Sorry for the rogue "H" around the 8 minute mark. I was battling Adobe until 3AM trying to get this rendered and uploaded. Between my PC crashing and Adobe crashing, I guess the error happened sometime in the 3rd rendering, and it avoided my sleepy gaze as I did my quick spot check before uploading! xD
Hey I got a little theory for you here. First off I do have to say I do like your videos. And second I do not believe that the painted girl is the daughter of Priscilla. To me it just doesn't make sense why would she be the daughter of Priscilla? I've seen so many people trying to argue the point that she is. But where's the evidence then because she doesn't look like a dragon crossbreed and not only that I don't think Priscilla was able to get herself a mate before the chosen Hollow went into the Painted World in killed her. No instead I believe the painted girl actually has to be the daughter of that woman we had to kill the one that wanted the painted world to rot instead of reforming it. Why I believe this is the case is look at the location that she's trapped in. The painted girl is in a nice decent room full of books that she can read and away from her canvas but yet in no danger in being guarded by a lot of enemies that we had to slaughter. If I was going to imprison her I would probably throw her underneath the church that is completely full of rot and allow the bugs to just consume her constantly. Why show Mercy to a thing you do not want to make another painting but yet she shows Mercy. So I believe the painted girl is her daughter and it only also makes sense if the father was also the flail guy. I know this is a long stretch but I do not believe she is a dragon crossbreed I've stared at her for hours on end trying to find any resemblant of any of the previous Dragon crossbreeds that we have met and she does not share any of those traits. Another point I can point out is you can't kill her. Granted I get it game designed you can't have kids died in a game but why does she come back? How can she come back because we killed Priscilla and she did not come back we even had her soul that we used to make a weapon or spell. But yet we can't kill the painted girl and she'll just come back and tell us you can't kill me I'm forever link to this world. Now this will sound really stupid but I believe she has to either be an ashen one to be able to come to keep coming back if she does. That has somehow linked themselves to the painting to wear that now when they make the next painting it will be a calm peaceful cold dark place. A place where Uncle Gale can finally rest in peace though sadly spoilers here he doesn't get to. I don't know I want to ask your opinion on this since you're more of a Dark Souls Lore person than I am.
@@macalla6898 I have played all of them, but never paid attention to the lore while playing. I prefer to see this kind of vids since to me is more enjoyable.
I have theory of how did Artorias' sword was in the Abyss Watcher's soul: Remember when Ciaran was asking for the Soul of Artorias in exchange for her tracers? Why would I ask that when you couldve just killed her? Perhaps one Undead gave that Artorias' soul to Ciaran in his/her timeline. Perhaps she taught techniques of Artorias (it is somehow implied that Ciaran was his lover) by simply observing him and mixing it with daggers. But wait isnt the Farron Greatsword a Ultragreatsword thus a strength weapon? The Abyys Watcher emphasized on speed. The Lords of Cinder have diffrent builds , Yhorm being a strength build , slow but strong, Aldrich (well he was eating Gwyndolin) had magic and arrows making it an Intelligence build , Lorian and Lothric is a strength/faith build for Lorian does massive damage while Lothric supports Lorian , even reviving his brother, Why did i discuss about this? The Abbys watchers put their emphasis on speed , speed being dexterity. Notice than rather having a shield they have a dagger in its place , unlike Artorias who had a shield (He doesnt fight with it in DS1 cuz his arm is broken) So Ciaran could also be the Mother of the Abyss Watchers I could be wrong , you could fill the plot holes it was just an idea in my mind Edit: Sorry im late
I always thought the binding of their souls through the wolf blood. Was more just like a common blood pact, they all ingested some of the wolf blood. And felt a common connection to one another, as blood brothers all from the same source. Plus it also just seams like in the dark souls world, consuming others makes them apart of you in some way. Hence why Gael sought to consume every piece of humanity's dark soul. By just eating people lmao.
The theme of consuming someone an them becoming part of you is common in soulsborn games. Ornstein and Smought, Nameless King and the Storm Drake, the description of Hier rune in Bloodborne.
It never ceases to amaze me how the abyss watcher armor so closely mirrors the old hunters set from bloodborne. And the idea of a weapon/weapon set with multiple functions beyond a simple swing is very in tune with the trick weapons too.
Besides warriors of sunlight and blades of the dark moon, Abyss watchers is my favorite covenant but I was in the other two covenants in DS1 and partially in runs for DS3
The beginning of this video almost made me wish that dark souls was scarier, yeah its already pretty scary and bloodborne is made to be scarier but i wanna feel terrified and not just because of the danger
The main take away with the story of Artorias (from the player's perspective) is that he wasn't an "abyss walker" at all. He didnt traverse the abyss and actually succumbed to it. The watchdogs of farron were created based on a rewitten history and based on a lie. It was doomed to fail from the get go.
Well he did traverse the Abyss, but yes did eventually succumb to it and then was given credit for the players actions. So the Legion wasn't necessarily built upon a lie, just on mixed truths, but the mission would be the same regardless.
@03:01 Darkroot forest is the leftovers from Oolacile. Where the Abyss has taken over mostly. A little cat guides us to a non-gigantic Sif in the past version. But in the Darkroot forest version there are 2 HUGE CATS and Sif has also became very large. Could the Abyss have had an effect on these beings? Could they be the "beasts" of the Abyss? After all the other huge cat that speaks with you gives you a ring for joining her covenant as forest guardians. That covenant protects the grave of Artorias. That same cat helped us save Sif. That cat can infuse powers into rings... See where i'm getting at?
