Hi guys, firstly: thank you so much for watching the content and interacting, these interactions will be the bedrock of a (hopefully) soon to be thriving community. Some Minor Corrections that do not change the rankings: 1. Some of you are right to point out that Smough is not a member of Gwyn's order of Knights. 2. Gwyn's title prior to kindling the first flame was 'the lord of sunlight' 3. Kalameet does in fact have a normal pair of eyes in addition to his middle eye.
Hello Bestie (that is what I'm going to call you) First of all great video, very well researched and put together! I liked how you truly put into perspective how strong and graceful as well as bombastic and legendary some of the entities in DS1 are, even after knowing them for so long . Keep going! I am definetely very stoked about your upcoming video about dark souls 2 bosses!!
Other corrections 1. Nito's power is dismissed significantly due to the undead curse 2. The reason havel started a rebellion was because one of the maiden seath expermented on and killed was havels lover.
Great video, but for future reference: Smough was denied the rank of Knight due to his cannibalistic and savage nature. Gwyns knights include Gough, Ornstein, Artorias and Ciaran, so Gough would be the largest of the 4.
Yeah he consumed people without care unlike the gods. The gods don't like that he's changing the laws of things which is why they never made him a Knight
I thought that Gwyn was originally known as the Lord of Sunlight, but after the fire began to fade and he sacrificed most or all of his soul to the first flame he became known as the Lord of Cinder. He fell from wielding the power of the sun itself to the power of the fading remains of fire.
True enough he spread it out to others to the point that the shards given to Seath and the 4 kings can be recognize as the actual soul of light the same as the soul of chaos and the other lord soul.
Lord of cinder is more of a thematic reveal of what linking the fire actually is. But Ig how the lore is expanded in ds3 the lords of cinder are anyone who kindles the flame with their soul
@@christianpecina8443Yeah, Gwyn was Lord of Sunlight in life, but when you link the fire you become ash, who are Lords of Cinder by default. Which means Gwyn essentially lost his title due to his sacrifice.
@@ye7625The Lord soul of the witch and Nito are also severely depleted by the time of DS1(The witch use most of her power to create and sustain Chaos flame while Nito use most of his power to sustain death)
@@theodorsebastian4272 Which is interesting to think about since everyone goes about how gwyn is a shadow of his former self when we enter the kiln when that was already true before we find him in that state In truth the Gwyn we see is just a shadow of a shadow of his former self since thats the Gwyn who already gave away all his power. Its insane to think that a depleted Gwyn could still sustain the first flame for a thousand year.
He also overestimated Artorias in a bit of a fanboyish way, by saying he Is no match for Ornstein AND Smough together, while I think It's open for debate who Is stronger between him and Ornstein alone.
@@Marsonis2yathe video isn’t about the fight in the game itself, it’s about how powerful they are in the world lore wise. The fight has nothing to do with it
The thing about Bell Gargoyles, Is that they weren't meant to be an actual threat, but more of a First test for the candidates to become chosen undead. So they were probably on the weaker side on purpose, while intimidating enough to make the candidates think they were going against a Great foe, in Order to push the candidates to become stronger
@@elquecodelaobscuridad5681this was my first souls game... Hated game at first cause I was terrible the gargoyles beat me to point I gave up... Year later heard a lot ppl liked the game and gave it another shot and begun journey to git gud making past skills seem like different person being elden ring vet now... I'm hear now because I've been bored for awhile when I thought crossed my mind.... "The fire fades"
@@Baumkuchen425no, he eventually became a knight. DS3 mentions his past as an executioner, implying that he moved beyond his cannibalistic ways and achieved his dream of becoming a knight.
@@will2brown50I always theorized that Smough eventually became Aldrich. Because we know that Ornstein eventually abandons his post guarding the cathedral to go in search of the nameless king, and Smough likely hoped that by staying loyal to his duty would be rewarded with knighthood. But we also know that he was largely denied this because of his cannibalism which is why he’s so big, and his savagery. So either he transcended his nature and was finally rewarded, or he just devoured the remaining gods and anyone else and declared himself a knight. I’ve always felt like it was the latter, that after so many countless centuries of loyalty and service to basically be told you’ll never be worthy of being knight because of your nature. I imagine he would eventually go hollow, or just forsake his position to exact his revenge against the gods by devouring them.
@@jordanlowe7097 The descriptions of Smoughs set say he was the last Knight at his post, meaning he both became a Knight and was the last man standing.
I think it is widely accepted that the Ornstein and Smough we fight in Anor Londo are part of an illusion, which is why the two of them did not canonically die in that encounter.
There is something that helps support the Taurus and Capra's strength, being that the undead merchant mentions that they set up home in the Undead Burg somewhat recently, meaning that they had to actually make the journey up from the Demon Ruins, through Blighttown and the Depths to finally make it up there. As someone who went through 4 new game cycles before figuring out the waterwheel wasn't just decoration, I know the strength that journey takes.
@@Zard0nsame question, wtf? Haha. I have NEVER gone backwards through Blightown. Well once, but I was ridiculously broken, endgame build, I just wanted to see the door from the other side lol.
I never thought about how powrerful the Bed of Caos was. Its sad that From Software rushed it the entire area and boss. Could be a incredible boss battle.
Really nice vid! The Gaping Dragon might be one of Seath's failed attempts of bringing the ancient dragons back to life, since there's a Channeler in close proximity, seemingly protecting the dragon by buffing it during the fight. On the other hand, it might as well be some lost ancient dragon that is being researched by Seath. I like the first theory since as the journey of the Chosen Undead unfolds, Seath is already in possession of "immortality" and I feel like he'd have no further interest in such research.
Nah the developers confirmed that it turned out like that out of hunger during an interview. It escaped to the depths after dragons lost the war, since the food was so scarce there it mutated and its mouth grew bigger and bigger to make it easier to find food.
It's an ancient dragon or a direct descendant, but after disparity like sickness and hunger appeared along with the First Flame, it got twisted and warped to the beast we find in the Depths.
Seath is merely keeping gaping alive to study it as it's one of the only links he had to the everlasting dragons, and he needs to use that to gain immortality that isn't linked to a fragile crystal. The channeler is there to ensure the gaping dragons survival should anything choose to have challenged it.
The Abyss watchers are my favorite The legend of Artorios inspired an entire army to follow in his steps. Without knowing Artorios fell to the dark, they also fell to the dark. But when we find them their killing each other trying to fight the Abyss
DS1 is incredible for so many reasons, but something I love about all the souls games is how most of the bosses aren't traditional bosses. We never do fight someone at the peak of their power. We fight cripples and husks. A gargoyle without a tail, the children of Iszaleth all crippled and heavily disfigured, a dragon without scales, demons desperate to product ruins, a malformed dragon barely able to function, 2 knights long out of their prime, a dog that doesn't even want to truly fight us, a prince born crippled, a knight consumed by darkness with 1 working arm, a necromancer after a horrible experiment gone wrong, the lord of death after years of slumber forced to defend itself... Even Gwyne, as close to a God as possible, who ruled a city of demi gods who countless years and could strike immortal dragons down with a single cast of his spells, is just a husk. A shambling corpse attacking the player by reflex.. This theme extends throughout the games. Especially when it comes to kings and other things that are idealized in traditional fantasy like knights an dragons
Ornstein is supposed to be higher in ranks than Artorias, as he was the Captain of the Four Knights of Gwyn (source: Ornstein's Armor). Therefore, there is evidence suggesting that Ornstein is more powerful. Artorias was just sent to the Abyss because he had the best equipment for such task, and Ornstein was not available at the moment, either busy protecting Gwynevere, or seeking the Nameless King.
Higher ranks can just be recognized as prestige and renown rather than the suggestion that one of higher rank is more powerful. While I can understand why you could think Ornstein is more powerful than Artorias, there’s not really much information in game to suggest that it is fact. Artorias has better showings in story and even though he lost his battle against Manus, his endurance is greater than most characters throughout the whole series. So taking this into account, I think Artorias should have the title as strongest knight of Gwyn. But it’s definitely a toss up between both Artorias and Ornstein.
@@AskwhoQi mean yah i a straight up 1v1 but the other Knights are cracked in other ways, Ciaran could assassinate someone like that* and Gough could snipe you out of existence
Maybe, but artorias is praised as a legendary warrior throughout the game likely due to his unmatched swordsmanship, also might be thr reason why he was chosen to fight the dark
@@ricecake3544 Artorias was chosen simply because he had experience with it before via New Londo, and also because, as I have said, his eq was the best for this task (Covenant of Artorias, his shield). If the danger was more Dragon-related, I am 100% sure Ornstein would be chosen for this task instead. And while Artorias was the best swordsman, Ornstein was the best spearman in Gwyn's ranks. And there is a reason Ornstein is THE Captain of the Four Knights, and I doubt it was because of his loyalty to the cause, which he most likely betrayed along with Havel and Nameless King, for which he was punished by being bound to protect the abandoned Cathedral in Anor Londo.
