This page details the secondary characters of Dark Souls II. Head back through here for other character pages.
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Things Betwixt
Strowen, Morrel & Griant
- "Now, go along. On a journey without rest..."Voiced by: Joanna Wake (Strowen), Marcia Warren (Morrel) and Anna Barry (Griant)
A trio of retired Fire Keepers who live in seclusion in Things Betwixt. They greet the newly arrived Undead who come to Drangleic, who steadily stream in on a daily basis. There was once a fourth who resided with them, but she apparently left them for the outside world to instigate more Undead to journey to Drangleic.
- Brutal Honesty: They don't hesitate to inform you of exactly how miserable your time in Drangleic will be.
- Cynical Mentor: They give a sort-of orientation to new arrivals, though it mainly boils down to "You suck and your (un)life will be a failure."
- Deadpan Snarker: They make no exception and spare no expense at mocking any Undead who pass through.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: They might as well be addressing the player when sneering about how the Bearer of the Curse dying and losing their souls over and over is inevitable.
- Pet the Dog: If the player talks to Strowen after acquiring a story related ring, she'll be amused that the player is still moving forward and will give them 5 Human Effigies.
Milibeth
- "The old women were keepers of the fire. But now, the fire shows signs of fading. And the kingdom...is beset by Hollows..."Voiced by: Liz May Brice
The caregiver of the Fire Keepers, as many of her maternal ancestors have done before her.
- Berserk Button: She doesn't take kindly to you hitting the retired Fire Keepers even once, as she'll brandish a ladle to attack you relentlessly.
- Joke Item: She gives the player the Handmaiden's Ladle should they kill the Ogres near the sex change coffin in Things Betwixt. It's awfully weak and has negligible durability. However, upgrading it in the Mundane path, along with having with the correct stats to make the most out of said weapon type, turns it into one of the strongest unbuffed weapons, easily dealing 700-800 damage per swing.
Sparkling Sisters Dyna and Tillo
- "You, you, give us smooth!"
"Yes, you, give us silky!"Voiced by: Naomi McDonald (Dyna) and Anna Koval (Tillo)
A pair of baby crows. They trade rare items for "smooth" and "silky" items.
- Recurring Element: Of Snuggly the Crow and Sparkly the Crow, being the strange empty nest that apparently houses an unseen baby crow who can trade rare items with the player.
- Super-Strength: They can give you a Demon Great Hammer, which weighs nearly as much as the entire Elite Knight set and is too heavy for any early-game character to wield effectively unless they throw their next ten levels into Strength. That they got it up to their nest is impressive.
- Talking Animal: They are not seen within the game save for their nest, but every time you approach it, they will ask you to give them what they want.
- Worthless Yellow Rocks: They give you valuable materials, sometimes weapons, in exchange for stones.
Majula
Crestfallen Saulden
- "You probably heard it was possible to break the curse here. Well, that's not true at all. There's nothing here for you, me, or anybody."Voiced by: Matt Morgan
A crestfallen Undead warrior who rests at the Black Monument, Saulden is a member of the Way of Blue and offers the player membership. Unlike his counterpart in Dark Souls, he is actually friendly.
- BFS: If provoked for some reason, Saulden will take out his Claymore to fight back.
- Despair Event Horizon: It's said that his spirit has been broken for a while.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He shows up in the Dark Souls II prequel comic, wearing the old Hard Leather Set from Dark Souls.
- The Eeyore: Just like his predecessors, he's bitter, depressed and cynical about the way of things. He's a lot less condescending about it though, and eventually warms up to the player once Majula's population goes up.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Despite his spirit being broken and having no real reason to, he gives all sorts of hints to a starting Bearer of the Curse and will always offer them to join the Way of Blue, which helps fight off invasions.
- If the player dies 100 times, he will give them the Ring of Steel Protection, which increases their physical defense by 50. And if most or all of the unlockable merchants have moved into Majula, he'll also thank the Bearer of the Curse for making the place more lively and for boosting his morale.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: His Silver Eagle Kite Shield, which you will never see him use to defend himself with unless you aggro him.
- Nice Guy: Unlike the Crestfallen Warriors of the previous two games, his eternal pessimism doesn't prevent him from being polite, friendly, and helpful."May you find peace on your journey."
- Pet the Dog: Bring at least four new people to Majula, and he will give you a Soul Vessel as thanks for making the place a lot less desolate than it used to be. You can also learn the "Welcome" gesture from him free of charge.
- Recurring Element: His moniker, his sour personality, and the fact that he resides in the central hub of the game, is a dead ringer for the Crestfallen Warriors from Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.
Maughlin the Armourer
- "I don't even know why I'm still here. Everything's all run-down and dying. It's t-terrible for business, really..."Voiced by: Richard Standing
An entrepreneur from Volgen who traveled to Drangleic to open a commercial armory. Unfortunately, he's hit a red streak and is hurting for business.
- Ambiguously Brown: Along with Rosabeth, he's one of the few dark-skinned human characters in the game.
- Collector of the Strange: He also sells the armor sets of some of the humanoid bosses you have defeated so far. Including the armor set of the Ivory King. How he got ahold of them in the first place, however, is a mystery in of itself.
- The Fog of Ages: Thanks to the Undead Curse affecting him, the more souls you spend on the armor he sells, the more his memory starts to go.
- One theory is that even though he says that he's getting lots of customers, in reality it's only you, and he frequently forgets that and thinks his business is just getting successful. To fit this, when he starts becoming a jerk about it, that is when you learn that he doesn't remember what and where his homeland is.
- Pet the Dog: Even when he becomes blinded by his newfound wealth, he's still considerate enough to offer the player a free set of the fairly solid, or rather transparent, Aurous Set should they come to him with no souls on hand.
- Sinister Scimitar: Aggroing him will cause Maughlin to take out his Falchion to defend himself against you, and he's surprisingly good at using it to deadly effect, especially when you're still at a low level and are careless at fighting him.
- Stutter Stop: He occasionally lapses into this.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: As his business picks up, Maughlin becomes rather arrogant and dismissive of the player (who's the reason he became so rich in the first place).
Blacksmith Lenigrast
- "A man ought to labour with his feet planted firmly in the earth. Not roam around like you flirtatious vagabonds."Voiced by: Michael Kilgarriff
A somewhat grumpy Undead blacksmith who believes firmly in the value of physical labor. When first encountered, he's been locked out of the building where he set up shop, and will offer his services if the player retrieves his key. He has a daughter, Chloanne, who works as a travelling stone trader.
- The Blacksmith: He serves as the town blacksmith, performing basic equipment upgrades as well as repairing broken equipment.
- Body Horror: His skin is decaying as a sign of the Undead Curse getting to him. He could use an Human Effigy to revert this condition, but decides not to.
- Carry a Big Stick: Provoke him into fighting you, and he'll come chasing after you with a Great Club.
- Foil: To his own daughter. He’s visibly hollow but apparently has all of his mental faculties and shows no signs of progression like other npcs do. His daughter looks human but her mind is slipping away.
- Grumpy Old Man: He's fond of complaining, to say the least, especially when it comes to Chloanne's constant adventuring and travelers in general. He does have a softer side, though.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his haughty, no-nonsense attitude towards people who live on the road, he's a family man who firmly believes in establishing a permanent home.
- Mythology Gag: He bears an uncanny resemblance to the figure on the Archstone of the Burrow King
from Demon's Souls, being a bearded, green-skinned blacksmith. - The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: The Ugly Dad to Chloanne's Hot Daughter, but not by choice, as the Undead Curse has afflicted his skin and he has not bothered to use a Human Effigy.
Sweet Shalquoir
- "Oh... Who were you, again?"Voiced by: Hannah John-Kamen
A strange cat living in a ruined house near the entrance to The Pit. She prefers the company of Undead, pretending to be a normal house cat around regular humans.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: It's very heavily implied that, whatever Shalquoir is, she is not a cat. The Emerald Herald seems to be the only character in the game that realizes this and warns you thusly. Luckily, Shalquoir is nothing but nice to the player despite being some kind of higher being.
- But Now I Must Go: Near the end, she remarks that it's time for her to part ways with you, claiming that it's because she's a cat.
- Cats Are Mean: Happily gloats over the decay of the kingdom, whilst throwing barbs at everyone in (or out of) sight.
- Cats Are Superior: She certainly has a high opinion of herself."We cats are born beautiful, of course. Hee hee..."
- Cute Kitten: She's a sweet, ordinary-looking cat, to say the least, unlike Alvina of Dark Souls.
- Deadpan Snarker: Much of her dialogue consists of mocking the player character, although she offers useful advice as well.
- Gratuitous French: When introducing herself."Oh, yes, you may call me Shalquoir. Enchanté."
- Invulnerable Civilians: Try as you might, even if your attacks hit her (with all the blood splattering that ensues), she has no health bar, and will simply snark at your fruitless endeavours."Oh, spare me!"
- Ironic Name: She may look cute, but her personality's anything but 'sweet'.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: There's some genuine concern for your well-being buried beneath all that mockery. It's just not all that easy to spot. Best seen when the game reaches its final act: while saying her farewells, she presses you to take the throne you have earned and do great things like a true sovereign.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: It turns out that "taking the throne" entails locking yourself in a kiln to replenish the First Flame, so she might have been screwing with you all along. Or possibly that she understands the sacrifice needed, and is finally acknowledging you as worthy of the Flame depending on how you interpret it.
- Mega Neko: Downplayed. She's larger than the average house cat, due to the breed she's based on, but not as large as Alvina.
- Ms. Exposition: She's perfectly happy to give the player advice and information regarding the kingdom and its past. She seems to be intimately familiar with the reincarnated forms of the Lord Soul Bearers and who they were before.
- Occult Blue Eyes: She has these.
- Really 700 Years Old: She's been around for an untold number of centuries, watching the endless cycles of history go by.
- Recurring Element: She functions as one half of this game's equivalent of Oswald of Carim, allowing you to check and manage your covenant's status (the forgiving sins and pacifying angered NPCs aspect has been passed on the Cromwell the Pardoner instead). She also resembles Alvina from the previous game, as a large cat inexplicably speaking English who's been around for centuries and witnessed the rise and fall of great figures.
- Talking Animal: It's somewhat easy to mistake the voice in her room for someone else's. She also lacks the distinct growl whenever Alvina speaks, making her sound a lot more human.
Benhart of Jugo
- "It's a true man who honours his debts. And I'll see mine paid. I swear it, by my ancient sword."Voiced by: Tom Cotcher
A mysterious swordsman found outside of Majula's entrance to the Shaded Woods, stopped in his tracks by a strange, human-like statue. He wears a secondhand suit of armor, which he seems to have procured in Mirrah. The sword he wields seems both familiar and foreign at the same time...
- Ancestral Weapon: The Bluemoon Greatsword, which he and his ancestors believe to be the real Moonlight Greatsword created from the tail of Seath the Scaleless which the Chosen Undead cut off so many years ago. Magerold says he suspects it might be a fake, but couldn't bring himself to tell Benhart because of how proud he is of the sword. Speak to Maughlin with the sword in your inventory and he will confirm it is indeed a fake.
- Badass Cape: Benhart's Armor has a dark fur cape hanging from it's back, seemingly made from a wolf's.
- Badass Normal: He kicks a metric ton of ass with average armor and the powerless forgery of a legendary blade. And since he doesn't display any signs of memory loss, judging by the way he goes on and on about his family's history with his sword, he may not even be Undead.
- BFS: He wields the Bluemoon Greatsword, an imitation of the Moonlight Greatsword which his family believes to be the real thing.
- Blood Knight: You can learn the "Joy" gesture from him after listening to him talk about his love of swordsmanship. He also makes it clear that he's in Drangleic solely to put his sword to good use; the devastated kingdom where everything has gone to hell is his ideal of a training ground.
- Charles Atlas Super Power: He has traveled far and wide to hone his skills against powerful foes, as he believes that only a "true swordsman" can bring out the hidden power of his sword. Due to this, he has become one of the most powerful combatants in Drangleic, despite using what is essentially a display only, wall hanger replica of the Moonlight Greatsword.
- Cool Helmet: Benhart's Knight Helm.
- Cultural Rebel: Subverted. While he is an honorable Jugoian, in contrast to the other people hailing from Jugo, this is likely due to being from an era long past. It's all thanks to the Timey-Wimey Ball of the region.
- Effective Knockoff: While his Bluemoon Greatsword is a fake that lacks any of the special properties of the Moonlight Greatsword, it's still a huge hulking chunk of sharpened crystal, and Benhart makes damn good use of it. At least in gameplay terms it's also a much better fit for Benhart, as it uses his physical strength instead of magical ability.
- Fire-Forged Friends: If you take the time to summon him for boss fights, he'll eventually warm up and come to respect you. By the end of his sidequest, he'll give you a spare set of his equipment as a token of friendship.
- Half-Truth: Benhart claims his homeland, Jugo, is one of honorable fighting men. Technically this is true due to the tale of Aurous... but only in the past tense. By the events of the game, most of the equipment and characters (such as the Desert Sorceresses and Corrosive Urns) from Jugo are underhanded and completely dishonorable. Of course, due to the flow of time being convoluted in Dark Souls, there's a good chance that he is from the past, when it really was home to honourable fighting men.
