Dark Souls 2 Story ► The Raven & The Royal Aegis

[@Widi1341]

Raime had the biggest "I fucking told you so" in the history of dark souls

[@joshuakim5240]

Imagine the Souls universe version of the aferlife with Raime, Velstadt, and Vendrick. Raime: I CALLED IT! I FUCKING CALLED it! Vendrick: Please don't do this... Raime: Oh i am fucking doing this! I waited for centuries to do this and i WILL have my moment! Velstadt: Come on, it wasn't that bad. Right? You even made a new friend. Raime: You two think i give a shit what you're saying right now?! I. FUCKING. CALLED. IT! And i totally could kicked your squid helmet ass! Velstadt: Then why didn't you? Raime: W-well, I-uh-wanted to-um...wait, give me a moment here... Vendrick: Wow. And to think people give me shit about not doing something earlier.

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

Sir Alonne: "HEY, GUYS!".

[@tukavaraandco7820]

Old iron king: F*ck off!

[@toji6476]

Gwyn:Hah i did this style back in my time!

[@christosgregoriou4734]

Solaire: PRAISE THE SUN

[@Red-hm8cd]

"Once upon a time, an old man was afraid of the dark. So, he set himself on fire. The end."

[@Echo0ft1cuu]

Your not wrong...

[@DronesOverTheMoon]

Mkre accurate thant that impossible

[@littlesneets8026]

Give a man some fire, and he'll be warm for the night. Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

[@vyl4650]

@@littlesneets8026 amen

[@ΓιώργοςΛιοδακής-ε4τ]

Ironic isn't it

[@bolaknirom7836]

I'm sorry but "It was raime's favorite bird" being the reason for the raven on his shield is maybe the most pure thing i''ve heard.

[@jagermaster1758]

what? he likes the fricking bird and wants to rock it in his shield

[@ungobungo7986]

@@jagermaster1758 pure, not an insult

[@jagermaster1758]

@@ungobungo7986 rock, (it's very hard)

[@xuanathan]

@@jagermaster1758 Like, you'd expect it to be some symbol with an edgy backstory but actually he just likes that bird which is kind of cute

[@Rafael_Fuchs]

@@xuanathan Edgy folks tainted liking certain things and I find it sort of funny. I get that same stigma for liking black, but the explanation being because corvids are my favorite animals throws people for a loop. They're extremely intelligent birds full of personality; what's not to love about them?

[@Irregular42]

So, Raime caught on to Nashandra's true nature well before the giants returned, but we also know that Vendrick caught on as well after the second war with the giants, meaning he and Velstadt must have realized Raime was right. The group of soldiers that died at the entrance to Brume tower was small, and didn't have any equipment to carry iron or anything. What if they were actually there to try and find Raime? Vendrick would have realized the truth and probably tried to find as many allies as he could once he understood Nashandra's true intent.

[@svenurbinskij7167]

Good theory I agree

[@jynxed66six54]

i mean, vendrick did have the perfect plan to stop her though. she couldnt do anything

[@AgentZombie6021]

@@jynxed66six54 "perfect" he was putting a whole lot of faith on undead warriors who have a chance at being far worse than Nashandra

[@jynxed66six54]

@@AgentZombie6021 if theyre worse than her, they wouldnt manage to beat the man guarding the ring. the idea is eventually, someone strong enough will come. and that person will be stronger than nashandra if they got far enough to challenge her

[@AgentZombie6021]

@@jynxed66six54 I dont think strength is what matters so much as intent. Vendrick did not fear her strength he feared what she would do with the power of the throne

[@akarte]

"And then you come, seeking answers in empty kingdoms."

[@jonahwilson6385]

"And one day, you'll stand before it's decrepit gates....without really knowing why...."

[@cyantile5490]

Does Patches say that?

[@joachimmartinlopena538]

You: I was told there would be a cure for Hollowing here in Drangleic. Emerald Herald: There is. Seek the king... Every boss in Drangleic: ...the hell are you doing here? You: I was supposed to rekindle this fire because I need to get rid of this curse Every boss in Drangleic: *pulling their weapons out* ...what fire?

[@luthfi2486]

@@joachimmartinlopena538 Me playing the game "i dont know who i am, i dont know why i am here, all i know is that i must kill.."

[@ibraheemketh9193]

Well, that's what I am here for

[@johnaron2235]

Always remmember lads: Brethren before wenches

[@SheepyPanda95]

That's basically the ancient version of "Bros before hoes" 😂

[@trappestarrgaming3422]

@@jado7422 homies over hoes

[@saladsnake8289]

Brothers in arms over maidens

[@jasv49]

In my restless dreams, I see that boss. The Fume Knight.

[@mark0183]

You promise to put you sign but you never do

[@goosetheft4187]

+Jazz1992 Just remember that I caused him to go to seek that power

[@mathis8210]

+Jazz1992 Especially if you don't know that you need a spare rod to destroy the last healing fragment of the queen... It pissed me off so much when i nearly got him down and then he healed up all the way again :P

[@rozza1903]

+mathis8210 the thing is that if you pick up all of the smelter wedges on the way up and down and destroy every single statue you will still be 1 short as the last smelter wedge is in the iron kings memory, which you need the iron crown for

[@mathis8210]

Rozza exactly. Thats why you leave the first part of the soul at the top of the first tower alive. To have the spare rod at the bottom

[@theundeadnarwhal1359]

is it just me, or does each kingdom lose a legendary warrior right before their kingdom falls? with Anor Londo it was Artorias, with Drangleic it was Raime, and the Iron Kingdom had Alonne. Its just something i wanted to throw out their.

[@theundeadnarwhal1359]

there*

[@brianmachado4839]

Its like a chess game, you lose your strongest piece, and then all the other crumble apart, leaving the king alone. Its also worth noting that the deceived knight could hace avoided a catastrophe if he/she didn't leave

[@beastunleashed657]

Yup and Yharnam had Ludwig, Lothric had the undead legion, and Ashina had the sculptor/Orangutan/Shura/Demon of Hatred.

