The music isn't the same without Father Ariandel's scream. It's the most broken, gutteral scream I have ever heard in a game. Just fully captures his anguish
I just want to add - the sound of her breath and the sound of ice cracking when she disappears and reappears to attack you, also, add something sinister to the whole thing
You're right about this being an unhealthy relationship. But it's Sister Friede who's abusing Father Ariandel. She's taking advantage of his kindness and innocence.
She just wants to preserve that painting world. The painter wants to burn it and destroy everyone in it. But she and Father Ariandel chose to stay and rot.
@@methanoI no, he is willingly trying to keep it out. He asked her to “bring him his flail” so that he can self-flagellate a make himself bleed to keep it out. To further expound on this act in reference to the person to which you’re replying, the flame is actually a good thing in the painted world. The “one thing they do right, unlike those fools on the outside” is to allow their world to end before it begins to fester. On the surface, this “festering” is manifested as the dark becoming the abyss because they refuse to put the first flame out on the surface despite the fact that the age of dark is long overdue. In the painted world, this rot is actually caused by *the lack of the flame*, as the flame’s power in the painted world is not to preserve, but to annihilate. Flame is important in both worlds and is being misused in both, but from opposite angles.
@@subject_of_ymirIt's not that the painter wants to burn the world of Ariandel. She wants to paint a new world. Ariandel will burn once she finishes her painting, because that's how it works. There used to be a previous world before Ariandel.
@@jamespruitt4756 some people will sail through certain boss fights, yet have trouble with others that are considered easy. It's a strange thing but I've seen it plenty of time. Friede was harder for me because of the estus management. You need to save all your f**k ups till phase 3 at least lol
Most bosses have only a single stage. A few difficult bosses have two stages. And when you beat Friede's second stage you go "Yes, that was hard and I am all out of estus flasks and... why do I hear boss music again!?!"
@@TheEtherealLord I think what @Laerei was trying to say is that most bosses have 1 healthbar, sometimes 2, and in Friede´s case, 3. Sure, some bosses have 2 phases, but they go to phase 2 as soon as you hit around 50% of its health, rather than having a completely new healthbar.
''What we're hearing right away is this is an unhealthy relationship.'' Damn, you really are the best at dissecting the entire game based off the soundtrack alone. That is exactly what Friede & Ariandel have. A parasitical relationship, where Friede has tricked him into literally bleeding himself dry to maintain a rotting world that should be burned and renewed, all because she wants it preserved due to her own failures and fears. Oh man, this is one of my absolute favorites! The sheer power in that second/third phase is astounding. It sounds like judgement day itself. Fantastic piece, fantastic fight. I'm so glad you covered this one, especially since you went in blind since you've not experienced the fight yet.
I know people say this often, but DAYUM! Noticing the power dynamic between Sister Friede and Father Ariandel within the first few seconds of the track is impressive! Even if it is inverted in this case, that was very well spotted^^
He had literally everything pegged. The only thing he missed was that the roles were reversed. It wasn't Friede being held back and wanting release. It was Ariandel. But it was precisely because of the unhealthy relationship he immediately noted. This guy's ears and musical/psychological evaluation are next level.
@@leithaziz2716omg so true! I even equipped the silver serpent ring to get more souls, closed the equipment menu when I was about to pick the symbol of avarice cuz I heard the monologue lmfao
I always got a feeling from Sister Friede that she was abusing Father Ariandel's position, his compassion, and was taking advantage of his deterioration. Even counting on Ariandel perhaps seeing Friede as an actual daughter. Using him as a cudgel against the other inhabitants of the painting. What weirded me out about that Friede is that, even though she's so powerful, she doesn't exercise this power in order to stop you from interacting/finding Father until you finally see what state he's in.
I always got the impression that Friede knew that Ashes like us would always seek out conflict and challenge. So presenting herself as a powerful threat might only encourage us to stay and interfere with her goals. Instead, she tries to convince us there's nothing worth seeing in the painting, and that we have better things to be doing elsewhere. We don't belong there.
Kind of. It's known that she manipulated and tricked Ariandel into believing that the only way to save the pained world is to snuff the flame out with his own blood, thus creating the rot that now affects the world.
@@TheUndyingCrystal Agreed. And I don't doubt that she wouldn't be all that miffed if a certain Ashen One did put the Father out of his misery, if not to sustain the painting, but to be on top, regardless of how stable "her" realm was.
Friede wanted to remain in the painting as her new home. Since everyone inside the painted world had made up their mind about leaving the painting, Friede convinced Ariandel to prolong the painting's longevity by feeding it with his blood. It's meant to be mirror how Gwyn denied nature its natural course and prolonged the age of fire, to the point of "rotting". A large theme of DS3 is people trying to hold on to something that's no longer sustainable. Miyazaki mentioned how he wanted to avoid franchise fatigue and not milk Dark Souls to the ground. Instead, giving the series a proper conclusion and moving on to other projects. Friede reflects this in her intent of not accepting to leave the painting, even when it's starting to run its course and rotting.
I’m pretty sure it was because she knew that conflict with another ashen one would cause “fire” which would ruin her plan entirely so she avoids conflict for as long as possible.
That one move in the final phase where she spins and literally does a guillotine move on you with her scythes is one of the CRAZIEST moves in the series ngl
Jesus christ. This woman left an impression. Easily one of the hardest and most haunting fights in the series. Up there with Lady Maria and Malenia in my book.
Sister Friede for me IS HARDER than Malenia. Malenia you have a ton of skills, weapons, debuffs you can throw at her and abuse some mechanics. Friede? She is a skill check!! If you can beat her..you can beat Gael and the Ringed City entire DLC. GOD I LOVE THIS GAME...i have to play it again....
@@iruga7379 Yeah. All of that is true. But tbh, Malenia was just hard for me personally. Mostly because I wasn't power stancing or abusing RoB SHITE. I ran a faith/str build.
I never really looked up the lore for Father Ariandel and Sister Friede, but the fight and what I felt through the whole DLC is that Sister Friede is the embodiement of what FromSoft tried to warn against through the Dark Souls trilogy. She is perfectly content revelling in what she has, she denies the future because of a possible disaster that she knows nothing about. The world she resides in is rotting, its inhabitants, being corrupted and driven mad, but still she deludes herself, she even reinforces her power by manipulating the man who took her in, Father Ariandel, into mutilating himself to prevent the stalemate from breaking, while he stays riveted to the ground, never to witness the world he created in the sorry state its in. He quells the fire by flailing himself and spilling his blood for the refugees he took in, and in his dying moments at the end of phase two, he embraces the pot in which the flames dwells, as in a final attempt to give more of his blood to the flame. Throughout DS3, you fight beings that were once great, you travel places that were once resplendiscent, you hear about the great deeds and sacrifices of heroes long gone, but you rarely come across purely EVIL beings. Beings that you feel close to no empathy towards. Sister Friede is for me one such being. She wasn't once great, if anything, she has never been more powerful and dangerous.