His cloning powers are beyond impressive too, considering he himself is a clone of the Stray Demon! Unfortunately he is naturally witless, as most demons are, as he happened to clone the weakness to fire as well!
incredible ranking. I only really have two complaints that others haven't really said yet, one being that Priscilla is above Nito, as I'd say he wouldn't have been exiled due to how much he contributed to the beginning of the Age of Fire, and how he clearly acted as an ally, and the full might of a Lord Soul eclipses everything else in the series, which easily could've dissuaded Gwyn from making a potential enemy of him by exiling him. Another is Ornstein and Smough being ranked together, though that's a much smaller nitpick, I just would've liked to see them ranked individually. And then there's Manus being referred to as the Furtive Pygmy, which I don't quite agree with, but that's an entirely personal view on an intensely vague subject, so no real problem. Still, wonderful job. Very deep understanding of the lore, and an incredible job explaining it in such an easily understandable, entertaining way. Felt like a third of the amount of time it actually ran for, that's how engaging it was. Editing is spectacular too, I can't wait to see the next ones. Also, good luck with DS2, with how much of a shitshow some of those bosses are
You're doing my boy Pinwheel dirty. Imagine how powerful you would be if you could wear 3 magical masks and 6 magic rings? He was actually wearing two Calamity Rings just to make it a fair fight.
Actually Nito is diminished as well. I think it's his soul that claims Nito offered most of his power to Death before laying in rest. And that's before both his occult power and the Rite of kindling were stolen from him. What he is, far as I can tell, is the only great lord fully sane. Frampt describes the holders of the Lord Souls as "having gone mad or outlived their usefulness"; I assume the latter refers to Nito, seen as he is the only one among them never described as having been corrupted or gone crazy.
I believe that the Ornstein that we fight is actually an illusion, since the real Ornstein left to find the Nameless King, Gwyndolin was forced to create an illusion of Ornstein to keep Smough and others from leaving. Ornstein was also the leader of the four knights, which doesn’t really make sense, since Artorias was given more dangerous tasks, but whatever. The real Ornstein would most likely be more powerful than Artorias.
@abuckarooboyo7104 Yes, but we know much like Vendrick, Gwyn valued strength in his warriors above all else. Especially against the unstoppable force that was the everlasting Dragons, which are far and above the power of anything in the abyss. To Gwyn, it was 50/50 if Artorias could beat Manus and overcome the Abyss. To face off with the everlasting dragons, he even joined forces with the Furtive Pygmy. The Everlasting Dragons are a much clearer threat in this world, and Ornstein being capable of slaying them and being made Captain of Gwyns Four Knights, speaks volumes
@@EeveeDazedI think Artorias was stronger, he too was weakened when we fought him. Manus is the biggest thread right now, so sending Artorias speaks volumes. Is Ornstein known as a dragonslayer or archdragonslayer?
@@EeveeDazed artorias was stronger but he didn't become the leader of the four knights because of his kindness. His propension to sacrifice himself to protect the others was not something that a leader should do. This is why he wasn't chosen to be the leader. We can see this when he sealed sif to protect him and fight manus alone. Plus Artorias Ciaran and the archer( i think his name was Gough but I am not sure) were great friends so he would not have been able to lead them in battle. In fact after we defeat Artorias Ciaran asks us for his soul back.
Artorias in the game is heavily wounded and nerfed in the fight . Legit only failed cause he wanted to protect sif, Artorias is left handed fighter as shown that get special skills when using it in left hand and creator making him same as guts. Artorias in game fights mannus, then chosen undead with his off hand that’s broken . I think shows the sheer will power alongside strength given as he fought as one man army
Finally, someone who gives Priscilla the recognition she deserves. She's basically this game's Gloam-Eyed Queen and her boss fight is a joke (the most dangerous thing she has is the glitch when you insta-kill her), and let's not talk about what the sequels do with the character...
Dont forget that when we fight corrupted Artorius, he was using the sword in his right hand which is his off hand. This lore coming from the Majestic Greatsword from DS2.
Thank you for mentioning it too, man’s talking about how he’s taking the current state of the boss into account and then not talking about artorius having his dominant hand unusable
Fantastic video! Loved your narration and how clear it made things I normally wouldn't think about or notice, like how the Asylum Demon rekt the first NPC that you interact with
Kalameet was stated by Gough that not even Anor Londo would dare challenge him. Correct me if I'm wrong but Anor Londo at that time was at the height of its power (minus Artorias of course). That's many gods and Lord Soul carriers that are hiding behind their walls rather than taking him on.
This is a very nice video! I'd be interested to see you remake this in a couple years time when you've gone even deeper within the lore and seen some of the details differently. Because Dark Souls can be such an enigma at times some things stated as fact in this video are either not the case or disputed. Not to many things though, so that'll make it interesting.
I was about to comment on Smough’s mislabeling, but it seems I’m late to the party on that one. However, it looks like no one has beat me to the very minor correction that we don’t find Ornstein’s corpse in DS3, we just find his armor. There’s no actual body under the item sprite. I believe it’s because he cast off his armor to undergo his transformation into a dragon or dragon-kin in order to more appropriately serve his Nameless King.
Excellent video, very informative. This was a great summarization of the many aspects of the game that I have previously learned about, as well as a bunch of information that I have missed! I love the amount of detail in this series :)
Despite splitting his soul into fragments and feeding it to the first flame for who knows how long, the model for gwyns soul is still the strongest looking soul in appearance, truly showing that even weakened he was a powerful deity like figure
This was an extremely well done video. A couple of bits of lore were a little off but that's honestly minimal. Really enjoyed this. Looking foreword to watching the DS2 one :)
Really great video! Loved the way you went into detail with each boss. Would love to see more this with the other souls games, you’ve earned yourself a sub!
Dude, you get it. Your knowledge of the subject matter, and subsequently your takes on it, are incredibly well thought out and delivered in such a digestible manner! Keep it up g (Good luck with DS2, that’s gonna be a behemoth 😅)
Well, technically we know what lifehunt is, a sorcery in dark souls 3 named lifehunt scythe (sounds familiar? 😂) gives the user the capacity to damage the enemy and heal yourself with that, it was first used by Aldrich (known as the devourer of gods probably because he had lifehunt to help him) and later by the protagonist of dark souls 3, so we can asume Priscilla using lifehunt could just rob the life of her foes to heal herself, being almost inmortal
Lifehunt originally was a very strong bleed damage, 50% instead of 30% health. Both lifesteal and bleed are related to the dark (dark hand and profaned coal) As for whether Yhorshka uses it, I dont think so. One, she isnt a fighter. The "pale girl" is also in hiding, wheras she is in a prison tower.
knowing the lore its easy to say that the most 2 powerfull beings of the series will be third phase Gael and midir or manus as the abyss is the most powerfull force
@@franciscopavez7874 Manus is one of thousands of the little fragments that made Gael. Midir ate the spawn of it for breakfast. They both have that in common, in fact. They curbstomp anyone else. Manus would be two chomps or slashes for Gael or Midir before he'd be like chickenfeed for them Only Yhorm would lore wise come close. Maybe prime Lorian too. Prime Lorian isn't talked about enough. He singlehandedly slew the Demon Prince, who is the inheritor of ALL of demonkind's power. The same force that repelled Gwyn and his entire army like it was nothing. Lorian beat it by himself. Dude is a beast! And Yhorm was so powerful that he had to give the only weapons that could harm him to his people and his immortal friend just so he could be made to return to his duty since there was no way in hell he was getting beat otherwise.
This is my comment before watching the video, but lorewise i feel like Manus is the strongest. He bested Artorias, he can affect time directly, he corrupted Oolacile completely. I can't think of another DS1 boss who has the same level of feats as him.
Oh man, I was hoping this videos were a few weeks old so I could watch the DS2 video. But I am fortunate enough to arrive here earlier and watch this masterpiece. Great video man, I was rooting for seeing Priscila lower but damn, there was so much thins I didn't know about the game. Ly man, keep the good work up.
I can agree or at least accept the logic behind all of these choices. Crossbreed Priscilla is definitely a tough one, as she bears little overall importance to the player narrative, but everything about her lore-wise represents her as one of the greatest threats to the rule of the gods. A child of both Man and dragon, her latent occult powers, her affiliation to Velka and her forced exile. Oh - any chance of a compiled DS I-III boss strength ranking down the line?
About Ornstein and Smough: The lore is that Ornstein was one of the 4 knights of Gwyn (Ornstein, Ciaran, Gough and Artorias) and Smough was some executioner as powerful as the others but denied of being a knight because he ate people that he killed. When we fight them in Anor Londo, Ornstein has already left to find the Nameless King (a dragon-slaying god) and only Smough remains to defend the castle(as his armor states in ds3). That Ornstein we fight is an illusion, probably made by Gwyndolin.
Didn't play DS1, but I played Sekiro, Elden Ring and I just started DS3. I hope you make videos about these 3 when it comes to power ranking lore-wise.
Not saying he isn't strong, but it only took a blind Gough to severely cripple him. Could be that Anor londo simply didn't want more casualties when the war against the dragons was pretty much over.
The ancient dragons were bodied by the gods and their armies. Kalameet just got lucky. A single ancient dragon isn't a threat to anyone approaching the level of gods lmao. And there's no way he ranks above Artorias or Ornstein.
Kalameet has also been affected by being near the abyss (weakening him in some ways), hence why his scales aren't stone, and looks similar to the dogs you find elsewhere in oolacile.
This guy's voice reminds me so strongly of the announcer of Elden Ring, getting more and more hype-man as the video goes on and the foes under discussion get more and more legendary! I'm not interested in contesting the rankings at all - I'm feeling like jumping up outta my chair and pumping my arms in the air!
