The Tragedy of Dark Souls 3's Bosses

[@DJPeachCobbler]

DISCORD: discord.gg/dS7k6gwYR8

[@majorwunder]

bro you posted this video 7 months ago

[@DJPeachCobbler]

@@majorwunder The flow of time itself is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out.

[@majorwunder]

@@DJPeachCobbler amen

[@gregtheegg7030]

@@majorwunder funni

[@tannenberg5972]

Link is unvalid :(

[@underplague6344]

Yhorm wasn't trying to commit suicide by ashen one, he was trying to commit suicide by onion.

[@ranbojd1070]

An after that onion commits suicide by nap

[@underplague6344]

@@ranbojd1070 Who’s cutting onions😢? Wait...

[@Vini-zv3lr]

Yes, I was about to comment that. Literally waiting for his old friend to come finish him off.

[@DrnMontemayor]

Technically, Onion man is also an ashen one.

[@creatureoftheabyss4596]

@@DrnMontemayor ashen one-ion*

[@stock6600]

Find yourself a girl who will ask you "Ashen One, hearest thou my voice, still?" when the world fucking ends. Thats how you know she is a keeper... of Fire.

[@thirteen3739]

Bear- Seek Seek Lest

[@notdonaldtrump8447]

Get out

[@thebeach7196]

Love the PfP, hardly meet anyone who's heard of GWtB

[@pieru]

Reminds me of the end of the HxH chimera ant arc.

[@AnHeLL037]

Love your comment.

[@dstarsdstar7957]

I like the quote “does this world look saved” People sacrifice themselves over and over and yet nothing gets better, only worse. I like the idea that the lords of cinder simply looked around and realised their sacrifice meant nothing. They didn’t save the world or make anything better, and I think that’s why they decided not to link the fire again. Stepping into an unknown age of dark is better than continuing the wretched cycle

[@sidecharacter7165]

Sounds a lot like empires and societies as they decay over time.

[@worsethanyouthink]

Plus their souls being burned away over multiple millennia and kingdoms only for a brief period without (as much) suffering only to escape the unknown.

[@natryamar]

​@@sidecharacter7165 Sound like a take on the current state of Japan

[@ImaTroper]

A bit of a bias from us though. We're only called into these worlds WHEN they're falling to pieces. We never see them at their peaks, or even in a normal capacity. The only people who do are the npcs who lived through them and they almost all agree the world is worth saving. That's what irked me with DS3. Main game is you killing everyone in lothric because you think everyone should fade to black. Ariandel is you killing everyone in painted world because you think everyone should burn. Ringed city is you killing everyone because you touched an egg. And the whole time the majority of the population of these kingdoms are telling you to eff off. It's like the British empire simulator.

[@crocodilepoet]

sounds a lot like suicide which is pretty interesting imo

[@Goopis]

All the other bosses: dying, corrupting, shells of their former glory. Pontiff: you know this is pretty great actually

[@thesouphour8426]

Pontiff do be chilling

[@peperlake9502]

He isnt from the fading world, he's from the rotting painting that isnt fighting change. Which is fitting for this video

[@lucasmontero1456]

@@thesouphour8426 bing chilling

[@molestedcanofbeans3018]

@@lucasmontero1456 I laughed more than I should

[@TheInfamousWolf]

Champions Gundyr has entered the chat.

[@tasin2776]

It's fitting that in the dlcs you finally get the chance to make a new world and accept change. No matter what ending you get in the main game, the world will end and turn into dust but those that accept the new world in the painting will survive.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

I wanted to talk about that but didn't want to make another 30 minute video. The DLCs are really great stuff, I'm glad to see they continued the overarching story of the franchise

[@matijanikolic8768]

A quick note this new world is made out of blood of pigmis and it isn't linked to light od dark and you can no enter in that leads us to believe non will escape it will simply be a new world

[@CDAR1999]

@@DJPeachCobbler I would recommend you to do it, I found this video very nice and wanted to see a continuation through the proper closure that the DLCs give you

[@xantishayde-walker4593]

@@DJPeachCobbler Well, it's a continuation like the final chapter of a long running series of books that the author is finishing up and not going back to. Also, it would really be nice to see a video on the dlcs. I haven't played them, still haven't conquered that damn dragon-riding, lightning-spewing Nameless King bastard and I refuse to go any further without doing that. Enough about my hang-ups. Loved the video.

[@felipecosta-kv2fx]

I don't think the world turns into dust in the ending where you let the fire die, i mean, everyone throught that darkness would cover the world and humans would go hollow but since the firekeeper is speaking normally maybe everything is okay?

[@pedroferrarezzi94]

If you notice, you get this ending of the age of darkness by giving eyes to the fire keeper. The most clear representation of seeing the world as it really is and accept it, by giving her the vision of a world full of darkness

[@notareptilianiswear.6600]

I always thought that the roar Yhorm lets out when he rises from his coffin seemed less like a battle cry and more like a wail of horror when he saw the state of the world he gave everything to save.

[@S3verusMyG]

Hmmm, I’m pretty sure that’s a reptilian…

[@notareptilianiswear.6600]

@@S3verusMyG Lies and slander. I am a humble mammalian gamer man. I have hair that I grew myself, and I often experience sunburn on my feeble and delicate un-scaled skin.

[@lordheadass3662]

well yea, all of his people are dead and burnt alive in a forgotten isolated kingdom in a way

[@aspiringadonis1253]

I feel like it's more of a wakeup groan, he was already familiar with what he was waking up for so he was probably like "awww fuck man not again"

[@Dat-Boi-Camoja]

@@aspiringadonis1253 well whatever it was… linking of the fire of clearly not the right move

[@seanusselsor9954]

Dumb fact: Yhorm actually wasn't strong enough to link the flame the first time. So as a kind of surrogate offering it took not only Yhorm, but every subject in his kingdom as well. Yhorm is a depressing character

[@TheKing-qz9wd]

That would be a fact if we could confirm that the *fading* First Flame was the same as the *unfading* Profaned Flame, which lashed out at his linking of the First Flame and killed all of his kingdom, possibly save those fire witches who tend to that Profaned Flame. That part needs clarification: if they serve Sulyvahn or served Yhorm.

[@seanusselsor9954]

@@TheKing-qz9wd Well according to the description of the spell Profaned Flame, "The Profaned Capital was consumed by fire after Yhorm the Giant became a Lord of Cinder. The fire, born of the sky, is said to have incinerated naught but human flesh" Considering we know the source of the profane flame is in the heart of the capital, not above it, it wouldn't make much sense for it to come from above

[@TheKing-qz9wd]

@@seanusselsor9954 It makes even less sense for the fire to come from the First Flame in the clouds, and the Spell has implications for only the Profaned Flame when you consider how it attacks. A targeted explosion effectively "inside" a person, and the Profaned Flame was said to have a corrupting influence of the mind of Sulyvahn and some others, so that wouldn't make much sense for the First Flame. Sacred Flame is a pyromancy associated with sacrifices and the First Flame, it has implications of cleansing or purifying in DS3 and is a move used by 3 different bosses in the series I believe. Gwyn, Nito and Soul of Cinder. Excluding spells like Forbidden Sun and instead focusing on things like Chaos Storm, Chaos Fire Balls and Chaos Bed Vestiges, the creation of breif calamities with immense power is associated with the Chaos flame, a fading flame as a kind of inbetween for the three named flames, and Chaos is unlikely to reappear if there is a Dark Souls 4 as it is in that inbetween. Hell, it even has some purifying qualities in seeming to fend away the Abyss at the cost of warping those affected by it (the demons, the witches, the black knights). That all said, I politely beg to differ.

[@GravityAP]

It wasn’t his strength it was that Giants were never meant to link the fire.

[@AzizTheSavage]

@@GravityAP yep if it isnt a human who links the flame the linker will lose something they care about

[@xanthousizalith5641]

To add on to this, Iudex Gundyr is corrupted by a Pus of Man when you fight him, but Champion Gundyr, who is Iudex Gundyr in an alternate timeline wherer the flame faded before an unkindled one could relink it, he's untainted by the Pus of Man, implying that the Pus of Man is actually a result of the Age of Fire

[@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf]

It’s not an alternative timeline, it is the timeline, just in the past. If you talk to the shrine maiden in the dark shrine before you talk to the one in the normal fire link she recognizes you from her past. You’re the one that defeats Gundyr and leaves him to be the sheathe of the coiled sword you pick up at the start of the game.

[@AdS-1013]

@@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf so basically, the AO wakes up, pulls the sword out of Iudex Gundyr, does some questing, goes back in time, beats the shit out of champion gundyr (with or without the help of a homeless sword master) and then sticks the sword back in him?

[@lordvasha5246]

​@@AdS-1013it's a paradox basically. You defeat Gundyr in a closed loop, you defeated him in the past, which places him in the position at the beginning of the game. Then you go on to defeat champion gundyr. Some people ask how it went the first time, did you go back in time and defeat him, thus making a loop? but paradoxes are chicken and egg problem - that is to say its impossible to know, and at this point it probably has no origin.