- The Lancer: He and Lucatiel are as close as you can get to Solaire when it comes to the number of boss fights they're available for. Not only is his boisterous and battle-hungry nature at odds with your implied stoicism, he also eventually swears to come to your aid whenever you need it. Unlike Lucatiel, Benhart is also a possible summon for the final boss, much like Solaire. You can also find his summon sign in the ruins preceding Elana the Squalid Queen in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC.
- As of Scholar Of The First Sin, he can be summoned for more bosses than any other character in the game.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Benhart's Parma, but he actually doesn't use it. He'll gift it to you instead.
- Old Soldier: It's unknown as to how old he is, but his beard is solid gray, and he's one of the most powerful NPC summons you will meet in your travels.
- Recurring Element: He is a big honorable guy wielding a massive sword, who is sitting near a door that can be found early in the game, but not unlocked until later. He is in quite a pickle.
- Violent Glaswegian: Has the accent and temperament of one, though his sense of honour reigns it in a bit.
Carhillion of the Fold
- "Sorcery is yet a mystery, even to me. Let us mature together, young pupil."Voiced by: James Greene
A former professor at the Melfia Magic Academy who traveled to Drangleic with his apprentice Rosabeth. Drangleic is said to be home to ancient spells and lost arts, and many dangers to test them on. What better place is there for an ambitious mage to test his limits?
- Absent-Minded Professor: He just kind of... forgot... about the fact Rosabeth is supposed to be his apprentice.
- Artificial Stupidity: When aggroed, he deals somewhat low damage, has low health and is unable to use an Estus Flask to heal should he get hurt. He also wields a Lizard Staff in battle, meaning that if he gets around to casting his sorceries he'll end up not doing a lot of damage which is very unhelpful when he's summoned for the Fume Knight.
- Black Mage: What he essentially is, and the Black Hollow Mage Robes that he wears reinforces this impression of him.
- Casting a Shadow: He's revealed to be a powerful hexer in the Lost Crowns Trilogy if you take the time to summon him against the Fume Knight, where he can unleash Dark Greatsword and Dark Hail on top of his signature sorceries.
- Cool Old Guy: While he won't pay much attention to you if you don't have the required Intelligence to buy his spells, he will take you as a pupil once you do, and gives some helpful advice when you talk to him.
- Defector from Decadence: He left the Melfia Magic Academy due to his disgust of their internal politics and shortsighted administration.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He wields a Magic Shield in battle, if only for its high resistance against sorceries.
- Old Master: If his completely white hair didn't give it away, he has much experience as a mage. He traveled from Melfia to Drangleic with naught but the clothes on his back and his repertoire of sorceries (and his apprentice). He's also a fairly competent NPC when summoned for the fight against the Fume Knight.
- Pet the Dog: Talking to Carhillion with 30 Intelligence will make him gift you the +1 version of the Northern Ritual Band, a ring that increases the number of your attuned spells' casts by 20%, but at the cost of reducing your maximum HP by 35%.
- Recurring Element: Of both Sage Freke and Big Hat Logan as the game's primary sorcery merchant who also has an apprentice, although this is where the similarities end, as Carhillion is much humbler and friendlier than either Freke or Logan.
- Squishy Wizard: As skilled as Carhillion is - considering that he has attuned Soul Spear, Crystal Soul Spear, Great Soul Arrow, Homing Soul Arrow and Heavy Homing Soul Arrow for when he fights - he's grossly outmatched physically by the Fume Knight's immense strength and needs you as a distraction to properly act as support.
Rosabeth of Melfia
- "What we're fascinated by, and we're skilled at, are not always the same thing."Voiced by: Carina Reeves
A pyromancer found petrified at the entrance of the Shaded Woods. She is the apprentice of Carhillion, despite her ineptitude with sorcery.
- Ambiguously Brown: She's one of the few characters that has dark skin, and even in the artworks she's one of the few characters that contrasts with... well, everyone else's pallor.
- Broken Bridge: On account of being petrified, she takes on the role of one by blocking the Majulan path to the Shaded Woods until you unpetrify her.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She's constantly nervous, easily distracted and started off her quest in Drangleic by getting jumped and petrified by a basilisk. But she did pretty well for herself after getting separated from Carhillion, and her unusually coherent memory implies that she might be the only non-Undead resident of Majula.
- High Hopes, Zero Talent: Rosabeth has a great passion for learning sorcery, but absolutely sucks at it. Also an inversion; she is very adept at pyromancy, but couldn't care less about it.
- Nice Girl: She's one of friendliest and most polite characters in the game, and gifts you a Prism Stone as thanks for unpetrifying her.
- Playing with Fire: She is the pyromancy teacher of the game. And should you go and aggro her, she will whip out a pyromancy glove and cast the Fireball, Great Fireball and Great Combustion pyromancies at you.
- Taken for Granite: She obviously had a bad experience with a basilisk, most likely the one that's waiting directly on the other side of the door next to her.
- Virtual Paper Doll: Give her some armor — any armor — and she'll be wearing it the next time you visit her. Despite her complaining that her clothes are in such poor shape, she will happily accept clothes that are in even worse shape as a replacement.
Merchant Hag Melentia
- "All we get is strangers these days. Everybody's gone and run off! Drangleic's been a pile o' rubble since the war fought long, long ago."Voiced by: Marcia Warren
A wandering hag who makes her living selling wares.
- Collector of the Strange: A creepier example than most merchants you find. If you kill a NPC, chances are she will sell their clothes once you talk to her. How she managed to obtain them is another question...
- In the Hood: Her face is mostly hidden in shadows by the ragged hood she wears.
- Never Mess with Granny: Making her hostile is not the best idea, given that she can inflict Curse buildup.
- Pet the Dog: After spending at least 10,000 souls in her shop without leaving the interaction menu, talking to her will make her give you the +1 version of the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring, which gives you 20% more souls from all sources, as thanks for buying items from her.
- Senior Creep: She's rather decrepit (probably from being partially Hollowed), scavenges from the dead, and cackles wickedly in the face of someone dying (including herself).
- Walking the Earth: Having no place to live after the war, she wanders Drangleic, carrying all of her wares and possessions on her back.
Licia of Lindeldt
- "Why did I come here? Well... Do I need any other reason than to spread the gospel of miracles?"Voiced by: Liz May Brice
A somewhat shady priestess who serves as the game's miracle trainer.
- Achilles' Heel: For all of Licia's skill with miracles, she'll basically become harmless if she's afflicted by the Profound Still hex. When invading her, casting it should be the first thing you do as soon as you enter her world, as it will effectively declaw Licia until the effect runs out.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In addition to selling miracles... Licia also invades people wandering the lower levels of Drangleic Castle and in the Undead Crypt as the Nameless Usurper.
- Blade Enthusiast: Trying to aggro her will make her brandish a Bandit's Knife (along with some powerful miracles), and she is surprisingly skilled with it. She also wields one as the Nameless Usurper.
- Blatant Lies: The device she uses to open the path to the Huntsman's Copse, according to her, runs "only on miracles". But if you kill her and take it from her corpse, however, it runs just fine without a single miracle in your inventory.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Since Licia mostly relies on her miracles when aggroed, she will rarely resort to using her bare fists should you get too close to her.
- Holier Than Thou: She will never let up an occasion to tell you why you should submit yourself to learning miracles from her. She even asks you to pay a fee and kneel before her just to unlock the entrance to Huntsman's Copse for you!
- Honest John's Dealership: Her skills and her goods are legit, but her salesmanship is as cutthroat as they come. It's also implied that all of her miracles and equipment were actually stolen from a monastery in Lindeldt, going by the items and the miracle that you can recover after counter-invading her.
- In the Hood: Licia wears the Saint's Hood, which not only gives +1 point to your Faith stat when worn, but also gives an extra cast to all your attuned spells.
- Pet the Dog: If you have 30 Faith when you talk to Licia, she'll gift you the Idol's Chime and the Saint's Set for deepening your Faith. The former is a chime best used for casting - shockingly enough - hexes, and the latter is a set which offers excellent all-round defense for it's weight. Apparently even though she's a murderous con-artist, she still respects anyone who truly holds a deep faith in the gods enough to give them rewards.
- Recurring Element: She's Petrus of Thorolund's equivalent, in that they're both Holier Than Thou clerics with sinister ulterior motives. Also similar to Lautrec of Carim, in that she claims to be serving a deity, but eventually, you get to invade and kill her.
- Shock and Awe: Aggroing or invading Licia will also cause her to put her miracles to good use, and boy does she know how to use them. For starters, she's attuned Blinding Bolt, a unique variation of Wrath of the Gods that deals physical damage, and a unique variation of Lightning Spear that throws out an orb instead of a spear.
- The Medic: On top of her three offensive miracles, Licia can also cast Soothing Sunlight to quickly heal herself once she gets down to at least 50% of her HP.
- Token Evil Teammate: She's the most dishonest person in Majula, and it's pretty clear that her proselytizing is really just a front to get souls out of you. And then she attacks you numerous times to steal them for herself.
Cale the Cartographer
- "When I first came to this forsaken land... It was...um...hmm...? Err... A curse...? Err... Something about a curse..."Voiced by: Rhys Swinburn
A forgetful old man who's fascinated by an engraved map of Drangleic deep in a mansion in Majula.
- Badass Armfold: He tends to be encountered doing this in the basement of Majula's mansion.
- Badass Cape: Cale's Leather Armor sports a long, ragged green cape.
- Cool Helmet: Cale's Helmet, which when worn gives a surprise +2 points to your Dexterity and a +1 point to your Endurance stats. It's also what Navlaan needs to see as proof that you have assassinated Cale for him.
- Cool Old Guy: Too bad he seems to be suffering from Death of Personality.
- The Fog of Ages: The Undead Curse has hit Cale hard; he's scarcely aware of anything now, except for his map making. Which makes Navlaan's request to assassinate him all the more jarring, as when and how the hell did Cale enter Aldia's Keep?
- Katanas Are Just Better: He wields an Uchigatana and knows how to use it, should you happened to have provoked him into fighting you.
- Nice Guy: This man is approaching Solaire-levels of benevolence.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Apparently Cale somehow entered and explored Aldia's Keep at one point, met and managed to touch Navlaan through the barrier and then left the place with his life still intact.
- Pet the Dog: For lighting up all the fires on the stone map under Majula's mansion, Cale will gift you a spare of his helmet as thanks.
Stone Trader Chloanne
- "These stones may look all the same, but to the trained eye each is unique."Voiced by: Naomi McDonald
The daughter of Blacksmith Lenigrast. She deals in rare ores, specifically Titanite.
- The Ditz: While the Undead Curse is partially to blame, judging from Lenigrast's dialogue, she was never the shiniest stone in the pile - though this could be down to his general attitude.
- Earthy Barefoot Character: Perpetually barefoot and a lover (and seller) of stones and ores.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Chloanne is usually holding a human skull or bone, and is studying it rather lovingly.
- The Tease: When you talk to her, she occasionally says "I've only one thing to provide and we both know what that is!" in a suggestive tone before bursting into a fit of giggles.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: She's quite attractive in contrast to her blacksmith father, who is partially Hollow.
- You Remind Me of X: Lenigrast reminds her of her father. He is her father, but she doesn't recognize him due to his partially Hollowed state, and also doesn't believe that her father could ever manage to chase her down this far away from home, so she dismisses the notion that it could actually be him.
Laddersmith Gilligan
- "You want to climb down here? ...I can lend you a ladder. But em... ha... how much can you offer me?"Voiced by: Connor Byrne
A vulgar carpenter from Volgen who helps construct shortcuts in the form of ladders, for the appropriate fee.
- ...And 99¢: In a bit of rare comedy from this series, he sells you his ladder miniature for 7,999 souls.
- Big Fun: Quite portly, but otherwise very friendly and casual to the Player Character.
- Bling of War: He wields a pair of Melu Scimitars, which have jeweled hilts.
- Bus Crash: You come across his motionless body in Dark Souls III. Additionally, you learn the "Stretch-out" gesture by interacting with his corpse, which is exactly positioned like said gesture.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He came to Drangleic to get away from some "old friends" of his, and laughs off any attempts to get more details from him. By Dark Souls III, it appears those "old friends" of his finally found him.
- Deadpan Snarker: Buy the cheapest ladder from him in Majula, and he'll snark at you before building and setting up a comically short ladder for you to climb down and fall (or potentially die) from.
- Dying as Yourself: An odd example in that he was never possessed or otherwise had his personality overridden, and his body in the Profaned Capital is surrounded by ladders (destroyed and set-up alike). It seems that Gilligan died doing what he loved or, more likely, succumbed to a single-minded mania as he slowly Hollowed out.
- Greed: In exchange for building and setting up ladders to help you progress on your journey easier, Gilligan asks for your souls in return, and it's implied this flaw of his has caused him a lot of problems with his "old friends".
