Dark Souls Dissected #9 - Lordran's Layout Explained

[@illusorywall]

Hey everyone! If you like the work that I do please consider supporting the Patreon I recently launched. Any amount helps! www.patreon.com/illusorywall

[@d3vitron779]

ŌwŌ

[@XPCatalog]

The bridge that stretches out from Firelink Shrine around 3:10 was actually originally going to be a shortcut to the Lower Undead Burg next to the Depths Key door. I believe Hot Pocket built a recreation of it.

[@illusorywall]

@@XPCatalog Yup dropoff recreated it and it's available on nexus mods as the Capra Shortcut. I take a much closer look at it in episode 10. :)

[@chhaylab7520]

I love your content

[@Eddyyyyy96]

Great video! Can you do something simillar for the monster hunter series?

[@societyman6591]

In Dark Souls there are only two ‘Soul of a Great Hero’ items in the game. One is at the highest altitudinal point possible to reach, the other is at the lowest altitudinal point possible to reach.

[@bossk5226]

that’s pretty cool the level of detail they’ve done is amazing

[@jakethedawg3131]

One next to the best sorcerer we know, Logan, and the other in the same area as the best warrior we know, Solaire.

[@lordsiis8201]

@@jakethedawg3131 the one next to logan is a soul of a hero, not great hero, the other great hero soul is in the duke's archives

[@jakethedawg3131]

@@lordsiis8201 that's where Logan dies, right?

[@lordsiis8201]

@@jakethedawg3131 oh you meant where he goes nuts, yeah in the same area

[@Guitar-Dog]

THE RIVER BELOW SENS FORTRESS IS FOR THE CATACOMBS!!! Deep lore.

[@AnthonyDoesYouTube]

Is it really? Where does that river show up in the catacombs?

[@Guitar-Dog]

@@AnthonyDoesKZbin watch the video dude? It was maybe tomb of the giants

[@AnthonyDoesYouTube]

compliment sorry I always comment while watching / before

[@Guitar-Dog]

@@AnthonyDoesKZbin no worries brother, think it's around 15-20 mins in

[@ICECREAMane1017]

AnthonydoesYT same. Always comment before video ends so I don’t forget what I want to say.

[@NickBSM]

level designer : Sir, is that okay if the tree is not placed exactly like it is in the other level? Miyazaki : It's alright son, nobody's ever gonna notice it anyway...

[@reichfuhrer1942]

The players are too busy dying to ever notice

[@Kaidan87]

@@reichfuhrer1942 Actually, dying and leaving bloodstains is what helps us notice it.

[@sasaki999pro]

^ r/woooosh

[@bugglemagnum6213]

@ValkyrieMoonfire its a joke

[@teri923]

@@jotarokujo3603 that guy has probobly never even been on reddit lol

[@xuanathan]

In the daughters of ash mod, you can actually see Ceaseless Discharge himself all the way from the tomb of the giants, which is honestly just really cool

[@BrutuxMusic]

5:36 wait, so the big grime waterfall in the gaping dragon's arena drains into blighttown? So basically the sewers are constantly poisoning the town below

[@magicmanscott40k]

I never noticed that. That's pretty gross

[@xxlegolas]

@@magicmanscott40k Depths is a major hub of the sewage system for the entire network of walled cities above. "Blighttown" is a shanty-town built by hollows who were exiled to the depths when they became infected with the blight. The blight corrupts hollows, turning them into bloated abominations, and perhaps later they devolve into cragspiders. This infection may be related to the demonic chaos erupting from Lost Izalith, which may explain why the Fair Lady protects the blighted hollows and attempts to comfort them; she shows remorse for the grave mistake she and her mother and sisters have made and the consequences it has had for humanity. You can learn some of this from Eingyi, from the Fair Lady (while wearing the Old Witch's Ring), and from various item lore.

[@16caldwellj95]

@@xxlegolas I've never heard mention of this Blight, that's interesting - would you mind telling me where I could learn more about it?

[@StephanuSneed]

@@xxlegolas The cragspiders are demon parasites fused with humans. They have nothing to do with the blight. And there is no "demonic chaos erupting from Lost Izalith". Lost Izalith was sealed by Gwyn. The Capra and Taurus demons are the spider sisters' doing, since they aren't present in Izalith at all, and their weapons specify they aren't infused with any special power, compared with the firesage staff, an Izalith weapon, that actually is. And there is no indication that the Fair Lady helped the blighted because of guilt. She might have done it out of compassion. What she feels guilty about is ruining Quelaag's plans by almost killing herself. If you wanted to find the origin of the blight, it probably was caused by Eingy, since 1. he is the one who actually created poison based pyromancies, and 2. we find one of them and presumably his clothes in Blighttown.

[@c.b.5104]

@@StephanuSneed Demon kind are actually born of chaos stated by description in items. Not a need to get super "PHD I read lore". You just need to look at the environment. Yes, the "blight" is nothing more than a parallel to the plague and the hollows became deformed creatures because of cannibalism. Demon kind is born from Izalith and the Dome placed by Gwyn has numerous cracks both above and from where we enter Izalith. Anything revolving Quelags domain is a mystery to me since the area is literally just two rooms big. I could hypothesize that demons born from the eggs are still demon kind because The Fair Lady has a piece of the flame of chaos within her which is fueled by humanity. Further proof that blight has nothing to do with demon kind is the cut content crag hollows which where probably cut due to either visible enemy repetition (crystal hollows and normal hollows with different armour) or they may have had different moves when taking their Ceaseless Discharge like limbs into consideration

[@SeaHorseOfYoutube]

Map errors in any franchise: Wtf devs Map errors in Dark Souls: But wait what if this was intentional, how does this affect the lore

[@Walamonga1313]

Dark Souls 2 fanboys in a nutshell

[@theta_clips]

Walamonga 1313 Ok

[@RenegadeShepard69]

@@graig578 your comment just proves the OPs comment tbh... and you don't even realise it.

[@guitarhero01234]

@@RenegadeShepard69 Are you trying to say that Dark Souls isn't a step above most other games when it comes to world design?

[@RenegadeShepard69]

@@guitarhero01234 lol ....no, I am not trying to say that.... Honestly, this answers just make the OP's joke funnier.