[@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf]

@@AdS-1013 literally yes. Though you don’t personally stick the coiled sword in him, I imagine that’s left to the soul of cinder.

[@samueldavis5895]

Huh?😅

[@ZionStrickland]

TBH even if all the Lords of Cinder were still heroes without depressing backstories, I could still see them just refusing because of PTSD. It’s one thing to burn yourself alive, it’s another to know exactly how it will feel and still agree to do it.

[@Nierez]

Honestly in DS1 I was rekindling bonefires all of the time. I felt betrayed when my character was consumed by the first flame. Now maybe I wasnt paying attention but nobody told me I was going to die by linking the fire. Left me with little care for relinking the flame on a ng+

[@flamingrubys11]

@@Nierez but it must for ds2 and 3 must be canon

[@KuhoinX]

@@Nierez I felt betrayed when I was booted to NG+ without finishing the DLC and had to fight Atorias+ which kicked my ass so I never finished the DLC of DS1.

[@ironscorpion5131]

You can hear Ludlith having nightmares when he remembers linking the fire himself. It's not hard to understand why they refuse. You can even take a look at Prince Lothric.

[@heresy8384]

@@ironscorpion5131 The fact that Ludleth was traumatized by linking the fire but did it again anyway just reinforces what an absolute Chad he is. He may be small, but he died a colossus.

[@inarb]

I like how the Abyss Watchers were actually willing to link the flame but were too busy fighting themselves to go do it. Edit: quick edit to help clear something up, the one with red eyes is not the only one taken over by the abyss, they all are. The only reason one of them has red eyes is purely a gameplay mechanic to let you know which one is friendly.

[@localhappypotato6499]

I love the music in that boss fight

[@southofheck]

“I’m kicking my ass! Do ya mind?!”

[@defectpawn7194]

Only one of them when you eventually find them actually wants to. Mr Red eyed watcher will exclusively fight his allies while the rest of them will only fight you.

[@inarb]

@@defectpawn7194 in the game yeah, but in the lore the rest of them were willing to link the flame as well

[@aidanmackenzie1042]

@@defectpawn7194 The red eye watcher won’t just fight his allies, he’ll fight the closest enemy to him. So if the true boss and his backup fucks off for a second for some reason he will turn his attention to you. That’s why whenever the red eye one spawns I usually play a lot more passive because if you don’t it can become a 3v1

[@philstory2556]

An interesting note is that Ludlith of Courland has some dialogue that can sometimes play where he is sleeping and talking in his sleep. The lines imply that when you link the flame, the sheer pain of having your soul be on fire for the length of an entire age is absolutely unbearable but once you begin there is nothing you can do about it. So when they wake up potentially having to do the same, seeing nothing has changed, if not got worse, why would they subject themselves to the most excruciating thing possible? for whom?

[@seththompson691]

Not just your soul too, the souls of every poor fool who stood in your way that you turned into level ups. Gwyn was an ass

[@TheSinsOfAvarice97]

​@seththompson691 While gwyns motives were obviously self serving I think he felt every bit of the pain that everyone else feels linking the flame. I imagine by the time we meet him what's left of him is probably begging for us to take him out

[@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf]

@@seththompson691gwynn put himself in that fire too lmao I don’t think he knew

[@Generalmacka]

Kinda reminds me of a scene from the hunger games where katniss breaks down after knowing she has to go back to the arens

[@alanolex3962]

In the ending where you let the fire die out the Firekeeper straight up says that "One day, embers will dance across the darkness." So yeah, letting the fire finally die is probably the only way for it to be *truly* rekindled later, by nature of the cycle

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

but what about the age of the deep sea that Aldrich?

[@filipevasconcelos4409]

@@insertedgynamehere___969 since it's only mentioned by aldritch once, maybe it's just an easter egg referencing Bloodborne, which has a strong tie with large bodies of water, be it from the runes, fishing hamlet, the lake where you fight rom and etc.

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

@@filipevasconcelos4409 just an Easter egg? not sure if it's only an an Easter egg given that it's dark souls

[@SkitariusNoKD]

@@insertedgynamehere___969 There is a theory that the painted world that the painter makes with the blood of the dark soul could be a deep ocean "a cold, dark and very gentle place" fits the description of an ocean, and since it's made with the dark soul of men it would be eternal since the power of the dark never wanes unlike the fire.

[@thereaperbro8030]

@@insertedgynamehere___969 it's the dark lord ending

[@robertspeedwagon982]

Here are the reasons why the Lords of Cinders (who already linked the First Flame in the past) don't want to do it again - Aldritch accepted the fading of the flame - Yhorm realised that all he foughted for was pointless like you said - The Abyss Watchers decided to contain themselves because they were corrupted by the abyss - Ludleth wants to do it (he only sacrified the lower part of his body and is a massive chad) Edit : I added the Ludleth part

[@obviouslykaleb7998]

I’m not sure about Yhorm or the abyss watchers (I find it likely they, themselves have their disagreements on the matter, as the red eyes denote someone who has been taken by the abyss but then again that’s just repeating your point) but Aldritch wants the age of dark and so does Lothric and Lorian. Aldritch’s case is simple: there is that spell description that said he dreamt of a deep sea, implying a sea of dark, as can be seen at the cathedral of the _deep._ Then there’s Lothric, who outright states that he wishes for the age of fire to end. But then again, he uses miracles (I’ll get back to this) Pontiff Sulyvahn was once a sorcerer. As we know, sorcery is a logical discipline. Thus he must likely be well read in the same way a scholar is. He came from the painting of ariandel and likely wishes for it to burn, based on what the corvian says. He’d probably take that same attitude with him throughout his travels of what is now Lothric, and it’s safe to assume he’d be rather persuasive in that endeavor. Now the kingdom of Lothric has a fourth, hidden pillar of rule: the scholars. IIRC, prince Lothric was taking lessons from a scholar when he turned his back on the fire linking cycle. I find it likely this is same scholar is Sulyvahn. I’ll build on that now: he sends three outrider knights into Lothric castle alone; Vordt, the dancer, and the one surrounded by bookshelves below the drakes. Since it was (implied to be) Sulyvahn who corrupted the way of white to instead worship abyss, why would he send his strongest servant to defend the princes instead of having both defend the other lords? Sentimentality. He likely knows Lothric as a pupil and a friend and opted to defend him instead of everything else. Now onto the matter of miracles. Sulyvahn likely didn’t go about corrupting the way of white by telling them they were wrong. Instead, he probably told them it was Gwyn’s will. Gwyn, after all, tries to stop you from linking the flame in DS1, and it’s likely for the reason Ludleth can’t get a good night’s sleep, which is the sheer pain of linking the fire. It’s likely that Lothric agreed with this sentiment, that it is the god’s will that the age of fire should end, and that is why his faith is still strong enough to use miracles. Now, I’m not saying “sulyvahn did nothing wrong,” but I am saying he _ISNT_ wrong. Every single person to link the flame regrets it, no one likes the age of fire (anymore) and it’s gotten to the point where potentially millions of undead are buried at the cathedral of the deep, all insane and all unable to die because of Gwyn’s mistake.

[@Deoxys_Used_Mimic]

Honestly, only sacrificing half of your body sounds like the coward’s way out. It’s like “yeah, I did it!” but no... you didn’t really. How much time did he buy with that stunt? He only did half the job. 50% F (or E) Failing Grade

[@cloroxusthestainlessone4324]

I thought ludleth willingly came to firelink. All the others had to be forcefully brought in ash form. He didn't sacrifice half of himself in weakness, after he linked the flame all that was left of him was the mangled form he's in. He wasn't powerful, he didn't seek power, all he wanted was an end to the suffering

[@bhavyakanodia9427]

I believe that it isn't as if Ludleth sacrificed the lower half or anything. But when he was revived and saw all the other lords leaving, he was afraid that he will also run away, afraid of his own cowardice. The blood on his throne is fresh. I believe he cut away his own legs so that he isn't able to physically run from his duty even if he wavers.

[@manness3040]

Wrong, wrong, wrong and... Wrong

[@fabiomacielfreire7431]

It always feels like you are releasing the bosses from their own pain when you grab their souls.

[@Mando23456.]

You know your consuming the souls, right? I mean yeah I'd rather be consumed than be a walking corpse but still it probably really hurts them.

[@Mando23456.]

Also flying butter can't feel pain

[@fabiomacielfreire7431]

Well, you have the option to consume, doesn't mean you are consuming. You grab them when you finish the fight.

[@Mando23456.]

@@fabiomacielfreire7431 instead of consuming you can turn their soul into a weapon which I'd much rather do.

[@retarddog6505]

Usually I say 'fuck you' as I absorb them

[@game-enjoyer13]

“Endless Cycle” “Inevitability” “Holding on” “Fear of Loss” are the best phrases i can think of to described both the world and lore of the dark souls games.