After beating her finally last week I for sure have no empathy towards her. While Sulyvahn did a hell of a lot of bad things, he was fine until he stumbled across the profaned flame beneath Irithyll and got corrupted by it.
I don't see Friede as evil at all tbh. In the wrong? Definitely, but not out of any malicious intent. This is just my interpretation of her story, but picture this: Friede, being an Ashen One just like us, has failed to link the fire and has now lost her purpose and place where she belongs. Aimlessly wandering around she finds her way into the painted world, a place for people with nowhere else to go, and she fills a void for the denizens there (the equivalent to Priscilla, even using the same type of weapon). But this newfound purpose keeping her going is suddenly in danger when the Corvians decide it's time to burn the painting to keep it from stagnating. She is not willing to let go of this tiny shred of purpose, going to extreme measures (convincing Ariandel to quell the flame with his blood, slaughtering the rebelling Corvians, hiding Ariandel and the flame in basically a prison cell etc.) to keep everything the way it is. Think about how basically all of her dialogue with you is just convincing you to leave, she isn't ambicious or powerhungry, just desperately afraid of the uncertain future should the painting actually be burned (kinda like Gwyn if you think about it). But again, this is just my take on things, i only came to this conclusion after playing through this game idk how many times, but it's made appreciate her character a lot more :)
This is one of the few Dark Souls OST's that I actually listen actively on spotify, it's so ephemeral, then very hype around phase 2, and then just... speechless during the last phase, it's one of the biggest musical pieces in gaming for me personally.
I love that you pointed out that conflict in Sister Friede, with the dueling sopranos, one which is trying to ascend and the other dragging it back down. It’s extremely symbolic as the Painted World that Sister Friede inhabits is afflicted with a curse and is at the end of its cycle. She is supposed to allow the flame to engulf her world so it can begin anew, but in her hubris she is preventing the cycle from completing. In essence, putting down the flame with the blood of Father Ariandel and preventing the world from going up in flames to rise again. There is this conflict with her of what she has a duty to do, versus her selfish intentions.
That second phase music combined with Friede making a tornado out of black flame will never get old. And let's not forget about the elephant in the room, this being the first Souls boss with 3 separate health bars.
Although the first with 3 health bars she isn't the only one with 3 phases! That honor also goes to the last ever boss in the series, Slave Knight Gale What a set of bosses to have had the privilege to fight, both dlc final bosses
They absolutely nailed Father Ariandels animations in that cutscene. He expresses so much rage and grief, it kinda gets to me every time. And combined with the lore of him throwing away all the pain he put himself through, to awaken Friede. It's intense, and just ads so much to the fight.
I always thought the second voice in the first phase (appearing at 3:30) was just picturing the main character, fighting Friede in this cold, hostile environment. From what i understand in the lore, the two characters are ashes, so it's only natural to have the two voices graciously twirling around each other, one of them wanting to go up like you said, and the other one trying to bring them down to reality.
This fight is probably my favorite setpiece in the whole series. It's an absolutely tough as nails fight but the spectacle is amazing the entire time. This is a fight with a relatively normal looking woman in a nun habit and a giant hulking beastial mountain of a man and it's the woman who is more menacing by far.
I like how the music when you fight Sister Friede is somehow serene, somber, and melancholic. But by the time Father Ariandel enters the fight, music intense and epic. Tense even.
"Return from whence thou cam'st". Now the music probably won't hit as hard the first time you actually hear it in the fight, but it is, for the lack of a better word, chilling. Seriously, this is the second boss fight, next to Soul of cinder where every single time i get goose bumps. After countless playthroughs i know exactly what is coming and every single time i get the chills. That stuff is nuts.
This whole track is most excellent. One thing that really adds to the first, quiet part is the player just madly listening for the sister's foot steps as she is invisible in this phase ... It felt like the audio equivalent of madly staring at something without blinking. Loved the breakdown marco and i hope you play this dlc someday
7:17 The goddamn shivers I got when the climax dropped. I think I had already heard to this ost before but I completely forgot about it. Thank you Marco for making me discover it once again (this time for real)!
Friede and Gael are probably the most remarkable parts of Dark Souls 3 for me. Both their fights, the scenery, their fate and the music. If not for a review, but for personal amusement, check "Slave Knight Gael" theme.
Something really interesting in your analysis, you assumed that Friede was the one trying to rise while Ariandel was pulling her down. But Friede is the one actually pulling the strings while Father Ariandel is being kept locked in the basement of the church, constantly flagellating himself to extinguish the flames.
This is my favorite fight in Dark Souls 3. The spectacle of the fight is so cool that even though it took me many tries to beat, I never got tired of it. You start fighting Friede in a Chruch while the Father is strapped to a chair. She's light on her feet and frequently turns invisible to do a terrifying command-grab with her scythe. The music in this phase is cold and chilling, just like the temperature and mood of the church at the moment. Everything has an icy-feel to it. Then the second phase begins and the Father is so desperate that with his fire he not only revives Friede, but ends up burning down a huge inside portion of the church. The arena opens up massively, and you fight the two of them at the same time with the music going HARD while the church is burning around you. You hear the Father SCREAMING in the background constantly, chasing after you and slamming his weapon on the ground over and over and over. Friede also pursues you with renewed vigor, and it is so tough to keep both of them at bay at the same time. This fight is so incredibly thrilling, and my favorite part is when you beat Friede the first time, see the cutscene, and it transitions to the open arena with the music just BLASTING in while the Father screams. Incredible. I'd definitely recommend going back and play the DLC for Dark Souls 3. It's got some of the best fights in the series.
I know people generally like Ringed City DLC more, for a good reason - the scale and the adventure. The locations are more varied, the bosses more epic, including candidate for best Dragon boss ever in Midir and best final boss in Gael. But Ashes has its unique charm. Its personal, and quaint, and mystical in very subtle ways. Like Mona Lisa. The strange child and the not-just-painting. The obsessive hooded servant. The isolated church. Few video game locations made me feel this way.
This is the hardest boss of the entire DS series to me. And this music is probably the most chilling. It sounds so lost and neglected, all in some misunderstood dark way.
The look on your face when the timpani and the men kicked the door in was priceless. That's my favorite moment of the fight. Seeing you cover this made me very happy ^_^ I hope you can get around to Demon Prince in the future, because in my top 5 in the whole franchise, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it
Great song, great boss. There's another lesser known and lesser enjoyed boss in this DLC called the Champions Grave Tender. The boss fight is kind of tame, but this OST is really incredible ✌️
I love the detail these soundtracks have. you can hear a “quivering string” in the background which I think is the representation of her calm posture being a guise for her true anger towards the player for just not listening. or it could just be the terror she exudes. then phase 2/3 is just her not holding back and going full send on her hatred- no longer holding back or keeping a guise. she was the mastermind of this plot, and you are putting it in jeopardy
The first part of the song is more "calm" compared to the usual DS music because for this part you need to be able to hear some of the audio cues from the boss since she goes invisible.
