" The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Gwyn was rather human it seems...
Gwyn couldn’t drop you humanity even if he could were he not a lord and instead, a human the first flame pretty much burned whatever it could reason why he’s a hollow in the kiln anyway
Anybody else notice The Nameless King's hand tremble ever so slightly before he stabs the drake? Like he's hesitating to desecrate his friend's corpse.
Ye. I mean think about it, you could say in a way Storm Drake was his pet, moreso than that honestly as he was a partner in combat and likely very close. Imagine if you had to put down your own pet by your own hand. Now imagine the fucker that beat your pet to the point it needed euthanizing was still standing there staring at you. I wonder why he wants to stomp a mudhole in your ass lul
“Havel is not found in the game”. Well someone just smashed me against the floor with a dragon tooth, but I guess it’s not Havel because Vaati said he’s not in the game.
Makes sense: Who would win? Heavy boi who killed dragons so frequently he could literally club them with their own body parts, and also rebel against his god-king. Or One door that’s only actually locked at the bottom of the tower, but literally has 2 other entrances.
Its likely the Havel knights became a group after the exploits of Havel himself so it could be argued that the one below the tower could be one of the knights but not Havel himself. Though like all souls lore its whatever you want to believe.
@@Lexender Gwyn: "Servant! I need to sell another daughter!" Servant: "My lord you don't have anymore more daughters." Gwyn: "Do I have any sons?" Servant: "Well yes-" Gwyn: "Well I can make do then. Gwyndolin, I need you for something..."
Personally I think that the Linking of the Flame was Gwyn's last desperate act. But it came after laying the groundwork that when it was successful it was the piece needed to convince the bearer's of the dark soul to actually stave off the Darkness and imprison themselves by continueing to redo that desperate act over and over again.
I think he just hated Seath, he also despised magic and I think he made a miracle to deflect spells/make them less affective. I bet he just hated what Gywn had become, and hated what he was doing to the world.
Havel: "Dragons, you know, they're one thing, but that blue, Scaleless bastard doesn't even have legs! And he's made a Duke!?! Me and the bois are sick of seeing crystals growing everywhere and I swear just last week I saw women being abducted by his goons. It just makes me sick. I'll craft a beating stick of occult Antitheism and show Gwyn what-for!!" *And Havel was never heard from or seen again.*
Plin Plin Plon.. Undeniably the most saddening and depressing sound ever bestowed upon mankind, I’ll never forget the first time I fought the despondent and exhausted brute Gwyn. Watching him contemplate his life after each and every one of his slow swings, hopelessly reminiscing. You may view Gwyn as nothing but a poorly designed, sluggish brute, but in my eyes it was all intentional. Fromsoft’s way to show us what a hopeless and tired mess Gwyn had become.. Such a underrated boss.
Dragonslayer Ornstien: *uses a spear and Lightning* Knight Artorias the abyss walker: *uses a sword and abyss sorcery* Hawkeye Gough: *Uses a Greatbow* Havel: T O O T H EDIT: HOLY SHIT IT IS A JOKE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP GIVING ME IN DEPTH LORE ON WHY ARTORIAS WAS CORRUPTED BY THE ABYSS.
Havel: Hmmm, which weapon should I give the powers of the occult needed to kill a literal god? A master crafted sword, an powerful axe, my legendary dragon tooth or this shitty club/branch I found in my backyard? This choice is obvious!
@nonzeno This is the whole poem: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I think Gwynn is WAY more benevolent people paint him as, he could EASILY sit in his throne while burning undead and expanding his Era, but instead, the first one he burned ... Was himself
Also it should be noted that Gwyn had a tendency to put his enemies to work rather than destroying them. He raised a dragon himself and put it in the Ringed City, he made a dragon a Duke of his kingdom, he gave 4 humans shards of his soul, the Way of White had mostly human followers, he put demons in service of his pantheon.
@@themightymcb7310 oh yeah, I forgot. Well he surely tried, hut it seems they made a truce so Izalith could remain and as payment, Izalith supplied Gwyn with an army of demons. So even if Gwyn wanted to kill them all, his army couldn't succeed and a deal was made. Can't say that he was on the losing side though.
You say this, but i see it as the apple not falling far from the tree. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. What better way to defeat the dragons then to behave as if they're your friends.
@@DRida64 There's a lot of evidence that the nameless king was actually inspired by the dragons and respected them, rather than keeping them close as a preventative measure. It's not really worth being exiled from the civilized world and having your godhood rescinded just to spy on the weakened dregs of the dragon race.
Damn Vaati, whoever is reciting "Do not go gentle" sounds like a Dark Souls character, I thought it was some obscure/cut npc dialogue I wasn't familiar with!
I adore everythng about Gwyn's story. He's definitely my favourite character, a brilliant extremely intelligent grey villian who played at God not realising how his actions would truly break the world. However, i'll say it here as I've said it in other videos regarding Gwyn, he didn't exile the Nameless King, Sunlight Blade in Dark Souls 1 states that he left it on his fathers tomb after his deific status was recinded meaning Gwyn had already linked the fire as was not there to exile him.
You know... He could have done that after even if he was exiled. Think it this way, the respect and love the nameless king had for his father was greater than the disappointment Gwyn has for him
I think that Nameless just came back to do it, while Gywn wasn't there to exile him he also wasn't there to enforce the exile and I think Nameless would know how to get into the palace unseen.
I really laughed at the title “Prepare to cry: REMASTERED”. Do I need to see my tears in 4K with ray-tracing? Love your videos though! Keep up the good work!
I still think there was a single furtive pygmy, rather than the term being representative of the pygmy lords as a group. The cut-scene shows one humanoid picking up the soul, and it wouldn't make sense for a group to come across it and just decide to start chopping it up to share. What thought process would have led them to do that the moment they found it? It's a soul and I doubt most living thing's first instinct would be to split their newly found soul up. This makes me think it was a decision made after the fact, once the furtive pygmy could think through what the best course of action was for his dark soul to one day reign supreme. This idea makes more sense to me. I bet the pygmy lords were just the first ones to be given pieces of the dark soul. That would be a good enough explanation as to why they are considered royalty.
It says that after the pigmie boy found the soul it was his but it could grow inside people so he broke it of to the pigmie lords then they and the furtive pigmie kept on giving it to people than it spread down the line like a disease. So the first one to have it was the furtive pigmie. Ive never been good at punctuation.
Knowing that someone can try to fall asleep to this baffles me honestly. This would rather keep me awake all night long just guessing shit and wondering stuff
Leaving this comment here for you guys to rewatch this video, I fall asleep to these and stay up wondering even though I've been watching these repeatedly for years, have a good day:)
I like how Gwyn started off essentially how most starting characters do: low level and unknown but with a clear opportunity and limitless ambition, who forges a new world through his sheer will. Reminds me of Ghengis Khan's rise and reign.
Why I like -obsessed- dark souls: Story/Lore Scenery/ amazing area designs Mechanics Boss fights/designs Epic boss music Fashion souls Character customization Builds PVP Straight forward levelling & grinding messages
A small story that I notice in Dark Souls and I don't see anyone discuss is the alliance of Oolacile and the Ringed City. We know that they had an alliance, as a group of dignitaries from Oolacile travelled to the Ringed City and one, Halflight, elected to stay on as a member of the Princess Guard. But no more is said about it. My theory is that this is how Manus came to be in Oolacile, and why they tried to dig up his remains. He was a member of the Ringed City's council of lords, and he was joined to Oolacile in marriage to it's princess, possibly Dusk. This would also explain why Dusk's pendant is something he seeks, so much so that he would drag you into the past with it, it is a pendant of the royal family, perhaps of his wife, of course he would seek it out. This further explains why he would capture Dusk. Finally this may also explain why Oolacile did not have the powers of dark until after Manus' death. I can't imagine Gwyn would be happy with this joining, and he sent someone to deal with it, his master assassin Ciaren. We know she killed many powerful people who stood in Gwyn's way, Manus would be the first we could actually name though. Of course, this didn't work out for Gwyn and Oolacile at some point sought out Manus' body for some reason, possibly to give it proper honours. After this Gwyn sent in Artorias and the rest is fairly clear cut. It's interesting to me seeing Gwyn's efforts to truly cut off the Ringed City from the rest of the world, perhaps this is when he gave primordial man his 'gifts' and sealed them away, to prevent something like this happening again?
