Shrine Handmaid

The handmaid of Firelink Shrine doesn’t do her job well considering the copious ash littering the place. Instead, her cleanup seems more to support being a merchant on the side. The old woman’s initial wares are all fairly generic items that one normally wouldn’t expect to find at a shrine. But given that warriors — […]

Mound-makers

The Pit of Hollows has earned its name not only for the corpses dumped down but also the Mound-makers hiding out. Based on Hodrick’s dialogue, members of this covenant judge someone’s Hollow status by their minds instead of their bodies. This isn’t unprecedented considering that many characters will consider us Hollow purely based on whether […]

Archdragon Peak

Preface I hold an unabashed love for Dark Souls III. (DS3) Whereas Dark Souls II (DS2) threw out its old setting in a vain attempt at a soft reboot, DS3 wholeheartedly embraces it, building upon the world and plot threads from the original Dark Souls (DS1) to weave something new. From a storytelling angle, a […]

Emma

The duty of being Prince Lothric’s wet nurse fell to High Priestess Emma. In her dying moments, her Japanese dialogue quickly shifts from calling him just “the Prince” to “Lothric-sama“, a respectful address which nonetheless uses his name. In other words, this loyal subject is showing a degree of intimacy when decorum no longer matters […]

Tseldora

Preface I have no fond memories of Tseldora, but I could say that for the entirety of Dark Souls II. What surprises me is that I found a lot more to like when finally committing to this analysis. Part of this is thanks to my love for Seath as a character, but he is just […]

Darkwraiths

The Darkwraiths have not had it easy. After the unexpected destruction of New Londo, the knights still out pillaging the world of man suddenly found themselves without a home to bring their spoils back to. Worse yet, they were now being hunted by a certain wolf knight of Anor Londo. It is perhaps only by […]

Lloyd

Even so many years after the events of the original Dark Souls, (DS1) Allfather Lloyd will be forever known for his obstinace as the Way of White’s leader. The old man’s Sword and Shield Rings represent the law and social status his high priests preserved in the church capital of Thorolund in DS1, boosting attack […]

Harvest Valley

The further eastward we journey in Drangleic, the more mountainous it becomes. And with every peak, there is a valley; the Harvest Valley is no exception. The rocky terrain is surrounded by much taller crags and cliffs. It has well earned its name as the “Valley of Pooling” (溜りの谷) in reference to the poison pools […]

The Old Ones

In conversing with Shalquoir, the cat will eventually make mention of the Old Ones. Her Japanese dialogue doesn’t use that exact term, her and Saulden both preferring to call them merely “the four”. (4つのもの) But Straid and item descriptions do speak of these “Old Ones”, (古きもの or 古き者) with Shanalotte employing something similar in meaning. […]

Dragon Shrine

Preface I have previously mentioned my reservations about Dark Souls II‘s main plot, and the Dragon Shrine is very much an extension of that. The area itself is somewhat iconic, essentially an island in the sky with a swarm of fearsome lizard that could swoop down and nab you at any given moment. It certainly […]