- Loveable Rogue: He's implied to be a criminal who's made a lot of enemies, but can otherwise be pretty chummy. According to Navlaan, he is indeed a greedy, foul man, and Gilligan more than proves him right by asking for souls in exchange for making ladders for your use, hence why the former will ask you to assassinate Gilligan and bring back his Ladder Miniature as proof of his death.
Forest of Fallen Giants
Mild-Mannered Pate
- "You be careful, too, my friend. For trust can be a dangerous thing."Voiced by: Peter Serafinowicz
A treasure hunter with a kindly, if cautious attitude. He often points the player in the direction of rare items, though he's sure to warn them that the treasures are booby-trapped.
- Affably Evil: Implied to be as such if Bitch in Sheep's Clothing is to be taken into account.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Creighton the Wanderer insists that Pate's kindly attitude is just a front to bait his partners into setting off traps, then stepping over their corpses to grab the treasure. Pate himself becomes gradually more sinister as the game goes on, but it's up to the player to decide who of the two men is more trustworthy.
- All but confirmed upon his first meeting. Pate will give the player a thinly veiled threat and, if the player walks through the gate that Pate is sitting in front of, he will close the gate and trap the player with a group of hostile Hollows. Granted, he will play it off by warning you about it ahead of time, and furthermore he eases any suspicion on himself by giving you the White Sign Soapstone.
- Cutting Off the Branches: Creighton appears as an invading Finger of Rosaria in the third game, and according to his armor set was outed as a serial killer. That means that Pate was right about Creighton, and that canonically, Pate died at Creighton's hand.
- Gladiator Games: Pate's Set brings to mind the attire of a gladiator, and the way he fights with his spear and greatshield is also reminiscent of how some gladiators fought.
- Gratuitous French: Pate happens to know a little French, which is kind of out of place in a world like Dark Souls. He refers to a hideout of his as a pied-à-terre.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Pate's Shield, a greatshield which has decent physical resistance and stability.
- Nice Guy: It's right there in his name. He's happy to let you keep whatever treasures you find before him, and even grants you the White Sign Soapstone as a reward for navigating a particularly lethal area in the Forest of Fallen Giants. He also gives you a copy of his entire set if you meet him again in Earthen Peak (provided his summoned phantom survived the boss fight with the Last Giant), just because he likes you... but he could have an ulterior motive behind this as well (perhaps wanting a certain someone to mistake you for him...).
- Recurring Element: Of Patches the Hyena/Trusty Patches, except he warns the player ahead of time that the treasure has an Obvious Trap. However, if they side with him instead of Creighton, Pate will give the player a key and promise them treasure, but then conveniently fails to mention that one of the chests in the room is booby-trapped.
- Shield Bash: He occasionally does this with his shield.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He's this game's version of Patches, right down to using a spear and greatshield combo.
- Villains Never Lie: He may be a trickster, but he's honest with you every step of the way. About every trapped chest he points you toward. And especially about those "unsavory bandits that prey upon travelers like yourself."
Cathedral of Blue
Blue Sentinel Targray
- "You may call yourself one of us, and are free to plant your roots in this garden of the gods. Be proud. I, Targray, do proclaim, from this day, you are a Knight of the Blue."Voiced by: Daniel Flynn
An apostle of the Blue Sentinels covenant based in the Cathedral of Blue in Heide, Targray remained in Drangleic to continue supporting his comrades even after people began fleeing the ruined kingdom and he himself became Undead. The Blue Sentinels have a sacred and heroic mission, so it is not unsurprising that even the altruistic Targray has let the honor get to his head a bit.
- ...And That Little Boy Was Me: Heavily implied that the frightened child, the protagonist of the fable told in his shields description, is in fact him, and that the intervention of the Goddess of Dreams was what inspired him to found the blue sentinels.
- Combat Compliment: Should you attack him, he will refer to you as his greatest challenge.
- Holier Than Thou: Reject his offer to join the Blue Sentinels, and he will call you a halfwit for rejecting "such magnificence."
- I Choose to Stay: Despite the kingdom of Heide having been subsumed by the sea and many of his compatriots gone, he still remains there to help those whom he has sworn to protect.
- Nice Guy: Downplayed. According to the official guide, Targray is absolutely selfless and altruistic, more than willing to lay his life down to save others at a drop of a hat. The downplayed part is that he is kind of pompous about it.
No-Man's Wharf
Lucatiel of Mirrah
- "You are an odd one, indeed. I've always made a point of avoiding people. While you've made a point of engaging me."Voiced by: Sarah Beck Mather
A knightess from the land of Mirrah, Lucatiel came to Drangleic to seek a cure for her curse of Undeath in as well as to search for her older brother, Aslatiel.
- Action Girl: She's a capable swordswoman who can fight alongside The Bearer of the Curse in several boss fights if you summon her as a Stone Wall helper.note
- Always Need What You Gave Up: Early on, Lucatiel gives the player character a Human Effigy, not knowing what it is. Her own memories begin fading not long after, being completely unaware that using it could help her stave off the Curse she fears so much for a time. And you’re unable to tell her this either, though you can reverse her hollowing several times by helping her survive boss fights that you summon her to help you with.
- Always Someone Better: Zig-Zagged. She states that she never won in a sword fight against her brother, the greatest swordsman of Mirrah at his prime, but she’s capable of fighting some of the most dangerous beings in Drangleic and many have possibly surpassed her brother by that point. But as time goes on, it’s clear the Curse is doing a number on her memory and she may eventually lose her skill in sword fights, whereas her brother’s status is unclear until he invades you as a red phantom, implying he went mad from the Curse and is now murdering people.
- Ambiguous Ending:
- Depending on The Bearer of The Curse’s interaction with her, one of two possibilities will occur. The “bad” ending — when she isn't summoned for and kept alive for at least three boss fightsnote before reaching her quest’s end — implies that she has reached a near-hollow state and will eventually lose to the Curse, though she retains enough of her mind to not attack you in her final encounter with you. In the “good” ending where she was summoned for several boss fights and kept alive for at least three of them, she thanks you for helping her remain sane, at least for a longer period of time, and lives on long enough to even help you in Frozen Eleum Loyce against the Burnt Ivory King. She also gives you a spare set of her gear and wants you to promise her that you’ll remember her name. And as Dark Souls 3 canon lore reveals, the Bearer of the Curse not only kept their promise they made sure the whole world would know her name by rechristening the mask she wore as “Lucatiel’s Mask.”
- In Dark Souls 3 you can obtain what appears to be her sword, called the “Hollowslayer Greatsword,” when you transpose the boss soul of the Curse-Rotted Greatwood. Since the cursed being had been given many things that hollows feared and wanted to be rid of, its possible Lucatiel died long before the events of that game occur, but given that time doesn’t flow fluidly and that no fate is given on her status at the end of the game it’s left ambiguous if she hollowed or somehow lost her sword.
- Artificial Stupidity: Lucatiel as a NPC summon has a rather slow A.I. pattern that takes some time to even react, which is not helped by the areas you find her in being full of Bottomless Pits, often making her fall to her doom. Thankfully her stats — noticeably her health — are much higher in order to compensate for this weakness, allowing her to function as a capable Stone Wall.
- Call-Back:
- In the Black Gulch, she speculates that the Curse is possibly one that everyone is born with. And according to Primordial Serpent Kaathe in Dark Souls she's more correct than she'll ever know.
- Her meeting up with The Bearer of the Curse over the course of the story and helping with various boss fights, while also fighting to retain her sanity, is reminiscent of Solaire of Astora.
- Cool Mask: She wears a bearded mask, perhaps to hide her partially decaying face. Later, canon lore reveals in Dark Souls 3 that when you trade a Vertebra Shackle with the crow to get it, it is even referred to as Lucatiel's Mask, as opposed to the rest of the Mirrah Set.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She acts curt when she first meets your character, though she softens up if you persist in speaking with her. And as time goes she’ll reveal more about her past whenever you speak to her.
- Facial Horror: Her Darksign is located on the left side of her face.
- The Fog of Ages: The Curse is slowly fading her memories, the earliest ones first, and it absolutely terrifies her. Her fear at losing her own identity is so great that by the time of Dark Souls III it still lingers within her sword — now called the Hollowslayer Greatsword — and does more damage to said enemy type.Greatsword used for a lifetime by a masked knight. Harbors the fears that lurk within the mind of Hollows, and is particularly effective against them.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: Completing her questline has her thank the player for helping her retain her sanity, which seems odd when all you do is summon her for a few boss fights and keep her alive to the end. However, that's the other way to reverse Hollowing for players, so it's the same for Lucatiel.
- Gave Up Too Soon: Her final face to face encounter is outside Aldia's Keep and in the “bad ending” she’s undergoing the final stages of becoming a Hollow, meaning she never managed to find her brother whom she came to Drangleic to search for. Once you take two steps inside the Keep, however...Invaded by dark spirit Aslatiel of Mirrah
- Hunter of His Own Kind: Whether it was her fear of the curse or a general hatred of the undead, her sword Hollowslayer is especially effective against other undead in Dark Souls 3, whom she certainly fought as she traveled Drangleic anyway.
- The Lancer: Tied with Benhart for the highest number of boss fights they're available in, and she equally swears to help you out if you are in need. This also holds true for the DLC expansion, where she gets to help you against the Burnt Ivory King, while Benhart fights Elana the Squalid Queen.
- Loner-Turned-Friend: She generally prefers to stay away from people and is initially dismissive of the player, but if they persist in talking to her she warms up to them and will aid them in battle.
- Loss of Identity: What she fears more than anything else is the slow forgetting of herself that her Curse is causing. She even bids the Bearer of the Curse to remember her name when she finally forgets it. As is shown with Lucatiel's Mask in Dark Souls III, The Bearer did, to the point where a whole type of mask is named after her.
- Made of Iron: Initially averted, which made it
frustratingly difficult to get the 'Lucatiel' achievement for having her survive boss fights with you, but FROM took mercy and toughened her up a lot. For example, the Smelter Demon can kill even a high-level and heavily-armoured character in 2-3 hits, but it almost does chip damage to Lucatiel. - Rags to Riches: She mentions being born into an underprivileged family, but her skills with a sword allowed her to become a knightess.
- Recurring Element:
- Shares a lot of traits with Solaire from the previous game. She's a tough, friendly, and heroic knight who helps the player a great deal along their journey, but eventually succumbs to despair and insanity without the player's intervention. Perhaps unintentionally, she also shares Solaire's nature of being incredibly tough, but also incredibly dumb.
- She also bears some similarities to the Penetrator from Demon's Souls, including the large plume on their respective headgear and wielding a long sword with a bracket shaped guard.
- Sanity Slippage: Each and every encounter between locations has her becoming increasingly desperate to stay as herself, even confessing that she'd murder you if it meant restoring her memories, a fact she's deeply ashamed of. By the time you meet her near the bonfire at the entrance of Aldia's Keep, she faintly remembers you, and begs you to recall her name in case she forgets it. Your character gets an entire kind of mask named after her by the time of Dark Souls III
- Stone Wall: Patch 1.04 gave her and Benhart a significant health boost, allowing them to sponge their respective bosses more efficiently. On her end, it's noticeable since she's pitted against the Lost Sinner, the Smelter Demon and the Rotten, all of which are among the hardest hitting bosses in the game.
- Walking the Earth: You encounter and chat with her several times throughout your journey.
The Lost Bastille
Straid of Olaphis
- "Feeble cursed one! Do you really think you can manage the glories that are my spells?! [Evil Laugh]"Voiced by: Peter Marinker
A powerful sorcerer from the ancient land of Olaphis, left petrified in the Lost Bastille until the player sets him free.
- The Archmage: He defines this trope, having invented several of the most powerful spells in the game.
- Badass Longcoat: The Black Robes he wears, which were the Swordsman armour in the Network Test.
- Gone Horribly Right: Olaphis wanted him to come to their Kingdom for his profound wisdom and magical ability. He did so. Then it turned out that he was even wiser and more magically powerful than they'd thought. They weren't too happy about that.
- In the Hood: Wears the Black Hood, which also comes with a Cool Mask.
- Insufferable Genius: He's extremely knowledgeable, but also rather full of himself - and, whether the player purchases from him or not, he'll deride them as a "feeble cursed one" and insinuate that they don't have what it takes to manage his spells.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: With emphasis on the Jerk part. He's an Insufferable Genius through and through who'll never let an occasion to insult the player's skill and intelligence slip past him, but he'll still give them his armor set if you trade enough boss souls with him. He'll also be thankful when the players unpetrifies him, so he's also not an Ungrateful Bastard.
- Mood-Swinger: Can go from calm and friendly to a condescending asshole with the flick of a switch. It's quite jarring the first time it happens.
- Mr. Exposition: He has a lot of knowledge about the history of the Bastille and previous kingdoms, and of the origins of pyromancy.
- Pet the Dog: Arrogant as he is, he will gift the player his set of armour if they spend enough on his wares. Granted, he will tell them to "stop being so weak", but still.
- Really 700 Years Old: He spent several lifetimes as a statue before being freed. He's remarkably calm after learning of this.
- Taken for Granite: He was petrified by something and left in the Bastille for ages.