They remind me so much of hunters of Bloodbourne, hence my head cannon of these games being connected. The Abyss Watchers hunt down horrible monstrosities? Check. Eventually fall prey to corruption themselves? Check. A secret group within this team that specifically hunt down those who have been corrupted? Check. Drink Blood of a higher being to enhance their performance? Check. Not to mention the watchdogs wear metal hats similar to a tri corn hat. Not to mention unlike any boss weapon or normal weapon for that matter can parry, much like the hunters. Also side note, the work in progress painting world may be where Yarhnam and everywhere else takes place, after all it's painted with blood. Where everything is similar. But very different, free from the shackles of fire, and much like the firekeeper we truly see with eyes, no longer blind. And instead of faith or sorcery! We see with insight! Developing advanced technology and finally taking that big step forward out of the literal dark ages. Also maybe the immortal vile bloods are a representation of your character after the end of the game on the Lord of Hollows ending. Whichever one doesn't matter as one thing about them stands out, they are immortal and constantly come back to life after death. Much like humans of that long gone era of Gods and dragons. ALSO ALSO ALSO MOONLIGHT GREATSWORD IS IN BOTH SO BOTH ARE CONNECTED CONFIRMED DON'T AT ME! I'm not saying Sekiro is connected though. Or even Demon souls. But this at least to me kinda makes sense. And gives me closure. And please don't just shoot this down because "Well From soft said they aren't connected so this is stupid and fuck you!" Because that's boring, and you'd be a stale white bread human if you said that. Actually make a sound argument
Nah man that sounds pretty cool. I think Sekiro and Bloodborne take place in the same world, with the cultures influencing how the great ones and their influences are seen.
I never thought about how the Abyss Watchers may not have cared a bit about the flame and simply linked it to spurn the abyss. Now that I think about it none of the lords of cinder who linked and ditched really cared about the age of fire at all. Yhorme wanted to protect his people and when the flame did the opposite, of course to said screw this. Aldrich was making his own plans before he was roasted and honestly I feel like that story is probably treacherous AF. He either linked willingly with a hope he could usurp the flame but I doubt it or the Way of White decided to kill two birds with one stone. We can't have folks starting cults to themselves and at the same time we can say it is a great honor!
Farron's undead legion is hardcore. Great video. Hey do you think k you could do a video on the estus flask. I've seen no one talk about it and its origin and how it connects to the rest of the world.
Just started a new playthrough. Haven't touched the game in a few years, but it has reignited a love for the old lore again. Been binge watching old lore vids like a crack addict between play sessions. I love the idea of a group of warriors who, through some mystical wolf blood pact, fused their souls and dedicated themselves to the eternal crusade of eradicating the Abyss and all it has tainted. The added knowledge that this is all based on a lie and that Artorias, much like they themselves, was ultimately corrupted and destroyed by that which they fight against is sweet sweet irony...and a little sad.
P.S. My current strength build utilizing a standard Claymore shredded these Undead champions like wet tissue paper. That heavy R2 poke kept them on their asses 95% of the fight. I remembered them as a tougher fight, but oh well. The Lore is still amazing, and they look cool as hell.
crystal hail is a little weird because it implies that it's a unique spell created by the crystal sage, yet it's pretty much identical to soul shower from ds2, which we get by "transposing" the soul of a scorpion thot. well, it's technically up for debate whether you actually transpose souls in ds2, because that word isn't used until ds3 which really establishes exactly how the system works. but in ds2, straid of olaphis says this: "Well! This is a most peculiar soul. Very good, very good indeed. Unusual souls produce unusual spells. Heh heh heh…" and ornifex says "The nature of an item is greatly influenced by the soul that was used to create it." and "...Its king, Vendrick, came close to unlocking the essence of the soul. What a dazzling soul he surely had…Imagine what I might create with such a powerful soul…" and "It is said that our technique originates from a strange being that inhabited this land. A pale beast that lived long, long ago. We don't even know what exactly it was." which of course implies that seeth invented soul transposition. so basically olaphis implies that he turns souls into magic, and ornifex implies that she uses souls somehow during the forging process to infuse the item with the essence of whoever bore the soul. point is, if a spell comes from your soul, you'd think that makes it YOUR spell. but ruin sentinel's soul somehow equals heavy homing soul arrow, which existed in dark souls 1. there are spells like flame weapon which you basically get from izalith's soul. blinding bolt comes from (ostensibly) gwyn's soul. etc. but yeah we have some weird outliers which clearly existed before the boss came along. so it's unclear whether the scorpion thot actually created soul shower or if it was just given to her because they didn't know where else to put it or what else to use najka's soul for. in any case she almost certainly predates the crystal sage, so the connection there is just something interesting to think about. then again, maybe after the bearer of the curse learned that spell, they taught it to hundreds of people and it was merely passed down through the ages to the crystal sage, who claimed false credit for it.
9:10 Could simply be that they used the blood of a descendant of Sif, she was alive for a very long time, we do see a different Great Wolf there at the covenant.
I read this theory saying that The Kingdom of Carthus fell to the abyss because of Aldrich. Remember that Irithyll comes after the Catacombs of Carthus. The theory also tells that the Abyss Watchers were after Wolnir and Aldrich.
The soul is blood. Blood is a peice of the soul. When someone shares the soul, they do it through blood. This was a theory for a while and outright confirmed by the last fight, Gal, in the last dlc for ds3.
It is possible, I suppose, that the Chosen Undead merely fought Sif to submission. Once she was too tired to fight the Chosen Undead took Artorias’ Covenant. The weapons made from Sif’s soul can be explained away as a game mechanics and not indicative of the actual story.