For kalimet, he never avoided anor londos wrath, they avoided his, gogh says they didn't dare risk his ire. Also, nitos souls states he offered much of its power to death itself, so he's not really at his prime either, and is just administrating death across the world.
I can easily see this channel blowing up in the following months, and I am here for it. Great content, interesting perspectives, and a tremendous amount of time, care, and effort. Keep up the good work dude, can't wait to se the other games covered!
Greetings! This is an interesting, well-defending, and intelligent ranking! I only have minor disagreements, and they're more 'this is how I see it' than any sort of claim that I'm right and you're wrong. -I might rank Asylum Demon higher than Stray Demon. Stats-wise, of course, it's no contest: The Stray demon is literally, objectively, more powerful--more HP, hits harder, etc. In terms of lore, though, I think we're supposed to discount that. The Asylum Demon was given a title, a rank, and told "Keep the undead here." He's the Asylum Watcher. Whereas the Stray Demon is just someone lurking in the bowels of the Asylum, not given any prestige or responsibility. My assumption is that, if in game lore, the Stray Demon was more powerful, it would have usurped the Asylum Demon's position. -I'd rank Gwyndolin a bit lower in the ranks, but only if we define 'strength' as 'combat strength'. His illusion magic is incredibly powerful--he's pretty much running the entire show of Anor Londo, the true 'person behind the curtain'. However, Gwyn was disappointed with Gwyndolin, considering him (rightly or wrongly) a weakling. His power is based more on deception, manipulation, and illusion, than raw combat power. His preference is to lurk behind the shadows, and indeed his main combat strategy involves retreating. I'm going on the assumption that if someone like Ornstein, Queelaag, or the Firesage, actually got next to Gwyndolin in an arena with no illusions or exit, they'd shred him quite quickly. -Bed of Chaos: My instinct is to say she's much lower on the list. Where she is now, she's trapped in a form, relatively powerless, a husk of her former self. She can't really do much any more. I'd think the #2 spot would be more appropriate for the Witch of Izalith than the Bed of Chaos, similar to how Gwyn would be #1 if encountered 500 years ago instead of today. -Seath the Scaleless: I was going to disagree and rank him lower, but nope, you're spot on. I was going to rank him lower by saying "He survived by capitulating to Gwyn intsead of fighting," but it's just as valid to say that "Gwyn survived by working out a treaty with Seath instead of fighting." -Sadly, I'd have to rank Sif lower. Sif is amazing and beautiful, but still generally considered just a wolf in lore. A powerful one, an intelligent one, and an exemplary warrior, but still with only four legs, a blade-gripping mouth, etc. No magic powers. I have to assume that the Demon Firesage, for example, would shred poor Sif. -Likewise, I'd argue for bumping Demon Firesage up a few notches. He's an example of a demon Gone Right--maintaining sanity, free will, and the ability to train and hone its power. The above are pretty minor nitpicks. All in all, I think this list is amazing, and I look forward to more content from you! I have to confess, I actually like DS2 more than DS1. Edit: I just now saw the rest of your content, and saw there's a DS2 list. Looking forward to viewing that one! I do find myself thinking: How much higher would the Lost Sinner rank if her hands weren't shackled?
Good video structure. English subtitles are a very good and easy way to make the viewer’s viewing experience better. If possible, could you speak less explosive and more one-tone or monotone. Lore videos for souls-like games require such a form of commentation. Great channel in the making here!
Hey, thanks for the comment. While I agree English subtitles are a wholly good thing, I refuse to speak “monotone”, I take pride in my script and the subject matter despite the consensus of what a souls like lore video is supposed to sound like. Thanks again for the comment!
i agree voice tone sounds over the top making it sound too dramatic. and i think "script" and sound of speaking are very different things you should look up those word's meaning.
Honestly Priscilla is surprisingly terrifying despite being one of if not the nicest beings in the setting, her raw unrefined and unaugmented potential was enough for the gods to jail her and yet she could brake her shackles at any time, imagine what she could accomplished if trained and honed or even if she had a proper warrior nature instead of her sweet and kind demeanor. I wouldn’t be surprised if her theoretical peak is higher than Gwyn’s or even mighty enough to change destiny itself and accomplish what Gwyn couldn’t (Though knowing Dark Souls it would probably be at a great cost, but still)
Great list, but Gwyn was one of the strongest characters in Dark Souls history. The Top 15 bosses should be. 1. Manus, Father of the Abyss 2. Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight 3. Bed of Chaos 4. Gravelord Nito 5. Crossbreed Priscilla 6. Four Kings 7. Black Dragon Kalameet 8. Artorias the Abysswalker (Objectively stronger than Havel) 9. Seath the Scaleless (Havel The Rock was said to be gaining power strong enough to kill Seath, so that's why Havel was locked up) 10. Dark Sun Gwyndolin 11. Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough 12. Demon Firesage (Has more abilities and hax than Sif the Wolf) 13. Great Grey Wolf Sif 14. Chaos Witch Quelagg 15. Ceaseless Discharge
Illusory Wall (one of the main deep divers into the ins and outs of this game since it came out) pointed out something that many people often overlook when "theorising and fantasizing" about the lore. Most things are written as perceived by the people of the setting it takes in. Every piece of reference of item descriptions and dialogue mention Kalameet as a one eyed dragon, he clearly isn't if you zoom in into his face. But the people of Oolacile and Lordran view him as so. Things can often be overlooked or misunderstood.
There’s a Zulie the Witch video showing it off, but actually the all the ancient dragon models we have only have a single eye like Kalameet. The models usually just have a nose shaped structure in front of it, in that the eye have a line that makes the appear as if it has two.
I’m just gonna put my personal ranking here 1. Gwyn (being the 1st Lord of Cinder as well as the fact that his power is still very high even among the gods) 2. Manus (The Father of the Abyss who defeated Artorias and corrupted Oolacile, as well as the Abyss being the thing Gwyn is most fearful of since it would bring the age of dark) 3. Bed of Chaos (Witch of Izalith who summoned the demons of Lordran as well as being the originator of pyromancy) 4. Nito (God of death and was able to cast plagues to kill dragons and now rules over the dead) 5. Kalameet (Ancient Dragon who was powerful enough that even Anor Londo dare not provoke him fearing his status as a calamity symbol) 6. Seath The originator of sorcery as well as an ancient dragon who figured out a new way of immortality. 7. 4 Kings another lord soul who reside in the abyss and rule over new Londo that gwyn felt threatened enough to flood it rather than fight the dark wraiths. 8. Artorias (Was the most capable of fighting the Abyss and was able to fend it off up until Manus and grew stronger after it corrupted him.) 9. Priscilla (Has Lifehunt as well as being half dragon and half god who was feared enough to be sealed in the painting) 10. Gwyndolin (child of Gwyn who’s responsible for the sunlight in Anor Londo as well as the illusion of Gwynyvere the Large knights and Ornstein and Smough guarding the lord vessel. 11. Sif (Fended off any Undead who dare try to rob her masters grave and aids the chosen undead vs Manus.) 12. O&S (O is an illusion but S is an executioner who was strong enough to be a knight of Gwyn) 13. Reskin firesage (As lazy as the design is his lore brings him up higher via the fact that he is one of the strongest pyromancers and demons due to his close proximity to the Witch) 14. Qualagg (daughter of the Witch who became a half lava spider who doesn’t wish to harm others but does so to protect qualana but still wields powerful pyromancy) 15. Ceaseless Discharge (As funny as his name is once u put it together he is also a chaos kid who was born oozing fire and responsible for the lava in the demon ruins 16. Iron Golem (A Golem made to sit atop Sens Fortress to stop anyone wanting to reach Anor Londo) 17. Gaping Dragon (An ancient Dragon that resides in the depths who became so hungry he became a giant mouth so is likely weaker than all other dragons due to starvation.) 18. Stray Demon (The warden of the undead asylum and was considered a higher ranking demon who also had magic at its disposal) 19. Centipede Demon (A demon that was created when the orange charred ring was dropped into lava and his massive size and ability for his additional centipedes to also fight.) 20. Pinwheel (As much of a joke that he is to fight him stealing secrets from Nito and his magic is impressive) 21. Sanctuary Guardian (He is a lion that guards a sanctuary and a possible 1st line defense v the abyss) 22. Gargoyles (They were entrusted with protecting the 1st bell of awakening and were successful until the MC pulls up) 23. Capra Demon (Is a middle ranking demon with 2 dogs) 24. Taurus Demon (A low tier demon taken prisoner to protect Undead Burg) 25. Asylum Demon (Is the 1st real test for the Chosen Undead and is the same rank as Taurus demon since he doesn’t have the stray demons magic) 26. Moonlight Butterfly (failed Seath experiment w 3 slow sorceries.)
A dog stronger than smough?😕 i doubt it bruv. Also anyways if it's a 1on1 illusion that is AS strong as ornestein that alone puts him on the level of artorias, but it's O&S...
When we get to dark souls 3 I'd say gael is probably the overall strongest out of the 3 games. Namely because he's the being we fight who's the closest to having a fully complete lord soul, and the one counter to the strongest one(light soul). Gael has 99.999999999999999% of the dark soul he just needs your last bit. The four kings and seathe had fragments of gwyns light soul. Nito had a fair amount of his power stolen pre fight. The witch was killed/turned into a bug. None of those 4 were at full strength. Gael however very clearly is, or is at least, as full as possible.