[@larsspargur97]

When you looked off the cliff from firelink shrine and saw your bloodstain in blighttown my jaw literally dropped lmao. That is such incredible attention to detail.

[@Plz8662]

I know I thought the same thing, that’s so cool

[@MMA-CLIPS2]

I never realised The Depths was actually so high up in Lordran.

[@Garviel-Loken]

Not actually deep down as "the depths" Implys.

[@haroldomiyaura912]

actually, the depths are the higher underground floors in Lordran

[@casedistorted]

@@Garviel-Loken yeah it's crazy to think The Depths feels like it is deep but then you have to go down deeper and deeper into blighttown and think 'omg what can be down lower than THE DEPTHS of all places?"

[@johnsven878]

funny enough, depths actually located above ground, lol

[@UCannotDefeatMyShmeat]

The “depths” of the city guys, c’mon

[@TheNickofTime]

This has honestly become one of my favorite KZbin videos. I keep finding myself back here, it’s just so incredibly interesting no matter how many times I watch it.

[@fukcg00gle95]

Same. It's like taking control of your dreams and exploring out of bounds areas 😆 Really strange and interesting.

[@I_am_a_cat_]

... seriously? Wow. I feel sorry for you.

[@fizzrpg9961]

@@I_am_a_cat_ Someone enjoying something? Blasphemy! How dare you!

[@I_am_a_cat_]

@@fizzrpg9961 enjoyment is not allowed

[@NivalaSlayer]

@@I_am_a_cat_ I know your comment is probably made with a touch of irony, but it definitely won't stop me from triggering.

[@scantyer]

Also about darkroot garden: it's not really at night time but instead it's so dark because of the abyss. You can confirm that you look at the "moon" while in the level, that "moon" has no craters and it's too shiny. It's clearly the sun, being obfuscated by a dark fog

[@Proctor_Conley]

The trees are fucking with the illusion of the sun, almost allowing you to see it for the moon it really is. For the mostpart, wooden shields have the most magic resistance (trees are magical & as most wands are made of wood).

[@scantyer]

@@Proctor_Conley i'm sorry what?

[@Proctor_Conley]

@German Shepherd You didn't specify your confusion but I hope this assists you. There is no natural sun in the original Dark Souls. The unmoving, dim sun over Lordran is not natural but artificial. The son of Gywn, named Gywndolin, has put a unmoving moon over Lordran to cast light on the world & used a illusion to make it appear as a dim sun. This is foreshadowed (among other ways) in the opening fable & the Darkroot areas, only to be revealed in Anor Londo when we break Gwyndolins' illusion of Gwyns' daughter Gwynevere (revealing the dim son for a bright moon). The ending half of the game is infamously rushed so outside of Anor Londo the moon will always appear to be a son which has always caused confusion. All of this is fundamentally tied to the narrative & themes in multiple ways. Gwyn founded Anor Londo &, together with the pygmie city of Oolacile & giant city of Isalith, created a unified 'guiding light for humanity in a otherwise dark world'. Both symbolic & literally, but I'm skipping over a lot to stay brief. There's just to much to explain unless you tell me what troubles you face.

[@DixieWhiskey]

@@Proctor_Conley It always bothered me that Dark Londo isn't reflected when you're in the outdoor areas of the Duke's Archives. I never really thought of how the second half of the game being rushed accounts for that.

[@Proctor_Conley]

@PappeH The unfinished Demon Ruins & Lost Izalith are what gets to me. FromSoftware had a lot planned there & we got dragon butts instead of cool mutants parasites. Similar thing happened with Bloodborne too. At least we get to see some of the fun stuff they wanted to make.

[@mdogg094]

Seeing the dukes archives from the undead burg is a really compelling feeling. Kinda creepy thinking about how Seath is up there somewhere, watching us with his servants

[@scantyer]

Well he does have a channeller in the parish

[@mdogg094]

German Shepherd exactly!!!!

[@mohammadradityabaguspratam7666]

He prolly also saw me cheesing hellkite dragon with arrows.

[@Zayindjejfj]

@@mohammadradityabaguspratam7666 Seath: *sees people cheesing so many parts throughout the game, to include myself* PATHETIC Also Seath: *decides to cheese you with his immortality crystal* It's free real estate

[@trequor]

The Channeller lore creeped me out when I read it on a loading screen. Seath is really a disgusting creature, like some weird pervert scientist chilling in his tower watching his weird six-eyed minions kidnapping people

[@NewHorizons19]

I definitely think the intention is that the archtrees are literally holding up the rest of the world. The branches intertwining with rock, having a dense "ceiling" of branches above Ash Lake, and the fact that you get there by going to one of the lowest areas of the game and then descending much further down the trunk (indicating IMO you are meant to be far below everything else when you emerge on the beach) all support that. It also meshes with the mythology of World Trees that it's clearly inspired by, as you mentioned. Plus, all other times in the game where you go through a magical portal, it's not subtle. The white pathway to Gwyn with the ghostly knights, the abyss portal to the DLC, getting pulled into the Painted World - it's very clear cut. To get to Ash Lake, you just walk through a hole in the trunk. To me, the grey crags described in the opening are not Ash Lake or what used to be there, they're what the archtrees were supporting before the first flame and disparity arose. It's the land that would become Lordran and the rest of the world, but at that time just barren rock populated by stone dragons and soulless husks. The archtrees are largely unchanged since that time, as they're basically the foundation of creation.

