Introduction

Welcome to my dedicated Dark Souls trilogy page ! I guess this can count as a shrine, although it isn't officially one at the moment, but can be added to that page (when I get around to making it). Anyways, I've been a fan of the series for close to 10 years, since about Dark Souls III first came out! I've played each of the trilogy multiple times, and have gotten 100% of achievements on them each (humble brag)! These are some of my favorite games of all time, and hopefully that shows from what I put into this page.

For context, I've played every soulsborne game up until now, and the order I played/completed these games for the first time was: DS3 → DS1 → DS2 → Elden Ring → Sekiro → Nightreign → Demon's Souls → Bloodborne, if you think that matters for any takes I might have.

And for the record, my order of rankings are: DS3 → Sekiro → Bloodborne = DS2 → DS1 → Elden Ring → Demon's Souls → Nightreign, from favorite to least favorite. Please keep in mind, while it is ordered the top few games are very close! They aren't magnitudes apart, especially the top 5 are all well within reach of each other in terms of enjoyment for me.

My favorite playstyle is the Pyromancer! I think it is the most engaging build, since many pyromancies can be mid-range with cast times that require good awareness of positioning and punish windows, and while also allowing for the use of melee weapons to punish, if you'd like(Twin Princes reference). It also can require multiple skills being levelled at once, bar DS1 where no stats are needed, so you never have a stat that is too high, it feels like a pretty balanced and well rounded build that lets you experience all parts of combat. My second favorite build is probably pure int/atn, while the playstyle can be a lot more passive due to its range, the class cannon aspect by not having health (especially with the DS1 dusk crown), makes for an interesting build. While the damage is pretty insane, discovering uses for each spell you obtain can be a pretty fun and rewarding process, even if it is pretty non-engaging against some bosses. It does make for clearing out areas a bit more challenging though in my opinion, since you need to limit your resources, especially early game, in order to get to the end of the area or the boss. My third favorite build is the dex build, fast attacks and being able to react quickly to the bosses moves are things I greatly enjoy, and the added status of some dex weapons are a nice bonus. Really, it feels like you are dancing with the boss sometimes, as they try to hit you and you sneak in a quick rebuttle. My favorite type of dex weapons are curved and thrusting swords, and my favorite weapon ever, if I had to choose, would be the shotel ^^ it just looks really cool to me and the unique innate shield pierce makes it pretty fun, plus the DS3 Carthus Shotel getting innate bleed is rather fun! But I love it in the other games just as much. For more of my favorite things about these games, such as bosses, areas, music, and characters, you can find it at the bottom of the page! Scroll or use the link on the left to take you there.

The format of the following sections will be my overall opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the game, other general opinions on aspects of the game such as characters and story, followed by a breakdown of my thoughts on some of my favorite bosses and areas in the game. Please note this is only for DS1, DS2, and DS3, other FromSoft titles won't be discussed here.

Dark Souls I

This will be discussing the remastered version, as I haven't played the older one in quite a while so if any details are different from Prepare to Die, that is why (tbh I don't remember what has changed if much of anything). For being the first in the trilogy, it is a very solid game which establishes many of the themes we get to love and appreciate in the other games. Of course, mechanics wise it is able to build off of the foundation demon's souls provided and does so rather well. While it can feel pretty dated mechanically, especially it feels ranther clunky when it comes to using some weapons you can get frequent bounces that make wide swings challenging to use. Using an estus requires you to stand still which can be annoying at times. However, these are not BAD design, and are probably intentional. If anything, the raw and unapologetic nature these mechanics can bring is what indeed makes it dark souls. One thing I think that is sorely missed but present in subsequent titles is the ability to respec. Again, you can argue that is for a similar reason to the previous observations, but I think that being able to re-assign attributes is nice for wanting to try multiple completed builds, without needing to restart and build a new character. Otherwise, the mechanics are very engaging, always pushing you to preform the best you can so you don't permenantly lose your souls and humanity if you are to die multiple times without retrieving them. This creates a pressure if you die, and it can feel upleasant if you lose your souls, but its never something that makes the game impossible. You are just set back, not beaten, that only occurs when you give up.

