Heropedia: Artorias The Abysswalker

[@Ghostcharm]

Thanks for watching lads. What other video game heroes do you want to see? Gordon Freeman? Solid Snake? Master Chief? Dante? Throw your recommendations on this comment.

[@parkermaisterra8532]

Since we just did a video about a tragic fantastical knight who fell to madness about something way more Sci-fi like a certain Six armed cyborg demigod? I’m talking about Asura from Asura’s Wrath

[@samelliott4101]

NPCpedia: Titus Mede II (Skyrim), HERO?pedia: Jarl Ulfric/ General Tullius (Skyrim). HEROpedia: Paarthurnax (Skyrim). DIVINEpedia: Malacath/Trinimac (Elder Scrolls lore in general). NPCpedia: Bloody Baron- Phillip Strenger (Witcher 3)- could do for some great world and politics of the Witcher as well as touch on the story beats of the Baron himself. VILLAINpedia: Thrazidun, the Chained God (Dungeons and Dragons). Be neat to branch into TTPRPG stuff.

[@MrMetal-xe8lg]

Personally I'd love to know more about Dante. I've always wanted to play the DMC games and see him in all his goofy charismatic glory, but I never could for multiple reasons.

[@theonewhoismany8072]

His dominant arm being shattered is fancanon without anything to prove it. His shattered arm has a pauldron on its shoulder wich are only used on the shield arm to cushion blows to a shield. The Cleansing Greatshield is flattened on the center and chipped exactly where his elbow would merge to a shield. Nobody but Manus in this case could have done that much damage. No skilled swordsman would put their sword arm in front of their shield.

[@redtukeguy4263]

Hero/Villan: Kratos from the God of war series! I like his development over the games.

[@ProblmSolvd]

His cut dialogue before the boss fight is some of the most gut wrenching voice work in the franchise. A true knight to the bitter end.

[@bruhman5829]

dude i heard that dialogue for the first time just today and i'm so pissed they cut it

[@keeganwullaert4996]

@@bruhman5829 I think it would've added to it but i see why they cut it

[@reluctantsocialist2670]

Does it sound like the voice actor is the same as Ostrava of Boletaria from Demon Souls, or is it just me?

[@brightflamed_crusader1452]

⁠@@bruhman5829 Artorias being silent fits the theme of the fight so much better. Imagine getting into a fight with this incredibly powerful and valiant hero known for being the strongest there is, and he just… stares at you, with no emotion. Like he is no longer himself. It fits the scene so much better. Plus, the fact it’s in the files but not actually used I kind of find a bit chilling. Like he’s trying his hardest to tell you all of that dialogue but he physically can’t anymore. He’s too far gone. Like he’s saying it in his mind, begging you, but the words never leave his mouth.

[@KuyalawVA]

Yup, hearing Guts’ theme in the background near the end was not unnoticed

[@GotrekGurnisson]

Guts would slaughter everything in this game series.

[@DyneTreal]

Yep, crushed my very soul.

[@PocketCat6]

@@GotrekGurnisson Not really

[@idglet9565]

@@GotrekGurnisson He would be an epic boss fight

[@Bori.1776]

@@PocketCat6 He would my guy

[@THEO00900]

"Whoever thou art, stay away." "Soon, I will be consumed." "By the... by the dark." "You are strong, human." "Surely, mankind are more than pure dark." "I beg of you, the spread of the abyss..... must be stopped." "Ah, Sif. Then you are.... *cough* all of you... forgive me."

[@combativeThinker]

Morgan Freeman: Little did he know, mankind _was_ pure dark.

[@themostdiabolicalhater5986]

@@combativeThinker edgy cringe

[@ratbastard421]

Literally true according to the lore lol

[@themostdiabolicalhater5986]

@@ratbastard421 false, because Solaire exists GG EZ

[@keeganwullaert4996]

@@themostdiabolicalhater5986 Solaire theoretically could be not human. He definetly is but like you could say he isn't

[@dog.b74]

To make sifs cutscene even sadder is that Shes trying to save you. Shes trying to keep you from being able to traverse the abyss and in the long run, suffering the same fate as artorias, consumed by the abyss

[@bipolarprobe]

This was my read. Sif surely guarded her master's grave out of sense of duty and loyalty to Artorias. But her true goal was to protect would be heroes from suffering the same fate as Artorias.

[@bkzomen1]

Sif should of understood I was built different.

[@WolfHreda]

22:05 Okay, that bit using Artorias with Gael's animation is brilliant.

[@2oshow]

What’s even better is the callback to artorias in his first cutscene.

[@KeizerSosebee]

@@2oshow body yeetimg has become a sport and gael is going for the gold

[@joeclarke7982]

Artorias and Gael jocked The Penetrator for the body toss cutscene

[@flonbowe151]

@@2oshow can someone give a link to that mod

[@2oshow]

@@flonbowe151 if you have like insta or discord I can dm you the link. KZbin keeps deleting It

[@helluvanidiot2077]

King vendrick from DS2 please... He's so overlooked in the souls community and is genuinely sad

[@russian_knight]

Fr Vendrick's entire story is super depressing, way sadder than most of ds1 lore in my opinion

[@consumerjtc5835]

He is overshadowed by his brother.

