The Dark Souls Iceberg Explained

[@natiscool]

Hello everyone, thanks for the massive support on this video! I didn't even expect it to reach 1000 views, let alone this many! Just an important fix here, the beautiful artwork at 15:07 actually has the incorrect credit, it was made by the lovely steel neck over on twitter, go and check him out! twitter.com/steel_neck/status/1205947103291363330 I've got another big iceberg in the pipeline that's been in the works since before this one was published, and that should be out hopefully in the next week or so, but some more Dark Souls content is definitely going to be in the works, potentially I'll make a follow up video to this which helps me address some of my mistakes and mispronunciation and discuss some theories that missed this iceberg.

[@akbas58]

yeah

[@roshpit8749]

Dark Souls ll next?

[@natiscool]

@@roshpit8749 I'm actually working on Skyrim next, which should be out in a couple of weeks, however DS II is in the pipeline!

[@roshpit8749]

@@natiscool looking forward to see both videos (._.)/)

[@Rocky-oq9cy]

This honestly was a really enjoyable video, but there is one thing I need to make sure you know. Just because this is the video that launched your channel into success, that doesn’t mean you should feel forced into making purely “iceberg” videos or stuff similar to it. There’s nothing wrong with making these types of videos, but the growth of your channel should never be the sole reason for you to make these. The growth of your channel is a positive, but your inspiration should be your genuine interest of the concept. Not just the numbers. The only reason I even bring this up is because there are hundreds and hundreds of other cases where someone gets a taste of success, and leaves everything else except that one concept behind. What happens a lot of the time is that those individuals lose interest in making videos because they are no longer focusing on the concept of the video, they are focusing purely on the success garnered by it. Just stay true to yourself. Do what is most enjoyable, not what is most successful. If those two just happen to be the same thing? Go crazy. You’re good at this. You’ve got a very good narrating voice. You speak clearly and it is very easy to follow, so good luck man.

[@ItsmeVel]

Havel is not the person trapped inside the tower You are the person trapped inside the tower with Havel

[@Ethan-ib5hk]

Yeah but Havel is still the person in the tower lol

[@AschTheBloody13]

@@Ethan-ib5hk The Tower is the Havel's stand. LMAO

[@Seeeemy]

@@AschTheBloody13 Superfly!!

[@smocloud]

is havel rorschach? he’s not locked in with us? we’re locked in with him?

[@SaintSarcasm]

@@Ethan-ib5hk the info dissuading havel being in the tower is a rumor though. Odds are havel was that great soul, and the rumors came about because of the fellow walking around with His armor

[@romilrh]

13:13 The developers actually DID account for the scenario of the player killing Kalameet without Gough's help. If you talk to Gough after doing so, he'll speak a unique line of dialogue acknowledging it.

[@ttayWer]

Fromsoft really thought of everything didn't they

[@AstralPandaBoi]

THIS!

[@romilrh]

@@ttayWer everything except triggering a deathcam to un-load Sen's gate

[@ttayWer]

@@romilrh yeah true

[@osurpless]

It’s also quite interesting that with the right setup, it’s actually quicker than going to the arena, warping out, talking to Gough, then going back to fight Kalameet.

[@ColinConroy]

19:50 "why would someone who has conquered one of the most frustrating areas of dark souls, then clumsily fall from the rafters?" I believe it, I know I have done it at least a couple times

[@nicegoatdoctor8224]

Yeah same, but none of us are Tarkus.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

The hardest part of dark souls is the lack of safety standards.

[@A草Churro]

@@elvingearmasterirma7241 this made laugh

[@MrPF]

@@elvingearmasterirma7241 Not a single one of the painting guardians where using safety harnesses or helmets to protect then from falling hollows

[@TheNapster153]

@@MrPF An intesting theory I read that he succumbed to poison from the Painted World. It'd explain a lot as he should've definitely been immobilised from the fall due to his heavy armour.

[@CrimeFighterFrog]

Solaire being the Carthus Sandworm is one of the most crackheaded theories in the whole franchise

[@thiagofarias7660]

Yeah, but its a realy cool one tough

[@maximillion322]

7:50 if you read the description of Ornstein’s soul, it’s actually a piece of Gwyn’s soul that he gave to Ornstein, which means he probably left it behind when he left, and Gwyndolin uses that to create the illusion. Also, not all illusions disappear with one hit. All of the silver knights and giant sentinels in Anor Londo are also illusions, which disappear after you kill Gwynevere, and when you kill them individually, they don’t leave a body behind, they just vanish

[@joshuagraham5750]

So i can avoid the Bow Knights by killing Gwyndolin??

[@jeremyabbott4537]

@@joshuagraham5750 no, Gwyndolin's illusion doesn't dissipate unless you attack Gwynevere. You can kill Gwndolin and have Anor Londo be daytime if you get the ring in the Catacombs or glitch through the wall.

[@scribeofsolace]

Brother!

[@joeyzigman3223]

I’m on my first playthrough since I was a late bloomer, I’m rocking the black knight greatsword and I just finished this fight, kinda makes me realize why I could take out ornstein in four or five hits, smough was tough but even if he was an illusion ornstein dunked on me until I put on havels armor, got it first try lmao

[@MattSinz]

Actually they did expect you to be able defeat Kalameet without Goughs help, there is unique dialogue with Gough if you beat Kalameet that way.

[@natiscool]

Great spotting, that would have been a great to add into the video! Having looked into this, Gough's secret dialogue is "And I see that the great black dragon Kalameet is dusted by thine hand". Interesting as to why no Victory Achieved message was displayed though. (Looked at this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ6wZmiFi9Zla80)

[@tasosakoumianakis431]

@@natiscool Because the boss fight never got triggered

[@vicaryn1360]

@@tasosakoumianakis431 but if you cheese capra demon with firebombs and don't trigger the boss you still get a victory message

[@184fish]

@@vicaryn1360 Capra has the boss fog in front of it, while the arena to Kalameet is open until Gough downs him (I think this is the case even after seeing him fly over, but it's been a while). Probably means the game does not recognise Kalameet as a boss at this point, so no Victory message when he dies.

[@john1rb217]

@@184fish a boss fog appears after you die to kalameet.

[@MalekKashima]

If Ornstein was an illusion then that was the most hard hitting illusion i've ever seen.

[@jayst]

Lol yeah no kidding. And that Dragonslayer spear is sure an awesome illusion weapon

[@MalekKashima]

@@jayst yup illusioned it upside my head like fifteen times.

[@jayst]

@@MalekKashima lol!!

[@liquidsnr7499]

Lady butterfly: indeed

[@Imogenleighton8531]

All the silver knights were illusions, so I think Ornstein being able to hit like a truck fits in the theory. Getting his soul is what makes me believe he's real though

[@CapnTholaf]

Uh, there’s whispering in the Archives because it’s a LIBRARY? Sssshhhh!

[@robinpayneguitar]

Lol

[@cmm8217]

Dude suh

[@commandertoastcz6256]

Alright my new favorite Dark Souls fact is that Pinwheel's Japanese name is basically "Three guys in a coat".

[@fashionsuckman4652]

For the Orenstein illusion theory, the big boi knights (forgot their names) in anor Londo disappear after killing gwyndolen, so they were also illusions, powerful illusions thst gave souls. You also find Orenstein's armor near the nameless kings bossfight. Implying that he really did find who he was looking for.

