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    Dark Souls The hollows are awesome.

    July 05, 2021

    Dark Souls The hollows are awesome.

    The hollows are awesome.

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 04:11 PM PDT

    Can we talk about how cool the hollows are? While they are often referred to as mindless, they are not. First of they are shown to still posses intelligence, in many ways.

    1. They don't attack each other, a simple one not showing signs of actuall intelligence but it is there nonetheless.

    2. They make traps and ambushes, for example after the armord boar in the undead burg (ds1) there is a hollow who will run away from the player. Should the player chase after it, then he will be attacked from behind by another a third will appear and the player is cornerd.

    3. They can communicate to a degree, going back to the ambush part. They requiere communication to set those. Otherwise the hollow wouldn't know to run away.

    4. They posses battle tactics, hollows don't recklessly charge at the player. They raise their shields, dodge and create space. Furthermore hollows who knew spells before becoming hollow can still cast them and sourcery is know to require intelligence to cast.

    5. While this could simply be a imprint from their previous life. Hollow soldier still patrol the areas they were assigned to.

    So while I doubt hollows posses a high intellegence they are clearly not mindless, and can think to an extent.

    Edit: They are essentiëlly undead who are insane with lowers intelligence.

    submitted by /u/wobsbobs
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    My favorite moment in Dark Souls...

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 09:10 AM PDT

    I prevented Solaire from dying, I felt too attached to him. I never used him as a summon (all my battles were solo), but his character is just so awesome.

    Sigmeier of Catarina passed away in Izalith unfortunately, and I felt terrible about contributing to his death. Such a great character. So, I made sure I kept Solaire ALIVE.

    I summoned him during the fight with Gwyn and that is one of the best moments I've ever had in a video game. We made quick work of Gwyn, but it was so great to fight alongside one of the few NPC's who really had your back throughout this journey.

    I generally don't feel so connected to characters, but my love for Solaire was real. I hope he finds his Sun.

    Bless you, Solaire.

    submitted by /u/yojimbo2095
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    I ruined O&S for myself.

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 07:07 AM PDT

    Damn Black Knight GS +5. AND I summoned Solaire. Took me a whole 3 minutes. I think going in w/o him would've made it much more challenging. Hopefully, NG+ will be different.

    submitted by /u/ifas1990
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    First time playing any soul series: Dark Souls remastered: Part 1

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 08:07 PM PDT

    Oh boy, story time. Idk if any one cares, but I would just like to put out my experience with the game. So I started as a warrior with firebombs (did not know I the master key was the best choice at the time). I played the game using a keyboard and mouse until beating the Taurus Demon (after beating the Taurus demon I started using a controller) Nothing really interesting happened at those times, except I got invaded and absolutely demolished. I had to look up how to get past the dragon to get to that bonfire and I skipped the armored boar. My minor wall was in the church before the gargoyles because of the summoner. The berenike was easy, but the summoner was a little annoying. But the bigger wall was of course the gargoyles. I did the fight so many times that (7-9 times) the first gargoyle by himself became easy and he couldn't even touch me. But when the next one shows up I just get blasted by fire until I die (and I locked on instead of the free-roam camera). But, when I finally beat those two I had the greatest feeling of accomplishment in my young life. So now I have hit another wall with the Capra demon, but I feel like I know what to do now. Hope anyone enjoyed this little story and feel free to leave tips in the comments below. I will make a follow-up when I beat the Capra, moonlight butterfly, Gaping dragon, and Quelaag. Wish me luck!

    submitted by /u/Raider_Ki_ng
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    Dark Souls restored my humanity

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 02:50 AM PDT

    So, this being my first post i couldn't think of what to talk about besides this, so here goes.

    Back when i was in high school, i was miserable and depressed as hell, especially in my final year, was constantly sleep deprived and anxious over even the smallest of problems, grades were dropping ect, overall i was in a very negative mind-space and lacked the motivation to do even my most cherished of hobbies.

    After some time, my cousin introduced me to the Dark Souls games, at the time i had only heard it was a gritty medieval fantasy game and nothing more, so dumbass me decided to get Dark Souls 3 without any knowledge of it whatsoever.

    So i made my character and whatnot and got through the tutorial without issue, until i faced Iudex Gundyr, motherfucker handed my ass to me within the first 10 seconds of starting the fight, and im over here like "this mf is the fucking TUTORIAL BOSS!?!?" totally got me by surprise, no joke, i sucked so damn bad at the game that i spent literal DAYS trying to beat him and eventually did, i felt chad asf once doing so and was doing fairly ok for a while, until i faced Vordt of the Boreal Valley, the cunt made me so internally pissed i didnt touch the game for months after that.

    Eventually decided to pick it up again, after some practice, i started getting better once i realised the game is supposed to be challenging, got better at dodging, timing ect and actually started to enjoy myself, besides a few roadblocks here and there i got through the game with no issue, i then tried Dark Souls 1 immediately after and ended up enjoying that one the most, despite me sucking more at it than DS3,

    What really captivated me about the games after some time tho, is that its prime motive is to keep going, no matter how far you get set back, and it was this ideology of "not giving up" that helped me get through my most darkest days of life, to this day, i might've had to force myself to enjoy the games, but they have ended up being some of my favourite games ever next to the Zelda and Elder Scrolls games, even tried Bloodborne some time after and fucking loved that too.

    Dark Souls 1 reinforced the "dont give up" ideology the best in my opinion, and i look back at the game very fondly for both it being a fun ass game, and that it literally killed my depression and has made me a much better person.