This ties well into the next thing I'd like to write about this game: the message. While you may interpret it many different ways, the core message to me is that of perseverence and having a strong beliefs system. After all, individuals only hollow when they have have sufficiently given up hope, desire, and the ambition that they once held in achieving their goals, or have lost all meaning in the things they once held dear. The clearest use of hollowing is used by the crestfallen warrior who sits at Firelink Shrine. While he's practically given up by the time you arrive for the first time, he still provides the player with useful knowledge to start their journey. Once you ring both bells of awakening, he becomes hollowed in new londo ruins. I like to think this is due to the fact he found at least some sort of purpose in aiding new arrivals, but once the player has proven they are capable and the warrior outgrows his usefulness, his sense of purpose is lost, the reason for his hollowing. While maybe the example the most people will see, the most famous example of the hollowing process is most likely Big Hat Logan. As you progress his questline, and help him obtain all he wants, you can watch him go through the hollowing process in real time. Once he has obtained white dragon breath, and all his spells are bought, it could be seen that he has fulfilled his purpose in obtaining the spell hes sought after for so long, while also passiing this knowledge on so that it will not be lost. Because of this, his memory begins to fail, and he forgets who you are. Soon after this, he becomes mad and fully hollow, attacking you if you meet him at the top of the Dukes Archives. Having fulfilled his desires, he's lost his sense of purpose and by extension self, and gone mad and hollowed. One interesting observation is the account of who does and who does not go hollow. Most NPCS eventually hollow by progressing their questline: The aforementioned Crestfallen Warrior and Big Hat Logan, Reah and her bodyguards, Siegmeyer, Laurentis, even Solaire in his bad ending. Some of these lose purpose, Siegmeyer finally is able to repay his debt to the player after they help him many times. Some, such as Laurentis and Solaire, go mad, but often from a similar fulfilment being achieved in their goals of obtaining pyromancies or their own sun, respectively. This results in them achieving their goals, they have no more desire nor purpose to keep striving for, which drives them into insanity. However, notice which characters DON'T go hollow. Andre, who finds purpose in being a blacksmith; Patches, who claims to be devoid of any wants at all and thus cannot go hollow (he will be talked about again in DS3, I love him ^^); Domhnall, who seemingly strives to just hold their collection of unique trinkets (seriously, who elsse just has crystal weapons no one knows how to forge? Very interesting character...); and the Darkmoon Knightess, whose purpose is to be the firekeeper of Anor Londo. Even in Soalire's questline should you save him, he makes it all the way to the end of the game where he presumably links the flame himself (I like to think this is the canon ending, despitre there being no objective canon one). One weird exception may be Ingward, whose seeming purpose was to keep the four kings away, but after they die he does not go hollow, he simply moves to firelink shrine, chill guy.

So, simply put, what do I think it means to go hollow? I think it can be as simple as "not living" in our own world. To rot away in your life, to be an observer and hold nothing too close to heart is what it can mean to be hollowed. Of course, you won't go insane living like this, but the concept of that certainly feels like a hollow life, does it not?

Besides the meaning of the game having wonderful storytelling that can be looked into, the actual lore and history of Lordran is very interesting as well. Please keep in mind that I am not a lore expert!! This is not a perfect retelling or interpretation, if there ever could be one. Many interesting things have happened in Lordran, presumably one of, if not the, first kingdom to rise after the Age of Ancients. Given that most of the lords are still alive, it's safe to assume Lordran is the first kingdom to rise, especially after the war against the dragons has concluded. In this new age of fire, the player is ultimately given a choice to continue the cycle, or to usher in an Age of Darkness. Since all humans carry the darksign, this could be seen as the Age of Huamnity as well. Therefore, it is a bit of a hard decision to make, to continue to allow the gods who have brought chaos to the land, or an age of humans ruled by the player. Of course, the canon ending will always be the continuation of the cycle, as unnartural to the universe as it may be (if you keep ssacrificing souls to link the flame wouldn't you eventually run out of usable energy, like entropy? I acutally am not sure), there will always be those willing to perpetuate the what is established. This is proven at least in Dark Souls I, as there is a Dark Souls II and III so naturally the cycle must continue from Gywn's era.

