Virgin Serpent : "You have to link the flame!" "No, you need to let the dark come!" Chad Aldia : "You came here to overcome your curse. How you do it is YOUR choice."
The fact that the way that Aldia talks about 'The Curse' is fully implying that you never came here to relink the flame or to fulfill some pre-determiend Fate. Aldia even tells you of the other three kings because the three dlc areas have always been designed to be Post-game. So logically the ending where you leave the throne is the most realistic ending we would’ve chosen after confronting Aldia in each area. So he alludes to the other three crowns to be claimed in order to overcome what the point of Dark Souls 2 was, to overcome our Curse which the four crowns are needed for. Which I fully believe once all four crowns are claimed and the curse is lifted that, that is the true ending of Dark Souls 2. People can say all they want about Ds2, but its writing and subtlety of the concept of “Lies and Truth” is unparalleled in Soulsborne.
@@Xportbob and in gameplay, after beating all the DLC's your indeed hollow-free after death, immorality with no side effects kinda sad you can't have that in new game+
@@XportbobThe curse is not lifted we are still undead we simply cured the symtoms specifically hollowing but we are still effected by the undead curse as we still respawn in a bonfire. By having the crowns we get the best of both light and dark immortality and still keeping our sense of self
@@thepublicpotato3887The curse might have been lifted but for gameplay reasons we cannot die or who knows, maybe the original humans before the dark sign were also near inmortal thus why Gwyn created the dark sign to make them go hollow so now that the curse is gone the DS2 protagonist becomes a "true human".
Yeah, David Gant's performance as Aldia is definitely one of the highlights of Souls voice acting for me. Up there with Steven Hartley as Vilhelm and Michael Carter as Gough.
@@robertsides3626 No It's one chaotic voice filter that crumples many semitones at once. In Clive Barker's Jericho, the Firstborn uses the same filter.
@@bigmannn2443 fully doubtful Vengarl was a renowned mercenary in Forossa before joining the war against the giants under King Vendrik. It's absolutely no surprise that the kings brother would hear of a legendary warrior taking part in his own countries war.
@@lordtalo2062 Yeah he was a powerful warrior in his time but there were definitely many more people like him who partook in the war against the giants, it just seems more likely that Aldia would specifically remember him because of the particularly interesting situation he found himself in rather than the fact that he is powerful
@@bigmannn2443 You have to remember what Aldia's goal is, which is to find a suitable person to break between the cycles of light and dark. Obviously Aldia has lived for multiple cycles of light and dark, as we already know that Vendrick has, so the man has been keeping tabs on people for far longer than we've been around.
"Long ago, in a walled off land, far to the north, a great king built a great kingdom. I believe they called it Drangleic. Perhaps you're familiar. No, how could you be. But one day, you will stand before its decrepit gate. Without really knowing why..."
The thing I love about Aldia is that he tells the facts like it is, the only NPC that points out that your original goal was just to overcome your undead curse and that you don't necessarily need to link the flame to do it.
There's a lot of meta commentary in what he says. "What is it that you seek? You can't even say yourself?" It's by this point in the game where you really have no idea what you're doing or where you're going anymore. You're just doing what other people tell you.
@@jonathonmama4921 The curse is an allegory for life, what do we seek? We can't even say ourselves, and if we claim to know, do we even have what it takes? Truly?
So this could mean that dark souls 2 has a chance of being after all the events of dark souls 1 and 3 timeline wise if you exclude the timeline fuckery that the prolonged life of the flame caused in 3. Because in dark souls 2 even the gods are forgoten, there is barely any presence of iconic enemies from 1 and 3 just armour pieces and weapons from the past, npcs even talk to you about how many kingdoms rose and fell. This is a quote from straid of olaphis ***Many kingdoms rose and fell on this tract of earth; mine was by no means the first. Anything that has a beginning also has an end. No flame, however brilliant, does not one day splutter and fade. But then, from the ashes, the flame reignites, and a new kingdom is born, sporting a new face. It is all a curse! Heh heh heh!*** In the end if you side with aldia you choose to find a way to break the curse on your own, out of the cycle, while in 1 and 3 you have a choice to keep the fire going, let it fade or become a dark lord.
Aldia’s commentary on the world makes him one of the most compelling NPCs in the Souls franchise. He offers no grand vision of the future, nor does he encourage you to pursue anything in particular, he simply tells you the futility of the cycles and simply asks you something no other character before or after asked; what do you really want?
It's like there was no internal communication between the creative teams that created the first game and this. The cycle isn't light & dark, the cycle is Gwyn linking the flame BACK IN TIME so that it never fades, that's what "linking mean" An age of dark can never come. That's why even an infinite amount of years forwards when you go to gael and anor londo is buried in ash, there is still light, the flame will never fade, Gwyn made it so. Filianore did the same thing to the ringed city, she linked the city to the past, never allowing it forward until you break her egg. Over the whole series, time and time again, we are provided info that light is time and the reversal of its effect is forbidden. Gwyn, the lord of light (time), went against his very nature and linked the flame to a point in time so that it never progresses forwards. That's why every time you die, the world resets. That's your curse. You are in a time loop until you provide the flame enough fuel to "remove" (delay) the undead curse. By doing that, Gwyn ensures two things, the flame never fades and the humans never become powerful enough to overthrow his children. The only escape from that shit world is what Gael did, make a whole new universe.
@@Milo-Morbin You talk as if DS2 deviates from the story of the other games. Do not deviate. The DS franchise is open to interpretation because there is no clear answer to most things. You are quite wrong.
@@Milo-Morbin So, did you actually pay attention when playing Dark Souls 1, or are you just really bad at understanding things, because almost nothing you said was even remotely true, and I'm really trying to understand exactly how you got that interpretation of the story.
@@Milo-MorbinHow many amphetamines did you do while watching vaati videos? Because I wish I could get high enough to write a world salad like you just did.
"No one has come this far, not for a very long while. Young hollow, do you wish to shed this curse? Then accept the fate of your ilk, and face the trials that await you. Unless you have already joined the crestfallen? "Young hollow there are but two paths: inherit the order of this world, or destroy it, but only a true monarch could make such a choice. Very few indeed have come even this far, and yet your journey is far from over. Half-grown hollow, have you what it takes? Truly? Young hollow, seek after Vendrick; he who almost became a true monarch. Vendrick is certain to guide your way. Fledgeling hollow, may we meet again." "Oh yes, I believe we've been acquainted. Young hollow, conqueror of fear. What drives you so to overcome the supposed curse? "Life is brilliant. Beautiful. It enchants us, to the point of obsession. Some are true to their purpose, though they are but mere shells, flesh and mind. One man lost his own body, and but lingered on as a head! Others chase the charms of love, however elusive. "What is it that drives you? "Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity, and men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world! Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite; a lie will remain a lie! Young hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace? Vendrick, though a near-true monarch, is here, and not far off. But what is a kin? You, neither born with greatness nor granted it by the fates, what is it you seek? You cannot even say yourself! We shall meet again, young hollow." "Young hollow, how you grapple without falter with this dreadfully twisted world. Peace grants men the illusion of life. Shackled by falsehoods, they yearn for love, unaware of this grand illusion. Until the curse touches their flesh. We are bound by this yolk, as true as the dark that churns within men. All men trust fully the illusion of life, but is this so wrong? A construction, a façade, and yet... A world full of warmth and resplendence. Young hollow, are you intent on shattering the yolk? Spoiling this wonderful falsehood? "I am Aldia. I sought to shed the yolk of fate, but failed. Now, I only wait an answer. Seek the throne. Seek Light, Dark, and what lies beyond. "Many monarchs have come and gone. One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame. Still another slumbers in a realm of ice. Not one of them stood here, as you do, now. You! Conqueror of adversities! Give us your answer. "I lost everything, and remain here, patiently. The throne will certainly receive you, but the question remains. What do you want, truly? Light? Dark? Or something else entirely?" "There is no path. Beyond the scope of Light, beyond the reach of Dark... What could possibly await us? And yet we seek it. Insatiably. Such is our fate."
I know everyone loves the “A lie will remain a lie!” Line, but when Aldia prattles on about love and obsession, I get chills. Hairs stand up from my skin. I still get that sensation every time. Amazing VA, absolutely a hidden gem.