I really like this piece thematically. It's 2 distinct halves, and they're both duets. The first one starts with just Sister Friede and then slowly Elfriede's voice takes over as the mask crumbles. At the very end there's just one chord of Friede's voice as she dies. Then the second part starts with Father Ariandel's anger and it's then joined by Elfriede's voice, for the second duet. Except the two voices aren't in conflict this time, they sing and fight as one (including a single health bar), presumably because she's alive by his will.
DS3 and its DLC is some of the bets boss fights alongside some of the best music in existence! It's incredible knowing the composer is also the lead soprano on top of a lost of these tracks. Also your analysis is incredibly on point, father Ariandel is under the ROTTING influence of Sister Friede! Great choice of words for never having played the DLC :)
Fret not father, we have no need of thy flail. Tis only the flame, quivering at misguided Ash. Please avert thine eyes. I will snuff out these ashes for good.
Many people says that Darkeater Midir is the hardest boss in Dark Souls III, but for me it's Friede and Ariandel. I beat Midir 2nd try solo with the Sellsword Twinblades, and I lost count how many deaths I got fighting Friede and Ariandel. They are my favorite boss in Dark Souls 3, and that is because the OST.
I love their music, but I hate the fight. I finally caved and summoned Gael (very telling that they let us summon him without being embered) and I was a tad salty about it at first. If Phase 2 wasn't such a bad gank fight with her blocking the player from dodging and her healing up Ariandel I could do it. I just got to where I'd have just 5 or so estus for phase 3 and couldn't do it. She's the toughest to do solo, I think, but Gael trivializes the fight. Nameless King is the one I'm most proud of so far. Tough but fair and balanced. I want to fight him again. I never want to fight Friede again.
@@SolaScientia Dude, Nameless King is a pain, but its fun to fight him when you learned the timing of his delayed attacks. You got a point of Ari & Fried being an annoying gank boss though, I also find it annoying to run back and forth to attack Ari whilst trying to avoid Fried's deadly attacks. The phase 3 is painful too, but atleast Blackflame Friede looks so damn badass.
@@inasramadhan4448 Agreed. Nothing has yet to beat how I felt when I beat the Nameless King. It was my last attempt before I needed to stop and tend to my cats. Phase 1 was a bit messier than usual for me, so I wasn't confident I'd win on that attempt. Then in phase 2 I just kept timing my rolls well. I still nearly died a bunch, but my heals saved me. He hit me mid-heal once and I'd already nearly finished the drinking animation by then, so it saved me. It was a messy fight, but I nearly cried when I got the final hit on him.
Fun recommendation from the Souls soundtracks is a piece called Queen of Drangleic, from Dark Souls 2, and that's mostly because it starts eerily similar to this theme but then shifts to a whole other sinister vibe in seconds. Back when Ashes of Ariandel came out, a lot of folks found the similar motif in the music and wondered if there was actually some sort of deeper connection between the Shards of Manus and the Sable Church of Londor, even more so because of the parallel between the 3 daughters of Manus and the 3 founders of the Sable Church. Also, what you mention at 6:40 is spot on, since Elfriede had at one point tried to link the Flame (or maybe usurp it like Yuria later tried?), and failed. She became another Ashen One, and is now bound to the Painted World.
I love this boss! Its themes are so deep, beautiful yet daunting. And the whole story of Ariendel and how it mimics the story of Lordran, "our world" in the game, it's fascinating. The painter needs flame to paint a new world, but she also needs the right tinge. Will you deliver it to her? I fucking love this story.
By far my favorite fight of Dark Souls 3 that I've done so far (only have Dark Eater Midir and Slave Knight Gael left). The music, the tone, the setting, the actual boss fight itself - everything I was looking for from my first Soulsborne game, I got in this boss.
The Ashes of Ariandel announcement trailer plays this same track but has different vocals in the part at 10:12 onwards and I think comparing that with the final track version is interesting
Because I played the dlc, I always thought that the beginning of this soundtrack was Friede anxiety of having to confront the Ashen one, the main character. The slow beginning for me was the ever encroaching fear of inevitability and when the beat dropped it symbolize the burning of the painted world of Ariandel and the futility to prevent natural order...life and death.
my favorite thing about this track, is how it plays out in game as well. The first phase is cold, not just in an emotional way but in a literal way, but once it explodes into phase 2/3, the entire room is on fire after Father Ariandel loses his mind as we kill Sister Friede the first time.
This is one of my favorite tracks in the series, and the fight itself is just as high in quality. It's easily one of the best bosses they've ever made.
One of the hardest bosses in the souls series and one of my favorite. Phase one you fight the sister alone which is shown I that lone Sparano. Phase two after slaying her she is revives by the father and he joins the fight which the cello signifies. Then after defeating them both the flame form around her and she become wild and ballistic which show in the piece. Love your vedios always.
Return from whence thou cam'st For that is thy place of belonging. Leave us be, Ashen One. Sweep all thought of us from thy mind. As thy kind always have.
Man I remember fighting her at lvl 50-60 and fought her for 6 hours straight non stop with so many close one shot kills while hearing this theme over and over again and let me tell ya.. I didnt miss it..
Just so you know Marco, many of the tracks you found as source for analysis have been unintentionally (most likely) extended… several parts of the tracks were repeating and thats why when you expect a transition or change, it doesn’t happen. (Extension by repetition happens when the player takes too long to beat a phase, which I believe you already know.) I would recommend checking the lengths of the tracks on sites like Kingdom Hearts Insider ;) Analysis is as always great though
You were talking about the trying to find out what the piano represented in the beginning trio, I like to think it is you. You as a player are always there witnessing the changes as the fight progresses, but you keep the same tone throughout.
I still think their fight is the best FROM's made. It's beautifully designed top to bottom, the lore is great, the music is always perfect for the phase, and it's just the right level of challenging without being overbearing. It's one of the only bosses they've made where I can't think of any way I'd like to see it changed.
Probably one of the longest most grueling fights in all of souls 3 actual phases with you fighting both the large and powerful ariandel slamminy his bowl around lighting the whole room on fire and the quick and nimble friede with her dual scythes sheathed in ice and then you get past that the game tries to trick you into thinking its over only to have her revive with the black flame
As much as i liked everything in slave knight gael's boss battle and how final and epic it was with the setting and the music and everything, sister friede's battle was SO insanely well crafted; the surprise 3rd phase, how the boss arena changes from dark and narrow to wide and on fire, the creativity in the OST with the church bells and the graceful soprano. It all just really immerses you in this hauntingly beautiful creation
i love the idea of expecting the drop that is usual with from's 2 part symphonies because as far as i remember up until this point in dark souls it was always either 1 hp bar 2 phases, or 2 hp bars 1 per phase, never until this boss was there one with 3 hp bars, i can only speak for myself, but i was hype beyond belief at the realization of "OH SHIT A 3 PHASE BOSS" one that i admittedly bashed my head against for a solid 3 months, and it was amazing
Dayum, king I just watched your brekdown of iudex(/-champion) gundyr and twin princes and dis Impressive content Exactly what i look for once I already studied DSIII/Bloodborne music in the summer of 2020 Good job on your part - better late than never bravo
Friede wasn't wrong, when we killed her and Father Ariandel the painting does burn, but it had to because that's the theme of Dark Souls 3, everything we once knew, once held dear is withering, from the world itself being eroded into the Dark Sign in the sky, a desiccated Stray Demon above Farron Keep, or things like Harvest Valley from DS2 being in the Dredge Heap at the end of the world in the Ringed City to Gael and Anor Londo being in a massive dust bowl, it's the theme that all things whether good or bad must end and the player character is the great equalizer that helps speed the process along. Friede was right that the world inside the painting would end but her selfish reasons to keep it going perpetuated endless suffering for it's inhabitants, sometimes people just want things to end and that's OK, the game to me felt like the final thoughts of someone who's in the process of death.