[@loremasterdasmodeus8285]

@@theundeadnarwhal1359 Their. "Their kingdoms are there". "There is no hope."."The Kingdom is theirs.".

[@in_light_in_me]

@@beastunleashed657 that's so true wtf

[@billymaidment3493]

I don't think that Raime's instant second stage if you wear Velstadts armour is representing his hatred, or need for revenge. I think that Raime will see that it isn't Velstadt. Of course, you are considerably smaller than the real Velstadt, and Raime will recognise this, considering that they were brothers in arms for a long time. Furthermore, I think that instead, it is rather an acknowledgement of your power. Velstadt defeated Raime, and exhiled him. Raime knows of Velstadts power. Raime sees you in his armour, and realises that you must have defeated him. As a result, he uses all his power to try and kill you. I think Raime does have a certain amount of hate felt towards Velstadt for what he did, but then again, it is never really evidenced that it still lingers.

[@VarynDEE33t]

The way I see it is Raime is offended that some warrior is wearing his old comrade's armor.

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

I always assumed the same. He'd probably be like: "Oh... ...well then. No common warrior I see." And in beating the man/woman who beat his brother it's as if he was conquering Velstadt himself.

[@Hachiibee]

Nahh, raime just hate roleplayers :P

[@unkindled6410]

raime was probably hollowed and also was exposed by the darkness of the abyss of nadalia, he was like a wandering vengeful soul, he probably didnt have any notion of reality like we do, only few previous memories and strong feelings, be it good or bad ones, and one of them might the hatred towards veldstat, and using his armor instantly reminds of him, and considering how he was, he may actually tough we were veldstat

[@spectrasoulfaire215]

On the topic of Raime hating Velstadt, why does our favorite black knight only react to the helmet? Why not the grossly incandescent golden shoes, or the signature huge cape with coattails? It's not like Velstadt's hat is that special. It's kinda similar to the Gyrm Warrior Greathelm.

[@daviddalton8861]

Damn, I never thought about how there are actually 4 kings in dark souls 2. Wonder if they did that on purpose.

[@TheAratine]

Didnt think about it either, but it makes sense, that is something that cant be a coincidense. Probably planned from the start, even though they initially said they would release a finished game XD

[@ZeeboonInc]

The number 4 is featured a lot in the Dark Souls series. I believe it's somewhat akin to the number 13, except japanese.

[@Darkunov]

Considering the sheer amount of man hours game developers like the designers or writers spend thinking and working on a single game, and particularly if the game is any good, every time you might ask yourself "I wonder if that was intended?" The answer is yes. Even stuff like "Why would they do implement such a stupid game mechanic" has a reason that is often not the product of bad design, for instance. It could simply be that they wanted something better but would be too time or budget costly, or was so buggy or hard to balance that they chose to leave it in the worse way if they think it doesn't break a game (and guess what, it never or almost does, because they carefully weighed the pros and cons of its in/exclusion too).

[@EmporerEmblem]

The Japanese pronunciation of 4 is the same as death, "shi" that's why 4 is such a common number in the souls games (9 also has the same pronunciation as suffering, "ku", a bit rarer to see, but still good to note)

[@shroommush4034]

There is nothing to suggest that the 4 Kings of New Londo are the kings of DkS2. It's all just part of the cycle; each time the flame relights, a new king will wstablish a new kingdom. Gwyn was the first of these, and he wasn't one of the four kings. Besides, there have been more than four kings since Gwyn; we haven't seen the kings of Alken/Venn, Heide or Olaphis. Just because we've only seen four doesn't mean there's only been four.

[@rangosteel4071]

Who else would have loved to have been able to summon raime for the velstadt and vendrick fight if we defeated him

[@rantaro9440]

Raime wouldnt want to help you because YOU were being manipulated by Nashandra at the time to kill Vendrick. He would be more likely to team up with Velstadt against you.

[@rangosteel4071]

that makes sense but Raime was beaten by Velstadt and he might want revenge and want to help you draw Nashandra out to kill her because you don't actually have to kill Vendrick

[@SunlightBlade]

Had chills through most of this one Vaati! Amazing work as usual man :)

[@reaux4980]

SunlightBlade A legend before his time, the one known as SunlightBlade shows himself

[@abysssensei6886]

SunlightBlade hello

[@JPerryMMA3]

Legends unite

[@mmaelite5334]

Woah its sunlight

[@soobeerajporowtee2954]

bruh where are dark souls vids I WANT THEM IN A WEEK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

Raime was banned for being OP.

[@mac1bc]

More like banned for being a punk b--ch

[@theeman2971]

@@mac1bc bruh

[@mac1bc]

@@theeman2971 lol

[@VaatiVidya]

All these "i love your videos" posts

[@Turtleluvin1299]

But its true vaati :3

[@nashiro1]

Yhea we all love your work man! I hope you can feel all the love and support! continue with bloodborne we will all stay tuned!

[@fentanyl-induced-coma]

I don't love your videos, I love you.

[@e5tser]

Dark souls 2 wouldn't feel like a souls game if it wasn't for you. Your videos are the most powerful element against the dark. Love your work bro, I honestly think it's the best on KZbin, as it brings light to a whole game. Keep up the good work!

[@SmugLookingBarrel]

all well deserved

[@TerraMantis]

Raime and Velstadt are two of the most compelling characters in Dark Souls 2. Velstadt's been my favorite since the first time I saw his awesome cutscene (How'd you get it without the red eye thing at the beginning... I'm jealous). Merry Soulsmas mafkas, good vidya Vaati.

[@VaatiVidya]

There's a texture pack that removes it, I was in video editor heaven :)

[@ThisIsPampkin]

Bruno Joel Campos Nava You, kind sir have just stated the TRUTH.

[@blazdevl]

imagine fighting both of them at the same time

[@albinobigfoot1]

apache Based on personal experience, that would be a nightmare. It would put biggie and smalls to shame, difficulty wise.