The lore and story for this game could be talked about forever, but what truly makes the player's experience with the world are those who live in it. Surprisingly, for such a bleak world, many of the NPCs are indeed nice people. Many willingly help you, some begrudgingly, but not many are often outright rude. Big Hat Logan will tell you not to fret should you not be intelligent enough to learn his sorceries, Laurentis will willingly give you a part of himself in the pyromancy flame, and even the Crestfallen Warrior gives you advice on how to succeed in the game. Of course, characters such as Solaire and Siegmeyer are much more helpful in a gameplay sense, while also being kind, but they are not alone in their goodheartedness. The people of the world help instill hope in an otherwise bleak world, and make seeing the NPCs as you progress through your own journey a compelling thing, even if many meet an unfortunate end.

However, not all NPCs are benevolent, which makes sense in a fading world. The most obvious example of this is Lautrec, who kills the firekeeper Anastacia, for reasons that are unkown. Another character that is of note is the sly and furtive Domhnall. It's never clearly explained as to who he is, or why he has what he does, but through your interactions with him you can see he is a tit for tat sort of person, who knows almost a concerningly large amount of information. Only when you purchase things from him does he give you hints and very important information to the player, such as using occult weapons against undead. This information paints him as a character who is very cunning, not to mention he is the merchant who sells you boss armor, presumably using your hard work to fuel his own collection. This man loves his collection as well, being the thing he is thinking of in death instead of any personal connections he had with anyone.

Thoughts on Areas/Bosses

Nothern Undead Asylum

I don't have much to say about this area, it is a pretty okay tutorial area, I like the rather vertical design it has. The choice of being in a prison is also interesting, giving the player meaning in being chosen to break the curse and free the land, making you the Chosen Undead. Otherwise, not too much to mention, all the enemies are hollows which makes sense thematically, but doesn't really add much to the gameplay element. I do appreciate that they showcase the boulder trap and use it to introduce you to Oscar, who helps set you on your way. The trap also helps set the tone for the game overall: tricky, maybe unfogiving, but certainly not going to give you any pity, which helps gets you in the proper mindset for how to handle subsequent areas. Visually, it is not too remarkable for me, but it certainly looks like a prison so there is not much negative to say about it either as it fits the theme it was going for.

Boss: Asylum Demon/Stray Demon - These bosses are rather similar, so I'll lump them together to avoid being redundant. They're okay bosses, but easy enough to the point they are boring to fight for me, and don't add enough thematically to really make them interesting. Being easy alone of course doesn't make a boss bad, and I don't think theyre bad bosses, just incredibly average. The Stray Demon adds some AOE attacks which makes it a bit more engaging as a fight as it adds more depth, but overall still not that moved by presentation or setting for this boss. So, overall pretty okay, but nothing really speaks to me about the bosses.

Firelink Shrine

DS1's Firelink Shrine is very special. It is a hub world, but due to how integrated DS1's world is, it never pulls you away from the rest of Lordran, while still managing to become a comfortable safe haven for the player. It really displays how good the overall world design for the first half of the game is, being just a few minutes walk between the bells of awakening with the proper shortcuts, and still from firelink you have quick access to new londo, the catacombs, and even locations such as the depths and darkroot garden. The main appeal to me is how natural it all appears to be as well. A church sitting close to a settlement, where behind sits a graveyard. Besides the elevators to new londo and the undead parish, which still don't come off entirely unnatural, it is a tranquil sight that doesn't feel out of place in the world.