[@john_michael97]

It just shows that FromSoft’s storytelling is way more than just the obscure lore hunting people complain about, you got the message and story pretty much spot on, it is indeed a story of decay and the dangers of holding on to something, and about how maybe letting go and facing something uncertain might be better than holding on to something rotten and decaying.

[@farhanmueed]

And this is not just about darksouls 😢

[@mrchung]

It still is, your just a nerd. Stop coping.

[@hellothere9167]

Imagine you sacrificing all your potential future, family and literally everything to save the world. Only to have you resurrected and them say "lol, you gotta do it again"

[@crazybunny1134]

It's already infuriating when you go the store and when you come back your friends say "what about the milk"

[@__mindflayer__]

It’s actually kinda frustrating since the ending of where you save the flame and it’s barely a flame to keep the age going made me realize all of it was all for nothing. I fucking love this game.

[@TheDarkEnigma]

This is why i would always take the choice that destroys the cycle. If the cycle is just destructive or not worth the cost in the long run. The alternative of following a path that denies that futility, is more to me than a repeating cycle. So yeah. Im like this with most games.

[@ojamarojo1301]

@@TheDarkEnigma The thing is, the natural state of Dark Souls' world _is_ cyclical; it's a hostile hellscape because mortals discovered the First Flame and used it to force a perpetual Age of Fire because they feared the Dark. When you extinguish the Flame, you usher in the Age of Dark, and one day the Flame will come again. The world is not meant to _stay_ bathed in light or darkness, there's a natural ebb and flow to the world of Dark Souls.

[@lololol924]

I find it funny that none of the lord's of cinder went to Lothric castle themselves to drag that upstart femboy to the first flame kicking and screaming.

[@dariodipaola8445]

If you listen to Ludleth's character dialog in Firelink you'll find out why they no longer want to link the flame. The pain of sacrifice haunts them.

[@bartoszboboryko4684]

Not rly, the Ludleth got the horrible sacrifice because he took a place of a Prince Lothric which refused to sacrifice himself for this corrupted world of fake gods. Ludleth wasnt chosen, he took a chance because soul of cinders was defeated and yet someone had to reignite the fire. The lords of cinders do not want to reignite the fire because they lost themselves. Abyss legion felt to something that they swore to destroy, just like Artorias. Yhorm the Giant failed to protect own people from the profained fire, which consumed the entire population , population of sinfull and pridefull beings. Aldrich is the only one that is mistery to me. He's the only one that have consciousnes yet he's evil to the ground, similiar to Pontiff but Pontiff is corrupted by the profained flame. If you think about the first flame deeper, youre starting to see that the Gwyn made the biggest mistake anyone could do. Reigniting the fire was the first sin as the DS2 said.

[@dronz3881]

@@bartoszboboryko4684 It's partially implied that Aldritch is Smough, as Smough was an eater of men. His ashes are a giant, maggot-ridden skull and killing him unlocks Smough's armor to be bought. He returned to his home in Anor Londo, the same area where O&S were fought. There's probably other things to point to it too.

[@djseal454]

@@dronz3881 it's also likely that Aldrich ate smough

[@bartoszboboryko4684]

@@dronz3881 i mean , he went only to Anor Londo to eat Gwyndolin , because he had vision of eating the god, also Aldrich in human form in Cathedra of the deep was eating being sacrificed to him.

[@justanordinaryguy._.7399]

@@dronz3881 probably smough was fighting with Aldrich and lost which getting him devoured by Aldrich.

[@blizzardgaming7070]

This theme goes for all bosses, Vordt and Dancer were victims of Pontiff Sylvan turned into beasts. The curse rotted great wood was a living tree that cleansed the curses of those living in the undead settlement until they became to strong. The Crystal sage hides in the woods near his earlier companions the abyss watchers, far enough away that should anything happen to the watchers the sage would live. The Deacons of the deep hide in the depths of a ruined and overgrown cathedral guarded hollows and maggots. High lord Wolnier fell to the abyss and was trapped, his legacy buried by the Undead legion. The old demon king is just that, the last king of demons without their fire. The ancient wyvern is the last dragon alive at archdragon peak, and it’s not even a true dragon. The dragon slayer armour is all that’s left of a once great knight, remembered only by what they killed. Sister Friede and father Ariandel are hiding in a rotting world that must burn.

[@Mr_G87]

I like the concept of the Soul of Cinder. Since he's made of the souls of everyone that linked the fire, this means that everytime someone links the fire, the Soul of Cinder will only get stronger for the next contender until he's too strong to beat and letting the flame fade. It shows that it is truly inevitable. Plus, if you look at every city made by the gods for the men, they're all prisons made to contain the Dark soul of men, so ending the fire in some way is a liberation from the age of the gods who by the flame and their presence, made the world worse. Oh and the age of darkness by no means means armageddon, since dragons for example lived before the fire existed, and these creatures outlived the age of fire, so men (if there are any left other than Gael), could also outlive the age of darkness.

[@Crazieyboy15]

Wow. I never once thought to question why the First Flame would manifest a literal avatar composed of dead champions to combat the unkindled. By Dark Souls 3, it's literally fighting you off so it can die.

[@SkitariusNoKD]

What a cool interpretation, I always just saw it like a final test but your interpretation is way cooler and more fitting on the setting.

[@squidgames5218]

Could that mean that after the age of darkness, only humans would remain? And that the world of darksouls would technically become our reality? Or something similar to ours

[@SkitariusNoKD]

@@squidgames5218 not really like our own reality since the only ones that lose their power are the gods there could still be dragons and dark magic fuel by the dark souls with in men, also the fire keeper says that after the age of dark of man kind the age of fire of the gods will return.

[@BLaRgXrvbX]

I don't want to "Uhm, Ackshually" you, buuut.... The Fire won't go out if it isn't extinguished. It will stay an ember for eternity, as it has already. Dark Souls 3's Fire isn't that much different from the one in 1. It's just had several cycles of lasting ages to pile on more shit and exhaust your available fuel. It takes the Fire Keeper manually extinguishing it for anything to happen to it. So the Flame isn't defending itself to die. It will persist. If anything, the more cycles go on, the harder it will be to let go... which may have been what they were going for, thematically. As for the "Age of Dark", that's already present in DS3. It *is* DS3. Dark doesn't exist without the Fire. Without it, we go back to the gray, timeless expanse before. For anything that likes to exist, the Age of Dark (the state in which all the Lord Souls except the Dark Soul are at their weakest) is poison. There is no Life to create new things, no Death to let them end, and no Light or time for it to flourish. Only the endless space of perpetuity. To prevent that being the status quo, the Keeper extinguishes the Flame with a paltry hope that a new Flame might come.

[@vyrawllxo300]

I love how the story hints at the age of darkness being a possible good thing, even though the creatures born of the darkness are some of the more monstrous creations in dark souls.

[@NoahDaArk]

*two horrifying monsters emerge from the darkness… and start rebuilding a house* Monster 1: Finally! My gosh it took these people WAY too long to let us out so we can FIX everything! Monster 2: I know right?

[@vyrawllxo300]

@@NoahDaArk god damn it noah how tf

[@jericb]

@@NoahDaArk ain't no way you thought it was a good idea to bring 2 stink bugs on the ship

[@CreepyPlume]

Bullshit, darkness and abyss are two different things. You cant blame darkness because of abyss. Think about it

[@vyrawllxo300]

@@CreepyPlume imagine getting so heated over dark souls lore lmao And the Abyss comes from the Darkness so idk what you’re saying.

[@brendendullaghan7560]

I always took the "cruel ending" as your char offering up the first flame to the dark sign to free humanity from the undead curse. Made even better that if you gave the painter the blood of the dark soul, humanity effectively flees to a new world where they'll be free of the undead curse and the cycle of fire.

[@haziq12ish]

And thus begin the world of bloodbornee

[@atif45602]

​Who tf wants to leave ds world and go to Bloodborne world ? I think I am better off in sekiro bcz that's seemingly most peaceful world.​@@haziq12ish

[@zade8586]

It's insane how underrated this is, just wow.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

It's the video I'm proudest of, by far. I wish youtube would push this one a bit harder, but I've seen a lot of growth this past month, so I shouldn't be too bitter. Thanks for watching

[@zade8586]

@@DJPeachCobbler I'll do my part and share it with my Souls circle jerk buddies. Just depressing that 'we found among us sus imposters in IKEA at 3AM!!!" gets millions of views and things like these are suppressed.

[@haphazardlark1502]

@@DJPeachCobbler fwiw I’ve never watched your stuff before and this is the first video of yours the algorithm sent me to, so it’s getting at least some boost from it now!

[@neddywight7639]

Yeah. Awesome video, there’s already more than enough lore you tubers for this franchise; the environmental storytelling and diegetic gameplay are arguably the biggest aspect of these games. Definitely need someone like you to shed some more light on just how deep this rabbit hole goes.