7:58 I still believe that the nameless king have specific feelings to the king of the storms; if you look closely at the end of his blade you will see it shaking before he stabbed it.
@@danielmarchante5805 I pretty much dont kill Nameless King anymore unless I need an item I can only get by doing so. There is really no reason to confront him.
I mean, the fact that they were killing dragons during the war doesn't mean they hated them. Havel hated Seath specifically, but we don't know about his feelings towards dragons in general. You could argue that he also was using a weapon made out of a dragon's tooth, but I mean, it's only natural, given his profession. As for Ornstein, again, it might have just been professional, and not personal.
@@takezokimura2571 i reckon he hated Seath because he betrayed his own kind Havel probably thought if he did it to his own kind what would stop him from doing it to Gwyn if he had something to gain from doing so
@@thedarkderp2520 Great Magic Barrier description: "Miracle of Bishop Havel the Rock. Cover body in powerful def. magic coating. Havel the Rock, an old battlefield compatriot of Lord Gwyn, was the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He despised magic, and made certain to devise means of counteraction." Although it could also be as you said, how can ytou trust a betrayer?
3:57 One thing I just noticed about the statue of Gwyn and the Pygmy from the Ringed City: when viewed from below, the crown he is bestowing on the Pygmy looks kind of like the Dark Sign. It blows me away that there is always some new subtle environmental detail to be found that reinforces the story or gives it a new context
I feel bad for Gwyn. I always saw his tale as the typical "fall from grace." A king, a shepherd, doing all he can to save his people and prevent the end of the world.
No what he's doing is the other way around. He's not doing it to save his people and preventing the world end. He just doing it for himself to stop the reign of dark to happen so the dark lord wouldn't replace him as the new god. If he did care for his people he would not toss the undead to ringed city, he would not linked the fire. And he would let the fire to died out. Because it doesn't mean the world would end if the fire died, is just change to the new age "the dark age" the era of mankind. Edit: didn't see 2 year timestamp. Sorry
@@capablanc if I got that part in the video right gwyn didn't know linking the fire would straight up kill him. Tho I agree. Risking his own life to, for all he knows, prevent what he believes is the end of the world is at the very least a tad bit selfless.
Don't feel bad for him, he went against the natural order of things. He cursed the world for his own fear of losing it like a tyrant. "I'll let the whole world burn and turn to ash before I hand it to mankind!" And that he did.
The lore in these games is incredibly circular. Hence the name, Elden Ring, or the iconic ring the knights have in Ringed City, or the dark sign etc. Anyways, it started off with archdragons and archtrees, and it looks like it will end that way. Because even though Lothric has many connections to Gwyn, and even though the royalty was meant to link the flame, they spend their time instead either resisting the linking of the fire, or else allying with the dragons and trying to turn into dragons. After all, the king of lothric has a dragon child and is basically turning into a dragon. There are so many knights making the path of dragon gesture and meditating on Archdragon peak. I think that after living for centuries or millenia as undead, they're looking for some means of escape. So some of the undead in Londor are seeking some type of salvation in awaiting a hollowed ashen. The people of Lothric are being devoured by the heritical teachings of Aldrich and Sullyvan, or otherwise turning into trees themselves. And the knights and royalty of Lothric are seeking a return to the old age as being reborn as a dragon. So no doubt with the dark returning, those people who grew into trees from old age will develop into arch trees... And those knights will finally complete their transformation into dragons, eventually. And them dark souls 1 will restart :)
You know, while the whole "Havel is not in-game" thing sounds ludicrous, it is note worthy that the armor is in Anor Londo. It doesn't seem likely that the armor of a mere follower of Havel would be put in a secret room, and the ring you get from "Havel" in the tower mentions that it was worn and named by his followers. Perhaps Havel traded places with someone before being imprisoned(That armor doesn't really let you see who is in it) and had another set hidden where he could get it later. Edit: Also, his Dragon Tooth is in Anor Londo. So that means there are multiple Dragon Tooth Hammers (since the one in the tower has one) making it less of a reliable identifier of Havel himself.
On top of this, the Havel Ring's description actually states that the rings were given specifically to followers of Havel. It's speculated that the reason they are given to followers is because Havel himself was strong enough alone to wear his set of armor without assistance.
The key to let him out implies heavily that Gwyn imprisoned Havel in the tower, so I think this specific story was intended to be up to the player's interpretation. I personally do think that is the real Havel in the tower because of all the evidence of the plot against the lords (both in the world e.g. darkroot bonfire and the everlasting dragon in ash lake, and in item descriptions).
This is one of your best videos IMO. The poem works so _perfectly_ for the themes of Dark Souls, and having it be read by Anthony Hopkins makes it even better. And, as always, your narrations and explanations are _excellent._ If I had money I would become a patron in a heartbeat.
I love this video because it actually helped reconsider my position on Gwyn, and his character, since I’m the kind of person who refuses to link the flame, preferring the natural Age of Dark to come as it should, but when Light did everything for Gwyn, “saved” his people, built his kingdom, inspired loyalty and fealty and the glory to which he could be named a God, then it makes a lot more sense to be afraid of the dark, and of the Dying light. This video actually makes him really sympathetic to me, even though what he did was wrong
Well it is ironic in a way, what he did. For in going against the natural order of the world, he proved himself to one of the most human characters of them all.
People love to rag on Gwyn, but he was actually a very benevolent king. Instead of wiping out humanity(And let's be real, he could of in his prime.), he gave them a sort of purgatory. Instead of killing Seath after the war, he not only rewarded him, but did so with the highest of honors. He repeatedly gave his power to others even when it wasn't necessary, like the four kings. How often do you hear about the man with absolute power, sharing that power? He made Gough one of the four knights, showing he was really racist towards the giants like many of lord's race were. Not only that but he was more than willing to sacrifice anything for his people, his kingdom. He sacrificed not only his nigh absolute power, but his life for it. One doubts he knew what the age of dark would entail, I mean, not even the pygmy's did. It could be all sunshine and rainbows for humanity like the Darkstalker says(Though I would doubt this as Dark Souls is rarely that black and white), it could be like the abyss where even humans are consumed and corrupted, or it could be something else entirely. After all, remember what happens when the flame starts to fade? The world literally seems to implode in on itself, so the age of dark may just be that, literal nothingness. He was the ruler and protector of his people, wouldn't you do anything to keep your poeple alive and safe? Rather than give up for the uncertainty of nature. People love to state that nature is strictly good, but it's really not. You know what else is natural? Super Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Earth Quakes, rampant diseases and more. Just because it's the way of nature's chaos, doesn't mean it'll be a good thing. Now I'm not saying he was right, nor am I saying he was a saint. But he's not some evil asshole like many seem to try to paint him. He was a great king, a noble warrior and marytr for his people, until the very end.
He had some good deeds and bad deeds. He's more like a grey person. He created undead curse, so undead would burn humanities in bonfires and make fire of age longer. He sold her daughters for political powers. He made Seath a duke but because of his son playing with dragons he banished him. He closed his eyes to Seath experiments on maidens.
Burak Arda Aksoy I'm not a souls lore expert but I think that the undead curse came about as a consequence of the Darksign, which I guess was Gywn's doing, I don't think he made the curse deliberately.
Agreed, I almost never paint anyone as an evil asshole becaise it is not always the case. Doing so just makes justifying your side easier. If I understood correctly, Gywn and his people were living in a shithole until he found the soul and tried rising his people up (to a non shithole place, where the dragons were). Whether there was an option for peace between him and the dragons or not is unknown to me. Also I dont know who attacked first. I dont know if Seath was a traitor from pure jealously or from being discriminated against either. I don't agree with him 100% but I can see why he did what he did. I'd like more details on the nameless king and his interactions with the dragons. More information on the battle between Gywn and the dragons would help understand that interaction too.
Not to be rude, but after gwyn sacrificed himself, the world ended up the way it was whenever the flame fades. It was because of the second linking of the fire that caused the world to be stuck in limbo until it burned out completely. Also about the age of dark, you need to remember that despite whatever it had in store, it was supposed to follow the age of fire, no matter how good or bad it was. Thats just the natural order. Gwyn defied this order creating the ashen wasteland we saw in the ringed city. I believe gwyn was a benevolent ruler, at least as long as he WAS a ruler.
