Dark Souls 3 Kiln of the First Flame Consept Art

The Entire Nighttime Souls Story Explained

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have beaten a Dark Souls game, and those who haven't. These games by FromSoftware rank notoriously high on difficulty, often crushing players with an atmosphere as oppressive equally its bosses. Yet, for every death, there's always a reason to keep trying over again, no matter how futile it may seem. For whenever y'all desire to "git gud," Hidetaka Miyazaki'due south games always claiming you lot to get back up stronger than before.

This cyclical nature of dying, resurrecting, and trying once more perfectly captures the narrative of Dark Souls. Some of you may be request, "Look, there's a story to all this?" Yes, at that place is, and it'southward a rich, complex 1 that's subconscious beneath layers of subtext and literal text. And so for some, beating these games is as much well-nigh narrative as information technology is almost gameplay.

If you're interested in the deep lore of Night Souls, nosotros've got a quick primer to help you get started. It's worth noting that time is pretty ambiguous in this universe, peculiarly toward the cease. Nonetheless, nosotros'll hit the major points beyond all 3 Dark Souls games.

The whole story begins with the Historic period of Ancients - Dark Souls

A lot of events happen earlier yous even touch the controller in Dark Souls. Ages before yous escape the Undead Asylum, there was nothing merely fog. No one lived, no one died. Merely dragons existed, eternally watching over everything. This era was called the Age of the Ancients.

Underground, a magical fire, called the First Flame, all of a sudden sparked, alluring many humanoid creatures. This legendary Flame created the dichotomies between light and night, and life and decease. Essentially, information technology put fourth dimension in motion. Three creatures went into the Flame and claimed a Lord Soul. Gwyn took the Lord Soul of Calorie-free, while the Witch of Izalith took the Soul of Life. Nito claimed the Soul of Death. This granted them great ability, turning them into living gods.

Meanwhile, the Furtive Pygmy found the Dark Soul, which provided Hollows with a precious thing called Humanity. Thus, humans were born unto this world, merely their ability paled in comparison to the three Lords.

Killing the dragons - Night Souls

With this newfound power, the iii Lords waged state of war against the dragons higher up footing so they could claim the surface. Unfortunately, these dragons were unable to be killed by normal means. One dragon, Seath the Scaleless, betrayed his kind considering, as y'all'd guess from his name, he was built-in without scales.

He reveals to the Lords that dragons are immortal as long every bit they have their stone scales. Withal, the destructive power of lightning could strip them of their defenses. And then Gwyn harnessed some lightning bolts, opening the path for the other 2 Lords to secure victory.

Nito released the plague of death upon the vulnerable dragons. Meanwhile, the Witch of Izalith burned their homes, so they would take nowhere to run. This series of events wiped out almost all the dragons in the world, leaving only weaker imitators, similar drakes and wyverns. The only truthful dragon remaining was Seath. Thus, the Lords moved to the surface, challenge it for themselves.

Our story takes identify in the Age of Fire - Night Souls

With the Lords in control of the earth, the the Historic period of Fire begins. Consider it a golden era, where everything flourished. Gwyn build Anor Londo, his upper-case letter, atop a mount so it could exist closer to the dominicus. Nito took over the underground catacombs, spreading the concept of death from below, while the Witch of Izalith studied fire. This led to the Pyromancy abilities we encounter in the Nighttime Souls games.

Additionally, Seath sat comfortably in this new kingdom. For his services to the Lords, Gwyn bestowed upon him the status of royalty. Seath was as well provided a lab for him to comport experiments on creatures, all in an effort to understand immortality. These frequently inhumane experiments angered some people in Anor Londo.

Havel the Rock, a loyal knight under Gwyn'southward reign, took umbrage confronting Seath'southward experiments. He started gathering a group to have Seath downwards, simply Gwyn disapproved. The ruler eventually locked his friend away, dooming him to turn Hollow and go mad. Unfortunately, those experiments caused Seath to become crazy equally well, although he somewhen unlocks the secret to immortality — sort of.

