Special thanks to Lokey for helping with the script on this one - he's become a frequent shoutout on the channel as of late, bringing fresh lore perspectives to the series that are backed up with sound reasoning and a healthy dose of Japanese translation. Consider following him on Twitter ( twitter.com/Lokey_DS ), and see for yourself some of the innovative theories he's bringing to the table. With the re-release of Demon's Souls looming, you'll be in good hands.
Thank you for this list. It cleared up a few things for me. I am currently trying to investigate the evidences stated by Hawkshaw. I have already saw some of the signs of a war between Chaos and Light/Dark. If it behoove you, do you want to listen to my ramblings?
Miyazaki once said in an interview that he has a clear view of the world and a clear story in mind, but he's not going to impose it on anyone. So if it makes sense... it's "canon". Whether he was completely honest about that or not, still, I have huge respect for him for this approach.
Miyazaki is that DM that had scrabbles of stories and shit for his homebrew campaign, but struggled to piece it together. He is like Ainz, he looks like he know what he’s doing, but only when paired with people like demiurge who’s THINK they connected the dots, and Ainz just nods Edit: Alright guys, just so you know, this is a joke, a meme, a comment made in jest so as to follow up on the OP comment, it should not be taken seriously and should be noted that it was meant to be a joke, if this sound redundant, it’s because it’s meant to be, already had two people not get the joke, one of which had a stick so far up their ass you’d think Vladimir the Impaler was indeed an immortal vampire, and berated me on even contemplating talking about his grandiose holiness “Heart Wrecker” Miyazaki.
It's an ironic name; his hat was so small in comparison to all of the other sorcerers' that he became known for it. Like calling a 7ft body-builder "Tiny."
There is a line in the opening cinematic that I can't help but feel is really important in the Dark Souls series, but like the Furtive Pygmy, it is often overlooked: "Then, from the Dark, They came, and found the souls of lords within the Flame." The implication is that all living things, not just humans, owe their origins to the Dark. Even the Lords. Even Gwyn. If you take some time to consider that, it recontextualizes a lot of lore. Gwyn didn't simply fear the Dark, *he feared returning to it.*
He was so afraid that he incinerated his own soul. Ironically, Dark Souls 3 implies that this stalling tactic eventually led to the corruption of the deep and, in turn, an "age of deep oceans" where the horrors of the deep are forced to the surface by the glut of soul dregs. Far more frightening than the dark Gwyn came from.
@@jbark678 Well that's the thing, isn't it? Gwynn owed his origins to the dark. In the beginning, he was merely one of those wretched, pathetic shambling hollows until he stumbled upon the Lord's Soul of Light. By mere chance, he went from being nothing to being an all-powerful god... until the First Flame started to die. But he'd known, since he'd first seen the servants of the Furtive Pygmy and their Dark-infused weapons and armor, that the Age of FIre was not eternal, and that one day, his Age would be replaced with an Age of Dark. And so, rather than see his kingdom end, his godhood end, and be returned to that wretched state of existence, he instead chose to throw himself into the First Flame, with his descendants and subordinates luring Undead into the flames to serve as kindling for the First Flame, artificially prolonging that Age of Fire. Burning Humanity, those little fragments of the Dark, to keep the fire lit. The Dregs of the Deep are more than likely the "Ashes" left behind when Humanity is thrown into the Fire.
its not the same as the Dark of humanity, the JPN says that "they" (in reference to animals since civilization didnt exist prior to the souls of kings' discovery and the gods/humans were akin to simple beasts) were *captivated* by fire. all they knew in their whole life was the dark, and thats why they were captivated when they discovered the first flame below some archtree
I think a big detail a lot of people overlook is that fact that the "Lords" can hollow. Gwyn and The Nameless King are both hollowed when we fight them. This detail alone implies that the "Lords" in fact have a connection to humanity. In fact, my theory is that the "Lords" are not separate from Humanity at all. I believe they are in fact humans/pygmy too, but ones that found a way to imbue themselves with the power of the Light/First Flame, giving them their larger immortal bodies and god-like powers. The implication that Gwyn was another man all along that simply didn't want to surrender his power and control over the world, which was entirely reliant on the strength of the First Flame - works exceptionally well with his actions in lore. And it's important to remember the idea of the "unreliable narrator" in these games. Not everything we are told is, in fact, how it occurred. It would make sense that Gwyn would try to remove any historical evidence and stamp down any implication that he was at some point, in fact, just a mere man that found a way to prop himself up as a false god.
In regards to respawning at the bonfire: I always assumed that you woke up where you fell, and then as a hollow would wander back to the closest or most familiar place of warmth. So waking up at a bonfire was the warmth of the bonfire refreshing your mind, so to speak, and allowing you to regain lucidity.
I don't know man. It is said that you hollow little by little with each death and also by "depression" until you completely lose your mind, which is a point of no return even for bonfire flames.
Heh,basic concepts like life and death work differently in DS than they do in our world,which is why Vaati had to be specific,even I'm confused about this stuff,like,Nito is literally the embodiment of death but that doesn't seem to stop him from walking around whenever he feels like it.
You forgot to capitalize the first "Floor". Or is it "First Floor"? Second Floor? Lord of the Thirteenth Floor? The Age of Floor? I swear this Dark Souls lore just likes to throw nouns together.
The floor is the amalgamation by thousands of humans lurking in the age of the unknown trying to set a world that can be crossed without any rise and fall and thus keep the balance of nature as it was before. Yet the stairs betrayed us in ways unimaginable, constructing floors that instead of connecting us to the ground, takes us to the sky, out of our natural habitat. These wretched beings became known as ceilings floor gang Uhooooo
This game's lore is probably the best example of using mystery and allusion to create a world deeper than if everything was explicitly explained. It reminds me of gaming in my youth pre-internet where you'd share rumors about secrets in games that made them seem bigger than they were. Amazing and I love the circular nature of the plot. It's like a self-contained riddle.
Sasquatch in San Andreas was one of those for me. I searched high and low for that dude. Eventually it was confirmed that he wasn’t even in the game files lol
If you're going by pure percentages and pure pedantry, that makes sense. Remembering the 10,000+ years of human history across seven continents and hundreds, of not thousands, of cultures would be impossible. Memorizing the content of three 20+ hour games should be trivial in comparison.
@@PeriqculosusCZ "Bland, boring place" Oh boy, how very very wrong you are. Also, said "bland, boring place" was what helped create Dark Souls in the first place.
"Every enemy has a reason to attack you, after all. Except Priscilla. Why did you hurt her?" Seven words, my friend: "This land is pacefull, it's inhabitants kind."
15:52 I just finished my first run of DS1 going in completely blind. I loved how the firekeeper of Firelink Shrine was so subtle but captivating as a character, and was shocked at how emotional I got when she's killed. I swore an oath to wear her robes until I avenged her, and thats what I did. But I went in blind... and I got excited at having another firekeeper soul and rushed to the keeper of Anor Londo to upgrade my estus flask, only finding out after I could have revived her. So I did the only thing I could do; I wore her robes the entire rest of the game. After I finally beat Gwyn after pushing 100 deaths (without armour he kills in 3 swings), I began NG+, bowed to the firekeeper, and finally dropped off her robes.
And that's why I fuc*ing love RPGs, and especially Soulsborne games. I used to wear the Harrowed Set in Bloodborne after I got it, cause it's easily the best armor in the game, but after I learned the lore behind it... I never wore it again, it disgusts me. Away with the church fanatics.
The ruse of the "Chosen Undead" is a brilliant move, really. You put this rumor in the world of a prophecy about an Undead who's chosen by fate and who, if strong enough, will decide the fate of the whole world. So naturally all the undead who are not hollow yet will come and try to slay their way to the First Flame. Some will get past the first hurdles and few of them will get more powerful, until eventually one of them manages to reach a level where they start conquering greater souls and enough power to challenge the current Lord of Cinder, kill them and probably (because of the prophecy baiting them into it) link the fire, becoming the next Lord of Cinder, prolonging the Age of Fire and the rule of the gods for a few hundred more years until there's need for another "Chosen Undead" again. Genius manipulative move by Gwyn and his fuckfaces.
it’s fucked because even before the lore I kinda always wondered why didn’t they just find another powerful heir since there were already a bunch of powerful warriors out there instead of relying on a legend being born out of nowhere .
Although it's not such a bad thing the dark world is void of anything and is a dull wasteland. Prolonging the age of fire seems like the better option.
@@Rahul_Sastry Well one could argue the dark is such a depressing void because the gods fought and belittled it ever since and it never had a chance to grow and prosper. Don't forget, the Dark Age is just the Age of Man coming. Essentially the whole plot of Dark Souls could serve as our very own story of origin. Age of Fire ends, humans rise up from the shadows and slowly conquer the world.
@Luke Barnes Yeah a lot of people mix that up, because all of Brocks team was Rock/Ground instead of just rock. Rock and electric attacks are neutral towards each other.
@@mittelz5976 the real confusion was the anime consistently saying it was rock types that were immune to electric instead of ground but tbf in gen 1 the vast majority (not all) of rock types were also ground so it is a very easy misconception to make back in the day.
gonna be honest with you now that i hear she literally takes on all the curses and pain you bare i feel so bad and i don't want to level up anymore to keep from hurting her it sucks so much for her like why her i don't want her to take everything that i take.
Leveling up is the process of taking the souls you found in the world and fusing them to your white soul. Unless I'm mistaken about something, that shouldn't hurt the firekeeper. Plus, there are plenty of bonfires without keepers. You could just use those.
19:04 I never saw the Bed of Chaos clearly in an upward position. So i realize just now that it actually looks like a four armed female sitting on a throne.
Miyazaki actually based it on a uterus. The two sides resemble the ovaries and where they converge is the uterus and the witch of izalith is right in the middle where a baby would be. Pretty weird design lol.
This really helped me connect the dots, with my background in fire science and wild fire use. Occasional fires are part of the life cycle of a forest, but if your forest is on fire all of the time, it'll be burned to nothing but white, mineral ash.
Then the ferns, grasses, and some saplings slowly sprout and grow. The pinecones of pine trees open, spreading their seeds. Beetles use the burnt wood as a nesting ground. Nature heals itself after destroying itself. A delicate balance, easily broken. A cycle of life, of fire, of ash, of despair, and of hope. We are always wondering what happened before us and what comes after. Long as our little world keeps spinning, life will continue forward. It's beautiful, but my writing skills sure aren't. I used to do wildland firefighting too. Around where I lived it was less the cycles of nature and more like its resilience. Most our fires were from meth labs, trash burning in backyards, and bonfires gone wrong. The rest were intentional firebugs enjoying the smell of fresh ash. Luckily we had good folks on the job from volunteers And those from the state (US resident). Either way. Sorry for the paragraph(s) and thank you. Thank you for all the good you've done as a firefighter, and I hope you stay safe out there. Have a good one
But then we change the trees with humans, humans with central nervous system, that are burning and dying horribly for the cycle to continue. Is it better to let the cycle of immense suffering continue? Or do we let it all stop? Or maybe do we find a third way? These three questions are what the lore amounts to.