@@heroicnerd6404 dark souls 2 is a different story in the same universe. So little correlation between it and the others. However dark souls 2 is the only dark souls to have a full fledged story that isn't based around the crappy dealings of gods. Dark souls 1 and 1.5 not 3.
@@saintmastema17 dude, ds2 introduced the whole concept of cycles of fire that vatii talked about. i'm honestly surprised he didn't straight-up refer to Gwyn's Fuckup as the First Sin
I like to think the Dark Soul is the canonical explanation for the s in rolling. Think about it, when you roll it’s to avoid something that could cause death. The adrenaline and heightened senses may trigger the Dark Soul’s latent powers making the user invincible for a very brief period, hence the s in the rolls. I doubt the user realizes this and chalks it up as luck “man I dunno how that didn’t hit me, I swear I seen it go right through me”
Far away at the very end of the world, the first victim of the curse, a fallen warrior was helpless and alone, tried to save everyone but lost himself.. Gael you’ll never be forgotten ‘
I like to think gael did what he did on purpose because he knew that you would be strong enough to kill him for possession of the blood of the dark soul for his little "niece" to paint the world he wanted
it has been... a really rough day. a rough year tbh. and, it’s been hard to keep pushing. but, there was something so impactful about the exact placement where you put, “do not go gentle into that good night. rage. rage, against the dying of the light.” that almost brought me to tears. thank you, Vaati. if there’s one thing i can always look forward to, it’s watching your video’s and finding another way to incorporate the struggle and victory of Dark Souls into the possible struggle and victory that life can hold for us all.
That would be absolutely fantastic. This game so calls for a detailed lore analysis. The Grievous Miracle approves, most painfully. First lore question: Is the Grievous Miracle just an event, a phenomenon of physically manifested guilt and blessing, created by the divine will of an (unnamed) supreme being or is it a conscious entity that actually is the supreme (although perhaps not omnipotent) being of this world?
@Unbreakable Patches This is one option. But, staying close to the text of the dialogues, this is not always supported by them. The Miracle is described as being enacted by the "divine will", which points to it merely being derivative of it, like a miracle usually is defined: An act of a divine being contrary to usual laws of nature. Other quotes seem to contradict at least the notion that the Miracle is mainly an inanimate phenomenon since they assign to the Miracle attributes like "will", "knowledge" and intent in general. It is also described as having imprisoned the angelic beings (I assume one dialogue calls them the Higher Wills), which points to some agency beyond its supposed main purpose. So based on the texts alone (whose reliability, of course, is not always above reproach), I see two possibilities: 1. The Miracle was brought upon Cvstodia by an unnamed higher being and it is, at the same time, no mere phenomenon but a conscious entity, pursuing an agenda. It is not the supreme being of that reality, though. 2. Or the whole talk about the Miracle manifesting itself is just a slightly misleading way of saying that the Miracle itself is the highest being which chose to manifest itself in the world with the described effects. Basically unclear in my opinion, but extremely interesting to delve further into it, staying close to the texts and the visual cues of the world. I also love how the programmers have managed to convey what a crazy and mad place the world would be if the mightiest entity actively contributing to the world's events were basically an eldritch horror that is deep into SM.
I never did learn how to parry. I was a borderline fat-rolling, tower shield wielding, hoop staff toting, Smough armor wearing, dex-leveling, unoptimized, lagstabbed, ganked, off the edge-falling, Patches-forgiving, never finding ash lake or DLC, getting stuck in Blighttown and struggling against bosses kind of NORMIE
Hey Vaati, I just wanted to say thank you for giving us these amazing videos. I know your videos don’t get as many views as they once did but I love your prepare to cry videos so much and I can see how you put so much work into them. We love you Vaati and no matter what happens in the future for your channel i know I for one will be here to support this channel.
I learned not to long ago. That even Gwyns boss music shows his fear of the dark as the song was played in only the white keys on a piano, something almost nobody would notice
If Havel isn't in the game then who's the undead havel knight in undead burg tower? Is havel the 'dear friend' who locked his comrade in there? Either way wasn't the Dragon Tooth gifted to Havel the rock and only to him? So wouldn't the knight in the tower's base be Havel?
Well this was cleared long ago, that is actually a havel, if you choose to believe it then one of the popular answers to the " friend that locked him up " would be Seath , if you dont want to believe that it is the true havel then it is someone from his squad of warriors. Wrote this before watching the video.
2:05 Of course!! You can find Havel and his unlimited phantom companion assist him in Anorlondo aka “Gank City”. Don’t forget that he abandoned his old gear and use the Dark sword and shield of want.
When Izalith failed to make a 'living Fire' Gwyn linked the Fire (the Light) to the very existence of the soul. If the Fire fades, souls fade, too. It was Gwyn's ultimate trap to keep the Age of Fire going. By binding the Soul of Light to the Fire Gwyn also bound the soul of Dark to the existence of Fire. That meant that if humans wanted to retain their souls, and stop hollowing, they would have to restart the Age of Fire by bringing their shard of the Dark Soul to the First Flame. Humans could not let the Fire go out without losing their souls. Thus, Gwyn stopped the progression. Neither Light nor Dark can exist without the other. Gwyn grew to understand this from speaking with Frampt as well as the effects Izalith's failed experiments had on Nito (corrupting Nito's power, too, which allowed for the creating of the undead). Through this, Gwyn learned of the relationship between Light and Dark. From there, Gwyn learned that he could stop the Age of Dark through binding both the Light and Dark souls to the existence of the Fire.
Not exactly....because if you play the DLC of the first game you will see exactly what darkness do to men....and after you see the habitants of Oolacile, you might not want to spread more darkness into the world
Those who looked closely enough at the story of Dark Souls knowns that linking or letting the fire die doesn't matter and that there's no right or wrong.
Of all the angles I've seen Dark Souls's lore approached from (mostly by your videos tbh), this is definitely the most comprehensive and satisfying. Piecing together small chunks of the puzzle from item descriptions and NPC dialogue is always fun, but I think there is a common perception that the lore of these games does not extend far past this- that the Souls games are just a collage of poignant little fragments of a nonexistent history. I sort of subscribed to that mindset for a long time, but framing the history of Dark Souls's world as the story of Gwyn gives the lore a center. The once disparate plot points and mini-arcs can now be seen as part of a larger character-driven process, with a believable sense of cause and effect, and surprisingly consistent themes. How much of the blanks you have to fill in with speculation to accomplish this is another matter, but as it stands this video carries a strange sense of finality for me regarding the Souls lore, beyond even the "Project Dark Souls" collab from a few months back. Gotta love Dylan Thomas too...
There's something that bothers me in Gwyn: when he dies, he turns his head to look at us, like asking "why" or hoping we will link the fire again. I believe he isn't hollow when we fight him His skin, just as his clothes are effect of linking the fire.
Dark Souls 3 makes it quite clear that the Pygmies are the progenitors of humans, not humans themselves. Manus is explicitly described as "primordial MAN," as in one of the first humans. He is not a Pygmy.
I just realized the DS universe is basically about a furnace burning in the night. Dark is undying because it is simply the absence of light... which comes from fire. When the fire comes darkness hides away. Letting the light have it’s brilliance. The light dies when fire goes away and the dark returns.
Videos like yours make me hope there is never lack of inspiration to make more about the game. The myths and tales in this game’s lore is far better than most stories I read today. Your videos are the closest to published work about the details and inner workings of this lore that I crave.
Wow this video was an incrdible end cap to watching all of your dark souls lore videos after finishing the trilogy. Very well made and really ties a lot of things together. A true masterpiece.
I have watched almost all of your videos plus other creators’ content and this was by far the best and easiest to digest explanation of the world of Dark Souls. I don’t know why but this video finally flipped a switch of little details I just couldn’t put together before. Great work Vaati!
Something that occurred to me just now; in Dark Souls 2, the Old Iron king is said to have inherited Gwyn's soul. HIs kingdom is established with the aid of a trusted individual. But the king is short-sighted, and becomes focused on ensuring his own continued reign. In time, the one who helped the king establish his rule turns on him, and leaves. Some of the king's own knights go with him. Another part of the cycles of Dark Souls, or coincidence?
