Beautiful ending sentiment. I already know that when I'm an old man, if I'm lucky enough to become one, I will look back on Dark Souls 1 as truly life-changing. I look forward to those old man thoughts, those great waves of nostalgia. I'll remember Gough and smile as I whittle my own wood carving.
Gough, inspite of being blind, knows where the missing column is that lets him take the shot. His belly flop attack has him jumping about as high as the height of the columns anyway. I think Gough broke out that column planning for that shot, which would also imply he can break out at any time.
Dude I did the experiment! Gough’s arrows ARE stronger than dragonslayer arrows against dragon enemies! But weaker against non dragon enemies! Damn From Soft.. Just.. Damn..
The land of Oolacille is heavily implied to have turned into the poison swamp, thus we find dead giant mushrooms, the oolacille scroll, and the farris hat in the poison swamp. So its highly doubtful that the tower remains all the way to ds3's time. Actually, theres a lot of evidence that it didn't even survive till modern ds1 times, since the Alvina's forrest is definitely the area that used to be Oolacille, and the coloseum tower is also no where to be found. So odds are gough is long dead.
@@aleshofastora440 Simple. Gough made them and traded them with not only us the player, but also the people of Oolacille. We find a few of the stones scattered around Oolacille township, so odds are there were probably a good bunch of Oolacillians that would trade with Hawkeye Gough either before or during his imprisonment. Also if you look next to Hawkeye Gough, he has actually carved a giant pile of those carvings, meaning he probably made and sold them to many many people over the course of his time in Oolacille. Hence why there are still some to be found in Lothric hundreds or even a thousand years later.
@@aleshofastora440 No one _still_ makes them... it's just that the hundreds or so _Gough made_ and sold during the age of fire, lasted as random people's possessions untill modern day in ds3. Gough was long dead, but his creations lasted for many generations. The same thing happens in real life with antiques.
The dragons shall never be forgotten… We knights fought valiantly, but for every one of them, we lost three score of our own. Exhiliration, pride, hatred, rage… The dragons teased out our dearest emotions. …Thou will understand, one day. At thy twilight, old thoughts return, in great waves of nostalgia. Dragon Slayer Gough - To the Chosen Undead.
@@thomasgiles2876 and it happened when I was a teenage boy. In the age of fire so long ago. It has become legend to me. And ya i remember raging at kalameet.
@@thomasgiles2876 yep. This quote perfectly encompasses how the player feels about playing the dark souls games for the first time, and how we now feel rushes of "giant waves of nostalgia" when thinking back to how fun, hard, and rewarding they were!! and how we probably all wish we could experience them for the first time again (with active player bases again).
Bonus trivia for the carvings: they will bounce off of the invisible Platforms in the crystal Caverns. I had a randomizer run where I never got prism stones but I was able to spam a carving to find my way
@@MasterDrakon009It's fitting that Gough's successor, however insignificant he may be to the lore, ended up being another generous, impossibly good Giant Archer.
I'm not sure just how "imprisoned' Gough was. There's no chance he could go down that ladder or door with his sheer size. Perhaps he was told he was imprisoned and was like "sure, okay". He could leave that tower easily.
Elizabeth's dialogue is especially strange, because Dusk herself is human, as are the people of Oolacile. This may have to do with the fact we are Undead; more human than usual. Everything else is either cut dialogue or the direct result of our aggression towards those speaking such words; in other words, when we show ourselves to be hostile and reward their courtesy with ill-intent. More importantly, they are made in the context of what happened in Oolacile; an explosion of humanity, consuming all things. In fact, in Ciaran's case, her dialogue implies that humans felt they had some sort of privilege to take what they wish, or at least, gave that impression. Keep in mind the Four Kings were given a piece of Gwyn's soul, and were alive and well during the DLC. The Battle Of Stoicism isn't for Silver Knights; at the very least, not Silver Knights of the same race as Gwyn. It requires the use of specific bonfires; it was for Undead. Undead who won were allowed to go to Anor Londo. P. S, pine resin in the eyes is actually quite harmful, especially when melted. Gough is likely truly blind.
Humans Had the ability of Life Drain, because of the Dark Soul. So even though all life needs "Humanity Sprites" Humans probably acted as if it is was their birth right to horde. Ironic given the fact the first humans were treated worse than Giant Slaves during the War against the dragons and used as disposable people for eons. Its funny that when the tables are turned they cry foul lmao.
@@MargaretBarron-d9k And your source that we are treated worse than Giant slaves is? This video? Because there's literally no evidence. The Four Kings had a kingdom. Gough and Giant Blacksmith? They had nothing. We were treated much, much better. We had entire lamds and countries in the outside world. All human-owned. All persecuting Giants. Lifedrain could indeed be a reason, though. Still, it had to be introduced by Kaathe first, so it might not be there yet by the DLC's time. Plus, Humanity is actually not essential to most lifeforms; in fact, in the Abyss, it is downright poisonous. Souls are the essence of all life; Humanities are unique to humans. In other words, you can only truly use Lifedrain on other humans.
About leadership: I always felt that "dragonslayers" may have referred to a different group. I imagined him being a leader of those greatbow jerks from Anor Londo, like an Archer General of sorts, reconciling that by imagining the Four Knights as a separate order of honored warriors, who had other jobs they did for the kingdom too. I don't have a ton of textual evidence for this, but I still think it's a fun interpretation.