My favorite part of the meta-story of DS3 is that it's also Miyazaki talking to us, the player, saying that it's time for us to let go of Dark Souls. Let it burn, and move on to something new. If you keep re-hashing the dark souls world, eventually it will rot and fall apart. And Friede represents the other side of that story. She won't let the painted world burn and move on, and it's rotting and corrupting. She is what happens when you won't just let it die.
It's always wonderful to see how much of the game comes through in the music. For the meaning of the latin in the end, I am pretty sure that it is even more on the nose than you may have caught at first. The point about Friede is not that she failed, it is that she refuses to fight. She is basically a chosen one as an unkindled, someone who could either save the world or rule it, but she doesn't want to. She just wants to peacefully stay in the beautiful world that the painter ariandel made and refuses to participate in the cycle of fire that defines the struggle of this game. To reach her, you have to go far out of your way from the game's main storyline and even there, she just tells you to go and leave her alone until you find the father in the cellar. When she first fights, she does not fight as herself, but in the garb of a nun and wielding a weapon that is based on a holy icon of this world. Only after Ariandel dies does he call her by her true name and addresses her as ash, at which point she unleashes the black flame that she was originally named for and we fight her in her full glory as a chosen one, as one of the leaders of the faction that wants to end the gods once and for all as "blackflame Elfriede". Even just thinking of this moment still gives me shivers
my experience with dark souls 3 was beating gundyr and the guy that you target his butt to kill him and then i died a bunch trying to find the third boss and then i found some kind of wizard powers boss and then i died really fast and then i got lost and couldn't find the boss and then i stopped playing. lol
And I was beginning to lose hope this day would come. When I asked you on stream, if this reaction would happen, you said yes (after some other videos) but I suppose I greatly miscalculated the time it would take. Happy that you liked it, this was my first souls music and orchestral piece in general I added on my Spotify, so it's a special little piece of music for me.
Waw, you guessed the theme of the DLC just by listening to the main boss track, impressive as always Marco! Most of what you said is true about what this DLC is all about.
The music isn't the same without Father Ariandel's scream. It's the most broken, gutteral scream I have ever heard in a game. Just fully captures his anguish
I was literally thinking that exact thing. "Wheres the scream?"
Me when I stub my toe.
@@NinjapowerMSrelatable
I just want to add - the sound of her breath and the sound of ice cracking when she disappears and reappears to attack you, also, add something sinister to the whole thing
thats true!
You're right about this being an unhealthy relationship. But it's Sister Friede who's abusing Father Ariandel. She's taking advantage of his kindness and innocence.
She just wants to preserve that painting world. The painter wants to burn it and destroy everyone in it.
But she and Father Ariandel chose to stay and rot.
@@methanoI no, he is willingly trying to keep it out. He asked her to “bring him his flail” so that he can self-flagellate a make himself bleed to keep it out.
To further expound on this act in reference to the person to which you’re replying, the flame is actually a good thing in the painted world. The “one thing they do right, unlike those fools on the outside” is to allow their world to end before it begins to fester.
On the surface, this “festering” is manifested as the dark becoming the abyss because they refuse to put the first flame out on the surface despite the fact that the age of dark is long overdue. In the painted world, this rot is actually caused by *the lack of the flame*, as the flame’s power in the painted world is not to preserve, but to annihilate. Flame is important in both worlds and is being misused in both, but from opposite angles.
@@subject_of_ymirIt's not that the painter wants to burn the world of Ariandel.
She wants to paint a new world.
Ariandel will burn once she finishes her painting, because that's how it works. There used to be a previous world before Ariandel.
@@facundomontivero2299very late, but I believe that world was Ariamis from DS1, due to the towers around the Gravetender
@@TheIOGuardIt was Ariamis. Friede even tried to mimic Priscilla.
Her movement with the black flames in her final form is absolutely beautiful.
"When the Ashes Are Two, a Flame Alighteth. Thou Art Ash, And Fire Befits Thee Of Course."
Friede is beautiful and sexy 👍🏻
I agree, it while in my opinion is one of the easier DLC fights, it is one of my favorite all together.
@@dantefortheparty really? I must suck, then. I had more trouble with Blackflame than I did with Gael
@@jamespruitt4756 some people will sail through certain boss fights, yet have trouble with others that are considered easy. It's a strange thing but I've seen it plenty of time. Friede was harder for me because of the estus management. You need to save all your f**k ups till phase 3 at least lol
Most bosses have only a single stage. A few difficult bosses have two stages. And when you beat Friede's second stage you go "Yes, that was hard and I am all out of estus flasks and... why do I hear boss music again!?!"
In Ds3 every boss has 2 phases (or 3 like Gael and Friede)
@@TheEtherealLord I think what @Laerei was trying to say is that most bosses have 1 healthbar, sometimes 2, and in Friede´s case, 3. Sure, some bosses have 2 phases, but they go to phase 2 as soon as you hit around 50% of its health, rather than having a completely new healthbar.
@@ClariceReacts Twin Prince's are the other fight with 3 health bars.
@@relasoftThough only two of them actually matter.
@@SioxGreyWolf All of the three bars matters to the fight, just as in the Friede fight.
3 health bars that you need to deplete to win.
''What we're hearing right away is this is an unhealthy relationship.'' Damn, you really are the best at dissecting the entire game based off the soundtrack alone. That is exactly what Friede & Ariandel have. A parasitical relationship, where Friede has tricked him into literally bleeding himself dry to maintain a rotting world that should be burned and renewed, all because she wants it preserved due to her own failures and fears. Oh man, this is one of my absolute favorites! The sheer power in that second/third phase is astounding. It sounds like judgement day itself. Fantastic piece, fantastic fight. I'm so glad you covered this one, especially since you went in blind since you've not experienced the fight yet.
Yes I've never played this dlc!
@@MarcoMeatballyou definitely should play it.