I think it says so much to this mans creativity, interpretation, delivery, and storytelling, That he can continue to weave these stories together with worldy ideas, and create videos that Even though are of course going to be the same everytime you watch them....I still continue to watch them. Ive probably seen every dark souls videos from 1 2 and 3 at least 10 times, and they never get old. Bravo
I love these videos. The feels are amazing and the backdrop fill with the repeated sayings of "do not go gently." The inspiration is real. You, my ashen friend, are THE lord of Lore. Much Praise be Bestow Upon You.
Since you never replied to me, I was worried you were gone. I really appreciate your attempts at explaining the lore, how each ending is canon, which bosses were good and which were evil from the start, and the history of each area. Without your help, its like a puzzle of item descriptions and occasional dialogue from NPCs that might not trigger.
![[TH] 2024 PMGC League | Survival Stage วันที่ 1 | PUBG MOBILE Global Championship](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FVFT-PFwU80/mqdefault.jpg)
And.... They all got killed by someone who knows how to roll
lmao
Ah yes, the ancient art of “getting the fuck out of the way”
rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'.....
Lmao i finished ds 1 without mastering rolling nor parrying
I have a smart tech called
"Circle behind your enemies with lot of poise tech"
@@AmeenAlnaimi I had my "Block with greatshields and have near infinite stamina and poise" strategy
" The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Gwyn was rather human it seems...
He was one a pigmy too.
Ah I see he’s a man of culture as well.
It's kinda interesting how Gwyn's the only boss that doesn't drop a humanity sprite huh?
@@heindrichpepler709 really? all the gods were pygmy's?
Gwyn couldn’t drop you humanity even if he could
were he not a lord and instead, a human
the first flame pretty much burned whatever it could
reason why he’s a hollow in the kiln anyway
Vaati: *uploads Prepare to Cry of story we've all heard a hundred times already*
Me: *E M B E R R E S T O R E D*
Me: WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LADY MARIA PREPARE TO CRY
Humanity Restored
@@otto_jk more importantly where is the edwad emberpants prepare to cry?
Holy cats, Vaati! Thank you for the ❤!
And thanks to everyone else that liked, too. Now I'm actually gonna cry.
Otto JK it’s humanity restored not ember restored the jokes ruined
Anybody else notice The Nameless King's hand tremble ever so slightly before he stabs the drake? Like he's hesitating to desecrate his friend's corpse.
Damn just noticed it
Pretty sure Ornstein did the same thing with smough even though Smough smashed him like a pumpkin
@@youfailed3089 I mean a giant heavy weapon is easier for you ignore what you're actually smashing than a spear.
Its a mercy kill. The drake probably is dying but not dead and he doesn't want him to suffer. But they were companions.
Ye. I mean think about it, you could say in a way Storm Drake was his pet, moreso than that honestly as he was a partner in combat and likely very close. Imagine if you had to put down your own pet by your own hand.
Now imagine the fucker that beat your pet to the point it needed euthanizing was still standing there staring at you. I wonder why he wants to stomp a mudhole in your ass lul
"And he did not go gentle into that good night."
Understatement of the century.
No he got parried straight to hell
@@ThatOneGuy-iv9sn gwyn did, gaels beat me around like a wet cloth
Gwyn is the definition of insanity. Trying to fight against the insurmountable by doing the same thing over and over.
@@briancooley8777 and succeeding
@@royd209 fighting Gael was a treat for me. So cinematic, like a dance.
You can never parry the feels
Or drink away the pain with the Estus Flask
Or dodge roll away all your emotions
Or summon happiness
But you can PRAISE THE SUN
*parry*
*looks at the curse mark*
"Ohhh elden ring.."
“Shiny...”
Shattered... by someone, or something
@@swordsman1ke511 I doubt you could even imagine it
Look at the sky it burns
Lore connection? WE SHALL SEE
HE POSTED A DARK SOULS SOMETHING
Exactly my reaction when the notification popped up on my phone lol
The last video was about demon’s souls sooo...
Make sure to switch arms
something... or someone
Yeah, good times 😁
Gwyn to the Nameless King : *U N A C C E P T A B L E*
Also Gwyn to his daughter Gwynevere : Here, fuck this dragon.
Gwyn again: here we raised this dragon from birth to watch over the Ringed City
Nameless King: you did WHAT?!?
Doom slayer duck pfp chad
Luckily, that isn’t true. If it was, Priscilla would have had Gwynevere as her confirmed mother. Plus, Flame God Flann.
@@brandondenny226 how do you know that velka was gwyns wife? I have never seen anything that confirms that.
@@diobrando9685 when in doubt, assume its his headcanon
“Havel is not found in the game”. Well someone just smashed me against the floor with a dragon tooth, but I guess it’s not Havel because Vaati said he’s not in the game.
Lol.
Makes sense:
Who would win?
Heavy boi who killed dragons so frequently he could literally club them with their own body parts, and also rebel against his god-king.
Or
One door that’s only actually locked at the bottom of the tower, but literally has 2 other entrances.
@@Mcaark you vastly underestimate the overwhelming power of wooden doors !
Its likely the Havel knights became a group after the exploits of Havel himself so it could be argued that the one below the tower could be one of the knights but not Havel himself.
Though like all souls lore its whatever you want to believe.
Havel made the armor, he isn't the knight.
Gwyn : anything else?
Ornstein: seath is hammering your daughter
Gwyn : ENOUGH! I'll set fire to myself
She was wife of Flame God Flann, not Seath.
That was when she and the other gods fled anor londo
Nice ThePruld reference.
O: We can't get the stains out.
G: You will speak of this to no one!
Praise the Sun!!!!☀☀☀
Vaati: "Creatures like Seath, who lived without-"
Me: "Legs?"
Philokolo in the distance: "Ain't *even* got legs!"
“How does it feel Seath”
@@primeramarmot101 "To be a biiiiiiitch"
@@primeramarmot101 to be a little *bitch*
Ace of Spades he also died like a bitch in game 💀
grape boi 👍
Gwyn: " I need to do something. WHO'S THE NEXT DAUGHTER IN LINE TO BE SOLD?"
Gwyn: "Gwyndolin!? Yeah why not, put him in a dress!!"
He traded them like trading cards.
Ouh.that boy... Wait what?
*SOLD*
@@Lexender
Gwyn: "Servant! I need to sell another daughter!"
Servant: "My lord you don't have anymore more daughters."
Gwyn: "Do I have any sons?"
Servant: "Well yes-"
Gwyn: "Well I can make do then. Gwyndolin, I need you for something..."
common practice of a king.
“The light is burning out.”
Gwyn: Fine. I’ll do it myself.
Personally I think that the Linking of the Flame was Gwyn's last desperate act. But it came after laying the groundwork that when it was successful it was the piece needed to convince the bearer's of the dark soul to actually stave off the Darkness and imprison themselves by continueing to redo that desperate act over and over again.
"Sunlight for LIFE!"
1000 years later, when the chosen Undead appears:
Gwyn: Kuh-Keel me... Please... I've been burning so long...
Frampt: this shit is FUCKED!!!! Im going to find some more dudes to set on fire!
Havel: “ I hate dragons”
Havel again: “I like dragons”
I think he just hated Seath, he also despised magic and I think he made a miracle to deflect spells/make them less affective. I bet he just hated what Gywn had become, and hated what he was doing to the world.
Havel: "Dragons, you know, they're one thing, but that blue, Scaleless bastard doesn't even have legs! And he's made a Duke!?! Me and the bois are sick of seeing crystals growing everywhere and I swear just last week I saw women being abducted by his goons. It just makes me sick. I'll craft a beating stick of occult Antitheism and show Gwyn what-for!!"
*And Havel was never heard from or seen again.*
i think he hate gywn more than dragons at that point
@@thotpatrol1342 also, to betray out of such pettiness was something a guy like Havel would find repulsive
Gwynn: I hate my son that likes dragons
Gwynn again: I want my daughter to fuck this dragon
Vaati-"Imagine being a nameless member of a primitive congregation"
Me- Do you mean just a regular day with my family?
Big oof
You mean a construction worker.
I think you just won the award for funniest thing I've had in 2019.
Lol you probably lived with your parents dont gotta pay rent free food u trippin
Ornstein: _" Is it just me... ... ... or is it getting shadier out there? "_
Plin Plin Plon..