[@zigmus00A]

"Seek strength... the rest will follow..."

[@TheNapster153]

It's also interesting because Vendrick provides insight to what Gwyn may have been. In the end, their desire for preseverence was more than just base selfishness. The End of the Age was against everything they worked so hard to achieve. So it was natural to them that they would take that one last dive with baseless Faith that the end could be averted even if its misguided.

[@lucaskim5139]

Vendrick and ivory king are top tiers characters of the series

[@TandJgaming]

I think it’s important to note that the darkness and the abyss isn’t inherently evil, it was the natural progression of the world and it was supposed to be a time for humanity and gwyn robbed it from them.

[@ProblmSolvd]

I think it's the title of "Dark Lord" that gives it a bad name. But in this case Dark doesn't mean the same as it usually would.

[@gloriousporpoise9731]

It kind of is tho.it corrupts everyone involved with it and destroys. Kaathe is presented as evil for a good reason. While it is true darkness is the inevitable state for the DS world the abyss isnt the way

[@TandJgaming]

@@gloriousporpoise9731 the abyss that comes from manus corrupts because he was tortured for so long it made him evil. The darkness itself isn’t evil it was just another world state where humans could thrive until Gwyn linked humanity to the bonfires and gave them the dark sign that allowed their humanity to leak out.

[@Kilo_23]

@@gloriousporpoise9731 the abyss and the dark are different , like anything all things can be corrupted and manipulated, manus became the abyss after being tortured and created into a weapon of pure hatred in which kaathe had used against the gods as means to bring the age of dark to fruition, however this was an uncontrollable weapon which needed to be stopped or else the age of dark would become the age of the abyss hence the intervention and the creation of the abyss walker ring given to artorias and then us the player which would be used to destroy manus or at the very least halt him and the abyss itself from spreading further. The age of dark isn't the end of light it's the end of the gods fire and rule over humanity, the 1st pygmy had seen to the plan when he divided the dark soul among all humanity so that over time man would rule themselves rather than be used or forced to follow the gods. Frampt was a traitor to humanity and servant/partner of the gods who would manipulate the player into relinking the fire through self sacrifice, where as kaathe only ever wanted what was natural and right for humanity to progress as the world was meant to to the age of man.

[@tydshiin5783]

@@gloriousporpoise9731 I'd imagine it only corrupts the ones from the fire, but who knows

[@thebelmont1995]

What I find incredible is that artorias fights you with one arm. Because his other is broken. And that was his actual sword arm. He is able to do all of this and fight you....like that....with that much skill and prowess. With one hand tied behind his back and losing his mind and becoming less mentally stable than a former psch ward patient.

[@notalpharius4553]

His broken arm being his sword arm is so stupid. He broke his arm by blocking with a shield, not because he slashed too hard.

[@jacoboddie5364]

@@notalpharius4553 23:34

[@notalpharius4553]

@@jacoboddie5364 inherited, beside it was only done as an easter egg because of this stupid theory.

[@maddoxio]

@@notalpharius4553 Or Mannus targeted the thing holding the big piece of sharp metal?

[@moonshadow1795]

@@notalpharius4553 there are many ways he could have broke his weapon arm other than "slashing too hard"

[@julianadams3710]

You missed a part of the Abyss Watchers armor. It outright shows their eventual end, if you look closely it writhes with tentacles of the abyss. It shows that all of the watchers looked into the abyss, and the abyss looked back.

[@vinny3283]

Oh hell yeah, one of the best Soulsborne characters.

[@Burning_Boxx]

Nice pfp, lain.

[@vinny3283]

@@Burning_Boxx Let's all love Lain!

[@israelvaldez26]

As a kid growing up in the 70's I feel in love with books and then I eventually discovered the Greek and Roman myths. I think that is one of the reasons why I feel in love with Dark Souls and Bloodborne is because of it's mythology , thank you for making the video!

[@CleverRat]

The music touches in this really pull forward the stories of triumph and heartbreak of Artorias. If there ever was a character in Dark Souls I wish we got a novel about, it would be him. Thank you for the amazing content.

[@chrispyk4456]

No joke, I'm building a D&D campaign using this story as the main quest after watching your video. Thank you so much, your research combo-ed with your great storytelling has sparked a ton of ideas for me!

[@Ghostcharm]

that is awesome, i hope your campaign turns out great!

[@azmitzy]

Update?

[@chrispyk4456]

@@azmitzy Still waiting for the current campaign to wrap up. I expect to kick this campaign off early 2023.

[@soulslvr9562]

@@chrispyk4456 we will be waiting with great anticipation

[@songbird6414]

Ironically, I’m building a dnd character based off of him! Fighter warlock multiclass, neutral good variant human starting with the alert feat. Not sure what I’ll even use him for - a one shot, a battle royale, maybe, but Artorias is awesome and should be shared as far as possible.