[@dovahkiin_brasil]

I like to think each tree is a different world Great Hollow, this also comines pretty nicely with the explaination for multiplayer

[@xxlegolas]

@@dovahkiin_brasil That's discussed in this video and doesn't really align with the actual lore, which suggests that we are all occupying the same world, at different times, but also at the same time. Time is in flux with the past and future bleeding together, as time itself is an effect of Lord Gwyn's great miracle, the Sun, which is beginning to fade in power. Solaire explains this partially when you first meet him, as this is the lore behind how online play and summoning phantoms works. Iron Tarkus is an ancient hero that tried to conquer Sen's Fortress many years ago by the time we arrive, and yet we can phase in with him and even fight alongside him. So what is the truth? I guess it depends whether you summoned him or not and whether or not he survived the fight: but his corpse is found in the Painting Room in Anor Londo either way, so that's the history that ultimately played out, just like how Griggs of Vinheim both died inside a barrel in Lower Undead burg AND got rescued by us; a quantum superposition of states has begun to occur in the world of Lordran. Before Gwyn used the Lord Soul obtained from the first flame to create the Sun, the progression of time as we know it did not exist. Like all other aspects of the ancient world, it was frozen in a little-changing state, as no major events or changes occurred until disparity began. The great hollow is but one of thousands of archtrees which physically connect the ancient world with the one built on top of it by the Gods after they conquered it; I believe Gwyn accomplished this by advancing time so much that the upper branches of the immortal archtrees intertwined and mineralized into the rock upon which Lordran was later built. In Ash Lake, we can clearly see that the entire ceiling is made of intertwined masses of branches and roots. However, only people like Miyazaki can answer these deeper questions and I suspect they may not have thought this deeply about the subject, haha.

[@guitaridiot9000]

@@xxlegolas This is a really interesting comment.

[@darrensucksatgames]

Probably a literal analogy to the life tree and the imagery of ‘as above so below,’ as the roots seem to descend into chaotic nothingness but obviously there must be form underneath supporting it.

[@l.pietrobon3925]

You could also say that Ash Lake doesn't support the entire world, only Lordran. Would explain why Lordran is unnaturally high up, even above clouds, and why it's called Ash Lake and not Ash Ocean.

[@jakewolf079]

Amazing analysis, I can not express just how much I appreciate this video.

[@Metabus_]

right? it made me look at the world from a completely different perspective

[@Lucifronz]

I know. I never realized just how much I needed this.

[@thorwrigglesworth5116]

Just pure quality.

[@rogerpiotr6977]

I could risk to say cucumber much

[@torpid]

Yes

[@GabZonY]

32:15 my theory would be, that sunken bit of ground once held a large lake. that skylight in new londo ruins was what was created to flood the city, draining that lake into it.

[@illusorywall]

Late response here but I dig that as a possible explanation of how, exactly, the flooding occurred.

[@xxlegolas]

@@illusorywall New Londo would have had a source of running water from above for the use of its citizens, and I assumed that some combination of shutting the main door (Ingward's "seal") and diverting additional water into the cavern was used to overwhelm and flood the city (as flotsam quickly clogs drainage pathways when they are not collectively sufficient for the volume of water trying to pass through them). We know from Ingward's dialog and various item lore that the Darkwraith faction was judged to be so dangerous that the entire city was sacrificed to stop them. Presumably, New Londo was their base of operations, and thus where they were bound to bonfires. As a hostile and predatory darksigned undead military, they were especially dangerous because repeatedly killing them would not drive them hollow: they could steal humanity from others as necessary, thus avoiding the main deleterious consequence of the waning age of fire at the expense of other beings. Thus, the only way to stop them was to take them by surprise, simultaneously incapacitating or killing them and cutting the bonfires they were bound to off from the network so they could not be reborn. Of course, the nature and interactions of these mechanics are not totally clear or explained, but it makes enough sense to me that they were effectively contained while their bodies and bonfires were immersed in water, an element that precludes the formation of fire under all but extreme circumstances. Perhaps the forces of Anor Londo struck and collapsed the cistern feeding their water source in the dead of night and they awoke to the sound of the main gates grinding shut as water rose up to their knees, slowly drowning braziers. Even still, the skylight seems to me like it is just a skylight. Its elevation is much higher than the main doorway and as your analysis shows, it should be visible along the cliff walls of Valley of the Drakes. If that valley were full of water, then the locations of the doors to New Londo and the opposite one would not really make sense under any explanation relating to time passing or erosion or even intentional terraforming. Speaking of which, what was once behind that other door? Oolacile would be my first guess; the door is directly below the cliffy portions of Darkroot Basin where the halberd Black Knight is. Might be a fun subject for a corollary to this video.

[@zatoka08]

@@xxlegolas I always wondered about the giant collapsed tunnel opposite from the New Londo's main gate. It seems to lead into Darkroot Basin, which is where that large pit is. But that area didn't seem to exist when Oolacile was present (it's beyond the pit that's near Kalameet)

[@xxlegolas]

@@zatoka08 Yeap, but given that this entire "chunk" of the overworld seems to be focused on Darkroot and Oolacile (depending on how far into the past you go), it stands to reason that by and by this gate originally led into the heart of Oolacile's domain in some way (which as we remember is on a fairly low elevation. In DkS we see very little of the underground in that region of Lordran.

[@GrandPaladinTyrux]

That bit about the Depths blew my mind. I wonder if the Gaping Dragon actually crawled out of Blighttown?

[@illusorywall]

edit: This is now covered in Episode 10! Now back to the original response- One thing I left out of the video but probably really should've included-- the Parasitic Wall Hugger in Blighttown is latched onto a wall in such a way that it's facing a ramp. A ramp that points back up into the general direction of The Depths. I believe the implication is that it's feeding on sewage runoff. We can also consider how the Infested Barbarians carry dung pies. Makes sense to me that they're collecting actual shit that's flowed down there from The Depths.

[@GrandPaladinTyrux]

@@illusorywall That's a great catch, the level of detail in this game is honestly astounding.

[@scantyer]

The tunnel of the chest that has a dragon scale near the blighttown bonfire directly points into the right end of the pit where the gaping dragon comes from. I like to think it's part of its scales that fell into that pit. Also that further tunnel blocked by some gate in the same area of the chest, it was a missed opportunity to not include the gaping dragon peeking there if you had not kill him beforehand. I'm just being a dark-souls-map nerd but FROM always did those cool things.

[@GrandPaladinTyrux]

@@scantyer sounds like something fun a Daughters of Ash-esque mod could pull off. Why not just turn the entire Blighttown swamp into the Gaping Dragon's arena if you don't kill it before heading down.

[@Kr10n1]

@@scantyer Why in the chest though ? Shouldn't it be a single shiny ?