Undeniably the most saddening and depressing sound ever bestowed upon mankind, I’ll never forget the first time I fought the despondent and exhausted brute Gwyn. Watching him contemplate his life after each and every one of his slow swings, hopelessly reminiscing. You may view Gwyn as nothing but a poorly designed, sluggish brute, but in my eyes it was all intentional. Fromsoft’s way to show us what a hopeless and tired mess Gwyn had become..
Such a underrated boss.
L
an*
Imagine prologing the Age of Fire
This post was made by Darkwraiths
Veteranussooo But how? I slayed all of you in New Londo ruins!
@@nothingnematthere9908 Nah we chilling at Farron Keep.
Mortem Im coming for you. Chill a bit more
witam
I doubt we could even imagine it.
Dragonslayer Ornstien: *uses a spear and Lightning*
Knight Artorias the abyss walker: *uses a sword and abyss sorcery*
Hawkeye Gough: *Uses a Greatbow*
Havel: T O O T H
EDIT: HOLY SHIT IT IS A JOKE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP GIVING ME IN DEPTH LORE ON WHY ARTORIAS WAS CORRUPTED BY THE ABYSS.
Tooth go B O N K
The chaddest weapon of all
Big scary dragon tooth go you died
P O O P
Ciaran daggers
Havel: Hmmm, which weapon should I give the powers of the occult needed to kill a literal god?
A master crafted sword, an powerful axe, my legendary dragon tooth or this shitty club/branch I found in my backyard?
This choice is obvious!
He wanted to hide it easily.
Its the small bonk thatll get ya, every one watches for the big bonk
I always assumed that the occult club was like a proof of concept
Well havel obviously had a big fat strength score and clubs have an A strength scaling, it kind of makes sense
Havel had simple, if ironic tastes. Dragons get the Tooth, Gods get the Beating Stick of Antitheism.
"Do not go gently into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Dark souls in a nutshell.
I heard it first in Interstellar
@nonzeno It's a pretty popular poem, that was also referenced in the movie Interstellar
@nonzeno It is from a poem by welsh poet Dylan Thomas, probably adressed to his dying father.
@nonzeno This is the whole poem:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Great use of the poem by Dylan Thomas, reflections on how different men face death.
So fitting for dark souls!!
Imagine being a nameless member of some primitive congregation, barely scraping by in a harsh, dark world.
What do you mean "imagine"?
Ahh if only it was imaginary.
This man has never been to DRC
Oh stop being dramatic you ahegao profile pic having troglodyte
@@tidester3655 yo mama is my pfp
@@tidester3655 you're saying troglodyte as if it was a bad thing
Did not even finish reading the title. "Vaati prepare to cry rema-" CLICK
I did the opposite. I kept scrolling down reading titles, blah blah, blah blah, Prepare to cry, blah blah.... WAIT A MINUTE.. _scrolls back up_
I think Gwynn is WAY more benevolent people paint him as, he could EASILY sit in his throne while burning undead and expanding his Era, but instead, the first one he burned ... Was himself
Also it should be noted that Gwyn had a tendency to put his enemies to work rather than destroying them. He raised a dragon himself and put it in the Ringed City, he made a dragon a Duke of his kingdom, he gave 4 humans shards of his soul, the Way of White had mostly human followers, he put demons in service of his pantheon.
@@elevate07 he also genocided pretty much all of the other races at some point, though.
@@themightymcb7310 what's your source? I haven't heard of such a thing, but it sounds intriguing
@@panoskamp4324 read the black knight armor set. Gwyn genocided izalith
@@themightymcb7310 oh yeah, I forgot. Well he surely tried, hut it seems they made a truce so Izalith could remain and as payment, Izalith supplied Gwyn with an army of demons. So even if Gwyn wanted to kill them all, his army couldn't succeed and a deal was made. Can't say that he was on the losing side though.
FALSE
The Nameless King learned to parry so he got exiled.
casuls
Macin filthy casuls
Parry king btw
Casuals*
You win the comment of the day award. Here's your medal: 🏅
When you know where this comes from 😎
WOOOOHOOOOO Vaati uploaded
Btw, Still waiting on Lady Maria: Prepare to Cry
Sadly never going to happen. How many years ago was it? 3 nearly 4? Don't think he will ever work on BB again :/
I am still waiting
@@Zoiyya my hope will never die
I hold faith 'til the very end
yeah i read it on reddit tho :s
The Nameless King, when the son is wiser than the father.
You say this, but i see it as the apple not falling far from the tree.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
What better way to defeat the dragons then to behave as if they're your friends.
@@DRida64 There's a lot of evidence that the nameless king was actually inspired by the dragons and respected them, rather than keeping them close as a preventative measure. It's not really worth being exiled from the civilized world and having your godhood rescinded just to spy on the weakened dregs of the dragon race.
I'd say Gwindelin too.
Damn, that title actually speaks volumes now.
Why did he kill his own dragon? Dude stacks faith, dont tell me he never learned a heal miracle
Damn Vaati, whoever is reciting "Do not go gentle" sounds like a Dark Souls character, I thought it was some obscure/cut npc dialogue I wasn't familiar with!
He has a link to the whole reading of the poem in the description.
Dylan Thomas. Its reference fits in this game’s theme. A smart one at that.
Tophinator the games premise was inspired by the poem
@@AlienJawz Is that true? Do you have a source or link to that interview?
@@AlienJawz I never knew that. Seems hard to believe, tbh. Thank you for peaking my interest. I will absolutely look into it.
I adore everythng about Gwyn's story. He's definitely my favourite character, a brilliant extremely intelligent grey villian who played at God not realising how his actions would truly break the world. However, i'll say it here as I've said it in other videos regarding Gwyn, he didn't exile the Nameless King, Sunlight Blade in Dark Souls 1 states that he left it on his fathers tomb after his deific status was recinded meaning Gwyn had already linked the fire as was not there to exile him.
You know... He could have done that after even if he was exiled. Think it this way, the respect and love the nameless king had for his father was greater than the disappointment Gwyn has for him
I think that Nameless just came back to do it, while Gywn wasn't there to exile him he also wasn't there to enforce the exile and I think Nameless would know how to get into the palace unseen.
@@SorowFame That, and what the fuck are some Silver Knights gonna do to stop a literal god of war from visiting his father's grave?
@@jooot_6850 They're gonna die is what they're gonna do.
@@Aon_Duine Gwyn was long dead before the firstborn's banishment.He is long dead even at the time of Oolacile
I really laughed at the title “Prepare to cry: REMASTERED”. Do I need to see my tears in 4K with ray-tracing? Love your videos though! Keep up the good work!
Just slap a vamos bonfire on it
No waaay... So, there is still hope for Lady Maria's Prepare to Cry
Don't hold your breath
I still think there was a single furtive pygmy, rather than the term being representative of the pygmy lords as a group. The cut-scene shows one humanoid picking up the soul, and it wouldn't make sense for a group to come across it and just decide to start chopping it up to share. What thought process would have led them to do that the moment they found it? It's a soul and I doubt most living thing's first instinct would be to split their newly found soul up. This makes me think it was a decision made after the fact, once the furtive pygmy could think through what the best course of action was for his dark soul to one day reign supreme. This idea makes more sense to me. I bet the pygmy lords were just the first ones to be given pieces of the dark soul. That would be a good enough explanation as to why they are considered royalty.
I think he also said that in a previous video about the pigmies. Then, if I'm correct, the souls was shared with every pigmy
Or, it was a group that found it, and they split it up because of that.
I don't know man, Gwyn shared his soul with a ton of people.
It was Manus I believe who actually received the dark soul but then scattered it into what was then known as humanity
It says that after the pigmie boy found the soul it was his but it could grow inside people so he broke it of to the pigmie lords then they and the furtive pigmie kept on giving it to people than it spread down the line like a disease. So the first one to have it was the furtive pigmie. Ive never been good at punctuation.
Ahh takes me back to the good old days, listening to the Prepare to die playlist while trying to fall asleep to Vaatis heavenly voice
Knowing that someone can try to fall asleep to this baffles me honestly. This would rather keep me awake all night long just guessing shit and wondering stuff
@@Zgag I think he has a relaxing voice, which just knocks me asleep (in a good way)
Leaving this comment here for you guys to rewatch this video, I fall asleep to these and stay up wondering even though I've been watching these repeatedly for years, have a good day:)
I like how Gwyn started off essentially how most starting characters do: low level and unknown but with a clear opportunity and limitless ambition, who forges a new world through his sheer will. Reminds me of Ghengis Khan's rise and reign.