[@nemesis3587]

I love soulsborne series fallen knights. Artorias is definetely high point of the DS 1. After that in DS 2 Raime and Sir Alonne came with really good stories. In Bloodborne Ludwig is a legend and of course last one Slave Knight Gael in DS 3 concludes this fallen knight motive in peak point. I wonder what's waiting we in the Elden Ring.

[@scring713]

Spoilers for Elden Ring, but, from what I know of that game's story, Radahn is a very good example of this for that game. Radahn was the greatest general of his time and the strongest of all the demigods, he even mastered gravity magic just so he could continue riding his horse when he grew too large for it. He used his power to essentially freeze the fate of the world by shackling the stars and fought during the Shattering, losing to Malenia due only to her scarlet rot. After all these years, he's more or less feral, feasting on the corpses of those he kills, but he still holds a festival at his castle, calling warriors from throughout the Lands Between to challenge him in battle so that he may be granted an honorable death. Even with his mind nearly gone, he still has enough wit to know his time is over, his forces nearly depleted and pushed to the fringes of Caelid and his body crippled and rotting. He's one of the hardest bosses in the game even with the characters you can summon and he uses some of the craziest moves of any Fromsoft boss despite being so handicapped. To have seen that guy in his prime would be legendary. Not only does Fromsoft have a pattern of these fallen warrior types, but they also love pitting you against incredibly strong foes that aren't even at their full potential.

[@cynicalgold9992]

@@scring713 you forgot to mention that, even after falling into this decrepit state and becoming a shell of his former self, he's STILL single handedly holding back the stars themselves. that is pure badassery

[@alexanderhamilton4258]

@@cynicalgold9992 And he never hurt his horse until he fully lost it when you come around and start beating him.

[@reza.muhammad8067]

@@cynicalgold9992 and a festival is nedeed to beat him. True Baddas.

[@didobaig1468]

@@scring713 I'm pretty sure Radahn was witless to the point of not being able to hold a festival. Instead, warriors throughout the land had held a festival for him in order to put him to rest and I think that makes him even more badass because it shows that every warrior in the land respects Radahn to a great extent.

[@devastatheseeker9967]

I don't know if it's headcanon or not but my favourite bit about artorias is that he's left handed so when you fight him he's not only handicapped because of the abyss. He also has his good arm broken and still goes ham on you

[@HonakoGreen]

I'm actually really glad they cut the voice lines during the boss fight. They are to on the nose. Not only is part of the enjoyment of Souls games figuring out what's the hell is going on. It seems pretty contrived after all this time Artorias having just enough sanity left to speak for a few seconds like that, then go fully mad. without the voice lines his already long gone mad, such a sad state for the once heroic knight

[@dh599]

Remembering the story of Artorias and Sif is bringing me to tears again, I absolutly fell in love with Dark souls and then fell in love with it for a second time going through the DLC.

[@michaelrobins2955]

I choose to believe that Sif in the normal cutscenes defends the grave an ring for Artorias. In the alternate cutscene Sif fights to defend you. She has seen the corruption and pain of her first and truest friend and she will not allow the same to happen to you... Even if she has to kill you herself.

[@Reddragon2157]

This was brilliant, thank you for continuing the lore legacy of this series! I have a thought to pick people’s brains about artorias. He truly is heroic, and he is noble as a character. He is also though, perpetuating an age that oppresses humanity. The gods will is to keep their age continuing, which has brought about many creatures suffering. The dark sign comes from this unnatural extension, and causes humans to repeatedly revive after each death. This harrowing process of death leads many undead to insanity. Correct me if I’m mistaken, and I believe that manus wasn’t just awoken, he was tortured as well. Leading to his eventual transformation into a mad creature of the abyss. He wasn’t an evil creature, he was a damaged soul. Artorias in his zeal, sought only to destroy manus. While in truth, manus really needed to be soothed. That’s why dusk was alive, she was company to a creature decimated by its torment. Overall this all just goes to show how damn good this lore is. Many interpretations, complexities, and astounding characters. You’re awesome homie, keep the lore alive!

[@tylerhansen9521]

Great video, I've been loving these Dark Souls character spotlights. I have some interesting Artorias points for you. Artorias is cognate (I believe that is the term) to Arthur and like the Arthur of legend, wields a divine sword with unmatched skill. It gets interesting when you consider that one of the most famous points of Arthur's legend is the love story. The famous love story of Arthur and Guinivere... As Gwyn had already left to link the fire by the time of the DLC, it is likely that the Queen of Sunlight bestowed the pendant to him before he departed. We also know that Ciaran (translates to little dark one) had strong feelings for Artorias. My conspiracy theory as to how Arty lost this precious pendant, is a story about a love triangle, love unrequited and a bitter jealousy. I think maybe Ciaran stole his gift from Gwynevere out of jealousy and hid it. Unwittingly dooming the Knight to the abyss. And the only thing the poor girl can do to make things right is bestow his Soul to his companion Sif (Who is female I believe, as Sif is a female name in both Norse myth and anime), then after the grave is constructed and Sif takes her post, Ciaran lets her guilt consume her and she curls up behind his grave and hollows, clutching her hornet ring, remembering times long past. Before the dark. It's just a headcanon but the hidden pendant has always bugged me and it explains Ciaran just being around.