[@hkprx6911]

@Vatan Kömürcü For me there is a good chance that Onrnstein was at the head of an order of knights wearing the same armor, a bit like Havel. In DS2 we fight the dragon hunter, much weaker and slightly different from Onrnstein of DS1, and in the 3rd dlc, the knights with an ice spear have an armor very similar to that of Ornstein except the helmet, and in frozen version. It should be noted that Eleum Loys makes many references to a people of warriors and to a god of war. In DS3 we find again an even different Ornstein armor. My theory is that Ornstein was the elite guard of Anor Londo whose role was to protect Gwenevere. Having formerly hunted dragons under the command of the Nameless King, he left to join the Nameless King with some of his knights and weary others in the service of the princess. The illusion of Ornstein (and why not the illusion of Slough) and Gwenevere were made by Gwendolyn to ensure a symbolic power in Anor Londo and to accomplish the plan of the fire linking by the "chosen" undead.

[@somethingbanter]

@Vatan Kömürcü I mean yeah of course they thought of it because it's right there in the item description that Ornstein is not in Anor Londo at the time of the boss battle, so who else could you have possibly just fought if not an illusion like the rest of the knights in the area which also disappear when you break the illusion.

[@eru.maewos7673]

It's heavy implied that the only real "Gods" in Anor Londo were Gwyndolin and Smough, for Ornstein was already in the search for the first born and all the other knights were illusions.

[@OXY187]

You guys also should note that Dark Souls wasn’t supposed to be a trilogy. Dark Souls 1 was the first and the last game.

[@eru.maewos7673]

@@OXY187 wut?

[@Shonji_Ikori]

Why does no one ever talk about how pinwheel's boss arena IS a coffin...

[@thegamingscroll7546]

Well, it's called tomb of giants.

[@natiscool]

Sounds like there could be some great theories here that we can cover :)

[@thebrowncat23]

I believe Vatti mentions it at some point

[@dafulegend5905]

Yeah it is

[@devastatheseeker9967]

D E E P E S T L O R E

[@tomobrouns8586]

All the way at the bottom is the reason they call him Big Hat Logan

[@MrNuclearz]

Nobody could possibly know why. I mean, there's no reason whatsoever as to why they called him that. It just doesn't make sense.

[@Talundraz0rd]

It's probably something lost in translation

[@tread0265]

I'm pretty sure the description of his hat mentions that he wore it to "Block out people's stares", signifying that since the hat obscures a majority of his head, people wouldn't be able to see his eyes and it allow him to tune out the attention of others so he could focus more on his research into spells and other magical craft. So, maybe he just wore it so much on his travels that he became nicknamed "Big hat logan" because it it?

[@dailynutrients5223]

@@tread0265 i appreciate your in depth reply but i am here to tell you he was joking... unless you're joking too

[@tread0265]

@@dailynutrients5223 maybe he's compensating

[@music79075]

Iron Tarkus didn't die. He just knew others needed the armor more than him.

[@picklem576]

And then you find Havel's set 20 minutes later

[@caitnostamas2040]

And placed it on a random corpse in the room. Because that's what heroes do

[@music79075]

@Vandole it was another dude that grabbed the armor and died there... lol

[@ehaydon3491]

Theres actually a theory that he was taken by seath and experimentad on, and then became manscorpion tark

[@michaelbuchanan8047]

No, the armor was simply too small and brittle to house his enormous iron balls. Fun fact, thats how he earned the name Iron Tarkus.

[@Auzzymandias]

The boulder lever in sen's fortress moves on its own not just from invisible triggers, but once you get to the mechanism and move it, it will start a timer and automatically change position periodically. I've waited in that room and SEEN the lever move on its own to different angles.

[@ksorah4405]

Wow? So thats why some times that rock keep going in my direction hahah

[@patrikleander8872]

6:11 It is probably a joke but the estus soups are left by Siegward of Catarina. You will encounter these soups on his pathways.

[@deathsworddying1422]

Turned himself into a dragon, funniest thing I've ever seen

[@muratunlu229]

Maybe the real Havel is the friends we made along the way.

[@natiscool]

Maybe.. more like definitely!

[@skuggikuwa8989]

Maybe a real funny joke are the ones you made up in your brain

[@Mannnnnnnn]

Thank you dark souls.

[@chickenwingbob2881]

And we ganked with.

[@Kmi_Sama]

There's actually a great theory in the Dark Souls subreddit saying that the Dragonslayer Armor was Havel himself. Or at least it was his armor in Dragon War!

[@clmaoo]

I know I’m late here, but on the Frampt and Kaathe bit: Frampt’s dialogue is referring to cut content regarding Oscar! Oscar was originally an NPC like Solaire who you were supposed to be very attached to, but he begins to become resentful of you and your success. He turns from a steadfast friend into your rival, and at the end of the game before the final boss, he’d show up allied to the primordial serpent that you aren’t allied to. No matter what, he would always be your opposite. Because Oscar was supposed to be your foil and a chosen undead in his own right, and is a test of your will to go against your friend to see who has stronger conviction in their right to be THE chosen undead.

[@BigfootUnibrowMan]

That is really cool! I wish they didn't cut that, maybe they did because they like the idea the theory suggests more?

[@frostedlambs]

That would have been so fun

[@DepressedCrow]

A true battle of beliefs

[@AdamSFM]

A theme similar to this is used in Elden Ring, though both the player and the NPC are alligned to the same end goal.

[@grafzeppelin4069]

Is there any proof of this?

[@lukaramavideos1801]

How is a dark souls iceberg only 40 minutes long

[@itsm9818]

Hi

[@Tenchigumi]

Time being "stagnant" makes a lot of sense, especially once the various DLC of DS3 are considered. Ashes of Ariandel warned about the stagnant "rot" that would occur when people sought to forestall time and change, and The Ringed City showed the how time itself seemed to be getting compressed as the entire world collapsed on itself, inexorably grinding itself into dust: time has run out, and there was literally no more room for change. This seems to also make for an excellent allegory for the Dark Souls series itself: perhaps Miyazaki already felt that the formula from Demon's Souls was becoming stagnant, and he was desperate to try something new. However, greater forces prevailed, and Miyazaki was forced to light that flame one more time and restore the world in the form of Dark Souls 1. But by the third Dark Souls, there was nothing left he could do: the past and present were literally crashing into each other as they were compelled to create something new from something stagnant. Ultimately, the world of Dark Souls had to end, leaving us with nothing but the pigment of the Dark Soul, from which a new world could be painted... Perhaps an Elden Ring of some sort.

[@Sioolol]

Looks like for Miyazaki Elden Ring is true "Dark Souls 2"

[@Tenchigumi]

@@Sioolol Considering that Dark Souls' original name was "Dark Ring," I totally agree.

[@danielecorsa7777]

@@Sioolol To be honest the original translation is actually “stagnant”, convoluted is a total mistranslation, this is totally confirmed by how time works in DS3, the less power the flame has the less time can flow and instead stagnate, bringing past present and future together (example: the two versions of the cemetery you can find in game at the same time). This would not be possible if the time was just convoluted, this mistranslation actually had been a bigthorn in the side of all lore explorers. Almost as much as Priscilla’s mistranslations.

[@wwld9823]

too bad elden ring is just dark souls 4 with a tacked-on open world

[@reverieofmusic436]

@@wwld9823 "just". Nice try, Jan.

[@kittenmittenkitten]

Iron Golem: "You want to get to Anor Londo so bad? Here, let me help you"

[@delberthdelgado2044]

Iron Golem: *YEET*

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

Iron Golem: "Go home!" Chosen Undead: *Death by being thrown off the cliff*

[@michaelbuchanan8047]

*Iron Tarkus knocks me onto my ass with a backhand* Stand back boy, let the men handle this.