Level 1: Thug to Level 100: Mafia Boss
Why I like -obsessed- dark souls:
Story/Lore
Scenery/ amazing area designs
Mechanics
Boss fights/designs
Epic boss music
Fashion souls
Character customization
Builds
PVP
Straight forward levelling & grinding
messages
T154tq
I don’t know, maybe it’s just the way we are
A small story that I notice in Dark Souls and I don't see anyone discuss is the alliance of Oolacile and the Ringed City. We know that they had an alliance, as a group of dignitaries from Oolacile travelled to the Ringed City and one, Halflight, elected to stay on as a member of the Princess Guard. But no more is said about it.
My theory is that this is how Manus came to be in Oolacile, and why they tried to dig up his remains. He was a member of the Ringed City's council of lords, and he was joined to Oolacile in marriage to it's princess, possibly Dusk. This would also explain why Dusk's pendant is something he seeks, so much so that he would drag you into the past with it, it is a pendant of the royal family, perhaps of his wife, of course he would seek it out. This further explains why he would capture Dusk.
Finally this may also explain why Oolacile did not have the powers of dark until after Manus' death. I can't imagine Gwyn would be happy with this joining, and he sent someone to deal with it, his master assassin Ciaren. We know she killed many powerful people who stood in Gwyn's way, Manus would be the first we could actually name though. Of course, this didn't work out for Gwyn and Oolacile at some point sought out Manus' body for some reason, possibly to give it proper honours. After this Gwyn sent in Artorias and the rest is fairly clear cut.
It's interesting to me seeing Gwyn's efforts to truly cut off the Ringed City from the rest of the world, perhaps this is when he gave primordial man his 'gifts' and sealed them away, to prevent something like this happening again?
7:58 I still believe that the nameless king have specific feelings to the king of the storms; if you look closely at the end of his blade you will see it shaking before he stabbed it.
Oooh I like that catch.
Well, another boss that makes me feel like the bad guy
@@danielmarchante5805 I pretty much dont kill Nameless King anymore unless I need an item I can only get by doing so. There is really no reason to confront him.
@@TheTriforceDragon sounds like someone cant beat the nameless king :P
@@TheTriforceDragon Me neither. It just feels wrong.
That must have been some damn compelling arguements to make the two top dragon haters Ornstein and Havel side with the Namless King.
I mean, the fact that they were killing dragons during the war doesn't mean they hated them. Havel hated Seath specifically, but we don't know about his feelings towards dragons in general. You could argue that he also was using a weapon made out of a dragon's tooth, but I mean, it's only natural, given his profession. As for Ornstein, again, it might have just been professional, and not personal.
@@nikitas1841 also Ornsteins loyalty belonged to the firstborn, not necessarily Gwyn
@@nikitas1841 Havel hated magic, that's why he hated Seath.
@@takezokimura2571 i reckon he hated Seath because he betrayed his own kind Havel probably thought if he did it to his own kind what would stop him from doing it to Gwyn if he had something to gain from doing so
@@thedarkderp2520 Great Magic Barrier description:
"Miracle of Bishop Havel the Rock. Cover body in powerful def. magic coating.
Havel the Rock, an old battlefield compatriot of Lord Gwyn, was the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He despised magic, and made certain to devise means of counteraction."
Although it could also be as you said, how can ytou trust a betrayer?
3:57 One thing I just noticed about the statue of Gwyn and the Pygmy from the Ringed City: when viewed from below, the crown he is bestowing on the Pygmy looks kind of like the Dark Sign. It blows me away that there is always some new subtle environmental detail to be found that reinforces the story or gives it a new context
I love your use of Dylan Thomas’ poem. Absolutely incredible, especially appropriate for Gwyn.
I feel bad for Gwyn. I always saw his tale as the typical "fall from grace." A king, a shepherd, doing all he can to save his people and prevent the end of the world.
It's like the old saying, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"
No what he's doing is the other way around. He's not doing it to save his people and preventing the world end. He just doing it for himself to stop the reign of dark to happen so the dark lord wouldn't replace him as the new god. If he did care for his people he would not toss the undead to ringed city, he would not linked the fire. And he would let the fire to died out. Because it doesn't mean the world would end if the fire died, is just change to the new age "the dark age" the era of mankind.
Edit: didn't see 2 year timestamp. Sorry
@@capablanc if I got that part in the video right gwyn didn't know linking the fire would straight up kill him. Tho I agree. Risking his own life to, for all he knows, prevent what he believes is the end of the world is at the very least a tad bit selfless.
Don't feel bad for him, he went against the natural order of things. He cursed the world for his own fear of losing it like a tyrant. "I'll let the whole world burn and turn to ash before I hand it to mankind!" And that he did.
Except its isnt the end of the world, just a change of day and night and his fear of change
The lore in these games is incredibly circular. Hence the name, Elden Ring, or the iconic ring the knights have in Ringed City, or the dark
sign etc.
Anyways, it started off with archdragons and archtrees, and it looks like it will end that way. Because even though Lothric has many connections to Gwyn, and even though the royalty was meant to link the flame, they spend their time instead either resisting the linking of the fire, or else allying with the dragons and trying to turn into dragons. After all, the king of lothric has a dragon child and is basically turning into a dragon. There are so many knights making the path of dragon gesture and meditating on Archdragon peak.
I think that after living for centuries or millenia as undead, they're looking for some means of escape. So some of the undead in Londor are seeking some type of salvation in awaiting a hollowed ashen. The people of Lothric are being devoured by the heritical teachings of Aldrich and Sullyvan, or otherwise turning into trees themselves. And the knights and royalty of Lothric are seeking a return to the old age as being reborn as a dragon.
So no doubt with the dark returning, those people who grew into trees from old age will develop into arch trees... And those knights will finally complete their transformation into dragons, eventually.
And them dark souls 1 will restart :)
God damn it... better play the game again
TM3000 the more things change, the more they stay the same. Like life and death, the cycle never ends.
@ApothecaryLivesMatter hahaha I get it that's a great one
If you don’t link the flame in ds3, there’s a hint that the cycle is just that, a cycle. It loops.
Fire bad
You know, while the whole "Havel is not in-game" thing sounds ludicrous, it is note worthy that the armor is in Anor Londo. It doesn't seem likely that the armor of a mere follower of Havel would be put in a secret room, and the ring you get from "Havel" in the tower mentions that it was worn and named by his followers. Perhaps Havel traded places with someone before being imprisoned(That armor doesn't really let you see who is in it) and had another set hidden where he could get it later.
Edit: Also, his Dragon Tooth is in Anor Londo. So that means there are multiple Dragon Tooth Hammers (since the one in the tower has one) making it less of a reliable identifier of Havel himself.
On top of this, the Havel Ring's description actually states that the rings were given specifically to followers of Havel. It's speculated that the reason they are given to followers is because Havel himself was strong enough alone to wear his set of armor without assistance.
The key to let him out implies heavily that Gwyn imprisoned Havel in the tower, so I think this specific story was intended to be up to the player's interpretation. I personally do think that is the real Havel in the tower because of all the evidence of the plot against the lords (both in the world e.g. darkroot bonfire and the everlasting dragon in ash lake, and in item descriptions).
This is one of your best videos IMO. The poem works so _perfectly_ for the themes of Dark Souls, and having it be read by Anthony Hopkins makes it even better. And, as always, your narrations and explanations are _excellent._ If I had money I would become a patron in a heartbeat.
I love this video because it actually helped reconsider my position on Gwyn, and his character, since I’m the kind of person who refuses to link the flame, preferring the natural Age of Dark to come as it should, but when Light did everything for Gwyn, “saved” his people, built his kingdom, inspired loyalty and fealty and the glory to which he could be named a God, then it makes a lot more sense to be afraid of the dark, and of the Dying light. This video actually makes him really sympathetic to me, even though what he did was wrong
Well it is ironic in a way, what he did. For in going against the natural order of the world, he proved himself to one of the most human characters of them all.
I haven’t even started watching the video and I feel like crying
This means that we could have praised the sun with the nameless king!
Not gonna lie this was my fastest click ever
Same.
HAHA yes!