That would make sense. It could also be the 4 knights were just the 4 best knights that were not gods themselves. So Gough was a leader of those archers but then chosen to be a knight as a title and position. He would keep his old title as the knights probably did not fight together often, as they likely were needed elsewhere.
I'm glad Gough never returned past his appearance in the Artorias DLC, but part of me also genuinely would have loved to see him be the one to blast Midir off his perch. I can even just see the questline in my head. He sits alone by the Purging Monument or some other largely inaccessible place sighing stories long past and desiring one last battle and Lord to fight for. He's spent ages watching Midir rampage the land, but is not to keen or doesn't get the respect he requires to work with the Fillanoire's disciples so when you come along there's a small bit of the humors that rises within him seeing a human still prattling about causing mischief. Perhaps in the hollowed out mountain tops where Midir haunts you lies a drawstring suitable for the last of Gough's finely crafted greatbows. Handing this to him causes him to laugh, clearly amused by the idea of engaging in one last round of dragon slaying nostalgia. Gough draws himself one last mighty arrow and you can see his body start to crack and crickle. It's clear this is going to be his last shot, but the proud grunt he elicits pulling his arrow suggests a manner of pride in this fact. He let's the arrow fly and it hits his mark. The arrow pins Midir right into the cliffside he's been setting alight with his murderous flames and Gough let's out hearty laughter as he falls. His body is spent, but he's otherwise happy to send you on your way as he begins to rest. Gough then eggs you on, daring you to be the mightiest dragon slayer, and demands you plunge Midir into the depths of the earth. (This is how you get to fight him on the cliffside.) He sits there, happy to laugh in pride and thankful to you for allowing him one last fight for the remainder of the DLC. When you finally kill Midir, you can go back to Gough who will have finally passed on. There he'd have a special item on his corpse or something that would greatly give bonuses to anyone using a Greatbow. Is this lore accurate? No, but I can't imagine a more fitting end to perhaps the noblest of Gwyn's Greatest Knights.
You know what would be super cool? If there was an alternate cutscene where the chosen undead tells Gough he isn't blind by revealing the magic amulet to him. Then, Gough is able to see through a tiny crack in his helmet and he removes it, confirming that he can see well. He takes the shot and hits Kalameet near the heart, which makes the fight easier as the dragon only has 50% of his health now.
Thank you for this. He's one of my favorite NPCs and his dialogue stands amongst my favorite from all the Souls games and you perfectly put into words why I always found him so special
Given how technically skilled the Giant Blacksmith is, could it be that he just speaks the language of Lordran as a a second language? That perhaps he was even discouraged from using the language with sophistication in order to emphasize his lower status?
Who wouldnt be filled with joy when you get to talk about Hawkeye???? Hawkshaws been improving a lot though, so I totally get what you mean. It feels refreshing to listen too!
Nameless King was the leader imo. Orn led the dragonslayers, Gough the archers, Kieran the Lord Blades and Artorias probably did not lead anything I agree. But thanks to DS3, the real Ornstein probably went in search of Nameless King indicating they had a special bond. But as the Firstborn would not be counted among the 4. Of course that changed later but Nameless probably fought the early part of the war as Gwyn's lead captain. After imo Orn led.
Hawkshaw truly is the best Souls lore channel around with very strong competition. I was hooked after watching the video on Ds1 about the rebellion and Havel the Rock. I played that game so much and read up on it the video was insightful beyond what i thought possible. Keep up the excellent work.
I missed your videos so much. Thank you for such a thoughtful and eloquent explanation. I just shared this video with all my old dark souls friends from years ago.
Such a well made video with a highly intellectual and beautiful interpretation. I've been watching your videos for years and this is surely one of my favourites. Your words on Gough's stoicism were especially touching. Keep up the great work❤.
One of the best videos i ever seen on yt, Gough is truly an underrated character for a reason, his actions and words speak with wisdom, wisdom often comes after great suffering, his existence in the game is to show in form of implicitly that overcoming reality and pain accepting with calmness is possible, something that most of people including myself struggles to succeed and for that same reason we often don't want others to remind us that is actually something WE CAN achieve.
I don't think the giant blacksmith is dumb. I think he talks like that because English isn't his first language. It's not easy to learn to speak a new language fluently when you're secluded and prevented from socializing. It's no wonder he's so happy to see the player visit him. Gough doesn't have that problem because his job required a lot of social interactions. He had plenty of opportunities to learn and practice English.
Interestingly in DS 3 the giant archer has the Hawk ring and suddenly dies when specific items (that are related to Oolacile) are "examined". A descendant of Goth most likely since the Blacksmith Giant in Anor Londo no longer has the ring in his chest.
My theory on Goughs blindness is it was a curse inflicted by an ancient dragon. Of the 2 ancient dragons we face, both inflict a type of curse, Kalameet with the double damage tinitus attack, and Seath with the curse status effect of his breath, which Logans version could never replicate. If these ancient dragons can both inflict their own curses upon adversaries then it's not to strange to imagine others having similar abilities. Suppose one cursed Gough with blindness assuming that would be the end of him, only for Gough to simply shoot it down regardless. The helmet could then have been sealed up later specifically to mock him for being a blind sharpshooter.