[@DarkCT]

@@DJPeachCobbler *applause* you did a good job here. I had similar thoughts after playing through this game. it was my first completed dark souls as well.

[@limbobilbo8743]

Dark souls: the game where the “good ending” is the bad ending. And the “bad ending”, well its not good but its the “slightly less bad ending”

[@Spectrum0122]

And then there's the usurpation of fire ending which is somehow worse loll

[@SkyStrikeZ]

Fun fact: you can see the corruption of the abyss spreading on the Abyss Watcher’s capes which is why they are attacking each other. The corruption itself is (im pretty sure) coming from Wolnir the boss in the catacombs which is also directly under where the abyss watchers are

[@jefff5478]

Yhorm may actually wanted to commit suicide by method of ashen one, since he fucking killed his entire kingdom on accident when linking the fire he may have felt that just waiting for siegward or unkindeld ones was the best idea

[@jooot_6850]

death by jolly cooperation

[@jefff5478]

@@jooot_6850 truly incandescent

[@theneef174]

It was most certainly not an accident.

[@xaphan452]

@@theneef174 how so?

[@theneef174]

@@xaphan452 He linked the profane flame deliberately, becoming a lord of cinder because he had nothing else to lose. They all resented him, as the kingdom had once been subjugated by his own people.

[@kaspersaldell]

As someone who is a huge lore enthusiast, I have to say this is one of the best explainations of Dark Souls as a whole. It really gets the point of what DS3 is trying to say, without getting bogged down in the smaller details.

[@JoeFilms5420]

The midroll ad placement is absolutely amazing. “But you kill these sad, broken, and confusingly attractive bosses. And with the power of the Lords of Cinder, you go to the First Flame and you see….. A FRESH, CRISPY BUCKET OF ZAXBY’S CHICKEN” For a moment I thought it was a joke in the video and not an ad, the timing was just too perfect.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

Man, I wish I was that funny lol

[@malekithX1]

Fighting Yhorm alongside Onionbro to this day gives me the blues. Its so over the top tragic, yet so wholesome at the same time. The clumsy, cheerful, round knight fighting his way through obstacles he never would have the strength to overcome alone, but still determined to fulfill his promise to an old and now suffering friend, no matter the cost. I wish I had a friend as loyal as Onionbro :,(

[@soffess2793]

Onionbro.......... ;(

[@soffess2793]

wrote a message in elden ring today next to a well, titled it: visions of friend....

[@cristo_crosta_gesu2910]

@@soffess2793 and that's why I disabled messages.. sick of dumb random bullshits that means nothing, wasting my fucking time trying to understand what people are trying to tell me thought them😐

[@DatBoi-mo9vc]

@@cristo_crosta_gesu2910 damn imagine being this angry about reading

[@OneLooseGal]

Long may the sun shine!

[@tundralwhisper7345]

Gameplay addendum: I really love that Soul of Cinder's final phase isn't just any random Lord of Cinder over the ages, *it's Gwyn, the original Lord of Cinder, who is referred to as a god* in the Ringed City DLC during the Ashen One's conversation with Shira... and who happens to be the final boss of the first game. Your contribution to the Age of Fire starts and ends with the same opponent, and yet, despite the same result... the start of your contribution to the Age of Fire was a mighty pyre that covered the entire boss arena, while your final contribution barely manages to light you at all, not even touching the arena. What a well-done way to show how futile it is in the end from a Gameplay perspective, too.

[@Guitar-Dog]

I love dark souls 1 (DaS2 probably my favourite fantastic game more arcade-y but great played 1/2 for at least 1000 hours each, only played DaS3 once and didn't buy DLC, just let DaS die) and the lore of 3 is kinda cool, you guys in this comment section make it sound good. To me it seems like DaS3 was Miyazaki's MGS2 in story and gameplay it is all a metaphore. The world can't go on the same way, and neither can the story or gameplay (DaS3 being more like Bloodborne in speed).

[@jhx97]

i mean, throughout the entirety of DS3 they refer to DS1 as "the age of the gods" so the ringed city is not the first place where they do something like that

[@akiraigarashi2874]

@@Guitar-Dog You missed out on some great bosses

[@mr6601]

Well, i believe that Soul of Cinder is a mechanism of defense or survivability of the flame, a unconscious attempt to survive, so the flame just copied the most powerful beings it saw

[@jasonbelcho8609]

Gwyn was a god in ds1 too

[@chrispysaid]

Finally, a Dark Souls lore video I can show my friends to explain Dark Souls lore that doesn't really explain the Dark Souls lore but perfectly explains the Dark Souls lore

[@bmocbruhistotle339]

Ratatoskr also made a similar lore video "Everything Rots" he comes to the same conclusion as cobbler

[@UT_SWAT]

one thing i remember hearing about the story line is that in the first age of fire when the flame began to weaken, the first lords of the flame tried to feed it, failing miserably, and in the end as to not lose the flame tied humanity's soul to the flame, forcing the dark souls of humanity to feed it creating a curse for humans that so long as the flame is fading, there humanity is slowly burned up until they are husks without a soul. thats atleast something i heard of somewhere in the first game.

[@carrion-fairy]

I think it's Aldia from ds2 who mentions tying the flame to humanity... Or it might've been kaathe I can't remember

[@Amatsaru29]

Its more like they tried to link it individually in their own ways, but turns out they need all of the lord souls at once. And since humanity's dark soul splits and fragments with each human, any human can serve as the collection box for souls if they survive the journey and not go insane.

[@artoub8143]

all that fantasy babble is just impossible to care about

[@RepentTherefore]

@@artoub8143 amen

[@Bubba335]

@@artoub8143 well it's cool

[@TheOneTrueNeravarOfOoo]

Does anybody else tear up a little when Siegward says his goodbye and commits seppuku

[@Markus-8Muireg]

What? He doesn't kill himself

[@TheOneTrueNeravarOfOoo]

@@Markus-8Muireg It's the only logical explanation for him passing after defeating Yhorm.

[@Markus-8Muireg]

@@TheOneTrueNeravarOfOoo you have a pretty grim interpretation of why he leaves his gear there.

[@TheOneTrueNeravarOfOoo]

@@Markus-8Muireg As if the entire series isn't grim. 😂 "I'm going to have myself a little nap." Then, boom. Free souls

[@TheOneTrueNeravarOfOoo]

@Yo Momma I hope you can't handle the flame, you monster.

[@MisterZimbabwe]

Really late to the party on this one, but a few things to note that might put DS3 and by that measure all of DS lore in to perspective: 1. By the start of the game, when you, the player character are resurrected to gather the lords of cinder, the fire had ALREADY GONE OUT PERMANENTLY. The only reason it's not out and on it's final, last legs is because several bits of lore and item descriptions related to the World of Darkness (An optional area you can get to after beating Oceiros, the Consumed King) where you fight Champion Gundyr, a much harder version of the first boss you fight, Iudex Gundyr. The world of Darkness, with Champion Gundyr, is the true world of DS3. The world YOU'RE playing in and trying to save (Or not) is an alternate timeline created by the one Lord of Cinder who DID show up, the little cripple guy, who pulled a some sort of timey-wimey fuckery in order to turn back time to the moment Gundyr failed to start his adventure and wake the lords of cinder, having your character resurrected and given his mission in his place. unfortunately the First Flame is so weak that even turning back time didn't work properly, which is why you can still access the starting area graveyard in the Dark World timeline directly through the back of Lothric Castle. 2. Even if you link the fire again, the game itself has many bits of lore, dialogue and item descriptions, that all but guarantee that this is the very last time the fire can be linked. It will not be strong enough to be linked again. If the fire goes out this way, it's also implied that it will never, ever come back, being depleted forever in perpetuity, taking everyone and everything that ever existed with it. Linking the fire is possibly the only actual BAD ending since it means what's left of humanity will fade with the flame, leaving no humans left to continue on during the age of dark. 3. The Lord of Hollows ending is oddly actually the BEST ending, as it's implied that despite ruling over a bunch of undead beef jerky people in world of dark, and having to commit human sacrifice in order to even initiate this ending, the lore implies that, in the long term, what's left of mankind will be guaranteed to survive into the age dark and beyond, eventually regaining what they lost and possibly more. It's very much a :plant a tree you will not live to sit under the shade of" ending. 4. The final fight with Slave Knight Gael is the absolute ultimate embodiment of the entire souls series and is a fight that should not be skipped by anyone who is invested in the setting and lore of the DS trilogy. Long story short for those who have not done the Ringed City DLC or the prior DLC the Painted World, Slave Knight Gael is a character who, in the first DLC, sucks you in to the Painted World of Ariandel in order to kill Sister Friede, who has locked the ruler of the Painted World, Ariandel himself, in the basement of a church because the painting is starting to rot and suffer it's own version of the Fading of the Fire. Ariandel was originally on board with destroying the Painted World and having his daughter paint a new world and have everyone move in to that one, but Friede showed up and locked him away and his daughter, while Slave Knight Gael left to find help in both getting rid of Friede and leaving to find the Dark Soul itself so his "niece" (Ariandels daughter) could use it as a powerful, magical pigment to paint a new world. You later meet him again in the Ringed City DLC, as the final boss of that DLC. The Ringed City was the home of descendants of the Furtive Pygmy, who are themselves the progenitors of humanity. Much like humans who all harbor a piece of the Dark Soul, so did the Pygmies, except they each had a lot more, which scared Gwyn all that much more seeing as he was already scared by the potential of the Dark Soul slivers in humans. The city itself was made by Gwyn for the Pygmies as thanks for their help in fighting the Stone Dragons, but Gwyn pulled a sneaky on them and sent his first daughter to live in their city with a magic egg that trapped all the pygmies in an illusion that prevented them from leaving their city and the outside world from perceiving the city. Slave Knight Gael finds the city and spends an untold amount of time going on a rampage, slaughtering all the pygmies and drinking their blood sice that was the only way he could figure out to get the Dark Soul outta them. By the time you, the player, fight Gael as the final boss of the Ringed City DLC, the flow of time itself is finally broken. Between the player accidentally breaking the magic egg that kept the Ringed City in stasis and the boss fight with Gael that immediately follows, eons pass, taking you straight to the world long, long, long, LONG after the fire faded and Gaels hopes of returning to the Painted World with the Dark Soul pigment failed. He is a bloated, immortal, insane animal that has been roaming around the lifeless ruins for untold millennia by the time you face him. And that's how Dark Souls really ends, and what encapsulates the series as a whole. With two nobodies, fighting each other at the end of the world, over something that doesn't even exist any more and doesn't even matter.