For sure insta click
Same
@Aaron Garcia Wth xD
People love to rag on Gwyn, but he was actually a very benevolent king. Instead of wiping out humanity(And let's be real, he could of in his prime.), he gave them a sort of purgatory. Instead of killing Seath after the war, he not only rewarded him, but did so with the highest of honors. He repeatedly gave his power to others even when it wasn't necessary, like the four kings. How often do you hear about the man with absolute power, sharing that power? He made Gough one of the four knights, showing he was really racist towards the giants like many of lord's race were. Not only that but he was more than willing to sacrifice anything for his people, his kingdom.
He sacrificed not only his nigh absolute power, but his life for it. One doubts he knew what the age of dark would entail, I mean, not even the pygmy's did. It could be all sunshine and rainbows for humanity like the Darkstalker says(Though I would doubt this as Dark Souls is rarely that black and white), it could be like the abyss where even humans are consumed and corrupted, or it could be something else entirely. After all, remember what happens when the flame starts to fade? The world literally seems to implode in on itself, so the age of dark may just be that, literal nothingness. He was the ruler and protector of his people, wouldn't you do anything to keep your poeple alive and safe? Rather than give up for the uncertainty of nature.
People love to state that nature is strictly good, but it's really not. You know what else is natural? Super Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Earth Quakes, rampant diseases and more. Just because it's the way of nature's chaos, doesn't mean it'll be a good thing.
Now I'm not saying he was right, nor am I saying he was a saint. But he's not some evil asshole like many seem to try to paint him. He was a great king, a noble warrior and marytr for his people, until the very end.
Thank you. All hail Lord Gwyn!
He had some good deeds and bad deeds. He's more like a grey person. He created undead curse, so undead would burn humanities in bonfires and make fire of age longer. He sold her daughters for political powers. He made Seath a duke but because of his son playing with dragons he banished him. He closed his eyes to Seath experiments on maidens.
Burak Arda Aksoy I'm not a souls lore expert but I think that the undead curse came about as a consequence of the Darksign, which I guess was Gywn's doing, I don't think he made the curse deliberately.
Agreed, I almost never paint anyone as an evil asshole becaise it is not always the case. Doing so just makes justifying your side easier.
If I understood correctly, Gywn and his people were living in a shithole until he found the soul and tried rising his people up (to a non shithole place, where the dragons were). Whether there was an option for peace between him and the dragons or not is unknown to me. Also I dont know who attacked first.
I dont know if Seath was a traitor from pure jealously or from being discriminated against either.
I don't agree with him 100% but I can see why he did what he did.
I'd like more details on the nameless king and his interactions with the dragons. More information on the battle between Gywn and the dragons would help understand that interaction too.
Not to be rude, but after gwyn sacrificed himself, the world ended up the way it was whenever the flame fades. It was because of the second linking of the fire that caused the world to be stuck in limbo until it burned out completely. Also about the age of dark, you need to remember that despite whatever it had in store, it was supposed to follow the age of fire, no matter how good or bad it was. Thats just the natural order. Gwyn defied this order creating the ashen wasteland we saw in the ringed city. I believe gwyn was a benevolent ruler, at least as long as he WAS a ruler.
As much as I enjoy the Bloodborne and Elden Ring lore videos, this one will always hit deep and be my favorite.
GLAIVE MASTER HODIR LORE HYPEEEE
This will make the subreddit soooooo much worse...
BUT IN A GOOD WAY
Ahhh fellow hollow.
Youuuu are not prepaaarrreeedd!!!
it's canon now.
I love the fact we're looking at the stories of Dark Souls with the knowledge that we learned in Dark Souls 3
Dark souls 2:am I a joke to you
@@heroicnerd6404 dark souls 2 is a different story in the same universe. So little correlation between it and the others. However dark souls 2 is the only dark souls to have a full fledged story that isn't based around the crappy dealings of gods. Dark souls 1 and 1.5 not 3.
@@heroicnerd6404 Yeah theres a lot of content there. I thought that when he talked about hunting undead he would show Undead Copse.
@@saintmastema17 dude, ds2 introduced the whole concept of cycles of fire that vatii talked about. i'm honestly surprised he didn't straight-up refer to Gwyn's Fuckup as the First Sin
I wish I could relive the experience of my first time beating Darksouls1.
Me too...
I can because I didn't play it😜
I wish you could erase your game memory like erasing a save game. You'd never be bored again.
there is mod called ash of something, i forgot the name, its oveehaul the game
I can but wont because its too frustrating
I like to think the Dark Soul is the canonical explanation for the s in rolling. Think about it, when you roll it’s to avoid something that could cause death. The adrenaline and heightened senses may trigger the Dark Soul’s latent powers making the user invincible for a very brief period, hence the s in the rolls. I doubt the user realizes this and chalks it up as luck “man I dunno how that didn’t hit me, I swear I seen it go right through me”
Interlacing this video with the poem "dying of the light" was a perfect choice
God these keep getting better. Perfect way to start my Friday. I’ve never clicked a notification so quick
I respect the Glaive Master Hodir reference
Where was it?
Such a precise, relevant of a citation of "Do not go gentle...". Solid work, as alway. ;_;
Far away at the very end of the world, the first victim of the curse, a fallen warrior was helpless and alone, tried to save everyone but lost himself..
Gael you’ll never be forgotten ‘
I like to think gael did what he did on purpose because he knew that you would be strong enough to kill him for possession of the blood of the dark soul for his little "niece" to paint the world he wanted
@@lxperron610 He did do it on purpose
@@lxperron610 true, an average human isn't trained to fully use the power of Dark Soul, so he knew he might go rampant
it has been... a really rough day. a rough year tbh. and, it’s been hard to keep pushing. but, there was something so impactful about the exact placement where you put, “do not go gentle into that good night. rage. rage, against the dying of the light.” that almost brought me to tears. thank you, Vaati. if there’s one thing i can always look forward to, it’s watching your video’s and finding another way to incorporate the struggle and victory of Dark Souls into the possible struggle and victory that life can hold for us all.
i'd love some blasphemous lore if you've played it vaati ol' boy
The only question is, how is he gonna get his background footage though?
That would be absolutely fantastic. This game so calls for a detailed lore analysis. The Grievous Miracle approves, most painfully.
First lore question: Is the Grievous Miracle just an event, a phenomenon of physically manifested guilt and blessing, created by the divine will of an (unnamed) supreme being or is it a conscious entity that actually is the supreme (although perhaps not omnipotent) being of this world?
@Unbreakable Patches This is one option. But, staying close to the text of the dialogues, this is not always supported by them. The Miracle is described as being enacted by the "divine will", which points to it merely being derivative of it, like a miracle usually is defined: An act of a divine being contrary to usual laws of nature.
Other quotes seem to contradict at least the notion that the Miracle is mainly an inanimate phenomenon since they assign to the Miracle attributes like "will", "knowledge" and intent in general. It is also described as having imprisoned the angelic beings (I assume one dialogue calls them the Higher Wills), which points to some agency beyond its supposed main purpose.
So based on the texts alone (whose reliability, of course, is not always above reproach), I see two possibilities:
1. The Miracle was brought upon Cvstodia by an unnamed higher being and it is, at the same time, no mere phenomenon but a conscious entity, pursuing an agenda. It is not the supreme being of that reality, though.
2. Or the whole talk about the Miracle manifesting itself is just a slightly misleading way of saying that the Miracle itself is the highest being which chose to manifest itself in the world with the described effects.
Basically unclear in my opinion, but extremely interesting to delve further into it, staying close to the texts and the visual cues of the world.
I also love how the programmers have managed to convey what a crazy and mad place the world would be if the mightiest entity actively contributing to the world's events were basically an eldritch horror that is deep into SM.
Hell yeah. That game is fire
Yis
Glaive Master Hodir!!! We need the lore of Glaive Master Hodir :'(
lmao
Gwyn has entered the chat
ParryGod has entered the chat
Gwyn has left the chat
Gwyn boss fight in a nutshell
They games are much more fun without parrying.
You don't have to be a parry god with Gwynn, though
@@WatPatat Just make sure the pillar is doing its job.
