Dark Souls 3 Dissected #1 - The World Layout of Lothric Explained

[@illusorywall]

Hey everyone! If you enjoy this content please consider supporting me on Patreon! It goes a long way to helping me produce this content: www.patreon.com/illusorywall

[@honkyjesuseternal]

Why do you use the term soulsborne? It isn't Souls, and it isn't an RPG.

[@illusorywall]

@@honkyjesuseternal What are you on about? What does something being an RPG or not have to do with anything?

[@liyifenn]

@@honkyjesuseternal What the hell *are* you talking about? 'Soulsborne' is just a term used to categorize Dark Souls I, II and III (and Bloodborne) under one umbrella, because they all have similar gameplay and mechanics and run on a similar engine (that being PhyreEngine, Sony's proprietary game engine). Also, ^. The game being an RPG has nothing to do with anything mentioned here.

[@Mathaiascn]

@@honkyjesuseternal now it's soulsbornekiro and it has that name bc they are from games (forget about armored core and kings field)

[@coleballenger4595]

@@honkyjesuseternal Lol, I can appreciate the "comment & then run away" strat. Credit where it's due. 🙃

[@bakubread9308]

ah the pain of "episode 1" being the only episode in the playlist

[@sillyxo]

let illusory cook 🙏

[@somedude4533]

​@@sillyxony brother in christ he's been "cooking" for 3 years he's gone for milk at this point

[@CapraDaAlbaRegia]

Tbb DS 3 is the least interesting to me, I just want more DS 2 vids to gorge on.

[@sillyxo]

@@somedude4533 😭 there's still hope

[@kyaban5192]

He brought up the enemy polys that let the agroed enemies know if they could reach you or not. I hope he does something like that, it could be interesting.

[@Stiggandr1]

The low poly renders of distant zones are so consistently slightly higher than the actual level map, that it makes me think they were deliberately trying to hide player clutter, like prism stones, summon signs, and blood stains, in distant views.

[@PrayForTanqueray]

That is actually a great point! It would've looked weird for sure.

[@Hostile_Design]

I doubt that. They could have opted to just not render any such objects after distance X (like with the bloodstain example shown in the video), and/or cut any such objects from being loaded/rendered if present on another level not currently loaded, which would have been far more effective at that job.

[@FFKonoko]

@@Hostile_Design glad they didn't, considering how often being able to see things from unexpectedly far away is useful. The real counter is all the times it isn't higher, like anor londo

[@shinyrayquaza9]

which you could see in dsr

[@liyifenn]

This would be a good theory if prism stones, summon signs and blood stains from different areas were rendered at all. Prism stones are unloaded during loading screens, summon signs _can't_ be that far out because those areas aren't accessible by players without using hacks, and bloodstains disappear after a certain distance even within the same level as explained in this video.

[@getthegoons]

Ngl the end of the Ringed City is probably the scariest post apocalyptic landscape I've ever seen. It's just... Empty. Forever. A few ruins poke up but it's just cold emptiness forever.

[@main_rouge]

You might want to check angel's egg (Tenshi no Tamago) by Mamoru Oshi then if you haven't already. The movie was a big inspiration for the dlc and it really gives off the same feeling of emptiness, but even more cold somehow, the colors going from orange in dark souls to dark blue in the movie.

[@Odinsday]

Miyazaki is the master of giving players an existential crisis.

[@MrPF]

How long has it been? Thousands of years? Millions maybe? Billions? Just wandering on top of the ash of the world, without a path to follow or a place to go

[@markmartin2819]

And that's why (aesthetically) it's amazing

[@alastor8091]

Every last linking and forsaking of the flame was utterly worthless. Everything is dead. You can see the stars from the arena there and I can only think about how the planet is now just a rolling rock. Its all gone. Very sad.

[@TheSpongyMallard]

I have a lot more appreciation for Dark Souls 3’s map now.

[@hamachibeans4471]

I did a long time ago when I realized how often you can see other areas from wherever you are

[@DarkSoulSama]

It's especially great how From wrote a story that would give a lesser developer an excuse to just place whatever they want, wherever they want, "whenever they want", and they still went through so much trouble to make things make this much sense.

[@mellamanq]

I have even less

[@styyxus5558]

@Luca KELLY i guess he's one of the guys, who hates dark souls 3 for not being dark souls 1

[@brent8407]

I only realised how much you could actually see of the map at all times when I went to the top of the bridge in farron keep, that's the moment I started to love it.

[@LegendaryMythril]

i think the magic word to explain these "inconsistencies" is "framing". most of these are clearly moved around to be framed in a way that the player would spot naturally, including the cathedral. moving things closer or further away to make sure they're easily in sight for key landscape shots was definitely more important for the environment artists than geographic consistency, so long as it was somewhat in the same general direction and distance.

[@scantyer]

That's true but still some stuff clearly breaks the rule of general direction. The cathedral is moved way to the left from where it should be and the view from smouldering lake of the Irythrill Dungeon is not possible.

[@illusorywall]

RIP to the previous comment section section here. One person in particular was being super rude to everyone and they're no longer welcome here. This was all on one repeat offender and they know who they are. Apologies to everyone else who invested effort in trying to engage with them, I really appreciate it. Don't think anything you said or did was in the wrong if your comment went missing along with the rest; There were some very good responses but the whole chain was wiped.

[@LegendaryMythril]

@@illusorywall the funny thing is i never got notified that there was any discussion until now and now i have no idea what i missed lol

[@LegendaryMythril]

@@scantyer since i'm here, i'm going to reply to the only comment that wasn't wiped. i think the cathedral is the prime example of framing > geography. the position it was put in allowed it to be easily spotted by players on the undead village, whereas its original position would've been hidden behind the wall/bridge and only spotted if someone was actively looking for it. i don't really have an explanation for the smouldering lake/irithyll dungeon one, other than wanting the lake to look like it's underground but also a part of the world. maybe if there was a faux-vista to the lake from the dungeon it would've made more sense but on the other hand, i think it would contrast too much with the aesthetic of the dungeon entrance if the lake's red hot environment was peeking from under a rock

[@JC-kl3uc]

Cathedral of the Deep never made sense to me once i got there. I would've prefer geographic consistency over pretty vistas any day.