On the nuance of "wolf's blood master". While I agree completely with your conclusions but this may be of some importance. The name Sif is likely a mistranslation. The goddess myth really has nothing to do with the wolf, however in Japanese the wolf's named as the Great Grey Wolf (or Grey Direwolf) Shifu. Shifu is another term for master/teacher. On the Greatswords of Artorias. There are 3 versions in the game that I believe help with the linear development of his story. The "true" version is his original. Then he made a covenant with the creatures of the Abyss... like you say I doubt this was the Darkwraith covenant but still... who then? Artorias' covenant seems to be unique and represented solely thru his ring. Are there Abyss creatures that act different from Kaathe and co.? Velka?! This covenant not only allowed him to traverse the Abyss to face the 4 kings (and fail?? did he fail this as well?? or was his mission simply to decimate the darkwraith army), but it also "cursed" his sword so he was able to attack the ghosts that haunt New Londo as well. Finally, his Abyss Greatsword, we all know how this came to be. I like the idea that the Farron Followers, having lost their reason to be, found their way into the painting. But I feel there's more to it. Given the common theme of political intrigue throughout ds3, I think it's highly likely, that the alliance of the crystal sages had something to do with them leaving. They may have been lead into the painting intentionally to prevent them from becoming a deterring force for the Watcher's corruption. Or having wandered far away, this gave the Sages the space to make their move to ally with the Watchers. Either way, given Lothric's scheming to avoid kindling the first flame, I feel Lothric and co. anticipated the presence of the Abyss, or even intended to use it to aid their goals. Fearing the reaction of the Abyss Watchers, they had to come up with a way to avoid the threat. Now, back to Artorias and his strength of will (harking back to the exceptional will of Guts, his direct creative inspiration), consider the mechanics of the boss fight. Something about it doesn't add up. There isn't just one watcher consumed by the Abyss. They all are. But there is one with red eyes that stands out from the rest. I don't believe they are killing this one corrupt essence that jumps from watcher to watcher, stupidly killing each other. And why would the Abyss actively kill what it has already corrupted?? I believe this red-eyed watcher to be the spirit/will of Artorias himself, residing as an entity, lost inside the abyss, but maintaining some form through sheer will. Every time I fight this boss it's incredibly easy, I basically treat the red-eyed watcher as an ally and we wreak havoc. Artorias is attempting to overtake the corrupted watchers himself. Having destroyed the remaining bodies, the wolf-blood coalesces and unites them as one. At this moment they gesture with the Legion Etiquette, a gesture of honor, and in essence act as Sif once did, testing your skills to prove your strength for the coming task, taking down the corrupted kingdom that bested them. The Farron Greatsword describes their fighting style as a pack of wolves. They truly follow and honor the Direwolf Shifu.
They could make a game based on this lore alone, which I would love. The legion is one of my favorite bosses from a lore standpoint. The fight is fun also, I just got my ass handed to me way too many times.
Does anyone else think Farron = Oolacile AND Londor. Hear me out; The symbol of Londor is found in Crucifixion Woods and on the pin of the torch-wielding Farron Followers. The sorcerers of crucifixion woods and the Farron followers wear V-shaped capes like Sir Vilhelm of Londor. Orbeck of Vinheim, False Lord of Londor, is found in Crucifixion Wood. The Crystal Sages wear billed masks like the pardoners of Velka, the sealers of Velka, the Sable Sisters and the demon clerics. Farron Followers are a pack of Hollows. New Londo is proximal to Oolacile in DS1 (the sealed arch in Valley of Drakes is connected to oolacile/Darkroot and New Londo is across the bridge). The Crucifixs and long necks of the Lycanthropes make them resemble pilgrims of Londor. Darkwraiths are only found in Farron (apart from the one taken prisoner elsewhere) [Good video, BTW, I love lore]
The door has thre out line of abyss watchers on it. Most stylish boss I think I ever seen in a recent game zero function but would it be fashion souls w/o it lmao
Hardcore and dutiful. I wish these guys were found later in the game, to make the fight harder and with more resources. I love DS3 whole feeling of sadness and melancholy.
Maybe the "white cat" part was a reference not to Alvina's color but to her name. Alva/Alba might derive from a Latin word (Albus) that means "white" after all. She's gray, but her name might mean white,
4:43 maybe im reading a little too literally, but is that description making a distinction between a Watchdog of Farron and a Warrior of Farron as being two seperate beings? Or is it speaking solely as, while the group sleeps, a couple Warriors are tasked with Watch Duty?
I believe that the spirits are actual spirits or at least undead that guard the crusifiction woods. The watchdogs of farron also would kill any stragglers that the warriors left behind and these enemies in the woods are the undead that carry around the wood to build the cross that the creatures that are found there are mounted on, note that the creatures that are on the crosses the big bulky bois that have red eyes(most of them) and enemies that are corrupted by the abyss have these red eyes
I have always been curious if there are other undead people aside from humans that are eventually reborn. The nameless king looks like a huge hollow if he can be undead maybe the knights of Gwyn are as well could explain fighting Ornstien multiple times if he is undead. I found it odd that Sif watches over Artorias grave why exactly? Maybe he puts Artorias down each time he rises in the way the Abyss watchers keep killing each other. It's a out there theory but the different races being succeptable to the curse could explain alot and old farron could be a hollow version of Sif.
Honestly I'd love to see a Dark Souls spinoff in the style of Fire Emblem (could have some unique mechanics), mainly to see the Undead Legion in action. Imagine your small army of like twenty units having to fight off the Undead Legion (50+ units) in a Fire Emblem type battle, I don't know about you but that shit sounds epic. Honestly with the lore that's just the beginning of the types of battles a game like that could see, shame that'll never happen as I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
So I have an idea why they're bound by the wolve's blood, in blood borne blood replaces souls and acts relatively the same to how the wolve's blood works. In bloodborne blood replaces souls from dark souls, they work the exact same except blood is more potent (you seem to absorb traits of the traits from it's "donor") Even the Hunters from bloodborne are affected, the game even starts with a blood transfusion
While i enjoyed this, I think a constructive criticism should be made: Show the architectural similarities. It helps your narratives more rather than simply saying I've already showed in another video...these are remastered to be better than before, this would help them a lot.