[@BadLeoG]

man creating this game must have been so goddamn satisfying, all those hidden secrets

[@ronanelliott9709]

Apparently making the first half this interconnected was so expensive it ran out their budget, and they had to phone it in with Lost Izalith

[@StephanuSneed]

​@@ronanelliott9709 Even tho Lost Izalith is the most rushed area in the game, they still bothered trying to give pyromancers a path even tho some of the bosses are highly resistant to fire. That's the point of Mildred, Ceaseless's cheese, and the Chaos Servants shortcut. And why every part of Bed of Chaos dies in one hit.

[@mahmud7645]

@@StephanuSneed Centipede Demon though…

[@StephanuSneed]

@@mahmud7645 What about it? You can skip it with the Chaos Servant shortcut. If you kill Firesage, who isn't resistant to fire, you can rest at the Fairlady bonfire (getting 10 estus), go down the elevator to the Chaos servant shortcut, and get to Bed of Chaos. It's not significantly longer than the normal path, you get more estus, don't have to fiddle with rings, and can skip Centipede.

[@davidcardozo290]

@@StephanuSneed Ds1 is the most pyromancer friendly game by far when you take all of those details into consideration. Also, no need to upgrade faith or int, chaos/fire weapons remove the necessity to amp up dex or str for scaling, you can really just focus only your pyromancies, health and stamina. It's also worth mentioning you don't have rings that improve pyromancies to important degrees, so you can just FaP/Havel Ring your way out of all the game and call it a day.

[@BrvtusVG]

Re: the differences between Darkroot and Oolacile, I kind of like the idea that the culture of Oolacile isn't extinct at the time of the DLC, although it is dying. After all, SOMEONE had to relocate the grave of Artorias, and as you pointed out the Burg hadn't been constructed yet. My thinking is that after the Abyss receded, Oolacile survivors continued to live amongst the ruins, repurposing the magic that animated the original stone guardians and gardeners but slowly losing this knowledge over generations like a dying language. Maybe there were mass exodi at various points into the nascent Burg, or even Vinheim. The stonework that was used to build the Colosseum and original township could have been pillaged as materials for the Burg or New Londo, which is something that happened frequently to historical abandoned cities.

[@illusorywall]

I like this and it's something I glossed over. Like you said, someone had to relocate the grave, and we could reasonably lean on other changes/ updates relating to that. I had the thought of slapping on some half-snarky, half-serious text saying "maybe this was all Alvina's doing", but couldn't figure out a good spot to fit it in editing.

[@BrvtusVG]

@@illusorywall LMAO cats do be like that

[@TWTLTRTD13]

well your probably right. the storys of dark souls play out over an undetermined timeline. so it is just as likley that this happened over decades or hundreds of years or even thousands of years. the same storys are doomed to repeat themselves over and over in the world of dark souls, each time, something a little different happens, and over a long time, major things happen.

[@Zeithri]

Don't forget the connection between the Forest Hunters and Artorias, specifically Alvina's intervention for you to save Sif in the past.

[@TWTLTRTD13]

@LeadFaun the playlist does mention somewhere that it was a human city but it was flooded deliberately. Hence water and ghosts.

[@Mr_Jombles]

It's the world of Dark Souls that I fell in love with the most. It drew me into it and filled me with a sense of majesty and awe that other games never seem to be even trying to accomplish. What an absolutely fascinating video for a huge fan of so many years. Thank you so much for making this and putting so much time and effort into it. This was an absolute treat that added an extra layer of appreciation where I thought there were none left to find! If only there were more 'game worlds' like it out there to get joyously lost in and explore! Perhaps some day. :)

[@Mr_Jombles]

@@ricklee7488 I've seen that recommended a lot. I'll check it out, thanks!

[@stanhunter4862]

I still remember kicking down that first ladder in the burg and being like oh wow

[@erradate6425]

The crazy thing is that they put so much work into making a coherent interconnected world, that the team ran off of time, thus not managing to finish the last areas of the game. Just imagine how crystal cave or isalith would look like if they had been given an extra year of dev.. This huge issue also explains why there are no other games from from soft that reaches such height when it comes to the level design. It created so much chaos into the team they prefered to step back a bit and instead try to make something more « even » in term of quality but less ambitious.. damn shame.

[@Mr_Jombles]

@@erradate6425 Yep I agree 100%. Excited to see what they do with Elden Ring. Maybe it'll be their most ambitious project yet. Oh crystal cave... what might have been!

[@erradate6425]

Lunch Time can’t wait either ! From soft attempting open world.. that must be something we aren’t ready for Yeah so much wasted potential man.. the aesthetic, the ennemies, the invisible path gimmick.. and Seath.. everything was there to make a crazy good refreshing area, and it turned to be nothing but a broken corridor aha

[@emlan3494]

So cool how the Iron Golem doorway leads straight into anor londo, I had never really thought about that closed entrance as an actual possible entrance. You did really good with orientation, I've watched other similar vids before but they didn't nail down the location feel as good.

[@SirZelean]

Yes, that was supposed to be the main entrance :) it was sealed off and the Iron Golem guards it. I THINK Sen's Fortress was also built precisely as an obstacle to defend the entrance.

[@trequor]

Really? I immediately made the connection. I was looking for the other side of that rockslided door the entire time I explored Anor Londo

[@AnthonyDoesYouTube]

@@trequor did u ever find it? Also I was able to find Irithyll just by looking down from Anor Londo in DS1

[@BigYabai]

DS1 Geography: Minor inconsistencies DS2 Geography: And then you ride the elevator up from the top of the mountain and end up undeground in a lava-filled cavern.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

puhfrugherter tbh I -like- that aspect of DS2. It feels like the world is falling apart and rearranging itself so the chosen undead can make it to the next cycle.

[@bongosmcdongos4190]

Is that literal

[@williamehrhardt918]

I always felt like ds1 having a small interconnected map takes away from the feeling of adventure. You can basically see everything from the starting location so the world feels small. In DS2 you are clearly traveling vast distances across a continent, and DS3 feels like a hybrid of the two.

[@Tacticaviator7]

@@IntrusiveThot420 that and I always though we weregoing up that huge mountain that is behind earthen peak

[@Zayindjejfj]

@@Tacticaviator7 I remember someone pointing out that going through the elevator isn't as inconsistent as people think. Apparently you do in fact go up and into a mountain which has a volcanic terrain. So it actually makes sense within the game world, just that it doesn't do a good job of foreshadowing you going in as it probably should for the sake of keeping you engaged.