    Thankyou Fromsoftware for restoring my Humanity, praise the sun my dudes😎

    submitted by /u/RibbloTheMemeDemon
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    1 HP & 1 stamina challenge run - boss kill compilation!

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 08:01 PM PDT

    Or to name it more properly - "Magic is kinda broken" run.

    Finished this run a while ago and made this video. It was definitely one of the toughest challenges in early game. But as you progressed and got OP, late game bosses became quite RNG dependent - since you really didn't have a way to avoid or block all attacks, you had to keep trying until you got good pattern from a boss. Despite that, it was incredibly fun run where a lot of caution and planning was required. Player's extremely low stats also messed with some game mechanics. Here are some fun facts about the run!

    1 HP caveats:

    • Anything that activates upon / damages you based on % of your HP doesn't work properly. This is because the value of your Max HP is set to 1 and you can't have less than 1 HP without dying (since value of HP is integer). RTSR and BTSR can't be activated. FaP ring will only increase your equip load. Tiny Being's Ring and Mask of the Mother have no effect whatsoever. Fall damage doesn't harm you unless fall is lethal. Power Within buffs your damage without harming you. Your HP can't be halved by getting cursed or equipping Dusk Crown Ring. Bleed should be theoretically survivable as well, as long as you can proc it without being hit.

    • Poison & Toxin are instant death, since damage of these build-ups is not tied to your HP at all. Getting through Blighttown is very tricky, but possible!

    • Darts of Blowdart Snipers in Blighttown cause only toxin build-up without dealing any damage to the player, making it the only attack in the entire game that you can get hit by and live (as long as your resistance is high enough to not get full build-up from one dart of course)

    • Damage output of lava isn't tied to your HP either, and it's impossible to become completely fire resistant. Thus, joining Chaos Servant covenant and unlocking shortcut is mandatory.

    • Equpping Symbol of Avarice will result in getting spawnkilled over and over, soft-locking your save until you increase your HP to have enough time to unequip it.

    1 stamina caveats:

    • You need 10 stamina to roll. So no rolling or backstepping. Technically, you can sprint, but only for few frames, as you'll run out of that 1 stamina almost instantly.

    • Despite not being able to roll, you can still interrupt fall stagger animation by pressing the roll button when hitting the ground. Of course your character won't roll, but they'll get into their "idle standing pose" immediately and you can continue walking

    • Blocking any attack will break your guard - that's the best case scenario. A lot of attacks will instantly kill you when blocked as they will break through your shield and hurt you. Determining which attack can be blocked, at least to my knowledge, is pretty much trial and error. There's been some attacks that looked pretty light and yet you couldn't block them without dying. On the other hand, some attacks that look totally brutal would just break your guard without harming you (Sanctuary Guardian's horn bash attack being the prime example)

    • Previous point was focusing only on attacks that deal pure physical damage. Any attacks that deal elemental damage MUST be completely avoided, as there are no shields with innate 100% block for any type of elemental damage. Unless...

    • ... you have Strong Magic Shield. This buff can easily trivialize the run. Applying it to any shield that has more than 66.6666... stability will turn it into shield that can completely block any type of damage at no stamina cost. I've used it only on Four Kings as that fight can be huge RNG fuckfest even on regular playthrough, let alone in the run where you can't roll and can't get hit at the same time.

    • Performing any melee attack or parry puts you into negative stamina. When your stamina is below 0, you can't do anything except walking - not even block with your shield. This, with combination of having 1 HP makes melee combat pretty much non-viable. Only place where I used melee weapon was the Catacombs, to permanently kill Skeletons.

    submitted by /u/PKM1111
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    Do I need to be past a certain point for +10 weapons? There is no option for them.

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 07:15 PM PDT

    An Sentimental moment in the game for me..

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 09:31 PM PDT

    So I recently came across a post several hours ago about how his best moment in the game was Saving Solaire since he couldn't save Siegmeyer in lost Izalith. Unfortunately for me, my playthrough of the game, I had lost both Solaire and Siegmeyer, and was deeply distraught. I had been close to fighting Lord Gwyn since I felt like I had done every possible boss in the game. I approached the lord vessel and noticed that I had one more Lord soul I needed. Somehow, I didn't complete Lost Izalith so that just so happened to be the last area I needed to complete the game.

    I come to this area not knowing anything about a Fire Centipede Demon, and the Bed of Chaos. I defeated both bosses and then proceeded to explore the area before I went to go to the lord vessel. I found Siegmeyer trapped in the bottom, and here I am casually talking to him.. The last thing I expected was for this fucker to dive head into the pit full of upside down cone heads with teeth (whatever they're called) 🤦‍♂️ And he had survived cause I went down there and Zwei'd every single one. What I didn't know was that if he was below 50% health after the incident, he would just die. When he died, I really had to set my controller down in disbelief. I felt like I had devoted so much time to this game, and he's been there through so much of it with me, last thing I expected was for him to just be gone like that.

    I collect my mind a little and try to accept the fact that my onion bro was gone, and decided to explore a little more. I had down this long bridge pathway past a titanite demon and what do you fucking know, it's Solaire that starts attacking me. The context for this is that unfortunately I had killed Quelaan for a fire keeper's soul to upgrade my Estus Flasks earlier throughout the game, having no idea that I needed to give her 30 humanity to help save Solaire in his quest line. As if me killing her didn't make me feel bad enough, this game decided to throw in an extra, "Go fuck yourself." before I went and fought the final boss. I suppose I deserved it, but Solaire didn't 🤦‍♂️

    I decided to do something in honor of not being able to save Solaire and Siegmeyer. Rather than wearing the Artorias set i've been longing to wear, I went and fought Lord Gwyn with Solaire's armor set all in his name (and Onion bro). I don't know why but I felt the need to wear his armor set to share my sentiments because for me personally, 70+ hours is a long playthrough and coming up to the last fog wall was an insane moment for me, more so because I was wearing Solaire's set.