[@gamingpandaboy]

Makes sense to me. Especially considering that artorias sounds like another way of saying Arthur

[@definitelynotamantis4346]

I think Sif is male since in translations they're referred to in masculine terms rather than feminine But good point really love the story of artorias and all the little details

[@Cosmic-Sorceress-17]

This greatly renewed my love and respect for the story of Artorias, even though I find myself drawn to the Dark a lot in the Souls games. It is futile to resist change and the flow of nature, yet the fear of that change is something everyone can relate to. When Artorias realized that the Dark was unstoppable and inevitable, he may have felt that same fear himself and perhaps resignation to the fading of the flame: yet he still faced the Abyss head on, knowingly facing an enemy he could not defeat. Even though he fell, his bravery lasted multiple ages: even if it was slightly warped by the Abyss Watchers who tore down whole kingdoms to contain the Dark. Artorias was definitely a true knight, a valiant hero who stood tall even knowing what he faced could not be beaten.

[@Team_ghost9503]

Even though you finished what Artorias started I find it to be alright that it turned into Artorias’s legend because the credit ultimately doesn’t matter but between you and Artorias the best way to honor him was to do so.

[@TheSuicune7]

And you canonically lit the flame, thus your legend is still written

[@xandernelson1492]

I like to think that somewhere in his broken mind, Artorias was fighting back against the Dark the whole battle, trying to stop himself. And when we finally put him to rest, he is thanking us.

[@redseagaming7832]

I always saw the Artorias of the Abyss DLC as a prototype for blood-borne cuz DLC was a way for fromsoftware to actually experiment with new techniques there is a character in The Abyss DLC that looks like a character from blood-borne

[@argisus1279]

I like the idea that miyazaki hints his next game, considering Dark souls 2 wasn't made by him and Bloodborne was the one he made after dark souls so makes sense to me. (as in Bloodborne you can run into a person from the east and kind of look like the wolf from Sekkiro

[@tobiasrex8052]

Chester* if I remember correctly is that character

[@brickjames5020]

Chester has the artstyle of bloodborne no doubt. But how does that make the DLC a prototype for bloodborne?

[@isopropyl1314]

Chester was in the game files before the dlc came out anyway

[@jorgemoya1341]

@@brickjames5020 then Gael fight like a character from elden ring, even his design looks more alike the new game than the DS series

[@YaroDomo]

You're so good at storytelling it's insane

[@dragonofthesky9999]

i watched this vid and it was deff well put together and enjoyed listing to it in the BG but sadly i think you might like this one a little bit more, this shit here made me actually cry. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5iZYY18Yq6Xgc0&ab_channel=VaatiVidya

[@amauriherrera6022]

It brings no end of Joy to see Artorias in the Hero category: biggest CHAD in DarkSoul universe - he even saw humans as more than just Dark unlike Gwyn.

[@amauriherrera6022]

The Once and Future King of Dark Souls 👑

[@tako-sensei6072]

This has made me think alot, and it's definitely going towards the end product of a project I'm working on. Don't know how I didn't see you before... Actually I probably have and just don't remember, but oh well. There are many stories of heroes, but like you said, this one is different. This type of thing shows up alot more than you would think (not saying like I know anything about it tho lol) the stories of heroes are just that. Regardless of what really takes place. In this way there are so many stories are lost to time. what actually happened isn't remember, and it's not the fault of anyone. The people will believe what is the most comforting in situations that are bad, because they don't have anything else to hold onto. Like you said, that was probably what artorias went to do in the first place. Not to accomplish his goal, and not to return victorious, but to give everyone a hope. A legend. Something to hold onto. It's these legends that sometimes accomplish the most, as there are times when there is no way to win. So all that's left is to just live on, in any way that you can. Those heroes are the ones that give themselves for the lasting of morale. I was going to continue writing because my thought feels unfinished, but I don't have anything else to write about so I'm ending here.

[@SutasSjet]

You need more subs. You have the voice for storytelling. You also have just enough comments on the side, 4th wall breaking style quips that help pull people deeper into what they're being told.

[@Hazielangelo]

The Artorias tale allways will put tears in my eyes.

[@vardiganxpl1698]

And what I love about Artorias is that while yes, he did fail his mission to stop Manus. That still doesn't discredit how great of a hero he was. He is like the subversion of that trope of where that the Hero is not what everyone thought they are to be. In that trope. The hero is usually revealed to be a coward or loser. But not Artorias. He may not live up to the true legend of the Abysswalker, he is still a true knight

[@Peito4ever]

thanks to the recommendation of youtube I found your channel, and now I'm in a marathon watching all the videos. great narration and very interesting how you approach the subject of each one, thanks for all these videos and keep up the good work man. you really deserve more recognition. Cheers!