[@ThisIsPampkin]

apache I think it might be a Bad Design. You see, Unlike Ornie and Smough, Raime and Velstadt are Pretty much the kind of Boss that is better off in each other's Battles, reason being is that both of them didn't really differ in terms of movements and attack patterns, just that Raime got that awkwardly odd long delay while Velstadt has that Sacred Oath and Dark Hail. A boss that compliments each other needs to have distinct differences like how Ornie and Smough is. Ornie's Superfast and deals long range attacks but is less durable and can be Poise broken rather easily. On the other Hand, Smough is fast but not terribly as fast as Ornstein and pretty much his movements are slow and readable, but Hits Physically HARD. Also they can be separated rather easily due to the pillars and their speed differences. You might say Throne Duos from DkS2 is a fight like this but I beg to differ, Throne Duo's Boss Fight is sadly more like a Pit Fight rather than being a good design, but other than because Watcher = Defender w/ Magic, the Area itself is pretty much a blank wide space with no pillars or such, only Gravity. So as such I disagree if both of them (I mean Raime and Velstadt) is fought at once on the same time.

[@FlameG102]

Im surprised you didn't notice the fact that Raime was Left handed. On the Fume straight sword, we see that IT is in fact the one haunted by nadalia. this could be a simple translation thing, but it's worth noting until we know otherwise. It is the Fume Sword, not the Fume Ultra greatsword, which is possessed by nadalia. When Raime reaches half health and switches to phase 2, he ditches the longsword immediately, and switches exclusively to the Ultra Greatsword, which he wields left handed. this would just be an interesting side note if not for the one strange and out of place item we find in Brume Tower - the Majestic Greatsword. Out of all things to be there, isn't is very strange, for this ancient relic to be found there? it's description mentions that after the defeat of it's previous owner, it was considered "lost". Yet there it is, locked away in an iron chest at the bottom of a guarded tower, far from any corpse. But there's another interesting fact mentioned by the sword's description- uncannily, all of it's previous wielders, were left handed. See where Im going with this? Raime is Left handed, and shares Brume tower with an ancient weapon that has been weilded exclusively by left handed warriors, which is locked away, as if being guarded. There's also merit to the fact that Velstadt was the RIGHT arm of the king, while Raime, was the King's LEFT Arm, respectively. It also fits very well with Raime's Artorias parallel. Artorias was a left handed warrior who fought the abyss, but was too "lighted" to be able to defeat it, and therefore, became broken and consumed by the abyss, leaving a mad, tattered shell behind, who has to use his sword sloppily in his non-dominant hand Raime Meanwhile, was never a figure of the Light. Vendrick may very well be a Gwyn expy, and Velstadt is totally a character of light, but Raime is very deliverately a "dark" character. His symbol after all, is the raven. And he was expelled from his kingdom as a traitor. He was a dark figure, who came across the abyss, but despite having the power to defeat it, instead, embraced it, seduced by it's promise of power, which he craved after his defeat. And so instead, he was powered up, having full advantage of his consumption by the abyss. AKA he can still kick your ass effectively.

[@IAmTheChimbleySweep]

Both of the swords are possessed.

[@hexteria4708]

The Magestic sword is indeed Artoria's sword. As you can see the move set of the weapon

[@DroptheBass9815]

"And then you come. Seeking answers, in empty kingdoms..." That line both gave me chills and put some stuff into perspective for me. In the first game, it felt like you had an actual purpose as the chosen undead. In this game, you happen to just be a victim of circumstance, just another cursed undead, who was given a purpose not their own.

[@JXZX1]

Not to be nitpicky, but technically only three kings had their kingdoms succumb to the abyss. The Ivory King, it can be argued, actually managed to make Dark an ally by being lucky enough to show love to an embodiment of it that wanted nothing more than alleviation, Aslannna. His main threat was light that had gone chaotic. Other then that, great video as always! I do hope we get a video on The Ivory King's downfall: I find that lore's focus on the consequences of the light going awry to be fascinating, considering the rest of the series only really paints the Dark as bad.

[@jynxed66six54]

but the kingdom fell regardless, and it can be thought that the dark by his side degraded his soul at a much faster rate than the chaos did, leading to his sacrifice and the collapse of the city

[@Khornecussion]

" Being right is meaningless without the power to back it up. " Every argument with your parents ever.

[@splittingmammal4588]

velstadt overleveled faith

[@splittingmammal4588]

Otaku Hermit rip

[@fledbeast5783]

Otaku Hermit well actually he has to have a somewhat high level of intelligence because he uses hexes against you in his boss fight.

[@xXDarkxIdealsXx]

+Glory to Arstotzka Or it could just be that his weapon was enchanted with the power of dark (which it is, as you can see when you use it) meaning he didn't need any "hexes" to use the dark powers he uses against you.

[@splittingmammal4588]

TheScaleless the weapon has an intelligence requirement

[@EliteVeyron835]

The level of quality of these videos...god, I'm starting to wonder if there's anyone else on KZbin who can match the level of effort you put into your beautiful videos. Love ya Vaati.

[@EliteVeyron835]

***** I have, in fact I enjoy his lore series very much, but his visuals tend to consist of zoom outs on images and art, and uncut gameplay, that's pretty much it. His lore theories go very in depth, but his videos aren't on Vaati's level, in my opinion. No hate towards Terramantis of course.

[@OutgoingOtaku]

EliteVeyron That's not Terramantis...that's Dave Control Live in my opinion, Terramantis' Legend of Lore series is the single best editing i've seen of gameplay footage other than Sunlight maggot....Who Sadly stopped with the community :(

[@EliteVeyron835]

OutgoingOtaku Oh wait...I was thinking about someone else...my bad. D: I do know who Terramantis is though, but I never watched his series.