Aldia's voice fascinates me, I've never heard anything quite like it, the way it swims between distortions. The voice actor killed it, undoubtedly, but spare a thought for the sound editors
I love the distorted effect thing a lot of monstrous (but once human) bosses have in these games, like king allant and father ariandel, and of course aldia. I never really hear anything quite like it outside of these games.
I love how he adresses us the players as "Young Hollow" implying we have just merely stepped into the curse while others have dwelt in it longer, Aldia himself is old, very very old and hollowed beyond recognition but still possessing his mind (Unlike Vendrick) Nice little touch
for me, him calling the player Young Hollow is somewhat affectionate. Like, poor Hollow, you've become a hollow when you're still young. But please stay strong for the fate of this world.
I do not think Aldia is hollow, he somehow gets rid of the cycle, albeit destroying his body and altering his existence, since hollows can not possess their mind.
@@murkel7634 He may be referring to Vendrick pursuing Nashandra. Maybe even his disappointment with what happened. Or perhaps Aldia himself loved someone, once long ago.
@@murkel7634 Probably because the majority of people that played this game were men. And the majority of men are hetero. So when they're talking about chasing love, hearing a woman's voice probably does something to add to the immersion or something.
@@motazfawzi2504 the DLCs have you retrieve the crowns of past monarchs and they were; The Sunken King (drowned in poison), The Old Iron King (succumbed to flame), and The Burnt Ivory King (slumbers in a realm of ice)
@@motazfawzi2504 Aldia speaks of 3 ancient kings; each of them had the strength to link the crown, to become *true* monarchs, but all failed; the Old Iron King was killed by Ichorous Earth, a demon beneath his kingdom released by his insatiable desire for greater power, the Ivory King sacrificed himself the flame of Chaos when he souls began to diminish, for the sake of his people and was eventually corrupted by it, and the Sunken King was drowned in the poison unleashed by the dragon his kingdom worshiped, Sinh. Each King’s crown is retrieved by the Bearer of the Curse, and using their power they are able to ascend beyond the cycle; they do not hollow, and even when they die they will remain human. But this isn’t true freedom, really. What good is existing beyond the cycle when the rest of the world is still bound by it? Is there any way to be free of the cycle, or is it simply inevitable that it will consume everyone in the end? These are essentially the questions Aldia asks, and really he’s the only NPC to give you this kind of dialogue about the nature of the world.
At 2:12 you can almost hear the sorrow in his voice because I feel like this line is him referencing Vendrik's and Nashandra's relationship and this is what just now made it dawn on me that Aldia still mourns for his brother albeit subtly but while vendrik definitely got the worse end of losing something aldia doesn't mock or talk down about vendrik and personally, I think this is one of the best cases of brotherly respect. While Aldia may have survived and vendrick definitely didn't make the smartest decisions in life, Aldia still doesn't mock him like saying "my brother was a fool" or something like that instead the closest thing to an insult directed at vendrik is calling him an "near-true monarch" and that's why Aldia and Vendrick are probably one of my favorite sibling relationships in video games
I personally saw his intonation here as regret. He himself seems to partially regret trying to see past the illusion of life, which may mean he too loved someone and lost them in that pursuit. Given his field of study, I feel it is likely the woman he loved studied alongside him and either hollowed, prompting him to do his own research into ending the curse, or something happened to her in their joint research. When he speaks of seeking love, his thoughts wander and a feminine voice, mayhap reminiscent of hers comes to the forefront in his recollection.
I love how Aldia is never really an antagonist. Even when he fights you, he's more like a mentor testing your resolve, wanting to see you at your finest. He doesn't even die or give souls when you beat him, more like he just is satisfied with you and lets you leave.
Aldia tests the Undead. Aldia is like... A strange father figure. He won't let you go without making you doubt, question and reflect. He doesn't show you what to do, simply teaches you.
"There is no path. Beyond the scope of Light, beyond the reach of Dark... What could possibly await us? And yet we seek it. Insatiably. Such is our fate." - there you go, the meaning of life.
Aldia coming out here leying down the ultimate existential horror of Dark Souls, and if you dig deeper you realize some of this still applies to the real world as well.
The reason why I still prefer Souls world building and lore over any other game, ever. The concept, the parallels to real life, the profound philosophy about light and dark, chaos and order. Shit's beautiful. I wish Elden Ring had the same level of emotional weight, but it doesn't sadly.
@@shreksmeatballs9435 well that’s intentional because you are supposed to feel hopeful rather than hopeless. But when you dig into the lore of the outer gods that feeling kind of returns.
There's something so funny about Aldia just enjoying himself emphasizing that his brother was ALMOST a true monarch every chance he comes up. Even in their new grotesque forms, he still teases his brother.
Maybe I am odd for saying this, but listening to Aldia is like talking to an old very dear friend. I found ds2 at a very low point in my life, it's themes of hopelessness and never ending cycles struck a cord with me to the similarity of life. The character of Aldia really stuck with me because the way he describes both the world and the player almost makes it feel like he is talking directly to the player. To this day I still get a genuine smile when he calls the player character "young hollow", it almost feels like a nickname given by a firm yet supportive grandparent. I will always be thankful for this game and love it more then any other, and I will always hold the lessons the old scholar near to my heart. If I ever met the person who voiced Aldia, I would love to tell them how the character impacted me.
Considered as the worst Dark Souls game by many. Although to me it seeked something that neither Dark Souls 1 or 3 went after. I would like to say that this game helped me unfortunately that'll be a lie. This game saved my life. Plenty of people feel the same towards this game. Dark Souls 2 was meant to be something greater as cut contents suggest it and as Elden Ring shows it. Nonetheless, the true victory of Dark Souls 2 is this eerie infatuation where this game was developed by the B team, rushed due to ultimatums, cut due to budget and still managed to moves the players of the Soulsborne community as it perhaps was the game with a truly compelling soul.
Exactly the same. Aldia always felt like he was speaking directly to me. It's one of the many reasons DS2 has my absolute favorite of the three games. It's story, even after all the tribulation the development of the game went through, came out absolutely profound. I wish people weren't so quick to dismiss it
@@spiceforspice3461 Dark Souls 2 is a cashgrab made up of unfinished assets and jumbled up lore. The devs even confirm in interviews they didn't know what they were doing. The real creative force behind Demon Souls & Dark Souls 1 was working on Bloodborne so they gave Dark Souls 2 to another team. You can see it clear as day when they say stupid horseshit like "the dark and light are two sides of the same coin". This game doesn't know what it wants to be, in the ending where you walk away, Aldia's lines make no sense because the fires turning off imply it's the age of dark ending. The visual storytelling contradicts what's told. The problem is the devs tried to make this game into the meme of dark souls instead of actually being a sequel, they constantly bombard you with stupid shit like "this game is hard" or " meme nihilism" showing they never understood what Dark Souls 1 was about. Dark Souls 3 actually continues the world of dark souls and moves it in a meaningful manner and REINFORCES the themes of the first game, it doesn't directly contradict it unlike DS2.
@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT I dunno, I sorta didn't notice much difference in terms of gameplay. You roll to dodge, stab zombie men, bosses are tough. Stat system was a bit weird but I got used to it. I know there's mechanical differences and the map makes no sense, but it didn't really bother me much. DS2 mainly my favorite because of the tone and style. I like Arthurian-type stuff more than overt mythological themes so the whole "seek the king betrayed by his wife" motif appealed to me. And honestly... Well, Dark Souls 2 and 3 were a bit too bleak for me. It's all "The entire world is dying and that's probably for the better!" Even the mausoleum city of Anor Londo kinda felt like it was meant as a contrast to how bad everything had gone. DS2 is also set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy land full of undead horrors, but it was often fairly bright and beautiful and had a sort of solemn majesty to it. The kingdom was dead but it made for a pretty corpse, and nature persisted as if the worst of it all had passed. It felt like a nice place to adventure around without too much existential dread, and it suited the idea that it was all part of a cycle. That, and the NPCs didn't all die on me. I really like how Majula turned into this little village of weirdos going on with their lives without anything terrible happening to them at the end. Dark Souls 2 is somber but with a bit of hope, and that's the sort of emotional subtly I like.