Would you put Gael above the soul of cinder? It’s the total embodiment of all those who have linked it in the past. For me it’s a toss up, I see both arguments being valid. My heart says cinder, but my mind says Gael
On the contrary, the Bed of Chaos was more powerfull than the witch ever was, that state of bug was an ascension (a partially failed one because it went out of control, but still an ascension), just like we become some bug at the end of Bloodborn when we ascend.
@@niels8143 Good point. I'd argue tbe bed is the biggest "gameplay over lore" fight as what it can do in lore is bigger than what it can do ingame. Or the damn thing is just really squishy lore wise too being a soft core a soft center hidden in a near unkillable fortress
@@Knifedog212Soul of Cinder is just an collection of Cinder though(Depleted remnants of linker) he should be fair bit weaker than DS1 Lords in their prime.
Small correction: smough is not one of the 4 knights(who were ormstein, Cyaran, Artorias and Gough) indeed he doesn't have a ring of his own because he was considered a monster and lacked in rationality. About ormstein there are 2 theories: we fight the real ornstein in DS1 and DS3 is another possible timeline where he decided not to stay and went in search of his master the nameless king and this explains the corrupted ornstein in ds2 who failed and got touched by the dark on the way there; the second theory which is my preferred one is that ornstein decided to leave because he knew that all was lost and wanted to seek is commander so he split his soul and put it in a golem with is resemblance to be the guard with smough(who he probably despised like everyone else) and we defeat only a fraction of his power and this ties to the fact that in the first dark souls every canon boss is not at full strength/went insane(a canon boss kill is a mandatory one or a DLC one) and explains the second ornstein in DS2 that is another fraction or the rest of the same one we find in ds1(or just an experiment of Aldia), this also explains why when he absorbs smough it gets bigger because it isn't a living shell just a soul in an armour.
Since we find Ornsteins armor in DS3 in the realm of the Nameless King, wouldn't that imply that he did in fact find the first son? Finding the dragon slayer in DS2 could be either an imposter, or a fraction of his soul as you suggested
@@TheMasterblah the "time is convoluted" shit is the way of Miyazaki of doing whatever. For example he confirmed that Solaire linked the fire in his world but that is not possible if we have only 1 timeline and you link the fire. So could possibly be true that in DS2 we fight a ornstein who failed but I still think that we fight ornstein golem v1 in ds1, v2 in DS2 and the Dragonslayer armors we find in ds3 are ornstein v3 serialized(thanks to the researches of vendrik and Aldia I suppose) meanwhile the real ornstein died in archdragon peak
Amazing Video! Looking forward to the ds2 video, I hope that you will continue with this format and go through the entire franchise, would be really cool to see!
Too small to be making videos this good, you'll hit 100k in no time if you pump out content like this. You should do all from soft games, from the souls franchise (including demon souls) to sekiro, bloodbourne... hell armored core if your into it!! One more video and I bet you can monetize yourself😅 keep it up my friend, you earned my sub
I don't think Gwyn's desperation for the Age of Fire was entirely selfish. Selfishness may have been there at some places, sure-- you have to remember though, he was a king. Gwyn was the king and leader of everything, and the mastermind behind the defeat of the oppressive dragons. Sure an argument can be made that the dragons weren't entirely evil (given the defection of his firstborn), but we clearly see humanity is low and hides from the dragons before the lord souls are found. In any case, everything from man, to beast, to plants; all flourished under the Age of Fire, and a king would do anything for his people to prosper. His branding of humanity was a massive misstep, but just look at what a jealous humanity was capable of-- corrupting the quiet Abyss, into a festering force that's so hungry it can't even see other humans as anything but a target. A king would see his subjects, and Gwyn undoubtedly saw this greed in the hearts of men (Patches sure does), and Gwyn feared it. A true king, in fear for the well-being of his people, would do anything to keep such a greed from taking over, even something as rash as stopping it by attempted force... or sacrificing even himself to keep the age alive. I simply find it very unlikely that Gwyn was just selfishly grasping for power. He was the strongest, he knew it, and had every right to put himself on top. A king would do anything to keep his people flourishing, and a fool grasping for power would do anything for themself alone. Gwyn gave up portions of his power to everyone during his reign, and ultimately everything he had left, in the end. Whether he gave it up to keep the world in a state he saw as perfect, or to keep the world from the greed he saw in the hearts of humanity, we aren't sure, but no one can convince me that someone who only wants to be in control would give up all his power and burn himself into nothing. Just think about it-- if Gwyn never branded humanity; just let the First Flame dwindle into nothing and let the age of dark come naturally, who's to say he wouldn't still have his soul and his power? He could still have ruled as the brightest light in the darkness; kept his reign as ruler and been in control. Instead, while again the branding was a misstep, his choice was to ultimately sacrifice all he had for the sake of everyone else; like a true king. I truly believe all the "selfish Gwyn" hate is misinterpreted. It doesn't really make sense, and I believe the story of Dark Souls 1 through 3 is meant to get us to believe we are the underdog, fighting against the oppression of Gwyn; only until the end when we see dark souls in The Ringed City and realize maybe we aren't the good guys at all... "Every age, it seems, is tainted by the greed of men... maybe it's just the way we are." - Patches the Unbreakable
One of my favorite theories about pinwheel is that we never actually killed him, just another one of his puppets. I believe hawkshaw made a video on it
46:32 there are actually 4 lord souls, the life soul (witch of Izalith), the death soul (Nito), the light soul (Gwyn) and the dark soul (the furtive pygmy)
Small side note for the Gaping dragon. Many people (Including myself) made the connection to Seath being somewhat responsible for it's transformation due to the presence of a Channeler in the depths Not to mention that it's said that it was transformed by its desire to feed so if you connect the dots it makes sense that Seath would despise a royal descendant of the dragons malforming it's body into a giant maw reflecting its desire to eat
Hi guys, firstly: thank you so much for watching the content and interacting, these interactions will be the bedrock of a (hopefully) soon to be thriving community.
Some Minor Corrections that do not change the rankings:
1. Some of you are right to point out that Smough is not a member of Gwyn's order of Knights.
2. Gwyn's title prior to kindling the first flame was 'the lord of sunlight'
3. Kalameet does in fact have a normal pair of eyes in addition to his middle eye.
are you going to, or have already, going to do a video like this on the other Fromsoft games?
Hello Bestie (that is what I'm going to call you) First of all great video, very well researched and put together! I liked how you truly put into perspective how strong and graceful as well as bombastic and legendary some of the entities in DS1 are, even after knowing them for so long . Keep going! I am definetely very stoked about your upcoming video about dark souls 2 bosses!!
cool video man, more plz!!!
This was a nice video! Can you do this but with NPCs? Base on the lore?
Other corrections
1. Nito's power is dismissed significantly due to the undead curse
2. The reason havel started a rebellion was because one of the maiden seath expermented on and killed was havels lover.
Great video, but for future reference: Smough was denied the rank of Knight due to his cannibalistic and savage nature. Gwyns knights include Gough, Ornstein, Artorias and Ciaran, so Gough would be the largest of the 4.
B
However, i have also heard many people call Gough 'Go' 😅
Yeah he consumed people without care unlike the gods. The gods don't like that he's changing the laws of things which is why they never made him a Knight
Wondering if I should bother commenting this 😂
@@barkuz8864uhhhhhhh huh???
I thought that Gwyn was originally known as the Lord of Sunlight, but after the fire began to fade and he sacrificed most or all of his soul to the first flame he became known as the Lord of Cinder. He fell from wielding the power of the sun itself to the power of the fading remains of fire.
True enough he spread it out to others to the point that the shards given to Seath and the 4 kings can be recognize as the actual soul of light the same as the soul of chaos and the other lord soul.
Lord of cinder is more of a thematic reveal of what linking the fire actually is. But Ig how the lore is expanded in ds3 the lords of cinder are anyone who kindles the flame with their soul
@@christianpecina8443Yeah, Gwyn was Lord of Sunlight in life, but when you link the fire you become ash, who are Lords of Cinder by default. Which means Gwyn essentially lost his title due to his sacrifice.
@@ye7625The Lord soul of the witch and Nito are also severely depleted by the time of DS1(The witch use most of her power to create and sustain Chaos flame while Nito use most of his power to sustain death)
@@theodorsebastian4272 Which is interesting to think about since everyone goes about how gwyn is a shadow of his former self when we enter the kiln when that was already true before we find him in that state In truth the Gwyn we see is just a shadow of a shadow of his former self since thats the Gwyn who already gave away all his power. Its insane to think that a depleted Gwyn could still sustain the first flame for a thousand year.
You're wrong about Nito being at his peak. His Lord soul straight up says that much of the energy of his soul has been offered up to death.
He also overestimated Artorias in a bit of a fanboyish way, by saying he Is no match for Ornstein AND Smough together, while I think It's open for debate who Is stronger between him and Ornstein alone.
I mean I was done when he said Pinwheel was strong. The biggest joke of a boss in Dark Souls history
@@Marsonis2ya I disagree with some of his points, but read the title. Its acording to lore, not gameplay.
@Marsonis2ya you didn't understand the video. He's an easy boss, but lore wise....
@@Marsonis2yathe video isn’t about the fight in the game itself, it’s about how powerful they are in the world lore wise. The fight has nothing to do with it
The thing about Bell Gargoyles, Is that they weren't meant to be an actual threat, but more of a First test for the candidates to become chosen undead. So they were probably on the weaker side on purpose, while intimidating enough to make the candidates think they were going against a Great foe, in Order to push the candidates to become stronger
The whole chosen undead thing is a lie tho lol
@@coffey521 yeah, but the Gods still wanted someone to defeat the 4 lords to reignite the flame. That's why the gargoyles are there. As a test
@@coffey521the cake is a lie... The cake is always a lie!
