a different vibe for Bloodborne, but I never quite connected with the horror themes like I did wth the fantasy themes of this world
what an awesome video. Don't forget to level up adaptability in DS2
7:41 There is the best explanation about hollowing, ever.
One thing about the ending though, both are canon.
DS2, DS3 and DS1 itself heavily imply that the choice of becoming The Dark Lord or The Lord of Cinder doesn't matter at all.
If you don't link the fire then another Undead will go through the same trials as you and kill powerful beings and get their souls and ultimately defeat you. It is a pointless choice, the Age of Fire will continue due to the religious nature behind it.
Frampt outright says that he will be summoned when another individual decides to link the flame.
Also, New Londo didn't fall because of The Abyss, it actually thrived from it and started to grow too powerful. At some point Knight Artorias defeated The Darkwraiths and drove them deeper into the city then Gwyn ordered the city to be flooded, killing the people inside it.
It's incredibly funny how I'm about to start the warcraft 3 campaign, and say out loud "For Lordraaaaan" only for this to appear in my youtube feed the next moment. Will be listening to this during the campaign now xd
funny trivia: gwyns theme is played in the piano by only using white (light) keys and not using the black (darkness) keys.
This was a great video! 🙂👍
Love the video and the way you laid everything out on one my favorite games. Definitely earned a sub and I can't wait to see more of your content.
another amazing vid bro props
I really think the beauty of this epic is on par with the lord of the rings, the Nibelungen Lied, the Ilias or the Artus saga. It is one of THE fantasy fictions of all time and should be specated as such.
A great video. The only thing that stuck out to me is that you probably should have specified that Velka, whose title is simply goddess of sin, is responsible for punishing sin. Which puts quite a spin on why exactly her followers are trapped in the painting.
One of my favorite parts of the story is the dilemna between frampt and kaathe
The story of the Fair Lady gets me every time
16:33 made me spit out my coffee lol
You didn't even have to make a video, the thumbnail alone speaks magnitudes on this glorious games
Elden Ring 250h but i can say Dark Souls 1 still holds my Soul.
That feel when you hear a Western man say that he has no idea that the Moon and lunar magic are mythologically associated with the female/the feminine, and he wonders if it's a Japanese thing.
So sad. Ancestors cry. 😢
We've been so disconnected from our roots
It's a bit weird as in eastern Europe in Baltic countries pagan mythology moon is a man and sun is a woman.
I appreciate your videos mate.
I love your new video direction now after for honor. That’s all i wanted to say :)
I only watch what I play, but I'm happy to Watch Later many of these as I return to my backlog. Keep it up!
Fun fact: O&S are based on the Mantis and Beetle fight from Berserk