Dark Souls on a surface level is interesting because FromSoftware’s character design is so strong and connected to the world they built that they feel natural and mysterious. Each have their own story that often follows a heart-breaking trajectory, with none more so than that of Artorias the Abysswalker.
He did many astounding things in his life and his legend grew exponentially. Most fans consider him to be both the best character and character design the series has ever seen and that’s only reinforced with the more someone knows about him.
10 No Humanity Here
He may have been known as a legendary knight, but it’s hard to find someone in Dark Souls who met a more depressing fate than Artorias. Despite his best efforts, he succumbs to the very darkness he was trying to subdue and defeat.
Out of all of the bosses in the game, he happens to be the only one that doesn’t drop any sort of humanity. This is most likely due to his entire soul being consumed by the Abyss, resulting in not a shred of humanity being left in the husk of a human that remains in his place.
9 Gifted Treasures
As with most great knights, Artorias obtained treasures and gifts for what he did. None were more important than the Silver Pendant he received, which happened to be one of the most valuable treasures in all of Anor Londo.
This was gifted to him in recognition of his ability to traverse the Abyss and how he risked himself in the name of Lord Gwyn. The Silver Pendant provided him with protection in the form of allowing him to repel Dark sorceries, which came in handy considering he spent most of his time hunting Darkwraiths.
8 Gwyn’s Knight
Artorias happened to be one of the four knights that made up the Knights of Gwyn, a group of warriors serving under the great Lord of Cinder. The other knights that served alongside him were Dragonslayer Ornstein, Hawkeye Gough, and Lord’s Blade Ciaran.
Players only meet Ornstein in the base game, but thanks to the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, the other three can be met thanks to the DLC taking place in the past in the land of Oolacile. Among the knights, Artorias is easily the most famous and well-known of the four.
7 Forest Hunter Friend
Alvina is a name that most Dark Souls fans may not recognize, but the moment they’re told it’s the cat in the window frame they’ll know exactly who that is. This character happens to lead the Forest Hunter covenant and was a good friend of Artorias.
This makes sense considering its location is near where Sif resides with its master’s sword, which happens to be the grave of the legendary knight. Alvina likely aided Sif in creating both the grave and protecting it from nefarious individuals seeking the resting place of the famous warrior.
6 Traversing The Abyss
It should be evident by his name, but the greatest feat Artorias ever accomplished was being able to traverse the Abyss, an action that would ultimately lead to his demise.
Initially, he was praised for doing this and was gifted the Silver Pendant as mentioned in a previous entry. The Wolf Ring is what gave him the ability to accomplish such a feat and was given to him by Lord Gwyn. If Oolacile would have never fallen to the Abyss at the hands of Manus, then Artorias would have likely lived for years to come.
5 A Lord Of Cinder
Though it’s more of a technicality and less of an official label, Artorias ended up being a Lord of Cinder centuries after his demise at the hands of the Abyss. The Abyss Watchers are a group of ravenous fanatics who look to Artorias for guidance and inspiration. They’ll be talked about a bit later, but it’s important for this entry to focus on the gift they provided Artorias. Since they linked themselves to his soul a short time before linking the flame, this means that he ended up becoming a Lord of Cinder and was likely reincarnated in the Soul of Cinder in Dark Souls III.
4 Legacy & History
By now most, people are familiar with the concept of humans suffering two deaths. The first is when a human takes their last breath, and the second is when someone utters their name for the last time.
Though Artorias’ first death came at the hands of the Abyss, his second wouldn’t come for centuries after he fell in battle. As a hero, his legacy endured and inspired generations of people to aspire to be as righteous, loyal, and unnerving as the great knight of Lord Gwyn was in his time of gloom and darkness.
3 Sacrifice To Save Sif
Artorias is nothing if not selfless and he proved that several times. On top of using himself as a shield to stave off the Abyss, he also sacrificed himself in order to save his wolf companion known as Sif. This is the same wolf that the player fights that happens to be holding its master’s sword in its mouth.
This sacrifice helped Sif escape, and though Artorias didn’t immediately die, it cost him the use of one of his arms and aided in his ultimate downfall by the very thing he tried to defeat: the Abyss.
2 Abyss Watchers
The Abyss Watchers were a group known as the Undead Legion of Farron who idolized the very ground that Artorias stood upon. They wanted to follow in his footsteps and went as far as ingesting wolf blood, which bound their souls together.
His very legacy is what inspired these men to fight off the Abyss in hopes of overcoming the darkness in his name. Since they linked the fire after the time in which they merged with Artorias via the wolf blood, they paid absolute homage to their idol by making him a Lord of Cinder.
1 A Meeting In The Past
One thing that gets lost on players is that Artorias is long dead by the time Dark Souls begins. The DLC in his name takes place in the past and allows the player to witness him in all of his glory and help him reach some sort of closure.
He’s been consumed by the abyss and is was living a tortured existence. He was a man of loyalty and sacrifice and would do anything it took in order to protect those he trusted. This entire article displays everything he sacrificed in the name of Lord Gwyn and for the safety of his wolf companion, Sif.
NEXT: Dark Souls: 10 Bosses In The Series That Are Surprisingly Easy