@@elquecodelaobscuridad5681this was my first souls game... Hated game at first cause I was terrible the gargoyles beat me to point I gave up... Year later heard a lot ppl liked the game and gave it another shot and begun journey to git gud making past skills seem like different person being elden ring vet now... I'm hear now because I've been bored for awhile when I thought crossed my mind.... "The fire fades"
@@PennywiseTheDancingClown274Tbh they are possibly the hardest boss other than Manus
Smough's cannibalistic habits ensured he was not accepted as a knight of Gwyn. He was strong enough to be one though, so the point still stands!
That's true but he was called a Knight in dark souls 3. I wonder if that was a translation error or another weird thing like ornsteins corpse
@@Baumkuchen425no, he eventually became a knight. DS3 mentions his past as an executioner, implying that he moved beyond his cannibalistic ways and achieved his dream of becoming a knight.
@@will2brown50 yes i know that, he became a knight. Calling him a knight is not wrong then
@@will2brown50I always theorized that Smough eventually became Aldrich. Because we know that Ornstein eventually abandons his post guarding the cathedral to go in search of the nameless king, and Smough likely hoped that by staying loyal to his duty would be rewarded with knighthood. But we also know that he was largely denied this because of his cannibalism which is why he’s so big, and his savagery. So either he transcended his nature and was finally rewarded, or he just devoured the remaining gods and anyone else and declared himself a knight. I’ve always felt like it was the latter, that after so many countless centuries of loyalty and service to basically be told you’ll never be worthy of being knight because of your nature. I imagine he would eventually go hollow, or just forsake his position to exact his revenge against the gods by devouring them.
@@jordanlowe7097 The descriptions of Smoughs set say he was the last Knight at his post, meaning he both became a Knight and was the last man standing.
I think it is widely accepted that the Ornstein and Smough we fight in Anor Londo are part of an illusion, which is why the two of them did not canonically die in that encounter.
at the very least ornstein is
why cant ornstien be brought back trough the bells ringing like other undead that came back as unkindled
@@YoseZerobecause he is not a human and doesn’t have a part of the dark soul in him
@@YoseZeroBecause the unkindled are those that tired to link the flame but are too weak,Ornstein never try to link the fire.
@@ShadeStormXDwhy?
32:10 The witch doesn't posses the soul of fire as that doesn't exist, she posses the soul of life.
There is something that helps support the Taurus and Capra's strength, being that the undead merchant mentions that they set up home in the Undead Burg somewhat recently, meaning that they had to actually make the journey up from the Demon Ruins, through Blighttown and the Depths to finally make it up there. As someone who went through 4 new game cycles before figuring out the waterwheel wasn't just decoration, I know the strength that journey takes.
Did you do all blightown BACKWARDS after every Queelag fight?
@@Zard0nsame question, wtf? Haha. I have NEVER gone backwards through Blightown. Well once, but I was ridiculously broken, endgame build, I just wanted to see the door from the other side lol.
You guys are going in the front? I think that's the only part I don't have a mental map of.
I never thought about how powrerful the Bed of Caos was. Its sad that From Software rushed it the entire area and boss. Could be a incredible boss battle.
They actually rushed whole Isalith area.
@@Happy_Sailor639thats what he said lmao
@@elididde3377 oh lol
@@Happy_Sailor639It was probably less of From’s fault and more of the publisher/execs fault
@@scrungo7610it was originally intended to be a swamp but was redesigned late in development
Really nice vid! The Gaping Dragon might be one of Seath's failed attempts of bringing the ancient dragons back to life, since there's a Channeler in close proximity, seemingly protecting the dragon by buffing it during the fight. On the other hand, it might as well be some lost ancient dragon that is being researched by Seath. I like the first theory since as the journey of the Chosen Undead unfolds, Seath is already in possession of "immortality" and I feel like he'd have no further interest in such research.
Gaping dragon was like a descendant of the ancient dragons or the closest to the ancient dragons which Seath used him to experiment for immortality.
Nah the developers confirmed that it turned out like that out of hunger during an interview. It escaped to the depths after dragons lost the war, since the food was so scarce there it mutated and its mouth grew bigger and bigger to make it easier to find food.
It's an ancient dragon or a direct descendant, but after disparity like sickness and hunger appeared along with the First Flame, it got twisted and warped to the beast we find in the Depths.
Seath is merely keeping gaping alive to study it as it's one of the only links he had to the everlasting dragons, and he needs to use that to gain immortality that isn't linked to a fragile crystal. The channeler is there to ensure the gaping dragons survival should anything choose to have challenged it.
@@SalvageETSource?
I’ve never heard pinwheel get such appreciation. Honestly amazing video!
He died to pinwheel so he had to place him high on the list
That video where he almost killed Nito tho...
It's funny how laughable he is as a boss, while being one of the more interesting and unique characters in the game.
Fingers crossed one of these for each dark souls games, then combine them all together will be the real challenge!
@@soldjaroffortun3Based
Hopefully he'll do it for bloodborne and elden ring aswell
@@Markuzz777just waiting on elden ring now
The Abyss watchers are my favorite
The legend of Artorios inspired an entire army to follow in his steps. Without knowing Artorios fell to the dark, they also fell to the dark. But when we find them their killing each other trying to fight the Abyss
DS1 is incredible for so many reasons, but something I love about all the souls games is how most of the bosses aren't traditional bosses.
We never do fight someone at the peak of their power. We fight cripples and husks. A gargoyle without a tail, the children of Iszaleth all crippled and heavily disfigured, a dragon without scales, demons desperate to product ruins, a malformed dragon barely able to function, 2 knights long out of their prime, a dog that doesn't even want to truly fight us, a prince born crippled, a knight consumed by darkness with 1 working arm, a necromancer after a horrible experiment gone wrong, the lord of death after years of slumber forced to defend itself...
Even Gwyne, as close to a God as possible, who ruled a city of demi gods who countless years and could strike immortal dragons down with a single cast of his spells, is just a husk. A shambling corpse attacking the player by reflex..
This theme extends throughout the games. Especially when it comes to kings and other things that are idealized in traditional fantasy like knights an dragons
Ornstein is supposed to be higher in ranks than Artorias, as he was the Captain of the Four Knights of Gwyn (source: Ornstein's Armor). Therefore, there is evidence suggesting that Ornstein is more powerful. Artorias was just sent to the Abyss because he had the best equipment for such task, and Ornstein was not available at the moment, either busy protecting Gwynevere, or seeking the Nameless King.
Higher ranks can just be recognized as prestige and renown rather than the suggestion that one of higher rank is more powerful. While I can understand why you could think Ornstein is more powerful than Artorias, there’s not really much information in game to suggest that it is fact. Artorias has better showings in story and even though he lost his battle against Manus, his endurance is greater than most characters throughout the whole series. So taking this into account, I think Artorias should have the title as strongest knight of Gwyn. But it’s definitely a toss up between both Artorias and Ornstein.
@@AskwhoQi mean yah i a straight up 1v1 but the other Knights are cracked in other ways, Ciaran could assassinate someone like that*
and Gough could snipe you out of existence
Maybe, but artorias is praised as a legendary warrior throughout the game likely due to his unmatched swordsmanship, also might be thr reason why he was chosen to fight the dark
@@ricecake3544 Artorias was chosen simply because he had experience with it before via New Londo, and also because, as I have said, his eq was the best for this task (Covenant of Artorias, his shield).
If the danger was more Dragon-related, I am 100% sure Ornstein would be chosen for this task instead.
And while Artorias was the best swordsman, Ornstein was the best spearman in Gwyn's ranks.
And there is a reason Ornstein is THE Captain of the Four Knights, and I doubt it was because of his loyalty to the cause, which he most likely betrayed along with Havel and Nameless King, for which he was punished by being bound to protect the abandoned Cathedral in Anor Londo.
@@fallen9997I think the Ornstein we fight is an illusion by Gwyndolin and he went off to search his master the nameless King
19:22 The firesage was so practiced in the art of pyromancies, that he never used any of them during the fight. Out of pride!
His cloning powers are beyond impressive too, considering he himself is a clone of the Stray Demon! Unfortunately he is naturally witless, as most demons are, as he happened to clone the weakness to fire as well!
I like how you call the Moonlight Butterfly's move set "a slow and mostly pacifistic lifestyle"
the passion in your voice makes this so much better than it already is. gets me excited just listening to you describe this lore
incredible ranking. I only really have two complaints that others haven't really said yet, one being that Priscilla is above Nito, as I'd say he wouldn't have been exiled due to how much he contributed to the beginning of the Age of Fire, and how he clearly acted as an ally, and the full might of a Lord Soul eclipses everything else in the series, which easily could've dissuaded Gwyn from making a potential enemy of him by exiling him. Another is Ornstein and Smough being ranked together, though that's a much smaller nitpick, I just would've liked to see them ranked individually. And then there's Manus being referred to as the Furtive Pygmy, which I don't quite agree with, but that's an entirely personal view on an intensely vague subject, so no real problem.