@@RelativelyBest Gameplay wise, I can understand why some might be put off by Dark Souls 2 a little. It's a bit slower than the rest but for that reason I actually prefer it over Dark Souls 3, which just felt too spammy. The boss design leans a bit heavily into being and action game without it being a good action game, like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. But on the topic of atmosphere, for me Dark Souls 2 nails it. Dark Souls 1 was good, but we're dealing with gods and the setting's just not quite so grounded. Dark Souls 2 felt like it took place in the age of man. You were seeking Kings, Monarchs, Men. Not gods, which I appreciated more and these characters like Vendrick and Aldia were very compelling, compared to Gwyn or... was there anyone to even care about in Dark Souls 3??? And yeah, I found the environments in Dark Souls 3 in particular to be very drab and forgettable. Very washed out and unpleasant to look at. Dark Souls 2 was much more colorful and had a beauty to its dying world (Dark Souls 1 as well, to a slightly lesser extent.) And Majula was a great hub. It felt like a nostalgic home.
The "what is it that drives you?" Line always makes me feel some type of way that I can't seem to express. Like What DOES drive me... what DO I want... what is my end goal and what am I seeking...
Both Vendrick and Aldia should be as popular as Gwyn and his knights are. They’re just… so ridiculously cool, in concept and somewhat in execution. The way Aldia ALMOST makes bonfires a danger is horrifying and fascinating, and Vendrick… it’s Vendrick.
I remember the days when Aldia was first released, before the DLCs, and I was doing a run and didn't even know he existed. He burst from the floor, spoke mad facts, and then left. Confused, I started looking over the message boards at the time, trying to figure out who he was. Years later, it makes me wonder how much better the game would have been received if Aldia had been in it from the start.
His Dialogue in 2:23 to 2:54 tells of how no matter how enjoyable life is in this world, it is nothing but a lie due how Humanity's nature was forever changed by Gwyn's actions. Its a similar nature to a stage as he says, it doesn't matter how great your life is on that stage as it is nothing more than a play.
People hated it mostly because it had a graphical downgrade and though it was kinda annoying to see the full game look worse than the beta footage, the game tried to be different as well. It branches away from the whole, “becoming human firewood” in linking the flame literally and instead made it a metaphor.
@@HunterBloodHunterBlood that's the reason why I prefer DS2 lore over the other two games. It's so profound and actually makes us question the philosophy behind the cycle of light and dark.
@@shreksmeatballs9435 One thing I like about DS2 is the whole ambience when I look back at it, it felt almost like a dream, a fading memory. I think DS2 is much better at conveying the "fading era" , the flickering flame, than the other two Dark Souls
@@HunterBloodHunterBlood Graphical downgrade in my opinion is a huge bullshit. DS1 looks fine, because of the time it was made, but is kinda bland when compared to current graphics. Meanwhile DS3 looks very washed out when it comes to colors. In the meantime, DS2 looks far more colorful and alive than DS3.
I heard his dialog in a meme and had to find this. Never played DS2 in my life but I love whoever this is. His voice is so sick. Even through all the distortion it's soothing in a way
Both Aldia and Vendrick are exceptionally well-written. As much as people can complain about DS2, I think it might have had the best character writing of the trilogy.
And realistically, the only major flaw I had with the mechanics of the game was the existence of ADP. Otherwise it felt like a slightly more updated version of DS1 mechanics and it’s a few different hitches here and there (like power stancing) I do think that a lot of the bosses in the base game were a little boring though. I first tried almost all of them, only getting killed towards the endgame cause I kept getting vigour checked (and that’s on me), but the DLC was so fun to me (outside the weird extra dungeons with generally crappy runs and bosses)
His left bright, red eye is burning with passion of discovery and understanding. Anger at the ridiculousness of the world. His right eye is.. Tired, exhausted of the very same things...
he also talked about who are driven by love, refrencing the two people that made bells for somereason called sol and luna, dont really know the details why but the two are defenitly in "two lovers who cant meet" situation
@@RedHornet980 nah aldia doesnt really talk about why he turned that way nor does he care, i think one of his mad expirements was the reason he turned that way
Best character in dark souls (imo), I actually don’t really like ds2 very much but here and there it had some very good things like a vision of what could have been, Aldia is one of those.
@@en-men-lu-ana6870 still an 8/10 but It could've been as good as ds1. ds3 didn't really take as much risks and leaned more into being a direct sequel to the first which isn't bad but left it kinda rehashing a lot of elements from the original. Though, some found that was a good way to tie up loose ends, so it's up to personal taste as always.
I love the way he delivers every line. Slightly intrigued but also saddened at the way the world is. I especially like the feminine distortion that becomes especially apparent, and the tense way he delivers the line "Others chase the charms of love, however elusive", as if a long lost lover of his is becoming apparent through the pain of his voice, or perhaps the disappointment at his brother.
I absolutely love this character. My favorite in the entirety of Dark Souls. The Voices give me chills everytime! (Also I was looking If someone uploaded His dialogue with his ost)
Jesus this is chilling, I love this! I love how what sounds like the Emerald Herald and Aldia’s voice overlapping at 4:55 when he talks about the kings, Aldia is my favorite character in dark souls, he even spoils the ringed city in this, truly a scholar I might add a scholar of the first sin
He reminds me of the Master from the original Fallout. A man, corrupted by the insatiable pursuit of knowledge, reduced to an apathetic amalgamation of various minds. Yet, he still holds not only his knowledge as a human, but now, something even greater. Creators of something terrible, yes, but are they truly villains, or are they simply enlightened men, following their own interests?
scholar feels complete compared to vanilla. The original game just needed a bit more dialogue for context, it left too much to the imagination which felt kinda lazy. Scholar adds dialogue for aldia and updates description items to give a bit more context to the story and world.
Lindelt is more important than Vendrick and Aldia. Dragon Charms are old and new; the ones you find in Shulva and the Undead Crypt are original, the ones you find on Drakekeepers and Desert Sorceresses are perfect replicas. Simulacra, if you will.
That's not technically true, since Aldia is most likely the mentor of Lothric (and not Sulyvhan as many people believe). His lore is just even more hidden in the third game!
I like how Aldia really values everyone, and doesnt really say anything bad about them, despite their state. Vendrick hollowed, Vengarl as nothing but a head, The 3 kings. And the young hollowed, that he refers to not as a random vessel, but as someone valuable, who has a chance at achieving their goals. Even though he has all that power, he still stops to talk to the hollow in a respectable manner, not treating him as worse than him.
for me ds2 was important in whole trilogy because it shows us cycles of this cursed world, how kingsoms rise and fails and again and again... in ds1 we fought we just saved this world from fire, but second game shows us we are just a meaningless hollows cause there always will be someone to link the fire "knowing this you still desire peace?"
@@68freak exactly. Therefore a new world was required since the need to stop the suffering was far greater than any strength and resistance showed by man.
Also Aldia is the First of the Scholar of Lothric. He’s still an incredibly important character in DS3, even if we never see him (actually we do see him, in some statues...)
5:46 "There is no path... Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of dark. What could possibly await us? And yet we seek it. Insatiably... Such is our fate..." "Oh Bojack... there *is* no 'other side'. This is it..." Same energy
In a certain sense it is, but isn’t Aldia still a bit further from giving up than Bojack? Neither of them, as they say in these lines, has the intent of moving forward entirely, and not entirely of surrendering. But Aldia, I would think, shows a contradiction, at least in the interpretation, in his description of the curse. A curse is a thing that one would avoid, most would say. It is, however, in this case, as far as I have seen, something which simply is. Seeing it as this, it is not necessarily something to be avoided. Although if one wished to why?
@@johnwillow5705 In a strange way they are almost opposites. Bojack has given up at several points in his life and told himself time and time again he was powerless in cases where his actions would have most certainly made a difference. Sure, there were cases in which he agreed to be coerced into trying. But more often than not he needed a strong incentive to even keep going. And after staring long enough into the abyss, influence of drugs finally gave him the courage to attempt taking a step in; which almost ended tragically. Aldia on the other hand never once wavered from trying to reach his goal. There was virtually no bridge he wasn't willing to cross as can be seen by all the shit he caused. Eventually it all led to him winding up incapable of directly influencing the world. Contrary to Bojack he really did end up essentially powerless. And even then he didn't fully give up. He still awaits the answer to an impossible question, while making you question everything you thought you knew.