This isn't a remastered video. Going into an explanation of something that's pretty common knowledge now and/or something I have a video covering takes away from the current video and forces another rabbit trail.
everything leads to the conclusion that we are Artorius of the abyss.... only 2 questions remain about this. one, why does siff fight us? and two, how do we fight ourselves? the second is most important to me. Is it that every living thing getting taken over by the abyss becomes mad? crazy mad not upset. and as a result of becoming crazy we fight ourselves? and only after winning this battle can we move on? if you have a video about this please let me know.
We are not literally artorious. We are the one who defeated Manus, not Artorious. Because Artorious was corrupted by the abyss before he succeeded in his quest
i think the reason they used wolf blood because siff was not affected by the abyss so they thought they wouldnt be affected if they entered the abyss with wolf blood on them
This was an amazing video and I loved learning everything I could about the undead legion am I actually part of the legion in my first playthgoe and I love it that was really good 😊
Wait, maybe "blood" is being used metaphorically and "the wolf's blood" is Artorias's kid, and he ended up being the first of the abyss watchers, is there any indication as to an offspring even?
I made a comment earlier about how Farron = Oolacile + Londor. Velka seems to be studied by the Sages and worshipped by the demon clerics. There's also a ring of sacrifice in the Sages' keep in crux wood and the symbol of Londor is all over Farron keep.
2:55 Kaathe is a primordial serpent. These are not creatures of the abyss. Originally all primordial serpents were pro gwyn. Kaathe was a Forsworn in his kind
Correct me if I am wrong but you don't even need to do the abyss watchers to get the armor? Just kill dancer, get to lothric castle, kill oceiros and gundyr, done. Abyss watchers are nowhere in this path. ETA. Unless the armor is only unlocked at dark shrine handmaid AFTER defeating the abyss watchers. Like I said, correct me if I am wrong please.
These guys made me rage quit way too many times but they are by far my favorite boss fight and made the fight enjoyable because of the lore and badass swordplay.
So a friend told me about a game called remnant from the ashes its like a dark souls shooter game. Played it but since i know you are a lore expert help me figuring out the story.
So did they burn their own souls augmented with the wolf soul, or did they burn the wold soul augmented by theirs? Is that why the old greybwolf is unresponsive. Its alive and unhollowed but had its soul burned?
Come home undeads,abyss is calling.We have Artorias the abyss flipper, dark yeeter Midir, Manus anus and many more.What else could you wish for? come join us and fall to the abyss. May the abyss guide thee!
Im sorry if this is a dumb question, but multiple times in this video he refers to Sif as "She". I always assumed Sif was a male. Is there any confirmed lore where Sif is given a gender, male or female?
There's nothing that confirms the gender of the wolf to my knowledge. But Dark Souls often references all kinds of mythologies, and Sif is a goddess in Norse mythology. So I've always just called the wolf "she" in those regards! =]
Most people: "Abyss Watchers are so edgy, jeez." Lore nerds: "Abyss Watchers are great heroes who put others before themselves, just like Artorias was." Me: "Hehe, cape go swish."
Sorry for the rogue "H" around the 8 minute mark. I was battling Adobe until 3AM trying to get this rendered and uploaded. Between my PC crashing and Adobe crashing, I guess the error happened sometime in the 3rd rendering, and it avoided my sleepy gaze as I did my quick spot check before uploading! xD
Hey I got a little theory for you here. First off I do have to say I do like your videos. And second I do not believe that the painted girl is the daughter of Priscilla.
To me it just doesn't make sense why would she be the daughter of Priscilla? I've seen so many people trying to argue the point that she is. But where's the evidence then because she doesn't look like a dragon crossbreed and not only that I don't think Priscilla was able to get herself a mate before the chosen Hollow went into the Painted World in killed her.
No instead I believe the painted girl actually has to be the daughter of that woman we had to kill the one that wanted the painted world to rot instead of reforming it.
Why I believe this is the case is look at the location that she's trapped in. The painted girl is in a nice decent room full of books that she can read and away from her canvas but yet in no danger in being guarded by a lot of enemies that we had to slaughter.
If I was going to imprison her I would probably throw her underneath the church that is completely full of rot and allow the bugs to just consume her constantly.
Why show Mercy to a thing you do not want to make another painting but yet she shows Mercy. So I believe the painted girl is her daughter and it only also makes sense if the father was also the flail guy.
I know this is a long stretch but I do not believe she is a dragon crossbreed I've stared at her for hours on end trying to find any resemblant of any of the previous Dragon crossbreeds that we have met and she does not share any of those traits.
Another point I can point out is you can't kill her. Granted I get it game designed you can't have kids died in a game but why does she come back? How can she come back because we killed Priscilla and she did not come back we even had her soul that we used to make a weapon or spell.
But yet we can't kill the painted girl and she'll just come back and tell us you can't kill me I'm forever link to this world. Now this will sound really stupid but I believe she has to either be an ashen one to be able to come to keep coming back if she does. That has somehow linked themselves to the painting to wear that now when they make the next painting it will be a calm peaceful cold dark place.
A place where Uncle Gale can finally rest in peace though sadly spoilers here he doesn't get to.
I don't know I want to ask your opinion on this since you're more of a Dark Souls Lore person than I am.
You should've turned it into some sort of wierd easter egg mystery XD
What was that music that played at the end called?
H
Mm
I do remember the tale of the abysswalker; I think it was like this:
Artorias: "walks in the abyss"
Manus: *WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP*
SOME!!! BODY!!! ONCE....
AND THE DARKNESS WON'T STOP COMING!!! WON'T STOP COMING!!!
A yhea the ancient tale thank God its all ogre now
I love dark souls lore content is still being created after all these years
I just love watching lore videos about these games
Grxvity 12 have you ever played one
People still play backgammon... no need to overjoy about a nonsensical thought. Amazing game, give it the right praise. It could backfire.
@@macalla6898 I have played all of them, but never paid attention to the lore while playing. I prefer to see this kind of vids since to me is more enjoyable.