[@jdetres01]

just wanted to let you know that i read your whole comment and feel better for it

[@MisterZimbabwe]

@@jdetres01 Yeah, it's very evident that Time and Space as abstract concepts have begun to fray and fall apart by the time of DS3. Looking at the landscapes of the Kiln and the first part of the Ringed City DLC shows that the very landscape of the world is being pulled into some sort of singularity of ruin. The age that the Watchdogs existed in and the Age of the Lothric line are also outright stated to have taken place millennia apart (Somewhere in the ballpark of 10,000 YEARS according to certain fans who crunched some numbers) making it impossible that both Faron Swamp AND Lothric castle should exist physically so close to eachtoher, let alone one of them not being long since rendered unrecognizable by the passing of the ages and natural forces such as erosion and whatnot.

[@jdetres01]

@@MisterZimbabwe WOW! so i really was onto something just noticing the time and space of things around DS3 seem to be .... to close together! it really might be a fractal image of all the times the fire was rekindled and all the players are on the field to see what happens! do the kindled ones learn from their mistakes? or perhaps... something DOPER is happening!? perhaps all the "kindled ones" are champions against the darkness? or perhaps some unholy union of bad guys coming together to learn from their mistakes causing the baddies to become good in order to unite against the darkness? idk would be really fun to see them continue the story and give us that oh so yummy plot i'm trying to feast on!

[@NM-rj4gk]

Sorry another year late but what’s the worry of the world of darkness… if we see champion Gundyr living in it and other things how would it be that much worse than the current world

[@Legion849]

If i read this properly then the events of the game take place in a time loop in the past when the AO wakes up. Essentially it's a paradox

[@JM64]

"Not fighting master swordsmen" The abyss watchers may be drastically reduced in number by the time you get to them, but each and every one of them was a master, let alone the one you fought.

[@thedarkestdarklink3150]

@@Vestaaa480 artorias is the final abyss watcher you fight because you get the soul of the blood of the wolf which item description says was formed when all of the abyss watchers blood was mixed to make the wolfs blood master and since you can get the wolf knight greatsword and wolf knight armor set and the fact the watchbogs of farron alter is sif by artorias's grave yeah the wolf knight is artorias

[@GobaGNon]

@@thedarkestdarklink3150 that definitely is one of the interpretations of all time

[@thedarkestdarklink3150]

@@GobaGNon it's not if it's literally lore

[@Barrett1]

@@thedarkestdarklink3150 it is a interpretation of it

[@thedarkestdarklink3150]

@@Barrett1 it's not because wolf Knight is artorias he is sometimes referred to artorias in the lore not my fault I like the lore to know what certain things to mean I mean wolf knights armor set is literally artorias's armor from the first one it's not interpretation if it is literally proof just means you have looked everywhere

[@aquaxx0782]

Just finished my first playthrough of ds3 a few hours ago. After killing the Soul Of Cinder I finally made that connection of how broken and defeated all the bosses seemed. One of the best games I have ever played

[@AA-qh6qn]

Out of curiosity, did you finish the two dlc’s?

[@aquaxx0782]

@@AA-qh6qn no i just have the base game

[@tormagroves3340]

@@aquaxx0782 I'm not sure if you've done the dlc yet but I definitely recommend getting both of them. Especially ringed city. I don't really want to say too much to avoid spoilers

[@TheBestRoddy]

On another playthrough you'll eventually come to the conclusion that this game is very uninspired and full of half baked ideas. It's the ultimate fan service game that ruins itself with so many references to the others that it's to it's detriment. It's a shame cause it could have been good even great and it is when it's truly doing something new like the dlcs but those moments are so over shadowed by self references and trying make you remember the other games. None of that even touches how its insistence on replacing fun in the name of the challenge. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that it's fun. There are some truly awesome moments that are very difficult and it's well deserved but so many times it's nonsense difficult for the sake of it's name. It's just a shame that it's not more than it is. A great game that I wouldn't play again. But it's considered "the best" by the community cause it's the newest iteration of the same game they have been making for years. Don't be one of those people.

[@chuckchuk5157]

@@TheBestRoddy you can say whatever you want but the vox populi will tell you otherwise just look at elden ring it wont have that success without the roots of the bloodsouls series. And fromsoft definently did something right in making DS3.

[@Aei144]

I find it heavily ironic that in the dark souls games you end the facsimile of life by letting the flame die but in Elden ring you do the same thing by setting the world aflame

[@sand_sand7304]

It’s almost like elden ring ignores dark soul’s message.

[@FlipFlop688]

​@sand_sand7304 it's almost like they're two different games and the flame in the two games are unrelated

[@robertspeedwagon982]

​@@FlipFlop688DS3 is about letting things go, about going on, accepting change. The DLCs also had this theme of doing the same thing again and again in art = bad And then you have Elden Ring with a lore extremely similar to Dark Souls, the same exact gameplay as DS3, and a slightly less depressing vibe. So yeah, they kinda forgot the whole point of Dark Souls

[@FlipFlop688]

@robertspeedwagon982 Okay, so first of all, Elden Ring is not related to the Dark Souls series. As such, it has no obligation to adhere to its story. That would be like complaining about sekrio/bloodborne for not having the same themes as ds3. I would agree that elden ring has a less macabre vibe, but whether or not that's an issue is a matter of personal opinion. Saying Elden Ring has the same gameplay as ds3 is ridiculous. Yeah, the mechanics are similar, but all the souls games have similar mechanics except for sekiro. What a ridiculous point to bring up. If you mean in the sense that in both games you hunt down disgraced former lords, yeah, it's a similar premise executed in entirely different ways. As for the lore, all of the souls games have the same general premise, but to say the lore is extremely similar is an idiotic opinion. Also, elden ring does still maintain the themes of the importance of change, it's almost like you haven't played the game before. I get that people like you only care about the surface level "Unga bunga my game dark and dreary so it make me cool" vibe of dark souls, but sometimes things need to change. I personally enjoyed the tonal shift of elden ring to a, still dark, but somewhat hope filled world.

[@robertspeedwagon982]

@@FlipFlop688 @FlipFlop688 Wanna know something? My whole criticism of ER is that it's not different enough. Not that "huuuh not as dark as I like". And yes, the gameplay is exactly the same as DS3, same speed, moveset etc. "but all the souls games have similar gameplay except for sekiro" Not really, DS1/2 and DS3 had a similar "idea" but the pacing, speed, strategies and the way the bosses interact with the movement are vastly different. Bloodborne also have a very distinctive gameplay to the Dark Souls games, and as you said, Sekiro is even more different and almost plays like a complete different genre of game. "All souls game have the same general premise" Bloodborne and Sekiro don't. And if I want to go further back, King's Field also

[@Huy-G-Le]

I'm willing to let the Age of Darkness come, cause the Age of Fire isn't getting better. But *i Refuse to kill the Fire Keeper, A new maybe better era doesn't worth it IF she isn't alive* .

[@alpharedhed4446]

What happens if the ashen one just says fuck the main quest and just fucks the firekeeper for eternity lol

[@Huy-G-Le]

@@alpharedhed4446 I'm OK with that, if she is OK with that too of course. But I don't need a sexual reason to keep her alive, she is a great Companies.