[@TooMuchSascha]

I always imagined the Izalith dome was meant to function more as a containment procedure much like Chernobyl's sarcophagus.

[@illusorybucket5703]

This is the Dark Souls of Boundary Breaks

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

Good one

[@weshansen7892]

Oh yeah, Boundary break did dark souls too 🤔 not to throw him under the bus but there's clearly so much he just didn't show. This is definitely the better more informative video

[@Soulute367]

The painted world of ariandel is the left brain.

[@AnthonyDoesYouTube]

@@Soulute367 painted world of Ariamis is the right?

[@Soulute367]

@@AnthonyDoesKZbin nope. Ds3

[@HokeyBugle]

The sheer scale of the ash lake expanse gives me the same kind of cosmic dread Lovecraft does. It really shows how small and insignificant you are. I remember having to put the game down for a few hours the first time I got there, it was so overwhelming. A real testement to fromsofts world building

[@meyes5671]

It makes the world feel so much bigger

[@shawncamp333]

I did to actually

[@pondrthis1]

I don't think I went down the Hollow until after getting the Lordvessel. The "massive scale" of Anor Londo and Sen's Fortress and Lost Izalith and Ash Lake sorta inure you against further examples. If you went down the Hollow before Quelaag, though, I could totally imagine being swept away by it. I'm a big Lovecraft fan, but I don't get the horror of insignificance. Is the scale of our solar system/galaxy/the observable universe terrifying? I don't think so. It's incomprehensible, but it's only incomprehensible because there's no survival benefit to comprehending it. It's inherently not dangerous. _Buildings_ as large as they are in Lordran and Team Ico games, though, those are scary. The idea of _humans_ taking the effort and expense to do that is, frankly, horrific. Think of the level of socioeconomic power required to prompt the Giza pyramids' construction, and exponentiate that. It implies a level of fear or worship beyond any real-world examples.

[@noop9k]

@@pondrthis1 Please, most of this stuff was likely built by giants or by some magical golem-like creatures.

[@hecc7906]

I never get the whole "your character is small and insignificant" like you literally kill gods and kings

[@harizotoh7]

23:29 Very few of the Arch Trees break through the world and most just hold the world up. The Great Hollow is one of the exceptions. The Ash Lake Expanse is the original world of the Ancients, and everything has been built upon that since.

[@trequor]

Nothing has ever come close to that feeling of awe when I walked into Ash Lake. Just looking around at the hundreds of giant trees holding up the world, all of them exactly like what I just climbed down. It's one of those cool moments when the sheer SCALE of the universe fall into the pit of your stomach. It feels like trespassing in a place too ancient to understand. Really cool in my opinion.

[@dovahkiin_brasil]

@@trequor there's is a theory that each tree is another world Great Hollow

[@cameronstone4495]

@@dovahkiin_brasil But presumably the other archtrees are connected to the other branches coming out through the surface like the ones near firelink.

[@anthonyiodice]

Dude, I loved how when you were talking about “low quality” Firelink, you used an 8bit version of the Firelink Shrine song. Masterful production skills bub. 2:47

[@JoeNeutrino]

I've been desperate to know this information for years.

[@balaam_7087]

Joe Neutrino that’s how I feel about certain aspects of Bloodborne. I wish this channel would cover that game :/

[@jacobstratton1140]

@@balaam_7087 far and away the best world design in my opinion. Interesting, bizarre levels that link together and foreshadow throughout

[@lightinstinct707]

@@balaam_7087 I know I’m late with this comment but he might, he’s starting to cover more games of the franchise

[@captncuddlybear9404]

I always thought that Blighttown was in a cave, as I have never looked up while there. Kinda weird to find out that it can be seen from firelink shrine.

[@olucaspc]

Jesus, I have more than 200 hours on DS and Im still learning about it

[@DonnyKirkMusic]

i hav 750 but that was mostly idling and looking at dragongirl feet

[@kdtprojekt681]

You don't want to know how many I have....

[@hisholiness4537]

Almost 2khrs now.

[@tiihtu2507]

~1000 hours here. Probably even more, but I have played the game on multiple platforms, so it's not easy to keep track.

[@oneiros5686]

Man that makes me feel bad about just how many hours I have in it. I started in 2013 on 360 and literally spent almost 6-8 hours every day for over a year.

[@F8isRIPPIN]

The fact that everything is still in the correct general direction is pretty mind-blowing. Lost it at the bloodstain and prism stone tests.

[@SgtZook]

what a TREAT. this is one of my favourite aspects to dark souls 1 and I still spend time exploring the skyboxes/distant views to this day, plus I love the dissected series. god damn I'm happy and I really really appreciate the effort you took into this

[@RichterBelmont2235]

Quelaag's nest and the underground bell situate almost directly below the church bell and the Gargoyles, seperate by the Firelink Shrine. Despite all those running, our first set of goals were actually very close to each other.

[@MrJordwalk]

But they feel far apart. It's a fairly easy run to the Church Bell, as the Bell Gargoyles are the "hardest" enemies on the way there and theirs isn't even a particularly hard battle. The run to the Blighttown Bell though? AN ABSOLUTE SLOG.

[@RichterBelmont2235]

@@MrJordwalk Can't agree more.

[@MrJordwalk]

@@RichterBelmont2235 I have yet to rage quit a game, but the Capra Demon certainly pushed me to the edge of doing so lol. He killed me more times than all of the other Bosses combined.

[@trequor]

@@MrJordwalk Nah, you can actually reach Quelaag far faster than Gargoyles. Takes about 2 minutes for a speedrunner to do via the Blighttown Drop. Falling is of course faster than climbing. Taking the Depths path is hell though... I never understood why the advice online for newbies was always to NOT take the Master Key. That thing is probably the only reason I ever finished the game the first time

[@jinkisaragi874]

@@MrJordwalk I just hate that you pretty much have to use a shield for that fight. The capra is piss easy but since the arena is that small and there are 2 dogs plus the capra makes this fight so hard. I replay DS right now and totally forgot how many problems i had with this fight, no other boss was that hard for me.