Vaati is like the lore NPC in every RPG Player: Tell me more about the Dark Soul Vaati: The Dark Souls is.... Player: Tell me more about Humanities Vaati: Humanities are...
In relation to Dark/The Abyss. I feel like The Abyss is what manifests when you fight/reject the Dark. We see this most prominently in Artorias and Midir, both of whom were assigned to fight off the power of the Abyss, and became corrupted themselves. However, the best example I can find is Karla and Irina in ds3. If you try to give Irina a Dark Tome, she rejects it, and only accepts teaching them to you when you insist. And because she does not accept the Dark, it nibbles at her, until it becomes too much to bear. Karla, on the other hand, has no issues about the Dark (she initially rejects the Dark Tomes, but thats more because she finds miracles distasteful than anything). She accepts the Dark, and it does not fight her. In DS2, which I feel explores the Dark in more ways than the other 2 installments, we are given Felkin the Outcast and Darkdiver Grandahl. Both call the Dark comforting, something to be discovered within yourself, to be accepted and nurtured. However, if you attack Felkin the Outcast, he responds "You've let the Dark...take control...". The real reason why the Pygmy split the Dark Soul is because he realized it was too much for any one person to bear. We see this in Gael; if you accept too much Dark within yourself, it will corrupt. When you attack Felkin, he realizes your Dark has gone out of control. The Dark is like a garden; something beautiful and comforting if tended to, but if left to roam free will grow wild and take over. And of course, we see this in Oolacile. Kaathe wanted to explore the concept of the Dark, and encouraged Oolacile's inhabitants to go delving. When they discovered Manus' tomb, I think they performed experiments on him by feeding him too much humanity, until he became...well, what we see in the game. Losing his pendant, his hope and love, certainly helped this process. I think this is what Patches truly is. He really is a human who has learned to nurture his Dark. I always thought it odd he lures us into traps to loot our corpse, but then at the end of the Ringed City he says he's 'devoid of all wordly wants.' I don't think he actually wants to loot our corpse; he's just having a bit of fun. This is why he constantly tricking the player into lame traps, even though he knows we're hollow and will just come back; he's nurtured his Dark to a place where he has some near-harmless fun with us with lame traps, and makes good with us in the end. It is only until the end of the world, when there are hardly any sane people left, that he starts to go hollow; there is no one left to trick, to nurture his Dark. Until he help remind him of who he is, and he pulls one more harmless, even helpful, prank on us. And this is really why he hates clerics so much; clerics are those who embrace miracles, the opposite of the Dark. May the Dark shine your way.
Embracing The Dark is nice reference to Jungian psychology and Shadow. Shadow is the unknown part of our persona and "one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making darkness awake. " In that end Gwyn's genocidal war against everlasting dragons was him being driven/manipulated by The Dark and he projected his own anger and tyranny to dragons.
Veli Karppinen Have been viewing Souls through this lens for a while. I think people try too hard to find the specifics of the story told by the lore as opposed to the symbols and lessons it attempts to portray.
Pfft. That's dumb! You're dumb! OBVIOUSLY the "Big Hat" is a reference to Old King Allant. Crowns are hats, but they are worn by kings, so they're big. Big Hat Logan is Old King Allant. You can tell because "Big Hat Logan" is "Old King Allant" spelled backwards.
I think it’s both, some characters are just born with special powerful souls, but their souls are special for their power That’s like for example the chosen undead vs the king from dark souls 2, he was born with a mighty soul where as you killed and killed till you became a special soul I also think the more powerful a soul becomes they begin to take on aspects of the universe, it’s not just the gods from the first ughout the series we see beings getting close to the same power, as he grew more powerful I think Aldrich was becoming the aspect of the deep for example
“gods” are powerful because of their special soul, others have special souls because they BECAME powerful, either from hard work or the so called gods granting them power
I love how this video strings its topic, going from one term, to another term involved, Linking everything together in a fluid, easy to understand explanation
Wait, so when we chug estus we're actually chugging fire water? Crap, we've been gulping down whiskey all along and didn't even know it. Chosen Undead is an alcoholic confirmed.
Not really, because alcohol doesn't always taste sharp aka it kinda hurts your mouth with explosive things. But soda usually do taste sharp. Means that all Ashen Ones are a bunch of Kyles
"Those who aren't ken to fire cannot paint a world. Those absorbed by fire, must not paint a world." - The Painter Gwyn was absorbed by fire and what it was, and so he made a world where all was hopeless, an endless cycle. With the Painted world and the blood of the Dark Soul, someone who knows fire but is not consumed by it can create a new world, one where for the first time in our adventures across this series, hope can exist.
re: "what is a bonfire" what if the player character does get up and walk back to the bonfire in a mindless trance before regaining sanity at the bonfire? just a thought
your dark sign drags you back to your respawn point. the bonfire just updates where you respawn. if you don't light one in 1, you wake up back at firelink where the crow dropped you. presumably, that's what's happening to the other undead, they wake up wherever their respawn is, and the mindless ones just walk in circles around that spot while the sapient ones disappear and either end up back home, far from you, or they just decided to avoid you from now on.
It's possible that since the chosen undead hasn't fully hollowed, the process is different So fully hollowed undead who have lost their minds get up on the spot, while undead who still maintain their wits make their way back to the bonfire to rest and recover
Oh god so much makes sense now. I mean, what else would explain people wrinkled and dried beyond belief but still walking around and refusing to lay down?
Or..... Millennial doesn't want to adapt, cuz he needs its safe space and he does not take it well when the world and its logic tells him that he must accept and adapt, so he insists on making the world to behave the way he wants it, making life difficult for everyone xD
My question always ends up being: “If there was nothing in the beginning but dragons, and fire didn’t show up until later... then wtf did dragons breathe pre-disparity?
This video blew me away. The way you perfectly linked all the lore from all three dark souls... it makes me realize why these games are so impactful for me. The lore, even if you don't pay much attention to it, is ingrained in everything you do. You feel it as you progress through the game, empowering each step and giving your choices weight. And this video perfectly captured why that is.
It has a large plate with a mass of brushes on it. Then it just lays down and moves back and forth along it. Like how a bear scratches it's back on a tree. Don't know where it gets the toothpaste though.
I kind of always interpreted the difference between the race of humans and the race of gods as literally: one group snagged the dark soul, the other snagged the great souls. So in other words, I think they are the same species, just with the effects of different souls attached to them.
And what's funny is that this is actually correct. In the beginning, the gods, humans, and what have you were all the same thing...Hollows. Hollows are the default.
@@phobics9498 Maybe. But there is the opening cutscene of dark souls 1. See all those people rising to see the first flame? Hollows, or at least something similar.
Curiously enough, a leftist perspective politically really gives you good ideas as to how all the problems could be solved. Most of the problems in the Dark Souls world really come from hierarchy, just like in the real world. So having everybody go back to being pre-fire hollows in an age of darkness, now with no primordial dragons, will make the DS world behave more like ours. It would just be normal earth but with weird magic stuff sometimes. So yeah, like always, communism is the answer to most problems.
Remember when saying "I beat dark souls" was cool thing, now you have to beat every game with your bare hands, no hits, with a banana or a guitar hero controller, or with your feet, now that's the new flex
The proper way to play Dark Souls: - USB steering wheel (unplugged) - Blindfolded - Your little brother is playing based on your instructions - Plunging attacks only - Firestorm
Cleric Beast has a similar shape (and by extension Laurence) also. And Gundyr possessed by the pus of man, (and by extension the pus of man) all have similar shapes. All have one arm much larger than the other. This has been on my mind for a while. Is there a creature in Japanese mythology with one big arm and a smaller arm? Maybe it is just a creature design that Miyazaki likes. It is a constant through his games.
@@donb7519 more specifically, imbalance of an aspect over others. Basically the big arm and giant form always manifest as that which consumed them, which caused the imbalance.
@@igornaimoli7321 that will stop noone, souls is mainstream now.. and once you're hooked, you're playing new souls. that shit could come out on ps2 and would still sell millions
There is only a placeholder date right now from Amazon which says Dec 31. That's of course not something we can take to the bank, but because of COVID-19, I think it's convenient for them to make adjustments for the game so it fits the new consoles in a better way. + there is no real marketing yet, so it's at least months away.
I always thought that the first Dark Souls was about Gwynevere's revenge. To me, after the way her father and the other gods treated her and (her daughter?) Pryscilla, she became Velka, the Goddess of Sin. After giving birth an "abomination" she was cast away with her daughter to the painted world of Ariamis. She releases a descendant from the furtive pygmy from his cell in the undead asylum with the hope to bring punishment to her father (Gwyn), her brother (Gwyndolin) and maybe also Seath. She uses the crow to help the chosen undead to break out of the asylum as she uses the crow demons in the painted world to protect her daughter. That is also the reason why Pryscilla is the only boss that doesn't attack you as soon as you traverse the fog to her room. She knows her mother's plans for you. She leaves the only key to enter the painted world in the cell of the chosen undead, thinking that it will be safe in that place since there is no reason for the chosen undead to return there. But unfortunately, she is wrong. Maybe the black knights in the undead asylum are tasked with guarding the doll by command of one of Gwyn's relatives (Gwynevere), since there are no crow demons outside the painted world.
Oh that is interesting to see different theories and opinions about "Who or what is the Dark Soul?" What you say is write but in my opinion it is not true that the Dark Soul is because of Gweneveres revenge. But what you say is realy interesting🤗
Actually, regarding Oscar, he must have been transported by the crow too, since it seems like that's the only way to enter or leave the asylum. The reason why he is in the roof instead of the cells level with the other undeads, could be that the crow left him up there, unfortunately for him, the Asylum Demon is also there. So I think that you can't dismiss Velka's influence in Oscar's pilgrimage.
@@GiancarloMenacho That still doesn't change the fact that Gwyn is the driving force of the undead prophecy, which is one of the things we know to be a lie, and is merely an obstacle course to ensure that only the strongest undead feed the flame. One problem for your theory however, is that Gwyndolin loves his sister deeply. We see how upset he gets when we merely dash away an illusion of his sister. Yet that illusion is there only to perpetuate the linking of the flame - which is setup by their father. If Gwyn truly had locked Gwynevere away into the painting, there's no rhyme or reason for Gwyndolin to keep the illusion that furthers the goals of the person who hurt his sister.