[@carrion-fairy]

The keeper can survive in the age of dark ending you just have to summon her. She only dies in the age of hollows ending. Pretty sure the age of dark and the age of hollows are two different things

[@Huy-G-Le]

@@carrion-fairy Noice.

[@THExRISER]

You don't need to kill the Firekeeper to get the age of dark, you kill her in the userper ending, after all you need her to let the flame die. My headcannon is that the ashen one will be the first Dark Lord of the world, with the Firekeeper by his side as a queen.

[@jordanrose8443]

This is actual gaming journalism. Insightful, funny, takes you through a range of emotion and the topic is just the god damn bosses of DS3 and the world they inhabit. I hope this channel blows up soon.

[@ecchi4196]

Soon, brother

[@supercoolfacething]

Technically this is a video essay.

[@filipevasconcelos4409]

This is not journalism. It's very good writting, but it's not journalism

[@Name-ek4jc]

@@filipevasconcelos4409 u right. Still amazing tho. Like he's writing a script almost

[@tweeztweet287]

yea, Im kind of tired of every KZbin thinking they're a comedian but this video legit made me laugh. I'm a souls junkie and for someone who openly admits he doesn't do the lore, he gave me a video that is everything I love about the series.

[@rathfoks5051]

The dark ending in 3 feels like the truest ending out of any of the darksouls titles. Regardless if the big picture is fully understood, you put to end a cycle of suffering. To what end and future you herald you may never know, but it feels right in the end.

[@emulator4258]

To my knowledge ending the flame is the true ending, and is how ds3 being the last in the series makes sense.

[@flame1154]

I always thought that DS3 felt like putting a world and the bosses out of their misery. And to me that made it emotionally exhausting, there's always someone else who can't make peace with themselves that you have to kill, ALL because Gwyn couldn't make peace with his own mortality/limits. It really is an expose on inherited trauma and original sin

[@MrPatrickbuit]

Except Pontiff Sulyvahn. Pontiff Sulyvahn is just a fucking ass

[@SondreGrneng]

@@MrPatrickbuit Aye, never feel bad about killing the pontiff. the guy is a fucking monster in the truest sense of the word.

[@sakbromely]

@@SondreGrneng Not really. He was born in the painting but wasn't forlorn so didn't belong and left to explore the world outside. He found the profane flame and it corrupted him, after that point is when he goes evil. There is little to no evidence that he was evil before the profane flame got to him.

[@coreoYEAH]

“Boss fights are a test of what you’ve learned” DS: Dragons are weak to lightning Also DS: Except that one, and that one, and that one, that ones technically a drake, nope, also not that one.

[@VoidplayLP]

Which dragon boss isnt weak to lightning though? I cant think of one.

[@jadenmurray1325]

@@VoidplayLP Seath the scale less. Thats the only one I can think of.

[@majeedmamah7457]

They learnt to counter it after getting toasted so much.

[@tariqnasneed3857]

@@jadenmurray1325 Dragons are weak to lightning because lightning shreds their stone scales. Modern drakes and serpents are nothing but descendants of the Ancient Dragons and do not possess scales, and Seath is more crystal than dragon at this point anyways. If you watched the cutscene you would see that the dragons were actually killed by Nito's miasma. Gwyn's lightning only removed their protection.

[@basedaveragejoe220]

@@jadenmurray1325 Seath is both weak to lighting and fire, the only dragons not weak to lightning are the ones near the gate to new londo

[@adamdominguez656]

“It’s always been a rumination of letting go, about a world afraid of the dark” summarized perfectly. Loved all your thoughts

[@TheBongoJeff]

"Ashen One, hearest thou my voice, still?" 19:29

[@russian_knight]

Average age of dark ending fan vs Average Kill Fire Keeper and Steal First Flame for Yourself ending

[@jooot_6850]

@@russian_knight average waifu enjoyer vs average waifu abuser

[@magicalhermitcrab5912]

I've always thought she was afraid of the coming darkness, and that line was her grasping for comfort from your character.

[@GweniswasntTaken]

@@magicalhermitcrab5912 Probably one of the most heart wrenching moments in a video game for me.

[@danolive6950]

"I can hear the crackling from here. The sound of my home, the painting of Ariandel, burning away... When the world rots, we set it afire. For the sake of the next world. It's the one thing we do right, unlike those fools on the outside."

[@Noneya-l3n]

Yhorm had that blade made with another, giving one to a trusted friend and one to his subject as a promise that he won't neglect his duties, and that is why sigwards questline is my favorite

[@PS1Haggy]

Actually one of the best Dark Souls videos I've ever seen

[@SahnigReingeloetet]

I like to think that the Soul of Cinder only fights the player character to prevent the linking of the first flame. Like a moth flying into a torch, you only realize how useless the linking is once it‘s already too late

[@thiccestiguana918]

Even though it’s not intentional, I find it interesting how the sun in this game looks like the first picture of a black hole we have.

[@shadymcnasty5920]

Its an eclipse

[@thiccestiguana918]

Oh. Yep, that makes sense.

[@azronger7214]

@@shadymcnasty5920 Nah, it's the Darksign. It shows how the very world itself is shackled by Gwyn's folly - the darkness is caged by a ring of fire, unable to escape, and the ring itself is symbolic of perpetual rebirth (the ouroboros). By Dark Souls 3, it's been reborn so many times that you could say the world itself is Hollowing, much like an Undead.

[@Guitar-Dog]

@@azronger7214 it's also an eclipse 😂😘 I don't know about the metaphysics but it could be darkness eating the sun. It's rotting for the core and all's that's left is the outside edges. Or just an eclipse. the moon I'm sire is darkness, was gywndolin not the moon god

[@leonardo9259]

It look like the blood moon because this game is 40% a Bloodborne asset flip

[@tiredfailure8771]

Idk about anyone else, but that entire rant at the beginning about bosses being challenges to reflect everything you've learned in the game to that point. Just had me thinking about Sekiro the entire time. With the notable exceptions of 2 or 3 bosses that still have mechanics in them that you were taught by the game. The entirety of Sekiro feels like a good reflection of your progression and evolution through the game.

[@yoso378]

It's really awesome because getting better at Sekiro is so so palpable and really apparent, especially with Genichiro. He's basically impossible at first, then he's tough but beatable, and then he ends up being a chump speed bump. The narrative matches the typical growth of the average player perfectly.

[@yayayayaya2561]

genichiro force you to stop playing dark souls playstyle and actually play sekiro

[@meyes5671]

My favorite boss so far is the Armor Knight. A boss where all you can do is defend yourself is so creative and completely shook me out of my dark souls habits.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

Man, I’m still editing my first video while you’re churning out masterpiece after masterpiece week after week. 😔

[@DJPeachCobbler]

Aw, you're sweet. It's easy when you don't sleep, but I don't recommend it. I know you've been posting those avatar deleted scenes for awhile, I love* forward to your OC *LOOK

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

@@DJPeachCobbler “Love to see” or “look forward to”? Perhaps that’s where the lack of sleep is taking its toll.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

@@Rainbowhawk1993 oof

[@xychosisGG]

I love how Dark Souls III has you fight these…powerful entities that have descended into shadows of themselves. You can *feel* like the Ashen One is powerful after such tremendous growth. But in truth: these entities were infinitely stronger at the peak of their power, and their existence merely persists because of the stubbornness of the world and its desire to cling onto the embers of life. You’re simply royalty in a world that will die a painful death in the not-so-distant future.

[@MaidenlessScrub]

except Sulyvahn. We fought that mofo at his peak, yet we still crushed him.

[@eligreg99]

@@MaidenlessScrubChampion Gundyr felt like he was at his peak too lol

[@venerablewu8744]

Ashen one > anyone at his peak stfu lil bro

[@husk3715]

At times you can hear ludleth having nightmares about kindling the flame and having his flesh burnt

[@kaimanberkey]

"they're sick, broken, or slugs" got me good.

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

Lowkey loving how that folk song in the outro is the literal last thing I expected to hear but it still works really well in this context. Great video.

[@hamiltonians7235]

"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." -Poem by Dylan Thomas.

[@TitoMcFadden]

I know Berserk is the primary inspiration for Dark Souls but I swear this poem had some influence on the writing too. It's just too damn perfect.

[@Father_of_Kos]

Isn't that in Interstellar?