    I defeated Gwyn first try, decided to Praise the Sun to flex a little bit, and lit the Bonfire thinking that it would just be another Bonfire. But nah, I carried Solaire's destiny and I like to believe the Sun he was looking for was in him the whole time. I lit that final bonfire, and rekindled that first flame.

    The credits rolled in and I felt the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders. I really felt like I did something 😂 I gotta say though, this game is a fucking masterpiece. I would've never thought Id so much heart, thought, and emotion into that last boss. Wasn't like anything i'd ever experienced in other games before. This souls franchise will forever hold a special place in my heart. I'm currently finishing up Dark Souls 2, and can't wait to play Dark Souls 3 (which I hear is the true successor to Dark Souls 1)

    submitted by /u/unfollow_xo650
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    Need tips for Ornstein and Smough

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 04:27 AM PDT

    Im on my first playthrough of ds1 and i can't get past this boss no matter what i try, i always get ornstein down to half health (if i dont die at the beggining) but my issue is that if i get knocked over at all i instantly get stuck in a loop of getting up and immediately getting knocked down again until i die.

    im using a +8 claymore with +1 elite knight armor and a +2 dragon crest shield

    submitted by /u/obiiib
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    The TRUE Identity of Solaire — Gwyn (Complete)

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 04:49 AM PDT

    [Hello all,

    Last year I posted this theory in 2 parts; however, several people have mentioned to me that they have been unable to find the second part. I have combined them and posted the complete theory here :) ]

    Solaire has long been the subject of many theories by the Dark Souls fanbase. An eccentric man who has a boundless passion for the Sun, Solaire is an iconic part of what makes Dark Souls truly Dark Souls. Many used to believe that he was Gwyn's firstborn, the banished God of War. Some even believed that he was the sandworm in Dark Souls 3. But the true identity of Solaire has been in front of us from the very start. We've just been too blind to see it. Don't click away just yet; this post may just revolutionize how we think about the Dark Souls lore as a whole. Sit back and relax, we're in for a wild ride.

    But first, it is necessary to start in the very beginning. The Age of Ancients and the First Flame.

    ~The true nature of the First Flame and the Souls of Lords~

    Originally, the world of Dark Souls was "grey" and "unformed." There was neither life nor death. Things just were. But then, a fire was kindled. And with fire came disparity — "heat and cold, life and death, and of course, light and dark."

    And in this grey and unchanging world, this disparity allowed new things to be discovered. "Then from the dark they came." The "they," of course, being the Hollows that populated the land of Dark Souls. As has long been established by the Dark Souls fanbase, the true state of beings that populate the world is to be Hollow. Hollows are "grey" in nature. They are beings that exist indefinitely and are reborn upon death. The Hollows exist forever but are not truly "alive." They die a countless number of times, but never truly die. The "Undead Curse" is the result of man returning to its base state - being hollow.

    There are two things that can prevent one from hollowing — souls, and the souls of Lords. This is evidenced by the item description of the Darksign — "those branded with [the Darksign] ... will one day lose their mind and go hollow. Death triggers the Darksign, which returns its bearer ... at the cost of all humanity and souls." "Humanity" are shards of the Dark Soul, one of the 4 Lord Souls found within the First Flame. Losing both standard souls and fragments of the Lord Souls is what makes one Hollow. On the flip side, gaining souls or fragments of the Lord Souls is what prevents one from Hollowing. But where did these souls originate? The First Flame.

    The First Flame gave Hollows both souls and the Lord Souls. The Dark Souls Intro directly tells us that the Lord Souls were found within the First Flame. And the Flame represents "Disparity." It represents the separation between those that have something and those that do not. That is not unlike souls. Souls represent on a numeric scale just how much or how little one has. Souls must have originated in the original "disparity" — The First Flame — just like the Lord Souls.

    So what are the Lord Souls and how do they differ from standard souls? The Lord Souls represent key aspects of the world that were introduced by the disparity — Life, Death, Light, and Dark. They are isolations, extremes on the original spectrum of "grey." They represent the novelties that were added to their formless and unchanging world by the first disparity — The First Flame. Standard souls, on the other hand, likely represent the disparity itself, the sparks that prevent one from becoming "grey."

    The Lord Souls were found by "Nito, the first of the dead; the Witch of Izalith, and her daughters of chaos; Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights; and the Furtive Pygmy, so easily forgotten." The Lord Souls found by these individuals respectively were the Death Soul, the Life Soul, the Light Soul, and the Dark Soul. But these Lord Souls were not found immediately.

    Time had passed between the creation of the First Flame and the acquisition of the Lord Souls. The Witch of Izalith had already had not one but multiple daughters by the time she found the Life Soul. Similarly, Gwyn is depicted as old and already having legions of knights by the time he found the Light Soul. The finding of these Lord Souls, at the very least, did not happen immediately after the lighting of the First Flame. Likely, they happened sequentially, in the order given by the Dark Souls Intro. The Hollows likely subsisted solely off of the standard souls until the Lord Souls had been acquired.

    But why? Why did it take time for the Lord Souls to be found, and why did these specific individuals find them?