Steady Hand McDuff
- "Flame, dear flame..."Voiced by: Tim Bentinck
A reclusive and disturbingly passionate old blacksmith who runs his forge in the heart of the Lost Bastille. He knows how to manipulate Embers.
- The Blacksmith: He's the only one who can perform weapon infusion, augmenting weapons with altered titanite.'
- Cloudcuckoolander: Aside from when you bring him the Dull Ember, there's very little indication that he's talking to someone and not himself. The first things he says to you in your first meeting are almost complete nonsense.
- Hidden Depths: Despite his antisocial disposition and supposed obsession with fire, McDuff nearly has the fundamental truths of the world within his grasp due to his long smithing career.
- Magic Feather: Implied. The description of the Dull Ember mentions that the art of Infusing has all but died and the Embers of old are burnt out and lifeless. His ability to infuse weapons, therefore, would have to be a power he had all along. Also implies that he is Ambiguously Human, but that's typical of the series.
- Pyromaniac: He appears to be one, but he isn't. He's spent so much time working with fire that he's obtained a respect for it.
- On the other hand, he seems to really like fire. When you first meet him, he'll be in a mostly unlit room with an unlit torch on the other side. If you light it then come back later, he'll have moved his anvil next to the torch to be nearer to it.
Shaded Woods
Manscorpion Tark
- "Are you not afraid of me? Humans rarely come here. Those who do turn back when they see me. Or make an attempt on my life. But you, heh, are different."Voiced by: Chris Tester
Ex-husband of Scorpioness Najka, Tark has managed to retain his sanity, and can be communicated with if the player possesses the Ring of Whispers, whereupon he is available as a summon for her battle.
- Assist Character: He can be summoned for the fight against his wife, provided you spoke with him beforehand.
- Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Tark's scorpion body is much smaller than Najka's (while his human torso is the same size, if not slightly larger), he has only a single, much smaller tail, and much larger pincers. Najka also has sickly pale-white skin on her human half, while Tark's is a more natural flesh-tone.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He looks scary at first glance, but he's actually a friendly and honourable fellow.
- Mighty Glacier: He's very sturdy, and if Nakja is right in front of him, chances are he'll pound at her nonstop, dwindling her health bar quickly. However, he's vulnerable to magic, so those Soul sorceries spell trouble for him.
- Nay-Theist: While he does not hold to any god, he will offer prayers for your safety.
- Nice Guy: He's very friendly and amiable towards the player, and will gladly help them during the boss fight with Najka. He'll also give you useful items after you defeat two bosses in particular.
- Recurring Element: His friendly interactions with the player (only if the latter has a special ring equipped), his half-human disposition, and his relationship with another being who met the same fate, makes him the Fair Lady to Najka's Chaos Witch Quelaag. Unlike the Fair Lady, his relationship with his wife is antagonistic.
- Scorpion People: Much like his wife, although his scorpion body is smaller (albeit with larger pincers) and lacks a second stinger tail.
- Sympathy for the Devil: He pities his creator's (implied to be Seath the Scaleless) descent into madness. According to Tark, his creator did not understand what it was he truly lacked.
- Technicolor Eyes: His eyes are completely red, but his pupils are brighter than his schlerae.
- The Unintelligible: He cannot be understood without the Ring of Whispers.
- Was Once a Man: He guesses that since he can speak the tongue of men, he must have been a human in the past, though all he can remember is his name.
Head of Vengarl
- "I don't know what explains it, but it's not so bad, really. And now I watch the days go by, and gaze at the night sky, thinking of the finer things, far removed from war."Voiced by: Jason Pitt
The decapitated head of the warrior Vengarl of Forossa, presumably kept alive despite his separation from his body by virtue of being Undead.
- Blood Knight: Vengarl was reputed for being a mad beast on the battlefield. He's calmed down a lot by now, however, and now considers himself a fool for his previous bloodlust. His body, on the other hand, is still full of rage and bloodlust.
- Cool Helmet: He wears a crimson helmet that resembles the head of a lion-bear-wolf hybrid. If you exhaust all of his dialogue, he'll give you a copy of it.
- Dissonant Serenity: He's a head laying around in a pile of rubble. He seems pretty okay with that, and the only thing that really upsets him is that his body is still wreaking havoc elsewhere.
- The Dreaded: His Blood Knight reputation got to the point where his fellow Forossa Lion Knights, themselves a bunch of rabid fighters, kept him at arm's length.
- Dual Wielding: Wields both his Red Rust Sword and Scimitar in this fashion when summoned as a white phantom. His headless body also attacks you using the same weapons.
- Excalibur in the Rust: His Red Rust Sword, Shield and Scimitar are all said to be terribly worn out, yet they're some of the most efficient weapons of their category, if heavy.
- Headless Horseman: Minus the horse part, obviously, but his body is still out there and plenty dangerous. It will attack you in the primal bonfire room after defeating the Duke's Dear Freja, or in Scholar of the First Sin, in the area near Tark that is blocked off by a petrified Lion Warrior.
- Heroic Willpower: Undead almost always go Hollow over time, especially if they have no driving purpose to occupy them or souls to drive back the curse. Vengarl has been a decapitated head in the middle of a pile of masonry for a great length of time, and is one of the most thoughtful and composed characters in the game.
- Irony: Teaches the player the "Decapitate" gesture, despite being a decapitated head himself.
- Kaizo Trap: In the original release of the game, upon beating the Duke's Dear Freja, you think that you are in the clear, as the primal bonfire is in the following room. You'll likely be surprised that, unlike any other primal bonfire, there is an enemy waiting for you inside, specifically Vengarl's decapitated and angry body, and he can kill you if you aren't careful. And to top things off, you'll very possibly be low on healing since you just completed an entire zone plus boss fight. Scholars of the First Sin placed him in a completely different location however.
- Losing Your Head: You find his head well and alive in the Shaded Woods, still able to speak because he's an Undead. How he can talk without lungs, though...
- Stone Wall: One of his defining trait as an allied summon is that while his weapon choice is relatively light for his stature and therefore not so hard-hitting, his health pool is bar none the highest in the game, surviving the Ancient Dragon's incredibly damaging fire breath with more than enough to keep on while you get oneshotted under the same circumstances. It's also high enough to last him an entire trek through the Frigid Outskirts and fight two gigantic tigers.
- World's Strongest Man: Had this reputation when he was whole. The flavor text of his weapons describes them being too heavy to lift by normal men, until Vengarl came and swung them around like weightless toys.
Darkdiver Grandahl
- "Ooh, my, don't mind me. I'm just talking amongst myself. But if you find a need for a truer Dark, then meet again, we shall."Voiced by: Sean Barrett
A mysterious old man in a dark crimson robe. He is encountered in several out-of-the-way places throughout Drangleic. He will initially offer only vague musing and cryptic remarks, but after crossing paths with him three times he will reveal that he is the leader of a group of pioneers dedicated to exploring the fragmented remains of the legendary Abyss. While Grandahl's wheelchair and his aged, wizardly appearance lend him an air of frailty, his ability to open dimensional gates to the Dark Chasm and seemingly teleport from place to place indicate that there is far more to him that meets the eye.
- Ancient Keeper: Grandahl is the only character in the series so far who knows (or at least claims to know) the origin of life, or expresses it to the player. He says after you gain the second rank in the Pilgrims of Dark that "dark is the mother of all" and all things were born of it, which is very close to what the opening cinematic of Dark Souls says.
- Catchphrase: Grandahl can hardly complete a sentence without mentioning "the Dark" or "Young Undead".
- Cool Chair: Looks like a throne converted into a wheelchair.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Clearly he seems to think so.
- Handicapped Badass: Just because he's in a wheelchair, doesn't mean he can't kick your ass."Young Undead, do you expect me to just keel over?"
- Nice Guy: He's agonizingly polite and pleasant towards the player character, encouraging you in your pilgrimage without fail.
- Old Master: Confined in a throne-ish wheelchair and mumbling strange sentences about the Dark? He only seems a little more with it than McDuff. Attack him, however, and you'll find that he's certainly no slouch.
- Walking the Earth: In a manner similar to Gavlan, Grandahl can be first met in the Shaded Woods, later in Black Gulch, and finally in Drangleic Castle. How he does this in a wheelchair, however, well... magic.
- Wizard Beard: A long, Merlin-esque beard that fits well with his mysterious and occult disposition.
Doors of Pharros
Lonesome Gavlan
- "Gavlan wheel, Gavlan deal."Voiced by: Stephane Cornicard
The chief of the Gyrm, a stout race driven underground because humans perceived them as an inferior race. Unlike his clansmen, who still harbor a strong hatred for humans, Gavlan cheerfully deals with them.
- The Alcoholic: He is always seen swigging from a huge stein.
- Catchphrase: "Gavlan wheel. Gavlan deal."
- Intrepid Merchant: He even allows you to sell items you don't need for souls!
- The Faceless: Like most Gyrm, his face is obscured by his helmet.
- Third-Person Person: See his Catchphrase.
- Walking the Earth: The player first meets Gavlan at No Man's Wharf, and after finishing the boss there, moves to Harvest Valley. After that, he moves to Doors of Pharros, where he stays for the remainder of the game. All of these areas are far apart from one another, that one must wonder how he gets around.
- You No Take Candle: Speaks in a primitive tongue.
Huntsman's Copse & Undead Purgatory
Felkin the Outcast
- "What drew me to the Dark, I...I-I do not know. Hexes ar-are more than mere tools to me. I feel affinity...and warmth... Something universal, nostalgia even..."Voiced by: Andy Gathergood
A man blessed with a natural talent in Sorcery. However, both sorcery and pyromancy bored him, while hexes piqued his interest.
- Casting a Shadow: His specialty. He can sell you some of the strongest hexes short of trading souls with Straid, and will retaliate with Dark magic if you attack him. Oddly enough, he never uses a single hex when aggroed, and will in fact cast pyromancies with his staff exclusively.
- Eccentric Mentor: You encounter Felkin in a cave, sitting in a chair looking at the wall, with a piece of cloth (the Hexer's Hood) covering his face. He is one of the few characters who sell hexes, and attacking him shows he might even be capable of using the Old Fire Arts.
- Hidden Depths: Is a rather strong pyromancer despite his seemingly singled minded devotion to dark.
- Hypocrite: Looks down on sorcery and pyromancy, will only use pyromancies when aggroed.
- In the Hood: Wears the Hexer's Hood.
- My Rules Are Not Your Rules: He can cast pyromancies without using a Pyromancy Flame, instead using his staff.
- Playing with Fire: Oddly, he favors pyromancy when aggroed.
- Recurring Element: Being an ostracised prodigy with a serious case of Speech Impediment, he's practically Laurentius of the Great Swamp, only specializing in hexes instead of pyromancy (and Felkin is also a pyromancer). They even share the same voice actor.
- Speech Impediment: He seems to have quite the stutter. Whether this is natural or something that started due to the Dark is unknown.
Creighton the Wanderer
- "Watch out for the slimy rat. And don't you believe a word he says. I'll find the common footpad, and put an end to his roguery. Heh heh."Voiced by: Joe Sims
A knight from Mirrah who wanders Drangleic hunting for Pate, who he feels has slighted him. Talking to Cale, however, paints a very different picture: Creighton is a "knight" in name only. The man is really an infamous murderer, who escaped to Drangleic shortly before his execution. He is available as a summon for the Skeleton Lords boss fight in the Huntsman's Copse in the Scholar of the First Sin edition. He reappears in Dark Souls III as an invader during a sidequest. His equipment reaffirms his position as a knight of Mirrah, but paints him as an infamous deserter in addition to a murderer.
- Affably Evil: Is genuinely grateful towards the player, once they free him from his cell in Huntsman's Copse.
- Ambiguous Situation: Whether he or Pate is the insane murderer they both accuse each other of being.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: In II. While he is a confirmed deserter and murderer, he still comes off as lighter than Pate. This is due to never harming the player, even actively helping him, as long as the player sides with him against Pate.
- Ax-Crazy: Strongly implied and (if the player sides with him over Pate) points him to a booby trapped chest in "gratitude".
- Chained by Fashion: That helmet isn't actually part of his armour set, it's what they put on criminals sentenced to death in Mirrah. Its description in Dark Souls III questions why he kept wearing it after escaping.
- Cutting Off the Branches: Dark Souls III reveals that he canonically comes out of his feud with Pate alive. This is possibly a case of Gameplay and Story Integration as their fight is easy to miss, meaning the two would be left to fight alone. Without player intervention, Creighton typically wins this fight nine times out of ten unless his AI is having a particularly bad day.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: That cage you find him in was a trap he set for Pate. He ended up getting caught in it himself, though he neglects to mention whether or not Pate was the one who locked him in there.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Hunting Pate down for his trickery is the entire basis for his plot in the game.
- Recurring Element: Recycles some elements from Yurt the Silent Chief and Lautrec of Carim. He's a "Knight" in a cage you release who later attempts to kill another NPC, and warns you not to trust a NPC that leads you into traps,however, unlike Yurt who was working for someone else and Lautrec, largely just greed for Humanities, Creighton has a legitimate grievance against Pate, who betrayed him and locked him up.