[@bigdood4094]

But wdym it was tarkus who threw the golem up there

[@nobodyimportant4778]

If that's what the broken window was supposed to be, then mad respect for the dev who thought of it

[@WeebusMaximus123]

13:17 - seeing as Kalameet has his own death animation there and that he drops the ring, i would assume that the develpors actually did expect that to happen.

[@natiscool]

Yep good spot, this was a mistake I made here, there is even special dialogue for Gough if you defeat Kalameet without getting his help!

[@yourfriendlyneighbourhoodl6206]

@@natiscool why doesn’t it pop-up with the defeated message then?

[@ТАХАИЛЮБА]

@@yourfriendlyneighbourhoodl6206 I think that it is because there is no health bar meaning (technically) it's not a boss yet Something like we had with the Pursuer in Dark Souls 2. If we kill him in the forest during the first meeting no message of killing a boss will show up, unlike the next meeting in the upper part of the location

[@VioletVile]

@@ТАХАИЛЮБА And there's still Capra demon cheese to compare. No health bar, but fog door with an active area boss. Victory Achieved message plays, too.

[@zenzibar28]

I really like the theory that Tarkus just got yeeted to his death lol

[@zigmus00A]

Since the flow of time is convoluted it's almost guarenteed that that happened *at least* once!

[@nahnahchi]

There's actually a glitch where Iron Golem's grab can launch you into Anor Londo.

[@ginguu2490]

@@nahnahchi liar ahead

[@jamieeskrick6679]

@@ginguu2490 try kicking

[@marijuanaforest46414]

Which explains why Tarkus puts his summoning sign before fighting Iron Golem, so that Tarkus can beat the shit out of the being that yeeted him so hard Tarkus wants to kill it over and over again.

[@outrageouscreation6865]

Would someone please confirm that Miyazaki said roughly: “when you kill Solaire, he returns to his world and links the flame.” Cause I’ve never heard that before, and that would indeed be very interesting.

[@natiscool]

Hey Graham! This is from the Game No Shokutaku Interview - soulslore.wikidot.com/das1-game-no-shokutaku

[@TheAliceQuo]

@@natiscool That interview says literally nothing about solair returning to any world or linking any flame.

[@thnkr-jl7hw]

@@TheAliceQuo Miyazaki: "If you kill the red-eyed Sunlight Maggot, he can fight with you against the last boss. After that, he will link the fire in his own world." Does it not?

[@yurinoworry]

@@TheAliceQuo well, you heard them. *DOES IT NOT?* xD. but seriously. jeez.

[@vietcongwarlord6931]

@@TheAliceQuo Haha. Delete your comment.

[@JSGDQD]

Thought it was interesting you went over Xanthous King and basically said, "well, Xanthous just means Yellow King, so that's a dead end." The King in Yellow (aka Hastur) is a figure that appears often in Lovecraft's works. It's originally based on a series of short stories by Robert Chambers, who was in turn influenced by Ambrose Bierce. Also, I definitely think there's a visual similarity between Jeremiah and the Old Monk from Demon's Souls. Basically, we know that Miyazaki loves weird fiction (Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, etc.) so I don't think it's a coincidence.

[@elenakoukourava1038]

was gonna say this but also as a greek, xanthus does not mean yellow, it means blonde, hope this adds too

[@themumbles5808]

The Sen's fortress boulder levers really DO move on their own though! It's seeable in co-op, where one person sits at the boulder lever and when the other goes by one of the triggers to move it (shown in this video via example.) You can even hear it. I've had to fight with these ghostly levers for many co-op runs, and it bewilders everyone.

[@EucliFox]

That’s what I was thinking anyone that’s beaten sens fortress more than once knows the lever most certainly do move on their own 😅

[@QueenFeng]

Yeah, I would kill everything and then run around, only to find a boulder rolling over me as I ran through the area. I could even hear the lever turn after I turned it in the first place to the other directions.

[@PrO-_ToNy]

That's true I remember playing with two of my other friends and I was keeping the lever in check and I remember it moving on its own right in front of my eyes

[@alireza6021]

When i was alone in sen's i always died for that and blame myself why i didn't move lever in the correct way. I went crazy for several times. At first i though a secret character from a hidden path come and pulls the lever but i couldn't find it

[@oonmm]

It definetively does. I got killed by it several times before i figured out the trigger zones for the lever to move. The triggers doesn't dissapear after you have reached the room. If you go back down from where you came, the boulders will start comming towards you again even if you already used the lever and cleared the room.

[@GuardianOwl]

Blighttown is like a coal mining boomtown that has gone bust. Ore was mined from there by the boulder-rolling barbarians (they drop a pickaxe) to build the buildings on the surface and the sewer system (The Depths). Then to keep the workers employed, another tunnel was dug half-way down the shaft so the mine could be used to build New Londo. They hauled the stone up on the elevator wheel, into the tunnel, through the Valley of the Drakes, through the giant gate, and to the city construction site. Once New Londo was completed, there was no more need of the workers. The town mine had closed, but with no where else to go all they can do is sit unemployed in their shabby, "temporary" worker housing. To keep the riffraff out, a "mighty door" was constructed so they could remain "safely separated" from this "great pestilence."

[@mohandasjung]

They went hollow, that's why they keep reviving every time you sit in a bonfire.

[@joseacosta1851]

@goggles789 it’s probably from a lot more than just pickaxe and also a lot of filling in from the context of the story

[@NicolaAcoust]

@goggles789 miners in Demon´s Souls also drop pickaxes

[@ChargeQM]

@@NicolaAcoust Yeah but it's obvious why they drop those. Why do the boulder-chucking fatties drop them?

[@Araneus21]

and their offspring, many a generations after, grew beards due to Izalith's influence, donned stone armor and became the Gyrm

[@jakethornton7]

"Grass crest shield is a placebo" WAIT WHAT NO

[@Toccoooo]

pve players be like:

[@plugshirt1684]

Grass crest plus green blossom is insane stamina regen though

[@8milestudio]

MY BABY, YOU KILLED HER, MY BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SHIELD

[@joshuakim5240]

The grass crest shield's post-DkS1 variants are basically placebo from how absurdly weak their stamina regen bonus is (only 5%...yeah that basically does nothing), while it's decent in DkS1.

[@TheFalloutization]

Not true calm down.

[@ikebeckman1074]

The main problem I have with the Laurentius-Quelana link is that you don’t have to meet her to make Laurentius leave. It’s simply the lure of powerful pyromancy. If you get a chaos pyromancy from the fair lady, Laurentius will comment on it in the same way and disappear

[@Daniel_Schmaniel]

Just wanted to point out here that you have some missing pieces on the Havel Theory. The full theory states that Havel was originally locked in the tower by his friend Gwen. The reason for this is that Havel was plotting treason against the gods. This is further corroborated by the occult club you find in the chest near his armor, since this would have been one of the types of weapons dangerous to the Gods. As for why Havel did this, it is because he felt betrayed by Gwen for making a deal with Seethe, as Havel hated all dragons. So the theory goes that after Gwen locks him away one of Havel's followers comes along and trades places with him and then pretends to be Havel locked safely away while the real Havel works on a sort of rebellion.

[@natiscool]

This would have been great to add! Thanks for commenting :)

[@TwiggehTV]

I think Hawkshaw also points out that one of the hentai tentacle maidens in Seath's library/dungeon is Havels lover. Would make sense for Havel to be pissed at the one who abucted his girl and turned her into a freakshow.