Headcanon: The world of the Everlasting Dragons was just merely a painting. How the first flame came to be was the same as how we set Ariandel's painting ablaze. "Then, who painted the first painted world?" It's simple, Miyazaki. I rest my case.
I’m new here and your videos made me love this game even more. That’s why I just got the “Beyond The Grave” book only to discover that YOU wrote the preface as - I quote - “one of the world’s greatest specialists of Dark Soul’s lore”. Freaking awesome! Greetings from Brazil, mate!!
Vaati is the only TH-camr(at least in my book) who's allowed to milk content,because no matter how many videos he makes about the same subject they'll always be enjoyable.
Actually, it's more the reverse. The last couple Song of Ice and Fire books are long-delayed probably because George went off on other projects, including Elden Ring.
So if I understood this correctly: A human would normally have his "humanity" be his soul... but Gwyn cursed this humanity into prisons inside us with the darksign, suppressing them, and thus leaving the human in a "hollowed" state where they kind of have no soul. But the humans could absorb other "light" souls to fill this void to be more like the gods they were forced to serve. And people going hollow is basically the bonfires taxing our borrowed souls (which are now tied to our experiences and personalities) to feed the first flame to keep the age of fire going? Thus hollowing causes one to lose him/herself.
You got one thing wrong, bonfire are not taxing souls to feed the first flame, bonfire are taking the humanity that sip out of the darksign and transfer it to firekeeper. It's the humanity inside the darksign that is consuming the light soul in each undead.
What actually happens when you go Hollow? Where does your mind go or your soul, your memories, your experience? The bonfire will bring back your body, but no your mind?? I think your soul becomes one with the Flame, look at all the moves the Soul of Cinder "knows".
And all the way back in Demon Souls as well,if you subscribe to the "Demon Souls is a Dark Souls prequel theory" then Patches is more ancient than the The Gods,The Flame,and even the Stone Dragons themselves... *Patches The Eternal.*
Dark Souls is so depressing. The lore is rich and so plentiful in all 3 games, and the way the lore is told is amazing. Seriously, this trilogy has to be one of the best games ever created
in terms of lore and connectivity between them; hands down the greatest games ever created! I even doubt anything will remotely ever come close. When a game creates a genre, it's classic!
Well, I always saw Lordran as the realm of culture, where the dominant metaphysics of humanity lie, like gods and monsters; that could be why it seems so much like a dream, with disparate parts smashed together. The mythology is very western in its approach, with the duality of man being a large giveaway, where fire is light, the ego, clarity, and dark is confusion, nothingness, void. It reminds me of Fredrich Nietzsche's Apollonian and Dionysian, the duality of man, the frenzy and structure of existence. If you look to the Greek myths, it was the pantheon of Gods who gave man structure, laws and culture as each god is a specific aspect of civilization, whether it be Apollo who is knowledge, or Zeus who is hospitality and fate, or Hermes, who is transition and transaction. Each one is a pillar on which culture grows, and each one through their judgement forms a ring of codes around the dark primal nature of what man used to be, beasts of darkness. I can even see it in offering a humanity to the flame, it's akin to remembering who you are by relinquishing a piece of the primal nature inherent in you, it's choosing light over dark. But that doesn't make it a lie, this duality seems to be a natural mode of reality, even your brain adheres to this duality with your right and left hemispheres. The left hemisphere could be the flame, as it deals with many aspects of self consciousness, as the left frontal lobe allows for introspection and abstracted self; it divides and solidifies objects in the world, creating disparity. The right hemisphere is more closely linked to affective emotional states, and is concerned with making connections between things, finding flow and novelty, it's more subtle as it deals more with more ancient limbic processes, and could be seen as darkness., the original state of humanity. I saw the story of dark souls as the representation of the transition of culture to modernity, the old traditions are dying and thus the old gods are dying, they've been dying for centuries with the emergence of industrialization and secular thought. This cultural shift was the focus for many philosophers of the 19th and 20th centuries, culminating in Nietzsche's quote that God is dead. I saw the end choice as an allusion to Gilgamesh almost, do you feed the fire and revive the old traditions, or do you let them die and beckon the darkness and chaos of a new age coming to fruition? This is why I've always respected the first dark souls , it's very sophisticated in its subject matter. But this is just an opinion on the internet.
Wow, I actually liked a lot your comment. It may be just an opinion on internet. But I'm saving it so I can come to read it from time to time and have one more perspective of the game and its elements.
Nice interpretation. Thank you. But I suspect the concepts here are more complex than this basic duality. The game has this “chaos” concept that seems to combine fire and humanity.. Seems that the Fire is meant to represent something like will/progress/time. What you described as fire is the fire that comes from the Lords or specifically from Gwyn, not the Primal Fire.
It's amazing how much I know about DS and Bloodborne despite never playing them thanks to your channel (DYING to play them though, especially BB). Sekiro's my boy though, Sword Saint got wrecked in only 50 tries! Thanks for that one tip on bell demon, balloons, and early farming at Hirata btw, really helped.
This is just amazing, great writing details as well - loved the way you start the explanaition of each line of magic with "It's a physical/mental/spiritual form of magic"
22:23 I think, the time is convoluted because of Filianore, this is maybe why the kings of the ringed city and Shira don't let anyone disturb her sleep, she has the ultimate power that delays the end of the age of god, by making the world itself convoluted, permiting that warrios of the future and the past, link the fire, to sustain Gwyn's age, but she can only do that sleeping, when she was wake by the ashen one, the trance is broken, and the world go to the end of Filianore's life, the end of the world itself.
This video is genuinely amazing, you have such a wonderful way of laying out all the information and making it fit together in a way that makes sense, I'm so grateful for your channel.
I beat the first game last night. What a great game, can't believe that I fell off it in 2011 at release... still, only took 9 years to come back to it!
It’s still my favorite theory that the arch trees are actually the natural state of humans. In dark souls 3 we see VERY hollowed humans sitting in chairs across the land, and they are basically roots and wood at that point. Also the arch tree we do go to is called the Great Hollow, which while that does certainly describe the location, seems a bit too on the nose considering all the hollow talk throughout the game
@@imacatman8775 Actually, it might work. If we take the endings with the flame yielding to dark, and if humans going hollow all the way does render them to be that tree-like form, then what of the great passage of time from the death of the fire to when it returns? After all, that is exactly how the lords and pygmies found the first flame. Within these ancient hollow trees, like cinders of lords past.
I don't think it's the natural state of just humans, but of all the different races born from the flame. We see in that opening of Darksouls 1 that the beings who discovered the first flame were essentially all the same type of decrepit, humanoid figures. It's only through the nature of the souls they inherent that they all branch off into their own unique races (Humans, dead, medials, and I personally believe the witches are technically their own separate race as well). I would say that all the different races born from those original shared ancestors are tied to the arch trees. Perhaps they're splinters or seedlings broken off from them, or the "parasites" living between their roots. As you said hollows in 3 are shown morphing into trees, and the "bones" of the pus of man creatures actually appear to be made of wood/branches. Likewise Manus and the Four Kings have tree-like protrusions as they're warped by the abyss, and Aldia is pretty much just a big clump of roots. On the other hand we also see this tree nature reflected in the witches and chaos demons. As the demons burn out in 3 we see their bodies are more like charred out wood than anything more fleshy, and the Witch of Izalith literally turns into a giant tree monster when she tries to mess with the very essence of life itself. From a more meta standpoint that interpretation also plays pretty well thematically. All beings come from the same roots and have branched out into their various different forms. Also it adds a bit of norse mythology to it with the arch trees being references to the tree of life and the primordial serpents being akin to Níðhǫggr, the serpent that gnaws on the roots of the world tree. Seeing how the primordial serpents appear to be just as old if not older than the age of ancients, maybe they were just chomping away at the arch trees' roots and happened to come upon this group of fledgling beings emerging from the soil.
Thank you for making this video. I've been playing these games forever and even though watching a lot of lore and explaination videos, never understood fully wtf was happening or how it happened. This video FINALLY breaks it down bluntly and straight forwardly.
"What is wrong with you?" The same thing happened when I was playing Bloodborne the other day. Certain npc was asking me to be his friend and I actidentally R2 on his face.
Honestly tho, how there was literally ZERO reference or fallout from the Aldia ending of DS2 in DS3 besides like, a sentence in the Forossa and Drang sets sucks so much. Like, the player character literally BEATS the cycle, they take the souls of lords and leave, unable to go hollow. An immortal hero with the power of the Lords just NOT showing up at the end of everything, when even Patches makes it is stupid. That's at least how I interpreted the ending of DS2, and I could be completely wrong, but DS2 still deserved more then just "A land known for going beyond death"
I like to think that when undead "rise" again after dying, they rise as unthinking hollows who drag themselves to the last source of fire that they have memory of. Then they stay there while the fire heals their wounds and returns them to their senses
i believe the homeward bone item description details how the bonfires are actually the crushed up bones of other undead and when you rest at the bonfire and capture the essence in your estus flask, it essentially connects your body/soul to those of the undead that have been burned to form the bonfire itself
Man I envy you I want to play this game again for the first time SOOO BAD . Just enjoy the ride man and don't give up it's really worth the time and effort
Tin foil hat question: What if the world of Dark Souls it itself an enormous Painted World? We don't know what caused the First Flame's spontaneous appearance, but what if it's simply that an artist added it?
Not really tin foil, so much as meta. The world's are but paintings, with life and motion and entropy unto themselves. But they only ever seem to be so, when we experience them. As we the character are the driving force that brings change to the world(s), we the player are the one driving the change, experiencing and indulging in the world of the painting
Artist one: Hey dude, did you finish working on your painting of the season of autumn? Artist two: Yeah, why? A. One: I've been working on this heavy metal painting of a bunch of stone dragons, really hardcore. A. Two: Oh COOL! Let me take a look _Artist Two accidentally drops a small spot of red ink on the painting_ A. Two: Oh no... A. One: YOU JUST CONDEMNED THIS UNIVERSE TO A MILLION YEARS OF UNAVOIDABLE HORROR!
Isn't that what the girl was trying to do in DS3's DLC? Although she's painting another world for the sake of the current painted world that she's in. Still the same essence nevertheless.
Oh god, Im again crying at your videos. The lore is beauiful but the way you present it is just... so smoothing, so touching, so... I don't even know. Thank you.