I never did learn how to parry. I was a borderline fat-rolling, tower shield wielding, hoop staff toting, Smough armor wearing, dex-leveling, unoptimized, lagstabbed, ganked, off the edge-falling, Patches-forgiving, never finding ash lake or DLC, getting stuck in Blighttown and struggling against bosses kind of NORMIE
@@Raiju2 Patches is best waifu change my mind
Hey Vaati, I just wanted to say thank you for giving us these amazing videos.
I know your videos don’t get as many views as they once did but I love your prepare to cry videos so much and I can see how you put so much work into them.
We love you Vaati and no matter what happens in the future for your channel i know I for one will be here to support this channel.
I learned not to long ago.
That even Gwyns boss music shows his fear of the dark as the song was played in only the white keys on a piano, something almost nobody would notice
This dude's voice puts me in a weird deep transe.
The power of vaati compels you
The person reciting it is Anthony Hopkins. He has the link to him reading it in the description!
@@thehollowedfink4975 the person who read the poem is Anthony, vati narrates the rest of the video mate
If Havel isn't in the game then who's the undead havel knight in undead burg tower? Is havel the 'dear friend' who locked his comrade in there? Either way wasn't the Dragon Tooth gifted to Havel the rock and only to him? So wouldn't the knight in the tower's base be Havel?
Yeah I think he just forgot or something
Well this was cleared long ago, that is actually a havel, if you choose to believe it then one of the popular answers to the " friend that locked him up " would be Seath , if you dont want to believe that it is the true havel then it is someone from his squad of warriors.
Wrote this before watching the video.
@@jovan9989 I was referring to how Vaati said that Havel doesn't appear in the gamr
I feel like this is the culmination of the whole souls' lore. This was really beautiful.
The use of that poem was amazing, bravo Vaati, this was by far one of my favorite prepare to cry's you've made.
When your son is clapping cheeks with dragons: I don't even know your name
"I don't even know your name" says Gwyn, ignoring the sounds of a dragon clapping his eldest daughter's cheeks
@@taymatosama She’s not married to Seath lmao-
It’s never too early to sob
I never realised how much I missed your Dark Souls videos until I watched this
2:05 Of course!! You can find Havel and his unlimited phantom companion assist him in Anorlondo aka “Gank City”.
Don’t forget that he abandoned his old gear and use the Dark sword and shield of want.
When Izalith failed to make a 'living Fire' Gwyn linked the Fire (the Light) to the very existence of the soul. If the Fire fades, souls fade, too. It was Gwyn's ultimate trap to keep the Age of Fire going. By binding the Soul of Light to the Fire Gwyn also bound the soul of Dark to the existence of Fire. That meant that if humans wanted to retain their souls, and stop hollowing, they would have to restart the Age of Fire by bringing their shard of the Dark Soul to the First Flame. Humans could not let the Fire go out without losing their souls. Thus, Gwyn stopped the progression. Neither Light nor Dark can exist without the other. Gwyn grew to understand this from speaking with Frampt as well as the effects Izalith's failed experiments had on Nito (corrupting Nito's power, too, which allowed for the creating of the undead). Through this, Gwyn learned of the relationship between Light and Dark. From there, Gwyn learned that he could stop the Age of Dark through binding both the Light and Dark souls to the existence of the Fire.
Dylan Thomas' poem was so fitting. Thank you for another unique digital delivery VaatiVidya.
Is any one still waiting for Maria’s prepare to cry? Make it happen Vaati!!
Me whispering: never
Are you still alive ???
If you are , please don’t go hollow
Hooray, more lore from my favourite fantasy historian!
Does this mean we’re getting a remastered of all the prepare to cry’s cause I’d love watching them all again in a updated form
This is the third or fourth remastered prepare to cry, so, yes
Everyone who’s looked closely enough at the story of Dark Souls knows that Kaathe was right.
Who knows? He might manipulated by giant dad but giant dad is always right!
Not exactly....because if you play the DLC of the first game you will see exactly what darkness do to men....and after you see the habitants of Oolacile, you might not want to spread more darkness into the world
darkness =/= abyss
Those who looked closely enough at the story of Dark Souls knowns that linking or letting the fire die doesn't matter and that there's no right or wrong.
@@professorrubickmagusgrandi7909 lord of hollows has to be the canonical ending.
Of all the angles I've seen Dark Souls's lore approached from (mostly by your videos tbh), this is definitely the most comprehensive and satisfying. Piecing together small chunks of the puzzle from item descriptions and NPC dialogue is always fun, but I think there is a common perception that the lore of these games does not extend far past this- that the Souls games are just a collage of poignant little fragments of a nonexistent history. I sort of subscribed to that mindset for a long time, but framing the history of Dark Souls's world as the story of Gwyn gives the lore a center. The once disparate plot points and mini-arcs can now be seen as part of a larger character-driven process, with a believable sense of cause and effect, and surprisingly consistent themes. How much of the blanks you have to fill in with speculation to accomplish this is another matter, but as it stands this video carries a strange sense of finality for me regarding the Souls lore, beyond even the "Project Dark Souls" collab from a few months back. Gotta love Dylan Thomas too...
There's something that bothers me in Gwyn: when he dies, he turns his head to look at us, like asking "why" or hoping we will link the fire again. I believe he isn't hollow when we fight him His skin, just as his clothes are effect of linking the fire.
Alright then boys get ready to wait another year for the next one
Dark Souls 3 makes it quite clear that the Pygmies are the progenitors of humans, not humans themselves. Manus is explicitly described as "primordial MAN," as in one of the first humans. He is not a Pygmy.
I just realized the DS universe is basically about a furnace burning in the night.
Dark is undying because it is simply the absence of light... which comes from fire.
When the fire comes darkness hides away. Letting the light have it’s brilliance. The light dies when fire goes away and the dark returns.
Videos like yours make me hope there is never lack of inspiration to make more about the game. The myths and tales in this game’s lore is far better than most stories I read today. Your videos are the closest to published work about the details and inner workings of this lore that I crave.
That... makes perfect sense. Considering this is Dark Souls we're talking about, it is a great achievement.
I really miss Dark Souls lore based videos such as this one, it's so good
I thought we’d never have another one of these. Thank you
Wow this video was an incrdible end cap to watching all of your dark souls lore videos after finishing the trilogy. Very well made and really ties a lot of things together. A true masterpiece.
I have watched almost all of your videos plus other creators’ content and this was by far the best and easiest to digest explanation of the world of Dark Souls. I don’t know why but this video finally flipped a switch of little details I just couldn’t put together before.
Great work Vaati!
Whenever I hear “rage rage against the dying of the light” I’m reminded of skulduggery pleasant
Same... Even though I know Landy borrowed the title from another work 😅
I believe it was a poem by Dylan Thomas and landy took the title, he even put a quote from it at the beginning of the book :)
@@NightWatchersPet ١١١ضص١١١١ضضضض1١ضض١
Amazing how perfectly Dylan Thomas's poem fit into the Dark Souls' story. Almost seems inspired
Something that occurred to me just now; in Dark Souls 2, the Old Iron king is said to have inherited Gwyn's soul.
HIs kingdom is established with the aid of a trusted individual.
But the king is short-sighted, and becomes focused on ensuring his own continued reign.
In time, the one who helped the king establish his rule turns on him, and leaves. Some of the king's own knights go with him.
Another part of the cycles of Dark Souls, or coincidence?
I think it says so much to this mans creativity, interpretation, delivery, and storytelling, That he can continue to weave these stories together with worldy ideas, and create videos that Even though are of course going to be the same everytime you watch them....I still continue to watch them. Ive probably seen every dark souls videos from 1 2 and 3 at least 10 times, and they never get old. Bravo
im looking through everything you made about dark souls and im randomly watching this video on it's 2 years anniversary so happy bday i guess :P
the use of this poem as a backdrop for this Gwyn story is a little stroke of genius
Whenever im entering majula.. i love being there..
4:40 "Meanwhile Humans, the Pygmy's ancestors...." The word you wanted is 'descendants'.
I love these videos. The feels are amazing and the backdrop fill with the repeated sayings of "do not go gently." The inspiration is real. You, my ashen friend, are THE lord of Lore. Much Praise be Bestow Upon You.
Since you never replied to me, I was worried you were gone. I really appreciate your attempts at explaining the lore, how each ending is canon, which bosses were good and which were evil from the start, and the history of each area. Without your help, its like a puzzle of item descriptions and occasional dialogue from NPCs that might not trigger.