[@Hephaestus_God]

I think Lothric is my favorite starting point. You can see the 2nd to last boss of the game (princes) and the entire path needed to get there without knowing about it.

[@aX0n777]

it's my second favorite after central Yharnam, but I love both for completely different reasons

[@Eisenk]

Llllllllllllllllll

[@themuffinprincesa21]

I know it's 2 years later, but elden ring does this fantastically as well. From the opening of the door after the scripted death you can see a lot of the game. You can see the fire giant pot, farum tornado, the chapel you just died at, the upper part of liurnia (the part you get with ranni questline) and then If you walk a bit you can see Mt gelmir as well. Really everything besdies Altus & haligtree for above ground can be seen right from the start

[@morganfreeman5260]

@@themuffinprincesa21nah

[@themuffinprincesa21]

@@morganfreeman5260 nah what? You objectively can see all of the locations from the "first steps" grace besides underground and the haligtree tree

[@SirGigster]

12:56 Yep that's me, you're probably wondering how I ended up here

[@rjjrob30]

you forgot the *record scratch* lmaooooo

[@DolanDuking]

*The Who starts playing*

[@d3vitron779]

*record scratch*

[@Qegg1]

I had a monkaS moment there too.

[@MrViniciusBlade]

You can see the final area of the game as soon as you open the door to the first area of the game, this is amazing.

[@KanaevM]

It's an hour long. Oh my. And it's fully edited too! Not just cheap flying around the map in real time. You are phenomenal!

[@Avrysatos]

If you haven’t seen the rest of his videos you should check them out!

[@KanaevM]

@@Avrysatos 've been subscribed for years.

[@Coypop]

The High Wall being the cliff face itself never clicked with me until now, that makes so much sense.

[@diegodevars4618]

Which one?

[@beefpho4205]

@@diegodevars4618 50:23 the cliff that the city sits on

[@cosmiclevi5274]

That's why they always say "at the foot of the high wall..."

[@Alloveck]

Same here. I just assumed "High Wall" referred to the manmade brick parts, since they're pretty high too, and it's far more common to refer to engineered structures as "walls" than cliffs. Which meant that part about the high wall going up and cutting off the settlement, as well as that broken bridge that seemingly never went anywhere, make a lot more sense now.

[@XDarkGreyX]

I'd say "wow, you stupid", but while I noticed that veeeery early and just took it as it is, I fail to consciously notice stuff in other games, so...

[@diegodevars4618]

Actually, when helping a friend of mine, while doing Farron Keep, we climbed to the broken bridge to see which ones we didn't lit and where they are located. That makes it so easy

[@j.vinton4039]

Same with that ladder you can climb to the Wolf. I use that to gauge where the last one is, cause still to this day I get lost in Farron Keep.

[@joaogarcia6170]

The path in farron keep is pretty linear if you follow the up and down stairs, but if you get off the course it's pretty damn confusing.

[@trevordillon1921]

@@joaogarcia6170 It’s easy to get lost on the way to the last one. I’ve since figured it out, there’s a series of “islands” heading from the tower with the slugs, but it’s easy to miss and go the wrong way entirely

[@audreyrewinded]

​@@trevordillon1921necro in case anyone stumbles upon this- just go back to the start of the swamp and follow the right side islands. Once ur past the giant dude its a cakewalk and can homeward bone out

[@Greenpunked]

You have to remember that you are technically "time travelling" from light firelink so the landscape of the montains might be accurate from a lore perspective as the lands convulge and from mountains and no lush green areas remain therefore.

[@theapexsurvivor9538]

And you're technically also time travelling throughout the rest of the game, just less obviously. We know from DS1 that as the Flame fades, time grows convoluted and people and places begin to shift closer to the close of the age. The Lords of Cinder abandoning their thrones has seriously extended this process though, basically warping the timeline beyond any sense of recognition. Lothric is basically a fusion of Lordran and Drangleic, and everything after the High Wall is cities from millenia apart, dragged together by the Lords knowing a lie for a lie, yet being unwilling, or perhaps unable to do what truly needs to be done, to usher in an age of Dark and let the cycle begin anew. The more you progress, the more time bends and buckles, to the point where you fight Sulyvahn after he's replaced Gwyndolyn and been pontiff so long that Irithyll has become a near literal ghost town, yet after much journeying we fight Aldrich while he's still mid meal, something that by all rights should have concluded decades earlier. And we also find Yhorm not a hundred metres from an enslaved giant who he would have sort to free, assuming of course that the giant was still alive, or had even been enslaved when Yhorm was in the Profaned Capital. Time has been warped so severely that Yhorm was likely already dead or not yet awakened by the time we passed through the Dungeons. And Lothric himself was likely long a corpse by old age by the time that the Watchers were resurrected, yet they must be killed to progress to the Princes. The First Flame is bending reality itself to bring an accursed undead, perhaps not even fit to be cinder, embers seeking ash, and if it must warp time until it buckles and breaks, so be it.