- Serial Killer: According to Cale.
Titchy Gren
- "I want to hear what you really think. You want more than just a little blood. You want to be drenched in blood, mired in its foul stench. Am I right? Am I? Oh, just say that I'm right!"Voiced by: Con O'Neill
A follower of Nahr Alma, the God of Blood. He leads the Brotherhood of Blood, a Covenant whose members tout themselves as servants who offer blood to the gods; however in reality they are merely lovers of violence seeking to recruit those with similar personalities. Gren makes no pretenses about his Covenant's objectives and in fact advertises them with sadistic pride: they live to slaughter the innocent in droves until blood runs in rivers across the land and view their enemies, the Blue Sentinels, merely as another opportunity to sow carnage and death.
- Ax-Crazy / Blood Knight: He's the leader to a covenant of them. The very first speech he gives you also reeks of tempting you to give in to your bloodlust.
- Blood-Splattered Warrior: Even though he's relatively clean in appearance, his clothing is caked in the dried blood of everyone he has killed.
- Depraved Dwarf: It's unknown if he's an actual dwarf or merely short in stature, but he's a demented fellow all the same.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Inverted. He's got an unsettling higher pitched voice.
- The Faceless: If one moves the camera to the right angle, you can see up his hood. He has a head modeled, but he doesn't have any facial features other than a general shape.
- Faux Affably Evil: He's impeccably civil, even while he gleefully talks about the violence he can't wait to see you commit.
- Mister Big: He's a diminutive leader of the Brotherhood of Blood who employs the Undead who are at least twice his height.
- Pet the Dog: If you don't have a Token of Spite, he gently tells you to leave, basically saying that you're not going to appreciate the Brotherhood.
- Sinister Scythe: His scythe of Nahr Alma.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: He has a very silky voice and an intense thirst for blood.
- Vocal Dissonance: His voice in the Network Test was the Obviously Evil sinister baritone that you would expect from someone like him. In the final game, he's got a higher pitched voice.
Grave of Saints
The Rat King
- "Thou'st one of mine rat burrows conquered. This will not go unnoticed. Rejoice, for the right to serve me is now thine."Voiced by: Steven Pacey
Looking seemingly identical to the other hostile rats, the Rat King is the only known entity of its kind to communicate by speech. Regardless of the number of rats killed, upon conquering the area, the Rat King offers the player a chance to join the Rat King Covenant and serve it.
- Benevolent Boss: He's surprisingly respectful of you once you join his covenant. Specially so if you deepen your bond with it.
- Fantastic Racism: He has a deep distrust and dislike of humans, although he makes an exception for the player if they choose to serve him. He'll also start to warm up to the idea of rats and humans living peacefully together if the player gets a high enough rank in his Covenant.
- Flowery Elizabethan English: How he speaks.
- Rodents of Unusual Size: Just like most of the other rats in the game.
- Talking Animal: The only known rat to communicate in human tongue.
- Vocal Dissonance: He is quite ragged and somewhat frightening in appearance, yet he speaks Flowery Elizabethan English in a very smooth, dignified voice.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: He'll grant anyone who's conquered his burrows and slain his most powerful servants an offer to serve him in their stead.
Iron Keep
Magerold of Lanafir
- "I roam about, looking for a find, following my instincts. I don't care what a thing is worth. What matters is whether it grabs me."Voiced by: Joe Sims
A merchant selling his belongings and wares in the Iron Keep, Magerold of Lanafir will offer the player a chance to join the Dragon Remnants Covenant, provided the Undead Hero presents a specific item to him.
- Collector of the Strange: He doesn't care how much something is worth, just as long as it's fascinating. The Petrified Dragon Egg is one such item he'll be glad to have.
- Nice Guy: He's among the friendliest merchants in the game, even restraining himself of telling Benhart that his Bluemoon Greatsword is a fake after seeing the latter's pride in said "legendary" weapon.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Given that he's the sole source for the Jester's Set, there's a popular fan theory that Magerold moonlights as Jester Thomas.
- Recurring Element: He's a cheery and quirky merchant who won't mind if you neglect to purchase anything from him, much like Domnhall of Zena. The Lost Crown Trilogy also allows him to sell a few boss armours once you defeat them.
Brightstone Cove Tseldora
Weaponsmith Ornifex
- "Do you find me strange? Skee hee. You humans are always this way. The way you glare at any unfamiliar creature. That mix of curiosity, fear, and revulsion."Voiced by: Anna Koval
A crow demon not unlike the ones commonly seen in the Painted World of Ariamis from Dark Souls, Weaponsmith Ornifex is initially found locked in a room in the Shaded Woods, but upon being set free, will offer the player boss soul weapons in exchange for certain boss souls.
- Animal Species Accent: You can tell that she's struggling not to caw at times. Her general speech mannerisms are very "bird-like" as well.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: She's so grateful for being rescued that she offers the player her services as a blacksmith, and even allows them to have one weapon for free the first time they offer her a boss soul.
- Bilingual Bonus: Orni- is the Greek root for "bird" and fex is the Latin root for "one who makes". She is a bird maker.
- Cool Old Lady: Her voice intonation makes her sound like an elderly woman, and she's very nice to the player.
- Creepy Doll: She has a large collection of them inside her home.
- Dark Is Not Evil: She may look somewhat intimidating, being of the race of a former enemy type, but she couldn't be friendlier.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: The only of the three blacksmiths in the game to allow the player access to the rarest weapons forged from boss souls.
Cromwell the Pardoner
- "Regret. Anguish. Disillusion. Bewilderment. What wonderful gifts they all are. Wouldn't you agree?"Voiced by: Tom Cotcher
Located atop of the Chapel, Cromwell the Pardoner allows the player to repent of their sins in exchange for souls.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears the same dark robes as Oswald of Carim, although they're renamed as the Judgement set.
- Badass Preacher: Comes with the territory, being a Pardoner of Velka. Some poor souls found out the hard way, as evidenced by the number of slain corpses littering the room he is in.
- Creepy Good: Despite his ominous appearance and voice, he's actually sincere in his efforts to offer you absolution.
- Dissonant Serenity: He is unusually calm given where he's chosen to set up shop. What with a Prowling Magus defiling the church beneath him and spiders having overrun and possessed the populace and so on.
- Humans Are Flawed: His general impression of those he pardons."Yes, yes, how tiny and frail are we."
- Pet the Dog: As of patch 1.10, your first confession to Cromwell per playthrough costs you 0 souls. He is sincere in wanting to help you.
- Recurring Element: Of Oswald of Carim from Dark Souls, wearing the same black robes and possessing the ability to reset other NPCs in case you made them hostile. Although leaving covenants is given to Sweet Shalquoir instead.
Drangleic Castle
Chancellor Wellager
- "Who are you... And by whose permission do you stand before me?"Voiced by: Andrew Tiernan
The former Chancellor of Drangleic, Wellager still resides in Drangleic Castle even after his death. The fact that he is a ghost rather than any form of living human or an undead hollow raises more questions than answers.
- Collector of the Strange: In addition to selling ornate items made of Drangleic-made geisteel, Wellager has an uncannily large array of weapons that are implied to be salvaged from the late Old Iron King's possessions.
- Dead to Begin With: He's a ghost by the time you meet him.
- The Fog of Ages: He bounces between welcoming you to Castle Drangleic almost autonomously and wondering what has happened to the kingdom.
- Invulnerable Civilians: Of all the NPCs, he's one of two whom you cannot even harm. All attacks pass through him! He is a ghost, after all, and as luck would have it you left all of your Transient Curses back in the first game.
- Nice Guy: Even after death, Wellager is nothing if cordial and hospitable towards you.
The Embedded
A former human whose worldly desires spiraled out of control. He chained himself in the highest tower within the Castle, realizing that his desires corrupted him.
- And I Must Scream: He's been chained upside down for who knows how long, wriggling and moaning in pain. What's so jarring about it is that he inflicted this punishment upon himself!
- The Atoner: It's heavily implied he did something that made him realize how far gone he was, spurring his self imprisonment. It is never directly described.
- Death Seeker: The description of the Key to the Embedded (which is both a key and a sword) states that he has long awaited the day that someone will find the Key and use it to put him out of his misery.
- Disappears into Light: Embedding the designated key into his face finally frees him from his fate, after which he disintegrates into specks of yellow light.
Shrine of Amana
Milfanito
- "We sing eternally for those who bear death and Dark within themselves. We have been here forever."Voiced by: Naomi McDonald, Carina Reeves, Chris Tester
Songstresses given eternal life by the Great Dead One (aka Nito of Dark Souls) to soothe the souls of those bound by death and Dark, and to keep the Demon of Song sealed away. They are linked by a sort of hive mind, and possess a rudimentary sense of self; this trait combined with their purity, innocence, and naiveté has resulted in several of their number either wandering into the territory of the Demon of Song or being kidnapped and carried off by outsiders with ill intentions.
- Actual Pacifist: You can carve them up if you like. They'll just sit there and fearfully ask what you intend to do with them as they die.
- Ambiguous Situation: We're not entirely sure what happens to the Milfanito imprisoned in the tower of Drangleic Castle after you free her- she whimpers a few times then Disappears into Light, leaving the Ring of the Dead behind, but if you talk to her two remaining sisters in the Shrine they thank you for saving her. Whether she's still alive somehow or whether they were just thanking you for saving her from a Fate Worse than Death for them is unknown.
- Girl in the Tower: The girl locked away in the Embedded's cage is one of them. She Disappears into Light after you set her free.
- Hive Mind: It's indicated they have this.
- The Ingenue: Their naive, youthful, literally glowing appearance makes them almost seem angelic.
- Leitmotif: "Milfanito", which plays throughout the Shrine of Amana, and stops when you approach them for a talk. However, the theme is reprised even without any Milfanito around (especially the one that crumbles to dust), an indication that the Demon of Song is mimicking their singing to lure you in; however, you also hear singing when you rescue the Milfanito in Drangleic Castle, which requires the Demon of Song to be dead.
- Their song quite closely mirrors the Nameless Song, the ending credits music to the first Dark Souls. To say it's hauntingly beautiful, especially to veterans, is an vast understatement; especially when they visit the Shrine of Amana the first time, and they hear those familiar notes sing out, after hearing it what would seem like a lifetime ago, many more lifetimes in-universe.
- Their song quite closely mirrors the Nameless Song
- Magic Music: Their song is supposed to bring peace to the undead and keep the Demon of Song sealed away. It also causes brightbugs to dance around the monsters lurking in the water, making them non-aggressive. If they stop singing, watch out.
- Uniformity Exception: The one found near the fog gate for the Demon of Song is rather scruffy looking compared to her other "sisters". Her arms and legs are all scraped up and the notable green dresses the Milfanito wear has been torn up to likely half its length.
Undead Crypt
Grave Warden Agdayne
- "This place is welcome to all, provided due reverence is shown. Death is equitable, accepting. We will all, one day, be welcomed by her embrace."Voiced by: Patrick O'Kane
One of the Fenito, an immortal race who were assigned as the guardians of the Undead Crypt millennia ago. Agdayne is the highest ranked overseer of the grave keepers, and takes his job as seriously now as he did when he was first created.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: His skin tone is light blue as per Fenito standards.
- Berserk Button: Do not shine a light in his room. Doing so will prompt him and the surrounding Grave Wardens to murder you.
- BFS: His phantom uses one in the fight against Velstadt.
- Casting a Shadow: As a phantom summon, he uses powerful, homing hexes that the player can never acquire in the game.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Remarks that humanity was once at peace in the dark, until the Lord of Light ushered in the Age of Fire because he feared them. Confirmed and elaborated on in Dark Souls 3 - Gwyn put a brand of fire upon early man to seal their connection to the Dark (implied to have become the darksign), eventually causing all problems associated with the abyss and the dark.
- Failed a Spot Check: Won't do a thing if you go pick a fight with the surrounding Grave Wardens, letting you off them, and then off him by his lonesome.
- Katanas Are Just Better: He gives you his katana, Darkdrift, after you retrieve the King's Ring. Seems he himself disagrees with the trope, however, preferring to use his Crypt Blacksword in combat.
- Light Is Not Good: As far he's concerned, anything that has to do with the Age of Fire is just a bag of troubles.
- The Load: You can summon him against Velstadt but... it's not really that good of an idea. Despite his enormous BFS he simply doesn't do much damage to the Royal Aegis (Velstadt has very high Dark resistance, and the Crypt Blacksword does quite a lot of its damage as Dark) and Velstadt will pretty much pound him into paste. He doesn't even function as a very good distraction, as Velstadt's wide sweeping attacks can easily hit you even if he's aiming for Agadyne.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: Wields his Crypt Blacksword with the same dexterity as a normal shortsword.
- Pretty Boy: Since he doesn't wear a helmet or hood, his face is entirely visible, and he's quite handsome.
- Serious Business: The Fenito as a whole will attack those who would defile the graves they watch. Agdayne even warns you to put out whatever source of light you have active, else they will attack you.
- The Stoic: He speaks with very little inflection, made even more unsettling by the lazy slur he tends to lapse into.