I theorized that the Everlasting Dragons came from a previous cycle, just like the Lord Souls were also Lord Souls in the past, that eventually the world would after going in the dark age will start over again, and becoming a dragon is the only way to survive it, following the path of the dragon. This also puts some question into the nature of the serpents.
3:52. That is actually wrong. Seath the Scaleless is so easily forgotten as an ancient dragon because of the albinism but he is. And same with Kalameet, he is an ancient dragon who was just corrupted by the abyss
Love the little Elden Ring bit at the end, just the perfect touch. Gave me a good chuckle, now a year and a half later with Elden RIng just around the corner
Even though I've put over a thousand hours into all the souls games combined, I'll still watch this every time I beat a new FromSoft game, for tradition. Even though I'm familiar with the lore, your channel is still always worth watching
I almost finally had the elden ring release date from dark souls man himself but then the video broke :( I'm gonna have to call senator TH-cam and get them to extend the video by another 4 seconds.
I never liked the idea that the lord souls are thematic: Light, Life, Death, and Dark. The first flame enabled disparity and those who were captivated by the flame found souls within it. Why would only four opposing examples of disparity be stronger than any other? I think that a lord soul is merely power, which is then shaped by the aspect of disparity which most captivates you. Hell we even see that in miracles. You find your favorite godly fanfic and you shape the power of your soul into making it a reality. Or how about boss weapons, you take an iconic weapon that defines a being in your mind and shape their soul into that weapon. Posessing a powerful soul enables you to create and change, how you do that is defined by your interests.
Ah, but that would indicate that the creatures before flame had selves. We know they didn't. From what I can understand, all the lords split their souls, giving rise to their people.
@@spaceblockb5284 This is correct. Gwyn split his among his children and his followers (explicitly including the four kings and seethe). The Witch split hers among her children as well. Nito never split his to my knowledge. he had no true servants or offspring. Pygmy gifted his dark soul to all of his descendants- who still carry it millennia later until the world itself begins to fall to ash.
Special thanks to Lokey for helping with the script on this one - he's become a frequent shoutout on the channel as of late, bringing fresh lore perspectives to the series that are backed up with sound reasoning and a healthy dose of Japanese translation.
Consider following him on Twitter ( twitter.com/Lokey_DS ), and see for yourself some of the innovative theories he's bringing to the table. With the re-release of Demon's Souls looming, you'll be in good hands.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,
I've found myself in a bit of a pickle it seems.
Thank you for this list. It cleared up a few things for me. I am currently trying to investigate the evidences stated by Hawkshaw. I have already saw some of the signs of a war between Chaos and Light/Dark. If it behoove you, do you want to listen to my ramblings?
Thanks vaati you're the best
Hey, that was really cool of to come on Matt's channel
Hi! I just want to know, what id your favorite FromSoft game?
Miyazaki while watching this Video: Ahhh, this is how it fits all together
This actually made me laugh
Here is a like to make me laugh in this miserable day.
Miyazaki once said in an interview that he has a clear view of the world and a clear story in mind, but he's not going to impose it on anyone.
So if it makes sense... it's "canon".
Whether he was completely honest about that or not, still, I have huge respect for him for this approach.
This is funny but I hope he has a Dark Souls Lore book.
Miyazaki is that DM that had scrabbles of stories and shit for his homebrew campaign, but struggled to piece it together.
He is like Ainz, he looks like he know what he’s doing, but only when paired with people like demiurge who’s THINK they connected the dots, and Ainz just nods
Edit: Alright guys, just so you know, this is a joke, a meme, a comment made in jest so as to follow up on the OP comment, it should not be taken seriously and should be noted that it was meant to be a joke, if this sound redundant, it’s because it’s meant to be, already had two people not get the joke, one of which had a stick so far up their ass you’d think Vladimir the Impaler was indeed an immortal vampire, and berated me on even contemplating talking about his grandiose holiness “Heart Wrecker” Miyazaki.
Logan: "Can I take some magic?"
Them: "yeah, but only a hatful"
Big Hat Logan: *pulls out a comically large big hat*
*laughtrack plays in the background, accompanied by applause*
Crystal sage has entered the chat
This comment transcends 3 vastly different meme communities and i love it
not just big, but large big.
His IQ is dumb high, 189
"Why DO they call him Big Hat Logan?" I have never been so amused and angry at a line.
BIG HAT
VejyMonsta i need another clue
It's an ironic name; his hat was so small in comparison to all of the other sorcerers' that he became known for it. Like calling a 7ft body-builder "Tiny."
You see, his real name is Logan.
@@thunderthebright8469 finally some answers
There is a line in the opening cinematic that I can't help but feel is really important in the Dark Souls series, but like the Furtive Pygmy, it is often overlooked: "Then, from the Dark, They came, and found the souls of lords within the Flame." The implication is that all living things, not just humans, owe their origins to the Dark. Even the Lords. Even Gwyn. If you take some time to consider that, it recontextualizes a lot of lore. Gwyn didn't simply fear the Dark, *he feared returning to it.*
He was so afraid that he incinerated his own soul. Ironically, Dark Souls 3 implies that this stalling tactic eventually led to the corruption of the deep and, in turn, an "age of deep oceans" where the horrors of the deep are forced to the surface by the glut of soul dregs. Far more frightening than the dark Gwyn came from.
@@jbark678 Well that's the thing, isn't it? Gwynn owed his origins to the dark. In the beginning, he was merely one of those wretched, pathetic shambling hollows until he stumbled upon the Lord's Soul of Light. By mere chance, he went from being nothing to being an all-powerful god... until the First Flame started to die.
But he'd known, since he'd first seen the servants of the Furtive Pygmy and their Dark-infused weapons and armor, that the Age of FIre was not eternal, and that one day, his Age would be replaced with an Age of Dark. And so, rather than see his kingdom end, his godhood end, and be returned to that wretched state of existence, he instead chose to throw himself into the First Flame, with his descendants and subordinates luring Undead into the flames to serve as kindling for the First Flame, artificially prolonging that Age of Fire. Burning Humanity, those little fragments of the Dark, to keep the fire lit. The Dregs of the Deep are more than likely the "Ashes" left behind when Humanity is thrown into the Fire.
@@jbark678 Incinerating Souls would be a sick band name.
its not the same as the Dark of humanity, the JPN says that "they" (in reference to animals since civilization didnt exist prior to the souls of kings' discovery and the gods/humans were akin to simple beasts) were *captivated* by fire. all they knew in their whole life was the dark, and thats why they were captivated when they discovered the first flame below some archtree
I think a big detail a lot of people overlook is that fact that the "Lords" can hollow. Gwyn and The Nameless King are both hollowed when we fight them. This detail alone implies that the "Lords" in fact have a connection to humanity.
In fact, my theory is that the "Lords" are not separate from Humanity at all. I believe they are in fact humans/pygmy too, but ones that found a way to imbue themselves with the power of the Light/First Flame, giving them their larger immortal bodies and god-like powers. The implication that Gwyn was another man all along that simply didn't want to surrender his power and control over the world, which was entirely reliant on the strength of the First Flame - works exceptionally well with his actions in lore. And it's important to remember the idea of the "unreliable narrator" in these games. Not everything we are told is, in fact, how it occurred. It would make sense that Gwyn would try to remove any historical evidence and stamp down any implication that he was at some point, in fact, just a mere man that found a way to prop himself up as a false god.
In regards to respawning at the bonfire: I always assumed that you woke up where you fell, and then as a hollow would wander back to the closest or most familiar place of warmth. So waking up at a bonfire was the warmth of the bonfire refreshing your mind, so to speak, and allowing you to regain lucidity.
The real question is...
"Why everytime I hear plin plin plon depression hits me?"
but when you die, your corpse becomes some kind of ash and wind blows it away, probably because you're linked to the bonfire
I don't know man. It is said that you hollow little by little with each death and also by "depression" until you completely lose your mind, which is a point of no return even for bonfire flames.
Thats a great explanation actually, thanks :)
So that's why the loading screens last for fucking ever.
"You accidentally put down your controller and bumped R2"
How I discovered the dancer.
I almost killed my precious Emerald Harold this way lol
@Jasper Harri FLIERMAN yeah you need at least 2 hits
i attacked andre by doing this and had to farm 90,000 souls pre anor londo to request purification or whatever from the gargoyle pedophile
@@inigoramen Don't ever say such terrible things about Oswald., blasphemer!
@Tasorius i am terrible sorry for my misdeed
5 years have passed and there is still no movie with Lady Maria
"prepare to cry"
I’m still want it and I’m almost positive we won’t get it
Maybe Vaati will finally do it when BB gets a sequel
@@pravum3150 bloodborne kart
Vaati. Hand it over. That thing...
your Lady Maria "Prepare to Cry".
@@Kittykat81572 vaati said that he's working on the lady maria prepare to cry video in one of his recent twitch streams
Q]- "what is a man?"
A]- "a miserable little pile of secrets."
“But enough talk, have at you!”
Funny enough, according to the lore about the hollows of Londor... That is correct.
Haven't finished Symphony of the night yet game too hard pls nerf
There's only one piece of lore every player needs to know.
"Try tongue but hole"
"chest ahead. try two handing."
@@cxx23 LMAOOO NOOOO
Destroy but hole ahead *curl up*
“Try finger”
Don't give up, Skeleton!
“Old Man Voice”
*D E E P E S T - L O R E*
Miracle builts are actually very powerful
Defiler Rulez 🦀
30 min video about the Lore of the Dark Crab inside the Skeleton Ball - i need answers
V A A T I , T E L L U S T H E D E E P E S T L O R E
You can't read it without hearing the old man in your head 🤮
"What are the Dead? The dead are corpses"
What is the floor made of? The floor is made out of floor
Heh,basic concepts like life and death work differently in DS than they do in our world,which is why Vaati had to be specific,even I'm confused about this stuff,like,Nito is literally the embodiment of death but that doesn't seem to stop him from walking around whenever he feels like it.
You forgot to capitalize the first "Floor".
Or is it "First Floor"?
Second Floor? Lord of the Thirteenth Floor? The Age of Floor?
I swear this Dark Souls lore just likes to throw nouns together.
Bro. Get a mustache already. -_-
For real bro, do You even lift bro.
The floor is the amalgamation by thousands of humans lurking in the age of the unknown trying to set a world that can be crossed without any rise and fall and thus keep the balance of nature as it was before. Yet the stairs betrayed us in ways unimaginable, constructing floors that instead of connecting us to the ground, takes us to the sky, out of our natural habitat. These wretched beings became known as ceilings
floor gang Uhooooo
This game's lore is probably the best example of using mystery and allusion to create a world deeper than if everything was explicitly explained. It reminds me of gaming in my youth pre-internet where you'd share rumors about secrets in games that made them seem bigger than they were. Amazing and I love the circular nature of the plot. It's like a self-contained riddle.