Still, wonderful job. Very deep understanding of the lore, and an incredible job explaining it in such an easily understandable, entertaining way. Felt like a third of the amount of time it actually ran for, that's how engaging it was. Editing is spectacular too, I can't wait to see the next ones. Also, good luck with DS2, with how much of a shitshow some of those bosses are
You're doing my boy Pinwheel dirty. Imagine how powerful you would be if you could wear 3 magical masks and 6 magic rings? He was actually wearing two Calamity Rings just to make it a fair fight.
Actually Nito is diminished as well. I think it's his soul that claims Nito offered most of his power to Death before laying in rest.
And that's before both his occult power and the Rite of kindling were stolen from him.
What he is, far as I can tell, is the only great lord fully sane. Frampt describes the holders of the Lord Souls as "having gone mad or outlived their usefulness"; I assume the latter refers to Nito, seen as he is the only one among them never described as having been corrupted or gone crazy.
I believe that the Ornstein that we fight is actually an illusion, since the real Ornstein left to find the Nameless King, Gwyndolin was forced to create an illusion of Ornstein to keep Smough and others from leaving. Ornstein was also the leader of the four knights, which doesn’t really make sense, since Artorias was given more dangerous tasks, but whatever. The real Ornstein would most likely be more powerful than Artorias.
To be fair, you don't need to be the strongest to be the leader of a group.
@abuckarooboyo7104 Yes, but we know much like Vendrick, Gwyn valued strength in his warriors above all else. Especially against the unstoppable force that was the everlasting Dragons, which are far and above the power of anything in the abyss.
To Gwyn, it was 50/50 if Artorias could beat Manus and overcome the Abyss.
To face off with the everlasting dragons, he even joined forces with the Furtive Pygmy.
The Everlasting Dragons are a much clearer threat in this world, and Ornstein being capable of slaying them and being made Captain of Gwyns Four Knights, speaks volumes
@@EeveeDazedI think Artorias was stronger, he too was weakened when we fought him. Manus is the biggest thread right now, so sending Artorias speaks volumes. Is Ornstein known as a dragonslayer or archdragonslayer?
@@EeveeDazed artorias was stronger but he didn't become the leader of the four knights because of his kindness.
His propension to sacrifice himself to protect the others was not something that a leader should do.
This is why he wasn't chosen to be the leader.
We can see this when he sealed sif to protect him and fight manus alone.
Plus Artorias Ciaran and the archer( i think his name was Gough but I am not sure) were great friends so he would not have been able to lead them in battle.
In fact after we defeat Artorias Ciaran asks us for his soul back.
Artorias in the game is heavily wounded and nerfed in the fight .
Legit only failed cause he wanted to protect sif, Artorias is left handed fighter as shown that get special skills when using it in left hand and creator making him same as guts.
Artorias in game fights mannus, then chosen undead with his off hand that’s broken .
I think shows the sheer will power alongside strength given as he fought as one man army
This really makes me want to see more than ever how those late game bosses should have been if they hadn’t been rushed
Finally, someone who gives Priscilla the recognition she deserves. She's basically this game's Gloam-Eyed Queen and her boss fight is a joke (the most dangerous thing she has is the glitch when you insta-kill her), and let's not talk about what the sequels do with the character...
Yeah, Priscilla, Niro and Bed of Chaos were all done dirty.
Don't even remember being mentioned after ds1, what happened?
Another great video. The Dark Souls love in your heart reflects on your voice.
I just watched your entire series on soulsborne bosses, which were outstanding, so going back and commenting for support
Nice job on this video, I’m excited to see the ones for 2 and 3
I can't wait for Dark Souls 2 and Dark Soul 3 content like this
Dont forget that when we fight corrupted Artorius, he was using the sword in his right hand which is his off hand. This lore coming from the Majestic Greatsword from DS2.
Thank you for mentioning it too, man’s talking about how he’s taking the current state of the boss into account and then not talking about artorius having his dominant hand unusable
pretty sure we knew he was left handed before ds2
Artorias*
No my guy, thats stated in ds1
@@mmgg1671that is correct , get a skill for using artorias blade in left hand unlike right and captain tells you.
Fantastic video! Loved your narration and how clear it made things I normally wouldn't think about or notice, like how the Asylum Demon rekt the first NPC that you interact with
Kalameet was stated by Gough that not even Anor Londo would dare challenge him. Correct me if I'm wrong but Anor Londo at that time was at the height of its power (minus Artorias of course). That's many gods and Lord Soul carriers that are hiding behind their walls rather than taking him on.
This is a very nice video!
I'd be interested to see you remake this in a couple years time when you've gone even deeper within the lore and seen some of the details differently. Because Dark Souls can be such an enigma at times some things stated as fact in this video are either not the case or disputed. Not to many things though, so that'll make it interesting.
I was about to comment on Smough’s mislabeling, but it seems I’m late to the party on that one.
However, it looks like no one has beat me to the very minor correction that we don’t find Ornstein’s corpse in DS3, we just find his armor. There’s no actual body under the item sprite. I believe it’s because he cast off his armor to undergo his transformation into a dragon or dragon-kin in order to more appropriately serve his Nameless King.
Oooh this is a really fun concept for a video! I love the execution too. I hope to see more like this in the future!
Excellent video, very informative. This was a great summarization of the many aspects of the game that I have previously learned about, as well as a bunch of information that I have missed! I love the amount of detail in this series :)
The quality of this video is outstanding, well done mate! Very enjoyable watch.
Despite splitting his soul into fragments and feeding it to the first flame for who knows how long, the model for gwyns soul is still the strongest looking soul in appearance, truly showing that even weakened he was a powerful deity like figure
This was an extremely well done video. A couple of bits of lore were a little off but that's honestly minimal. Really enjoyed this. Looking foreword to watching the DS2 one :)
Really great video! Loved the way you went into detail with each boss. Would love to see more this with the other souls games, you’ve earned yourself a sub!
Dude, you get it. Your knowledge of the subject matter, and subsequently your takes on it, are incredibly well thought out and delivered in such a digestible manner! Keep it up g
(Good luck with DS2, that’s gonna be a behemoth 😅)
Well, technically we know what lifehunt is, a sorcery in dark souls 3 named lifehunt scythe (sounds familiar? 😂) gives the user the capacity to damage the enemy and heal yourself with that, it was first used by Aldrich (known as the devourer of gods probably because he had lifehunt to help him) and later by the protagonist of dark souls 3, so we can asume Priscilla using lifehunt could just rob the life of her foes to heal herself, being almost inmortal
I also headcanon that Lifehunt works on beings that are otherwise immortal, which is why the gods feared her
But would it work on something that has no life to speak of? (Nito)
Lifehunt originally was a very strong bleed damage, 50% instead of 30% health. Both lifesteal and bleed are related to the dark (dark hand and profaned coal)
As for whether Yhorshka uses it, I dont think so. One, she isnt a fighter. The "pale girl" is also in hiding, wheras she is in a prison tower.
What's the difference between lifehunt and lifedrain
@@lewisbirkett4428I've always thought of it as:
Lifedrain=draining someone's humanity
Lifehunt=draining someone's very essence, their life force.
amazing video a fun concept and great execution this for ds 2 and 3 would be a dream!
knowing the lore its easy to say that the most 2 powerfull beings of the series will be third phase Gael and midir or manus as the abyss is the most powerfull force
@@franciscopavez7874but let's enjoy the journey
@@franciscopavez7874 Manus is one of thousands of the little fragments that made Gael. Midir ate the spawn of it for breakfast. They both have that in common, in fact.
They curbstomp anyone else. Manus would be two chomps or slashes for Gael or Midir before he'd be like chickenfeed for them Only Yhorm would lore wise come close. Maybe prime Lorian too. Prime Lorian isn't talked about enough. He singlehandedly slew the Demon Prince, who is the inheritor of ALL of demonkind's power. The same force that repelled Gwyn and his entire army like it was nothing. Lorian beat it by himself. Dude is a beast! And Yhorm was so powerful that he had to give the only weapons that could harm him to his people and his immortal friend just so he could be made to return to his duty since there was no way in hell he was getting beat otherwise.
This is my comment before watching the video, but lorewise i feel like Manus is the strongest. He bested Artorias, he can affect time directly, he corrupted Oolacile completely. I can't think of another DS1 boss who has the same level of feats as him.
Oh man, I was hoping this videos were a few weeks old so I could watch the DS2 video. But I am fortunate enough to arrive here earlier and watch this masterpiece. Great video man, I was rooting for seeing Priscila lower but damn, there was so much thins I didn't know about the game. Ly man, keep the good work up.
Really interesting video! I often wonder about the lore power ranking of the bosses while playing souls games :3
I can agree or at least accept the logic behind all of these choices. Crossbreed Priscilla is definitely a tough one, as she bears little overall importance to the player narrative, but everything about her lore-wise represents her as one of the greatest threats to the rule of the gods. A child of both Man and dragon, her latent occult powers, her affiliation to Velka and her forced exile.
Oh - any chance of a compiled DS I-III boss strength ranking down the line?
PLEASE do this with all the other souls games, and maybe at the end do a video ranking ALL the soulsbornekiroring bosses by lore
About Ornstein and Smough: The lore is that Ornstein was one of the 4 knights of Gwyn (Ornstein, Ciaran, Gough and Artorias) and Smough was some executioner as powerful as the others but denied of being a knight because he ate people that he killed.