[@yourdad5799]

Oh how I hate the concept of time being convoluted and bending

[@samimasri9164]

While there are inconsistencies in Dark Souls III's world design, the relationship between Irithyll dungeon/profaned capital and the undead settlement makes some sense . The undead settlement is supposed to be just above Irithyll dungeon/profaned capital. In the dungeon, there is a room with a giant (you know the one with rats and sewage at the bottom). Above him there is light shining down from the undead settlement, and even cages from the settlement hanging down. Going back up to the undead settlement, you notice the ground is all broken up with many crags and ravines. So that's why there is a giant hole leading from the undead settlement to Irithyll dungeon. Super cool, the world, while not as interconnected as dark souls I, is more interconnected than most people think. I personally think its really cool that you can see the great bridge leading to the twin princes (the last area you traverse in the main map) from the very start of the high wall of Lothric (the first area you traverse in the main map). The fact that you open the first door in the high wall and dead ahead is this great bridge that signals the end of your journey (basically the end) I think is real neat and probably intentional. And that speaks to dark souls III's cool journey path. That is different from the other games. In Dark Souls 1 and 2, you start in some lowly area, and it takes you about half the game to reach the main castle (Anor Londo or Drangleic castle). This is representative of a typical journey. In dark souls III; however, you actually start in the main castle area, and purposely leave the castle to venture into the rest of the world. It feels, this time, like more of a hero's journey, leaving comfort to venture into the unknown, do your task, get stronger, and return in the end to place where you started (like the odyssey). Even Firelink shrine - your hub - is right behind Lothric castle, furthering this idea that Lothric castle is not a destination, but a starting point. I find it cool that they took this different approach. Just some stuff I wanted to say about Dark Souls III's world design

[@slamdatclickbait8521]

Nice short story, I’d read it but this is a KZbin comment so it’s probably some ass three baits, I win a gold star

[@Noxes13]

@@slamdatclickbait8521 Didn't your mom tell you? You shouldn't project yourself on others.

[@keeganwullaert4996]

@@slamdatclickbait8521 Okay just insult the guy for just saying some stuff about ds3 level design and how he likes it just because its a long youtube comment. Hi estly no one cares if you read the comment but if your gonna be an ass just to be an ass and then basically say also I didn't even read what the person I'm insulting said. This is the kind of thing that make people dislike the souls community an othwrwise great community

[@emenova3553]

@@slamdatclickbait8521 Imagine being this guy, being petty and insulting because a comment is too long

[@bobbybedsole7583]

I agree with you 100%. This is why I love this game the most out of the series.

[@mushy5569]

I always thought it was cool that you can see lothric castle from almost every outdoor area in the game.

[@Lucky-sq3ky]

I was going to point out that I theorized that the Catacombs are a huge, literal game changer because of how they make you feel like you're so low down. The entire map is built perfectly to trick people with its environment, and being so closed off it lets things be super close and transition without being visible.

[@cordialralphjamesr.5863]

Fromsoft be like: aight,let's make the world of elden ring accurate as much as we can to impress this guy more

[@ericschuster2680]

Elden Ring is a myth.

[@16m49x3]

@@ericschuster2680 This comment about the Elden Ring is disputed

[@Lock2142]

It would be very intriguing to be out and about in the world and stumble upon illusory wall doing his research lol. If that game was purely online, I think I'd be one of the first to offer bodyguard duty while he researches lol. I'd consider it worth it!

[@cordialralphjamesr.5863]

@@ericschuster2680 It was

[@wgo523]

@@16m49x3 no matter how tender, how exquisite, a lie will remain a lie

[@Dunnskiy]

This channel is definitely underrated. The quality of these videos is amazing. Can’t wait for the next one.

[@InsaneGreatsword]

Agreed

[@demian8801]

agreed

[@jjcoola998]

Yeah It sucks he doesn’t have the social media aura or whatever people like.. his videos are absurdly good 😌

[@SPFLDAngler]

The amount of views his videos get? No. He isn't underrated. People gotta stop using that word for every channel that doesn't have 10 millions subs. He gets plenty of attention, he isn't underrated.

[@Dunnskiy]

@@SPFLDAngler I agree with your statement, however I would consider the quality of his content to deserve more views than he is currently getting. So if you believe he is getting the views that he deserves that’s totally fine, I was just saying that I believe his effort and dedication should be rewarded more.

[@ethanholden6299]

Can’t wait for the day when illusory is uploading videos on Elden ring

[@shotgunmasterQL]

Couldn't even imagine it...

[@scantyer]

Elden Ring is in hiatus

[@NatetheNerdy]

I also can't wait for retirement.

[@nahuel3433]

Just don't go hollow in the wait.

[@vozcosmos7987]

Elden Ring is real and it ate my ass (true story).

[@j.vinton4039]

I loved Irithyll, it was so visually different from the normal Lothric areas. Like you had just been transported to another realm.

[@motherofpearls8108]

I wish the broken bridge would have continued just enough to be seen from Firelink. It would have added such an amazing degree of connectivity.

[@illusorywall]

I'm often thinking of "how could this be improved a little", but didn't think of that. That would be a great little change.

[@burnttoast26]

Firelink is a different time period from Untended Graves. That bridge may be intact and end at another point, or not exist, depending on where Firelink sits on the timeline compared to UtG.

[@Krystalmyth]

A big disconnect for people is definitely the choice of making Firelink feel like some weird hub outside of the game. I feel it was a mistake.

[@motherofpearls8108]

@@Krystalmyth I Kim get what you’re saying. It always felt weird warping to the first area instead of walking there like in ds1 or ds2. It’s much more of a demon souls feeling.

[@Krystalmyth]

@@motherofpearls8108 Even then I never felt this feeling in Demon Souls. Like the Nexus was a hub but it felt like a prison. It had really dark implications. Even if it was a gamey concept it felt gamey in DS3. "HI I'm Andre and I fix your shit." was just a bit much for me.

[@infamoushacker4chan883]

Huh, I never realized that area you fall into in the Ringed City was meant to be the Grand Archives. The numerous enemies in there kind of forced me to move quickly.

[@lukeberonio1731]

Wait the Ringed City is in the future?

[@infamoushacker4chan883]

@@lukeberonio1731 Uh, yeah. Bit of a spoiler if you haven't played the DLC. Sorry.

[@lukeberonio1731]

@@infamoushacker4chan883 I have played the dlc, oh wait yeah the dreg heap was supposed to be in the future I remember now, but the ringed city is a separate area right?

[@henrywoodburn9217]

@@lukeberonio1731 well I think the ringed city and the dreg heap are in the same timeline along with the soul of cinder area. Ringed city just looked a little nicer because the whole idea was that it would trap the dark soul forever. the city mightve been in good shape during the rest of the souls game, but by the time you arrive it is almost entirely reduced to rubble.