@StevenHolt-wr5ow You make a fine point, but one should note that Disparity was not so kind so as to keep their kind of one nature. You need only look to Kalameet, or Sinh, or even their bastard wyvern kin; all of them are variations on the original. Aside from the Dragon in the Lake and the Gaping Dragon, we may have never seen anything close to a true, Everlasting Dragon. Fitting, that they are both the sources of these weapons and weapon arts. That said, you are correct. Pine resin is the likely answer.
I'd like to add a little, perhaps unimportant, note about the rank of the Four Knights. The description says that Gough was the captain of the Dragonslayers, not the Silver Knights (Gwyn's army); which makes me believe that he was the captain of a specialized unit inside the army, which is a distinction, of course. Not to dismerit him, though. In Ornstein's case, they say it is believed he was the captain of the Four Knights. I don't think this implies a modern misconception. What I think it means, is that there was not a hierarchy amongts those four. None of the four were above the others, and yet, Ornstein is believed to be the captain. Why? Probably because he took more of the role of a leader between the Four Knights, even if more of a de facto thing, and not officially. Maybe it was to the whole army; him being the strategist/commander that gave out orders, even when he shared the same rank as the other three. Besides, he was very close the Firstborn of Gwyn himself, the god of war. Surely he learned a lot from him. If anyone is looking closer to be a more capable military leader at the level of a general, I would say it would be Ornstein. I discovered this channel very recently, and it has been a pleasure to listen to the lore of Dark Souls once more, from a fresh perspective. Great video.
Also found his voice quite soothing. Over all Gough might just be my favourite npc. I really enjoy his introspectiveness and just the way he speaks and how he praises the player
This soothing video about one my favorite DS characters kept me company while I bashed Soul of Cinder with a broken straight sword. If I’m not already subscribed, I’m doing it now.
Nice video. To put in my two cents, you say he's working towards enlightenment by sculpting. I can see paralells between him and the Sculptor/Sekijo from Sekiro. Carving things to work towards enlightenment. Being mostly solitary. Obviously he's majorly different though. He lost an arm, isn't blind, isn't imprisoned by anyone else, perhaps is in self imprisonment due to guilt, not an archer and he seems to fare much worse than Gough, though, eventually being consumed by anger. Still though, unless there is some obvious sign in game pointing to his horrible demise or his transformation into some horrible monster we have to kill, I would say he fares pretty well with his situation, as it stands when you meet him.
As far as I know, these carvings do also exist in DS3. But the description there states that they are of "unknown origin". Whereas in DS1 the carvings descriptions clearly point out that Gough has made them. So if DS3 takes place after DS1, these carvings might lived through the ages of time but Gough seems to be daed and forgotten. Or another being is carving them in memory of Gough. Or maybe it's just his name and legacy that have gone lost through the years but Gough is still alive - peacefully carving.
@@ethisfreedom It could also be an alternate reality where Siegmeyer had survived events in the past. Or it's actually not Siegmeyer but an admirer cosplaying him. Or whatever. lol
Most people see the Souls franchise as terribly difficult, rage inducing nightmares, but we, the lore enthusiasts, know it's one of the most tear-jerking, emotional experiences in gaming history. Gough the gentle giant, the legend of valiant Artorias and his fruitless struggle against the dark, the tragic fate of Sif and the Chosen Undead, the sisters of chaos and the Fair Lady, Sunbro Solaire, warmhearted Siegmeier, Seath's twisted experiments and their results, I could go on and on and on. Few games stick to my memory as much as Dark Souls 1 did.
The humble nature of someone who could destroy nature itself but instead crafts it for others to use. To see potential in other's who chase a challenge that at his peak was tea and biscuits. Be a bro, be more Gough
4:16 in ds2 it is revealed that she isn’t the real Pharis since she found the attire of Pharis and worn it and as ds2 said that “The hunting goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity." and we know there was a bow archer named Pharis that was along the ranks of Hawkeye gough which means that Elvana must of found the attire of Pharis and the passing of lore merged the two into a single being
The hardest part about Dark Souls isn't any boss or area, it's having to kill Gough for his armor. He is such a bro, and his armor is one of the last things I need for the true 100%. Feels bad man...
maybe you just don't know the lore for the later games as well as you know the lore for the first game, so you presume them to be more shallow. or perhaps you just have a bias opinion due to nostalgia. either way, i disagree with your take.
It would’ve been really cool if the giant you find at the top of the tower in the Undead Settlement was actually Gough, but it seems Fromsoft didn’t want it to pan out that way. The tower giant drops the Hawk Ring in DS3, which must’ve been a subtle nod to Gough but ultimately could never be him which is unfortunate. Would’ve been nice to see though considering DS3 is a sequel to DS1
I think when it comes to the discussion of the leader of the four knights, that its probably Ornstein. My main reason is that the word leader doesn't necessarily have to mean like leader, but more like he was the wisest among them and led them in more intellectual ways while Ornstein led in a more literal sense. . If that is true than it would even further push back against the prejudice that giants are less smart.
I believe Gough did take off his armor and helmet when his prison was falling into the abyss. He is free and lives a simple life of carving wood and helping all those who pass him in the mountains
He has a large V-shaped crack in his helmet making it appear similar to the billed masks of the sealers. Gough = Go = 5 (Japanese) = V (Roman Numerals) I definitely think Velka was a dragonslayer. While Gough led the Giant Greatarchers against the dragons, Velka's Valkyries vollied lightning arrows. This tale was stripped from the annals when Velka and the Nameless Blacksmith Deity plotted against the Gods.