Artorias and the Abyss - Nighttime Souls

In this universe, a little hamlet called Oolacile sits atop the Completeness. This Abyss can exist described as the darkness establish within all mankind, and it could threaten to snuff out the Commencement Flame if left unchecked. At that place'southward also Kaathe, the primordial serpent who often exhibits his desire to see the Age of Fire end. He convinces the people of Oolacile to go into the Abyss and dig upwards the grave of Manus, the primordial human. The creature goes wild when he'southward awakened, causing his Humanity to spiral out of control. This event exacerbates the growth of the Abyss.

In order to stop the Abyss, Gwyn sends his trusted knight Artorias to Oolacile. With his wolf pup Sif, Artorias confronts Mitt but loses. It's at this bespeak that Hand looks for his treasured pendant across fourth dimension and space, finding it in the future. He pulls the pendant to him, forth with the Chosen Undead (that'southward your character in Nighttime Souls). The Called Undead puts an end to Hand, saving the world from the Completeness while protecting Sif.

The first flame dwindles, setting up the beginning of the story - Dark Souls

Gwyn enjoys his prosperity for some time, but all adept things must come up to an finish. The First Flame begins to fade. The Lords panic over this startling development, as the Flame has been the source of their power since the Age of Burn down began.

The Witch of Izalith tries to recreate the Flame based on all her studies. Ultimately, she fails, and this corrupted fire consumes her soul, turning her into the Bed of Chaos. This result creates the Flame of Anarchy, which spawns the multitude of demons that plague the land.

As a last-ditch attempt, Gwyn sacrifices himself to the Flame, using his soul to rekindle the burn. This works, extending the life of the Flame as long as he sits within it. He becomes the kickoff Lord of Cinder, a creature who has plenty power to sacrifice itself to rekindle the Flame.

Becoming a Lord of Cinder is merely a temporary solution, delaying the inevitable darkness. Additionally, by rekindling the Flame, he has cursed humanity with immortality. Undead humans always come dorsum, merely the more they dice, the more they go Hollow.

Hollows and the curse of the undead - Dark Souls

Bandai Namco

The fading fire and the presence of the undead are closely linked in "Night Souls" lore. When the gods discovered their Lord Souls, they fix out to recreate the world and begin the Age of Fire. A mysterious individual known as The Furtive Pygmy, however, used its Dark Soul very differently. They split the Dark Soul autonomously and used its power to create humans. The gods had little regard for humanity until Gwyn's flame began to fade. Desperately searching for a way to go along the flame alive, the gods discovered that humanity could exist used as kindling for the fire. Unfortunately for the gods, humans had very little motivation to burn a piece of themselves away.

That is, until the curse of the undead crept over the land. Over time the undead begin to lose their sanity and turn Hollow. The only way to go on themselves from becoming Hollow is to gather humanity and offering it to bonfires throughout the country. Burning humanity reverses Hollowing and sustains the Age of Burn down – though the sustenance of burning humanity isn't every bit strong as a Lord offering themselves upwardly to fully rekindle the First Flame. No 1 knows for certain where the curse of the undead originated, but it is suspiciously convenient for Gwyn and the other gods who desire the Age of Fire to continue endlessly.

The Chosen Undead is our gateway into the story - Dark Souls

Believe it or not, nosotros've finally reached the events that you actually play through in Dark Souls (bated from that little detour with Mitt). The Chosen Undead awakens, and they're meant to fulfill the prophecy of rekindling the Flame. They strive to gather enough power to sacrifice themselves and go a Lord of Cinder, at least according to prophecy.

To exercise and then, they have to reach the Kiln of the First Flame. To open that pathway, the Chosen Undead needs to collect the Lordvessel and the fragments of Gwyn'southward soul (in other words, specific bosses). They sacrifice these fragments to the Lordvessel, which provides admission to the Kiln.

Within this Kiln, they notice the cindered husk of Gwyn. It attacks, acting as the final boss in Dark Souls. After defeating information technology, y'all're given a choice. You tin rekindle the Flame, as the prophecy intended, or you lot can let it die. If you choose the latter, the Chosen Undead go a Dark Lord, and a whole host of primordial serpents — including Kaathe — worship them for ushering in the Age of Dark.