[@maskedhobo]

"Its hard living in these dying kingdoms" *Looks at 2023 nervously*

[@narcissusnarcosis614]

ahaha, indeed 😅

[@yousausage]

This is what happens when the people running the country have a negative IQ

[@brunoactis1104]

It's literally like in Dark Souls. Capitalism being the flame. It has been running for far too long, it must be stopped and left to die out so the age of humanity can begin. Sadly the flame is being revived right now with the new rise of reactionaryism and fascism in some places, and we will live to see Dark Souls 3, where the flame ran so way past it's usefulness, that the world isn't even majestic anymore, it's all just decay and everybody can see it.

[@Vinny_Gilberson]

19:00 My best guess is that From Software felt that giving Artorias dialogue might distract the player too much while fighting. That, and considering how often you may end up having to repeat the fight, even the best lines can get old after the hundredth time you hear them. Ever wondered why some of the other non-hollowed bosses like Smough and Ornstein don't talk in this game?

[@wispfire2545]

It's worth mentioning that during the days of dark souls 1, there was no confirmation that Artorias was left handed. This myth began from the American box art for the game, where unidentified knight faces enemies and he is carrying a sword in left hand and a shield in right. This knight was assumed to be Artorias, while the knight probably was intended to be the player character. The myth was made fact in dark souls 2, where the player could find the very sword which Artorias himself carried (allegedly) and its description told how the sword had always been passed down between left handed swordsmen. Essentially, the idea that Artorias was beating your ass while crippled with his off-hand was so awesome, that From retrospectively made the fan canon true. From realized the soft spot fans had for their Abysswalker and I like to think that mr. Miazaki did too. (:

[@nerine4188]

Cut dialogue changes the meaning from "A valiant knight who is losing to the corruption of the abyss" to "A valiant knight who despite corruption still continues his mission of fighting the abyss"

[@PaladinGear15]

They should have kept that dialogue, it gave me chills, and honestly when I fought this guy the first time, I was just like "cool, Artorias is a boss", but if I heard that dialogue, I'd likely be thinking "oh god, is there anything I can do to calm him instead of killing him? I don't wanna hurt this guy!" just like when you fight Sif after saving him in the DLC.

[@melikshah5739]

How do these videos don't have millions of views mean they are so well done. You deserve a lot more my friend but for now just know that we all love you and would support you until you get what you deserve.

[@AzelRavenWood]

I have not played any of the Dark Soul or Soul's games. And I just recently watched the 1997 Beserk anime for the first time like two weeks ago! So hearing that Artirious and Gut's are connected in a homage and hearing Gut's theme...Fuck Yeah Man! May both find peace one day!

[@FlameG102]

My favorite touch in Dark Souls 2 was how the Artorias greatsword was tied into Fume knight. Another character who much like Artorias, in the base game is only referred to on an item description or two as an exiled knight, who bears a certain tragic parallel to Artorias' story. One of the two top men of Vendrick, he was the only one who saw through Nashandra as a being of darkness, and ended up defeated and exiled for trying to protect his king and kingdom from the abyss. Only to end up seduced by it for the chance at the power to surpass the former fellow knight who vanquished him. And wouldn't you know it, Fume Knight is most definitely left handed.

[@Herrscher-4]

i feel like a Villianpedia on The Ancestor from Darkest Dungeon, you could also do a heropedia on all of the DD characters as there probably isn't enough substance for them to get individual episode

[@Y4manata]

I think cutting that dialogue is really nice, it makes the narrative less "in your face" that Artorias failed, and honestly makes it less cliche. I mean the trope of a corrupted hero begging for a new warrior to finish him off is pretty widespread, maybe after the lines were recorded Miyazaki changed his mind and didn't wanna do it again.

[@levferno483]

These games are so poetic, what the characters represent and how interpretive the lore gets. Love this series.

[@bunbun3488]

Just found your channel and been binging past videos, keep up the great content. Your humour ties perfectly with your script and your voice is soothing, love the way you go over lore and form your own thoughts on the subject matter. 💙

[@SoggyCoffeeAddict]

It's amazing watching these lore videos (even if it's about games I don't play, or even watch get played too much), and being like 🤯🤯 it all clicks so well. I always wondered these kinda things

[@Kurotaisa]

19:49 I think, I truly do think, that before the Chosen Undead was pulled to the past, Artorias would have eventually wandered down into Manus' Arena and ended up dying as he slayed the abyssal father. Remember that before being "able" to be pulled into the past, Dusk had already been saved by Artorias, but when it becomes possible to do so, she is dead and the CU is pulled into the past where they save her, and then the CU is retroactively the true slayer of Manus. Fucking timelines, man.

[@Kingu]

You outdid yourself on this one. You did our boi right. And you hit me with the meanest one-two punch having Sif pick up the sword and then the Guts theme kicks in. Masterful.

[@libertylivesin1776]

My fav character in the series. Artorias next to Oscars "elite" set is the dopest armor set in the game if not the series. IDK why but I relate to him at a level I can't even explain.