@@MarcoMeatballabsolutely play it man. This fight is absolutely fucking unbelievable
I know people say this often, but DAYUM! Noticing the power dynamic between Sister Friede and Father Ariandel within the first few seconds of the track is impressive! Even if it is inverted in this case, that was very well spotted^^
He had literally everything pegged. The only thing he missed was that the roles were reversed. It wasn't Friede being held back and wanting release. It was Ariandel. But it was precisely because of the unhealthy relationship he immediately noted. This guy's ears and musical/psychological evaluation are next level.
@@TheStraightestWhitest it’s so good it scares me. 😂
He's really good, that's a fact. But it also shows how good Fromsoft are at making OSTs that are perfectly on point
Yuka Kitamura will go down as one of the greatest video game composers of all time.
Black flame friede is still the best boss transition IMO. The speech from the background "when ashes are two, a flame alighteth". So good.
Bonus point for the Titanite Slab fakeout letting your guard down for a second.
Black flash?
Friede, the jujutsu sorcerer
The final part of that line is my favorite "Thou'rt Ash, and fire befits thee, of course..."
She was the boss I struggled most to
@@leithaziz2716omg so true! I even equipped the silver serpent ring to get more souls, closed the equipment menu when I was about to pick the symbol of avarice cuz I heard the monologue lmfao
I always got a feeling from Sister Friede that she was abusing Father Ariandel's position, his compassion, and was taking advantage of his deterioration. Even counting on Ariandel perhaps seeing Friede as an actual daughter. Using him as a cudgel against the other inhabitants of the painting. What weirded me out about that Friede is that, even though she's so powerful, she doesn't exercise this power in order to stop you from interacting/finding Father until you finally see what state he's in.
I always got the impression that Friede knew that Ashes like us would always seek out conflict and challenge.
So presenting herself as a powerful threat might only encourage us to stay and interfere with her goals.
Instead, she tries to convince us there's nothing worth seeing in the painting, and that we have better things to be doing elsewhere. We don't belong there.
Kind of. It's known that she manipulated and tricked Ariandel into believing that the only way to save the pained world is to snuff the flame out with his own blood, thus creating the rot that now affects the world.
@@TheUndyingCrystal Agreed. And I don't doubt that she wouldn't be all that miffed if a certain Ashen One did put the Father out of his misery, if not to sustain the painting, but to be on top, regardless of how stable "her" realm was.
Friede wanted to remain in the painting as her new home. Since everyone inside the painted world had made up their mind about leaving the painting, Friede convinced Ariandel to prolong the painting's longevity by feeding it with his blood.
It's meant to be mirror how Gwyn denied nature its natural course and prolonged the age of fire, to the point of "rotting". A large theme of DS3 is people trying to hold on to something that's no longer sustainable. Miyazaki mentioned how he wanted to avoid franchise fatigue and not milk Dark Souls to the ground. Instead, giving the series a proper conclusion and moving on to other projects. Friede reflects this in her intent of not accepting to leave the painting, even when it's starting to run its course and rotting.
I’m pretty sure it was because she knew that conflict with another ashen one would cause “fire” which would ruin her plan entirely so she avoids conflict for as long as possible.
That one move in the final phase where she spins and literally does a guillotine move on you with her scythes is one of the CRAZIEST moves in the series ngl
Jesus christ. This woman left an impression. Easily one of the hardest and most haunting fights in the series. Up there with Lady Maria and Malenia in my book.
Yeah, I feel a lot of inspiration for her fight especially the last phase was taken from that of Lady Maria.
Sister Friede for me IS HARDER than Malenia. Malenia you have a ton of skills, weapons, debuffs you can throw at her and abuse some mechanics. Friede? She is a skill check!! If you can beat her..you can beat Gael and the Ringed City entire DLC. GOD I LOVE THIS GAME...i have to play it again....
@@iruga7379 Yeah. All of that is true. But tbh, Malenia was just hard for me personally. Mostly because I wasn't power stancing or abusing RoB SHITE. I ran a faith/str build.
Thanks for the new idea,i shall try to beat/help hosts beat Malenia while cosplaying as Sister Friede ! 😸
@@VoidShyrok Sorry i didnt mean to diminish you or something...i got my ass kicked by Malenia as well...still do tbh..🤣
I like how the piano represents her need to suppress the fire and keep it cold, until it finally breaks out.
I never really looked up the lore for Father Ariandel and Sister Friede, but the fight and what I felt through the whole DLC is that Sister Friede is the embodiement of what FromSoft tried to warn against through the Dark Souls trilogy. She is perfectly content revelling in what she has, she denies the future because of a possible disaster that she knows nothing about. The world she resides in is rotting, its inhabitants, being corrupted and driven mad, but still she deludes herself, she even reinforces her power by manipulating the man who took her in, Father Ariandel, into mutilating himself to prevent the stalemate from breaking, while he stays riveted to the ground, never to witness the world he created in the sorry state its in.
He quells the fire by flailing himself and spilling his blood for the refugees he took in, and in his dying moments at the end of phase two, he embraces the pot in which the flames dwells, as in a final attempt to give more of his blood to the flame.
Throughout DS3, you fight beings that were once great, you travel places that were once resplendiscent, you hear about the great deeds and sacrifices of heroes long gone, but you rarely come across purely EVIL beings. Beings that you feel close to no empathy towards. Sister Friede is for me one such being. She wasn't once great, if anything, she has never been more powerful and dangerous.
After beating her finally last week I for sure have no empathy towards her. While Sulyvahn did a hell of a lot of bad things, he was fine until he stumbled across the profaned flame beneath Irithyll and got corrupted by it.
She just a bit easy to get staggered, otherwise she’s perfect
@@SolaScientia I mean Sulyvahn kind of fed Gwyndolin to a slime monster
@@themightymcb7310 He did, but he also didn't do that until the profaned flame corrupted him when he found it, so my point still stands.
I don't see Friede as evil at all tbh. In the wrong? Definitely, but not out of any malicious intent.
This is just my interpretation of her story, but picture this:
Friede, being an Ashen One just like us, has failed to link the fire and has now lost her purpose and place where she belongs. Aimlessly wandering around she finds her way into the painted world, a place for people with nowhere else to go, and she fills a void for the denizens there (the equivalent to Priscilla, even using the same type of weapon). But this newfound purpose keeping her going is suddenly in danger when the Corvians decide it's time to burn the painting to keep it from stagnating. She is not willing to let go of this tiny shred of purpose, going to extreme measures (convincing Ariandel to quell the flame with his blood, slaughtering the rebelling Corvians, hiding Ariandel and the flame in basically a prison cell etc.) to keep everything the way it is.
Think about how basically all of her dialogue with you is just convincing you to leave, she isn't ambicious or powerhungry, just desperately afraid of the uncertain future should the painting actually be burned (kinda like Gwyn if you think about it).
But again, this is just my take on things, i only came to this conclusion after playing through this game idk how many times, but it's made appreciate her character a lot more :)
This is one of the few Dark Souls OST's that I actually listen actively on spotify, it's so ephemeral, then very hype around phase 2, and then just... speechless during the last phase, it's one of the biggest musical pieces in gaming for me personally.