Gwyn's children and the Nameless King - Nighttime Souls/Dark Souls 3

Bandai Namco

Gwyn, the Beginning Lord of Cinder had four children, ii of which players can see in "Nighttime Souls." The Chosen Undead encounters Gwyn'southward first daughter Gwynevere while exploring Anor Londo. She urges the Called Undead to overthrow Gwyn and rekindle the flame to continue the Age of Fire. If the Chosen Undead attacks Gwynevere at any point, she fades abroad, revealing that her presence was actually an illusion created by Gwyn'due south 2nd born son, the Nighttime Sun Gwyndolin, who wants to detect a worthy undead to rekindle the flame.

Players see Gwyn's 2nd daughter, Filianore, in the "Dark Souls 3" Ringed City DLC. Subsequently the war with the dragons, Gwyn separated the Pygmies from the rest of the globe by putting them in the Ringed City, and he sent Filianore to live with them for reasons that aren't entirely clear. She holds a cracked egg that crumbles when touched and transports players to the game's final boss battle.

The most mysterious of Gwyn's children is his firstborn son. Players learn in "Dark Souls" that Gwyn's firstborn was a historic God of War who suffered a humiliating loss. The firstborn'due south error forced him out of Anor Londo and ensured that his name was lost to history. The identity and fate of Gwyn'south firstborn was the subject of fan speculation for years, but many believe that he is in fact the Nameless King, an optional boss in a hidden location in "Night Souls 3." If that's true, and so after being separated from his family, Gwyn's firstborn took upwardly with the very dragons he had once warred against.

Secrets of the Painted World - Dark Souls/Dark Souls iii

Bandai Namco

Ane of the most unique locations in "Nighttime Souls" is the Painted Globe of Ariamis. Hidden inside a painting hanging on a wall in Anor Londo, this world is protected by heavily-armed guardians and is the domicile of Priscilla, a dragon hybrid with incredible power who initially asks the protagonist to calmly leave before attacking.

The reason backside the Painted Earth's existence is ane of the enduring mysteries of "Dark Souls," but fans have washed their best to uncover the underground. One popular theory is that the Painted World was built as a prison for beings that the various Lords viewed equally threats to their power. The first DLC for "Nighttime Souls 3," on the other hand, brought players to the Painted Globe of Ariandel. The game doesn't openly spell out the connexion betwixt this Painted World and the one encountered in "Dark Souls," just fans have used their sleuthing abilities to put the pieces together.

Ariandel is known as the "restorer of the Painted World," which implies that Ariandel's Painted World and Ariamis' Painted World are one and the same. No 1 knows how much fourth dimension has passed between the events of "Nighttime Souls" and "Nighttime Souls 3," but it'south articulate that the Painted Earth has gone from being a prison to being a habitation for people, like Slave Knight Gael, who want to escape the real world's woes (more than on him in a bit). Notably the Painted Globe exists in a bike similar to the Age of Burn. Equally the painting ages, it must be burned abroad, and its residents must create a new painting where they tin escape, continuing the wheel of life and decay. Even the alternate dimensions in "Dark Souls" have a long story of their own.

Vendrick and Drangleic rekindle the story some time later on - Dark Souls two

Whatsoever ending you cull in Dark Souls doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The franchise is all most cycles, afterward all. Ultimately, someone else always comes in to rekindle the Flame.

An undisclosed amount of fourth dimension has passed since the Chosen Undead's time. Many kingdoms accept risen and fallen, and the Flame has been rekindled an unknown number of times. Dark Souls 2 puts its focus on the kingdom of Drangleic. King Vendrick founds Drangleic after overthrowing the previous kingdom that stood in its place.

From across the sea, a traveler named Nashandra joins Drangleic, warning Vendrick of an incoming invasion. She claimed the giants were coming to attack their kingdom. Hoping to gain the upper mitt, Vendrick leads his army to the giants showtime, attacking them and stealing a powerful artifact from them. This antiquity helps him build magical golems, which in plough contributed to the construction of Drangleic.

The undead expletive - Night Souls 2

Drangleic prospers for some fourth dimension under Vendrick's rule. He marries Nashandra, who becomes the queen of the realm. Unfortunately, the curse of the undead has returned to the globe. Many people have become afflicted with this curse, which somewhen leads to them condign Hollow. At first, he quarantines these people, treating them as nada more than an infection.