[@theonewhoismany8072]

@@natiscool One problem tho.The one locked in the basement is not Havel but a Havel Knight.

[@lemonade5245]

@@TwiggehTV not a lamia, it's a hidden body with a ring that only is given to high clerics like Havel, the theory is that Seath kidnapped her as just a maiden and when he saw the ring that would be given to Havel, Seath locked her and she died Or he knew and kidnapped her anyway

[@OXY187]

Bro who is gwen

[@GuardianOwl]

7:45 The giant Sentinels are illusions of Gwyndolin as well (they disappear in dark Anor Londo) and are _extremely_ tanky. Gwynevere dies in one hit because striking a God is such a grievous sin Gwyndolin wants you to be immediately punished with extreme prejudice. 10:36 Havel is possibly ass deep in a conspiracy against the Gods since his equipment is found in that hidden chamber behind the fireplace with the occult club. Unlike the ring dropped in that tower that says it is used by Havel's followers, the dragon tooth and shield (also found in the hidden chamber) *specifically* says they are wielded by Havel himself. This further points to the equipment in the hidden chamber being Havel's actual gear. Underlings can be heroes too you know, the dead divine blacksmith who has the watchtower key could have been friends with one of Havel's lieutenants. The Havel dragon theory falls apart because the tail cut says it is a "descendent of the ancient dragons" and one that looks just like it (minus the missing horn) appears in the intro. 12:30 The Calamity Ring calls it an "orange eye" so if you were to take that statement literally, then he had 3 eyes. Though I suspect its more like a mystical gem as it has the power to levitate objects, to place a temporary curse on you that doubles the damage you receive, and glows more intensely while you are being grabbed and cursed. 13:18 My interpretation is basically the Serpents are taking a playbook out of _1984_ . If you control the resistance, you control the pace of rebellion. Frampt (who is not a sock puppet) goes over to the other side as a double agent and steers would-be do gooders on a path that temporarily prolongs the Age of Fire, but isn't enough of a disruption to upset the long term goal of the return of the Dark Lord. Linking the fire is a band-aid, not a permanent solution after all. Even if Fraampt is not meant to be a double agent, the reason he gives up so easily is likely because in cut content he was eventually going to find his champion in Oscar, who would side with whatever Serpent you did not align with in your campaign. 28:39 As you said, Laurentius likely goes hollow because he cannot find Quelana. She only appears to beings with an unusually strong enough connection to the pyromancy flame ("I am not often revealed to walkers of flesh. You have a gift."), Laurentius apparently lacks it. Another reason he cannot be under the affect of Undead Rapport is he lacks the characteristic red eyes of one that has been charmed. The last line of flavor text on the pyromancy is to indicate that you can make enemies temporarily fall in love with you to fight for you, even if you are the same gender. Gay love is forever (well, for 30 seconds at least). 34:18 As you said, that seems to be more like it is evidence that Eidas is the one who helped design and construct the arrow traps in Sen's Fortress as well the metal work in the Duke's Archives. Artisans engrave their work with their signature. For that matter, since the arrow traps are triple shots as well, they are likely literal Avelyn crossbows built into the wall behind the trim. More likely the craftsmen Eidas who built all those things, also forged the armor set worn by Seath's knights which have become infected by crystals. It is also not a unique armor set as there is a corpse with the same set in the garden before the entrance to the Crystal Caves. So there were at least 2 Crystal Knights, and probably more. Perhaps the rest were completely swallowed by the growing crystals. Ya...Hacksaw has a lot of rather out there theories that make several assumptions in a row (at times with little evidence) to eventually get to an end conclusion. IE. Because A, then B, then *C is true* , without giving any citations to prove A or B is true. 37:36 Regarding Time Convolution. The gates to Sen's Fortress are closed until you ring the 2nd Bell of Awakening. At the midpoint of Sen's Fortress you encounter the Crestfallen Merchant. He says that: "I took on Sen's Fortress alone… But I'm no different from those vile creatures… I was driven by conceit… [...] Don't even consider visiting Anor Londo. Not in your state. *For a century, they have tried, and failed.* " If the gates to Sen's Fortress have just been opened by you for the first time, then how could warriors have been attempting to get through it for one hundred years? From your point on the timeline, it just happened, from the Crestfallen Merchant's point on the timeline, it happened one hundred years ago.

[@smartstudyingdoggo9031]

that’s so cool, here’s a sub

[@antialeks5013]

You typed all that out just to disprove theories talked about from an obvious satirical standpoint. You not only wasted your time, but you ruined the joke. Good for you, you suck.

[@jordank5551]

The real hero

[@williamgeorge3111]

There are like 3 guys that use dragon teeth throughout the series. They can't all be Havel.

[@walter1383]

A lot of lizards (as well as fish and amphibians) have what is called a parietal eye on the top of their head. It's not an actual third eye but it does serve as a light sensing organ which is what the most primitive eyes such as those found on substrate insects have. So Kalameet could very well have a third 'magical' eye in keeping with what's seen in nature.

[@TheSpectralForce]

You included my Serpent theory! I'm flattered! Thank you.

[@natiscool]

Wow, I'm honoured that you're here! Thanks for the great theory :D

[@TheSpectralForce]

@@natiscool I think it might help to have links to all the theories/videos sources mentioned in the video so we can go check them out. There's definitely a few I haven't heard before that im curious about

[@perryborn2777]

I always thought Yulia was the undead merchant's sword honestly

[@thehakusho]

That is the widely held belief in the community. Alot of these are sketchy and the rest are fairly obvious to be honest. "did you know the boulder traps reset themselves?!?!" uh, yeah dude.

[@akirax461]

Yeah same here

[@joshuakim5240]

I thought Yulia was the bucket he keeps affectionately tapping.

[@perryborn2777]

@@joshuakim5240 Could be, but I still think it's the sword. It just makes the most sense to me since it would be such an exotic item for that location. There's only what, three katana in DS1? Also, how's a bucket going to "bite" off the fingers of thieving undead

[@joshuakim5240]

@@perryborn2777 Idk, i just personally never killed the Undead Merchant more than once since i always preferred the Iato, and the one time i did kill him i one-shotted him with a high-SL character so i didn't even know he wielded the uchi as his weapon. I also just thought he was delusional and liked buckets.

[@Ty_disciple_of_LordJesusChrist]

Tarkus made it to anor Londo. He walked up the beam and broke the glass window to enter the building. He kills two painted guardians then climbs up the wooden ladder. He noticed the narrow beams. He paced back and forth debating with himself whether he should go forth or not. To his dismay he pressed on. One step at a time he walked over the long narrow beams. A painted guardian on the beams noticed him and began throwing knives at him. Since the beams were so narrow he couldn't avoid them, only block them. Tarkus approached the painted guardian and swung his massive sword toward the guardian! He kills the guardian but he swung his sword to fast and far causing his footing to slip! He tried to balance himself but his massive armor, sword, and shield weighed him down. Tarkus plummeted down to the floor! After conquering Sens fortress, where so many others have failed. He would die here in this place. A place where people were exiled to a painted world. Tarkus hit the ground! His body broke, he felt so much pain and agony! One of the painted guardians approached his crippled body. The guardian knelt down and took off Tarkus helmut. Blood covered Tarkus face, the guardian pulled out his shotel and slit Tarkus throat, not for duty but for pity! The guardian dragged Tarkus body into a corner next to the massive painting. The guardian stripped Tarkus body of all armaments. This particular guardian wasn't just guarding the painting but now he was also guarding Tarkus body. For reasons unknown, this guardian had a respect for Tarkus. Was it because of his legacy or due to simple honor. No one would know, for a different knight would come and kill this guardian and all others without speaking a word. Many would call him "the chosen undead." This is what I always pictured in my head with Tarkus. What's yours? Hope you enjoyed.