Hmm. Is your thought process on Velka related to Shira's existence? Also, why precisely do you think she and the Nameless Blacksmith did plot against the gods? As in, their reason for it.
@@alyseleem2692 I took a bit of creative liberty but yeah, female dragonslayers were said to fire lightning arrows at the eyes of dragons and Kalameet has a cross-shaped 3rd eye. Velka and Shira are connected by crosses (strap in); Painted World contains crucified hollows, crossbreed priscilla, xanthous king, *an* ne *x* key, X-shaped crank to rotate the statue, ariamis corvians cross their wings as a tell before their jump attacks, velka's black set has crosses on the thighs and hands, velka's rapier has V & ^ attacks which together form XX (double cross) as well as arcs on the cross-guard resembling a perpendicular bisector (geometric cross constructor) and the initials J.C. (bonus: 10 is X in Roman numerals, Oswald sells 10 Rings of Sacrifice, and, to top it off, Oswald and Gwyndolin T-pose) There's also corvians in crucifixion woods, as well as crosses in the shape of the symbol of Londor and the shape of the Darkmoon.
@@alyseleem2692The riesen for the plot, I don't know. War stokes the fire, I guess. Nashandra convinced her husband to war with the giants, and I think Velka convinced the giants to war with her husband.
@@core-nix1885 Very interesting points. Yes, but that would be civil war. War that breaks families abd alliances. And there is little to say Velka herself is a shard of the Abyss, like Nashandra. An interesting thing I found about the Japanese description of the Effigy Shield is that it wasn't a plot against the gods plural. It was against " God"; whoever that was at the time. Who do you think the blacksmith deity was? I find the Titanite Demons to look awfully familiar.
By the way, is kalameet a everlasting dragon? He seem so small compared to Seath or even the hellkite drake and his lightning resistance is off the charts for a dragon.
Who else is nostalgic for Dark Souls 1? Subscribe for more!
Gough’s cutscene always gives me chills
What I would give to play through fresh again.
Beautiful ending sentiment.
I already know that when I'm an old man, if I'm lucky enough to become one, I will look back on Dark Souls 1 as truly life-changing. I look forward to those old man thoughts, those great waves of nostalgia. I'll remember Gough and smile as I whittle my own wood carving.
if 10 or so years is the legal threshold for nostalgia then yes I am
Always♥
Gough, inspite of being blind, knows where the missing column is that lets him take the shot. His belly flop attack has him jumping about as high as the height of the columns anyway. I think Gough broke out that column planning for that shot, which would also imply he can break out at any time.
Gough definitely could escape with ease, couldn't he!
Dude I did the experiment! Gough’s arrows ARE stronger than dragonslayer arrows against dragon enemies! But weaker against non dragon enemies! Damn From Soft.. Just.. Damn..
Really ?! I will test it tomorrow by myself
@@reapers_acc Results?
@@actuallyavilible7496 I'm afraid the dragon ate him.
@@Mewseeker 🫡
Is this for all dragon relatives or just true dragons like Kalameet?
1 new Hawkshaw vid means at least 1 week of good sleep for me
I still go back to the Timeline every so often
Literally me
Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame haha
@@elmine7707the plot against the gods video never fails 🛌
too real u should become a guy that does prophecies
I think that Gough is still carving the stones and selling to random wanderers until the end of DS3, since there are still carvings in all the games
The land of Oolacille is heavily implied to have turned into the poison swamp, thus we find dead giant mushrooms, the oolacille scroll, and the farris hat in the poison swamp. So its highly doubtful that the tower remains all the way to ds3's time.
Actually, theres a lot of evidence that it didn't even survive till modern ds1 times, since the Alvina's forrest is definitely the area that used to be Oolacille, and the coloseum tower is also no where to be found. So odds are gough is long dead.
@@addictiontransfer3731 but how do they get to trade the very same stones?
@@aleshofastora440 Simple. Gough made them and traded them with not only us the player, but also the people of Oolacille. We find a few of the stones scattered around Oolacille township, so odds are there were probably a good bunch of Oolacillians that would trade with Hawkeye Gough either before or during his imprisonment.
Also if you look next to Hawkeye Gough, he has actually carved a giant pile of those carvings, meaning he probably made and sold them to many many people over the course of his time in Oolacille. Hence why there are still some to be found in Lothric hundreds or even a thousand years later.
@@addictiontransfer3731 but who would still make them? That's what I meant, afterall, his stones weren't infinite
@@aleshofastora440 No one _still_ makes them... it's just that the hundreds or so _Gough made_ and sold during the age of fire, lasted as random people's possessions untill modern day in ds3. Gough was long dead, but his creations lasted for many generations. The same thing happens in real life with antiques.
The dragons shall never be forgotten…
We knights fought valiantly, but for every one of them, we lost three score of our own.
Exhiliration, pride, hatred, rage… The dragons teased out our dearest emotions.
…Thou will understand, one day.
At thy twilight, old thoughts return, in great waves of nostalgia.
Dragon Slayer Gough - To the Chosen Undead.
Eros and Erosion.
I feel like this is a fourth wall break of a line. He might as well looked dead center at the camera with "rage".
@@thomasgiles2876 and it happened when I was a teenage boy. In the age of fire so long ago. It has become legend to me. And ya i remember raging at kalameet.