[@44theshadow49]

I might have subconsciously internalized Artorias's story. I've developed a deep, unyielding respect for all people who sacrificed their lives, health, and comfort for the attainment of something greater. Whether or not they achieved it, or even if they were fundamentally good people, is irrelevant. From dictators to artists, I always find them and their tenacity inspiring. Wouldn't it be interesting if that respect was born out of my respect for Artorias.

[@yourlocalmoron153]

fun fact Gwyns theme is played with solely white piano keys. he was so afraid of the dark it affected things outside of his plane of existence. also i just want to take a moment to appreciate how he is introduced. he is hyped up a LOT. i mean he is the final boss and started this whole spiral. when you finally get to him, theres no dramatic intro. no kick ass boss theme that makes you feel so powerful. no monologue. not even a cutscene. you walk in, he gets his sword, and you start fighting. a piano starts playing, but instead of cool action music its just really really sad. im being serious if you HAVENT heard Gwyns theme you are MISSING OUT. anyways back to the story. you fight someone that is basically a god over this realm. he killed the dragons and started the entire Age of Fire. but in reality, he is nothing but a shriveled husk of what he once used to be sitting with the First Flame, trying so hard and being so afraid of it fading. he just wants to preserve what he fought so hard for. when i saw him die eventually after a fight, it didnt make me go "YEAH BABY suck it final boss im in charge and i just beat the game AND yo ass" it made me sad to be honest. tldr: gwyn is cool i guess idk why did i make a whole dumbass rant about a game

[@kingskellyhands2318]

I got legit goosebumps from Artorias' cut dialogue. Damn that's some powerful shit.

[@jacksonkrall9042]

At 16:45 I never noticed till you pointed it out that Solare is foreshadowing that you are one of the heroes that is centuries old phasing in and out. Thanks for that!

[@sirrocu659]

Oh my god Ghost, you're work is just improving and improving. Keep going and please don't stop!

[@jarubyjane]

it's likely that Oolacile fell to the Abyss before New Londo. Marvelous Chester tells the player that Oolacile unleashed the Abyss by awakening the "Primeval Human." This turns out to be Manus, Father of the Abyss, who we can assume is the originator of the Abyss. The Four Kings were corrupted after the abyss was awakened, so the fall of Oolacile would have to have occurred after that of New Londo. Just as an extra bit of speculation: Marvelous Chester also tells the player that Oolacile awoke the Primeval Human at the urgings of a Primordial Serpent. In my opinion, this is Kaathe's first attempt to spread the Age of Dark, by awakening Manus and beginning the spread of the Abyss. However, after the player character has killed Manus (because Manus himself pulled the player back into the past), Kaathe instead had to corrupt the Four Kings in order to continue spreading the Abyss and the Age of Dark.

[@BlazingGlaceon]

18:30 That _scream_ , goddamn. I always respect VAs who can shout like that without it sounding weird and forced, and this dude nailed it, jesus lol.

[@PopMaster14]

BIG FAN of the subtle Guts theme near the end hits so hard!

[@BowserMilk]

I HAVE HUNDREDS OF HOURS IF NOT A THOUSAND into Dark Souls... I have trouble grasping the lore behind Souls Games but knowing this now has my mouth dropped. The story even years later still amazes me.

[@AP6LLLO]

Found your channel very recently and I really enjoy how you speak and dissects these characters, I had the genuine impression you were a way bigger youtuber and I have no doubt you'll soon grow exponentially based on the quality of the videos alone, great work mate, also, consider taking a look on Vergil from Devil May Cry

[@edgyman-fk]

I named my Chihuahua after Sif. She's the opposite of her namesake in every way. Tiny, terrified of everything, and would turn on me for a slice of cheese. I love her more than anything.

[@brutusmagnuson315]

I’m actually glad they cut the voice, it was a bit too cartoony and it makes him sound too young. Removing it also makes his human-like scream right as he dies more impactful

[@MrPUNKY121]

What should also be said is that Manus' humanity didn't just run wild on its own. The people of Oolacile tortured him to the point that they transformed his humanity until he couldn't contain it any longer.

[@hi_austin]

Ghost the host with the most from coast to coast. I’ll see myself out.

[@KingLich451]

haha love that show

[@bombomos]

I miss that show

[@leoornstein3963]

Just found your channel, awesome stuffs! Have you considered talking about another knight of Gwyn, Ornstein the Dragon Slayer? He is not as legendary as Artorias, but the story about his depart from Anor Londo, and his travel across the land of Lordran inserach of the nameless king is really interesting. He is my favorite chracter from the franchise.