[@RebelWithoutACause_]

An amazing account of what may have been..

[@Ty_disciple_of_LordJesusChrist]

@@RebelWithoutACause_ thank you 😊

[@18skeltor]

Great fanfic :D

[@18skeltor]

always astounds me how creative and thorough people will get with their interpretations. just shows how vibrant and deep the dark souls iceberg is

[@MultiAlejandro117]

Totally amazing your vision! Thank you for sharing 👏🏻

[@gebis8515]

Regarding Gough-less Kalameet, that is actually how he is fought in speedruns of the game. The aerial fight itself is actually slower than the grounded version, but it cuts out the detour to get find the Gough key and then head into the valley once and back, thus saving time overall

[@vitti3300]

13:15 the developers did expect that, Gough has an extra line of dialogue if you kill kalameet without his help.

[@mrwaldoful]

any proof?

[@vitti3300]

@@mrwaldoful any wiki, or anima oscura di sabaku se sei italiano.

[@brunettiedoardo1260]

@@vitti3300 mio padre

[@keshbo]

@@vitti3300 Il più potente creatore

[@Agentshadling]

@@mrwaldoful dumbass

[@benedictprove3937]

29:48 Not gonna lie, seeing you getting attacked with the tiny health bar in the corner is giving me so much anxiety

[@joovergiraldo5126]

hahahahahhahaa I was feeling afraid that he could die any moment too

[@micahjones7837]

The twilight princess music *chef's kiss*

[@natiscool]

Glad you liked it, thought it had a similar feel and love some Twilight Princess!

[@senseweaver01]

20:20 - Are you telling me that the Golem threw him in such a way that he pulled a ninety degree turn to the left so he could crash through the window?

[@JulieNyaa]

The boulders in Sen’s fortress are controlled by the trap plates that shoot at you. If you trigger them, the boulders will head towards the nearest side to you. You can dodge all of them and it will not affect the direction of the boulders

[@TobaccoPancake]

Damn

[@davidc573]

Jeremiah isn't the Wall Hugger. Jeremiah was a bullfrog. I know because he was a good friend of mine.

[@revthescatman137]

My dad loves that song lol

[@micahfoley9572]

I laughed at that. And then I felt old. Then I laughed again.

[@ToxicSpinach64]

Couldn't understand a single word he said...

[@TheMartinChronicles]

But he always had some mighty fine wine.

[@redashea3004]

You win the internet today

[@IABoomerTube]

The "she" Laurentius could be referencing could also be the Gaping Dragon. Twin humanities show up on female corpses. Quelaag drops a Twin Humanities when you kill her. Since Gaping also drops a Twin, it stands to reason that the dragon is female.

[@bigdumbfatcat2869]

Bosses dropping humanities was not a thing when the game originally released. It was patched in later.

[@Ruleradminius]

I would argue IF most females tend to drop twin humanities, could also mean the females were pregnant, how or why idk but it could make some sense.

[@user-ld9yu8mi4n]

I think Quelaag drops two because she is a combination of two things, the demon part and the human part.

[@MsDestroyer900]

@@user-ld9yu8mi4n demons are straight up not human tho. So her demon counterpart wouldn't drop a humanity.

[@caitnostamas2040]

@@MsDestroyer900 Taurus demon is a demon too, but he drops a humanity when beaten

[@gwyndolin5485]

Tarkus did not fall in Anor Londo. If he can traverse beams in Sen's Fortress, with swinging pendulums, dart traps, and lighting being thrown at him... then he can traverse a simple beam with some daggers being thrown at him. I'm pretty sure Tarkus had a run in with Priscilla, as there is a Berenike knight found just before her room (likely one of Tarkus' men.) It's my guess that Tarkus and his knights made their way through the undead burg and Sen's, then into Anor Londo (as evidenced by the hollowed Berenike knights you find along the way.) Tarkus and his last knight trek Anor Londo, over the rafters and down into the painting room, where the guardians overwhelmed the two and chased them to the painting, where they were sucked into it, with the guards waiting outside. Tarkus and his last knight, perplexed, made their way through the painted world. Either the knight went hollow just before Priscilla, or he stayed to hold off the enemies, as Tarkus trudged forward, and went hollow later. Priscilla convinced Tarkus to "hurry home"... and he fell back through the painting, where the guards were still... and met his end, where he was battered into a corner by the mob of guardians. I'm also fairly certain the peculiar doll being needed for entry is just a game mechanic and not lore relevant, as you enter Ariandel just by touching the painting, with no doll needed. Could be wrong, but... just makes sense to me.

[@Rakshael]

what's fascinating to me is that if you turn Anor Londo spookydark, you find a single, non-respawning, fully human Berenike AND Balder knight side-by-side in the grand hall outside O&S' room. Implies King Rendal didn't die in Londo, the Berenike's and Balder's aren't enemies, and that they at least made it through the silver knights.

[@FlygonSal330]

This. I just can't imagine Tarkus not besting the beams after he bested the funhouse, and even less so that he got overwhelmed by the guardians. I believe he in fact had a run-in with Priscilla, and was bested by her, then discarded into the exit of the painted world.

[@ivanl.8054]

The doll is lore relevant tho. The whole point of it is that it's like a miracle where you can not enter without having the doll. Like in DS3 you can't go to Irithyl without getting the doll Aldritch left behind in the cathedral. It's just part of it. I would like to imagine Tarkus didn't get clapped by such a silly thing like falling. But it's even more unlikely he went into the painting. Though maybe the corvians in the painting have something to do with the crow and the doll made its way into the asylum after Tarkus went into the painting. Maybe

[@Rakshael]

@@ivanl.8054 I mean if he fell he'd be underneath a beam like where our body falls or the chandelier. A big guy like him could easily tank the Golem but then get mobbed by a bunch of flippy assassins while investigating or escaping the painting The corvians are more or less the same as the crow demons. Can either take them as less-crazy versions, more intelligent evolutions, or reimaginations from when Ariandel repainted/repaired the world

[@FlygonSal330]

@@ivanl.8054 But there's another Berenike knight in the painted world, maybe that Nameless knight and Tarkus made it in, somehow, Tarkus lost to Priscilla, and the other knight went hollow from his lost hope after seeing the mighty Black Iron Tarkus lose to Priscilla.

[@The_Story_Of_Us]

I think the Undead Merchant is actually referring to the Uchigatana he drops as Yulia, hence the “she’ll bite your little fingers off.” bit. He’s off the rocker so much that he’s named his sword and views it as a companion. Also Sen’s Fortress is just a mistranslation. Sen means a thousand in japanese and its name is basically Fortress of a Thousand Traps. Sen isn’t a person in Dark Souls.

[@iminmisery437]

Sen is actually more likely to be a person's name. In the Japanese version Sen's Fortress is written as センの古城 (sen written as セン) meaning Sen's Old Castle, instead of 千の古城 (sen written as 千) which roughly means Old Castle Of The Thousands.

[@sherpa6071]

@@iminmisery437 then Sen's Old Castle should mean 1000 year Old Castle. I like Fortress of a Thousand Traps to be honest. I would like one hour with Miyazaki to discuss certain things.