@@thomasgiles2876 yep. This quote perfectly encompasses how the player feels about playing the dark souls games for the first time, and how we now feel rushes of "giant waves of nostalgia" when thinking back to how fun, hard, and rewarding they were!! and how we probably all wish we could experience them for the first time again (with active player bases again).
The only thing thicker than Gough's body is his big thicc brain what a champ.
Bonus trivia for the carvings: they will bounce off of the invisible Platforms in the crystal Caverns. I had a randomizer run where I never got prism stones but I was able to spam a carving to find my way
It’s sort of beautiful how Gough is a character that didn’t really feature in the later games
I was trying to think of who his soul successors could be but I think he was completely forgotten.
@@FumblsTheSniperhe wasnt, the giant in the undead settlement gives his ring when he dies. Fitting giving hes a giant archer
@@MasterDrakon009It's fitting that Gough's successor, however insignificant he may be to the lore, ended up being another generous, impossibly good Giant Archer.
Hello! Help me! I'm sorry! Very good! Thank you!
I'm not sure just how "imprisoned' Gough was. There's no chance he could go down that ladder or door with his sheer size. Perhaps he was told he was imprisoned and was like "sure, okay". He could leave that tower easily.
Gough, you are Imprisoned here
- Oh, if that's what you think is best. I'll stay here.
Elizabeth's dialogue is especially strange, because Dusk herself is human, as are the people of Oolacile. This may have to do with the fact we are Undead; more human than usual.
Everything else is either cut dialogue or the direct result of our aggression towards those speaking such words; in other words, when we show ourselves to be hostile and reward their courtesy with ill-intent. More importantly, they are made in the context of what happened in Oolacile; an explosion of humanity, consuming all things.
In fact, in Ciaran's case, her dialogue implies that humans felt they had some sort of privilege to take what they wish, or at least, gave that impression. Keep in mind the Four Kings were given a piece of Gwyn's soul, and were alive and well during the DLC.
The Battle Of Stoicism isn't for Silver Knights; at the very least, not Silver Knights of the same race as Gwyn. It requires the use of specific bonfires; it was for Undead. Undead who won were allowed to go to Anor Londo.
P. S, pine resin in the eyes is actually quite harmful, especially when melted. Gough is likely truly blind.
Humans Had the ability of Life Drain, because of the Dark Soul. So even though all life needs "Humanity Sprites" Humans probably acted as if it is was their birth right to horde. Ironic given the fact the first humans were treated worse than Giant Slaves during the War against the dragons and used as disposable people for eons. Its funny that when the tables are turned they cry foul lmao.
@@MargaretBarron-d9k And your source that we are treated worse than Giant slaves is?
This video?
Because there's literally no evidence. The Four Kings had a kingdom. Gough and Giant Blacksmith? They had nothing. We were treated much, much better. We had entire lamds and countries in the outside world. All human-owned. All persecuting Giants.
Lifedrain could indeed be a reason, though. Still, it had to be introduced by Kaathe first, so it might not be there yet by the DLC's time. Plus, Humanity is actually not essential to most lifeforms; in fact, in the Abyss, it is downright poisonous. Souls are the essence of all life; Humanities are unique to humans.
In other words, you can only truly use Lifedrain on other humans.
@StevenHolt-wr5ow Yep. I don't know who first made that theory, but they really, really need to stop underestimating my guy. And Giants in general.
About leadership: I always felt that "dragonslayers" may have referred to a different group. I imagined him being a leader of those greatbow jerks from Anor Londo, like an Archer General of sorts, reconciling that by imagining the Four Knights as a separate order of honored warriors, who had other jobs they did for the kingdom too. I don't have a ton of textual evidence for this, but I still think it's a fun interpretation.
That would make sense. It could also be the 4 knights were just the 4 best knights that were not gods themselves. So Gough was a leader of those archers but then chosen to be a knight as a title and position. He would keep his old title as the knights probably did not fight together often, as they likely were needed elsewhere.
I'm glad Gough never returned past his appearance in the Artorias DLC, but part of me also genuinely would have loved to see him be the one to blast Midir off his perch. I can even just see the questline in my head. He sits alone by the Purging Monument or some other largely inaccessible place sighing stories long past and desiring one last battle and Lord to fight for.
He's spent ages watching Midir rampage the land, but is not to keen or doesn't get the respect he requires to work with the Fillanoire's disciples so when you come along there's a small bit of the humors that rises within him seeing a human still prattling about causing mischief.
Perhaps in the hollowed out mountain tops where Midir haunts you lies a drawstring suitable for the last of Gough's finely crafted greatbows. Handing this to him causes him to laugh, clearly amused by the idea of engaging in one last round of dragon slaying nostalgia.
Gough draws himself one last mighty arrow and you can see his body start to crack and crickle. It's clear this is going to be his last shot, but the proud grunt he elicits pulling his arrow suggests a manner of pride in this fact. He let's the arrow fly and it hits his mark.
The arrow pins Midir right into the cliffside he's been setting alight with his murderous flames and Gough let's out hearty laughter as he falls. His body is spent, but he's otherwise happy to send you on your way as he begins to rest.
Gough then eggs you on, daring you to be the mightiest dragon slayer, and demands you plunge Midir into the depths of the earth. (This is how you get to fight him on the cliffside.) He sits there, happy to laugh in pride and thankful to you for allowing him one last fight for the remainder of the DLC.
When you finally kill Midir, you can go back to Gough who will have finally passed on. There he'd have a special item on his corpse or something that would greatly give bonuses to anyone using a Greatbow.