[@OutgoingOtaku]

I really recommend his latest to see the comparison between the two guys, just differences in how they do! XD

[@MVKKO]

u should check out EpicNameBro he has best dark souls 1 lores and hes busy with in real life so no dark souls 2 lore yet but hes better than vaati in lores but vaatis voice and how he makis videos are better i guess but he is srsly worth checking out hes my favourity dark souls lore/ lets play uploader

[@enol1466]

Raime goes up there with Artorias for amazing and tragic dark souls characters

[@dragonslayerornstein2361]

I really want see the bearer of the curse and the chosen undead fight raime and artorias

[@NaelokQ]

I agree with most of the things here, but feel it overlooks a key detail: Mainly: How exactly does Raime's shield get to that Salamander pit in the giant forest if this is the case? And why is there a Salamander pit down there in the first place? Those things don't look they're native to the forest. If they were, then I think they'd have burned the place down by now. I think Raime came back after he went to Brume Tower in force to oppose Drangleic and the Giant Woods with all the Salamanders is where he and Veldstadt clashed (perhaps for a second time). Velstadt won and the shield was left in that location. Raime himself was driven back away, but he left his flunkies behind leaderless. And that's why there's a Salamander pit in the middle of the forest, with Raime's shield in the middle.

[@TheDarkFable]

Cool, theory but I honestly reckon the salamanders just burrowed up there. They obviously game from the holes in the ground where fire was spewing forth. But for the shield, I personally think the initial dual the brothers had was at the great fort. Nothing says they dueled at any particular location except the fort due to the shield. Raime lost and got disarmed, his shield fell into what became the Salamander pit.

[@NaelokQ]

Did they come out of the holes or did they dig the hole after Raime left and they had nothing to do? Again, if those things naturally lived in the forest, then they'd have burned the place down by the time we got there.

[@Soulblast2]

NaelokQ Well I think someone said that the salamander pit was originally linked to the Iron keep, which would make sense.

[@drpapanak2027]

XDarkFableX NaelokQ Soulblast2 We have the salamanders in two places the fort and the keep.We also have Raime stuff in those two places.The devs just linked the two places without thinking about the lore or item placement.Item placement does not matter in Dark Souls 2.It is random and stupid.

[@skylarcrittenden3093]

It is possible that the shield, which serves as raimes symbol, was locked up in the salamander pit after the duel, so that he couldn't come back to claim power and his name would be forgotten. The key is in the iron keep, making it hard to get, assuming that the place is ruined already. But considering that it's found on a corpse, someone could've been taking it far away, perhaps even to be destroyed by ichorus (wrong spelling) earth.

[@ThatBoosted9thGen]

I think Velstadt and Raime could be reincartions of Ornstein and Artorias, if not at least similar. Ornstein was in charge of guarding something which was the false Gwynervere. Velstadt was in charge of guarding Vendrick. They both don goldish/bronzish armor. I think Velstadt's armor was brighter and shinier before he went into the Undead Crypt. The darkness of the Crypt caused his miracles to be hexes. I also think the Crypt caused his armor to get darker from the exposure of the Crypt. Raime wielded the Majestic Great Sword as did Artorias and they both carried shields. I think Raime's armor was possibly silver and white before he went to Brume Tower. The smog caused his armor to turn black. Also, Raime and Artorias both had love for a specific animal. Raime's favorite was a raven as Artorias' was a wolf.

[@kottadragon]

+ShadowSpy99 i agree about raime being a reincarnation of artoias but i think ornstein is the old dragonslayer

[@duwanglover3424]

Thank you. The knight of Fumes has to be my favorite character in all Souls games so I'm glad you finally did a lore video about him!

[@jechtd92]

The relationships between Vestaldt and Raime and Alonne and The Old Iron king are some the best and most heartbreaking. One of the gems that make the rest of the game seem better.

[@xaero07vsxaero69]

Man. I always look forward to watching your vidz mate. Love your videos. They make playing Dark Souls II even better. It's always nice to see your interpretation of the lore and comparing it with my own and others as well as understand things that i did have knowledge of yet. Keep it up!

[@VaatiVidya]

Even years after I started, it's still really cool to think that people look forward to something I create. Thank you man, it gives me a lot of happiness to know you enjoy them.

[@joachimvorbechchristensen3852]

Agreed :-) a lore vid from vaati is like a small christmas present :-) always enjoyable to look forward to :-)

[@OldConorWasGreat]

VaatiVidya i love your passion, man. Rarely anyone these days would dedicated their hark works and commitments to one series... Kudos 2 u and wish u da best in da future :). Happy Xmas VaatiVidya! Also, when Bloodborne come out, plz do the Walkthrough. I WILL Like every single vid of ur #bloodborne walkthrough if u would do it. Again, thanks u 4 making this video :).

[@blacklight4720]

I love your videos and dramatization you do. Really like the Valstad fate guarding his already lost king. Its like last purpose ,though there is no reason or benefit its still purpose.

[@Duranggobr]

Those vids are amazing !!! Keep the good work !

[@VaatiVidya]

+Diogo Braga Thanks mate

[@TheMrYouChannel]

+VaatiVidya can't wait for your dark souls 3 prepare to cry!!!!!!!!

[@Austin_B97]

Raime is so cool...

[@Azure_Gunbreaker]

Raime senpai is so cool... I stole his sword.

[@Austin_B97]

louisgworld HOW?! WHY DOES EVERYBODY SAY THAT?! *rips hair out*

[@1WEareBUFO1]

Raime Senpai! Hit me with them fireballs, Daddy!!

[@falloutghoul1]

"A peace so deep... it was like... *the dark.* "

[@nevasoba5953]

I love how u tell the story using the armor of the various characters . great job bringing the story to life.

[@Dorumon281]

I like to think that Velstadt's behavior wasn't wrong. As a king, your job is to guide your followers, and listen to their concerns. Perhaps Velstadt's knew what would happen, and perhaps he was more content to see just how far his King's power would extend. Sure he could've warned him like Raime did, but that would be like using the strategy guide to win the game. He wanted to see if Vendrick could win this playthrough blind, and sadly he couldn't. What I like the most is that he never held it against him, rather he stood by his side, even after his failure. I like to think that both the hands were right in their thinking, but neither was strong enough to succeed in the end, but that's just a theory of mine.