[@iminmisery437]

@@sherpa6071 that's not how it works

[@AnAverageGoblin]

the barrel, the female merchant, the sword, they could all be yulia and he's so crazy that everything fits his requirements for a waifu.

[@sherpa6071]

@@iminmisery437 okay, guy who doesn't actually know anything, note taken.

[@AlvaTheWayfaringKnight]

The boulders do move. I've had that happen to me. Even if it is an event trigger they still move autonomously.

[@Bluecho4]

Personally, I think Frampt gives up so easily and joins with the other primordial serpents because while he works towards the goal of sustaining the Age of Fire, he's not as personally invested in it. He keeps it going because it was his friend Gwyn's goal, and Frampt wants to preserve Gwyn's sacrifice. But he also knows when to accept the inevitable. If the player sides with Kaathe, Frampt won't invest any more energy in them. There can always be another. And if the flame is allowed to snuff out, Frampt may not like it, but he's willing to accept that what's done is done. That the Age of Fire is over, and it's best to just get in good with the new boss (the Dark Lord). The Primordial Serpents are wily, manipulative, and patient. Pragmatic. They may have emotional attachments to individuals, or make value judgements on philosophical matters. But at their core they are snakes, and will adapt when they must. They wouldn't have survived all this time otherwise.

[@abaddon130]

Pinwheel tried to recreate his family, not himself.

[@natiscool]

Yep, that's the message that I was trying to convey, sorry if I contradicted myself there. Pinwheel is trying his hardest to recreate his family, but can unfortunately only create copies of Pinwheel instead of the separation that he desires

[@abaddon130]

@@natiscool no need to be sorry mate, you made a great video tho. Perhaps I misunderstood you too, so sorry if I did :p

[@Sharatatat]

I think its just a cultural joke that made its way into the game. As expained by ENB who lived in Japan for a considerable amount of time. The 3 person thing is a popular game to play by families going to a fare.

[@FalconV7000]

I like the Griggs theory but I still settle on that section of the story being a tragic tale of over-idolising other beings. Griggs wanted to pursue Logan & be more like him, in his journey he meets an untimely hollowing. Just as Logan wanted to pursue Seath to become more like a dragon, also meeting an untimely hollowing in the process.

[@gabrieletraini3849]

Logan didn’t go hollow, he went mad with seath knowledge

[@mtlacunae8659]

@@gabrieletraini3849 read too many shitty doujins from Seath's library

[@core-nix1885]

I reckon he only became an assassin to climb the academic ladder. When he was assigned to assassinate Logan, he actually just wanted to learn from him. Logan is a Dark Sorcerer btw, his pointed hat is 'the signature of a heretical sorceress'. He believes only in the 'Truth', which is a metaphor for the Abyss used by Kaathe.

[@tortokip4051]

I think he's actually an apprentice. I killed Griggs thinking he was an assassin but his dying words were "Master Logan"

[@core-nix1885]

@@tortokip4051 Good point, m8. He is also the one who first mentions Logan's pursuit of 'Truth', which Logan expands upon on the Archives. The Japanese symbol for True is a ring - like the Dark Sigil. The symbol for False is an X which is why Velka's Rapier incorporates a perpendicular bisector. Her Pardoner set and Vow of Silence heX are in the anneX of the Painted World. There's also an X across the chest of many armours, like the Drang set and the Hexers set.

[@CrowCrojoINTJ]

I figure I do this in case you want certain moments: *The Sky* Blighttown Wheel Dog 1:52 Basilisks Have Tiny Eyes 2:42 The Great Hollow Falling Basilisk 3:25 The Duke's Archives Whispers 3:59 Solaire is the Carthus Sandworm 4:46 *The Surface* Ornstein is an Illusion 6:29 Jeremiah is the Parasitic Wall Hugger 8:20 Havel is not the Person trapped inside the Tower 10:04 Havel is the Stone Dragon 11:19 Kalameet is not a Cyclops 12:11 Killing Kalameet without Gough's Help 12:38 Frampt and Kaathe are the Same Being 13:18 *The Body* Item Burden Still Exists 15:49 Butchers are Female 17:18 Boulder Levers Move on its own 18:12 Visiting the town under Firelink 18:46 Tarkus did not die by Gravity 19:28 *The Bottom* Andre Moving the Firelink Statue 20:46 Ghost Footsteps 21:43 The Gaping Dragon was in Blighttown 22:31 Broken Archtree from Ash Lake was a portal to Boletaria 23:33 Nito's Third Coffin 25:18 Quelana used Rapport on Laurentius 28:08 *Dark Water* 12 Kings Boss Battle 30:11 Griggs is a Spy sent to kill Logan 30:50 Yulia is the Female Undead Merchant 32:55 Sen is the Crystal Knight 34:18 Velka is a Corpse in the Asylum 35:21 Ash Lake Skull Identity 36:32 Time is not Convoluted 37:37 It's not perfect, but hopefully this timestamp list helps

[@18skeltor]

too bad most people wont scroll as far as i did to find it

[@professionalsimpdestroyer4135]

R.I.P. Kentaro Miura author or Berserk . The man who inspired Mizayaki and many others to make their own masterpieces. #ThankYouMiura

[@daboy5256]

Rip

[@rioti7318]

You deserve a sunlight medal

[@natiscool]

Solaire would be proud!

[@jayst]

A gold and silver medal as well

[@derekboswinkel5176]

@@natiscool indeed I would

[@sammysam465]

“Thrust into a beautiful world” *Shows desolate wasteland full of death and depression*

[@18skeltor]

At least it doesn't lie with its appearances like some places we know...

[@SackieBum]

me when i see ads for the british tourism authority

[@diediedice]

​@@SackieBum As someone who has visited the UK before, it legit looks like ds3 minus the cool architecture (gray af)

[@OverlordParadox]

The land is peaceful, it's inhabitants kind...

[@cobrce6093]

The whispers in Dukes Archives can be coming from the books, we get the same phenomenon in Great Archives (DS3) when the books extend thin cursing spectral Seath-like arms

[@anagoth9]

The item description for the Sack helm that the butchers drop explicitly describe them as cannibals, so it's likely that Laurentius is referring to the butchers. The Butcher's Knife weapon also references cannibalism and is wielded by the sack wearing Maneater Mildred.

[@yingerfeltonboi654]

Yknow I'm not sure if its Canon or not, but I love that Solaire links the flame if you save him from the parasite. He really finds his own sun in a way and I think that is cool, and I'm gonna choose to believe its canon

[@KyberQ]

Really well-structured and easy to follow video, even for someone who's unfamiliar with the game! Was worth the wait, for sure

[@natiscool]

Thanks, new kind of content that I've delved into so good to hear that it's turned out well!

[@HamHamPangPangEnjoyer]

"How deep IS the dark souls lore?" *The forbidden question*

[@HamHamPangPangEnjoyer]

@FstSergeant8595 Are you implying it isn't?

[@AlexGalo0]

@FstSergeant8595 yeah me too

[@cheefqueef6494]

@FstSergeant8595 Some Dark Souls theories make me have an existential crisis. I'm exaggerating but the theories about the world being inside a painting (just like Ariandel) and Patches being an interdimensional being are pretty surreal.

[@Yora21]

Other games have an Iceberg. Dark Souls has the Abyss.

[@Tuga_Mix]

Is deep as the abyss

[@annabschroeder1460]

The word 'conceit' has a secondary, older definition used traditionally by poets and writers which means 'idea' or 'concept.' In so many words, Griggs is saying "it's my own decision," as in, "none of your business."