[@mud43031]

@@Father_of_Kos yea but it fits dark souls so well

[@sanguine7616]

Dark Souls is about what happens when everyone with power rages against the dying of the light. In every single game you have the option to rage against the dying of the light. But will you? Or will you go gentle into that good night? Which choice is the correct one? Personally, I think that it depends on which game you're playing. I think in Dark Souls 1, both options are viable, maybe linking the fire is even the better choice considering we've so much bad comes from "the dark" in that game specifically; the four kings and New Londo, Oolacile and the Abyss, both tried to embrace the dark and failed. That last bit is important, they failed, while you, the Chosen Undead could, succeed. But you could also fail just like them. In addition, in Dark Souls 1, linking the flame is a powerful event, you are only the second person to do so. I think that in Dark Souls 1, the Age of Fire has more to give. The same cannot be said in Dark Souls 3. In Dark Souls 3, as pointed out by DJ Peach Cobbler, linking the flame is a small, almost pitiful event. The Age of Fire, in all but name, really is over. The fire has gone unlinked for so long that it has brought back those who had done it in the past to do it again, then proceeded to still go unlinked. In a desperate dying gasp, it brings back the Unkindled, those who FAILED to link the flame in the past. The Age of Fire is, for all intents and purposes, over, and that fact is shown by there being more endings than in the original Dark Souls, and in Dark Souls 3 being the final entry in the series. Unlike in Dark Souls 1, you specifically decide whether you embrace the dark or not. There is a difference between "embracing the dark" and just letting the fire fade. Letting the fire fade is the neutral ending on the spectrum between linking it and usurping it. In Dark Souls 1, when you left the kiln, we don't know what you did, but we do know you didn't usurp the flame. Ultimately, what Kaathe wanted was for the usurpation of the fire, and in Dark Souls 3 that's finally an option. In Dark Souls 1 it was ambiguous. I've kind of gotten off track, so to bring it back to the beginning, I think in Dark Souls 1, linking the First Flame is the right choice to make. But in Dark Souls 3, I think simply letting the fire fade or usurping it are the right decisions. In Dark Souls 3, it's time to let go. After all this time, it is time to go gentle into that good night. Also, I didn't mention Dark Souls 2 at all because in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter a whole lot, but it does help support the idea that it's time for the Age of Fire to end. So many kingdoms have risen and fallen, the fire has been linked so many times, that in Dark Souls 2, nobody knows anything about Lordran or the story of the First Flame and the linking except Aldia. And by the time Dark Souls 3 comes around, almost nothing remains of Drangleic or anything from Dark Souls 2 with the exception of the Drang Knight's weapons and armour, and the ruins of Earthen Peak at the end of the world, in the Ringed City DLC. The First Flame has been linked so many times that no one in all of the Dark Souls universe could tell you how many. Not Aldia,, not Gwyn, not anyone. Countless kingdoms have risen and fallen in the Age of Fire that not a single being living or undead could tell you about. When history repeats so many times that huge chunks of history are just gone, not because they're missing or erased, but because they objectively do not matter, then maybe it's time for change. (As a side note, if the flame is dying in DS3, how does it have the power to bring back to life those that fueled it before? And how do the previous Lords of Cinder re-linking the first flame actually do anything? Wouldn't that just return the power used to bring them back, back to the first flame, ultimately being a pointless expenditure of time and energy? That'd be like if a fire was dying out, then it turned the ashes around it, back into charcoal so it could burn a little longer. DS3's story concept is really cool and interesting no doubt, but I feel like this is a plothole that no one has mentioned.)

[@youknowwhatboi]

@@sanguine7616 I'm gonna be the first to like cause honestly? You deserve it and I'm surprised no one has done it. I really am not gonna say anymore cause I don't know how to speak like you but really? I think that Dark Souls is about *you* and what you think is right it may not have been correct in DS 1 but when they said this was the final game then I knew that it was your ending that was canon now not the games.

[@Prismatic_Pixie]

You've single-handledly brought me a new perspective as to why the Lords of Cinder refused to sit their thrones.

[@davidmazula8637]

I like how everyone's reasoning was a bit different the abyss watchers had been corrupted by the abyss, aldrich was too greedy to relight it, the princes had been fed pro dark ideology, and the last time Yorhm lit the flame it destroyed his entire kingdom

[@donutusable]

Dark souls 3 is my favourite game. The story of a world on the brink of ending but still holding onto the one thing that is ending it alone makes it my favourite game.

[@SuitorASMR]

I got Usupreration of Fire on my first try and in my eyes its the best one as it is to my understanding Living with it (it also is the hardest one to get) the darkness ending is giving up the light ending is like staying in a toxic relationship the curel ending is - when you decide "wait i want the evil ending" last minute but hey thats the point of stories you can interpret right?

[@dennisstark9764]

I just want to lit the flame... Dont want it to end...

[@Vinistonesrrr]

How do you get the "cruel ending" ?

[@SuitorASMR]

@@Vinistonesrrr when you let the flames die there is like 3 seconds where you get control before the credits roll during that time you can kill the fire keeper - since she is outside the Firelink shrine she would not be able to resurrect and truely die

[@Vinistonesrrr]

@@SuitorASMR so basically the darkness ending except you took an innocent life cuz yes?

[@SuitorASMR]

@@Vinistonesrrr yes

[@Drengade]

Always remember, Pontiff was initially designed to be the final boss, rather than the Soul of Cinder

[@adinathpatil6078]

Would make sense, it's heavily implied pontiff played significant role in causing the princes to abondon linking the flame, you killing all Lord of cinders and now harboring their power are now on ur way to link the flame and so he will fight u

[@IJustWantRevolution]

I would argue that that is a more minor theme that *became* a major theme with ds3. But ds1 especially seems the opposite to me. Its not about "fighting/accepting change", but rather its about mastering your own fate through power of the will. The game is a giant test of will where in the beginning you are laid out your path, your fate. "YOU WILL LINK FIRE BECAUSE...JUST BECAUSE OK?" but as you play the game and your will becomes hardened, you learn about the other option. Then, at the end, once your will is iron, you realize that the fate of the entire world rests in your hands and your hands alone. That is the power of will. By staying determined and never giving up, you have gained the most powerful choice possible. You decide the fate of the world. There is no wrong choice, because thats not what the games are about. There is no good or bad ending. It is simply whatever you wish it to be, because, again, through the power of your will, you have become the most important man alive or undead

[@AlmostCoolGuys]

This was a heavy interpretation of a game filled with heavy concepts. I just started replaying DS3 like a month ago and man this was quality

[@themadhattress5008]

From the Lord of the Rings to Dark Souls, I love how fantasy has come to truly make an example of what unreliable narration and storytelling mean. Nothing is 100% certain and I'm glad I got to play through a series of games with such incredible world-building.

[@thetruephoenixful]

One thing I personally like about the usage of old lords of cinder as the heroes of old is the world building that it gives. It displays that whenever the flame fades during a cycle the world always declines into this, it always becomes the world we see. Without fail

[@arlopullman4926]

You're missing a few things in the lore, but you've got everything important. The only thing to note is that the world is shit and full of monsters because of the fading of the First Flame, so a reborn Age of Fire would be better than the world we see in Dark Souls 3. At least, for a while. The Lords of Cinder refuse to link the flame because they've seen that it's pointless. The fire always fades, and dark comes again. Also, the second phase of the Soul of Cinder is a copy of the music and moveset of the first game's final boss: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. Those two things really hammer home the cyclical nature of the games, and the relentless flow of time you discuss.

[@theonewhoismany8072]

A reborn age of fire is anything but good. Prolonging the age of fire only burns the world to ash,further fucks up the natural order and keeps humans under the boot of the gods.

[@evanfaucet3814]

The flame doesn’t come back stronger it’s been getting weaker over the course of the games and will continue to die out

[@arlopullman4926]

@@evanfaucet3814 I never said otherwise?

[@kleinjadestar3223]

Ik this is old but most og the monsters were made by attempting to recapture the frist flame so most of the monster would stick around no matter what

[@MathewAGTales]

This made me want to cry. I should’ve enjoyed this game more. I remember just getting frustrated and enraged just wanting to kill every boss. Didn’t feel sorry for them because of how hard it was for me to kill them. Now I see, I let my rage blind me.

[@TheCohesiveGarage]

Its not too late ashen one.

[@minitech5238]

That's why i'm glad i beat Abyss Watchers first try, that way i didn't rage at all, just loved the boss fight, how quick it was, how epic it was, how unique it was, and how tragic it was

[@michaelgeha5568]

The anger that warms you now leaves you cold in the grave

[@juliantn]

Watching this I don't know what to feel. I finished the base game this summer and didn't take in much media outside of the game. I thought it was cool when people said the game allowed you to miss things but now I realize I missed the whole overarching drama. I kept those eyes away from my Keeper because I was afraid they would harm her like the dark miracles book appeared to do to the miracle lady.

[@corbinfelan]

how is it that I only found this channel by accident?? You deserve way more recognition man, this is excellent content

[@gabrielkrone237]

Accidentally getting the cruel ending by being urged to try attacking by a friend was the most betrayed I ever felt

[@DJPeachCobbler]

Hearest thou my voice, still?

[@illseeyaonthedarksideofthemoon]

Truly, a vision of betrayal

[@evanmachendrick4949]

Abyss watchers was my favorite boss in my first playthrough. Beat em in one go, but I had no estus and almost no health left.