    The Lord Souls were discovered by the individuals who first discovered an essential disparity caused by the First Flame. It's not mere chance that the Lords are all deeply connected to the qualities of the Lord Soul they possess. The original world was grey and unchanging. No one was quite sure of the qualities of the new world after the First Flame. As the intro states, Nito was the "first of the dead." He was the first Hollow to acquire enough souls and live long enough to experience Death. And as a result, he could see the Death within the Flames and seize it for himself. And thus, he acquired the Death Soul. Similarly, the Witch of Izalith was likely the first Hollow to reproduce. Already having multiple daughters by the time she found the Life Soul, she was likely the first Hollow to create Life. As a result, she could see the Life within the Flames and seize it for herself. And thus, she acquired the Life Soul.

    Similarly, the Light Soul was likely found by the first Hollow to discover the Light in the new world, and the Dark Soul was found by the first to discover the Dark. Light in its pure, unadulterated form is represented by the Sun in the Dark Souls universe. While the First Flame represents Disparity, the Sun represents the boundless creation of Light. That is why Gwyn, the possesser of the Light Soul, is known as the Lord of Sunlight. The Dark, on the other hand, is represented by the Abyss in its purest form. Therefore, Gwyn was likely the first Hollow to discover the Sun, and the Furtive Pygmy was likely the Hollow first to discover the Abyss.

    However, discovering a key disparity of the Dark Souls universe does not directly give a Hollow a Lord Soul. For example, the Witch of Izalith did not obtain the Life Soul until she already had 7 fully grown daughters. Creating life made her eligible to find the Life Soul, but she had to go to the First Flame directly to find it. Similarly, discovering the Sun likely made Gwyn eligible to find the Light Soul, but only by going directly to the First Flame directly could he acquire it.

    ~The Role of the Bells of Awakening~

    You first meet Solaire shortly before the first Bell of Awakening in the Undead Burg, after being instructed to ring Gwyn's 2 Bells of Awakening. With the Sun beaming down on you, Solaire introduces himself to you as a Warrior of Sunlight from Astora and suggests that you ought to cooperate on this "lonely journey."

    You meet a few other NPCs from Astora over the course of the game. Characters from Astora tend to take on helpful/supporting roles to the player character and assist the player character into realizing their path as the "Chosen Undead". Oscar originally frees you from the Northern Undead Asylum. Anastacia keeps the bonfire lit at Firelink Shrine. Andre crafts and upgrades your weapons. And Solaire? Solaire's role is to guide you towards the light — to guide you towards the Sun.

    But why?

    There could be no real reason. Solaire could just be a simple sun admirer. And if Dark Souls 1 were all there was to go off of, it could really be as simple as that. But Dark Souls 3 tells us something interesting:

    "When the link of the fire is threatened, the bell tolls, unearthing the old Lords of Cinder from their graves."

    From a narrative standpoint, this line initially appears to make no sense. If Aldrich, the Abyss Watchers, and Yhorm the Giant could be resurrected from the Bells of Awakening, the player would naturally wonder if this has happened before. Has Gwyn ever been resurrected? Did we see anything similar in Dark Souls 1?

    It's likely that Miyazaki intended the player to wonder this very thing. Bear in mind, Dark Souls 3 is the same game that established that Solaire was not Gwyn's firstborn, the Banished God of War. Gwyn's firstborn is the Nameless King. Additionally, the final boss in Dark Souls was not the physical body of Gwyn. The final boss is better understood as the manifestation of the First Flame, the Soul of Cinder. Why was it important to establish both of these points in the same game that established that the Bells of Awakening could "unearth" the Lords of Cinder?

    Because we've seen something similar. Not exactly the same, however. Dark Souls 3 indicates that a more elaborate ritual is required for the full resurrection of the Lords. The tower cell key unlocks the Bell Tower, "the grave of Fire Keepers past. When a Fire Keeper has served her purpose, she is led to true darkness." We find the soul of a Fire Keeper just below the Bell of Awakening, indicating that her "purpose" was to sacrifice herself to resurrect the Lords of Cinder and the Unkindled.

    This ritual is not known to have happened in Dark Souls 1. It is possible that the ritual is something that the order of Fire Keepers learned over time to directly harness the power of the Lords. Or, it's possible that the order was already aware of it in Dark Souls 1, and either already completed the ritual or were prepared to complete it.

    However, this does not mean that Gwyn had no impact on the land at all. Firekeeper souls serve as an enhancement throughout the games, being used to upgrade Estus Flasks and to acquire a large amount of humanity. Regardless of whether a Firekeeper has sacrificed her life, the link of the fire is still threatened and the bells still toll. We should still see Gwyn in some form or another, even if it's in a reduced capacity. After all, even after splitting his power and burning his Light Soul, "Lord Gwyn's soul is a powerful thing indeed."

    To say otherwise is to say that Dark Souls does not abide by its directly established rules. It's to say that this additional content in Dark Souls 3 is superfluous and inconsistent with what came before. That cannot be the reasonable interpretation of what Miyazaki hoped to add to the game.

    ~But why Solaire in particular?~

    Solaire: "The way I see it, our fates appear to be intertwined. In a land brimming with Hollows, could that really be mere chance?"

    A. Locations

    The locations that Solaire appears in are worth mentioning. In fact, Solaire only appears in a select few locations in the game. He appears in the Undead Burg, just before the first Bell of Awakening, and in the Demon Ruins, just after the second Bell of Awakening. He appears in Anor Londo. And, lastly, he appears in Lost Izalith.

    All of these locations are significant to Gwyn's story. The first 2 locations are directly near the Bells of Awakening. Anor Londo is the home and kingdom Gwyn built. Lost Izalith is where Gwyn lost everything — where he lost the Witch of Izalith, where his Silver knights were charred black, and where he made his decision to sacrifice his life to preserve the Age of Fire. Lost Izalith is also where Solaire lost everything — where he lost his "Sun" he was chasing, and where he is seen last before the Kiln of the First Flame.