[@MegaCygnusX1]

So basically Lost Izalith's dome is kind of like Chernobyl's sarcophagus. That's...appropriately disturbing. Also, the Kiln/Lordvessel comparison at the end blew my mind.

[@Lucifronz]

Holy shit, there's a roof on the catacombs? I've never seen that before.

[@CJacobsLP]

Awesome video. Stunning to see just how close some of LODs like the Duke's Archives' actually are to the real location's position. I'm glad the tools that have emerged recently for DS have allowed us to see just how deep FROM's love runs for the world they've created. edit: Surprised you didn't mention that you can see the walls of Anor Londo from Darkroot Garden, and during the forest portion of the DLC! It's a pretty insignificant detail but I think it's really cool that they bothered to keep it in the skybox.

[@BetterCallStan]

What part of Darkroot do you have to go to to se Anor Londo?

[@CJacobsLP]

@@BetterCallStan You can look up from almost anywhere in the Basin and see the walls by looking back in the direction of Sen's Fortress! From around the area with Alvina you can look up and see the walls just poking up over the cliff in the DLC and the present alike, it rules.

[@mikegamikega]

They literally made this game as if someone would traverse out of bounds to examine its geographical continuity. The detail in level design is just amazing.

[@arabidllama]

And remember, dear viewer, that this is in a Playstation 3 game! Those assets were put there expecting to be seen at 720p, with a depth-of-field blur applied, so just baaarely visible - and yet, they felt like it needed to be there and be accurate! Gosh I love Dark Souls. Also, some video feedback! For comparison shots, I would have appreciated either a cross-fade or a few flips back and forth. Awesome video, though!

[@illusorywall]

That's a great point! And I appreciate the feedback. I've stared at this stuff for so long that I've lost any sense of how much another person may need to look at it for it to click. I had to force myself in editing to let some shots linger. :p

[@arabidllama]

@@illusorywall Oh, I totally get that, that's why I gave the feedback in the first place :)

[@Bluecho4]

Don't forget the crap-ton of BLOOOOOOOM!

[@AntiNihilist]

this is why no Fromsoft game has matched this game, although Bloodborne did come close(it has just as many blurred backgrounds though, and that was on the PS4...what's that game's excuse?)

[@SpanishArmadaProd]

@@AntiNihilist gottem

[@gazelle904]

I recently started playing through all the other From Software games after beating Elden Ring, and watching your videos of ds1 have seriously enhanced the experience of playing the game. I've watched this video in particular about 3 times now because each time I get a better understanding where each of the areas that you're talking about are situated and it honestly makes playing the game way more fun. Love all of these dissected videos, the inner workings of the souls games are wonderful and I can't explain how grateful I am for someone like you to be so invested in explaining them to us random nerds.

[@illusorywall]

Thank you so much, that means a lot to hear and I really appreciate it!

[@PirateHearts]

This is the content I crave.

[@Lucifronz]

This is fantastic. I had always wondered where exactly some of these points lay. Blighttown in general I never completely understood the layout of, but now that you mention these pillars I can clearly see how it all works. Seriously, thank you for going over all of this. It's not hard to feel Dark Souls world is one continuous interconnected place, but as it is a video game limited by graphics, the specifics get lost in there a lot and this is probably going to stick in my mind for many years to come, especially when replaying the game. EDIT: Oh and I'm subscribing. I'd love to see if you ever do an in-depth video like this for any of the other souls games. Be it the Dark Souls sequels or Demon's Souls or even Bloodborne. I doubt those will be quite as easy to do as the last two aren't even available on PC so a lot of work would have to go into ripping the data, I suspect, and Dark Souls 1 has earned a lot of love over the years that Demon's Souls, fantastic as it was, sadly hasn't. But yeah, keep the content coming. This video was excellent and very eye-opening.

[@illusorywall]

Thanks for the kind words! What you describe is exactly what I hoped to achieve with this video--- that someone who is already familiar with the game will have some things re-contextualized for them the next time they revisit Lordran. I will make more videos about other games in the series too, but the bulk of my focus will likely be on Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls. :D

[@cactusowo1835]

It feels weird to know the fact that Anor Londo completely lacks of streets, it's just floating houses and trees and an unmeasurable abyss

[@genesisosuna]

Irithyll is basically the streets of anor Londo

[@cactusowo1835]

@@genesisosuna Yeah, never thought of that

[@yourdad5799]

Too many resources to make the streets probably.

[@Michi_owo-VLLC]

They discriminate the people that live in the streets and skipped building the surface

[@Nightfold]

This has always been my favourite part of Dark Souls as a game. I can't tell how many hours have I spent exploring the surroundings and discovering little models from far away. I always dreamed of making a video like this but I think you've made a better job than I could have made. By the way, I remember you from reddit, years back when you first posted that blog post. Cheers for you mate!

[@algi1]

I read your articles the video was based on, but still got some very surprising info out of this. 6:30 BTW I like how economical the Dark Souls intro is. I always love an economically made intro. Most of the times they use 2D images pretending to be 3D with some tricks (like the sight of the city shown in the video) and in-game levels. They made the bare minimum of original assets for the intro.

[@shotmytv975]

I'm pretty sure miyazaki himself did some of the motion capture for the intro as well, like nito holding the flame. the development had a very DIY and indie aspect to it that you can sense in the game which gives it that certain charm.

[@johnny-smith]

Really been enjoying this series recently. The episodes just stay good consistently.

[@Physeter]

This diamond of a game continues to blow my mind

[@RazorOfArtorias]

As an indie Level Designer I LOVE this kind of videos. Awesome job.

[@LeonIsLate]

I like it when these dissected videos are around 30-40 mins. I do my art while listening to you

[@raulgonzalezpardo7236]

Again man, amazing video, there were some things that i was aware of but most of them i didnt know about, looving the series so far!

[@illusorywall]

Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying it!

[@sha1060]

I just finished Dark Souls 1. I understood that Ash Lake was really below the surface but it's just now that I realize that it's literally "the surface". To think the whole world exist above thanks to the archtrees' branches is hard to imagine till you see the canopy. And it's so tightly packed that rocks and water can stay on it without falling down.