Is this lore accurate? No, but I can't imagine a more fitting end to perhaps the noblest of Gwyn's Greatest Knights.
I mean you basically just remade his ds1 story beat for beat
Just now he dies before you can tell him the dragon is dead
I like to think that he is not being punished, but protected somehow. The world outside his place is cruel and he doesn't deserves it.
He doesn't deserve it? The world outside doesn't deserve him!
This is a cool take on it
I love that new DS lore videos keep coming all these years later, will always watch in full, thanks for another amazing video!
You know what would be super cool? If there was an alternate cutscene where the chosen undead tells Gough he isn't blind by revealing the magic amulet to him. Then, Gough is able to see through a tiny crack in his helmet and he removes it, confirming that he can see well. He takes the shot and hits Kalameet near the heart, which makes the fight easier as the dragon only has 50% of his health now.
I've always believed that the nameless king was the leader of the 4 and since he was erased from history there is confusion on who the leader was.
Thank you for this. He's one of my favorite NPCs and his dialogue stands amongst my favorite from all the Souls games and you perfectly put into words why I always found him so special
His dialogue about great waves of nostalgia will forever be one of my favorites
Gough, my favorite merchant of home made quality poopoo pies.
Given how technically skilled the Giant Blacksmith is, could it be that he just speaks the language of Lordran as a a second language? That perhaps he was even discouraged from using the language with sophistication in order to emphasize his lower status?
The writing in this one feels a lil different than your typical writing, but it feels very fun! I really enjoyed this video!!
I feel like he’s starting to loosen up in his delivery, which I feel is healthy for him as an artist
Who wouldnt be filled with joy when you get to talk about Hawkeye????
Hawkshaws been improving a lot though, so I totally get what you mean. It feels refreshing to listen too!
Genuinely can't wait to give every ounce of attention I have for another 20 mins. Never stop.
Nameless King was the leader imo. Orn led the dragonslayers, Gough the archers, Kieran the Lord Blades and Artorias probably did not lead anything I agree. But thanks to DS3, the real Ornstein probably went in search of Nameless King indicating they had a special bond. But as the Firstborn would not be counted among the 4. Of course that changed later but Nameless probably fought the early part of the war as Gwyn's lead captain. After imo Orn led.
Love gough so glad you did a video on him
Hawkshaw truly is the best Souls lore channel around with very strong competition. I was hooked after watching the video on Ds1 about the rebellion and Havel the Rock. I played that game so much and read up on it the video was insightful beyond what i thought possible. Keep up the excellent work.
I missed your videos so much. Thank you for such a thoughtful and eloquent explanation. I just shared this video with all my old dark souls friends from years ago.
A new lore video rises like the sun ☀️
What a nice surprise on a Saturday! Thanks hawkshaw:)
Such a well made video with a highly intellectual and beautiful interpretation. I've been watching your videos for years and this is surely one of my favourites. Your words on Gough's stoicism were especially touching. Keep up the great work❤.
Can't help but feel bad for Kalameet even though Gough is a big teddy bear
One of the best videos i ever seen on yt, Gough is truly an underrated character for a reason, his actions and words speak with wisdom, wisdom often comes after great suffering, his existence in the game is to show in form of implicitly that overcoming reality and pain accepting with calmness is possible, something that most of people including myself struggles to succeed and for that same reason we often don't want others to remind us that is actually something WE CAN achieve.
I don't think the giant blacksmith is dumb. I think he talks like that because English isn't his first language. It's not easy to learn to speak a new language fluently when you're secluded and prevented from socializing. It's no wonder he's so happy to see the player visit him. Gough doesn't have that problem because his job required a lot of social interactions. He had plenty of opportunities to learn and practice English.
Nothing else better than getting a notification from Hawkshaw.
Love when a new Hawkshaw video goes up!
Please make more lore before bed videos. Thank you!!!!!!
Congrats on over 100k subs Hawkshaw! Long overdue!
Interestingly in DS 3 the giant archer has the Hawk ring and suddenly dies when specific items (that are related to Oolacile) are "examined". A descendant of Goth most likely since the Blacksmith Giant in Anor Londo no longer has the ring in his chest.
What? the giant archer dies??
@@gabiasec4s If you get all the young white branches, he dies :(((
I didnt know ;(@@supremeclamitas5053
@@supremeclamitas5053 Oh THAT'S why.
One playthrough i came back to kill him for the ring, but when i got to him he was already dead
6:55 "Gough would've been a nightmare for the dragons with his huge HP and massive damage output"
lol.
My theory on Goughs blindness is it was a curse inflicted by an ancient dragon. Of the 2 ancient dragons we face, both inflict a type of curse, Kalameet with the double damage tinitus attack, and Seath with the curse status effect of his breath, which Logans version could never replicate. If these ancient dragons can both inflict their own curses upon adversaries then it's not to strange to imagine others having similar abilities. Suppose one cursed Gough with blindness assuming that would be the end of him, only for Gough to simply shoot it down regardless. The helmet could then have been sealed up later specifically to mock him for being a blind sharpshooter.
Most would consider pine resin to the eyes to be harmful enough to cause blindness in itself, but that is a very interesting take.