Sasquatch in San Andreas was one of those for me. I searched high and low for that dude. Eventually it was confirmed that he wasn’t even in the game files lol
@@trevorclabaugh4339 cmon man
@@heuvelke1065 The fuck are you talking about?
At this point I remember more history of dark souls then I do the actual world.
If you're going by pure percentages and pure pedantry, that makes sense. Remembering the 10,000+ years of human history across seven continents and hundreds, of not thousands, of cultures would be impossible. Memorizing the content of three 20+ hour games should be trivial in comparison.
@@davidhong1934 thats not it, its just that our own world is bland boring place so why bother remembering it
You mean soulsborne isnt real?! 😰😱
@@PeriqculosusCZ "Bland, boring place" Oh boy, how very very wrong you are. Also, said "bland, boring place" was what helped create Dark Souls in the first place.
@@acedias12 "the world was unformed, shrouded by fog"
"Every enemy has a reason to attack you, after all. Except Priscilla. Why did you hurt her?"
Seven words, my friend:
"This land is pacefull, it's inhabitants kind."
The things you do for a little tail.
One Word: archievements
*its
Two words: “free souls”
@@iWillWakeYouUp
would it's count as 2 words?
Glad I finished the game 9 years ago so I could watch this video, almost missed out
Lmao
right in time
Cutting it close.
He tried hard to avoid spoilers
Hahahaha
15:52 I just finished my first run of DS1 going in completely blind. I loved how the firekeeper of Firelink Shrine was so subtle but captivating as a character, and was shocked at how emotional I got when she's killed. I swore an oath to wear her robes until I avenged her, and thats what I did. But I went in blind... and I got excited at having another firekeeper soul and rushed to the keeper of Anor Londo to upgrade my estus flask, only finding out after I could have revived her. So I did the only thing I could do; I wore her robes the entire rest of the game. After I finally beat Gwyn after pushing 100 deaths (without armour he kills in 3 swings), I began NG+, bowed to the firekeeper, and finally dropped off her robes.
And that's why I fuc*ing love RPGs, and especially Soulsborne games. I used to wear the Harrowed Set in Bloodborne after I got it, cause it's easily the best armor in the game, but after I learned the lore behind it... I never wore it again, it disgusts me. Away with the church fanatics.
Yeah I had same attachment with the Onion knight, except his armor set is decent 😂
_Madman_
how do you get the robe of the firekeeper? by killing her?
wait.. you said we can revive her¿¿ i just used the soul to upgrade my estus too
“Why is everyone so hostile towards me?”
Reason: You pointed down after killing Siegward.
Actually it’s just because you killed Siegward
Actually it's just because you pointed down
Actually it's just because
Actually it's
Actually
"What are the dead?"
"The dead are corpses...."
Thx, Vaati!
i guess we assume their was a deeper meaning to that
Remember: The bodies you loot aren't dead people.
They're the ones who hollowed. They're the ones who won't to go on. They're the ones who gave up.
@@davidhong1934 I did not think about that before, and your comment make sense, since there is a corpse screaming when we loot
😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@haunt97 there's a screaming corpse? Did i forget? Where?
Question: “Why is everything so hostile to me?”
Answer: *Because you are a Dex build in a Giant Dad world*
underrated comment
Because u leveled up resistance stat
The Legend never dies! Basscannon ftw
Try wearing a big hat to avert their judging eyes
Twist answer: Because you admit dipping in dex when you should have denied it.
The ruse of the "Chosen Undead" is a brilliant move, really.
You put this rumor in the world of a prophecy about an Undead who's chosen by fate and who, if strong enough, will decide the fate of the whole world.
So naturally all the undead who are not hollow yet will come and try to slay their way to the First Flame. Some will get past the first hurdles and few of them will get more powerful, until eventually one of them manages to reach a level where they start conquering greater souls and enough power to challenge the current Lord of Cinder, kill them and probably (because of the prophecy baiting them into it) link the fire, becoming the next Lord of Cinder, prolonging the Age of Fire and the rule of the gods for a few hundred more years until there's need for another "Chosen Undead" again.
Genius manipulative move by Gwyn and his fuckfaces.
Gwyn and his Fuckfaces is a great band name
@@SinHurr i agree
it’s fucked because even before the lore I kinda always wondered why didn’t they just find another powerful heir since there were already a bunch of powerful warriors out there instead of relying on a legend being born out of nowhere .
Although it's not such a bad thing the dark world is void of anything and is a dull wasteland. Prolonging the age of fire seems like the better option.
@@Rahul_Sastry Well one could argue the dark is such a depressing void because the gods fought and belittled it ever since and it never had a chance to grow and prosper.
Don't forget, the Dark Age is just the Age of Man coming. Essentially the whole plot of Dark Souls could serve as our very own story of origin. Age of Fire ends, humans rise up from the shadows and slowly conquer the world.
Pokemon: lightning not good against rock.
Gwyn: ayyy lmao!
@Luke Barnes Yeah a lot of people mix that up, because all of Brocks team was Rock/Ground instead of just rock. Rock and electric attacks are neutral towards each other.
@@mittelz5976 the real confusion was the anime consistently saying it was rock types that were immune to electric instead of ground but tbf in gen 1 the vast majority (not all) of rock types were also ground so it is a very easy misconception to make back in the day.
Ash & Pikachu: No hard feelings, Brock.
"lightning is weak against dragons"
...
Yeetus yeetus stone scale deleteus
“And this, children, is why you should never play with fire.”
Maybe Gwyn played with fire because he didn't have parents to tell him that 🤔
"You play with fire, little boy, you will end up killing the Everlast Dragons, stupid boy"
Fire, fire! (Beavis voice).
@@andreyleonel255 and burned the entire world to ash and make a new species by mistake by set ash
@@andreyleonel255 Or become a bed of chaos.
This is unfathomably therapeutic, whenever I begin to hollow this is one of the things that restores me
"Firekeepers bear this suffering so that you can benefit from the bonfire..."
I'm only doing soul level 1 runs from now on, thanks.
gonna be honest with you now that i hear she literally takes on all the curses and pain you bare i feel so bad and i don't want to level up anymore to keep from hurting her it sucks so much for her like why her i don't want her to take everything that i take.
Leveling up is the process of taking the souls you found in the world and fusing them to your white soul. Unless I'm mistaken about something, that shouldn't hurt the firekeeper.
Plus, there are plenty of bonfires without keepers. You could just use those.
@@TonyRedgrave unless you have mods you need firekeeper to level in second and third souls soooooo
And that is why you kill her during the alternate ending of the betrayal of fire ending. End her suffering.
That's right you shouldn't put burden on our wifus just because it'll save you from suffering
The real question you're all too scared to ask is "why do NPCs die permanently when all but one of them are supposed to be undead"
@jocaguz18
when u kill them do they get sent to another dimension? You never get to interact with them anymore for some reason.
You take their souls so they cant revive.
Have you done your bloodstone ritual today?
@@Gevaudan1471 You take souls of everything you kill, they still get back up.
It still is a game.
19:04 I never saw the Bed of Chaos clearly in an upward position. So i realize just now that it actually looks like a four armed female sitting on a throne.
i wonder if the face having all those roots protruding is the actual hairdo the Queen of Izalith was rocking all this time ;D
Yeah never actually realized that it was physically the witch herself when i fought her.
Miyazaki actually based it on a uterus. The two sides resemble the ovaries and where they converge is the uterus and the witch of izalith is right in the middle where a baby would be. Pretty weird design lol.
Levi Csepregi look at the Gaping Dragon....lol it looks like a women’s scary gape
miyazaki must have sacrificed boss design for lore, hence the fight being so
This really helped me connect the dots, with my background in fire science and wild fire use.
Occasional fires are part of the life cycle of a forest, but if your forest is on fire all of the time, it'll be burned to nothing but white, mineral ash.
Then the ferns, grasses, and some saplings slowly sprout and grow. The pinecones of pine trees open, spreading their seeds. Beetles use the burnt wood as a nesting ground. Nature heals itself after destroying itself. A delicate balance, easily broken. A cycle of life, of fire, of ash, of despair, and of hope. We are always wondering what happened before us and what comes after. Long as our little world keeps spinning, life will continue forward. It's beautiful, but my writing skills sure aren't. I used to do wildland firefighting too. Around where I lived it was less the cycles of nature and more like its resilience. Most our fires were from meth labs, trash burning in backyards, and bonfires gone wrong. The rest were intentional firebugs enjoying the smell of fresh ash. Luckily we had good folks on the job from volunteers
And those from the state (US resident). Either way. Sorry for the paragraph(s) and thank you. Thank you for all the good you've done as a firefighter, and I hope you stay safe out there. Have a good one
Super hot fire
And if you try to burn it still more you will wind up with glass.
But then we change the trees with humans, humans with central nervous system, that are burning and dying horribly for the cycle to continue. Is it better to let the cycle of immense suffering continue? Or do we let it all stop? Or maybe do we find a third way? These three questions are what the lore amounts to.
Vaati is like the lore NPC in every RPG
Player: Tell me more about the Dark Soul
Vaati: The Dark Souls is....
Player: Tell me more about Humanities
Vaati: Humanities are...
He's the Deckard Cain of Dark Souls.
He has other people do the work he just reads a script
It's like fallout 4, what are this
X are...
*Spam X*
What are that
That is...
*Spam X again*
Goodbye
In relation to Dark/The Abyss. I feel like The Abyss is what manifests when you fight/reject the Dark. We see this most prominently in Artorias and Midir, both of whom were assigned to fight off the power of the Abyss, and became corrupted themselves. However, the best example I can find is Karla and Irina in ds3. If you try to give Irina a Dark Tome, she rejects it, and only accepts teaching them to you when you insist. And because she does not accept the Dark, it nibbles at her, until it becomes too much to bear. Karla, on the other hand, has no issues about the Dark (she initially rejects the Dark Tomes, but thats more because she finds miracles distasteful than anything). She accepts the Dark, and it does not fight her. In DS2, which I feel explores the Dark in more ways than the other 2 installments, we are given Felkin the Outcast and Darkdiver Grandahl. Both call the Dark comforting, something to be discovered within yourself, to be accepted and nurtured.