I personally take the line "there is no path.." to mean there is no path already there to follow. Meaning those who try to go there by breaking the cycle of the fading and rekindling of the flame will have to make their own way forward, which is a much more interesting angle for Aldia i think, because it doesn't really seem like he's given up the way i assume Bojack is supposed to.
Not even close, one is a deep message about walking forward through fear and uncertainty for that is what it us to be human, the other cringy atheist 12 year old in the youtube comment section.
Dark Souls 2’s most immense power comes from it’s use of the piano. Not a single game in the series, - even the first with Gwyn, - goes as hard as Dark Souls 2 does. Even when most other instruments are destroying the scene with their effectiveness and sound, the piano always lingers on in the background before taking over each and every one of them, absolutely shattering the Boss’ aggressive entourage and emotion with a, - albeit short, - powerful moment of sorrow and understanding, showing that most of them are nothing more or less than a victim of circumstance or one’s own ambition and emotions.
I CANNOT get over how tender that “others.. chase the charms of love; however elusive” after that amusement from “one man lost his own body, and lingered on as a head”. Really shows how fascinated he is by humans
Aldia is the only being to truly break free of the Undead Curse, and yet in doing so, he becamelinked to the power of fire, the power of the First Flame. He broke free from the curse, but became reliant on the Light
2:23 - "Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity. And men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world. 2:43 - Men are props in the stage of life, and no matter how tender how exquisite, a LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE!
I actually never truly learned much about ds2's lore and mainly focused on ds1 and 3's story since they felt more connected. Ds2's lore expands past just what we knew from the beginning and kind of showed us that not every fight or everything has to be high and mighty like in New Londo or the Ringed City and can be just as interesting everywhere else too.
I am sick, most likely diying, were close enough to not being able to breath week or two ago. Feeling so bad... well it is blocked by youtube to say so. Yet aldia dialogue helps me staying here. It brings me hope, peace, it has some understanding in it. And also... The true emotions in the voice acting, so many songs that i heard lacked it, some videos too. World is full of empty vesselfs, i am one of them. Some desperatly want to be full again, or at least, contain something. Hearing them, is partially sickening, most likely because i fear to be found out. One day, you may understand my words, i wish you to not get to this point. One time i were able to escape my faith of empty vessel, yet was shattered again. I were able to reignite it ~3 times in past 4 or so years... yet not once i were able to hold onto it. Perhaps its for better.. But if i will die tomorrow, i wish to ... i wish too much to waste last wish on it. Yet it would be nice to reignite my flame yet again. Farewell traveler.
everyone's talking about the voice acting, and yes it's amazing. but Aldia's theme is one of my favorite in all Soulsborne games, and that's saying something
Song?
Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin
darude sandstorm
@@skruub1e Arin, how does darude sandstorm go again?
@@leonniyawski3929 DOO DOO DOO DOOO
Ufoporno musica instrumenté
Virgin Serpent : "You have to link the flame!" "No, you need to let the dark come!"
Chad Aldia : "You came here to overcome your curse. How you do it is YOUR choice."
The fact that the way that Aldia talks about 'The Curse' is fully implying that you never came here to relink the flame or to fulfill some pre-determiend Fate.
Aldia even tells you of the other three kings because the three dlc areas have always been designed to be Post-game. So logically the ending where you leave the throne is the most realistic ending we would’ve chosen after confronting Aldia in each area.
So he alludes to the other three crowns to be claimed in order to overcome what the point of Dark Souls 2 was, to overcome our Curse which the four crowns are needed for. Which I fully believe once all four crowns are claimed and the curse is lifted that, that is the true ending of Dark Souls 2.
People can say all they want about Ds2, but its writing and subtlety of the concept of “Lies and Truth” is unparalleled in Soulsborne.
@@Xportbob and in gameplay, after beating all the DLC's your indeed hollow-free after death, immorality with no side effects
kinda sad you can't have that in new game+
@@Xportbob This. This is the truth.
@@XportbobThe curse is not lifted we are still undead we simply cured the symtoms specifically hollowing but we are still effected by the undead curse as we still respawn in a bonfire. By having the crowns we get the best of both light and dark immortality and still keeping our sense of self
@@thepublicpotato3887The curse might have been lifted but for gameplay reasons we cannot die or who knows, maybe the original humans before the dark sign were also near inmortal thus why Gwyn created the dark sign to make them go hollow so now that the curse is gone the DS2 protagonist becomes a "true human".
I love how, even through the distortion, you can tell this voice actor is killing it, one of the best in any From game.
Yeah, David Gant's performance as Aldia is definitely one of the highlights of Souls voice acting for me. Up there with Steven Hartley as Vilhelm and Michael Carter as Gough.
Pretty sure there is a woman voicing Aldia too.
@@robertsides3626 No
It's one chaotic voice filter that crumples many semitones at once.
In Clive Barker's Jericho, the Firstborn uses the same filter.
@@laurentiusmcmxcv Firstborn of who? Of Gwyn
Jericho and Dark Souls possible one universe
@@laurentiusmcmxcv you can definitely hear it at 2:17/2:19
"One man lost his own body, but lingered on as a head."
Bro Vengarl was such a powerful warrior even Aldia was keeping tabs on him.
I think he was just refering to him because of how interesting his story is
@@bigmannn2443 fully doubtful
Vengarl was a renowned mercenary in Forossa before joining the war against the giants under King Vendrik.
It's absolutely no surprise that the kings brother would hear of a legendary warrior taking part in his own countries war.
@@lordtalo2062 Yeah he was a powerful warrior in his time but there were definitely many more people like him who partook in the war against the giants, it just seems more likely that Aldia would specifically remember him because of the particularly interesting situation he found himself in rather than the fact that he is powerful
@@bigmannn2443 You have to remember what Aldia's goal is, which is to find a suitable person to break between the cycles of light and dark.
Obviously Aldia has lived for multiple cycles of light and dark, as we already know that Vendrick has, so the man has been keeping tabs on people for far longer than we've been around.
Well Vengarl is pretty close to Aldia's manor, wouldn't be shocked if Aldia also had a hand in Vengarl's condition
Aldia really out there telling the player "Do you even know why you're doing all of this?"
Everyone is out there trying to manipulate you into doing their bidding and Aldia just wants you to open your eyes and make the choice YOU want.
"Long ago, in a walled off land, far to the north, a great king built a great kingdom. I believe they called it Drangleic. Perhaps you're familiar. No, how could you be. But one day, you will stand before its decrepit gate. Without really knowing why..."
The thing I love about Aldia is that he tells the facts like it is, the only NPC that points out that your original goal was just to overcome your undead curse and that you don't necessarily need to link the flame to do it.
There's a lot of meta commentary in what he says. "What is it that you seek? You can't even say yourself?"
It's by this point in the game where you really have no idea what you're doing or where you're going anymore. You're just doing what other people tell you.
@@highlightermarca-texto3281 Jokes on Aldia, I didnt know why I was killing bosses or traveling through Drangleic in the first place, ha!
There's another character in DS trilogy, who tells facts like it is. Only one. And this character just sits in Majula and lick herself paws ^,..,^
@@jonathonmama4921 crazy that’s the point of the curse right we can’t remember
@@jonathonmama4921 The curse is an allegory for life, what do we seek? We can't even say ourselves, and if we claim to know, do we even have what it takes? Truly?
My man straight up spoils the big twist of The Ringed City years before it even comes out.
What spoiled?
@@Gastonepisellone 2:22
@@Qexia Yep
@@Qexia thanks
So this could mean that dark souls 2 has a chance of being after all the events of dark souls 1 and 3 timeline wise if you exclude the timeline fuckery that the prolonged life of the flame caused in 3. Because in dark souls 2 even the gods are forgoten, there is barely any presence of iconic enemies from 1 and 3 just armour pieces and weapons from the past, npcs even talk to you about how many kingdoms rose and fell. This is a quote from straid of olaphis ***Many kingdoms rose and fell on this tract of earth; mine was by no means the first. Anything that has a beginning also has an end. No flame, however brilliant, does not one day splutter and fade.
