One of the many good trademarks of a Dark Souls game is how it manages to make the players sad with lore exposition as soon as they killed a specific enemy. There’s a certain existential agony attached to learning about someone after the players have beaten them to death– Dark Souls 3 is no exception and it has a plethora of melancholic bosses.
One good example of this is the tragedy of Vordt of the Boreal Valley. He actually represents one of the most sought after virtues of humanity: loyalty. Except, players don’t realize this well until after they’ve slaughtered him. Apart from that, here are 10 other things about Vordt that players might have missed.
10 ONE EARLY WEAPON CAN MAKE HIM AN EVEN EASIER FIGHT
Not that there’s any need for anyone to actually make the fight against Vordt a lot easier. Still, for those who have trouble with him, a Deep Battle Axe found in the High Wall of Lothric level can make quick work of Vordt.
That’s because Vordt is weak against Dark damage and the Deep Battle Axe has this inherent infusion. Players can obtain it by killing the Mimic underneath the High Wall Wyvern. It’s also a good early-game weapon to use in general, not just for Vordt.
9 HIS NAME MIGHT HAVE COME FROM A DUTCH WORD
Vordt’s name is one of the first few things players will notice about him. Its origins were never clearly stated by the developers but speculation from the community and Dark Souls pundits point to the Dutch word “vorst.”
When translated to English, it means frost, which sounds similar enough. It also describes Vordt’s attunement, as well as his attacks, which are infused with Frost damage and he has an overall icy and snowy aura about him.
8 ONE OF THE FEW BOSSES WITH FROSTBITE
Speaking of Frost damage, Vordt is one of the few bosses in Dark Souls 3 to deal Frostbite against hapless players. It’s a build-up status effect similar to poison but once the meter is full, it will slow down players significantly.
While Vordt might not be too difficult of a fight for this mechanic to kick in frequently, it’s still something to mind. Along with Sister Friede and Champion’s Gravetender and Gravetender Greatwolf, Vordt is among the only three bosses with this status effect.
7 HE WAS ONCE A HIGH-RANKING OUTRIDER KNIGHT
Prior to his becoming a beast or a four-legged monster, Vordt was actually one of the loyal and honorable knights of Pontiff Sulyvahn who resides over Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. Players do come face-to-face with upright Outrider Knights in the game.
Vordt was previously one of those creatures. However, because of his size, one can easily assume that Vordt is one of the officers or probably someone who holds a high rank among Pontiff Sulyvahn’s Outrider Knights.
6 HE CAN BE SEEN AS A GHOST IN IRITHYLL OF THE BOREAL VALLEY
During their leisurely (and murder-ly) stroll in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, players will occasionally come across a couple of ghostly images of walking two Outrider Knights. One of them is female and bears an identical appearance to the Dancer of the Boreal Valley.
Hence, it’s easy to assume that the one walking beside her in that phantom flashback is Vordt back before he transformed into a beast. Either that or it could be a normal Outrider Knight but given how both Vordt and the Dancer like to be close by to each other, it’s plausible that that apparition is Vordt.
5 PLAYERS CAN GET PONTIFF SULYVHAN’S RING USING HIS SOUL
As for how and why Vordt transformed into a hideous and mindless creature, players have Pontiff Sulyvahn to blame. The Pontiff, tyrannical as he is, actually equips his Outrider Knights with his special rings– in this case, the Pontiff’s Left Eye. This turns them into slaves and monsters for the Pontiff where he can also see through their sight.
Players can even obtain the very same ring after killing Vordt and trading his soul to Ludleth. It’s a fairly decent ring but sadly, it won’t turn the players into a similar creature that Vordt became.
4 ONE NPC REFERS TO HIM AS A DOG
Emma is one of the oddest gatekeeper NPCs in Dark Souls 3 since she’s quite literally surrounded by death and danger but does not die. In any case, she holds the key to the Dancer of the Boreal Valley boss fight and the rest of Lothric Castle.
Apart from that, she also addresses Vordt in a rather disrespectful way, referring to him as a the Pontiff’s dog. If anything it does prove Vordt’s unwavering loyalty to his master especially since he (and all Outrider Knights) voluntarily wore the Pontiff’s ring and accepted the transformation.
3 HIS POLAR OPPOSITE IS THE DANCER OF THE BOREAL VALLEY
If the apparitions in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley are anything to go by, it would seem that both the Dancer and Vordt are fond of each other to be walking around frequently prior to his transformation. Even after that, they’re still in close proximity to the other.
Even so, their difference is night and day. Vordt took the Pontiff’s “frost” path while the Dancer took the “fire” path– each signifying a contrast in their fighting styles.
2 HIS ARMOR IS UNAVAILABLE TO THE PLAYERS
While Vordt does seem to don a more exaggerated version of the Outrider Knight armor set, it’s still not available to the players as a reward for slaying him. This makes him an outlier among Dark Souls bosses as the tradition was often getting to cosplay as who the players murdered.
Most other armored bosses in Dark Souls 3 are no exception to this tradition. Vordt, on the other hand, just doesn’t seem to want anyone wearing his fat and deformed Outrider Knight armor.
1 HIS WEARABLE MASK WAS CUT OUT OF THE GAME BEFORE RELEASE
Speaking of Vordt’s armor, apparently, the developers were also set on giving players his mask or helmet. Sadly, they did not follow through with it and removed it from the game before it was released.
Players who dig through the game files, however, will still find that Vordt’s mask is there, buried among the numerous cut content for Dark Souls 3. Thankfully, defeating a Dark Souls 3 boss is already their own reward.
NEXT: Dark Souls 3: Every NPC Invader (& Tips For Beating Them)