However, if you attack Felkin the Outcast, he responds "You've let the Dark...take control...". The real reason why the Pygmy split the Dark Soul is because he realized it was too much for any one person to bear. We see this in Gael; if you accept too much Dark within yourself, it will corrupt. When you attack Felkin, he realizes your Dark has gone out of control. The Dark is like a garden; something beautiful and comforting if tended to, but if left to roam free will grow wild and take over. And of course, we see this in Oolacile. Kaathe wanted to explore the concept of the Dark, and encouraged Oolacile's inhabitants to go delving. When they discovered Manus' tomb, I think they performed experiments on him by feeding him too much humanity, until he became...well, what we see in the game. Losing his pendant, his hope and love, certainly helped this process.
I think this is what Patches truly is. He really is a human who has learned to nurture his Dark. I always thought it odd he lures us into traps to loot our corpse, but then at the end of the Ringed City he says he's 'devoid of all wordly wants.' I don't think he actually wants to loot our corpse; he's just having a bit of fun. This is why he constantly tricking the player into lame traps, even though he knows we're hollow and will just come back; he's nurtured his Dark to a place where he has some near-harmless fun with us with lame traps, and makes good with us in the end. It is only until the end of the world, when there are hardly any sane people left, that he starts to go hollow; there is no one left to trick, to nurture his Dark. Until he help remind him of who he is, and he pulls one more harmless, even helpful, prank on us. And this is really why he hates clerics so much; clerics are those who embrace miracles, the opposite of the Dark.
May the Dark shine your way.
Embracing The Dark is nice reference to Jungian psychology and Shadow. Shadow is the unknown part of our persona and "one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making darkness awake. " In that end Gwyn's genocidal war against everlasting dragons was him being driven/manipulated by The Dark and he projected his own anger and tyranny to dragons.
Veli Karppinen Have been viewing Souls through this lens for a while. I think people try too hard to find the specifics of the story told by the lore as opposed to the symbols and lessons it attempts to portray.
I like this idea. From now on, it will be my headcanon.
Very well spoken. I feel this is the most logical reason as to why Dark is good for humanity until we allow it to overtake us. Great theory / summary.
May the Dark shine our way!
The deepest lore is that they call Big Hat Logan “Big Hat” because he wears a big hat.
Pfft. That's dumb! You're dumb! OBVIOUSLY the "Big Hat" is a reference to Old King Allant. Crowns are hats, but they are worn by kings, so they're big. Big Hat Logan is Old King Allant. You can tell because "Big Hat Logan" is "Old King Allant" spelled backwards.
Because they couldn't call him by his true name: big dick Logan.
So they went with hat.
Owen Wilson: “Wow”
He's called "Big Hat Logan" because his hat is big in comparison to his body. The hat really isn't that big for a taller person.
Real big hat move right here
"You become Ash, a Pokemon Trainer."
You go to become the very best like no one ever was
"You gotta catch em all"
To catch them is your duty, to train them is your curse
Naruhodo. So that's why Ash in pokemon is immortal
This got me thinking: Are beings with special souls powerful because their souls are special or are their souls special because they are powerful?
Now that is a really good question.
shrek: good question
I think it’s both, some characters are just born with special powerful souls, but their souls are special for their power
That’s like for example the chosen undead vs the king from dark souls 2, he was born with a mighty soul where as you killed and killed till you became a special soul
I also think the more powerful a soul becomes they begin to take on aspects of the universe, it’s not just the gods from the first ughout the series we see beings getting close to the same power, as he grew more powerful I think Aldrich was becoming the aspect of the deep for example
“gods” are powerful because of their special soul, others have special souls because they BECAME powerful, either from hard work or the so called gods granting them power
I would imagine it’s the power of the souls like the lords are only called lords because of the souls they acquired.
Everybody gansta 'til the PLIN goes PLON
**PLIN PLIN PLON'S IN TEARS**
"a new species, composed of a thousand failures"
ive never related to a character more than i do now
Reated?
@@theSemiChrist I mean it fits right?
@@theSemiChrist He meant related, I think
@@sorinruga3434lol fair point
@@slurponaut lol i read it as reeted. Is that what the kids are saying these days?
I love how this video strings its topic, going from one term, to another term involved, Linking everything together in a fluid, easy to understand explanation
"What is wrong with you?"
I've been trying to answer that question for a long time now.
Wait, so when we chug estus we're actually chugging fire water? Crap, we've been gulping down whiskey all along and didn't even know it. Chosen Undead is an alcoholic confirmed.
No wonder I kept dying early in the game, I was plastered and didn’t know it
Siegward canonically turned Estus into alcohol
I always thought estus was lucozade
Not really, because alcohol doesn't always taste sharp aka it kinda hurts your mouth with explosive things. But soda usually do taste sharp. Means that all Ashen Ones are a bunch of Kyles
Whiskey that keeps you fighting a bit longer. Chosen Undead is Irish confirmed.
"Those who aren't ken to fire cannot paint a world. Those absorbed by fire, must not paint a world."
- The Painter
Gwyn was absorbed by fire and what it was, and so he made a world where all was hopeless, an endless cycle. With the Painted world and the blood of the Dark Soul, someone who knows fire but is not consumed by it can create a new world, one where for the first time in our adventures across this series, hope can exist.
Unus Annus
Dan Slater Memento Mori, I see you to are a man of culture.
...OOOOOOOOOH ! That's what she meant by that ! Thank you !
Did bro just quote a video game like ita the biblr
Memento mori
27:47 "When is Elden ring being released?" WELL buddy I got the answer RIGHT HERE
21st of January 2022
Time is convoluted my friend
@@peterheck2429 I like you
Well .... about that....
@@joaopires3917 BANDAI NAMCO always watching US :(
This did not aged well
"Toss a soul to your keeper,..."
O, Lordran/Drangleic/Lothric, of plenty
@@petemadrona2252 good thing all those names have only two syllables
Oh valley of Irythill
oh valley of Lordran , oh valley of Lordran
Bonfires a plenty, o-oh oh
re: "what is a bonfire" what if the player character does get up and walk back to the bonfire in a mindless trance before regaining sanity at the bonfire? just a thought
There are quite a few ways to die and bosses that would never allow that
your dark sign drags you back to your respawn point. the bonfire just updates where you respawn. if you don't light one in 1, you wake up back at firelink where the crow dropped you. presumably, that's what's happening to the other undead, they wake up wherever their respawn is, and the mindless ones just walk in circles around that spot while the sapient ones disappear and either end up back home, far from you, or they just decided to avoid you from now on.
you literally turn into dust when you die.
It's possible that since the chosen undead hasn't fully hollowed, the process is different
So fully hollowed undead who have lost their minds get up on the spot, while undead who still maintain their wits make their way back to the bonfire to rest and recover
"What is the big chest?" hahahah Oh my sweet summer child
"Souls are the fuel and byproduct of this disparity"
Am I reading Hegel again by any chance?
Tldw:
Boomer afraid of things he doesn't understand, makes life difficult for newer generation
Damn these millennials with their Dark Soul of Man!
@@pelinalwhitestrake9306 Back in my day we had to light ourselves on fire to create a new age!
Oh god so much makes sense now.
I mean, what else would explain people wrinkled and dried beyond belief but still walking around and refusing to lay down?
i have watched tons of videos regarding darksouls lore and this is the most accurate explanation i can get haha
Or.....
Millennial doesn't want to adapt, cuz he needs its safe space and he does not take it well when the world and its logic tells him that he must accept and adapt, so he insists on making the world to behave the way he wants it, making life difficult for everyone xD
Sorry Vaati, without WIldpie's guide I'm still stuck at the Tomb of the giants... I'll watch it in a while, ok?
Why must you use the forbidden name
Git Gud
If you see Patches give em a kick for me and say hi
Year 2101: *exists
Wildpie: The Dumbshits Guide To Dark Souls Remastered Ep. 1. Northern Assylum
Love those! Can't stop laughing my ass off watching those!
My question always ends up being: “If there was nothing in the beginning but dragons, and fire didn’t show up until later... then wtf did dragons breathe pre-disparity?
Dark Fire?
There were made of stone, so I would imagine nothing
Boulders
still doesnt explain a whole universe ruled by stone dragons, or is it just earth
@@xylonus Why do you think it would be earth? Not every fantasy world is "earth but-".
This video blew me away. The way you perfectly linked all the lore from all three dark souls... it makes me realize why these games are so impactful for me. The lore, even if you don't pay much attention to it, is ingrained in everything you do. You feel it as you progress through the game, empowering each step and giving your choices weight. And this video perfectly captured why that is.
9:41 what is hollowing?
Me: Ohh I know this one, Im waiting for elden ring!
Try to keep the desire to play it so you don't turn hollow.
OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH
@@husamjanahi7770 Look up at the sky!
You know the 10:22 song?
Well I got some news for you
My main question: How the gapping dragon brush his theeth?
It has a large plate with a mass of brushes on it. Then it just lays down and moves back and forth along it. Like how a bear scratches it's back on a tree. Don't know where it gets the toothpaste though.
Her
Have just all that flowing water with all those rocks serve as a big ass brush by having it flow in between its teeth.
@@harryguidotti3815 with great difficulty
He has corvians pick food residues from his teeth instead, kind of like hippos and oxpeckers
"Why am I on fire?" - VaatiVidya, master storyteller
I kind of always interpreted the difference between the race of humans and the race of gods as literally: one group snagged the dark soul, the other snagged the great souls. So in other words, I think they are the same species, just with the effects of different souls attached to them.
And what's funny is that this is actually correct. In the beginning, the gods, humans, and what have you were all the same thing...Hollows. Hollows are the default.
@@mjsfalcon986 This is Londor propaganda
@@phobics9498 Maybe. But there is the opening cutscene of dark souls 1. See all those people rising to see the first flame? Hollows, or at least something similar.
@@mjsfalcon986no hollows are mindless drones. They possess no ability to create.
Curiously enough, a leftist perspective politically really gives you good ideas as to how all the problems could be solved. Most of the problems in the Dark Souls world really come from hierarchy, just like in the real world. So having everybody go back to being pre-fire hollows in an age of darkness, now with no primordial dragons, will make the DS world behave more like ours. It would just be normal earth but with weird magic stuff sometimes. So yeah, like always, communism is the answer to most problems.
Remember when saying "I beat dark souls" was cool thing, now you have to beat every game with your bare hands, no hits, with a banana or a guitar hero controller, or with your feet, now that's the new flex
Cause its difficult is overrated? Perhaps
The proper way to play Dark Souls:
- USB steering wheel (unplugged)
- Blindfolded
- Your little brother is playing based on your instructions
- Plunging attacks only
- Firestorm
@@davidhong1934 vidogamdanky
@@casco190301 Not at all
still no flex like the guy who beat dark souls with voice command. That is god tier. Doubt any one else will get close.