But then, from the ashes, the flame reignites, and a new kingdom is born, sporting a new face. It is all a curse! Heh heh heh!*** In the end if you side with aldia you choose to find a way to break the curse on your own, out of the cycle, while in 1 and 3 you have a choice to keep the fire going, let it fade or become a dark lord.
Aldia’s commentary on the world makes him one of the most compelling NPCs in the Souls franchise. He offers no grand vision of the future, nor does he encourage you to pursue anything in particular, he simply tells you the futility of the cycles and simply asks you something no other character before or after asked; what do you really want?
It's like there was no internal communication between the creative teams that created the first game and this.
The cycle isn't light & dark, the cycle is Gwyn linking the flame BACK IN TIME so that it never fades, that's what "linking mean" An age of dark can never come. That's why even an infinite amount of years forwards when you go to gael and anor londo is buried in ash, there is still light, the flame will never fade, Gwyn made it so. Filianore did the same thing to the ringed city, she linked the city to the past, never allowing it forward until you break her egg.
Over the whole series, time and time again, we are provided info that light is time and the reversal of its effect is forbidden. Gwyn, the lord of light (time), went against his very nature and linked the flame to a point in time so that it never progresses forwards. That's why every time you die, the world resets. That's your curse. You are in a time loop until you provide the flame enough fuel to "remove" (delay) the undead curse. By doing that, Gwyn ensures two things, the flame never fades and the humans never become powerful enough to overthrow his children. The only escape from that shit world is what Gael did, make a whole new universe.
Sankara deserved to die
@@Milo-Morbin You talk as if DS2 deviates from the story of the other games. Do not deviate. The DS franchise is open to interpretation because there is no clear answer to most things. You are quite wrong.
@@Milo-Morbin
So, did you actually pay attention when playing Dark Souls 1, or are you just really bad at understanding things, because almost nothing you said was even remotely true, and I'm really trying to understand exactly how you got that interpretation of the story.
@@Milo-MorbinHow many amphetamines did you do while watching vaati videos? Because I wish I could get high enough to write a world salad like you just did.
"No one has come this far, not for a very long while. Young hollow, do you wish to shed this curse? Then accept the fate of your ilk, and face the trials that await you. Unless you have already joined the crestfallen?
"Young hollow there are but two paths: inherit the order of this world, or destroy it, but only a true monarch could make such a choice. Very few indeed have come even this far, and yet your journey is far from over. Half-grown hollow, have you what it takes? Truly? Young hollow, seek after Vendrick; he who almost became a true monarch. Vendrick is certain to guide your way. Fledgeling hollow, may we meet again."
"Oh yes, I believe we've been acquainted. Young hollow, conqueror of fear. What drives you so to overcome the supposed curse?
"Life is brilliant. Beautiful. It enchants us, to the point of obsession. Some are true to their purpose, though they are but mere shells, flesh and mind. One man lost his own body, and but lingered on as a head! Others chase the charms of love, however elusive.
"What is it that drives you?
"Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity, and men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world! Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite; a lie will remain a lie! Young hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace? Vendrick, though a near-true monarch, is here, and not far off. But what is a kin? You, neither born with greatness nor granted it by the fates, what is it you seek? You cannot even say yourself!
We shall meet again, young hollow."
"Young hollow, how you grapple without falter with this dreadfully twisted world. Peace grants men the illusion of life. Shackled by falsehoods, they yearn for love, unaware of this grand illusion. Until the curse touches their flesh. We are bound by this yolk, as true as the dark that churns within men. All men trust fully the illusion of life, but is this so wrong? A construction, a façade, and yet... A world full of warmth and resplendence. Young hollow, are you intent on shattering the yolk? Spoiling this wonderful falsehood?
"I am Aldia. I sought to shed the yolk of fate, but failed. Now, I only wait an answer. Seek the throne. Seek Light, Dark, and what lies beyond.
"Many monarchs have come and gone. One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame. Still another slumbers in a realm of ice. Not one of them stood here, as you do, now. You! Conqueror of adversities! Give us your answer.
"I lost everything, and remain here, patiently. The throne will certainly receive you, but the question remains. What do you want, truly? Light? Dark? Or something else entirely?"
"There is no path. Beyond the scope of Light, beyond the reach of Dark... What could possibly await us? And yet we seek it. Insatiably. Such is our fate."
Is there a way you can send thus to me
Like via typing
If your copy paste isn't working or whatever I can email it to you?
Thank you so much.
Cheers, lyrics guy!
I know everyone loves the “A lie will remain a lie!” Line, but when Aldia prattles on about love and obsession, I get chills. Hairs stand up from my skin. I still get that sensation every time. Amazing VA, absolutely a hidden gem.
Aldia's voice fascinates me, I've never heard anything quite like it, the way it swims between distortions. The voice actor killed it, undoubtedly, but spare a thought for the sound editors
There's a woman speaking too, and at some short bits she becomes more dominant
Look up Satan in the huckleberry fin cartoon similar vibe
I love the distorted effect thing a lot of monstrous (but once human) bosses have in these games, like king allant and father ariandel, and of course aldia. I never really hear anything quite like it outside of these games.
Satan in Mark Twains adventures (or whatever tf it's called)
And the gravemind have similar feels
@@fontunetheteller410goosebumps tbh
What you're all here for 2:49
Sorry but I came for 4:53
And I for 1:50
@@dr.mustard6671 its referring to the kings from the dlcs, right?
@@tanasodera9865 yes
I love how he adresses us the players as "Young Hollow" implying we have just merely stepped into the curse while others have dwelt in it longer, Aldia himself is old, very very old and hollowed beyond recognition but still possessing his mind (Unlike Vendrick)
Nice little touch
for me, him calling the player Young Hollow is somewhat affectionate. Like, poor Hollow, you've become a hollow when you're still young. But please stay strong for the fate of this world.
I do not think Aldia is hollow, he somehow gets rid of the cycle, albeit destroying his body and altering his existence, since hollows can not possess their mind.
The implication is that we will hollow, eventually, just as everyone else. You cannot stop the curse.
@@dificulttocure Not a curse tho, and Aldia knows that
Aldia isn't hollow
I love the fact that at 2:12 when he says "Others seek the chance of love" a woman's voice takes the forefront. Very good attention to detail.
I noticed that and it sounds a bit like the Emerald Herald to me.
Pygmaleon and his sculpture, perhaps
Why though, is love a female thing now?
@@murkel7634 He may be referring to Vendrick pursuing Nashandra. Maybe even his disappointment with what happened. Or perhaps Aldia himself loved someone, once long ago.
@@murkel7634 Probably because the majority of people that played this game were men. And the majority of men are hetero. So when they're talking about chasing love, hearing a woman's voice probably does something to add to the immersion or something.
"Young hollow"
@Grakata First Album name: Seek Seek Lest
Hung Hollow 🥵
“Seek the truth, seek light, dark and what lies beyond.” So many of Aldias lines can stick with you, these voice actors killed it.
I believe it was only one voice actor, but the voice effect makes it sound like multiple actors voiced him.
One of my favourite moments in the series is defeating Nashandra, and then, "Many monarchs have come and gone.."
"Not one of them stood here... as *YOU* do *NOW"*
One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame
@@trypticon8619"Still another slumbers in a realm of ice."
@@raulthetorchic7324You, conquerer of adversities.
@@xeno6416give us your answer..
“One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame. Still another slumbers in a realm of ice”
Just realized these are 3 DLC’s
I only played DS3 can you explain please?
@@motazfawzi2504 the DLCs have you retrieve the crowns of past monarchs and they were; The Sunken King (drowned in poison), The Old Iron King (succumbed to flame), and The Burnt Ivory King (slumbers in a realm of ice)
@@motazfawzi2504 play DS2 too
@@bakiresiz i love ur username lol
@@motazfawzi2504 Aldia speaks of 3 ancient kings; each of them had the strength to link the crown, to become *true* monarchs, but all failed; the Old Iron King was killed by Ichorous Earth, a demon beneath his kingdom released by his insatiable desire for greater power, the Ivory King sacrificed himself the flame of Chaos when he souls began to diminish, for the sake of his people and was eventually corrupted by it, and the Sunken King was drowned in the poison unleashed by the dragon his kingdom worshiped, Sinh. Each King’s crown is retrieved by the Bearer of the Curse, and using their power they are able to ascend beyond the cycle; they do not hollow, and even when they die they will remain human.