But later some time passes, the male monarch realizes that there's more to information technology than that. Vendrick and his brother Aldia deduce that this undead expletive historically appeared when the Flame was rekindled. They suspect that somehow, the two are related.

Aldia, who studied life and death itself, tried to find a way to live outside the bike. He resorted to recreating dragons, the ancient creatures unaffected by fourth dimension before the Age of Fire. He goes equally far as to create a hybrid being, but nonetheless, Aldia finds no surefire manner of escaping fate. No affair how hard he tries to stop the undead curse, he fails, ultimately turning into a horrifying monster.

Nashandra's ulterior motive - Nighttime Souls ii

While Vendrick was trying to provide for his kingdom, he had no idea of the sinister plot his married woman was hatching. Nashandra was born from a shard of Paw, the primordial human being who embodied the Abyss. She represents everything night about humanity, and the only thing she wants is to usher in an Age of Dark. She believed that by siding with Vendrick, he would atomic number 82 her to the Throne of Want, which represented the Kickoff Flame.

Nosotros learn that the giants were never planning to attack Drangleic. Instead, information technology was Nashandra who manipulated Vendrick into fighting them. She knew they had the golem-building artifact which would help Dranglaic prosper. The giants came back with a vengeance, decimating the kingdom.

Vendrick learns of his wife's expose, but by the time he realizes, it'southward too late. He seals himself away so he can't be used by Nashandra to reach the Throne of Desire. However, that doesn't matter to her. She'due south found a new entity that can open the way to the throne: your Dark Souls two character.

The Bearer of the Curse concludes a new story cycle - Dark Souls 2

Your character in Night Souls 2 is another Undead, but this time, they're closer to becoming Hollow. Everyone, including your character, flocks to Drangleic in search of a cure. Instead of finding it, though, the Bearer of the Curse finds themselves drowned in this political power struggle for the First Flame.

Nashandra tells the character sweet little lies, nudging them toward opening the Throne of Want. She herself can't do information technology because of the barriers Vendrick set up up. Afterward the path opens, Nashandra, in a surprising twist that no one could see coming, betrays the Bearer of the Curse. They fight before the throne, but your character ends up victorious.

Originally, Night Souls two funneled players into i ending, which made the protagonist sit on the Throne of Want. The meaning was left ambiguous, merely many assumed this meant rekindling the Flame. When the game got the Scholars of the First Sin update, an ending was added that let players walk away from the throne instead.

Scholar of the Showtime Sin - Dark Souls 2

Bandai Namco

Later defeating Nashandra and Aldia, players have a choice eerily reminiscent of the one made at the end of "Dark Souls." The Bearer of the Expletive tin can choose to sit on the Throne of Want, or to walk abroad from the Throne forever. Essentially, the Bearer can choose to once once more continue the Historic period of Burn or allow the flame fade away.

Having to brand this determination once once again seemingly undercuts whatsoever conclusion players made at the end of "Night Souls," only that'due south exactly the point. Aldia's dialogue finally reveals that Lord Gwyn committed the "Commencement Sin" past starting the Historic period of Burn down. This is how the protagonist learns that Gwyn's Linking of the First Flame began the bike of light and dark and inadvertently created the undead curse. Now the cycle continues forever — no matter what happens. If a powerful undead rekindles the burn down, it will inevitably fade. If that undead chooses instead to walk away, someone else will come to accept their place. There is no cure for the undead curse, and even when an in-game crown offers respite from Hollowing, it simply masks the symptoms; it doesn't eliminate the expletive entirely.

Some believe that Aldia tried to break this bike by usurping the Kickoff Flame. Though he was unsuccessful, his work and research had lasting furnishings on the world. The cycle would go on by Aldia, simply on the horizon, an Unkindled was coming who could truly bring an end to the First Sin.

The Lords of Cinder brings the story to its end - Night Souls 3

Hither nosotros are, at the finish of the world. We travel forward in time, at another bicycle of rekindling, peradventure one of the last. The First Flame is dying once again, and the Lord of Cinder who would accept rekindled information technology, Lothric, refused to practise so. Thus, previous Lords were brought back to life so their ability could exist used to rekindle the Flame.