    Solaire mentions having gone to Blightown and the Tomb of Giants but is not seen in either location. Unlike most NPCs, he is never seen in Firelink Shrine. Instead, it is suggested that he spends his time scouring the world. He is like a transient phantom, desperately searching for his Sun.

    B. Dialogue and the Flow of Time

    In fact, Solaire tells you as much the first time you meet him. He mentions that it is unclear "how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact." Furthermore, he informs the player that "the flow of time itself is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure."

    This is very unusual dialogue, to say the least. Solaire casually alludes to the fact that he is not really "apart" of your world. His presence is more akin to some kind of convergence between his place and time and yours. And he also casually alludes to the fact that the very concept of time is distorted, and that it is ordinary for "heroes centuries old" to "phase in and out" of existence. The weirdness of Solaire's dialogue is not isolated to this initial encounter. In fact, most of Solaire's dialogue is very suggestive.

    Many people chalk up the strangeness of Solaire's dialogue to the fact that he's just a weird (but loveable) guy. Many people also chalk up this time distortion Solaire casually speaks of as being some kind of hand-waviness Miyazaki threw in to explain the summoning of phantoms. But, the way many people interpret Solaire's dialogue is inconsistent with the rest of the Dark Souls world.

    Part of what makes Dark Souls so captivating is Miyazaki's need to connect in-game mechanics and features to the lore and story of the game. Something as simple as respawning at checkpoints, which has become an essential, unexplained feature of most videogames, is fully integrated with the Dark Souls story and lore. Each item the player character picks up has its own story and independent connection in the Dark Souls web of lore. So when Solaire tells us his very weird dialogue, it is not just a means to an end. Miyazaki is trying to tell us something through the dialogue.

    At the very least, Solaire is a hero not of our time. And he's not really "there" either. Later in the story, Solaire can hollow in Lost Izalith if the player character does not save him. While attacking the player character, he tells you, "My very own sun....I am the Sun!....I've done it....I have.....Yes, I did it.....I did!"

    Like most of Solaire's dialogue, it's easy to dismiss what Solaire says as the raving of a mad man. But what he says here is very interesting. For most of Solaire's journey he chases the Sun. And at the end of his journey, he declares that he is the Sun.

    But what does the Sun represent in the Dark Souls universe? The pure embodiment of the light. The Light Soul. Gwyn. Gwyn is indicated to be the "Sun" of the Anor Londo pantheon (see the item description of Ring of the Sun's Firstborn).

    C. Adherent to Lord of Sunlight and Astora

    Many of you are probably wondering about the dialogue that does not look favorable to Gwyn being Solaire. Solaire tells you that he is both an "adherent to the Lord of Sunlight" and from Astora. Neither is actually a counterpoint. In fact, both are actually necessary to the story.

    Solaire is a member of the Warriors of Sunlight Covenant. The Way of White worships Gwyn, the Princess Guard worships Gwynevere and the Blade of the Darkmoon worships Gwyndolin. And the Warriors of Sunlight? They worship Gwyn's firstborn, the banished God of War. But Solaire never mentions Gwyn's firstborn.

    Instead, he is an "adherent to the Lord of Sunlight." As to why he does not mention that he is the Lord of Sunlight, it's because he's not. The Lord of Sunlight gave up his life and his power to light the First Flame. The Lord of Sunlight was a "God" beyond comprehension, a being on a higher plane of existence than the mere Undead. Solaire is merely the husk of that Lord — the Warrior of Sunlight. He is the memory of what Gwyn once was, beckoned into existence by dwindling of the light and the tolling of the bells, when all that was "Lordly" about Gwyn was charred "cinder."

    And Astora? As mentioned before, those from Astora have a vested interest in helping the Undead ascend to the Kiln of the First Flame. In fact, Astora and Anor Londo are depicted as being similar and related places. Both are places of Sun worship, both have an order of chivalrous knights, and both were devastated by the dark. (An explanation of why this is will be in the next section).

    Don't believe me? Even in early development, the game developers intended there to be a connection between Astora and Anor Londo. For example, the development team has stated that Andre of Astora was originally designed to be Gwyn's firstborn, before it was later decided he would just be a simple blacksmith. The game developers clearly envisioned some sort of connection between the 2 lands, as shown by the numerous similarities the 2 civilizations have and the characters that hail from Astora.

    D. Boss fights

    Continuing on, it is not just relevant that Solaire can only be found in a few select locations. Solaire can only be summoned for a few select boss fights. He can be summoned to fight the Bell Gargoyles, the Gaping Dragon, Ornstein and Smough, and the Centipede Demon. And he is the only NPC who can be summoned to fight Gwyn (if he survives Lost Izalith).

    All of the bosses Solaire can be summoned for have a personal connection to Gwyn. The Bell Gargoyles and Ornstein and Smough were directly left by Gwyn to serve as tests and trials for the Chosen Undead. Defeating them gives access to the First Bell of Awakening and the Lordvessel respectively. Gwyn also had a history of fighting both the Dragons and Demons. The Gaping Dragon is the only fightable dragon in the game, and the Centipede Demon blocks the path to Lost Izalith. And lastly, the Kiln of the First Flame, protected by the Soul of Cinder, is Gwyn's ultimate ambition. It is what he needs the Chosen Undead to defeat at all costs to protect the Age of Fire.

    The fact that we are able to summon Solaire to fight Gwyn truly is interesting. And what's more interesting is that he is the only NPC we can summon. The item description of the White Soapstone indicates that a character must physically reach a location to place his/her summoning sign and be summoned there. Therefore, Solaire must have reached the Kiln of the First Flame in his own world at some point in time. This means that Solaire must have acquired enough souls to satiate the Lordvessel or have reached the Kiln of the First Flame before it was blocked off.