@StevenHolt-wr5ow You make a fine point, but one should note that Disparity was not so kind so as to keep their kind of one nature. You need only look to Kalameet, or Sinh, or even their bastard wyvern kin; all of them are variations on the original. Aside from the Dragon in the Lake and the Gaping Dragon, we may have never seen anything close to a true, Everlasting Dragon. Fitting, that they are both the sources of these weapons and weapon arts.
That said, you are correct. Pine resin is the likely answer.
I'd like to add a little, perhaps unimportant, note about the rank of the Four Knights.
The description says that Gough was the captain of the Dragonslayers, not the Silver Knights (Gwyn's army); which makes me believe that he was the captain of a specialized unit inside the army, which is a distinction, of course. Not to dismerit him, though.
In Ornstein's case, they say it is believed he was the captain of the Four Knights. I don't think this implies a modern misconception. What I think it means, is that there was not a hierarchy amongts those four.
None of the four were above the others, and yet, Ornstein is believed to be the captain. Why? Probably because he took more of the role of a leader between the Four Knights, even if more of a de facto thing, and not officially. Maybe it was to the whole army; him being the strategist/commander that gave out orders, even when he shared the same rank as the other three.
Besides, he was very close the Firstborn of Gwyn himself, the god of war. Surely he learned a lot from him.
If anyone is looking closer to be a more capable military leader at the level of a general, I would say it would be Ornstein.
I discovered this channel very recently, and it has been a pleasure to listen to the lore of Dark Souls once more, from a fresh perspective. Great video.
I listen to these on my commute to and from work, love everything you put out
Yeah more Hawkshaw content!
Love all your videos, always excited when they pop up!
Wonderful🖤
Loved the video and topic!
I love that you incorporate age of mythology music. Such nostalgia. Absolutely unmatched
Also found his voice quite soothing. Over all Gough might just be my favourite npc. I really enjoy his introspectiveness and just the way he speaks and how he praises the player
Blessed! We are blessed!
This soothing video about one my favorite DS characters kept me company while I bashed Soul of Cinder with a broken straight sword. If I’m not already subscribed, I’m doing it now.
Bow mains, unite! And sit down! Hawkshaw's telling us a tale of one of our best!
Great content my dude
Been a fan for a long time man, you have a great storytellers voice and the videos are so well done.
Wake up babe, new Hawkshaw video
I am pretty sure Gough did a 360° before firing the arrow. All he wanted to hear was the hit mark before the vuvuzelas sounds.
Nice video.
To put in my two cents, you say he's working towards enlightenment by sculpting.
I can see paralells between him and the Sculptor/Sekijo from Sekiro. Carving things to work towards enlightenment. Being mostly solitary.
Obviously he's majorly different though. He lost an arm, isn't blind, isn't imprisoned by anyone else, perhaps is in self imprisonment due to guilt, not an archer and he seems to fare much worse than Gough, though, eventually being consumed by anger.
Still though, unless there is some obvious sign in game pointing to his horrible demise or his transformation into some horrible monster we have to kill, I would say he fares pretty well with his situation, as it stands when you meet him.
I swear these videos get meme-ier with every new installment
As far as I know, these carvings do also exist in DS3. But the description there states that they are of "unknown origin". Whereas in DS1 the carvings descriptions clearly point out that Gough has made them.
So if DS3 takes place after DS1, these carvings might lived through the ages of time but Gough seems to be daed and forgotten.
Or another being is carving them in memory of Gough.
Or maybe it's just his name and legacy that have gone lost through the years but Gough is still alive - peacefully carving.
How does DS3 takes place after DS1 when we saw Siegmeyer die in DS1 but he is in DS3.
@@ethisfreedom It could also be an alternate reality where Siegmeyer had survived events in the past. Or it's actually not Siegmeyer but an admirer cosplaying him. Or whatever. lol
all this time, my favorite demons and dark souls characters shared the same VA? this man works magic I swear.
Absolutely tragic, I’m a day late to my husband’s lore video
Wonderful video!!!
Thank you
> be giant
> shoot arrow
> stay in cell
> nice as fuck
who could hate this man?
Most people see the Souls franchise as terribly difficult, rage inducing nightmares, but we, the lore enthusiasts, know it's one of the most tear-jerking, emotional experiences in gaming history. Gough the gentle giant, the legend of valiant Artorias and his fruitless struggle against the dark, the tragic fate of Sif and the Chosen Undead, the sisters of chaos and the Fair Lady, Sunbro Solaire, warmhearted Siegmeier, Seath's twisted experiments and their results, I could go on and on and on. Few games stick to my memory as much as Dark Souls 1 did.
The humble nature of someone who could destroy nature itself but instead crafts it for others to use. To see potential in other's who chase a challenge that at his peak was tea and biscuits. Be a bro, be more Gough
thanks so much guys. Gough is my favorite character in all souls games
Gough: 'I won't miss'
'Watch out for friendly fire.'
'All or nothing'
'Later, buddy.'
wait wrong game lol
"lead thy life as thou seest fit"
Like Gwyndolin;
"Very well.
We shall not need speech.
Exit here, and follow thine own design."
Or Agdayne;
"Crude human, do as you please."
bro, hell yeah. i love this guy!
gough
4:16 in ds2 it is revealed that she isn’t the real Pharis since she found the attire of Pharis and worn it and as ds2 said that “The hunting goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity." and we know there was a bow archer named Pharis that was along the ranks of Hawkeye gough which means that Elvana must of found the attire of Pharis and the passing of lore merged the two into a single being
I think that the reason his arrows are weaker is because he is stronger than the other archers and doesn’t need the other arrows
The only thing missing from this video is an oldschool MLG edit of Gough hitting that shot - that „my hope will never die!“ dubstep
The hardest part about Dark Souls isn't any boss or area, it's having to kill Gough for his armor. He is such a bro, and his armor is one of the last things I need for the true 100%.