[@MrElliottFish]

I see Velstadt as a fanatic devoted to a personality in the same way as Julius Caesar's followers were devoted to him. Vendrick was a good King to begin with and a good person which is why he had Velstadt and Raime as followers. The difference between the two though was that Velstadt could not accept that Vendrick had become corrupted by Nashandra. Raime seems like an Eddard Stark type character where he has good intentions but poor political execution, trying to help the Kingdom and people but only succeeding in removing any opposition to the Queen's plan. That is just my interpretation though.

[@Retbullgivesyouwings]

MrElliottFish I like to think of it in such a way that Velstadt also understood what Nashandra was, but because his King did not know and speaking against her would be treason, he kept silent and stood against Raime knowing that it would lead his kingdom to ruin...for the sake of loyalty.

[@hahahahahohohoho5085]

hello DORUmon

[@nosborwilliansen8750]

It's a joy for me to watch your videos, Vaati. They're so well made and interesting that I can't help but write this comment and honestly compliment you. Everytime my KZbin app informs me that you've uploaded a new video, I stop everything I'm doing just to see your interesting conclusions about the lore. The content you provide is unique, and I'm glad I can watch it. Thank you, man.

[@ThanksToYou3]

I agree with a lot of what vaati said, but not everything. For one, when looking at a lot of Velstadts item descriptions, words like shadow and dark are used a ton. That isn't too important, but it could be when looking at other things about him. For example, it is said that he was drawn to the land, as if by some outside force. I personally think that it was Nashandra. Then, he became the kings right hand man, acting like the eyes and ears for Nashandra. Being under her control, he could go everywhere with the king, and make sure that he did and acted just as she wanted him to, in order for her ultimate plan to work. This could also be why Velstadt attacked Raime when he discovered Nashandras purpose. Finally, when you enter the crypt, and fight Velstadt, you see him kneeling, standing on guard. However, he is not facing the entrance of the tomb, as you normally would to watch for anyone entering. He is looking into Vendricks tomb, almost as if he is keeping watch of him, not attackers. When all of this is taken into consideration, I personally think that Velstadt was a pawn of Nashandra. But this comment is long winded and most people didn't read it anyways, so who cares?

[@ohfish9499]

ThanksToYou3 i think the main flaws to velstadt being a pawn of nashandra are. 1. Item descriptions point to unfaltered loyalty. 2. if velstadt was a pawn of nashandra, why would she want us to kill vendrick if she could have used velstadt to do so. 3. The description of his chime states that a bit of light remains even after exposure to the undead crypt, implying he still retains his loyalty and integrity despite his ongoing corruption at the hands of the darkness he sits in. Honestly if you really still think velstadt is evil, youre just being dense and grasping at straws.

[@Ford_Everest]

Poor Raime. Good thing is we players pawn veltstadt for good

[@knightshousegames]

+Alex Mattox Simple, Velstadt isn't strong enough to kill Vendrick and she knows it. She needs someone uniquely strong for that task, someone as strong as the player character. Personally, I think Velstadt was either created by Nashandra, or is her son. I feel like this interpretation of Velstadt really gains credibility once you discover that Elena summons soldiers who look identical to Velstadt. No other enemy you encounter in Shulva looks like that, you only encounter them in the queen's boss room. I see that as a hint to Velstadt's true nature.

[@qadamov]

Amazing, not only the stories you tell but the visuals you create, they make it all come alive.

[@theragedizzy]

This is probably your best dark souls 2 video so far. One of the best overall, tbh. It doesn't quite match up to THe Heroes of Firelink Shrine (holy shit that thing gives me chills), but this is incredibly good. Also, the Four Kings parallell blew my mind, I had never considered that.

[@stephenmilazzo2535]

Awesome job with the characters playing out the story you are telling. Helps a lot in keeping track of everyone. Production value!

[@adamgontierfan4219]

Legend says that velstadt was still human and still waiting for his king, and he waited so much that when you kill him, there's still light in that room and hallows won't fallow you to that light, because they were afraid of velstadt

[@goldrush9560]

"Seeking answers in empty kingdoms." Now there is a chilling line. I appreciate the enhancement of the lore and love your writing!

[@Tucker0603]

I always found similarities in my beliefs with the two knights which explains why I liked both of them very much. It is important to have faith and loyalty to those you are close to, but you must see and uphold the truth as well.

[@FabioPasquarellascott2luvit]

Always premium material coming from your channel Vaati, and I'm not speaking of high resolution or incredibly high quality sound or strange effects, I simply love your videos because you always write amazing stories and your theories are actually the most beautiful I have ever found on the web. I'm seriously thinking of start donating because I think it's money worthly spended. Congratulations, keep the good work coming and I can't wait to see more Prepare to Cry videos.

[@khaled3433]

Velstadt on his knees guarding the entrance of his king's prison for centuries, even though he turned hollow lost his reason always break my heart, regardless of what he did or not, he was a loyal soldier till the end

[@zacharyberry7773]

One of my favorite stories, inside or outside of Dark Souls. As with all your videos, you've done a masterful job. Love your channel!

[@mounsimo6153]

Morgan Freeman ?pffft, this narrator 's voice would make a lord of cinder blush

[@Dathdan]

These videos are just getting better and better. Sometimes I like to watch all your vids from the first you ever made to the newest, and I just love to see the quality improve and improve after each video. I love the way in which you tell these stories and I can not wait until the next one, thank you for putting so much time and effort in to these Vaati. You are by far my favorite youtuber and the only one I know that is so devoted to your fans. Keep the videos coming man =)

[@NycroLP]

So Velstadt is literally the close minded one while Fume Knight is the smarter one. Alright.

[@joshpainwins]

The stories of the souls games always bring tears to my eyes and trembling to my heart. I'm so thankful for your work Vaati, tieing all the threads together and making them truly come alive

[@TheAratine]

Raime is definately one of the best characters in DkS2 in my opinion. He was just trying to do what's right

[@Borzoimelon]

Teslee donkey kong souls

[@lucasparry6834]

OMFG FINALLY! I've been waiting for more of these type of videos from you Vaati, you excell in storytelling man, you truly do. Awesome job

[@camronsanders3417]

Vaati - I discovered your videos about two months. Since then, I have watched them are to near completion. I have to commend you and thank you for giving me a much more enriched knowledge of so much Dark Souls and Bloodborne lore. You've made me love this series that much more. Keep up the good work!