Ludleth, one of the Lords, sits on his throne at the Firelink Shrine, accepting his fate every bit nothing more than a sacrifice. Lothric remains past the Grand Archives with his blood brother, Lorian. The other three Lords — Yhorm the Giant, the Abyss Watchers, and Aldrich, Devourer of Gods — continue to wander the earth, carrying their Lord Souls with them.

All v of these Lords come from different places in the Dark Souls timeline. We never saw these characters in the height of their power, but based on their relationships with other bosses, we know they held ability in this world before they gave their bodies to the Flame.

The Ashen One - Dark Souls 3

With the Flame fading, bells ring out, awakening the Unkindled. These creatures differ from the Undead, who more often than not seek humanity and darkness. Instead, the Unkindled seek the Flame itself, gathering picayune Embers as they can. There's a possibility your character used to be an Undead who couldn't handle the Flame, which at to the lowest degree explains why the Humanity item was replaced with Ember in Dark Souls 3.

The Ashen One rises as yet another prophecy-fulfilling creature that stands above the balance. Information technology'south up to them to harvest enough souls to get powerful plenty to gather all five Lords of Cinder and bring them to the Firelink Shrine. Ludleth is already there, meaning yous have at least four dominate fights to look forward to (ane of which is surprisingly easy).

Each Lord has a deep background story that provides more insight into the history of Lothric. While we won't go into detail on each of them, you should know that they again speak to the cycles of rising and falling empires that Nighttime Souls has become known for.

The incessantly repeating cycle - Dark Souls 3

Bandai Namco

"Night Souls 3" hammers home the idea of a earth trapped in an endless bike that was first introduced in "Dark Souls ii." Once over again players are exploring a world plagued past a fading flame. The game'due south principal bosses are all Lords who have previously linked to the flame, showing that rekindling isn't really the solution to the problem of fire's fading.

Tis  inescapable bicycle is and then important to the story of "Dark Souls 3" that FromSoftware decided to bring back specific characters and locations from previous entries to show that little has inverse, despite the countless years that have passed between the games' events.

Some accept taken issue with the amount of "Dark Souls" references in "Night Souls 3," but these references serve as a powerful reminder that rekindling the flame doesn't alleviate the curse of the undead. Even though the world undergoes dramatic changes with each rekindling, poor characters like Siegward of Catarina are forced to get on living until they get Hollow. At the end of the game, players are once once again asked to rekindle the flame or walk away and plunge the world into darkness. Anyone picking up on the hints left by FromSoftware probably longs for another possibility, and the catastrophe of "Dark Souls 3" finally allows for that selection.

The Painted Earth of Ariandel - Dark Souls 3

Forth their journey, the Ashen One meets Slave Knight Gael. He's an exhausted human who has lived since Gwyn's time, and he carries a sliver of a magic painting. When touched, this painting brings our hero to the earth of Ariandel. Gael pleads that the Cadaverous One bring fire to this earth, considering as it is now, it'southward rotting.

Many forlorn creatures phone call Ariandel home, making it a sad concluding destination for those with nothing else to live for. This world, much like the outside world of Dark Souls, falls victim to cycles. These painted lands eventually succumb to rot, which tin only be cleansed by fire. By that point, the designated painter will take painted a new world for these inhabitants to jump to. In this cycle, a young, nameless girl is the painter.

Within Ariandel, our hero meets Friede, another Unkindled who now calls this place home. Despite her inherent drive to find the Flame, she and her father refuse to bring fire to this world. This sparks a clash with the Ashen I, who fights her to the expiry. Their atmospherics sparks a flame, which starts to burn Ariandel.

The Ringed Urban center and the end of fourth dimension - Dark Souls three

While the Ashen 1 sets Ariandel ablaze, Gael roams the outside world, gathering equally much of the Night Soul as he tin can. He ingests bits and pieces of it, incorporating information technology into his blood. He harvests the Nighttime Soul by killing Pygmies, descendants of the original Furtive Pygmy who found the Dark Soul.

His goal is to plough the Dark Soul into a pigment, which the painter can utilise to paint a new globe as Ariandel burns to nothingness. Theoretically, this new world would never die because of the enduring properties of the Dark Soul. This noble quest brings Gael to the finish of the world and fourth dimension itself, and his changing blood drives him mad. At present, he only wants claret and the Dark Soul, forgetting his initial reasoning.