Undead Burg/Undead Parish

Undead Burg and the Undead Parish make for marvelous introductary areas to the game. Not do they fit very thematically, they are also wonderfully dense with plenty of nooks for a new player to explore. The urban setting workds very well in aiding this, as it provides a few branching paths that reward the player with items or even a merchant. This area also looks nice as an urban setting and does feel lived in like it was once a proper town. I think this area is very great for that but also as a better introduction to the souls level design philosophy. Plenty of things established in the Asylum are further built upon: enemies around corners and traps or obstacles to overcome, while also building a proper understanding of how useful the shortcuts can be, as well as how interconnected the areas and world as a whole are. One aspect of the area i appreciate as well is the abundance of skill checks but also optional challenges. Some enemy groups, particularly in the parish, provide good challenge checks for the player. For example, players will more often than not run along a path that takes them along a balder knight they most likely will have to kill in a narrow space. This helps hone the players skill while not making the area too easy in what is otherwise mostly filled with hollows. While these knights aren't the most challenging, it certainly can be a step up for players who've only fought hollows and bosses up until this point. The real challenge checks come form the church, however, which also graciously brings you back to firelink and helps the player realize "what a small world!" The cathedral knight present makes for a good challenge for a new player (at least when I first played in like 2016, I thought this was the boss! I sucked! but I got good it's okay) and is also pretty intimidating given its large stature and imposing shield. Also in this church is the channeler, who buffs a whole group of hollows to help introduce the player that this is indeed Dark Souls. They do make for a nice challenge to dispatch that entire room, however. While both technically optional, they are so in the path I would consider them proper skill checks. Speaking of optional challenges, these areas contain a couple of Black Knights for the player to find, a bit off the beaten path. While you don't need to fight them, a curious player can take the challenge to dispatch them and get handsomely rewarded. Dealing with the boar is also an optional challenge in my eyes, as its fairly easy to simply run past into areas where it cannot hit you. It also helps the player become more crafty with their resources, as you can kill it easily with alluring skulls and luring it into the fire close to it from the safety of the bridge above. The hellkite drake is, of course, another obstacle the player must overcome, and can do so in multiple ways by either luring out the drake or going below, although this misses the bonfire. With all the options presented to the player, it helps create a very full area that is fun to explore while providing ample challenge for its place in the game. Truly a great area overall.

Boss: Taurus Demon - In all fairness, as the first encounter with this (spammed (in Izalith (unlucky))) enemy, it serves well as a boss. The boss arena is rather unique and makes positioning key for dodging the attacks while also staying on the bridge. Of course, there is a devious little trick of the archers before you trigger the boss, which also serves as a stage for plunging attacks, which awards keen minded players who spot the opportunity. Overall, it is not a bad fight and provides a unique experience through its setting.

Boss: Capra Demon - This boss is pretty underwhelming overall, even if it suffers from the same blight as the Taurus Demon, being a spammed enemy later in game, nothing else about this boss really makes it that remarkable. While the Taurus Demon has a unique arena, the Capra Demon's arena is hardly more than a box with a few dogs in it to boot. The staircase can make the fight slightly more engaging, but the boss often can simply follow you up to the location and thus limits its potential as high ground, although it can be used for cheese if you need it. The dogs don't really add much to this fight as they die very quickly, and are otherwise just a bit annoying. Overall, not too fond of this boss but it isnt offensively terrible either of course.

Boss: Bell Gargoyles - The first major boss in my eyes, and it is a pretty solid fight overall. The setting fits very well, right below the first bell just in your view on top of the church, while you can see the resst of the area you just trekked through below you, as well as other places in the kingdom you'll eventually go to. The boss itself plays pretty nice, the second gargoyle showing up only when the first is under half health (but also spawning in at half health) is a good way to add pressure without being too unfair to the player, thus helps ease the player into how to deal with mutliple threats at once. Overall, good setting, attacks are fun to deal with (and you can cut the tail, always neat !), and provides a good learning curve to the new player, solid boss.

Depths

The Depths are a unique area thematically, and have a rather interesting theme in the game that works well. The close quartered-ness of some of the rooms helps create a claustrophobic feel, while all the rats and basilisks contribute to a general unwelcome and dirty feeling, which of course was what they were going for given that it is a sewer system. I don't have particularly much to say about this area otherwise, it is very short, while it can be a maze at some times, it often feels more like multiple branching paths that all end up where you want to go, which does make for commendable level design.