@@jonathanrivera870 unless you watch these you'll never understand the story other than kill tough guys be the toughest guy lol
Abyss watchers and Artorias are the coolest imo and it's really sweet to see you cover them in an extended lore video. Great work as always!
Thank you kindly, friend! =]
videos like this only makes me realize how I haven't found a game world I could lose myself in like Dark Souls'
I feel that completely! Here's to hoping Elden Ring has the same magic to it! =]
The Ashen Hollow same! I am really hoping it plays like DS3 I’m obsessed with it!
Bloodborne
Farron's Undead Legion outlook on the Abyss.
"No doubt, No Fear, No Hesitation"
That intro was 10/10
The Abyss Watchers were always one of my favorite bosses in DS3, and this video did nothing but strengthen that for me. Love it.
I have theory of how did Artorias' sword was in the Abyss Watcher's soul:
Remember when Ciaran was asking for the Soul of Artorias in exchange for her tracers? Why would I ask that when you couldve just killed her? Perhaps one Undead gave that Artorias' soul to Ciaran in his/her timeline. Perhaps she taught techniques of Artorias (it is somehow implied that Ciaran was his lover) by simply observing him and mixing it with daggers. But wait isnt the Farron Greatsword a Ultragreatsword thus a strength weapon? The Abyys Watcher emphasized on speed. The Lords of Cinder have diffrent builds , Yhorm being a strength build , slow but strong, Aldrich (well he was eating Gwyndolin) had magic and arrows making it an Intelligence build , Lorian and Lothric is a strength/faith build for Lorian does massive damage while Lothric supports Lorian , even reviving his brother, Why did i discuss about this? The Abbys watchers put their emphasis on speed , speed being dexterity. Notice than rather having a shield they have a dagger in its place , unlike Artorias who had a shield (He doesnt fight with it in DS1 cuz his arm is broken) So Ciaran could also be the Mother of the Abyss Watchers I could be wrong , you could fill the plot holes it was just an idea in my mind
Edit: Sorry im late
Good theory. That would explain why besides the greatsword they fight with a dagger instead of a greatshield.
The aesthetics of the Abyss Watcher dagger does bear similarities to Ciaran's daggers. Especially the poison/dark dagger
Or simply their master that conceded them the soul of artorias
Probably the best idea of how they came to be my dude
So Ciaran and Artorias did have kids in the end...
I always thought the binding of their souls through the wolf blood. Was more just like a common blood pact, they all ingested some of the wolf blood. And felt a common connection to one another, as blood brothers all from the same source. Plus it also just seams like in the dark souls world, consuming others makes them apart of you in some way. Hence why Gael sought to consume every piece of humanity's dark soul. By just eating people lmao.
The theme of consuming someone an them becoming part of you is common in soulsborn games. Ornstein and Smought, Nameless King and the Storm Drake, the description of Hier rune in Bloodborne.
It never ceases to amaze me how the abyss watcher armor so closely mirrors the old hunters set from bloodborne. And the idea of a weapon/weapon set with multiple functions beyond a simple swing is very in tune with the trick weapons too.
That was a badass intro. I loved it dearly.
Thank ya! =D
This entire section of the lore is easily my favourite in dark souls, thanks for making the vid,I always enjoy them.
Alvina could be a beast of the abyss because she’s not a regular cat, she has an odd mouth that could describe her as a beast
Besides warriors of sunlight and blades of the dark moon, Abyss watchers is my favorite covenant but I was in the other two covenants in DS1 and partially in runs for DS3
God I love these guys. All 3 of them of Farron. I've even made my character on DS3 "Chris Of Farron"
Hang on there buddy. Watching your videos for a few years now. Noticing a serious ramp up in the quality. Keep up the great work!
Thanks a bunch, pal! Means a lot that you've noticed! =D
The beginning of this video almost made me wish that dark souls was scarier, yeah its already pretty scary and bloodborne is made to be scarier but i wanna feel terrified and not just because of the danger
The main take away with the story of Artorias (from the player's perspective) is that he wasn't an "abyss walker" at all. He didnt traverse the abyss and actually succumbed to it. The watchdogs of farron were created based on a rewitten history and based on a lie. It was doomed to fail from the get go.
Well he did traverse the Abyss, but yes did eventually succumb to it and then was given credit for the players actions. So the Legion wasn't necessarily built upon a lie, just on mixed truths, but the mission would be the same regardless.
@03:01 Darkroot forest is the leftovers from Oolacile. Where the Abyss has taken over mostly. A little cat guides us to a non-gigantic Sif in the past version. But in the Darkroot forest version there are 2 HUGE CATS and Sif has also became very large. Could the Abyss have had an effect on these beings? Could they be the "beasts" of the Abyss? After all the other huge cat that speaks with you gives you a ring for joining her covenant as forest guardians. That covenant protects the grave of Artorias. That same cat helped us save Sif. That cat can infuse powers into rings... See where i'm getting at?
@04:01 oh fuck we were on the same page lol didn't expect you to take it there :D i thought nobody thought about that...
That might've been the best lore video intro of any channel I've ever seen.
Hey, thanks dude! =]
They remind me so much of hunters of Bloodbourne, hence my head cannon of these games being connected. The Abyss Watchers hunt down horrible monstrosities? Check. Eventually fall prey to corruption themselves? Check. A secret group within this team that specifically hunt down those who have been corrupted? Check. Drink Blood of a higher being to enhance their performance? Check. Not to mention the watchdogs wear metal hats similar to a tri corn hat. Not to mention unlike any boss weapon or normal weapon for that matter can parry, much like the hunters.
Also side note, the work in progress painting world may be where Yarhnam and everywhere else takes place, after all it's painted with blood. Where everything is similar. But very different, free from the shackles of fire, and much like the firekeeper we truly see with eyes, no longer blind. And instead of faith or sorcery! We see with insight! Developing advanced technology and finally taking that big step forward out of the literal dark ages.