[@Titanxxx333xxx]

@@henrywoodburn9217 I think also the ringed city was protected from time by Filianore's slumber and once we wake her, time catches up. I remember hearing that.

[@jennabrutananadalewski412]

You put so much work and time into these videos. I'm already enthralled ten minutes in. Seriously amazing content.

[@illusorywall]

Hey thanks so much Jenna! I'm happy people find this all interesting!

[@jjcoola998]

@@illusorywall dude it’s beyond interesting Ben watching you for ages... dope

[@Duenschissdoktor]

@@jjcoola998who tf is ben

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

@@illusorywallamen, this is very illuminating work! Also, how is freecam possible? I’d love to snoop around the layout myself

[@illusorywall]

@@EmperorsNewWardrobe Freecam is possible with debug! But you'll have to downpatch the game for debug to work.

[@ninjarobotmonk3y]

"do the sequels even demand as much analysis...?" wow, yes, Thank you so much for sharing this, absolutely stunning!

[@flamingmanure]

@Liam Berentschot-Cooke agreed. while ds2 is my least favorite personally, it still was a fantastic game in its own right that easily had the best pvp, rpg mechanics (fuck adaptability though)and build variety by light years.

[@Thesaurus_Rex]

16:45 I had a rather distinctly unusual experience with seeing items in an unloaded area in Bloodborne. While going through NG+ with a fairly strong build, I managed to complete Cathedral Ward, Hemwick Charnel Lane, and most of the Forbidden Woods without warping. I had full storage of bullets doing all of this, so some enemy drops stayed on the ground in Hemwick. When going through Forbidden Woods, I noticed an unusual constellation in the sky that I'd never noticed before, and as I progressed through the area I realized the constellation was changing. When I died late in the level, the constellation vanished, and I realized that I had been seeing the enemy drops from below. Clearly not a situation with proper area alignment, but interesting all the same.

[@gremlinman9724]

what kinda blew my mind was that the arena in which you fight vordt isn't even a room like dancer, it's a courtyard. when you fight him, it's always so dark and foggy in there that it's insane to look up and see the sun shining right in.

[@Hemeriodius3345]

You pointed out that from the main game areas there is a lot of green terrain visible but from firelink shrine the same areas are just grey/white mountains. I believe this is because firelink shrine is actually in the future compared to the rest of the game world. This is shown by a strange interaction with the merchant, if you never speak to her in firelink shrine, then speak to her for the first time in the untended graves, then come back to firelink shrine and speak to her again there is an extra line of dialog where she hints at remembering meeting you in the untended graves, suggesting that each time we warp out of firelink shrine to anywhere else in the game we are actually traveling back in time. Perhaps by the time the unkindled were awakened all of that greenery we see elsewhere had simply died and the landscape become more barren. This idea that bonfires can send you not only through time but also through space is shown pretty clearly with the dreg heap and ringed city DLC.

[@KosOrSomeSayKosmo]

I was thinking along the same line, they really went out of their way to make sure you could view nothing but the back of Lothric castle from Firelink, and that you could never see Firelink from the world. I agree, I think it's because the Firelink we visit is in the future or is an illusion. We know Undead are able to travel through both time and space via bonfire, which makes sense to a degree as light is of course time.

[@Brutalcel]

I took years to notice that, the death of fire and the cosmic entropy present in the series

[@adamwestslappup]

This also falls in line with the fact that there is The Hunter’s Dream, and then the real Hunter’s Dream in Bloodborne; as well as the two Roundtable Holds in Elden Ring.

[@Sercroc]

some fantheory says that the untended graves are a moment in the past "stopped" because the flame was almost extinguished

[@theapexsurvivor9538]

​@@SercrocBased on all the evidence, I think the Untended Graves are probably from the 4th Ending (the achievementless one). We have the Fire Keeper's Eyes, a dark Firelink that is "Untended", and everything and everyone is dead. It seems like that the Fire Keeper of that age tried to bring about the End of Fire Ending, and a foul undead decided it actually preferred the accursed Flame...

[@NinjaBananaChannel]

Wow, this really makes me appreciate the world layout of DS3 way more

[@anonymous-dz8sc]

Always guaranteed to deliver quality content. You're a real master of the craft

[@sovietspaceship]

12:16 I think for the location backdrops they (partially) merged the actual level geometry into a single mesh (using e.g. simplygon), which automatically places it in the correct location relative to the current map, and then adjusted it for presentational purposes so they're more obvious to players. This is a common technique in UE4 and other engines as well

[@Chimera-man-man]

I love these neat tricks to make the player think things are closer or further. It makes me appreciate how games are just sort of cobbled together using smart techniques.

[@bakubread9308]

I remember thinking that maybe we'd visit that undead settlement copy off in the mountains in the DLC before any was released, as it was a weirdly green area in an otherwise brown/grey mountain range. It always just looked so... intentional, like I was *supposed* to notice something was there and go visit it

[@DASCSWEM]

Maybe that was the point, that kinda stuff makes you think about the world lore and can be pretty interesting.

[@bruschetta7711]

cool thing about Archdragon peak is looking at the sky and the sun, it's calming instead of the flashing sun from DS1, no wonder Solaire was captivated by it

[@YianKutKu2]

I always loved how it had a nice clear blue sky. It's almost like our real world. I think its comforting because it's more familiar to us. What we see as normal in a world that is so abnormal.

[@shadowhegog9798]

Me: time to go to sleep **hour long illusory wall video posted** Me: Welp

[@TheBoagboy]

please help oh god.

[@alexzaze1407]

Exacly my scenario there.

[@EmperorGladiatuss]

Are you me?!

[@CesarJoseee]

*Sees it's Dark Souls 3, goes to sleep.*

[@troubleinbound]

I have work in a few hours and I'm supposed to be sleeping But I need to discover the secrets of dark souls geography

[@SekhmetMorgan]

This came out in the middle of the night in Europe but I aint sleeping until I watched it all!

[@16m49x3]

Weird flex to compete his video release with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077

[@TehFlush]

@@16m49x3 cybercringe 1969

[@StabStabStabStabby]

I beat DS3 very recently and I am so happy you're making this because I loved every minute of DS3.