Boss: Gaping Dragon - I really enjoy this boss, it is the best dragon fight in the whole series (because it doesn't fight like a dragon so it's a cheat answer). Visually, it looks really amazing, especially with the faake out the intro cutscene for the boss is able to pull on the player for the first time. The gaping maw it possesses is rather intimidating, as this is one of the largest enemies in the game, and for fairly early on in the game it is rather intimidating as well given its stature. The boss room itself is just okay, a large square, but has a few features such as the pit the dragon crawled out of, as well as a few pillars, so not completely barren but nothing remarkable. One fun addition is the channeler that can (and should) be killed in order to prevent the dragon from getting a damage buff. This helps reward players who explore and provides an extra layer to the fight that isn't too bothersome if you choose to ignore it. Another thing I like about the boss is the ability to cut off its tail (this will never not be cool to do and get rewarded for it). While more minor of a thing, it is a nice detail that can make the fight easier and reward positioning. Only one of this bosses attacks I find annoying, being the one where he spews muck all over the ground and forces you to retreat, which can slow the pace of the fight down, but not to an offensive extent, so this boss overall is pretty good and a fun fight.

Blighttown

Ahh... Blighttown. Undoubtably the most infamous area in the game, but it is for a good reason. This is the first area in the game you'll encounter where you realize the game indeed will not make it easy for you to. This place is infamous for its tricky level design and enemy placements, on top of thin ramparts you can easily fall off of, but also for the poison swamp at the bottom and the toxic dart blowers (who I hate) that can melt through your health. It is a very brutal area to navigate for the first time, but is also very rewarding overall. Design wise, I think it does a swell job at creating a hostile environment, even moreso than the depths, as you keep straying further from the comfort of the more "human" settings of the urban undead burg. Of course, this is all made by people as well, it is however not meant to be lived in. The intense verticality makes for a good challenge upon first arrival, and the master key allowing you to skip most of the area helps in subsequent playthroughs to avoid the upper area. Honestly, the upper area is surprisingly beautiful as well with the view out to ash lake. The bottom of blighttown is truly a slog of an area, it is annoying but it never felt too offensive to me, at least there is a bonfire down there ! But the bottom portion of blighttown is not really remarkable, however the poison is certainly annoying. Overall however it is a thematically good area, and while tricky, makes for a unique experience - obviously as people still talk about it to this day !

Boss: Chaos Witch Queelag - Quelaag is a pretty fun boss. I feel that most of her attacks reward good positioning above all, instead of simply being able to dodge, knowing where to stand and how to position yourself as the fight progresses (and more lava is on the ground) helps make her an engaging fight. Her sword attacks are kind of basic, and the boss arena is not the best in terms of engagement, but it looks somewhat neat, and has a few slopes on the very edges that can have a few tricky uses. The boss design is also good, the spider being somewhat unsettling but contrasted to queelags human torso is a unique juxtaposition of the boss, while also displaying what it means to be a chaos witch.

The Great Hollow/Ash Lake

While there is not much to do in these areas, they are still fondly remembered for the way they are presented in the games. They both look beautiful, with Ash Lake in particular looking magnificent. Thematically, being inside of a tree that is the Great Hollow is very neat, and while it mostly is just descending the tree, it can make for a fun challenge as you move down. The closed in nature makes the area feel very tight and the narrow paths can be daunting to travel upon, however the comfort that this area is not the poison swamp of blighttown also helps it. On the contrast, arriving as Ash Lake feelsand seeing the vast open space drives a sense of awe. The ground looks perfectly undisturbed, and the view of the archtrees goes on seemingly forever. The turqouise sky also sells a feeling of serenity, paired with the wonderful music, truly makes the area blissful. The lack of too many enemies also helps further this, once you get rid of the hydra at least, the clams are not too bothersome. Ultimately very peaceful areas that can let the player soak in the true beauty of the game.