The Ashen One travels to the Ringed City, the last city of humanity. While at that place, they magically travel to the end of time, where they find Gael. The slave knight attacks them, hungry for blood, but they strike him down, obtaining the Blood of the Dark Soul. The Ashen I gives this to the painter, who then paints a new, eternal world called Ash.

The meaningless finale of the story - Dark Souls 3

Bandai Namco

There are four possible endings to "Nighttime Souls 3." The well-nigh straightforward catastrophe sees the Ashen One defeating the Soul of Cinder before rekindling the First Flame. This ending perpetuates the Age of Burn down, with the Cadaverous Ane becoming yet some other Lord who must sacrifice themselves to the flame. With the help of the Firekeeper, it's also possible to let the Get-go Flame fade entirely, ushering in a temporary Age of Darkness earlier a new flame appears. Players are likewise gratuitous to impale the Firekeeper and literally take the ending of the flame into their own easily. That third option, still, is effectively the same as the second one, though it's a scrap morally questionable.

All three of these endings are virtually identical to the endings of "Dark Souls" and "Dark Souls 2." Whether or not the flame is rekindled, the cycle of low-cal and dark will continue on undisturbed. Essentially, the Age of Fire is perpetuated, and the earth is left with just surface-level changes subsequently the Ashen Ane's journeying. The Painted World of Ariandel nonetheless exists separately from the real world, but anyone who hasn't escaped into the painting will notwithstanding experience the undead curse. If the Cadaverous One wants to break the cycle, they will need to practice what Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin failed to do: Usurp the flame.

Usurping the flame - Night Souls three

Namco Bandai Games

The only way to interruption the Age of Fire'southward endless cycle is to unlock the nearly complicated "Night Souls 3" ending. First, the Ashen One must become a Hollow themselves. One time Hollow, they must perform a hymeneals ceremony with the body of Anri as preparation for becoming the Lord of Hollows. So, after defeating the Soul of Cinder, the Ashen One tin can put an stop to the First Flame while too claiming its ability. The usurpation of fire ending puts an terminate to Gwyn'southward Age of Fire and begins the Age of Hollows.

It's piece of cake to view the usurpation of fire as the best possible ending for "Dark Souls 3." After all, Gwyn'due south prolonged Age of Fire has caused suffering for just nigh every living fauna in the globe. However, some fans have their doubts most how much good a new Age of Hollows could really exercise for the globe. An Age of Hollows might free humanity from its enslavement to burn down, only it won't necessarily let them be costless to live and die as they choose. In that location's also no guarantee that usurping the burn will put an end to the undead curse. Maybe, similar the Painted World, the Historic period of Hollows will simply offer humanity the chance to exist in a new kind of cycle.

An entire FromSoftware universe?

Bandai Namco Entertainment

"Dark Souls" pushed FromSoftware into the mainstream, just the company'south other games — including "King's Field," "Demon's Souls," "Bloodborne," "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice," and "Elden Ring" — are just every bit beloved (if non more then) than its flagship franchise. In that location are ofttimes thematic overlaps frequently tied to game mechanics, like the need to accept players retry stages to figure out proper strategies and the presence of the undead in most of the games. Certain weapons like the Moonlight Greatsword and Storm Ruler have likewise appeared across FromSoftware'south different titles (as noted by Game Informer). Not merely that, but i character connects every "Souls" game: the fan-favorite Patches, who seems to exist stuck in his own cycle of death and rebirth.

These subtle connections are likely but FromSoftware paying homage to some of its favorite early on ideas, just that hasn't stopped fans from speculating about a narrative connection between the various games.

1 popular theory is that the Painted World created with the Dark Soul in "The Painted Earth of Ariamis" and "The Ringed City" DLCs is really the metropolis of Yharnam of "Bloodborne." Unfortunately, that theory doesn't account for the presence of the godlike Great Ones in Yharnam. Another idea links FromSoftware's showtime 3 "Souls" titles with "Elden Ring," positing that the Lands Between existed long before the other worlds, and that each of the various "Elden Ring" endings gave rise to a different FromSoftware earth. The company hasn't confirmed whatever links between its games, and it likely never will, simply that only makes theorizing virtually an interconnected mythology more enticing.

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