[@baronbonk258]

i always found it amazing that once you completed the first run through and take a second to look at the scenery, you realize that you can see almost every place you’ll visit just from one spot

[@lightinstinct707]

The feeling of intense sadness when an hour long video feels too short. I love this channel

[@KayrBayr13]

I think that the inconsistency where the land is mostly green from Lothric's perspective versus Firelink Shrine might be to show that Firelink is set further in the future, when the mountains have converged towards Lothric as well.

[@patrickripleyiii134]

Matthew McFarland yeah it connects with what the dreg heap is, and makes sense why the high wall is the one of the only places you actually have to teleport to , the other ones are the dreg heap and the kiln, both of which are time/dimensional travel

[@lordanonimmo7699]

I think is just them deliberate trying to hide Firelink Shrine because of untended graves.

[@Chyguy]

From a game design standpoint I think Dark Souls 3's world is very well designed. It manages to compact the world and not make it take up more hardware than it needs too, but it manages to convey scale very well. You don't think about how much you actually traveled because it feels like it was a journey, and making it feel the way they want it too sells the distance, imo

[@InsaneGreatsword]

I actually watched the video about Firelinks location because I was stupid and thought the Undead Settlement/Cathedral was the Firelink Shrine from Anor Londo

[@illusorywall]

I'm actually pinning this comment for the moment, not to put you on the spot, but because it's not stupid at all and I thought the same at first! I failed to mention that I mistook it for Firelink for a good chunk of my first playthrough. The Curse Rotted' boss room sticking out on the cliff has strong Firelink vibes.

[@InsaneGreatsword]

Thank you, I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[@Coypop]

I always wished Firelink was in the middle of the map like that, as a hub. They could've combined Firelink's bell tower with the Giant's tower, make him a shrine guard or something, and throw bonfire warping in the garbage where it belongs.

[@ThisisKyle]

That's a new one

[@ArstotzkaEmpire]

I thought the too firelink shrines were in different places, now I realized that all 3 firelink shrines are in the same spot just in different timeline, and the original undead cemetry place is like in the past.

[@Rehvion]

Great video! About the lake-irithyill dungeon situation I've once heard from JSF(Richard Pilbeam) that in an alpha version you could enter Irithyill from two paths and one of the paths was from lake->dungeon, so the "not lining up" might have something to do with those mid development changes, I don't exactly remember what degree of access him or Lance have to this alpha version, nothing in a playable state sadly, but it was an interesting podcast.

[@illusorywall]

I'll have to take a listen!

[@DS_DoggerX]

Man I miss JSF. I still have most of his videos saved but I definitely feel the lack of uploads.

[@LFS16409]

​@@DS_DoggerX She still make‘s content just as a co-host on the Sinclair Lore channel. I recommend the izalith episode kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYeUkoJ9l9VsnaM

[@TAHMEED_REZA]

It's videos like these that reinforce my belief that video games are one big magic trick. Knowing or not knowing the secret, both are equally awe inspiring :)

[@LeeMoriya]

When I saw that Lothric's layout was going to be the next topic, I wondered if you might stumble across my old videos haha. Been a big fan since before I made them. Some of your old blog posts from years ago are part of the reason I started poking around out of bounds myself so I'm more than a little honored by the shoutout! Oh, and fantastic video! I learned a bunch of new stuff!

[@illusorywall]

Oh wow, thanks so much! That was a well-deserved shout out, you provided a good examination and resource for the community!

[@frescopino7866]

Everyone who calls this sloppy forgot that you had to phase through parts of the Tomb of the Giants to enter the Four Kings' Abyss.

[@RockLegend2A]

The effort put in to make these areas match up, even with the inconsistencies is fucking incredible. But, even more than that, in terms of the in-universe effort it must have taken: Look at how fucking massive Lothric Castle is. The whole thing, every tower, every archway, every bridge. And then it stretches down into massive bridges, the Undead Settlement, and on and on to the Cathedral of the Deep, also incredibly impressive. Anor Londo, Irithyll, the Profaned Capital. Just the amount of fucking stone that the people in this world had to move around to create these massive dedications to faiths, the Firelinking cycle itself, etc. It's insane. Really makes it feel like your presence in this dying world is you cutting through the weeds of a world that, at its peak, was too grandiose to even sneer at your existence.

[@YEY0806]

How did they get enough stone Honestly? 😂

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

This is incredible and deserves so much more views. I'll be sharing this with every salty hater who claims DS3 has no depth or effort put in it. Instant sub!

[@ikejranl7533]

It may be also worth mentioning that behind the Altar of Sunlight in DS1 there should be Archdragon Peak from DS3 in the distance both in relation to Anor Londo

[@Roado_]

The best recommendation KZbin has ever made.

[@illusorywall]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SrCrosoldier]

Can't believe how much work you spent on this video. I truly like it, after 8 years I comeback now and then to Dark Souls 3, and this video proves why I like it a lot.

[@Audumb1021]

Hmm, the fact that the bridge is portrayed incorrectly in the Road of Sacrificed isn't the only world-accuracy mishap in that area. When the sun becomes a Darksign, it's still normal in the Road of Sacrifices. I guess they just overlooked that area.

[@nackskott12]

That exact same inaccuracy was in Bloodborne. When the time progresses to the blood moon, there are multiple areas where the skybox doesn't change - Old Yharnam, Cainhurst, and I think all of the Frontier locations (Forbidden Woods, Hemwick, Byrgenworth). I'll discount Cainhurst and Byrgenworth because you could speculate that this is because of arcane stuff keeping the moon static. Old Yharnam in particular seems the most like a mistake. The blood moon skybox exists in every other part of Yharnam so maybe they didn't have time to implement it there. One overlap between DS3 and Bloodborne in this regard is that these inconsistent skyboxes only exist in areas you're not really intended to revisit.