When we fight them in Anor Londo, Ornstein has already left to find the Nameless King (a dragon-slaying god) and only Smough remains to defend the castle(as his armor states in ds3). That Ornstein we fight is an illusion, probably made by Gwyndolin.
Didn't play DS1, but I played Sekiro, Elden Ring and I just started DS3. I hope you make videos about these 3 when it comes to power ranking lore-wise.
Bro Kalameet deserves a higer place. The Lore literally says he is the last of the Ancient Dragons and even feared to even be provoked by Anor Londo.
Not saying he isn't strong, but it only took a blind Gough to severely cripple him. Could be that Anor londo simply didn't want more casualties when the war against the dragons was pretty much over.
The ancient dragons were bodied by the gods and their armies. Kalameet just got lucky. A single ancient dragon isn't a threat to anyone approaching the level of gods lmao. And there's no way he ranks above Artorias or Ornstein.
Kalameet has also been affected by being near the abyss (weakening him in some ways), hence why his scales aren't stone, and looks similar to the dogs you find elsewhere in oolacile.
I was prepared to be resistant to Priscilla's placement, but then you made a really good lore argument I had totally forgotten about!
Oh shit, I literally just looked this topic up and realized this video was uploaded today. What good timing.
You have a similar cadence to Werner Herzog and I love it.
Damn! Stumbled upon this channel today and fell in love. Keep the energy!
This guy's voice reminds me so strongly of the announcer of Elden Ring, getting more and more hype-man as the video goes on and the foes under discussion get more and more legendary! I'm not interested in contesting the rankings at all - I'm feeling like jumping up outta my chair and pumping my arms in the air!
Excellent video dude, got me craving a 2, 3 and maybe more.
For kalimet, he never avoided anor londos wrath, they avoided his, gogh says they didn't dare risk his ire. Also, nitos souls states he offered much of its power to death itself, so he's not really at his prime either, and is just administrating death across the world.
I can easily see this channel blowing up in the following months, and I am here for it. Great content, interesting perspectives, and a tremendous amount of time, care, and effort. Keep up the good work dude, can't wait to se the other games covered!
Greetings! This is an interesting, well-defending, and intelligent ranking! I only have minor disagreements, and they're more 'this is how I see it' than any sort of claim that I'm right and you're wrong.
-I might rank Asylum Demon higher than Stray Demon. Stats-wise, of course, it's no contest: The Stray demon is literally, objectively, more powerful--more HP, hits harder, etc. In terms of lore, though, I think we're supposed to discount that. The Asylum Demon was given a title, a rank, and told "Keep the undead here." He's the Asylum Watcher. Whereas the Stray Demon is just someone lurking in the bowels of the Asylum, not given any prestige or responsibility. My assumption is that, if in game lore, the Stray Demon was more powerful, it would have usurped the Asylum Demon's position.
-I'd rank Gwyndolin a bit lower in the ranks, but only if we define 'strength' as 'combat strength'. His illusion magic is incredibly powerful--he's pretty much running the entire show of Anor Londo, the true 'person behind the curtain'. However, Gwyn was disappointed with Gwyndolin, considering him (rightly or wrongly) a weakling. His power is based more on deception, manipulation, and illusion, than raw combat power. His preference is to lurk behind the shadows, and indeed his main combat strategy involves retreating. I'm going on the assumption that if someone like Ornstein, Queelaag, or the Firesage, actually got next to Gwyndolin in an arena with no illusions or exit, they'd shred him quite quickly.
-Bed of Chaos: My instinct is to say she's much lower on the list. Where she is now, she's trapped in a form, relatively powerless, a husk of her former self. She can't really do much any more. I'd think the #2 spot would be more appropriate for the Witch of Izalith than the Bed of Chaos, similar to how Gwyn would be #1 if encountered 500 years ago instead of today.
-Seath the Scaleless: I was going to disagree and rank him lower, but nope, you're spot on. I was going to rank him lower by saying "He survived by capitulating to Gwyn intsead of fighting," but it's just as valid to say that "Gwyn survived by working out a treaty with Seath instead of fighting."
-Sadly, I'd have to rank Sif lower. Sif is amazing and beautiful, but still generally considered just a wolf in lore. A powerful one, an intelligent one, and an exemplary warrior, but still with only four legs, a blade-gripping mouth, etc. No magic powers. I have to assume that the Demon Firesage, for example, would shred poor Sif.
-Likewise, I'd argue for bumping Demon Firesage up a few notches. He's an example of a demon Gone Right--maintaining sanity, free will, and the ability to train and hone its power.
The above are pretty minor nitpicks. All in all, I think this list is amazing, and I look forward to more content from you!
I have to confess, I actually like DS2 more than DS1. Edit: I just now saw the rest of your content, and saw there's a DS2 list. Looking forward to viewing that one! I do find myself thinking: How much higher would the Lost Sinner rank if her hands weren't shackled?
Smough has never been a Knight. The four Knights still are Artorias, Ornstein, Gough and Ciaran. Smough stayed only the Executioner.
In DS3 its said that he became a knight and was the last one to defend anor londo
Good video structure. English subtitles are a very good and easy way to make the viewer’s viewing experience better. If possible, could you speak less explosive and more one-tone or monotone. Lore videos for souls-like games require such a form of commentation. Great channel in the making here!
Hey, thanks for the comment. While I agree English subtitles are a wholly good thing, I refuse to speak “monotone”, I take pride in my script and the subject matter despite the consensus of what a souls like lore video is supposed to sound like. Thanks again for the comment!
@@BestiaryYT I respect that a lot. Good luck on your journey. I will be watching you grow to hopefully become the best version of yourself.
i agree voice tone sounds over the top making it sound too dramatic. and i think "script" and sound of speaking are very different things you should look up those word's meaning.
You did your hw. I love it! Keep up the great work!
The short worked. I searched basically the intro sentence and boom bam. Thank you.
Such a nice video for such a small channel is very commendable, good job my brother!
This channel is so underrated, you deserve so many more subs that you have.
Honestly Priscilla is surprisingly terrifying despite being one of if not the nicest beings in the setting, her raw unrefined and unaugmented potential was enough for the gods to jail her and yet she could brake her shackles at any time, imagine what she could accomplished if trained and honed or even if she had a proper warrior nature instead of her sweet and kind demeanor. I wouldn’t be surprised if her theoretical peak is higher than Gwyn’s or even mighty enough to change destiny itself and accomplish what Gwyn couldn’t (Though knowing Dark Souls it would probably be at a great cost, but still)
When i bwat the first dark souls i looked everywhere for lore videos to explain what was going on and i think this video does the absolute best job
Loving this channel, truly a diamond in the rough
I would love to see some more of these ranking type videos from you!
Very well done video , i hope you do one for dark souls 2 and 3
I'd be really excited if you'd do one of these with Bloodborne
Great list, but Gwyn was one of the strongest characters in Dark Souls history. The Top 15 bosses should be.
1. Manus, Father of the Abyss
2. Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight
3. Bed of Chaos
4. Gravelord Nito
5. Crossbreed Priscilla
6. Four Kings
7. Black Dragon Kalameet
8. Artorias the Abysswalker (Objectively stronger than Havel)
9. Seath the Scaleless (Havel The Rock was said to be gaining power strong enough to kill Seath, so that's why Havel was locked up)
10. Dark Sun Gwyndolin
11. Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough
12. Demon Firesage (Has more abilities and hax than Sif the Wolf)
13. Great Grey Wolf Sif
14. Chaos Witch Quelagg
15. Ceaseless Discharge
please put the separations on the video
Though some what inaccurate and a little too wordy for efforts of flavor, an entertaining trip down memory lane. Thanks for the video and well done!
Illusory Wall (one of the main deep divers into the ins and outs of this game since it came out) pointed out something that many people often overlook when "theorising and fantasizing" about the lore.
Most things are written as perceived by the people of the setting it takes in. Every piece of reference of item descriptions and dialogue mention Kalameet as a one eyed dragon, he clearly isn't if you zoom in into his face. But the people of Oolacile and Lordran view him as so.
Things can often be overlooked or misunderstood.
amazing videos my guy. i hope you cover all of fromsofts bosses because i love these vids
There’s a Zulie the Witch video showing it off, but actually the all the ancient dragon models we have only have a single eye like Kalameet. The models usually just have a nose shaped structure in front of it, in that the eye have a line that makes the appear as if it has two.
I’m just gonna put my personal ranking here
1. Gwyn (being the 1st Lord of Cinder as well as the fact that his power is still very high even among the gods)
2. Manus (The Father of the Abyss who defeated Artorias and corrupted Oolacile, as well as the Abyss being the thing Gwyn is most fearful of since it would bring the age of dark)
3. Bed of Chaos (Witch of Izalith who summoned the demons of Lordran as well as being the originator of pyromancy)
4. Nito (God of death and was able to cast plagues to kill dragons and now rules over the dead)
5. Kalameet (Ancient Dragon who was powerful enough that even Anor Londo dare not provoke him fearing his status as a calamity symbol)
6. Seath The originator of sorcery as well as an ancient dragon who figured out a new way of immortality.
7. 4 Kings another lord soul who reside in the abyss and rule over new Londo that gwyn felt threatened enough to flood it rather than fight the dark wraiths.
8. Artorias (Was the most capable of fighting the Abyss and was able to fend it off up until Manus and grew stronger after it corrupted him.)