I love that you pointed out that conflict in Sister Friede, with the dueling sopranos, one which is trying to ascend and the other dragging it back down. It’s extremely symbolic as the Painted World that Sister Friede inhabits is afflicted with a curse and is at the end of its cycle. She is supposed to allow the flame to engulf her world so it can begin anew, but in her hubris she is preventing the cycle from completing. In essence, putting down the flame with the blood of Father Ariandel and preventing the world from going up in flames to rise again. There is this conflict with her of what she has a duty to do, versus her selfish intentions.
That second phase music combined with Friede making a tornado out of black flame will never get old. And let's not forget about the elephant in the room, this being the first Souls boss with 3 separate health bars.
If im not mistaken i think it is the only one in the entire Souls series...right? Genichiro and Ishin doesn't count.
@iruga7379 yes it is. Unless we count gank bosses
Although the first with 3 health bars she isn't the only one with 3 phases! That honor also goes to the last ever boss in the series, Slave Knight Gale
What a set of bosses to have had the privilege to fight, both dlc final bosses
@@iruga7379we got scadutree avatar now unfortunately 😭
They absolutely nailed Father Ariandels animations in that cutscene. He expresses so much rage and grief, it kinda gets to me every time. And combined with the lore of him throwing away all the pain he put himself through, to awaken Friede. It's intense, and just ads so much to the fight.
"return from whence thou cam'st..."
Thou art the Lord of londor
''For that is thy place of belonging.''
''Thou'rt the Lord of Hollows, and have thine own subjects to guide.''
I always thought the second voice in the first phase (appearing at 3:30) was just picturing the main character, fighting Friede in this cold, hostile environment. From what i understand in the lore, the two characters are ashes, so it's only natural to have the two voices graciously twirling around each other, one of them wanting to go up like you said, and the other one trying to bring them down to reality.
Black flame was created from dark soul out of envy to Great soul, life-giving fire. It is said only those who felt unbearable despair can wield it.
This fight is probably my favorite setpiece in the whole series. It's an absolutely tough as nails fight but the spectacle is amazing the entire time. This is a fight with a relatively normal looking woman in a nun habit and a giant hulking beastial mountain of a man and it's the woman who is more menacing by far.
Fun fact, I've been using this (phase 1) as my ringtone for a couple years now, it's really good for getting concerned stares from people around you
Me too 😄
I like how the music when you fight Sister Friede is somehow serene, somber, and melancholic. But by the time Father Ariandel enters the fight, music intense and epic. Tense even.
Honestly the DLC is the best part of DS3, it contains some of the best soulsborne fights imo, the aesthetics for this fight are beautiful.
anything fromsoft and dlc is better than the main game
DS3 gets way too carried by the DLCs I actually felt very dissapointed after finishing the game
@@joseepp1712 Skill issue.
@@TheStraightestWhitest wdym game is shit easy
@@joseepp1712 the base game is actually one of the best ones imo
"Return from whence thou cam'st". Now the music probably won't hit as hard the first time you actually hear it in the fight, but it is, for the lack of a better word, chilling.
Seriously, this is the second boss fight, next to Soul of cinder where every single time i get goose bumps. After countless playthroughs i know exactly what is coming and every single time i get the chills. That stuff is nuts.
This whole track is most excellent. One thing that really adds to the first, quiet part is the player just madly listening for the sister's foot steps as she is invisible in this phase ... It felt like the audio equivalent of madly staring at something without blinking.
Loved the breakdown marco and i hope you play this dlc someday
7:17 The goddamn shivers I got when the climax dropped. I think I had already heard to this ost before but I completely forgot about it. Thank you Marco for making me discover it once again (this time for real)!
Friede and Gael are probably the most remarkable parts of Dark Souls 3 for me.
Both their fights, the scenery, their fate and the music.
If not for a review, but for personal amusement, check "Slave Knight Gael" theme.
It's here already!
@@MarcoMeatball Oh that's nice, I'll watch it today.
Something really interesting in your analysis, you assumed that Friede was the one trying to rise while Ariandel was pulling her down. But Friede is the one actually pulling the strings while Father Ariandel is being kept locked in the basement of the church, constantly flagellating himself to extinguish the flames.
Right after "Secret Betrayal", this is my favourite DS3 piece. Honestly one of the best of the series.
Honestly the fight has such an eerie tone for the first half. Then it gets intense, and then eerie once more but in a different way.
This is my favorite fight in Dark Souls 3. The spectacle of the fight is so cool that even though it took me many tries to beat, I never got tired of it.
You start fighting Friede in a Chruch while the Father is strapped to a chair. She's light on her feet and frequently turns invisible to do a terrifying command-grab with her scythe. The music in this phase is cold and chilling, just like the temperature and mood of the church at the moment. Everything has an icy-feel to it.
Then the second phase begins and the Father is so desperate that with his fire he not only revives Friede, but ends up burning down a huge inside portion of the church. The arena opens up massively, and you fight the two of them at the same time with the music going HARD while the church is burning around you. You hear the Father SCREAMING in the background constantly, chasing after you and slamming his weapon on the ground over and over and over. Friede also pursues you with renewed vigor, and it is so tough to keep both of them at bay at the same time.
This fight is so incredibly thrilling, and my favorite part is when you beat Friede the first time, see the cutscene, and it transitions to the open arena with the music just BLASTING in while the Father screams. Incredible.
I'd definitely recommend going back and play the DLC for Dark Souls 3. It's got some of the best fights in the series.
I know people generally like Ringed City DLC more, for a good reason - the scale and the adventure. The locations are more varied, the bosses more epic, including candidate for best Dragon boss ever in Midir and best final boss in Gael. But Ashes has its unique charm. Its personal, and quaint, and mystical in very subtle ways. Like Mona Lisa. The strange child and the not-just-painting. The obsessive hooded servant. The isolated church. Few video game locations made me feel this way.
This is the hardest boss of the entire DS series to me. And this music is probably the most chilling. It sounds so lost and neglected, all in some misunderstood dark way.
8:53 my favorite part the violin in the back is so perfectly placed my god .
Thanks to you for pointing that out I've noticed the cry of the violin that occurs right before that.
The look on your face when the timpani and the men kicked the door in was priceless. That's my favorite moment of the fight. Seeing you cover this made me very happy ^_^ I hope you can get around to Demon Prince in the future, because in my top 5 in the whole franchise, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it
Great song, great boss. There's another lesser known and lesser enjoyed boss in this DLC called the Champions Grave Tender. The boss fight is kind of tame, but this OST is really incredible ✌️
"It's just a boss that's meant to introduce players to the matchmaking, Yuka, you don't need to go that hard."
Yuka Kitamura:
Oh yes please! That track slaps some major buttcheeks.