[@18skeltor]

i always thought it was more of "I'm conceited to think I can survive in this cruel land and I'm conceited for thinking I'm a worthy disciple to the greatest Sorcerer to ever be"

[@smoage]

I love Hawkshaw's theories about the demon civilization, king jeremiah, and the secret society that created the illusory walls to reconvene in ash lake. such fun theories!

[@methodinsane]

I am playing DS1 for the first time this year with DSFix. I'm doing the DLC now, having done everything else except fight Gwin. What an absolute amazing game.

[@-ShellyT-]

Ah yes, the creator of dark souls "Maiyzaki"

[@romanthecomrade6364]

Yeah. Mayonnaise

[@flyinggeneral]

Not to be confused with his lesser brother, Mayazaki of Studio Ghibli.

[@ayesupman923]

Byeah

[@elkmeatenjoyer3409]

@@ayesupman923 byeah

[@boneslice3452]

@@elkmeatenjoyer3409 byeah?

[@TheTwigofNewberry]

The devs definitely knew you could kill Kalameet without Gough's help. They even made Gough commend you for it if you talk to him afterwards.

[@DARKTIGGERinc]

At this point we need an iceberg for all the icebergs

[@easylivinglife6284]

Havel the hero fought Seath until he turned hollow. Alas, his hollowed body made its way back to Gwyn… to his friend… to the first flame, as all Hollows do. So Gwyn locked his body away at the bottom of the tower. But his soul, it was left on his petrified corpse in Seath’s castle.

[@slider954]

Wait, if his hollowed body went back to Gwyn and was locked away, it can't be his corpse in Seath's castle. Havel can't have 2 bodies.

[@Cosmo054]

@@slider954the theory is that Havel swapped places with one of his followers in the tower. Not sure about the hollow part though. I thought Havel felt betrayed and tried to kill Gwen so Gwen locked him away, Havels follower freed and swapped places with him, therefore Havel is not at the bottom of the tower

[@chaosandgore5099]

In defense of the Ornstien illusion thing on why it can take so many hits... the Silver Knights and Giants were also illusions yet treated like enemies.

[@MvPyroScope]

Very professionally done, edited, and narrated. I had wondered about many of these theories but never cared enough to google them extensively.

[@natiscool]

Thanks very much for your kind words! :)

[@Ohmargod]

You've done a great job making this video. Even after all those years of Dark Souls content, lore, theories, game play videos and many playthroughs, it was very enjoyable watching and hearing about one of my favorite games again. I hope your channel can use this video as a stepping stone for more quality content!

[@bakazura2442]

Actually the word SEN means thousand in japanese and the japanese name for Sen's fortress does mean "Castle of a thousand traps" so I believe their is no one named Sen and that it was just a translator's mistake... otherwise there would have been something mentioning the name but it never come's back in the game later.

[@natiscool]

This is a good explanation as to why it isn't mentioned elsewhere. Another unconfirmed reason for the name could be that allegedly Miyazaki wanted to honour Pik Sen Lin, who narrated the intro.

[@bakazura2442]

@@natiscool yeah I just read about that as well.

[@Defileros]

Isn’t Anor Londo the Castle of a Trap ?

[@Roro_2338]

@@Defileros 👏

[@bigfriki]

@@Defileros you sir, you. You're gonna make it big in life.

[@joelout]

I think the Havel in the tower is an illusion based on a smal soulfragment attached to his ring, just like Ornstein. Both Havel & Ornstein in DS1 drops a ring when they die and both Havel & Ornstein are implied to have gone to the Nameless King at Arch Dragon Peak in DS3. My theory is that Ornstein brought Havel with him when he searched for NK, and that the 3 great dragonslayers from before the age of fire reunited there.

[@BlankEmporium]

My favorite theory is that Kaathe and Frampt are some eldritch Hydra beast the size of an island living within the heart of the Abyss deep, deep, deep underground.

[@Mamon_Saleh]

12:32 it's the eye of tragedy that's bestowed upon chaos dragons like kalameet.. he should have two tragedy eyes but somehow he only have one for some reason... and can't even use it or turn it off because the eyes of tragedy can make you unable to move

[@natiscool]

Interesting take with the chaos, any reason why he should have had two tragedy eyes as opposed to one?

[@DAS_k1ishEe]

"Pendant unlocks 2nd quest" "Battle of stoycism is a pedo ring" "Grass crest shield is a placebo" Are you aware it's not April 1st yet?

[@JPMgeo]

One thing I find odd that no one ever speculates on is the identity of Gwyn's wife. No statues or anything like that whatsoever through the game. Given the importance placed on the children even if there were multiple wives or mothers you think there'd be something...

[@todesbauer1343]

There was a guy a while back who thought velka might be the mother of at least some of gwyns kids. He ended up making videos surmizing that Velka was behind just about every twisted plot thread so ymmv.

[@todesbauer1343]

The Ashen Hollow is his name

[@18skeltor]

Gwyn is definitely the type of ruler to have multiple wives

[@Bhubnipz]

HawkShaw’s videos have such high production value that you almost don’t notice that nothing he says makes much sense. You said it yourself here, he “overthinks” things in the game to fit a theory that the script-writer already decided to promote. Add in the intentionally nostalgic music and the fact that he removes comments pointing out flaws in his argument, and you get tons of people thinking it’s actual lore

[@iBenjamin1000]

Man I can’t believe a dark souls iceberg is less than an hour

[@LordZonar]

Considering how much isnt shown the dark souls iceberg would be like an ice cube above water and at least 7 miles beneath

[@matthewcoyle4131]

The Estus soup and sunlight medals are from Seigward. You find this out when you meet him just outside Anor Londo on the way to the dungeon.

[@jayo7414]

I don’t think I’ve seen this brought up but pinwheels boss room is a giant coffin?

[@gradualpull2171]

Being a souls vet I knew a lot of these and have different stock in some being more comparable to the lore than others. I still think ornstein is an illusion and his imposter from ds2 is suspect that his influence left Anor Londo searching for the nameless king.

[@bm5211]

Not sure if I'm just stating common knowledge now, but the boulder lever's not moving on its own -- it's the nearby enemies doing so. If you kill them, the boulders stop changing direction. Very nice video, included many theories I wasn't yet familiar with!

[@mathias2785]

This makes me want to play Dark Souls even though traditionally I've considered the series not to be my cup of tea! Great video Nat

[@natiscool]

Thanks Mathias!

[@lucatiel2859]

Play it, there's a huuuuge community that absolutely loves welcoming new players and lots of fun, frustration and memorable times for you

[@AlecTheMayor]

@@lucatiel2859 Stop the cap

[@TitoMcFadden]

I thought the same thing. I like beating games. I don't like games that beat me (repeatedly and without mercy). I played Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order for a bit and I didn't like it. I hadn't played a FromSoft game yet but I knew all about the mechanics like bonfires, resting resets enemies and refills HP & health items, shortcuts, limited healing, losing xp on death, and retrieval of lost xp. Fallen Order had all of that. It was tough but not too crazy unless you ventured into late game territory. It even had difficulty sliders if things got too hard. None of that mattered. I was not having fun. The next game I played was Bloodborne. My 2nd attempt at trying to play it. First time I got crushed by the Executioner in Central Yharnam at the beginning of the game like 12 times and quit like a wuss. This time, things were different. The moment things started clicking with combat, I got hooked. I beat Bloodborne, then Sekiro, and then Dark Souls 1 after. I LOVE these games. Especially DS1. The map layout and level design is the best I've ever seen even though it's a 10 year old game. The characters you meet are memorable and some you genuinely care about. The moral of this novella is this: Fallen Order had all of the same moving parts as FromSoft games and even some cool extra features. But that's not what makes the games so great. It's not because "It's super hard". It's not mechanics. It's the entire presentation. From the gorgeous levels, plethora of secrets, freedom of choice; to the challenging gameplay and the thrill of finally overcoming the impossible: It's the whole shabang that makes it great. FromSoft games are greater than the sum of their parts. (That's why everyone fails at duplicating them.) Wait for a sale and give one of the games a try. You might surprise yourself and fall in love with it like I did. Plus, the community is really cool and helpful to noobs like me.