9. Priscilla (Has Lifehunt as well as being half dragon and half god who was feared enough to be sealed in the painting)
10. Gwyndolin (child of Gwyn who’s responsible for the sunlight in Anor Londo as well as the illusion of Gwynyvere the Large knights and Ornstein and Smough guarding the lord vessel.
11. Sif (Fended off any Undead who dare try to rob her masters grave and aids the chosen undead vs Manus.)
12. O&S (O is an illusion but S is an executioner who was strong enough to be a knight of Gwyn)
13. Reskin firesage (As lazy as the design is his lore brings him up higher via the fact that he is one of the strongest pyromancers and demons due to his close proximity to the Witch)
14. Qualagg (daughter of the Witch who became a half lava spider who doesn’t wish to harm others but does so to protect qualana but still wields powerful pyromancy)
15. Ceaseless Discharge (As funny as his name is once u put it together he is also a chaos kid who was born oozing fire and responsible for the lava in the demon ruins
16. Iron Golem (A Golem made to sit atop Sens Fortress to stop anyone wanting to reach Anor Londo)
17. Gaping Dragon (An ancient Dragon that resides in the depths who became so hungry he became a giant mouth so is likely weaker than all other dragons due to starvation.)
18. Stray Demon (The warden of the undead asylum and was considered a higher ranking demon who also had magic at its disposal)
19. Centipede Demon (A demon that was created when the orange charred ring was dropped into lava and his massive size and ability for his additional centipedes to also fight.)
20. Pinwheel (As much of a joke that he is to fight him stealing secrets from Nito and his magic is impressive)
21. Sanctuary Guardian (He is a lion that guards a sanctuary and a possible 1st line defense v the abyss)
22. Gargoyles (They were entrusted with protecting the 1st bell of awakening and were successful until the MC pulls up)
23. Capra Demon (Is a middle ranking demon with 2 dogs)
24. Taurus Demon (A low tier demon taken prisoner to protect Undead Burg)
25. Asylum Demon (Is the 1st real test for the Chosen Undead and is the same rank as Taurus demon since he doesn’t have the stray demons magic)
26. Moonlight Butterfly (failed Seath experiment w 3 slow sorceries.)
A dog stronger than smough?😕 i doubt it bruv. Also anyways if it's a 1on1 illusion that is AS strong as ornestein that alone puts him on the level of artorias, but it's O&S...
When we get to dark souls 3 I'd say gael is probably the overall strongest out of the 3 games. Namely because he's the being we fight who's the closest to having a fully complete lord soul, and the one counter to the strongest one(light soul). Gael has 99.999999999999999% of the dark soul he just needs your last bit.
The four kings and seathe had fragments of gwyns light soul. Nito had a fair amount of his power stolen pre fight. The witch was killed/turned into a bug. None of those 4 were at full strength.
Gael however very clearly is, or is at least, as full as possible.
Would you put Gael above the soul of cinder? It’s the total embodiment of all those who have linked it in the past. For me it’s a toss up, I see both arguments being valid. My heart says cinder, but my mind says Gael
On the contrary, the Bed of Chaos was more powerfull than the witch ever was, that state of bug was an ascension (a partially failed one because it went out of control, but still an ascension), just like we become some bug at the end of Bloodborn when we ascend.
@@Knifedog212 Yes if only because the fire was fading and it was weaker
@@niels8143 Good point. I'd argue tbe bed is the biggest "gameplay over lore" fight as what it can do in lore is bigger than what it can do ingame. Or the damn thing is just really squishy lore wise too being a soft core a soft center hidden in a near unkillable fortress
@@Knifedog212Soul of Cinder is just an collection of Cinder though(Depleted remnants of linker) he should be fair bit weaker than DS1 Lords in their prime.
Awesome video! Pleeease do this for Dark Souls 3!!
Look forward to seeing the dark souls 2 & 3 versions of this video
Small correction: smough is not one of the 4 knights(who were ormstein, Cyaran, Artorias and Gough) indeed he doesn't have a ring of his own because he was considered a monster and lacked in rationality. About ormstein there are 2 theories: we fight the real ornstein in DS1 and DS3 is another possible timeline where he decided not to stay and went in search of his master the nameless king and this explains the corrupted ornstein in ds2 who failed and got touched by the dark on the way there; the second theory which is my preferred one is that ornstein decided to leave because he knew that all was lost and wanted to seek is commander so he split his soul and put it in a golem with is resemblance to be the guard with smough(who he probably despised like everyone else) and we defeat only a fraction of his power and this ties to the fact that in the first dark souls every canon boss is not at full strength/went insane(a canon boss kill is a mandatory one or a DLC one) and explains the second ornstein in DS2 that is another fraction or the rest of the same one we find in ds1(or just an experiment of Aldia), this also explains why when he absorbs smough it gets bigger because it isn't a living shell just a soul in an armour.
Since we find Ornsteins armor in DS3 in the realm of the Nameless King, wouldn't that imply that he did in fact find the first son? Finding the dragon slayer in DS2 could be either an imposter, or a fraction of his soul as you suggested
@@TheMasterblah the "time is convoluted" shit is the way of Miyazaki of doing whatever. For example he confirmed that Solaire linked the fire in his world but that is not possible if we have only 1 timeline and you link the fire. So could possibly be true that in DS2 we fight a ornstein who failed but I still think that we fight ornstein golem v1 in ds1, v2 in DS2 and the Dragonslayer armors we find in ds3 are ornstein v3 serialized(thanks to the researches of vendrik and Aldia I suppose) meanwhile the real ornstein died in archdragon peak
I can seriously watch dark souls lore videos day and night
Amazing Video! Looking forward to the ds2 video, I hope that you will continue with this format and go through the entire franchise, would be really cool to see!
Definitely agree with this, and I’d be very willing to watch more videos like this for the other games as well
Too small to be making videos this good, you'll hit 100k in no time if you pump out content like this. You should do all from soft games, from the souls franchise (including demon souls) to sekiro, bloodbourne... hell armored core if your into it!! One more video and I bet you can monetize yourself😅 keep it up my friend, you earned my sub
Love the respect you showed to Sif
Ok man. Please do all the games. Thank you. Love you ❤.
Number 13: First if the demons, s cond greatest fire sorcerer, last guardian of the Bed of Chaos.
Number 12: DOGGO!
I don't think Gwyn's desperation for the Age of Fire was entirely selfish. Selfishness may have been there at some places, sure-- you have to remember though, he was a king. Gwyn was the king and leader of everything, and the mastermind behind the defeat of the oppressive dragons. Sure an argument can be made that the dragons weren't entirely evil (given the defection of his firstborn), but we clearly see humanity is low and hides from the dragons before the lord souls are found. In any case, everything from man, to beast, to plants; all flourished under the Age of Fire, and a king would do anything for his people to prosper.
His branding of humanity was a massive misstep, but just look at what a jealous humanity was capable of-- corrupting the quiet Abyss, into a festering force that's so hungry it can't even see other humans as anything but a target. A king would see his subjects, and Gwyn undoubtedly saw this greed in the hearts of men (Patches sure does), and Gwyn feared it. A true king, in fear for the well-being of his people, would do anything to keep such a greed from taking over, even something as rash as stopping it by attempted force... or sacrificing even himself to keep the age alive.
I simply find it very unlikely that Gwyn was just selfishly grasping for power. He was the strongest, he knew it, and had every right to put himself on top. A king would do anything to keep his people flourishing, and a fool grasping for power would do anything for themself alone. Gwyn gave up portions of his power to everyone during his reign, and ultimately everything he had left, in the end.
Whether he gave it up to keep the world in a state he saw as perfect, or to keep the world from the greed he saw in the hearts of humanity, we aren't sure, but no one can convince me that someone who only wants to be in control would give up all his power and burn himself into nothing.
Just think about it-- if Gwyn never branded humanity; just let the First Flame dwindle into nothing and let the age of dark come naturally, who's to say he wouldn't still have his soul and his power? He could still have ruled as the brightest light in the darkness; kept his reign as ruler and been in control. Instead, while again the branding was a misstep, his choice was to ultimately sacrifice all he had for the sake of everyone else; like a true king. I truly believe all the "selfish Gwyn" hate is misinterpreted. It doesn't really make sense, and I believe the story of Dark Souls 1 through 3 is meant to get us to believe we are the underdog, fighting against the oppression of Gwyn; only until the end when we see dark souls in The Ringed City and realize maybe we aren't the good guys at all...
"Every age, it seems, is tainted by the greed of men... maybe it's just the way we are." - Patches the Unbreakable
Dude I love your narration
FINALLY! Content aside from challenge runs!
Very interesting video. Earned my sub. Hope to see this type of video for the other souls games
One of my favorite theories about pinwheel is that we never actually killed him, just another one of his puppets. I believe hawkshaw made a video on it
fantastic video i hope we can get more for the franchise
46:32 there are actually 4 lord souls, the life soul (witch of Izalith), the death soul (Nito), the light soul (Gwyn) and the dark soul (the furtive pygmy)
Small side note for the Gaping dragon. Many people (Including myself) made the connection to Seath being somewhat responsible for it's transformation due to the presence of a Channeler in the depths
Not to mention that it's said that it was transformed by its desire to feed so if you connect the dots it makes sense that Seath would despise a royal descendant of the dragons malforming it's body into a giant maw reflecting its desire to eat
Great vid! Please do this for the other Souls games!
I enjoyed the video! I'll subscribe in hopes you continue through the series and onto other fromsoft titles.