[@wander_boi69]

Amazing video. I've always known the set up of the sky boxes/map layout had an interconnectedness but the details of blood stain visibility eluded me entirely. You did a great job of giving a sense of orientation and even after so many years, it still feels like I'm discovering new things to love about this game. Details like that river just outside of Sen's Fortress potentially leading to the catacombs and the overlap between the DLC Abyss and the Four Kings boss room are things I'd have never learnt without this video. Though the cherry on top was finding out that the boss room for Gwyn resembles a lordvessel, that is a magnificent attention to detail and thematic symbolism by From.

[@xanthousjeremiah5046]

Incredibly fascinating material, thanks for all your work on this!

[@Zombot]

Very cool breakdown, well done! I never realized that Ceaseless Discharge jumped and was hanging onto the edge of a cliff, hence he falls, when you kill him the "easy" way.

[@hydrasent563]

It's interesting that Quelaag's domain is almost right under firelink shrine, I never realized how close blighttown is to firelink. They probably could have added an elevator shortcut back to firelink, that would be pretty cool, it would feel like the one from undead parish. At least there still is a less direct but still quick connection between the areas with valley of the drakes and new londo. Theres also some missed potential with the blocked off doorway behind iron golem.

[@Atzay]

Outstanding video, thanks a lot man! The world building of Dark Souls (in its purely technical aspects as well) is fascinating in a way that is unparalleled anywhere else in gaming in my opinion, and your great efforts in putting this together make me appreciate it in its details even more

[@Pvt.Fernandez]

All this unseen/unused content.... would KILL to play a Dark Souls: Master Quest!

[@chieckenman4432]

The sheer detail of backgrounds alone, this is just one of the many reasons why the game is amazing

[@ebonbehelit9763]

I also discovered on my last playthrough that the Valley of Drakes has a rather massive inconsistency that I'd never even noticed before: the chasm keeps going, beyond the bridge, in the direction of Darkroot Garden and Anor Londo. Oops!

[@Hlidskialf]

I read the post when came out but is really nice to see it translated to a video. Thanks for all your work, Illusory wall.

[@theoddone887]

best dark souls video ever. would love to see this for all the souls games

[@balaam_7087]

theoddone887 particularly Bloodborne

[@therappingrooster8]

What an awesome video! I got this video in my recommended so it looks like you have been blessed by the algorithm, you totally deserve it man this is amazing

[@illusorywall]

Thanks so much!

[@MrSchnorkel]

A likely explanation for the added curved walls around Anor Londo is that they were designed to seal off condemned areas. The image of Anor Londo in the game's intro (6:35) is shown at the same moment as the narrator says: "Thus began the Age of Fire." The game's events however happen at the end of the Age of Fire. It is also common practice in Lordran to seal off desolate and dangerous areas as seen in this very video. Not to forget, the video and the whole series is great. I'm very fortunate to still learn of yet more details in this amazing game, even years after playing through it so many times. Thank you.

[@impositor.]

This might just be the most insight Ive ever gotten in a single video, that’s impressive

[@LucaDe2000]

This is the 6 video of you this day. Why the hell i cant stop listening to this curiositys as I will call it

[@unhelpful-harry]

If dark souls ever got remade I'd love for them to tweak the visuals when it comes to the interconnectedness. Not only would newer hardware really push the envelope on the picturesque scenes but it'd be an opportunity to amend things like not being able to see TOTG from the demon ruins, the wrong firelink layout, etc. Great video man :)

[@admzrndy]

that uncut gems reference/clip was a welcome surprise, great movie!

[@realkingofantarctica]

I thought I already knew everything about the geometry of this game, and yet I just keep learning more and more, things that I never could have imagined or noticed myself. This channel is something else.

[@vaultt309]

I love Dark Souls Dissected so much!

[@ozanozkirmizi47]

Tell me about it my friend...

[@joshuaweston6531]

Watching your video just makes me appreciate Dark Souls even more and the effort that went into creating this giant, interconnected world of Lordran!

[@FukurouYGR]

5:41 god this sound effect still gives me PTSDs

[@bri-notthecheese]

That was incredible...my mind is completely blown. I've just gotten into the series and only played through the first game once and hadn't looked at the scenery like this but I have an even greater respect for all the work that was put into it. Thank you for this, just wow!!!

[@nap8187]

34:20 There is a background for the PS3 that shows a skeleton that carries you to Nito in the coffin.

[@illusorywall]

I forgot that existed. That is awesome.

[@xxlegolas]

If you think about it, there's no path there that would not have required him to drop down or climb a ladder while carrying the coffin.

[@mastery7901]

Nice dissection there @illusory wall. As a non developer, I have a whole new appreciation for the work they do.

[@tsbohc]

Replaying DS1 now after a few years, I love looking around the environments, and this video made me appreciate all the detail that was put into this world even more. Thank you so much for such great content

[@SafirLamkhantar]

Perhaps one of the most valuable video on Dark Souls. I remember playing Prince Of Persia - Warrior Within, and having a desire to explore the map and the interconnections under all angles. Then Dark Souls came years later and transcended the intensity of that desire. Almost 10 years later, you come and release that frustration. Thank you ^^

[@MrNuclearz]

Man, this kind of stuff really makes me appreciate the game so much more.

[@Bismvth]

I need so much more of this. I love learning about how Dark Souls uses its geography as a way to convey its lore and even themes. When playing certain regions sometimes you feel in your own bubble, but it's videos like this that really make you appreciate the level of consistency the devs applied to create an entire, living, breathing, interconnected world.

[@LoreHunter]

Really cool video! Your Dissected series is the gift that keeps on giving.

[@jkcosper]

You have earned my sub. Absolutely fascinating video.

[@illusorywall]

Thanks so much!

[@jkcosper]

illusory wall no, thank you.

[@DragonKing9500]

The bit at 22:33 where you liken the archtrees to tree doors of A Nightmare Before Christmas...I immediately thought of Bioshock: Infinite and its lighthouses

[@Lunartic_]

I'm honestly stunned how accurately they made the skybox locations. Shame in Dark Souls 2 (not sure about 3) the locations are way off. Like the Heide's Tower of Flame from Majula or Drangleic Castle from Shrine of Winter

[@illusorywall]

So I'll definitely have more to say about Dark Souls 2 at some point, but my biggest complaint with Dark Souls 2's world design might be its inability to embrace exaggerated distances in a cooler way. If they settled on the maps just overlapping like crazy and not worrying about it, then they could've gone all-in on making cool skyboxes and focusing more on the potential for art direction. Like let's say the windmill of the Earthen Peak was nestled up against some really ominous/ oppressive looking volcano. People would be complaining a lot less if the trip up there was telegraphed in some way and it *looked* cool, and they wouldn't have cared about the maps not being 100% accurate nearly as much.