[@blizzardgaming7070]

And finally the last of Gwyns knights to remain at his post, Smough who I believe was the wearer of the Dragon slayer armour boss, after Ornstein had left for the nameless king Smough remained until he failed to protect Gwyns family from Pontiff Sylvan and left his armour and weapons there, following the footsteps of Ornstein in order to find him. When Smough reaches Archdragon peak he found Ornstein, dead and in dragon form, he laid his former colleagues armour to rest in a nearby chest before forging himself a new set in memory of Ornstein inheriting his lightning, there he found and killed one of the last Ancient dragons atop a mountain, the one you can see in the distance. The new Dragonslayer then went to serve the last of Gwyns line, the royal family of Lothric where he stood until his end, his armour guarding the princes.

[@antoninperron1307]

19:41 how How say it make me think that Manus was just watching Netflix in a cozy sofa

[@feiyunslopebulletinboard7217]

Berserk OST is some mix of Progressive Rock meets Old school RPG with an 80s dance flair, it was an anime made in the 90s and the music made it painstakingly obvious to its era.. . Even if it was the directors choice, it broke my immersion in the series being an actual dark medieval fantasy. Dark Souls just generally made a cohesive soundtrack that suited their genre better. Neither metal nor rock are what I look for in a dark medieval themed fantasy.

[@igrid6399]

think after dusk was saved by artorias gwyn took him to the duke archive to help seath but you know seath is crazy about magic and immortality for some reason he kept princess dusk in the golden golem for years until we saved her.

[@samelliott4101]

Hopefully this vid blows up like your Dagoth Ur one did. That being said, I’m surprised your Bioshock vid didn’t blow up more. Video is great! Helps keep my Elden Ring hype battened down.

[@cameronescovedo8412]

Yeah man! As a representative of a different sect of your viewers (the ones who have never played Darksouls or any of those games) I gotta say the production value and the writing of these videos draw me in and gets me into the story/lore even though I have no experience with it. A+ content as always

[@tkong6465]

Off topic but I love how dark souls is a game where lore wise not video mechanic wise it make sense for Npcs to just be standing someplace waiting for you to show up….being undead in Lordran is such a cool concept

[@sootythunder3111]

We actually do have one small piece of his personal life, apparently of the 3 other knights him and Ciaran had the deepest relationship, being that she is the only one to seek him out on his quest as well as creating a grave for him and requesting to be given his soul from the player

[@GarageHaruo]

Artorias did what any man had to do. We just went farther into x-games mode than he did

[@realcuondaotherside]

I wanna point something out. Sif is a young pup when we find him in the chasm of the abyss. The spot where we find him is presumably where Artorias fell, his spirit- crushed and his arm- broken. My theory is that Sif wasn't a pet or friend to Arty, but a personification of his steel will. When the bulwark of his mind broke, and the waters of the abyss rushed in, he left behind his shield. The shield, a symbol of his steadfast tenacity and determination, bore the child of Sif. I believe that Sif "IS" Arty's steel will incarnate. That's all

[@Cuppamilky]

I get and realize and hate that they cut his dialogue.. but.. to me, it goes to show, he’s truly gone. The hero of legend is GONE. Succumb to the abyss and no longer there. Just a mindless and heartless husk of a hero who once was. And it’s beautiful

[@giffymessiah3935]

Bro is this the best channel explaining hero’s and villains. U explain these people in a way that it is informative and interesting at the same time. Keep grinding man.

[@beyond_the_tequila_rift3194]

Does this imply that In Artorias being a Usurper of sorts, that this whole thing is a time loop? We always cameback in time to defeat the fading flame of Artoria's will and by finishing off Manus...Some would go onto to still believe that Artorias completed the deed and only those close to the events (Urbina and so on) would be the only ones to harbor the truth would just keep it to themselves? That's noble of us as the main characters, but also raising the essence of Artorias's never die attitude.

[@spironan]

This videos are insanely well written and narrated. Definitely looking forward to more of these narratives especially since artorios is one of if not my favorite and most iconic dark souls characters

[@agediho6009]

Sif's original fight is him protecting Artorias, Sif in the alternate cutscene is protecting you. i just think that's so cool

[@cookiejuice2006]

It says something about how great these videos are when the first thing I want to watch after having a life changing LSD trip is a Ghostcharm video. Excellent video. Glad to be apart of the first 20000

[@gladz032]

I hope you do Gael, many people don't get his story, at the very end he was what the Gods feared, nothing but a man with an unbreakable will and the very essence of humanity, the last human, the hero of a new world, Knight Gael.

[@TheValkyre0]

Ah yes. I needed my daily dose of sadness. Love Artorias, dudes a badass and his legend is amazing. You covered it beautifully.

[@mofro415]

An Artorias focused souls game based on the leadup to his downfall would sell so damn fast im surprised Form Software hasnt done it yet. And Sekiro has showed us that FS is capable of creating a more narrative focus souls title

[@totobyafrica5097]

A hero I really want to see covered is Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza series, or maybe Goro Majima (Who could fit both hero and villain)

[@jarofpickles4057]

I've played Dark Souls 2 a bit and Dark Souls 3 extensively, but haven't touched DS1 yet... not sure why. Listening to this story and taking it more generally was really beautiful. In DS3, I've done a lot of PvP and always seen people cosplaying as Artorias. That'll always be a meme, of course, but finally hearing about the actual character was awesome.