[@EditsbyM]

You really have a talent for engaging viewers. It's amazing how you weave these stories and explore the dark souls universe. Keep it up.

[@DLCSpider]

Why are Raime's, Velstadt's and the Throne Guard's souls dark but not Vendrick's?

[@GonthorianDX]

vendrick cast its soul away and locked it in the shrine of armana before he went into hiding while velstadt got corrupted by the dark of the tomb for guarding vendrick for a long time, as you have noticed vendrick does not drop hes soul upon defeat

[@Muzzle1300]

Raime and Velstadt guard something surrounded by darkness and they both excepted the darkness and used it to protect whatever it surrounded (Velstadt protected Vendrick who was surrounded by darkness, and Raime protected a piece of Nadalia who gave him strength) Vendrick on the other hand resented the dark (as Nashadra was part of it) so he never truly excepted it and instead separated from his soul hiding it away. And who exactly is the throne guard?

[@TheAmazingDrDinosaur]

He locked his soul away in the Shrine of Amana before he was taken by the curse.

[@AntoineVello]

DLC Spider I somewhat see them as reincarnations of Artorias in a way. Velstadt being the loyal knight part(Ignore that Velstadt is similar to a Demon's Souls boss) and Raime being the Abyss (that Artorias conquered once and was destroyed by the second time). Raime expunged the dark fog like Artorias did with the abyss the first time. Velstadt's unwavering loyalty to even go so far as to watch over his king forever is like Artorias sacrificing his arm and his shield for Sif, and like Artorias' legend as a knight who gave everything for his king, it almost sounds like Veldstadt inherited a certain knight's Iron Will. Velstadt's dark mode power up thing that is like Artorias' power up. The miasmic clinging of Nadalia to Raime's sword, just like the Dark clinging to Artorias' whole body. Have we ever heard of a knight who could expunge a corrupting dark, with a haunted(cursed) greatsword only one chose to live with the Dark (Raime) and the other may have made a covenant with it (Artorias). It's much easier to link Raime and Artorias because we never met/heard of Artorias before his fall. Since powerful souls still have influence on the land, Artorias' soul splitting after his death(due to the opposing natures of Artorias before and after corruption) and finding its reincarnation in two knights seems possible, but is 100% conjecture. That or Raime and Velstadt are/were humans and have dark souls because of it. Since Vendrick is Lord of Light it would only follow that he has a flame type soul.

[@sagefrench578]

***** The throne defender and watcher. I am not sure what the lore is on these two. Been looking for connections everywhere even tried seeing if the watchers bell shield ment anything but nothing came up.

[@shoobydoo]

Just wanted to say I genuinely appreciate your content thus far. Still going through almost a decades worth if back logs in accordance to where I'm at within the series but its wonderful. I just got into the souls series last month, played through the original PS3 1 & 2 for the first time. Just finished a second playthrough of 2 because I wasn't quite satisfied with my first, and just went to NG+ today. Its awesome going through all these videos for additional lore and story telling. Keep up the quality work. Subbed and looking into additional methods of support 😀

[@TheAdversaryAlliance]

Not that I really care, but in terms of continuity, shouldn't Raime not have his Greatshield in Brume Tower since it's in Drangleic? (6:51 and on) Either way, the combination of Raime and Sir Alonne in a single DLC equal that of Artorias to me. They're all so freakin' awesome I can't handle it sometimes. Although, I always thought Raime, even though exiled, stuck around long enough to fight the giants, which is why his shield is found in the area of the forefront of battle. But really, other than it's location, I don't really have any reasoning behind that idea I guess.

[@TheDarkFable]

It might be possible the dueling site for Velstadt and Raime was in the great fort. Velstadt disarmed Raime's shield which fell from the battlements down into the area that would eventually become a nest for Salamanders, and Raime did not bother to retrieve it

[@TheAdversaryAlliance]

XDarkFableX Oh yeah, that's possible, I didn't even think about that, haha.

[@darklurker5716]

Artorias isnt that good,he failed miserably

[@TheAdversaryAlliance]

@@darklurker5716 Interesting. Don't really care though. Don't need to win every fight to be cool.

[@darklurker5716]

@@TheAdversaryAlliance If you didnt care,you didnt have answered my comment

[@DrViili]

You really have a knack in story-telling. Keep up the great work mate!

[@MasterSorez]

I still believe that Velsdadt always has worked for the children of dark, to bring the kings down by pretending to be loyal to them.

[@zerelk09]

I hope you're right, if not then he is a fcking idiot for not seeing all that coming

[@punishedbrak4255]

Yeah, the Golden boy is totally against Vendrick.

[@naazshaikh2910]

Why would velstadt protect vendrick from nashandra in undead crypt then? XD

[@iHateDubra]

Storytelling is on point as always Vaati. Keep up the good work and thank you!

[@Morbak546]

I don't know how much credit we can give to this, but the french translation states that Raime fell in love with Nadalia. So perhaps it could be true love, like for Alsanna and her Ivory king, or maybe Raime was blinded by love in the same way Vendrick was, and since he had no Left arm to tell him about this child of dark he ended up become her meatshield.

[@Goonchtastic]

Vaati, there's something about how the channel is run that makes it stand radiantly out from the majority. The main factor in that is that you bring to the table what most don't; Dedication. What I mean by this is that you take your content far beyond the simple want for viewers, but you have the intent and dedication to do what you do, the dedication to the fans who enjoy your work, and the dedication to souls, and it's rather amazing how refined the quality of the videos are. The fact that you do what you do for the sake of those who enjoy your content - as I said prior - shows how it makes you stand out from the majority of most channels. I've a great deal of respect for you.

[@jena13132]

Its so good. I love your videos! The Music fits perfetly

[@VaatiVidya]

Thanks! I actually write my script around the music..it takes a long time to do and i'm glad someone noticed :)

[@jena13132]

Awesome! you do such a awesome job!

