Dark Souls 3 served as the conclusion to the Dark Souls trilogy, ending the franchise that put FromSoftware on the map in a major way. The game did a great job at refining the combat and using environmental story-telling to harken back to the previous two entries.
The Dark Souls games are so expansive that playing it once only leads to more questions. You may have overcome the difficult journey, but there are likely more than a handful of details you missed, with many of them being critical to the series’ overall narrative.
10 Kaathe’s Still Manipulating
Kaathe was one of the two primordial serpents in Dark Souls 1 that wanted you as a player to complete their vision of the future. It’s assumed that their influence is long gone by the time the events of Dark Souls 3 take place, but that’s not the case.
If you decide to kill Yuria of Londor in Firelink Shrine, her final words will be eye-opening. She’ll quietly whisper “Kaathe, I have failed thee,” meaning that she was never working in the best interest of the player, but rather the horse-toothed serpent from the first game.
9 Primordial Serpent Statues
Statues that resemble the primordial serpents from Dark Souls 1 can be seen throughout Lothric Castle, the Grand Archives, and even in the Ringed City, a location featured in one of the game’s DLC expansions. If you played the first game then you know that these things were master manipulators.
One named Frampt urged players to link the flame, while an opposing serpent named Kaathe asked to forgo this and instead let the flame die out and usher in the darkness. Neither could be trusted, but their influence extended long beyond the credits of Dark Souls 1.
8 The Dead Spider Sisters
The Witch of Izalith was one of the original Lords and due to her chaotic flame, almost all of her children were corrupted by it. Quelaag, a boss from Dark Souls 1, was one of her daughters and was morphed into a hideous half-spider woman.
If you explore the Smouldering Lake and dive into the Demon Ruins you can come across the other two sisters behind an illusionary wall. The deformed sister named The Fair Lady served as a covenant location and the human sister was a pyromancy teacher. The human sister seemingly searched for her sister so they could succumb to the darkness together.
7 Yuria & Sister Friede
Not only was Yuria of Londor a puppet to Kaathe’s desires, but she also had a connection to one of Dark Souls 3’s more difficult bosses, Sister Friede. Both of them served at the Sable Church in Londor alongside a third woman named Liliane.
All three sisters ended up leaving the church and went their separate ways. The only evidence of Liliane is contained in the description for the Braille Divine Tome. If you decide to do Yuria’s questline, Sister Friede will mention it when you interact with her.
6 Aldrich = Gwyndolin
Aldrich, the Devourer of Gods has a rather odd nickname considering most evidence suggests he only ever consumed one god. That god in question was Gwyn’s son Gwyndolin who presented himself in a feminine manner due to his connection to the moon.
He was a secret boss in Dark Souls 1, but in the third game, he serves as the physical representation of Aldrich, as the pile of goo uses both his body and powers to defend himself from you when you journey upon him in Anor Londo’s cathedral.
5 Dragonslayer Armour Is Possessed
With Aldrich occupying the space that was once guarded by Ornstein and Smough, it’s fair to wonder what happened to the two protectors. Smough may be missing, but Dragonslayer Armour seems to be a possessed version of Ornstein. P
ilgrim butterflies have taken control of what appears to be either Ornstein’s armored corpse, or simply his abandoned set of armor. It’s unclear if the Old Dragonslayer in Dark Souls 2 is Ornstein or just a pretender, but the Dragonslayer Armour is clearly Ornstein’s iconic set of metal.
4 The Nameless King
The Nameless King is an infamous optional boss in Dark Souls 3 that resides at the summit of Archdragon Peak. Most players know that he’s rather difficult, but few understand his place in the overall narrative of the game. In Dark Souls 1 it is learned that Gwyn’s first son was disowned and lost all of his titles for befriending dragons.
That’s why he is now known as a nameless king and rides on the back of a wyvern. His power is a result of him being a direct descendant of one of the original Lords of Cinder.
3 Soul Of Cinder’s Identity
The Soul of Cinder is the final boss in the base game of Dark Souls 3. In terms of design, it may feel a bit uninspired since it resembles the player model from the three games, but that’s the point of it.
The boss is an amalgamation of every individual who has tried to link the First Flame. It sports a varied collection of attacks that provide the physical evidence of this. As the player, your greatest challenge in the finality of the trilogy is a product of the actions you and everyone else made throughout the series.
2 Artorias and The Abyss Watchers
Dark Souls 1 introduced the fanbase to Artorias of the Abyss, a character obsessed over by said fans. The Abyss Watchers in Dark Souls 3 are meant to represent the fanbase’s obsession with the character as they consumed wolf’s blood to obtain some of his power.
They didn’t value their existence and were willing to do anything to feel connected to the hero they admired. In a way, it showcases how fan service can ultimately hurt the product that’s meant to entertain the audience by feeding into their demands and desires.
1 The Game Is An Homage To The Trilogy Itself
It may seem as though Dark Souls 3 is a continuation and/or a love letter to the first game in the trilogy, and though that is true, it’s also more complicated than that. You’ll notice that, despite many parts of the game feeling familiar, some of it feels slightly off or different than what you remember.
This is intentional and is meant to convey to you that what you perceived Dark Souls to be and what it is might not be the same thing. Fan-service that critiques the fans and their perception of the thing they love was a brilliantly beautiful choice FromSoftware nailed with Dark Souls 3.
NEXT: Dark Souls: Optional Events, Areas, & NPCs In The Game