- Technicolor Eyes: Upon closer look, his eyes are purple, with the pupils being red and the extremities pitch-black.
Aldia's Keep
Royal Sorcerer Navlaan
- "...Please, just stay away. No please! Don't come near me! Nothing good will come of it."
- —or—
"Are you tormented by memories? Burdened by guilt? Now the question: are you ready for more? If you are, then we ought to talk."Voiced by: Blake Ritson
A former court sorcerer surrounded by conflicting rumors and great controversy. Navlaan is found within Aldia's Keep, held within a magically sealed cell.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: It's hard to make out unless the player aggros him, but his host's skin tone is light blue. Whether this is due to Navlaan's influence or the host not being human is unconfirmed, but it is the same color as the skin of the Fenito.
- Ax-Crazy: His "corrupted" side... has a few screws loose, to put it mildly.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The "corrupted" side chides you on what good and what's evil, telling you that he's merely using the power that has been granted to him by the gods.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: If the player frees Navlaan from his cell, he will attack them with unique versions of two Hexes that the player can never access.
- Demonic Possession: Navlaan is possessed by a malevolent entity (Flavor Text implies that it is this entity that is called Navlaan, rather than the man hosting him) who only emerges when the player is Hollow. If the player is human, Navlaan's host communicates with them instead, warning them away.
- A Fate Worse Than Death/And I Must Scream: For the poor man hosting him. He's little more than a prisoner in his own body, "sharing" it with a bloodthirsty lunatic, and the only way to stop Navlaan's rampages was for him to imprison them both for all eternity.
- Implacable Man: Once released, Navlaan will invade you SIX different times; more than any other NPC invader.
- In the Hood: Wears the Chaos Hood, and his "Navlaan" personality is one of the creepier NPCs you can interact with.
- Laughing Mad: His "corrupted" side will throw a sinister cackle everytime you accomplish one of his "assassinations".
- Madness Mantra: "Pull back, pull back, pull back, pull back... don't you dare!"
- Necromancer: According to the description of his spell "Scraps of Life" (which awakens the souls of the long-buried dead in the form of pillars of black flames and emerge from a purple circle), Navlaan practiced the forbidden art of resurrection long before he was executed, and the mere utterance of his name became a crime. He now possesses a sorcerer and the said person calls himself Navlaan since.
- Recurring Element: Of Mephistopheles from Demon's Souls. He sends the player to assassinate specific individuals in Majula; the difference this time is that the player can complete his assassination missions peacefully without killing anyone by simply obtaining a specific item the individual holds.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: His "corrupted" side has a very quiet, yet slightly gravelly voice, and lusts for bloodshed.
Memories of the Giants
Captain Drummond
- "The Giants have wills of steel. They cannot find it within themselves... To forgive the misdeeds of our lord."Voiced by: Andy Beckwith
The Captain of the Drangleic Army battalion stationed at the fort during the invasion by the Giants.
- Ancestral Weapon: Drangleic Sword. Its description says it's been passed down through many generations of Drummond's family.
- The Captain: It's in the name, although you first find him in a rubble, seemingly defeated by the Giants.
- Dead All Along: You take his sword, with a matching set, sans helmet, from a corpse which is probably his. Near the end, you take a trip back in time where you meet him in person. And he gives you his helmet.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: While the other soldiers you find in the fort all wear a helm, he doesn't, and kicks as much ass as Benhart during the boss fight against the Giant Lord.
Allied NPC Summons
Ashen Knight Boyd
A shieldless knight of Drangleic who mostly fights one-handed, wearing the Royal Soldier Set and wielding an Estoc. He can be summoned for the fight against the Duke's Dear Freja, and again for the Looking Glass Knight in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Armor-Piercing Attack: Boyd takes advantage of his Estoc's inherent shield-piercing ability to great effect when he's summoned for help in his Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance, and if he attacks it enough times he can actually break the mirror surface of the Looking Glass Knight's greatshield by himself. Shield-reliant Mirror Squire NPCs and players aren't safe from him either.
- Artificial Brilliance: In a display of good cooperative AI, Boyd will target and get rid of the smaller spiders in Freja's boss room as soon as he enters the fray, allowing you to fight her without getting distracted. Once he's done doing that, he'll then do his best to draw and keep Freja's attention on him while poking her other head full of holes whenever she decides to focus on you. He'll also do the same in the Looking Glass Knight fight if he's been summoned for it, taking care of the Mirror Squires whenever he's not fighting the boss.
- Combat Pragmatist: If summoned for the Looking Glass Knight, he can sometimes instantly attack and even Back Stab recently spawned Mirror Squires. Player Mirror Squires especially have it bad, as they can often get killed by Boyd before their loading screens clear up.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Inverted. Most NPC White Phantoms are unable to heal themselves with their own Estus Flasks, but Boyd is one of the few who can. And while it doesn't heal him much, it's enough to get him back into action and continue to support you in the boss fights he can be summoned for.
- Cool Helmet: His Royal Soldier Helm, which actually looks nice when worn with the whole set.
- Defector from Decadence: Implied to be the case in his Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance. By helping you fight the Looking Glass Knight - a fellow knight of Drangleic - he is complicit in aiding someone who is actively seeking out his missing liege Vendrick.
- Old Soldier: Unless Timey-Wimey Ball is at play, then Boyd has been a proud soldier of Drangleic for quite some time now, and has the experience to prove it. However, as his weapon and armor set are suspiciously still in pristine condition, it's either because we've been summoning him in from times where he is still alive or he's been very dedicated to keeping his equipment in remarkably good condition throughout the ages.
- Red Baron: His title of Ashen Knight, which will make you at least wonder what he exactly did to earn it. Interestingly, it suggests that he might be the Sole Survivor of a raiding party sent to steal iron from Brume Tower for Drangleic. If that is indeed the case, then his title is well-deserved.
- The Reliable One: Boyd holds the distinction of not having any flashy equipment or spells to assist you with, using only what skills and wits he has in order to last as long as he can. Yet, that's all what he needs to keep up and make your life easier by targeting lesser threats around you, nipping them in the bud before they become a problem later on. Because of this, players wish they could have him watch their backs more often.
- The Remnant: Boyd is implied to be of the same Drangleic Royal Army detachment as Bowman Guthry, who invades you in the Doors of Pharros. But unlike the latter, he is a friendly summon.
- Royal Rapier: His Estoc, which likely makes him a high-ranking Drangleic Royal Army officer. While it's quick to dispatch smaller targets like the spider minions, it will hardly make a scratch against the Duke's Dear Freja's hide or the Looking Glass Knight's armor. Doesn't mean Boyd won't stop trying, though.
- Shields Are Useless: Boyd certainly seems to deeply believe in this trope: Estoc-wielding Royal Soldiers always come equipped with shields. Except for him - he prefers to dodge attacks rather than tank them outright with one. That being said, it does work out well for him, considering his aggressive and acrobatic AI.
- Stone Wall: Boyd has a truly gigantic health pool, large enough to tank entire fights without ever reaching critical status, although his use of an Estoc does limit his stopping power against the bosses.
Felicia the Brave
An especially reckless knightess eager to rush headlong into danger, attired in the Knight's Set, accoutred with a Tower Shield and armed with a Heide Greatlance. She can be summoned for the fight against the Demon of Song, and again as a shade for the Ruin Sentinels in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: The one thing she does most of the time. Although she's quite good at it, this tendency of hers often leaves her biting off more than she can chew.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Inverted. Most NPC White Phantoms are unable to heal themselves with their own Estus Flasks, but Felicia is one of the few who can. Likewise with Boyd, it doesn't heal her much, but then again every little point of HP helps her stay alive.
- Cool Helmet: Her Knight Helm, the visor of which is left open to reveal her face.
- Damager, Healer, Tank: She encompasses both the Damager and the Tank roles, and subtly suggests that you take the role of the Healer in order to keep her alive for as long as possible, thus making her even more helpful than you expected. If you sit back and consider the areas she can be summoned in, it makes sense.
- Dash Attack: Should Felicia perform a running or back-stepping attack, she will hold up her lance like a charging knight on horseback as she does, enabling her to hit her target multiple times.
- Jousting Lance: Felicia's weapon is the rare and mighty Heide Greatlance, but for some strange reason, it's inherent Lightning damage is missing. This seems to be intentional on the developers' part; as otherwise it would mean that she was supposed to be very effective at eliminating enemies across the watery Shrine of Amana and additionally allowed her to deal a respectable amount of damage to the Ruin Sentinels.
- Knight Errant: Felicia seems to be in the Shrine of Amana for the purpose of killing the Demon of Song and saving what Milfanito are left around the place. A noble goal for sure, but one she's cheerfully unprepared for.
- Leeroy Jenkins: You summon her in areas full of enemies, most of which are sorcery-spamming Amana Shrine Maidens backed up by several Archdrake Knights, or otherwise are sword-swinging Royal Swordsmen backed up by Stray Hounds and the resident Undead. She aggros them all without a second thought.
- The Load: While a wonderful ally to have during the trek to the Demon of Song, Felicia is not so much that wonderful of an ally when she's pitted against the boss, who is a much stronger Mighty Glacier on top of being Nigh-Invulnerable for the most part. She can still pull her weight regardless of her disadvantages by acting as a distraction during the boss fight, but chances are she'll get herself killed before long.
- Averted with her Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance against the Ruin Sentinels. Letting her go freely on the offensive will give you more breathing room and time to react against the boss trio.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Her Tower Shield helps her ward off most attacks, but it suffers against sorceries. For Felicia, it's better than nothing.
- Meaningful Name: Felicia the Brave certainly lives up to her fearlessness and foolishness, if her constantly rushing off to attack nearby enemies hasn't already given it away. In fact, her sheer bravery caused a fan to fondly think of and call her as "FELICIA THE FUCKING STRONG, 99 STRENGTH, 1 INTELLIGENCE".
- Mighty Glacier: She has rather low mobility thanks to her equipment, which in the Shrine of Amana, is not helped by the general area she's in being drenched in water. Fortunately, Felicia the Brave is more than happy to trounce enemies for you with her greatlance, as well as tank her fair share of sorceries and strikes.
- Unfriendly Fire: Hilariously, her jumping attack can kill you. Whether or not this particularly perplexing glitch has been fixed as of Scholar of the First Sin has yet to be confirmed.
Jester Thomas
An immensely intelligent and powerful pyromancer mulishly masquerading as a lowly court entertainer, disguised in the Jester's Set and duly dangerous for just being able to cast twelve pyromancies. He can be summoned for the fight against Mytha, the Baneful Queen, and appears once more in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC. Only this time...
- Achilles' Heel:
- His one and only weakness is the Profound Still hex - if he's affected by it, he'll be forced to fight back with a simple Longsword until it wears off!
- It's entirely possible to achieve full immunity to Fire damage... which is basically everything a pyromancer like him can throw at you.
- Artificial Brilliance: In the Crown of the Sunken King DLC, he will frequently use player gestures, and will even "Mock" you each time he kills you or whenever he interrupts your attempts to heal via "No Way". He is also by far the most adept at dodging out of any NPC, a fact he WILL ruthlessly exploit to devastating effect while he bombards you to death with fire.
- Artificial Stupidity: He's not allowed to fight back until he does his introductory "This One's Me!" gesture. Attack him quickly enough and he'll just repeatedly try to roll away while you hack him into fine pieces.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's dressed like any other circus jester, which totally looks out of place in the somber and humorless Earthen Peak. And yet, he's one of the most potent NPC White Phantoms out there, casually steamrolling the boss he's summoned for with his overpowered pyromancies. He's also one of the most - if not THE MOST - dangerous invading Dark Spirits ever introduced in the game, DLCs included. Seriously.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Zig-Zagged. On one hand, Thomas has unlimited spell casts like the other NPCs do, which makes him an even bigger threat since his fiery arsenal includes Forbidden Sun. On the other hand, while his casting speed is crazy, it can actually be achieved by the player. However, in order for that to happen, you'll need to have 99 Attunement and the Clear Bluestone Ring+2.
- Confusion Fu: His combination of fighting with pyromancies, on top of having unlimited spell casts and an incredibly fast casting speed, all makes him a terrifying foe to fight. What looks like a Warmth could be a Great Combustion, what looks like a Great Combustion could be a Great Fireball, and what looks like a Great Fireball could be a Fire Tempest and so on. It gets worse when you factor in his speed - and he's fast.
- Cool Mask: He wears the pale white mask of a smiling, jovial man that quickly becomes a White Mask of Doom when he invades you in tandem with his goofy Jester Cap. It appears to be attached to said cap.
- Court Jester: He's a pretty powerful pyromancer pretending to be one, but his silly mannerisms more than often makes players believe that he is one. And they wouldn't be wrong. It's in his name and the way he acts.
- Crippling Overspecialization: Thomas uses pyromancy and only pyromancy. And his offensive ones are all fire-based, rather than having even a single poison attack on the off chance he might encounter someone with high Fire resistance. Luckily, Mytha is weak to all of them, and so are most enemies in Earthen Peak. But a crafty player, on the other hand, can have upwards of 100% Fire resistance, making him a pushover.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Haw haw! Look at the foolish jester in the silly outfit! Look at him running around and prancing about in his outrageous tights and grinning mask! Look at him soloing a snake-woman three times bigger than he is by hurling miniature suns at her!