I love the detail these soundtracks have. you can hear a “quivering string” in the background which I think is the representation of her calm posture being a guise for her true anger towards the player for just not listening. or it could just be the terror she exudes.
then phase 2/3 is just her not holding back and going full send on her hatred- no longer holding back or keeping a guise. she was the mastermind of this plot, and you are putting it in jeopardy
Marco dropping bangers
The first part of the song is more "calm" compared to the usual DS music because for this part you need to be able to hear some of the audio cues from the boss since she goes invisible.
The great soundtrack is what fully completes the game, and makes it a masterpiece of its year.
I really like this piece thematically. It's 2 distinct halves, and they're both duets. The first one starts with just Sister Friede and then slowly Elfriede's voice takes over as the mask crumbles. At the very end there's just one chord of Friede's voice as she dies. Then the second part starts with Father Ariandel's anger and it's then joined by Elfriede's voice, for the second duet. Except the two voices aren't in conflict this time, they sing and fight as one (including a single health bar), presumably because she's alive by his will.
have been waiting for this in such a long time thank you SO MUCH for going through this one and keep staying awesome as always!
Dude this damn theme is giving me ptsd, that third form is just tear inducing.
i fought Fried tonight with 2 friends, it was one of the most beautiful moment of this video game, as well as abyss watcher and nameless king
This is probably on the top 3 of the Dark Souls 3 themes.
So complex and emotional in all kind of wrong.
DS3 and its DLC is some of the bets boss fights alongside some of the best music in existence! It's incredible knowing the composer is also the lead soprano on top of a lost of these tracks.
Also your analysis is incredibly on point, father Ariandel is under the ROTTING influence of Sister Friede! Great choice of words for never having played the DLC :)
my favorite fromsoft song. . .god this song is beautiful
Omg i was just checking the channel yesterday looking for this
Very nice video! I’m still obsessed with this masterpiece
Fret not father, we have no need of thy flail. Tis only the flame, quivering at misguided Ash. Please avert thine eyes. I will snuff out these ashes for good.
Many people says that Darkeater Midir is the hardest boss in Dark Souls III, but for me it's Friede and Ariandel.
I beat Midir 2nd try solo with the Sellsword Twinblades, and I lost count how many deaths I got fighting Friede and Ariandel.
They are my favorite boss in Dark Souls 3, and that is because the OST.
I love their music, but I hate the fight. I finally caved and summoned Gael (very telling that they let us summon him without being embered) and I was a tad salty about it at first. If Phase 2 wasn't such a bad gank fight with her blocking the player from dodging and her healing up Ariandel I could do it. I just got to where I'd have just 5 or so estus for phase 3 and couldn't do it. She's the toughest to do solo, I think, but Gael trivializes the fight. Nameless King is the one I'm most proud of so far. Tough but fair and balanced. I want to fight him again. I never want to fight Friede again.
@@SolaScientia Dude, Nameless King is a pain, but its fun to fight him when you learned the timing of his delayed attacks. You got a point of Ari & Fried being an annoying gank boss though, I also find it annoying to run back and forth to attack Ari whilst trying to avoid Fried's deadly attacks. The phase 3 is painful too, but atleast Blackflame Friede looks so damn badass.
@@inasramadhan4448 Agreed. Nothing has yet to beat how I felt when I beat the Nameless King. It was my last attempt before I needed to stop and tend to my cats. Phase 1 was a bit messier than usual for me, so I wasn't confident I'd win on that attempt. Then in phase 2 I just kept timing my rolls well. I still nearly died a bunch, but my heals saved me. He hit me mid-heal once and I'd already nearly finished the drinking animation by then, so it saved me. It was a messy fight, but I nearly cried when I got the final hit on him.
How tf do you learn his moveset in one try
Fun recommendation from the Souls soundtracks is a piece called Queen of Drangleic, from Dark Souls 2, and that's mostly because it starts eerily similar to this theme but then shifts to a whole other sinister vibe in seconds.
Back when Ashes of Ariandel came out, a lot of folks found the similar motif in the music and wondered if there was actually some sort of deeper connection between the Shards of Manus and the Sable Church of Londor, even more so because of the parallel between the 3 daughters of Manus and the 3 founders of the Sable Church.
Also, what you mention at 6:40 is spot on, since Elfriede had at one point tried to link the Flame (or maybe usurp it like Yuria later tried?), and failed. She became another Ashen One, and is now bound to the Painted World.
I love this boss! Its themes are so deep, beautiful yet daunting. And the whole story of Ariendel and how it mimics the story of Lordran, "our world" in the game, it's fascinating.
The painter needs flame to paint a new world, but she also needs the right tinge. Will you deliver it to her?
I fucking love this story.
That breath you hear in the music is terrifying, I always feel like it's Friede breathing on my neck while invisible, it gives me the chills
By far my favorite fight of Dark Souls 3 that I've done so far (only have Dark Eater Midir and Slave Knight Gael left). The music, the tone, the setting, the actual boss fight itself - everything I was looking for from my first Soulsborne game, I got in this boss.
“There’s something very very bad happening.” Yeah it’s me finally defeating her 2nd phase after 30 tries and finding out there’s a 3rd.
The Ashes of Ariandel announcement trailer plays this same track but has different vocals in the part at 10:12 onwards and I think comparing that with the final track version is interesting
I know you might not realize it but she trys to recreate the plin plin plon.
Eres uno de los mejores youtubers que he tenido la dicha de encontrar gracias
Muchas gracias 🥰
This is my favourite DS music. I remeber I couldn't stop listenting to the trailer when it came out, especially from 8:28
Because I played the dlc, I always thought that the beginning of this soundtrack was Friede anxiety of having to confront the Ashen one, the main character. The slow beginning for me was the ever encroaching fear of inevitability and when the beat dropped it symbolize the burning of the painted world of Ariandel and the futility to prevent natural order...life and death.
This is one of my personal favorite songs in all of dark souls! When I played beat the boss I had this song stuck in my head for a month
my favorite thing about this track, is how it plays out in game as well. The first phase is cold, not just in an emotional way but in a literal way, but once it explodes into phase 2/3, the entire room is on fire after Father Ariandel loses his mind as we kill Sister Friede the first time.
this boss was my favorite in the game so far. the music is now forever in my mind due to the tens maybe even 100 attempts i had on my first run
his bewilderment at when its gunna pick up is very reminiscent of the boss fight XD
This is one of my favorite tracks in the series, and the fight itself is just as high in quality. It's easily one of the best bosses they've ever made.
Easily my favorite track in all DS3, I’m really happy you’ve made a video on it!
One of the hardest bosses in the souls series and one of my favorite. Phase one you fight the sister alone which is shown I that lone Sparano. Phase two after slaying her she is revives by the father and he joins the fight which the cello signifies. Then after defeating them both the flame form around her and she become wild and ballistic which show in the piece. Love your vedios always.
Return from whence thou cam'st
For that is thy place of belonging.
Leave us be, Ashen One.
Sweep all thought of us from thy mind. As thy kind always have.