Also maybe the immortal vile bloods are a representation of your character after the end of the game on the Lord of Hollows ending. Whichever one doesn't matter as one thing about them stands out, they are immortal and constantly come back to life after death. Much like humans of that long gone era of Gods and dragons.
ALSO ALSO ALSO MOONLIGHT GREATSWORD IS IN BOTH SO BOTH ARE CONNECTED CONFIRMED DON'T AT ME!
I'm not saying Sekiro is connected though. Or even Demon souls. But this at least to me kinda makes sense. And gives me closure.
And please don't just shoot this down because "Well From soft said they aren't connected so this is stupid and fuck you!" Because that's boring, and you'd be a stale white bread human if you said that. Actually make a sound argument
Nah man that sounds pretty cool. I think Sekiro and Bloodborne take place in the same world, with the cultures influencing how the great ones and their influences are seen.
Good shit man. Great editing.
I typically prefer lore videos that get straight to the story without an intro. But this is an exception. Epic intro scene, very well done!
I never thought about how the Abyss Watchers may not have cared a bit about the flame and simply linked it to spurn the abyss. Now that I think about it none of the lords of cinder who linked and ditched really cared about the age of fire at all. Yhorme wanted to protect his people and when the flame did the opposite, of course to said screw this. Aldrich was making his own plans before he was roasted and honestly I feel like that story is probably treacherous AF. He either linked willingly with a hope he could usurp the flame but I doubt it or the Way of White decided to kill two birds with one stone. We can't have folks starting cults to themselves and at the same time we can say it is a great honor!
Farron's undead legion is hardcore. Great video.
Hey do you think k you could do a video on the estus flask. I've seen no one talk about it and its origin and how it connects to the rest of the world.
Ah yes take a shot of vodka every time he says abyss or wolf
The Abyss Watchers feel like the Imperium from 40k. I love it.
Thank you for creating this content! Good stuff.
Thanks a bunch! Glad you enjoyed it! =]
It could be entirely possible that the Emaciated wolf that you go to in order to join the Watchdogs of Farron, is a descendant of Sif.
Honestly... feels like a whole nation was founded to fight the abyss.
Alvina = sif's waifu.
Great video and thanks for gracing us with more Darksouls lore in this grimm year.
Just started a new playthrough. Haven't touched the game in a few years, but it has reignited a love for the old lore again. Been binge watching old lore vids like a crack addict between play sessions. I love the idea of a group of warriors who, through some mystical wolf blood pact, fused their souls and dedicated themselves to the eternal crusade of eradicating the Abyss and all it has tainted. The added knowledge that this is all based on a lie and that Artorias, much like they themselves, was ultimately corrupted and destroyed by that which they fight against is sweet sweet irony...and a little sad.
P.S.
My current strength build utilizing a standard Claymore shredded these Undead champions like wet tissue paper. That heavy R2 poke kept them on their asses 95% of the fight. I remembered them as a tougher fight, but oh well. The Lore is still amazing, and they look cool as hell.
crystal hail is a little weird because it implies that it's a unique spell created by the crystal sage, yet it's pretty much identical to soul shower from ds2, which we get by "transposing" the soul of a scorpion thot. well, it's technically up for debate whether you actually transpose souls in ds2, because that word isn't used until ds3 which really establishes exactly how the system works. but in ds2, straid of olaphis says this: "Well! This is a most peculiar soul. Very good, very good indeed. Unusual souls produce unusual spells. Heh heh heh…" and ornifex says "The nature of an item is greatly influenced by the soul that was used to create it." and "...Its king, Vendrick, came close to unlocking the essence of the soul. What a dazzling soul he surely had…Imagine what I might create with such a powerful soul…" and "It is said that our technique originates from a strange being that inhabited this land. A pale beast that lived long, long ago. We don't even know what exactly it was." which of course implies that seeth invented soul transposition. so basically olaphis implies that he turns souls into magic, and ornifex implies that she uses souls somehow during the forging process to infuse the item with the essence of whoever bore the soul. point is, if a spell comes from your soul, you'd think that makes it YOUR spell. but ruin sentinel's soul somehow equals heavy homing soul arrow, which existed in dark souls 1. there are spells like flame weapon which you basically get from izalith's soul. blinding bolt comes from (ostensibly) gwyn's soul. etc. but yeah we have some weird outliers which clearly existed before the boss came along. so it's unclear whether the scorpion thot actually created soul shower or if it was just given to her because they didn't know where else to put it or what else to use najka's soul for. in any case she almost certainly predates the crystal sage, so the connection there is just something interesting to think about. then again, maybe after the bearer of the curse learned that spell, they taught it to hundreds of people and it was merely passed down through the ages to the crystal sage, who claimed false credit for it.
your vids are a pleasure to watch, thanks again for sharing
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it! =D
Hell yeah. Awesome video, dude!
Almost as accurate like ThePruld explaination about Artorias
GASP Artorias!
Love your vids man. Makes me love the lore again and again.
You're too kind, buddy! =D
9:10 Could simply be that they used the blood of a descendant of Sif, she was alive for a very long time, we do see a different Great Wolf there at the covenant.
That is definitely a different one... Sif was dead in Time line of DS1
Is it also possible for the great wolves in the Painted World of Ariandel to be related?
Thank you for the video Jake
I read this theory saying that The Kingdom of Carthus fell to the abyss because of Aldrich. Remember that Irithyll comes after the Catacombs of Carthus. The theory also tells that the Abyss Watchers were after Wolnir and Aldrich.
The soul is blood. Blood is a peice of the soul. When someone shares the soul, they do it through blood. This was a theory for a while and outright confirmed by the last fight, Gal, in the last dlc for ds3.
Damn. The lore of Artorious and the abyss watchers is so metal and badass
My headcannon will always state that Sif was somehow spared, and is (or is a relative of) the old wolf of Farron.