But this isn’t true freedom, really. What good is existing beyond the cycle when the rest of the world is still bound by it? Is there any way to be free of the cycle, or is it simply inevitable that it will consume everyone in the end? These are essentially the questions Aldia asks, and really he’s the only NPC to give you this kind of dialogue about the nature of the world.
Aldia really says “We live in an age of society” and by sheer rage blame Gwyn and completely escape the cycle
Ted Kaczynski moment.
Based cause Gwyn ruined everything
I love when he says "I am Scholar of the First Sin"
My personal favourite is "It's scholaring time."
@@The_Red_Scholar And then he Scholared all over the place.
"Every First Sin has it's Scholar."
@@DarkHypernova”Every Soul has a Dark”
I love when during the fight he keeps repeating "hit me baby one more time" over and over again
I'm glad people are finally starting to come around and discover how good the lore was in Dark Souls 2.
Preach!
The DLC lore, yes. Vanilla is pretty meh.
@@NotAGoodUsername360 aldia is Vanilla tho
@@insanity-beats5526 he was added a year after launch and after all 3 dlcs...
@@jakethenolif5334 he's still now vanilla Gameplay it's like saying a function isn't vanilla because it came with a patch
At 2:12 you can almost hear the sorrow in his voice because I feel like this line is him referencing Vendrik's and Nashandra's relationship and this is what just now made it dawn on me that Aldia still mourns for his brother albeit subtly but while vendrik definitely got the worse end of losing something aldia doesn't mock or talk down about vendrik and personally, I think this is one of the best cases of brotherly respect. While Aldia may have survived and vendrick definitely didn't make the smartest decisions in life, Aldia still doesn't mock him like saying "my brother was a fool" or something like that instead the closest thing to an insult directed at vendrik is calling him an "near-true monarch" and that's why Aldia and Vendrick are probably one of my favorite sibling relationships in video games
I personally saw his intonation here as regret. He himself seems to partially regret trying to see past the illusion of life, which may mean he too loved someone and lost them in that pursuit. Given his field of study, I feel it is likely the woman he loved studied alongside him and either hollowed, prompting him to do his own research into ending the curse, or something happened to her in their joint research.
When he speaks of seeking love, his thoughts wander and a feminine voice, mayhap reminiscent of hers comes to the forefront in his recollection.
i thought it was alva and zullie instead of vendrick and nashandra
I love how Aldia is never really an antagonist. Even when he fights you, he's more like a mentor testing your resolve, wanting to see you at your finest. He doesn't even die or give souls when you beat him, more like he just is satisfied with you and lets you leave.
Aldia tests the Undead. Aldia is like... A strange father figure. He won't let you go without making you doubt, question and reflect. He doesn't show you what to do, simply teaches you.
"There is no path. Beyond the scope of Light, beyond the reach of Dark... What could possibly await us? And yet we seek it. Insatiably. Such is our fate." - there you go, the meaning of life.
So the meaning of life is basically "go forward, even tho there is no path ahead"?
Brilliant.
@@G.Redgrave Life is brilliant...
@@G.Redgrave Old comment I know, but I interpret it more like “There is no path, so we MUST go forward and create it”
Aldia coming out here leying down the ultimate existential horror of Dark Souls, and if you dig deeper you realize some of this still applies to the real world as well.
He is the best philosopher period
The reason why I still prefer Souls world building and lore over any other game, ever. The concept, the parallels to real life, the profound philosophy about light and dark, chaos and order. Shit's beautiful.
I wish Elden Ring had the same level of emotional weight, but it doesn't sadly.
@@shreksmeatballs9435 Elden Ring doesn't feel as bleak as dark souls
@@shreksmeatballs9435 well that’s intentional because you are supposed to feel hopeful rather than hopeless. But when you dig into the lore of the outer gods that feeling kind of returns.
Some?
There's something so funny about Aldia just enjoying himself emphasizing that his brother was ALMOST a true monarch every chance he comes up. Even in their new grotesque forms, he still teases his brother.
I saw it as more contemptuous, although I do like what that line implies about Vendricks character/history.
"He who...almost became a true monarch."
Vendrick and Aldia are my favorite characters in all dark souls.
they really are the philosophical wombo combo
1:45 is clearly the best of his dialogue
Many monarchs have come and gone...
Maybe I am odd for saying this, but listening to Aldia is like talking to an old very dear friend. I found ds2 at a very low point in my life, it's themes of hopelessness and never ending cycles struck a cord with me to the similarity of life.
The character of Aldia really stuck with me because the way he describes both the world and the player almost makes it feel like he is talking directly to the player. To this day I still get a genuine smile when he calls the player character "young hollow", it almost feels like a nickname given by a firm yet supportive grandparent.
I will always be thankful for this game and love it more then any other, and I will always hold the lessons the old scholar near to my heart. If I ever met the person who voiced Aldia, I would love to tell them how the character impacted me.
Mate, i feel the same
Considered as the worst Dark Souls game by many. Although to me it seeked something that neither Dark Souls 1 or 3 went after.
I would like to say that this game helped me unfortunately that'll be a lie. This game saved my life. Plenty of people feel the same towards this game.
Dark Souls 2 was meant to be something greater as cut contents suggest it and as Elden Ring shows it.
Nonetheless, the true victory of Dark Souls 2 is this eerie infatuation where this game was developed by the B team, rushed due to ultimatums, cut due to budget and still managed to moves the players of the Soulsborne community as it perhaps was the game with a truly compelling soul.
Exactly the same. Aldia always felt like he was speaking directly to me. It's one of the many reasons DS2 has my absolute favorite of the three games. It's story, even after all the tribulation the development of the game went through, came out absolutely profound. I wish people weren't so quick to dismiss it
@@NachozMan DS2, despite being my least favorite soulsborne game, has my favorite story/lore by far. None of the others come close imo.
@@spiceforspice3461 Dark Souls 2 is a cashgrab made up of unfinished assets and jumbled up lore. The devs even confirm in interviews they didn't know what they were doing. The real creative force behind Demon Souls & Dark Souls 1 was working on Bloodborne so they gave Dark Souls 2 to another team. You can see it clear as day when they say stupid horseshit like "the dark and light are two sides of the same coin". This game doesn't know what it wants to be, in the ending where you walk away, Aldia's lines make no sense because the fires turning off imply it's the age of dark ending. The visual storytelling contradicts what's told. The problem is the devs tried to make this game into the meme of dark souls instead of actually being a sequel, they constantly bombard you with stupid shit like "this game is hard" or " meme nihilism" showing they never understood what Dark Souls 1 was about.
Dark Souls 3 actually continues the world of dark souls and moves it in a meaningful manner and REINFORCES the themes of the first game, it doesn't directly contradict it unlike DS2.
it feels like an ASMR, such a calm and wise voice.
*Everyone:* "DS2 is the worst game in the series."
*Me:* "No matter how tender, how exquisite, _a lie will remain a lie!"_
I believe this to be true but i still think that it really is a great game
I think it is the best in terms of story, gameplay on the other hand it’s easily the worst.
@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT I dunno, I sorta didn't notice much difference in terms of gameplay. You roll to dodge, stab zombie men, bosses are tough. Stat system was a bit weird but I got used to it. I know there's mechanical differences and the map makes no sense, but it didn't really bother me much.
DS2 mainly my favorite because of the tone and style. I like Arthurian-type stuff more than overt mythological themes so the whole "seek the king betrayed by his wife" motif appealed to me.
And honestly... Well, Dark Souls 2 and 3 were a bit too bleak for me. It's all "The entire world is dying and that's probably for the better!" Even the mausoleum city of Anor Londo kinda felt like it was meant as a contrast to how bad everything had gone.
DS2 is also set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy land full of undead horrors, but it was often fairly bright and beautiful and had a sort of solemn majesty to it. The kingdom was dead but it made for a pretty corpse, and nature persisted as if the worst of it all had passed. It felt like a nice place to adventure around without too much existential dread, and it suited the idea that it was all part of a cycle.
That, and the NPCs didn't all die on me. I really like how Majula turned into this little village of weirdos going on with their lives without anything terrible happening to them at the end. Dark Souls 2 is somber but with a bit of hope, and that's the sort of emotional subtly I like.