[@godefroiddebouillon7769]

@@nackskott12 The Old Yharnam situation is weird though, because you are clearly meant to come back there from Paarl's area if you missed the Hypogean Gaol during the evening and night stages. It's even possible for a player to miss Old Yharnam entirely by taking the key to the Ward and beating Amelia early. If said player went directly to the woods afterwards, he would then discover Old Yharnam much later by beating Paarl during the blood moon stage. It's a really weird oversight, all things considered, and it goes to show even Bloodborne had its fair share of development rush.

[@FlfyCats17]

This is everything I love about DS3's world! While yes, it's true the world isn't physically connected and traversable like from DS1, but every landmark is still a part of the world. If there's a castle or a structure in the distance, you will likely go there. Not just because it's the game designers foreshadowing the map, but because IT IS THE WORLD!!!!!! As sad as it is that we'll never traverse the place as seamlessly as we did Lordran, there is something (to me at least) that feels almost more satisfying about how EVERYTHING is placed intentionally. The world feels so big, structured, and yet everything you see is a place to explore. I just don't know how else to describe it, but it's just SO INSANELY IMMERSIVE to me.

[@ewarner305]

This is dope!! An examination like this for Yharnam would be incredible!

[@nackskott12]

This. If it's possible to load that game's map data then I'd be fascinated in knowing if the connection between the Forbidden Woods and Iosefka's clinic is accurate, and if not, how they pulled it off.

[@augustday9483]

I come back to this video every year or so, it's so well put together and I love seeing all the ways that Dark Souls 3's map was put together. Your channel is a true gem.

[@redpandarampage2191]

31:36 I found this out myself because I died at Lothric castle, then warped to Archdragon Peak for some reason, and saw my bloodstain floating above the level.

[@Cyberdragunz]

I love the way you showcased all the illusions of distance and scale. It's amazing how a combination of little things can make the game seem so much larger than it is. And DS3 isn't small by any means as it is. This was well worth the watch, thank you for your time and effort in making this!

[@albertosara416]

Yeeeeeeeeees I spent so much time playing pvp in DS3 and waiting for invasions I looked at the map so much. There's a ton of great little details but watching your videos on these topics is always unrivalled!

[@windmillwinder]

I adore all of this, especially how connected everything fairly is-but my favorite part of these in-depth location analysis vids will always be seeing low-poly models up close, especially ones that are terribly off from the normal versions. It’s a bit eerie.

[@BajroSlatina]

Turned the CC on, didn't get disappointed: Urethral dungeon You died.

[@facemcshooty3539]

I always go through the worlds trying to see what other areas I can spot from certain viewpoints so videos like this and the DS1 layout vid are absolutely perfect. Fantastic concept and execution, thank you sir

[@aznashwan]

Absolutely amazing video, thanks so much for making it! I had played the series in order and often felt like I was just “going through the motions” by the time I got to DS3, so I rarely stopped to look around and take everything in. This has motivated me more than enough to give it another playthrough this holiday, so thanks a lot for that as well!

[@nyleen]

Dark Souls documentaries like these keep my attention for the longest. I just hyper focus on these videos. Thanks so much IW

[@j_c_93]

I am so excited for a Dark Souls 2 analysis! It's my favorite game in the series and I love the environments in it. Sure, there are a lot of obvious consistencies, but even coming from someone who loves and obsesses over DS1's world design, I dont think it detracts from the game. It adds to the game's slightly dreamy vibe.

[@insanelyheinousbeefer]

Illusory wall, Lance McDonald and Zullie the Witch are the Holy Trinity of Dark Souls content. Vaati is like an apostle or something, still trying to work him in somewhere

[@thesun5275]

Vaati is more lore than anything else.

[@unoriginal_name7091]

Can't forget Hawkshaw! His lore research is insanely detailed

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

You're cringe

[@sourya111]

Please don't forget Limit Breakers

[@RobinBaggett]

Great video! I think out of all the games, I love how DS3 shows you what lies ahead right after Vordt boss fight.

[@MarlowPreston]

Oh boy, an hour of facts and a new MIDI cover to go with it.

[@itsjjoosshhuuaa]

The enemies just side eyeing you and slowly turning to look at you as you walk past them as they are frozen in place for all eternity seeing this god like entity freely explore has to be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen

[@Boomi_Dog]

Why no more DS3 dissected?

[@NukeOverlord]

Through the first 7 minutes and already incredibly impressed with how *real* the background space is. It lines up way more accurately than Dark Souls 1 could ever dream of!

[@gumbotime9564]

Its dope that people still make videos about this game. Instant sub.

[@edgelee84]

Thank you for breaking down the geography of dark souls 3! I was always curious as well about the layouts and relationships. From Software really puts thought and care in their level designs

[@SleepyPitou]

the way fromsoft tries to make logical sense of the worlds in their games (with the exception of DS2) is always amazing to me. realizing that the fishing hamlet in the Old Hunters DLC was above the nightmare version of the cathedral ward and that even further up were the nightmare frontier and the nightmare of mensis was such an amazing feeling, and also how the game utilized the fact that those were nightmares to enable you to look back at those lower areas but not really allowing you to look further to the higher parts of the overall nightmare was just stunning to me. Ok i might just be easily impressed but it was still really cool to realize that

[@shm1883]

Seriously I have been looking for these kinda videos for so long and you are the only channel to do so! I hope content regarding souls games keep continuing like this.. Thanks for all the effort you are putting into this..

[@aliahmedbinqaiser4202]

Hello Illusory Wall. I've seen that after this video you haven't made any other videos on dark souls 3. You make nice content so its a request for another episode of Dark Souls 3

[@ShellShocks14]

The Lothric Castle section is really awesome. I love that post Vordt is right at the start, thats so cool.

[@Kekistani_Insurgent]

Holy shit the intro song to this series is so well done it gave me chills. It sounded like busy boss music at very first but when I recognised it- wow. You also chose like my favourite 8 seconds of the theme. Please, an extended version!!

[@jillsandwitch67]

dark souls 3 has one of the most gorgeous worlds i've ever had the pleasure of exploring, that view from the high wall never gets old to me.