"You thought shit was sweet, didn't you undead one?" *phase 3 begins*
Man I remember fighting her at lvl 50-60 and fought her for 6 hours straight non stop with so many close one shot kills while hearing this theme over and over again and let me tell ya..
I didnt miss it..
Just so you know Marco, many of the tracks you found as source for analysis have been unintentionally (most likely) extended… several parts of the tracks were repeating and thats why when you expect a transition or change, it doesn’t happen. (Extension by repetition happens when the player takes too long to beat a phase, which I believe you already know.) I would recommend checking the lengths of the tracks on sites like Kingdom Hearts Insider ;) Analysis is as always great though
Just from the first few seconds, my blood pressure is spiked and I'm transported to my mind palace where I got my ass kicked for an hour.
Sister Friede carried the entire Ashes of Ariandel DLC, phenomenal!
Yesss! Finally, my favorite DS3 bossfight! This soundtrack is absolutely beautiful!
My guy ascended with the track. Still one of my favorite fromsoft themes, thanks for the coll video
“Fret not, father, we have no need for thy flail…tis only a flame quivering at misguided ash…”
So many things that fit the theme, the hushes in the music representing ice and cold for example
You were talking about the trying to find out what the piano represented in the beginning trio, I like to think it is you. You as a player are always there witnessing the changes as the fight progresses, but you keep the same tone throughout.
Definitely one of my favourite songs from Dark Souls Trilogy, I still think that this boss fight is probably the best duo fight FromSoftware created.
I still think their fight is the best FROM's made. It's beautifully designed top to bottom, the lore is great, the music is always perfect for the phase, and it's just the right level of challenging without being overbearing. It's one of the only bosses they've made where I can't think of any way I'd like to see it changed.
Friede is in many ways what I feel a better balanced Malenia fight looks like. I have no complaints about Friede. It's that good.
@@leithaziz2716 yeah after coming back to ds3 from elden ring friede felt like a cakewalk tbh (not in a bad way)
Damn with just OST he just explain half of the Sister Friede lore 😂❤❤
Probably one of the longest most grueling fights in all of souls 3 actual phases with you fighting both the large and powerful ariandel slamminy his bowl around lighting the whole room on fire and the quick and nimble friede with her dual scythes sheathed in ice and then you get past that the game tries to trick you into thinking its over only to have her revive with the black flame
This soundtrack is really good, I couldn't hear it in the game because my screans of despair were louder than the track, but really cool.
when they go," UUUUUUUH" i felt that. yeah, sister friede is the hardest boss in my opinion and it was only until recently that i could solo here.
As much as i liked everything in slave knight gael's boss battle and how final and epic it was with the setting and the music and everything, sister friede's battle was SO insanely well crafted; the surprise 3rd phase, how the boss arena changes from dark and narrow to wide and on fire, the creativity in the OST with the church bells and the graceful soprano. It all just really immerses you in this hauntingly beautiful creation
I'll always remmember Ariandel's scream at the start of the 2nd phase and how it sinks into the music perfectly
i love the idea of expecting the drop that is usual with from's 2 part symphonies
because as far as i remember up until this point in dark souls it was always either 1 hp bar 2 phases, or 2 hp bars 1 per phase, never until this boss was there one with 3 hp bars, i can only speak for myself, but i was hype beyond belief at the realization of "OH SHIT A 3 PHASE BOSS" one that i admittedly bashed my head against for a solid 3 months, and it was amazing
Its so beautiful it makes me almost cry
Beautiful? more like unnerving and sinister
@@AM_61102 everyone has their own taste :)
When the ashes are two, a flame alighteth, thou art ash, and fire befits thee,…. Of course
Dayum, king
I just watched your brekdown of iudex(/-champion) gundyr and twin princes and dis
Impressive content
Exactly what i look for once
I already studied DSIII/Bloodborne music in the summer of 2020
Good job on your part - better late than never
bravo
Friede wasn't wrong, when we killed her and Father Ariandel the painting does burn, but it had to because that's the theme of Dark Souls 3, everything we once knew, once held dear is withering, from the world itself being eroded into the Dark Sign in the sky, a desiccated Stray Demon above Farron Keep, or things like Harvest Valley from DS2 being in the Dredge Heap at the end of the world in the Ringed City to Gael and Anor Londo being in a massive dust bowl, it's the theme that all things whether good or bad must end and the player character is the great equalizer that helps speed the process along. Friede was right that the world inside the painting would end but her selfish reasons to keep it going perpetuated endless suffering for it's inhabitants, sometimes people just want things to end and that's OK, the game to me felt like the final thoughts of someone who's in the process of death.
My favorite part of the meta-story of DS3 is that it's also Miyazaki talking to us, the player, saying that it's time for us to let go of Dark Souls. Let it burn, and move on to something new. If you keep re-hashing the dark souls world, eventually it will rot and fall apart.
And Friede represents the other side of that story. She won't let the painted world burn and move on, and it's rotting and corrupting. She is what happens when you won't just let it die.
It's always wonderful to see how much of the game comes through in the music. For the meaning of the latin in the end, I am pretty sure that it is even more on the nose than you may have caught at first. The point about Friede is not that she failed, it is that she refuses to fight. She is basically a chosen one as an unkindled, someone who could either save the world or rule it, but she doesn't want to. She just wants to peacefully stay in the beautiful world that the painter ariandel made and refuses to participate in the cycle of fire that defines the struggle of this game. To reach her, you have to go far out of your way from the game's main storyline and even there, she just tells you to go and leave her alone until you find the father in the cellar.
When she first fights, she does not fight as herself, but in the garb of a nun and wielding a weapon that is based on a holy icon of this world. Only after Ariandel dies does he call her by her true name and addresses her as ash, at which point she unleashes the black flame that she was originally named for and we fight her in her full glory as a chosen one, as one of the leaders of the faction that wants to end the gods once and for all as "blackflame Elfriede". Even just thinking of this moment still gives me shivers
my experience with dark souls 3 was beating gundyr and the guy that you target his butt to kill him and then i died a bunch trying to find the third boss and then i found some kind of wizard powers boss and then i died really fast and then i got lost and couldn't find the boss and then i stopped playing. lol
And I was beginning to lose hope this day would come. When I asked you on stream, if this reaction would happen, you said yes (after some other videos) but I suppose I greatly miscalculated the time it would take. Happy that you liked it, this was my first souls music and orchestral piece in general I added on my Spotify, so it's a special little piece of music for me.
Please!!! Champion's Gravetender & Gravetender Greatwolf OST !!!!!! Very beautiful OST!!!!
I legit have PTSD from this fight and everytime I hear that somber choral singing I start having 'nam flashbacks.
Waw, you guessed the theme of the DLC just by listening to the main boss track, impressive as always Marco! Most of what you said is true about what this DLC is all about.
The piano is so perfect. Every time i hear it i get an itch to play it myself
“When the ashes are two, a flame alighteth. Thou’rt ash, and fire befits thee, of course.”
*Hardest drop in Fromsoft history hits you*