[@diarbbyrne]

This is your best vid yet Vaati. You've breathed so much more life into the Dark Souls series, and your insight/speculation is always very well thought out. Keep up the good work!

[@flint7ock]

I love your work Vaati :))) keep it up you austrailan legend

[@VaatiVidya]

haha thanks Lachlan

[@khaorix2667]

***** Said that in the video about Lords of the Fallen.

[@bobinolabobine2778]

This is my favorite video...there's just something about the soundtrack and the actual lore just gives me shivers

[@richardmcilwain7125]

This actually made me quite sad for Raime.

[@ilovedadank]

best Souls channel on youtube. there i said it. and i stand by it. the lore videos are so entertaining/informative

[@pietapizza1]

And then the chosen undead came along and killed absolutely fucking everything, like a douche. ._.

[@tiarnanm8778]

i love your videos. specifically how you write lore videos like a marvelous story book. (not to mention your docile tones) you could do this proffesionally. I love it!

[@Sky-pg6xy]

I miss DS1 and even DS2 so much :(

[@Sky-pg6xy]

Ivan Vargas you don't understand

[@deathknight6920]

Sky I know how you feel like man

[@Sky-pg6xy]

Death Knight You like my comb over? ;)

[@deathknight6920]

Sky what??

[@Sky-pg6xy]

Death Knight I'm sorry..... I think I'm gay....

[@wilfredynunez5263]

The fact that Raime was convinced to join forces with Nadalia, shows her powerful the "persuasion" of the daughters of Manus are. I don't think under normal circumstances he would have ever have been convinced, without her supernatural powers.

[@TheDoctorThrax]

"Usurp the throne..." And showing a character wearing Licia's clothes. Invades at the castle after the cursed painting and at the crypt, hold of Vendrick. Nameless Usurper is Nashandra?

[@anton.chigrinetc.96]

Meaning she was observing us from the beginning more literally than we could've imagined...ouch.

[@BeansWCornbread]

I’m years and years late on watching this bc I just finished DS2 for the first time but that transition with Sihn around 3:30 was sick

[@hrabiaszubienica9841]

Raime, from chad to simp

[@Haplano]

Ok part of the lore of Dark Souls is left to interpretation...But there's no one better in youtube to tell that lore than Vaati. No doubt about it. Love your videos man. It makes me enjoy these games even more.

[@KirkWilliams300]

So apparently with the new item descriptions, Raime once wielded the majestic (cough the abyss) greatsword at one point and discarded it in one of the towers. I wish there was some thing about how it came in his possession or why he abandoned such a classy and epic weapon.

[@RoyfiregodRE]

Agreed

[@sirweenielick8534]

Because Raime wanted more power.

[@KirkWilliams300]

But artorias was said to be unmatched with a great sword, and he was so powerful that his sword grants any wielder with acrobatic powers of death, all raime uses now is a extra long straight sword and an ultra Greatsword anyone with good roll skills can dodge

[@sirweenielick8534]

I kinda doubt that the sword actually does that to the wielder. My think it's just there for coolness sake.

[@KirkWilliams300]

From a gameplay perspective yeah I'll admit it's fanservice move set but I try not to let that detract on a possible power the sword has

[@MrUnladenswallow]

Really quality stuff Vaati, you deserve every cent you make out of these videos. When i get a job after college ill be sure to send some your way for all the beautiful feels you have given me over the past few months

[@TheAratine]

I wish they would remake dark souls 1 with dark souls 2's combat mechanics though

[@VaatiVidya]

Was just thinking this the other day. Agreed 100%

[@walkingDaLine100]

VaatiVidya Maybe instead of one remake, kind of a whole overhaul mix - just " Dark Souls " - 1 and 2 together as a single updated game. ( maybe even demon's souls )

[@panikk2]

walkingDaLine100 a collection of sorts? I like it. Scholar of the first sin and prepare to die edition along with demon's souls. Not sure if they could put it on PC though due to demon's souls being a sony IP :/ hmm maybe

[@holycrapjesusman]

I would rather have them remake Dark Souls 1 with Dark Souls 2's multiplayer, leveling, and the way they handle NGs. I didn't like DS2's combat over DS1. The animations especially. i would like to see a remake of DS1 in some fashion, though.

[@TCParanormalInvestigations]

You're insane. All of you are insane.

[@Abgen18]

This was a joy to see in my subscription box. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, but thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos. :D

[@tedcwik8978]

Vaati = the next Morgan Freeman

[@ThisIsPampkin]

I see what u did there...

[@WalklinDom]

I've got to say, this detail you find in these games makes me want to pursue my dream to be a game designer. Keep it up man, and thanks for being an awesome inspiration!

[@boundless729]

I feel like the story for dark souls 2 has got more interesting with dlc.

[@SEPHSSj3]

I literally was waiting all week and checking every day for this video to be uploaded. I love your videos about dark souls. I get more out of them now that I am playing my first run of dark souls 1. I feel alot more about the entire series now than I ever did just playing DS2 and your videos make the experience enhanced.

[@gimpdoctor8362]

you should definitely comment on how your interpretation of the lore differs from Terramantis'.

[@blake4770]

Yeah that would be cool I really liked his royal knights of Drangleic video

[@TerraMantis]

Sure Ben Nutley Thanks guys! But why would he have to do that? I'm sure there's 100 of interpretations out there, if he did that he'd spend half the video talking about potential narratives. Ambiguity and sparking the imagination; tiz the beauty of Dark Souls lore.

[@Pyrocore77]

Your videos are one of the main reasons I play the Souls games. The way you explain the lore makes it so much more impactful to play the game.

[@bryankelly335]

A couple bucks a month from 800 people ..? So , 2 * 800 = $1,600/a month ... Damn *Vaati*, not bad at all , heh ..!

[@caturiges]

Actually, he makes about five thousand dollars per month. I don't think he should really ask for more money, but whatever.