[@zeppeli1157]

53:53 I think someone found an unused elevator that connected the two areas

[@davidreeding9176]

This video helped me understand how crucial the giant crabs are to the identity of dark souls 3 and what elevate it above games both new and old. Thank you.

[@tommeakin1732]

DS3 is my first souls game, and while I obviously saw the map connection after being carried by the demons after defeating the first boss, it really blew my mind later on when I took the elevator up to the bridge in the swamps, thought I recognised the bridge from earlier in the game...and then realised exactly where I was in relation to the previous map areas after I took a good look around me. I think it impressed me because I didn't expect it from a more linear game. They didn't need to do that, but there's something really satisfying about being able to see that "big picture" and have it align with my internal mental map

[@theamazingplayer5225]

Even though it was not perfect as you showed, it was enough to fool me into thinking that everything was exactly placed. If that was what they tried to do, it worked for me at least.

[@Dark.Shingo]

54:50 And today I realize those are supposed to be Archtrees. If you didn't mention it I could've gone through my life without noticing it. Great video as usual!

[@skoogadoo]

Yeah, there's a theory that the depths collapsed into Blighttown, which collapsed into Demon Ruins, which then collapsed into Ash Lake. This explains why there are slimes around, why you can find the Fair Lady, and why all the archtrees and everything is on fire

[@twistedgwazi5727]

@@skoogadoo Is that a theory? I always thought that was pretty much confirmed, since the basalisks, rats, slimes, and the narrow tunnels throughout the area were basically proof that we were in the Depths. The existence of hundreds of demon corpses and lava shows that Izalith was also present, and the Archtrees came from Ash Lake. Blighttown doesn't seem to have any apparent signs in the area AFAIK, but it getting tangled up in that mess makes a lot of sense.

[@skoogadoo]

@@twistedgwazi5727 I agree that it's almost definitely true, but it can't really be confirmed unless somewhere in the game it says "hey all these areas collapsed onto each other," or if Miyazaki himself says the same thing. Kinda like scientific theories, where it's pretty much a fact, but you can't really say it is

[@80gunslinger]

Nice work! I had my own small moment of glory regarding the world layout when I realized that the small tower you start in at the Lothric castele (the one with the Lordvessel) was located above Vordt's arena and is visible from the bonfire on the top of the bridge from the Undead settlement.

[@PieMan2014]

56:10 i really like how in the dreg heap, the grand archives has been made much "taller". it seems like the whole are has been warped and stretched. its crazy how all of the worlds are merging, crashing and melting into each other. The undead settlement and other areas in the distance also look warped. I've only recently felt like i understand what they're trying to convey and it took me a long time hahahah. it seems like the ringed city DLC is just a gigantic spiral into the abyss. the whole map is a spiral with buildings sinking into the black swamp below. Similar to the pathway leading down to the 4 kings. theres 2 ways to enter the abyss, spiral down the staircase, or shoot straight down. I'd really like to see the placement of Midir's Boss room in relation to the map. Another thing i realized is after you are dropped off at undead settlement by the "escort", you then literally just walk to anor londo. (obviously you have to beat the Deacons first). Where they place you feels like the same place you are dropped off at in DS1, especially when you are under the orange sky. its like FromSoft pushed Anor Londo away from that spot or the lands converged and sort of intercepted Anor Londo or pushed it away? Dark Souls 3 ideas definitely melt my brain a bit. and if these are the ideas Miyazaki is trying to tell, it's genius but also very frightening to me. I've never seen a game make it look like the land around me is moving and shifting. it looks like Lothic Castle is literally ascending upwards from the ground. so by the time we reach Irithyll, it does sort of make sense to me that Lothric is much higher up. it almost looks like time has passed and Lothric is already ascending past us while we are left in the cold.

[@verdanteridium]

Midir Bossfight room is almost entirely below the bridge he falls from (his actual landing zone being to the left of where you fall down), but he could have just moved due to how much get plunged attacked and is being cautious. That bridge and the Inner Wall Bonfire sit over the room.

[@pedroscoponi4905]

I'm kind of... in love with this video, I think. DS3 was always my favorite for it's themes and how they relate to DS1, it's bosses, the general vibe, and it's meta-level position as a definitive end to the IP, and how Fromsoft felt about and handled that situation. While I like the maze-like intricacy of DS1 and do think that was really special, that was never enough to push it above 3, for me. Specially since the intricacy in design was always kept, just shifted to focus more on individual levels, instead of the connections between them. All in all, the map layout was never a huge priority for me. So to see all this effort put into a world layout that serves _no_ practical purpose other than to awe you whenever it can, is kind of insane. They didn't have to have that much care to create that sense of spectacle, and could've gotten away with so, so much more nonsensical geography without me and most players ever noticing. I could never have known it was this precise, and all the gross imprecisions are hidden for the sake of keeping the smoke and mirrors going. The only reason I can think of to go through that much trouble is because you care about the thing you're making. God damn. I know taste is a deeply personal thing, and I can't fault anyone for disagreeing with me, but people who think 3 is the worst game in the series? That it's somehow the most forgettable, the least interesting? I don't understand those people, and I never really will.

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

I’ll never understand people who say that 2 isn’t automatically the worst, either. I respect individual tastes but that game is designed like a flash fan game from 2005. At the very worst DS3 is a solid game at its core.

[@blindmuse_9709]

The free cam with white noise is so chill..... Thanks for that

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

RE: the Castlevania anecdote at the end: The Twin Princes' tower even has a little side tower that looks a whole lot like Dracula's tower! I've been playing Symphony of the Night recently and there have been so many moments when I've felt that there has to be a lot of Castlevania inspiration in the Souls games, especially with all the shortcuts and elevators, and the many different layers of the castle, like how you can descend a tower and go from high in the sky, through courtyards and villages below to underground caves at the bottom, all stacked directly on top of each other.

[@JtotheMeezy]

We need more DS3 Dissected, come on illusory you got this

[@WTFPr0m]

I love the way enemies react throughout the video. Like, "Oh, hey bud, just looking around? Go on ahead."