Sen's Fortress

One of the more challenging areas of the game for a first time playthrough, but one of the most fun as well. The constant traps and narrow walkways create a sense of urgency in your movement, and the snakemen are rather tough enemies themselves to deal with too, relative to others in the game. This area feels like a proper step up in accordance with the journey: both bells have been rung, and the gate finally opens to indicate this is the next proper step as well as a step up in your journey in terms of difficulty as well as one step closer to achieving your goal. But Sen's Fortress doesn't make it easy, in addition to the aforementioned obstacles, boulder and dart traps create a truly hostile environment. It is a very brief area once you know the path, but it is also very fun to run through to the top and get rewarded with a marvelous view of the surrounding areas, and one of the prettiest skyboxes that I have seen from this game. It serves as a proper farewell and final rigorous test to the earlier sections of the game (not quite halfway point to me, but a little before). As you complete the area and move to Anor Londo, you realize how much you've overcome and the progress you've made.

Boss: Iron Golem - I find the Iron Golem to be a fairly enjoyable boss in every way. I like their arena, it feels rather unique and allows for playing into the gimmick of the boss, while also allowing the boss to have a move against you in their grab as well. This dynamic of both the player and boss being able to use the environment to their advantage makes the fight very engaging arguably more intense. The design of the boss is also fairly simple, but remarkable in the way it looks. It is a giant metal robot essentially, as it drops a core it seems to not be a human but rather a machine, with simply said good looking armor and a menacing axe. Thematically as well, the boss is rather memorable, being the final test before the grand city of Anor Londo, fighting it on top of a battered section of the top of a fortress that you worked hard to get to and climb. A very wonderful boss, even if they can be cheesed (granted, none of the bosses in DS1 are particularly hard in fairness so cheese is not too important) it makes a great guardian and farewell to the fortress.

Anor Londo

Boss: Ornstein & Smough -

Boss: Dark Sun Gwyndolin -

Painted World of Ariamis

Boss: Crossbreed Priscilla -

Darkroot Garden/Basin

Boss: Moonlight Butterfly -

Boss: Great Grey Wolf Sif -

New Londo Ruins

Boss: Four Kings -

Duke's Archives/Crystal Cave

Boss: Seath the Scaleless -

Lost Izalith

Boss: Ceaseless Discharge -

Boss: Demon Firesage -

Boss: Bed of Chaos -

The Catacombs/Tomb of Giants

Boss: Pinwheel -

Boss: Gravelord Nito -

Kiln of the First Flame

Boss: Gwyn Lord of Cinder -

Royal Wood

Boss: Sanctuary Guardian -

Oolacile Township

Boss: Black Dragon Kalameet -

Boss: Knight Artorias -

Chasm of the Abyss

Boss: Manus, Father of The Abyss -

Dark Souls II

Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin Edition) is definitely an underrated game compared to the other two. A lot of people like to give it much more hate than the other two entries into the trilogy, which is unfair. While it does have some issues, all the games posses their own set of issues, and Dark Souls II's is no worse than the other games. Its uniqueness helps give it strength to stand out and also helped pioneer several features we often take for granted in the modern titles. Features such as being able to reallocate stats and powerstancing are things many players take for granted within newer titles. Dark Souls II also has unique mechanics that enhance the experience. Hexes, in particular, are a unique to the series especially in how they drain souls upon casting. Dark sorceries and miracles are somewhat close in DS3, but just feel like a watered down version of the hexes, which really should have become a nice int/faith option to do dark damage with unique split cayalsyt options and spell classification. Additionally, Dark Souls II is the only game that actually adds to itself upon starting a new journey once you beat the game. Additional enemies, as well as the four lord souls from DS1 being dropped by the four bosses guarding primal bonfires. The fact that you can also send individual areas into ng+ is very handy as well when you wish to grind a certain boss without having to replay the entire game to get to them. Additionally, the enemies despawning after a certain amount of kills is an interesting concept that can help players who are struggling with a boss to avoid constant agonizing runbacks. If this is not your style, then you can also simply join the covenant of the champions to circumvent this as well ! Many of the decisions made feel like good quality of life changes that are able to be made without sacrificing the inherent difficulty of the series. The animations of the weapons also feels very nice to play with, each weapon feels as if it has weight behind the heavier swings, which works wonderfully with the powerstancing that they introduced. One unique mechanic that is often seen as contentious is the ADP and rolling changes. In Dark Souls II, iframes are left to their own stat(s), while your equip load simply changes how far you can roll during the animation, thus giving an appearance of a slower roll overall. Now, many people do not particularly like the idea of having iframes attatched to a stat (techinically two), but Dark Souls II gives you so many levels the feeling of having a poor roll does not last long beyond the first part of the game. Even on soul level 1 runs, where you have about 7 iframes, many bosses can be beaten with careful awareness, positioning, and precise timings, bar a few bosses slow moving swings. So, it is maybe a neutral aspect of the game to me, but certainlly not bad, just something that is different and makes the game more unique.