[@lucatiel2859]

@@TitoMcFadden that's exactly it, when Miyazaki is asked about the difficulty he always gives the same answer, that the difficulty isn't the point of his games (which is why ds2 went to shit lol)

[@pestrusiariopaezmengoso2868]

This video is painfully underrated.

[@noodle7725]

Who rated it?

[@AdminAbuse]

599 subs, nearly 60k views, wouldn't call it underrated at all lmfao

[@realkingofantarctica]

Now I sorta feel bad for Pinwheel, despite how much of a punching bag he is.

[@PastaMaster115]

20:20 now I get the joke in Matthew Shezmen's Dork Souls animation about the iron golem throwing you to Anor Londo. And then the second guy being thrown through the window right after the protagonist lol

[@donteddy1858]

I think it makes total sense that Smoughs hammer is enhanced by lightning when he absorbs the illusion since the element of the light is lightning and the light also has spells to conceal what is real by creating illusions. So i think thats also supporting the theory. Also, do the Footsteps you hear in Anor Londo disappear after you lift the illusion? On Pinwheel: I think vaatividya`s take on Pinwheel makes most sense. The man who entered the tomb to get nitos power to revive his wife and child.

[@tofu3193]

Absolute babe. Was waiting for an iceberg on this one ever since I saw the pic on the subreddit, good job!

[@antonsannestam6937]

7:40 This inconsistency is actually explicable through in-game circumstances. The Sentinels and Royal Sentinels are demonstrably Gwyndolin's illusions as well, seeing as they disappear in night-time Anor Londo. They are illusions, yet they can both take and pack a good-sized punch. This suggests to me that the power of Gwyndolin's illusions match the power of their actual source. Sooo, I guess from this we can infer that Gwynevere's base stats were just trash from the start?

[@Bluecho4]

"You're a male character in the game." Me: * Looks at gender select option at character creation * Me: Are you sure about that?

[@sablemae8853]

"are you sure about that" in a jon cena voice

[@yourfriendlyneighbourhoodl6206]

In elder scrolls three Morrowind I’m pretty sure you’re a male or female dark elf, & in the Elder Scrolls 2 I’m pretty sure that you’re a dude

[@natiscool]

Yeah, this point was explained pretty poorly by me. My character was male in that playthrough, and upon reading the description, it would suggest that a female had also used rapport. This is correct in saying that you could be a female character so then the description would suggest that a male had used rapport, which does kind of nullify that argument which is why I I like the explanation that it's just clarifying that the charm can be used by everyone. Hope that makes sense!

[@CunkGungler]

@pippin this is incorrect. The Nerevarine can be either gender of any race (except maybe argonian.) In TES lore, Nerevar was castrated (so he could reincarnate as either gender) and decapitated (so he could reincarnate as any thing). Its possible to make really strong arguments for ever race as candidates for Nerevars reincarnation. While he began as a male dunmer, his reincarnation could, lore wise, be anything. There's even a good chance that reincarnating as a male dunmer is the least likely form he (it?) would take. If you are interested id reccomend you look deeper into TES lore. Its a hell of a rabbit hole, but there's nothing else like it.

[@SSD_Penumbra]

@@CunkGungler Kind of how the lore-friendly ending to Skyrim is a Nord Dragonborn.

[@theruder9]

Time is convoluted is a bad translation, but time is definitely still abnormal in some way here. And Solaire is right, heroes centuries old do fade in and out, so the flow of time definitely isn't just a straight line. My personal 'headcanon' is that Lordran is 4-Dimensional, which, admittedly is a concept I don't know very much about, but to my understanding, the 4th dimension is time. So for Lordran it's like... Dr. Manhattan, but as a place, instead of a person, everything's already happened and is happening simultaneously. Time 'appears' linear to the player, because they're controlling a human. Why 'do' heroes fade in and out? Maybe you just so happened to be in the same place at the same 'lack-of-time' and got lucky. I think the same can be said for the apparitions of other players you occasionally see, or the fresh blood from other players dying, despite, in front of you, seemingly no threat existing at the time.

[@theonewhoismany8072]

Time is convoluted is bad translation.Time is actually stagnant.Time in the series is light.As the 1st flame weakens the light coming from it weakens. And as the light weakens this messes with the fabric of time.

[@Slickestrick420]

I never thought I would love dark souls… but here I am. Elden Ring was my first time beating a From Soft game, and I enjoyed it so much I’ve proceeded to buy DS1, 2 and 3. I already beat DS1, and I could not believe how awesome it was. Next level world building.

[@Bevsworld04]

I'd put "ornstein is an illusion" to be much more probable than what you've ranked it as.

[@AdminAbuse]

Ornstein*

[@glatykoffi6672]

I wouldn't, everything about him was identical to any other normal boss. It's not an illusion at this point, it would be a clone, and I doubt mr trap can make clones.

[@Bevsworld04]

@@glatykoffi6672 izalith made a whole army of demons using a powerful soul, so I wouldnt put it past a god (gwyndolin)

[@paultapping9510]

@@glatykoffi6672 all the illusory enemies in Anor Londo are indistinguishable from regular enemies though

[@revthescatman137]

@@paultapping9510 how?

[@KOMODO_7]

With soo many amazing ppl in comment section,giving out their theories and other good counter theories regarding the video.. I'm just here to say that I freaking Love Dark souls Community and proud to be a part of it since 2011..The paitence, analysis and helpfulness this community holds is surmountable,much love>3

[@cadenweatherall9257]

This iceberg is deeper than the abyss itself

[@Love_Eternal]

In my playthrough at Sen's fortress today, I managed to run up the stairs towards the Sen's Fortress lever as it was moving on its own! It simply turned just as though if a player was operating the lever, but there was no player or NPC there to move it. So it does move on its own.

[@Aurilaushe]

I think there's a simpler explanation as to what happened to Laurentius. In the Souls games, a big part of going hollow is the absence of a reason to live. If you have a purpose, a goal you want to achieve, you're less likely to hollow. If his purpose was to learn the secrets of pyromancy, and meeting Quelana fulfilled that purpose, the lack of a goal to fulfill may have caused him to hollow.

[@SSD_Penumbra]

Jeremiah is a reference to the Lovecraftian entity, Hastur aka "The Yellow King". That, and him being in the painted world, a "forgotten land" is also a reference to Carcosa, where Hastur resides.

[@royalecrafts6252]

Scary as fuck

[@adsventuresome7511]

When you realize that the voice of Griggs is Blake Ritson, who not only has a couple of other credits in the dark souls series, but also is the voice of Alvis from Xenoblade Chronicles.

[@MattJDylan]

Tarkus being yeeted makes me think at some kind of unfinished mechanic, since there's a bug related to the golem's grab where you just walk on air afterwards lol

[@GaeFootballClub]

simply seeing the phrase “Grasscrest is a placebo” makes my skin crawl for some reason