[@beyond_the_tequila_rift3194]

An ode can be written for the fearlessness that Artorias imbued upon himself. I can Imagine that other knights of the era, were tanks and yet their was a juggernaut or Berserker who lifted his Greatsword and didn't give two shits about what the Abyss's Darkness could do to him and anyothers, but he rested there waiting in front of Oolacile, waiting and waiting to continue warding off the creatures as best he can and as undying and unwavering as his will and soul goes on!!!!!

[@cthulhluftagn3812]

Linking the flame is more damaging then we first think, not only dose it turn the flame into a undead thing, feeding on its own smoke (souls) but it poisoned the abyss, making it a putrid thing full of insects. Gwyn, in gear and arrogance, decreed that his age of power and god's would never end, and in doing so cursed everything to eventually collapse.

[@pauloaugustolazzarotto5569]

I don't think Artorias was left-handed. His brocken arm sugests that was the arm he used to defend Sif with the shield before leaving it to protect him. The bigger shoulder piece of the armour also sugests he used his left arm only for his shield, as this kind of piece was used for this purpose in real life armours. I think the description on the Artorias's sword means only the people who inherited it were left-handed (or trained to be so), but not him

[@jebbus132]

Holy shit, playing Dark souls 3 as this is playing on my second monitor and I land the killing blow on the abyss watchers boss just as you say "put Artorias to rest".

[@educatedlaziness3268]

I'd actually heard there's some implication that Gwyn distrusted Artorias for being a Human, but couldn't exile him for his ability and reputation, and as such gave him purposefully suicidal tasks to try and martyr him until one did

[@TandJgaming]

Artorias wasn’t a human, he was a lord, like Gwyn.

[@KiroShinigami]

Great wolf Sif is a She o;. She was the goodest girl. Fighting her broke me. Like...All Sif wanted was to protect you from going after the same road her master Artorias walked. Artorias protected her with his shield as a last act of consciousness before he fell to Manus's full curse. The useless sword arm dangling there and still he clobbers you! I though he was a seriously awesome boss.

[@Spencer_Thatcher]

Great video I'm still waiting for the dueling Heropedia and Villianpedia that is the Sons of Sparda Dante and Virgil Also a Villianpedia of gaunter o'dimm

[@osmosisjones2822]

Would love to see Dante and his brother on the channel

[@Spencer_Thatcher]

@@osmosisjones2822 He'll have to cover them at some point. Hes got Bill's to pay and those toilets need flushing

[@cb-9938]

I love the story of the Abyss watchers. Artorios lost to the Abyss and had to be killed by us the player. So his legacy of defeating the darkness was a lie. A lie that caused hundreds of soldiers who thought of Artorios as a Hero to fall to the same fate. And just like Artorios they are still fighting the Abyss when we find them It's so poetic

[@garyburginjr1366]

I absolutely love your content man. It's really scratching my lore itch while we wait for elden ring. Thanks for the hard work!

[@davidmartin5483]

I think they might have cut it because even without the dialogue you get the exat same feeling and dous it might have been overexposure

[@keyoti5640]

The Pirates of Dark Water (1991) Jumped to the forefront of my mind first, upon hearing the ending requeste of other video game or characters of interests. I recall looking forward to new episodes growing up, enjoying the characters and story but it has been such a long time since last I seen Pirates of Dark Water, that I remember so few specific details of the show. Also being only like 5 when the show was airing, a in-depth summery of characters stories and motivations would be appreciated for the better comprehension and nostalgia such a video would provide. Greatly enjoy the from software content, and I look forward to learning more about our modern digital incarnations of mythical hero and villain archetypes.

[@FeedMeSalt]

Cut out his wolf and he is still one of the best characters in souls. And that sits heavy

[@decameter]

Interesting Artorias is Left handed, considering the connotations of left handedness in religion, from the era of knights. To be left handed was a sort of curse. Even up to more modern days, it was often beaten out of children to force them to use their Right hand, especially if you were schooled and raised catholic. So to see him broken, forced to use his right hand, is quite a fascinating visual touch. Surely reading too much into it, but as someone who has a brother who was forced out of using his left hand it's in a way quite personal.

[@IronheadEli723]

I love how he doesn’t care if we’re undead or not, he doesn’t want us to be overcome by the abyss. That is a knight

[@TheMapleDaily]

That cut content for the artorias fight makes me mad, him actually speaking to us before he finally succumbs brings so much emotion to the fight, personification to the fight, and makes it even more show that even the great can fall.

[@Elch0l0duke]

You really got me all in my feels about Artorias!! Thank you so much!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@platonios4666]

Greatwolf sif wasnt Artorias' Companion.As Sif was his friend,he was still young.We travel in the past in Oolacile DLC.And even in the past,Gwyn is already corrupted.And we find a young sif in the Chasm of the abyss.Thats why Artorias broke his arm by shielding Sif against Manus.If Sif would be a greatwolf right there,Artorias wouldnt have had a big enough Shield for him.