Feels bad man...
congrats on 100k subs hawkshaw. took too long ur underrated as fuck lol
Can’t wIt for your analysis of the elden ring dlc, are you going to make dark souls 2 and 3 videos?
Truly love that some of us are still enthralled by the dark souls clissic lore. Every game after became more and more shallow
maybe you just don't know the lore for the later games as well as you know the lore for the first game, so you presume them to be more shallow.
or perhaps you just have a bias opinion due to nostalgia.
either way, i disagree with your take.
@@Chicanery_Artifice Same
It would’ve been really cool if the giant you find at the top of the tower in the Undead Settlement was actually Gough, but it seems Fromsoft didn’t want it to pan out that way.
The tower giant drops the Hawk Ring in DS3, which must’ve been a subtle nod to Gough but ultimately could never be him which is unfortunate. Would’ve been nice to see though considering DS3 is a sequel to DS1
Gough is basically the figure of stoicism in The Phenomenology of Spirit
The unnamed Giant in DS3 seems like he looked up to Gough. I call him Greg in honor of his discipline and character
Praise the Sun 🌞
I think when it comes to the discussion of the leader of the four knights, that its probably Ornstein. My main reason is that the word leader doesn't necessarily have to mean like leader, but more like he was the wisest among them and led them in more intellectual ways while Ornstein led in a more literal sense. . If that is true than it would even further push back against the prejudice that giants are less smart.
dude not the outer wilds music, im gonna cry
Imagine being Kalameet, you fly by an old imprisoned and blind giant every day, then all of a sudden you are knocked out of the sky 😂
New drinking game for watching Hawkshaw videos:
Take a shot for everytime Hawkshaw mentions the Plot Against the Gods.
The Shot Against The Gods! XD Hahahaha
I believe Gough did take off his armor and helmet when his prison was falling into the abyss. He is free and lives a simple life of carving wood and helping all those who pass him in the mountains
Gough may have been the leader of the Batallion of Silver Knights who were solely archers. He may have also been their trainer.
Gough is a massive BOI and he's awesome! A simple giant who I am absolutely enthralled by
He has a large V-shaped crack in his helmet making it appear similar to the billed masks of the sealers.
Gough
= Go = 5 (Japanese)
= V (Roman Numerals)
I definitely think Velka was a dragonslayer.
While Gough led the Giant Greatarchers against the dragons, Velka's Valkyries vollied lightning arrows. This tale was stripped from the annals when Velka and the Nameless Blacksmith Deity plotted against the Gods.
0:34 (crack is visible)
Hmm. Is your thought process on Velka related to Shira's existence? Also, why precisely do you think she and the Nameless Blacksmith did plot against the gods? As in, their reason for it.
@@alyseleem2692 I took a bit of creative liberty but yeah, female dragonslayers were said to fire lightning arrows at the eyes of dragons and Kalameet has a cross-shaped 3rd eye.
Velka and Shira are connected by crosses (strap in); Painted World contains crucified hollows, crossbreed priscilla, xanthous king, *an* ne *x* key, X-shaped crank to rotate the statue, ariamis corvians cross their wings as a tell before their jump attacks, velka's black set has crosses on the thighs and hands, velka's rapier has V & ^ attacks which together form XX (double cross) as well as arcs on the cross-guard resembling a perpendicular bisector (geometric cross constructor) and the initials J.C. (bonus: 10 is X in Roman numerals, Oswald sells 10 Rings of Sacrifice, and, to top it off, Oswald and Gwyndolin T-pose)
There's also corvians in crucifixion woods, as well as crosses in the shape of the symbol of Londor and the shape of the Darkmoon.
@@alyseleem2692The riesen for the plot, I don't know.
War stokes the fire, I guess.
Nashandra convinced her husband to war with the giants, and I think Velka convinced the giants to war with her husband.
@@core-nix1885 Very interesting points.
Yes, but that would be civil war. War that breaks families abd alliances. And there is little to say Velka herself is a shard of the Abyss, like Nashandra.
An interesting thing I found about the Japanese description of the Effigy Shield is that it wasn't a plot against the gods plural. It was against " God"; whoever that was at the time.
Who do you think the blacksmith deity was? I find the Titanite Demons to look awfully familiar.
Wow, i didn't even know that Gough have his own moveset apart from regular giants
Amazing work
Gough the ultimate and kind Gigachad
Gough is my favourite DS1 Char
I'll never get tired of these videos ^_^
I thought that Gough wasn't blind, his helmet has just been stuffed with debris and he thinks hes blind
With great waves of nostalgia indeed
It took me so long to work out what I was looking at in that thumbnail haha
It seems to me that seethe may have locked him up, Gouth may have been one of the few individuals who alone could pose a true threat to them
GET NO SCOOOOOOOOPED
So you're telling me that i can't find a reasonably long soul calibur lore video but I can find this one mf video on this one random ass DS character
The killer of all dragons!
By the way, is kalameet a everlasting dragon? He seem so small compared to Seath or even the hellkite drake and his lightning resistance is off the charts for a dragon.
Gough is such a bro.