@@RelativelyBest Gameplay wise, I can understand why some might be put off by Dark Souls 2 a little. It's a bit slower than the rest but for that reason I actually prefer it over Dark Souls 3, which just felt too spammy. The boss design leans a bit heavily into being and action game without it being a good action game, like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta.
But on the topic of atmosphere, for me Dark Souls 2 nails it. Dark Souls 1 was good, but we're dealing with gods and the setting's just not quite so grounded. Dark Souls 2 felt like it took place in the age of man. You were seeking Kings, Monarchs, Men. Not gods, which I appreciated more and these characters like Vendrick and Aldia were very compelling, compared to Gwyn or... was there anyone to even care about in Dark Souls 3??? And yeah, I found the environments in Dark Souls 3 in particular to be very drab and forgettable. Very washed out and unpleasant to look at. Dark Souls 2 was much more colorful and had a beauty to its dying world (Dark Souls 1 as well, to a slightly lesser extent.) And Majula was a great hub. It felt like a nostalgic home.
@@JinTekyta
I think the point of soc has completely been missed by all of u
The "what is it that drives you?" Line always makes me feel some type of way that I can't seem to express.
Like
What DOES drive me... what DO I want... what is my end goal and what am I seeking...
The only NPC in all of FROMsoft that wants YOU to make your own choices instead of trying to steer you into helping their agendas.
4:40 I love how distorted and high pitched the background is when he says “NOOOOW”
Both Vendrick and Aldia should be as popular as Gwyn and his knights are. They’re just… so ridiculously cool, in concept and somewhat in execution. The way Aldia ALMOST makes bonfires a danger is horrifying and fascinating, and Vendrick… it’s Vendrick.
2:48 Here’s everyone’s favorite line!
I'm so glad someone added the two together, I legit used to just open two videos. Such an underrated game, yet its kinda fitting for some reason..
2:24 Aldia's reference to Gwyn here is so understated yet so powerful.
"These are the roots of our world." said the man who became a tree
Even when counting DS1, DS3, Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring... the dialogue of both Aldia and Vendrick are the peak of the series. Amazing.
I remember the days when Aldia was first released, before the DLCs, and I was doing a run and didn't even know he existed. He burst from the floor, spoke mad facts, and then left. Confused, I started looking over the message boards at the time, trying to figure out who he was.
Years later, it makes me wonder how much better the game would have been received if Aldia had been in it from the start.
Aldia: Shows up dramatically
Spits facts
Refuses to elaborate
Leaves
His Dialogue in 2:23 to 2:54 tells of how no matter how enjoyable life is in this world, it is nothing but a lie due how Humanity's nature was forever changed by Gwyn's actions. Its a similar nature to a stage as he says, it doesn't matter how great your life is on that stage as it is nothing more than a play.
Aldia as a whole is just such an incredibly well crafted character.
i cant even
I love the deep anger and disgust you can hear in his voice when he's describing the roots of the world 2:24 "A lie will remain a lie!"
Good to know ds2 is finnaly getting its appreciation it deserves. It might not be roll and cutscene soles. But it’s a hidden gem.
People hated it mostly because it had a graphical downgrade and though it was kinda annoying to see the full game look worse than the beta footage, the game tried to be different as well. It branches away from the whole, “becoming human firewood” in linking the flame literally and instead made it a metaphor.
@@HunterBloodHunterBlood that's the reason why I prefer DS2 lore over the other two games. It's so profound and actually makes us question the philosophy behind the cycle of light and dark.
@@shreksmeatballs9435 One thing I like about DS2 is the whole ambience
when I look back at it, it felt almost like a dream, a fading memory. I think DS2 is much better at conveying the "fading era" , the flickering flame, than the other two Dark Souls
@@HunterBloodHunterBlood Graphical downgrade in my opinion is a huge bullshit. DS1 looks fine, because of the time it was made, but is kinda bland when compared to current graphics. Meanwhile DS3 looks very washed out when it comes to colors. In the meantime, DS2 looks far more colorful and alive than DS3.
Bro made Artificial Intelligence out of fossils and giant souls 💀
I heard his dialog in a meme and had to find this. Never played DS2 in my life but I love whoever this is. His voice is so sick. Even through all the distortion it's soothing in a way
yeah he’s basically a monument to all the awful things Gwyn has done to put it simply
Dark Souls 2 may not be the best Souls game but Aldia might be the most well-written character in the whole trilogy
Both Aldia and Vendrick are exceptionally well-written. As much as people can complain about DS2, I think it might have had the best character writing of the trilogy.
And realistically, the only major flaw I had with the mechanics of the game was the existence of ADP. Otherwise it felt like a slightly more updated version of DS1 mechanics and it’s a few different hitches here and there (like power stancing)
I do think that a lot of the bosses in the base game were a little boring though. I first tried almost all of them, only getting killed towards the endgame cause I kept getting vigour checked (and that’s on me), but the DLC was so fun to me (outside the weird extra dungeons with generally crappy runs and bosses)
Ds2 characters had nothing to do with what happened in lordran, they suffered the consequences of over people's mistakes. This is very actual.
Aldia basically calling Gwyn a bitch for causing the entirety of the Dark Souls games
His left bright, red eye is burning with passion of discovery and understanding. Anger at the ridiculousness of the world. His right eye is.. Tired, exhausted of the very same things...
I love how aldia's dialogue reference things we've heard or encountered like vengral ,the three dlcs and probably some other secret I missed
he also talked about who are driven by love, refrencing the two people that made bells for somereason called sol and luna, dont really know the details why but the two are defenitly in "two lovers who cant meet" situation
I thought he was referencing himself as aldia is just a head now
@@RedHornet980 nah aldia doesnt really talk about why he turned that way nor does he care, i think one of his mad expirements was the reason he turned that way
When it comes to Dark Souls my logic has always been "I am already dead. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain."
4:59 I love the woman's voice
Me lembra a voz de uma máquina, como aquela que narra uma das histórias de animatrix
This mf has the best dialogue in all 3
"A LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE" is a great line with incredible delivery
"Games are for kids"
The games i grew up with:
Aldia not showing up after defeating Gael in The Ringed City was such a missed opportunity.
Best character in dark souls (imo), I actually don’t really like ds2 very much but here and there it had some very good things like a vision of what could have been, Aldia is one of those.
I agree. Its not great but there was so much that I wish could have been truly fulfilled
@@Dunmerdog DS2 had the possibility of being awesome, but it was screwed over, robbing it of that potential.
@@en-men-lu-ana6870 still an 8/10 but It could've been as good as ds1. ds3 didn't really take as much risks and leaned more into being a direct sequel to the first which isn't bad but left it kinda rehashing a lot of elements from the original. Though, some found that was a good way to tie up loose ends, so it's up to personal taste as always.
@@incius8341 Agreed.
Based
I love the way he delivers every line. Slightly intrigued but also saddened at the way the world is. I especially like the feminine distortion that becomes especially apparent, and the tense way he delivers the line "Others chase the charms of love, however elusive", as if a long lost lover of his is becoming apparent through the pain of his voice, or perhaps the disappointment at his brother.
Life is beautiful... It enchants us...
Damn Wise Mystical tree been quite since This drop 🥶
“Others chase the charms of love, however elusive.”
This hits like a ton of bricks after Shadow of the Erdtree…
I absolutely love this character. My favorite in the entirety of Dark Souls. The Voices give me chills everytime!
(Also I was looking If someone uploaded His dialogue with his ost)
Jesus this is chilling, I love this! I love how what sounds like the Emerald Herald and Aldia’s voice overlapping at 4:55 when he talks about the kings, Aldia is my favorite character in dark souls, he even spoils the ringed city in this, truly a scholar I might add a scholar of the first sin
He reminds me of the Master from the original Fallout. A man, corrupted by the insatiable pursuit of knowledge, reduced to an apathetic amalgamation of various minds. Yet, he still holds not only his knowledge as a human, but now, something even greater. Creators of something terrible, yes, but are they truly villains, or are they simply enlightened men, following their own interests?
The Master was objectively wrong though. His plan, however monstrous, was doomed from the start as his mutants were sterile.