[@BobExcalibur]

>Dark ending is goodest Sometimes the Devil you don't know is a horror beyond the boundaries of your mortal imagination to envisage.

[@hoomanben8455]

The thing is humanity lived through ages of dark in the past, before Gwyn linked the flame, humans are actually stronger during ages of dark as they possess the ‘dark soul’. So the abyss may be scary but overall ‘should’ be a better path in the end. Not that it matters that much, since the world ends no matter what you do

[@noerodriguez8633]

Lord of hollows dog

[@theapexsurvivor9538]

We already know what an age of dark would look like, oolacile fell into it before Manus was sealed. The best ending is impossible because each of the Lord Souls have been corrupted and spent. The cycle of light and dark became destructive because the gifts were squandered through fanaticism (love of death, fear of dark, hunger for power). The Dark Soul was corrupted by the failing of the other 3.

[@randomyoutubename4488]

@@theapexsurvivor9538 oliceile was manus using his hate to poison the abyss to murder the his tourturers after they took his pendant because dusk says after you kill manus My faculties were far from lucid, but I quite clearly sensed certain emotions. A wrenching nostalgia, a lost joy, an object of obsession, and a sincere hope to reclaim it... Could these thoughts belong to the beast from the Abyss? All the damage olicie was in was manuses hate for them

[@TheSaylesMan]

@@randomyoutubename4488 And what? All that hate just doesn't exist anymore? Age of Dark happens and the things that live in it are just going to wash their hands of everything that happened before with a "Jolly good show sir, you really put us to the sword for time unknowable there but we've finally won so let bygones be bygones." Does the Pus of Man look chill to you? Its just an age full of awful monsters eating each other forever. That or pitiful dreamers without agency lulled into an eternal sleep by whatever gentle warmth still is left of the Dark. Neither sounds like a good option. If the Age of Dark is so inevitable they can come and take it.

[@marcinolszewski2260]

The weirdness of the first flame and its rekindling is representation of Heraclitus' philosophy who thought that there is neither beginning nor an end, but a constant change like a fire burning the whole world using death as a fuel.

[@bonusbone5118]

My favourite part of ds2 is when you triumphantly reach what you think is the final boss and he is a shadow of himself walking in circles.

[@Zafiro_Regio]

Wow this is a great DS video, you make environmental storytelling seem like a lost art that I never even bothered to consider when playing these games

[@TamagoSenshi]

"Change - and everything is change, nothing can be held onto. To the degree that you go with a stream, you see you are still, you're flowing with it, but to the degree that you resist the stream, then you notice that the current is pushing past you and fighting you. So, swim with it, go with it and you're there, you're at rest"

[@bigmanda1484]

Wow been watching The Cobbler for a couple of years now and this is truly his best work

[@villelepoaho4105]

Breaking the egg at the end of The Ringed City DLC really made me question, are we good guys or bad guys? If you break an illusion where the world still looks fairly normal (but has monsters in it), is it good or bad? Is it better to live in a somewhat decent illusion, or a terrible reality?

[@justasalamander2621]

Comes down to your preference, live a sweet lie or a terrible truth. Personally i rather take the sweet lie for atleast a little comfort for not just me but others. To kill off hope turns everyone around you hollow

[@jimijenkins2548]

@@justasalamander2621 I'd rather shatter the illusion. Kill this dying world to make way for the next. That said, I still understand the appeal of comforting those inside the lie.

[@TYR1139]

How is breaking the Ilusion that Gwyn made to trick humanity from their chance of a new era, masking a decesed world full of rotten decay to prolongate a reing long gone makes you the "bad" guy?

[@Umezete]

I don't think the egg broke the illusion, I think it threw us through time till the point fillionore breathes her last breath.

[@ihatehandleupdate]

@@Umezete Gael is bigger too in the bossfight.

[@nonyyyr3348]

Hello from the Russian part of the community, thanks for this video, it vented me at the time when I first passed "dark souls 3" into this atmosphere, lore and emotions. Thank you for that.

[@DaMetalRenegade]

Using the Max Payne theme was a good touch.

[@MightyFahl]

This is my third time watching this video. I think it’s my favorite of all the ones you’ve made. I don’t think it’s because I’m a DS fanboy (although that doesn’t hurt). I think it’s the flow of it, the vibe of it, the way it comes together. The way it imparts so much insight. It’s like a story in and of itself. And as cryptic, meaningful, and timeless as the story of Dark Souls itself. And femboys were included as well. It’s got everything really.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

It's my favorite, too. I'm glad you like it

[@MightyFahl]

@@DJPeachCobbler from this masterpiece of contemplative story telling to Anime waifu Vtuber. Never change Cobbler.

[@veryrare432hz]

You said femboys are included like it’s a good thing

[@MightyFahl]

@@veryrare432hz I cannot be held responsible for my misguided ramblings a year ago. I've changed, I swear.

[@knight_kazul]

@@veryrare432hz because it is and i'm tired of pretending it's not.

[@jamesjaegar7217]

I've watched countless lore videos, and out of all of them, you explained the Dark Souls 3 ending in the most cathartic and great way.

[@colegmr]

the betrayal ending was such a perfect perfect way to end the trilogy

[@rushbiskit]

I love how she seems content with it, she knows her sacrifice would be the last needed to change the world for the better.

[@SpicyDeddy]

Man every time I see a video on dark souls I get a whole new perspective I hadn’t even considered before

[@cpt.battlecock5264]

7:34 the abyss watchers fight to me represented the cyclical futility and the glory seeking of those who sought to be the lord of cinder. Its all futile and repeating itself, over and over until something, someone stops that cycle. That theme of ending themes in ds3, hits perfectly for this fight. You defeat the abyss watchers in the first round, symbolizing defeating the lords of cinder, then you defeat fire abyss watcher symbolizing soul of cinder but its mere speculations is all.

[@gamerpl4995]

Storm Ruler next to Yhorm is there because he gave it to people of his kingdom, so that they could defeat him if he ever turned against them.

[@SlyCooperJr]

Really great job on this, Cobbler. Happy Thanksgiving! ❤

[@DJPeachCobbler]

Happy thanksgiving, glad you enjoyed it

[@radagast7200]

"Do not go gently into that good night..." "Yeah... but I think I'm gunna though..."

[@SomnambulistMist]

Fun fact. The flow of time being 'convoluted' is kind of a mistranslation to make it sound better in English. A more accurate translation to what Solaire says is that the flow of time is 'stagnant'.

[@DJPeachCobbler]

That feels very reflected in the broader tone of the series, that’s interesting

[@Galimeer5]

These video essays are amazing. They're thoughtful and insightful, but also your humor adds just the right amount of levity to keep them from turning into overly self-indulgent think-pieces. And the way you tie everything together at the end with some poignant music creates something that can only be described as beautiful. And if video games can inspire crafts like this, claiming they're not an art is...wrong.

[@Skizzeckz]

18:50 I found the eyes my first playthrough.. I deeply doubted during the moment to give them to her but I did. I watched the fire fade, it was time for the cycle to end... But what made it clear to me was when I beat the game again and chose to rekindle the flame. I expected it to burst the mountain ablaze. As I watched the tiny flame flicker around my sunbro I realized I made the right choice the first time around. It hurt...

[@IstralLabraid]

As someone whos watched and gone through most if not all the lore of all the new age fromsoft games, I never played 2 and 3, I never put two and two together but ash was never going to be good kindling for a flame. Also if this video is to be a way to interpret what should be done, it likely should've been done in the first game when the world wasn't so broken funly enough that is exactly what I did just because it didn't seem right to keep the flame going for no tangible benefit.

[@lobotomite9767]

My interpretation of the message of dark souls is letting go. Accepting the end and coming to terms with death. Ive never thought the "good ending" of these games was linking the fire. By the end of the 3rd game the original fire is just a small sputter of flames kept on life support by those that cannot accept their fate.

[@matthewhammer4515]

That was the first video I've seen from you and god damn that was amazing storytelling

[@bar7955]

Am Dark Souls Fan, can confirm the pointier your hat, the more powerful you are

[@chegg3391]

15:17 is absolutely hilarious when you realize he's absolutely right and yorm is in fact trying to commit suicide via ashen one

[@snotenberg7]

One of my favorite things about the dark souls series is that you can get just as philosophically deep just dissecting the surface level details as you can dissecting the deeper implications of specific lore and character stories

[@RayVa0]

I've been watching you for only two months or something and you are already my 2nd favourite youtuber keep up the amazing content

[@N54-s7r]

“Ashen One, hearest thou my voice still?” Fucking chills.

[@deadrussianliberal2897]

As it was stated here, the despair is palpable through DS3. I didn’t understand anything while playing, but this feeling of misery and pointlessness of everything just soaked through me. Everywhere you go in DS3, the sense of “something is wrong” follows. Unique experience. Japanese know their shit when it comes to soul crushing drama and shit. You kno