    Actually, it goes beyond that. Miyazaki has stated that Solaire does light the First Flame in his own world. Therefore at the end of Dark Souls 1, we are aware of 3 possible Lords of Cinder — the Chosen Undead (if you choose to light the flame), Gwyn, and Solaire. Just these 3, in a world brimming with Undead.

    E. Movesets and armor

    Speaking of the Kiln of the First Flame, there is something very interesting about to note about the final fight. Gwyn wields the Great Lord Greatsword but does not have a greatsword moveset. When the player character obtains the Great Lord Greatsword, the moveset is entirely different from when Gwyn wielded it.

    There is something familiar, however, to his particular moveset and attack style. Gwyn's moveset and attack style are virtually identical to Solaire's. Compare the boss fight with Gwyn to the fight with Solaire in Lost Izalith. Both Gwyn and Solaire have the same horizontal two-handed sweep, the same diagonal swipe, and the same one-handed lunging stab. And they both use these moves in similar proportions and frequencies.

    It goes beyond just having the same attack patterns. Both Gwyn and Solaire have the same meme-worthy kick in the middle of their attacks. And they even kick at about the same frequency, about once every 15 seconds.

    The only differences are Solaire's use of lightning spears and the presence of his Sunlight Shield. The use of lightning spears is no real issue. Gwyn was obviously able to make lightning spears before and it makes sense that he might lose this power after giving up his soul to the First Flame. On the other hand, Dark Souls 3 semi-retconned this by giving Gwyn the ability to use Lightning Spears in the Soul of Cinder's second phase.

    But Solaire's Sunlight Shield? That's sort of interesting. The Sunlight Shield is a personal keepsake of Solaire's. The item description of the shield states that it was, "decorated with a holy symbol, but Solaire illustrated it himself, and it has no divine powers of its own. As it turns out, Solaire's incredible prowess is a product of his own training, and nothing else." It would make total sense for the Lord of Sunlight to not carry such a useless sentimental item.

    But, throughout the majority of the fight, Gwyn keeps his left hand empty and open, as if he's clinging onto something imaginary. And occasionally throughout the fight, he will reach out to grab the player, as if he's desperately searching for something he lost, leaving himself completely open.

    Solaire's incredible power was truly the result of his own training. That's what led to him to chase his "very own Sun." That's what led him to the Light Soul. And what's what led him to become a Lord, with the responsibilities that came with it. But even in death, Gwyn clings on, still desperately searching for his Sun.

    As the only NPC summonable to fight Gwyn, it makes sense that Solaire is highly contrasted with Gwyn. Where Gwyn's armor refers to him as a "Great Lord," Solaire's suggests that he is "normal." However, if there's one thing Dark Souls teaches us, it's that the notion that some individuals are above others is wrong.

    There are no true "Gods" in the Dark Souls universe. The "Gods" are the individuals that followed Gwyn. They are not, in actuality, all that different from anyone else. In fact, the Great Lord Greatsword suggests this very fact. It can be upgraded from any straight sword, dagger, longsword or greatsword by infusing it with the Soul of Gwyn. Whoever Gwyn was before he obtained the Light Soul, he was just a simple-sword wielding Hollow.

    Being a "Great Lord" and just a normal person are really just 2 sides of the same coin. Our own journey as the "Chosen Undead" tells us this much. We begin as just an "ordinary" Hollow trapped in the Undead Assylum, and we become a Great Lord at the end of the story (either a Lord of Cinder or a Lord of Dark). But we are the same person. The story of Solaire and Gwyn is not that different at all. Solaire is the "ordinary" Hollow he was, and Gwyn is the "Great Lord" he'd become.

    F. Motivations and Ideologies

    Throughout Dark Souls, we are exposed to the motivations and ideologies of both Gwyn and Solaire. Upon analysis, the motivations and ideologies of Gwyn and Solaire are very similar.

    Gwyn and Solaire, at first glance, appear to be as different as could possibly be. However, both are obsessed with the light and motivated to preserve it. Gwyn declared war on the Dragons to end the Age of Ancients, the age of clouded grey. Gwyn flooded New Londo to stop the spreading of the Dark. And finally, Gwyn sacrificed his own life to keep the Age of Fire going.

    Is Solaire any different? No. Not at all. Solaire's entire story revolves around searching for his "very own Sun." And Solaire is perfectly willing to defeat anything or anyone that stands in the way of his Sun. He clears out every area and defeats several bosses to search for the light.

    Does this make him cruel? No. Not any crueler than Gwyn. Because like Gwyn, he is motivated solely to preserve the light. And like Gwyn, he will make the ultimate sacrifice and sacrifice his soul to preserve the Age of fire.

    Other than this core motivation, Gwyn and Solaire are both similar in how they approach their goals. Both seek to guide other players towards the Light. And both Gwyn and Solaire believe in jolly cooperation in achieving their goals.

    The very first time we meet Solaire, Solaire tells us the benefits of jolly cooperation. He gives us the White Soapstone so that we can cooperate with fellow Undead. In a land where most people have either gone insane or given up, Solaire remains jolly and cooperates with a diverse set of people.

    And Gwyn? Gwyn is not any different. From the Dark Souls intro, we know that Gwyn led an army of Silver Knights. Gwyn found and allied with Nito, the Witch of Izalith, and Seath the Scaleless to end the Age of Ancients. And when the Age of Fire began, he created his kingdom of Anor Londo with the assistance of people throughout Lordran. Gwyn has allied with at least one Giant, and he allied with the 4 Kings to establish New Londo.