It is possible, I suppose, that the Chosen Undead merely fought Sif to submission. Once she was too tired to fight the Chosen Undead took Artorias’ Covenant.
The weapons made from Sif’s soul can be explained away as a game mechanics and not indicative of the actual story.
On the nuance of "wolf's blood master". While I agree completely with your conclusions but this may be of some importance. The name Sif is likely a mistranslation. The goddess myth really has nothing to do with the wolf, however in Japanese the wolf's named as the Great Grey Wolf (or Grey Direwolf) Shifu. Shifu is another term for master/teacher. On the Greatswords of Artorias. There are 3 versions in the game that I believe help with the linear development of his story. The "true" version is his original. Then he made a covenant with the creatures of the Abyss... like you say I doubt this was the Darkwraith covenant but still... who then? Artorias' covenant seems to be unique and represented solely thru his ring. Are there Abyss creatures that act different from Kaathe and co.? Velka?! This covenant not only allowed him to traverse the Abyss to face the 4 kings (and fail?? did he fail this as well?? or was his mission simply to decimate the darkwraith army), but it also "cursed" his sword so he was able to attack the ghosts that haunt New Londo as well. Finally, his Abyss Greatsword, we all know how this came to be. I like the idea that the Farron Followers, having lost their reason to be, found their way into the painting. But I feel there's more to it. Given the common theme of political intrigue throughout ds3, I think it's highly likely, that the alliance of the crystal sages had something to do with them leaving. They may have been lead into the painting intentionally to prevent them from becoming a deterring force for the Watcher's corruption. Or having wandered far away, this gave the Sages the space to make their move to ally with the Watchers. Either way, given Lothric's scheming to avoid kindling the first flame, I feel Lothric and co. anticipated the presence of the Abyss, or even intended to use it to aid their goals. Fearing the reaction of the Abyss Watchers, they had to come up with a way to avoid the threat. Now, back to Artorias and his strength of will (harking back to the exceptional will of Guts, his direct creative inspiration), consider the mechanics of the boss fight. Something about it doesn't add up. There isn't just one watcher consumed by the Abyss. They all are. But there is one with red eyes that stands out from the rest. I don't believe they are killing this one corrupt essence that jumps from watcher to watcher, stupidly killing each other. And why would the Abyss actively kill what it has already corrupted?? I believe this red-eyed watcher to be the spirit/will of Artorias himself, residing as an entity, lost inside the abyss, but maintaining some form through sheer will. Every time I fight this boss it's incredibly easy, I basically treat the red-eyed watcher as an ally and we wreak havoc. Artorias is attempting to overtake the corrupted watchers himself. Having destroyed the remaining bodies, the wolf-blood coalesces and unites them as one. At this moment they gesture with the Legion Etiquette, a gesture of honor, and in essence act as Sif once did, testing your skills to prove your strength for the coming task, taking down the corrupted kingdom that bested them. The Farron Greatsword describes their fighting style as a pack of wolves. They truly follow and honor the Direwolf Shifu.
I havent watched the video but the beginning was perfection
End song - Sheer will, jon bjork.
Always reminded me of the Forest temple from Legend of Zelda OoT
They could make a game based on this lore alone, which I would love. The legion is one of my favorite bosses from a lore standpoint. The fight is fun also, I just got my ass handed to me way too many times.
the Intro was epic
Does anyone else think Farron = Oolacile AND Londor.
Hear me out;
The symbol of Londor is found in Crucifixion Woods and on the pin of the torch-wielding Farron Followers.
The sorcerers of crucifixion woods and the Farron followers wear V-shaped capes like Sir Vilhelm of Londor.
Orbeck of Vinheim, False Lord of Londor, is found in Crucifixion Wood.
The Crystal Sages wear billed masks like the pardoners of Velka, the sealers of Velka, the Sable Sisters and the demon clerics.
Farron Followers are a pack of Hollows.
New Londo is proximal to Oolacile in DS1 (the sealed arch in Valley of Drakes is connected to oolacile/Darkroot and New Londo is across the bridge).
The Crucifixs and long necks of the Lycanthropes make them resemble pilgrims of Londor.
Darkwraiths are only found in Farron (apart from the one taken prisoner elsewhere)
[Good video, BTW, I love lore]
8:07 : "H"
00:14 is that an actual in-game gesture? If so, what gesture is it?
These guys are the reason I got into dark souls, they badass asf
Probably my favorite fight in ds3
The door has thre out line of abyss watchers on it. Most stylish boss I think I ever seen in a recent game zero function but would it be fashion souls w/o it lmao
Hardcore and dutiful. I wish these guys were found later in the game, to make the fight harder and with more resources.
I love DS3 whole feeling of sadness and melancholy.
Awesome video.
Maybe the "white cat" part was a reference not to Alvina's color but to her name. Alva/Alba might derive from a Latin word (Albus) that means "white" after all. She's gray, but her name might mean white,
Ah, that's a good point! =]
Any plans to do Demon’s Souls lore videos for the remake? I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.
4:43 maybe im reading a little too literally, but is that description making a distinction between a Watchdog of Farron and a Warrior of Farron as being two seperate beings? Or is it speaking solely as, while the group sleeps, a couple Warriors are tasked with Watch Duty?
I believe that the spirits are actual spirits or at least undead that guard the crusifiction woods. The watchdogs of farron also would kill any stragglers that the warriors left behind and these enemies in the woods are the undead that carry around the wood to build the cross that the creatures that are found there are mounted on, note that the creatures that are on the crosses the big bulky bois that have red eyes(most of them) and enemies that are corrupted by the abyss have these red eyes
I believe that it was the act of linking the flame that united their souls in legion
I have always been curious if there are other undead people aside from humans that are eventually reborn. The nameless king looks like a huge hollow if he can be undead maybe the knights of Gwyn are as well could explain fighting Ornstien multiple times if he is undead. I found it odd that Sif watches over Artorias grave why exactly? Maybe he puts Artorias down each time he rises in the way the Abyss watchers keep killing each other. It's a out there theory but the different races being succeptable to the curse could explain alot and old farron could be a hollow version of Sif.