One of the most stunning things about the game is how beautiful and vibrant the areas look, as well as the presentation of the overall setting. Places like Majula, Heide's Tower of Flame, the Dragon Aerie, Shrine of Amana, Drangleic Castle, and even Black Gulch all look so unique to one another, despite all being within the same kingdom. The vast locations, even conceptually the differences between them feel the most diverse compared to the others in the trilogy. Dark Souls 1 has many nice looking areas, but a majority of it is urban envrionments. Dark Souls III can have more diversity in location, and has some a few stellar looking ones as well, but overall the colors feel much more muted than Dark Souls II (not a gripe at DS3, it makes sense thematically to me that it looks like that). Dark Souls II's setting is very unique in the sense that it is just average compared to the other two games. Dark Souls I comes off the heels of a revolt against gods, right after the killing of dragons, and Dark Souls III focuses on the tail end of the world, slowly turning all into ash. Dark Souls II? A more random middle kingdom that helps portray what the cycle often entailed for much of its existance. Sure, there was a war with the giants, which is rather unique, but beyond this it is a more average kingdom than either Lordran or Lothric. It's overall "averageness" compared to the other games helps create a unique feel compared to the other games that I can't help but to appreciate.

The characters within the world of Dark Souls II are also very well made. Some characters stand out above the rest, certainly NPCs like Lucatiel and Shanalotte/The Emerald Herald, but a character such as Navlaan who can interact with you in so many ways makes him a unique character compared to the cast in any other souls game. Navlaan is a very wicked character, who either employs you to be a menace or instead terrorizes you if you choose to free him. His invasions are really annoying too ! ! ! He knows the worst spots to invade you if you choose to release him. However, if you don't release him, if you are human he is simply a merchant, while if hollowed he asks you to kill npcs, which is an interesting juxtaposition and drives the meaning of how some perceive being hollowed. If you are human, you are treated kindly by one personality, however if you are hollow you speak to a more sinister one that helps you further reject your humanity, metaphorically speaking. The Emerald Herlad is also very unique by firekeeper standards, while it's not explicitely mentiond if she is or is not one, she helps you level up and thus is often seen as at least a helpful figure such as the firekeepers in DS1 and DS3. However, unlike them, she travels to certain locations, meeting you there to speak with you. The encounters are not too grand, but they feel impactful to finally make it to say Drangleic, and see the Emerald Herald waiting for you. The encounter with her there also possesses a dialogue like I really enjoy, if you get there off soul memory alone: "Your soul is still frail and pallid… If you proceed regardless, your fate will be more terrible than mere life or death. But I will not stop you, if that is your heart's desire." Very good line, but also rather ominous ! Most of her lines in these locations she only ever says once, before simply going silent, which is a good use of characterization for her. Lucatiel is one of my personal favorite NPCs in the whole series, and is one of the few who showcases the process of going hollow in a way the player can see themselves. As you continue to meet her, she goes from a stout warrior to someone who slowly loses all their memories, and connot bear to suffer the curse, a truly heartbreaking character. At first she is cold, then finds a friend in the Chosen Undead, before finally losing herself completely from the curse.

Thoughts on Areas/Bosses

Majula