    Both Solaire and Gwyn are leaders and cooperators. They both led and cooperated with a diverse group of people, something that is rather uncommon in the world of Dark Souls.

    Solaire and Gwyn are not actually all that different. It's our perception of each character that's different.

    G. The "Chosen" Undead and the Sunlight Medal

    Speaking of "jolly cooperation," Solaire gifts you a Sunlight Medal after each successful summoning you have with him. But who else does he give Sunlight Medals to? Everyone. Literally everyone. Solaire literally gives almost every undead a little nudge towards the light.

    Even Lautrec, one of the unholiest men in the Dark Souls universe has a Sunlight Medal in his possession at one point. It's implied that Lautrec obtained this Sunlight Medal from some sort of co-operation with Solaire, either a joint cooperation with the player character, or a separate one they did themselves. Lautrec attempts to dispose of this Sunlight Medal by gifting it to the player character at some point.

    Even Patches is aware of Solaire's obsession with the Sun. He refers to Solaire as a "sun-bathing idiot." It's implied that Solaire has tried to nudge even Patches, the man who hates Clerics and what they stand for, towards the light.

    So what's special about Solaire's connection with the "Chosen Undead"? Nothing. As we learn throughout the game, the title of "Chosen Undead" does not really mean anything. It's a trick, more or less, to guide all of the undead towards the Kiln of the First Flame, hoping that one of them can succeed Gwyn. Gwyn doesn't know which one, in particular, will do it; he just creates a system that works.

    And what about those smooth words Solaire lays on us when he first meets us? How our fates are "intertwined" and how that can't really be "mere chance"? That's probably what he tells every Undead he comes upon. But what is not chance is the man speaking the words — Solaire.

    Solaire likely appears as an apparition to any Undead with the sanity to understand him. And just like Gwyn, he guides them towards the light. He tells them how great the Sun is, gives them positive encouragement and even gives Sunlight Medals as tokens so you don't forget about him. What a thoughtful guy.

    In all seriousness, I do think the full story of Gwyn/Solaire is quite tragic. With the pieces that are known, I've assembled the story into the most sensible and coherent story that I could, and I then discuss the thematic significance of the story.

    ~The Full Story of Solaire/Gwyn~

    The First Flame drew the Hollows towards it for nourishment and warmth. The Hollow that would one day become Solaire was among them. He acquired souls from the flame and lived near it for some time.

    Eventually, he left into the clouded, grey world of the Age of Ancients. There he saw the everlasting dragons and the archtrees. And there, he saw the fog that covered the entire world.

    One day, this Undead found the light behind the thick fog. He found the Sun and he saw that there was more to the world than just the fog, dragons, and archtrees. He began to worship it and became Solaire.

    Solaire banded with other Hollows venturing out from the First Flame and guided them towards the Sun. These Hollows became the Warriors of Sunlight, and Solaire made it his mission to find his very own Sun in this world of grey.

    He scoured the world to find it. He went to what would later become Lost Izalith and the Tomb of Giants and found the Witch of Izalith and Nito. From seeing the power the Witch of Izalith had over life and Nito had over death, Solaire became convinced that he too could find his very own Sun, his light.

    He had his first son at some point and expanded his group of people to encompass more than just his original Warriors of Sunlight. He grew old, still never finding his very own Sun.

    Finally, one day, Solaire returned to where it all began — the First Flame. And within the flames, he could finally see it. He had finally found his very own Sun, the Light Soul. And thus, the Warrior of Sunlight died, and the Lord of Sunlight was born.

    With the immense power he acquired, he knew he had a responsibility. The world was still dominated by the fog and the grey. He needed to end it. He became Gwyn, the blessed one who would end the age of grey. He began his assault on the dragons with his most loyal warriors, the Silver Knights.

    Gwyn joined forces with the Witch of Izalith, Nito, and Seath the Scaleless, and the Age of Ancients was no more. However, there was division amongst his people. Some did not agree with the complete annihilation of the old world and were perfectly content to worship the Sun through the fog.

    Gwyn built his kingdom of Anor Londo and his people prospered under the Age of Fire. However, one day, Gwyn's firstborn revealed that he too was unhappy with the annihilation of the Dragons and left. He took the Warriors of Sunlight with him and Gwyn banished him from the annals of history. Many of the people left with him, founding the kingdom of Astora.

    Eventually, Astora was assaulted by a Dark Beast and nearly destroyed. Gwyn saw this as their punishment for abandoning the light, for abandoning him. However, the darkness continued to spread. It spread to Oolacile, and even the Four Kings under his control were seduced by the dark.

    When the Witch of Izalith failed to create a new Flame, Gwyn understood what he had to do. The Sun was fading because of the power he stole from the First Flame. He traveled to the First Flame, burning himself to relight the Age of Fire.

    And things continued like that for some time. However, the flame began to fade again and the light dwindled. The bells tolled, unearthing Gwyn from his grave. All that was "Lordly" about him had been charred cinder. All that remained was a faint apparition of what he once was — Solare, Warrior of Sunlight.

    Solaire was both aware and unaware of his true nature. He was a faint husk. A phantom. His core values remain the same and he desperately searches for his Sun.

    He appears as an apparition to Undead who appear to be sane. He gently guides them towards the light, doing the best to maintain the light he so desperately craves.

    By assisting the Undead, he occasionally remembers his past. In the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, he remembers his greatest failures — allowing the Witch of Izalith to die and the demons to be born. He wonders if he "seen as a laughing stock, as a blind fool without reason."