Haven’t watched some of this amazing content in a while, glad I clicked the notification for once.
"What is the black flame?"
The ancient power wielded by the legendary warrior of Oolacile: Giantdad
...who wields the legendary weapon named Basscannon
I hear he leveled DEX once
@@davidhong1934 what HERESY
@@davidhong1934 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮😖
@@davidhong1934 don't tell anyone
Still playing all 3 games over and over once a year usually.The greatest game series of all times ❤
Agreed! But Bloodborne is amazing too!
Looking at Manus closer, i just noticed how look alike he is to the hatred demon from sekiro
Well when sekiro came out, people were comparing the demon of hatred to manus
Cleric Beast has a similar shape (and by extension Laurence) also. And Gundyr possessed by the pus of man, (and by extension the pus of man) all have similar shapes. All have one arm much larger than the other. This has been on my mind for a while. Is there a creature in Japanese mythology with one big arm and a smaller arm? Maybe it is just a creature design that Miyazaki likes. It is a constant through his games.
@@DeadHead18 its because all of them have themes of inbalance whether between beast and man or dark and light
@@donb7519 that's a decent hypothesis.
@@donb7519 more specifically, imbalance of an aspect over others. Basically the big arm and giant form always manifest as that which consumed them, which caused the imbalance.
"When is Elden Ring being released?" Interesting timestamp ngl
By the end of the year.
Phantorang wrong
@@ValosRR Which consoles you'll play on... They said it'll be for Ps4 and XOne but if it's out in 2021 it'll be too old style
@@igornaimoli7321 that will stop noone, souls is mainstream now.. and once you're hooked, you're playing new souls. that shit could come out on ps2 and would still sell millions
There is only a placeholder date right now from Amazon which says Dec 31. That's of course not something we can take to the bank, but because of COVID-19, I think it's convenient for them to make adjustments for the game so it fits the new consoles in a better way.
+ there is no real marketing yet, so it's at least months away.
I always thought that the first Dark Souls was about Gwynevere's revenge. To me, after the way her father and the other gods treated her and (her daughter?) Pryscilla, she became Velka, the Goddess of Sin. After giving birth an "abomination" she was cast away with her daughter to the painted world of Ariamis.
She releases a descendant from the furtive pygmy from his cell in the undead asylum with the hope to bring punishment to her father (Gwyn), her brother (Gwyndolin) and maybe also Seath. She uses the crow to help the chosen undead to break out of the asylum as she uses the crow demons in the painted world to protect her daughter. That is also the reason why Pryscilla is the only boss that doesn't attack you as soon as you traverse the fog to her room. She knows her mother's plans for you.
She leaves the only key to enter the painted world in the cell of the chosen undead, thinking that it will be safe in that place since there is no reason for the chosen undead to return there. But unfortunately, she is wrong.
Maybe the black knights in the undead asylum are tasked with guarding the doll by command of one of Gwyn's relatives (Gwynevere), since there are no crow demons outside the painted world.
Oh that is interesting to see different theories and opinions about "Who or what is the Dark Soul?" What you say is write but in my opinion it is not true that the Dark Soul is because of Gweneveres revenge. But what you say is realy interesting🤗
I feel like the only problem is that Gwyn perpetuates the chosen undead prophecy, which is why Oscar was trying to free people from the prison.
Actually, regarding Oscar, he must have been transported by the crow too, since it seems like that's the only way to enter or leave the asylum. The reason why he is in the roof instead of the cells level with the other undeads, could be that the crow left him up there, unfortunately for him, the Asylum Demon is also there. So I think that you can't dismiss Velka's influence in Oscar's pilgrimage.
I always thought that Velka was Gwyn's wife. But, I supposed that it could be Gwynevere
@@GiancarloMenacho That still doesn't change the fact that Gwyn is the driving force of the undead prophecy, which is one of the things we know to be a lie, and is merely an obstacle course to ensure that only the strongest undead feed the flame. One problem for your theory however, is that Gwyndolin loves his sister deeply. We see how upset he gets when we merely dash away an illusion of his sister. Yet that illusion is there only to perpetuate the linking of the flame - which is setup by their father. If Gwyn truly had locked Gwynevere away into the painting, there's no rhyme or reason for Gwyndolin to keep the illusion that furthers the goals of the person who hurt his sister.
Headcanon:
The world of the Everlasting Dragons was just merely a painting. How the first flame came to be was the same as how we set Ariandel's painting ablaze.
"Then, who painted the first painted world?"
It's simple, Miyazaki.
I rest my case.
Who painted our world? Who was the one who painted Miyazaki?
@@Itz_Kry Miyazaki is eternal and always was
I’m new here and your videos made me love this game even more. That’s why I just got the “Beyond The Grave” book only to discover that YOU wrote the preface as - I quote - “one of the world’s greatest specialists of Dark Soul’s lore”. Freaking awesome! Greetings from Brazil, mate!!
Vaati is the only TH-camr(at least in my book) who's allowed to milk content,because no matter how many videos he makes about the same subject they'll always be enjoyable.
This feels like going to college. A really cool college with an awesome teacher
Chill voice. Laid back music. Just vibin. Take my tuition!
16:08 "since they're the most widely worshipped in the world of man"
_shows picture of gwynevere_
seems accurate
"Why is there no info on Elden Ring?"
Because Gorge R. R. Martin hasn't finished writing it yet.
GoT intensifies
Theres much lore to Write and game series to connect
You joke but it might as well be true
@@mohammadtaghavi4782 nah, Martin finished his job more than one year ago
Actually, it's more the reverse. The last couple Song of Ice and Fire books are long-delayed probably because George went off on other projects, including Elden Ring.
The real question is...
"Why everytime I hear plin plin plon depression hits me?"
Oh the trauma, oh the feels ;_;
*Plin plin plons away in depression*
PLIN
L l
I O
N N
I laughed.
every time....
It do be like that 😓
So if I understood this correctly:
A human would normally have his "humanity" be his soul... but Gwyn cursed this humanity into prisons inside us with the darksign, suppressing them, and thus leaving the human in a "hollowed" state where they kind of have no soul.
But the humans could absorb other "light" souls to fill this void to be more like the gods they were forced to serve.
And people going hollow is basically the bonfires taxing our borrowed souls (which are now tied to our experiences and personalities) to feed the first flame to keep the age of fire going? Thus hollowing causes one to lose him/herself.
nice recap, thanks
You got one thing wrong, bonfire are not taxing souls to feed the first flame, bonfire are taking the humanity that sip out of the darksign and transfer it to firekeeper. It's the humanity inside the darksign that is consuming the light soul in each undead.
What actually happens when you go Hollow? Where does your mind go or your soul, your memories, your experience? The bonfire will bring back your body, but no your mind??
I think your soul becomes one with the Flame, look at all the moves the Soul of Cinder "knows".
Man, this makes me want to actually play the Chosen Undead.
Props to patches for surviving the whole dark souls. And we even see him in bloodbourne
And all the way back in Demon Souls as well,if you subscribe to the "Demon Souls is a Dark Souls prequel theory" then Patches is more ancient than the The Gods,The Flame,and even the Stone Dragons themselves...
*Patches The Eternal.*
@@THExRISER yeah. I'm definitely think it's a believable theory. It just makes sense. too bad sekiro had nothing to do with it. Unless...
He was in sekiro too
Patches is Unbreakable after all, gotta love that bastard
And in Sekiro
Dark Souls is so depressing. The lore is rich and so plentiful in all 3 games, and the way the lore is told is amazing. Seriously, this trilogy has to be one of the best games ever created
in terms of lore and connectivity between them; hands down the greatest games ever created! I even doubt anything will remotely ever come close. When a game creates a genre, it's classic!
The writing is movie level. They really should adapt this in different media and should get more awards.
Well, I always saw Lordran as the realm of culture, where the dominant metaphysics of humanity lie, like gods and monsters; that could be why it seems so much like a dream, with disparate parts smashed together. The mythology is very western in its approach, with the duality of man being a large giveaway, where fire is light, the ego, clarity, and dark is confusion, nothingness, void. It reminds me of Fredrich Nietzsche's Apollonian and Dionysian, the duality of man, the frenzy and structure of existence. If you look to the Greek myths, it was the pantheon of Gods who gave man structure, laws and culture as each god is a specific aspect of civilization, whether it be Apollo who is knowledge, or Zeus who is hospitality and fate, or Hermes, who is transition and transaction. Each one is a pillar on which culture grows, and each one through their judgement forms a ring of codes around the dark primal nature of what man used to be, beasts of darkness. I can even see it in offering a humanity to the flame, it's akin to remembering who you are by relinquishing a piece of the primal nature inherent in you, it's choosing light over dark. But that doesn't make it a lie, this duality seems to be a natural mode of reality, even your brain adheres to this duality with your right and left hemispheres. The left hemisphere could be the flame, as it deals with many aspects of self consciousness, as the left frontal lobe allows for introspection and abstracted self; it divides and solidifies objects in the world, creating disparity. The right hemisphere is more closely linked to affective emotional states, and is concerned with making connections between things, finding flow and novelty, it's more subtle as it deals more with more ancient limbic processes, and could be seen as darkness., the original state of humanity. I saw the story of dark souls as the representation of the transition of culture to modernity, the old traditions are dying and thus the old gods are dying, they've been dying for centuries with the emergence of industrialization and secular thought. This cultural shift was the focus for many philosophers of the 19th and 20th centuries, culminating in Nietzsche's quote that God is dead. I saw the end choice as an allusion to Gilgamesh almost, do you feed the fire and revive the old traditions, or do you let them die and beckon the darkness and chaos of a new age coming to fruition? This is why I've always respected the first dark souls , it's very sophisticated in its subject matter. But this is just an opinion on the internet.
Wow, I actually liked a lot your comment. It may be just an opinion on internet. But I'm saving it so I can come to read it from time to time and have one more perspective of the game and its elements.
@@cdg670 Thank you 😊
Nice interpretation. Thank you.
But I suspect the concepts here are more complex than this basic duality.
The game has this “chaos” concept that seems to combine fire and humanity..
Seems that the Fire is meant to represent something like will/progress/time.
What you described as fire is the fire that comes from the Lords or specifically from Gwyn, not the Primal Fire.
Pretty epic comment gamer
@@noop9k Chaos is corruption of the Life soul, isn't it? Much like how the Abyss is corruption of the Dark soul?