[@Flashh33]

This is my absolute favorite thing in the souls games. I’ve never experienced another game that does this so well, if at all. So finding a video about it got me really excited!

[@inciaradible7144]

An hour of content? Thank you for making this year better for me. Few points. *A Bridge Too Far* • I suppose the fact you can see a longer bridge from the Road of Sacrifices might be because it was originally intended to be longer; that is also my explanation as to why it akwardly fades into a cliff rather than being built into it naturally as a single, well-crafted asset. They may have just forgotten or figured nobody would really notice. Probably same case for that random building in the swamp. • I'm gonna be honest, I never even noticed the original Lords on the pillars, so that was cool to see; I'm going to assume that Seath's just didn't make it by happenstance. *A Sleight of Hand* • I personally find the perspective tricks to be amazing in all the games, but it probably is the absolute best in this game: The world feels huge and expansive, but at the same time, you're not spending hours of travelling in order to get anywhere; it's the sign of a great game, in my opinion. • Where Dark Souls II fails, in my opinion, is to have actual, physical locations overlap in ways that they just can't; it's not really perspective tricks-it is in some cases, but not all-and you don't really warp there either, so yeah. *The Placement of Firelink* • Yeah, I got a good idea of where Firelink really is once I got into the Untended Graves and later warped back to Iudex Gundyr's bonfire. However, due to how the game starts, I'd still say that a lot of this effort, while much appreciated, goes a bit to waste because it makes Firelink, and Cemetary, feel so disconnected from the world. *Lothric Castle* • My primary love for Castle is that the area itself really feels like stepping into DS1 for a moment; while it is absolutely more linear, it does feel more maze-like and offers quite a few shortcuts. The first bonfire is entirely unnecessary, but still. I never even noticed the spatial inconsistency from the place between Dancer and Vordt, probably because everything else in the game does such a great job at making Lothric Castle feel big, imposing, and a force to be reckoned with.

[@videotroll72]

It is strange though that they cut Seath but kept 4kings. They could have instead changed the 3rd to be a relief of Gywn, as Seath and 4Kings both only have fragments of his soul. Then you would have the 3 OG Lord souls with Nito, The Witch, and Gwyn.

[@inciaradible7144]

@@videotroll72 Maybe it is because they are closer to the Watchers themselves, not sure. Or maybe it does have a deeper meaning in regards to Oceiros, who is also holed up in a poisonous swampy area.

[@Bee-N64]

Just watched this whole thing, unbelievably fascinating and well edited. Can't wait for part 2!

[@FFKonoko]

I always thought dark souls 2s distortion was basically deliberate. Taking an elevator up from a windmill on a hill to arrive at a castle sinking into a lake of lava? That is not a mistake, or failing to cover up sleight of hand. That is a blaring sign of "time and space is fucked". But they did it in a way people didn't like. Dark souls 3 did the same aim with the dreg heap and such, but in an easier to appreciate way. Because the fans of the series really, really appreciate this kind of tangible world design, where the physical positioning can be seen and felt.

[@BlondeMcGuinn]

You nailed it. I was going to quote parts of your post that are right on but I’d end up quoting the whole thing lol. Nice observations.

[@Tulip_bip]

Using the whole "time and space is messed up" argument to cover up bad level design isn't right. The reason why it makes no sense in ds2 is cuz they had to throw together unconnected levels to make a complete game as fast as possible. It's more appreciated in 3 cuz it was pre planned to look like that. In the final area of the game you can literally see buildings from different kingdoms collapsing in on eachother in a way that makes it look like the world is really falling apart. Ds2 just had normal levels connecting to eachother in ways that make no sense from a visual standpoint

[@godefroiddebouillon7769]

@@EllaKarhu The fans of Ds2 played it up that way you mean. Nothing in the game can explain things such as no man's warf or iron keep locations. The "loss of memory" justification is just an extrapolation made by the fans from the intro cinematic. That justification makes no sense in the context of stepping in an invisible elevator that takes you from a tower to an invisible sky lava castle. If the devs truly wanted to convey the feeling of memory loss and dreaming experiences, they would make you step through doors and loading screens, as was done in Sekiro and Bloodborne. In fact they even did it in Ds2, with the various memories. Which goes to show these inconsistencies do not have any in game justification what so ever. In fact, there is only one reason why these inconsistencies exist : the devs simply didn't have the time to properly connect these areas and had better things to do.

[@TheCompleteMental]

It lacks a certain finesse, where every level feels like a new linear space and not truly a part of the same whole. Even small things, like Heide being behind a tunnel crawl. In some ways I do like it. It makes Drangleic feel somewhat bigger. But I feel like 3 also did a better job at grand feeling transitions while also making every area affect every other one.

[@QuantumTelephone]

It makes perfect sense to me. Volcanoes erupt at the top of mountains. The castle was built on top of a mountain.

[@ClemPal]

Thank you for this, I always enjoy just wandering around the world and looking at the landscapes. I appreciate your efforts.

[@klefthoofrobert787]

Dear brother...you have no idea how happy i am with the return and the size of the video, gonna roll me a fat one and enjoy this one, thanks again for your contributions to the Souls community.

[@guppycagefight1258]

Brilliant work! Thank you for going to so much effort (laying out prism stones, checking from different areas, using the actual world mapping, etc). This answered so many questions I’ve had since first playing DS3 and opened my eyes to the intricacies, and shortcomings, of FromSoft’s game design. Thanks a million :)

[@Felicificity]

World design of Sekiro would be a really fun watch! It reminded me a lot of DS1’s interconnectivity, but with DS3’s habit of showing off other areas of the game from far away. It’s really impressive.

[@TheHeroExodus]

landscape artists at their finest. I love how from lets them flex their talent to the max

[@pendantblade6361]

Oh damn, now I'm wondering if you've done an episode on the whole "Iron Keep is above everything" thing! Great work as always!

[@KrakenGameReviews]

I'm so happy you posted this. Illusory Wall you make such amazing souldborne content and I love rewatching your stuff.