From "It is only human to commit a sin... HYEHYEHYEHYEHYEHYEHYEHYEHYE!"
To "No matter how tender, how exquisite... A lie will reamin a liiiiie."
He asks for an answer
But you cannot speak
For what can you say
I love the way his voice changes when he addresses Vengarl. It seems like even _Aldia_ is mortified by what happened to him.
I think it refers to his own self
Safe to say Aldia’s character saved the whole game, his questline is one of the best in the series!
God I love dark souls 2. I really hope that someday we get a conclusion to it.(because it kind of feels incomplete)
I will judge that.
What kind of conclusion do you need? Everything is said.
scholar feels complete compared to vanilla. The original game just needed a bit more dialogue for context, it left too much to the imagination which felt kinda lazy. Scholar adds dialogue for aldia and updates description items to give a bit more context to the story and world.
@@lostinsalem6562 Like what, kid ?
Lindelt is more important than Vendrick and Aldia.
Dragon Charms are old and new; the ones you find in Shulva and the Undead Crypt are original, the ones you find on Drakekeepers and Desert Sorceresses are perfect replicas. Simulacra, if you will.
This, among other reason, is why Dark Souls is a masterpiece. A work of art.
Aldia is a personification of true wisdom in DS series
One of the best-written and best-acted characters of the whole series.
Aldia not being in The Ringed City was the most criminal thing FromSoft has done
If you truly believe that, go and farm an envoy's greathorn.
It’s because Miyazaki was stubborn and didn’t want to add a character from a game he wasn’t the director of
imagine if at the end you bea tit all and as the screen goes black you just hear something like "a lie will remain alie" or "young hollow"
Best mentor and npc concept that Fromsoftware ever created. Too shame Miyazaki totally forgot about him in 3rd game...
That's not technically true, since Aldia is most likely the mentor of Lothric (and not Sulyvhan as many people believe). His lore is just even more hidden in the third game!
I like how Aldia really values everyone, and doesnt really say anything bad about them, despite their state. Vendrick hollowed, Vengarl as nothing but a head, The 3 kings. And the young hollowed, that he refers to not as a random vessel, but as someone valuable, who has a chance at achieving their goals. Even though he has all that power, he still stops to talk to the hollow in a respectable manner, not treating him as worse than him.
I suppose DS2 got it's proper shout out in DS3 by forming the plot of the DLC's and the "true" ending of DS3
for me ds2 was important in whole trilogy because it shows us cycles of this cursed world, how kingsoms rise and fails and again and again... in ds1 we fought we just saved this world from fire, but second game shows us we are just a meaningless hollows cause there always will be someone to link the fire
"knowing this you still desire peace?"
@@68freak exactly. Therefore a new world was required since the need to stop the suffering was far greater than any strength and resistance showed by man.
Also Aldia is the First of the Scholar of Lothric. He’s still an incredibly important character in DS3, even if we never see him (actually we do see him, in some statues...)
5:46
"There is no path...
Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of dark.
What could possibly await us?
And yet we seek it. Insatiably...
Such is our fate..."
"Oh Bojack... there *is* no 'other side'.
This is it..."
Same energy
In a certain sense it is, but isn’t Aldia still a bit further from giving up than Bojack? Neither of them, as they say in these lines, has the intent of moving forward entirely, and not entirely of surrendering. But Aldia, I would think, shows a contradiction, at least in the interpretation, in his description of the curse. A curse is a thing that one would avoid, most would say. It is, however, in this case, as far as I have seen, something which simply is. Seeing it as this, it is not necessarily something to be avoided. Although if one wished to why?
@@johnwillow5705 In a strange way they are almost opposites.
Bojack has given up at several points in his life and told himself time and time again he was powerless in cases where his actions would have most certainly made a difference.
Sure, there were cases in which he agreed to be coerced into trying. But more often than not he needed a strong incentive to even keep going.
And after staring long enough into the abyss, influence of drugs finally gave him the courage to attempt taking a step in; which almost ended tragically.
Aldia on the other hand never once wavered from trying to reach his goal.
There was virtually no bridge he wasn't willing to cross as can be seen by all the shit he caused. Eventually it all led to him winding up incapable of directly influencing the world.
Contrary to Bojack he really did end up essentially powerless.
And even then he didn't fully give up.
He still awaits the answer to an impossible question, while making you question everything you thought you knew.
I personally take the line "there is no path.." to mean there is no path already there to follow. Meaning those who try to go there by breaking the cycle of the fading and rekindling of the flame will have to make their own way forward, which is a much more interesting angle for Aldia i think, because it doesn't really seem like he's given up the way i assume Bojack is supposed to.
Not even close, one is a deep message about walking forward through fear and uncertainty for that is what it us to be human, the other cringy atheist 12 year old in the youtube comment section.
This guy makes you shit your pants at a bonfire then drops knowledge on you like it's nothing
Dark Souls 2’s most immense power comes from it’s use of the piano. Not a single game in the series, - even the first with Gwyn, - goes as hard as Dark Souls 2 does. Even when most other instruments are destroying the scene with their effectiveness and sound, the piano always lingers on in the background before taking over each and every one of them, absolutely shattering the Boss’ aggressive entourage and emotion with a, - albeit short, - powerful moment of sorrow and understanding, showing that most of them are nothing more or less than a victim of circumstance or one’s own ambition and emotions.
I CANNOT get over how tender that “others.. chase the charms of love; however elusive” after that amusement from “one man lost his own body, and lingered on as a head”. Really shows how fascinated he is by humans
The aggression of A LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE will never not give me chills
*A lie will remain a lie."*
Ain't that the truth...
I've listened to this so many times for a while. Aldia is seriously underrated as a character
Aldia is the only being to truly break free of the Undead Curse, and yet in doing so, he becamelinked to the power of fire, the power of the First Flame. He broke free from the curse, but became reliant on the Light
5:38 “question of my life pal”
- some chosen undead
2:23 - "Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity. And men assumed a fleeting form. These are the roots of our world.
2:43 - Men are props in the stage of life, and no matter how tender how exquisite, a LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE!
I actually never truly learned much about ds2's lore and mainly focused on ds1 and 3's story since they felt more connected.
Ds2's lore expands past just what we knew from the beginning and kind of showed us that not every fight or everything has to be high and mighty like in New Londo or the Ringed City and can be just as interesting everywhere else too.
I get shivers every time
If the human race ever is to go extinct, this would be a pretty good cryptic message for the aliens as to what being a human was all about.
I am sick, most likely diying, were close enough to not being able to breath week or two ago. Feeling so bad... well it is blocked by youtube to say so. Yet aldia dialogue helps me staying here. It brings me hope, peace, it has some understanding in it. And also... The true emotions in the voice acting, so many songs that i heard lacked it, some videos too. World is full of empty vesselfs, i am one of them. Some desperatly want to be full again, or at least, contain something. Hearing them, is partially sickening, most likely because i fear to be found out. One day, you may understand my words, i wish you to not get to this point. One time i were able to escape my faith of empty vessel, yet was shattered again. I were able to reignite it ~3 times in past 4 or so years... yet not once i were able to hold onto it. Perhaps its for better.. But if i will die tomorrow, i wish to ... i wish too much to waste last wish on it. Yet it would be nice to reignite my flame yet again.
Farewell traveler.
His voice is brilliant. You can hear different NPCs in it, Emerald Herald, Alsanna, the daughters of darkness. Brilliant. Just brilliant.
4:52 - my fav moment
I love when Aldia said: I the Scholar of the First Sin and he Scholared all over the place whilst screaming: 'its scholarin time'
I wonder if Aldia ever did his research on the undead curse in an attempt to keep his brother Vendrick from going Hollow.
My favourite part about Dark souls II Scholar of the first sin was when Aldia said "its Scholaring time" and Scholared all over the first sin.
everyone's talking about the voice acting, and yes it's amazing. but Aldia's theme is one of my favorite in all Soulsborne games, and that's saying something
life is falling apart, time to listen to Aldia again
Fromsoft made a huge mistake not having Aldia in DS3
Dark Souls 2 may have been underwhelming on release, but it's DLCs and Scholar of the First Sin made it a masterpiece.
Knowing this. I still desire more! Great video
A LIE WILL REMAIN A LIE!