- Developer's Foresight: Using Profound Still to seal his magic will cause him to pull out a shortsword and start hacking away at you.
- Fighting Clown: He is DEFINITELY out of place in the gritty, knights-and-dragons world of Drangleic, clad in boldly colored jester regalia that's easily some of the silliest-looking armor in the game. He also Dual Wields Pyromancy Gloves and can solo the area boss, and you. No matter how many phantoms you bring.
- Thomas zig-zags between Monster Clown and Villainous Harlequin as an invader; the former because he's incredibly dangerous and the latter due to his sense of humor.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: One of his major advantages in combat is that he can dodge nearly every attack and follow it up with rapid-fire pyromancies. But should he cast Iron Flesh, however, he loses his ability to fast roll and anything with high poise damage can end up Stun Locking him for his trouble.
- When he invades in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC, he'll use Warmth to heal himself the moment his HP reaches a certain threshold, but you can easily usurp the healing orb for yourself by simply walking up to him. His AI will force him to get away from you, even though he can just as simply kill you for that.
- Inexplicably Awesome: Thomas fights using only his pyromancies and his wits. And although he appears to be an unassuming jester at first glance, his unexpected combat prowess, repertoire of extremely powerful pyromancies and the enchanted subtle nature of his armor set all heavily suggests that there may be more to him than meets the eye. It's not even explained or hinted why he's hanging around in the Earthen Peak to be summoned at your leisure either. As a result, fans of the guy absolutely love him.
- One popular fan theory suggests that 'Jester Thomas' is actually Magerold of Lanafir moonlighting in his adventurer guise, as he mysteriously sells the Jester Set and is shortly met after Mytha.
- Informed Ability: Thomas has a second Pyromancy Glove equipped in his left hand, but actually never uses it. It's possible he wears it for fun. After all, why use two Gloves when you only need one to kick ass?
- Lethal Joke Character: Thomas qualifies as this. Although he looks ridiculous, he's far and away the toughest NPC summon in the game, to the point that fans of this jubilant jester are calling him the second coming of Black Iron Tarkus.
- Lethal Joke Item: His equipment set also qualifies as this. It's as ridiculous as he is, but each piece carries a different and useful enchantment. They give him quite the edge over his opponents, especially over you.
- Logical Weakness: What's a trigger-happy pyromancer's greatest weakness? Why, aside from water, it's being unable to cast the pyromancies he loves to spam so much! Looking at it this way, it makes it seem like the Profound Still hex was specifically created just to stop Jester Thomas from being a total Implacable Man.
- My Rules Are Not Your Rules: Should you somehow corner and try to chain stun him during his invasion in the DLC, he'll eventually ignore poise and then roll to someplace else where he can continue cooking you.
- No-Sell: He is immune to critical hits. As in, his armor prevents an enemy from even backstabbing him, and since he does not use physical weapons (unless he's been afflicted with the Profound Still hex, in which case he has no choice but to pull out a Longsword until it's gone) he also cannot be parried and riposted.
- Playing with Fire: He holds the title of "Most Powerful Pyromancer" in the game, and is capable of using nearly every pyromancy in the base game against Mytha and you. In Crown of the Sunken King, he'll add Great Chaos Fireball and Fire Tempest to his list too just for you. Oh, and he has maximum casting speed. Have fun with him!
- Just to show you how unbelievable Thomas is, here is a list of all the pyromancies he can easily cast: Chaos Storm, Fireball, Fire Orb, Fire Tempest, Flame Swathe, Flash Sweat, Forbidden Sun, Great Chaos Fireball, Great Combustion, Great Fireball, Iron Flesh and Warmth. Sheesh.
- Recurring Element: Of Biorr of the Twin Fangs and Black Iron Tarkus. An extremely badass summon who can outright solo a boss. He also happens to be one of Paladin Leeroy, who later invades you after being an assist NPC earlier. Except this time it takes Thomas a DLC to do so.
- Squishy Wizard: Averted with a hell of a vengeance. Although he can and will blast off nearly every pyromancy in the game back-to-back with hardly a pause for breath, he also has a very high amount of HP for a White Phantom and as a Dark Spirit.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Courtesy of knowing how to cast Flame Swathe, Thomas will occasionally unleash explosions upon his enemies. They'll unsurprisingly hurt anything that gets caught in their blast radii.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Dark Spirit Jester Thomas uses gestures to taunt his defeated foes after achieving victory.
Lone Hunter Schmidt
An abysmal aberration of an archer clearly out of his depth, donning the Wanderer's Set minus the hood and dependent on his Composite Bow and Small Leather Shield to keep him alive. He can be summoned for the fight against The Rotten, and again as a shade for the Demon of Song in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Brilliance: One little thing this archer's got going for him - he can occasionally dole out headshots towards other players. And thanks to his Hawk Ring, Schmidt can also force Amana Shrine Maidens to pay attention to him and temporarily stop them from harassing you with their sorceries.
- Artificial Stupidity: A normal NPC standing in a burning pool of fire would not stay standing in one for long. Schmidt is not a normal NPC - his AI is too stupid to even realize that perhaps standing in such a pool might be detrimental to his health, so he'll end up burning to death almost every time you decide to bring him along to the Black Gulch boss fight. That is, if he hasn't already been mauled by The Rotten by that point.
- Dead All Along: Implied. Curiously, Schmidt will immediately run towards the corpse with the Fire Seed in the Rotten's boss room should he somehow survive the fight. Perhaps by summoning him, we got to see his last moments before he died and in the process possibly learned that the corpse lying there is his body?
- Fragile Speedster: With extreme emphasis on 'Fragile'. It doesn't take a lot to kill him. And there are plenty of things that can kill him down in the Black Gulch and in the Shrine of Amana.
- Hidden Depths: For all of Schmidt's general stupidity and uselessness, the fact that he had managed to get to the places where he can be summoned for assistance says something about his persistence. Too bad it's not enough to make him a decent supporting phantom, with his equipment set only making things worse for him.
- Joke Character: Played straight. For a White Phantom, Lone Hunter Schmidt is more of a hindrance than a help, and players who summoned him can immediately see why - he's basically incompetence given form. If that won't convince you, seeing him happily stand in a fire pool in The Rotten's boss arena will. He doesn't fare that much better in his Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance in the Shrine of Amana either.
- The Load: Oh so Gwyn-damned much. At best, Schmidt's Composite Bow only deals Scratch Damage to everything whereas his Small Leather Shield might as well be unequipped. His light armor set isn't that protective too, being made out of leather, but what's worse is that he doesn't even have a melee weapon! He's also got the single lowest health pool out of all the allied NPC summons which, against The Rotten and his fire-filled boss arena, means he will just go down in seconds if the boss so much as bothers to look in his direction. You're better off pretending that Schmidt and his summon signs doesn't exist. Like, at all.
- Averted a little in his Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance in the Shrine of Amana. His ranged attacks can be of some help during the trek to the Demon of Song, though not by much when it comes to fighting the boss itself. But he does do a good job of aggroing enemies while acting as a meatshield.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: His aforementioned Small Leather Shield, which is as useless as he is.
- Meaningful Name: Schmidt, at least in the vanilla version of the game, is the only NPC White Phantom available to be summoned in the Black Gulch (unless you advanced Lucatiel's questline far enough), and appears to have gone down there to specifically hunt the strange Razorback Nightcrawlers and Coal Tars who call it their home - and for some very strange reason, The Rotten itself. So he's a Lone Hunter, if you will. Though why would he want to hunt creatures from Beneath the Earth is perhaps another matter entirely...
- Never Bareheaded: Inverted. Apparently Schmidt is against the idea of wearing something to protect his head, even if only by a little. His loss, not that it makes much of a difference.
- Too Dumb to Live: Schmidt, why in Gwyn's name did you go to the places you put your summon signs down while staying under-equipped? Don't you know your preferred method of combat isn't effective against much better armed and armored adversaries? That you're blatantly asking for a quick death by forgoing a melee weapon? Or that standing in a burning pool of fire can kill you? Oh, you do but you don't care? Okay then.
- No one in their right mind would fight their way down to the Black Gulch while armed with only a bow and a shield. Maybe Schmidt was showing signs of acute Hollowing long before he decided to get himself to The Rotten, and even if he wasn't, it's equally likely that he will by the time he suffers his Nth death.
Masterless Glencour
A fearless knight proficient in the use of a Zweïhander and Varangian Shield, protected by armor worn enough to suggest countless years of experience under his belt. He can be summoned for the fight against the Dragonrider and the Old Dragonslayer, and again for the Belfry Gargoyles as a shade and Aava, the King's Pet in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Brilliance: Glencour is very capable of cutting a swathe all the way from his summon point near the Dragonrider to the Old Dragonslayer. He is also known for reliably parrying enemies and even the two aforementioned bosses themselves, a rare distinction for an NPC.
- In Scholar of the First Sin, he'll happily express himself via gestures. When he's summoned, he'll "Bow" to respectfully greet you. If you've been inactive for a while, he'll do a "Warmup" to keep himself warm and ready for action. Defeating Aava, the King's Pet while keeping him alive will let him loose a "Warcry" as congratulations on your victory.
- Badass Cape: He wears the Heide Knight Chainmail as his chestpiece, which sports an edgy, ragged-looking white cape. It suitably complements the air of a seasoned world wanderer that Glencour seems to exude.
- BFS: Glencour wields a Zweïhander to frightening effect. Not only does he know how to use it, he can also reliably parry attacks with it despite the dangers of doing so.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Inverted. Most NPC White Phantoms are unable to heal themselves with their own Estus Flasks, but Glencour will use his when he needs it. Unlike Boyd and Felicia however, it heals him for a lot more. This is mostly due to the fact that he can easily get ganged up on by enemies, and so as long as he survives the encounter he'll chug his Estus unless he has at least over half of his HP left.
- Cool Helmet: His Hollow Soldier Helm, indicative of how many years he has spent wandering the world.
- Crutch Character: The archetype of a tank character, Glencour dispatches most enemies with little trouble and can parry both the Dragonrider and the Old Dragonslayer, a feat that is not so easy to achieve if you've just begun your trek in Heide's Tower of Flame. Against Aava, one of the late-game DLC bosses, however, he's nowhere near as useful as he should be due to the icy tiger's massive damage output and health pool.
- Defector from Decadence: If his degraded Drangleic-aligned helmet, gloves and leggings are of any proof, then Glencour is implied to be one of the few surviving Royal Soldiers left other than Boyd and Guthry, who seems to have forsaken his duty and instead took to wandering the world at large as an alternative to becoming Hollow like most of their fellows did after their homeland went to hell.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: He carries out this role in Heide's Tower of Flame for you, especially if you've just begun your journey and chose the area as your starting point. If you run all the way to his summon sign and get him to assist you, he can handle everything there by himself unless he gets overwhelmed.
- Inexplicably Awesome: Glencour's hardy appearance, impressive combat prowess and general robustness when it comes to fighting enemies readily marks him as a fan favorite amongst players. Many have shared stories of how awed they were when they witnessed him in action, and many more praise him for regularly parrying attacks like there's no tomorrow. There's also the fact his fighting style and AI greatly resembles that of Black Iron Tarkus', by way of being able to competently destroy even the bosses without your help.
- Invisible to Normals: Without the Eye of the Priestess, you will not be able to notice his summon sign in Crown of the Ivory King. Once you do get it, he'll be there to lend you a hand should you have need of him.
- The Lancer: This seems to be his role in Belfry Luna. As a shade, he can be repeatedly summoned for assistance in that area, which is helpful when you remember it's a popular Player Versus Player hot-spot.
- Lightning Bruiser: Contrary to what his weapon and billowing armor would suggest, Glencour is very quick on his feet, and is an excellent support against the bosses he can be summoned for. If he's not attacking or parrying, he'll usually be rolling around to dodge attacks before getting back into the thick of it.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: His Varangian Shield, which he doesn't use much as he often eschews it to two-hand his Zweïhander effectively. Though he'll occasionally block or parry with it when he's not.
- Meaningful Name: Glencour is a knight, but he wanders around seeking challenges instead of someone worthy enough to pledge his allegiance to, hence why he's Masterless. Or alternatively, he used to have a master in the form of Vendrick, but promptly renounced his allegiance when it became clear that he had abandoned Drangleic. Free from his duties, Masterless Glencour is now a knight wandering the world.
- Old Soldier: Glencour is presumably very, very old enough to be a veteran of Drangleic's long war with the Giants, if his helmet - which, according to it's description, is close to falling apart - is anything to go by.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: It's quite safe to assume that Glencour was a once-loyal Royal Soldier, who later deserted from the Drangleic Royal Army some time after the war with the Giants finally ended.
- Walking the Earth: He appears to have been doing this before the events of the game, as by the time it starts, he's in Heide's Tower of Flame waiting to assist anyone who needs his help. This is perhaps also the reason why he's wearing a Heide Knight's Chainmail as mentioned in a trope above.