    If the Chosen Undead does not assist him, he will fade from the world. But if the Chosen Undead does, Solaire will compose himself, knowing what he must do. He waits for you at the Kiln of the First Flame and helps you defeat the final obstacle you have to lighting the First Flame — the Soul of Cinder.

    And thus, the Warrior of Sunlight finally fades, having accomplished his goal and hoping that you choose the light.

    ~Thematic Significance of Solaire/Gwyn's story~

    I believe that connections like this have to do more than just make sense on a logical level. They have to enrich the story in some way. Otherwise, they are pointless. But I believe that the connection Solaire and Gwyn share deeply enriches both characters and the story as a whole.

    Gwyn is the fearsome lord we see from afar. We see his accomplishments. We see the world he created, the wars he fought, the power he acquired.

    Solaire is the personal friend we see up close. We see his dorky admiration for the Sun. We see how much he cares about what he believes in and the struggles he faces on the way.

    But they are the same person. They are a dichotomy. They are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other.

    The only thing that changes is our perception. Do we choose to see him as the fierce Lord, who will do anything to preserve the Age of Fire? Or do we choose to see him as the compassionate friend, who will do anything to chase his own Sun. The decision is up to you.

    ​

    I thank you for reading this very long post. I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I thank you again for coming on this journey with me.

    submitted by /u/kingshamu
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    Sl 100 pvp

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 03:33 AM PDT

    Just finished a giant dad build and I'm looking for som pvp. I have a +2 chaos zwei. Should I upgrade or keep the same? I have been at darkroot and have not gotten an invasion in 30 minutes. If you can give pvp spot recommendations too that would be great.

    submitted by /u/Chadaton
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    50 int vs manus= win, Kalameet is a different story

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 10:10 PM PDT

    I atomized Manus easily, Kalameet is a nuisance due to always being in my face, any advice?

    submitted by /u/Orbiting_Fish
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    Are there any bat imps in the darkened anor londo? Besides the ones that carry you

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 08:34 PM PDT

    Your text post (Optional)

    submitted by /u/Kii-boi
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    Build for zweihander without Andre.

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 01:16 AM PDT

    So I by mistake hit Andre and then he kept killing me again and again,it pissed me off, at that time I didn't knew you can go to that sin guy and fix it but I killed him and now I want to build my zweihander but everyone keeps posting about you need to go to Andre, so is there any other way?

    submitted by /u/DeepakKumarYadav007
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    50 Intelligence mage vs Manus,

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 06:21 PM PDT

    How're my odds here?

    submitted by /u/Orbiting_Fish
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    DSR Help With 4 Kings on PC

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 04:48 AM PDT

    Anyone able to hop on for 10 minutes or so and help me take these guys down? Don't have enough DPS to beat them

    submitted by /u/AugmentDeath
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    Dark Souls 1 PvP discord server

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 12:40 AM PDT

    I've recently gotten into DSR PvP and I must say community is quite active now at Township bonfire. I get invaded almost instantly as I go human, and there's always at least one gravelord sign lying on the ground. So I thought it would be great to have some discord server where dark souls PvP players could share their builds, thoughts and have fun invading together or summoning but I couldn't find anything like it anywhere. So I thought of creating one myself, that's why I'm posting here to find out if anybody would be down to create the server with me or join to enjoy some PvP. (if there will be enough people that would like to join I'll leave link in the comments)

    Praise The Sun!

    submitted by /u/rickyandlici
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    I FINALLY BEAT TAURUS DEMON!

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 05:07 PM PDT

    u/TheRealJojenReed asked me to update, and I finally beat him! It took a couple of tries and one of the comments said to duel wield the Zweihander. The Zweihander killed him in 2 hits, 2 HITS! Everyone who commented, thanks for all the advice. (Other post: https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls/comments/oc84a5/i_need_help_with_tarsus_demon/
    Everyone who commented helped so much! Thank you all for helping me. Praise the sun \|T|/

    submitted by /u/redditorbored
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    Solaire, get your sorry ass to the centipede demon room or I swear to fuck..

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 10:18 PM PDT

    For the record, I've never considered the centipede demon to be a particularly challenging boss.

    I just find it a little less bullshit when Solaire is there.

    So why is Solaire never there lately?!?!

    submitted by /u/Old_Cookie309
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    I fucking hate New Londo Ruins.

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 04:12 AM PDT

    I fucking hate New Londo Ruins. That's it. That's the post.

    submitted by /u/Frostlion100
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    So I accidentally fed the large ember...

    Posted: 05 Jul 2021 04:05 AM PDT

    How fucked am i?

    EDIT: nvm I think I figured it out. Gotta go to modify. I'll have to check later.

    submitted by /u/KingEdwardlll
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    what are the unspoken rulses of pvp

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 08:32 AM PDT

    Fire Keeper Soul question

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 11:51 PM PDT

    I heard my friend say that a fire keeper soul can give you lots of souls, but it isn't mentioned in the wiki, and I never actually consumed it myself. Does it actually give you a ton of souls or is my friend just being a moron (as always)?

    He told me it gives you 100k souls, if it's true, I owe him an apology for doubting him

    submitted by /u/InfamousGhost07
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    Build advice for a full Artorias cosplay?

    Posted: 04 Jul 2021 11:29 PM PDT

    Just got into a conversation with friends about awesome or tragic video game characters and I brought up Knight Artorias and Ludwig from Bloodborne. Now I want to do an Artorias run of Dark souls remastered.

    I'm talking full armor set, whatever weapons and shield are his. I want it all. What stats should I be going for, rings, things to do first, etc.

    Thanks for the help

    submitted by /u/GBPackers412
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