Honestly I'd love to see a Dark Souls spinoff in the style of Fire Emblem (could have some unique mechanics), mainly to see the Undead Legion in action. Imagine your small army of like twenty units having to fight off the Undead Legion (50+ units) in a Fire Emblem type battle, I don't know about you but that shit sounds epic.
Honestly with the lore that's just the beginning of the types of battles a game like that could see, shame that'll never happen as I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
At the start I tought I was listening to Lachdanan from Diablo 1 :O
My favourite of the lords. WE ARE LEGION!!!
So I have an idea why they're bound by the wolve's blood, in blood borne blood replaces souls and acts relatively the same to how the wolve's blood works. In bloodborne blood replaces souls from dark souls, they work the exact same except blood is more potent (you seem to absorb traits of the traits from it's "donor")
Even the Hunters from bloodborne are affected, the game even starts with a blood transfusion
I really wish they expanded on the Farron sorcerers beyond just the Sage and Heysel.
Nice. You place to do vids on elder ring lore?
That's the plan! =]
While i enjoyed this, I think a constructive criticism should be made: Show the architectural similarities. It helps your narratives more rather than simply saying I've already showed in another video...these are remastered to be better than before, this would help them a lot.
This isn't a remastered video. Going into an explanation of something that's pretty common knowledge now and/or something I have a video covering takes away from the current video and forces another rabbit trail.
Really loved that intro
everything leads to the conclusion that we are Artorius of the abyss.... only 2 questions remain about this. one, why does siff fight us? and two, how do we fight ourselves? the second is most important to me. Is it that every living thing getting taken over by the abyss becomes mad? crazy mad not upset. and as a result of becoming crazy we fight ourselves? and only after winning this battle can we move on? if you have a video about this please let me know.
We are not literally artorious.
We are the one who defeated Manus, not Artorious. Because Artorious was corrupted by the abyss before he succeeded in his quest
Quality as ever
Thanks a bunch! =]
@@TheAshenHollow welcome
,have followed for a while now 2/3 years i think have always enjoyed the content ,
i think the reason they used wolf blood because siff was not affected by the abyss so they thought they wouldnt be affected if they entered the abyss with wolf blood on them
This was an amazing video and I loved learning everything I could about the undead legion am I actually part of the legion in my first playthgoe and I love it that was really good 😊
Thank you! 😊
What was the music at the end of the video
Wait, maybe "blood" is being used metaphorically and "the wolf's blood" is Artorias's kid, and he ended up being the first of the abyss watchers, is there any indication as to an offspring even?
Musician's name please14:14
Ahh Farron still gets some love. XD
Shame we never saw any of the Undead Legion Mages that could cast Farron Hail and the like.
Legends say that the follower's were such fanboys of the Abyss Watchers, they even copied their pointy hats...
The abyss won because they're easy to stagger. If only there was a ring that increased poise...
underrated comment
Does Velka has something to do with this also?
I made a comment earlier about how Farron = Oolacile + Londor.
Velka seems to be studied by the Sages and worshipped by the demon clerics.
There's also a ring of sacrifice in the Sages' keep in crux wood and the symbol of Londor is all over Farron keep.
2:55 Kaathe is a primordial serpent. These are not creatures of the abyss. Originally all primordial serpents were pro gwyn. Kaathe was a Forsworn in his kind
Correct me if I am wrong but you don't even need to do the abyss watchers to get the armor? Just kill dancer, get to lothric castle, kill oceiros and gundyr, done. Abyss watchers are nowhere in this path.
ETA. Unless the armor is only unlocked at dark shrine handmaid AFTER defeating the abyss watchers. Like I said, correct me if I am wrong please.
Damn I'm early and its for my abyss bros
And when the wolf blood dries up I beleive is when we beat the abyss watchers
the QST is who is that black wolf ?
is it siff after he died and his body was affected by the abyss ?
These guys made me rage quit way too many times but they are by far my favorite boss fight and made the fight enjoyable because of the lore and badass swordplay.
The subtitles said "The Biss walkers"
with artorias being from the abyss and Iudex being corrupted by the abyss do you think they could have any ties?
No
So a friend told me about a game called remnant from the ashes its like a dark souls shooter game. Played it but since i know you are a lore expert help me figuring out the story.
Good stuff
Glad you enjoyed!
One of my favorite bosses
So did they burn their own souls augmented with the wolf soul, or did they burn the wold soul augmented by theirs? Is that why the old greybwolf is unresponsive. Its alive and unhollowed but had its soul burned?
This is a good video, don’t get me wrong, but what about their martial arts?
They have eaten the blood just like Gael did with the pygmies. Remember when we slay him, we get the Blood of The Dark Soul.. It's a possibility.
That's definitely a possibility! =D
What is this outtro sound it’s gas
Come home undeads,abyss is calling.We have Artorias the abyss flipper, dark yeeter Midir, Manus anus and many more.What else could you wish for? come join us and fall to the abyss. May the abyss guide thee!
Im sorry if this is a dumb question, but multiple times in this video he refers to Sif as "She". I always assumed Sif was a male. Is there any confirmed lore where Sif is given a gender, male or female?
Would be curious to hear this as well
There's nothing that confirms the gender of the wolf to my knowledge. But Dark Souls often references all kinds of mythologies, and Sif is a goddess in Norse mythology. So I've always just called the wolf "she" in those regards! =]
Most people: "Abyss Watchers are so edgy, jeez."
Lore nerds: "Abyss Watchers are great heroes who put others before themselves, just like Artorias was."
Me: "Hehe, cape go swish."
The Ashen Hollow: They are edgy heroes, woo hoo!