- In Scholar of the First Sin where the Frozen Flower is required to access the Crown of the Ivory King DLC, Glencour's summon sign will be visible by the time you double back with the Eye of the Priestess, which means that he did the same things the player had to do to get there in the first place. Not bad, Glencour.
Pilgrim Bellclaire
An unusually pious sorceress geared with a Staff of Amana and a Priest's Chime as her spell catalysts, whose curious choice in garb gives her a rather saintly appearance for a wandering pilgrim. She can be summoned for the fight against the Ruin Sentinels, and again for the Dragonriders in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Brilliance: Bellclaire is an excellent support against the bosses she can be summoned for, and not only does she prefer to fight them from a distance, she can also easily whittle down their HP to the point she can end up killing them herself. Of course, this means you have to be supporting her to make that happen.
- Artificial Stupidity: Sometimes, Bellclaire will chase after the Ruin Sentinels and drop off the platform you'll land on during the boss fight, which can quickly get her killed as she's not durable enough to take a beating.
- Boots of Toughness: Bellclaire wears the Rogue Leggings, which are surprisingly sturdy despite their look.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Inverted. Most NPC White Phantoms are unable to heal themselves with their own Estus Flasks, but Bellclaire will definitely use hers if she happens to have survived an attack.
- Conspicuous Gloves: For some reason, Bellclaire wears Creighton's Chain Gloves for her hand armor.
- Cool Helmet: She wears the extremely rare Lion Warrior Helm for her head armor, which can only be found as a drop from the equally rare Golden Lion Clan Warrior hidden somewhere deep inside the Shaded Woods.
- Dead All Along: Implied in Bellclaire's only appearance in the base game. Her summon sign in The Lost Bastille is right next to a skeleton that might be hers. There are no other hints of her existence elsewhere.
- Thankfully averted in her Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance, because this time, Bellclaire's second summon sign can be found just right next to the Dragonriders' fog gate over in Drangleic Castle.
- Ethereal White Dress: That robe she's wearing? It's the White Hollow Mage Robe, which is supposed to be worn only by the male mages of Drangleic, at least according to it's description. It suits her quite well anyway.
- Glass Cannon: Bellclaire's short repertoire of sorceries includes Soul Arrow, Homing Soul Arrow, Great Soul Arrow, Soul Spear and Crystal Soul Spear, all of which are powerful spells in their own right. Her latter two sorceries can even do considerable amounts of damage when they're hurled towards the Ruin Sentinels and the Dragonriders, bosses of whom are otherwise normally resistant to magic. Unfortunately, Bellclaire's own effectiveness is hampered by her low health pool, and she's as good as dead if she ever gets ganged up on.
- Hidden Depths: In the base game, Bellclaire is merely a one-off White Phantom encounter found within The Lost Bastille, who is waiting for someone to summon her for assistance. In Scholar of the First Sin however, by the time you see her summon sign again in Drangleic Castle you'll immediately realize that she also lit the four Primal Bonfires just like you did to access the place. It's pretty impressive of her when you think about it.
- Informed Ability: While she carries a Priest's Chime in her left hand, Bellclaire hasn't actually attuned any miracles to use it with. It's presumably just there to help bolster her apparent piousness in the eyes of others.
- Magic Staff: Her weapon is the rare Staff of Amana, which boasts a Power Crystal whose special effect is to amplify the strength of it's wielder's sorceries or hexes by a huge margin as long as they're human.
- Meaningful Name: A pilgrim is a person who travels to a sacred place for religious reasons, so it's safe to assume that Pilgrim Bellclaire is one such person who was on her way to somewhere sacred to her until her imprisonment within The Lost Bastille. Judging by her Scholar of the First Sin-exclusive appearance, she appears to have continued on her pilgrimage towards the Shrine of Amana, where her staff originates from.
- Mysterious Past: Who is Pilgrim Bellclaire? Why was she implied to have been imprisoned within The Lost Bastille? Where did she get each of her armor pieces from? What about her staff? Why can she freely cast sorceries, but not know any miracles? Is she somehow involved with the events that happened at the Shrine of Amana from long ago, or is it just purely coincidental on her part? Perhaps we'll never know for certain.
- Religious Bruiser: She doesn't let her faith hold her back from kicking ass through the use of her sorceries.
- Squishy Wizard: She's a textbook example of this trope. Although Bellclaire is a capable sorceress whose combat prowess is largely due to her staff and sorceries, she won't be that helpful against the bosses she can be summoned for if she ends up drawing too much of their attention. But that being said, it would be in her summoner's best interests to keep them off her by constantly attacking them or by wearing the Redeye Ring.
Sellsword Luet
A White Phantom introduced in the Scholar of the First Sin edition, wielding two Greatshields of Glory and wearing a mixed set of armor consisting of the Heide Knight Iron Mask, Havel's Armor, and the Heide Knight Gauntlets and Leggings, as well as the Redeye Ring, Gower's Ring of Protection and maybe the Stone Ring. He can be summoned as a shade in the Forest of Fallen Giants, Drangleic Castle and Frozen Eleum Loyce, and as a phantom for the fight against the Lost Sinner and the Guardian Dragon.
- Artificial Brilliance: Luet has five points going in his favor:
- He'll let out a "Warcry" each time he's summoned, and will express his "Joy" if he survives a boss fight.
- He'll constantly approach, harass and tank enemies to grab their attention, which his Redeye Ring allows.
- He'll stop baiting enemies when he's at half health, prioritizing on surviving while two-handing a shield.
- He can't be backstabbed by NPC or player invaders while his Gower's Ring of Protection isn't broken.
- He can occasionally stagger enemies with his attacks, giving you openings to attack them yourself.
- Artificial Stupidity: Luet will sometimes get carried away when he's attacking enemies so he'll often have little to no stamina left to block their eventual counterattacks with, which can easily get him killed on the spot.
- He's not allowed to do anything until he can greet you with his "Warcry", which can result in hilarious instances where he's gesturing at you just as an enemy is about to hit him. As seen here◊.
- He's not allowed to do anything until he can greet you with his "Warcry", which can result in hilarious instances where he's gesturing at you just as an enemy is about to hit him. As seen here
- Cool Helmet: His Heide Knight Iron Mask, which is ever accompanied by the fog effect of his Redeye Ring.
- Crutch Character: Downplayed. Although his use of greatshields limits his offensive capabilities, Luet's main purpose actually lies in being bait for your enemies to attack while letting you attack them with impunity.
- Damager, Healer, Tank: An excellent example of a Tank, Luet's high health pool, shields, heavy armor and rings are all geared towards him taking a very hefty amount of punishment on your behalf, which pretty much makes him the ultimate walking tank and the perfect bait for anything that looks at you funny. This is best demonstrated when you take him to a boss fight - the boss will be too busy trying to kill him and not you.
- Dual Wield: He wields two Greatshields of Glory and alternates between blocking or attacking with them.
- Inexplicably Awesome: Players consider Luet to be one of the best White Phantoms in the game. Why? It's simply because he'll tank enemies for you while going the extra mile in doing so. Add in the fact he can be summoned over and over again in the areas where he can be found as a shade and you can see why his popularity is warranted. Besides, just when was the last time you saw someone dual wielding shields?
- The Lancer: Luet remains an effective ally throughout the whole game, and will keep doing what he does best for you, no matter who you're fighting, what you're doing, where you summoned him in and why you did so.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Two of them, to be exact.
- Meaningful Name: A sellsword is someone who works only for money in the manner of a mercenary, so it's safe to say that Sellsword Luet lives up to his name by basically treating his summon signs as mercenary contracts, wherein he gets paid well for his services in the souls he gets from helping out all his summoners. This is Not So Different to what a lot of players do whenever they're in need of some souls themselves.
- The Reliable One: You can count on this guy to take the brunt of your enemies' attacks for you. And there's hardly a moment where you can't see that Luet is going above and beyond in his efforts to support you.
- Shield Bash: How he primarily forces enemies into attacking him, when he's not attacking them himself.
- Stone Wall: On top of his natural high health pool, Luet's life expectancy is enhanced by his choice of heavy armor, and it shows when you bring him along to a boss fight. Even better, once he gets at half health he'll immediately go on the defensive and two-hand a greatshield, making it that harder for him to get killed.
Bradley of the Old Guard
A paladin that can be summoned in Scholar of the First Sin. He can be summoned as a shade in No Man's Wharf and as a proper White Phantom in the Shaded Woods. However, to make his sign appear in the Woods, the player must kill at least 14 Forest Guardians between the bonfire and Scorpioness Najka's boss door. He's also summonable for the Final Boss, provided you are fighting the right final boss.
- Artificial Brilliance: He'll use gestures for when he appears, when you defeat the Flexile Sentry, and for when he'll tell you to come closer so he can heal you if you're injured. He will also whip out an Emit Force on distant enemies, and he always seems to buff up his spear with lightning damage right before its needed the most. Overall, he's one of the brightest NPC summons in the game.
- Artificial Stupidity: The gesture he uses to greet you causes him to step backwards slightly. When summoned in No Man's Wharf, it's possible for him to immediately kill himself this way by stepping backwards into a bottomless pit. It's advisable to move away from his sign after beginning the summon, since he won't use the gesture until he's next to you.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: An unusual example of this trope that only comes into play when invading into a world Bradley is present in. His attacks are able to break your equipment instantly. Woe unto the poor fool who wants to try invasions only to have all their equipment instantly broken.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Bradley's Disc Chime, which not only functions as a shield, but also doubles as a chime which allows him to cast those potent miracles he's so fond of using.
- Magic Knight: Wields a spear, shield, heavy armor, and a good range of miracles.
- The Paladin: Heavy armor? Check. Holy magic? Check. A solid healer and dependable ally in a dark place? Check.
Bashful Ray
A ninja-like white phantom that can be summoned in multiple areas in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Brilliance: Ray's AI seems to be much better than most allied phantoms - he just knows when and where to dodge, attack, or cast his pyromancies at the most opportune of moments!
- Blade Enthusiast: He appears to favor daggers.
- Dual Wield: He wields two Umbral Daggers and sometimes a pair of Claws.
- The Lancer: He can help you out with some of the toughest bosses in the game.
- Meaningful Name: Bashful means 'reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy', which reflects on his being a...
- Ninja: Ray is one, as his armor is mostly of the Shadow set while his headgear is a Prisoner's Hood. He even has a pair of Binoculars which he will use when not in combat. He also has the Simpleton's and the Slumbering Dragoncrest Rings equipped, making it hard for enemies to hear or see him coming. Lastly, his daggers are very effective at backstabbing enemies.
- Playing with Fire: Ray also seems to be a skilled pyromancer. While not on the same level as Jester Thomas', he is able to burn enemies into a crisp provided he has enough time to cast his pyromancies.
- Wolverine Claws: For the fight against the Duke's Dear Freja, he will use the basic Claws to make quick work of the spiders itching to rush you the moment you step into the boss room.
Devotee Scarlett
A white phantom that can be summoned for the Old Dragonslayer and the Mytha the Baneful Queen boss fights and in the entrance to the Undead Crypt, available only in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Brilliance: She'll use a few different gestures to communicate that you might want to do something about that windmill in the Earthen Peak area.
- Ethereal White Dress: Scarlett wears a white Retainer's Robe, fitting with her status as a phantom.
- Carry a Big Stick: She wields the humble but common Mace.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Her Iron Parma, even though its not as stable like most shields are.
Manhunter O'Harrah
A white phantom that can be summoned for the Old Iron King and The Duke's Dear Freja boss fights, available only in the Scholar of the First Sin edition.
- Artificial Stupidity: O'Harrah has a problem with her pathing AI. Occasionally, she will get stuck on her way to the boss rooms. And she has the tendency to fall into the pit of lava right beside the fog gate in the Old Iron King's arena.
- Combat Stilettos: Wears a pair of high-heeled shoes that come with her Black Witch Trousers.
- Ms. Fanservice: In a dark, gritty fantasy game like Dark Souls II, O'Harrah's combination of miniskirt and high heels sticks out among the adventurer characters like a sore but sexy thumb.
Unseen Characters
Pharros the Vagabond
A wayfarer who travelled the world and built contraptions meant to help those in "sincere and dire need".
- The Ghost: He doesn't appear in-game, but his contraptions and lockstones are useful throughout.
- Nice Guy: He supposedly constructed his contraptions to help people.
- Uncertain Doom: His fate is unknown, though there are two prominent theories:
- Based on his kinship with the Rat King covenant, he may be the skeleton kept in a place of honor behind the Rat King in the Grave of Saints.
- A darker theory states that he became The Rotten, or at least the body that seems to direct (or at least telegraph) the hulking mass. The Rotten obsessively contructs mechanical statues, much like Pharros' hobby of making devices. Cutting of the arm from which the body hangs gives you one of his lockstones. Cut item descriptions of the Rotten's soul (as well as the fact that the Crown of the Sunken King DLC is accessed from its bosschamber) implies that the Rotten is Gryth the Sunken King, but considering the Rotten's nature, these are not mutually exclusive.