[@AvoidingtheQuestion]

caturiges joga The only people who would say something like this are probably young teenagers who have no idea of the cost of living, or just someone who's really ignorant. KZbin money fluctuates a lot based on views and video uploads per month, meaning he probably only makes $5000 on a really good month and that also isn't considering the amount he loses for taxes. Not to mention the fact that 5k isn't all that much money, he still has to pay rent, pay utilities, pay for food, and one would expect a life outside of that. That's also considering a life without any kind of medical bills or student loans as well. It's insanely rude to assume the financial status of people, you never know what they're dealing with.

[@joahnaut]

AvoidingtheQuestion "5k isn't all that much money" Fucking wut.

[@k--music]

AvoidingtheQuestion 5k a month is equal to about 20 bucks an hour for 8 hour days (and that's assuming no days off including weekends so it's more than 20/hour really). About the same amount as a sewage pipe cleaner makes (according to CNN). If you can make as much money playing video games as potentially spending several hours wading around in sewage that's a pretty damn good salary

[@moepOo]

USAPianist 5k+ad revenue. Btw, 3 days ea 8 hours are more than enough to make 1 lore video of his level.

[@davidrowntree8250]

This video is my favourite lore video Vaati has done! It's so well done. And this video made me give DS2 another try and I loved it

[@Dev_Six]

Dayman & Nightman.

[@estellauwu6023]

Vaati, nobody else even cones close to your videos! You help us explain the amazing piece of art that is Dark Souls, and you do it better than anyone else in my opinion! Your interpretations are pretty much spot on and I agree all the way through! Keep up the good work!

[@LteeBerton]

...and then you come and brutally mutilate everyone with a mundane ladle. Being a murderous sociopath is kind of a theme in these games.

[@DeariesRobinson]

Thats why its the greatest series even the worst game still trumps every other

[@sambarham8887]

Dark Souls 2 lore is so interesting. It’s in this weird spot where the events are so different to the rest of the series it doesn’t feel like it fits, but symbolically it is a perfect reflection of the entire series.

[@punishedbrak4255]

It's the "Shadow Tower" to Dark Souls' "Kings Field". The same, but different, and even the themes of DS2 line up with Shadow Tower: Kings, what makes one a King, and the folly of a King much like Allant who sacrificed almost everything only to be warped by the power he sought.

[@sikViduser]

Your videos about Dark Souls 2 are actually better than Dark Souls 2.

[@BushBumperBaker]

Agreed.

[@Darkunov]

Because 15-minute ish videos and multiple hours worth of a single video game are definitely comparable...

[@bryankelly335]

Darkunov Sadly they are ...

[@Mqytt]

Ha... true :'(

[@Zerotrance11]

***** ^This

[@chronocrosser]

This is possibly your best video yet, and that's saying something. Fantastic work!

[@brandanberg7214]

I alone rember there names, first Lord Biggus Dickus. second Lord Smalus Penious third Lord Massius Nutickus and finally:....Ted.

[@sambarham8887]

Ted was an asshole

[@WEDrakeMan]

I've been waiting for a video on these two for a long time, and who could do it other than VaatiVidya. Excellent video as always, keep up the good work!

[@luiz_paninis]

Go Raime! Somewhat reminds me of Havel

[@ThisIsPampkin]

Let's see... Badass Armor? Check. Greatshield? Check. Incredibly Powerful Weapon? Check. yep this statement is Valid.

[@luiz_paninis]

Also (not sure if this is true because I haven't studied DS1 lore that much), I think Havel betrayed Gwyn. Similar to Raime

[@ThisIsPampkin]

Luiz Nanini Havel Literaly betrayed Gwyn because Gwyn eventually became a Douchebag, but from what Vaati said, we can't exactly say Raime 'betrayed' Vendrick as he's trying to tell Vendrick that Nashan-B!thc is manipulating him. Edit: Typos lol

[@Yungbedee]

Definitely your videos are the more entertaining to watch, with a mature community which makes the content all the more better to talk about. Keep your videos up man

[@TevorTheThird]

There's a theory I like that suggests that Velstadts is actually a serveat of the dark. This explain a couple things; Why his Soul is dark & he fights with Dark Magic, how he was able to not see the repeating pattern from his homeland, simply because he was in on it, or at least ok with it, in both instances as well as his posture. When you face him he's supposedly guarding Vendrick. Or so we assume. Yet for a guard he's positioned oddly isn't he? His back to the door, instead sitting entirely focused on Vendricks tomb. Looks as if he's more interested in stopping something from leaving them from anyone getting in. It's entirely possible he indeed saw Nashandra for exactly what she was and intended to repeat the process that destroyed Shulva. Vendrick never realized this however and brought him with him all the way until the end. Veldstats, you could argue, now just hangs out makes sure, initially, that Vendrick never changed his mind and tried to leave but also to keep anyone from getting in to obtain Vendricks ring and learning the truth lest they defeat Nashandra and maybe redeem the Kingdom. While this might seemingly put him at odds with Nashandra it's easy to explain by simply saying that Velstadts goal was to see the Kingdom succumb to and be destroyed by the Dark and frankly didn't give a crap if Nashandra ever sat the Throne of Want. Once Drangleic was as dead and done as Shulva perhaps he'd just them move on, leaving Nashandra all alone like the other Dark Queen, and find another Kingdom to help the Dark destroy. His Priestly duty as a Cleric if you will. The fact he also helped drive away the other guy who saw Nashandra as evil doesn't mean he's loyal to Vendrick so much as it does he wanted the Dark to win. It's a nice theory anyways.

[@TonyHans99]

he was swallowed by the dark, veldstat is artorias of dark souls 1 in dsk2

[@Jackofblades2135]

TevorTheThird the crypt corrupts your soul. Read his weapon description

[@pewpewpewmadafaka]

This has got to be one of the best story-telling I have ever heard..just...wow! I'll definitely think about supporting you on patreon :)

[@jordangriff2341]

#BringbackVelstadt

[@gianazzo3260]

Wonderful video,the attention to the details are insane. Also,good point about the Four Kings of DS1! You are doing a GREAT job connecting,as far as possible,DS1 and DS2.