[@scantyer]

@@illusorywall there are plenty of cool skybox finds in ds2 I.e you can see the undead crypt from majula but the rushed development made it so we have an invisible volcano on the top of a windmill

[@scantyer]

@@sygos still better than dog shit 3

[@ThisisKyle]

@@scantyer That's objectively false

[@scantyer]

@@ThisisKyle You are objectively false

[@AntiNihilist]

this is one of the biggest videos I've ever wanted to make on youtube. thank you so much, I never could've put all this together in quite the same way. I will be references this video for years to come

[@mitchsz]

I guess this is my favorite episode of the dissect series ❤

[@demetter7936]

This is my favorite dark souls video, I rewatch it every few months. Please make more like this.

[@illusorywall]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy it! If you haven't yet seen the DS3 World Layout vid, the Dark Souls 2 Gutter video, and the first Demon's Souls Compare-Through, these are all videos that do some kind of spatial analysis that I consider to be on a similar wavelength. :)

[@demetter7936]

@@illusorywall I've watched all of those! Keep up the great videos.

[@ekZpliZiiT]

I am impressed of such a level of detail in such an old game, never thought about these things. In DS3 its all clearly visible, but wasnt expecting this in DS1

[@Dangit420]

This channel is amazing!! Great work dude!

[@gaming_mantra]

Great video! This took hours for me to pour over switching between in-game and map viewer to get these connections; having it all placed logically in one video is a godsend. Thanks for all your efforts!

[@BroadwayJosh]

This is just a testament to what a fantastic game that Dark Souls really is, considering that KZbinrs can hold our fascinated attention over the most arcane and mundane details over its geography. What a game... eleven years now and people are still picking it up.

[@Spellfork]

Thank you illusory wall, this video was wonderfully made! I've always marvelled at the world and level design of Dark Souls and through my own playthroughs, as well as watching numerous others play this game I've noticed a few of the things you pointed out (not nearly as many as you found and investigated). I love how they really put effort into designing so much interconnectivity and this video makes me wish even more for a real remake of the game. A remake that makes it all connected and all the different parts truly visible in the distance. They might need to alter some of the original level design to accomplish this but it would be worth it imo so that everyone playing the game gets that feeling of awe as they adventure through Lordran. You sir, earned my immediate sub and gratitude, excellent work!

[@DarkenedAuras7653]

Holy crap. I always heard about the world of DS1 being tightly connected, though I was never one for truly looking around during my various playthroughs. The amount of work that went into this game is astounding. Thank you very much IllusoryWall for giving me this fresh insight into why DS1 is one of the best games ever (And why DS2 is inferior)

[@scantyer]

Same for ds3

[@janogabor7697]

@@scantyer Ds3 also pays attention to the skybox so not really. You can even see Irthyll from Vordt arena.

[@scantyer]

@@janogabor7697 It doesn't really. Sure you can see some skyboxes on the distance but they're very out of place and aren't the actual level at all. Also the fact that DS3 is super linear while DS1 and DS2 offers more options from the start just makes the game worse to me.

[@charlesr951]

Glad to come across your channel, I remember ENB use to shout out your work back in the olden times.

[@joesheridan9451]

Lost Izalith makes me sad. I love the concept, it could have been the best and most interesting area in the game

[@HearthguardHG]

This is one of the best dark souls videos I’ve ever seen. So much stuff I never knew, or noticed. And the presentation is outstanding.

[@Cathart1c]

Fantastic video about fantastic game level design. Thumbs up!

[@droka1564]

Absolutely incredible work, so happy to see the community for DS1 lore still around and kicking

[@Arx_724]

Thanks for another great video, I still very much enjoy all the stuff that's found in DaS, intentional or not. Not directly related, but I figured this might be a good place to throw these (though they might already be well-known): - There's a weird little plugged up empty dead-end in the Lost Izalith shortcut. - The low quality version of AL that's included with Duke's has... cannons (?) on the towers near where you enter. Deepest AC connection lore?

[@fukcg00gle95]

Watching your videos actually adds a new dimension of gameplay for me. I'm more aware of the world and lore while playing now. Awesome content. 👍

[@garrettswift4383]

I thoroughly enjoyed this as when I first played through dark souls I was stunned by the amazing level of detail and made sure to take my time and go through slowly and observe as much as possible. I really appreciate you taking in other theories and speculation. This makes me wonder how big the outer lands are and where I think the world does the asylum and the kiln actually exist

[@MrNasexD]

This brings the whole "Hey, I can see buildings in the distance" to a whole new level. I didn't even know about a lot of things you showed us here. Very well done!

[@FrostedSapling]

This video was awesome, and the river next to Sen's fortress that most likely linked to the catacombs, and the fact that the catacombs are under Sen's made me guffaw! The thing about not being able to see the catacombs from Izalith reminds me of something in Dark Souls 3. In the Smouldering lake right before the ballista I'm fairly certain you can see the entrance to the irithyll dungeons (where Alva invades you)through a hole in the wall, but you can't see smouldering lake from the dungeon (there's no hole where you would expect one to be). I don't know if its actually supposed to be or not, but I think it is because you can see the broken stairs at the dungeons entrance, and I thought it was cool because it could have been a way for the giants to come from irithyll to the lake where they manned the ballista, potentially to halt the advance of the sand worm and the stairs have crumpled since then. Maybe you could check it out?

[@trequor]

Honestly, I always just figured that you couldn't see the hole from the Demon Ruins simply because of the angle. Also there is a perspective change. The hole isn't *that* big compared to how far away you are when viewing it from the Demon Ruins

[@Remenor]

Fantastic work. Loved your input on the Bonfireside Chat podcast all those years ago. You are one of the pieces of backbone in the Souls community and I am SO impressed with your work. Thank you so much for all you do.