It's amazing how much I know about DS and Bloodborne despite never playing them thanks to your channel (DYING to play them though, especially BB). Sekiro's my boy though, Sword Saint got wrecked in only 50 tries! Thanks for that one tip on bell demon, balloons, and early farming at Hirata btw, really helped.
This is probably the best interpretation of how undeath works in Dark Souls, the symbolism in these 3 games is unreal
This is just amazing, great writing details as well - loved the way you start the explanaition of each line of magic with "It's a physical/mental/spiritual form of magic"
22:23 I think, the time is convoluted because of Filianore, this is maybe why the kings of the ringed city and Shira don't let anyone disturb her sleep, she has the ultimate power that delays the end of the age of god, by making the world itself convoluted, permiting that warrios of the future and the past, link the fire, to sustain Gwyn's age, but she can only do that sleeping, when she was wake by the ashen one, the trance is broken, and the world go to the end of Filianore's life, the end of the world itself.
Solid theory
I wish @VaatiVidya read my comment T-T
@@kidoumaru4942 time is not convoluted.time is stagnant.
This video is genuinely amazing, you have such a wonderful way of laying out all the information and making it fit together in a way that makes sense, I'm so grateful for your channel.
Saving this vid till I beat the game, I’ll come back to it!
Edit: I beat the game, yay!
Why am I happy for someone else's victory!!! I'm not done yet!!
I beat the first game last night. What a great game, can't believe that I fell off it in 2011 at release... still, only took 9 years to come back to it!
feels good to parry Gwyn and then practice playin plin plin plon afterwards
@@benjaminmwakonya1519 you’ll get there!
@@uGOTxbox360D At least you did lol
It’s still my favorite theory that the arch trees are actually the natural state of humans. In dark souls 3 we see VERY hollowed humans sitting in chairs across the land, and they are basically roots and wood at that point. Also the arch tree we do go to is called the Great Hollow, which while that does certainly describe the location, seems a bit too on the nose considering all the hollow talk throughout the game
The archtrees were there before the age of fire so i dont think that works “grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons”
We do follow their roots down in the opening cutscene to find the pigmy humans finding the flame
I wonder what it is in Japanese.
@@imacatman8775 Actually, it might work. If we take the endings with the flame yielding to dark, and if humans going hollow all the way does render them to be that tree-like form, then what of the great passage of time from the death of the fire to when it returns? After all, that is exactly how the lords and pygmies found the first flame. Within these ancient hollow trees, like cinders of lords past.
I don't think it's the natural state of just humans, but of all the different races born from the flame. We see in that opening of Darksouls 1 that the beings who discovered the first flame were essentially all the same type of decrepit, humanoid figures. It's only through the nature of the souls they inherent that they all branch off into their own unique races (Humans, dead, medials, and I personally believe the witches are technically their own separate race as well).
I would say that all the different races born from those original shared ancestors are tied to the arch trees. Perhaps they're splinters or seedlings broken off from them, or the "parasites" living between their roots. As you said hollows in 3 are shown morphing into trees, and the "bones" of the pus of man creatures actually appear to be made of wood/branches. Likewise Manus and the Four Kings have tree-like protrusions as they're warped by the abyss, and Aldia is pretty much just a big clump of roots. On the other hand we also see this tree nature reflected in the witches and chaos demons. As the demons burn out in 3 we see their bodies are more like charred out wood than anything more fleshy, and the Witch of Izalith literally turns into a giant tree monster when she tries to mess with the very essence of life itself.
From a more meta standpoint that interpretation also plays pretty well thematically. All beings come from the same roots and have branched out into their various different forms. Also it adds a bit of norse mythology to it with the arch trees being references to the tree of life and the primordial serpents being akin to Níðhǫggr, the serpent that gnaws on the roots of the world tree. Seeing how the primordial serpents appear to be just as old if not older than the age of ancients, maybe they were just chomping away at the arch trees' roots and happened to come upon this group of fledgling beings emerging from the soil.
oh wow perfect timing, i just beat the game like 6 years ago
Thank you for making this video. I've been playing these games forever and even though watching a lot of lore and explaination videos, never understood fully wtf was happening or how it happened. This video FINALLY breaks it down bluntly and straight forwardly.
"A lie will remain a lie"
Love this dialogue
"What is wrong with you?" The same thing happened when I was playing Bloodborne the other day. Certain npc was asking me to be his friend and I actidentally R2 on his face.
Lol noice.
I did that to Gehrman when I first met him, which made him despawn. I thought I had broken the game.
Same but with Eileen
ps4 controllers’ trigger buttons are very sensitive unfortunately
Honestly tho, how there was literally ZERO reference or fallout from the Aldia ending of DS2 in DS3 besides like, a sentence in the Forossa and Drang sets sucks so much. Like, the player character literally BEATS the cycle, they take the souls of lords and leave, unable to go hollow. An immortal hero with the power of the Lords just NOT showing up at the end of everything, when even Patches makes it is stupid.
That's at least how I interpreted the ending of DS2, and I could be completely wrong, but DS2 still deserved more then just "A land known for going beyond death"
There are theories that the bearer of the curse is actually Wolnir
@Donovan Aponte I loved DS2 🤷🏼♂️
dark souls 2 is mostly fanfiction by now lmao
What if beating the cycle was a lie ?
What if since he wont be hollowing anymore, he just chillin in the countryside living with a happy family?
I like to think that when undead "rise" again after dying, they rise as unthinking hollows who drag themselves to the last source of fire that they have memory of. Then they stay there while the fire heals their wounds and returns them to their senses
I literally just beat dark souls for the first time four days ago and their could not be better timing
Congrats on making it through hell.
Now do it again, but without that levelling crap this time and don't die doing it >:)
Welcome to the club of becoming hollow while waiting for elden ring
23:06
All the reasons : legitimate and intentional
The last one : *Droping the controller and accidentally pressing R2*
I remember watching your videos years ago when all we had was the first dark souls. Been a blast Vaati and I look forward to future content.
i believe the homeward bone item description details how the bonfires are actually the crushed up bones of other undead and when you rest at the bonfire and capture the essence in your estus flask, it essentially connects your body/soul to those of the undead that have been burned to form the bonfire itself
I'm actually still going through my first playthrough ever. Will watch this later! Currently in Anor Lando
Good luck! It only gets better from there in my opinion
Me too actually
Come on and slam!
@@theblancmange1265 Damn you
Man I envy you I want to play this game again for the first time SOOO BAD . Just enjoy the ride man and don't give up it's really worth the time and effort
Tin foil hat question: What if the world of Dark Souls it itself an enormous Painted World? We don't know what caused the First Flame's spontaneous appearance, but what if it's simply that an artist added it?
maybe demon souls as said is the original world and both dark souls and bloodbrone are just one of many paintings in demon souls?
Not really tin foil, so much as meta. The world's are but paintings, with life and motion and entropy unto themselves. But they only ever seem to be so, when we experience them. As we the character are the driving force that brings change to the world(s), we the player are the one driving the change, experiencing and indulging in the world of the painting
Artist one: Hey dude, did you finish working on your painting of the season of autumn?
Artist two: Yeah, why?
A. One: I've been working on this heavy metal painting of a bunch of stone dragons, really hardcore.
A. Two: Oh COOL! Let me take a look
_Artist Two accidentally drops a small spot of red ink on the painting_
A. Two: Oh no...
A. One: YOU JUST CONDEMNED THIS UNIVERSE TO A MILLION YEARS OF UNAVOIDABLE HORROR!
Isn't that what the girl was trying to do in DS3's DLC? Although she's painting another world for the sake of the current painted world that she's in. Still the same essence nevertheless.
I heard the First Flame was made by the abyss to burn the worldtree down. Dont know where i heard it
Then he put on a comically large hat. Funniest shit I've ever seen.
Oh god, Im again crying at your videos. The lore is beauiful but the way you present it is just... so smoothing, so touching, so... I don't even know. Thank you.
Vaati: What is Chaos?
Littlefinger: Well-
Seriously I was so disappointed he missed this perfect opportunity to quote him
*It's a Laddeh*
*Chaosh
Chaos is a ladder
I theorized that the Everlasting Dragons came from a previous cycle, just like the Lord Souls were also Lord Souls in the past, that eventually the world would after going in the dark age will start over again, and becoming a dragon is the only way to survive it, following the path of the dragon. This also puts some question into the nature of the serpents.
3:52. That is actually wrong. Seath the Scaleless is so easily forgotten as an ancient dragon because of the albinism but he is. And same with Kalameet, he is an ancient dragon who was just corrupted by the abyss
It could be argued that since Seath is a mutation, he isn’t of the same race
@@pan1c974 so a human with albinism isn't a human anymore to you?
Talentless Bacon Seath isn’t just Albino. He’s missing his scales, doesn’t have legs, and is blind. He’s a whole mutation
@@pan1c974 hes mutated but still the same species, like someonw with 3 legs,
Love the little Elden Ring bit at the end, just the perfect touch. Gave me a good chuckle, now a year and a half later with Elden RIng just around the corner
Even though I've put over a thousand hours into all the souls games combined, I'll still watch this every time I beat a new FromSoft game, for tradition. Even though I'm familiar with the lore, your channel is still always worth watching
15:57 is the question I'd been trying to figure out for 23 years
I almost finally had the elden ring release date from dark souls man himself but then the video broke :( I'm gonna have to call senator TH-cam and get them to extend the video by another 4 seconds.
I never liked the idea that the lord souls are thematic: Light, Life, Death, and Dark. The first flame enabled disparity and those who were captivated by the flame found souls within it. Why would only four opposing examples of disparity be stronger than any other? I think that a lord soul is merely power, which is then shaped by the aspect of disparity which most captivates you. Hell we even see that in miracles. You find your favorite godly fanfic and you shape the power of your soul into making it a reality. Or how about boss weapons, you take an iconic weapon that defines a being in your mind and shape their soul into that weapon. Posessing a powerful soul enables you to create and change, how you do that is defined by your interests.
Ah, but that would indicate that the creatures before flame had selves. We know they didn't.
From what I can understand, all the lords split their souls, giving rise to their people.
@@andyknightwarden9746 that was the Furtive Pigmy,so easily forgotten
@@alexanderthelegend That was all of them. The Pygmies were just more prolific.
@@andyknightwarden9746 I thought all but Nito did. Nito never split his soul, and simply used its power to create undead.
@@spaceblockb5284 This is correct. Gwyn split his among his children and his followers (explicitly including the four kings and seethe). The Witch split hers among her children as well.
Nito never split his to my knowledge. he had no true servants or offspring.
Pygmy gifted his dark soul to all of his descendants- who still carry it millennia later until the world itself begins to fall to ash.